Waiting on Wednesday #10: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Hey everyone. Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. Its purpose is to highlight upcoming releases we’re dying to get our hands on.

Cress
Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

I haven’t read Cinder or Scarlet yet, although I plan to in November. All three books look seriously amazing. It took me awhile to feel that way about Cinder – I wasn’t too hot on the idea of Cyborgs, but the more I learned about the series and the more reviews I read, the more I realized I could look past that to the awesomeness of the plot and characters. I’m a huge fan of fairy tales – I grew up on Disney Princesses! And I really can’t wait for Winter – which, I know, is a LONG way off! But it sounds amazing – so I need to read the first three to prepare! And February feels like a long way away!

Cress comes out in February 2014. You can learn more about it on Goodreads and you can pre-order it on Amazon!

Stacking the Shelves #9: In Which I Fail at iMovie

Stacking the Shelves

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

Books I Mentioned
White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Find Me by Romily Bernard
Pawn by Aimee Carter
Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance
The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa
Unbreakable by Kami Garcia
Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
3:59 by Gretchen NcNeil
Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards
Asylum by Madeleine Roux
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
The Beautiful & The Damned by Jessica Verday

Bloggers I Mentioned
Bethzaida @ Bookitty Blog
Christina @ Ensconced in YA
Crystal @ Crystal in Bookland
Nova @ Musings of a Blogder
Stacie @ The Shy Booknerd

Authors I Mentioned
Class of 2k13
Cristin Terrill
Victoria Schwab

Publisher’s I Mentioned
Harlequin
Harlequin Teen

Release Day Launch: Seven Day Fiance by Rachel Harris

Rachel Harris’ SEVEN DAY FIANCE is finally here! 

You can get it in your hands (well, on your ereader) right now! You don’t want to miss this fantastic Contemporary Romance from Rachel Harris. Book 2 in the Love and Game Series, SEVEN DAY FIANCE can be read as a standalone. Check out all of the information regarding this fantastic novel and Rachel Harris below! Then, celebrate Rachel’s Book Birthday by entering the giveaway for an ecopy of Book 1, TASTE THE HEAT!

You can also check out my 5-Star Review here.
 

Isn’t that cover pretty?? Read on and find out everything you need to know below! 

SEVEN DAY FIANCE Synopsis:

Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning Cane at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem.

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse.

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

About Rachel Harris:
 
Rachel-HarrisRachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, where she watched soap operas with her grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading her mama’s favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, she still stays up way too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, she homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches reality television with her amazing husband. Taste The Heat is her adult romance debut. She’s the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. She loves hearing from readers! Find her atwww.RachelHarrisWrites.com.

Rachel’s website | Rachel’s Twitter

Rachel on Goodreads | Rachels Facebook

Seven Day Fiance on Goodreads | Entangled Publishing Website

 
 
And now for the Giveaway! Go enter to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Seven Day Fiance by Rachel Harris

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: Seven Day Fiance by Rachel HarrisSeven Day Fiance by Rachel Harris
Series: Love and Games #2
Published by Entangled: Bliss on October 14, 2013
Pages: 211
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning Cane at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem.

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse.

When I read Taste the Heat (Love and Games #1) by Rachel Harris, I knew right away I was hooked – by her writing, her characters and her sexy, swoon-worthy men. Jason was an incredible character and I fell in love with him so hard and so fast, my head spun. Cane was just a secondary character in that book, as Colby’s older brother. We saw some of his personality and swoon-worthyness (yes, that is a word.. I just made it a word!), but we didn’t see a whole lot of him. In Seven Day Fiance, that all changes.

Angelle was a great character to read. She really grows and evolves as a person throughout the book and that growth is very obvious. She starts out timid and humble and, by the end, becomes a woman who can say no and ask for space. She stops trying to please everyone else in her life – her family, her friends, her ex and even Cane – and she starts focusing on herself, who she is and who she wants to be. She’s a strong character from the beginning, but she becomes even stronger by the end and she doesn’t realize how strong she is until the end.

