Synopsis: All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party... and to feed. Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining - and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized. A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead... or undead. Review: Though is novel has pretty good balance of relatable humanity and supernatural elements, I didn't feel like I connected very much with the characters or story. I know there's a pretty big fandom surrounding this series, but I just didn't get into it. The overused elements of sexuality seemed unnecessary in light of Rachael being hunted by virtually everyone, and I felt that the characters needed to be further developed - which I suppose they may be in later books...but I won't be reading on. Insignificant scenes seemed to last forever, and it took a while for the plot to become exciting. Overall it was alright, I ended up feeling ok with it. Not upset that I read it, but also not blown away by it. just Meh! (note the exclamation point still). I'm not going to continue on with this series though - there are too many other books out there that I'm dying to read instead! Rating:
3/5 Stars
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Synopsis: War is coming to the Wizards of Arcadia. Will Kailee’s love be enough for Rek to fight for good, or will a powerful blood bond push him to fight for evil? Review: This book is the definition of a happily ever after. Overall it was a decent end to a simple yet exciting trilogy. It remains to be a wonderful novel trilogy ideally for young teenagers or even preteens. It is full of love, hatred, danger, and most of all, good vs evil. As much as I love this series and the characters in it, the idea of good vs evil started to get a bit old for me. Everything was almost too black and white. The bad guys were simply bad due to a poison coursing through their veins, and the good guys were good in order to stop the bad guys from creating destruction. I have to say that I did like how the evil was not only “evil”, and was a poison, but it still was a little too unexplained. That could also just be the simplicity of a young teen novel though. I still love Kailee and Rek, Astrid and Gabe, Ryan and Tasha, and Audric and Cass. It’s all perfect. It was a little convenient that everyone found their soulmates so easily, but you really can’t help but love it and get a warm feeling inside. Everything is wrapped up perfectly in the epilogue that will leave you satisfied and happy for everyone. There is lots of death in this book seeing as it is the final book in the trilogy. Both good and bad characters die, and everyone is put in danger. There really are lots of plot twists and unexpected events in this finale which I love! If you are a fan of The Key and The Oracle, please, please, please read till the very end. This book comes to a perfect ending and will definitely make you smile. This is cliche teen paranormal romance at it’s finest, and I loved it :) Rating:
3.5/5 Stars Synopsis: Following on the heels of Sanderson’s successful launch into the YA market with the New York Times bestselling Rithmatist comes Mistborn, now repackaged for the teen audience Once, a hero rose to save the world. He failed. For a thousand years since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist ruled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler. Every revolt has failed miserably. Yet somehow, hope survives. Hope that dares to dream of ending the empire and defeating the Lord Ruler. A new kind of uprising is being planned—one that depends on the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind and the determination of an unlikely heroine: a teenage street urchin named Vin. Once, a hero rose to save the world and failed. This time, can a young heroine succeed? Review: This is the first Brandon Sanderson novel I've ever read, am I'm a little upset for not picking him up sooner! I've been so engrossed in cliche YA fantasy novels written by female authors (which isn't a bad thing, stories just have a different perspective when a female character is created by a male author), and haven't even thought to branch out until now. I loved it. I feel like I say this a lot about the books I read, but hey, I just have good taste. Sanderson has developed a vivid new world, dominated by the ashy shades of grey. He managed to give me such a clear understanding of this unique world without defaulting to using paragraphs of dull landscape description - which I applaud. His world building was effortless, and his world was a beautiful dystopia of dirty ash-falls, swirling night mist and "mythical" mist creatures. Though the world was developed so vividly, so much is left a mystery - the unknown history of the world, the mysterious, "Godly", "immortal" leader, Allomancy.... The main characters, Kelsier and Vin were just as refreshing and brilliant as their world. Kelsier, a slave turned rebel turned martyr was presented in such a way where I questioned his sanity, and when his plans were brought to light, I questioned how I ever doubted him! He's mad, erratic, spontaneous, reckless, blunt, sarcastic and to top it off, a heroic genius. At no point do you stop questioning his motives and sanity until after the fact. I loved him. Vin too. Untrusting street urchin turned noble-lady-spy-rebel. All the characters in this book are just so diverse, from Elend to Sazed. These's rebellion, magic, mystery, noble balls, battle, political infiltration, forbidden romance...what more could you ask for?! Though this book is over 500 pages, it seems to go by too fast. It's faced paced, and invokes the "I need to go to bed but I need to keep going" mentality. Total winner. I'll for sure keep on with this series! Rating:
5/5 Stars Synopsis: From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results. At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan. Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan? In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Liferaises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate? Review: What do you get when you cross the multiverse theory with a contemporary/romance novel? You get a pretty freaking cool book. For those of you who don't know, the multiverse theory is a theory where "everything that is possible happens" (p. 329). For every decision you make, another version of you from another universe makes the other decision, creating an infinite number of universes. Maybe in Another Life plays with this theory by having the main character, Hannah make a decision to either go home from a party with her best friend or her high school ex-boyfriend. The book then alternates chapters playing out how Hannah's life would turn out if she made either of those two decisions. The differences in her two lives are both very different and strangely similar - you have to read it to the end to know what I mean. I found this concept to make for a really fun to read. I kept going back and fourth as to which decision was the the right one for Hannah to make as both her lives spiral in different ways. In