13 to Life (13 to Life #1)

Jul 28, 2012 Kira rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, werewolves, books-to-use-as-weapons, i-ll-try-again-some-day, lost-the-will-to-live, made-me-want-to-choke-myself, made-no-sense, so-boring-i-ate-my-own-face, wtf-is-this-racist-crap

Lo and fucking behold, my darlings. Another one bites the dust.

I can't do it. I can't finish it. I've tried napping, I've tried taking it to bed with me, I've tried putting it down and having a break (and a KitKat); hell, I've even tried sitting in a quiet room and forcing myself to drag my eyes across the vapid pages. But nothing works. Nothing.

This is exactly why I should always, always, always heed the advice of my dear Cillian. Oh, Cillian! Why did I not heed your virulent warning? Why did I...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: pn-shapeshifters, annoying-main-characters, young-adult, read-2011, heroines-wimpy, eye-bleeding

Boy, it sure takes some girls a long time to figure out there's a werewolf in her midst. Dogs react weirdly to Pietr, the new boy in school, he sniffs people, his eyes look "disconcertingly feral," he has "startlingly beautiful teeth," he heals super fast, he thinks vampires get more attention than werewolves do, there were wolf attacks in the town his family just left...do you need more signs? Oh, how about HE TELLS HER ON PAGE 205? But Jessie Gillmansen doesn't believe him until he actually le...more Boy, it sure takes some girls a long time to figure out there's a werewolf in her midst. Dogs react weirdly to Pietr, the new boy in school, he sniffs people, his eyes look "disconcertingly feral," he has "startlingly beautiful teeth," he heals super fast, he thinks vampires get more attention than werewolves do, there were wolf attacks in the town his family just left...do you need more signs? Oh, how about HE TELLS HER ON PAGE 205? But Jessie Gillmansen doesn't believe him until he actually leads her into the woods and transforms in front of her on page 286. And then the book ends 22 pages later.

I am somewhat shame-faced at having read this entire book. I kept waiting for it to get better, but if anything, it just got more and more convoluted. The Russian Mafia stuff makes no sense, the cheating thing makes no sense (Jessie's making him go out with her best frenemy Sarah, who was formerly evil but then killed Jessie's mom with her car, but who is now "good" thanks to Jessie's good samaritan project. So if this girl likes Pietr, Jessie can't have him, so he's got to go out with the other girl, but Jessie can't stop kissing him. Got that?), and the wolf thing doesn't have time to make any sense, because you only get 10 minutes with the knowledge until it's all over. And while it's clear the book was set up for sequels, it's very odd how abruptly the story ends, and how weird behavior from the killer best friend and Derek, the sometime-crush, is never explained (although it's pretty easy to guess what's going on in Derek's case), not even a little bit. Most of all, Jessie herself seems really young and misguided and naive, and with a main character so painfully unaware of herself and those around her, the book seems very skewed towards younger teens.

The thing is, I think somewhere buried deep down (okay, deep, deep down) there might've been a decent book in this. But it needed to go through many more revisions with a lot more character development, a refresher on the importance of providing motivation, and a huge overhaul on planning out a coherent plot. But maybe I'm just kidding myself, just like Jessie did.(less)

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Nov 30, 2010 Dixie Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-fiction, i-own

I loved this book and I loved Pietr! I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a super sweet romance with a dark mystery. From the first moment we meet Pietr we just know that this guy is weird. You knew from like the 2nd page what Pietr was. Jessie is very bright. She resists Pietr in the beginning, because she has this huge crush on this jock named Derek. Derek is supposedly really hot, but Pietr hates him! I know he was jealous because Jess liked Derek instead of him, but I think their...more

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Jun 22, 2010 D.J. added it

13 to Life was one of those books I simply COULD NOT wait for. Everything from the cover to the plot captivated me. Shannon Delany's friendliness also fueled by anticipation.

For starters, Jess is an extremely likable narrator and character. She's funny, smart, and a kind-hearted person. She entangles herself in a web of lies, but in my opinion, her lies were spun with good intentions. Her love of vampire novels is amusing since vampires are currently all the rage. I admire her ability and willi...more 13 to Life was one of those books I simply COULD NOT wait for. Everything from the cover to the plot captivated me. Shannon Delany's friendliness also fueled by anticipation.

For starters, Jess is an extremely likable narrator and character. She's funny, smart, and a kind-hearted person. She entangles herself in a web of lies, but in my opinion, her lies were spun with good intentions. Her love of vampire novels is amusing since vampires are currently all the rage. I admire her ability and willingness to put others before herself, despite the fact she often gets hurt as a result.

Pietr is a mysterious, yet charming character. His feelings for Jess are romantic and passionate. Although he has some personal issues to work out, he still proves to be a gentleman when it comes to Jess. I like how dark he is and how he's afraid to let Jess in on his secrets. He loves her, but the last thing he wants is to hurt her. I also really love the fact that he hates a certain Shakespeare play that many people, myself included, love. I don't know why, but I find it amusing--in a good way.

I really like how Ms. Delany included Pietr's siblings in the story and how they all interact with each other. In particular, I really like his sister, Catherine. She seems genuinely sincere and happy for Pietr and I can't wait to learn more about her in the sequel.

Ms. Delany's writing is wonderfully descriptive and funny. She has not only given Jess an authentic voice, but she has also given each supporting character their own voice and identity. Her descriptions are beautiful, but not over the top, which allowed me to see everything clearly in my mind. To me, it felt like each page came alive. Also, due to the fluid and even pacing, there's never a dull moment and readers will quickly become engrossed in the story.

Next to vampires, werewolves are one of the most popular supernatural beings in literature right now. But like Maggie Stiefvater, Shannon Delany has taken a known mythology and made it fresh again. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the story, but although the wolves themselves don't really differ from other ones in books, their history does.

