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Review: Oceanborn by Amalie Howard

Aug4
Review: Oceanborn by Amalie HowardOceanborn by Amalie Howard
Series: The Aquarathi #2
Published by Harlequin Teen on July 29, 2014
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
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five-stars

The coronation is over.

But the battle has just begun.

Nerissa Marin has won her crown. But can she keep it? Already, her ties to the human realm are driving a wedge between Nerissa and her people. When word arrives that her part-human prince consort, Lo, has been poisoned, she makes the difficult choice to leave Waterfell and return landside. As the royal courts debate her decision, even more disturbing rumors surface: a plot is rising against her, led by someone she least expects.

On land, Nerissa learns another shocking truth: Lo does not remember who she is. As her choice to try to save him threatens her hold on her crown, changing loyalties and uncertainty test her courage in ways she could never have imagined. Nerissa will have one last chance to prove herself as a queen …and save the undersea kingdom she loves.

I think by now it’s obvious that I adore Amalie Howard, her writing style and her unique plots. I absolutely loved Waterfell and I remember being desperate to get my hands on its (untitled, at the time) sequel. And Oceanborn did NOT disappoint!

The amount of character growth that I saw in Nerissa from Watefell to Oceanborn was incredible. She’s really come a long way from the bratty, snotty, “I’m better than you” character she was in Waterfell. She really embraces her heritage and destiny in Oceanborn – at least in the beginning (though I won’t elaborate, for fear of spoilers). She’s still very stubborn and single-minded in Oceanborn, though, especially when it comes to… certain things.. and she refuses to listen to reason on… certain things… At times, this got her in trouble. But it also lead her to exactly where she needed to be in the end. She also reaches a level of maturity in Oceanborn that allows her to look at things more objectively, to make choices that are for the greater good. She followers her heart, even when it means letting go of certain things.

And then there’s Lo. He’s still just as swoony as ever, that I can promise. But Lo not remembering who Nerissa is, what he is (which, not a spoiler if you read the synopsis!), it just broke my heart. He wasn’t the Lo we all came to know and love in Waterfell and it was pretty tough to read. The reasons behind his memory loss were horrifying, but they really played into the overall plot of Oceanborn and led to some startling revelations and shocking plot twists.

Jenna was amazing, as always. She truly personifies the role of best friend. She’s the voice of reason and Nerissa’s confidant. I loved that she could stand up to Cara and her group of mean girls, where Nerissa couldn’t and wouldn’t. She was fiercely loyal and willing to stand up for herself, for what was right and for her best friend. But she also knew how to push back when she felt excluded, refusing to be seen as weak just because she isn’t Aquarathi.

Speio is a tough character to talk about… He confused me and annoyed me at times. But he was always so fierce and loyal. One second, he was fighting with Riss like they truly were brother and sister. The next, he was angry and distant for seemingly silly reasons. But what happens in the end… Oh boy. I can’t even. It was shocking, unexpected, crazy, insane… I’m still trying to process it!!

Cara, like Speio, was both confusing and annoying at times. I really wanted to punch her for the majority of the book. But I’m really happy with the direction her character went in and, if there’s a third book (FINGERS CROSSED!!!!!!!), I’d be really interested in seeing where her character goes next, what kind of character development she goes through.

We meet a LOT of new faces in Oceanborn. It’s impossible to talk about ANY of them without spoilers. So I’m just going to say that one revelation didn’t shock me at all, but the other one completely caught me off guard and (as I mentioned above), I’m STILL trying to process it…

The ending was explosive! I mean, I had my suspicions for a good portion of the book, but still. I knew something was up, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I had one theory that was proven wrong, but I was close! All I know is if there isn’t a third book after that ending, I’ll throw a temper tantrum!

Overall, if you couldn’t tell from my gushing review, I absolutely adored Oceanborn. It was amazing, incredible and well worth the wait! I’m desperately hoping for a third book – fingers crossed! And, as always, my parting words to you are this: If you haven’t read any of Amalie’s books… WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?! She’s definitely an auto-buy author for me, I highly recommend her books and I suggest you go check them all out RIGHT NOW! I don’t think I even need to say it, but I DEFINITELY recommend this book!

five-stars

Review: Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

Aug3

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: Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. LeeGates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee
Series: Gates of Thread and Stone #1
Published by Skyscape on August 5, 2014
Pages: 349
Source: the publisher
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three-stars

In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.

Gates of Thread and Stone both fascinated and frustrated me. Though an interesting read, the slow pacing and confusing beginning weighed the intriguing plot down and prevented me from fully enjoying the book. The characters, though, were what really kept me reading. Though I felt a slight disconnect to them, especially in the beginning, I felt drawn to them and found that I couldn’t put the book down without knowing what happened to them.

While reading Gates of Thread and Stone, I found myself comparing it to Defy (Sara B. Larson), Pawn (Aimee Carter) and The Immortal Rules (Julie Kagawa). Which is oddly appropriate, since I didn’t enjoy Defy’s plot but loved the characters; didn’t enjoy Pawn’s characters but loved the plot; and absolutely adored The Immortal Rules. While reading, at some point or another, I had a little bit of all those feelings towards Gates of Thread and Stone. I also noticed the similarities in the plot, though despite those similarities, Gates of Thread and Stone still had an original and unique plot all on its own.

