Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Shivers, obsession, sleepless nights—these are the results not of one of the milder poisons that novice food-taster Yelena must learn during her harrowing job training but of newcomer Snyder's riveting fantasy that unites the intelligent political focus of George R.R. Martin with a subtle yet potent romance. Through a stroke of luck, Yelena escapes execution in exchange for tasting the food of the Commander, ruler of Ixia. Though confined to a dank prison cell and doomed to a painful death, Yelena slowly blooms again, caught up in castle politics. But some people are too impatient to wait for poison to finish off Yelena. With the help of Valek, her steely-nerved, cool-eyed boss and the Commander's head of security, she soon discovers that she has a starring role to play in Ixia's future—a role that could lead to her being put to death as a budding magician even if she hits each cue perfectly. The first in a series, this is one of those rare books that will keep readers dreaming long after they've read it.
-summary from amazon.com

Poison Study is one of those books you see and think, “Hey that looks good.” but never pick up to read. Well it’s time that you picked it up. Poison Study is an amazing adventure featuring, magic, love, and an ass kicking heroine. Yelena is a character that one can definitely empathize with. The reader really gets a feel for who she is as a person and why she had to do the things she did. I, personally, could not put the book down. Each page has yet another thing that would draw the reader in and keep them up all night reading. Poison Study is not like any other book I’ve ever read and that unique characteristic is exactly why I love this book so much. I highly recommend this book to fans of adventure stories with a little bit of romance in them. Trust me, this is a book you definitely DO NOT want to miss.

Ironside by Holly Black

Ironside is the third book in the Tithe series. After defeating the queen of the Unseelie Court, Roiben was finally going to take the crown and become king. But at his coronation, things don't go the way they're planned. Kaye overhears some fairies talking about a declaration and decides that she wants to declare herself to Roiben. In response he sends her off on a quest to find a faerie that can lie, in other words, he sent her on a seemingly impossible quest. However, the quest is the least of Kaye's troubles. Her best friend Corny has been cursed by a faerie and Roiben is on the verge of a war with the Seelie Court. Will Kaye be able to complete her task and return to Roiben's side in time to help stop the war? And what about Corny? Will he be doomed to be cursed for the rest of his life? Read Ironside to find out!

Holly Black has done it again! She definitely kept up well with the first two books of the series, Tithe and Valiant. Her books are filled with vivid descriptions that make you feel as if you were there inside her stories. Ironside is full of adventure, love, and the thirst for power. This book will keep you up late at night reading. The only problem I have with this book is that the ending wasn't as final as I would have liked. It seemed a bit open ended and I felt that there should have been more explained in the end. I had many unanswered questions like, What happens to Corny and Luis? And Will Roiben be able to rule over both Courts peacefully? Even though I was a bit dissatisfied with the ending, I still thought that it was a good and sweet ending and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers. If you haven't read the Tithe Series, you are really missing out. So go get yourself a copy now!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Norah is a good, smart, and sensitive Jewish girl on the mend from her last relationship. So when she meets a guy in a club in New York who asked her to be his five minute girlfriend, she couldn’t help but kiss him in response. Little did she know that the guy she kissed was Nick, who like Norah, is also on the mend from his last relationship with a girl named Tris, who also happens to be a girl that Norah is acquainted with. In an effort to get over their pasts and on to their futures, the two set off on a journey through New York City. Through music and talks, Nick and Norah get to know each other and find that the people they are supposed to be with is each other and not their ex’s.

Nick And Norah’s Infinite Play List is an intriguing book that’ll keep readers reading through the night. Details in the book are very descriptive and vivid so it’ll feel like the reader is there with Nick and Norah himself/herself. I personally loved all the music in the book. The lyrics that Nick wrote and even the play list at the beginning of the book has some very great songs on it.
This book is definitely not a book for children or even younger teens. I was surprised to find that there was a lot of cursing by the two characters and a lot of mention of sex. Although a great read, I would not recommend this for younger people, maybe when they’re older. I give this book a 9/10.

As everyone knows there is a movie for Nick And Norah’s Infinite Play List out in theaters now. Although I haven’t seen it yet, (and I really want to), after reading the book and seeing commercials for the movie, I’ve found that I like everyone in the cast except for who they cast for Nick. He just doesn’t look like he would be the Nick from the book. However, I guess that the movie won’t be following the book exactly and it might even have a whole different story line, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see that for myself. So if anyone has read and seen both the book and the movie, please tell me how it is compared to the book. I’d love to know. (Because I probably won’t be seeing the movie until it comes out on DVD.)

Caribbean Cruising by Rachel Hawthorne

Lindsay is 18 years old, on a ten day cruise to the Caribbeans, and has a plan to make it the best vacation she's ever been on. She's even made a list of all the things she's wanted to do but has never done before. Things like: shopping until she drops, drinking strawberry margaritas, kissing cute boys, and even to sleep with a guy for the first time. Her plans seemed promising until she met Ryan, her stepfather's godson. Although Lindsay finds Ryan attractive, she can't help but push him away because she feels like he'll just get in the way of her plans. But when Ryan doesn't go, Lindsay finds it hard to resist the temptation. Will Lindsay accept her feelings in the end? Or will she hold fast and stick to her plans? Read Caribbean Cruising to find out!

Caribbean Cruising was an amazing book! I would have to give it a 10/10. I found that the story was believable and I was hooked by the very first chapter. The details and experiences in the book were so vivid and in depth that I felt as if I was actually there with the characters themselves. When they climbed a waterfall, I felt as if I was climbing a waterfall. I loved the interaction between Lindsay, Ryan, and the many guys that they meet along the way. I was really hoping that Ryan and Lindsay would get together, but each time she would be stubborn and I would be frustrated because of that. Caribbean Cruising was a fun book to read and I highly recommend this book. It's short and sweet and will keep you thinking about it long after you've finished reading. If you've read other books written by Rachel Hawthorne, I suggest that you check this book out. Just like her other books this one is filled with fun romance. And if you haven't read her other books then I highly suggest that you pick one up today. I promise you won't regret it!