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    13 to Life
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    13 to Life
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    13 to Life
    Ebook330 pages5 hours

    13 to Life

    By Shannon Delany

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Everything about Jessie Gillmansen’s life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing.  Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wants is to avoid more change. But showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she’s about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent—he’s a guy with a dangerous secret. And his very existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie’s small town.  It seems change is the one thing Jessie can’t avoid…


    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJun 22, 2010
    ISBN9781429922180
    Unavailable
    13 to Life
    Author

    Shannon Delany

    Auteure américaine et ancienne enseignante, Shannon Delany est passionnée par l’histoire et les légendes. Elle a déjà fait des recherches sur des phénomènes paranormaux.

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    Reviews for 13 to Life

    4/5

    47 ratings38 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This was a re-read for me. I read this book when it first came out. I couldn’t remember what happened in it, just that I really liked it. Now that I’ve read it again, I can say that I still enjoyed it, but I had to drop it down to three stars because I wanted to smack the main character pretty much the entire time I was reading.My biggest problem with this book is the fact that Jessie and Pietr like each other, but Jessie says she can’t be with him because Sarah likes him and she can’t do that to her friend. Yet she doesn’t seem to have any problem kissing him behind her friends back every single chance she gets.That is pretty much my only real complaint about this book. I enjoyed everything else and I’m looking forward to finally reading the next book in the series, Secrets and Shadows.
    • 3/5
      If I could, I'd give this book a 3.5. It certainly grabbed my attention and made me want to keep reading, even though through most of the book I was guessing what the secret was, what was going to happen next, and wondering if the author was deliberately leading the reader astray, or if the clues were really that blatant. Sadly, I think, it was the latter. There was really only one surprise with the ending, and that was less of a surprise than it was one possibility being realized over another.

      Unfortunately, I couldn't help but compare this book to Twilight, probably unfairly. The new kid in town was a boy instead of a girl, but said boy was incredibly attractive and literally had all the girls except the main character flocking around him. Something about her made her immune to his animal magnetism (ahem). And then, of course, there was the boy's odd but alluring family, some of whom were fine with his budding relationship with the main character, others who were actively discouraging it. As I said, it's probably unfair to draw comparisons, but it was difficult not to.

      The storytelling was fast-paced, with good, but not overwhelming, descriptions of the town and the people, doling out backstory when necessary but not getting bogged down in it. I wanted to slap the main character a few times when she berated herself for lying, then kept on doing it. Also, her relationship with her "friend" Sarah was just bizarre. It really made no sense. I suspect that, and other questions, like what's up with Sophia, will be answered in the subsequent books in the series. I found Pietr's on-again off-again accent to be rather annoying, as was the smattering of Russian in his and his siblings' dialog. The multi-lingual people I've been around in my life don't say something in their native tongue and then repeat it in the language of the person they're talking to. It was just weird.

      Yes, indeed, this is the first book in a series. Unlike others, though, I felt that this book was self-contained and, while more things may be cleared up in later books, I don't feel like I need to read them to be satisfied with this story. That in itself is quite refreshing these days.