In the end, I fell in love with 13 to Life! I couldn't put it down and now I'm left hungry for the sequel. I love Jess and Pietr's relationship and can't wait to see them grow as a couple. Please do not hesitate picking up a copy of this beautiful, suspenseful, and riveting novel! You'll regret it if you do.(less)

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Nov 08, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by AdrienneBe for TeensReadToo.com

They aren't supposed to like each other. It was just a new student, helpful (had no choice) current student show-him-around deal.

That went down the drain in less that a week with not much help from dark, foreign, tall, all-too-handsome, get-lost-in-his-eyes Pietr. Jess wasn't looking for a relationship; in fact, she was looking for anything but after her mom died a few months ago.

Jess is just trying to put her life back together and help her messed up f...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Demonic Circus Princess rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: are-you-kidding-me, cardboard-characters-syndrome, closeminded-asshole, damn-comformists, hate-with-the-wrath-of-hell, holy-chiz-where-did-that-come-from, i-swear-the-heroine-has-pms, lecture-to-humanity, one-or-two-redeeming-characters, pathetic-excuse-for-a-villain, wanted-to-slap-the-heroine

1.5 STARS

You know, the beginning of this book was really magical. For the first two entire pages, I was enthralled by the beauty of Rio the horse, stars, forests, and the beautiful expanses.

Then, by the time we get to page three, the entire thing goes to shit.

Suddenly, Jessie is this stupid mood-swing prone bitch who loves to hate everything. She had a few moments of glory, one of which involved shooting a gun, but otherwise just made me want to stick her head in a blender. I think the only othe...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Jennah Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

So I'm really behind on writing this review. A while ago I put a quick blurb about the book, but it deserves much more than a blurb. I just got it back after some friends passed it around. I"m happy to report they all loved it as much as I did. It's a little worn, but isn't that what makes a good book??

When 13 to Life came out I was in need of a fresh look on paranormal. This more than satisfied that need. I can't wait for Secrets and Shadows to come out this next February.

What I like: The wolv...more So I'm really behind on writing this review. A while ago I put a quick blurb about the book, but it deserves much more than a blurb. I just got it back after some friends passed it around. I"m happy to report they all loved it as much as I did. It's a little worn, but isn't that what makes a good book??

When 13 to Life came out I was in need of a fresh look on paranormal. This more than satisfied that need. I can't wait for Secrets and Shadows to come out this next February.

What I like: The wolves in this story are different. They are your usual run of the mill change at a full moon, big and burly wolves. They have real character and weren't out to make themselves known in any way. I like Jessie. She's got spunk and she cares for those around here, even when she doesn't have to, or maybe shouldn't. I like the flow of the book, there is a lot of build up, but I have faith that Shannon will deliver answers in upcoming books. There are hidden answers in the book that you don't figure out until after you've read it or you talk to Shannon, like their names. It adds another perspective to the book that keeps you thinking long after you're finished reading.I like Pietr too. He's quiet and caring. He looks after those he loves.

What I love: MAX! I know Max isn't a standout character in this book, but there is something that immediately drew me in to him. From Chapter One to the last page, he's there in the background making me smile.I'm thinking maybe it's the whole snarky protector. The family puzzle was one of my favorite parts of the book. The descriptions Shannon used for their reactions to Jessie were brilliant. There is some symbolism that I can't wait to find out the meaning of (and not just my assumption!) I love the Russians as a whole. They add a dimension not regularly seen in paranormal.

Would I recommend: Of course! Wait a minute...I already have, more than once. It's a great book. I love it, everyone I've recommended it to loved it. I'm going to take a leap and say you will love it too!(less)

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Nov 05, 2010 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-books

Werewolves. I love them.

Things that rocked about this novel.... writing. Descriptive elements where impressive. I’m sorta picky about descriptive elements.... sometimes it’s just way overdone. But Delaney had a nice balance.

Characterization. Characterization was excellent. I may not have liked some of the characters, but they were well developed and three dimensional. There is nothing worse than reading about a flat character.

Did I mention werewolves? The lore about these werewolves was intri...more Werewolves. I love them.

Things that rocked about this novel.... writing. Descriptive elements where impressive. I’m sorta picky about descriptive elements.... sometimes it’s just way overdone. But Delaney had a nice balance.

Characterization. Characterization was excellent. I may not have liked some of the characters, but they were well developed and three dimensional. There is nothing worse than reading about a flat character.

Did I mention werewolves? The lore about these werewolves was intriguing.... but I felt like we were only given just a little tip of the iceberg. I am genuinely looking forward to hearing more about that aspect of the story. Hoping that we will learn more about it in book two.

Jess was an easy character to identify with. I immediately liked her, although that sorta changed once I got into the novel a little bit more. I mean I understand the need to be selfless.... but Jess takes it to the extreme and it comes across as annoying rather than admirable.

For example... and perhaps this might be a tad bit spoilery... if you want to skip over it.

So Jess likes Pietr... Pietr likes Jess. But! Jess’s best friend... if you want to call her that, likes Pietr too. So, Jess knowing that her friend likes Pietr, tells Piert to date her friend. Even though she knows that Pietr doesn’t like her friend and in fact likes Jess! Are you confused... ? Me too.

BUT! And here is the kicker. She tells him to date her friend because she doesn’t want her friend to be hurt..... yet Jess and Pietr sneak around and make-out whenever possible. Yeah, Jess.... somehow I think that is probably going to hurt your friend more.

Just lost the self-sacrificing act Jess and I would like you so much more!

There also aspect in the novel that seemed like they were just added in there for convenience... like Jess being a reporter for her school newspaper. It mentions that she is a reporter... that she is doing a research paper on these strange animal attacks... that we all know are the werewolves... and then that’s all that is said. It isn’t touched on again, it just seemed a little bit out of place. If Jess has this huge passion for journalism, I would have thought we would have seen more about it.