all honesty, this book would have been decent without the parallel stories, but the multiverse concept completely enhanced the reading experience by causing me to have more concern and anxiety over Hannah's lives. I even loved the individual story lines because of all the twists, drama, and "I can't believe I didn't see that coming" moments. Both of Hannah's lives seem so authentic that I can't help but have such concern for her - It all feels so real! There are two reasons why this book didn't get a full five stars from me. Firstly, because of the overkill with the cinnamon rolls. I know they were a big part of the story, but their appearances were incessant! Also, I call them 'cinnamon rolls', not 'cinnamon buns', which was slightly irritating for me to read. The second reason is that there were too many times when I would forget that Hannah is 29 years old since she has a bad habit of acting like a child. This occur often, but when it did, I was annoyed. Generally speaking though, this was an awesome and unique read that I would suggest to anyone. It would be especially great for anyone in their 20's to read as it's much more relatable to be close the the main character's age. Rating:
4/5 Stars Synopsis: Meet Skulduggery Pleasant Ace Detective Snappy Dresser Razor–tongued Wit Crackerjack Sorcerer and Walking, Talking, Fire-throwing Skeleton —as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old. These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil. The end of the world? Over his dead body. Review: I really can't decide if this is a good book or not, since I am really too old to be reading it. But, in terms of my liking of it, I thought it was OK. This is a middle grade-ish, paranormal novel. I found the overall story to be a great idea which will no doubt be a gateway for children read more fantasy as they grow up. I mean you have it all: magical skeleton, a newly discovered world of magic, an ultimate scepter, and a murder mystery. For a child, I imagine that this would be a really exciting read. Though to me it was a little cliche, and I found the main character to be whiny and annoying at times. I did however like Skulduggery Pleasant - he reminded me of that driver from Halloweentown. None the less, I still enjoyed this easy read - it really feels like your flying through the book when the font and line spacing is large! I won't be continuing on with this series, though I do recommend it for older children! Rating:
3/5 Stars Synopsis: Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds. They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids. Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire. Review: By no means as good as the first two books, but still had a satisfying ending… When I immediately finished this book, I loved it. But I held off on writing this review because I find that I ALWAYS love books right when I finish them. So this time, I took the time to let my emotions settle in order to get a stronger hold on my opinion. With all that said, I like this series. Not love, but that perfect crush that you had in high school who you look back on now and think “meh”. I found that Alexandra Bracken tried too hard to stretch out this book and make it as long as the others in the series. I mean, there were just too many chapters that seemed to repeat each other, where Ruby would feel insecure, Ruby would struggle with her emotions, and Ruby would keep secrets from a special someone. It definitely could have been condensed. And speaking of a special someone, considering the fact that Liam was present for nearly this entire book, he really didn’t seem to be around much. He was such a fan favourite yet the author focused too little on him and way too much on Ruby’s emotions. So if you haven’t figured it out yet, Ruby did start to get on my nerves with the repetitive and constant complaining and struggling with her abilities and relationships with Cole and Liam. Ruby’s complaints and Liams lack of air-time caused me to disconnect from them on an emotional level. BUT the momentum from the action in the past books and the emotional connections I had made in the past two books allowed me to still enjoy reading this one. For a good majority of the book, Ruby's all like: On the other hand, I loved the direction the story took and (without giving too much of a spoiler) I loved how the story come full circle and concluded where book one started. I did find the very ending (the resolution to the damaged American world) very over simplistic and unlikely, but I can’t be surprised by it, this is young adult after all. So, the ending was satisfying - but it would be FANTASTIC if there were an epilogue or a novella to tell us what happens after this book, because we are left to wonder how these characters relationships develop after the big events of the finale. Rating:
3.5/5 Stars **I received this novel courtesy of Penguin Publishing in exchange for my honest review** Synopsis: Nuala O’Connor’s enchanting American debut novel, Miss Emily, reimagines the private life of Emily Dickinson, one of America’s most beloved poets, through her own voice and through the eyes of her family’s Irish maid. Eighteen-year-old Ada Concannon has just been hired by the respected but eccentric Dickinson family of Amherst, Massachusetts. Despite their difference in age and the upstairs-downstairs divide, Ada strikes up a deep friendship with Miss Emily, the gifted elder daughter living a spinster’s life at home. But Emily’s passion for words begins to dominate her life. She will wear only white and avoids the world outside the Dickinson homestead. When Ada’s safety and reputation are threatened, however, Emily must face down her own demons in order to help her friend, with shocking consequences. Review: Miss Emily is a story both beautifully simplistic and plainly genuine. For a book that lacks in the epic action department, I found myself quite invested from the first page. The simple language in which it is written makes Miss Emily an easy read (for a story taking place in the 1800’s), and the shortness of it being 239 pages helps encourage binge reading. The alternating chapters written from Emily Dickenson’s point of view intrigued me the most. O’Connor did a beautiful job of recreating Emily Dickenson’s mind and bringing its innocence and marvel to life. Emily’s chapters look at the world in a very poetic way that I found fascinating to read about. Keeping in mind the fact that despite the many non-fictional characters, this is a fictional story, I loved how O’Connor was able to subtly display the inspirations for Emily’s poetry, and the mindset behind Emily’s choice to live secluded - among other seemingly queer decisions. I even found Emily to be very relatable to the point where I would pick up this book for consolation. On the other hand, we have alternating chapters written from the Irish maid, Ada’s perspective. Ada’s story of travelling to a new country and facing the hardships of starting a new foreign life decently balanced out Emily’s chapters of living in her own head. Now, I didn’t find Ada nearly as poetic to read about, but the slowly developing, mild action of her story kept me just interested enough to want to know where her story was headed. I only wish that the friendship connecting Emily and Ada was emphasized more, because I found that for a decent portion of the book, I was reading two completely different stories. The ending of Miss Emily was both satisfying and charming, but nothing extraordinary. This is the type of book where the journey is more important than the destination, and I was glad to have taken that journey. When reading this, don’t expect a lot of action (though there are a couple big events), but rather expect intriguing insight to the possible mindset of Emily Dickenson, friendship, romance, abuse, and even some poetry. Rating:
