Archive by Author | Meredith

Review: The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard
Published by Strange Chemistry on January 7, 2014
Pages: 416
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.

Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.

Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

The Almost Girl was such an amazing read, I couldn’t put it down. I basically read the entire book in one day. Right away, the prologue pulled me into the story and refused to let go. Amalie Howard does an amazing job of jumping right into the plot, keeping a fast-pace from start to finish. The second half, especially, has revelation after revelation! Some I saw coming and some caught me completely by surprise!

I absolutely adored Riven. She is a tough-as-nails character with a spunky attitude. She is very determined and strong – definitely NOT a damsel in distress. She can take care of herself and protect herself. We need more characters like this in young adult fiction! Riven definitely goes through a LOT in this book. She grew up in Neospes, a place that is the polar opposite of Earth. She had a rough childhood – and childhood is very different in Neospes to begin with!

The revelations Riven deals with in the second half of the book are pretty insane, but Riven holds herself together well, considering. Two revelations, in particular, really threw me for a loop. I definitely had my suspicions, but it’s still nice to get that confirmation.

Caden was an interesting character. I was a bit indifferent towards him in the beginning. He was sarcastic and playful, if not a bit cheesy. But about halfway through, he really began to come into his own. I loved that he was a fencer (I’m not sure why, but I find that to be a fascinating sport and I love when authors have it in their books) and I loved how that helped him later in the story. He took everything he learned in stride.

I can’t stress enough that the revelations in the second half of the book were insane! And the revelations Caden faced were no exception! I thought I had everything figured out – and then Howard pulled the rug out from under us and I was completely mind-blown by what we found out.

I loved the banter between Riven and Caden. I enjoyed the slow-build up with their relationship. There was definitely insta-attraction, but it took awhile for Riven to come to terms with her feelings for Caden.

Another character I loved was Shae. She was hilarious, strong and always prepared. I loved her relationship/banter with Caden and I loved seeing her and Riven interact. I don’t want to give too much away, so I can’t say much more than that. I also loved June and Mrs. Taylor – the revelations with them were pretty crazy, though I definitely had my suspicions about them. I hated Sadie, but that was to be expected, since she was the “mean girl.” Also, Riven’s father? Insane. Riven describes him as a “madman,” and that’s definitely accurate.

I know I keep using the word “revelation” and it’s probably a little repetitive at this point, but there were just so many revelations, especially from the 50% mark until the end. It was literally one after another! It definitely keeps you on your feet! They made the ending pretty crazy. Some of them ripped my heart out, though, and I CANNOT wait for the second book (which will be out later this year, I believe) because I need to see what happens next! I definitely, definitely recommend this book!

Review: A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey

Jan5

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey
Series: The Lovegrove Legacy #1
Published by Walker Childrens on January 7, 2014
Pages: 496
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
three-half-stars

In 1814, three cousins—Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope—discover their family lineage of witchcraft when a binding spell is broken, allowing their individual magical powers to manifest. Now, beyond the manicured gardens and ballrooms of Regency London, an alluring underworld available only to those with power is revealed to the cousins. By claiming their power, the three cousins have accidentally opened the gates to the underworld. Now ghouls, hellhounds—and most terrifying of all, the spirits of dark witches known as the Greymalkin Sisters—are hunting and killing young debutante witches for their powers. And, somehow, Emma is connected to the murders…because she keeps finding the bodies. Can the cousins seal the gates before another witch is killed…or even worse, before their new gifts are stripped away?

A Breath of Frost was a very frustrating book for me. I’ve read all of Alyxandra Harvey’s other books (The Drake Chronicles, Haunting Violet and Stolen Away) and I’ve loved them all. But the thing that bugs me? Harvey’s writing style is very confusing. I don’t know if it’s just me, or if others have noticed it, too. But I noticed it in Hearts at Stake (Drake Chronicles #1) and in A Breath of Frost.

When I first read Hearts at Stake, I was 80 pages in and so confused, I had to stop and start again. And to read book two, I had to re-read book one. Finally, on that third try, I didn’t feel as confused. Well, something very similar happened with A Breath of Frost. I found myself re-reading chunks of the story, trying to figure out what was going on. Something would happen and then twenty pages later, it was referenced again and I’d sit there going, “Wait.. I don’t remember that happening…” And all of a sudden, they would mention a character and I’d be like, “Wait.. When was this character introduced? I don’t remember!”

