10.23.08
Out of the Wild- Sarah Beth Durst
by Sarah Beth Durst
The Wild was conquered weeks ago by Julie. Or so she thought. But all of a sudden, the Wild swallows one of the three blind mice-only instead of growing, it spits out her father. Rapunzel’s prince.
But Julie’s father is terribly outdated. He doesn’t understand anything around him, and worse-he doesn’t understand how he is fueling the Wild, by doing everything he is supposed to do. So as Julie’s father sets out to rescue a captive Sleeping Beauty, leaving Rapunzel and Gothel as mere pumpkins, Julie has no choice but to follow, knowing that she must stop her father.
This was a wonderful book. I devoured it, and not just because of the newness of it, either (although I do love new books). Julie was an honest character, true to her age and insecurities. The plot was beautiful and sweet, and the other characters-some new, some old-were fantastic.
The plot did start really fast, which launched me straight into the story. It was a wonderful sequel, more satisfying and happily-ever-after than the first one. My only complaint? I wish it was real! I can just begin imagining what I would do, if this book was only non-fiction instead of fiction. 
10.20.08
The Crimson Thread-Suzanne Weyn
by Suzanne Weyn
Bridget is heading the America, the land of opportunity, with her fathers, brothers, and little sister. Her father eventually finds a job as a coachman for the wealthy J.P. Wellington. And with him, Bridget gets a job as a seamstress-but with an American name. Her name is Bertie now.
Then her father then boasts that she can “spin straw into gold”, and Bertie doesn’t know what to do. But then, amazingly, assisted with a mysterious friend by the name Ray Stalls, she is actually able to transform the blue material into stunning gowns made to look as if they are spun with gold. The only problem is, Bertie doesn’t know how to repay Ray, because the one thing he asks for she is unable to give him.
This was a wonderfully imagined book that actually followed the original fairy-tale pretty well. My only problems was that Ray Stalls’s feelings seemed a little unrealistic, and the first and last chapter seemed a little irrelevant, unimportant. But other than that, this was a sweet, romantic story.
I’ve always been interested in sewing and spinning and things like that, and I loved the way the dresses and designs were such a big part of the novel. (And I admit I love the color.) The Crimson Thread is a wonderfully quick read, and Bertie is a nice, realistic girl who I really enjoyed spending my time with.
10.13.08
Into the Wild-Sarah Beth Durst
by Sarah Beth Durst
Julie lives the life of a normal girl in a normal home with normal family friends. But under the pretense, she has some secrets. Under her bed lives a collection of green vines. These are the Wild, which her mother, Rapunzel (yes, the fairy-tale one), somehow defeated and escaped from five hundred years before.
Besides enduring the monster under the bed, Julie also has to live with her mother’s wide range of friends, all fairy-tale characters who also escaped. But the Wild doesn’t just give up. And when the Wild returns, kidnapping Julie’s mother and terrorizing her town, she must go and be the hero in a cruel place which she has underestimated for nearly all her life.
This book was gripping. Nearly every chapter had a cliffhanger ending. The plot is convincing, the intermixing with twists on traditional fairy-tales intriguing, and the characters well-drawn.
What I liked about this book was how the fairy-tale characters regarded the Wild. It had an interesting perspective I’d never heard before, accented by a warning on the back:
Beware of the Wild.
It bites…
The Wild takes hold and doesn’t let go. Just like this book.
10.11.08
Violet on the Runway & Violet by Design-Melissa Walker
I was going through my posts, and I realized that I had these two in my draft folder. I was almost certain I’d published them, and it turned out I hadn’t! So here are those reviews. They were written some time ago (I’m not sure exactly when I actually did write them) but I think they still deserved to be seen and read. So here they are, bunched together as a double treat! 
by Melissa Walker
Violet is a wallflower. She is one of those people who hang around on the sidelines. Her secret wish is to be part of Bee’s Knees, the popular girl group at school. She hates her tallness, which makes her noticeably different. But when a Tryst agent tells her she could be the next Kate Moss, and Violet goes to New York to find out what it’s about, her life changes –but for better, or for worse?
The story about a girl who becomes a supermodel, just when she thinks she’s not at all special. Who hasn’t, even for only a few weeks, years ago, wished that she could be discovered? Maybe not as a model; maybe as an actress, but anyway, a celebrity, someone famous. Who hasn’t wished that she could suddenly become famous, rich, and admired, on movies or TV shows or runways?
For those of you who have, Violet is that dream, put into reality. But it also poses questions we never consider–what about press and agents? What about pressure? What about drugs and partying, and hypocrisy?
This book brought up a lot of unasked questions, most notably, Is fame worth all this? Should I endure it? Or should I give up? Who’s real? Who’s not? Who should I trust?
It’s not a light book. But modeling isn’t a light business. And while we condemn celebrities for bad behavior, we rarely ask why they do the things they do. Violet is a real, insecure girl, stuck inside the world of modeling, full of promises and full of lies.
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself pondering these questions along with Violet. This is a life I never got to live, and in this book, I felt like I was finally having a chance to. Violet’s real, and she’s honest, but more than that? She’s a real person. And that’s why this book is so good.
——-
Violet Greenfield is back. With a mention of Brazil, her agent, Angela, has lured her back into the modeling world. In at once, it seems to good to be true: there’s Veronica, her rival-turned-friend who gives good advice; there’s Paulo, the designer who seems to have fallen in love with Violet; and best of all, she’s still famous. People love her. Turns out, it is too good to be true.
I read this book as quickly as the first, which means really quickly. But as I was sitting down to write this review, I realized exactly why I liked these books so much. They show Violet as a real person: a real, flawed person. I am annoyed at her sometimes. She does make mistakes that seem so obviously stupid to us. She doesn’t notice things that seem obvious. She ignores the obvious. She doesn’t make the choices I think are right.
But that’s what makes her real. Real people make mistakes. That’s why there are so many people today on the news, having been caught with drugs or being drunk.
And what makes Violet different? She learns. She grows. Sometimes she’ll make mistakes more than once, but after she realizes she does her best not to do it again. She does her best. And really, that’s the best we can hope for. Violet is encouraging as a girl discovering herself.
I really like the Violet series because of this. It’s predictable, yet it’s not predictable in an obnoxious way. It’s the sort of book that makes you hang on, rooting for the main character even when you know she’s making a mistake.
10.05.08
Sweethearts-Sara Zarr
by Sara ZarrJennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were best friends. They were the outcasts of class, each other’s only friend. But then Cameron left, and everyone told Jennifer he was dead. And heartbroken, Jennifer believed that she’d lost her only friend, the only person who ever understood her.
Now Jennifer’s in high school. Known as Jenna, she’s popular and fun, with lots of friends and even a boyfriend. But then Cameron reappears, a shocking resurrection, and both have to confront things they’ve done their best to forget.
I read this entire book in one sitting. My original idea was that I’d read one chapter, then leave the rest for the next day, but instead I couldn’t close the book. I usually avoid such readings, because I find it slightly unhealthy, but I couldn’t put it down. Sweethearts was an intriguing, quick, yet deep read.
I had mixed feelings about the end. It seemed to fit the book, and yet I felt like there was more to know. Sweethearts is about love, and just like love, it seems simple initially, until you discover that it isn’t simple at all.