It felt like this novel was just a set-up to the rest of the series.... I understand that needs to happen at times, but I didn’t feel like I gained any resolution. Sure, it’s revealed that Pietr is, in fact, a werewolf.... but Jess is the only one that didn’t figure that out. The reader knew within the first couple pages. That being said, 13 to Life did intrigue me enough that I will be picking up book two, but I’m just hoping we get more of the story.
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Jul 03, 2010 ~Tina~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: wolves-shapeshiftes, paranormal, young-adult, read-2010, gave-or-give-away

13 to Life was a good read.
I found the main character Jessie to be refreshing. She didn't swoon over the guy and fall in love with him as soon as she meet him right away so I thought that was nice, and while I liked all characters and the writing was well done I just couldn't get into the plot.
The mystery and intrigued needed more punch to it and it lacked, well, Werewolves? This is probably just me since I'm really picky when it comes to this paranormal to begin with.
All in all I liked the book...more

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Mar 18, 2010 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-vampire-werewolves, ya-galley-books, books-read-in-2010

I may be overly critical in this review. Only because, I have read so many different stories similar to this one, especially ones that have been excellent reads. The above statement is part of my problem with this book, it is only one of a thousand stories just like each other. Nothing really setting them apart. It's getting quite boring actually. None of these books are sparking any real excitement for me any more...urrgh!

All these stories are all the same. The plots all seem to follow some fo...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: falling-asleep, read-in-2010, should-have-been-better, that-made-no-sense, read-in-2011

I picked up the sequel, Secrets and Shadows, and I realized I remembered almost nothing from 13 to Life, so I thought I'd read it again. What a mistake. Rereading 13 to Life only reminded me of the three things I hated about it when I read the book the first time.

1. LAMEST. PLOT. DEVICE. EVER. Jessie likes Pietr. Pietr likes Jessie. So Jessie "unselfishly" tells Pietr to be with her best frenemy, Sarah, because that's the "honorable" thing to do. What is honorable about telling the boy you love-...more I picked up the sequel, Secrets and Shadows, and I realized I remembered almost nothing from 13 to Life, so I thought I'd read it again. What a mistake. Rereading 13 to Life only reminded me of the three things I hated about it when I read the book the first time.

1. LAMEST. PLOT. DEVICE. EVER. Jessie likes Pietr. Pietr likes Jessie. So Jessie "unselfishly" tells Pietr to be with her best frenemy, Sarah, because that's the "honorable" thing to do. What is honorable about telling the boy you love--and who loves you--to be with your psychotic friend and then kissing him behind her back? YA books seem to have to find a way for the lovers to be star-crossed--a reason why they can't be together--but this is the WORST excuse I've ever seen. I can't be with you because my friend likes you. Even though you don't like her. So pretend you like her and I'll kiss you when she's not around. Ugh.

2. The events of this book take place over, like, two weeks. I added up the days the first time I read 13 to Life, and the book spanned something like 2-3 weeks. Love like that doesn't happen in two weeks. I mean, Pietr's passionately kissing Jessie at the football game after knowing her TWO DAYS. The love and attraction between Pietr and Jessie (as claimed by the book) would be much more powerful if the story actually let them GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER FIRST. They meet. They're immediately in love. With barely even any conversation.

3. Pietr's secret isn't revealed until the final few pages, even though it's obvious to the reader within the first few pages. This created really strange pacing. So much of the plot is wrapped around Pietr finally revealing his secret to Jessie, but the author drags this plot point out for the entire book, and I grew impatient. This should have been revealed much, much earlier--the secret is TOO OBVIOUS to the reader, and I grew frustrated with Jessie for not realizing and with Pietr for not telling her. I felt the story couldn't move forward until Jessie knew, but the big reveal didn't occur until the very end. Much too late.

Despite these issues, I will read the sequel. Let's hope the author dumps the sham Pietr/Sarah relationship and moves the story forward now that Jessie knows Pietr's secret.(less)

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Jan 10, 2011 Terri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-library

Ok, I picked this book up and in roughly 8 hours finished it. I DID NOT want to put it down. I found myself in the car wishing I had brought it with me so I could read while sitting at red lights!
My favorite part was the locker room after gym class. Ahhh! Sweet satisfaction. Ugly people getting whats coming to them and what's more, Jess tried to forgive them first. The Jesus line afterwards was just...great (I have the same problem as Jess with not finding the sufficient word :)
Shannon Delany,...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Charisma rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, 13-to-life, shannon-delany

You probably already read a number of reviews on this book. Some were bad, some - undoubtedly - great. What would be the point of describing it once more? Let me introduce another view of the novel... From the point of view of a person with Russian-Ukrainian-Polish background on the topic, well... the main character supposedly belonging to the same ethnic group.

OK, here is the deal... It is possible for second/third generation immigrants to transform their first and last names to something that...more

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Dec 08, 2010 Jordan Deen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a must read. Posting complete review to my website soon. www.JordanDeen.com

This book just gets better and better every time I read it. If you love werewolves and paranormal romances, this is the book for you! LOVE IT.

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May 15, 2010 Renée rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

String of weird things happening in the town? Check. Hot foreign boys with Russian accents? Check. Good humour and great chemistry? Check.