Now, I knew from reading her other books that Harvey was an amazing writer with intriguing plots and great characters. I knew if I could get passed the confusing parts, I’d likely love the story. Knowing these things, I pushed forward and, overall, I did enjoy it!

First of all, I love books set in the 19th century. Especially when the book takes place in London. I love the balls, the gowns, the debutantes, the horse-and-carriage mode of transportation. Just the idea of London “society” back then. And I love witches! I love reading about witches and watching shows about witches. So the plot definitely hooked me.

I loved Emma. Despite living in a different time period and being a witch, there was just something about her that made her feel relatable. Though the book is about all three of the Lovegrove cousins, I definitely felt like Emma was the focus of the story. We really got to know her and I felt like I understood what Emma was going through. She had a really cool power that she couldn’t always control – which definitely felt realistic. Sometimes, the main character finds out about a “supernatural” ability and can control it immediately. I hate that because, like anything else, magic needs to be practiced and learned over time.

There were some really shocking twists for Emma during the second half of the book. With the one, I basically figured it out almost immediately, but it’s still fun to get that confirmation. And the other one was completely unexpected, but it answered SO MANY QUESTIONS and everything finally made sense. I’m excited to see what that twist means for Emma in the next book!

Gretchen seemed to fight the most against being a “proper lady,” more so than Emma and Penelope, and I really liked that about her. When I read historical fiction like this, I always hope for a character like Gretchen who rebels like that, who doesn’t want the fancy balls or the seasons in London. She doesn’t want to be married off to the first guy who comes along. It gave her spunk and attitude. Plus, she (like Emma) had a really cool power. In addition to rebelling against society, Gretchen was also the most reluctant when it came to being a witch – which caused me to compare her to Piper from Charmed a lot!

Penelope, like her cousins, had a really cool power; however, of the three, she was my least favorite. There was nothing wrong with her, but she didn’t really stand out and I really can’t remember anything specific or interesting about her.

Now let’s talk about the main love interest… Cormac. Cormac was definitely a tough character to figure out. I kind of got annoyed after awhile with his back-and-forth allegiances. I didn’t like the fact that I had to stop and wonder, “Can he be trusted?” every other chapter. Very annoying. Plus, I wasn’t fully convinced of his and Emma’s feelings for one another. I can’t really see her with him.. I just didn’t like him and the romance didn’t feel believable or sincere enough.

Virgil was an ass. Daphne was obnoxious, though she had some redeeming qualities in the end. Sophie and Lilybeth were just… Whoa. I can’t even. Olwen reminded me of Luna from Harry Potter and I really liked her! I was also very intrigued by the mothers – Theodora, Bethany and Cora Lovegrove. I would have loved to see more of them in this, though we did see a LOT of Theodora’s background and I think those were some of my favorite parts!

The last 20% of the book was insane! A lot of things were revealed and a lot of things finally made sense! I was completely shocked when they finally did the big “reveal” – I didn’t see that coming!

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. The plot was really interesting and right up my alley. The characters were all really awesome – even the ones I wasn’t as crazy about. But the fact that the writing was so confusing really threw me off. This book would have been a solid 4-stars if it had not been for that. I just got so tired of constantly going back and re-reading big chunks of the story. I think if I were to re-read it at some point, it would likely be less confusing the second-time around, just as it was when I re-read Hearts at Stake. And less confusing would equal more enjoyable.

I would say, if you’ve read other books by Alyxandra Harvey, you’ll definitely enjoy A Breath of Frost! And if you haven’t read any of her other books yet, I’d recommend reading one of her others first – just so you can get used to her writing style.

2013 End of Year Book Survey

Dec31

I don’t know how this year went by so fast, but 2013 is almost over. I can’t believe it! To end the year, I’ve decided to participate in the awesome 2013 End of Year Book Survey, hosted by Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner. All questions and images belong to her! Thanks, Jamie!!

So, here we go!

