The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Title: The Shoemaker's Wife

Author: Adriana Trigiani

Series? none

Acquired From: local bookstore

Summary:  The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty, and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in villages just a few miles apart. At the turn of the last century, when Ciro catches the local priest in a scandal, he is banished from his village and sent to hide in America as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Little Italy. Without explanation, he leaves a bereft Enza behind. Soon, Enza's family faces disaster and she, too, is forced to go to America with her father to secure their future.

Unbeknownst to one another, they both build fledgling lives in America, Ciro masters shoemaking and Enza takes a factory job in Hoboken until fate intervenes and reunites them. But it is too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in World War I and Enza, determined to forge a life without him, begins her impressive career as a seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of the international singing sensation, Enrico Caruso. 

Cover Rating: 4/5

Comments on the Cover:  It's so... lovely. It seems so Italian, too. The only problem is that when I saw it, I expected the main character to be like the woman on the cover. Seems logical enough, right? No. Enza is NOTHING like that woman. It's beautiful and captivating, and maybe part of the reason I bought it, but it doesn't really fit the book. 
Character Comments: Okay. Enza was... perfect. Truly. I fell in love with her adorable maternal side that she had as a kid. And Ciro. Oh, Ciro. I could just imagine him as the most handsome man. He wasn't perfect, which was one of the reasons I loved him, but he tried. All of the characters had such depth to them. For me personally, I had feelings about all the characters. I hated the padre, I was angry at Ciro's mother, I loved Enza's whole family, I wept for Stella, and so much more. 
Favorite Characters: I loved loved loved Ciro and Enza
Character Rating: 5/5

Plot line rating: 5/5

Plot Line Comments: So, apparently Trigiani based this on a story of her ancestors. Breathtaking story, amazing that it's real. This makes me want to talk to everyone in my family so I can come up with a delicious story. 

Likeliness to reread it? 5/5
Overall rating: 5/5
Books like this that I have reviewed: N/A

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Title: And then there were None

Author: Agatha Christie

Series? none

Aquired From: Own

Summary:  First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion 

Cover Rating: Since there are so many versions of the cover, I will not be commenting or rating it.

Comments on the Cover: N/A
Character Comments: Well, what is there to say about characters when they are all killers? This was a reread, but it's been at least 5-6 years since the first time I read it, so I didn't remember much about it except for the fact that everyone ended up dead. The most annoying thing to me was that I couldn't remember who dunnit! Christie is considered to be one of the best mystery writers, and truly, she is. I couldn't guess who the perp was! Bravo, Agatha. Bravo.
Favorite Characters: I felt a kinship with Vera. Which is creepy, since she killed a little kid for her boy toy. 
Character Rating: 5/5

Plot line rating: 5/5

Plot Line Comments: What is this sorcery?! A murderer on an island? That they can't find? Creeptastic. I think Harper's Island (which everyone hated, but I loved) was inspired by it. The plot has SO many layers, and you try to pick beneath each one. And when you think you've got it... they're dead. And then you get to the end and you're just like... WTF? There's not really another way to describe how I felt. 

Likeliness to reread it? 4/5
Overall rating: 4.67/5
Books like this that I have reviewed: N/A

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Title: Wanderlove

Author: Kirsten Hubbard

Series? none

Aquired From: Own

Summary:   It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story 

Cover Rating: 5/5

Comments on the Cover: It makes me smile. It looks so whimsical... and I don't know... light. The girl looks just so carefree and it makes you want to be her. She looks like she's making a wish. I definitely fell in love with the cover.
Character Comments: I liked Bria and how you really GREW to like her. At first, I was like, "dude, are you a compulsive liar?" but I grew to love her. And don't get me started on Rowan. Or Starling. Both were such AWESOME characters. I really loved them both, and they made me want to go backpacking.
Favorite Characters: Rowan
Character Rating: 4/5

Plot line rating: 4/5

Plot Line Comments: I'm pretty sure this plot would make anyone want to go backpacking.

Likeliness to reread it? 2/5
Overall rating: 3.75/5
Books like this that I have reviewed: N/A

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series? The Mortal Instruments

Aquired From: Own

Summary:  When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 

Cover Rating: 4/5

Comments on the Cover: It's pretty cool. I like how you can see the markings on Jace's chest ;)
Character Comments: Jace annoyed me. I know he's supposed to be all sexy and brooding, and yeah, he was, but he was annoying. Isabelle was shallow. Clary was stupid and Simon... well, Simon was Simon.
Favorite Characters: Magnus
Character Rating: 2/5

Plot line rating: 4/5

Plot Line Comments: The demon hunting is cool. It's different, at least for me. I didn't like the ending though. Cuz I was totally shipping Clary/Jace and then all of the sudden... THAT happened. Not okay.

Likeliness to reread it? 2/5
Overall rating: 3/5
Books like this that I have reviewed: N/A

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Title: A Great and Terrible Beauty

Author: Libba Bray

Series? Rebel Angels and the Sweet Far Thing

Aquired From: School Library 

Summary: Gemma Doyle was raised in India by her parents. When her mother died, she was sent to Spence, a finishing school in England. Spence isn't much different from the highschools today. Petty lies and gossip still reign. Gemma feels like she will never fit in with the rich girls. But when Gemma starts having visions and discovers that she can go into another world, she realizes that maybe that isn't so true after all.

