Elemental by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Elemental

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Reviewed by: Cassie

Rating: 5 glass slippers

Summary (from BN.com)

As an air Elemental, 17-year-old Emily Morgan doesn't have much power. That's okay-she knows what happens to kids who do.

Like Michael Merrick. He's an earth Elemental, one with enough power to level cities. Which makes him sexy, dangerous, and completely off limits. At least according to Emily's family.

But her summer job puts her in close contact with Michael, and neither of them can help the attraction they feel. When forces of nature like theirs collide, one misstep could get someone killed. Because Emily's family doesn't just want her to stay away from him.

They want him dead.

Since this is a novella it is very short and doesn't have much of a beginning middle or end. But let me tell you this, it does not disappoint. Seriously, I had to put it down several times just to legitimately squeal and go "AW!!" It's way cute. It's way awesome. And it's way worth your time.


The girl-
Emily is the secret family rebel. She needs the job that's in jeopardy (because of Michael Merrick) to save up money to move out. She doesn't want to live with all of this hate her family has for the Merricks. In fact, she just wants a fresh start. She's heard all the stories about Michael and is scared witless when he comes to her new job. Yet she can't help being drawn to him... At first she is the girl who believes her family's lies about Michael. Soon, she becomes the not-so-secret rebel. I like her :) A funny thought of hers? -->


" Don't be stupid. Even serial killers can be hot."
-Emily


The guy-
Okay so in Storm, I couldn't understand or really like Michael. But dang, reverse the clock seven years and Michael is SO CUTE!!! I can die in peace now, thinking about a sexy, sexy boy who is extremely dangerous... yet extremely gentle?!? Booyah! He is so, so lovable.


"She looked ridiculous and adorable and he tried not to laugh."
-Michael


The story-
It's cute. Tragic, from what we know in Storm. Completely relatable and totally explains the mystery of what happened (mostly). Can't wait for more!


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Cassie

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Storm

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Reviewed by: Cassie

Rating: 3.5 glass slippers

Summary (from BN.com)

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys--all the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her.

Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water--just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming...

The heroine-

Becca is pretty much an outcast in her school because of a bad choice 5 weeks ago at a party. Her ex-boyfriend spread rumors about her and all the school thinks she has slept with all of the soccer team and half of the lacrosse team- if not more.

Her personality is... complicated, in my opinion. Most of the time she's a decently interesting POV to read from and then there are a few moments of awesome! Like, when she punches someone who guys don't even punch. (that gave it the extra .5 glass slippers!) But then there are moments when I just want to slap her and be like, "SPEAK UP WOMAN!" and others where I want to slap her and say "Shut your rude trap HUNNY." (mmhmm that's how I spell hunny)

The guyS!-

So we have our love triangle. Plus three more? Oh yeah, Brigid Kemmerer did the unthinkable- she put in FIVE sexy men! 

Chris- perfect, in my opinion, for Becca. Dear god, he had a to-DIE-for little epiphany about Becca. And he's hot and dangerous (some of his violent thoughts had me laughing) but he cares. 

"Now he couldn't make himself forget a single thing about her. Seeing her tears on the field had almost been his undoing. He'd wanted to hold her. No, he'd wanted to kill Drew and anyone else who'd laid a hand on her." pg 253, 254

Hunter- sweet and yummy. I don't care why he's nice I just know he's real nice. And hot in a bad boy way. If you like your boy with blonde hair green eyes and a few piercings he's your man.

" "Easy, Becca," he whispered against her lips.

She froze.

"Easy," he said again. He kissed her cheek, her mouth, her eyes. "There's plenty of time."

He kept her so off balance. "For what?"

"For you to trust me." He caught her hands, kissed her fingertips. "I'm not going anywhere." "

pg 234

Michael- a kid who's desperately trying to be an adult for the greater good. He's troubled, confused, and lonely. He dresses like he doesn't care and has long hair. Perhaps you like that.

Nick- gorgeous and smart, he pushes girls away from him. (trust me, they throw themselves at him) He's really sweet and does well with fiery Gabriel.

Gabriel- I cannot wait for Spark to come out! UGH. That one is in Gabriel's POV (instead of Chris's and Becca's) and dear me I want to figure this tough cookie out! He's WAY troubled, guilty, brooding in a not-so-obvious way, sassy, pugnacious, and kind of mean. But you know what? That just makes me like him more. And he's SEXAY. He's funny and he is the opposite of his twin Nick- he chases the girls in mass. In fact...

You can chase me Gabriel ;)

The best friend-

Man, Quinn bugged the crap out of me half the time. The other time I was laughing at her rudely funny comments. She's kind of a whore, too. But a story-behind-the-whore whore.

"He had a drink in one hand, and Monica had her entire body up against his. He didn't exactly look like he was fighting her off.