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Oct 11, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 13 to Life isn't hard to figure out. From the beginning you know that Pietr Rusakova is different and you're pretty sure on the first day he attends school what that is. But he is well rounded. He has more feelings than most guys do in real life and he's a heart throb. Jessie, the heroine, is chosen to guide him around school the first two days of class and she doesn't like him. She, of course, is in love with the football star Derek. And lately he's been paying her a lot of attention. But she c...more 13 to Life isn't hard to figure out. From the beginning you know that Pietr Rusakova is different and you're pretty sure on the first day he attends school what that is. But he is well rounded. He has more feelings than most guys do in real life and he's a heart throb. Jessie, the heroine, is chosen to guide him around school the first two days of class and she doesn't like him. She, of course, is in love with the football star Derek. And lately he's been paying her a lot of attention. But she can't tell if his intentions are honest or if he's just stringing her along.

We know that there is a huge disaster that has happened in Jessica's life and the author gives us bits and pieces as the novel goes on. I like how she lets us know what the disaster is, then later on reveals the rest of the details that make it even more tragic. Jessica has two BFF's though she's always calling one her BFF and leaving her real BFF out of the loop. Sarah and Amy. Jessie helped nurse Sarah back to health when she had something tragic happen to her, basically teaching her how to do everything all over again and Jessie gives Sarah anything she wants, including Pietr even though she and him like each other. Pietr goes along with it. Sarah begins as a lost puppy dog and then seems to get some spunk and sharp tongue.

Amy is Jessie's true friend with a no nonsense attitude. She doesn't put up with the give Sarah everything she wants business. And she stands behind any decision Jessie makes, unless it involves Derek. Anyone but Jessie sees he's no good for her, but there's a reason for her crush that goes beyond football star. It comes out very late in the book.

There are other background characters, not fully developed, but Alexi, Pietr's oldest brother is more developed. He's short tempered, mean and suspicious. He seems to be at odds with both of his brothers, Pietr and Max. He seems okay with Charlotte their sister, but then she's very quiet.

The story was great until the end. I thought the introduction of who they introduced and the storyline crashed and burned from there. It seemed like the writer decided to go in a whole new direction and then hurried up the ending. I would have let Jessie and Pietr have their camping trip and then introduced the characters they did at a later time.

All in all though, I'd read it again and the sequel comes out in February which I'm so glad I don't have to wait a year for it. I'm hoping for a better ending this time around.

Heather
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May 31, 2011 Holly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-reads, angst-a-plenty, magical-supernatural-paranormal, not-a-fan, overrated, paranormal-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This one I didn’t like whatsoever. The whole entire book, you have no idea what’s going on. If you care to look at the inside cover, you would know that this is a werewolf book. Otherwise, you would have guessed it half way through the book, but it wouldn’t have been explained until the last ten pages of the book. Not in a good way.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Jessie’s been having a hard time getting life settled back to normal after watching her saint-of-a-mom die a few months ago, and to make things...more This one I didn’t like whatsoever. The whole entire book, you have no idea what’s going on. If you care to look at the inside cover, you would know that this is a werewolf book. Otherwise, you would have guessed it half way through the book, but it wouldn’t have been explained until the last ten pages of the book. Not in a good way.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Jessie’s been having a hard time getting life settled back to normal after watching her saint-of-a-mom die a few months ago, and to make things worse, she’s forced to show the new kid--- exotic Pietr Rusakova--- around school. Pietr is distant and arrogant and always checking the time, and although Jessie hates him, she’s strangely attracted to him at the same time. And although he returns her feelings, they’re trapped in a web of the other people they’re both semi-dating… although Jessie and Pietr make out in her horse stables all the time… it’s a weird situation. Then there’s Jessie’s “friend” that sort of lost her mind that Jessie is trying to nurse back to health, although Jessie has every reason in the world to hate her, especially now the fact that she’s stealing Pietr away from her… it’s all just weird. Especially with all the secrets Pietr is keeping… secrets that are supposed to be revealed in the end, but still leave you confused.

The plot is sporadic. One minute Jessie is all tied up in her high school crush (who, confusingly, isn’t Pietr but this jerk-of-a-jock that’s just using her, but she loves him still the same), the next she’s musing over the vague and sinister things Pietr says, and the way he fell four stories and didn’t kill himself… oh, and by the way, she also researches the Russian Mafia and wolf attacks in the towns nearby on a weekly basis just for kicks and giggles.

If you want to, it’s way easy as a reader to connect all these things together, but Shannon Delany never does it for you like she should. You’re left in the dark, a complete mess, having no idea what all these little side notes thrown in the mix have to do with anything. Things just don’t tie together throughout the story.

Not even in the last few pages of the book are all the loose ends tied up. Apparently, this is meant to be a series, but there wasn’t enough closure in this book. Too many things are going from unrelated to connect, but you have no idea why. The story doesn’t weave itself together in the end. It’s like your reading, and you’re like, “Huh, he’s a werewolf. DUH. …. But what about________?”

Although most of the book is predictable, Delany isn’t revealing anything. Whether she means to in her next book or not, I’m not going to stick around long enough to find out. The plot is too all over the place, characters aren’t nailed down well, and frankly, it’s not striking my as original in the least. At least not so far.

Sorry, Ms. Delany. I’m going for a no on this one. (less)

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May 03, 2011 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: werewolves

Reviewed by Rabid Reads: http://rabid-reads.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-13-to-life-by-shannon-delany.html

13 to Life is a great series opener. The book starts off slow, gradually building the characters and background story. There's not a lot of action but that's not surprising considering there's already two more installments in this series. Shannon Delany builds a solid foundation and her skillful writing style masks the slower plot pace so that it becomes irrelevant. The storyline of this nove...more Reviewed by Rabid Reads: http://rabid-reads.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-13-to-life-by-shannon-delany.html

13 to Life is a great series opener. The book starts off slow, gradually building the characters and background story. There's not a lot of action but that's not surprising considering there's already two more installments in this series. Shannon Delany builds a solid foundation and her skillful writing style masks the slower plot pace so that it becomes irrelevant. The storyline of this novel is much broader than I expected from a Young Adult read. The werewolves took longer than I would have liked to reveal themselves but then again, because there was such a build-up I feel compelled to read Secrets and Shadows immediately.