The overall theme of this book, however, was “confusing.” We’re thrown into the world immediately, which can be great when done right. There’s a fine line between explanation and info-dump and this book did a little bit of both, but in the most confusing way possible. Half the time, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. The plot itself started off in one direction and took a sharp turn a little over half-way through the book. It reminded me of this weird mix of Greek Mythology and the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Since those are two things I find fascinating, this was where the plot and pacing picked up for me. I was totally intrigued by these two concepts and the world and history.

I wanted to know more about the Rebirth, though. I wanted to know the timeline (was this past, present, not-so-distant future or distant future?) and how things came to be how they were. I wanted to know more about the Infinite and the Mahjo.

In the beginning, I felt disconnected from Kai. I didn’t like or dislike her. She just existed to tell the story. She knew how to stand up for herself and protect herself and I appreciated that, but nothing made her stand out among the sea of YA heroines. As the story progressed, she redeemed herself and I grew to like her a lot more. She never let anything distract her from her mission to save her brother. She learned to fight and she took some huge risks. I was completely intrigued by her ability to manipulate time and I loved learning the origin of that ability.

I want to say I liked Reev, but I feel like we didn’t see enough of him – for obvious reasons – for me to make a final call on this. He was an amazing big brother – protective, dependent, loyal. He did everything he could to keep Kai safe. In the end, I was satisfied with how his story ended. It was interesting to learn some of his past and how he came to find Kai.

Avan was pretty swoony! Though I knew from early on that he was hiding something and knew more than he was letting on, which always made me slightly suspicious of him and his motives. In the end, I did NOT expect the truth to be what it was. It wasn’t what I expected at all! There was one thing that happened with him and I knew it wouldn’t be permanent (it was a little predictable, actually), but I didn’t know HOW he would get out of the situation he was in… I was surprised by the way his story ended, though. I was both relieved and upset and I definitely want to know what will happen next with him. Though again, it’s a bit obvious and predictable (though I can’t elaborate without spoilers, so you’ll just have to read the book and decide for yourself).

I really liked Mason, though I didn’t trust him in the beginning. There was the smallest hint of Mason being the third part in a (forced and unnecessary) love triangle, but it didn’t amount to much and it’s obvious who Kai should end up with.

The ending was fascinating and while some of it was predictable, the rest completely threw me and I didn’t expect it. I liked that things wrapped up nicely, so we weren’t left with an epically annoying cliffhanger. At the same time, just enough went unanswered that it left it open for a second book, which still definitely interests me!

Overall, while the beginning was horribly confusing and the pacing was slow, the characters kept me reading, despite a small disconnect. I ended up really caring about them, desperate to know what would happen to them. I’m definitely interested in seeing where a second book would take the plot and the characters. I still recommend this book, despite the issues I had with it. Others might not be bothered by what bothered me and, overall, it’s a truly fascinating plot.

three-stars

Review: Magnolia by Kristi Cook

Jul31

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.

Review: Magnolia by Kristi CookMagnolia by Kristi Cook
Published by Simon & Schuster on August 5, 2014
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: the author
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five-stars

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

Kristi Cook has done it again! Her Winterhaven trilogy is one of my all-time favorite paranormal trilogies! And now with Magnolia, Cook tackled contemporary and it was epic! The plot, the characters, the situations the characters were put in – It was all amazing and incredible!

First of all, Cook is a gorgeous writer. She really sweeps the reader in, making you feel as though you can clearly picture everything that’s happening, like you’re really experiencing everything with the characters. She’s also brilliant when it comes to character development. All her characters, even the secondary and tertiary ones, have distinct voices, extensive backgrounds and a role to play. No character is insignificant.

I adored Jemma. She felt very real and down-to-earth. She wanted to escape her hometown and do what she wanted to do with her life, not what her parents wanted her to do with her life. Jemma knows how to properly handle a gun, which made her just a tiny bit scary… I would certainly NOT want to get on her bad side!

Ryder was hilarious and swoony! On the outside, he seemed like the typical perfect jock – especially from Jemma’s POV. But he had his own share of problems and concerns. Even when Jemma pushed him away, he never really left her alone. He was always there for her. And what he decided to do in the end? So awesome and swoony!!

I loved Jemma and Ryder as an “anti-couple.” They were both so head-strong and stubborn. The anti-love interest concept was so fascinating, too – it was a nice change from insta-love, which seems to dominate most YA books. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind some insta-love (when done right), but this was such a refreshing concept. This book was basically the exact opposite of Romeo & Juliet. Jemma and Ryder’s families wanted them together more than anything, so they fought against that. They hated each other and refused to even attempt a friendship because of it. The banter between them was just hilarious!

The storm section was really scary and creepy. Cook successfully guaranteed that I will NEVER move to Mississippi, that’s for sure! Between the bugs (the spiders, specifically), the storm/hurricane and the resulting tornadoes… *Shudders!!!!* The storm really brought Ryder and Jemma together, though. It forced them to work together, to trust each other, to rely on each other. Their will to survive forced them to put their feelings and differences aside. When they could do nothing but sit inside their make-shift storm shelter and wait out the tornadoes, they opened up to each other and slowly became friends – and then much more!

