IMPLUSE by Ellen Hopkins

I lied. Out of all of Hopkins stories, this one is most defiantly my favorite. The storyline is just amazing, in my opinion. It takes you through the lives of three teenagers in a psychiatric hospital after failed suicide attempts. It untwists their life stories behind the suicide attempts and the relationships the three have with each other.

In my opinion, the 3rd and 4th pages have one of the best poem like verses in this book. Out of the verses in the story, the ones at the beginning seem to be told by all three of the character, which I like.

Speaking of the characters, their personalities and reasoning so well drawn out that you simply fall in love with them. You feel like you know them, maybe even want to give them a hug... Anyway...

Hopkins throws loop after loop, sending you into... Well, I found it really hard to put the book down. The end should and will blow your mind.

However, I should've wrote this on the IDENTICAL review as well, so I'm sayinng it now. If you don't like the whole teenage struggles and issues thing, then Hopkins book are not for you. If you like that kind of thing or find it interesting and want to get in the heads of those with these kinds of issues, then you should defiantly read them.

-- Chances vs Pills

IDENTICAL by Ellen Hopkins

This was the first book by Hopkins that I read. I fell in love with her stories afterward. Anyway. Out of all of them, this one is my favorite. Mainly, it's about two twin sisters. One of which is being sexually abused by their father. The other is a trouble maker. You seem to be able to guess how the story will end and how it will play out, but once you reach that point... Boom. Everything changes and you're thrown for a loop. A good loop, too.

The writing takes you through the point of views of both the girls in verse. The one thing i like best about Hopkins stories being written in verse is how the book itself is so thick, but not actually that long. Moving on. If you read one of her books, you'll want to read the rest of them. I know I can't wait to get the newest one.

-- Chances vs Pills

dark secrets by Elizabeth Chandler

the first book called legacy of lies is about this girl name megan and she visits her grandmother and she finds out that she does not like her and she doesn't know why she invited her and she had a cousin that lived with her grand mother and he also doesnt like her but the wierd thing is that she is having dreams about her grandmothers dead sister and at the end there is a shocking twist and you have to read it to fing out. This is a good book to read if you are into ghosts and wierd things happen. This is one of my favorite books i have ever read for a while.P.S DO NOT ABANDON THIS BOOK JUST BECOUSE OF THE BEGINNING.

top 8 is about a girl who is an e-mail addict. she ends up getting hacked. she tries to find out who did by asking people if they had hacked her e-mail before the hacker can send hates notes everyone she cares. this book was awsome, i thought it was going to be chessey because of the begining but as the story progressed it was amazing. this book is for people who craves for drama and a happy-ending.

Wicked by Sara Shepard

Wicked is an awsome book about these girls Emily,Aria,Spencer and Emily who are getting weird text messeges about their deep dark secrets from the past threatning they"ll tell if they do don't do what they say. When suddenly they find out who the person is but then theres another A in town. This book is good because it keeps you flipping the pages trying to find out who A is the person sending the weird text messages. You want to know who A is read the book to find out.

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

Country girl goes to city, discovers her kingdom is in peril, and saves it, while discovering herself. Characters are complete and can be related to and plot is solid, but both are a bit predictable. A good book, but not earth shattering.
--Robin Schwab

Carter Finally Gets It

By Brent Crawford

This book is about a freshman in high school. There is more drama in this book than you can find in your life (don't argue, its true!). He faces many decisions about what to do. Most of his decisions are made on teenage testosterone and male machoism.

Great book. You must read if you have not!

IDK signing out

Shade's Children by Garth Nix

One morning every human over the age of fourteen spontaneously disappears. The remaining children are killed by evil overlords upon reaching the age of fourteen. The plot moves along nicely, the book is hard to put down, and the plot ties up it's loose ends. However, while many themes are touched on none are fully explored, leaving a feeling of questioning as to the point of the story.
--Robin Schwab

Bite Me by Melissa Francis

Aj is having the wost week of her life and things are not looking good for her. Also one thing that she hates is that her boyfriend becomes her step brother and she hates that.T his book is really interesting and this book is one of those books you can never let go of.

This book is about a man who has lost his memory. He is a man who isn't afraid of anything after losing his memory. What i mean by this is, he kills every one who stands in his way. This man's one goal is to find out who he really is; if he was a good guy or a bad guy. The book was a very action-packed book for any one who loves the blood and glore. But this manga has only 2 volumes so an easy read for anyone who hates reading very long serious like Naruto.

