The Hourglass Trilogy

From Books

From Books

From Books

The Hourglass Door Overview: "His past. Her future. Can love bring them together in time?

Abby's senior year of high school is going according to plan: good friends, cute boyfriend, and college applications in the mail. But when Dante Alexander, foreign-exchange student from Italy, steps into her life, he turns it upside down. He's mysterious, and interesting, and unlike anyone she's ever met before. Abby can't deny the growing attraction she feels for him. Nor can she deny the unusual things that seem to happen when Dante is around. Soon Abby finds herself drawn into a mystery whose roots reach into sixteenth-century Florence, and she uncovers a dangerous truth that threatens not only her future but the lives of those she loves."

I can only put the overview for the first book up, the other two give too much away. I loved this trilogy. It was also nice that since all three books where out I was able to read them one after the other. The story seemed a little long, but it really would have been hard to cut any of it out. I highly recommend reading all three books, I also recommend reading them one after the other, it made the whole story easier to read (at least for me).

Switched

From Books

"When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…"


Wendy is a Trylle changeling, for those that don't know what a Trylle is, it is s type of Troll. She has never really felt she fit in, she can't seem to get along with anyone other than her brother and her aunt. Even her mom tries to kill her.
Finn the new kid in school who seems to be constantly watching her, it turns out he is her tracker, he is suppose to take her to her real home. She probably would have stayed where she was if it weren't for the fact that another group of Trylle's are out to get her, and seem to be willing to use whatever means possible to do so.
When she goes with Finn to meet her new mom she is hopeful that she will now fit in. To her disappointment she finds her real mom cold. She also finds out she is a princess. However the Vittra are still trying to get her, even in her new compound like home.
I like the book, it is the first of a trilogy. I have read the second book, and it was good, but not as good as the first.

My Soul to Take

From Books

"She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…"

Kaylee has a weird ability, she screams whenever someone dies. She doesn't know why, and she can't really figure out how to stop it.When she meets Nash she finds out that she is a banshee. She sees a persons soul when they die. Kaylee finds out that normally when someone dies it is suppose to happen. However with several of the girls at her school dying, she is pretty sure that they weren't suppose to die. With the help of her new friend (that may possibly be her boyfriend) she wants to find out. As she searches for the truth, she also learns what happened on the night her mom died, and why her dad just left her with her uncle and moved to Ireland.
It is a teen drama, and the whole is he, isn't he my boyfriend does tend to get a little annoying, but that doesn't diminish the story line. However this book is the first in a series, and I doubt I will read the whole series. To me it seems like the plot can only be stretched for so many books, and right now there are five books. I really liked the first book, and I thought it was a great story, but I can't see myself reading all the books in the series.

The Wood Queen

From Books

"Donna Underwood is facing an alchemist tribunal for stealing the elixir of life when her ailing mother takes a turn for the worse. Donna seeks an audience with Aliette, the Wood Queen, who offers a deal: if Donna can use her powers to open the door to Faerie and send the wood elves home, Aliette will free her mother from the elven curse that shattered her mind.

Along with friends Navin and the half-fey Xan, Donna struggles to unlock the secrets of her iron tattoos in time to save her mother’s life. But she discovers that some secrets might be better
left untold . . ."

Donna finds out in this book that not everything she was taught was correct. People in her life left out a lot of truths. I believe this is why she keeps making the choices she does. She doesn't understand the truth, and she wants the truth from everyone. However the only person that is willing to tell her anything is the Wood Queen, that has once again given her a choice that she doesn't feel is a real choice. She can either let her Mom die, or she can save her.
I liked this book, and liked how the story picked up where the first book left off. I am now very curious as to where the third book is going to go with the story.

The Iron Witch

From Books

"When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed Donna Underwood’s father and drove her mother mad. Her own nearly fatal injuries were fixed by alchemy—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. Now seventeen, Donna feels like a freak, doomed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. Only her relationship with her best friend, Navin, is keeping her sane.

But when vicious wood elves abduct Navin, Donna is forced to accept her role in the centuries-old war between human alchemists and these darkest outcasts of Faerie. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous guy with faery blood running through his veins and secrets of his own, Donna races to save Navin—even if it means betraying everything her parents fought to the death to protect."

So you have this seventeen year old girl that has lived in a complete bubble for pretty much her entire life. Her best friend lives next door, and is her life line. Maker is the one that saved her life, by fixing her hands. So when the Wood Queen kidnaps Navin and Maker, she feels she is left little choice other than to save them.
The book is an easy read, and being the emotional person that I am, I found that I really liked this book. I loved how it pulled me into Donna's thoughts and feelings. It was worth the read.