Reviews written by Alanna Shaw

Can I start by saying best Helen of Troy story EVER?! This series takes the story of Helen of Troy to an all new level of awesome. Dreamless (Starcrossed #2) did not disappoint. If you like love triangles, you are going to flip. There is so...

I have no idea why I never knew about this book as a child. It is too cute to pass by! ...

If I could rate a book based solely on its cover, Splintered would have a solid 5 stars. Tell me this cover is not stunning? I dare you to disagree. Unfortunately, you have to judge a book by more than just its cover, right?...

This one was okay. The message was good, but the delivery needs work. For starters, the writing is way too mature for younger readers. Some of the sentences and word choice were far above picture book status. Now, usually I'm a huge fan of using harder...

Do not start Hysteria expecting to get warm fuzzies. It's a little gory at times, but it is also super fast-paced. I couldn't put it down. If I had to imagine what "going crazy" was like, I think this book would...

Well, well, well... Beautiful Choas got everything right this time around. I guess the saying, "The third time is a charm" has some merit after all. There was so much going on in this book that it's hard to narrow down one point worth...

I am a huge fan of retellings, especially Shakespeare (or other classics). I just love how a good retelling can make an otherwise intimidating book more accessible to younger readers. However, Exposure just didn't work for me. As far...

There are some books that you read in an entire sitting. This was one of them. Now, I'm not usually a fan of contemporary reads, but I did enjoy Confessions of an Angry Girl. That may have had something to do with the type of day I had prior to...

I decided to switch things up a bit from my normal reading this month, and try Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian . I was expecting a typical teenage angst filled story full of revenge and back stabbing. What I ended up with was something slightly...

I thought my heart would only beat for Tris and Four, but now I have met Ruby and Liam. Ohmysweetgoodness. What a wonderful combination in The Darkest Minds. There is no crazy love triangle (*cough Hunger Games *cough) to pull at your head and cloud your...

If you are familiar with this series, then you know it is told from Ethan's point of view. I am almost always a fan of YA books with a male narrator, since there doesn't seem to be enough of them out there. The Caster Chronicles is unique because it's a...

Why did I let this series sit on my bookshelves so long before I read it? WHY?! This blew me away. The setting, characters, and plot were phenomenal. Loved every page. I'm a Southern girl, so when I find a (good) YA book set...

Oh man. I am so conflicted with this one. I don't know whether I loved it or hated it. So, this review will be a bit different. First off, why I did not like the book: the ending. Normally, I am a huge...

Amazing. Simply amazing. Another hit for Sarah Beth Durst. Ice was one of a kind and exceeded all expectations. This has to be one of the best settings for a story that I have read in a long time. It was highly original. You...

I am going to start by saying most of my original predictions for this book turned out to be true. At the end of Sweet Venom, I knew there was something important about Thane's disappearance. I was right, even if we don't know what his role is yet...