Books with Bridget

This adventure story is about a boy named Matt. He has just come to the International Bejing Academy and hopes to make the martial arts squad and win the tournament to win a replica of the famous Jade dish. Him and his friends form a group called the Tangshan Tigers to fight crime and when there is a break in at the museum, they suspect that the Jade dish has been tampered with and STOLEN! Can they save the Dish?

A really good, fun and interesting read. I know it's a middle grade book for younger teens and children but to be honest, I really enjoyed myself reading this book. I thought it had adventure and a good balance between fighting crime and focusing on the martial arts tournament. I didn't think it was unrealistic which is really good for a martial arts book. I will definitely be looking to pick up the second and third books in the Tangshan tigers series.  4/5 stars.

I am participating in the 2011 YA reading challenge at level 2- The "fun size" YA reading challenge where you have to read 20 YA books in 2011. I have read 6 so far.
1. Ash- Malinda Lo
2. Bleeding Violet- Dia Reeves
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- J.K Rowling
4. Need- Carrie Jones
5. The Beatrice Letters- Lemony Snicket
6. A girl's guide to falling in love with a zombie
7. Entice- Carrie Jones
8. Captivate- Carrie Jones
9. Fallen- Lauren Kate
10. Tormemt- Lauren Kate
11. Shiver- Maggie Stiefvater
12. Nightshade- Andrea Cremer
13. Wicked Lovely- Melissa Marr
14. Invasion- Jon S. Lewis
15. The betrayal of natalie hargrove- Lauren Kate
16. Hush hush- Becca Fitzpatick
17. Crescendo- Becca Fitzpatrick
18. The dark divine- Bree Despain
19. A blue so dark- Holly schindler
20. Evermore- Alyson noel.

For more info and to sign up (Yes it's a bit late!) go to http://jamielovesya.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-young-adult-reading-challenge.html

Ash is a modern (Not really, considering it's set in what seems like a long time ago) retelling of Cinderella with a fairy twist! Aisling, otherwise known as Ash, loses her mother and father and is left to her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Her father left her stepmother in a lot of debt so to repay her father's debt she must become a serving girl to her stepmother. Ash meets a fairy named Sidhean who grants wishes for her...at a price! Then Ash meets the huntress and falls in love but she is bound to Sidhean.
This book was a bit strange for me, to begin with I really found it to be long winded yet intriguing and definitely worth a read. As I read on I found that the story really unfolded and became really interesting. I really enjoyed it because of the fairy twist and the love triangle (sorta). It is definitely worth a read, though maybe for the younger YA readers it wouldn't be so good because the language is quite formal and I found it to be a little bit confusing at times.
I rate this book a 4.5/5, definitely a great read. The story was great and a good twist in the Cinderella story. It wasn't that predictable like I feared it would be but I would have prefered a little bit more fairy parts. It was quite a short read and it took me about 3/4 days to finish. I felt like I couldn't put it down! Really worth a read.
4.5/5

I decided to enter this challenge. Here's the cool part you can win free books and prizes plus it sounds fun! You have to read 26 books one starting with each letter of the alpahbet.
It's run by http://thethoughtsofabookjunky.blogspot.com/ and follow the link and take part yourself! I highly recommend it! http://thethoughtsofabookjunky.blogspot.com/2011/01/z-reading-challenge-giveaway.html

My list-
A- Ash-Malinda Lo
B- Bleeding Violet- Dia Reeves
C- Captivate- Carrie Jones
D- Delirium- Lauren Oliver
E- Entice- Carrie Jones
F- Fallen- Lauren Kate
G- Generation dead- Daniel Waters
H- Hush hush- Becca Fitzpatrick
I- Inside out- Maria V. Snyder
J- Jessica's guide to dating on the dark side- Beth Fantaskey
K- Knife- R. J Anderson
L- Lament- Maggie Stiefvater
M- Matched- Allie Condie
N- Need- Carrie Jones
O- Other woman, The- Jane Green.
P- Pretty little liars- Sara Shephard
Q- Queen of babble- Meg Cabot
R- Raised by wolves- Jennifer Lynn Barnes
S- Strictly shimmer.
T- Torment- Lauren Kate
U- Unearthly- Cynthia Hand
V- Vesper-
W- Wake- Lisa Mcmann
X- XVI- Julia Karr
Y- You keep a secret, Can- Sophie Kinsella
Z- Zombies calling- Faith Erin Hicks.

Wow that was a struggle and took me a good half an hour, when at 2:!4 AM is not a good thing. Anyway I'll be keep this list safe. Hope you join this challenge too! http://thethoughtsofabookjunky.blogspot.com/2011/01/z-reading-challenge-giveaway.html

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves is all about a girl named Hanna. Her father passed away a year ago and she has mental problems. Her head is plagued with hallucinations and voices of her father. She lives with her aunt but decides to go and find her mother. But when she arrives in the crazy town of Portero she finds that not only does her mother want nothing to do with her, but the town is not what it seems. She wears all purple and makes a bet with her mother that if she can fit in and make friends in two weeks she can stay. Along the way she meets a boy (of course!) and has a crazy adventure


This book was great! It took me a while to read it but I didn't want to read it too fast because I wanted to continue it slowly and enjoy it before finishing it. I thought it was very well written and really descriptive without being overpowering. I love the characters and the main plot which was a love story. It wasn't a traditional straight forward love story which is what made it stand out and made it even more enjoyable to read. The strangeness of both Hanna and Portero made the story really interesting however sometimes it became a little strange and there was a lot of blood, gore and sex which might put people off who aren't used to and/or don't like a lot of those things.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes young adult fiction and mysterious/paranormal reads. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 14 though because of the sexual elements and psychotic themes. I found Hanna nearly influencing me to become a psycho but that might be because of my real life mental illnesses. (Depression and psychosis)
Overall a really good read and a really good book and I would highly recommend it as I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Though confusing in parts (which is the only thing not giving it a 5/5) it is still one of my favourite books of probably all time and I will definitely be happy to re-read it again.
4.5/5 stars.