Module 10

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is awesome! It has a little bit of romance, ghosts, and magic.
I read TEXAS GOTHIC by Rosemary Clement-Moore and it definitely fits the magical realism genre. It has a combination of magical realism, ghosts, and a little bit of fantasy. I think this book could be classified as more of a blended genre. When I first started reading it I forgot what section it was under and it didn't make any sense to me how it could be steampunk, then I look at the reading list again and realized it wasn't.
I really think all three can be blended genres. When you have steampunk there can be a lot of history or historical fiction blended in, and maybe a little bit of magic too. Magical realism is more magical qualities and like in TEXAS GOTHIC actual magic, like witches and spells and then ghosts. Urban fantasy can be a little harder to describe is normally fantasy with an urban setting. All three genres are intriguing and are becoming more and more developed but it can be hard when some of these novels have more than one element on where to classify them. The only other main term that could be added when describing these types of books is historical, because most of the time there is either a historical setting or history being dug up and involved with the story.
So far in reading TEXAS GOTHIC it has been mainly magical realism with a little mix of urban fantasy. I am really enjoying it though and have found it really hard to put down.



View all my reviews


Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances by Trisha Telep

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


CORSETS & CLOCKWORK is an anthology of Steampunk romances. I have to say that I did not like all of them. Some of them were really good and others were just really different. I am not a big fan of steampunk myself, but I would recommend it to teens. I would also recommend this book. It is well written and has great characters and is a good look at the steampunk genre. I think teens would appeal to it because it is different and has historical references. I think it is also just a good read for teens because it is a collection of short stories and now every teen wants a huge book to read. Steampunk is a fun and different genre but I know many teens who have asked for it and said that they like it.
I don't find myself drawn to steampunk but that doesn't mean it isn't any good.



View all my reviews

Module 9

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read ONCE DEAD, TWICE SHY by Kim Harrison. It is about a dead girl who lives on Earth and is trying to find her place in the world of Angels and Demons. She is more or less a ghost who has a body because she stole the person who killed her's amulet. The amulets give an appearance of a body but you don't really have a soul. Which doesn't really make much sense because the girl is still the same person. They don't call them demons in the book but there is a dark side. She originally thinks she has an amulet to be an angel on the light side but eventually finds out otherwise. The "demons" in the book are sent to kill specific people and the angels have to try and stop them.
It was very interesting to read the notes and compare them to this book. I think like in the notes many of the demons in the book are fallen angels. The bad "angels" have black wings and can look like crows. The good angels have white wings and are trying to save people. I think like in Contemporary Christianity the "demons" in this book have "fallen from grace" or have gone against the good angels. The angel who is training her even says he doesn't get along with the higher power so that could say that he is going against what is good. Even though he is a good angel he just doesn't believe in all the rules. I don't think I ever would have read this book on my own but I did find it intriguing.




View all my reviews


Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I think BEFORE I FALL really gave Sam a chance to look at philosophical issues in her life and in the lives around her by reliving her last day over and over. I loved this book and found it hard to put down. I think it was so good because of the way Sam realizes what is really important in life and realizes she has to try and change somethings before she leaves. There weren't really any religious issues that she dealt with but she did continually ask why. There were some religious undertones though, she knows that the seventh time she is reliving her last day that it will be her last, she says " and on the seventh day". I think teens could really relate to the issues in this book but also learn to be thankful and happy with what you have because you never know when it will be your last day.

I loved this book! It was a great story and I was rooting for her the whole time to not die.



View all my reviews

Module 8

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book! I felt this book met many of the rules for fantasy. Lily is a mermaid and with her first kiss to a boy she becomes bonded with him and he is her mate for life. She is the Princess of the kingdom Thalassinian. The kingdom under the sea is described in great detail and can be pictured well. Lots of blues and greens, beautiful coral and fish. It sounded very beautiful and if a place like this really existed I would want to go there. The story is very imaginative but logical. The idea of another world existing right before our eyes but never knowing its there is really got me thinking. Lily can go between the two worlds of being a human and a mermaid because her mother was a human and her father is the sea king. The other characters both the ones on land and in the water are all very well developed and consistent with the theme of the novel.
The main theme of this novel is the choice Lily has to make between the man she loves who is human and being with him or living in the sea without. In some ways it is like Ariel from the Little Mermaid because Ariel makes the choice to live on land.
This novel meets the guidelines to fall under the umbrella of fantasy. This is my favorite book that I have read this week. It was fun and really cute. There is another book in the series and I plan to read it soon.



View all my reviews

Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book does have a lot of teen appeal because it deals with "it crowds" and how this one girl goes from the bottom to the top. But how she does it is the funny side of the story. She casts a zombie spell over most of the senior class so they all want to follow her around because they think she is the queen. I thought the book was funny but I really just wanted to get to the end and find out if she reverses the spell or not.
I think this book is original because it is a funny zombie story instead of scary. I think it also has originality in the fact that the author makes up an actual organization that comes in to help reverse the spell or get rid of the zombies, whichever comes first. I don't think this book "hops on the band wagon" because it is totally out there and has twists that just aren't expected.



View all my reviews

Module 7- Verse Novels

Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This verse novel was the epitome of a verse novel. It was beautifully written and the characters were very much alive. I could really feel the heartache of the things they were going through during this war-time era. I really enjoyed the verse and I felt that I really connected with the characters. I think this would be a great read for teens especially ones who don't like long novels. This gives them a great story and a lot of history on an important time. Verse novels are some of my favorites and I think this one was done well. It was hard to read at some points when the men were talking about the war but you could really feel the hurt and understand what they were going through. I would recommend this to teens.



View all my reviews


Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This verse novel was an enjoyable read. I really felt connected to the character and loved reading her story of being attacked by the shark. I think this novel works well as a verse novel because we get to connected with the character a lot more and get to hear her voice. I think Jane really learned things about herself and her strength by being attacked by the shark. Some of the verse is really beautiful in this novel and I think many teens can relate to some of the things she is feeling. No one can truly relate unless they have lost a limb but I think people can relate to her emotions of hurt and loss. I think verse novels are important to be recognized because they really give a way to be in touch with the characters emotions. Not all novels let the character's voice shine but verse novels are most of the time the character actually speaking and you get to see and feel what they are feeling. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to teens and adults alike.



View all my reviews