Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

-Amazon product description

This sequel to Beautiful Creatures takes the story of Ethan and Lena, and the history of Lena's Caster family, to a whole new level. Wrought with mystery and suspense, Ethan must discover the reasons behind Lena's strange behavior before her Seventeenth Moon. Which, at that time, will mean the difference between Lena returning to him, or being lost to the Darkness forever.

I really enjoyed this book. Like it's predecessor, it's pretty lengthy, but once you're drawn into the story it's a hard one to put down. I'm really looking forward to book three.

-Sam

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Seventeen year old Haven Moore has been having visions of places she has never been, and people she has never met. These visions are always accompanied by a fainting spell. Haven lives in the small town of Snopes City, Tennessee with her mother and grandmother. Her grandmother Imogen is a very strict Christian woman who believes Haven's visions are the work of a demon. Haven and her best friend Beau, however, believe the visions to be a sign that Haven is a reincarnated soul.

All of Haven's visions come from the point of view of a woman named Constance who lived in New York City in the 1920's until her untimely death in a house fire. Constance was head over heels in love with a young man named Ethan. Haven, through these visions, discovered that Constance must have been herself in a past life, and that now her soul in this life must find Ethan to be at peace. She believes Ethan to be a nineteen year old celebrity heir named Iain Morrow.

Now, it is up to Haven, with help from Beau, to discover all the mysteries surrounding her visions and Iain. This means escaping from her grandmother's careful watch and heading to NYC. But with a secret organization called the Ouroboros Society tracking her every move, this goal becomes even riskier to accomplish.

Filled with romance and intrigue, The Eternal Ones was a very original novel about a topic rarely explored in YA fiction. I loved it from the first page. It moves a bit slowly at times, but was surprisingly never dull. It also kept me guessing. I thought I'd had the plot all figured out early on, but it turns out I was completely wrong. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a kind of sci fi novel or just a good romance story.

Hmm... wonder who I was in a past life? :)

-Sam

Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame.

She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.

With details that are as fascinating as they are disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy’s desperate attempt at normalcy. Her fear and isolation are palpable as readers are pulled down a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen’s life will have readers completely hooked.

-Amazon product description

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

There is not much I can say about the final installment of The Hunger Games trilogy without giving away key plot points. This novel was incredibly fast paced and exciting, even more-so than the first two installments. Suzanne Collins crafted a stunning world in which a war is raging. It's the Capitol vs. the Rebels, with young Katniss Everdeen at the forefront as their Mockingjay (a symbol for the rebellion).

Just when Katniss, Peeta, and all their allies and friends thought the Hunger Games were over, they find that they have become pawns in an even bigger Game. Only this time, the Game not only means the death of innocent people... but the future of Panem itself.

I cannot stress enough how much I adore this trilogy. Some of the best writing I've encountered in YA literature are within these pages. My only problem is I wish there were more than just three books, because I'd love to hear more stories about Panem (perhaps from the perspective of someone in another District?). If anyone has not read these books, I think I'd recommend them over everything I've reviewed on this blog thus far, and then some.

-Sam

Such A Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

With her father imprisoned, 15-year-old Meredith thinks she could live out her high-school days safely, but when he is released early for good behavior, her security is shattered.

A popular youth baseball coach, her father has abused Mer as well as other boys and girls. With strict orders that he not be left alone with his daughter, he is returned to the condo complex where she and her mother live. In contrast to Mer's terror, her mother is giddy with delight at his return, and together the reunited couple plans to conceive another child. Yet in the shadows and stillness, Mer's nightmare begins anew.

This is a gritty, terrifying novel about a father's abuse of power and trust, and the way two different teens, Meredith and her paraplegic friend, Andy, deal with that reality. Although not explicit, the novel is honest in its telling. Admittedly sensational, Wiess' story is a page-turner that ultimately sends a startling message of empowerment that, while improbable, is extremely satisfying.

-Booklist review

Just like the book Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott, some discretion is advised with this pick. While, like the review above stated, the book never gets too graphic, it still explores a very serious subject matter. It's quite a short read, and I was able to finish it in just a couple days.

-Sam