Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 4.9/5 stars

Hey guys!

A few days ago, I finally caved and read Hush, Hush.  It's been on my to-read list practically forever, but I never had a chance to read it.  Until now.  This is just going to be a mini-review but it should give you guys the gist!

Cover:

Cover: 
I really like this cover.  Its simple, but elegant.  It shows Patch... falling from heaven.

Official Description:

A SACRED OATH

A FALLEN ANGELA FORBIDDEN LOVE
Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

My Review:

This book wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it.
The characters were complicated and complex. The plot had me hooked.
Really the only issue I had were the characters' lack of concern over certain details. For example, if your best friend tells you that a boy physically threatened her, would you really push to go camping with him? (If you answered yes, you are rather a (A) terrible friend or (B) asking to die.)
Oh, and also the fact that Nora is supposedly doing well enough in school to go to an Ivy League college. If that was true than none of the event in this book could happen because of homework, etc. (I'm aware how nit-picky that is, but I'm getting sick of books where school is not as time consuming as it really is!)
All in all, a good book. I highly recommend it.

Happy Reading!

This is How it Ends by Jen Nadol 4/5 stars

*Note: This books was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

This is How it Ends was a very interesting book.  The entire book was filled to the brim with mystery. As soon as one thing was answered, two more would come to take its place.  It was a good book.
The Cover:

The Cover:

The cover shows Riley, the main character, with Sarah.  This scene was one of the visions that Riley saw in the binoculars, but I don't agree with it being on the cover.  It makes this book seem like a romance, which it wasn't.  Romance was an element, yes, but it was very subdued.  (It's just as much of a romance as Harry Potter is.)

Official Description:

If you could see the future, would you want to? After the disturbing visions Riley and his friends see turn out to be more than hallucinations, fate takes a dangerous twist in this dark and suspenseful page-turner.

Riley and his friends are gearing up for their senior year by spending one last night hanging out in the woods, drinking a few beers, and playing Truth or Dare. But what starts as a good time turns sinister when they find a mysterious pair of binoculars. Those who dare to look through them see stragne visions, which they brush off as hallucinations. Why else would Riley see himself in bed with his best friend's girlfriend-a girl he's had a secret crush on for years?

In the weeks that follow, the visions begin to come true...including a gruesome murder. One of Riley's closet friends is now the prime suspect. But who is the murderer? Have Riley and his friends really seen the future through those mysterious binoculars? And what if they are powerless to change the course of events?

My Review:

This is How it Ends is one part murder-mystery and one part time travel book (though it was more like time watching than time travel).  There were a lot of seemingly unrelated mysteries that overlapped in spectacular ways.  What do the binoculars show? Who killed Natalie's dad? etc.

The characters were all unique and complex.  There wasn't a lot in the way of character development, but I was still satisfied with how the characters were portrayed.

I was completely sucked into this book's plot.  It was fast-paced and interesting throughout.  

That being said, this book was missing the piece of the story that grabs you by the guts and forces you to be part of the book (with some books its the narrator's voice, others relationships between characters, other plot).  In other words, it was missing the ummph. I still really enjoyed This is How it Ends and read it in a single day, but it needed something to make it stand out. 

I loved reading this book, but I imagine I will not remember it in the long run.  

I would recommend reading This is How it Ends by Jen Nadol if you were originally thinking about reading it or if you think the concept is interesting.  If not, I'd recommend another book.

Phrase:

My inner fourteen-year-old

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson 5/5 stars

*Note: I received this book in exchange for an honest review*

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley was a truly fantastic book! I loved every minute of reading it, which, sadly, wasn't very long because I was so interested!  It was a whirlwind of love and hate, joy and despair, and life and death.  I haven't been able to stop thinking about it and hope you will give yourself the opportunity that is this book (i.e. you should read it).

The cover:

The Cover:

Andrew (Drew) is on the cover.  I like this cover, for some reason, but there really isn't much to say about it, though it works.  I'm not even annoyed by the "A Novel".  (That's a pet peeve of mine.  I don't get the need for clarification.)

My Description:

Drew is a teenager who lives at the hospital, though he's not a patient.  He works in the cafeteria and never leaves, sleeping in an abandoned wing of the hospital.  He entertains himself by writing a comic book, Patient F, and through the friends he's made at the hospital, such as a few kids with cancer and the ER nurses.  Drew won't let anyone know him too well, otherwise they might notice that he's not who he says he is.  

