Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

"Sometimes I wonder if my whole life will pass by this way: me waiting in the shadows, waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone else to make it happen. Something new or different or crazy or amazing. I've been there for so long, letting everyone else figure it out for me, floating along without much direction or conscious thought. Reacting. Attention-seeking, Mom calls it. Impulsive. Reckless."

(Fixing Delilah, Sarah Ockler, page 147)

I have read Bittersweet in January. When I finished the book, I was seeking another Sarah Ockler's book. That's how I've found Fixing Delilah. 

Delilah's family is a mess for the last eight years. When her grandmother died, Delilah and her mother don't have a choice but to come back to past and deal with it. As much as everyone wants to forget it. 

Sarah Ockler's writing is just as great as I've remembered. We can enter Delilah's head pretty easily and it was no problem for me to relate to her most of the time. Her feelings were clear and from the beginning, I've admired her knowing exactly what she's believing and what she wants. In the same time, she is insecure and scared. She was human, a believable character.

Some parts of the plot was dragged. I mean, the author planned to pass two months so we've gotten some a-week-break between chapters. I didn't like it but it didn't affect the writing nor the story itself. Besides, I wish we saw more of some of the characters, some of the community's scenes and the way everyone has been acting. Recalling Delilah's memories was great for the plot. 

I'll say it straight: I loved Bittersweet. I only like Fixing Delilah. However, if you like contemporary, I recommend you to check this book out. I've enjoyed it and I thought it to be smart and has some good insights about life. 

Review: Ninth Key by Meg Cabot

There are a lot of positive reviews of my friends about the series in Good reads. So I picked Shadowland (the first book in the series) a year ago. To be honest, I did like the book but that's all. I simply read it because it was quick read and I rather not to leave a book unfinished. Then, for my birthday this year, a friend bought me a book with contains the first two novels in the series. I read the second.

It was surprisingly better than the first book. Well, maybe not surprisingly since first book sometimes are the downside of a series. The story continues to become entangled, we get to know more about the characters and the main character? Well, no, Suze keeps being the annoying character she's been in the first book.

*The next paragraphs may include some spoilers for the first book. If you haven't read it, maybe you want to avoid them.

Meg Cabot is back with Suze, who is mediator and can see ghosts. She has to help them complete their issues in this world so they can make it to the afterworld. And she doesn't like it much- not that I can blame her since the ghosts are mostly selfish, frustrated or angry.

Suze is used to be working alone, running this service that she is forced to do. Now she's got Father Dominic, who is mediator like her, and Jesse, a guy ghost who lives in their room. They both try to tell her what to do but Suze won't give up easily. In the second book, she do whatever she wants and get herself into troubles time after time. 

She is actually what I like in main characters: she is strong, independent and she follows only her rules. However, I keep seeing her as annoying selfish girl. Yeah, she helps ghosts but she does it always in her grumpy ways. It seems she thinks badly of everyone around her and neverthless she keeps taking advantages of them. 

I am not sure if I liked the new aspect the story has taken in the second book. It was confusing to decide if the series is going to deal with another supernatural creature. But I liked the twists and that later we find out things are not that simple like we thought. This turning point, I believe, is going to work for the next books in the series. 

And lastly, Meg Cabot's writing is again humoristic and fun. It brings us the characters and their personalities (even if I didn't like them) in a great way. The dramatic and simple way of Cabot's words is working this time, too.