Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

Here, we’re introduced to April “boobless” Bowers, a fifteen year old high school sophomore who’s only friend has been transplanted in another state, leaving April to fend for herself. When she catches the eye of beautiful, popular Britney in her gym class, she’s more than overjoyed. Soon, she becomes Britney’s protege and becomes initiated into her clique of mean girls. However, when April breaks the Lipstick Laws, she is promptly kicked out of the group and Britney vows to ruin her life. Not one to stand by idly, April discovers that there are other girls out there like her- girls who have been shunned by Britney and her group; and they all want revenge. While the characters each fit into the typical roles necessary for this type of story – mean girl and her devoted followers and nice but socially awkward girl – the author has made April charming, witty, sarcastic, awkward and insecure, but not without a spine — plus, there’s a lesson to be learned! I would absolutely recommend this for any preteen girl. 

This plot follows the film, Mean Girls almost verbatim (Britney being Regina George, and April being Cady Heron). It’s an overused story line, but Amy Holder does it in such a fun, refreshing way and really makes the story her own. 

Final verdict? 4/5 stars!

This book is due for release on April 4, 2011.

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Suspenseful, and beautifully crafted.

In this installment of the Witch series, we learn more about the mysterious Knight family and the Greenes.

I loved Tamsin in the first installment, but I absolutely fell in love with her spunk, dry wit, and bravery in this book. We see her going through a lot of different things here, and we watch her grow. She’s moving away for college, she has a boyfriend and she finally knows what her talent is, and how to harness that power. I think what I liked most was that she wasn’t simpering and pathetic. The story wasn’t based entirely around some kind of forbidden love where the female protagonist turns into a slobbering dog, pretty much. The face that she had a boyfriend wasn’t completely rubbed into your face the entire time.

I was surprised and pleased at the imagery described in the past and the traveling. I do wish there had been more character building in Jessica Knight’s character. Why was she going against the way she was raised? What’s her talent? She seemed to be on the “good” side of things, so I would have liked to see a bit more building of her character in this book.

I wouldn’t read this installment without having read the first one beforehand. You’d be able to understand it, but not with as much clarity as if you had read the first one.

All in all, I loved it. I hope that Ms. MacCullough writes another installment.

It’s due for release on August 1st, 2011.

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

 The author did a really good job with the concept, and character development and painted a beautiful picture of the beautiful, and often times savagery of the mermaids.  In this vengeful story, mermaids are made, rather than born . Its foreboding melodious lull swept me into the world of these killer mermaid girls.

Luce. I hated her. She was just so.. pitiful. Her father and mother are dead, she doesn’t fit in as a human or a mermaid for that matter, and her uncle is an abusive alcoholic.  After drinking himself into a stupor in the local tavern one night, he brutally attacks Luce,  mistaking her for her mother and she falls from a cliff. But, instead of dying, she turns into a mermaid. The mermaids that inhabit the sea are not of the sugary, cutesy, dolled-up versions that Disney has fed us our whole lives.  In this story, they are vindictive, and malicious, hating the humans for what they had done to them during their lives as mortals, so what do they do? They sing. and their song leads sailors to their death, and the mermaids described in this story take great pleasure in this.

Lost Voices addressed a lot of issues such as abuse, redemption, forgiveness, and friendship, which was honestly what saved it for me. The relationships described in this book were heartbreakingly real and really hits home.

Oh, and plus it’s prefaced with a Radiohead song.

It’s due for release on July 4th, 2011.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

 In this book, we’re introduced to Maggie Blair who is orphaned and lives with her Grandmother in 17th Century rural Scotland. The book is peppered with references to Laird’s own ancestry and landmarks, and has some pretty solid writing. A shame to say what a disappointment the book was.  I was completely bombarded with scripture and bible verses and it seemed that the main focus of the story was God and Religion which makes sense, as Maggie is wrongfully accused of being a witch. I think that Laird just took the concept and ran with it. Overall, I found the historical setting fairly authentic, with allowances given to help make it accessible. I felt empathy for Maggie, yet there was a distance throughout my reading, I never felt totally immersed and didn’t really feel that connection with the main character as I normally do when I read a book.

The main problem that I had with Maggie was that she was so superstitious and ignorant, so she fell short.

I give this book a 3/5 because the writing, and character development was done really well.

The book is due for release on April 18, 2011.