However, when a boy, Rusty, is brought into the emergency room after being burned alive, Drew finds himself wanting to help the other boy in any way that he can, and he slowly realizes that he can't stay in the hospital forever.

(I thought that the official description had a few too many minor spoilers in it, but if you want to read it... Link to Official Description )

My Review:

I really like The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, but I have to warn you that it is depressing.  It isn't a book that entirely focuses on tragedy.  There are points of pure happiness, but the sad moments, while less in number than you would anticipate, can be pretty sad.  (I imagine you picked that up from the title, but one can never be too careful.)  Aside from the tragedies, this book was actually really sweet.  There were multiple romances occurring in the hospital that were insanely cute at certain points.

I loved all of the characters.  There weren't just unique, but they were like-able!  I felt every character's pain and joy like it was my own.  They were complex and very, very complicated.  They also had this amazing thing, character development! Drew ended the book as a completely different person than he was at the beginning.  Even smaller characters, like Drew's boss, Arnold, had extreme character growth over the course of the novel.

The plot was amazing.  It kept me in complete suspense.  Shaun Hutchinson kept just the right amount of details from the reader to make the characters' backstories a mystery that was worth solving.  

At the end of every couple of chapters was a one or two page excerpt from Drew's Patient F comic book.  I really enjoyed this small aspect, as the life of Patient F mirrored Drew's life perfectly and added to the experience of reading this book. Still, there was not too many comic book panels, so it did not detract from the story.  (It was done in a way that kind of reminds me of Winger by Andrew Smith, it supplemented the story.) 

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley was both sweet and heartbreaking, but it was mainly wonderful.  I would highly recommend it! To be warned, it does contain some adult themes such as death, so don't give it to your seven year old niece, but for the rest of you, I strongly recommend that you try to read The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley.  It was a really great read.

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson comes out January 20, 2015

Phrases (I can't decide):

Andrew. Andy or Drew. Whatever.

AND

Death likes scrambled eggs

2014, A Year of Books

I thought that since the year is ending, I'd give you the highlights of the books I read this year.  I read 75 books this year, most of which I loved, and I had a hard time narrowing it down, but here are most top 10 favorite books of the year, in no particular order. (If I read multiple books in a series, they're counted as one).  All of the official descriptions came from Goodreads, and the brief reviews were written at the time that I finished the book.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Official Descriptions

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washedup child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun–but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Or

Katherine V thought boys were gross

Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart 
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.
On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

My Brief Review:

This book was incredibly funny.  I loved the characters, the situations, and even the calculations.  It was truly masterful, and one of my favorite realistic fiction books.  It's the second-best John Green book, by far.

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Official Description: 

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

My Brief Review: 

I really loved the book's voice. (In a way, it reminded me of the narrator in Beautiful Creatures.) The entire book flowed very smoothly and the storyline was very engaging. This book was definitely worth the hype, which so few books are. It was fantastic. Highly recommended!
In an unrelated note, I love how the author's name on the front cover was so small unlike some others like James Patterson whose name fills each of his books' entire cover so that it's difficult to tell if you are reading "Blah Blah Blah Book" or "James Patterson". I really appreciate it when authors make the book more important than themselves. You go, Ransom Riggs!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Official Description:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

My Brief Review:

Easily the best book I've read in a long time. I cried during the last third of the book, but I loved it so much! It is one of those books that seem to reach into your soul and brighten some small essential part of yourself. At least it did for me.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Link to Full Review from earlier this year

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Official Description:

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away...but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke... Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten...and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.

My Brief Review:

An amazing book. Not a single slow second in all 800 or so pages. I highly, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone! It was both a mystery, romance, and science fiction book all in one! I've recommended 11/22/63 to more people than I can count.

