[Elixir]

Series: Elixir Series
Elixir by Hilary Duff
My Rating: 4 Of 5 Stars

Not bad! Not bad at all!
I decided to into this blind like I always have with Hilary's music. When her debut album "Metamorphosis," came out, I recall them talking about Lizzie McGuire and I knew they were talking about the show that I tuned into one night because Aaron Carter was making a guest appearance. Gawd! I used to have the hugest crush on Aaron; Anyway, as stated, I decided to go into this blind like I do with her music. I feel it gives me an already unbiased mindset. Sometimes reading reviews kind of gives you a pre-created opinion of whatever 'it' is and I just feel the type of person to just get my own opinion. Basically because when you have a pre-created opinion based on what other people say, it's not really YOUR opinion.

I'm so glad I went into this book blindly. All I knew about this book was that it had to do with an Elixir, hence the title. Hilary always seems to earn my respect with all of her works and when I heard she was becoming a novelist, I admit, my brow furrowed, BUT I thought to myself, "She's stepping out of her comfort zone." Then I was curious to read her book. And at risk of repeating myself; i'm so glad I read this book. Aside from merely perusing ratings of this book, I did watch the interviews of the Author (Duff) and one of them, I felt so bad for her because the interviewer was treating her like a CHILD. I felt like reaching into my computer screen and slapping that guy silly. In those interviews, I heard about the character's: Clea, Ben, Rayna & Sage. I was only worried that they would have Hilary reveal too much about the story line, but to my relief and delight, they did not. So I was able to generate my own opinion without knowing what was going to happen in the book. I really liked it. Not bad for a first novel!

We follow Clea after she just successfully became a homeschooled student for her Senior year in high school (She's 17) and one of her passions is Photography. That truly was one of the things that lead me into this story. During her trip, she takes random photos then after arriving home, she decides to go through them and narrow them down into her faves and the ones she doesn't like so much. Suddenly, she notices a man in several shots and the story begins. Her father's disappearance, a variety of cultures, a surprising event that I NEVER expected in Teen Fiction (but it shows that Hilary knows the common truth. Teenagers already know about certain things LoL) and a hidden compartment that leads to the big revelation of the whole first novel. I truly enjoyed this book. I give this four out of 5 stars because I respect Hilary and 4 stars means I really liked it. What does this all mean (the tidbits I mention after the man in her pictures? hmm...i'm sure you can find the book somewhere ;)...)

[The Evolution Of Ethan Poe]

The Evolution of Ethan Poe by Robin Reardon
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
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This has to be the best book that I have EVER read!!

I purchased this book after reading the description, which is the following:
In the space of a few months, sixteen-year-old Ethan Poe's life has become a complicated mix of facts, theories and hypotheses. Things he knows beyond doubt; his parents are divorcing, his older brother Kyle is exhibiting alarming behavior, and his best friend is turning into a spiritual fanatic. Then there are the shifting uncertainties--includding his feelings toward his father and his desire to both blend in and stand out in his rural Maine hometown. Most pressing of all, there's his attraction to Max Modine, a boy he wants to know much better than he does. Despite Ethan's initial reluctance, he gets pulled into a heated and sometimes violent conflict about whether to introduce Intelligent Design into Science classrooms. Family and friends are turning against each other, school is a battleground, and Ethan will have to take a stand. Because some facts are irrefutable and some bonds are unbreakable, even when they can't be seen.
And once Ethan finds the courage to become who he was meant to be, the outcome could be absolutely extraordinary... (end of description.)

This book literally blew me away. The drama, the unfortunate events and the description of emotions towards those of the same sex were impeccably right on, without going overboard and without sounding pathetic. This has to be the best book that I have ever read. I loved when it went into depth describing pheromones, and also the description of how the voters really got out of hand during the election. Not that they got out of hand, but how it was described. My favourite part was when Ethan's mother had to retort, or felt compelled to more or less. I just had to add that as a quote. I'll share that here as well:
"The police move around again, and the crowd gets just quiet enough so that we can hear the guy holding the sign calling Pagans Athiests say, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." Mom pops up out of her seat, turns in that direction and shouts, "Professing themselves to be Christians, they commit violence."

Along with saying this is the best book I have ever read, I must also say this is the smartest $15 that I have ever spent. 5 out of 5 stars. Robin Reardon is one hell of an author!! Did I mention I couldn't put this book down? :D

[The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eleventh Grade Burns]

Series: The Chronicles Of Vladimir Tod
Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer
My Rating: 5 Of 5 Stars

I finally got my hands on another copy of this book because I have no idea where the devil my original copy went. Anyway, I am not shocked at all to say that this is yet another great installment to the series. I love authors who get better with each book they release.

This book had so many plot twists that I didn't expect. Tonight alone, I think I spent from sundown till now reading the rest of this book.

We continue off from the last time book where Vlad's uncle must stand before the Vampire council. Plus a former friend turned foe returns to the city and Vlad is on edge. On top of that, Vikas, the guy I mentioned that they visited overseas shows up to continue Vlad's training. On top of that, there are now two girls for Vlad to think about. It's enough to make someone explode. Thankfully, Vlad is only half human.

Being half vampire though doesn't really leave him the ability to cope any better. Especially with all the twists and turns in this book. We find ourselves questioning who to trust. Could a friend turned foe turn friend again? Are the slayers or the vampires the bad guys? Guess i'll have to get my hands on the 5th and final book. That one will be the hardest to write a review about because that one is the final one as I said. Writing a review on the last book in a series is always the most difficult because you don't wanna give too much away. This one I was already borderline doing that but I highly suggest you go buy the books in this series and find out what I haven't said! xD