Saturday, June 30, 2012

Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

I was very excited to read this book even before I read the synopsis.  Many bloggers were abuzz and all I wanted to do was read the book that much more.  Finally, I found this pretty at my local book store and nabbed it before someone could yell at me for making a B line to the check-out counter.  That's how badly I wanted to read Hemlock, and it did not let me down.

The Synopsis:
Mackenzie and Amy were best friends.
Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:
A white werewolf.
Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.
Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boy-friend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.
Kathleen Peacock's thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spell-binding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.


My Thoughts:
Right from the very beginning, I was hooked by the very dark and creepy feel I got from it.  I'm actually kind of not sure what to say about this book.  It's as if all interlligable words have left my mouth and mind.  So, I must apologize if the review is short and sweet.
Mac, I thought was a difficult character to understand.  I liked her and enjoyed her internal dialogue, but I felt as if I really didn't get to know who she truly is, besides that fact she's not a fan of the Trackers and she's got some daddy issues.  She would do things that would surprise me, and I felt as if they were not entirely part of her true character.  But otherwise, I thought she was a strong protagonist that was appropiate for the book.  In other words, I thought her character overall fit the book.
I really liked Kyle.  No.  I'm not sure if you're getting this.  I really liked Kyle.  Like, seriously.  He wore an Arcade Fire tee shirt.  Insta-love for me, if you ask.  He was protective and kind to Mac and was there for her for most of the book.  Sometimes he could be a complete and total jerk, like most guys, but it was only briefly and his personality compensated for that.  And he cared for Mac.  I say he's a done deal for me.
The story I thought was pretty good.  The town of Hemlock was a small one located on the water.  It kind of reminded me where I live, in a way.  But the town has dark secrets and I imagined most of the town to be a bit creepy and rundown looking, except for where all the rich people live.  I don't think that the imagery was the best, though.  It was better than some books I've read, but it wasn't particularly amazing and poetic imagery--not that I was looking for poetic, but I'm just giving an example here.
Overall, it was a great tale; a lovely spinoff of our feared canines, werewolves.  It was creative and very original, and surprisingly very dark.  I like dark.  I gave this book four out of five stars.  I hope that everybody will get a chance to read this book because it truely was an entertaining read, keeping me hooked all the way to the very end.

WARNING: You may exhibit slight paranoia if Hemlock is read outside when the light of the waning sun is barely enough to sustain visibility if you are alone.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Hello!  Why don't you all look over there ------------->   Yep!  That a specially made badge of TEAM KILT on my blog!  You should all check out Jeri's books if you haven't already.  Just a little helpful hint.

The Synopsis:
Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.
Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.
A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.




My Thoughts:
I've heard a lot of good things about this book all over the place.  So, I was very excited to pick it up at my local library.  Mind you, I probably should have bought it and am still kicking myself in the butt for not doing that.  Once again, this book is a dystopian, and then there's me still reluctant to read them.  I couldn't tell you where I could begin to explain how great this book was.  It was thrilling and captivating, creative and wonderful.
Since I can't tell you where to begin, I'll just start as I always do with the MC.  Aria is a teenage girl born in Reverie, trapped from the dangerous outside world until she breaks the rules and pretty much gets kicked to the curb.  She's worried about her mother because she lost connection with her over a week ago.  Aria was definitely a determined character with a knowledgeable mind.  Though, she' not knowledgeable in the techniques of staying alive.  As her name states, in a way, she's a singer with a talented soprano voice.  I was kind of happy to see the main character as one that sings because I love to sing.  So, that put a smile on my face, and on the faces of the other characters, too.
And then there's Peregrine.  Oh, Perry.  Although when I first heard of his nickname, I originally thought of Perry the platypus from Phineas and Ferb.  It was only a brief thought, though, and I mostly thought of Perry as Perry the Outsider that's got family issues and doesn't know how to express how he feels at times.  He was strong and a bright spot in the writing as the story went along.  He knew the skills on how to survive and helped Aria along, even though he did not want to in the first place.  He could be sweet at times, and then there were others where be was a bit bitter.  But that's okay with me.  Oh, yeah.  And he's an archer, shooting arrows and stuff.  That gave him some Brownie Points from me.
The story was overall very good.  In the beginning, I was a bit confused and didn't understand all that was said between the characters.  But that was really on in the first chapter or so that were in Aria's POV.  Futuristic terms were used, and I think that's what threw me off, but didn't deter me from the book.
Under the Never Sky is a gripping story with relatable characters and hate-worthy foes.  I had a hard time putting down the book because it was so good.  Dystopian has once again proven me wrong, and I am glad for that.  It's opening me up to a new genre and exponentially increasing my TBR pile.  Everything in the story was beautifully described and there was plenty of action and adventure to make it a speedy and exciting read.  I hope y'all get to read this book because I gave it FIVE out of five twinkling stars hidden underneath the Aether.
Happy reading!

