Sarah's Review of Eternity by Heather Terrell

Ellie is a typical high school student, at least she used to think so. In this second book of the Fallen Angel Series, Eternity, we find Ellie trying to come to grips with the reality that she is the Elect One. The one and only person who can save the country and humankind from devastating forces. Not only is she dealing with the business of being the Elect One, she finds her relationship with Michael is getting more tense. Then she meets Rafe, a mysterious new boy, who can make things even more complicated. Not only with Michael, but with her fate as the Elect One as well. While hoping she had more time to prepare, she finds that the time has run out and she has to stand up against the fallen angels who are trying to destroy the world. She tries to push her personal problems aside, but realizes that her heart and her destiny are intertwined and she needs to figure out what her relationship is with both Michael and Rafe. The end of days is quickly approaching and with it she needs to listen to her heart and decide who she truly trusts and loves.

This is the sequel to Fallen Angel, the first in her two book series. And while I hadn't read the first book, which I think I now want to, I was surprised at how quickly I could pick up what was going on. The plot and the climax of the book all happened so quickly though. In my opinion, I wish there would have been more conflict while they were battling the fallen angels. It almost seemed too easy to conquer all they had to, especially after taking quite a bit of time learning all they had to on how to destroy the fallen angels. I kept waiting for a big twist, especially with Rafe's character, but there was none. That being said, it was still a good book and focused on some major themes common in our society. The main theme being good versus evil. It just goes to show you that all things good should end up coming out on top and that honesty and truth are above all else, the fundamentals to our society. Evil forces are constantly trying to corrupt us and it is our duty to see through those false identities to the truth of the matter, before more harm comes to us. You need to trust your instincts above all else.

The character development is pretty phenomenal. Ellie's character shows so much growth and strength throughout the story. She overcomes her own fears and suspicions for the sake of others and seems to take on the personality and responsibilities of someone much older than she really is. But with the outcome of the world on your shoulders, she doesn't really have much of a choice. She learns how strong she can truly be. When everyone else is counting on you, you need to give it everything you've got. I just wish, with this being a paranormal romance, that there was more to the relationship with Ellie and Michael. They were hardly together at times and were so distant during much of the story. I know that their attitude towards one another does play an integral role in the outcome of the plot, I just wish there had been more elaboration on their relationship.

Sarah's Review of The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Fault In Our Stars is such a heartbreaking, dynamic novel. It is full of tragedy, but also humour and grace. John Green really capitalizes on the old saying "tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
The Fault In Our Stars is about a young teenage girl, Hazel Grace, who has been diagnosed with cancer, yet has gotten a few more years due to a new medical drug that is supposed to cause her tumor to shrink. It's a miracle drug, but Hazel still knows that her diagnosis is terminal. Upon her parents request, she attends a Cancer Kid Support Group in a church and it is here that she meets Augustus Waters. Everything Hazel thought she knew about her life and herself suddenly takes a huge turn as she finds herself irrevocably drawn to him and falls in love.
This novel helps put things into perspective while living in such a fast paced career driven world. It shows us that those that we love, our family and friends, are the most important things in our world and we should cherish them and make them a priority. We need to step back and figure out what it is that we truly want to do, what we love to do, and then follow those dreams in order to be truly happy.
All of the characters in this novel are filled with rich descriptive and they all play an integral role in the development of the story. The story is well-written and unfolds naturally over the course of their lives. Even though we only see a glimpse into Hazel's life for a short period of time, it is easy to fall in love with her character and to truly empathize with her. It's a sad reality that most of us readers know somebody or has known or loved somebody in a similar situation as Hazel, being diagnosed with cancer is such widespread and unfortunately happens too often in our society. Cancer touches many lives, and this novel shows just how deeply others are impacted with one's diagnosis.
There is a lot of tragedy in this novel yet through it all we find that amongst the anguish, tragedy brings people together. We see this especially in Hazel's friendship with Isaac.
I think the most important thing that I got out of this novel is the message to do the things that make you happy and spend your time with people you love because you only get one life and whether it is a short life or a long life, you want to make it yours and you want it to be memorable. I don't give many books 5 stars, but this one deserves it.