Cleopatra's Daughter

I am around halfway through Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran and I love it. It is filled with accurate descriptions of ancient Rome and the fighting between Rome and Egypt. When Rome invades Egypt, Selene, the princess of Egypt, is taken away from her home. After watching her father, mother, and brother die she is transported to live in a foreign land. She is constantly worrying about when the Caesar of Rome will decide that she is of no importance and kill her. It is interesting reading this book right now because they often talk about meeting the famous poet Virgil and we are reading The Inferno by Dante and reading about him. There is a lot of betrayal in the novel and I predict that Selene will run into trouble because of her free spirit and determination. She is the only surviving representation of the former Egypt and must learn to survive in her enemy’s home. I would recommend this book because of its engaging plot and descriptions. I cannot wait to see what happens to the characters and if Selene returns to her homeland or dies.

A Kiss in Time By Alex Flinn

**SECOND QUARTER**

I read A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn this past week. It is a remake on the classic story sleeping beauty but instead of a prince waking the princess from her sleep it was a 17-year-old boy from the 21st century. Princess Talia, the main character, gets cursed and is forced to sleep until her true love kiss. This all happens three hundred years before Jack comes around, discovers her and kisses her. Now he is struck with a bratty princess and must bring her home and help her learn to live in the 21st century. I thought this book was very cute and an interesting spin-off of the original story. It was funny and I liked it because it involves a character that lived in the 1700's who now is magically awake and must learn how to survive in present day. I didn't like the end though. I found it was too cheesy and did not capture my interest. I feel that the author could have written it much better. I would recommend this to girls who like silly romantic humorous books.

Suspicion by Kate Brian

I was so excited when I found out that the new book in the series Private by Kate Brian was out. Suspicion is the tenth book in the series and I absolutely loved it. Throughout the book, Reed, the main character, must escape the murder that has been trying to kill her over the past two weeks. While I was reading it I kept skipping to the bottom of the page to see what would happen next—it’s that suspicious. Reed’s murderer so far has tried to kill her many different ways and you do not find out who it is until the last moment. There are so many little plots throughout the series and each one is more exciting then the other. I couldn’t believe the ending of the book, my chin literally dropped and for five minutes all I said was “omg.” I don’t want to tell you what happens because it would just ruin the books in the series. I can’t wait for the next book and to see what happens to the characters. I read the book in one sitting and would recommend it to any girl that likes these kinds of books. I would also recommend any of Kate Brian’s books, I have read every single one and they are all excellent. I would just warm you that they are hard to put down.

A Northern Light ending

I had read this novel before but I did not remember every detail and the ending was a surprise. Mattie, the main character, has to make many hard desicions about her life in the novel. She learns a lot about herself and the truth about her family. The murder mystery of Grace Brown, which swirls around Mattie’s brain for days, is a symbol of everything that can go wrong in someone’s life. I was glad with the descision Mattie made at the end; I believe that she chose the right path—the one that was best for her. This book is filled with descriptive language on every page, which made it that much better. I would recommend it to anyone. It was an easy fast read and boys and girls alike would enjoy it.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

This past week I have been reading A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. When I first started it I instantly though "I’ve read this before" the characters and hints to the conclusion of the book made me believe that I read it in the past. I decided to keep reading anyway and decided that I have read it before. A Northern Light is about a girl Mattie Gokey who loves words wants to go to college in the city. It is 1906 and for a girl who lives in the middle of nowhere to go to college is a big deal. She must convince her father to allow her to go. I predict that she will somehow come up with a plan to attend college even without her father’s permission. Mattie seems like an intelligent girl who will not let anything from stopping her to follow her dream. I predict that her friend Weaver will get into trouble because of his wild temper and will not be able to attend college. Since I remember some things from the end of the book it is interesting knowing how it will end as I am reading it. I am noticing more hints that the author leaves and learning more about the characters personalities. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the book plans out and what happens in the characters lives.

The Reluctant Suitor by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

This past week I read The Reluctant Suitor by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss I was unable to put it down and finished it quickly. Adriana Sutton, the main character, was betroved to her neighbor the dashing ex-solider Colton Wyndham since she was first born. After 16 years of not seeing each other, Colton comes home to court Adriana and hopefully win her heart. I was captured by the descriptive details, which filled every sentence. Set in the 1800’s right after the battle of Waterloo The Reluctant Suitor is a novel that I enjoyed immensely and would recommend to someone who enjoys historical romance books.

The ending of the Secret Life of Bees

I just finished The Secret Life of Bees and the ending surprised me. Lily has gone though a lot, from discovering whom her mother was to discovering who she was. During the book Lily grows up immensely, she has new issues to face and copes with them well. All the challenges of living with her father and running away from the police feel like nothing compared to the anguish of the truth. The truth is very hard to handle but I feel like Lily delt with it wonderfully. I was shocked to find out the connections between all the characters of the book. I would have never thought about how they were all connected before the author explained it. I have come to realize that the bees stand for a lot of things. They can stand for love and how there is so much love in the world but you just have to find it and treat it carefully and lovingly for it to care for you back, like Lily and her bees. She must give them love so they don’t harm her. The bees can also symbolize how Lily feels. She is lost without her mother, like how a colony of bees feel like when the queen bee dies. Lily does not know how to act or live until she meets August and realizes that she has many “queen bees” or mothers. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone. It was a book everyone could enjoy.