My heart was in my throat for the entire storm section! I kept waiting for something truly terrible to happen – though the storm itself and the ensuing damage was horrible enough. As an animal lover, I appreciated that Jemma and Ryder always looked after and protected the animals.

And most of all, the storm section really made me think. I kept wondering, what would I do in this situation? Would I be as brave as Jemma and Ryder? Would I make it through? How would I react to some of the things that happened? With one storm, so many things were lost – It really makes you appreciate what you have in life.

The secondary storyline with Jemma’s sister was heart-breaking. It was very difficult to read those sections, but it was also necessary to the story. Also, the Patrick storyline. Jemma needed him in her life to see that she was truly destined to be with Ryder. But the way Patrick’s storyline wrapped up… I NEVER expected that. It was such a shock, I still can’t believe it, even though it has been days since I read the book.

Overall, I adored Magnolia. It was a fantastic book with amazing characters and an interesting plot. I loved the anti-Romeo and Juliet concept. The storm was a fascinating way to bring Jemma and Ryder together, though it was scary to picture. I loved, loved, LOVED the end! It was both hilarious and perfect. Kristi Cook is an amazing writer and she’ll always be on my Auto-Buy list! I can’t recommend her books enough! If you haven’t read them, they’re a must!

five-stars

Review: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Jul24

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: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. PearsonThe Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Series: The Remnant Chronicles #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on July 8, 2014
Pages: 492
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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five-stars

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

The Kiss of Deception had everything I love reading about, all in one book. I love books that take place in the past – specifically, in 1800s England. I love books that take place in similar time periods, as well. I also love books set in the distant future, in which all technology has disappeared and it seems as though the plot takes place in 1800s England or a similar time period. That was a lot of babbling, but hopefully you guys understand what I’m trying to say! Basically, I LOVE the time period this book is set in. I love the characters, the plot – Pretty much everything about this book pulled me in and kept me reading (I read it in two sitting and in the second sitting, I read 375 pages without stopping!).

Barely 60 pages in and I was already in love with the world, as well as Lia’s character and voice. There’s a fine line between her wanting to live her own life in her own way, and her being kind of selfish for running away and abandoning her duties as Princess. But I understand why she ran and, if I were in her position, I would have run, too. I knew it was too good to last, but I enjoyed the life she made for herself and the people she met. I admired her, though, for knowing when it was time to go home. In that particular moment, I could really see the character growth, that moment when she finally acknowledged her duties and responsibilities and realized she couldn’t run from them. It took a lot of maturity to come to that conclusion.

It’s really difficult to talk about the prince and assassin without giving anything away. This was the biggest mystery in the book and one of the very few things that annoyed me a little bit. Trying to guess who was who was a fun mystery at first, but after awhile, it started to distract me from the story and it became very confusing. I focused so much of my attention on trying to figure it out that I’m pretty sure I missed some key plot points and revelations. It was also a lot of back and fourth, thinking “Well, I love the assassin/prince… But I love _______. I hope they’re the same person! But what if ________ is the assassin/prince? I don’t like him as much!” (Sorry for the confusion! Leaving out the male character names to avoid spoilers or even a hint of a spoiler!)

After a LOT of going back and fourth, I finally just tried to enjoy the story as it was told to me. I tried to stay in the moment and avoid thinking about it, though several hints are dropped and some are hard to ignore. But, thankfully, the “name” that I loved turned out to be the “title” that I loved so it all worked out in the end!

I adored Pauline. She was a faithful servant and friend to Lia. She didn’t have to do what she did and she didn’t have to abandon everything she knew and everyone she loved. But she stuck by Lia through everything. I also loved Gwyneth. She was that person who can be your best friend or worst enemy and she tells it like it is, whether you want to hear it or not. Sometimes, Lia needed Gwyneth’s brutal honesty in order to see things clearly. Another great character was Berdi. She was the much-needed mother figure for Lia, Pauline and Gwyneth. She was strict when she had to be, but caring when she needed to be.

The “journey” at the end was interesting at first, though it began to drag and I grew bored with it. I just wanted it to end or something to happen. There were some epic character and plot revelations sprinkled into the journey, though, so it was still worth-while in the end. It also showed that Lia was tougher than she gave herself credit for. She endured a lot throughout the journey. She also suffered terrible heartbreak, but she still pushed on. She didn’t bow down to her enemy, not once.

Overall, despite two things that bothered me (the annoying back-and-fourth of who was who and the too-long “journey” that dragged), I loved The Kiss of Deception so, so much! It had all the elements of a perfect book (in my mind, at least) and it was everything I love to read about, all in one book. The ending was incredible and a complete cliffhanger! I can’t wait to get my hands on book two! Mary E. Pearson is an amazing writer and a masterful story-teller. She created an incredible, believable world filled with wonderful, complex characters. I highly recommend this book!

five-stars

Review: Accidentally Married on Purpose by Rachel Harris

Jul23

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: Accidentally Married on Purpose by Rachel HarrisAccidentally Married on Purpose by Rachel Harris
Series: Love and Games #3
Published by Entangled: Bliss on July 14th 2014
Pages: 266
Source: the publisher
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five-stars

One ring plus one wild night equals one crazy love.

