"Bad Girls Don't Die" by Katie Alender [4 1/2]

Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence: dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy, thirteen-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own antisocial, anti-cheerleader attitude.

When a family argument results in tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunctional to dangerous. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green; she uses odd, old-fashioned language - and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her weird behaviour. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves, water boils on the unlit stove, and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough for the girls to see their breath.

Alexis wants to believe it's all in her head, until these seemingly harmless occurrences become life-threatening - to her, to her family, and to her budding relationship with the student council vice president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey; but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

This is a cool new series by a first time author Katie Alender. It is the first of three novels with the second coming out in June 2011 entitle 'From Bad to Cursed' and the third is due out in 2012.

Great teen read and introduction to ghost type novels, nothing gory or real scary in this book, probably just a little creepy... Really well written and very easy to read, the story flows well although just a little slow to begin with. The characters are very believable and you do become involved in what is happening to them.

"I stood perfectly still, looking up at the house and the

dark sky beyond it.

A band of mist drifted away from the moon,

making way for the next set of clouds -

what I hoped would be the picturesque backdrop

I'd been waiting for".

This has a really interesting cover to it and if your like me you just had to have the hardback version. This series is worth trying and the girls will love reading it...perhaps not at night for them though! Great introduction the the wonderful world of spooks and specters.

I rate this book 4 1/2 stars.

The Hollow by Jessica Verday (31/2)

When Abbey’s best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead…and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey has never felt so desperately alone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen’s funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey’s life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he’s the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.


Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen’s betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

I Purchased this book because: Saw it ages ago being reviewed and loved the storyline ...


Opening Lines: They said she killed herself. Everyone was saying it. What started out as a rumor, quietly whispered among small gatherings of polite people, quickly grew into something that was openly discussed in large gatherings of impolite people. I was so sick of hearing them talk about it.

This is the first installment of a series called 'The Hollow' and it is being described as a spine-tingling paranormal romance set in the legendary town of 'Sleepy Hollow' where you have the ghostly figure of the 'Headless Horseman' was made famous ..... Sounds great and I couldn't wait to dive in ....

Unfortunately for me I thought it was abit slow ... It started out great and then it just plodded along ... It is a little over 500 pages and even though it is a big print it did take me a few days to read it .... Not that I didn't enjoy it just that it did drag for me ... I really wanted the story to really grab me and pull me in which it really didn't do until the last 50 pages of the book ... I understand that this is the first installment and you need to set up the characters but I still prefer the story to have some meat in it so I can really sink my teeth into it ... And is difficult for me to rate this book because I like it but just didn't love it .... And there are so many different questions that have still been left unanswered ...

I loved the way the author used quotes from 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' at the beginning of each chapter and how it fitted perfectly with the story line ... If anything it has make me want to go out and purchased the book that Washington Irving imagined ... That and watching the movie .... Who am I kidding ....To be honest I really don't need a reason to watch Johnny Depp lol .....

There is alot of weird things that are happening in the small town of Sleepy Hollow ... And Abbey is smack in the middle of it all .... I do like her character ... She is gusty which I love and not afraid to search for the truth ...

Some of my favourite quotes: 'Thank you for your help today, Abbey, and try to remember the good memories. They will help the sad ones'. Pg 79


'I profess not to know how women's hearts are wooed and won. To me they have always been matters of riddle and admiration' The legend of Sleepy Hollow pg 92


'I never thought about it that way, Abbey. I always pictured it as Dickens's way of portraying how a single moment can affect our lives so profoundly.' Pg 103


'The kiss suddenly turned harder, and more desperate. I tasted the urgency in it and thought that I would die from the pleasure. Would they lock up the library for the night and find us dead in each other's arms? Perished from pleasure? That thought send delicious goose bumps travelling over my entire body. Pg233


'His notable little wife, too, had enough to do to attend to her housekeeping and manage her poultry, for as she sagely observed, ducks and geese are foolish things, and must be looked after, but girls can take care of themselves'. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow pg 301

I am going to rate this book around 3 1/2 stars mainly because I did love the storyline but it was abit slow for me to get started .... Then sped up in the last 50 pages or so so now you are left waiting for the next installment .... grrrrr ... So really you either really love this book or you don't and so that is why it is great everyone is different and you should pick up a copy and see what you think .... But I am excited to get my hands on the next novel ...

I rate this book 3 1/2 *** ( sigh .... wish I could have rated it better :( ... )

You can check out the lovely Johnny Depp ...



Books in 'The Hollow' Series in order

1) The Hollow
2) The Haunting ( released in Hardback on the 31st August 2010 and Paperback 2 September 2010)
3)