Ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley

WARNING: Possible spoilers of Ghostgirl

When we last saw Charlotte Usher, she had made new friends (Pam and Prue in the Dead Ed and Scarlet in Hawthorne High) and had managed to graduate from Dead Ed and move on.

Only that the After Life didn't turn out to be quite what Charlotte expected. For one, she has to work at a hot-line for troubled teens, only that she never gets a call from anyone; and her friends from Dead Ed suddenly are too busy for her - what with their being reunited with their love ones while Charlotte has nobody - and living in small apartment with her new friend Maddy.

Back at Hawthorne things aren't so peachy either. Damen and Scarlet are still together but distance is feeding up Scarlet's insecurities. And Petula - Scarlet's sister and Damen's ex - isn't helping. But, when Petula has a tragic pedicure and her life is thrown in the line Scarlet's crazy attempt to get her sister back will take her back to Charlotte and to a new story to be told.

I have to say I liked Homecoming more than what I liked Ghostgirl, I felt the pace was more even, and the story even stronger. I liked re-visiting the characters a lot, and the part of me that will always be 17 found a lot common ground with Charlotte this time.

As with Ghostgirl, Homecoming isn't really about ghosts but about life and death and love and the many shapes all of those can take. I was surprised at the growth some of the characters experienced, specially Petula who starts as a character so shallow that she's almost comic relief, but who actually grew on my during this book while remaining true to herself.

The book is self conclusive but I'm glad I just found out there will be a third Ghostgirl book called Ghostgirl: Lovesick, coming out July 2010. I'm actually quite looking forward to meeting Charlotte and her gang again.

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Review Policy, a Long Overdue Post

Hello everyone!

I was looking back on the blog, thinking about the stuff I wanted to get done before the New Years and what I hope for the year to come, and I realized that I never made known my review policy. Mostly because when I started this blog it was all for fun and never thought I should explain the inner workings of my mind - I also wasn't sure if I could keep it up (the reviewing I mean, I'm often at lose of words when there is something I want to say).

But, here we are, more than a year and a half later!

So I thought it was time.

REVIEW POLICY

Here at AnimeGirl's Bookshelf (or The Bookshelf, for short), I review Young Adult Fiction and Romance novels, within this two big genres I'm open to everything, Historical, Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, etc.

I give an honest opinion about them and try not to post undue spoilers - though this is hard since I'm a certified spoiler hound - and just share the books I love and try to get more people to read them.

My rating system goes from 2 stars (being the lowest) to 5 stars (being the highest), and it works something like this:

5.0 Must read, a book to keep, can't wait for more of the same author/next book in series
4.5 Loved the book, almost perfect, still a must read!
4.0 Really Good - Liked the book, will look for more by the same author. Minor drawbacks
3.5 OK book, not great but pretty good. Will keep checking out this author. Some drawbacks
3.0 OK book, not rushing to buy more by the same author/next book in series, but will still read eventually. Average.
2.5 Meh - I wonder why I picked up this book. Major draw backs and only some redeemable qualities. Isn't likely I'll read more by this author.
2.0 Meh - Won't be reading more by this author.

Originally I also had these two:
1.0 Horrible - What the hell I was thinking?
DNF - Couldn't finish.

But I definitely reckon that book reviewing is 95% a matter of personal taste - just because I didn't like something doesn't mean other people feel the same - and I don't believe in book bashing. So those two categories were removed from my rating system, when I don't like a book or can't finish, I simply don't review it.

In short, you can see my system on the left-hand side of the page:
There is also one special category for books close to my heart, the re-reads, the books I'll treasure and carry with me forever:

Personal Favorite


Also, I'm a reviewer outside the US, which means I buy pretty much all the books I review - save for those my family or friends gift me with or loan me from time to time. Would I love to get some books to review? sure, but I reckon that living outside the US that's hard.

Anyway, that, in a nutshell is how the site works.

Switched (My Sister The Vampire) by Sienna Mercer

When moving to Franklin Grove, the last thing Olivia Abbott thought she would find was her twin sister (the one she didn't know she had) but that's exactly who Ivy Vega is: her twin.

Although they couldn't be more different - Olivia is a pink-wearing, veggie loving cheerleader, while Ivy is a Goth who loves meat - the girls are thrilled at having found each other, they even agree they shouldn't tell their respective parents about each other yet, not until they figure why they were separeted when they were adopted by their families.

Still, that doesn't keep Olivia and Ivy from having fun, especially if that means switching places to help each other out. Eventough that means Ivy is going to have to trust Olivia with a big secret she's not supposed to tell anyone: there are vampires all around Franklin Grove, and Ivy is one of them.

I honestly didn't expect much of this book, I basically picked it up because I liked the cover but, in the end, I was glad I read it. It's basically the story of two sisters who couldn't be more different but love each other fiercely. It's definitely a great read for the younger set, funny and sweet.

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Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins

Millie Barnes' life is about to be perfect. She just moved back to her hometown, bought a house and got a job as a doctor. She also got a puppy and is determined to finally catch the eye of her childhood crush, Joe.

There are, of course, some flaws in her plan, like the fact that she never really knew Joe when they were young and that maybe he's not the man she imagined; or the fact that her beloved ex-brother in law, Sam, is having a hard time dealing with being dumped by Millie's bitchy but gorgeous older sister.

After reading a couple of Kristan Higgins' books, I've sort of come to recognize a pattern in her books, mostly in the form that the heroine fancies herself in love with some guy in the beginning, but we quickly realize that said first guy is not The guy, and that The Guy is usually already there, in the background, one way or another. Well, the same happens in this book.

That's not to say that it's not nicely written, because it is, it's just that I got some sense of deja vú, but this book also boast some of Kristan's strongest points: a strong cast of background characters - family, friends and neighbors - and a sweetly written story. And a cute dog!!!

All in all, it's an enjoyable read.

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Hello everyone!!!

Just a quick note to let you know I'm guest blogging today at Hazra's Advance Booking, you remember Hazra, she was my partner in the BBAW Interview Swap, and last month she asked me to do a little guest post for her blog regarding Romance.

To read it just head here@Advance Booking.