Fifty Shades of Grey: A comedic romance

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James isn't the best book in the world. I'd honestly give it 2 out of 5 stars. It's funny, but it's nothing special. The BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism or slave and master) is soft core. It's not for someone who really gets their rocks off on something hard core. I swear that when this person was writing this their brain had to look like this...

The plot is sub-par, but it's funny. If that's not what he was going for I've no idea if the book was really good at all. There are some parts that are sexy. Don't get me wrong, if it's between consensual adults then BDSM play is perfectly acceptable, but Mr. Grey's attitude is more like ...

He didn't warm her into the lifestyle and expected her to live 24/7 in it. Our main characters are Christopher Grey and Anastasia Steele. He's an experienced, rich dominant and she's an inexperienced girl that stumbles into his hands. She finds this sexy but frightening. The plot line is extremely predictable. Her over use of inner goddess and ...

really put a damper on it all too. Not so sexy if you're imagining him. Well, at least he can turn spanking from this 

to this

Though I mostly think that's because of the sheer amount of verbal glitter he puts on BDSM entirely, and I can't say I really think that's sexy or hot. 

Unwind: A tear jerking tale with morals to spare

Unwind by Neal Shusterman was a book that brought tears to my eyes. I'd give this book five stars and a lot of used tissues, as I had to keep them on hand. I knew this book would be dark when I started it, but I didn't know how dark it was and how much it's concepts would hit close to home. It shook me up. The morals found in this book are amazing. Compassion seems to be the underlying theme.

When Pro-Life and Pro-Choice have it out, this is our future. With a bill that allows retro-active abortions. It says that all life is sacred until the age of 13 when they can be retro-actively "unwound". This sounded bad to me at first but when I found out what it really meant... I felt like this...

They take the child and cut them into pieces, while keeping them alive. The child's parts are then used in others (such as if someone has lost a finger or needs a new heart). This was gruesome. This story follows three AWOL unwinds and how they try to find compassion in a world that seems to no longer have any.

Though the world here is crumbling into the fringes of human emotion, it's still captivating. The author really shows us just how much turning our heads from those that are in need can hollow us out, and leave the world empty and cold. There are characters in this book to whom all I'd want to say is ..

Follow Connor as his parents give him up to be unwound *cough* chop shop *cough* because he's too much to handle, Risa as she's scheduled for an unwinding because she's a ward of the state and it's budget cut time, and Lev being given up for his religion, as they try to escape their unfair fate. Along the way you might just learn a little bit more about yourself. I know I did. 

The Selection: A Romantic Drama

The Selection by Kiera Cass is a compelling novel about doing what is both good for your heart and for your family. I really enjoyed this book. America Singer, our main character, struggles to be the girl everyone wants her to be. America has fallen into ruin, and that's what our main character is named after. There is now a caste system in the country, and America is in a lower class but falls in love with someone who is even lower than her. Her marriage to him would be unacceptable. The selection is where girls can rise above their caste and become the queen of the kingdom, by marrying the prince, thereby becoming a princess. They're picked from a random lottery and even though it tears her to go, she'll do so when she is picked to receive the weekly money for her family. Soon, a heart felt breakup between her and her love follow, because Aspen (of a much lower class) does not wish to hold her back. 

She's then told that whatever the prince wants... it'd be wise to give it to him. Here, girls have to be virgins or it's punishable by death. Well, when the prince is being completely innocent she freaks out and basically does this... 

So, maybe our hero isn't going to be the perfect princess. She looks just about as funny as this when she tries...even requesting pants...

However, this character is someone most girls will be able to RELATE TO. I think that's the most important part about this book. The character doesn't just fall for one thing. She's not the smartest, she's not the prettiest, she's not the most popular. However, she has a shot to be a princess, and yet she doesn't do it at first. She's naive and wants love. Love that turns out to be so much more difficult than she ever imagined. America must discover the secrets of her own heart as well as the secrets of her country. There's so much more going on here than romance. When it becomes clear, her head getting straight, then the author will spin it around on you.

This isn't my favorite book, but it's a good one, and when the author left me with a cliffhanger for book two I felt like this:

Gorgeous: Confidence, Intrigue & Comedy

Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick is a comedic experience you don't want to miss! You'll either be laughing or crying the entire time. I absolutely loved this book. The dialogue was it's biggest asset, but what else could we expect from a play writer? Becky Randle is a very nerdy girl. She's from a trailer park and her mother weighs over 400 pounds. Though it starts out with her mother's death it was done with such a comedic tone it took an edge off of the sorrow without downplaying it. As her last clues Becky gets a phone number from her mom after making a mysterious promise to say yes to the magic when it comes. Tom Kelley, one very handsome and very famous designer, decides he's going to turn geeky becky from this:

....to this... 

In Tom Kelley's words she'll become "the most beautiful girl in the world". Though this isn't some shallow book. Our dear Becky turns into Rebecca, but Tom is going to make her learn what love is by having her go after the Prince of Wales. Becky will struggle like most of us do, with love, with death, and with living a life where you're just confident in who you are.

This is definitely a book I recommend. I think most girls should read because it teaches both valuable life lessons without making us look too deeply into ourselves at one time. The reflection comes with each chapter, and for me the realization of what i learned didn't come until the end.

Steel: A book to bring back your inner child

Steel by Carrie Vaughn: This book isn't really deep. So don't expect something like that. However, this book is delightful and brings out the inner child all of us. Our main character Jill is for the most part, at the beginning and up until the end, a normal teenage girl. However, she wants to be an Olympic fencer. She's heartbroken after losing the tournament, but that all changes when she's pulled into the past by a broken sword piece. Things start to fall into place for Jill as she becomes a pirate, all in the hopes of journeying home. She shows both bravery and fear. Unlike some of the other pirates we all know ...

Jill may never panic like this but she does show fear, fear that she overcomes. This book puts value in courage and facing our fears all for the goals we love. Though this book will bring out your inner child it doesn't mean there isn't a good fight scene. Fencing is a long loved sport, and it shows technique, but our dear Jill learns there's more to a sword than their is a fencing rapier.

 This book has passion, and a spark I haven't seen for a long time. If you miss the stories of your youth filled with passion, friendship, and lovable pirates, try Steel by Carrie Vaughn.

Book Review on Splintered by A.G. Howard: A twist that will leave you breathless

Okay so I read this wonderful book called Splintered by A.G. Howard. This book was amazing! I've always loved classic fairy tales (and what girl can't relate to that?). However, one of my least favorite fairy tales was Alice in Wonderland. I found the book tedious, as I'm sure most of you can agree. This is anything but tedious! A.G. Howard's take on Alice in Wonderland, turning it into a demented yet enchanting place, and putting her descendants right in the thick of an age-old curse was a unique idea that left me breathless and captivated.

Even background characters such as Rabid White (The White Rabbit) have turned into something both grotesque and beautiful. Their backgrounds are subtly interwoven into the book so as to give you every detail that this author makes you yearn for. 

Our main heroine, Alyssa, does nothing but leave you wanting to cry and cheer for her. Her selfish attitude leaves her as a perfect role model. As a reader I couldn't put the book down. Alyssa has to be one of the most inspiring characters I've found yet. Of course, the hot romance between her and Morpheus certainly does the book no harm. Of course, that's if she doesn't end up with her long time crush Jeb, but who wouldn't want an all-seeing beautiful creature that does nothing but long for her (oh yes I can already hear the Jeb and Morepheus fans a-screamin'.)?