Sherry Robicheaux loves men. She loves love. And she loves an adventure. So when she meets a mysterious man while working backstage at a country music concert in Vegas, she’s all about what’s happened in Vegas staying there.

Country music superstar Tyler Blue just wants a weekend of anonymity…though there’s something about the spunky waitress with the streaks of purple hair that tempts him like no other. Until the next morning, when they both wake up with fuzzy memories…and rings on their fingers.

Convincing Sherry to maintain the ruse for his public image isn’t the hardest part—it’s reminding himself that their time spent playing husband and wife in her small town of Magnolia Springs can’t last. Tyler’s first love will always be music—and the road is no place for a sweet downhome girl.

Rachel Harris has done it again! Accidentally Married on Purpose was adorable, fun, hilarious, sob-inducing (at times) and filled with incredible characters and sexy, swoony guys. The lovable characters alone made me unable to put this book down (I read it in about two sittings!), but the epic plot made it my favorite in this series!

I’ve always been a Sherry fan, ever since we met her in Taste the Heat. In fact, my original notes from when I read Taste the Heat say that Sherry is “a great character. Funny and insightful with the perfect blend of annoying little sister and friend.” And my review of Seven Day Fiance said, “There’s going to be a third book in this series, and I’m DYING to know which hunky guy and girl-next-door are going to be front and center in that one! (Fingers crossed for Sherry!)”

So, obviously, I was beyond thrilled when Sherry was the female lead in Accidentally Married on Purpose. She’s an intriguing character, both tough and vulnerable all at the same time. She acts like she doesn’t have a care in the world, but she’s been hurt before and it’s hard for her to trust. She absolutely has the biggest character growth from the beginning of the book to the end – Even from the first book in the series to the end of this one! She really changed – and definitely for the better.

Also, I loved how much of an animal lover Sherry was. She said she would adopt all the animals if she could, and I can definitely relate! Plus, I loved her sense of humor. It had me laughing out loud!

Tyler was soooo yummy. He was kind, sweet and swoon-worthy! *Fans self!!!* Plus, he was ADORABLE with Elvis. So beyond adorable that every time he interacted with Elvis, I was a puddle of mushy awwwwww’s! A man who loves dogs as much as Tyler seemed to, is a man after my own heart! He had a heart-breaking back-story that nearly brought me to tears a few times.

I absolutely loved the plot and the situation Sherry and Tyler were in. It reminded me a lot of Open Road Summer by Emery Lord and Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler (though those are young adult books). I love the whole “famous singer falls for regular person” thing. I love seeing the behind the scenes of the music and movie world. It completely intrigues me! On the one hand, it almost never happens, but on the other, it holds just enough reality that you can completely picture yourself in Sherry’s shoes. With the right place, right time, why couldn’t a famous singer/song-writer fall for a non-Hollywood person?

It’s always intriguing when one character doesn’t realize the other is famous. It adds a more wholesome, honest feel to the plot. The character that’s famous can open up more and they become more vulnerable by sharing their secrets. Also, Sherry not recognizing who Tyler was kind of reminded me of Jason not recognizing Colby right away, so it felt like things came full circle. Plus, the chemistry between Sherry and Tyler was undeniable!

Of course, I loved seeing Colby, Jason, Cane and Angelle in Accidentally Married on Purpose! I think that’s the best part of Rachel Harris’ books – getting to see all the characters you know and love from the previous books. It just brings all the plots together and you can see how the different characters have grown and see how they interact together. It’s very heart-warming. Personally, I really wasn’t an Angelle fan in the beginning – for reasons obvious to those of you who read Taste the Heat. But I adored her in her book, Seven Day Fiance, and I loved what a great friend she was to Sherry!

And that ending! That ending!! That ending was amazing and wonderful and perfect and I LOVED IT! I can’t say anymore without spoiling it, so I’ll stop now.. But I LOVED it!

Overall, Accidentally Married on Purpose was my absolute favorite book in the series. I loved Sherry, I swooned over Tyler and I adored the plot. The ending was one of my absolute favorite HEA’s ever! And as always, if you haven’t read any of Rachel Harris’ books yet… Well, what are you waiting for?!?!?!? No, seriously. Stop reading this and GO READ HER BOOKS! ALL OF THEM! NOW! You’ll thank me later, promise!

five-stars

Review: Uncaged by John Sandford & Michele Cook (Blog Tour)

Jul9

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: Uncaged by John Sandford & Michele Cook (Blog Tour)Uncaged by John Sandford, Michele Cook
Series: The Singular Menace #1
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on July 8, 2014
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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four-stars

#1 New York Times bestselling Prey author John Sandford and Michele Cook debut a high-octane young adult thriller series.

Shay Remby arrives in Hollywood with $58 and a handmade knife, searching for her brother, Odin.

Odin’s a brilliant hacker but a bit of a loose cannon. He and a group of radical animal-rights activists hit a Singular Corp. research lab in Eugene, Oregon. The raid was a disaster, but Odin escaped with a set of highly encrypted flash drives and a post-surgical dog.

When Shay gets a frantic 3 a.m. phone call from Odin—talking about evidence of unspeakable experiments, and a ruthless corporation, and how he must hide—she’s concerned. When she gets a menacing visit from Singular’s security team, she knows: her brother’s a dead man walking.