3.5/5 Stars Synopsis: Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself? Review: So, let’s be honest. Alexandra Bracken definitely knows how to mend half the heart while crumbling the other half. Learning this from The Darkest Minds had definitely prepared me for tragic events in this book, making me slightly less sensitive to them. So no, I did not enjoy this as much as the first book – but then again, that tends to happen a lot in trilogies. Going into this book, I was really excited for the continuing story from book one – to find out what happens with Ruby in the League. But I was slightly disappointed that we didn’t get to see Ruby’s initial time there. The story starts off with Ruby having been in the League for several months. And though I did love her newly combat trained, bad-ass self, I found that it took away from the excitement of the lingering danger everywhere. I mean, now everything is slightly less of a threat since she’s trained! I feel like I’m making this book sound boring – which it really isn’t! Though the book started off a little too slow for my liking, it picked up momentum as it went. I started to love the story again when the new characters met the old characters. The familiarity form the first book brought the story completely back on track and delivered with plot twists and more twisted minds. The new twister minds completely make this book! The bigger picture of America begins to unravel just enough for you to be begging for more. Rating:
4/5 Stars Synopsis: When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living. Review: I loved this book! <<< That’s it, review over. The unpredictable story, loveable characters, and simple writing style were all on point here! Beginning with the characters: Ruby was a very likeable character who the audience is forced to sympathize with right from the beginning. Her life if revealed to us with the perfect combination of answers and tolerable mystery. As Ruby’s character evolves throughout the book, her mysterious past is slowly unraveled and presented to the audience, not only through narration but also during crucial plot turning points. Ruby was written in a way where she is easily understood and loved by the audience. There are also Ruby’s companions to consider, Liam (Lee), Chubs, and Suzume (Zu), who are all loveable in their own ways. These characters are split up to play certain roles: the leader, the brains, and the innocent powerhouse. These differences really made each character stand out from one another. I was surprised at how much I sympathized with and felt a strong connection with each of them – especially considering that they are not the main character. Though I fell in love with Liam and Suzume right away, I was even more impressed with how much my opinion of Chubs had evolved over the course of the book to make me love him too. Now, at a glance, the story itself seems very unoriginal: a teenage girl with special powers who is on the run from those who want to use her powers for evil. That sounds like every YA dystopian book I’ve ever read. BUT DON’T’ LET THAT DETER YOU, this story was made a lot more interesting with an epidemic thrown into a crumbling America, desperate bounty hunters, different powers, and (basically) concentration camps for “freak” children. I loved the story Alexandra Bracken created, and all the twists and turns that went with it. This is one of those books where you never really know what’s real or who to trust. For those of you who’ve read this story already: NONONONO THE ENDING. I COULD FEEL MY HEART CRUMBLE WITH EVERY WORD. WHYYYYY! Any book that can give me this much enjoyment and pain at the same time deserves a full 5 stars! Emotional, gripping, and unpredictable... Rating:
5/5 Stars Synopsis: Dying Embers tells the story of Drake McCarty; a sixteen year old boy with more than a few challenges in his life. As if it wasn't enough that he had begun seeing creatures that no one else could, he is suddenly thrust into the position of liaison to an alien race. He was just coming to understand that part of his life when he finds himself pronounced father to three Larian infants; embers. They are injured, frightened, and carrying a pathogen with the capacity to destroy any technology it contaminates. Bole and the rest of the mature aliens are of limited help; exiled from their home-world following a bloody civil war, they arrived on Earth in a burned out spaceship just as the Cold War began, and for over half a century the military kept them a closely guarded, rather boring, and ultimately unproductive secret. But when the other half of the conflict arrives, bent on continuing the war here on Earth Bole has no choice but to defend his new home and the family he has built here, leaving Drake to tend to the embers on his own. But Drake has other allies; a family with roots that stretch back into antiquity, and a reach that spans the world. They in turn know beings native to Earth, but far more alien than any of the Larians; creatures that hold no love for the species that they see as invaders, but might hold the key to his children's very survival. Review: Iwant to begin by apologizing to the author of this novel, Betty Adams, for not completing her book which I had agreed to give my honest review about. Holding up my end of the deal, this review will be by thoughts and opinions on the first half of the book as I only managed to read up to page 127 / 276. This book originally captured my attention with the adorable cover art - it is nothing completely amazing or spectacular, but it hit me as being very genuine and beautiful, and thus, I decided to read this novel. To be completely honest, I didn't enjoy this book. Not to say that the story is terrible, but I found this book to be very one dimensional, which resulted in me having absolutely no emotional connection with the characters or story. There were obvious attempts by the author to build on backstories of the characters, which just fail to work. These attemps to build backstories were dispersed throughout the novel in, what I assume, is to allow the reader's connection with the characters slowly change and mature. Unfortunately I found that this attempted method of connection made the story very boring, as we really don't know all that much about the characters at any given point in time. My second issue