Misery by Stephen King

Link to my review from earlier this year

Legend by Marie Lu

Link to my review of this entire series from earlier this year

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Link to my review of this entire series from earlier this year

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Official Description:
Vane Weston should have died in the category-five tornado that killed his parents. Instead, he woke up in a pile of rubble with no memories of his past - except one: a beautiful, dark-haired girl standing in the winds. She swept through his dreams ever since, and he clings to the hope that she's real.
Audra is real, but she isn't human. She's a sylph, an air elemental who can walk on the wind, translate its alluring songs, even twist it into a weapon. She's also a guardian - Vane's guardian - and has sworn an oath to protect him at all costs.
When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both their families, Audra has just days to help Vane unlock his memories. And as the storm winds gather, Audra and Vane start to realize that the greatest danger might not be the warriors coming to destroy them, but the forbidden romance growing between them. 

My Brief Review:
I loved this book! It was just perfect. I do not have a single complaint (which is a first). The characters were wonderful and non-annoying. The romance was believable, and the plot line was really engaging. Also the voice of the novel (both Vance's and Audra's). 
It's kind of similar to Beautiful Creatures. But better. 
I highly, highly recommend!

Winger by Andrew Smith

Official Description:

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.
Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

My Brief Review:

Amazing. It was probably one of the funniest books I've ever read. I just loved Ryan Dean's narration style. It's also not very rugby-oriented like the official description would have you believe. (I'm not entirely sure what rugby IS and I loved it). 

I highly recommend Winger (but only if you have at least a high-school maturity level). 
I didn't have high hopes for this book, but it surprised me by being completely amazing. It had everything you could ask for and placed it all together perfectly.

If you are looking for a book to read this coming year, I strongly suggest trying out one of these.  They are all incredibly different but they were completely amazing, nonetheless.  

Happy Reading!

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld 3/5 stars

I received Afterworlds from edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't really enjoy reading Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield.  In fact, I was a bit disappointed by it. I read another book by the same author earlier this year, Uglies, and actually enjoyed it, so I had higher hopes for this book than were met.  All of this isn't to say that Afterworlds wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
The Cover:

The Cover:
I have no idea what the cover shows.  It looks like a tear drop falling on a forest that went through a forest fire to me.  I don't get it.  (If you do, please tell me in comments).  However, the phrase below the image, "you thought your way here" makes sense.  You hear it in the first chapter or two and you will recognize it, but I don't want to spoil anything by explaining it.

My Description:
Every other chapter is about Darcy, a young writer, is in the process of publishing her debut novel, Afterworlds.  However, the process is not going as smoothly as she thought.  Darcy meets other authors and travels through the writing process with them.
The remaining chapters are Darcy's book about a girl, Lizzy, whose near-death experience allows her to see ghosts and travel from the land of the living to the land of the dead.

My Review:
I didn't enjoy reading Afterworlds. The Darcy storyline was uneventful and a bit boring.  Nothing exciting ever happened on that side of the story, and I greatly considered skipping every other chapter of Afterworlds as a result.  On the other hand, Darcy's book was exciting and well-paced.  I was definitely interested in its plot and enjoyed reading it.
Another issue I had with this book was the self-praise.  In every single one of Darcy's chapters, someone would come up to her and praise her outstanding book, which Scott Westerfeld just happens to have wrote.  He wrote characters whose entire purpose was to glorify his own writing.  Everytime anyone would compliment Darcy's writing, I would just think to myself, "Hmmm. That's pretty nice praise, coming from yourself." As a result, I ended up frustrated with the author as well as being unable to take the story seriously.
The characters were nicely developed, though there were only a few characters that we saw more than once.
Overall, I would not recommend Afterworlds unless you are looking for a book mainly about the publishing industry.

Phrase: Cold spot inside me

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff 5/5 stars

I recently read an ARC from edelweiss for Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff.  It was amazing! I loved it!  I wouldn't be at all surprised if this doesn't become an instant hit.  It had all the qualities needed for a fantastic book, and I think that people will really like it.

It reminded me a bit of Paper Towns by John Green, except it was much more intense.  

Anyway, here's the cover:

The Cover:
The cover shows Sam, our protagonist, listening to Hayden's playlist with Astrid.  I particularly like the sentence at the top of the cover, "You never really know someone until you listen."  It really fits this book, and I'm glad they put it on the cover.

The Description:
Sam found Hayden his best, and only, friend dead one morning.  He had committed suicide and all he left Sam to help him comprehend this was a playlist of songs and a note: For Sam- Listen and you'll understand.  But that's not enough for Sam as he attempts to uncover the events that led up to Hayden's suicide.  The mystery unravels a little further with every page and every person Sam meets, including a girl, Astrid, who claimed to know Hayden before he died.  Song after song go by on the playlist as Sam learns more and more about his friend and even more about himself.
It was partially a mystery, love story, thought-provoking, and grief book all in one.