What Singular doesn’t know—yet—is that 16-year-old Shay is every bit as ruthless as their security force, and she will burn Singular to the ground, if that’s what it takes to save her brother.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Uncaged blog tour! Today, I’m sharing with you my 4-star review of this epic young adult thriller. Enjoy!

Uncaged is unlike anything I’ve ever read and it’s definitely not a genre I usually gravitate towards. However, I enjoyed every single second of this thriller; it was a fast-paced read that kept me on my toes, dying to know what happened next. I would sit down, intending to only read a handful of chapters and I would end up reading a huge chunk of the book in a single sitting – I just couldn’t put it down!

At first, I really didn’t connect with Shay, the main character. However, I liked her right from the beginning – does that make sense? Normally, when I can’t connect with a character, it ruins the story for me. But I had nothing against Shay, so I still enjoyed getting to know her and seeing her story and her journey. She was never weak or defenseless. She was always strong and able to take care of herself, but I definitely still saw a lot of character growth in her from beginning to end. She starts out as more of a loner, in desperate need to find her brother. From there, she really opens up and begins to trust the people she has come to consider friends. And before that, trust was definitely not something Shay gave easily to anyone besides her brother.

Odin was interesting… From the synopsis, it seems like Uncaged is his story, but it’s really not. His actions get the story going, but it’s really Shay’s story. Odin is more in the background. Shay had to go looking for him and he’s the reason Singular goes after Shay. Without Odin doing what he did, Shay never would have gone to California and never would have met Twist, Cade, Cruz, Emily, etc. So, as I said, his actions get the story going, but this is truly Shay’s story.

I loved, loved, LOVED Twist. When we were first introduced to him, I was completely confused and uninterested. I mean, Shay describes him as looking like the Cat in the Hat and below is one of the first interactions we have with him:

“‘Assault on me is an insult to Dum and Dee,’ the Cat in the Hat said.”

I mean… What?? But as time went on, I pretty much adored him and everything about him. Clearly, this book is some kind of take on Oliver Twist. The hacking, the group home, the leader (Twist) – and obviously his name alone incites comparisons. To be honest, my first thought was “This book reminds me of Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes… And that was a loose take on Oliver Twist. So if that’s the case, this must be a take on Oliver Twist, too!”

I loved West. I don’t think I was supposed to.. I mean, technically, he’s not one of the good guys – at least in the beginning. But there was just something about him from very early on that made me adore him. I can’t explain it beyond that without risking spoilers. I will say, though, that the way his story ended in Uncaged… It broke my heart!

I loved the secondary characters in this book, as well. Cade, Cruz, Emily – and yes, X, especially! They, along with Twist and Shay, were like a family. Maybe not in the beginning, but they came to be. They always had each other’s backs.

Despite how much I enjoyed Uncaged, I did have a few problems with it, as well. The plot and timeline were not straight-forward. We’d have two chapters in a row that were from Shay’s story. Then, we’d skip to Odin’s story and it was something that took place hours (sometimes days) prior to Shay’s chapters. It was really confusing. Also, there were too many characters and too many plots and I just couldn’t keep track of what was going on and who was who most of the time. I still can’t sort out who half the Singular characters are… However, over time, I did get used to the writing style and it became easier to understand what was happening.

There was also a lot of technical jargon that I didn’t understand and I had to stumble my way through it. It wasn’t so confusing that it ruined the story for me; however, the story would have been MUCH better if I’d understand it.

Finally, I’m a HUGE animal lover. Going into this book, I knew it dealt with animal experimentation and lab experimentation and I tried to look past it because the overall plot sounded epic, but certain scenes just absolutely broke my heart, so that was difficult.

But then that ending.. WOW! That ending was insane, action-packed, crazy… I could go on and on. My heart was in my throat for much of the ending. Several things happened that I didn’t expect. I love the set-up for book two, though, and I’m really, really excited to see what happens next!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting plot and intriguing characters. Plus, it’s not something I normally read and it was nice to discover a new genre. I definitely recommend this book to fans of Oliver Twist, as well as to fans of books that feature computer hacking and Oliver Twist-like plots, such as Remember Me by Romily Bernard, Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes and Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon.

four-stars

Review: In the End by Demitria Lunetta

Jun23

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: In the End by Demitria LunettaIn the End by Demitria Lunetta
Series: In the After #2
Published by HarperTeen on June 24, 2014
Pages: 448
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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three-stars

The thrilling conclusion to In the After, the survival story of Amy and Baby, set in a near future where Earth has been overrun by vicious, predatory creatures.

It’s been three months since Amy escaped New Hope, and she’s been surviving on her own, like she did in the After. Until one day, her former fellow Guardian’s voice rings out in her earpiece. And in a desperate tone, Kay utters the four words Amy had hoped she would never hear: Dr. Reynolds has Baby.

Now it’s a race against time, for Baby is in imminent danger, her life threatened by the malevolent doctor who had helped start the end of the world. In order to save Baby, Amy must make her way to Fort Black, a prison-turned-survivor-colony, where she will need to find Ken, Kay’s brother. He alone holds the key to Baby’s survival.

One small slip-up on this quest could spark a downward spiral that would not only cost Baby and Amy their lives, but threaten the very survival of the people in the After.

