Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

From GoodReads: Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

I wish I could say that I loved this book, I had my hopes up really high going in, only to be brought crashing down partway in.  I thought the begininning started out really strong and I was reall excited to see where it was going to go.  But then about halfway through it just seemed to lose steam, it started to drag on, and it lost some of it's magic, some of it's uniqueness.  I was expecting something (I honestly was expecting a book about witches and magic, not alchemy and fae) and I just felt like, even though some elements were fresh and unique, a lot of elements had been done too many times before.  I can say that I will read the next book in this series, if only to find out what secrets the alchemists are hiding from Donna and to see if Xan gets his wings back.

The Everafter by Amy Huntley

From GoodReads: Madison Stanton doesn't know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this - she is dead. And alone in a vast, dark space. The only company Maddy has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things she lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that, with these artifacts, she can reexperience - and even change - moments from her life.

Her first kiss.

A trip to Disney World.

Her sister's wedding.

A disastrous sleepover.

In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and frightening truths about her life - and death.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book and the direction in which Amy Huntley tried to take it.  Unfortunately, I found it lacking, though I can't really put my finger on what it was lacking.  I really tried to like this book, it was like every chapter was a story in itself.  But I found parts of it confusing at the beginning, like I was never told what was actually going on and I had to figure out the puzzle without all the pieces.  So I have to say that this book wasn't great for me, however, I look forward to reading more by Amy Huntley, I think she has the potential to take her ideas and create magic with them.

The Revealers by Amanda Marrone

From GoodReads: Jules has a rebellious streak, a massive crush on Connor, and the abilities of a Revealer witch. By day, she and her coven friends seem like typical high school seniors. By night, they have the power to make werewolves, vampires, and ghosts reveal themselves, so they can destroy them. It's not exactly cheerleading, but at least the girls know they're doing the world some good. 

One by one, Jules's friends turn eighteen and are initiated into the coven's inner circle. And one by one, they are getting completely freaked out. Jules is the youngest, and though her friends are too scared tell her what's going on, something's clearly not right. As her birthday approaches, Jules realizes she's got to find out what's behind the shadows of her coven before it's too late to save her friends...and herself. But what she discovers may be too powerful for even the toughest witches to defeat.

This book, like Low Red Moon, was a quick, instant gratification read.  I finished it in just a couple of hours and once again, did not really see the ending or the bad guy coming.  I thought it was an original, well-written story with very real, easy-to-like characters.  I am not sure if this book is a stand-alone or if this will be a series, but I hope it will be a series.  I want to know what is next for these characters and I look forward to reading more from Amanda Marrone.

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

From GoodReads: The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver—deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school—Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. When Ben reveals he's a werewolf, Avery still trusts him—at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans. As breathless as Twilightand as spooky as Shiver, this is a book to be devoured in one sitting—by an acclaimed YA author making her paranormal debut under the pseudonym Ivy Devlin.

I went into this book not really knowing what it was about or even hearing any reviews of it.  The cover just jumped out at me at the library and so I took it home and read it.  It had a really good pace to it and I finished it in only a couple of hours.  While the characters and storyline has been done before, I still enjoyed this book.  I hate a book that I can guess the ending or the bad guy before they are revealed, and I am happy to say that I did not see who the bad guy was coming.  All in all I would say that this was a good book for someone who wants a quick read with instant gratification.  

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

From GoodReads: Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe, but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon she'll discover the shocking truth about Ryland and Mallory: that these two are visitors from the faerie realm who have come to collect on an age-old debt. Generations ago, the faerie queen promised Pheobe's ancestor five extraordinary sons in exchange for the sacrifice of one ordinary female heir. But in hundreds of years there hasn't been a single ordinary girl in the family, and now the faeries are dying. Could Phoebe be the first ordinary one? Could she save the faeries, or is she special enough to save herself?

I have to say, I was really disappointed in this book.  I wasn't loving the characters, I found them to not have the depth or the life I was looking for in them.  But the worst part was this secret that was talked about constantly through the book, though you don't find out what it is exactly until the end.  Nancy really built up this secret so that the whole book really depended on it to be a great secret, and I found the secret to be weak and didn't live up to the standard that she wanted it to.  I have read other books by Nancy Werlin and love her writing, but this book was a FAIL for me.

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

From GoodReads: Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she

meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.

Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.

I have mixed feelings about this book.  It started out really exciting and I thought "this book is going to rock", but then it really started to slow down, then drag, and just when I was about to give up on it, Cate Tiernan throws this huge curveball that I was hoping she would and barreled 90 miles and hour to the finish.  Now granted, I was not impressed with the ending, but that was only because she leaves you hanging and dying for the next book.  If the second book is as much of a rollercoaster as the end of this one, we're all in for a treat.  

Elijah's Coin by Steve O'Brien

From GoodReads:In every heart there exists the potential for good and for evil. The question is which we'll choose. Without the right principles and guidance, a traumatic experience can lead one down a barren path. If our view of the world is dark, then further experience will tend to reinforce that view, leading to more pessimism and fruitless or even destructive behavior. How does one break out of this cycle of negativity?

That question is at the heart of Elijah's Coin, a thoughtful fable about one young man's descent into a life of crime... until he discovers an unlikely mentor, who begins to teach him a new philosophy of life. It's a philosophy not so much of words as of deeds. The lessons, therefore, prove to be indirect and not fully understood until they are lived. The point is not to state what you believe but to become what you believe. In doing so, you will come to lead a fulfilling and prosperous life. You'll find that life is not about you but about others and that generosity is repaid in kind.

Elijah's Coin asks readers to reflect even as they are entertained by a fast-moving, suspenseful story. Ultimately, the book confronts the reader with the possibility — and the opportunity &mdash of inner change. Learn the message, then pay it forward.

I think that the description from GoodReads really sums up what this book is about nicely.  I had a hard time not getting emotional during this book.  I really felt like I was on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.  Tom was a wonderful, well-written character.  I know that a lot of reviewers have said that this book was "preachy" but I found that, when remembering my own adolescence, that I could have really used this book when I was a teen.  My hat goes of to Steve O'Brien for a great story that, in my opinion, has a chance at becoming a classic teen book for generations to come.