My Review:
I loved it! It had everything that you could possibly want in a book.  It was deeply thoughtful, funny, heartbreaking, and beautiful all at the same time.  Playlist for the Dead is kind of similar to both Perks of Being a Wallflower and Paper Towns.  It falls under the same categories as those books and cause you to think about the same type of issues that the above books do.
It was also organized in a really neat way.  Instead of chapter titles, it had song titles from Hayden's playlist that corresponded to each chapter.  They fit the story perfectly and really added to the experience of reading this book.  I strongly, strongly suggest listening to the songs during or after each chapter.  You might even find a new song/band that you like!
The characters were superb.  I felt really connected to the main character, Sam.  That might have been mainly because it was written in first person, but he was a really developed character who went through changes throughout the book.  Character development definitely occurred to most of the established characters.  Everyone was very complex and different.  They were also written to be very relatable to.  Even the characters that I am nothing like, let's say Ryan or Eric, I found connections to by the end of the book.
Even while set in a normal school setting, I found myself on the edge of my seat throughout entire chunks of the story.  The plot was interesting and kept me hooked.  Every few pages, we would learn a little more about the circumstances leading up to Hayden's death.  I was constantly surprised by the next installment of the story!
I'd highly recommend reading Playlist for the Dead to anyone looking for a new book to read!

Phrase:
Metallica T-shirt

Playlist for the Dead comes out January 27, 2015.

Star Ratings

Hey guys! I've decided that I'm going to switch from my earlier system of rating books (awesome, great, good, alright, etc.) to a five star system.  I think it'll just make everything a little clearer for everyone involved.
That's all for now! Happy Reading!

YALL Fest 2014

Hey, guys!  Two weekends ago, I went to a Young Adult book festival in Charleston, SC.  YALL Fest.  It was incredible! If you live anywhere near Charleston, I suggest that you try to go next year (November 13-14).

I loved every single person there, and I'm not just talking about the authors!  All the people who came were super friendly and seemed to love reading as much as me, which is impressive.  All of the authors I had a chance to meet were very nice.  I wasn't disappointed by any of them, like I was afraid I would.  They must say "Don't meet your idols" for a reason, right?  Not if your idols are authors apparently.

Opening Keynote:

The beginning of the festival was marked by an opening conversation between James Dashner (author of Maze Runner, 13th Reality, A Door into the Woods, and the Mortality Doctrine series) and Sara Zarr (author of a bunch of books including Sweethearts, which I haven't read yet).  They were friends and hilarious together.  They were constantly bantering back and forth with each other.  It was fantastic!

The Signings:
There were three venues for author signings.  All of the authors had a designated time that they would sign during.  It was very well set up, as long as you don't mind standing in line.  There was a LOT of standing in line.  But, if you timed it right, you could go see all the authors you wanted to.  However, a few of the more popular authors (James Dashner, Veronica Roth, Rainbow Rowell) you needed to stand in line for a wristband that would allow you to see them later in the day.

Lauren Oliver:

Lauren Oliver wrote the Delirium series as well as a few stand alone books such as Before I Fall and Panic.  She was super nice and seemed very down-to-earth.  I'm so glad that I got to meet her and have her sign my copy of the Delirium series.

James Dashner:

I was most excited about seeing James Dashner at YALL Fest.  I've read everything that he's written (except his latest book-The Rule of Thoughts because I haven't had much time for reading lately) and loved them all.  I brought all of the books I had in print (A Door into the Woods and the 13th reality series) for him to sign.  At the Opening Keynote, he made a comment about the former series and immediately said, "Don't worry if you haven't read it, no one has."  So when I asked him to sign this series he, for want of a better word, flipped out.  He was amazed that I had read his first series.  He ended up talking to me about it for about ten times longer than he did to anybody else.  At one point, he held up my copy of one of the books and showed the people behind me in line that "this was the book that nobody has read that I mentioned this morning."  As you can probably imagine, this was amazing for me, a diehard fan of everything he writes, to be singled out.  As I was about to leave, he even told me to wait and, because I was such an old fan, STOOD UP to take a picture with me.  He did this with no one else, and I am so happy that he took time to talk with me.  It was definitely the highlight of my day.
If you think I'm exaggerating, when I was leaving the building, I overheard some people who were behind me in line talking and they were grumbling that they had to some back next year after reading his older books.