Friday, June 22, 2012

The Book of Blood and Shadow

The Synopsis:
It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.
But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora’s best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora’s sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.
Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life


My Thoughts:
I didn't know what to really expect from this book.  I picked it up at the library, reading the synopsis a million times before I did.  I'd heard so many good things about the book, but I don't really think the synopsis did it justice.  The cover I thought was pretty interesting, not what you usually see on book covers.  But finally, I did pick it up (sorry for going all media res on you all.) and decided it would be the first of my library book haul to read.  And, boy was I glad it was the first book I read.
Nora . . . where do I begin with her?  She certainly was a complex character.  She was smart and nerdy, burdened with sadness and loneliness, and a complete wiz at decoding the ancient, enchanting, and dead language of Latin.  She has a determined and logical personality and mind process that I really liked about her.  Nora has to be the first character that I have ever read about that I could relate and connect to.  She has this hidden strength about her that always stayed with her as an undercurrent right from the very start to the very last page.
The story was not as I expected it to be.  First, they're all in the New England or somewhere around there, and the next thing I know--as they synopsis tells readers--they're in Prague.  For some reason unknown to me, I didn't think that they would actually go to Prague.  I have no clue why, and once the story began and Nora began to read these letters written by Elizabeth, I thought that Prague meant past where Elizabeth lived.  Like, I thought that they would just be traveling through Prague in the letters.  Don't ask me why.  There is a lot of adventure in here, not as much as Divergent, but a lot, especially once the MCs went to the actual city of Prague.  There's a slue worth of mysteries, lies, and secrets; practically everything I could ever want from a YA novel, and there's romance, too.  *waggles eyebrows*
But back to the mysteries and such.  Things would connect in my brain as the story went along.  It was dark and creepy.  There was death and cults and such that were after Nora and her friends.  And I knew that Chris would die, but when it happened, I was all . . .
Because it was just all so creepy with a 500 year old curse practically coming back to life.  Just imagine all the emotions running through my head!  I began to like Chris's character, too, even though there wasn't much of him.  He was the perfect guy in the sense of his personality.  He was funny and charming and he had a kind heart.  Nora cared for him, too, him being her best friend and all.  I also asked myself, 'Did he have to die?'  But since authors do what authors do and Robin Wasserman is really good at being an author, she broke the connection with him, and thus pulled at my heartstrings.
And one thing that I loved, loved, loved about this book was how historical it was.  If you've read my review for Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, you know that I am a complete history junkie.  And if you didn't know that, now you do.  Like, seriously, this was an ancient, 500 year old mystery that hadn't been solved yet.  People are willing to kill over the Lumen Dei because it has Special Powers.  And now it's up to Nora and whomever she decides to trust to help her solve the it and find her missing boyfriend, Max.
I could see where people weren't so thrilled with this book.  Like A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, the story beings after all of the events have happened.  So, it's just pretty much Nora telling the story to readers.  I wasn't confused by it, but I could see where others may have been. 
As being an obsessed blogger and all, I read other peoples' reviews of this to see what their opinions were, and one review really irked me, and I could see how this point also wouldn't exactly thrill readers.  I, myself, am not a religious person, and neither is Nora.  Other people who have read or will read this book may not be religious.  Okay.  But in this book, religion has a lot to do with the story.  It's not like the MCs are praying to God 24/7 or wishing for His help, but in the letters written by Elizabeth, she was religious.  Especially in the Medieval Ages and Renaissance era, where Christianity really took off--and where Elizabeth happened to have lived in.  Religion and God were just a known fact back then.  But here's my point: You can not have a talk about Medieval Europe/ the Renaissance and get into an accurate and believable mind of somebody that lived in that time period without--even briefly--touching upon religion.  It's impossible.
In all, the blogger had said the novel was religious, but in all actuality it's historical.
I loved the writing style that Robin Wasserman had.  It was poetic and beautiful.  I didn't know I could moon all over just the words and sentence structure of a book, but I did.  The Book of Blood and Shadow was wonderfully written with beautiful descriptions and imagery.  It's not the best imagery I've read, but I felt I really got to see the streets of Prague through Nora's eyes.  In The Daughter of Smoke and Bone written by Laini Taylor, the setting is Prague, Czech Republic, but there was more of the city in The Book of Blood and Shadow than there was in The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I thought.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book.  I gave The Book of Shadow and Bone five out of five stars, and I hope that everybody will get a chance to read this book.  It was like The da Vinci Code with a twist.
:D

Thursday, June 21, 2012

What's Next?

This is a weekly meme hosted by Hafsah over at IceyBooks, and this will be my first ever What's Next post!

Alrighty, so I've got two more library book to read and that's it for my library book haul, and I honestly have no idea what book to start next.  So, this is the point here all of you reading this help me choose what's next for me

First up:

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, Janelle knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.
But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.
From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

I've had Unraveling on my bookshelf for a while now, but I've kept on putting it on the back-burner.  I've heard many good things about this book, and I'm excited to read it, but as you will see, I have other good choises to choose from.

Second:

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.
Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.
Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Just recently, as in Monday, I bought this book at the Fierce Reads Book Tour in New York at Books of Wonder (love that bookstore!).  I met all of the awesome and fierce authors there and bought Struck along with a bunch of other books.  And, as you could probably imagine, I am super pumped to read all four of the books I got there.  And isn't the idea pretty cool for this book?

And Lastly:

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.
Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

And here is the last book on my What's Next? list.  This is yet again another super awesome-looking read.  The idea seems pretty cool, so I'm excited to read this one, too.  And same as Struck, I bought this book and had it signed at the Fierce Reads Book Tour.

So, people, what book should I read next

Review: Divergent

One thing before I start this review: I was stupid not to read Divergent for just about a year after it was published.
The Synopsis:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.