1. Best book you read in 2013? (If you have to cheat, you can break it down by genre)
It’s almost impossible to narrow that list down. But I’m going to say Splintered by A.G. Howard, Spellcaster by Claudia Gray, Shadowlands by Kate Brian, Crash Into You by Katie McGarry, A Matter of Truth by Heather Lyons and The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine. I can’t pick just one, but those are my Top Five!

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love, but didn’t?
Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz. I’ve loved all her books and it had such a great concept. But the writing and characters fell flat.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?
All of Katie McGarry’s books, but especially Crash Into You. Before I started blogging, I never really liked contemporary and now I love it. And these books were amazing and made me cry!

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?
Probably Unhinged by A.G. Howard. It was soooo amazing!

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?
Shadowlands by Kate Brian. The first book came out in January 2013 and the second book just released in October. The ending of Shadowlands was… Holy crap! I still need to read book two, but I’m so excited for it!

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?
Uhh… I discovered a LOT of new authors in 2013, thanks to blogging! I absolutely can’t pick one! A.G Howard, Heather Lyons, Rachel Harris, Amalie Howard, Katie McGarry, Beth Albright, Vivi Barnes, Robin Constantine, Jamie Grey, Romily Bernard – All of them are such amazing people! I love them all!!

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Rachel Harris’ Taste the Heat. It’s contemporary adult romance – something I NEVER read before Taste the Heat. I won it on Twitter and absolutely loved it! Now I read everything Rachel Harris writes!

8. Most thrilling, un-put-downable book in 2013?
Hm… I think I have to go with Shadowlands by Kate Brian. It was such a fun, interesting read and it kept me guessing until the very end.. And then I was mind blown! It’s been almost a year since it was published and I’m STILL mind blown by that ending!

9. Book in 2013 you are most likely to re-read next year?
I don’t do a lot of re-reads. But if I had to pick one… I think I’d re-read The Program by Suzanne Young. It was amazing and I’d love to re-read it so it’s fresh in my mind for when I read book two, The Treatment.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

11. Most memorable character in 2013?
Morpheus from Splintered by A.G. Howard – No contest!

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?
Definitely Splintered by A.G. Howard. Her writing is beautiful, vivid, descriptive, imaginative. It’s just gorgeous.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?
Shadowlands by Kate Brian really blew my mind.. I definitely had a Book Hangover from that one! Also, Sever by Lauren DeStefano. I pretty much had a heart attack while reading that book.. At least three heart attacks, to be exact.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to read?
Every single book Heather Lyons and Katie McGarry ever wrote. How did I survive without Kellan and Isaiah in my life?!?!?

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2013?
All from Splintered by AG Howard:
“What happens in Wonderland stays in Wonderland”
“Thirty sprites touched your naked body?”
“I am a man in every way that counts!”

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2013?
Shortest was… the Unnhinged (A.G. Howard) chapter sampler, which only had one chapter (maybe 20 pages?) in it. And I think the longest was probably Allegiant by Veronica Roth.

17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it?
The end of Shadowlands by Kate Brian!!! Mind. Blown.

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013?
Kaylee and Tod from Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series. I love them together!!!

19. Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author that you’ve read previously?
Spellcaster by Claudia Gray. I’ve been reading her books for years and Spellcaster was amazing!

20. Best book you read in 2013 that you read based solely on a recommendation from someone else?
Someone recommended I read The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine, though I didn’t read a lot of contemporary at that time. But I loved it!!

21. Genre you read the most from in 2013?
Pretty sure I read a lot of Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic. But I always do, so that isn’t a surprise.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?
Morpheus!!!! *Swoons* Also, Kellan and Isaiah!!

23. Best debut 2013 debut you read?
Definitely Splintered by A.G. Howard

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?
No contest, it was Splintered by A.G. Howard (again)!!

25. Book that was the most fun to read in 2013?
Splintered by A.G. Howard. The writing just sucks you in and you can seriously picture yourself in Wonderland!

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2013?
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry made me cry SEVERAL times.

27. Book you read in 2013 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out?
Hmmm. I think any book that released on the same day as Allegiant got overlooked. There was so much hype for Allegiant… And it didn’t even live up to expectations for most readers, unfortunately.