Jessie is an unusual character. She's the most selfless teenager that I've ever encountered. It probably has something to do with the tragic way in which she lost her mother. Her martyr-like attitude was frustrating at times but she's such a genuinely nice person that it's impossible to hold it against her. Sarah is Jessie's best friend and that in itself is incredibly messed up. I don't want to give up the reason but once you discover it for yourself you'll be dumbfounded. Guaranteed. I racked my brain trying to understand Jessie's reasons but couldn't so instead I settled for giving Sarah the evil eye through the pages. Then to top it off, Jessica pushes Pietr into her evil-BFF's arms even though she clearly has a thing for him. What an infuriating young lady!

Pietr is one strange dude and Jessie realizes this the moment she meets him. He may be an oddball but he's a charming one. Rusakova's childhood story is nothing like his crush' but they're united by similar tragic circumstances. There's a confrontation that occurs between him and a K9 drug sniffing dog that gave me goosebumps. Pietr's intensity in this scene is fierce! I loved it! I found that he complemented Jessie nicely, that is whenever she'd let him of course. I enjoyed the slow burn approach to the love intrigue side of this tale. There was no quick "I love you"'s. Both protagonists take the time to explore their feelings, it was a nice change of pace from typical love triangles. Pietr's family is also very interesting and complex. I liked Catherine most of all but Max was a close second. I can't wait to discover more about the Rusakova's in the second installment.

The only downside of this book for me was how long it took for the werewolves-side of the plot to kick in. The wolfish action lasts for about 50 pages and then culminates in a cliffhanger. That's just cruel of you Shannon Delany. Shame on you! This novel won't have you rapidly turning pages in anticipation of the next action-packed scene but it will have you hanging off of Delany's every word. She is a master storyteller and it shows on every page. I LOVED this book! 13 to Life is the start of something beautiful.(less)

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Nov 23, 2010 Naomi rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't like this book very much at all. First of all, with all the Russian-speaking in it, it annoys me because I don't know these words and it takes reading the word serveral times to know what it means. I wouldn't mind if they just defined it after it was said. Second, it took the whole book just to get to the part with werewolves! Third, I hate the main character Jess. Just tell Sarah you want to be with Pietr! Just because Jess says that Sarah likes you and that she can't be with you, doesn...more I don't like this book very much at all. First of all, with all the Russian-speaking in it, it annoys me because I don't know these words and it takes reading the word serveral times to know what it means. I wouldn't mind if they just defined it after it was said. Second, it took the whole book just to get to the part with werewolves! Third, I hate the main character Jess. Just tell Sarah you want to be with Pietr! Just because Jess says that Sarah likes you and that she can't be with you, doesn't mean you should ask Sarah out, which makes for an even stupider main guy character. And break up with her if you're going to! I know she thinks sneaking behind Sarah's back is for the best, but that is the most hateful thing a friend could do! Be a true friend and tell her you like Pietr and you're dating him. You are such a LIAR!
Other problems I had with this book: Amy, you're even a worse friend for not telling Sarah. No sane person would ever help someone they hated and that made fun of them after they killed their mom! NO, not even an insane person would do that, so it makes this story highly unlikely. Russian mofia? Well, I won't get into the MANY problems I have with that. Rushed ending. And they have a short life-span, I hope they'll find a cure soon. And if they're only going to live till they're thirteen, how old are they now? And what is up with the many love triangles. Derek-Jess-Pietr and Sarah-Pietr-Jess, seriously, did we really need that many. And it's practically like Sarah and Pietr aren't dating, just break up with her already. You'd think if Sarah was so smart, she'd figured it out already and dumped him. And she was supposedly the worst of the trio? Yeah, she had a nasty fit here and there in the book, but they said she was the smartest, obviously not. Okay, now I'm seriously wondering why I even gave it a two, but that's because I was able to actually finish it, unlike Beautiful Creatures which still is lying on the table collecting dust. I almost forgot about it. And there was a few, VERY few, points where this book made me laugh, but I'm not sure if that was because of the sheer stupidity now. And yeah, I'm sorry Jess lost her mom and all, but seriously.
Other things that makes this unbelievable: Jess gets off with beating up two cheerleaders with NOT ONE punishment, even if the two cheerleaders said she shouldn't a real school would've given her a couple detentions at least! The Russian Mofia really want these werewolves, but didn't come sooner to collect them? Why let them live such a luxurious life, it makes no sense at all! Then this book has so many references to other books, does she really expect us to read all these so we get the reference? Really? Also, I don't get the title at all, 13 to Life, how does that relate at all to the book. And if that's the whole series name, then they should've had a subtitle that DID relate to the book.
Overall, I would not recommend this to any of my friends, who would? Oh yeah, you should totally read this Russian mofia, werewolves not until the very end, two love triangles that were not really needed at all, and most annoying female lead book. Yeah, I think not. Reminder, the only reason I gave this two was because I was able to finish it.