      I received this book for free from one of the Goodreads giveaways. I'd like to thank Goodreads, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity.
    • 2/5
      This book had an interesting premise, an uneven execution, and a rushed, cliff-hanger ending. I was worried that book 2 would revolve around a Heathers-esque, psychotic friend, but the last chapter hurridly added some other elements to the plot. Will definitely pick up book 2.
    • 4/5
      A new boy, Pietr, comes to her small town and Jessie is the one who is chosen to guide him around the school. She soons realizes that he is different than the other kids. He is a werewolf. She has always had a crush on the football hero, Derek, but she finds herself falling for Pietr.
    • 2/5
      I read a lot of YA and I really enjoy the YA Paranormal novels. This one didn't work for me on many different levels. The story is about a grieving girl, Jessica, who is dealing with her mother's death. She takes on a great deal of responsibility in her family. When Pieter starts attending her school, Jessica is given the job of being his guide. He immediately ticks her off and thus begins a brief love-hate relationship. The book is very slow to get going. Only in the last fourth of this book does anything important begin to happen. Jessica also wins a nomination at least for the TSTL (too stupid to live) character of the year. She loves reading paranormal books about vampires and is up on her werewolf lore as she has studied a major case of a bizaree wolf attack in Farthington, where Pieter is from. Pieter is sniffing clothes, using his sniffer to find people, being attacked randomly by dogs and much more and TSTL Jessica can't figure out he is werewolf. At one point Pieter says "I'm a werewolf" and Jessica is like, "Stop Playing Pieter". Ugh, this made me frustrated to no end.I was also annoyed that Jessica pushes Pieter into a relationship with her crazy 'best' friend and then the two of the sneak make out sessions and whispers of love. Anyone with an eye can see they are hot for each other and that they keep playing like there is nothing between them publicly was just really silly. I did like the little bits of history that we found out about Pieter's family and their past. I enjoyed that the story was about a family of werewolves but I was caught off guard by the mafia connections and struggled to make sense of some of these.What can make a book most successful in my mind is having developed, endearing characters and a well thought out plot with some twists and turns. 13 to Life had neither.Certainly there are worse books out there, but this one just didn't work for me. The content if fairly clean and I wonder if it might work better for the pre-teen market.
    • 5/5
      I really loved this book! Jessie was a great heroine, a real person through and through which was a nice deviation from the average Mary-Sue of YA characters. Also, Pietr practically sizzled off of the page. The CIA, Russian Mafia, and Werewolf/cold war 'dog' soldier connections made me smart girl brain drool. I was on overload. Plus, Annabelle Lee was totally me as a twelve year old - just sayin'
    • 3/5
      So I finished this book two nights ago and I have to say that I did enjoy it, but it just felt like something was missing. I am all for forbidden love and struggling with emotions, but to me this book took way to long to get to a little action and Pietr and Jessie don't really get together. It's like they are and they aren't and maybe that was what was missing. It was good enough for me to finish and kept my attention with all the mystery about Pietr and his family, but would I ever re-read? No. Would I recommend? Yes, if you are looking for a simple and fast read. It was just in the middle for me. I give it three stars.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! I can't wait to read Secrets and Shadows.
    • 3/5
      I gave this book my obligatory 20 pages, but it just didn't grab me. I didn't like the characters and the story seemed slow and took to long to get to the point. Someone else might like it, but I just didn't.
    • 2/5
      I was never really that interested in 13 to Life until Amazon kept suggesting this book and its sequels to me. On a whim, I entered a giveaway on Goodreads for the first book, and ended up winning, so I figured why not. I can't say no to a free book, so I thought it was worth trying out.Jessie's life was thrown upside down when her mother died, and her world changed forever. Things started to settle down in her hometown until a new boy named Pietr starts at her school. And, while he is, of course, incredibly attractive, he's also loaded with all kinds of mysteries and secrets. Not only does he bring trouble in his wake, but Jessie can't resist him.I wasn't completely sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I suppose I thought it would be more interesting and compelling, especially since it spawned numerous sequels. But instead...this book was just downright bad. Not only is the paranormal aspect of the novel incredibly light and virtually non-existent, but it's incredibly cliche. I think I've read virtually the same story in practically every modern teen novel, so the plot was incredibly predictable and not interesting at all.Now, when it comes to books with not-so-great plot, I can be willing to forgive the book if it has great characters. 13 to Life didn't have great characters -in fact, they weren't even good characters. They were incredibly flat and impossible to understand or relate to. I honestly didn't care about who the characters were, what they were trying to accomplish or anything about them.Then, get even get me started on the construction of this book. It suffered from serious editing issues, and read like it was some middle school student's English project and was never cleaned up after the first very rough draft. Some many of the sentences are far too long, and so many things here were juts horribly put together. I honestly don't know how something like this even got published, but it's the worst editing job I've ever read.I really don't understand why this book is popular or why it has numerous sequels. I hate to say it, because I don't like to be so negative in my reviews, but 13 to Life has no redeeming qualities at all.