Ally Condie:

Ally Condie is the author of the Matched trilogy as well as Atlantia.  She was simply really, really nice.  I gained so much respect for her at this festival.  She seemed really sincere and just like a really cool human being.

DJ MacHale:

DJ MacHale wrote the Pendragon, Morpheus Road, and SYLO series.  I love all of these series, despite how completely different they are.  DJ MacHale was the person I was the second most excited to meet (the first being James Dashner).  However, I didn't get to speak to him as much as I would have liked.  The signing happened too quick!  He seemed very nice though.  Basically what I expected.

Other Author Meet-Ups:

Pseudonymous Bosch, the author of the Secret series, was also there.  He's so secretive, even with the croissant on his hat.  (For those of you who don't know, he's a type of Lemony Snicket like author. His bio in the back of the books acts like he is in hiding, etc.)  He was a bit odd, but I expected that. Before YALL Fest, I tried to find his picture online so that I would know if I saw him and failed, spectacularly.  So I saw this guy walking around with a pastry on his hat and thought, "That must be Pseudonymous Bosch".

Closing Keynote:

The ending ceremony was a Q&A between Sarah Dessen and Ally Condie.  It was interesting, but Sarah talked most of the time, and I had no prior knowledge of who she was, making her speeches less interesting.  

Smack-down:

The "smack-down" was the true ending of YALL Fest.  Authors got up onto the stage to read their early writing from any age between high school and preschool.  It was great! They also played games and it was just fun in general.  

Then, the excitement really started as they talked about all the picture book authors who had gotten into YA *cough, Suzanne Collins, cough*.  So, of course, they showed us the covers and read excerpts.  Here's the highlights of the covers:

Yeah... It was so much fun.  They went further than I expected from a YA Festival.

Then, a band made entirely out of authors, Tiger Beat, came out and performed.  They were amazing.  My personal favorite was their original song, The YA Song, or as I like to call it: Holden Caulfield is not an asshole.

It's fantastic, please watch it if you have any time.  (In case you are wondering, the guy in the Viking Hat is David Levithan.)

The Smack-down was amazing and so was the entire experience of this festival.  I loved every second of it.  If you can, please come next year.  You'll love it!

Happy Reading!

The Rogue Knight (Five Kingdoms #2) by Brandon Mull (Awesome)

The Rogue Knight is the second book in the Five Kingdoms Series, the first book being Sky Raiders.  I loved both books immensely.  Brandon Mull did it again.  He is an amazing author who I've enjoyed reading basically everything from.  My favorite series from him is the Beyonders series (link to information of the first in that series), closely followed by Fablehaven and Candy Shop War.  His books tend to have this strange characteristic of sounding absolutely terrible and goofy, at least until you start reading and engaging with the story.

I'll post a really tiny review I wrote of Sky Raiders before I move on. (For more information, follow the link to Sky Raider's Goodreads page)
Review:
While probably meant for twelve year old boys, I loved Sky Raiders. It was unique and awesome. I love Brandon Mull and everything he does (writing-wise anyway). He even got a lot of points for making the book's epigraph lyrics from the Killer's song Dustland Fairytale. It is full of great comebacks, irony, exciting plot points, cool characters, and a surprisingly large amount of slavery (possibly too much slavery).  I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend for you to as well.

Back to The Rogue Knight.  For this point on, there may be spoilers for the first book, sorry!

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows the Rogue Knight swinging at Cole and Mira with his sword.  Meanwhile, Cole attempts to defend Mira and himself with his Jumping Sword which is glowing.

