Death Note: Volume 2, by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

After Light kills all the FBI agents investigating his case he figures he will be safe. But one of the agents had an ex-agent for a girlfriend, and she wants revenge. L has also agreed to reveal himself to a small select group of NPA members, in hopes of catching Light.

Same serious flaws as the first: a boring plot, lifeless, stilted dialogue and even more stilted and boring drawing. None of the characters are anything more then paper cutouts and although the concept is interesting, the execution is dreadful! l seriously wonder how this series has become so popular.

1 Star
Emme

Ash, by Malinda Lo

After Ash's mother died her father remarried. After he died she stayed with and worked for her step-mother, who treats her as little more then a slave. After a wander deep into the woods she meets Sidhean, a fairy man. After they meet several times she believes that she may be falling in love, and it seems he might feel the same. But when she meets Kaisa, a fiery, beautiful huntress who secretly teaches Ash to ride, her heart feels like it is being ripped apart. How will she ever choose between the two of them?

This retelling of Cinderella was mediocre. Although the writing wasn't bad, it was rather bland and uninteresting. The characters were unoriginal. The plot was wobbly and unclear at points and felt rather loose, like there were many details that should have been filled in and sections that didn't lead anywhere that should have come out.

A fun 2-hour read when you are bored, but not a great book if you want something serious.

2 Stars
Emme

Pigman, by Paul Zindel

John and Lorraine were just messing around when they made a prank call that ended up changing their lives. John has pushy parents and Lorraine's mother is just paranoid. Neither of them feel like they can really be who they want to be. After meeting Mr. Pignati, a old man with a young heart, they learn that sometimes you can just do what you want. But will they find the line between too much freedom and not enough before someone gets hurt?

An interesting and emotional book. I have to say I didn't feel much connection with the characters, and felt they were rather immature and self-centered. The writing was good and felt authentic to how a teen expresses him/herself. Their were a number of nice little turns of phrase and clever ways of saying things. I felt that if the author had spent that much effort on the characters it would of been a better book.

3 stars
Emme

The Inheritor by Marion Zimmer Bradley

After Alison Margrave died, several people tried to move in.  Some died, the rest fled. But Leslie Barnes, a psychologist who starts having psychic flashes, is determined to move in. Mostly the house is perfect for herself and her little sister, a gifted musician, but parts of the house start to have awful, dark occurrences. Lights flash, things fall down the stairs, windows brake or won't stay closed. Her sister sees a cat, horribly murdered in the garage, that vanishes when she tries to help.  Leslie sees a man who can possibly have access to her house wandering around. Soon Leslie is in the midst of a feud between a group who practice earth magic, both those dead and alive, and a man who was once one of them, before turning to dark magic. And they want Leslie to choose sides; to take Alison's place in the group or to stay with a man she believes she loves.

Very fast paced and hard to put down! The writing was solid, although rambling at times. The characters were very realistic and interesting, nicely layered and full of issues.

4 Stars
Emme