Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

This book is about Gretchen, an 18-year-old girl who lost her twin sister when she was seven, her brother Ansel, and her love interest Samuel. She travels to Live Oaks, South Carolina, where she befriends and moves in with Sophia, the town pariah who has secrets of her own. It's got a very fairy tale vibe, a la Alex Flinn.

My Thoughts:

1. Usually, suspense gets on my nerves; I HATE not knowing, but in this book, I really liked the lead up to discovering who Sophia truly was. 
2. This was surprisingly heavy for a teen romance. I'd say it has the same level of death as Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel, though not nearly the emotional impact. 
3. Samuel and Gretchen are great! There's this one scene, page 235, that is just adorable! He's your typical bad-boy-with-a-sensitive-side that populates the young adult section, and call me unenlightened, but  I really love those types!

Who Should Read It:

1. Fans of Jackson Pearce. Though I did not fall in love with this book like I did with As You Wish, this is still a great book if you like her style.
2. Fans of modern day fairy tale retellings. I've been buying a lot of those lately, and I don't know if it's a trend or if I just happen to be picking them up, but this book definitely delivers on that front.
3. Romance fans! What is a book without romance? Not a book at all! 

Final Score: 8.5/10

I have tons of new books, so check back soon for more reviews! The next book I'll be reviewing Fateful by Claudia Gray (and it is AWESOME)!

The Mark of the Golden Dragon by L.A. Meyer

The full title is actually The Mark of the Golden Dragon, Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Jewel of the East, Vexation of the West, and Pearl of the South China Sea. It is the ninth book in the Jacky Faber series (see the full list here), which centers on Jacky Faber, an orphan from a poor area of England who ran away to sea in the first book (when she was like 10 or 12) and has been having exciting adventures one the high seas  and trying to live happily ever after with Jaimy Fletcher, love of her life, ever since (she's now 17 or 18). Before I jump into my review of the most recent one, I'll do a quick review of what we've had so far.

1. Bloody Jack
2. The Curse of the Blue Tattoo
3. Under the Jolly Roger
4. In the Belly of the Bloodhound
5. Mississippi Jack
6. My Bonny Light Horseman
7. Rapture of the Deep
8. In the Wake of the Lorelei Lee

So, Jacky pretended to be a boy, ran away to sea, became a pirate, escaped from a slave ship, came to America, fought in the Napoleonic War, searched for treasure and escaped from a convict ship (her own ship) bound for New South Wales, Australia. Currently, she is marooned on Burma with a small boy (Ravi) she picked up in India and everyone she knows thinks she's dead! 

On to the actual review!

My Thoughts:

1. This is a good installment, in my opinion. Adventure, romance, intrigue - it's all there. 
2. Some might think a series gets a little ridiculous by the 9th installment, and, in this case, they'd be partially right. This series isn't classic literature nor is it going for a realistic depiction of early nineteenth-century life. However, it is a fun, interesting, and entertaining read. 
3. Jacky is fun and likable, and her ongoing romance with Jaimy (and Randall and Jared and Arthur and Richard) is equal parts adorable, angsty, and amusing. 

Who Should Read It:

• People who have read the rest of the series. If you liked that, you'll like this.
• If you like historical fiction, you'll probably enjoy this one. 

Final Score:

• Entire series: 10/10
• Mark of the Golden Dragon: 9/10

For more information, check out the author's website here. 

Next, I'll probably reviewing Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, so stay tuned!

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

This is going to be a short one, since I didn't actually finish this book! This book is the love story between Nora and Patch, a fallen angel. It's the third one in the series; I absolutely loved Hush, Hush, the first one and Crescendo, the second one, had it's moments, but this one...well, I'll let you read on.

My Thoughts:

1. The premise of this one is that Nora has lost her memory of all the supernatural goings-on in her life, and I know that it's dramatic irony and all, but nothing annoys me more! Now, I'm okay with it if it doesn't go on for ever and/or the book is extremely well written/my favorite series ever (like in the case of The Son of Neptune). In this case it lasted at least to page 224, where I stopped. 
2. Maybe I would've liked it better had I re-read the first two installments in the Hush, Hush Saga and gotten back into it, however, I feel like I was getting out of it towards the end of the second book. 
3. I'm not sure why I suddenly no longer like this series, it's just that we're not seeing enough Nora/Patch. I loved their interactions, their love, their story and we've gotten so far away from that that I've lost interest. 

Who Should Read It:

• If you read the first two, I recommend you give this one a go. I never abandon a book series, so maybe that's just me, but I would advise you to check it out if you read/enjoyed either the first or second novel.

Final Score: 6.5/10

For more info, check out the author's website here. 

I'm 60 pages in to The Mark of the Golden Dragon by L.A. Meyer and I've also purchased Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, so look forward to reviews of those!

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

This book, in true Alex Flinn style, is a modern day take on fairy tales. I haven't been able to detect a specific one like with the first novel of hers I read, Beastly, so it seems to be a compilation of various elements from various fairy tales. A teenage boy, Johnny, who repairs shoes, is chosen by the beautiful princess Victoriana to rescue her brother, Prince Philippe, who has been turned into a frog, stop the evil witch, and save her from marrying the evil witch's son (by marrying her himself). However, throw Johnny's undefined feelings for his bet friend Meg into the mix, and you get a better idea of the plot.

My Thoughts:

1. Generally, I don't read romance novels from the guy's perspective, since I find it difficult to really believe a guy has the kind of sappy thoughts I want in a love story. However, Alex Flinn's Johnny is wonderful! Very cute, very romantic, but also very real. This was very well executed, in my opinion.
2. In that vein, I just loved the voice of the main character, Johnny. He was funny and adorable and a little dense about Meg and just a really great hero. 
3. I absolutely love books with magic/fairy tales in them and this novel certainly delivered! It was all very familiar because, as an avid reader, I covered the major fairy tale stuff at a young age, BUT it was also extremely new - Alex Flinn's comic touches and plot twists keep you guessing.
4. This book had some really funny moments, particularly in the relationship between Prince Philippe and Meg!
5. I really love how classic this book feels. It's hard to describe, it just feels like one of those grand sweeping fairy tale romances. 
6. I found this book to be very engaging, as well - It's one of those ones you can lose yourself in! 

Who Should Read It:

• If you love fairy tales, then this book is for you!
• If you like comedy, romance, and adventure this is for you!
• If you're a fan of Alex Flinn's other work, then you should check this one out!

Overall Score: 9.5/10

For more information on Alex Flinn, check out her website here. I have tons of new books, so I don't know what I'll be reviewing next!