My Thoughts:
I couldn't put this book down.  The mystery and action to it all was amazing.  Like I've said, I'm not one for dystopian, but if I keep reading books like these, I think I might possibly have a change of heart.  There was just so much I loved about this book. 
So, our main girl in Divergent is Beatrice Prior, or Tris, as she prefers to go by.  I loved her personality and character so much.  I could relate to her, most of the times, especially when she got all brave and stuff.  Coming from Abnegation, she was originally taught to be modest, selfless, kind, volunteer for everything there was, and to not be curious.  She couldn't look herself in the mirror, she couldn't decide her haircut or what she wanted to wear, and she couldn't express her true personality.  I would have died living like that everyday.  Sure, I'm kind, but I've got my own priorities, and I don't mean that in a snobby way.  I prefer to know what I look like and to have a voice of my own.  Tris learns so many things about herself and the people around her.  She never backs down and for the most part, she sticks up for what she believes in.  She was a true-born leader in my eyes. 
But there were many more characters in Divergent than just Tris--duh.  And what really surprised me was that all, including the secondary characters, all had depth and dimensions to them.  They all had a mind of their own and all of their personalities and ideas were expressed in a beautiful way.  Not one character was left in the dust to suffer the consequences of not being described.  You knew them the way Tris saw them, without many dark spots covering the characters from my mind.
The story, overall, was just grand.  There was adventure and mystery, lies and those normal moments that make you really get to know who the characters are.  I never expected the story to be the way it was, never in my wildest dreams, and I was very happy about that.  I was blown away by the creativity of Veronica Roth.  And it was rich, too, everything explained in detail and crispness.
The best thing I liked about this book would have to have been the distant narrative of Tris.  We got to know her and all, but there was something distant and mysterious--almost cold--about the way she thought.  It was unique and completely different from all the other books I've read.  I loved it, all of it. 
Overall, I gave Divergent FIVE out of five shining, golden stars because I loved it so.  I'm so glad I had a whole bunch of bloggers that kept on telling me that I needed to read this book because I was missing out.  So, read it I did and loved it, too.  I really was missing out, sadly, but I'm glad I read it now, since Insurgent just came out. 
So, if you haven't read it yet, I highly suggest you do because, like me, you are missing out.  Though, I highly doubt there area a lot of people who haven't read this book yet.  It's an educated guess of mine.
Happy reading! :D

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday!


As you probably know, this is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where bloggers gush about what they're waiting for on Wednesday.


Book one of a new four-book series. Richard "Dick" Gansey has it all: family money, good looks, devoted friends. But he's on a quest for much more: Glendower, a legendary Welsh king.
Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. Surrounded by the Raven Boys — the rich boys at prestigious Aglionby Academy — she never thought this prediction would be a problem. When Gansey and his Raven Boys enter her life, however, she's not so sure.

So, this is probably an obvious one, but I've had The Raven Boys on my list ever since the name was announced.  The cover is absolutely beautiful, and I can't wait to read it, whenever that will be.

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.
With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.
This is another obvious book to be waiting on.  Just look at the cover and read the synopsis!  I'm a huge fan of Andrea Cremer and was super happy when I met her in February.  I love all the action and it's historical fiction-ness!  I love historical fiction.
Well, that's it for my Waiting on Wednesday. Leave a comment and tell me what's yours.  I'll be glad to see what you're waiting for! :D


Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

A while ago, I won this giveaway from Mostly YA Obsessed for Born Wicked swag by Jessica Spotswood.  But that wasn't all that was included in it.  With all the BW swag, there was some swag from a series I've never heard of, The Demon Trappers.  And because I have such a curious mind, I scouted out the book at my local library and looked forward to reading it because it actually sounded pretty cool and exciting.

The Synopsis:
Demon Trapper Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself—and that’s exactly what Lucifer is counting on…
It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.


My Thoughts:
I thought that this was an interesting and original take on the angel and demons genre that's become very popular as of late.  Instead of the book centering more on the idea of angels and the divine good of people, this was more concentrated on the dirty and gritty life of poor people called Trappers who risk their lives everyday to expel the earth of demons of all kinds just to earn a few bucks to scrape by.  It was a different concept that truly had me hooked from the start.
I really liked Riley as a character.  She was strong and independent and smart-mouthed.  She didn't take any crap from anyone and was naive enough to have this certain innocence about her that was believable for someone her age.  After all, you can't be some hard-core, skilled Trapper that's only seventeen years old.  It's unheard of. 
And Denver Beck-whew!  A guy with a Southern drawl.  Yes!  I liked that he wasn't the usual innocent British/Scottish--yes, I'm talking about you, Zach!--hottie that just swoops the main heroine off her feet.  Which, he didn't because that's not the way that Beck works.  Beck was silent and thoughtful, fueled to kill demons by his rage of just about everything, including Riley.
And then there was Simon.  Simon didn't exactly swoop me off my feet, but he certainly did for Riley.  And here I am, saying 'I really liked' again, but it's true.  I really liked how Simon and Riley's relationship budded.  It wasn't like the usual 'Oh-my!-I-just-met-you-but-let's-TOTALLY-suck-each-other's-faces-off!'  Their relationship is what a real one would be like, not some crazy spur-of-the-moment one.  So yes, I liked that.
The story was very interesting and very creative.  Just one bite or scratch from a demonic creature and your body begins to rot from the inside out.  Sweet nuggets, that's cool!  And the big mystery of the book is that different grades of demons are pairing together and taking on the Trappers, successfully. (Which hints to death, by the way!)  I'd say that's kind of a big problem.  And the Trappers are clueless to what's happening, except for Riley and Beck . . . and her father.
My only complaints about this book are these: 1) Riley pretty much keeps a whole bunch of stuff to herself.  It's understandable since she wants to be the only girl Trapper known to history.  On the other hand, it got her in trouble and drove me insane.  And 2) I, unfortunately, got bored.  This doesn't usually happen to me while reading, but I found myself flipping through the pages, looking to see where things would pick up in the action department.  And don't get me wrong, the story was overall exciting and interesting.  And the slower parts actually had vital information, but it was just pure information being thrown at me with none of the wonders of Oliver's writing really seeping in to the dialogue, internal and external.
This book was a very entertaining read that kept me hooked all the way to the very end.  It was different, which was awesome.  I can't wait to read the next book in the series, as soon as I can get my hands on it, that is.  Overall, The Demon Trapper's Daughter earned four out five stars from me.  So, obviously, I'm recommending this baby to all of you reading this.