Unbelieveable Sara Shepard

After their best friend Alison died Aria, Spencer, Emily, Hanna are getting mysterious text messages. the girls are trying to find who it is also they are solving the death of their friend. this book is good because in every chapter you find surprises

Night World

Go Night world! Night world is about a group organiztion for the immortal. Basicaly the book is about immortal people (vampires) falling in love with mortal people (humans) so far threre are 3 books series. I think the book is awsome becuase it takes vampires to a whole new level. so READ IT!!!!!!!!

love is never painless by zane and two other authors

There are three different stories: the first is about these two woman who are best friends and their separate struggles in their relationships. And the woman themselves relationship and then there friendships between the two.... the moral seems to be friends prevail over men....

The second seems to be about how you can find love in the most unsuspected places... this story made for the best repersentation to my latest relationship.... so i really liked it.....

And the third is about the challenges of love from friendship to family, it is a great moral example of a everyday thing for a wife or husband's entire day.

Eyesheild 21 Vol # 1 by: Riichiro Inagaki

Eyeshield 21 is about a scrawny high school boy that barely gets the grades to get into his high school. He also has been a gopher(bully slave) his whole life. He becomes the running back for his high schools football team. The book has great comedy and makes me laugh the entire time. It has great illustrations and very vivd detail. This is one of my most favorite Manga and I would recommend it to about anyone.

-Ibad

I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle is a book about a girl and her family who live in a castle. The family is very eccentric and are very poor. Their landlords come back to England from America and the two sisters fall in love with them. I really liked this book because there is a good twist at the end and it was interesting to read a book that was written in the 1950's. This book is very different than any other book I've read, which makes it fun to read.

World War Z by Max Brooks

World War Z is a novel about Zombies.

Not the zombie survival guide, although they are by the same author, but a series of interviews through which you get a general jist of the "Zombie War", or the fighting of Zombies post infection all over the world. The novel does a fantastic job of seeming like a true story, giving me memories of reading Black Hawk Down. Its also written in a way that makes it seem both military and supernatural. World War Z is also a huge addition to the zombie fiction in that it talks about strategies for fighting zombies and post- zombie politics in fantastic depth, truley making the novel come alive

Pros:

Realistic

Entertaining

Great Zombie fiction, I think its better than 28 Days Later for sure

Cons: None really. If you don't like zombies/ military thrillers, or SciFi, this is not the book for you.

5/5 bookmarks

UNWIND by Neal Schusterman

What if your parents could have you aborted when you turned 13? A scary thought, right? I think so. It makes you want to ask you own parents if they could, but... that's not a very good idea. Anyway, the outline is simple. Three different teens from 13 to 18 years old of different backgrounds are ordered to be Unwound. And they don't want to be.

This books really made me think. What if this could happen? What if you could be taking apart? With twists and turns that really make you pay attention, feel for the characters. There are few characters that you truly get to know, but they are very well developed. You can guess what would happen next. But you can't. It's not what you think. That's one thing I liked about it. Of course, the ending will vary if you see the cup half full or half empty.

-- Chances vs Pills

The Secret Social Rites

This is a great book first of all the hook really leads you in and will make you want to read more.Also you will want to know what will happen next.So before i say more go and get it from the library and read it.

I CAN'T KEEP MY OWN SECRETS by Teens Famous and Obscure

I'm not going to say much about this one since it's not yet out on the bookstore shelves. Nor am I going to quote my favorites from it, you'll just have to read it and find your own. However, I will say that this book is the second or so in the Six-Memoirs series, after Not Quite What I was Planning. But of course you don't need to read the first one since it's not one big story, it's a slice of life from hundreds teens of the ages of 13 to 19 printed onto less than two-hundred pages.

A few memoirs will make you chuckle, others might not make much sense, some will seem a little cliche in a way. And then there will be those that leave you somewhat numb, you won't know how to react to it, it may be a "wow" or "whoa" feeling or something more like "what the heck?" or you just wouldn't have anything to say. It'll just make you think.

Either way, you might be able to relate to some of the memoirs and say that those six words sum up your life too, and say "hey, I'm not alone" or something like that.

Moving on, I Can't Keep My Own Secrets is a quick read and I think anyone that's slightly interested or not interested at all should just pick this little book off the shelf, randomly open to a page and read a couple memoirs. But... You'll have to wait until it comes out. Sorry.