Official Description:
Cole Randolph never meant to come to The Outskirts, but when his friends were kidnapped on Halloween he had to try and save them. Now he's trapped in a world that lies between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death.
Cole's search for his friends has led him to Elloweer, another of the five kingdoms that make up The Outskirts. He's accompanied by Mira, Twitch, and Jace, new friends he's met here in the Outskirts who each have their own important missions.
The group is following news that Mira's sister, Honor, could be in danger. However, Cole and Mira are soon the ones facing direct threat, and must resort to a fascinating new kind of magic to protect themselves. Their journey brings them across familiar faces, some more welcome than others, until their paths ultimately cross with the infamous man known throughout Elloweer as the Rogue Knight.
Will he turn out to be an unstoppable enemy, or a key ally?
Every move is filled with danger as Cole and his new friends try and outwit the High Knig, who will stop at nothing to regain what he has lost.

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading The Rogue Knight.  I was constantly surprised by where the story was going and was completely caught off guard by one key plot twist.  This novel was beautifully written, creative, and even very funny at times.  It was a perfect sequel to Sky Raiders and picked up right where the last book left off.  It was a fast-paced and easy read for all ages.

I loved the characters in this series for the most part.  For example, I loved the returning characters (Mira, Cole, Jace, Twitch, etc.) even more during Rogue Knight but I found some of the new characters a little bit irritating.  (However, my annoyance with them might not have been entirely with them but with the altering of the previous characters' dynamics.)  Either way, there was plenty of character development that occurred during this book, as well as really amusing banter.  Who doesn't love a good comeback? or some excessive sarcasm?

I loved all of the plot lines of The Rogue Knight! Seemingly unconnected circumstances would slowly connect themselves as I was reading, conquering up a puzzle board that slowly pieced itself together.  Yet still a few pieces are missing.  Even more reason to continue the series as it comes out. (The following book is Crystal Keepers out this March.)

The Rogue Knight was a great installment in the Five Kingdoms series, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has read Sky Raiders, which I would, in turn, recommend to everyone.  Both were exciting reads with complex characters and lots of fun.

The Rogue Knight comes out November 18, 2014

Phrase:
Brady's Wilderness

*Note: This book was given to me by Aladdin through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

Knightfall (The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight #1) by R. Jackson-Lawrence (Good)

*Note: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*

I enjoyed reading Knightfall. It was a good book that was, without a doubt, exciting.  I was on the edge of my seat for a good portion of it.  I never knew what would happen next!

The Cover:

The Cover:
The cover shows Ben standing on the edge of a mountain with the ruins of a city behind him.

Official Description:
At the age of fifteen, genius Benjamin Knight had developed a technology that would change the world. But when the project is sabotaged, Ben wakes to find himself in a mysterious and unfamiliar land where an uneasy peace hangs in the balance.
Saved from near death by a band of traders, he joins them on their journey north as he struggles to understand the world he's in and how it happened. However, Ben soon realizes that everyone has their secrets and that no one is safe, especial when one man has the power to realize his ambitions.
Ben wants answers, but with war looming, he may not survive long enough to find them in the series that breaks the barrier between science fiction and fantasy!

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading Knightfall though it was very strange.  It was very exciting all the way through and also surprisingly complex.  My main issue with it was that it was a tad too gory, and I didn't think that some of the gore was necessary to continue the story, which it sometimes is.
I really was impressed by the characters that the author chose to fully develop.  They were motivated by their own emotions and experiences and differed greatly from each other.  Each character could have easily be identified by their actions without the need for labels since they were so unique. However, there were a few characters that were not picked to be developed, and their character suffered as a result.  It would have been impossible to emphasis all of these characters and still continue with the story, so I do not begrudge it too much.  However, I think that a fewer number of characters might have benefitted the story.
That said, the plot line was very exciting.  It moved from one event to another seamlessly and I was constantly caught off guard by how far Jackson-Lawrence was willing to go.  I consistently feared for the characters, and it was always justified!  No one was safe.  The reader's understanding of the universe Ben finds himself in would often suddenly change, usually accompanied by a few twists or turns.  I couldn't help but be on the edge of my seat.
My only real issues with Knightfall were the excessive gore and how exactly Ben crossed into this different world.  Having finished the book, I still didn't really have a good idea.  Maybe it will be covered in one of the two sequels, but I doubt it.  I think we are supposed to just chalk it up to a lab accident, but that doesn't really make any sense to me. (I know that last point is too picky, but it bothered me.)
All in all, I enjoyed reading Knightfall and would recommend it for someone looking for something to read.  It was definitely good enough for me to read the sequels, the first of which is Darkest Before Dawn.

Phrase:
The magical electricity