Cane is just… I can’t.. *Fans self.* Cane is yummy! Cane is hot. Cane is MINE! But besides that, he’s an incredible, incredible person. No offense to Jason, but I’m totally Team Cane now! There is so much depth to him, and we don’t realize that in Taste the Heat because we only see so much of him. But in Seven Day Fiance, his personality and fears are front and center for us to see. It’s difficult to watch Cane go through everything he does in this book, because you can tell how painful it is for him and how conflicted he is. He’s the resident playboy, the tattoo-covered, leather-wearing bad boy who doesn’t believe in relationships – until Angelle comes into his life. And even then, he’s conflicted, confused and unsure. He’s haunted by his past – a past we learned about in Taste the Heat, but that we truly begin to understand in Seven Day Fiance.

This book made me laugh, cry and swoon. There were a few moments where I was ready to sob, where my heart broke and where I begged Cane and/or Angelle to NOT do what they were doing. But the end was INCREDIBLY sweet and amazing and wonderful and the epilogue made me giddy and excited!

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!)

All in all, I absolutely loved this book. I love everything Rachel Harris does and I highly recommend everything she does. So get reading!

five-stars

Release Day Launch: Beyond Fate by Heather Lyons

 
It’s here! BEYOND FATE by Heather Lyons is here and we are thrilled to get to be a part of the release day launch! We finally get to hear from Jonah in this novella from The Fate Series. Check out what we have going on today as we celebrate the release of this outstanding novella, and there’s an excerpt for you! Then look below for all the information regarding the book and Heather Lyons. You can also enter in a giveaway below! Check it all out and be sure to let us know what you are looking forward to when it comes to BEYOND FATE and The Fate Series!
 
You can check out my 5-Star review of Beyond Fate here!

Beyond Fate_CoverBEYOND FATE Synopsis:

There are always two sides to every story . . .

His whole life, Jonah Whitecomb has strove to meet everyone’s expectations of him: the perfect student, dutiful son, loyal twin, accomplished surfer, and powerful Magical. But behind his carefully composed façade hides the truth of how his family has fallen apart, leaving Jonah more often than not feeling adrift. To complicate matters, he fell in love long ago with a girl in his dreams, one he’s never told anyone about, including his twin brother.

Just when life seems its bleakest, Jonah discovers that Chloe is real. Wanting to finally reach out and grab happiness for himself, he embarks on a journey to track down the girl of his dreams, only to find that happy endings aren’t always guaranteed, the best laid out plans can go horribly awry, and sometimes, you have to simply let yourself go along for the ride.

* Beyond Fate is Jonah’s point-of-view of the events of A Matter of Fate, and is a companion novella.

 

Release Day Excerpt:
 
She must sense my disinterest, because she rushes to say, “And your Connection is nice and strong. You’re very lucky to have been able to foster that relationship from such an early age.”

Whoa. What now? Connection? “Do you mean the one with my brother?”

I have a Connection with my brother, thanks to being Magical identical twins and all. But it’s not like a real Connection, not like the kind my parents had or Joey and Hannah’s. Not a romantic one, anyway.

“Oh, well, yes, there’s that Connection too.” The Seer nods, biting the end of her pen. Then she yanks it back out, irrational embarrassment taking over once more. “I guess I overlooked that one, since I’ve never seen one between siblings before. No—I meant your Connection.”

My brain sort of goes static-y. “I guess I’m confused here. If you’re not referring to Kellan, then what . . . uh . . . Connection are you talking about?”

She looks down at the yellow legal pad, as if it somehow has answers. “Surely you know about your Connection? I mean, you’ve already been on that road with her, and have been since you were very young.”

My heart starts racing, like it does when I run. But I’m not running. I’m sitting in a yellow chair in a Seer’s office and I’m dizzy and my heart is racing and I’m having a tough time catching my breath. “Elaborate,” I squeak. And it goes to show just how thrown off balance I really am, because I don’t even even care that I’m squeaking like a twelve-year-old going through puberty to some pretty girl.

The Seer’s eyes widen. “Has no one explained this to you?”

I clear my throat once, twice. “I know that my brother and I have a Connection, but I wasn’t aware I had another one. Nobody . . .” I’m forced to clear it a third time. “Nobody has two Connections.”

“Well, uh . . . it’s true that I’m not aware of anyone else having two, but . . .” She blinks at me, scratches her head. “You do. You’re in love with her already, right?”

