#BookBlogWriMo Day 18: What's my favorite subgenres

Fave Subgenres

Hi dear readers! Welcome to day 18 of the #BookBlogWriMo!

11/18 – Favorite Subgenres - Self-explanatory.

 Paranormal Romance
Don't judge me! No matter how many time I read about Vampires, Werewolves and the likes of them I will forever love it.

Dystopian

When I first started reading YA I wasn't really a fan of Dystopian, but I've come to learn that this is maybe one of my favorites. I guess there's just something about rising up against a world you thought was perfect and then find out it's not all rainbows and unicorns.

Contemporary

I guess sometimes I just need a bit of a real feel.

Book Review: Haven by Kristi Cook

 AUTHOR: Kristi Cook

PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse
PAGES: 416
SERIES/STAND ALONE: Series
SOURCE: Bought on Amazon
CHALLENGES:  DAC
OUTLINE: A month into her junior year, sixteen-year-old Violet McKenna transfers to the Winterhaven School in New York’s Hudson Valley, inexplicably drawn to the boarding school with high hopes. Leaving Atlanta behind, she’s looking forward to a fresh start--a new school, and new classmates who will not know her deepest, darkest secret, the one she’s tried to hide all her life: strange, foreboding visions of the future.

But Winterhaven has secrets of its own, secrets that run far deeper than Violet’s. Everyone there--every student, every teacher--has psychic abilities, 'gifts and talents,' they like to call them. Once the initial shock of discovery wears off, Violet realizes that the school is a safe haven for people like her. Soon, Violet has a new circle of friends, a new life, and maybe even a boyfriend--Aidan Gray, perhaps the smartest, hottest guy at Winterhaven.

Only there’s more to Aidan than meets the eye--much, much more. And once she learns the horrible truth, there’s no turning back from her destiny. Their destiny. Together, Violet and Aidan must face a common enemy--if only they can do so without destroying each other first.

THOUGHTS:

Overview:

Violet is special, and she doesn't realize how she's special or why she's drawn to her new boarding school. When she gets there she notices things are different, not quite normal. Who defines what's normal though? She learns soon after her arrival from room-mates that all the students (and teachers) have special abilities, and maybe even more.


I was excited to read this book because I love anything to do with powers/special abilities/supernatural and even the whole boarding school set up. I read somewhere where they compared it to X-men. I love the xmen movies so I was ready. I was ready to get inside the school learn what it hid, learn about the students and just all around enjoy the book. Truth be told I was sadly let down. I don't know if it was to much hype around the book, or my expectations were to high I didn't love it like I had hoped.

The first half of the book kept my attention. It was definitely how I pictured it to be. Then it took that dreaded paranormal turn where alot of paranormals tend to go. (I know that may not have sounded right, but just stay with me here.) Don't get me wrong I LOVE paranormals, but I guess I was hoping this wouldn't be that type. (whatever that may be) I can't say much without giving away the twist (at least to me it was a twist) Although it didn't turn out like I had originally thought it would it really wasn't a bad read at all, and I'm going to stick with the series because I want to see what happens with the characters. I want to see them grow.

One thing I did like is that I don't remember there being a love triangle in the book. To me this is always a plus because in so many YA's that seems to be a major point in the book. It's nice not to have to see the girl character (usually) try and juggle two potential loves, and then have to see her complain about it, be whiny and all that. Let's face it choosing one side is sometimes hard on us (okay and maybe also the character) We want them to have that happy ending, and not one where someone is going to get hurt.

All in all for a debut author it was good, and I look forward to reading more from her to see where she takes the story.

QUOTES:

I'll add some quotes once I can find my notebook that has them in it. :)

MY VIDEO REVIEW AS WELL:

Review: Shadow Hills

AUTHOR: Anastasia Hopcus PUBLISHER: Egmont
PAGES: 391
SERIES/STAND ALONE: Series I believe

OUTLINE:
After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills.