"Is it me, or is she humping his leg?" said Quinn." pg 267

The adventure/world-

Interesting concept of humans having an inclination towards one of five elements. A decent amount of adventure but I couldn't remember what had happened for a good many pages so... it wasn't super memorable.

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Cassie

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Reviewed by: Rafia AND Cassie

Rating: five glass slippers!

Summary (from BN.com)

They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them. Until now. Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Cassie here:

Let me start out with this- I really didn't want to keep reading this book. No, not as in "OMG LET ME BURN THIS!!" I mean, "This is too beautiful... I don't want to end the book!" Yes, the story is absolutely beautiful. Stunning. Dreamy. It's about Love as a disease and that one life-altering moment when someone finds love for the first time. Even though I just came back from vacation, I must review Delirium!

The girl-

Lena, which is a nickname for Magdalena, is a very normal girl. She's not this or that; she's in between in everything, she says. She looks forward to the cure because of all the hurt and pain she's seen and experienced from the disease. It's wicked and horrible. She counts down the days. She sticks to the rules and I can totally see her character. Whether or not we readers want to admit it, Lena is a very relate-able character. A lot of us don't want to take chances that could mean death, just for the sake of a scorned, disgusting 'something'. But Lena starts to change when she meets Alex. Beautiful and bright, he is just the thing to make her veer off course. Suddenly, she's questioning all of the rules and 'truths' her well-contained community has told her. She's really afraid yet exhilarated to do the unthinkable; fall in love. Her character really develops as the story goes on- she goes from "uptight, no-spirit girl" to "fighting, living, loving girl." And I must say, it was nice. I haven't seen a good turn-around recently.

The boy-

Alex. Let me just put this out there- if you are real and alive, CASSIE LOVES YOU BABY.

Okay I don't know how to do him justice. He is... the perfect first love. Sweet, compassionate, attractive, cute, thoughtful, wild (ha, if you read it, you'll understand), troubled, and rebellious. He sees Lena as someone really, really special. He just saw her one day and was drawn to her true self. He saw her as a beautiful girl, not just a normal girl. He watched the stars with her. He had picnics with her. He went swimming with her. He snuck out for her. He did a LOT for her. And he was uber cute, too. Like this. (AH ANDREW GARFIELD!!)

So... he's got hair the color of autumn leaves when they're turning. I thought of that as a like... sort of brown. With some nice fire to it. He has bright, intense eyes that are light, molten brown like liquid honey. His skin is tan. Now that is a nice lookin' guy. BUT HE IS SO SWEET YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH HIS PERSONALITY!! Oh... how I love him.

The best friend-

Hana. Tall, blonde, beautiful. Rebellious. She, really, is who began the new Lena. She freaked her out and helped her along. For that, she is awesome. She also helps Lena with issues. For that, she is awesome. She is all talk, no walk. For that, she is not awesome. I don't like people like that, even though I understand why she was like that.

The world-

Pretty cool, kind of very dystopian cliche though. But the Wilds was a very nice touch! The rules and lifestyles were an interesting read. Also, it was really creative to think of a world (scratch that, nation) that scorned Love! To think of it as a disease!

The adventure-

I don't know if you can tell, but this isn't an adventure kind of book. It's about falling in love despite everything being set against it. It's about escape from the life being lived. It's not about rebelling against the government or joining rebel forces. While I did get a Matched series sort of feel, like the matches etc., there was a unique look to this story. And the end adventure is well-written and so, so amazing. Beautiful, sad, and full of hope.

Go read it and love Alex with me. Go.

Rafia here:

Delirium. This book just blew me away! I read it while I was reading Matched (Ally Condie) and Divergent (Veronica Roth), so it had some tough competition. And yet, it still blew me away! Like Cassie put it, it was dreamy and just plain beautiful.

The romance:

I died...no seriously, I died! Now days, it is so hard to find a real romance, not any of that predestined attraction crap, because personally, that just shows how an author is lazy. Lena and Alex...it was just so beautiful! I melted...that is how amazing their romance is! They went on a picnic...read poems...watched stars...and just rivaled The Notebook! Yes I went there...

The characters: 
I didn't like Lena very much in the beginning of the book, but later on, as she kinda changed, she kinda grew on me. I have to tell you though, in the sequel, Pandemonium, Lena is definitely a better character. It was nice to see her develop as a character through both books. And now we shall come to Alex.

“Everyone is asleep. They've all been asleep for years. You seemed ... awake.' Alex is whispering now. He closes his eyes, opens them again.'I'm tired of sleeping.”

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you permission to fall in love with Alex. He's so sweet and gorgeously hot (!!), I love him! His hair is always described as a crown of autumn leaves, burning brightly. But really, its how he acts towards Lena that makes you love him. Just go back up and read the romance part. Ohmysweetgoodness, does it get better than that?? Yes, Alex is rivaling Ryan Gosling ;). 