Considering how much I loved In the After (book #1), I was thoroughly disappointed with In the End. The pacing was slow, most of the book felt like filler and I couldn’t stand most of the new characters we met.

Amy was still a pretty good character, though she spends a good deal of this book getting into trouble, not listening and doing stupid things. When someone told her to stay put, to wait until things were calm or safe, she just didn’t listen. I really wanted to scream at her. If she had stayed put, like she was told to, she would have avoided at least 80% of the trouble she ran in to. And while Amy grew and matured a LOT in In the After, her character development was almost non-existent in In the End. It’s almost like she peaked at the end of In the After.

We meet a lot of new characters in In the End. I only sort of liked two or three of them. But even then, I feel like we didn’t really get to know them, so it was hard to like them. And that’s despite the fact that two of them were major characters for almost all of the book. We just didn’t get to see enough of them or learn enough about their past and who they were. I liked Jacks in the beginning. He was calm and mild-mannered, yet his attitude screamed “cocky leader.” As the story went on, I wasn’t crazy about certain things and it wasn’t until the very end of the book that I realized I liked him a whole lot more than… Well, someone else… But.. Spoilers, so I’m shutting up – read the book! And I liked Brenna immediately but I never trusted her, so that messed with me because I was always waiting for her to turn on Amy.

Baby was one of my favorite characters in In the After for so many reasons. She was a young child, but she was smart, resilient and knew how to survive. She had an intriguing back-story, too. But she was BARELY in In the End. That was really disappointing. And when she WAS in the book… Well… Sigh.

As I mentioned before, most of this book felt like filler. It had Second Book Syndrome, except in this case, the series is a duology and only has two books. So that was a pretty big disappointment. Honestly, most of the book just felt like its only purpose was to get the reader to the last 20 pages. Because, really, that’s when things finally picked up. Until that point, the book was slow, boring filler and completely predictable. Nothing ever took me by surprise.

Another huge complaint I had with this book? Sexism. Lots and lots of sexism and the idea that women belong to men and are nothing more than “property.” These women were branded with tattoos to mark which man they belonged to… UHHHH, NOPE. This knocked it down initially from a 4-star to a 3.5-star rating. And then the slow pacing, predictability and filler-like feeling dropped it to the final 3-star rating. Also, as a minor side-note, sooooo many parts of this book felt like Walking Dead rip-offs.. Just saying.

I wish this book had some more redeeming qualities I could talk about, but it just didn’t. I adored book one but I could rant for hours about this book. I usually avoid spoilers in my reviews. But if this review had spoilers, it would be triple the length that it is now with all the ranting.

So unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book. I feel completely let down by it. Personally, I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it to someone, though others might enjoy it where I didn’t. I still think Demitria Lunetta is a brilliant writer; she crafted a gorgeous, creepy world, described it to us vividly and kept me turning the page, still eager to see how it all ended despited how much I didn’t enjoy it. I’ll definitely still be watching out for future books from this author.

three-stars

Review: Rush by Eve Silver

Jun19
Review: Rush by Eve SilverRush by Eve Silver
Series: The Game #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on June 11, 2013
Pages: 361
Format: Hardcover
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
two-half-stars

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Rush was one of my most highly anticipated books in 2013. I first heard about it in May during the very first Tea Time (Hosted by Margot and Aubry of Epic Reads/HarperTeen) I ever watched. I remember because they were discussing three “alien” books that came out/were coming out between April and June of that year. I adored the cover of Rush and I was excited about the premise. I finally got around to reading it and… Well, let’s just say it was the biggest disappointment on my 2013 Most Anticipated list. It took me NINE days to get through it. It felt like two weeks, like I was reading through quicksand. The plot was boring, the pacing was agonizingly slow and I never connected with the characters.

I didn’t connect with Miki, the main character, at all. I didn’t necessarily dislike her, but I never liked her either. She kind of just went along with everything. She was very brave in the beginning and she stepped up at the end, but she was just blah for the majority of the book. I felt like her backstory was something we were supposed to feel sorry about, therefore making us feel sorry for her. But again, I just never connected to her or her story.

I despised Jackson. You know how, sometimes, you’re SUPPOSED to despise the love interest in the beginning? He’s supposed to be a jerk and then you end up falling in love with him in the end? Yeah, that didn’t happen. He was cruel, vague, indifferent. I never felt the chemistry between him and Miki. Their attraction seemed to be superficial and never went much deeper than that. They were basically the most boring YA couple I’ve ever encountered.. There was only one moment when I felt bad for Jackson, but that was it. I never liked him at all, not even at the very end when the “cliffhanger” made most people gasp in shock and sob.

Speaking of, this “cliffhanger” was the reason I held off on reading this book. Everyone told me it was evil and would kill my feels, so they told me to wait until Push (The Game #2) came out, then binge read them. Let’s just say that ending did NOT kill my feels, I’m not left gasping in shock and though I think I will read Push at some point, I’m not desperate for it.

Moving back to the characters.. I didn’t like Luca. His part in the “love triangle” felt unnecessary, like it was a love triangle just for the sake of having a love triangle. There was no point to it, his jealousy of Jackson was obnoxious (and vice versa) and there were no sparks, no chemistry, with him and Miki, either. Plus, it is very, VERY obvious who she will end up with. Don’t tell me this is a spoiler, because if you have read the book, or once you do, you will realize how obvious it is.

