Jinx by Meg Cabot


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Jean Honeychurch is plagued with misfortune, hence her nickname, Jinx. Small town Jinx moves to live with her aunt, uncle and spoilt cousin, Tory, in swanky New York City. Instead of finding a new start on life, Jean finds out Tory is a little too into boys, likes to mess around with drugs and alcohol and even fancies herself a witch.
Jinx instantly falls for the boy next door, Zack, who Troy fancies even though she is dating Shawn.
If life isn't complicated enough, there is the fact that Troy is practicing black magic, and believes Jinx is a witch too, whereas Jinx thinks she's cursed. That is when things really start to get good with plenty of skullduggery, bitchiness and romance.
While Cabot may be pretty formulaic she produces entertaining reading.

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Bloggrls, Book One: Nugrl90 by Cheryl Dellasega


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Sadie's world gets turned upside down when she finds out her parents are getting divorced and to make matters worse, she has to move. Now she has to start at a new school and be the New Girl! Sadie starts a blog to try and sort out her new life. The new school becomes bearable when she meets Jules, her new BF and BB(Buff Boy). However, BB seems to have a dark side. Even Jules demonstrates a dark side. Can she weather the storm? Written in blog-speak to hold your interest.

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The Luxe by Anna Godbersen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Soap-in-a-book. All the "he said", "'she said", glamor, deceit, twists and turns of a soap opera handed to you in a book.
Elizabeth and Diana Holland have always ruled Manhattan's social scene, until their mother tells them something the don't wan to hear: their deceased father has left them poor. In order to remain a high status family, Elizabeth must marry for money. Unfortunately, Elizabeth is already in love with Will, a man with no money. Not only that, but Elizabeth's younger and more rebellious sister, Diana develops feelings for the man Elizabeth is supposed to marry. In a world of luxury and deception, the sisters must avoid backstabbing friends and spiteful maids to decide between family duty and true love.

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne



This story is told from the viewpoint of an innocent child, Bruno, during WWII Germany. Apart from his innocence, Bruno has trouble pronouncing some words, but readers with even a rudimentary knowledge of 20th-century history will figure out, before Bruno does, where he lives and the significance of what he sees.

Bruno is nine when his family moves from their luxurious Berlin home to the country, where “The Fury” has appointed Bruno's father commandant of a house called “Out-With”. Lost and lonely, Bruno can see a camp in the distance, and sees potential playmates, oddly clad in striped pajamas. He has no idea what is going on, even when he eventually meets and makes friends with Shmuel, who lives on the other side of the camp fence. The boys meet every day. They even discover that they have the same birthday. It's all part of a poignant tale: Shmuel is Bruno's parallel self, and the innocent's experience brings home the unimaginable horror. The story raises the question: How could the world outside the fence not have known, or have known and failed to act on, what was happening inside it?

Bruno does finally act, and it is sure to take readers' breath away.

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Fire by Kristin Cashore


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fantasy with plenty of romance and suspense, set in the same world as Graceling, but on the far side of the mountain barrier in the kingdom of the Dells. Fire is a human monster, so beautiful that she has to hide her hair for fear of attack by both raptor monsters and human men. She is able to enter other people's minds and exert power over them. There is unrest in the land, as various lords are preparing to overthrow the king and Fire gets involved.
The book is full of action, characters and plot. Fire's struggles with her role in the war effort as well as her complex relationships with her oldest friend and lover, Archer; with Prince Brigan, whose mind is closed to her and who becomes central to her life; and with her monster father's dreadful legacy. A super read, hope there will be more.

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Airhead by Meg Cabot


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Once you suspend belief in the plot line you can enjoy a good read. Em Watts is your average teenager until she goes to the Stark store opening and gets hit on the head in a freak accident. She wakes up in hospital to find her brain has been transplanted into super-model Nikki's body. Now she has to figure out how to live with a famous person's body while trying to reconnect with her old friends and crush.

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Graceling by Kristin Cashore


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Their mismatched eyes identify Gracelings whose accentuated abilities range from mind reading, to predicting storms, to exceptional cooking, and everything in-between. The king takes them into his service so he can use whatever unusual talent to better his position. Katsa’s grace is killing; the king sends her when some ‘muscle’ is needed. Katsa hates what she has to do and forms an underground movement to look out for the populace.
On one particular case, Katsa encounters another Graceling. Po has one gold eye and one silver eye. They undertake a particularly dangerous mission in Monsea, the kingdom of Lech. The story takes many twists and turn while continuing to keep the reader attached to the likeable characters. Cashore creates a tangible environment complete with fantastic powers, romance and excitement.
The dénouement is a bit drawn out but will not put you off anticipating the sequel.

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