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Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Every century, one person is chosen as the Bearer of the Godstone- a gem that lives embedded in the navel. Elisa is not the prettiest or most capable Princess in her family; that would be her sister. But because she's the Bearer, a nearby King arranges to marry her, with hopes that her blessing from God will save his kingdom from attack. Category : Fantasy, maybe YA fiction Why I chose this book : Recommended by someone My personal opinion : The premise is unique, and I like it. It had a little bit too much romance and reference to infidelity for my taste, but setting that aside, I really enjoyed the magic and the impressive improvement that Elisa goes through in the story. I do recommend this book for anyone mature enough to understand complicated relationships. Warnings Language: None Violence: Fighting "Adult" situations: References to physical attraction, private body parts, and infidelity, but nothing explicit Death: Yes, including major...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Neglected and eventually orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to live with her Uncle in  Misselthwaite Manor. Having been given all that she wants to this point she is spoiled and is constantly yelling and grumpy. However, as she begins to spend time outside and as she learns some of the secrets that  Misselthwaite Manor holds she begins to slowly find herself changing.  Category : Classics Why I chose this book:  It's a classic My personal opinion: I'm not sorry I read (well, listened) to this story; however, I don't think I'll be recommending it to anyone. The most beautiful and moving parts of the story were the descriptions of the garden coming alive and of Dicken's interactions with the animals.  But the parts about Mary's and Colin's upbringings and and their spoiled brat attitudes became rather annoying (although, I realize they have to start out with bad character traits in order to change throughout the book). The ...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Benson Fisher receives a scholarship to Maxfield Academy, a private boarding school. As a resident of the foster system, he feels this will be his big break. But once he arrives, he realizes that there's more to the story. He and the other residents cannot leave- ever. Category : YA fiction Why I chose this book : Recommended, don't remember by whom My personal opinion : I really enjoyed the story. It had a couple rough moments of fighting, and it has a couple references to the word "sex", so I don't recommend it for anyone that isn't ready for those things. But the book was excellent. I love the plot twists! I never saw the middle coming, much less the end! Definitely worth owning (I am sure I will read and re-read this one). Warnings Language: None Violence: Fairly regular, and some graphic "Adult" situations: Kissing, holding hands, word "sex" mentioned Death: Yes, including major character(s) Movie rating e...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Kalinda lives with a group of women who are trained to fight and be claimed as the wives of the most powerful men in the empire. She and two others are claimed at the same time by the Rajah and one of his generals. Kalinda will become the Rajah's one hundredth Rani, after a final battle for position between the wives and courtesans. As if that weren't enough of a story, the empire is at war with the Bhuta, who have penetrated the empire to the highest levels. Category : Fantasy, fiction Why I chose this book : Amazon First Reads My personal opinion : I liked the story, it was different from what I normally read. It was clean, and I enjoyed that it described some practices of another culture. It will not make my List of Favorites of All Time (TM), but it was good enough that I might buy more of the series. I do recommend it for anyone mature enough to understand courtesans and polygamy. Warnings Language: None Violence: Frequent and moderately graph...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Hunter Braque is a "cool hunter," meaning his job is to roam the streets looking for the next "cool" thing. When a top client and friend goes missing, Hunter must use his skills (and the help of a friend) to find out what's going on.  Category: YA Why I chose this book:  Read other books by the author, sounded interesting My personal opinion: Skip it. I kept going because I kept thinking it had to get better. The first few chapters were an interesting social commentary about how ideas and innovations become popular or not and how they get transmitted through the ranks of society. Also, strewn throughout were interesting pieces of history and scientific stories, which I enjoyed. For example, I learned the history of the phrase "six degrees of separation." However, the story was ultimately very lame, the romance was awkward, and it just wasn't worth the time.   Warnings Language:  Lots, especially in the second hal...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Frey and Rafi are identical twins, however only a handful of people know that Frey actually exists. While Rafi has been bred to be the charming daughter, Frey exists only to protect Rafi, having spent her whole life in hiding and training. She only appears as her sister's body double in dangerous situations.  Frey has never actually been out on her own until their father sends her instead of Rafi during a dangerous political mission. On the mission Frey meets Col, the son of the rival rulers. He gets close enough to Frey to realize that she may not be who she says she is.     Category: YA Why I chose this book: Read other books by the author  My personal opinion: Interesting story of the body double idea. It's interesting to watch as Frey learns who she is outside of her father and sister's shadows. The technology that exists in this world is also pretty cool.  Warnings Language:  One or two Violence: Fighting, but ...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Arden and Dade could not be more different- Arden is from Undercity, and comes from a very poor background, while Dade is from one of the most influential families in the society, and lives in a sky tower. Everyone that does not live in a tower suffers from a vitamin D deficiency, and must take a supplement. The richest families, like Dade's, have complete control over distribution of that drug. And the drug can be re-fabricated into an addictive painkilling drug, which Arden and her family sell. Pretty classic "star-crossed lovers" story. Category : YA Fiction, Sci-Fi Why I chose this book : Amazon First reads My personal opinion : It was pretty good. Mostly clean in content, mostly interesting in the story. Fairly predictable (classic Romeo and Juliet story). It's good enough that I do recommend it to YA readers. I'm setting the movie rating at PG-13, though, because of the drug and romance references. Nothing explicit, just not kid...