-- Chances vs Pills

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

As You Wish is an wonderful book. It brings together a fantasy world matched with reality in a way that isn't to out there, but not too subtle. The characters are very detailed, and each chapter is from two characters point of view, Viola, and a jinn or Jinn. I can be a sucker for romance novels on occasion, and this one had me in tears near the end. Which is incredibly rare, so props for that. I'd love to see a squeal to this book. I do admit, the basic story has been used before, but the magic brought into it gives it a fresh new point of view for the reader. Props to Jackson on her first novel. Can't wait to see more work from her!

-ChooChoo

ORANGE by Benjamin

"Her name is Orange. She's a young girl in high school. Coming of age in the heart on the city. And she has decided she has nothing to live for..." This is only a few sentences from the back cover, and the only things I can say about the storyline without giving anything away.

Just follow Orange through her telling of her life so far and how it's changed forever with a moral everyone should remember.

Now, moving forward to the main reason I picked up the book before I read the back .... Just looking at the vibrant colored front cover, the art sucks you in. The co-existing color shades on each page really set the mood for the storyline. I definitely like how you don't really see the faces of anyone other than Orange herself.

Like I stated before, I can't say anymore without giving most of it away. However, the moral you find at the end is really... Well, I don't know how it'll relate to you who read it, but to me, it changed the way I looked at a couple of things.

-- Chances vs Pills

The Knife Of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a brilliant, dark, sci-fi adventure story. It is both powerful and relatable, despite it's distance from the recognizable. In fact, you have to REALLY immerse yourself in the world to enjoy this novel, as it takes some getting used to. Give it a chance, and make sure you're at least a couple dozen pages in before you consider putting it down. But, if you're like me, you won't be able to :). Enjoy your reading!

Final Verdict: Dark, mysterious, sci fantasy. Read it!

Read My Lips by Teri Brown

This book is possibly the most cheesy thing I've read in months. The plot line is rather flat, the typical "lolhotguy@school" deal... though it was very weird in some points. I'm not giving anything away when I say it's almost incest. But not really. The girl's cousin who is adopted is some hot skater guy from school, and she doesn't know he's her adopted cousin until she goes to help her aunt on their farm. The whole cousin thing is just weird. Even if he is adopted. It made it hard for me to finish the book. Oh, I should mention the girl is deaf... thats the focal point of the book. I'd say it's a mix between mean girls and gossip girls. It's just... kljasdg. To put it lightly.


-ChooChoo

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I am a little afraid to be posting this review, as it is on a book that is not only not out yet, but the envy of every other person who knows what it is and hasn't read it. Catching Fire, due to be released sometime in September, is the Sequel to Collin's equally brilliant Hunger Games. Hunger Games is a wonderful novel about a controlling government that makes it citizens compete in a gladatorial arena called the Hunger Games annually. Catching Fire picks up right where Hunger Games leaves off, so I won't divulge any plot to give you a chance to read the first book. Nevertheless, suffice to say, the book will fulfill any desperate need you have for a sequel. It answers most of the questions from the first book, AND (of course) leaves room for a third novel. A large amount of room. A cliff, you might say. In fact, expect it in about a year, because it's coming. PLEASE, quickly, author! The characters are deep, the action intense, and there are cliffhangers that will blow your mind. Literally, your mind will explode. So pick it up, and love it. NOW.

PROS:
Engaging story
Action
Characters

CONS:
Youre going to have to read hunger games first.
Too short
Cliffhangers :(

~Abyss

Serendipity Market by Penny Blubaugh

The premise of Serendipity Market has the potential to be a beautiful book-a group of people come together to tell stories because the earth has gone off its tilt and must be put to rights. Each story has its own chapter. However the execution of the book is somewhat awry. The writing is awkward, especially as its in the present tense except when the storytellers are speaking. Even in the middle of the story, there are interjections of the storyteller's actions, which I felt detracted from the flow of each story.

Many of the stories are retellings of traditional fairy tales, and although its fun to try and guess which character matches what fairy tale, I feel that the author could have expressed her range much better in original stories. There was a lot of creativity in what she did write, and I feel that that was her biggest strength. Her writing wasn't as poetic as it could have been in a story this free-flowing, and she didn't get very in-depth with her characters, especially as a short story is not a format ideal for character developement.

In general, the book was interesting, but not amazing.

-Mistress Fu

Good Omens by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett

There is a reason that Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett are two of the most popular men in fantasy lit today. This book will tell you that reason. Quickly and efficiently. It takes the best of each author (Gaimen's sarcasm, tight plotlines, and message driven stories and Pratchett's immense range of knowledge, wonderful characters and epic nature) and mashes them together into the Apocalypse. It is well-written, entertaining, amusing, meaningful and generally just fun.