How could she know that? Can Seers tell that? Can they actually sense emotions, like I can? Can they physically tell that someone is in love, simply by looking at their paths? Because, if that’s the case, this is—

“You’ve known her nearly your whole life,” Sera says, interrupting my internal high-octane rationalizations. “I’m positive of it. You’ve been in love with your Connection for a very long time.”

If somebody had smashed a brick down on my head during this moment, I wouldn’t have been more surprised. So I sound like a total idiot when I blurt out, “You mean she’s real?”

It’s the first time I’ve ever said anything about the girl I’ve called Chloe out loud, to anyone. EVER.

“Well, of course,” the Seer says. And then she has the audacity to laugh. At me. Because I’m too . . . I don’t know. Slow? Stupid? Naïve? To grasp what she thinks is basic Magical Info 101. Normally, this would piss me off royally, but right now, I temper that annoyance down because I’m pretty sure if she doesn’t answer my questions, I’m going to have a full-fledge meltdown right here in her office. It’s been weeks—scratch that, MONTHS—since I last saw or heard from the girl in my dreams. Even if this Seer can give me the smallest bit of info, I’m completely willing to let her think I’m the biggest idiot on the Human plane. “No one has a Connection to an imaginary Magical,” she finishes lamely.

THUD. Another brick smashes down on my apparently thick skull. My voice drops to a whisper. “She’s a Magical?”

Jesus. Now I’ve basically turned into a parrot.

The Seer cocks her head to the side. “I don’t understand . . .?”

And then everything in me, everything I’ve felt for this girl my whole life floods me, and it’s too much, way too much, so the dam bursts forth and finally, finally, the truth comes rushing out. I don’t think I can stop the words even if I wanted to, and right now, here—I don’t want to. “I’ve . . . I’ve dreamed about this girl my whole life. I never knew she was real, though. I mean—I hoped she was, but . . .”

Sera gets this dreamy look, and a flash of envy streaks through her. “OH! You’ve got a doorway! Lucky, lucky! So very rare.” Her smile is the rueful, conspiratorial one now. “What most Magicals wouldn’t do for one.”

She knows about . . . “The doorway?”

Kill me now, because there’s more of the parroting.

The Seer blushes violently now. If I wasn’t so, oh, I don’t know, BLOWN AWAY, I just might be annoyed or amused at the fact that she’d just wished she’d had a doorway with me. But I have no time for these shenanigans. “How do you know about the doorway?”

It’s her turn to clear her throat. “Um, it’s . . . one of the ways some people with Connections meet? Like I said, it’s rare, maybe two percent of all Connection cases are like this. So . . .” She scratches her upper arm. “You’re the first person I’ve met with a doorway, though. Have you met her in person yet?”

YET?

I go lightheaded right before the ground below me moves.

 

HeatherBW2
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

 

 

Release Day Launch Participating Blogs
And don’t miss the giveaway here! 

Review: Beyond Fate by Heather Lyons

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: Beyond Fate by Heather LyonsBeyond Fate by Heather Lyons
Series: Fate #1.5
Published by Cerulean Books on October 10, 2013
Source: the publisher
five-stars

There are always two sides to every story . . .

His whole life, Jonah Whitecomb has strove to meet everyone’s expectations of him: the perfect student, dutiful son, loyal twin, accomplished surfer, and powerful Magical. But behind his carefully composed façade hides the truth of how his family has fallen apart, leaving Jonah more often than not feeling adrift. To complicate matters, he fell in love long ago with a girl in his dreams, one he’s never told anyone about, including his twin brother.

Just when life seems its bleakest, Jonah discovers that Chloe is real. Wanting to finally reach out and grab happiness for himself, he embarks on a journey to track down the girl of his dreams, only to find that happy endings aren’t always guaranteed, the best laid out plans can go horribly awry, and sometimes, you have to simply let yourself go along for the ride.

* Beyond Fate is Jonah’s point-of-view of the events of A Matter of Fate, and is a companion novella.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review… I feel like I’m betraying Kellan!! But there were so many Jonah feels in this book!!!!!!

