Review of Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon

Life Eternal is the second book in the Dead Beautiful Series.  In case you don't remember from yesterday, Dead Beautiful is the story of a young woman who is sent to an unusual boarding school after her parents mysteriously die. 

So I can't give too many details on the story of this book because doing so would give away important details of the ending of Dead Beautiful.  But I will say that Life Eternal was a lot better than Dead Beautiful.  After reading the second book of the series, I feel like the first book took too much time explaining things instead of just telling the story. 

The second book, Life Eternal, had a lot of plot!  Character -driven plot and it was awesome!  This book is a prime example of why I love YA.  It is a typical coming-of-age story with the twist of fantasy that I drool over.  The main character, Renée, is learning all about herself.  She's asking serious questions--Who am I?  Where do I fit?  Where is my future going?  These questions are all typical of any young adult--even some really old adults are still trying to figure this out!

 And then there's the love story between Renée and Dante.  And they're working together (and sometimes apart) to figure out what they want to be together.  And then there's the third side of the triangle (I'm not telling you who!) who perfectly confuses everything.  The story is compelling, interesting, heart-stopping, and gripping.  I literally started this and could not stop. 

Of course, Woon is trying to kill everyone by making us wait an entire year for the publication of her currently untitled sequel.  But, keep your eyes peeled people, because there will be news on it soon.  I hope.  When you get to the last page of this book, you will know what I'm talking about. 

Learn more about Yvonne Woon on her website!

See what other readers thought at Goodreads.com

Pick up your copy at Barnes and Noble!

Review of Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Dead Beautiful is the story of a young woman who is sent to an unusual boarding school after her parents mysteriously die.  After living in boarding school for several weeks, she learns that the real reason for the school has nothing to do with classical methods.  But uncovering the truth of the school, Gottfried Academy, means learning more about herself and her boyfriend Dante than she is ready for.  Now she must choose what her love for Dante is really worth.

The main character, Renée Winters, is a believable but not incredibly strong character.  Because I tend to favor strong protagonists, she wasn't my favorite.  In certain parts of the story I felt I knew what was going on before she did and I don't like to be in that position.  I like to be "with" the character at all times, with the plot unfolding as "we" move forward.

That being said, Woon has created an extremely interesting world that these characters live in.  There is a lot of mystery behind Gottfried Academy, Renée's grandfather, the death of her parents, and even Dante. 

Overall the story is intriguing.  There is mystery, fantasy, and romance.  For me, these are all of the best components.  The story was intriguing enough for me to download the sequel, Life Eternal, onto my iPhone.  I'm interested to see what the world Woon has created will bring for Renée and Dante.

What to anticipate in Dead Beautiful?

Just what Publisher's Weekly said; "a Harry Potter start and a Twilight finish."

See what other readers thought at Goodreads.com

Pick up your copy at Barnes and Noble

Mini-Review of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Into the wee hours of this morning, I was up reading a fantastic new book by author Kristen Simmons called Article 5.  Article 5 is a post-apocalyptic story about a young woman's search to find her mother after they are both violently ripped from their home.

I picked this book up at Barnes and Noble as part of a display of books called "If you liked the Hunger Games…"  Simmons takes a totally different point of view of what government will be like after the collapse of America.  She perfectly creates a new government obsessed with opression, gender consistency, and an ideological moral code.  There were several instances where I literally got goosebumps and feared that the FBR were going to knock down my door for my own indescretions!  The whole "One whole country, one whole family" idea is petrifying to me!

After literally staying up all night to read it, I can safely say this is one of my new favorite books.  I've been thinking about it all day!  The story flowed seamlessly!  This is a great example of character-driven fiction; which is my favorite! 

The main protagonist in the book, Ember, is a strong character that will do anything it takes to find and save her mother.  When she reunites with her childhood love, Chase, they have to learn to work together even as they both fight the urge to run away.

At times this story is full of sorrow, hopelessness, and even anger, but then as if a light is turned on in a dark room, our heroine finds a sliver of hope and does what we least expected her to do. 

I 100% recommend Article 5 and I am highly anticipating the second book in the series, Breaking Point, which is due out in 2013.

Check out what others thought of Article 5 on Goodreads!  Plus snag your copy online at Barnes and Noble. 

Excited for news about Breaking Point?  Keep your eyes on Goodreads for new info, plus check out Karen's blog!