2 reading-life-2013-1024x255

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013?
That’s a totally unfair question because I started blogging in 2013 and that’s when discovered ALL the blogs I discovered. So.. that’s a lot of blogs! But I’ll narrow it down to my favorites:

Stacee @ Adventures of a Book Junkie – Stacee has been an amazing friend to me, and she is an amazing blogger. I love her epic posts, event recaps and giveaways! Plus, she spoils me with ARCs and I love her for it! <333333

Kayla @ The Bibliophilic Nerds – Kayla is like my blogging BFF. We DM so much, I’m surprised we haven’t landed in Twitter DM Jail! Her blog is gorgeous and she manages to read and review a LOT of books!

Crystal @ Crystal in Bookland – Crystal has been such an awesome friend! And she’s an epic blogger! She’s come so far and accomplished some amazing milestones already! She writes great reviews, too!

Stacie @ The Shy Book Nerd – Stacie and I have been friends for a LONG time now. She’s been there for me throughout a lot of stuff and she’s amazingly sweet and has an awesome blog!

Christina @ Ensconced in Lit – I look up to Christina in so many ways. Her blog is so awesome and she’s an amazing writer! She also hosts some kick-ass Twitter parties!

Jessica @ Just A Book Lover – I don’t know where I’d be without Jessica! She has answered so many of my obnoxious questions, I’d be lost if she hadn’t been there! She’s helped me in so many ways, I can’t even begin to thank her for it!

Alyssa @ The Eater of Books – Alyssa just celebrated her 1-year Blogoverary! I can see her celebrating her 10th year, if she decides to keep going! She’s an amazing blogger and she’s answered SO MANY of my questions over the last few months. She really has learned a lot in the last year and she’s always willing to pass that knowledge and advice to others.

Nova @ Musings of a Book Blogder – Nova is so fun to talk to on Twitter! She’s constantly coming up with new designs, names and features for her blog, which I think is awesome!

I know that isn’t everyone. I’m not purposely forgetting people, I promise! But if I named everyone, this list would be 30 people long, at least!

2. Favorite review you wrote in 2013?
I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I definitely feel like I’m improved in my review writing, overall, and I’m proud of myself for that.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
I haven’t done many discussion posts on my blog yet, but that’s one of my goals for 2014 – to have more discussions!

4. Most thought providing review or discussion you read on someone else’s blog?
That’s tough… I think there have been a number of bloggers who have thought-provoking discussions. There were a number of discussion posts about Blogging and ARCs, Goodreads and Twitter etiquette that I loved.

5. Best event that you participated in?
I got to attend a Harlequin Teen event in NYC, featuring Julie Kagawa and Jennifer L. Armentrout. I LOVE Julie Kagawa and this was the first big event I ever attended as a blogger, so that was incredible!

6. Best moment of your blogging/book life in 2013?
Hands down, when I requested Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano and actually received the ARC from the publisher!! I had only been blogging for about 3 months at that point, so it felt like such a huge milestone for me!

7. Most popular post this year on your blog (whether by views or comments)?
I think my Best of 2013 Blog Hop giveaway. I had a LOT of views and entries from that post, and I gained a lot of new followers, too. It was such a fun blog hop to participate in, but it was so hard to narrow down my favorite books of 2013!

8. Post you wished got a little more love?
I thought my Re-Read/Review of The Hunger Games would get more attention, since it’s such a huge franchise, but only one or two people commented on it. I was more surprised than disappointed, though.

9. Best bookish discovery?
Honestly? Definitely discovering Inkslinger PR. They were the first to really take a chance on me and let me participate in eARC reviews, cover reveals and release-day activities.

10. Did you set any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of the year?
I didn’t, actually. Which is just as well, because I used to be a fast reader and blogging has slowed me down – that’s something I’m going to work on in 2014! And I’m definitely considering doing a challenge for 2014! Maybe I’ll start low, with 50 books or maybe I’ll push myself and go for 100 books!

1. One book that you didn’t get to in 2013, but will be your number one priority in 2014?
*Dies laughing* Soooooo many…. I guess first up will be Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi because I have an eARC of Into the Still Blue.

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2014 (non-debut)?
Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins. It’s been described as Buffy with a southern twist. Needs no further explanation!

3. 2014 debut you are most anticipating?
There are so many amazing 2014 debuts coming out.. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing nineteen of those authors for a feature I’m doing for YA Interrobang and I don’t think I could pick just one.. I really don’t.