Thoroughly recommended for all who are willing to forget about reality and read about people.
-Mistress Fu

The Compound

The compound is the very first novel of S.A. Bodeen. It’s a great book if you’re into thriller/suspense. The book is about a boy named Eli and his family that have been living in a compound for six years. His rich father built the compound to protect them from any nuclear attacks. During his time here, Eli has built a huge shell around his emotions and his family ever since Eddy, his twin brother never made it inside with them. As Eli unmasks secrets that his father has hidden, he comes closer in finding the truth about the compound and the outside world. It’s really a good book with a suspenseful plot and great characters. It’s excitement that keeps you wondering what’s going to happen in the next chapter. I highly recommend it with anyone with a pulse.

By: Abdiasis I.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

The second book to be published by the anonymous writer, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE has to be by far the most popular of Jane Austen's novels. The idea of the story deals with the misjudgments that often occur at the beginning of an acquaintance, and how those misjudgments can change as individuals learn more about each other.

The storyline seems simple enough. Elizabeth Bennet is the second oldest of five daughters. And so, without a male heir to the Bennet family, all Mrs. Bennet can possibly think of is having her daughters married off before Mr. Bennet meets his end and her daughters become destitute. It's kind of depressing in a way, but that's how things worked then. Moving on, things begin to look up as two very wealthy single gentlemen come to the shire. During their visit, a romance starts to form and a wrongly assessed relationship based on first impressions begins between Elizabeth and a Mr. Darcy.

Af this point, I can't say anymore or I'll spoil the whole thing. Anyway, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is an amazing classic novel of the early 1800s. Of course, reading Old English is kind of hard and can be confusing. Or maybe you might get so wrapped up in the Old English that you'll begin to think in Old English and maybe even speak in Old English at times. I know sometimes I do.

Or... You if you're not so into reading Victorian novels, you can watch one of the two movies. If you want to watch one of the movies, I suggest the one from 2005 with actress Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and actor Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy. This film is also really good and is quite elegant in a way. I'll say it was an awesome film and is still saved on my DVR.

Watching the movie may spoil the actual book. Many things you'd want to know will have been left out, however, it stays true to the main storyline of the original novel. You could do what I did, and watch the movie first than read the book. By doing this, it was easier to understand the Old English in the novel because it was simplified in the film.

Anyway, Jane Austen is an amazing writer and has a total of six novels, which I plan on reading a reviewing here. Those who prefer newer books should venture out of their comfort zone and try at least one of Austen's novels. You never know, maybe you'll love Austen's work just as I love her work.

-- Chances vs Pills

Vamped by Lucienne Diver

Vamped is about a girl named Gina. She is a vampire who has to save the world. This book is the worst book that I have ever read. The girls in the book are stereotypical and the boys are annoying. The plot was dull and some of the chapters were pathetic and boring. This book is not the kind of book that anyone should read especially people that love to read about the supernatural and don't want a pathetic book like this.

Take It To The Floor by Cash Cash (Music)

Take It To The Floor is a wonderfully upbeat, danceworthy CD that is consistently fun and interesting. The choruses are catchy across the board, and although none of the lyrics are life-changing, they are all good to sing along to. The CD works well as a whole, although it could do with more variety. This is the kind of CD that I would play with friends over, for a party, or just to groove. The keyboards and the drums are my favorite parts.

Highlights:
Party In Your Bedroom: Somewhat ridiculous lyrics, but ridiculously fun. The kind of song that makes you giggle at its pointlessness while dancing.
Cash Cash: The best track of the CD, in my humble opinion. It flows through a few different styles and does them all well. Interesting lyrics, especially when compared with some of the other songs. Ridiculously catchy, and gets stuck in your head for days on end.
Electric Hearts:And anthem for dancing. Cannot get it out of my head, I adore it.
Two Days Old: The saddest song on the CD, a little more melancholy, but still good.

-Obi Wan Kimono

Peace, Love and Baby Duckies by Lauren Myracle

This book was surprisingly enjoyable. There is very little by way of original plotline in this book, the story of a rich girl going to Christian prep school in Atlanta who spends a summer in the woods and finds herself frustrated with the shallow materialism of her school and social circles. Everyone knows who the main character will end up with, and the basic outline of the story. However the book is original in its treatment of being true to yourself. The main character goes through honest struggles trying to learn how to define herself without simply doing the opposite of what society says. It also takes a good look at sibling relationships without being cliche or cheesy.