I loved Richelle. She was a fun, spunky character and she was kind to Miki. But that didn’t end well… I feel like we didn’t get to know Tyrone that well, so I have nothing to say about him. As far as Miki’s friends go… They were awful, mindless minions. Carly was a bitch (pardon my language) and I wanted to bitch slap her and her little pack of chickens every time we encountered them in the story. There was NO reason for their treatment of Miki. Especially.. As quoted from the book (page 220), “Carly’s the peacemaker. She gives everyone the benefit of the doubt.” But…. she NEVER did that for Miki. She also jumped on Miki for every little thing and never let her explain. She was always quick to get angry and stalk away. HOW IS THAT BEING A PEACEKEEPER?!?!?!?! HOW IS THAT THE MARK OF SOMEONE WHO GIVES EVERYONE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT?!?!?!?!?

Raging so hard right now.

Anyway.. Another thing that annoyed me was that this book was full of stereotypes, cliches and over-used lines. I won’t point them out here, so you can make your own mind up as you read the book. Maybe they won’t annoy you as much as they annoyed me. Who knows? but a few of them almost caused me to stop reading. Speaking of… Why did I not DNF this book, you ask? Well, everyone said it got better, that it was amazing and epic and the cliffhanger would destroy my feels. As I mentioned, it was one of my top 2013 most anticipated reads. So… *Shrugs* I truly hoped it would get better. The last 50-60 pages actually weren’t bad and I’m definitely glad I pushed through and read them. They were the first part of the book that actually had me excited and they are the only reason I’m planning to read Push – though not for awhile. It’s low on my priority list.

On top of all the cliches and stereotypes, this book was horrifyingly predictable – and not in the fun way. Sometimes, I love being able to guess things early on. But I guessed ALL THE THINGS in this book. Then again, especially with one thing in particular, Silver pretty much shoved it in our faces. She never stopped talking about it. Literally, every few pages it was hinted at/mentioned/discussed. It was like she wasn’t even trying to keep it a secret for a big reveal later on in the book. It was totally anti-climatic when we finally found out.

Another thing was the lack of answers, the non-answers, the skirting around the answers.. I don’t want an info dump, but I don’t want to go 311 pages before finally getting answers, either. So frustrating! And the final frustrating note.. There wsere two things mentioned – one plot point and one character and… WHAT?!? I don’t remember them being mentioned in the beginning AT ALL. That initial mention of either thing is… Blank. It confused the crap out of me because every time they were mentioned, I was like “Who is that character?? When were they mentioned?” And… “What?? When was that plot point mentioned out loud? I don’t remember them saying that at all!” … So confusing!

Okay.. I’m done raging against this book. I probably should have DNF’d but I kept hoping it would get better. The last 50-60 pages were definitely slightly more entertaining, but overall I was immensely disappointed with this book. I seem to be the black sheep, though, so I definitely recommend it. Maybe you’ll like what I did not.

two-half-stars

Review: My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal

Jun12

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: My Last Kiss by Bethany NealMy Last Kiss by Bethany Neal
Published by Farrar Straus and Giroux on June 10, 2014
Pages: 358
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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four-stars

What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss--the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died--is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn't a suicide as everyone assumes. She can't remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she's worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she'll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made--good and bad--that led to her last kiss.

Bethany Neal's suspenseful debut novel is about the power of first love and the haunting lies that threaten to tear it apart.

My Last Kiss was a twisty mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. Bethany Neal wrote a story with an intriguing plot and likable characters that I grew to truly care for. The mystery in this book was so intense, I was literally screaming at my book in frustration, trying to figure out who the “culprit” was! I had 19 Goodreads status updates for this book and 11 of them were “I don’t trust that person…. No, now I don’t trust THAT person!”

I really enjoyed Cassidy’s story and being on this journey with her. There were moments where I felt very disconnected from her, but I think that’s because she was so disconnected from herself. With chunks missing from her memory, she didn’t know who she was, who to trust, who was telling the truth, etc. So as the reader, we didn’t know either. It was really interesting to see how this played out and it made it even more satisfying when Cassidy remembered things; it was like an “Aha!” moment.

I adored Aimee. She was an amazing friend, loyal and kind. She loved Cassidy so much, she refused to believe the “truth” given to her and she sought answers. Her investigation effected everyone involved and changed a lot of lives – some for the better and some… not so much. Madison was an awful friend and I wanted to slap her for pretty much the entire book.

Ethan and Caleb… The “love interests.” I would love to discuss these two guys at length but I don’t want to risk spoilers so all I’m going to say is this: I liked Ethan a lot, but didn’t like him with Cassidy. I absolutely loved Caleb, but I don’t think he ever could have fit into Cassidy’s life. I went back and forth a LOT on which of these two guys I distrusted more for a good portion of the book!

Mica and Drew… Ugh. I thought both of them were slimy and sleezy right from the beginning. I never liked them and never trusted them. And the way their story lines played out… It definitely wasn’t what I expected!