    • 3/5
      There’s a new boy at Jessica’s school and her fellow female student body wants to get to know him. He wants to get to know her. Yes, he’s foreign and gorgeous, but her longtime crush is finally showing some interest too. Along with the new boy and his family comes danger her small town has never seen and she finds herself engulfed in it.When I started reading this it sounded like the typical…. New hot guy, potentially dangerous with the ‘he’s just not that into you’’ attitude that makes the girl swoon young adult novel. It went down that path for quite awhile, but the mystery of Jessica’s mom kept me reading. Out of the blue the plot became unique and I needed to know what was going on. I got a good handle on most of the characters and there was a good social story happening just below the surface. This is a series I will keep reading. I would recommend this to people who enjoy young adult paranormal romance, especially teen girls.
    • 5/5
      I have found my new favorite book series. 13 to Life is one of my favorite books I have read this year. I loved every page of it. 13 to Life is not a typical paranormal romance, it encompasses much more than that; it is a story of love, loss, trust and friendship. There was so much to love about this book that its hard to decide where to start. The characters truly made the story. Jessie is such a strong, amazing character who is a much better person than most. As I read 13 to Life, I kept realizing how Jessie is a much better person than I will ever be, she is so admirable. A person like Jessie is someone people should aspire to be. After losing her mother, as a reader you can feel Jessie's pain. The grief and sadness she feels is real and relatable. Yet even though Jessie is in pain, she is able to put others feelings before her own. I loved that Jessie cared more about her own friend Sarah's feelings than her own, forcing Pietr to date Sarah even though Jessie and Pietr had feelings for each other. Jessie is a friend I would want. However, Jessie might be to good for her own sake, which I believe will end her in trouble in coming books, especially trouble with Sarah (who is not the innocent, nice girl she appears to be). This book has provide me with a new guy to love; his name is Pietr. Oh my god. I have a new character crush. Pietr is Russian and just came to small town Junction. The chemistry between Pietr and Jessie jumps straight off the page and was so real. Jessie and Pietr needed to be together no matter how hard Jessie pushed him toward Sarah. Pietr is his own complex character, much like Jessie, dealing with the loss of both his parents and some other more complicated matters. I'm looking forward to learning more about him, his family and his past in the coming books. I really, really loved this book. It did not have that typical story arc that appears in most young adult paranormal stories. Instead the plot was more character driven and not focus on the werewolf thing. The story felt real and relatable, even though mythical beings were in it. The end had plenty of action to sustain the book, and the ending left me desperately turning pages looking for more. I'm eagerly awaiting its sequel Secrets and Shadows out February 2011. This is one series I will be continuing reading.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars. I really liked the story, lots of mysteries that made it hard to put down, and I will definitely read more in the series. But it reads like an unedited indy book. It has a really bad case of the "Diarrhea of Descriptives". Waaaaayyyy too many overly effusive & unnecessary adjectives, adverbs & descriptive phrases. And there were a couple times where I actually checked to see if I missed a page, because characters were talking about something like it was old news, but they had forgotten to mention it to little old me.And the Sarah storyline was soooo over the top it became unbelievable--no one would take it as far as Jess did. At least no one sane. It was ok at the beginning, the whole love triangle schtick and all that, but come on! I understand being a martyr--I'm very good at it if the occasion warrants. But this was so past martyrdom, it made no sense anymore. So you could write it off as an emotional/psychological side effect of Jess' grief, but the fact that Pietr went along with it made it completely unbelievable. Another instance where a good editor could have performed surgery and/or gently steered the author into cleaning it up a bit.So it has potential, hopefully the 2nd in the series will get a better editor.
    • 4/5