Beyond Fate takes place a little bit before, then during, A Matter of Fate. It was so interesting to hear the story in his point of view. I especially loved seeing the whole Twin Connection mind thing between him and Kellan from his point of view! In A Matter of Fate, Chloe just sees them staring at each other. But from Jonah’s POV, we actually get to hear what they say to each other.

We get a better sense of who Jonah is, why he did what he did, and how he felt about the whole situation in A Matter of Fate. It’s eye-opening and mind-blowing, seeing things from his perspective. We also get to know certain people better, such as Astrid, Callie and Jonah and Kellan’s father. Clearly, I dislike their father. I think I stated that in my reviews of A Matter of Fate and A Matter of Heart – he’s so mean to Kellan and Jonah!

Callie is such a complex character, especially in Beyond Fate. We see more of her relationship with Jonah, and I can see where she is coming from better with her feelings and actions, but she got on my nerves a few times. In A Matter of Fate and A Matter of Heart, she’s a bit stronger, more outspoken. She was the opposite in Beyond Fate, but Jonah was breaking her heart, so I guess that makes sense! I still love Callie as a character and love her interaction with Chloe even more.

I’m totally and completely Team Kellan, but I definitely felt for Jonah in this, and seeing things from his eyes, I was better able to understand where he was coming from, and my heart broke for him several times. I just wanted to slap the people who were making him hurt, and hug him like crazy!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and seeing the events in A Matter of Fate from Jonah’s POV. I loved seeing the events that led up to A Matter of Fate, as well. I feel like I understand Jonah better, and I feel for him more. I’m still totally Team Kellan, and I can’t wait to read his novella, but I get Jonah more now than I did before. And as always, with all of Heather’s books, I highly, highly recommend this! But DEFINITELY read A Matter of Fate and A Matter of Heart first! It WILL spoil things, otherwise.

five-stars

500 Twitter Follower Giveaway: ARC of Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Hey everyone! First of all, I want to thank my awesome, awesome followers for being, well, awesome. I can remember, just a few months ago, doing a giveaway for hitting 200 Twitter followers! So this is just an insane milestone, one I didn’t think I’d hit for a long time! So thank you all! <33333

I’m going to keep this simple. I’m giving away an ARC of Teardrop by Lauren Kate.

Teardrop

It’s gonna be quick and dirty, because I’d love to get it out to the winner before it releases on October 22. Here are the rules:

-Giveaway is US/CAN/INT (I’m spreading the love this time!)

-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. Once it’s in the mail, I have no control and, sadly, cannot re-ship anything.

-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

Cover Reveal: Push (The Game #2) by Eve Silver

Release Date: 2014
Harper Teen
Book Summary:
It’s either break the rules or die.
Miki Jones lives her life by her own strict set of rules, to keep control, to keep the gray fog of grief at bay. Then she’s pulled into the Game, where she—and her team—will die unless she follows a new set of rules: those set by the mysterious Committee.

 

But rules don’t mean answers, and without answers, it’s hard to trust. People are dying. The rules are unraveling. And Miki knows she’s being watched, uncertain if it’s the Drau or someone—something—else. Forced to make impossible choices and battling to save those she loves, Miki begins to see the Committee in a glaring new light.

 

And then the Game crosses a new boundary, pushes harder into Miki’s and her friends’ lives, and there’s nothing in the rules that can save them now.
Push is the sequel Rush fans will be screaming for.
 
Pre-Order from:
Book One:
(linked to Goodreads)
Available from:
 photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png  photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg  photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg   photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg

 


About the Author
Eve Silver lives with her gamer husband and sons, sometimes in Canada, but often in worlds she dreams up. She loves kayaking and sunshine, dogs and desserts, and books, lots and lots of books. Watch for the first book in Eve’s new teen series, THE GAME: RUSH, coming from Katherine Tegen Books, June 2013. She also writes books for adults.


Author Links:

     

 

GIVEAWAY:
Harper Teen is offering an ARC of PUSH as the prize, which will be mailed to the winner early 2014, as soon as ARCs become available. (US and Canada only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Harlequin 5-Star Reads Event: Recap + Giveaway(s)

On Tuesday, I had the unbelievable fortune of attending an amazing event, hosted by Harlequin. There were bloggers, editors, agents, publicists – and the special guests, Julie Kagawa and Jennifer L. Armentrout! I have to be honest, I was a little starstruck! So I don’t have as many pictures as I would have liked to share with you guys, and I don’t even have full details on some of what went down – Ever get so nervous, you blank things out? Yeah, that happened. I promise, I’ll do better next time! But it was truly an amazing night! I got to meet some bloggers, Harlequin staff and, of course, Julie and Jennifer!

