Dreamland - Reviewed by Stephanie Best

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Reviewed by Stephanie Best

                Dreamland by Sarah Dessen follows the journey of a teenage girl and her downward spiral. On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Caitlin wakes up to find her older sister Cass gone without a trace. Cass was supposed to go to Yale in the coming weeks but gave it up and ran away with her boyfriend Adam. Her mother goes into extreme hysterics and it takes Caitlin’s making the cheerleading squad to snap her out of it. Before she left, Cass had been involved in many extra-curricular activities that her mother was just as involved with. Caitlin hates cheerleading but stays with it because it keeps her mother’s mind off of her sister’s departure. One day, Caitlin meets Rogerson Biscoe and her life completely changes its direction. They start an abusive relationship involving sex and drugs. She quickly abandons all of her friends for Rogerson and starts to lose herself. Will Cass come home? Can Caitlin escape her relationship? More importantly, does she want to?

                I thought Dreamland was okay. It was good if you like that kind of stuff, but it wasn't one of my favorite books. I've read many of Sarah Dessen’s other novels and I've like all of them but I didn't like this one. It surprised me by how different it was to her other stories. From what I’ve read, most of her stories are more about young romance with an obvious happy ending and I enjoyed those. This was not one of those stories. Personally, if you are one to like any of Ellen Hopkins books, then I would recommend this novel. Overall, the book didn’t grab my attention and didn’t really make me want to continue and finish the book.

Suck-It Up-- Reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

Author: Brian Meehl
Reviewer: Alexandra Lopez

After graduating from the International Vampire League, a scrawny teenage vampire named Morning McCobb is given the chance to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a superhero when he embarks on a mission to become the first vampire to reveal his identity to humans and to demonstrate how peacefully-evolved, blood-substitute-drinking vampires can use their powers to help humanity. He ends up falling for Portia Dredful, a beautiful, strong willed girl. Things get harder, however, as he has to resist the temptation of sucking Portia's blood. Will McCob be able to resit?

I really did enjoy this book. The most that I've enjoyed from this was the explanation given to why they don’t burn. I like mythical creatures, just as much as the next guy. However it bothers me when vampires can withstand the sun. It’s basic knowledge that vampires burn in the sun. But in Suck-It Up it gives a reasonable reason why they don’t burn, which I was pleased with. Of course the book overall was good, but there could have sped up some parts. If you enjoy vampires then you should read it. I recommended to those that enjoy sparkly vampires that this isn’t your book.

The Phantom of the Opera - Reviewed by Stephanie Best

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Reviewed by Stephanie Best

        The author claims that the “Opera Ghost”, Erik, was a real person. The story follows the real life happenings at the Paris Opera House, the Palais Garnier. Christine Daae, a chorus girl and daughter of a renowned fiddler, is only a chorus girl at the opera house, until one day she is given the opportunity to sing at the house’s managers’ retirement celebration. Under the guidance of the Opera Ghost, whom he tells her he is her Angel of Music, she sings extraordinarily beautifully and is an instant hit. Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, sees the performance and remembers her from their childhood together, yet, she at first does not remember him. Around this time, strange things are happening at the opera house, including deaths. Seeing Christine with Raoul, Erik becomes jealous and kidnaps Christine multiple times. Can Christine trust her Angel of Music? Who will she chose, her Angel of Music, or Raoul? Even with the help of the mysterious The Persian, can Raoul save Christine?

I rated The Phantom of the Opera three out of five starts because I often found it very hard to follow. I often have trouble reading novels with this kind of writing. Even though I have seen the musical, I did enjoy the plot, because the original story is somewhat different than the musical. I did, however, really enjoy learning more about the characters and their pasts as well as their relatives. If the reader enjoys other classic books, such as Les Miserables, which was also made into a popular musical, then I recommend this book. Personally, I would rather watch the musical version of The Phantom of the Opera than read the book.