Paranormal/Supernatural

This was a 2020 All Pikes Peak Reads teen selection. This is a very good book. It's fast paced for the subject matter and the characters are engaging. I think the 'impossible' message in this book is inspiring, but may have been dealt out with a heavy hand. But that's okay. I liked the magical realism as well. Overall, I would recommend this book.

Nick's life can't get any worse. Besides the fact that he's the son of a demon destined to destroy the world, he's also wanted by every supernatural being one can think of. This time, his soul has been separated from his body and thrown into a different dimension, and if Nick doesn't find a way to get back to his original realm and body, his army of demons are going to destroy the world...with or without him.

This book is the fifth book in an eight-book series, and honestly, it's my least favorite thus far. The plot is less fantastical and more mellow, and there's a lot of new characters that are introduced that makes it a little hard to follow. Otherwise, I still enjoyed it. As always, Nick is hilarious and as charismatic as a demon can get, and we get a glimpse into his more complicated relationships (his relationship with his father for example). I believe most importantly, the book showed Nick's more vulnerable side than the preceding books in the series. Now that he's inherited all his powers, I'm excited to see how life turns out in the Nick universe throughout the last three books!

Turning sixteen is not what Nick Gautier anticipated. The most wanted demon in the world, he's constantly in trouble; whether it's fighting off demons, dealing with a murderous girlfriend, or simply navigating high school, Nick's life is everything but normal. With his father dead, Nick thinks he's safe, but now there's a bigger problem: someone is hunting him down and trying to enslave him, and he has no clue who or what it is.

This book is part of a series and each one gets better and better! I like the elements of preternatural beings mixed with everyday life. Nick is very relatable (besides the part that he's half-demon), and he's hilarious as a character. Each chapter brings new surprises and will leave you wanting more.

I also really like how Nick has grown as a character throughout the series. While he's physically growing older, he's also mentally maturing, and you can see that through his decisions and choices.

Overall, this series isn't just entertaining: Nick teaches us about making selfless choices for those we love and that choosing good is always better than evil.

Jacob's grandfather has always told crazy stories. Stories about faceless monsters and kids with mysterious abilities. When he was younger Jacob believed these stories because his grandpa had scary pictures of these strange kids, but as he got older Jacob thought these were just little kid stories until a family tragedy brings one of those monsters from his childhood to life. This tragedy gets him to travel to a small island off the coast of Whales, where he begins to discover more about his grandpa the peculiar children from his stories.

The atmosphere that the author created for this book was amazing. You can feel eeriness of the things that Jacob sees through the pages. It is only enhanced by the pictures of strange things scattered throughout the story. The unique characters and idea held my attention completely and the fast-paced plot made me think it was over to soon. This book is part of a long series that I can't wait to continue!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater tells the story of Blue, a teenage girl in a family of psychics. Blue doesn’t have the family gift, but on St. Mark’s Eve she sees a phantom boy--Gansey, one of the boys who attends Aglionby Academy. As a non-psychic, there are only two reasons Blue would see someone: she either kills or falls in love with him sometime in the course of the next year. One other little problem: Blue has been told her whole life that she’ll kill her true love with a kiss. Despite this, Blue still finds herself drawn in by Gansey and his world of the Raven Boys at Aglionby Academy. It only took me a day to finish The Raven Boys, proof it’s a good page turner. The plot pulled me in and left me wanting to read the second book in the series. I’ve read better books this year, but it’s by no means bad or even close to the worst book I’ve picked up in 2020. I don’t really have anything negative to say about this book, so if you’re considering reading it, just go for it.

“Breaking Dawn” is one of my favorite books out of the twilight saga. The book is separated into three parts Edwards and Bella’s wedding and honeymoon, Jacob Blacks Perspective and Bella’s new life as a vampire. Also let me just say this book is the most brimming with details and so many events. This book always just find a way to keep me interested, never dries out. I would say that the book is way better than the movie 10 out of 10 recommended.

The summer of going from eighth grade to freshman year I was required to do a book report of my choice as a summer project. I chose “City of Bones” by Cassandra Clare. It’s pretty good and in my opinion it somewhat has to do something with religion. The book talks about demons and angels especially when it mention Ángel Gabriel and Micheal some of the most mentioned angels in the Bible. “City of Bones” is a fiction book about two separate worlds, one with ordinary humans (mundane) and shadow hunters
(nephilim). Anyways, the book is very detail as to talking about the battles and descriptions of demons and certain settings. Its just a really good book, always keeping it interesting.

Samantha Kingston is just a normal teenage girl going to a normal high school and doing normal things, at least until she died. Samantha finds herself reliving the day she died over and over again until she makes the right decisions. This book goes over her days events in detail and changes that she makes every time she relives that day. The book, while pretty repetitive, goes into the importance of living a life full of integrity and living everyday like its your last because you don’t know when it will be. This book did teach me the importance of living everyday to its fullest and did think that it teaches important lessons.

Elena Gilbert is the popular girl of high school, used to getting every guy she ever wanted. So when the mysteriously handsome Stefan couldn’t care less about her, she was confused. Elena however, doesn’t know that the reason Stefan stays away from her is because he is a threat to her. Stefan is a vampire and being around her is dangerous. Elena is intrigued and can’t get Stefan off her mind, at least not until his brother Damon enters the picture. Caught between a new love triangle with Stefan and Damon and this new unseen world of vampires, Elena must learn to navigate and stay out of trouble. I absolutely loved this book, with the romance and the drama I was never bored reading it. I would definitely recommend this book, I loved every page and continued to read all the books in the series.

Alice Bell thought her father was crazy, at least until she saw the monsters herself. On her way home from her little sisters dance recital her life is turned upside down when she awakes on the side of the road barely conscious. They were in a car accident, and before she blacks out she vaguely sees a monster eating her father. "There is no way, zombies don’t exist" Alice thinks, but then she remembers the stories her dad used to tell her about them. She wakes up in the hospital with her grandparents standing next to her with sad looks on their face. She knew before they told her, her parents and sister were gone. She starts to see visions or images of zombies she can’t get them out of her head, so when she meets a bad boy named Cole at her new school she can’t help but think he knows more than he lets on about the monsters she sees. When it comes time to fight Alice and Cole must trust each other, but this fight is for Alice it's time to avenge her family. This was a book I couldn’t put down, I had to immediately pick up the next book in the series.