Although the characters have many characteristics of stereotypes, they manage to walk the line between universal and cliche without falling too far to the cliche side. The characterization of high school is the first somewhat accurate depiction I have read in a teen book, which was refreshing. The characters did not have simply black and white views on things and not every person was convinced that looks were 100% the most important thing. There was no mention of the popular people, etc, the typical cliches of teen lit. Overall, it was the first decent book with this plotline that I have read because the characters and problems were treated realistically.

Mistress Fu

Damsel In Distress by PG Wodehouse (A Dusty Old Books Review)

Damsel In Distress is a story of confused love in an aristocratic household in England. PG Wodehouse's witty, sarcastic and snarky style is what truly makes this book. The plotline is predictable, but enjoyable, and the characters are somewhat flat, although Wodehouse does a good job of giving them vivacity and life. Make sure to read the book with a dictionary near at hand, because Wodehouse throws out interesting and unknown words like they're going out of fashion. Half the fun is his sideways style of saying things. If you enjoy a good roast of snobby, rich people and a story in which true love wins over bloodlines, this is the story for you.

Mistress Fu

Starclimber - Kenneth Oppel

I'd read Kenneth Oppel's Silverwing series when I was much younger, and it became the first chapter book series I ever really loved. Oppel delivers again with the third(?) installment of his Airborn trilogy. This book was an excellent continuation of the series and really, I felt, capped it off nicely. It wasn't such a rapturously heartfelt ending as, say, John Scalzi's Old Man's War series, which leads me to believe that maybe this is the series' penultimate book. I hope to read more about the quirky, suspense-y adventures of Kate de Vries and Matt Cruse in their ever-expanding alternate universe. This book was excellent, if not spectacular. 4/5

Post by Collin Knopp-Schwyn

Because I Am Furniture

This book is about a girl who lives in an abusive household named Anke. Her siblings Yaicha and Darren are beaten and yelled at everyday, but she is completely ignored. Even if she makes a mistake, the words are for her, but the yelling is at them. This girl feels as though she doesn't exist and is like a lamp or a chair in the corner. She wants to be noticed.
This book sounds pretty typical and boring. But because of the prose it is written in,it is smooth flowing poetry that doesn't have corny rhymes or randomly ending sentences. This isn't the best in the world, but it is no where near the worst. This book has wit, character development and a well-paced storyline. You will follow along Anke's story of self development during her freshman year of high school. She learns to face her fears and discovers herself in the process.

Jane Eyre (A Dusty Old Books Review)

Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Bronte that traces the life journey of a woman (Jane) from the time she is a young girl living in the house of her aunt to the end of her life. Jane Eyre is not a book for everyone. It is extremely introspective and is not plot or action driven by any means. This is the story of a person, her emotional and spiritual journey, and how she grows through interactions with other people. It is written beautifully, with layered motifs and symbols, and very interesting for the political and social implications for the time it was written in. It also still has a strong message of social equality that makes the book more pertinent to life. However the book may be a bit too slow or too introspective for some people, as well as seem outdated or pointless. In general, I found it quite enjoyable, but it may not be the right read for many teens today. If you're looking for a glimpse inside someone else's head, this is the read for you.

Mistress Fu

NIGHT WORLD No.1 by L. J. Smith

"Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters--they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World."

This big book of many pages is made up of three different stories for forbidden love between humans and Night People. Of course, as stated above from the back cover of
Night World, falling in love with a human breaks all the laws and is punishable by death.

The first short story was Secret Vampire which was about a young girl with only three months to live. And the only way to save her is for her best friend to turn her into a vampire. Which is totally against the laws. The second was Daughter of Darkness. This one had a cross over from the last one. The third story also had cross over Night People from the first story. If anything more is said about the stories, it would be giving a lot away. So read it.

All three stories were very well written in third person and had good characters. Everyone with a love for vampire and such should read this series of books.

-- Chances vs Pills

Starcraft; Speed of Darkness

This is M-Dog here. Lately I read a book about a computer game from Blizzard. It is the third book in a trilogy. The whole book is based of of the game Starcraft. It was a very good book.
I play Starcraft quite a bit so it was neat when most of the game was used in the book. A lot of the techniques used were the same as I use. This is a great book if you have ever played Starcraft.
The book was written very well. It was interesting and kept me interested through the whole book.
M-Dog out.