Cover Rating: 4/5

Comments on the Cover: It's enticing. Kinda boring, but I like how all the covers are consistent.
Character Comments: I wasn't a fan really. All the girls just seemed SO much like the girls that I'm forced to deal with five days a week at school.
Favorite Character: Kartik
Character Rating: 2/5

Plot line rating: 2/5

Plot Line Comments: It was interesting. But just not my thing.

Likeliness to reread it? 1/5
Overall rating: 2.75/5
Books like this that I have reviewed: N/A

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Title: Vampire Academy

Author: Richelle Mead

Series? Yes

Aquired From: School Library 

Summary:Lissa is a Moroi vampire. Rose (Short for RoseMarie) is Lissa's best friend and future guardian. Rose is also our narrator. We find out that Lissa was in danger of the Strogoi at the Vampire Academy, so Rose and she run away. When they return, they are put under a lock down. At the school, the girls meet Mia, the popular girl who 'stole' Lissa's boyfriend. Mia makes it her mission to make Rose and Lissa's lives miserable. Rose meets Dmitri, a sexy Russian guardian. When dead animals begin appearing in Lissa's room and bag, Rose knows that something's up and sets out to figure it out, all the while putting Lissa first.

Review: Not gonna lie, this is probably the best vampire book I have ever read. The romance was sultry and I could relate to Rose and Lissa's relationship. The ridiculously close best friends, who would literally do anything for each other. I loved all the characters, and the plot. I just got the sequel from the school library today, but now I'm kinda afraid that it's not the right one, and I'm SO not okay with that. I need more Dmitri, Christian, Rose and Lissa NOW!

Cover Rating: 4/5
Comments on the Cover: Mysterious and seductive, just like the book.
Character Comments: I LOVE THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK. I love the way how you'll love them, and then you'll hate them, and then you'll love them again, and maybe go back to hating them again. I love the characters the you can't decide if you like or not.
Favorite Character: Rose and Dmitri
Character Rating: 5/5

Plot line rating: 5/5

Likeliness to reread it? 4/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Books like this that I have reviewed: N/A

What I'm reading, just read and what I can't wait to read!

As of now, I'm reading the never ending entertaining tale of "Ghost Girl". I can't wait to finish it so I can review it for you all!!

I just finished reading Heartless, one of the books in the Pretty Little Liars Series. I hate to say I'm one of those girls, but... I'm one of those girls. PLL are SO addicting! And those cliffhangers at the end of each book?! TORTURE! But such a great way to get and keep readers. No normal person will be able to LIVE without finishing this series if they started it

I cannot wait to read Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill. In English right now, We're reading the Crucible by Arthur Miller. It's about the Salem Witch Trials, for those who don't know. I found this book in the library and thought it would be a win way to enhance my reading experience.

Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy

Title: Scarlet Feather
Author: Maeve Binchy
Other Books in this series: None
Summary: Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather are best friends and co-owners of the catering company Scarlet Feather. This book chronicles a year. From New Years Eve to New Years Eve. Together Cathy and Tom show their friendship is strong enough to withstand heartbreak, breakups, confusion, evil mother-in-laws, a crazy pair of twins, and so much more.
Review: I LOVE Maeve Binchy, but this was not one of my favorites. It was good, but just kinda... blah. The romance in it was unsatisfactory. Like you didn't like the couples.
Cover Rating: 2/5
Comments on the Cover: It's kind of boring. It's... just a red door and a brick building. I feel like there were so many more possibilities for this book cover. And they chose a red door.
Character Comments: The characters were well-written, but they got tedious after a while. Once in a while, you really just wanted to smack them a few times.
Favorite Character: Tom and the Twins. Tom's such a great guy and the Twins... well, I really can't say much for them.
Character Rating: 3/5
Plot line rating: 3/5
Likeliness to reread it? 2/5
Overall rating: 2/5
Books like this that I have reviewed: N/A

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Title: Rules of Attraction
Author: Simone Elkeles
Other Books in this series: Perfect Chemistry
Summary: Carlos Fuentes is moving back to America from Mexico to live with his brother, Alex, in Colorado. And he is NOT happy about it. Carlos almost immediately begins to get into trouble and Alex sends him to live with his college professor and his family.
Enter Kiara, Carlos' peer guide and the professor's daughter. She's obviously not your average girl and definitely not the type that would be attracted to Carlos. But she is.
But there's more to Carlos then anyone realizes, including Carlos. Will these unknown secrets tear them apart?
Review: After I read Perfect Chemistry, I knew that I had gotten no where near enough of the Fuentes boys. I was a little disappointed when I first got this book from the library because it wasn't about Brittany and Alex's relationship. But I loved the new characters and learning more about the younger Fuentes brother. And let's be honest, I was happy that they at least included some depth in Brittany and Alex's relationship. When I started the book, I wasn't expecting anything near that.
Cover Rating: 5/5
Comments on the Cover: I LOVE these covers. So very hot and secretly telling oh so much about the contents of the book...
Character Comments: I LOVE Kiara. And Carlos. When you warm up to him. But Kiara is one of my favorite girl characters in a while.
Favorite Character: Kiara! But I still love Alex
Character Rating: 4/5
Plot line rating: 4/5
Likeliness to reread it? Well, since I reread it... 3/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Books like this that I have reviewed: Perfect Chemistry