A year ago, I had never heard of Sarah Dessen. Then I started discovering book blogs and reading online reviews, and her name came up many times - always positively. I've heard (okay, read) many people say that they love her books. My sister-in-law has said that Dessen is one of her favorite authors. So I decided recently that it was about time I read one of her books.

The library had several. I picked Keeping the Moon solely because it started with K, and I still needed one of those for my A-Z Challenge. It wasn't a very long book, and I read it pretty quickly. I even stayed up a bit later than I should one night to read it. But despite getting drawn in and not wanting to put the book down, I would not call my first experience with Sarah Dessen a rousing success.

It wasn't the storyline. I think Dessen did a great job of showing Colie's transformation from beaten down to confident. It was the supporting characters that spoiled the overall effect. So please forgive the following rant.

First of all, Morgan and Isabel. Are they sisters or just best friends? Not clear until at least halfway through the book. And why is Morgan so precise with everything at the diner, yet she flies off the hook emotionally? That just doesn't make any sense to me.

Secondly, Norman. I get that he was "disowned" by his dad because he wants to be an artist. I get that he lives in Mira's basement because of that. But how old is he? I'm figuring he's in college and is twenty at least, which would put him out of the way as a love interest for Colie. Nope, not the case. Let's just drop in, two-thirds of the way through the book, that he is only 17 and therefore "perfect" for Colie. You can't throw that in there after I think I already have this character figured out. Tell me earlier, so it's not out of the blue that he has a crush on her!

Okay, rant over. Here's the things I loved about this book: Mira. She is herself and perfectly content with that. I loved the way she never let anyone's comments faze her. 

I also loved how Dessen describes how it feels to be bullied. I've been there. I can relate, and I'd guess a lot of her high school readers could as well. And I loved the message of the book - you don't have to take it. You are a valuable person, and you can be confident in who you are.

Bottom line: I'm not sold on Sarah Dessen. Yet. But I'm not unsold either. I'm willing to give her another try. Has anyone read Sarah Dessen's books? Does anyone have a recommendation for me for my second attempt? I appreciate your comments!

A great start to an intriguing trilogy. I loved the Russian elements of the book’s atmosphere. The Darkling is an appropriately terrifying villain. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel!

I read the sequel to Shadow and Bone before I had a chance to post the above review (I just couldn’t wait any longer!), so I thought I might as well just add this on here. Siege and Storm continues the wonderfully twisty storyline of Shadow and Bone. It’s the second book of the Grisha trilogy, but it does not suffer from the typical afflictions that second books usually do. Bardugo provides the perfect blend of suspense and humor. This is a trilogy that is well worth your time to read.

I had every intention of writing a full review for this book, but I let too much time pass between reading it and writing about it to remember everything I wanted to say (won’t let that happen again). Here’s what I do remember – I loved the characters from this book. It’s about three sisters, who are descended from Jo March (who is fictional, of course, but go with it). The relationship and interactions between the sisters are drawn perfectly. I enjoyed the bickering just as much as the loving moments. I only wish that I would have reread Little Women by Louisa May Alcott before picking up this book. It’s been many years since I’ve read it, and many of the allusions were lost on me. This book is a fun look at the importance of family and how our ancestors shape who we are.

I gradually loved this book. I had high expectations for it. After all, it involves music and dragons. What could be better than that? I didn’t expect everything else to play such a part. In Seraphina’s world, there is a fragile peace between humans and dragons, a peace that has lasted forty years because of the charisma of the current leaders of each kind. As the leader of the dragons comes to celebrate the forty-year anniversary of the treaty, tensions increase. And to top it all off, the heir to the throne was just murdered in a way that strongly suggests dragon involvement. Seraphina, the assistant to the court musician, is drawn into trying to keep the peace. She walks a very thin and occasionally dangerous line between the two sides.

I loved the creative twist that Hartman includes: dragons have figured out how to take the form of a human. In that way, they interact with and study alongside humans. I found Hartman’s dragons to be realistic characters – uncomfortable with human emotions and entirely rational beings. My expectations for dragonkind were more than met.

