Browsing articles by " Jessi Gardner"
Jun
1

Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction//No Comments

With a little bit of mystery, a touch of romance, and spine-chilling eerieness, Katie Alender’s Bad Girls Don’t Die is a great summer read!

Alexis has a little sister Kasey who’ll be starting high school soon.  During Alexis’ senior year Kasey starts to act really weird by appearing randomly and whispering to her dolls all the time.  At first it just seemed like a collection of dolls but as time goes by the obsession begins to get out of hand.  Alexis meets a new guy that gets under her skin; but can she confide in him that her sister might be psychotic?

Katie Alender does a great job creating twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. You won’t notice how quickly the pages are turning when you get wrapped up in the story of helping Kasey stop from being psycho.  Alender also brings her characters to life with the contrasts between their personalities.  A book that will bring back your own teenage memories, and give you a new one.

If the hunter isn’t careful they will become the hunted.

 

May
15

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction//No Comments

This book sat on my shelf for a month because of my judgmental habits. It seemed boring to me but a friend of mine got it for me. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I wish to share it with many. The main character Mack is a father of a girl who was murdered. As he lives his life he has a personal encounter with God.  The scenes this author paints are majestic and make your imagination go wild. You have to read this book with an open mind and leave all judgments until the very end and to remember it is only fiction. There is symbolism all throughout the book so I urge you to pay attention to the details as you read. Unification is the theme of this book and I can’t see why you wouldn’t buy this.  I understand it is a little religious but it has a great moral to it which is hard to find these days. Take the time and buy this book! You will not regret it.

Fantasy’s way of turning tragedy into healing with others.

Apr
13

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction//No Comments

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder is about Yelena who is thrown in jail for murder.  Her luck turns (or does it?) when she is given a second chance to be the King’s food taster before she is hanged.

Yelena’s murderous past makes it tough to make friends with the other servants.  Valek, the second in command, sees some promise in her, but his trust comes at a price.

Yelena figures out that she has some magical powers that aren’t the easiest to control.  And as her powers grow, almost everyone is out to destroy her.

This book sucked me in right away and didn’t let me go. There was a lot of battling and scheming going on between the characters.  As secrets unfold you learn to love the ones you hated and cast others to the side.

Snyder did a wonderful job of holding suspense and keeping your interest. I was able to pick up sometimes on what would happen next but the author throws you topsy turvy for most of the ride. I definitely recommend this book to people who live an adventurous life or wish to live one. This book is truly rich with surprise and set in a very colorful world. I borrowed this book but I want the whole series myself so I can recreate this adventure all over again.

So addicting you just might dream living it yourself.

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Mira; Original edition (December 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0778327116
Apr
1

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction, Young Adult//No Comments

Have you ever met someone and thought you already knew them?

After reading Fallen by Lauren Kate, you’ll make sure to talk to this (non)stranger.  I was perusing the shelves and this book said, “take me.”  So I did.  And the book ended up taking me away.

Haunted by memories of an accident, Luce has ended up at the Swords and Cross School.  Swords and Cross is for kids that have misbehaved their entire lives.

Some of her classmates have metal bracelets trackers and there are cameras that watch everyone.  Arriane befriends Luce and shows her around the school and also keeps her out of trouble.

A mysterious boy named Daniel greets Luce by flipping her off and smiling, but Luce is magnetized by his eyes and smile.  She can’t shake the feeling that Daniel looks familiar.

Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he calls her a stalker – but secretly Daniel enjoys being stalked.  He gives Luce hot and cold cards to figure out.  Lauren Kate only gives you a bare sketch of things in the beginning and throughout she darkens lines and shows you the shadows of her characters.
The plot and the ending were both surprising.  Great book for an airplane…or if you just want to indulge.
Even an Ice Queen just might root for love’s power.
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; First Edition/First Printing edition (December 8, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385738935
Mar
28