      My prediction is that readers who loved Shiver, will also love this book too. I was a bit disappointed with the suddenness of the ending; it really could have been handled differently.Jessie Gillmansen really tries her best to stay away from Pieter Rusakova, the new boy she ends up "guiding" on his first few days of high school. He's attractive, and he's the first thing that her best friend, Sarah, has been interested in since the accident that almost killed Sarah, but did kill Jessie's mom. However, in spite of Jessie's best intentions, she can't deny what she feels, and she does end up spending some private moments with Pieter, where they discover that they have a lot in common. There are all kinds of unanswered questions when the book ends, so I'll definitely be looking to buy book two; Secrets and Shadows. I'll probably pick up the prequel as well.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy this series, however, I wanted to see the main character be a little more assertive and her love interest be a little less assertive (this took over the whole novels in some chapters). This is a story concerning WWI/II and Russian scientists creating weapons aka werewolves (the main character's love interest). The novel progresses, developing the characters' infatuation with each other further... I would recommend this book for young adults/teens (girls).
    • 3/5
      In short: 13 To Life by Shannon Delany was lacking in action throughout much of the novel but still managed to be an entertaining read with fun characters and writing.So, not a whole lot happens in this book. I was waiting for the action to kick in for the greater part of the novel. A big portion of the book was spent on the teen romance drama between the main character Jessie, her two love interests, new guy Pietr and old crush Derek, and best friend Sarah. The other portion was the mystery behind Pietr and his family. As is common in many of these types of paranormal stories, it is told in such a way that is so obvious to the reader that Pietr is a werewolf (I lost count of all the canine references) that it was frustrating that Jessie couldn't figure it out sooner, especially seeing as how she is supposed to be a crack reporter for her school. I should probably just learn to accept that this is going to be the case in most books of this genre that I read.When the book starts out, Delany introduces the reader to seemingly every student at Junction High and it's a little hard to keep track of who is who. Or if it is even really important to remember the names of every single one of Jessie's class members. Turns out it's not. But I really did enjoy the characters of Jessie and Pietr and their friends. Jessie was easy to love (despite her daftness on Pietr's true identity). She loves YA vampire novels and is smart and feisty. Her inner dialogue was hilarious. Also, it seemed more real to how a teenager would speak and think than in many other YA novels where the characters seem to speak at a level too mature for their age. Pietr was cool and sensitive, a great male lead.The writing was so fun and witty. Despite the lack of action, I still found myself being entertained by laugh-out-loud moments. Especially the self-referential excerpts. A taste:"I was so stupid. As a writer, I know if I'd been a character in a novel a good editor would have scrawled TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) on the manuscript pages.""Now I just wanted to read a book. A good, quick-to-read vampire book. Something that defied the very definition of proper literature. Something simply fun."As a debut author, Delany has a lot to improve on. But I'm definitely interested in seeing her growth in the sequel, Secrets and Shadows. I've become invested in the characters and the book left off with quite a few questions and an annoying cliffhanger, so I'm committed to seeing it through.
    • 4/5
      What I liked about this book is that it did not start out like this: "The young female character looked across the school cafeteria at the dark, haired mysterious and utterly gorgeous new boy in school. When he looked up from his lunch and looked at her, sitting across the room, their eyes met. There was an instant connection, sparks flew, and she knew that nothing would ever come between them and that she would protect him no matter what and he would feel and do the same", like I have found so many young adult books to start out like lately... So all I can say is THANK GOODNESS! Nope, Jessie was very resistant and it took her a while to trust Pietr and come to like him. She wasn't one of those drippy girls who fell for his charms right away.Jessie is such a strong female character- seriously, the whole Sarah situation?!? Yeah, I think I know that had I been in that situation I would not have been forgiving whatsoever... And it's not like Jessie just forgave Sarah, no, she went way above and beyond, helping Sarah like no other had helped her (well, besides the doctors and whatnot I am sure who had to physically stitch her up)... Not going to lie though, I was getting a little peeved off with Jessie when she kept referring to Sarah as her best friend in front of Amy (who should have been her bestest best friend), I mean, come'on! That is the most annoying thing ever, when the best you consider to be your best friend doesn't consider you to be their best friend... And the CIA jazz?!? Not expecting that whatsoever, so I am really looking forward to how that is going to play out in the next book. My only real complaint is that I think that had the ending, where pretty much all of the action taken place, should have started earlier in the novel (and should have constituted more than the last twenty or so pages of the book)... I think that had that happened I would have liked the book even more so. I am just left with so many darn questions with the ending (and we all know how much I hate that!)