The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Release Date: March 16, 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 210

Liking your best friend's boyfriend is definitely a no-no, but it doesn't stop Sarah from liking Ryan, her best friend's, Brianna, boyfriend. Sarah has liked Ryan for a while, but Brianna got him first--just like how she gets any guy she likes.

Ever since eighth grade and a botched attempt to go to the school dance together, Sarah has crushed on Ryan. Years later at a party in high school, the two seemingly have another chance to get together, but Brianna snags Ryan first. Confident and pretty, Brianna attracts guys like flies to honey. She hasn't failed to hook a guy she likes, and Ryan seems to be no exception.

It hurts Sarah to see the two together, and she is torn apart every time the two kiss, but as Brianna's best friend, she knows she can't do anything about it. Although she's dragged to every other date Brianna and Ryan go on, Sarah avoids being alone with Ryan at all costs--she does not think she can avoid temptation otherwise. But her passion for Ryan burns so brightly it may consume her if she doesn't do anything about it soon...


Warning! There may be a few spoilers in the next part of my review!

I really have no idea how Sarah puts up with Brianna! Brianna may have grown up in a troubled household, but she hardly treats the one person who cares about her, Sarah, with much kindness! Sarah is always there for her, but Brianna only uses and abuses their friendship, often dropping snide remarks that put Sarah down.

Although the emotional build-up was quite strong, I felt that it wasn't quite enough when Ryan and Sarah kiss for the first time. It seems a bit soon, and does not earn much sympathy for Sarah. Some may question whether or not she is such a good friend. Although you get more of the back story later, I felt it may have been a bit better if we knew more of Ryan and Sarah's background before their first kiss.

After a while, The Unwritten Rule seemed rather repetitive; Sarah likes Ryan and obsesses over him, Ryan seems to like her back, but he's with Brianna, repeat. Nonetheless, the emotions were very vivid and believable and I don't doubt that many can relate to liking someone who already has a boyfriend/girlfriend, or at least wanting something they can't have! While there are many points readers can relate to--that one popular girl that gets everything (and every guy!) she wants, the forbidden fruit, and knowing the kind of person who's every compliment is also an insult--after a while, the story drag started to drag.

Lastly, I was hoping that Ryan's character would grow a bit stronger by the end. I was hoping that after seeing who Brianna really is, he would be a bit more firm when he had to defend Sarah. However, his statement seemed a bit feeble and he did not really rise to the occasion. I was hoping both Ryan and Sarah would learn more from their experiences and grow, but they did not seem to change that much from how they originally were in the beginning. I understand that Ryan is a bit of a shy guy, but I was hoping he'd become a bit more sure of himself by the end.

I'm still a big fan of Elizabeth Scott's books, but I don't think The Unwritten Rule is my favorite book by her. Maybe my expectations were too high since I loved the last two books I read by her: Perfect You and Something, Maybe!

Shade giveaway!!

Hi guys!

Sorry for my absence; it's been a rough 2 months for me. My good friend's mother fell ill and then finals hit all of us. Unfortunately, that is also when I decided to get the sickest I've ever been all year. I've been sick for over two weeks now but hopefully the new medication will get rid of this awful cough!
But to make up for my lack of updates and to celebrate The Book Vault being open for over 2 years and to thank all of my lovely followers, I'll be hosting several giveaways!

And to start, I'll be giving away 5 copies of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready!

Summary:

"Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift." (Thanks to Amazon)

Check out the book trailer!

Interested in winning a copy?

Just comment on this post w/ your name & email address!
+1 entry if you are a follower or become a follower of The Book Vault! Simply comment again on this post telling me that you're a follower to get your extra entry!

Sorry, open to US mailing addresses only! No P.O. boxes please!
Please enter by 5.21.10 midnight, EST!

Thank you to Simon Pulse for generously donating 5 copies of Shade for this giveaway!

Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

Release Date: March 2009
Publisher: Smart Pop
Pages: 196

Greek mythology is pretty hot right now since Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was made into a movie! The series are loved by children and older readers alike, and other authors have written essays on various topics of the series. Some of the essays include, "The pros and cons of having a god as a parent," "How to tell a monster when you see one," and "What it takes to be one of Artemis's Hunters." Demigods and Monsters has essays that fans of the series may enjoy. Some essays are funny while others were a bit more informative. For fans that may want to take a look at other authors' take on Rick Riordan's series!

** Please note, these are essays by other authors on the Percy Jackson series, not essays by Rick Riordan!

Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Release Date: December 22, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 320

Sonny and Kelley are back in Lesley Livingston's second installment of her Wonderous Strange series! Unfortunately, Sonny and Kelley are not together; Sonny is in Faerie and trying to rid the land of the last few members of the Wild Hunt while Kelley is back in New York, acting in productions of Shakespeare's works.

These two star-crossed lovers may be temporarily separated, but they constantly think of each other. Kelley explores her new powers and has the company of the other Janus guards, but it cannot compare to having Sonny's company. However, the two cannot just spend their time pining for each other; there are dark matters brewing on the horizon--can Kelley and Sonny handle all that is to come?