EDIT: Forgot one thing. For ONCE can't it be the girl who's the creature, not the guy. Why is it always the guy that's supernatural? Why? I want a girl that's a werewolf or vampire, instead of the guy, just for one book.
Also, I think they could've fit all of this series into one book, because there was a lot of unneeded stuff. And I'm betting the next book will have a lot of more unneeded stuff. Why can't an author write a short book anymore, this could've easily have been only two hundred pages or less. Also, they could've left the Sarah love triangle thing out of it. Jess could still be nice to her and help her heal (even though that is SO UNBELIEVABLE), but she didn't need to give her Pietr, and Sarah could just be the killer of her mother.
And it looks like she tried to leave it off at a part that left you "wanting more". Not really, not reading the second, not even looking out for it. I'll have to reread another book before I burn this one. I still paid nine bucks for it, and even if I hate it, I'm not going to waste my money even more by burning it.
EDIT: I actually changed this to a 1/5 because I still can't get over how bad it was. I also don't think it deserved a "it was okay" rating, and after reading more books you really realize how much worse it was. I'm usually not one to bash a book, if you looked at my books you'd see that very few books on my list ever get a 1 or 2, but I just think this book is ridiculous and I don't want anyone to waste their money on this. Hopefully they check ratings like I do before buying a book.(less)

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Apr 07, 2011 Amelie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-with-fave-guy-characters, best-overall-characters

Well, what can I say about this novel? I thought that it was pretty great, actually! There were things that I never would've guessed and such painfully obvious things that mixed all together, and they somehow fit. You know how in most books, you know what the dude is and then they say it out loud after the first fifty to a hundred pages? Well, this wasn't like that...You actually get told at the very end of the book. This may seem very akward to most people, but I found it nice. I liked the way...more

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Sep 24, 2010 Michele (Reading Lark/CanadianTwiMom) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-it, wolves-werewolves, softcover

I really enjoyed 13 to Life. It held my interest from page 1 and didn't let go, even when I finished the book!

This story is essentially about relationships... all sorts of "ships"... romantic, friend, crushes, family... all interconnected... and all revolving around Jessica (aka Jessie/Jess), with a supernatural twist and Russian heritage thrown in too.

Shannon tells the story from Jessie's point of view. She is a 16 year old farm girl who recently lost her mom in a horrific car accident... an a...more I really enjoyed 13 to Life. It held my interest from page 1 and didn't let go, even when I finished the book!

This story is essentially about relationships... all sorts of "ships"... romantic, friend, crushes, family... all interconnected... and all revolving around Jessica (aka Jessie/Jess), with a supernatural twist and Russian heritage thrown in too.

Shannon tells the story from Jessie's point of view. She is a 16 year old farm girl who recently lost her mom in a horrific car accident... an accident she also witnessed and is haunted by terrible nightmares afterwards. Perhaps as a coping mechanism, she refocused her attention from grieving her mother to rehabilitating Sarah, the former queen b*tch of the school, who caused the accident that claimed her mother. Sarah doesn't remember the accident and is now one of her best friends. This is one "ship" that is quite complex.

Pietr Rusakova is a new student to Jessie's highschool. Jessie is asked to show him around on his first day. Their connection was not instant -- infact, maybe even a little contentious. No love at first sight... and that was refreshing. Jessie's (unrequited) heart already belonged to Derek, the school's top jock. However, as Jessie and Pietr friendship blossoms... Derek's interest in Jessie also increased. We never learned why that was, or if that will be significant in future installments.... I hope we find out more, if there's more to this, in the next book.

Pietr also harbours a secret that is not revealed till very close to the end of this book... although I was 99.9% sure throughout the story of his secret. So I guess the confirmation of what he was, was a tiny bit anticlimatic for me... but I tried to see this through Jessie's eyes so it would have been a huge revelation for her. Having said that... the fact that she jokes about her love of vampire books... I wonder why her imagination didn't suggest anything when she witnessed some pretty significant clues along the way.

We work through her friendship with Pietr that is growing into a romantic one. At the point where Jessie hasn't fully admitted that she thinks of Pietr in a romantic way, and hasn't quite yet come to the realization that Derek is unattainable to her, she pushes Pietr in Sarah's direction... something she later regrets as Jessie's and Pietr's feelings for each other grow more intense. Because no one wants to break Sarah's heart, and Sarah seems like a fragile creature, Jessie & Pietr meet on the sly... something Jessie sort of feels guilty about, but does it anyway. I really wished they'd come clean because we know it's not going to end well once Sarah finds out (which we assume will happen in one of the next two books), but then I guess that might make for a boring story, right?!

Jessie & Pietr were likeable characters... I did find myself caring about them, even though I didn't agree with some of their choices.

One secondary character that I really liked was Jessie's other best friend Amy... she was smart and spoke her mind... and truly in Jessie's corner. I wished Jess focused more on listening to her than trying to appease Sarah. At times, I wanted to shake Jessie and say... listen to Amy!

The ending sort of snuck up on me, though... with the Russian Mafia and CIA involved. I kept thinking that there has GOT to be more pages hidden after that... somewhere... but nope... we have to wait till book 2.

Overall, it was a fun read! A true page-turner! I liked that this story took a slightly different path involving a popular mythology that also involved some Russian heritage and a bit of folklore. I'm really looking forward to the next book!

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Jul 06, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm blogging from my phone due to the holiday, so I'll add the cover picture later. I've been looking forward to reading this novel because an earlier version of it won a contest at textnovel.com as a novel written on a cell phone. So it's only fitting that I'm writing my blog on my Droid, right?

Jessica has some issues because her mother died in a car accident and her father isn't quite sure what to do with a teenage girl. She gets good grades, works on the family horse farm, and surrounds herse...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Renee rated it 1 of 5 stars

Recommended to Renee by: Goodreads First Reads

Shelves: fantasy-scifi-horror

Ah, Goodreads First Reads program. It was nice knowing you.

Despite the high GR average, this is not a good book. The writing is distractingly bad, so that I couldn't finish it (and I devoured the Sookie Stackhouse series, where someone's penis is referred to as "Mr. Happy"). Sentences like

"I stepped forward, slipping between observers until I stood intimately close to Pietr, and before I realized what I was doing, my hand was touching a wicked-looking scar that started at his side and twisted cr

...more Ah, Goodreads First Reads program. It was nice knowing you.

