Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

I admit it did take me three tries to actually get into Wildwood Dancing, but in the end it was worth it. I first tried it and got to page 2. On the second try, I got to page 9. On the third try, I finally ended up getting through the book! 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Published in 2006
4 out of 5 stars
Summary from Goodreads: High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of this magical realm.

But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he's there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena's sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom--an impossible union it's up to Jena to stop.

When Cezar's grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can't imagine--tests of trust, strength, and true love.

What really convinced me to finally start reading through Wildwood Dancing was the unique plot. It wasn't really a retelling of a specific fairy tale; it was more a mix of many fairy tales and then mixed in with some more imagination to get a totally unique plot. The plot was definitely really interesting, consisting of Night People (vampires), a frog, a really annoying Cezar and true love. Of course, you have to remember that a mix of plots can be a little confusing as well. It was hard for me to keep everything straight at times. It felt as if I was being bogged down a multiple amount of mini plots that could not connect. I couldn't find the most important plot out of it all.

Jenna, however, was really a well-defined character. Strong, brave, smart and bold, she was definitely a great character! I liked how she remained strong even through all the tragedies and dramatic events that happened. It's one thing to be strong, but it's another thing to stay so. I was very happy with Jenna! She was created well enough to be flawed enough, but not flawed to the point of annoying. I greatly love how relatable she was; every choice she made made sense and was clear.

The writing style was a little more flowery that I'm typically accustomed to, but it was still tolerable. I quickly got used to the elegant descriptions and that old feel of it all. While it was not normal, it was not annoying. The writing style was actually quite enjoyable after a bit. Totally worth the effort of three tries!

Another thing I loved was the setting. While the names are definitely hard to pronouce and write and spell, I loved it anyways! (I didn't see the glossary until I finished the book....) I could visualize all of the castle and the woods and the lake! It was pure magic! I loved how I could be lured by the descriptions to imagine exactly what it looked like. Normally when that happens, I push it away because it's a nuisance. However, with Wildwood Dancing, nothing is normal. Therefore I loved being able to see every single detail in my mind!

Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino

Vampire Knight was suggested to me by Goodreads about two months ago. I didn't check it out until a few days ago, and that was a terrible choice! I really liked it! 4 out of 5 stars.

Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino
Published!
4 out of 5 stars
Summary from Goodreads: Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!
Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy's secret. Yuki believes that vampires and humans can coexist peacefully, but her partner has different ideas...

Every manga artist has their own style, and I just want to say that Matsuri Hino has a slightly more childlike style. Her characters, especially Yuki, all have these huge eyes that are larger than normal manga characters. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing; it's just her style. Her style makes her art very distinctive, so I can basically tell she's the artist when I see a good-looking vampire with huge eyes.

Speaking of vampires, I really like this vampire named Kaname Kuran! He's so caring, kind and good-looking! He's also incredibly loyal. Plus he's a vampire! Who can resist a vampire? I am so Team Kaname!
As for the other guy in the love triangle, his name is Zero. A lot of people like him for his looks and jaded past. He's a broken boy with a terrible secret- a secret he's been keeping for the past four years...
But I'm still Team Kaname!

Yuki was an awesome character who was surprisingly feisty, strong and brave. She was so cute too! I loved reading about her, and throughout the story I was definitely cheering her on! Yuki is a great heroine; she's definitely worth reading about.

What surprised me in a good way was the lack of cheesiness. I hate cheesiness, as you can tell, and most manga stories have at least some cheesiness. For some reason though, Vampire Knight is not like other manga. Instead, it's addicting, brilliant and simply not cheesy.

I want to suck your blood. That's basically what one of the vampires says to Yuki. Now, with vampires that phrase is unavoidable. It's bound to be said. I just couldn't believe the whole story behind it all! The politics of the school and the setup of the plot are both remarkable. Both are cunning, thoughtful and not as easily laid out as you might think. The plot is actually more character-driven than action-driven, but that's okay because I like to know a lot about the characters.

I know that vampires are supposedly disgusting and boring nowadays, but I think Vampire Knight portrayed them really well. It's definitely a refreshing read that will change your perspective of vampires! Totally worth reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Imortal Rules

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine the features not-yet-published books we want the whole entire world to preorder. (Or any other way you can get your hands on it...)

This weeks WoW pick is The Imortal Rules by Julie Kagawa!
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The Imortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Publishing 04.24.12
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Summary from Goodreads: You will kill. The only question is when.

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

It's been a long time since I've read a good vampire book. For some reason, the vampire phase seems to be switching into a dystopian phase. Not that I mind, of course, but sometimes a girl really wants to read a vampire book! So I'm really excited for The Immortal Rules! Go vampires! (Yes, even you, Edward. You're still the classic sparkly vampire.)

Not only that, but I absolutely love all of Julie Kagawa's books. The Iron Fey series is epic! I so suggest them! Any book by Julie is automatically good, so I am really hyped for The Immortal Rules! And also, if Julie Kagawa could pull off the fairy thing, then she can definitely pull off the whole vampire thing!

Now I just need to get my fangs on this book! And get some fangs too...

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Evernight should have been the cheesiest love story ever. It wasn't. Evernight should have been the most poorly written book ever. It wasn't. In fact, Evernight should have been like all the other cheesy paranormal books. It wasn't. So, because of that and because it's just amazing, 4 out of 5 stars!

Evernight by Claudia Gray
Published!
4 out of 5 stars
Summary from Goodreads: Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

Okay, to begin, Bianca was definitely your kind of average girl. Notice I said to begin. She's kind of shy, kind of smart, kind of normal, but then in the middle of the book, she's something else. In the middle of the book you get this sudden change concerning who and what she is. That did not change what I thought about her. Throughout the whole entire book, I thought she was just okay. Even with the sudden change.

Then there was Lucas. Unfortunately, I also thought he was just okay. Even though he's kind of good-looking, kind of charming, kind of amazing...
Okay, he's pretty awesome! I have to admit that. But he's still kind of your average Prince Charming, not that I minded. So he's definitely pretty high up on my list of crushable fictional boys. And that's saying a lot.

I almost started comparing Evernight's plot to Twilight's plot. But then I realized Evernight's plot is a lot awesomer! There are a lot more twists and turns. And plot-wise, Evernight's plot is nothing like Twilight's. Sure there are vampires, but that's basically the only similarity. This plot had me gasping for breath and tearing through my Kindle for more! That's how amazing it was!

Another thing I absolutely must praise is Claudia Gray's style of writing. It was definitely a good third person, not too flowery at all. So I was really glad for no extra frills or flowers! And that's pretty rare for third person! Yay for Claudia Gray and her awesome writing style! And the praise continues...