The Rest of Us Just Live Here / Patrick Ness / 319 pages

You know who they are, those indie kids-- the ones who end up being The Chosen One when the supernatural happens, the ones who have the unique powers, the ones who pretty much save the world from the Ultimate Evil?

Well this is not their story.

This story focuses on (somewhat) ordinary kids who just want to graduate high school before it gets blown up.  Again.  Mikey wants to ask Henna out before her family goes to Africa and has a severe case of OCD.  Mel has to graduate a year late while coping with anorexia.  Jared keeps a lot of secrets from his friends, revealing to them only 1) he's gay, and 2) he's part-god (the God of Cats to be exact; cats love this guy).  Each chapter also begins with a short side story on the indie kids' battle against the Immortals, particularly focusing on a girl named Satchel, though there are other characters like Finn, Dylan, Finn, Kerouac, Finn, Wisconsin, Finn, Finn, and even a prince.  Oh, and not to mention Finn.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I must say: this was a witty, yet sad, yet heartwarming book all at the same time.  Every character faces a different conflict, both internal and external, while having to deal with the flaws he or she has, making them more realistic.  As the books tagline says, "Sometimes you have to find the extraordinary in the ordinary."

One of Us is Lying/Karen M. McManus/360 pgs.

It starts out like a scene from the movie, The Breakfast Club. 5 high school students are sent to detention: Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, Cooper, and Simon. Bronwyn is the "smart" one; Addy is the "beauty;" Nate is the "bad boy;" Cooper is the baseball "jock;" and Simon is on the outside looking in. Simon writes a blog of dirty little secrets of his fellow classmates--which happen to be true. So, when he ends up dying in detention, the four others in the room become prime suspects. The book is told in alternating chapters in the remaining characters' voices. For a debut YA novel, I found it very engrossing, with teenage angst coming through loud and clear! Recommended!