Breaking Beautiful

This was another book I picked up from the library.  I knew right from the start that it was not the kind of genre I prefer to read, but I saw a lot of talk about, so I thought I'd indulge in my ever curious instincts and read it.  It seemed interesting when I read that synopsis, and that was what convinced me to read Breaking Beautiful by Jeniffer Shaw Wolf.

The Synopsis:
Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident, including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she's kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.


My Thoughts:
Right from the first page, you're introduced into a very depressing mindset of a teenage girl who's just lost her boyfriend, but she's not exactly sad because he died.  For me, things took a while to build up and it was a bit on the boring side.  The only thing that really kept me hooked was one question.  'What happened the night of the accident?'  The whole book circles around that question.  Cops ask it.  Allie asks it.  The people of the town ask it.  But the answer isn't obviously, and I think that's what quality of it will keep readers hooked.
Allie was not my kind of character.  I understand that her mind has been warped with this very dark and depressing cloud, but she never really tries to shake it off.  Throughout the book, she has this internal battle with herself.  In a way, she's glad that Trip is gone, but then she knows that the town would disapprove of that, so she stays quiet.  She thinks that she should tell someone what really happened between her and Trip, but she doesn't.  On one hand, she feels obligated as Trip's boyfriend to protect and hide his true character and on the other, she wants to vent about it and expose the truth about him.  She very indecisive throughout the book, and it truly got on my nerves.
But yet that's understandable since she's depressed and this isn't my regular read.  I had to constantly remind myself that not every character is going to be a strong and independent heroine, because there isn't always going to be.  I had to keep an open mind about this book.
I have to say that Blake was my favorite character out of all of them.  He was independent and strong.  Both Allie and him have to suffer the daily bullying of high school life and he takes it in stride, not letting the other kids' side remarks get to him.  He was actually full of surprises, and the only bad thing I found about him was that he troubled past that still affected him in the present time in this book.
I would recommend this book more as a book of awareness than anything else.  Stuff like what happens in the book happen in the real world, and people should know it's not just some fairytale.  These secrets could be hiding in your own household.  It was more of a chilling understanding for me to accept. 
So overall, it was an okay read that kept me hooked until the end.  I gave Breaking Beautiful three out of five stars.  I don't think I'd read this book more than once, sadly.  But it's the truth about my own opinion. 

Saturday, June 16, 2012

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

I read this book right after I read Across the Universe, and let's just say I was extremely excited to see what would happen next.  After reading the first book, I had a change of heart about Sci-fi/dystopian shtoof, so I was eager to delve deep into Amy and Elder's story.

The Synopsis:
Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain:
They have to get off the ship.

My Thoughts:
So, I'm not going to do anything that refers to Across the Universe, the movie, because, well, the title of this book isn't Across the Universe.  Yup.  Soooo, that's not happening, no matter how many more times I'd like to talk about my love of that movie.
This book did not change my new thoughts about this kind of genre, if anything, it strengthened my positive opinion about it.  It's something completely different from what I'm usually used to reading.  It's still not exactly what I'd consider to be my cup of tea, but I do thoroughly enjoy it.  There's the fast-paced action, and there's more at stake in A Million Suns.  Now that Orion was frozen, more lies have been uncovered.  And you know the thing is, I kinda liked him in the first book.  He had answers and he was pretty cool.
Now in this book, the stakes are up higher than ever.  Now that the entire ship is off the drug, they're now their own person.  And they're angry.  A rebellion starts, one that wouldn't be the size of any modern-day rebellion, but one that's strong enough that Elder nor the ship is prepared for.  Honestly, I found the rebellion thing annoying.  It put twists and turns into the plot, but I just thought it was annoying.  And those med patches!  Don't even get me started on those!  I guess since I come from Earth and wasn't born on a Centari-Earth-bound spaceship, I don't agree with their ways.  It was a little much for me.  But that's the cool thing about Sci-fi, I guess.
Amy is as strong as ever, which I was glad to see.  Her character never faltered and she stayed true to her plans and ideas.  And her determination was yet another thing I admired about her.  A trail of clues appear that could unearth MORE lies that are ridden throughout the ship and never does she ever think to stop searching, even when things start to get dangerous.  The only thing that would disturb me about her personality was the fact that she becomes very cold and hard, a shell of her original self that was brought on by all of the BS that happens on Godspeed.
Elder, he was just an annoying little bugger again.  The one thing I liked was that he would do anything to impress and satisfy Amy.  Practically anything.  And my heart soared and sung with the sweetness of his genuine caring and love for her.  I believe that he is a perfect guy on the inside--and he wants to be that perfect guy--but with all the happenings going on, he couldn't exactly be as personal as he would like to be with Amy.  So, I forgave him for the time being.
And the plot line couldn't be any more twisted than what it was before! Whew!  My mind was BLOWN once again with all the lies and deception.  I can't even imagine how Beth Revis does it, but she does it successfully.  It isn't in the least confusing; all of it is explained and unraveled in time and detail. 
Overall, this baby gets four out of five shiny stars directly from space.  The plot kept me hooked and I could barely put the book down.  I'm excited to see what the end will bring, and I'm smart enough to know not to predict what might happen because I would be wrong.  This book is Beth Revis and only Beth Revis would know what to do for this book.  So, I'll leave it in her very capable hands to let the story end, with most likely, a huge bang.
Happy reading, everyone!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

