Book Review: Sophmore Switch

Title: Sophomore Switch
Author: Abby McDonald
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Number of Pages: 296


Emily and Tasha, two very different girls switching to two very different lifestyles. Tasha is your typical Californian, blond, party hard and dates guys as frequently as one changes underwear, while Emily is your stuck up Brit girl, who always has her nose stuck in a book, studying and etc. They switch places so Emily is California and Tasha is in Oxford. Both have to learn to adjust to the foreign place and along the way learn their “true” selves.

You know there some things that are just not meant to be no matter how try you want it to work out and this book was one of those things. I tried I really tried to get into it but I couldn’t. Yes there were times that the book was interesting but others it was just too bland, in my opinion, for my taste.

I think the first problem was, I wasn’t too sure keen about premise, two girls switching lives with two very different lifestyles. Yeah, okay, so? Although, these girls were switching lives they pretty much had the same issues: making themselves accustom to the different environment (as expected), boy troubles, trying new things, and other such things of the same essence, in a way. Emily needed to learn to relax and forget about her ex and Tasha needed to stop her reckless behavior, partying and get more studious.

This book was told in alternating point of views, making it harder for me to enjoy. At certain points of the book I wanted to know more about Tasha’s situation more then Emily’s and vice versa, at other times. To clarify: say a new problem was introduced in one chapter then it would be cut off to explain the situation for the other character.

The characters were at first, really blase at first. But as the story progressed I was impressed with their thought process and actions, especially the decisions made toward the end of the book. So major kudos for that.

Overall, the book was“not to be meant to be” for me. It was boring for a good amount of the book and did not hit its stride until the third-quarter of the book.


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Eternal by Cynthia Leitiech Smith

After, reading Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith over the summer, and being completely armored by the universe, I was ecstatic to learn that there were more novels planned to be set in the same universe.


Eternal, introduces new beings-angels, Guardian Angels to be specific.


Zachary, is a GA for Miranda, and he has done his duty just fine for seventeen years of Miranda’s life. Until one night when Miranda and her friend, Lucy decided to meet a guy in the cemetery. While there, Miranda is ambushed by the reigning King of the Mantle of Dracula, himself. Miranda, is soon adopted by him, turned into an eternal (vampire). He introduces her to the “other world” where life is much more glamorous then Miranda imagined. Now it’s up to Zachary, to save Miranda’s soul as well as redeeming himself for letting Miranda turn into a vampire, under his watch.


Although, I read the back cover, I do not think I had a clear understanding of what the book truly was about. With that being said, no at all what I expected. Although, it is set in the same universe, there were many differences between these two. Yeah sure there are were-animals and vampires and that’s about it. Tantalize focuses more in the world you and I are living, while Eternal, more on the “other world”-the vampire quarters.


I liked how the book was told in alternating points of views between Miranda and Zachary. I think the book was would have been considerably, less enjoyable if only told in Miranda’s point of view. Her character was very mundane. Most of her concerns were whether or not her adopted father would approve of her and if she was being a “proper” lady and vampire. I disliked her lack of emotions of being ripped (metaphorically speaking of course) from her family and friends.


On the other hand Zachary was everything but boring, he was amusing and imaginative. A very nice and refreshing voice after reading about Miranda’s mindless thoughts. The plot was all right, nothing special, at times it felt like it was lacking. But I was happy towards the end it picked up and it got a lot more exciting and intriguing. And Miranda’s character redeemed herself by doing something very noble in the end, which made me like her much better then before.


All in all it was an okay novel with a cliff hanger in the end. So naturally, I really want to read the forthcoming book, Blessed, which will feature members of both cast from Tantalize and Eternal.

Thanks N, for the copy!

Released Date: February 10, 2009
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Candlewick
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Tantalize Click here.
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