I really don't want to give too much away here, but it was interesting to learn more about some other characters in the latest book in this series! Lesley Livingston's writing style is excellent and enjoyable! However, I do feel like this is a "middle book." Although it is well written, you know that there's going to be one more book, so not everything will be resolved. It's just a portion of the path the characters take as they get closer to the end. An enjoyable novel at points, but not entirely satisfying. Fans of Lesley Livingston's first novel will enjoy Darklight, but will probably be more eager for her third novel when their questions will be answered!

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

Release Date: February 2, 2010
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 306

William Shakespeare's well-known play, Romeo and Juliet, gets a different spin in Robin Maxwell's O, Juliet. Romeo and Juliet's story takes place during the Italian Renaissance and Juliet Capelletti is a budding poet and lover of Dante's work. Romeo Monticecco is also a lover of poetry and the two meet during a party. Romeo sneaks into the party with hopes to smooth over the tension between his family and Juliet's. The two of course are immediate attracted to each other and long to be together.

However, even as the strained relations between the Capellettis and Monticeccos improve, there still one thing standing in this couple's way: Jacopo Strozzi. Strozzi is Juliet's father's business partner. He is a man who often whines and complains, which does nothing for his already ugly appearance. Unfortunately, Juliet is destined to marry him, as her father and Strozzi wish to

At least Juliet has her good friend Lucrezia, who recently married into the powerful Medici family. The two are educated ladies who share a love of literature. Juliet confides in Lucrezia and has high hopes that Romeo's persistence at easing tensions between the Capellettis and Monticeccos can eventually lead to a marriage to Romeo for love, not a marriage for convenience with Strozzi.

But fate was not destined to be kind to these star crossed lovers; they must keep their love and their activities secret, lest their anyone learns of their trysts. But before long, things go spiraling out of control, and the deceitful Strozzi will do anything to destroy what Romeo has worked for, and to make sure that Juliet and the business will be all his...

I'm still a little conflicted over this retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Although I found O, Juliet enjoyable at points, I was not a big fan of some of how some of the characters were portrayed; Strozzi and Romeo were too fitted for their parts: evil vs. good. Strozzi seemed rather overstated; his ugly appearance and foul disposition was stated over and over again while Romeo seemed just a little too perfect: he was polite and the constant peace-maker. I always saw Romeo as a much more impulsive man who could be rather moody and at times, lustful. However, that is just my interpretation and Maxwell's shows another possibility.

One point that bothered me was that Strozzi received most of the blame for the things that went wrong in this version of Romeo and Juliet. In Shakespeare's version the two youth's impulsiveness and impatience was what often led to the trouble. Although the two star-crossed lovers in Maxwell's version were rash and at times, I would say they were not near the level that Shakespeare's original showed, so the plot seemed driven by Strozzi's scheming as much as by their impulsiveness and tendency for hasty decisions. I am not saying that Shakespeare's version was driven soley by Romeo and Juliet's attitudes as there were other factors as well, but I felt that it had a much bigger role in Shakespeare's original, and had thought that to be one of the points Shakespeare was making about love and young lovers' lust.

All in all, each reader may find Robin Maxwell's O, Juliet more enjoyable or less so that I did, depending on his/her own interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, but you have to give credit to Maxwell for telling her own interpretation of the classic love story.

Bookish Mention & an update

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since I've done a Bookish Mention, but since the Percy Jackson & The Olympians: the Lightning Thief movie came out recently, I've noticed there's been a renewed interest in mythology from the younger readers! Our mythology section has been noticeably more empty since more readers are checking those books out!

Although I have not had the chance to see Percy Jackson yet, I have always been a fan of Greek & Roman mythology. One of the girls I see at the library now and then loves the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and said she saw the movie three times and loved it! Has anyone else seen it? Thoughts? The special fx looks amazing, but how does the plot hold up?

And for a small update: life has been wayyy too hectic lately. I've been hitting my textbooks and various required readings for writing classes far more often than I've been able to curl up with a good book. That said, I apologize for the lack of updates lately. I'm still trying to adjust to my new schedule! However, I was able to read several books beyond my required english texts during break, so expect a few reviews coming!

thanks for hanging in there with me!
In the mean time, let me know what you thought of the Lighting Thief if you saw it! Should I go watch it or not? Was it worth your ten bucks?

Winners!

Sorry about the delay; everything's been rather busy lately and I haven't been feeling so well.

But without further ado, I present the winners of the last 3 contests , chosen courtesy of random.org!

The 3 winners of The Lonely Hearts Club are:
- Aik
- Briana (The Book Pixie)
- Lindsay Frost (email entry)

The winner of Wish is:
Bani!

The 3 winners of My Soul to Save are:
- Eli
- Abigail (All Things Urban Fantasy)
- Jennifer B. (Cat on the Shelf)

If you are one of the winners, please send me an email at bookvault(at)yahoo.com with your full name & mailing address no later than Sunday (2.22.10) so I can get your prize out to you!
If I don't hear from you by then I will have to choose a new winner.

Congrats to all the winners and thank you sooo much to everyone for entering!
If you didn't win, don't worry, there'll be more giveaways coming up!