What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

      

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton
320 pages
Publisher: Poppy (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)

Release Date: October 9th 2012

Goodreads: What Happens Next

Buy:  Amazon

My rating: 5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.

Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.


     I was given an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.  
She may be a cheerleader but Cassidy “Sid” Murphy isn't the most popular girl in school, nor has she received any positive attention from any guy. Well, that was until she went on a school ski trip where she meets Dax Windsor, a local college boy. Sid sneaks out to meet up with him. Next thing she knows Sid wakes up alone in his bed not remembering what exactly happened, but it's clear to her that Dax Windsor took two things from from Sid, her virginity and a lock of her red curls.  Sid keeps the rape to herself but she "earns" the reputation of being a slut,  when her classmates learns that she went out that night. Among getting this reputation she loses her two best friends.  

  Side drops a few of her classes that her now ex-friends were in with her, and takes a up a class in the A/V room where her only company is Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston. Months go by and Sid gets to know more about Corey, slacker, baker, total dreamboat, and at the same time she starts to fall for him, he is the only person who truly makes her happy. 

When I first read the summary to this book I was a little hesitant on reading it. Rape is big and intense subject to write about especially in young adult novels. But I decided to give it a chance and ended up loving the book. I felt that the book was a bit rushed in the end and how there was no complete conclusion to the story of Sid and her attacker. I will say that I liked how the love story part of the book wasn't rushed and it was secondary to everything and not so much in your face, as much as I love a good love story sometimes it gets annoying when it's the main part of the book and the "main story" gets pushed towards the back and isn't talked about as much. 

Overall, I loved What Happens Next, it was an excellent debut novel for this author. Can't wait what else she comes up with.

 

Trafficked by Kim Purcell
384 Pages
Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Release Date: February 16, 2012

Goodreads: Trafficked

Buy:  Amazon

My rating: 5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

A 17-year-old Moldovan girl whose parents have been killed is brought to the United States to work as a slave for a family in Los Angeles.

Hannah believes she’s being brought from Moldova to Los Angeles to become a nanny for a Russian family. But her American dream quickly spirals into a nightmare. The Platonovs force Hannah to work sixteen-hour days, won’t let her leave the house, and seem to have a lot of secrets—from Hannah and from each other.

Stranded in a foreign land with false documents, no money, and nobody who can help her, Hannah must find a way to save herself from her new status as a modern-day slave or risk losing the one thing she has left: her life

 

This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Trafficked was a darker book then something I would read but it doesn't mean I hated it in anyway. Even though the story is a work of fiction it is based off the reality of human trafficking. I think why I was so interested in reading this book is that every year of my high school life we had an assembly where they showed us a documentary on human trafficking and how the people, mainly females, were treated. The book did just that as well telling the story of a young girl working extreme hours in extreme conditions. I would recommend this book to everyone but be warned that it is very heavy and can make some people feel uneasy. Anyway who loves to read books about real life issues should give this book a try. I was sucked right into the story, which I loved, and couldn't put it down till I was done.

I hope everyone gives this book a try, like I did.

Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning

Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning 

298 pages

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: September 27th 2011 

Goodreads: Dark Seeker

Buy: Amazon

My rating: 5/5 Stars 

 

Summary from Goodreads: 

  She's the Seeker. He's the hunted. What's at stake could kill them both...

For 17-year-old Seeker, Janie Grey, ridding the Baltimore streets of the undead is an inherited duty passed down from her Cherokee ancestors. Seeker Training Lesson #1: Never trust the undead. After her father’s tragic death, Janie creates her own life lesson: Love isn’t worth the risk. Both lessons are easy to follow until she encounters the flawed Kai Sterdam. At first, she believes he is the hybrid she is trained to hunt. But, when he has human traits, she determines she doesn’t know what he is. As Janie’s intrigue over who Kai is pushes her deeper into his mysterious past, she discovers a shocking truth that is even more harrowing than the evil they are up against. It’s a secret Kai wants to keep hidden, especially from Janie.

  

 I was always told not to judge a book by it's cover but sadly that's something I tend to do with books. Just by looking at the cover to this book I normally wouldn't pick it up. Luckily I was given this book to me by the author exchange for my honest review of this book and well I loved it. I kinda faded out of the whole vampire craze but this book was different, I sucked right into the story from the very beginning.

I loved the character of Janie Grey she isn't your normal girl in vampire novels who just whines, moans and complains about anything and everything, this girl knows how to kick butt, literally. Janie is a vampire seeker, she seeks out and kills vampires. She meets Kai, our tortured, and must I say HOT, hero.

I thought the side characters were pretty interesting and still enjoyed reading the chapters they were in I of course of loved Janie's and Kai's interactions more.

I believe Taryn Browning did an amazing job, I was interested the whole way through while reading Dark Seeker and cannot wait until the sequel Dark Return comes out.