The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen

I've had this baby on my TBR list for a really long time.  I'd almost gotten it on numerous amount of times after discovering it on Amazon, but after all of the negative reviews written about it, I wasn't so sure if I wanted to read it.  So on the back burner it went until I won The Mephisto Kiss ARC in a giveaway.  So then, of course I knew I had to read it before I received the second book.

The Synopsis:
Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger--she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx's biggest threat.
A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant--God's promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he's finally found the girl he's been searching for: Sasha.
With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?








My Thoughts:
This was yet another book I had borrowed from the library.  What had originally drawn me to the book was the cover.  I mean, just look at it.  Isn't is beautiful?  The big dress, the mysterious blue background; it had drawn me like a moth to a flame.  The idea I thought was interesting, too.  The girl being the uber pure daughter of Eve and the imminent danger of her losing that purity from a son of Hell. Sweet deal.  I could just imagine all of the conflict and the budding romance.  The idea held a lot of potential.
Sasha was quite a different character.  Not only was I able to not really connect with both her and Jax, and the other characters, but she wasn't a very stable one, either.  I felt as if her personality wasn't always in-character or believable.  There were moments where she would do certain things that would have me confused, and not in the impressed way.
As I mentioned, I thought that the story had a lot of potential.  I was imagining demons and other creepy Hell-bound creatures.  Then as I read the book, I changed my mind about that theory and thought that this creepy cult that worships Eryx would become a big deal.  And it did.  But I didn't exactly feel the danger about it.  Though, I was totally bummed with all of the people that joined, and I wanted to throttle them, shake them until they could see logic.  It's kind of hard to do that when the people are fictional and are only words written on a page.
On an even more positive note, I really loved the writing.  It wasn't poetic like The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wesserman, but it most definitely had it's own lyrical qualities to it.  It was my favorite quality of The Mephisto Covenant, so I have to give my props to Trinity Faegen.
Overall, I wasn't exactly thrilled with this book.  I read it all the way through, following the story to the very end because I had to know how it ended, but I wasn't content with it.  It's not that there was this huge cliff hanger, but I thought that the way it ended with a bit rushed and sloppy, almost like the end of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins in that sense.  I also found that some of the situations in the story were just plain awkward and also that others weren't very believable.
And with all of that, I gave this book two out of five stars.  I'm excited to read what will happen next in The Mephisto Kiss and see if maybe I will enjoy it more than I did this one.
Please don't let this review convince you to not read this book.  If you were interested in reading it before, by all means, go ahead and read it.  This is only just my opinion of The Mephisto Covenant, and I'd hate for this to prevent others from possibly enjoying it.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Thank you Harlequin Teen for letting me review this e-galley!

The Synopsis:
So wrong for each other...and yet so right.
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.





My Thoughts:
This wouldn't be one of my first picks, it being contemporary and all, but I decided to give it a chance because that's my book philosophy: every book deserves the opportunity to be read, no matter your thoughts.  It's kind of like not judging a book from it's cover, but I can't say that because I do judge books by their covers.  I know, a horrible trait of mine, but I'm human.
Echo and Noah were surprisingly very complex and dimensional characters.  But unfortunately, I didn't see many dimensions to some of the secondary characters.  Echo and Noah have had experienced some terrible times in their first seventeen or so years of their lives.  They both have some pretty messed up lives, ones not fathomable to my mind.  They truly were noteworthy characters for this year, possible my favorites. 
Noah, he's the crush-worthy hot guy in the novel.  I wasn't necessarily attracted to him, possibly because he's not my type--who knows--but he definitely was, according to the other characters, hot.  The reason why I wasn't really connecting to him could be the fact that he was part of the 'druggie' group in school.  It's not like you could totally blame him once you really got to know his character, but it was a turn-off for me.  What I really liked about his character was the fact that he'd do anything for his brothers, but for the majority of the moment, he was a hot-headed kind of guy, thinking he was pretty much invincible. 
Echo just blew my mind.  She was pretty much the exact opposite of Noah.  I almost found her character admirable.  She couldn't stand living under the command of her strict father, having to retake exams and only applying for certain colleges.  She hated her stepmother.  And she most definitely hated her life.  The scars that now mar her arms dropped her social status to just about zero and she now has to work with the insufferable Noah to get some money.  She just wants her life to be normal, but she can't live on until she can solve the mystery to her accident that ruined her life, just about.  She thinks she crazy--or at least turning crazy--as she suffers through night terrors and other mental issues.  And I couldn't help but love her strength through all of it.  She had her doubts, yes, but she has Noah and her determination to help her move on.
This book dealt a lot with growth and moving on.  It was about forgiveness and coping.  Tough decisions were made, not all of them the right decisions.  The plot at times was truly captivating, keeping me wondering what would happen next, who would do what. 
But, I'm afraid not all of the plot kept me hooked.  As mentioned, I couldn't really connect with Noah, and that kind of irked me a bit.  Also, I had a hard time keeping focus at times.  I would get bored and find my eyes wandering.  I wanted to get to the end of the story to ease my mind of Echo and Noah's pain and misery, but not all of it kept me hooked.  Once Noah and Echo inevitably hooked up, I didn't originally see a point to the story continue.  I liked how all of the problems were solved in a leisurely manner--just a little too slow for my taste, but I didn't see much point to some of Echo and Noah's relationship throughout the novel.
Overall, I gave Pushing the Limits three out of five stars.  I would suggest reading it to others.  It was an interesting read with an unpredictable plot line.  I'm not exactly jumping out of my seat thrilled with my book; I'm kind of 'meh' about it. 
Others have given this book great reviews; they absolutely loved the book, giving it five or four stars, so it certainly appeals to many people. 
Happy reading!

One of My Most Anticipated Reads

And that would be Defiance by C.j Redwine!
Just look at the cover!  Isn't it gorgeous?  I can't wait to read it. 

The Synopsis:

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan--the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

And here's a chance for you to get this certain pretty.  Over on C.J Redwine's blog, she's offering to giveaway a pre-order of this book.  So, yes.  I suggest you all check it out because who wouldn't want this book?

First Ever Book Haul Vlog!

Alrighty, so I thought I might as well get with the program and make up a vlog post.  But, for a while, I had a whole bunch of things coming my way in the mail that I didn't want to constantly make a new post.  That would have been annoying because I thought this was pure torture just making this and editing this all.  I can't promise that I'll be doing this every week, but what I can promise that there will be the occasional vlog post.
I thought it'd be really cool for you all to actually get to hear my voice and get to see what I actually look like. 
So, please no judging.  And at least now I know I'll never be an eloquent public speaker.

Bloggers Mentioned:

Jasmine from Beneath the Moon and Stars

Melina from Pretty Nifty Reader

Sarah from Inklings Read

Books Mentioned:

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

(ARC) Rift by Andrea Cremer

(ARC) The Mephisto Kiss by Trinity Faegen

If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

(ARC) Wake by Amanda Hocking

All links will lead you to either the blogs or the Goodreads pages of the books.

Thank you all so much for stopping by, and feel free to post a comment linking me up what your Book Haul is.  I'd love to know what all of you have gotten and will comment back!

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.

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!

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