4. Series ending you are most anticipating in 2014?
Umm… I really don’t know O.o I haven’t been keeping track because so many of my favorite series’ ended in 2013. There aren’t many left that are ending in 2014 that I’m desperately dying for..

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2014?
I have so many goals I want to accomplish in the next few months! I used to be a fast reader and I’ve slowed down, so I want to pick up the pace again. I want to have more discussion posts on my blog and I want to come up with more creative and original content. I want to become a better reviewer – sometimes I feel like I’m too lenient in my reviews, or too unprofessional, so I want to work on that. Mostly, though, I just want to have fun. The last six months of my life have been the absolute best. I’ve met so many people and done so many amazing things – I just want that to continue!

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Hope you guys enjoyed the survey! I know I had a lot of fun answering the questions – some of which really forced me to stop and think! Don’t forget to head over to the Perpetual Page Turner to see the linky list of all the other blogs who participated. And of course, feel free to leave a comment with a link to your best of 2013 survey or just answer a few of the questions!

And have a great New Year’s eve and New Year’s day!

Stacking the Shelves #12: In Which Stacee Spoils Me

Dec31

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

Books I Mentioned
Avalon by Mindee Arnett
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris
Splintered by A.G. Howard
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
Panic by Lauren Oliver
Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
Countdown by Michelle Rowen
The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
Man Made Boy by Jon Skovron
Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

eBooks (Not Mentioned in video. Source in parentheses)
Sia by Josh Grayson (Won in giveaway)
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (Edelweiss)
The Other Way Around by Sashi Kaufman (NetGalley)
Such Sweet Sorrow by Jenny Trout (Publisher)

Bloggers I Mentioned
Crystal @ Crystal in Bookland
Kayla @ The Bibliophilic Nerds
Stacee @ Adventures of A Book Junkie
Stacie @ The Shy Book Nerd

Other Mentions
Julia
Lauren Donovon

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Dec24

I received this book for free from a blogger in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #2
Published by Amulet Books on January 7, 2014
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: a blogger
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Words can’t begin to describe how amazing this book was. I don’t even know how I’m going to get through this review without fangirling and flailing. It was… epic. But that doesn’t even do it justice. First of all, I said it in my review of Splintered but I’ll say it again here: A.G. Howard is an amazing writer. Her writing is beautiful, vivid and descriptive. I can picture everything as though I’m there, living out the story with Alyssa, Morpheus and Jeb.

Going from Splintered to Unhinged, Alyssa really grew as a character. She’s so reluctant to embrace her Netherling heritage, yet she embraces her magic more so than she ever has before. She’s split between her loyalty to Wonderland and her loyalty to those in her human life. And ultimately, this is her undoing. Honestly, I made this observation near the very beginning of the book. I never realized how right I would be until almost the very end! In addition to being torn between her human side and Netherling side, Alyssa was torn between Jeb and Morpheus. She placed most of her love and loyalty with Jeb, of course, but she started to soften towards Morpheus.

Morpheus was so frustrating in this book! I am still 100% Team Morpheus – I’ll NEVER waiver on that – but he did some really conniving things this time around. He’s cunning; a master manipulative and a sweet-talker. He always has ulterior motives to everything he does. But I’ve never believed he would ever intentionally hurt Alyssa, nor would he let anything happen to her. Deep down, I know he loves her and wants to protect her, even if he has a funny way of showing it. And I mean, come on! His physical description (Brandon Lee as The Crow meets David Bowie as Jareth)… SWOON! And that accent of his? *Flails!!!* If this needs any further explanation, then just go watch The Crow and Labyrinth. Enough said.

Jeb… Oy! Where to begin? Like I said, I’m 100% Team Morpheus. But there were several moments in Unhinged where I felt terrible for Jeb! And then there were other moments where I just wanted to smack him over the head. He’s a hot-head and he gets way too jealous way too easily. He acts like he doesn’t trust Alyssa. I mean, I get it if he doesn’t trust Morpheus! But if he loves Alyssa as much as he says he does, shouldn’t he trust her more?!? Deep down, I know Jeb has good intentions and a good heart. He just needs to grow up and mature a little bit.

I do, however, love the banter between Jeb and Morpheus! I said it in my review of Splintered, but I’ll say it again: their banter reminds me of Xander and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Anyone agree?? It’s hysterical!

