The Beautiful

This novel brings back the vampire tale. Set in New Orleans, it tells the story of Celine, a girl who has fled Paris after killing a man. She finds herself living in the Ursine convent for girls with no where to go. Her skills as a dressmaker bring her to the attention of a group called La Cour de Lions. They are mysterious and dangerous. Celine also attracts the attention of the leader Sebastien Saint German. He is a legend in the city. She knows he's dangerous but she doesn't care. As girls start getting killed around her, Celine has to figure out if she can trust Sebastien when all signs point to RUN AWAY. The supernatural forces start to circle the wagons and a dangerous enemy returns to the city. Celine is right in the cross hairs. Should she run away from the city she comes to love? Or from the boy who could be the death of her. Or undeath of her. I didn't love this book. I loved the setting but none of the characters really caught my interest until the last few pages. Great cliffhanger and a good segue to the sequel. I wouldn't have read it unless it had ended as it did. So as for recommending, there are better books out there right now in my opinion, but if you have missed the vampire genre, give it a try. Happy reading my friends!

The 57 Bus

This is the true story of Sasha. They are a transgender teen who was set on fire on the bus ride home. It is also the true story of Richard. He is the teenager who set Sasha on fire. It is a story of misunderstanding and misinformation and mistakes. It is also the story of forgiveness and change. It will cause you to think about how we incarcerate juveniles and the messages we send about people who are not like us. It is about prejudice and hardship and growing through both. I highly recommend it to everyone. I couldn't put it down. I hope you feel the same. Happy reading my friends.