... I think I may have to reread the ending... For instance, so because Alexi is not Pietr, Cat's and Max's brother, he is not a werewolf? How in the world could he hide that little fact? Or is the werewolf gene only thought to "pop up" in some children and not others thereby explaining that little discrepancy? Werewolves lifespans are compressed/ shortened? So why does when Alexi ask Pietr how old Jessie is say "Almost seventeen, like you?" I read it like Alexi was implying that Pietr is not like Jessie in age whatsoever, like he was not seventeen, or like he had been seventeen for a long time (FLASHBACK TO "TWILIGHT": "How old are you?" "Seventeen." "How long have you been seventeen?" "For a while."- Totally had that memorized... HA!). And what is with age thirteen? Does age thirteen mark their change?My philosophy? If you like "Twilight" you will like this book. If you don't like "Twilight", well, you will still like this book!
    • 3/5
      I think this series has some good potential but book 1 did not totally wow me. It contains a lot of cliches with Pietr starting off as the typical brooding high school boy with a secret to hide. Jess has some of her own personal issues to deal with but finds herself strangely attracted to Pietr. It’s pretty easy to guess what Peitr’s family secret is but the characters are what saves this book was feeling like another carbon copy werewolf/vampire book. Jess has a best friend who before a horrible car accident was one of the meanest, scariest girls in school and she is starting to show signs of reverting back to her old self. Then there is the new girlfriend of Jess’s father who apparently has an ulterior motive for dating her dad. And then there is Jess’s high school crush, Derek, who suddenly starts paying attention to Jess. Does he have a hidden agenda? It was these questions that kept me reading and will most likely bring me back for the next book to find out what happens.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book even though I wished that Jessica and Pietr were more confidant in admitting that they liked each other. Jessica just seemed to be too self sacrficing for me. The story idea is interesting and if you like wolves then give this book a chance.
    • 3/5
      the story started out okay but the middle part was a little hard to swallow, especially the parts about the jess-pietr-sarah triangle which took up probably more than half of the book! that part dragged on for a bit and so when i got to the part about the pietr telling sarah what he is (IMO, readers would know that he's werewolf about 30 pages in), i was like, finally we're getting somewhere! and then the story's over and all i can say is WTH?! you know how it is when you slug through something because you're sure you'll be rewarded at the end? that's how i felt about 13 to life and so i was really disappointed when i got to the (abrupt) end and the only new info given is that apparently, these werewolves are in the middle of a battle between CIA and the Russian Mafia. Oh-kay. i busted out laughing when i read that part! also, i don't even know what the title means. i'm not sure if i missed it but i sure as hell don't remember anything mentioned about "13 to life". anyway, i know this is the first of a series and the author probably wanted some sort of cliffhanger ending. i'd still give the second book a chance, maybe the story and the pacing would be better.
    • 3/5
      I zoomed through this book because it was loaned to me. I found it to be engaging and interesting. The werewolves were okay, but I've read much, much better ones. But I can't say I actually liked it, even though I'll pick up the sequel. There was just something about the novel that bugged me. I can't quite put my finger on what it was, perhaps everyone was a bit too trusting, perhaps everything fit together just a bit too well, or perhaps everything was a bit too Twilight for me. Regardless, I don't regret reading it, I just with I could figure out why I just don't quite like it.
    • 4/5
      This story didn't quite reach four stars for me. I prefer much less lying, subterfuge and angst. However, the romantic sparks between Jessie and Peitr were just right and the werewolf angle was intriguing. I am not sure about the Russian mafia angle, but I would be interested in reading Delany's second installment to see where she goes with it.
    • 4/5
      With all the vampire and werewolf books popping out like mushrooms recently, I am pretty skeptical to try reading this book. I saw Jennifer Murgia, the author of Angel Star’s tweet saying that this was a good book so I gave it a try.I have to say, this made me think that books with werewolves aren’t so bad after all.Story-wise, this is a thrilling read, a love story with a delightful supernatural twist. The mystery and intrigue, and admittedly, the questions I kept asking as I read, were enough of a drive for me to finish this. Though it may take you a while to get hooked, when you finally do, it’s going to be a really nice read.What kept me from rating this 5 though was the length of time and the number of pages it took for Pietr to reveal who he really was to Jessie even though we all know what he really is. And then there were numerous points left hanging in the story, most of which was only resolved when you reach the last 20 pages of the book. It was frustrating for me to see how fast-paced the story already was when it was suddenly and very abruptly cut short, I had to re-read the last two pages just to be sure it was the end. And what had happened to Derek? Jenny? And most importantly, Sarah?As with most books with a sequel, I think the end, which was definitely an indication for a second book, should have been written better. But you have to admit, the cliff hanger made you anticipate the second book, right? And I’m eagerly waiting for it!