The world:
Yes, as Cassie said, the dystopian worlds are kinda getting old, but it was really the concept of love being a disease that blew me away. They have a book dedicated to why love is bad! And a medicine to stop you from falling in love! Really interesting stuff. 

So there you go...enough reasons to read Delirium.And, the sequel Pandemonium is out! So go read it!! And comment and tell us what you think. Me and Cassie have a little treat for you in a bit, but until then, here is a picture of Andrew Garfield. ;)

Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Title: Gilt

Author: Katherine Longshore

Reviewed by: Cassie

Rating: 1.5 glass slippers

Summary (from BN.com)

In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all.

When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

Usually, I really enjoy historical YA fiction. I like the mystery, the gowns, and parties thrown. Somehow, Gilt has incorporated all of these things and made me want to throw it in the fire and laugh. I don't know if that's skill or pure stubbornness but I have to say, that's something.

Pros-

William-

Oh another Will! He's got sandy brown hair, freckles all over his face and arms, and gray-blue eyes. He finds Kitty beautiful. He really cares for her. Even though she uses another man to make him jealous, he still has thoughts for only her. HOW SWEET IS THAT? He also basically says he wants to marry her but she doesn't pick up and she doesn't... she doesn't deserve him!

Shallow stuff-

I must admit I still enjoyed the gowns and parties. They were all very nice.

Little nature scenes-

Those were nice.

Cons-

Kitty (the main character)-

SHE HAS NO BACKBONE! NONE!!!! I HATE THAT. Why can't you be like this hippo?

And I'm not just talking about men. I'm talking about standing up for herself! Even though Cat was a cold bitch to her, she took it and curtsied and basically I wanted to stab her.
Men with Kitty- I don't know if she's actually not beautiful, but no man would look at her twice except for William and Edmund. William because he actually cared about her. Edmund because he wanted to get in her pants. She didn't believe in herself and thus I think slouched and looked dismal and sad. She's extremely tall, got great green eyes, and is very willowy. She could have held herself and been very elegant but NOOOO she's got to be Cat's shadow. That's how she likes it. AND she can't see true affection for what it really is! She's so drawn into her own life and Cat's life she can't see that William wanted to love her.
She infuriated me. She was weak, stupidly loyal, and boring. BORING. Maybe you find women who have no voice or backbone or spark interesting and maybe you think, oh pshhhh women were supposed to be like that. Well I'm telling you right now, I DON'T CARE. Seriously.

Cat- (the "BFF")
Cat was so annoying. She was controlling, spoiled, bitchy, crazy, and manipulative. She made all the attention go to her, even if she didn't earn it. She planned and plotted so much that I wanted to do something very violent to her. She weasled her way into getting boys into the maidens' room. She weasled her way into Henry VIII's court. She weasled her way into his heart. And then she weasled her way into a shit-will-go-down situation that would affect all of her "BFF"s and lovers and accomplices. Words cannot describe how much I would have hated a girl like her. Shallow, vain, and very self-absorbed. She was crazy! Seriously. Once she got something and it turned out to not benefit her or turned out the way she wanted, she goes "Oh I never wanted it! Why must it be me!"

Edmund-

I didn't like him. Oh, so he had a flowing mane of golden hair "to die-for"? Hmm... I care. Actually, no I don't. I don't like guys with blonde hair, unless the author makes him especially yummy. And Edmund was anything but yummy. He was lustful, annoying, controlling, and everything else not-nice. Okay, so he made Kitty feel wanted. Ever think it wasn't because he actually liked her? Oh, wait, I forgot! Silly me, Kitty doesn't think. At least not like that. Needless to say, I wouldn't mind stabbing him. A lot.

The plot-

I'm sorry, but I found court life extremely sloooooooooooow. Boring. Nothing big happening until the end. Maybe you like scandal and gossipy crap but honestly? I was forcing myself to not throw down the book and stomp away. I know life was like this, and it was a very accurate portrayal, but I didn't sign up for basically all history. I expected the parties (there's only one Kitty gets to go to) to be extravagant and fun and flirty. I expected flirtatious men coming up to Kitty and all that stuff! NOPE! Nuh-uh. Cat gets all the limelight and everybody just loves her. No one except Edmund actually pays attention to Kitty. And all he wants to do is distract her and get in her pants. Big letdown.

The ending-

I hated it. No special appearance of the true lover and no... nothing. Kitty is just there. No, "Oh let's do this!" or "Let's kill some people... teehee" No, just "Oh. Life. Wonderful."

I didn't get mindblown. I didn't really like this book. I didn't even like it. I didn't like it. No, I almost really didn't like this. It was a waste of my time and I really wish I had never read it.

Side note? If Kitty had had a cat, (no seriously, I have a thing for cats) I think it would have been wayyyyy cooler. I mean, at least at the end she could have been like "Oh, the world... and my cat!"

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Cassie