No, not this Across the Universe, although, that was one wicked awesome movie.  I was thinking more of this Across the Universe:
I'm not sure why I didn't read this book any earlier because it was awesome.  I almost picked it up numerous amounts of times and almost got it yet again at Breathless Reads in February, but I didn't.  I was convinced that I was a No Dystopian kind of person.  I think I Am Legend--remember that movie?--kind of spoiled the wonder of it for me.  Though, I was a youngin then that was scared of everything that went bump in the night.  But I think what really convinced me to pick up this book and read it was Beth Revis when I met her at Breathless Reads.  She's amazing, you guys.  She loves violence and killing off a whole bunch of people, but also those tender and heartfelt smooching scenes that makes your heart swoon and your mind sigh.  I may not be a romantic, but I sure enjoy having those brief moments of it in books.  I think they really do make a YA book.  They make it whole.  And just between you and me, I'm a hopeless romantic deep down.  Might as well tell you guys this now.
So overall, it was the hilarious and completely mad scientist-like Beth Revis that convinced me that I should read Across the Universe before I die.
The Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

My Thoughts:
I loved Amy.  She was tough as nails and didn't take any crap from anyone, including the most powerful person on the ship, Eldest.  She never really broke down, no matter how upset she was.  I really admired that about her personality.  She hated it on board Godspeed because it wasn't Earth.  It wasn't freedom.  Everything was artificial, including the people.  Lies were tangled around every thought and hung like a dark cloud of doom to Amy.  And she wasn't about to sit back and take it all; she was going to find out the truth, no matter what people thought of her: crazy, different, slow, unwanted, a freak.  I was applauding her every step of the way.  And honestly, if I were her, I probably would have cried like a little baby 90 percent of the day and then stuffed my face with as much space chocolate I could find.  Though, they don't have any chocolate or candy, for that matter, and I think that 90 would be a 100 instead.
Elder wasn't exactly my favorite swoon-worthy man, but I really liked his character, too.  He was different in my eyes as Amy is in his.  I surely don't agree with everything he did.  Sometimes, I really wanted to punch him in the face because he was being such a stupid space monkey butt.  I'm not kidding.  It was infuriating, and the biggest problem I thought was that Amy and Elder never really communicated.  They never really talked about their feelings and their ideas, because most of times either Elder was busy or being a jerk or Amy was storming off.  I was practically pulling my hair out throughout the book.
AND THEN THEY KISSED.
And I died.  Not literally, of course, but I thought it was sweet and the hopeless romantic in me was squeeing like a little girl.  It was perfect in every sense and it reminded me of that one Taylor Swift song, I believe, if my memory doesn't fail me here.
The overall story?  It was awesomesauce.  There were so many surprises and plot twists and loops, it hurt my head.  In all of my creative mind, I could not ever in my wildest dreams come up with all she did.  I thought it would go one way, but no, Beth Revis wanted it to skip ten billion feet and do a backwards flip over there. 
It was a fascinating read that kept me hooked on every page.  It was dripping with action and betrayal and awesomeness.  If I review any more, I'm bound to spoil something, and like my blog promises, I do not spoil.  So, there will be no spoils since I'm closing the review here.  If you haven't read Across the Universe, I suggest you do.  Overall, this lovely gets four out of five stars from me.  This could be because of my reluctance towards dystopians, but I feel as if it was missing just that extra wow factor to it.  Don't get me wrong, there was plenty wow to it, but it's not quite there yet.

And because I'm such a romantic here you go!  This is because I love The Beetles, Jim Sturgess, this song, this movie, and love--duh.

And that's it for my Across the Universe review! Up next, A Million Suns by Beth Revis--oh, yeah!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

I've read the first three books in the Fallen Series and have been quite content with them.  They keep me on the edge of my seat and I fall in love with the characters with each turning page.  As you can imagine, I was very happy when I spotted this little one at my local library. 
Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.
And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they
least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce
will spend a night together like none other.
Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.
True love never says goodbye. . .