I do with there could have been more music, but it’s always hard to satisfy me on that account. Once I realized the focus of the story was the complications of Seraphina’s existence and not her music, I was perfectly content to settle in to enjoy this story to the very end. The characters and the events just kept growing on me until I thoroughly enjoyed them. I didn’t want this book to end. And I just may have gotten my wish, since it’s clearly set up for a sequel!

Also, make sure you read the Cast of Characters list at the end. The book had its moments of humor, but this list had me laughing out loud continuously!

Allyson Healey is a straight-A, AP-crazy, very driven high school student. But now that she’s graduated and on to college, she’s not so sure if that’s the life she wants to have. Her parents gave her a graduation present any teenager would jump at – a three-week tour of Europe. Except the tour is just about over, and Allyson hasn’t had any fun Three days left in London, then it’s back home to college and parental pressure.

So when a Dutch boy she just met invites her to Paris for just one day, Allyson decides to do something crazy: She goes with him. For one day, she lives in the moment and does things she never would have done before. When she returns to her normal life, she realizes that she’s just not satisfied with the person she has been.

I love traveling in Europe, so any book that includes a spur-of-the-moment trip to Paris is on my reading list. I enjoyed watching Allyson grow and figure out who she wanted to be. I did not really enjoy the relationship between her and Willem. Maybe it’s just because I’m not a big believer in love at first sight (or one day acquaintance). Maybe it’s because Allyson persisted in being in love with him, even though she saw that he was not a one-girl kind of guy. I know a romantic plot line is a big draw for a lot of readers; I enjoy a good romance myself. To me, though, Just One Day could have been just as good – or even better – without the romantic entanglement. A guy doesn’t have to be the catalyst to discover who you want to be.

I can’t come down on this book too hard, though. I did enjoy it, staying up a little past my bedtime to finish it. It certainly does end on a cliffhanger, so be prepared to start counting down the days until the sequel comes out, which looks like it will be told from Willem’s point of view. In the meantime, brush up on your Shakespeare references. If Just One Day is any indication, you’re going to need it!

I loved A Corner of White. It’s whimsical and interesting, taking place in two different worlds – ours and the made-up world of the Kingdom of Cello (although, seriously Jaclyn Moriarty, pick a different name. If your made-up kingdom doesn’t have anything to do with music – and it doesn’t – why would you name it Cello??).

The storyline in our world follows Madeleine and her mother, formerly rich socialites, who have run away to Cambridge, England. Now they live in an attic apartment where her mother sews all day to make ends meet. Madeleine is regretting her actions a lot and is beginning to become desperate about reuniting with her father. In the meantime, she’s being homeschooled, along with her “friends” Jack and Belle, who are not entirely sure what to make of her. It’s inevitable that Jack falls for her and Belle is jealous of her. Surely there’s no spoiler there.

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Cello, Elliot has just returned from a trip to search for his father, who was abducted by a third-level Purple. That’s right, colors are beings in Cello, some harmless, most not. His dad disappeared a year ago, along with the high school physics teacher, while Elliot’s uncle was found dead in a field. Mysterious circumstances, to say the least.

The two worlds finally interact through a Crack – a gap between worlds, just big enough for notes to be pushed through. Madeleine and Elliot start exchanging notes, although Madeleine is hard-pressed to believe that Elliot and Cello are real.

This is one of those books that, just when all the loose ends are getting wrapped up, suddenly shows you a much bigger picture of everything that just happened. You thought you knew where you stood in the lives of these characters, but it turns out that there is much, much more. Set up for a sequel? Of course. But it also helps you see that the story you just experienced is a small puzzle piece in the author’s mind. I love twists like that at the end.

A Corner of White is written for teens, and I did find the teenage whining of Belle occasionally annoying. But there’s no reason this book should be limited to or enjoyed only by teens. Jaclyn Moriarty has created a fascinating world in Cello, and I’m eager to discover more of it in the sequel. If you like fantasy mixed with reality, creative plots, and endearing characters, you should most certainly read A Corner of White. There is much to enjoy!