with the characters, is with the aliens and their many names. The protagonist aliens in this book are mostly introduced within the first few chapters - and there are a decent number of aliens to introduce! The problem is that each alien has several different names (formal, informal, and sometimes nicknames), which caused me to really struggle to remember who was who. Needless to say this caused a huge lack of connection between me and the alien characters. Lastly, I found the story line to be quite boring, considering this is a sci-fi genre book. I was very underwhelmed. During the first half of the book, which is all I read, there really is not much epic action as would be expected with an alien book. The story mainly based around a brother - sister relationship developing more trust, of which the alien babies are just a means of. Though I've been trying for two weeks to finish reading this novel, my lack of connection with the characters and lack of interest in the storyline, made Dying Embers too unbearable to finish. Keep in mind that this is only my opinion of the first half of the book, and that my opinion may, in no way, reflect that of the entire novel - for all I know, it could have had a spectacular ending. Rating:
DNF (Did Not Finish) Synopsis: In the hundreds of years since the Holy City disappeared, darkness has fallen over the land. Human kingdoms have seized control of the realm, scattering the other races into hiding. Bridazak, a skilled thief, and his friends, a Dwarf and a fellow Ordakian, have dared to remain within the human communities and live relatively quiet lives, until they discover a mysterious, magical artifact. The three friends are thrust into an adventure that will challenge their faith, their purpose, and their destiny as they chase a forgotten and lost prophecy across the realm of Ruauck-El, where they hope to discover the origins of the strange item and their place in its history. An ancient, unknown enemy threatens the completion of their journey at every turn. Bridazak is about to face the biggest adventure of his life, one that may change the known realm, and answer the questions he has carried all his life. Will they unlock the truth? Review: I have to say that I was underwhelmed by this book. I went into it not knowing exactly what to expect as the synopsis was fairly vague. All in all, this novel was an attempt at an unoriginal fantasy quest story. First, I’ll begin with what I enjoyed about the book: Since I listened to the audiobook version of this, I got to listen to the author and a couple other people voice the main characters. Brae Wyckoff and the other voice actors had great reading voices, and I enjoyed their narration for the most part. I also enjoyed the very beginning of the novel, before the characters were sent on their main journey. There was fairly good character and world building, and everything was described the perfect amount, where I could clearly picture the world and events, but didn’t get bored with excessive description. Unfortunately, the negatives of this book outweighed the positives for me. I mentioned that I enjoyed the voice actors for the most part, but nearing the end of the novel, Dulgin’s voice become irritating. For a book of this length, his voice was too unnatural and eventually started sounding very fake. I also disliked how there was only one female voice actor who voiced several female characters in the story. Her voice was so distinct (since it has a slight accent) that all of the female characters sounded very similar, and made it easy to mistake them for one another. Some reviews of this novel relate it to Lord of the Rings, which I think is completely off track! I can clearly see the author’s attempt at creating a story with a similar feel to Tolkien’s novels, but Wyckoff fell short with a super cliché storyline and characters, as well as only a mediocre writing style. I can’t say that his writing was “bad” but it was very sequential (i.e. this happened, then this, then this…) which become boring after a while. As well, many portions of the story seemed to be dribbled in thesaurus vomit – some words just didn’t sound natural or seem to fit in with the rest of the story. One of the biggest mistakes I found with this story is too many convenient coincidences which got characters out of trouble. I am a strong believer that you can use coincidences to get characters into trouble, but you can never use them to get characters out of trouble – that’s just a cheap move. And too many times throughout this story, did characters conveniently have the right tools or the right people to save them. This story also has too many repeated events/scenes which made everything very predictable. In the beginning of the story, the Orb tells Bridazak that he will protect him of the journey. Yet the authors still tries to create scenes that appear life threatening by giving characters fatal wounds etc. which are conveniently healed almost immediately after. The repetition of trying to create life threatening events made the story appear to have no clear climax. The cliché characters consisted of the “good guys” and “bad guys” who are polar opposites of good and evil for no clear reason (the villain is simply just evil). And the cliché villain with the evil laugh and tacky one-liners just seemed too one dimensional and underdeveloped. I have to give props to Brae Wyckoff for his intentions on creating a brand new fantasy world and story, but everything just fell short and the story sounded very cliché and amateur. If you are a fan of fantasy books, I unfortunately wouldn’t recommend this for you. Rating:
2/5 Stars ***CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS** Synopsis: I have a curse I have a gift I am a monster I'm more than human My touch is lethal My touch is power I am their weapon I will fight back Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. Review: Though I enjoyed reading Shatter Me, I don’t quite understand all the hype surrounding it. Tahereh Mafi’s writing style struck me as pretty standard – aside from the crossing out of words which I was only indifferent to. There was just nothing that wowed me about her writing, it was just…good. It made me want to keep reading, yet didn't give me the I-can’t-put-this-down feeling. The story itself has been told before. It’s the Hunger Games meets the X-Men. Including the Hunger Games world where citizens are suppressed and living on a dying earth, and the X-Men as Rogue is identical to Mafi’s character, Juliette, and “Omega Point” is a blend between Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and District 13. With all of these parallels, I still enjoyed reading this story. It presented some plot twists but nothing completely spectacular, it was not entirely predictable, though some parts were very obvious, and all of the characters seem to be standard YA paranormal romance characters: Juliette is insecure about herself but is crucial to the fate of the world because of her power, Adam is mysterious, incredibly capable (even though he is 17 years old), speaks in a “husky” voice at times, and very easily and quickly falls completely in love with the heroine. I know it sounds like I’m ripping on this book, but I really did enjoy reading it. I just don’t understand all of the hype about it – it’s not THATTTT original or suspenseful. It’s just “pretty good”. I also have to say that I really don't like the original book cover which I own (as shown above). I find it annoying when a main character is shown on the cover - it completely ruins any attempt for me to form my own image of Juliette in my head. I with I would have bought the Newer edition with an eye on the cover.... Rating:
3/5 Stars ***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS IN THE SERIES*** Synopsis: New Year's Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come. After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve... If Kat had only stayed with Rennie... Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same. Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes? Review: WOWWWWWW. The last book in this series, Fire With Fire, ended with such a cliff hanger that I don’t think anyone really knew what to expect for this book. But WOW. This series shifts from a teen contemporary drama vibe to almost a horror vibe. The Fact that Mary is DEAD makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about her in the past two books. Though Lil and Kat both go through plenty of character development here, Mary’s character development in this book is by far the most drastic and terrifying. This turn of events forced me to sympathize with characters who I’ve previously despised, and gave me a whole new outlook on the dynamic and relationships between the characters. I love when books force me to rethink everything I thought to be true – it really is a key feature of a great story teller. The one criticism I have for this book is that it came to a seemingly abrupt ending. Though it was satisfying, I would have loved for the climax to last just a littleeeee longer – but still, I was happy with how it ended. It even wrapped up what the next several years were like for the main characters which is very satisfying. Han and Vivian’s writing is so easy to follow and very intriguing, it’s easy to get lost in the story and forget that you are really just looking at words on a page. Due to the great writing and intriguing storyline, this series just seemed to fly by, and I’m really going to miss it! This is the first book (series) I’ve read by Jenny Han and it definitely makes me want to check out more of her work! I really did love this book and this series! Rating:
4.5/5 Stars Synopsis: R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world. Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between. Review: You would never have guessed that this is Isaac Marion’s first novel! Though his writing style is very basic, and at times it feels like he took a thesaurus and threw in big words that didn't necessarily follow the rest of his basic writing style, I still enjoyed this book. I’ll admit, this was not one of those omgicantputthisdown books, but I did find myself wanting to find out what happens next. It’s small size of only 239 pages made the book seem very short – it felt like only a couple chapters worth of events – which seemed to me like a novella. But the short seeming story was perfectly fine with me, considering I was not wonder-struck by it. I did however love how Marion managed to tell the story for the point of view of a zombie, and actually managed to make me sympathetic for R. I mean, it was kind of tacky how love cured the “zombie disease” and how there really was no explanation for that phenomenon…but the love story was strangely cute and interesting, and I've definitely never read anything like it before. This was a perfect little book to read in between all of those long series I have on my bookshelf. ***This novel is very different from it's movie. This book definitely doesn't have a rom-com vibe**** Rating:
3.5/5 Stars Synopsis: By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz. Common enemy, common cause. When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love. But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world. What power can bruise the sky? From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter? Review: To me, this book was perfect! Laini Taylor just has such an amazing writing style: her poetic tone mixed with genuine language and fluent transitions – I love it. I also love the introduction to new characters. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out considering this is the third book in a series, but the new characters were just as intriguing as the rest, and Taylor did a fantastic job of keeping a sense of mystery around them by slowly revealing more truths throughout the book. It made for a crazy read with so many plot twists and new mysteries being revealed that no reader would ever have been able to predict. This book had everything you could want in a conclusion to a series… EXCEPT a conclusion to the overall story, of which I can’t decide is a good or bad thing. Though the story is left on a bit of a cliff-hanger, enough of the story was resolved that I was satisfied – no, I was very happy. If this story didn’t end on a bit of a cliff-hanger, It would probably go on forever – which, hey, I wouldn’t mind! I just have to say that I really did love love love this series. I have fallen in love with Karou, Akiva, Zuzana, Mik, and the rest of the seraphim, chimaera, human, whateverelse… as well as with Eretz. Rating:
5/5 Stars Synopsis: Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war. This is not that world. Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it. In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life. While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope. But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream? Review: A perfect continuation to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Our current knowledge about Karou and her worlds are challenged on an escalated level. It seems like the more I read, the more I learn, and the more I struggle to put down to book at the end of the night. Epic developments and milestones are reached, and everything only gets crazier and more intense. This book builds on our current knowledge of characters and brings them from our imaginations to our hearts. THE FEELS!!! Laini Taylor is a master of stealing my heart, cradling it, then tearing it up into itty bitty pieces and throwing it to the wind. Thiago, Ziri, BRIMSTONE! It’s almost too much to handle. And of course, Laini Taylor’s writing style is beautifully melodic and seemingly effortless to create the sensation of being a part of the story rather than being a reader of the story. Dear Everyone, Do yourselves an enormous favour and pick up this book – nay, this series. Please. For me. And for you. <3 Yours truly, Amy Rating: 5/5 Stars Synopsis: To survive, their bond must be unbreakable. When the mysterious and passionate Rhane rescues Kali from an attacker in the theater parking lot, they form an immediate, smoldering