The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily is the second book in Richelle Mead's series Bloodlines. Bloodlines is a spin-off series of the Vampire Academy books. This is a book and a book series that I recommend for all readers. I've read it, my mom's read it, my mom's friends have read it, my friends have read it. It's something that is a really fun read.

The main character is Sydney Sage. She's an alchemist. Meaning, she hides the human world from vampires. She's been charged with the mission of hiding vampire princess Jill Dragomir. Sydney is the kind of person that likes all her ducks in a row. She's very organized and doesn't like magic. In fact, she doesn't like anything that doesn't fit into logic. She's a very well built character and I like her a lot. Along with Sydney, several Dhampirs (half-vampires) and Moroi (mortal, magic using vampires) help to protect Jill. Sydney has always followed the rules and tried to please, so with new information and feelings, I'm wondering which side she'll choose. The repressive Alchemists, or her new vampire friends.

The plot of the book is well done. I never know what's going to happen next. It twists and turns and flips upside-down. Every character has their secrets. And no stone is left unturned. Be prepared for one of the best novels out there. I give it five stars.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

  Before you read please note, this book has content for older readers. It is not appropriate for younger readers.

  Now that that's settled, on to business. The idea of Pretty Little Liars is very good. I love the whole, getting text messages from a missing/possibly dead person part. The plot always kept me on my toes. I'm always wondering what's going to happen next. Secrets are everywhere. Revealing memories can come out at any moment. And nothing in the book happens by accident. There is a reason for everything.

  There a four main characters. There's Spencer. She is a nice girl, but can't help but feel jealous of her sister. Her parents tend to notice her weaknesses more than her strengths, so I can't blame her for being jealous of the sister everyone else thinks is perfect. There's Aria. She's also a nice girl. She's always remembering when she was younger and how insecure she was. Now she's very comfortable in her skin. She has some guy problems that need to be worked out, but she's decent. Then there's Hanna. Of the four characters, I liked her the least. Or at least, I liked her the least at first. She's a very popular girl who isn't very nice, but as the book progresses, her many insecurities are revealed, along with some family problems. My favorite character is Emily. She's a nice girl who at first, seems like she has a nice life. Though her parents aren't as nice as the seem. Emily's always strived to be perfect, but what if her parents can't except her for who she is?

  I loved the idea of the book. The details weren't amazing, but I liked it. The point of view switched between the four girls, so when a secret was revealed at the end of a chapter, it made me want to read more until I got to that girl again. I read this book in one afternoon and can't wait to read the next one. I give this book four stars.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

  City of Lost Souls is amazing. I read this book right after it came out in May. I reread it again recently and felt the need to spread the awesomeness that is Cassandra Clare. I love every word in the book. The book is well constructed and the plot is expertly weaved. There's action everywhere, along with tons of romance. And I mean a TON. The bad guys get badder, secrets surface, and there's something around every corner.

  Clary Fray is the main character. This book really shows just how far she'll go to protect the people she loves. She'll do everything from breaking laws to killing, if need be. She's very independent and strong-willed. If she sets her mind to something, there's no way to talk her out of it. And when she's in love, she loves with all heart. Then there's Jace. He's not as big in this book. Not as much is told from his point of view as usual. There's good reason for that too. But no matter how much or little there is of Jace in this book, his wit, humor, and good looks can always be counted on. There's the other characters as well. In the past couple of books the characters that were minor have become much more prominent. Everyone's tale is entwined.

  The plot in this book weaves and twists every which way. The end, never saw it coming. The Mortal Instruments is the main series of books, but there's a prequel as well. In this book more than others, the author will put hints and snippets from the other series. I squealed many times. All of that put together has made me decide to give this book five stars.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

  I read this book for the first time about one year ago. I loved every second of it. Then I read it again. I love this book inside and out. And the series as a whole is one of my favorites. This is the book in the series where you really figure out what's going on. The bad guys are explained, and you find out big secrets about the characters. So it's one book you just can't miss.

  The main character is Clary Fray. There are so many words I could use to describe her. She is strong, independent, amazing, powerful, dedicated, loyal, caring, stubborn. The list goes on and on. She's a well developed character that everyone is able to relate to. Not to mention she can kick demon butt. And by this point, she's starting to realize just how awesome she is. Then there's Jace. He is the male lead. He is actually a lot like Clary. The only difference, he may be more stubborn. He's not afraid to risk his life, which makes him a little reckless at times. It worries the heck out of the other characters, but makes readers fall in love with him. He is not the least bit modest. He is completely aware of his hotness, and often brings it up. He has a witty comment for everything. He'll have you laughing out loud at almost everything he says. He acts like an idiot at times, but all teenage boys do.

  The plot twists and turns. Just as it looks like someone is good, they do something evil. Someone evil might turn out to be good. And of course there are the characters no one is sure if they're good or not. If you are looking to read this book, be ready for one heck of a ride. I give this book five stars.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

  Yes, I know I'm a little behind. Glass Houses is a decent book. My only problem, it's a vampire novel. There are way too many of them out there. Somehow, the author took general vampire facts, and made a yet another vampire world. But the book is interesting and well written.

  The main character is named Claire. She's basically a genius. She's at a community college in Morganville only because her parents wouldn't let her go to Yale. Yet for all her smarts, she acts like a bit of an idiot more than once. She goes and does things that don't only put her in danger, but put her friends in danger as well. Another thing. I like it when the main character really is the main character, but in this book, all the other characters feel like props, just sitting there until needed. I feel like I don't know the other characters well enough.

  The plot is good. It twists and turns in ways that I like. Sometimes the book wouldn't make sense, but only sometimes. Usually it didn't make sense when one certain character was in the scene. I've criticized this book a lot. Yet, somehow, the author has me hooked on the series and I can't wait to read the next book. And that is definitely a plus. This book gets four stars.