Ah, Goodreads has it figured out!

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They let me blog my reviews with a quick copy-and-paste:

Playing with Matches Playing with Matches by Brian Katcher


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
High school is actually like this... Leon is kind of a geek, and he's attracted to a girl (especially attracted to her shapely butt) who has massive facial burns. But then a "regulation hottie" (please watch Mean Girls if this doesn't register) shows interest in him, and he does the wrong thing. He ditches facial-burns Melody, then gets dragged around by hottie Amy until he realizes he really loved Melody. He tries to get her back, and she flatly refuses. The ending is ambiguous, but Leon may have a shot again. Good read, and new as of July 2008.



Out of the Wild Out of the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst


My review


rating: 2 of 5 stars
Durst's first, Into the Wild, is much better. This time, the fairy-tale "wild" takes over the world, and Julie Marchen (daughter of Rapunzel who escaped) has to save the world from the wild. It's a little Dark Crystal, in that good and bad merge to make a new middle ground. I preferred the first book because the wild was so evil and the plot was just stronger all around.



Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Caveney


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sebastien is a lousy jester, not funny at all. However, his exploits as he travels to offer his services to a far away kingdom are plenty funny. His cynical buffalope companion Max and their traveling companion Captain Cornelius Drummel are hillarious, improbable, and although some of their exploits bring to mind video game fights, there's enough flair and daring to make this an enjoyable fantasy romp. This is sure to be the first of a series, and less completely absurd than Terry Pratchett often is. It would be a 3.5 if I could give that, but I still recommend it as fun reading.


View all my reviews.

Diamonds in the Shadow Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
Spooky, creepy book about a groups of Africans who come to America. When housing arrangements fall through, their sponsoring church asks one family to take the Africans in, and all appears to be well as the mother, father, son and daughter make themselves at home. But they're not who they appear to be.



Cooney's fabulous The Face on the Milk Carton is now a creepy classic, and this book once again shows why she's the horror author for the middle-school set.


View all my reviews.

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