They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

 

“In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.

Freshman year Jill's best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.

Now, it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet. After all, she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill's year. She's sure of it.

But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn't kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.” - taken from Goodreads.

A compelling mystery told between the past as the present.

Visit Jessica Goodman’s website.

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

“At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

- As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school--not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

- As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn't exactly on everyone's must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise's beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince's best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Epic Fail is based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This book was a cute rom-com where new student Elise Benton goes to Coral Tree Prep school in Los Angeles where her mother is the new principal. The unwanted king of campus is Derek Edwards. The son of Hollywood royalty. when Elisa's older sister begins dating Derek's best friend, the two are thrown together. The interactions between Elise and Derek are what make this book worth the read.

In the Hall With a Knife by Diana Peterfreund (Clue Mystery book 1)

“The game is on. No one is safe.”

“When a storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students—including Beth “Peacock” Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam “Mustard” Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry—are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it’s very clear his death was no accident. With this group of students who are all hiding something, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder. Fans of the CLUE board game and cult classic film will delight in Diana Peterfreund’s modern reimagining of the brand, its characters, and the dark, magnificent old mansion with secrets hidden within its walls.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I was intrigued to start this new series based on the Clue board game. I played the game as a child but I don’t really remember much of the movie. I really liked the premise of the book but I had trouble keeping my mind on the story with the continued switching viewpoints between all of the characters. I thought that I had the murderer pegged but that story thread turned out to be the cliffhanger setting up the second book.

Visit Diana Peterfreund’s website.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

“Blood doesn’t lie …”

SPOILER ALERT! Does contain some information from the final Vampire Academy series book, Last Sacrifice. Beware!

It has been approximately one month since the concluding events of Last Sacrifice. Moroi Queen Vasilisa Dragomir’s hold on the crown is tenuous at best with her new found illegitimate sister Jillian Mastrano Dragomir as her only living family member. If Jill dies, Lissa would no longer be queen under the ancient Moroi laws. When an attack is made on Jill’s life, the decision to place her in hiding is made.

Eighteen-year-old Alchemist Sydney Sage is still feeling the fallout over her involvement with Rose Hathaway’s daring escape from the Moroi Court. Initially blackmailed by Rose’s father, Abe Mazur, Sydney eventually sets aside her distaste for the vampire races and comes to respect Rose for the strong person she is. When Queen Lissa turns to the Alchemists for help in hiding and protecting Jill, Sydney’s younger sister Zoe is their father’s first choice for the assignment. Knowing what kind of life an Alchemist leads, Sydney doesn’t want that for Zoe, who has yet to have cheek tattooed with the Alchemist lily. She talks her way into the assignment and hopefully back into everyone’s good graces again by saying she has experience living among the vampires they all distaste. The Alchemist higher ups agree and Sydney is relieved but Zoe is angry with the outcome. Only when the territory post agent arrives and is furious Sydney is going. She begins to doubt her decision.

Twenty-three-year-old Keith Darnell is in charge of the Palm Springs post where Sydney will be assigned. Keith lived with the Sage family for awhile where Sydney’s father took him under his wing and treated him as the son he never had. But something occurred during that time that Sydney could hold over Keith’s head. Eventually, he relents to allow Sydney on the mission due to pressure from the higher ups but neither is excited to be working together.

Just what is the assignment? Sydney and Jill will be posing as sisters at Amberwood Prep, a human boarding school. Joining them on campus as Sydney’s twin brother will be disgraced guardian, Eddie Castile. Keith will pose as their older brother/pseudo guardian as their “parents” live in South Dakota. One of Sydney’s responsibilities will be to take Jill to see a feeder who is being provided by a Moroi recluse by the name of Clarence Donahue. A loner, Clarence distrusts the Moroi government over the death of his niece by the hands of what he calls vampire hunters. Jill’s identity will be unknown to him. Adrian Ivashkov is also making the journey to be Jill’s moral support and will be living with Clarence. Upon their arrival, Sydney and Keith are surprised to learn Clarence’s college-aged son will be around part of the time.


For Sydney, this assignment is her chance to get back into the good graces of the Alchemists and get the opportunity to experience a formal education, even if she must live with a vampire. But very quickly, things do not go as planned. Just why is Lee suddenly at home with his father? What is the connection Sydney notices between Adrian and Jill? Why is Adrian in Palm Springs? What is going on with Jill that she doesn’t make it through the first day of class? What secret does Sydney know about Keith? And when it comes down to it, can Jill be kept safe?


This book is a definite read for those Vampire Academy and Team Adrian fans. Needless to say, the last four words of Bloodlines will leave you hanging for book two, The Golden Lily due out on June 19, 2012.


Visit Richelle Mead’s website.

Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

"Welcome to the Marlowe School where some very gifted students are having a hell of a year."

Five children who had nothing in common, disappeared on a single night. Victoria was from London and driven to be perfect at everything in an attempt to make her parents proud of her. In Glasgow, Christian was homeless after his father's despair over his mother's death. He stole to survive and was a strong athlete. Indentical twins, Belle and Bice', resided in Rome where Bice' could speak numerous languages and Belle wished to be beautiful. In Paris, Valentin is a budding poet who wishes for fame. All of them end up at a secluded country house somewhere in Europe where they are brainwashed into believing they were orphans who had always lived together. Their parents or anyone else never missed them.

Nicola Vileroy referred to herself as a governess, although as beautiful and refined as she looked, was anything but. She secures an exclusive invitation to an annual Christmas Eve party for herself and her five children. It is the opportunity for her and the children to step into New York society and become its' focus. "Now that her children were well prepared, now that she had taught them enough, she could finally give them everything she had promised, everything that they had bargained for - here in this city where life is lived in the present, where today's moguls are yesterday's nobodies, and where no one cares to delve too far in the past - a city that asks no questions."

When Madame Vileroy's five charges enroll mid-semester at the exclusive Marlowe School, each has their own agenda. Victoria, the brain, wishes to be the top student at Marlowe and especially at Lucy Spencer's expense. Belle, the beauty, desires Thomas Goodman-Brown as her boyfriend, even though Miss Spencer also has her eye on him. Christian, the super athelete, joins every available sports team and is out to win it all. The aspiring poet, Valentin, like to manipulate time and people to suit his needs. Belle's twin, Bice', is still learning new languages but has become an expert on hiding. As they rise through the ranks at Marlowe, they soon realize that what seemingly started as innocent talents (cheating, hiding, lying and stealing) are more powerful and addictive than they ever imagined.

But what happens when two discover the dark and terrible secret about their very existence? And at what price does your most wished for desires come true? In this modern day retelling of the Faust bargain story, these five children make a deal with the devil for their hearts' greatest desires.

Visit Daniel and Dina's webite.