Alyssa’s dad was sooooo frustrating in Uhinged! I just wanted him to trust Alyssa! I get that he went through a lot with Alyssa’s mom, but he let that color his judgement and he refused to trust his daughter, refused to let her explain. He just jumped to conclusions and got angry. He and Jeb are a lot alike in that sense. And then there’s Alison (Alyssa’s mom). I had a lot of trouble trusting Alison. I kept waiting for her to betray everyone to get what she wanted. I didn’t trust her at all. Honestly, I’m still not sure I completely trust her.

The revelations about Alison and Alyssa’s dad were MIND-BLOWING! It was like a puzzle, and all the pieces fell into place. It made me feel so bad for everyone involved, but so many things finally made sense. Even certain things with Morpheus and the way he treated Alyssa finally made sense!

The ending was… I can’t even. I seriously can’t even. I’m dying. I’m flailing. THAT EVIL CLIFFHANGER WAS EVIL! My mind is exploding and my brain is DOA. Seriously, Major Book Hangover! I NEED Ensnared (Book #3) ASAP! I can’t wait a year to find out what happens next! I can’t!

Overall (if you couldn’t already tell from my review), Unhinged was amazing. That ending broke me. And I can’t wait for Ensnared!!!

Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Dec21

I received this book for free from a blogger in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Series: Starbound #1
Published by Disney Hyperion on December 10, 2013
Pages: 374
Format: ARC
Source: a blogger
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

--

A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

These Broken Stars was an epic tale of survival and romance. It was described as “Titanic in Space.” Disney Hyperion called it “A little bit Titanic, a little bit Lost, a little bit Battlestar Galactica.” And though I haven’t watched much of Lost or BG, I can definitely tell you – from what I do know – that those descriptions are all perfect and right on the money.

I loved Lilac and Tarver. Lilac definitely had her bratty moments, but she had such an amazing story-arc and she grew, matured and changed so much, you couldn’t help but like her. It got to a point where I just rolled my eyes and let it roll off my back – Being bratty was just her defense mechanism. I’d love to say she outgrew it, but she never really does, though – again – she matures a lot.

Tarver is almost always in survival mode. He is the practical one and sometimes that got frustrating, especially when he didn’t believe Lilac during certain scenes when certain things happened. I mean, it was realistic but very, very frustrating!

I really appreciated the fact that this didn’t feel like insta-love or “love at first sight.” They’re relationship had a slow build-up to it. They needed each other to survive, which forced them together more quickly than they would have liked (in my opinion), but they still didn’t fall madly in love for some time. I loved the banter between them. There were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments. And then, about 35% into the book, there’s this moment between them and you can absolutely feel the shift in their relationship.

There were DEFINITELY some creep-tastic moments that made me go “What’s going on?? I NEED TO KNOW!!!” This was the most tempted I’ve ever been to peak at the ending of a book. I was so curious! I had my suspicions – some of them were wrong and several were right. It was incredibly intriguing, trying to figure it out before it happened and I was relieved it wasn’t completely predictable, and still had me on the edge of my seat. Even with the moments when I was right, I was still shocked when the truth was “revealed.”

And, holy crap! There were definitely some HUGE shocking moments in there. Like… I was pretty much screaming at the book, demanding to know what had just happened a few times! I mean, if you follow me on Goodreads, you know. But if not, this was me:

Yep. I was just… mind-blown!

Throughout the book, we hear from Lilac about how controlling and manipulative her father is. Near the middle/end, we REALLY see just how.. evil (for lack of a better word) he is. But, one of my favorite parts of this book? Lilac stood up to him and gave him a piece of her mind. Loved it!

I had a few minor issues with this book, which is why it got a 4 instead of a 5. I won’t go into those reasons in this review, just because they were really minor and might have just been me and my state of mind. But overall, I loved it and found it to be original and enjoyable. I can’t wait for book two in this epic trilogy.

Cover Reveal: The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons

Dec19

We are extremely excited to be able to share with you the cover for Heather Lyons’ THE DEEP END OF THE SEA!!

The cover alone is giving us chills!

You can buy THE DEEP END OF THE SEA February 13, 2014!!

So.. Are you ready for it???

