Never Never: Brianna R. Shrum

James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up. When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child - at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children's dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up. But grow up he does. And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate. This story isn't about Peter Pan; it's about the boy whose life he stole. It's about a man in a world that hates men. It's about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan. Except one.
(Goodreads)

 I thought it would be better... It was good and very interesting especially the first two parts. But let me begin at the start.
The book starts with a young 12 year old James Hook who cannot wait to grow up and become and Elton boy, something I don't understand... Dude growing up sucks. Anyways things at home are good and happy but he becomes rebellious becasue his dad can't go to the gardens with him. I admit to doing this when things didn't go my way... Not a good idea. And that night he decided to go to the gardens by himself and meets a boy that's a little older than him. That was obviously Peter and he introduces him to the Faeries and its all very middle grade and whimsical. Until they got to Neverland and Peter changed and he wasn't all fun and games and he had all these pointless rules. I think the part that is most sad is when James realizes that he can't go home and he fights with Peter and demands to go home, but Peter being a brat said no he's a lost boy now and if he mentions his parents again he's going to get hurt. Hook runs away and cries in the forest with a six year old Tiger Lily. Pretty sad
Then part two starts with Hook getting older. And it was around here that the book started getting weird. Hook is taller than Peter so he tries to kill him, quite gruesome. And Hook returns to the pirate ship he was destined for. Literally since he's the one who dreamed it up at 12 
Everything is fun and games until Hook falls in love with Tiger Lily who just so happens to be growing up like James...I wonder why;)
Anyways this is when James Hook starts hating the Pan with every fiber in his being... It's a little much, but the plot itself is still very child like. It's as though they are just playing a game. 
Things take a turn for the worse when Captain Hook looses his hand and officially becomes "Captain Hook most feared pirate in Neverland" 
Kids are killing adults with no remorse, Tiger Lily and Hook have sex... I had a lot of mixed feelings here. It's a book that started out middle grade then young adult, and then sex... I dunno it just felt off. Especially when Hook started sleeping around, and having sex in caves with Tiger Lily...
The plot was weird, Hook's hatred for the Pan was... Pretty intense and I can understand parts of his hatred: ruining his childhood, kidnapping him from his loving parents, refusing to take him back home, trying to kill him multiple times with absolutely no remorse, ruining his love life with Tiger Lily see I'm confused with this but whatever... The list goes on. 
The book lacked a good plot with a good ending. I had hoped the entire time that this was all going to be a dream, or he would find a way to make it back home whether as a child or as an adult. Something for this poor pathetic man. But no, thing like that. We get a brief encounter with the Darling children.. And it's just like the 2003 Peter Pan... The whole ending was just lack luster and very dull. I had deluded myself into thinking that Hook could have a happy ending with Wendy.. But alas no such luck
It was interesting to say the least. And I truly have no way to really explain how I felt about this book
Until next time 
Kat

P.S. I still love you: Jenny Han

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?
(Goodreads)

I don't know why I thought I  would like to read this, but I did. I didn't finish though becasue it was basically the same thing. It starts with Lara Jean happily in love with Peter and changing her wardrobe to winter clothes. Pretty bland. I actually really didn't like it, so I truth be told don't remember much of what I read anyways...
So maybe I'll try to read it again another time.
Later 
Kat

To all the boys I've loved before: Jenny Han

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
(Goodreads)



I'd heard a lot about this book saying that it was very good and that it was super cute... Well it wasn't. It was actually really annoying. It could have been worse it wasn't necessarily good, or bad. It was just annoying. Lara Jean was so vain and annoying and everything was about her... 
I guess it was a simple read and if you really like teen contemporaries then this would be a fun read.

Unwind: Neal Shusterman

Blurb from Goodreads:
The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.
Review:
Well I read this book because of a book trailer I saw in my English class, and oh my goodness that was such a haunting trailer. It ensnared me, and the book was just incredible. It was a haunting dystopian that made me think. What if someone thought this was a good idea? A good compromise for those pro life and those pro choice. I found I liked the way it was written in different perspectives, that it took time to really introduce you to the characters without boring a person to death with the details. I think the best part was how it showed the accident on the freeway from all their perspectives. 
The teens, were just teens, he didn't make them into adults or have Connor's head inflate because of his new reputation... He kept them children for as long as possible. He showed the selfishness of adults. The selfishness of the poachers for CHILDREN, who would find children and strip them of their parts and sell them. He showed harsh realities of the world disguised in a book for teens. This is a powerful book that will forever hold in my heart because it showed parts of reality disguised as a book for teens, but even for adults this book will be interesting. 
The most haunting part of this book was how he described the process of unwinding, if nothing else interests you read it for that moment because it is just described in such way that it'll stay with you for a while.
Until next time
Kat  

These Vicious Masks: Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

England, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they’re not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true—and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared.
(Goodreads)
You know It was a lot better than I thought it would be, on Goodreads it just has 3 and a half stars and some of the review were very negative. But I, myself, found that I really enjoyed it. I loved the story itself sister is kidnapped, elder sister come to the rescue with two handsome men vying for her attention. Kind of swoon worthy. 
What was the best part though was that Evelyn was actually pretty likeable, she wasn't nearly as annoying as other female leads. I liked that you also found her growing more as a person throughout the book, growing more comfortable with her power, more confident with herself, that her acceptance of her healing was an acceptance of herself. Evelyn wasn't easily swept away with the prospect of romance, even with a tall brooding, prideful male. She cared more for her sister and Roses wishes to be a nurse.
The book had great witty moments, for example:

“Rose,” I said, turning to my younger sister. “In your esteemed medical opinion, is it possible to die of ennui?”
“I . . . can’t recall a documented case.”
“What about exhaustion? Monotony?”
“That could lead to madness,” Rose offered.
“And drowning in a sea of suitors? After being pushed in by your mother?”
“It would have to be a lot of suitors.”

This is just one of many, but it fit the book, it didn't feel forced. It was just a natural part of the characters personality. 
Most of all I loved the ending, it wasn't sunshine and rainbows. It was sad and kind of expected, but still had hope in the end that everything was going to be fine.
Overall I would recommend this book to those who want a mix of Pride and Prejudice with X-Men with witty comebacks. It seemed accurate in the historical sense. But what do I know.
Until next time
Kat