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      13 to Life was one of those books I simply COULD NOT wait to read! I was not disappointed. It's beautiful, suspenseful, and a gripping novel!Werewolves never get old. especially with the twist Shannon gives them. She mades it fresh. Shannon's writing is wonderfully descriptive and fun! I loved all the character, Jess is a really down to earth chacter. She's smart,funny, and kind-hearted.But she entangles herself in a web of lies, although with good intentions...lies end up back firing we all that.Pietr is a mysterious and charming character. His feelings for Jess are romantic and passionate. He would never hurt her, i like that he is truthful with her. It just all works out between the two.I really enjoyed 13 to Life! There was never a dull moment,I couldn't put it down and now I really need the sequel. I love Jess and Pietr's relationship and can't wait to see them grow as a couple.
    • 4/5
      I'm in a love/hate relationship with Jessie. I mean, I love her, I really do, but that whole thing with Sarah...barf! I couldn't do it, not in a million years. I guess that makes her a better person in her eyes, but to me, and most people she knows, it just makes her a martyr. Oh well. She seems to be growing out of this "phase" and hopefully in book 2 she'll kick some more butt.Now the "forbidden love" between Jessie and Pietr really bugs me, more like I feel so bad for them I just want to shake them. Stop doing this to yourselves! It's so sad, and it can only end very badly. I'm looking forward to the next book, and to seeing what happens next with them.I really liked the spin on the werewolves in this book. Russian Mafia? Really?! But it is really cool, and the family dynamics are very believable.Now I know this is just book one in a new series, and so some questions were left unanswered, but I really want to know about those wild animals! And other things of course, but I won't spoil anymore for you.13 to Life was a great read. It was very easy to get lost in the world Ms. Delany created, and not want to come out. Those of you who have a werewolf fetish (like me) will love this series. I highly recommend it, for the relationship issues, the mythical monsters, and of course the "cops and robbers" aspects. It's sure to become a new favorite.4.5/5 Stars
    • 4/5
      13 To Life is an awesome addiction to the world of werewolves. We have our dark secrets, forbidden love, and a hot Russian guy! Yum!Our main character is Jessie, a small town girl that has been haunted by the troubles of her past and is trying to fight to keep a friendship with someone who may not even be her friend in the first place. When Pietr (pronounced Peter) comes into town with his family and a Russian heritage things begin to change for Jessie.I really enjoyed the voice of Jessie. She was sarcastic and witty in her thoughts as in her words. I found myself laughing many times at her comments and dry sense of humor. I really loved Pietr and greatly enjoyed the Russian heritage that was brought into the book. He’s that mysterious guy that you just want to know what in hiding in his mind.I was kind of annoyed that Jessie continuously pushed Pietr away at first, but I could understand her loyalty to her friend, even if it was her fault they were together.The ending is filled with surprises and twist that I never saw coming! I’m so looking forward to the next installment of the series , Secrets and Shadows.Overall, this is a great read. It doesn’t change much of what we’ve seen before in the werewolf books out there but it is a great take on the subject and can’t wait for more!
    • 3/5
      Budding journalist Jess Gillmansen gets assigned to be the tour guide for the new boy at Junction High, the mysterious and hot Pietr Rusakova. Pietr infuriates Jess, but she finds that she cannot stay away from him, even though she knows he’s hiding something from her. The closer Jess gets to Pietr, however, the more she will begin to be involved in a world that she can hardly even imagine.Shannon Delany’s 13 TO LIFE introduces nothing new to the heavily saturated paranormal romance YA department, but fans of this genre will find in it a likably strong protagonist and a mystery that’s worth reading more about.The main character, Jess, is a respectably strong character with a healthy dose of common sense and independence, traits that are, sadly, sorely lacking in numerous other books in this genre. I could understand her martyr-like behavior, her attempt to stay away from Pietr for her friend’s sake even though neither of them can deny their attraction to each other. Jess puts on a tough front to hide old hurts, which I could sympathize with. It made me side with her through frustrating decisions or bad attitudes.Backstory, however, was shaky at best. Jess’ journalist interest in wolf attacks in a nearby town felt forced: I wanted to know more about her interest in the matter, because I never like when something feels placed into the story simply to clue us, the reader, into something the protagonist hasn’t figured out yet. (For the record, this is a werewolf book. There. I’m not ruining anything by telling you that.) There was also an enigmatic tension between Jess and a friend of hers that, once again, felt rather unnatural. It has a lot of potential to explode into an emotional scenario, and so I hope that in the future Shannon Delany will build on that.For the most part, 13 TO LIFE felt like a long setup for a series. Very little happens until the last 15 or so pages, and once again it felt very contrived. If you’re looking for a quick paranormal romance that doesn’t require too much thought, 13 TO LIFE might intrigue you. Otherwise, you’ll just catch yourself borderline rolling your eyes at the amateur writing tropes used throughout this debut.