First off, I'll start of by saying that I thought the cover was absolute gorgeous.  Just look at it!  Her hair, the dress, even the font of the title.  I honestly think that this is the best cover in the entire series, including Rapture and Torment, which happen to be close runner ups.
Ahh, I'm sad to say this, but this book was kind of a bore.  I know, I know.  I loved all the other books, but this one was just pure romance and heartbreak.  However, I did like how the setting was a Medieval town on St. Valentine's Day.  The girl inside of me was swooning at the thought of a little romance on V Day, but mostly I was uninterested.  All of the history was correct and it was very interesting to read about, but overall I just thought the book was cute.  It was okay.  And another thing I like is Lauren Kate's style of writing.  I'm not sure why . . .
Past Lucinda in here is deeply depressed because Daniel, her knight in shining armor--literally--has left her.  Roland surprisingly has an interesting history and so does Arianne.  Arianne and Roland have been my favorite characters throughout the series, so I was really excited to read about them and get to know a bit more than them besides the fact that they're bad ass angels, well, one of them is an angel; the other is a demon.  But to top all of them, my favorite character is Miles.  He's my book boyfriend, though I don't think he knows it yet.
And although the main theme of the story revolves around Luce and Daniel, they're not really a big part of it.  It's more of Shelby and Mile's and Roland and Arianne's turn to shine.  I liked that.  We don't get to see a lot of them other than when they're protecting Luce and Daniel from the Outcasts.
This is yet another book that I gave three out of five stars.  I don't think I'll ever feel good about giving a book a three or below, but it's just what I feel.  If you're in for a light and fluffy read, by all means, go ahead and pick up this book.  It's not that I didn't know what I was getting into by reading this book; it's just that I want to read all the books in the series, and that includes this small novella.  Like I said, Fallen in Love was cute.  It wasn't terribly bad and it wasn't unforgettably good.  It was an inbetween read that just filled in the gap between the books and gave you some more insight into the other characters' lives.

Waiting on Wednesday!

So, here we are with Millie D's Words first official Waiting on Wednesday post!  How exciting is that?  I've had the blog up and running for just about four months now, so I suppose it's about time I get cracking on my weekly memes.


Okay, I could probably dump my entire TBR pile into this post, but it's way too long and has books I should have read ages ago on there.  It's kinda disappointing.

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…
Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.


I seriously, seriously, seriously need to read this book.  It's fabulous, the story and the cover.  I love the idea and I need to get my grabby little reader hands on this.  All I've heard about this is good things and let's just say my hands are getting a bit impatient.

Riley Blackthorne is beginning to learn that there are worse things than death by demon. And love is just one of them...
Seventeen-year-old Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. As if that’s not enough, there's Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad. With all the hassles, Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether.
But as Atlanta’s demon count increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can't last forever...






Thanks to the awesome Nereyda at Mostly YA Obsessed, I got wind of the first book, The Demon Trappers Daughter by Jana Oliver.  I was instantly hooked and I can't wait to review it.  So, I can't wait to read this one and the other books to come.

And that's it for this week's Waiting on Wednesday!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

I have to give a shout out to Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this wonderful baby as an e-galley.  I was super excited to read this one, so as you can imagine, I read it as fast as I could.

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

I was instantly hooked by the hypnotic cover.  And my curiosity was again piqued once I read that this was going to be in a guy's POV.  It's not that I have anything against reading in a guy's POV, I was just surprised.  You don't see a lot of that out there.  So instantly, I was all in for this one.
And here we meet the wonderfully broody and depressing Calder White.  I thought he was pretty cool.  He knew he was absofreakinglutely hot, but he wasn't all cocky about it.  He didn't care for his nature--which was to lure, drown, and soak in the energy of people.  He was a no go for that.  If anything, he wanted to be normal.  So in all, he had me head over heels in love with his personality....and...ahem....looks.
Anyway.
Then, there came his assigned job his sisters game him.
Here, I was a no go.  He became Creeper One Thousand with his task, which was to gain the trust of one of the Hancock sisters.  He hid in closets, bushes, eavesdropped, and stalked his way around town.
Uh, hell no.
I constantly had to remind myself that this was just him doing what he was supposed to do even though he didn't want to do it.  In my head, I was all, "Don't be another Edward Cullen, don't be another Edward Cullen.  Sweet Harry Potter, stop following her!"  Well, it seems that I can't very well use my mind yelling abilities on a book.
But, things got better and he stopped being all Creeper Status Alert.  He didn't want to do his job his psycho-crazy sisters told him to do.  He wanted to be himself and alone.....with Lily. *snickers*
Story wise, this baby was awesome with a side of rainbow sprinkles.  The mythology was just fantastic.  It was a great spinoff of our beloved Ariel and other favorite mermaid tales.  It was dark and twisted and doesn't exactly have a fairytale ending, considering these mermaids kill people for their energy and three out of four mermaids in the area really wanna kill one specific person.  The imagery was fantastic and vivid.  And knowing me, that's a big feat because I'm always on the lookout for some good imagery.  I could practically taste a salty breeze coming out of my laptop.
Overall, my excitement for this book was not wasted on.  It was an excellent story and I can't wait to see what happens next, whatever that may be.  Though, I hear it's in Lily's POV.  I gave this pretty five out of five shiny stars.  It was great.  A lovely and exciting tale.  I had problems leaving my laptop just to eat.  That's how good this was.
And on top of all of this, I hear Anne Greenwood Brown has an awesome signature.  I'm on the lookout for it!  I can tell ya that!

Monday, June 11, 2012

City of Lost Souls, You Guys

I'll start this off by saying that I could not wait for this baby to come out for all the world to see.  I've been in love with the series as soon as I started reading City of Bones.  And I didn't even want to read the Mortal Instrument Series because I thought why would the modern story be better than the Victorian story? (I first picked up Clockwork Angel.  Best book in the world!)  Anyway, I gave The Mortal Instruments a shot and I've been deep, deep, deeply in love with them, all five so far!
The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?
Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.
And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?
Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.