Combinations by Eisley (Music)

Combinations is probably one of our favorite CDs of all time. It's hard to believe it came out over a year ago, it still sounds so amazing it's like new. This marks a good amount of growth from Room Noises with more layering, more complexity on a musical level, and more developed voices for Sherri and Stacy (the lead singers). However Eisley still manages to capture a kind of innocence and whimsy that is unique to them, and gives them their distinct vibe. Eisley's lyrics occupy a world completely their own. Each song alone is good to listen to, but when taken as a whole it becomes even better.

Highlights:
Come Clean: This song is one of the most original out at the moment. It has a sense of freshness and is extremely genuine. It has a slightly more pop feel to it but it still incorporates the indie sound that Eisley uses for the majority of their music.

A Sight to Behold: The drums are amazing!! This song is more driven than the majority of Eisley songs, but the slight edge that it has gives it more depth than many of the other songs. The contrast between Eisley's hopeful lyrics and the intensity of the music gives this song a tension that makes it endlessly listenable. Obi Wan's personal favorite.

Combinations: Cutest song ever. The beginning is wonderful and takes the song from a traditional romantic song to something with a different tone. It is far more adorable than the traditional love song, because it isn't overly sweet yet still manages to capture the feeling of the lyrics in the music.

Deadpan Serious

Ariel by Sylvia Plath (A Dusty Old Book Review)

This is one of the most haunting and disturbing pieces of literature I have yet come across. Plath writes beautifully, with strong, vivid imagery that sticks in your mind. She pulls from her attempted suicide, World War II, troubled families and the darker side of nature for her metaphors and images, and together they create something terrifying yet still intensely meaningful. It reads quite easily, although it does have considerable depth in the allusions and structure of the poems. The crowning piece is probably Lady Lazarus, Plath's anthem of a suicidal woman. Strong while still being extremely vulnerable, the poem pulls together the themes that drive Plath's life.
Overall, a book that should be read by everyone, although not all at one time. When taken all together, the poems can be overwhelming, but when spread out they form a beautiful piece.


Mistress Fu

Frannie in Pieces by Delia Ephron

Frannie In Pieces by Delia Ephron

Welll, I thought this was a pretty good book. The character detail is quite good,
along with a decent plot line. Without giving away too much, it starts off about a girl, (obviously named Frannie) who's father dies of unknown causes at the beginning of the book. She struggles to deal with the fact that yes, her parents were divorced before her father died, and her mother had replaced him. Other things happen in her life that add to her issues. Over all, the plot would get a 3.5/5 from me. The characters were far from flat, 5/5. I love the details on each character given towards the beginning of the book. Generally a good book, for anyone interested in a realistic plot. Good book! 4/5.

The Dark Knight Returns, and The Dark Knight Strikes Again

The Dark Knight Returns AND The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Graphic Novel) by Frank Miller

This is a masterpiece. Straight up ridiculously good. Epic, you might say. The dystopia, the acceptance, the call to action, the return, all are unbelieveable. This collection begins with showing how far Gotham City has gone downhill without Batman. Which is saying something, if you've read any Batman graphic novels. Gotham is not a happy place. But Batman returns. Of course. It's in the title. You will subtly be returned to the old characters, until by the end of the second book, you know where most of the primary characters of the DC universe have gone. Everything about this story is amazing. I'm not a huge fan of the arkwork, I like my art dark and glossy. More modern. But the art doesn't detract from the story at all, in fact, it fits it almost perfectly. And I enjoyed the art far more about halfway through The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Regardless, this is spectacular.

FINAL VERDICT: If you like comics, know anything about Batman, or like Watchmen, this graphic novel is for you. Even if you don't, read it. You might like it. As a previous comic fan and batman fan, and a fan of dystopias, I'd give it 5/5 bookmarks.

Signed, Abyss

Coraline

Coraline (Graphic Novel) by Neil Gaiman
(Illustrated by P. Craig Russell)

Coraline is a graphic novel based on the children's book by Neil Gaiman. You may have heard of it because of the buzz from the recent critically praised movie based on the book. So you may be wondering why I am reviewing a children's book on a teen book review site. Well the answer is that I got an ARC (advanced reading copy) of this graphic novel back in august and I just pulled it out. I LOVED it. For most teens, its going to be a simple read. It IS written for 8 year olds and up, and it IS a graphic novel. On the other hand, I think anyone wanting to read this will enjoy it. Not only is the story impressive and very structured, the art is beautiful and eerie. One of the best things about Coraline is its intense creepyness. This will put chills down your spine, at least a little bit. I'm gonna go read the book and see the movie now. READ THIS!

