Stolen Review

Stolen 

Written by: Lucy Christopher
# of pages: 300

Average Rating: 3.94/5
My Rating: 2/5

Read in March 2014

Summary according to goodreads

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? 

The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed how the writing style of this book helped you feel like you were there. It was so unique to read a book that was written in the form of a letter to the captor, instead of just a first-person play by play of what had happened. 

It scared me to think how easy he took her out of the airport, and how often it actually happens in our world. Being someone that has travelled alone, and will be doing more travelling, it makes me wary of strangers because you never know who is really… crazy for lack of a better word.

Ty - the main antagonist - was an interesting character as he was not what I expect out of a regular kidnapper. I have studied sociology and psycology, and have done studies on kidnappers, and he doesn't fit the average. His tactics were well thought out, but his reasonings for taking her were not the usual. Most people kidnap children mostly for their own fantasies, or other deranged reasons, but he thought he was doing it for her benefit. 

I am torn over how I feel about the ending of this book. It was kind of predictable, and maybe even realistic when compared to real life situations, but I think it could have been written better. As I was reading it, I didn't feel the emotions that Gemma was describing. 

The Freeing of Jonathon Mark Review

The Freeing of Jonathon Mark

Written by: Nathan Gross
# of pages: 320

My Rating: 4/5

Read in March 2014

Summary according to Goodreads

Jonathon is a Taker, some type of modern day psych in the growing industry of modern grief. Takers treat people for all that ails them just by listening. In session, a Taker doesn’t speak. A Taker doesn’t move. A Taker doesn’t even blink. They take till their patients have got no more negativity to give.

A chance meeting throws a new patient into Jonathon’s life. A girl whose carefree lightness of being is in complete contrast to the average patient. She makes Jonathon realise he can no longer refuse to deal with how his job makes him sick, nor his own destructive vice.

Murder is his only way out, an action that leads him towards his own death and beyond. It is a path he hopes will lead him to his freedom.

My Thoughts

I recieved a copy of this book to review as part of a blog tour, but that does not influence my opinion. 

The writing style for this novel was very different, and actually included examples of onomatopoeia (words that make sounds like "pop", "bang", "click", "buzz", etc) - which is very unique for me to read. For this being an adult novel I found that the story flowed very well, and I did not find it to be too dense or slow. 

The concept of this novel was also very unique and interesting, and thankfully executed well. It was such a different idea, that I think it could be a good and entertaining read for a lot of people. Every other chapter (more or less) is of one of Jonathon's clients, and this should a lot of character both in himself and for the clients. I found it very funny to read Jonathon's opinion of his clients, and what he really thought about them. As a Taker he isn't allowed to speak to his clients, so reading everything he wanted to say was a good addition to the story and character. 

The author did a very good job balancing the story with excerpts about the clients and their issues, as well as Jonathon and his own problems. Considering I am only a teenage girl and the protagonast was a male adult, I was able to understand the character, and I believe that is a very powerful thing for a writer to do. 

For anyone wanting to read this novel, just take into consideration that it is a adult book that includes things like swearing and sex. If that doesn't bother you, I definitely recommend you check it out!

Korean Word for Butterfly Review

Korean Word for Butterfly

Written by: James Zerndt
# of pages: 328

Average Rating: 3.63/5
My Rating: 2/5

Read in February 2013

Summary according to goodreads

Set against the backdrop of the 2002 World Cup and rising anti-American sentiment due to a deadly accident involving two young Korean girls and a U.S. tank, The Korean Word For Butterfly is told from three alternating points-of-view:

Billie, the young wanna-be poet looking for adventure with her boyfriend who soon finds herself questioning her decision to travel so far from the comforts of American life;

Moon, the ex K-pop band manager who now works at the English school struggling to maintain his sobriety in hopes of getting his family back;

And Yun-ji , a secretary at the school whose new feelings of resentment toward Americans may lead her to do something she never would have imagined possible. 

The Korean Word For Butterfly is a story about the choices we make and why we make them. 

It is a story, ultimately, about the power of love and redemption.
My Thoughts

I received a copy of this novel to review, but that does not influence my opinion on the book. 

Although this book is only slightly over 300 pages, it took me a long time to get through and I had even put it down at one point. It is very rare for me to want to give up on a book but that desire was strong while reading this. I could not relate to the characters, and that bothered me more than the actual storyline.

One of the characters, Billie, I had hoped I would relate to because she is young and artistic but I found her almost hard to read. The parts written in the perspective of Billie could almost be read like diary entries - that's how I read her. I didn't like the tone or writing style used on this character at all, as I thought it didn't show much personality. 


I had high hopes going into this book since it was something different than I am used to, but I could't seem to connect with any of the characters, and the writing didn't flow the way I prefer to read. I wish I could have enjoyed it more, but it was to slow, couldn't grasp my attention, and I couldn't get sucked into the story. 


It is nothing against the author, and the story had great potential, I just feel that is was executed poorly. I hope to reread this when I am later into my adult years to see if time will change my views on this novel.

The Naturals Review

The Naturals

Written by: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

# of pages: 308

Average Rating: 3.96/5

My Rating: 5/5

Read in January 2014

Summary according to goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

My Thoughts

I'm not going to lie, this is a book that I bought solely on the cover. I had heard my friend talking about it briefly, but had forgotten the summary when I decided to buy it at the bookstore one day. I am so glad that I bought it and did a read-along of it with that same friend, because otherwise I might not have picked it up for a while and that would have been quite the loss on my part.