So, I don't know what I can really say about this beauty.  No intelligible words come to mind.  In my head, I'm all 'love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love'.  And I'm not sure how I can exactly make a decent review with just that.  I'm in love with these series so much, I have Shadowhunter fever.  They're all I think about and I'm pretty sure I've picked out a parabatai of my own. 
First of all, it was beautifully written.  Gorgeous settings and an exciting plot.  There's plenty of action and fighting with the right amount of romance--just the way I like it.
Clary is as feisty as ever.  She's tough and smart and knows how to handle her man.  Plus, she's strong and independent.  That's why she'll always be one of my favorite characters of all time.  But in CoLS, she has no idea what she's gotten herself into.  And that's why she needs help from ......These guys!
Simon, my nerdy little book vampire boyfriend, will do just about anything for Clary, and that includes risking his life.  Isabelle and Alec will go along with Clary's adventures because not only are they friends, but usually whatever Clary's doing, Jace is not far behind.  And Magnus, well, he'll go anywhere or do anything for Alec (Malec=the cutest couple in all time book history.  It deserves an award.)
And, so there's this HUGE and EPIC adventure that ensues that also involves Maya and Jordan (remember him?).  But I can't tell you anything about it or I'll end up spilling my guts out, which consists of CoLS.  So, I'm not saying anything but I wish that there was more Malec time.  They're my favorite characters to watch grow and develop.  I love being in there company, in a sense.  I wish we could get to see more of them!
P.S The ending?  Whyyyy??  Why did you do that to them, Cassandra Clare? WHHYYYY?!?!?! *drops down on knees and throws arms out, looks as raining sky* 
Anyway, this baby's got five out of five stars.  Excellent read, and it's long, too.  Super enjoyable and totally worth the wait.  It's everything I could have wished for and more. *goofy smile*

The Passionate Bookworm

The Passionate Bookworm

Although, I am fairly very new to the book blogging world, I've made some awesome friends on Twitter.  That could be because I'm a Twitter-addict, but oh well.  What can ya do?  Anyhow, I have this certain friend.  And her name is Michelle.  And she runs this GREAT blog over at The Passionate Bookworm.  And as her blog title states, she is passionate about books.
But there's more.  She's also a very talented artist and has an etsy shop over here.  And while she's making all of these amazing tee shirts for all of her adoring and devoted blogger fans, she can't do it all.
So, this is the plan.  All of you reading this go head over to this link: Fundraising/Raffle Giveaway!
It doesn't matter whether it's one dollar or twenty!  Anything you do with help contribute to Michelle's cause.  She wants to keep doing what she loves, but sometimes she's gonna need your help.  And look at all of the pretties she's giving away just because YOU helped do something for her!  It's irresistible!  So, get over there now and help out!  Help be that helping hand.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

I heard about this book a while before it actually came out.  I guess I was fairly excited for this one. 
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.


I thought that The Selection was a very original and different approach to a futuristic/dystopian world.  I didn't get exactly where the setting was, but I didn't mind that much.
I really liked America's character.  She's different than the rest of the girls that are after money and fame.  She doesn't want any of that, so I was already liking her by the first few pages.  She wasn't materialistic and that was cool with me.  If there was anything I didn't like about her was that she wasn't very trusting.  Although, it's kind of understandable that she doesn't trust this handsome prince that plans on marrying one of them.  But, when she receives the opportunity to open up and vent, she stays cocooned up in her own depressing thoughts and hides away.  Can't she see a trusting person she can talk to????  He's smack dab in front of you, woman! 
Things got better as the book progressed. I was happy.
What I didn't like about the book, unfortunately?  Well, it just didn't hold that spark that made this book that much better.  Honestly, I think the entire story could have been wrapped up in one book.  And The Selection was pretty short, too.  Although, I'm not sure where Kiera Cass is going with her idea, so I could be wrong.  The whole thing reminded me too much of The Bachelor, and I do not like that show.  And the only exciting things that went on were the kissing and the two rebel attacks, and the attacks weren't THAT attack-y.
Overall, this pretty gets three out of five stars.  This book just needed that extra umph to really be a great book.  Once again, I feel so bad for giving a book less than four stars, but sometimes it happens.  I'm still looking forward to the next book, though.  Kind of excited to see what happens next, too.  I think it's the girly girl part of me that's really looking forward to it.
Oh, totally Team Maxon!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Okay, so I was very, very reluctant to read this book.  I read the first one and was not impressed by it at all.  In fact, I gave it one star.  Only one star.  I didn't like The Gathering at all.  Nothing really happened on it and nothing even remotely was resolved.  So as you can see, I was not exactly excited to read The Calling.  In case I didn't happen to like this one, I borrowed it from the library and read it.
Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.
Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the last page.