There was a HUGE ensemble of characters in this book, some in Cassidy’s group of friends, some who hung on the edges of her clique. It would be almost impossible to name them all and discuss them without spoilers. However, I commend Neal for writing such amazing secondary – and even tertiary – characters. Some authors are great with their main characters, but don’t develop their secondary characters enough. Yet Neal was able to create an entire group of people and make them feel alive and real. I felt like each character was given their own unique background and no one (not even the tertiary characters) was forgotten.

The one thing with ghost stories that gets to me, though, is that the main character can grow so much from beginning to end – especially in this kind of situation where they don’t remember anything and slowly realize what they did and where they went wrong – but… They can’t really do anything with this knowledge. Cause.. they’re dead. I’m a big fan of character development, so this kind of irks me. I do feel like their lessons typically rub off on their friends and family, who then become better for it. So I think this was the one down-side to My Last Kiss – with where the story ends, we really don’t see what the big reveal means for everyone, or how anyone grows as a result of the things they went through and learned. I would have loved an epilogue or even just one more chapter, something so we could have gotten more of a resolution.

Overall, I absolutely LOVED My Last Kiss. I feel like we don’t have a lot of amazing ghost stories in YA, so when I come across one, I get really excited! My Last Kiss is definitely going to the top of the “Amazing Ghost Stories in YA” list. I definitely feel like this was a strong debut for Bethany Neal and I’m VERY excited to see what she comes up with next! I highly recommend this book for fans of ghost stories, as well as for fans of books like Tara Hudson’s Hereafter trilogy!

four-stars

Review: Hexed by Michelle Krys (Blog Tour)

Jun7

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: Hexed by Michelle Krys (Blog Tour)Hexed by Michelle Krys
Series: Hexed #1
Published by Delacorte Press on June 10, 2014
Pages: 384
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-half-stars

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Hexed_TourBannerMedium

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Hexed blog tour! I’m very excited to be a part of this blog tour! I first heard about Hexed back in December of 2013 and I’ve been excited to read it ever since. And let me tell you, it was just as epic as it sounded!! I hope you enjoy my review!

Hexed was an amazing, amazing book and I adored it to pieces! I felt satisfied with the ending, yet was desperate for more! I don’t know how I’ll survive until 2015 when book two comes out! Fair warning, I loved this book so much, I was barely able to put it into words.. So this review is pretty much me just babbling about how awesome it is in the vaguest way so I don’t spoil anything! You have been warned…! :)

I loved Indie (aka, Indigo, the main character). She was pretty innocent and slightly helpless in the beginning, but she didn’t stay that way for long. She did what she had to in order to survive and, when she grew tired of constantly being in danger, she stepped up and fought to learn who she was and what being a witch meant. She definitely went through a lot throughout the book and she matured a lot, especially near the end, when she took charge of the situation.

Bishop was… Whoa. I adored him more than words can ever describe! I’m adding him to the Book Boyfriend List! He’s right up there with Morpheus and Matt Finch as far as being swoon-worthy! He had a sarcastic sense of humor and some hilariously evil one-liners, not to mention his physical description. Basically, he had everything a swoon-worthy YA book boy needs to be, well, swoon-worthy! The tension between him and Indie was hilarious and when they finally gave in, it was epic!

Paige was an awesome friend. Indie was so horrible to her for so long, Paige had no obligation to stick by Indie, yet she did. I really felt like Paige was a relatable character and I would have loved to see more of her in the story. Although, that ending… I have a feeling we WILL see more of her in book two. But.. Well.. It may.. *Bites tongue* You guys need to read this book so we can discuss this!!!

Jezebel was horribly bitchy, but I loved her anyway. There was just something about her that made me want to like her. She was hilarious and badass! Though, at the same time, I was a little nervous about trusting her at certain points throughout for the book. Bianca, on the other-hand, was horrible and I wanted to punch her! She was hilarious in the beginning, but she turned out to be an awful friend and a horrible person.

Now, Aunt Penny… I really can’t say much about her without spoiling things. But first, let me say her name called to mind Charmed and Grams. So I automatically loved her. But then, near the end… I had this weird, gut feeling that she knew more than she was letting on… And I’m anxious to see what her role is in the second book. I’m really hoping she plays a bigger part in the plot for book two than she did in Hexed!

There were some pretty heart-wrenching moments in this book, as well as some major heart-stopping moments. One thing in particular that happened.. I kept hoping it was a joke or reversible or… something, anything! I refused to believe it had actually happened. But unfortunately, it wasn’t a joke and it wasn’t reversed and, not gonna lie, I teared up a bit!

The ending had me on the edge of my seat! Every time I thought one thing was going to happen, something else entirely happened! I thought I knew where it was going and I was partly right, but mostly wrong! I had a weird feeling about one thing, though, and I was mostly right! Sorry for the vagueness – This is the hardest non-spoiler review I’ve ever had to write! I just want to discuss ALL THE THINGS WITH YOU GUYS! But I can’t cause then I’d spoil it for you… Please read this book ASAP so we can discuss!

Bottom line, Michelle Krys is an amazing storyteller. She crafted a wonderful world, amazing characters and a terrific plot that makes me beyond happy witch books are becoming a thing again. Not only am I already desperate for book two, but I’m desperate for whatever else Krys writes outside the Hexed world. She’s definitely a debut author to watch out for!

four-half-stars