Dark Visions by L.J. Smith

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Young Adult//1 Comment
In Dark Visions by L.J. Smith, Kaitlyn is an outsider and nicknamed “witch.” Even as a child she could predict who was dying or paint pictures of where dead bodies were.
Deprived of a social life because of the visions and sixth sense, Kaitlyn developed an attitude problem. Her school wants to get rid of her at the same time a man named Mr. Zetes grants her a scholarship and the ability to control her powers if she goes to an institute.
A volunteer at the institute begins to harass Kaitlyn at night warning her of evil.  With four other psychic kids her age in the house, she helps lead the fight to stop the evil scientists and ends up saving lives (even of the enemies).
Two boys force Kaitlyn to decide good or evil.  Gabriel the jail-bird is a dark angel.  Rob the country boy has the power to heal.  Either way she has to fight someone she cares about.
Numerous times Kaitlyn puts herself in situations that scare her, but defies the odds and gets what she wants.  Kaitlyn becomes a different person – as do the others in her group.
This book made me realize how hungry I was for a book that could surprise me.   As the characters develop, their powers change and grow stronger and find new ways to manipulate people.
This book will make you wonder what sixth sense you have, and you’ll smile at how delicious those pages were.
Your hands will itch with anticipation and desire for more.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 752 pages
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (September 8, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416989560
Mar
23

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction//No Comments
Kristina has led a promising life but the curiosity of her absent father leads her to shadows. These shadows contain her personal demons that grow and haunt her relentlessly.
Her dad is a dead beat; working at a bowling alley and “partying” in the back rooms during work. But a small town hunk named Adam introduces her to the monster and they begin to experiment. The monster slowly rips off the face of Kristina and brings out her dark side that named Bree.
The inner battle between Bree and Kristina is painful yet amusing. Hook ups and tooting are making a pattern in her life that ends up giving her a gift she never asked for. The gift life gave her was a trade for the innocence one guy stole. But can she continue living with the monster beckoning her all the time?
Ellen Hopkins can take your hand and throw you down the rabbit hole with this story. It’s great for a speedy read that provides rich characters and blends your being with the main character herself. The life of a druggie is hard, raw, and dirty but can help others try to understand why they do it.
Full speed ahead without a chance to take a breath.

  • Amazon Link
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: McElderry; Original edition (October 5, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0689865198
Mar
18

Why the Tree Loves the Ax – Jim Lewis

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction//No Comments

Caroline is a middle aged woman embarking on a life that normally begins when teenagers get kicked out of the house. She is divorced and runs from anyone and everything until she comes to Sugartown, TX. There she makes a friend that changes her life.

As Caroline travels she changes identities and burns bridges with other people while flipping off the world. From a tiny town she ventures to a big city and ends up living in the forest with a few other criminals. Whether they let her live is her choice.Jim Lewis created interesting characters mixed with a continually twisting plot. The ending is unexpected and it almost blew my mind. This book is great for people who like intricate journeys and odd predicaments.

Start running for your life and pissing off the world.

  • Paperback: 276 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 1, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0425168646
  • Amazon Link
Mar
15

The Code of Love by Cheryl Sawyer

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction//No Comments

Delphine Dalgleish is a daring woman who is fighting to save her house and family. Caught up in her pursuit of her home “Saint Armour” she stumbles across a brute named Sir Gideon Landor. Fate transcribes delicate reunions unwanted and savored at the same time by both people.

War, spies, love,and betrayal are thick in this story and holding an allure hardly any reader could deny themselves. The countries history and both sides changing the course of each characters path. Despite their journey’s all characters find themselves in places they would have never guessed. Set in the Victorian times the author provides a very glittering world and raw when battle is waged. I would recommend this book to all who love delving into the 1800’s.

Like Victorian times?  Then this will be a luring pleasure.

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: NAL Trade; First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 edition (May 2, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451218388
  • Amazon Link
Mar
6

Scott Westerfeld’s Peeps

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction//No Comments

After reading the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and liking it, I decided to try this new series which starts with Peeps.

It’s possible that the market is already saturated with vampire novels, but I thought I’d give it a go.  What a mistake.

The main character’s sex drive is annoying.  He’s unable to have sex without passing the disease, so he should really just learn to keep it in his pants.

The text itself was missing some flavor.  At the end of this novel very little change had happened to the characters.  No good becomes evil.  No evil becomes good.

The story is very predictable; as a reader personally I do not enjoy knowing everything the whole time. It is a great book for those who love knowing exactly what is going to happen all the time.

This book is not about vampires but the parasite he describes is very close to it. I was disappointed with this book and still wondering what happened to the author’s bursts of creativity.


Simply weird and unfinished. It was also predictable for everyone.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 312 pages
  • Publisher: Razorbill (September 7, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1595140832
  • Amazon Link