Here it is!

Here’s the cover copy for The Deep End of the Sea:

What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be — because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again.

And here is the full jacket for The Deep End of the Sea! Isn’t it gorgeous?!?

You can read more about The Deep End of the Sea on Goodreads.

About Heather Lyons:
Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—She’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.

Heather’s website | Heather on Goodreads

Heather’s Twitter | Heather’s Facebook

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Dec16

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Published by Scholastic Press on September 14, 2008
Pages: 374
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
three-stars

Winning will make you famous. Losing means certain death.

In a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed.

When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

I want to preface this review by saying this was a re-read for me. I first read The Hunger Games trilogy about three years ago. I HATED them when I first read them. If I had to rank them from the first go-around, I’d say that my favorite was Mockingjay, second favorite was The Hunger Games and least favorite was Catching Fire. So I plowed through them, didn’t enjoy them and moved on. I figured I was done with them and would never think about them again.

And then The Hunger Games movie came out and curiosity got the best of me. I watched the movie when it first came to DVD and LOVED it. Then, about two weeks ago, I saw Catching Fire in theaters and SERIOUSLY loved it. It made me want to re-read the trilogy because I thought, maybe now that I’ve seen and loved two of the movies and I can picture the cast when I read, I might enjoy them more – especially since Jennifer Lawrence is epic as Katniss.

Unfortunately, that’s totally not the case.

The writing was completely flat and boring, first of all. And I felt completely detached from the characters, especially Katniss. I know she views the Games as a death sentence, so she’s not going to be all chipper and cheerful and animated – she’s more like a zombie, numbed to what’s going on around her – but still. She was flat, the writing was flat and I couldn’t connect with her. As opposed to Movie Katniss, whom I felt for, cared for and cried for.

There are a bunch of scenes – the reaping when Katniss volunteers, Katniss saying her good-byes to her family and Gale, Rue’s death, the scene with Thresh and Katniss – that made me ugly cry when I watched the movie. But the book… I know I’m going to over-use this word in this review, but it was all flat. And I felt completely detached (another word I’ll likely over-use).

The movie definitely stayed true to the book. But the movie was better – And I’m a complete book nerd who almost always loves the book better, so that’s definitely saying something. Most of the changes from book-to-movie seem to have involved shortening some of the more drawn-out moments – Changes that all seem to make a lot of sense, in my opinion. I think the big thing is this: The actors brought these characters to life and made them amazing. Jennifer Lawrence, Stanley Tucci and Lenny Kravitz are my absolute favorite actors in the movie and they made their characters shine. They did wonderful jobs and they definitely made the movie what it was. Because in the book? I really don’t give a crap about any of the characters. Again.. Flat and detached.

There was one scene in the book, at the end of Rue’s burial, that was left out of the movie. I understand why, but it was an amazing scene – one of the few I truly loved and felt emotion for – and I’m kind of sad it didn’t make it to the big screen.

You guys can get ready to throw the tomatoes now.. Cause the next thing I need to discuss? The love interests. Umm.. I don’t ship Katniss with Gale OR Peeta. I don’t like either guy that much – in the book OR the movie. They’re flat and I see them both as friends, not boyfriends. I do love that Suzanne Collins DIDN’T focus on the love interests and this WASN’T a love triangle. That makes it unique from a lot of popular young adults franchises. But still. I didn’t care about either guy or who Katniss ended up with or what any of it meant. And book Peeta is a complete bore.

On that same train of thought.. The cave scene with Katniss and Peeta totally dragged. I like the way it was shortened in the movie and I like how it was handled in the movie. Honestly, the whole third part of the book (For those who don’t know, the book is divided into three sections) was boring for me. I remember it being boring the first time I read the book, so I was dreading it to begin with. I tried to remain neutral (as I did with the entire re-read), but it sucked just as bad on the second go-around.

Overall, I’m not sorry I re-read it. It was nice reading it on my own terms (the first time I read the books, my brother practically forced them upon my mom and I, right around the holidays. And those of you who know me, know that I hate being forced to read things). It did have a handful of moments that were enjoyable, and maybe two scenes that did make me cry. But I absolutely, 100% prefer the movie to the book.

Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop

Dec11

Welcome to the Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop! This hop is hosted by BookHounds and I am a Reader, Not a Writer.