Despite the high GR average, this is not a good book. The writing is distractingly bad, so that I couldn't finish it (and I devoured the Sookie Stackhouse series, where someone's penis is referred to as "Mr. Happy"). Sentences like

"I stepped forward, slipping between observers until I stood intimately close to Pietr, and before I realized what I was doing, my hand was touching a wicked-looking scar that started at his side and twisted cruelly, racing raggedly across part of his abdomen, just below the ribs."

should not survive final edit in a professional publication. The problems are glaring (misuse of breathless syntax, a buttload of worthless adverbs, and it should be two sentences, at least) and more importantly, they're easily fixed. So why weren't they?

It'd be one thing if that were a momentary lapse, but it's not. The prose disappoints throughout. More examples:

"No one lives forever," he said.
He had no idea how well I understood that most simple and cruel fact.

Even eliminating the word "most" from the 2nd sentence would be an improvement (although I'd kill the whole thing).

We heard the roar of Pietr's motor grow dimmer, weaker--more distant.

Three adjectives that serve the exact same function, & none of them interesting (also, each at odds with the noun "roar").

"Nyet...I love animals," he said, but his tone made me think of the way I'd say I love pizza.

"No," his voice rumbled in his chest, deep with my ears so close. "You're right." The words reminded me of Hunter's growl.

Hint: He's a werewolf. Really, really (also "deep with my ears so close"? Wha-whaT?). In short, the bad writing choices are everywhere, smothering the story like kudzu.

There are other things I don't like. None of the characters felt 3-D. The author tells rather than shows (and shows when she should tell). There's seriously-written-yet-risible scene involving a mystical Matryoshka (I am not kidding). Pietr intersperses his excellent English with Da & Nyet, which is what writers do when they are trying to show an accent. It's just...oh, not good.(less)

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Aug 27, 2010 Lena ♫ ♪ rated it 3 of 5 stars

13 to Life sets up the foundation for other books in this series. Not a lot happens. There's a handful of action, but not much. It's mainly all about setting up the environment, the characters and the plot. Think of it as 200 pages of background, 50 pages of irritating drama and 50+ pages of action/love scenes.

The Rusakovas are new to town, and Jess has the honor of showing Pietr around school. He's gorgeous and brooding. It's clear all the girls are into him. And though Jess feels attracted to...more 13 to Life sets up the foundation for other books in this series. Not a lot happens. There's a handful of action, but not much. It's mainly all about setting up the environment, the characters and the plot. Think of it as 200 pages of background, 50 pages of irritating drama and 50+ pages of action/love scenes.

The Rusakovas are new to town, and Jess has the honor of showing Pietr around school. He's gorgeous and brooding. It's clear all the girls are into him. And though Jess feels attracted to him, she can't forget about her crush, Derek. Derek may be your typical high school jock, but hey, in a small town like Junction, who else is there to love?

The more time Jess spends with Pietr, the more mysterious he becomes. But it's not just him, it's his entire family. Will she be able to handle the truth?

First, lets start off with the romance. What I'm learning after almost a year of blogging is that every good book has a love triangle in it. 13 To Life is no different. Though interesting at first, I just had so many issues with the Jess-Pietr-Sarah drama/love triangle. While I understand Jess to be a very giving character, there's no need to be a complete martyr. Even other characters point this out to her, yet there she goes with the self-sacrificing. Why make everyone else unhappy just to make one person happy? This drama was interesting at first, but became tiresome after so many pages of the same problem.

Now, onto the swoon-worth boy. Because I absolutely adored Pietr, I wish there was more of him. I enjoyed his interactions with Jess. From the first encounter to the last, every scene he was in left me with goosebumps. I loved the way he added Russian words into his speaking. Like how he'll say "Da. Yeah." Adorable, much? I think so!

Though I had a few issues with the book and found the pacing to be a bit slow and some of the dialect repetitive, I still must say I'm greatly looking forward to the next book in this series. I'm interested in seeing what happens next and how everything will unfold. Shadows and Secrets will definitely be added to my long 2011 waiting list.
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Jun 04, 2012 Marshanah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I LOVED,LOVED,LOVED it! Jessie denies herself liking a guy that her friend called dibbs on, but Pietr Rusakova only has eyes for her. There's a lot of werewolf action for those sci-fi/fantasy lovers, the russian mafia, and lots of romance for those lovers too. I just found the book fun and suspenseful. I could barely tear my eyes from the page at times. A mix of real life crises and unreal situations that just seem so unbelievably real, I can sometimes picture them in my head, 13 to Life is a gr...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Michelle added it

Shelves: fantasy, romance

This book is pretty slow to start off and I gave up about a third of the way through. I gave up not because it was too slow but because of two situations that are really a turn off, for me. [return][return]SPOILERS. First, Pietr and Jessica are attracted to each other, but Jessica's friend Sarah likes Pietr, so Jessica encourages him to go out with Sarah. Pietr plans to break up with Sarah, but in the mean time he and Jessica continue to make out. Basically he's cheating on Sarah, which puts him...more

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May 06, 2013 The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club rated it 4 of 5 stars

We are The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club, to know more about this book, go to the post in our website:

13 to Life by Shannon Delany

If you are interested, you can visit our website:

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The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:

13 to Life is a YA paranormal romance novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is the first book of 5 of the 13 to Life series. You know we really like books that involve love triangles…guess what? This book does...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Jasmyne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to love this book, but not even my love for werewolves could get me to give it a four. While there were some things I felt were interesting and intriguing about it, (the Russian heritage/language, the odd love triangle, etc.) the final scene and the closing of the novel didn't leave really anything resolved other than the fact that Pietr is a werewolf (which we all did since nearly the beginning).

Delany seems to have ideas and throw them in, presumably to finish the idea in the n...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Tasha rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA readers, Supernatural ,Paranormal and Romance readers

I wrote a review for this book the first time i read it. I felt i did a fine job the first time around so i am copying and pasting my original review. So when reading keep in mind this review is a little dated but my feelings remain the same.