This book is one of those rare cases where you are automatically sucked into the story and can't seem to put it down. You get a good summary of Cassie's history without getting bored, but most of what you uncover about everyone is what you learn as the story progresses. The writing style of this book was fantastic as the story flowed effortlessly, and I couldn't stop turning the pages. This was the perfect book to read during a read-a-thon because it was easy to get through, and very fast paced.

There are two love interests in this book, but romance is an aspect that was not heavily pushed - which I really appreciated. In a lot of recent young adult books, romance is a big part and at times can get very annoying. It made sense that Cassie cared more about solving the cases than flirting, and that made this situation seem more realistic. With the two boys, I had a hard time deciding whose team I was on. I still don't know! They are both awesome and totally different, and I praise the author for that because it made the story better since I was able to feel Cassie's indecision along with her. 

I think that this book is totally underrated, and I think this is something anyone can enjoy. I am highly anticipating the sequel, and I have no doubts that it will be just as good as this first one.

Between the Lines Review

Between the Lines

Written by: Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
# of pages: 352

Average Rating: 3.50/5
My Rating: 3/5

Read in January 2014

Summary according to goodreads

Delilah, a loner hates school as much as she loves books— one book in particular. In fact if anyone knew how many times she has read and reread the sweet little fairy tale she found in the library, especially her cooler than cool classmates, she’d be sent to social Siberia forever.To Delilah, though, this fairy tale is more than just words on the page. Sure, there’s a handsome (well, okay, incredibly handsome) prince, and a castle, and an evil villain, but it feels as if there’s something deeper going on. And one day, Delilah finds out there is. Turns out, this Prince Charming is not just a one-dimensional character in a book. He’s real, and a certain fifteen-year-old loner has caught his eye. But they’re from two different worlds, and how can it ever possibly work?

My Thoughts

As a passionate reader, I can see where Delilah was coming from with her obsession for the book, but this definitely isn't a realistic contemporary. I don't mean that in the way of a character in a story coming to life, but that her un-licensed 15 year old friend would drive somewhere four hours away for her. 

However, I liked the concept of the story, and I think it is just a simple cute story. Having the two perspectives along with mixing in the actual fairy tale, made the story much more interesting. I also loved that the persectives and fairy tale were written in different coloured font. The pictures that were included before each chapter about the actual fairy tale were gorgeous! There were also little black and white clip art pictures throughout the story, which made reading it a lot more fun.

This book was really cute, but it took me a long time to read. I had put this book down and I couldn't find the interest to pick up again, but eventually I did and the ending was decent. I would categorize this novel more as upper middle grade than young adult, because the writing was very simple, and it wasn't the attention-grabbing. I found some flaws in the plot, questions I had that were never answered, and spelling errors.

Hidden Girl Review

Hidden Girl

Written by: Shyima Hall
# of pages: 230

My Rating: 5/5

Read in December 2013

Summary according to goodreads

An inspiring and compelling memoir from a young woman who lost her childhood to slavery—and built a new life grounded in determination and justice.

Shyima Hall was born in Egypt on September 29, 1989, the seventh child of desperately poor parents. When she was eight, her parents sold her into slavery. Shyima then moved two hours away to Egypt’s capitol city of Cairo to live with a wealthy family and serve them eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. When she was ten, her captors moved to Orange County, California, and smuggled Shyima with them. Two years later, an anonymous call from a neighbor brought about the end of Shyima’s servitude—but her journey to true freedom was far from over.

A volunteer at her local police department since she was a teenager, Shyima is passionate about helping to rescue others who are in bondage. Now a US citizen, she regularly speaks out about human trafficking and intends to one day become an immigration officer. In Hidden Girl, Shyima candidly reveals how she overcame her harrowing circumstances and brings vital awareness to a timely and relevant topic.


My Thoughts

I received a copy of this book for review from Simon & Schuster Canada, but that does not influence my opinion.

There was a lot of backstory about her life before slavery, and of her family. This helped build an attachment to the character, and understand the circumstances of the situation. It was new for me to read a book like this, but it is a type of book that everyone should read. This book made me really reflect on my life, and the things I am lucky enough to have. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must have to live the life that she did, and I really admire her strength through her struggles. 

Although I have not read many, this is the best non-fiction I have ever read. It was written in such a beautiful and strong way, I could actually feel her pain and anger. She is such an inspiration, and I wish her the best of luck with her family and future. There isn't much else I can say about this book, except that I recommend this to any reader. 

Organic Beauty Review

Organic Beauty with Essential Oil

Written by: Rebecca Park Totilo
# of pages: 320

My Rating: 3/5

Read in January 2014

Summary 

This is a book that consists of different information and recipes about beauty and other things.

My Thoughts

I received a copy of this book to review as part of a blog tour, but that does not influence my opinion. 


This book included beautiful pictures scattered throughout the book, both full size and mini ones. It was also very colourful and eye catching, which made it easy and fun to read. It was  very informative, and, although I have taken an interest in these topics, I learned many things I had never heard before.

There is not much that I can say about this book based on what it is about, but I will admit that it did get kind of boring at times. I can attribute this to the fact that it is mostly for learning new things, and thankfully it was more interesting and easier to read than a textbook.

I think this would make a really great gift to anyone that is interested in beauty and bath products. There is a variety of recipes for different products, and different scents - there's something in this book for everyone to love!