~Reviews~

I finished reading Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. I was hesitant at first since after reading That Summer I was left disappointed but since she had never failed me prior to that I gave it a go. I'm happy I did. Lock and Key was just as good as my favorite Sarah Dessen books, Along for the Ride and This Lullaby. As I read more of her books I'm beginning to realize there is always the same basic pattern. A girl who hasn't really come into her own yet with a dysfunctional family, and a boy she will undoubtedly fall in love with who helps her realize the big picture. However, it's a pattern that works. I'm a sucker for a good love story  and sometimes you want the outcome to be obvious because let's face it if the girl didn't end up with guy I would not be very happy as I'm sure most people wouldn't be either.

Lock and Key is about a girl, Ruby, who has been living in a yellow house all alone since her mother bailed on her. She does her best to keep up with the bills and basically to survive but in the end it is discovered that she is seventeen and living alone. She is taken in by child services where she is reunited with her sister who she has not seen in ten years. Her sister is wealthy and takes Ruby into her and her husbands home giving her a life she never could have dreamed of. However, Ruby isn't exactly thrilled to bits at first and looks for an opportunity to escape. On her attempt to run away she meets Nate who she assumes is a rich good looking boy with a great life. As the story goes on Ruby realizes that Nate doesn't have a perfect life and he can understand more about the life she has left behind more than she ever thought possible.

I read the book in a day and half. Sarah Dessen's writing pulls you in making it almost impossible to get anything accomplished until you have read the very last word and can finally put the book down. I would definitely recommend Lock and Key especially if you are a fan of Sarah Dessen.

I also finished reading Radiance by Alyson Noel. I read it in half a day. If you are familiar with the Immortals series you would know that Radiance is a spin off and follows Riley, the younger dead sister of Ever from the Immortals series. Riley died in a car accident with her parents and her dog Buttercup while her sister Ever survived. In the Immortals series Riley is hesitant to cross the bridge that would bring her to the Here and Now but eventually crosses leaving her sister behind. Radiance picks up with Riley where the Immortals series left off. Riley is now in the Here and Now and quickly learns that it will not be all fun and games just as if she was on the Earth plane she needs to go to school. At school she is given a job as Soul Catcher and is assigned to a castle in England where a ten year old boy has been haunting for hundreds of years. She needs to convince him to cross over the bridge. Along with Buttercup and her guide Bodhi, a seemingly dorky possibly cute fourteen year old boy, they wind up in over their heads. It's a fun read and perfect for someone who might not be old enough for the Immortal series. My only disappoint is that in the Immortals series Riley was a snarky, witty, likeable character and in radiance it seemed as if she lost a little bit of her snarkyness which is what made me grow to love her so much. Of course there is a sequel Shimmer that comes out in Spring 2011 and I only hope that her snarkyness comes back in full force.

Now I am reading Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. I'm on page 121 and am already loving it. Can't wait to see what happens next.