Review can be found on my blog
http://cornerofconfessions.wordpress....

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a young adult paranormal fiction novel to invoke the fables of ancient times- and I’ve read quite a few. A story that invokes the senses-woodland na...more I wrote a review for this book the first time i read it. I felt i did a fine job the first time around so i am copying and pasting my original review. So when reading keep in mind this review is a little dated but my feelings remain the same.

Review can be found on my blog
http://cornerofconfessions.wordpress....

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a young adult paranormal fiction novel to invoke the fables of ancient times- and I’ve read quite a few. A story that invokes the senses-woodland nature rough and rugged. The emotions- beauty and the beast illuminated by moonlight. There is only one word to describe 13 to life by Shannon Delany and that word is classic. Not classic in the sense of early English literature. But, classic in the sense this story finds the way back to its roots. Back to the basics. Back to the original myths and tales. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s comforting and refreshing- especially after the taint of everything paranormal left in the wake of Twilight. And, it’s a story told in a classic way. There it goes that word again. But, it’s true. As a writer, learning how to write professionally, I’ve learned there is a format. A way in which thing are done. As there is for everything. This novel ( soon to be series) reverts back to the basics and is written in good ol’ story telling form. With a proper purpose and plot and subtle but essential depictions. It all comes together for a good, easy-to-follow read. I have to admit, there was little snowballing effect at the end. But, I reckon it’s just part of the first novel foes- a product of developing the world and characters. I expect the second book to be less snowball-y.
Jessie is an average teen girl in love with the – out-of-your-league- jock. For reasons unbeknownst to us, the reader- but even that is explained in the end. She’s trying to live a normal enough life. Well, as normal as life can get after being traumatized from her mother’s unfortunate and untimely death. But then comes the new kid. A hot mysterious boy named Pietr. Jess’s unfortunate job is to be Pietr’s guide throughout his first few days of high school. An antagonistic relationship at its finest.
13 to life will take you on a journey through pain, sorrow and conflictions of the most intimate kind. Haunting, tragic and a hopeless romantic’s dream come true. Confessions of love- and betrayal. Oh and there is a werewolf on the loose. And the Russian mafia. Not knowing what’s real, who to trust Jess’s life will keep you snowballing through the pages as the story escalates.
13 to life is a tale like no other. I can’t wait to February for the release of the second installment in this series that just earned its place out of my closet and onto my shelf with the likes of my top five favorite young adult paranormal series ( twilight is not there, no worries).(less)

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Sep 07, 2012 VaultOfBooks rated it 2 of 5 stars

By Shannon Delany. #1 in the 13 to Life Series. Grade : B
Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…
When Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can onle presume it’s for one of the two reasons : either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student ar...more By Shannon Delany. #1 in the 13 to Life Series. Grade : B
Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…
When Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can onle presume it’s for one of the two reasons : either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around – but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort. the newest of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide – secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction High – secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.
The blurb doesn’t tell much, and I can’t summarize the story without giving away a lot of spoilers. I’ll try to avoid the potholes as much as I can, but please tread carefully.
The story starts with a prologue which is quite mysterious. The protagonist is with her two dogs, Maggie and Hunter, and her favourite horse, Rio, when she sees a monster. The monster looks like a huge dog, which she instinctively knows it isn’t. That particular bit of information is revealed only later.
We then move on to the first chapter, where Jessica Gillmansen is asked to act as a guide to Pietr (pron. Peter) Rusakova, who is new to the town and school. What surprises her is that fact that he is escorted by the police along with his family. Jess tries to be friendly with the new guy, but realizes that he’s too arrogant. Predictably, Pietr quickly becomes the new hottie of Junction High. Girls try to follow him everywhere, and this irritates Jess a lot.
We slowly get to know that Jess has a huge crush on Derek, the football champion, and for some reason Pietr and Derek don’t like each other. Soon Jess realizes Derek is playing with her feeling and Pietr has feelings for her (and she has feelings for him too) and amidst all this confusion, Sarah (one of Jess’s best friend) has developed a huge crush on Pietr. For her friend’s sake, she pushes Pietr away from herself and towards Sarah. The ploy doesn’t work because they are undeniably attracted towards each other and a secret relationship develops, a secret kept especially from Sarah.
As their relationship progresses, Jess realizes that there is something not right about Pietr. Animals seem to have a great problem with him initially but as she talks to them, they actually start loving and trusting him. He heals extremely fast when it comes to near death accidents. When Pietr realizes that he has fallen in love, he gives in easily and confesses his deep, dark secret. He is a werewolf.
This book has a plot similar to every second young-adult novel: one of the protagonists is new to school, instantly becomes a major success, is disturbingly attracted by another person who leads a mysterious life…yawn.
I personally looked at this book as another Twilight Saga, and after reading the first book, I am a bit confused between which one is better. This book lacked the mystery and suspicion factor. Jess never openly suspected Pietr for being something different, she didn’t really try to dig out the truth herself. She’s also shown to be too much self-sacrificing for a girl who killed her mother.
The characters of Jess and Pietr are unfolded quite later in the book. The end is quite rapid and sudden, but is interesting and is the part I enjoyed the most. The book is not very awesome and not extremely bad… It’s a decent, perfectly mediocre book. I suppose being the first one in the series, it will pick up pace in the later books. Let me get back to you with its review in a few days.

Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com (less)

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Pietr or Derek?	14	42	Feb 20, 2013 08:50pm
is it worth reading this series ?	15	22	Feb 16, 2013 06:14pm
13 To Life Series	9	33	Oct 25, 2012 08:10pm
Title meaning	6	29	Apr 08, 2012 01:58am

title link	preview: 13 to Life
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