    • 5/5
      In 13 to Life Jess has just suffered a major loss in her family and she is desperately trying to deal with all her inner demons. Even though I don’t think she would want to admit to that. Jess as a character is a much more forgiving person than I think I ever could be. She is also selfless, she takes it almost to a point where she hurts herself by helping others. It is hard to watch her do that to herself, but she is just trying to do what she thinks is right and I cannot fault her for that.A good example of this is Pietr, she is obviously drawn to him and he returns those feelings. The problem comes in when Jess’ best friend Sarah likes Pietr too. Instead of telling Sarah how she feels, Jess shy’s away and lets her friend pursue Pietr. It really started to burn me up later down the road when you start to put together some of the pieces from Sarah’s past. But, I am going to leave it at that so you can discover what I mean one your own, I am sure you will all have some opinions when you reach that point in the book as well.One of the little details about the book that I really enjoyed were all the Shakespeare references. They are sprinkled throughout the book through the eyes of numerous characters and I loved seeing them pop up. However, not all of the references were Shakespearean. Some came in the form of movies or other literature that is well known. I really enjoy books, where other literary or movie related influences come into play and my favorite one in this book was this line: “The Junction Jackrabbit glared out from my shirt, hind legs twisted to kick and unseen opponent, the rabbit’s teeth so big and pointy my dad had proclaimed it a beast worthy of a Monty Python sketch.”Seriously, that is one of my favorite movies and to see it come into play here was just hilarious to me. If you have not watched that movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you need to put down the computer and go watch it now, then you will understand the hilarity to that reference.Okay, back to the book. The last few chapters have so much going on that if you blink, you are going to miss something. I was so caught up in it all that when I finished the book it took me a couple of minutes to realize that I still had a ton of questions left. Shannon gave you so much excitement at the end you almost forget that there are so many mysteries left unsolved and you walk away almost confused. In a good way, but still confused. This book raises new ideas about old legends and only lets you unravel the secrets one very small layer at a time.This is one of those books, that for me, feels like it is setting the scene for the rest of the series. 13 to life has built a solid foundation for this world and has paved the way for future books in this series. I know the next book is called Secrets and Shadows and is set to release February 15, 2010, so I am waiting until then to see what happens next.Language Love: “A good writer should get people to feel something,”I chose this because this is exactly how I feel about reading. If I finish a book and I don’t have any kind of emotional reaction to it, then in my opinion the author did not do their job. Now by emotional I don’t mean I am crying or even having any kind of physical reaction, I just mean I am attached to the characters in some way and the book made me feel.
    • 5/5
      Russian werewolves, trust and mean girls seem to be the main thrust of this book. I loved it. I loved the main character...Jessica. She was brave and fierce in her friendships and loyalties to friends who really did not deserve her goodness. I must admit that the book was just a bit difficult to follow in the beginning. I am not sure why. I think because the author wanted to release slowly all the good parts and bits of the story. So the more I read the more involved I became with the plot and the characters. Jessica was so afraid of the situations that she was thrust into and yet so brave. That was what was so amazing to me about her character and the way her character was developed by the author. She had witnessed some really sad and awful events and she remained true to her spirit. The book ended far too soon for me. I wanted to know more about what would happen with her relationships with the Rusokovas…especially Peitr. There are many major trust issues in this novel and some fascinating situations. Jessica has been hurt in her life by the hateful actions of a friend and by the loss of her mother but she still remains trustful of Peitr. She has an attraction to him that she tries valiantly to dismiss but it ultimately seems to overpower both Jessica and Peitr. There are some unique characters within the story. Jessica’s father’s girlfriend Wanda is a bit of an oddity as is her sister Annabelle Lee. But this book has magic and mystery and totally believable characters. I thoroughly loved reading it.