connection. But Kali doesn't remember Rhane or anything from their past. As far as Kali knows, she's just a seventeen-year-old kid coping with an insatiable hunger for the “spark” or energy of others, feeding on classmates to survive. A unique artifact—one that may hold the key to returning Kali’s memories—is uncovered by the archaeology firm where she works part-time, sending Kali and Rhane on a dangerous journey that leads them to the Forbidden City, into the unforgiving Gobi, and into the ruins of Rhane’s ancient homeland. As they fight for survival, Kali begins to discover who she really is and the true power she possesses. But Rhane still harbors a secret that could destroy Kali…unless old enemies kill her first. Review: I’m not a huge fan. I was really hoping to like this book (I mean, the cover’s beautiful!), and because of all the great reviews it has been getting, I went into it with high expectations. I sadly have to say that this book just did not deliver. I wasn’t a fan of Eden Ashley’s style of writing. I found that the words just didn’t flow well and sometimes it felt like she just grabbed a thesaurus in order to make the book sound more intellectual – but those words just felt out of place. I also felt like Ashley’s portrayal of main character, Kali wasn’t quite right. Kali’s voice and choice of diction often sounded like an adult who is trying to be young again and fit in with the “hip” crowd, rather than sounding like a teenager. I also found the book itself to be laid out in a strange way. Most of the chapters were between one and three pages long – which made the book seem really fragmented, limiting its flow. Fortunately, the chapters sometimes switched voices between characters – which saved the book a little for me, as I love hearing from different points of view! What confused me the most was trying to figure out what age group this story is for. I mean, I would definitely categorize it a young adult book, but how young? Some of the content seemed a little mature, as Kali tended to be quite the promiscuous teenager who couldn’t control her hormones (maybe rated PG13?). Yet, the story seemed to be written in a very simplistic way which suggests it would be for a younger audience. I don’t know. It’s a weird combination of form vs content. What completely saved this story for me was the IDEA of the story, not the execution of writing it. The idea of a siren with lost memories and a race of shape shifters was really intriguing! Not to mention the trip to Mongolia which supplied a nice change of scenery. Though this idea was fantastic, as I said, it was not executed well. I found the story to be very predictable; and the twists were only mildly shocking. At times it became frustrating when crucial information is discovered by Kali, but she acts like she doesn’t understand, or she doesn’t completely regard it. This just made her seem really clueless and stunned. Needless to say, I had no emotional connection to the characters in this story which made everything seem less exciting. The romance was really superficial and seemed to be really forced by the author. So, no. I don’t quite ship Kali and Rhane. There’s really no chemistry, just hormones. The book seemed to end really abruptly too, with too many unanswered questions. Although this book ended with a cliff-hanger, I’m not going to be continuing this series. As far as I’m concerned, this story seemed to have good intentions but just fell short in so many ways. Rating: 2/5 Stars Synopsis: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actuallygrows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? Review: This could very well be a new favourite series of mine. Laini Taylor’s writing is beautiful, and not overly simplistic like most YA authors tend to be. Her beautiful writing style allowed her to create a captivating story that begins by taking place in the gorgeous city of Prague – an amazing change from YA authors who stay in America. At first I wasn’t too interested in the story or the main character, as Karou seemed like a fairly uninteresting blue haired art student. But the story picked up about half way through the book when Karou’s way of living was explained, and again when her real past was revealed. Soon everything Karou did captivated me – especially when she meets Akiva. The story of romance even captivated me as it “began” with Akiva trying to kill Karou. But truth after truth was revealed until I was completely shocked. I have no idea how Laini Taylor came up with such an interesting story or how she came up with the idea for the vast host of different characters. Some of the characters were hard to imagine, but they were all described perfectly, and the world was created flawlessly too. The combination of the interesting names (Karou, Brimstone, Zuzanna, Akiva, Chiro…), intriguing settings (Prague, Morocco, Paris…), and the completely new storyline made this book something I couldn’t put down. I stayed up until 5am to finish this because it was THAT good. A fantasy world merged with the real world to create an unforgettable story of war, family, mystery, magic, and love. If you enjoyed the Internal Devices series, I would highly recommend this. In both, I've experienced a really strong connection to the characters and became really invested in their lives and their story. Rating: 5/5 Stars Synopsis: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows. Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is as much a chilling tale about monsters and danger, as it is a magical story of a lonely boy meeting finding himself. I found myself going back and forth, trying to decide whether this book is for children, teenagers, or adults. The overall simplicity of the story narration seems lower grade, but the diction and photos make the story more mature. Even so, I really did enjoy this book. I initially picked up this book when I saw all the crazy and provoking photos within the pages of the book. I was infatuated. I find it both fascinating and impressive that the author, Ransom Riggs had collected old photographs – which ended up being the inspiration for his story. Like the photographs, the story line itself is really “different”. Though it is quite intriguing from the first page, action and mystery continue to build up until the climax of the story leaves you needing the second book. In a way, I wish that this book was more conclusive on its own. I feel like the book did end with many questions answered, but is almost like a very long prologue to the second book in the series, rather than its own complete story. With this being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it and loved the clash of cultures and characters from different times. Time travel is usually an element of a book that either works or doesn't. The way Riggs managed to create a world of time travel and different species of humans was very well written and developed. I felt like I had a firm grasp on the essence of the world he created and described – without long and tedious descriptions! If you’re a fan of light fantasy, history, or anything “peculiar” I would suggest this book to you. There is time travel, monsters, different dimensions, and most importantly, peculiar children with abnormal abilities. Just be prepared that the second book in this series, Hollow City, is essential to read after this one! Really though, the one word I would use to describe the story, characters, writing style, and photos is, PECULIAR. Rating: 4/5 Stars Synopsis: Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up. Review: 5 platinum stars. Much better than John Green's, The Fault in Our Stars (although this was pretty good). I really don’t understand why this book was never assigned to us in high school. I mean, sure there was much to discuss and lessons to be learned from To Kill a Mockingbird, The Kite Runner, or The Chrysalids. But I’ve never felt that a book has make this much of an impact on me. I feel like a completely different person after having read it – in a good way! While reading this, you feel like you are a diary. Charlie is this innocent, naive, and strange freshman who writes deeply personal letters to you, a stranger. The letters are all roller-coasters or emotions, thoughts, and stories. These letters essentially give us a look into his mind. He is just a boy who is trying to find happiness as he kind of just an observer of the world who struggles to actually “participate”. Charlie is a really intriguing character as he looks at the world from a completely different point of view. He tries to find the good in everything, and when he doesn’t he holds onto god memories of the past. What makes him really special is that he does what is needed of him: he is a shoulder to cry on, he is a straight A student because his parents told him that they don’t have much money for college, he is a loyal friend, and he is gifted. There is no other way to put it. What I love about this book is that it is not always forcing itself to be politically correct, but it does express the good in everyone. So there is drinking, drugs, smoking, abortion, domestic violence, sex, etc. But In context it just works. It shows a truthful view of the imperfect world we live in but still brings out the good within it. Charlie’s year of letters have formed a perfect story about life. Please read it. It really is life changing. P.S. the movie did not do the book justice! Rating: 5/5 Stars WARNING: THIS BOOK IS MUCH BETTER WITHOUT READING THE SYNOPSIS FIRST! Synopsis: As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others. Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow. Review: Anne Bishop sure has a talent for creating new worlds. Urban fantasies are usually a hit or miss for me – but this one was definitely a hit! Despite the high ratings on Goodreads, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the book. I found the beginning to be very slow. For a while it seemed that the story centered around Meg Corbyn learning how to live like a normal person. But soon enough, everything picked up. I was really intrigued with the idea of the Others. Bishop created a vivid world that was home to a host of dangerous and mysterious species. For a while I was turned off by the fact that the crows were named Crowgard, the wolves were named Wolfgard, the owls named Owlgard, etc… but as the storyline became increasingly exciting and more dangerous, the names didn't bother me so much anymore. The story also had the perfect balance of intriguing information and mystery surrounding Meg Corbyn’s identity and the power of the Others. I also loved the fact that the Others aren't portrayed as sexy, or desirable, or human in any way. They are beasts who tolerate humans, and won’t hesitate to eat any human trespassing on their land. This was such a nice change from the flood of fantasy/paranormal novels out there that make monsters seem…less monstrous. Another strong point of this book is the changing first person point of view. We read from the points of view of Meg Corbyn, Simon Wolfgard, Asia Crane, Lieutenant Montgomery, Vlad Sanguinati, and a few other characters briefly. This gave the story so much depth as we see this new world from the point of view of a wolf monster, a “vampire”, a human officer, a secret enemy of the monsters and Meg, and the main character. I also love that unlike most YA fantasy (this is more NA fantasy) the main character, Meg, is not a normal girl who becomes “the chosen one”. No. This is about a woman without a name who escapes a compound where she is considered “property” and tries to learn how to live as a person, while avoiding being captured due to the hefty bounty on her head. The ONLY reason this book didn't get a full 5 stars is because the first quarter of the book was pretty slow, making it difficult to get into. For a long time it seemed that there were more and more questions building up with no answers. But as soon as the answers started being revealed, there was no way to put down this book. Highly recommended! Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Synopsis: Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school… again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’ master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’ stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. Review: Even though it was way under my level of reading I still liked it! It wasn’t a book where I read straight through to the end, not being able to put it down, but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Riordan did an amazing job incorporating true aspects of Greek mythology into the story thus teaching me more about them - which I find really interesting. He also did a great job putting a modern twist on the gods in “today's modern world”. I think it really worked. His writing style is directed towards middleschoolers so it is easy to follow and fun to read, even when the action isn’t happening (which is rare). The characters in the book too were really likeable and had their distinct personalities. The story itself was really interesting and not at all predictable (which is nice for a book directed towards a younger audience). It truely does not all come together until the very end, where it is left with a new problem to be solved in the next book. There really isn’t too much to say about a book as popular as this except, good read! Though, I'm not quite at the point of jumping on the Percy Jackson bandwagon... Rating: 4/5 Stars Synopsis: Two Wars, One Destiny. Seventeen-year-old Edyn Vella always knew that her strange dreams of the future made her unique, but she never knew what they meant. However, when she fails to stop her aunt’s murder by an ominous vampiric creature, Edyn learns that her prophetic visions aren’t the only superhuman ability she possesses. Following her late aunt’s clues, Edyn finds herself in New York City attempting to save her last surviving relative, the powerful and reclusive billionaire, Ethan Roux. Edyn not only discovers Ethan isn’t exactly human, but that she is at the center of an ancient prophecy and could determine the outcome of an impending war. As Ethan’s Omega, his only human descendant, she’s thrust