Along For The Rise by Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Viking
Age Group: YA
Pages: 416
Rating: 5/5
Source: Bought

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.
A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.
In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

I immediatly fell in love with this book after I read the synopsis on the front jacket. I'm not a big fan of chick-lit books, but this one caught my attention and I thought to myself, why not give it a try. This book totally changed my mind about chick-lit novels.

Auden has insomnia and her parents are divorced. For the sumer beofre college she goes to the beach town where her dad lives and there she meets Eli. Eli is an amazing, sweet guy who cares a lot about Auden and too has insomnia. While everyone is asleep at night, the two are out.

This isn't the first book I've read by Sarah Dessen, but it is my favorite. The story was so well developed and the characters were so well formed that I felt as though I was in the story myself. The ending was a bit confusing for me and I reread it a couple of times, hoping that I would understand it, but it still was hard.

The cover is very cute. With Eli and Auden together on the cover and the bicycle there is the book all together. P.S the bike does play a part in the book for Auden.

Overall, if you're a fan of Sarah Dessen, go and read this book. It's amazing and it's a great story.

Lemniscate Quote Hope

Lemniscate Quote Hop is leading up to the release of Lemniscate!!!! On March 21 I, along with other blogs (check out the blogs on Jennifer Murgia's website), will be posting Chapter 1 of Lemniscate!

Whoever comments will be entered to win signed copies of LEMNISCATE and ANGEL STAR!!! Now is that exciting or what. I cannot wait for ths book to be released!

Lemniscate Description:

For Teagan, these last few months have been heaven on earth- especially now that Garreth, her boyfriend and guardian angel, is earthbound. But perhaps Garreth is becoming a little more human than either of them expected.
Now, Teagan must realize that her world is once again about to shift, as she questions the faith she held in others against those once considered enemies.
In this continuation of Angel Star, Lemniscate will draw you even deeper into the world of dark and light as Teagan realizes the angel who could possibly save them all is the one angel she feared the most.



“Yeah, but it still smells like socks.”

The Mark by Jen Nadol

Publisher: Razorbill

Age Group: YA
Pages: 240
Rating: 4/5
Source: Publisher

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

It took me a while to write a review for this book. I didn't really know what to think of it. It was a very different book from others that I've read, but yet good. Cassie has the ability to see a trick of light which basically shows her that that person will die soon, but she doesn't know when or how and she's never able to save them. And that's what hurts her most.

Cassie's ability was very unique because I've never read about it before, but at times I did find the book going a bit slow. I was wishing for more action, but towards the end, the book did pick up and it bcame interesting.

Cassie was a fun and likable character. She wasn't too full of herself and I sympathized for her. The entire time I was reading the book, I was wondering what would I do if I was in her shoes with her ability. I probabaly would just go crazy and would try my best to ignore it. But my favorite part of the story was when Cassie meets this psychiatrist and she shows Cassie so much, especially about her mother and the connection between Cassie, her mother, and her ability.

Also, the cover is GORGEOUS. I love purple and the light surrounding the flower on the girl just captures the mystery of Cassie's ability in a way that sort of hard to understand.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will be reading the sequal, VISION, when it comes out.

Bookmark Giveaway!!!

Hey everyone!

I will be giveing away 3 bookmarks to 1 lucky winner!

Firelight by Sophie Jordan bookmark
Haven by Kristi Cook Bookmark
Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers SIGNED!! bookmark!

To enter, you must be a follower of the blog and it's only open in the United States.

Email me at thebookmermaid@gmail.com with the subject Bookmark Giveaway and on February 28, 2011 I will choose the winner!

GOODLUCK EVERYONE!!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: YA
Pages: 332
Rating: 3/5
Source: Bought



St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school—it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's—the very place where they're most in danger...
Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.


I picked up Vampire Academy hoping to fill my hunger for vampire books, but the book disappointed me a bit. It's not that there was horrible writing in the book, it was that I wasn't able to enjoy the story. I had heard so many good things about this book and when I bought it at the bookstore, I knew this book was for me. I had my doubts because of the synopsis, but I kept telling myself that it was about vampires, how bad could it be? Well, I was wrong.

Rose is a very strongcharacter, but I did find her annoying at times and how she always wanted Dimitri to look at her and love her. He's a lot older than her and her teacher. She would get into fights that I thought was useless from the beginning.

I read this book a while back and even now I don't remember much of it. For me, it wasn't a book that stuck to my memory for a long time and I will continue to reread it as time goes by. I read it once and tried rereading again, but there was no chnage.

Overall, I didn't enjy this book as much as I had hoped to, but uit doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. Everyone has their own taste in books so if you want to give it a shot, go ahead!

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Maragret K. McElderry

Age Group: YA
Pages: 541
Rating: 4.5/5
Source: Bought

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.


The final book in the Mortal Instruments Series! Even though I loved this one, I didn't love it as much as the other two books. I felt as though the book felt short at the end and I wished there was something more. Everything that we have been dying to find out, is solved in the book, which is a good thing.

But, we do meet another character. A very intriguing one... Sebastian. And let me tell you, this guy will shock you when you find out his true identity. Again for this review, I'm not going to write much because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I do recommend you reading this one. It wa sa great way to end the series and the guy on the cover I'm guessing is Sebastian...

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Age Group: YA

Pages: 453

Rating: 5/5
Source: Bought

As readers of series starter City of Bones already know, teenager Clary Fray is a Shadowhunter, a demon slayer who has the gift of spotting Downworlder werewolves, vampires, and faeries. She is also an adolescent in an abnormally dysfunctional family: Her mom is in a magically induced coma and her father is probably insane and undoubtedly evil. All of which places Clary in situations that would challenge even the most talented average American girl.

City of Ashes is the second book in the trilogy and it blew me away. When I went to the bookstore, I actually grabbed both City of Ashes and City of Glass so I can devour both of them at once. It only took me 2 days to read this one (it's a pretty big book).

I love the world Clare has created in her Mortal Instruments Series. Clary here is fighting harder and Jace, I even more in love with. This review is going to be short since I really don't want to give away any spoilers and the more I say about the plot, spoilers will come out.

But the cover again was amazing and I believe the girl is supposed to be Clary since she has the red hair. Overall, if you loved the first book, this one will so not disappoint and I urge you to go out and read this one. This is an excellent series and I'm so glad I picked it up finally!