The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

When Daniel left without a trace three years ago, the last place Grace Divine expected to see him again is in her art class. And if seeing him wasn't shocking enough he is giving her pointers on how to fix the picture she drew of their childhood tree. Jude, Grace's older brother and Daniel's former best friend tells Grace that she isn't safe with Daniel. That he isn't who she thinks he is and that she must promise never to speak to him again. But like Grace says, the problem with a promise is that once you've made it, it is most likely going to be broken. Little does Grace know that you can run from the truth but in the end, it will either make you or break you. Can Grace live with the truth? Can she make the ultimate sacrifice? And in the end what will she lose?

I loved this book, I loved that it seems as if Grace's family is picture perfect. But that not everything is as it seems. Grace, Daniel and Jude are easy to like, and you fall in love with the idea of the story quickly. I cannot wait to see where the story will go. And how everything will be resolved in the end.

For me 5 out of 5 stars.

12 and up.

delirium by Lauren Oliver

Love is a disease, and the society that Lena lives in has found the cure.

Lena is counting down the days until she no longer has to worry about becoming sick with amor deliria nervosa. At last count only 95 days, September 3rd she will be disease free. Her birthday, the day her life will actually begin. Lena feels like she is walking around waiting to catch the disease.

Her biggest fear is that she will end up sick, just like her mother.  The society tried to cure Lena's mother three times, but it didn't work. And what if she is just like her mother?

Lena and her best friend Hana prepare for the evaluations. Knowing that to be matched they need to get a good score. Especially for Lena, because of her family's history. Everyone knows what happened to Lena's mom.

Evaluation day comes and Lena and Hana wait outside to be ushered in. When Lena's time comes she looks for Hana but she is already gone, she must be doing her evaluation. Lena is put in a room and told to dress in the nearly see through gown. When ready Lena is lead into the evaluation room, four evaluators are waiting. They ask Lena the questions that she and Hana have practiced for months, but when they ask Lena her favorite color she answers gray. She starts to try and explain that she didn't mean gray, that she meant blue when chaos breaks out. Cows come rushing in and to Lena's shock she hears a noise above her, a boy...

I love this story. I loved that the disease is something most people have felt more then once in their life. It made me think back to the heart crushing feeling you get at the end of a relationship, it made me think that this book in it's own weird way is something I could see happening in an alternate universe. I am heartbroken wondering where this story could go, and almost desperate to find out.

I would give this a 5 out of 5 stars.
12 and up.