Let me first start off by saying that The Calling was a HUGE improvement from the first book.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The story had more dimension and content to it.  I hated giving The Gathering only one star.  I truly hate not liking a book, but it's just what my opinion thinks.  So, I was very happy to read and enjoy this book.  Very happy.
Maya grows as a character and so does Daniel.  Honestly, I think they need to hook up.  It's not that I don't like Rafe--because I do--but I just feel that Maya and Daniel have more of a history and it's not all about lust and stuff.  But, of course, Maya is still head over heels for Rafe.  Go away, Rafe!
This was all adventure, which I absolutely loved!  The gang get trapped on an island after a helicopter crash and have to try to find their way home.  In the first ten pages, I'm pretty sure, like, three people die.  It was pretty intense.  I happen to like intense.
And going on with how Maya grows as a character.  She really didn't believe in herself and what the kind of potential she could have if she did.  It really annoyed me in the first book, but I guess that's a common problem with teens.  But in The Calling, she gained more confidence.  She's a true born leader and it shows.
So here it comes....my rating of this book......Can you guess what it is?...No?..Well, I won't bother wasting your time, then......My rating is......drum roll, please....Four out of five shiny and golden stars!  I was very pleased with this book.  Extremely so.  And here is the time where I tell you all after this review to go out and read this book, if you've read The Gathering already.  Don't read this book if you haven't read The Gathering.  That is all. :)
Happy reading, all!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Revived by Cat Patrick

Sorry for the look of my header image on here.  I'm still trying to figure things out and hopefully I'll be making myself my very own blog button soon!  So, just ignore it at the moment as I review yet another book.
As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.
A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger — and more sinister — than she ever imagined.

I was instantly hooked when I first saw the cover.  I didn't have to even read what it was about for me to pick it up at my local library.  I knew instantly that I'd be interested and hooked.
Daisy was a very confusing character for me.  She's not exactly timid, but she's quiet and does not make many friends.  She knows that if she dies she can most likely be 'revived' and life will go on as normal and tra la la.  But, she would do things that are wreckless and also out of character, when comparing it to her overall personality.  I have to say she was one of those characters I did not connect with, unfortunately.
Don't get me wrong, though.  Revived was actually a good book.  It wasn't fantastic like WOW that was awesome, but more of okay, good book.  It was something different than what I usually read, which now includes dystopian, but centers around fantasy and action, sometimes even historical.  Putting all of that aside, it was an okay book.
I thought it was pretty cool that there was this drug that could bring people back to life, but there are rules and restrictions to it, some of which I understood and others I didn't necessarily get.  There wasn't any action, really, in this book.  This is more of a mystery, which I thought was interesting.
Overall, this book gets three out of five stars from me.  It was good, but not something I would pick up again.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

Today I have a surprise for you all . . . It's called Three Reviews in One Day!  Well, let me get started.
I got all three at the same time and decided to read them all in a row, so here it is.
First up, Switched.

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.
With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

I thought this book was very different.  When I first heard it was about a changeling, I thought it was about faeries, but no; it's about trolls.  That was something new.
When readers are first introduced to Wendy, I thought she was a spoiled brat.  All she had to do was throw a tantrum and stomp her foot and she got her way with her brother and aunt.  And then she starts to gain abilities and it didn't help what I thought about her.  And she was ridiculously oblivious--which was understandable--but it was annoying.
But then my opinion about Wendy changed.  I probably would have acted the same way she did about the situation and I'm no better with my temper.  She doesn't exactly become the idealic leader I'd want her to be by the end, but she's on her way, and she knows it, too.
The plotline is very interesting.  Trylle is like a tribe of trolls that live under the radar of humans.  They use changelings to inherit the money of wealthy families, ditch them, and use their money to help keep the community prospering.  Twisted, isn't it?
Obviously, the main character does not approve of the situation and there are mysterious opposing forces.
Honestly, I really did enjoy this book, just not as much as I liked the others in the series.  I gave this book four out of five.  It's a really nice series, so I suggest you read it!


Wendy thought she finally understood who she was and what she wanted, but everything changes when the rival Vittra come after her. 
She's caught between two worls, torn between love and duty, and she must decide what life she is meant to lead.

This one, I thought was a step up from the first one.  The relationship between her and Finn is absolutely infuriating.  One moment, they're all lovey dovey and then the next they're screaming at each other, her caught up between what she feels is right to do and her feelings and him caught up in his duty.  Practically, they can never be together.  It's impossible in a society like theirs.  Technically, they can never be together since it's unheard of, punishible even. There is no Them in a world like theirs.
I really loved all her Trylle friends.  They were entertaining and a beacon of light in Wendy's unhappiness.  They made her happy and laugh while her realy mother wanted to rip out Wendy's throat, figuratively speaking.  The two of them do not get along.
And then there's Loki, a very mysterious character not formally introduced to the characters.  He's a jerk, but he's not content with his life.  I liked him, in all his Vittra glory.
Five out of five stars!


With a war looming on the horizon, Wendy’s fate seems sealed. But everything she sacrificed might be in vain if she can’t save the ones she loves.
Her whole life has been leading up to this, and it’s all coming to an end.
Man, this book was an improvement from all of them.  Secrets are uncovered, love hurts, and war is coming, the inevitable.
I was really excited about the impending fight scene I knew would be on it's way.  This is what the other two books lead up to.  The end. 
Wendy is a complete martyr in this book.  She understands her duty as princess and is willing to give up her life for the sake of others.  And she does.  This was finally the kind of leader I was waiting for her to be.  She mindlessly throws herself into the arms to danger, and it was very exciting.
And, boy, some of the secrets in Ascend were a complete surprise for me.  I could barely imagine what was being hidden from her in the other books and then in this one--bam!--it hits ya!  I could have never guessed some of the secrets here.
In other words, it was a great book.  Five out of five stars for me!

And that's it for my Three Reviews in One Day special.  Until next time, read!  I know I will.
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