into an enigmatic world full of new supernatural creatures where both good and evil vampires and warlocks have waged a centuries-long battle for the fate of humanity. Just as her relationship with the mysterious and handsome Brendan begins to blossom, Edyn’s complicated new life quickly spirals out of control when ancient evil becomes determined on making her one of them. Edyn must discover her inner strength while making the choice between a long life without love and a potentially short life full of it. The Bellum Prophecy is a dark, suspenseful new novel that explores the loss of innocence while coming of age in the midst of a battle between good and evil. Combining the best elements of vampire legend, the supernatural, and even magic, L. Marie Horton uses exciting action and a cutting-edge story to craft a refreshing new take on young adult fiction. Review: I'm always a little skeptical when it comes to vampire novels - there’s just so many out there that they all seem to blend together as glamorized chick-flick style action stories. This book gives me hope for vampire novels once again! Horton’s style of writing reminded me exactly of Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series, so if you’re a fan of those I would highly, highly recommend you check this out. Similar to The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, this is about a normal teenage girl who is thrown into the dark world or magic and monsters. Yes, it is an overused plot where a normal girl is the “chosen one” who has unimaginable power and must fight to stay out of the hands of the enemy. But all the details and twists made it much different than other books and plus there are NO LOVE TRIANGLES in this YA fantasy book - FINALLY! Love triangles tend to annoy me. There is some romance, crime, mystery and lots of fantasy and action packed into the 327 pages that make up The Bellum Prophecy. I have to admit that at times the story was a little unrealistic. Such as having a 17 year old work for a detective, conducting important interviews to find missing people. But I could totally can look past it since this is, after all, a YA fantasy novel. Highly recommended to fans of YA fantasy books. And if you too are skeptical of vampire books - please give this a try, you won’t be disappointed!!! I promise :) Rating: 5/5 Stars Synopsis: When Rek finds Kailee and Audric’s bodies missing from their coffins, he must figure out where they are before it is too late. Rek along with Astrid, and their mortal friend Gabe, must cross realms in order to find the last remaining Oracle. She is the only one who can help lead them to Kailee and Audric. Will Rek find Kailee and Audric before it is too late? Will the secrets about the “key” prophecy finally be revealed? Find out in this exciting second installment of The Arcadian Series. Review: As excited as I was for this book, I feel like it just didn’t completely deliver. To me it was just a bridge book, bringing together the first book and the third (which is not yet released). The story continues exactly where it left off in book one, but gets cut off at the end. There is a fine line between a cliffhanger and cutting a story off right in the middle, and I think that this was not the time to end the story. The book almost did a complete 360 as it started out with people being kidnapped and ended the exact same way, so in the end I didn't feel like too much progress was made. I still like the writing style of T. L. Coulter and I love the storyline and the characters - I just think the book should have been longer. Unlike book one, this one takes place more in the wizard realm. It gave me more of an idea about the setting these characters are in. We are introduced to new characters that I found easy to love (and hate). I also loved how it took a vision that Kailee had in book one, and made it come true in this book - I completely forgot about that! I would say that since this is an easy read that has a pretty simple storyline, this would be an ideal read for an audience of middle schoolers or young teens. Overall I think this book could have used a bit more work but it is successful in making me want to read the next one. Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Synopsis: Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance. Not even close. For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before. And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn. It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn… Review: I just finished this book and my heart is racing and I honestly can’t even wait until my head clears to write a proper review (just a heads up in case this review is all over the place). Fire with Fire starts off with the fallout of the homecoming disaster. Reeve is more repulsive than ever, Rennie turns into a tyrant queen bee, and Lillia, Kat, and Mary have no choice but to lay low - easier said than done! The drama surrounding these girls intensifies. All three girls quickly realize that they have to go all in if they want successful revenge. Lillia is the agent who fully commits to her part in the revenge. Unexpected relationships are made and broken, but things don’t go as expected - at all. Lillia’s social life is completely turned upside down but she won’t go out without a fight. The claws come out. Mary isn’t normal. We know that much; but we learn so much more about her. Stranger things begin to happen. Supernatural things. With a crazy aunt who gets more and more unstable with each passing day, and Reeve being more vicious than ever, Mary is an emotional wreck. She doesn’t know what to believe about herself and her powers. She doesn’t understand her own family situation. To put the cherry on the cake, Reeve hurts her even worse. But the more Mary understands, the more she wishes she didn’t. The truth about her is absolutely startling and will leave you (and her) with so many new questions. Not too much happens around Kat in this book that was insane per say. But Kat sure is ringleader of the three girls this time. After unlikely befriending Mary, Kat helps to keep her safe and in a stable state of mind. She also is the one to push Alex towards a life of pursuing his dreams. She alsooooo organizes Mary’s revenge scheme, ordering Lillia around the field and towards their goal. This book just continues to intensify, chapter by chapter. The last 58 pages of the book are just mad. Mary’s family life, social life, emotional life, and just “life” gets completely burned. Lillia goes off the deep end and starts to listen to her gut instead of her head and throws any old plans out the window (at least for that night), completely burning a big relationship. Not everyone comes out alive. When I finished this book a couple of minutes ago, I was left with my mouth hanging open and my heart racing. Burns hurt, but fire kills. Rating: 5/5 Stars |
WelcomeHey everyone, my name is Amy and this is my reading and writing blog. Look out for book reviews, hauls, recommendations and original writing! xo Archives
October 2016
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