My Bloody Valentine

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!.....
Review: Hamilton High will be having a Valentine's Day Dance in honor of the popular "lover's-day." To add to the excitement, they'll be voting on a king and queen for the event. Everyday at during lunch, students can buy cards for the one they want to win. That way, the school can make a profit for library books. Amy Hunter and her friends are all competing for the title, yet one girl stands out from all the rest -- Tanya. Tanya has the lead over everyone and she thinks life couldn't get any better. That is until she starts receiving valentines from an unknown student at Hamilton. Inside are poems that warn Tanya to be faithful and worthy of being queen, or else she's better off dead. Tanya dismisses the warnings until she's found dead. It was all an accident, according to the police, but how can anyone be sure? After Tanya's death, another girl takes the lead, and also becomes cocky about it. Just like Tanya, she receives ominous messages, and -- just like Tanya -- she dies. Too bad for Amy. After each girl gets murdered, she's put more and more in the lead. Increasing her chances more and more of having a tragic "accident."

I thought that "My Bloody Valentine" by Jo Gibson was fabulous! It was filled with twists and turns around every corner, and kept you guessing until the end! These factors gave me a good impression, however I didn't like the way Gibson repeats her writing style. Like many of her other stories, the chapters alternate between the main character and the killer. Every other page has the main character blushing about something, and that starts to get annoying! Also, the author tends to use the same word over and over again -- "incredibly." That gets to be repetitive. While the plot was entertaining, it wasn't original, which weighed down on my rating. Other than that, it was an awesome book. Read it!

Also recommended:
a.) "Secret Santa" by D. E. Athkins
b.) "The Train" by Diane Hoh
c.) "Slay Bells" by Jo Gibson
d.) "Trick or Treat" by Richie Tankersley Cusick
e.) "Starstruck" by Richie Tankersley Cusick
f.) All R. L. Stine young adult thrillers
g.) All books by Joan Lowery Nixon

Rating:
Summary: Gives R.L. Stine a run for his money!
Review: I first read this book when I was about 12, and I really enjoyed it then. At the time, I was really into R.L. Stine and other such authors. I saw this book on a paperback rack a Wal-Mart, and seeing as how I had a long car ride ahead of me the following weekend, I bought it. From the first page, Ms. Gibson held my attention and within two hours, i had finished the book! Because these thriller books for younger teens are so short, the authors cram a lot into them, making every page exciting so you don't lose interest. My Bloody Valentine is no exception. The plot is better than that of most of these types of books, but they all end the same. Also they have plot holes that anyone over the age of 15 can spot a mile away. But, for its few flaws, Valentine is a decent book for a younger teenager with a few hours to kill. It will definitely keep their interest, and if you have nothing better to do, read it yourself. You might be surprised at how decent it is.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Teen Thriller
Review: The students of Hamilton High School all agree that a Valentine's Day Dance is the absolute perfect way to gear up for spring, and put the winter blues behind them. There will be dancing, food, music, and a special King and Queen that the students of Hamilton High will be able to vote for themselves. Amy Hunter and a group of her friends are all competing for the coveted title of Queen of the Valentine's Day Dance. However, one candidate stands out among the rest of them, and that's Tanya. Tanya has become too confident about her chances at winning the competition, and even the strange Valentine's Day cards that she's been receiving from a Hamilton High student warning her that if she's not worthy of being Queen, she's better off dead, don't faze her. Hence, she ends up dead. So someone else takes Tanya's place in the lead, and just like Tanya, she ends up dead. Soon each candidate is being picked off slowly, and only Amy is left. Making her the prime target to be the killer's next victim.

In the footsteps of R.L. Stine's FEAR STREET book series, Jo Gibson has created an enjoyable teen thriller that will have readers gripping the edge of their seat until the very last page is read. MY BLOODY VALENTINE is told in alternating chapters between the main character, Amy Hunter, and the killer, which is interesting, for it puts you in the minds of two different people who have two different outlooks on the Hamilton High Valentine's Day Dance, and while the plot isn't the freshest in the history of literature, it was entertaining, and will hold the attention of many teen readers.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Rating:
Summary: One of the Better Thrillers
Review: This book was better than many teen thrillers, but if you are an avid reader and older than 16 then steer clear because this is just written below your level and you will not find it enjoyable.

I read it in middle school as a light read between my usual authors at the time: Terry Brooks, Mercedes Lackey, and Tamora Pierce. The writting of this book was not in those authors' league, but I believe this book was much better than many of the thriller books out there written by such notables as R. L. Stine--lots better than goosebumps books--but her others are about the same level, Christopher Pike--best ones he did was the vampire series until the last book in which he ruined the whole series, and in truth much better for fast paced action and easy readability than almost all adult thrillers.

Summary: Competition for the Queen of the Valentines Dance Turns Deadly. Every girl in the lead is killed after being warned to be worthy of the title or die! Our character is number 3 in line. Book gives both Girl's side and killer's side throughout the story.

Recommended to: Elementary and Middle school age girls, middle school age boys, and for any high schoolers wanting a cheap thrill ride of a story to laugh at the preppy girls in high school being killed when they are not nice.