FINAL VERDICT: AMAZINGLY AMAZING. Hits the mark exactly, the only downside is the mark is aimed at middle schoolers. But very good. 5/5 bookmarks.

Signed, Abyss

Doing It

This book is a bit unrealistic by American standards. This books focuses alot on sex and makes it seems as if alot or everyone in this place has a lot of sex. But then again, this is just a small clip or excerpt of a few people's lives. It was witty, weird and portrayed some of the aspects of high school life.

Verde EP by Green Sweater Society (Music)

Green Sweater Society is a local band of straight up rock. Their songs are catchy, fun and good to dance to. Very rhythm driven, but still full and fun. All the members of the band are extremely talented, and the EP sounds clean and musically sound. The lyrics are nothing heavy or deep, but still well-written, and they add to the generally upbeat mood of the album. Of the five songs, four have a very similar vibe, which is probably the biggest downside to the EP. Although it's enjoyable, it seems the band could have more depth in their sound, especially when the fifth song is put into perspective. Water Walkers is slower, more introspective, and the band pulls it off very well. The more one listens to it, the better it becomes. If and when the band comes out with a full-length CD, it would be ideal to see more variety in the songs.

Highlights:
Opening riff of Constance, Please
To Entertain You-upbeat, inescapable, fun. Great drums.
Water Walkers

-Obi Wan Kimono

Bones Of Faerie- Janni Lee Simner

Bones Of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner is a dark apocalyptic fairy tale. From the beginning you can see that this will not be your typical fairy tale. Plants kill people and are savage, and fifteen year old Liza and her village are ruled by her savage father, who rules that any trace of magic, even in people, must be immeadeatly destroyed. We quickly see that this rule is enforced often, even when Liza's father leaves Liza's baby sister out in the wild to die. After this, Liza's mother leaves the village. The story picks up from here, and has many twists. None alter the story in a huge way, but bring out the details more freshly. I would've liked to see more character detail, but this kind of dark fantasy is something I love, and I wish there was more of it. The setting of an apocalyptic fantasy world is something origonal, yet reminiscint of novels such as Garth Nix's Sabriel. I throughly enjoyed the realistic setting, the world, and the theme of continuing a war against all reason. However, the character development could've used work, and the novel could've been a lot more detailed about the backstory of the world it was set in. This was very short, so it shouldn't take you very long. On the cons side, you wont feel quite satisfied when you put it down. This is Simner's fifth novel, but the first four were children's books, and this is her first mature, detailed work. So hopefully we will have more of the same.

FINAL VERDICT: Great novel, but hopefully other books will come out a little more fully formed. 4/5 bookmarks.

Signed, Abyss

Hail Social by Hail Social (Music)

Greatest bass riffs ever. It's pretty hardcore, although not in a metal kind of way. It has a groove that is completely inescapable. Great music to listen to in the car, roll down the windows and turn up the bass. The lyrics may or may not be good, but the music is so distracting that we haven't listened to the lyrics very carefully. Singing along to the guitar/bass parts is far more entertaining.

Highlights include:
Hands Are Tied-extremely hardcoretastical. Gets stuck in your head, but in a good way. Inexorable.
Track #1-Drumcore amazing. Nuff said.

Signed, Deadpan Serious

Truancy: Origins

Truancy: Origins is the story that lays down the background of it's predecessor, Truancy by Isamu Fukui. This book talks about where the Mayor's sons came from, their relationship with each other, and their individual points of view.

Andrew: I found this book greatly more entertaining than the first. The story was much more established, and it made a great deal of sense. The fight scenes were also much better written, with more understanding and dialogue. There was less senseless violence than the first as well.

Paradise Lost by John Milton (A Dusty Old Book Review)

Summary: The story of creation, Lucifer's rebellion, humanity's fall and their hope for redemption.

John Milton is a literary genius. The level of detail, the description, the mathematical precision of the verses is mind-blowing. Although the plotline is somewhat overdone (see The Bible), Milton approaches his theodicy with a passion and a depth that many people overlook. Milton explains God's need for evil in the world through his beautiful poetry, however he is rather sexist, and goes somewhat over the top with his descriptions of God. Book III is my personal favorite, in that the whole book is composed of God, Jesus and the angels sitting around in heaven talking about how amazing God is-how merciful he is for forgiving humanity (which he hasn't done yet) and how just he is for not forgiving Satan (which he also has not done yet). Also, he turns the entire fall into a sex metaphor, placing the blame for all of humanity's problems on Eve's sexuality.

