Temptation by R.L. Stine

     About the book: Sometimes evil is sealed with a kiss.
     The vampires of Sandy Hollow crave the summer months. Summer means plenty of beach tourists...and plenty of fresh blood after months of deprivation. But this year the Eternal Ones have decided to spice things up with a little bet: The first to seduce a hot date of the human variety, and then turn them into a fellow creature of the night, wins. 
     The catch? In order to successfully turn their prey, they must take only three sips of blood on three different nights. If they take too much blood on any night, the human will die and the bet will be lost. 
     The setup sounds simple enough, but things quickly get complicated--especially when these vampires are just dying to quench their thirst...

 
     Quote of the Book: "All's fair in love and war, you know."    
     -Gabriel Martins


     My thoughts and opinion: I got this book for my birthday and I thought that it was time I read it. Now, I have and I must say that R.L. Stine did not meet my expectations. However, I really think he's much better at writing children's horror stories. I remember loving his books as a child, but a teen book? I don't think it delivers. 
     Anyway, there were many different characters and technically, this book contains three stories.
     Starting off with the first one, I thought it was a nice beginning. I liked Gabri and Jessica together even though they were Eternal Ones and apparently didn't want to be with each other. But, the little arguments they had were amusing. I really didn't like April even though she, sort of, resembles me in a way. When she got upset at Matt and ran off with Gabri, it was her anger that pushed her to do such a dumb thing with an absolute stranger. I'm impulsive like that too. However, I did not like the way she ignored Matt. Her attitude irritated me so much! Despite his obsession with horror movies and arcades, Matt is not that bad. Sure, he didn't give his full and undivided attention to April, but hey. What do you expect from a teenage boy?
     Then, there was the second story and I sensed a bit of repetition because it was still vampire meets human, seduce them, and suck on their blood. However, for this second story, I really liked the foreshadowing and the clues in different parts of the story. A lot of mixed feelings I had were mostly in this story. I liked the whole plot of it and the climax was great. Billy left a positive feeling for me because of his determination for a desire that was hidden until the end of this story. 
     The last story, the third, was the best of the book even though it was extremely short. That ending was a brilliant example of a story twist. It made up for the terrible characters in the first story and some others in the second. 
     Actually, all of these stories had a surprise ending, but I think Stine nailed it for the third story. Although, I was, sort of, worn-out from all the shocks so I wasn't really feeling it right after I finished the book. I really had to think of why the third story seemed the best.
     Overall, I would not recommend this book. That's mainly because I felt it didn't have strong characters or that much details. Perhaps, I just didn't find the genre of this book fascinating and interesting. However, if you guys are bored and in need of a somewhat little read, go for Temptation but don't get your hopes up like I did.

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan

     About the book: Nothing is beyond Kristi Carmichael's disdain--her hippie high school, her friend Jacob, her workaholic mom. Yet for all her attitude and her mind-reading abilities, Kristi has a vulnerable side. She can hear the thoughts of her fellow students, calling her fat and gross. She's hot for Gusty Peterson, one of the most popular guys in school, but of course, she's sure he thinks she is disgusting. And she's still mad at her father, who walked out on them two years ago. Soon, a school project brings her together with Gusty, her father comes home and drops a bombshell, and a friend comes out of the closet, and suddenly she is left doubting that she can read people at all. 
     Bitingly funny but ultimately poignant and positive, this YA novel is completely on the mark.

     Quote of the Book: “It's not fair that the gorgeous get more gorgeous when they're pissed, while the ugly only get more hideous. ” -Kristi Carmichael

     My thoughts and opinion: This was definitely one of those books I devoured through and wanted seconds. The characters, the events, the conflicts were all so great! I even like the cover! 
     I thought it was sarcastically funny and painfully annoying and joyfully happy. I loved Kristi's sarcasm and awesome ability to read minds, but I hated her stubbornness and her oblivion. She really made me laugh at some parts; it was great to read such a funny character. However, all throughout the book, whenever there was Gusty, I kept thinking, "SICK MEANS COOL!" 
     Speaking of, Gusty is now added on my favorite guy book characters list! Awkward and cowardly but gorgeous made both Kristi and me frustrated! I forgave him for being such a coward at the end of the book though. It was such a shame that it took that long for that to happen. Hahaha I'm being so vague. Also, I was really fond of the fact that he knew how to skate. 
     Poor Mallory. As I was reading, I understood how Mallory felt and it was heartbreaking to read about his pain and why did Kristi have to lead him on? 
     I disliked Kristi's father though. He is the worst father I have ever read. (That might change, but for now, yes.) I don't like it when people break promises and Kristi felt the same about her dad's promise to fix the special container. Her father was really conceited as well; I almost threw the book at the wall when he admitted that he was in love and he was meant to be a doctor. He's supposed to be Kristi's father. There's NOTHING more important than that. I guess he obviously couldn't do that so he ran away to Africa. On the other hand, Kristi's mom was the best mom ever! I loved her concern for Kristi and how she was so strong willed even though Kristi's father practically abandoned them. Kristi's mom was a good example of a strong, tough woman. 
     Overall, I think this book was amazing and I'm so glad my friend recommended it. You guys really need to read this book. I mean how could you not? There's also this surprise near the end of the book that I thought was a major bombshell. And who doesn't love bombshells?