It was so, so difficult to narrow down my favorites from 2013 – there were so many great books that released this year! So I picked out my top nine favorite books!

ONE winner will get to pick ONE of the following books in their choice of hardcover OR eBook (Kindle or Nook)

*If any of the above are NOT book one in their respective series, you may ask for book one as your prize*
*The above mentioned book, The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine, will release on December 31, 2013. If you select this book, please know you will not receive it until January*

Just a few rules:

-Giveaway is US only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget to check out the other blogs participating in the Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop!

Review: Almost Demon by A.J. Salem

Dec9

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Almost Demon by A.J. Salem
Series: The Sigil Cycle #1
Published by Inc. on October 31, 2013
Pages: 310
Source: the author
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
three-stars

The last thing Gemma Pope expects to study in the after-school book club is demon etiquette but that is exactly what she has to do to succeed as a summoner and save her hometown.

Since taking the blame for the car accident that claimed the lives of her twin brother and two of her best friends, she s been seeing things. Dark shadows, opaque, menacing, multiplying.

The clock starts ticking when the local mild-mannered librarian suffers a psychotic break and pulls a gun on her reading circle. People are dying in disasters and wars all over the world. Gemma s dad is getting weird, her classmates are becoming violent, and the darkness surrounding Harrisport is getting thicker.

Does she trust hot English Lit teacher Mr. Flynn or Ian, the mysterious new kid in town, who has knowledge beyond his years and access to other dimensions?

It is only when the gates to hell are opened, that Gemma learns who her real friends are.

Discover what lies just beyond the veil of humanity in the sleepy town of Harrisport.

Almost Demon had a lot of potential with an intriguing plot. I was really excited to read it. Unfortunately, it didn’t completely live up to my expectations.

The MC, Gemma, was very passive in the book. She didn’t question anyone or anything and she trusted everything everyone said. Maybe if there had been more background concerning Gemma after the accident – what happened, when she started seeing ghosts, how she handled it, etc – then I would believe her not questioning all the supernatural stuff that happened. Clearly she’s used to seeing weird things because she can see the Dybbuk. But we had very little else to go on and it just made it hard to comprehend how Gemma could be so accepting and trusting, without really questioning anything or worrying if she was doing the wrong thing. Especially with Mr. Flynne and Ian.. She barely knew them and she acted as though they were the most honest and trust-worthy people in her life, like they would never steer her wrong.

I didn’t trust Mr. Flynne at all. I didn’t really fall for Ian or trust him completely, either. Gemma kind of has a crush on both guys, but I didn’t really picture her with either of them.

The Dybbuk and the possessions were really frustrating, especially where Allison was concerned. I know she was possessed and therefore not herself, but the things she said and did really irritated me. It was too much. I know the Dybbuk are evil and all that, but it was just too much drama and bitchiness for me. I felt the same way with the scenes with the Dybbuk and her father. I actually almost DNF’d because of the Allison scenes, but I pushed through because the plot had me intrigued and I really wanted to find out what happened next and see how it ended.

About halfway through, I had a hunch who “Ghosty” was. In the end, my hunch was proved to be right! So that was kind of cool.

Some of the scenes happened way too fast. There was no build-up, no time to process everything and then before you know it, the scene is over, the event has passed and there is very little explanation afterwards of what happened. I was actually really confused at times. I had to re-read a lot of sections.

Near the end, there were two pretty significant revelations concerning two characters. But… They really didn’t come as a surprise for me. I had already figured both out – most of it, anyway. It was a little bit anti-climatic, honestly. There were so many places in the book where it was obvious something wasn’t right with those characters. And because it was so predictable, it took the fun out of finding out the truth.

In general, the writing and plot had so much potential, but it was too flat and too fast and I didn’t pick up on the feeling of danger or impending doom. I felt very detached from the story and the characters. It DID get brownie points for being set in the Hudson Valley (Hometown advantage, FTW!).

Overall, I had some issues with Almost Demon but it wasn’t a bad read at all. I know I’ve said it a lot, but it had so much potential and I did enjoy the overall concept of the story. It had a fairly unique plot and that definitely made it more interesting and noteworthy. I’m definitely interested in seeing what Salem comes up with next!