JK Julie announced her new series, which is about dragons! More on that can be found here.

Me and JKI got to meet Julie and fangirl a little bit! Here, we’re holding some of the amazing dragons she designs and sells on Etsy! And you can see some of the New York City skyline! We were 46 floors up, and it was gorgeous! (The red is a reflection of the lights in the room).

Me and JLAI also got to meet Jennifer L. Armentrout! She was signing copies of White Hot Kiss, her new book, which will be out March 2014! It’s about gargoyles and demons, and apparently Roth is the Original Daemon Black!

Books!At the end of the night, we got these amazing Harlequin tote bags filled with books! And some swag and cookies :) I don’t have a picture of the tote bag or swag, but I’ll share it in my Stacking the Shelves tomorrow!

All in all, it was a really amazing night. I definitely had some nervous jitters and I’m still sitting here hoping I made a great first impression with everyone Bbecause I was so nervous. But it was amazing and I’ll cherish that night for a long, long time.

So now, of course, I have goodies to give away! And here they are:
Prizes

And guess what? The Iron Traitor is SIGNED!
IT Signed

I’m doing this as TWO separate giveaways and I’ll have TWO rafflecopters below. You can enter BOTH!

So who’s ready for the giveaways?!?

-Giveaways are US/Canada only

-For each contest, 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. Once it’s in the mail, I have no control and, sadly, cannot re-ship anything.

-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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

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: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefanoPerfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Internment Chronicles #1
Published by Simon & Schuster on October 1, 2013
Pages: 356
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

With Perfect Ruin, Lauren DeStefano has written an amazing, imaginative world filled with incredible, lovable characters. She’s descriptive and elaborate, and the reader will feel as though they are on Internment, living out the events of the story right alongside the characters.

Morgan, the MC, is a daydreamer. She has a unique voice and through her eyes, we see what it’s like to live in a world in the sky. Morgan is the perfect balance of curious and obedient. She’s curious about the ground, yet smart enough to know she shouldn’t think about it. Because of her brother, Lex, she knows all too well what thinking of the ground will do to a person. I found her character fascinating, and I loved seeing the story through her eyes.

Pen, Morgan’s best friend, is an incredible character. She has all these beliefs and all this faith. She’s the obedient one, with her feet planted firmly on Internment. And yet she seemed like a wild card to me, throughout the majority of the book. I had this feeling she would end up getting into a lot of trouble. My suspicious were pretty accurate!

Lex is a particularly interesting character. I don’t really know how to describe him without spoilers, but he’s a very insightful character, offering clarity at times when clarity is needed. And yet, he’s troubled and he knows more than he is letting on. We learn more about that as the story progresses.

And then there’s Basil. I absolutely adored Basil. He was sweet and romantic, open-minded and loyal. He’s the perfect Book Boyfriend and I loved the chemistry and attraction between him and Morgan. He has some incredibly sweet moments throughout the book and I adored him for it.

There are so many fascinating characters in this story, I could go on forever just discussing what I loved about them. But then I would also spoil the entire book for everyone. So just know that the characters in this book were fascinating and interesting. There were certainly some characters that were unlikeable. Every book has some unlikeable characters; without them, there is no conflict or resolution. And, in true DeStefano fashion, the characters never have an easy time of it. If you’ve read The Chemical Garden trilogy – all three books, I mean – you’ll probably read that, groan, and grab some tissues before sitting down with Perfect Ruin!

And then there was that ending… Uhm, whoa! First of all, I totally guessed one thing and sort of guessed another, yet they were still shocking to read and I was thrilled! But that cliffhanger!!! The suspense!!! I seriously can’t wait a whole year to see what happens next!

All in all, Perfect Ruin was an incredible read. I loved every second of it, I would definitely recommend it and I can’t wait to see what happens next! DeStefano is a truly incredible story-teller and I can’t wait to read more books by her!

five-stars