Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

"Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?"

I liked this one well enough. The cover drew me in, and it proved to be a pretty okay read. I wasn't exactly putting everything aside to read it, but I finished it nonetheless. I didn't have much problem with the characters; Scarlett's a good, strong--and more developed--character, while Rosie read a tiny bit flatter to me. The visuals had some merits, especially when it came to the Fenris. I think all in all, the premise could just have been carried out better. I don't know how, but I wasn't completely enthralled with it as is. The relationships in it are a key point, though, because they make up the fabric of the story and they're not too terrible in my opinion. The bond between Rosie and Scarlett was firm and believable, and the romance between Rosie and Silas was sweet and thankfully didn't overpower the book. Overall: 3.5 stars. Meh... okay, maybe four. Could go either way. So, if you're into fairytale retellings, maybe try reading the first chapter and seeing if you like it. Can't hurt at all. Anyway, you can get it at Kettleson. Toodles!

Every Day by David Levithan

"Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day."

So, I kinda fell in love with this book. The concept of it was so completely new and original that I got hooked in right away and was curious to see how it would work. I got completely engrossed and ended up finishing it in about 12 hours. I liked that the story got going right away; It let me learn a lot about A and his situation, but didn't have that boring informational session at the beginning. You got to know his story over the course of the book and it did a good job of explaining everything. It managed to be a romance story that ended up true to the real world--not in a disappointing way, just a thoughtful way. I honestly couldn't love this book more, and ended up recommending it to a couple of my friends. Seriously, whoever you are, you really should read this book. It's at Kettleson, so what are you waiting for?

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.
The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.
There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.
Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.
Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.
That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

This one gets a good thumbs up. I won't go to the point of saying it was amazing, but I liked reading it. It was a fairly typical futuristic plot, but I liked the exchanges between the characters and the chemistry they had. The main character was headstrong for the most part, which I liked, although she did have a couple "helpless female" moments that I can largely forgive given the situation they were in. It was really good, not my favorite or anything, but worth reading I'd say. If you want it it's at Kettleson.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

"William Golding's compelling story about a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a coral island has become a modern classic. At first it seems as though it is all going to be great fun; but the fun before long becomes furious and life on the island turns into a nightmare of panic and death. As ordinary standards of behaviour collapse, the whole world the boys know collapses with them—the world of cricket and homework and adventure stories—and another world is revealed beneath, primitive and terrible."

Ahem. Sorry about this. I honestly didn't know what else to do, seeing as all the books I've read this week are advance copies and would do you no good whatsoever to review. Hence, you get my English book. There'll be a modern book next week, though, I promise. Anyway, although like any other assigned reading I wasn't the biggest fan of the book, it had its merits. One thing I noticed right off was the descriptions and use of visuals, that seemed amazingly spot-on and were the type that you could use to create a perfect picture in your head. There was also a fair bit of new vocabulary that I had to look up, which I always like. The actual reading of the book wasn't too enjoyable--it was a very guy-like, violent mentality--but I was interested by some of the parallels it causes you to inevitably draw. It wasn't one of the worst classics I've read, but it's not my favorite either. I'd say read this one if you're set on it, but if you're looking for just a basic classic I'd choose To Kill A Mockingbird over this one any day. It's at SHS, Mt. Edgecumbe, BMS, and Kettleson. Basically all the libraries.