Generally very well written, and a wonderful read for anyone looking for a challenge, but if you are not overwhelmingly religious or a bit sexist, certain pieces might be somewhat bothersome.

-Mistress Foo

Forgive Durden-Razia's Shadow (Music)

Description:This CD is a form of a musical, although it does not have a script or acting. It does follow have characters and have a plotline. It has many guest artists from other bands and very full orchestration as well as some badass guitar riffs. Very intense music for a very intense story.

IT'S AMAZING!!!!!!!! So this is kind of like a book, but not really...it's technically a CD, but it really has a better plot than many of the "books" written for teens. The music reflects the story very well and covers many emotions with badassery. It flows very well listening to the album as a whole, but the songs can be taken as individual tracks and still stand their badassical ground.

Highlights include:
Doctor Doctor featuring Shawn Harris of The Matches-completely terrifying and wonderfully orchestrated, the music makes you want to pee your pants because Shawn Harris is badtastically pretty.

The Missing Piece featuring Lizzie Huffman and It's True Love featuring Greta Salpeter of The Hush Sound are two love songs that are the most adorable things ever heard. Lyrically gorgeous and badass on love.

The Spider and the Lamps featuring Max Bemis from Say Anything-mostly highlighted because Max Bemis is really badass. One of the best vocally as far as capturing emotion and acting through his singing. Also, congrats on his recent marriage. It was badass too. One of our favorite things about this song is that they overlapped lyrics from Say Anything's Spider Song within the song sung by Max Bemis.

Overall, an extremely good listen, very different from the average music being put out right now, covering a variety of styles and with many badassical guest artists.

Signed, Deadpan Serious

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Princess Rose is the eldest of the twelve daughters of the queen. She made a deal with the evil king Under Stone (that's really his name) and now all of the daughters are condemned to dance for him, upon his wishes. This is a curse that has haunted them since birth, and only death will set them free. Then, Rose meets Glen, a soldier who became a gardener because he didn't want to kill anymore. The two join forces and try to get rid of the curse.

This book was an okay book. The characters were strong, but the plot was cliched. Any way, I guess it was a terrible book and i didn't like it at all. Oh yeah, and it was too girly for me.

--Ann A.

Dante's Inferno (A DUSTY OLD BOOK REVIEW)

The Inferno is the story of man's journey through hell at a point of uncertainty in his life. It details the punishments given to a variety of sinners in a plethora of colorful descriptions and dated references that can only be explained by reading the annotated version.

All in all it was quite disappointing. Although some of the descriptions were delightfully disturbing, as a whole, Dante used the book as a smear campaign against his political enemies and those he felt were hypocrites in Italy. It's somewhat akin to if Neil Gaimen were to write one of his typically macabre stories, but instead of having a decent plotline he simply included a litany of what he thought George Bush deserved in hell. It was a fun read, but when put in context, it's really just annoying. Thanks Dante. Way to take the greatest literary form (see poem, epic as epitomized by Milton and Virgil) and make it lame.

--Mistress Foo

Twilight madness

We don't endorse vandalism, but we certainly endorse passionate responses to Twilight (on either side of the fence).

BOY TOY by Barry Lyga

Summary: Five years has passed since Josh was molested by his teacher and the crime was brought to light. Now, eighteen-year-old Josh gets help with Eve's release from prison when he finally tells his best friend everything.

___________________

What I thought of this book... Well if you really wanna know... I loved it!

Of course, I will state that BOY TOY was a little bit more than a little graphic. Words were used and the description was more than the real deal. However, if the author didn't go all out and write the way he did, it wouldn't have felt so real. Even though the language is so blunt, the author handles everything with honesty and nice sensitivity. You'll read this book and be amazed. BOY TOY is just so real--Josh's voice is just so hard to forget (in a more than good way.)

BOY TOY will just get you thinking and wondering and well... It's more than an influential read.

Now, I'm done repeating myself... So now you need to go and get it and read it... Or else. (I'm only half joking.)

-- Chances vs Pills

Gravity by Leanne Lieberman

Ellie Gold is an Orthodox Jew and a gay teenager. But she's confused. She doesn't know whether she should embrace her sexuality or deny it. That is when she meets Lindsay, a girl she becomes obsessed with.

The plot of the book is overdone. Too many authors are writing about homosexuality as a problem and it's boring. Besides that the main character should get help. She was a stalker and was obsessed with Ellie, to the point that it was hard to believe. -- Anne