STARTED:
FINISHED:

MY THOUGHTS:

Paranormalcy Review

AUTHOR: Kiersten White
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
PAGES: 335
SERIES/STANDALONE: Series (book 2 supernaturally)

OUTLINE:
Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

STARTED: 11-14-2010
FINISHED: 11-16-2010

MY THOUGHTS: OMG! that's all I'm saying I loved this book. Like really loved it. I can't wait for the 2nd one to come out. I love Keirsten's writing style. To me there's something a little different about it. I don't know. Maybe it's because I also like to read what she writes in her blogs and it's always funny. I love to be able to laugh at stuff. I love the funny moments in books when you actually can laugh out loud at something the character does or says, and I had a ton of those moments in the book. The whole bleeping things.... awesome. There was no need for cussing. :) One thing I like about these kind of books is they don't just stick to one type of paranormal while I don't have a problem with books being just vampires or just werewolves. I like the mix,and this book definitely had the mix from weres, vampires, shapeshifters, mermaids, faeries, a hag (I've never seen hag that I can remember in a recent book), another kind of water paranormal :). Yea for all paranormals! I like all the side notes too. You know the parenthesis thing. I do it to when I'm writing things on here. Oh and the titles for chapters you don't see many books with title chapters anymore. :(  Have a bleep bleep day, and dumbells, boys, and other dense things are a few.

I loved just about every character that was in the book.

The main character Evie did seem a little ditzy to me at times but that's okay. All her other qualities made up for it. She works for the IPCA (International Paranormal Containment agency) as a bag and tag girl, mainly because she can see through all paranormals glamours. She had been doing that for as long as she could remember, and before the agency she just went from foster home to foster home. I loved how she had her weapon Tasey all pink and sparkly. Her fascination with school lockers funny!

Lend oh our darling Lend I love his character too. I want him and Evie to be together. It took me a bit to figure out what he actually was. I know stupid me right. I definitely think I'd rather have him for a boyfriend then a faerie. Sorry Reth.

Reth bad boy faerie in all. I know there's got to be that one bad boy out of the lot and he was that. Popping out of nowhere and frightening poor Evie. I have to admit I do like how he's not as mean as I anticipated him being.

There are others, but like always I found these to be the most mainish (Is this a word?) characters. You also had the director, Raquel of IPCA I like that she didn't have to say much for Evie to know her feelings she could tell by the sighs. "Raquel sighed. She was a professional sigher-the woman conveyed more emotions with a single exhalation than most people do with their entire faces" Believe me there's plenty of sighing from her. :), There was also Lish, a mermaid, and Evie's Best friend. She was cool. Then Jacques the werewolf a bodyguard, and then people that know Lend. Oh and the fire girl. (figure out what that means yeah) So yeah there's quite a bit of characters.

This book always had me wondering what was next.

In case you don't have the book this is the back cover to paranormalcy. I kinda like it.

I cannot wait for supernaturally to come out. :)

MEMOARBLE QUOTES:
- We spent the rest of the morning conjugating. (a word that sounds dirty but is in fact boring)-Evie
-Silver Knives.(Bud)
Tasey! Hot pink and sparkly (Evie)
-I can't believe I made a pink knife. (Bud)
It's so cute I love it. Finally a companion worthy of Tasey (Evie)
-Seriously did I look like some sort of psycho assassin? Maybe it was the pink sneaker or the heart earrings (Evie)
-Don't be flattered--most of your competition is dead (Evie to Lend)
-Oh relax if he wanted to kill me he already would have. I brought him all these sharp pencils, ideal for stabbing and he's been a perfect gentleman (Evie to Raquel)
-It's a glamourless life. My favorite joke hurt tonight. (Evie)
-it was like a bad set up to a joke or something. A doctor, two werewolfs, and vampire walk into a bar. what'll you have the bartender asks. We were thinking him the vampire answers eyeing the doctor. (Evie)
-What a lovely balance. Lend shows whatever he wants the world to see, and you see through whatever the world wants to show you. (Cresseda)
-How would you like to come to school tomorrow with me and see a real live locker? (Lend)
I'm pretty sure I squealed (Evie)
-No, you're officially band from listening to us. Or thinking about this or even thinking about thinking about this. (David to Lend and Evie)

Sorry I know I have more quotes butt I'm not sure where I wrote them down so if I find them. I shall put them up.

Let me know what you think!