Nichole

I really love this series. While not every installment is amazing, the depth and complexity of the series as a whole is amazing. I'm obsessed with this world that Sherrilyn Kenyon has crafted and each installment of the Chronicles of Nick makes me want to pick up the Dark Hunters series. This installment was shorter than others in the series but it still contained a lot of information about what Nick was facing and foreshadowed what is to come.

Again this book focuses on a single day in Nick's life, it is interesting how much can happen to Nick in a single day. I'm sad we did not get to see much of Thorn, Kyrian, or Archeon in this installment, but we did meet a few new characters that I'm looking forward to learning even more about in the coming books.

3.5 Stars

This was a very predictable story but it was also a very addicting read. Jax and Sadie were so stupidly adorable together that I flew through this book. This was basically the first new adult book I have read and I have to say I enjoyed it for what it was. These books are not amazing pieces of literature, but they are nice light reads when you are in the mood for them. I definitely will be reading more in this series.

This was such an entertaining book. While it took a bit for me to fall in love with the characters and the world, once it did I was hooked and loved every second. Since this is the first book in the series, there is a lot of character development and world development. I think the plot was a little thin in terms of excitement and a true mystery to be solved. However, I loved the relationships that we saw and how they changed, especially with Alexia and Lord Maccon.

I cannot wait to start the next book and see what the pair get up to next. This book was definitely full of supernatural, witty humor and amazing characters.

This book gets off to an incredibly slow start. There is a lot of finding out about Kaye and her life and learning a little bit about the Faeries. Other than that, the part of this book fails to pull you into the story. I love Holly Black and her writing, so I was invested from that standpoint, but I was not feeling this book at first.

What I did appreciate about the beginning of this book is the dark Gothic aspect of the story. Many of Holly Black's books focus more on the happy, good fae then the dark ones of this story. This is definitely a darker and more mature faerie novel. I really appreciated this different side to faeries that we got to see. It showed how fae are not always the charming, cute beings we imagine them to be.

Kaye is one of those characters that make you cringe with their bad choices, she smokes, drinks, does not go to school, and is all around a poor role model. While Kaye is this despicable character, she does have some redeeming qualities that keep you on her side. And she also had definite character growth throughout the novel.

The other big issue I had with this book was the lack of information, I feel like a lot of new fae words were used but never truly explained. I would have liked to have had more background information on the faeries and why the compact was the way it was during the story. For me the world building was lacking in terms of explaining the fae world.

While this novel got off to a slow start, it definitely picked up and pulled me into the story. I started to really care about what was happening to the characters and how everything was going to turn out for them. So while a lot of this book was very “meh” for me, it definitely redeemed itself toward the end. I'm now invested in these characters and seeing where the story takes us next in Valiant. Also, I really love the new covers in the box set! While the originals do not have characters on them, in this case I prefer the use of people on the cover.

An enjoyable quick summer read. While I did figure out what was going one and found it predictable, I still really enjoyed it overall.

I'm so in love with this book. I loved the writing, the characters, and the story. A Tale of Two Cities is one of my favorite books of all time and Sarah Rees Brennan has crafted this amazing retelling of the classic story. She definitely made it her own with amazing characters, doppelgangers, and magic.

Even though I knew how this was going to end and I knew I was in for a world of hurt, I still was not prepared for just how horrible the ending was going to be. And I say that in a completely positive way. This story still managed to shock me in every way and I truly felt for the characters as they went through their own Revolution.

This story really gets at who you are and what you are willing to do both for your beliefs and the people you care about. Lucie, Ethan, and Carwyn each had complex backstories and situations that lead them to this story and how everything unfolded. There were so many choices that led to what unfolded and how it unfolded.

That being said, while I knew how the general story was going to go, there were still many twists and turns that kept me guessing as to how exactly things were going to unfold. I'm so lucky that I got an ARC of this book and I cannot recommend it enough to people. Especially fans of A Tale of Two cities and fantasy books. Plus this book has amazing writing and so many gorgeous quotes throughout. I have so many post-it notes lining my ARC in places where I loved the writing.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure how I feel about how this wrapped up. A lot happened in this final installment so it is a lot to digest. I also have conflicting thoughts about the ending and how C. S. Pact left everything.

I love how fast I can fly through these books. In terms of my ranking of this series, book two is still my favorite, but this one is definitely second. I really liked Cage and Eva's story.

3.5 Stars

“There's a perfect dependability to math. No matter how many times you perform the same operations, the answer's always the same. As the factors expand out in their unshakeable pattern, my heartbeat steadies, the chill ebbs, and the wrong feeling fades away.”

I loved the premise of this book. You have the planet Kemya, where it citizens have basically turned Earth into an experiment. Travelers and Enforcers from Kemya alter the course of history, and they have been doing it for thousands of years. I loved that you had aliens involved in human history and basically controlling its course, but then you have the added ability of time travel.

The main character in this book, Skylar, is has anxiety and is obsessed with the number 3. She is consumed with this idea of wrongness and things not being right in the world. A lot of her mannerisms were annoying and at times she failed to realize the true significance of her actions in the past and how much one little change could effect the entire future. While Skylar was helpful to Win in terms of finding the weapon, she was not a very strong character. I wish she could have been written as a stronger female character. This is not to say she was weak, but there were many times where her characterization irked me.

As for the other main character, we have Win. Win is an alien rebel searching for a weapon to destroy the experiment on Earth. I did not have any major issues with him as a character. I also appreciated that the romance was not obnoxious in this book. There is definitely a connection between Skylar and Win, but this book focused more on their mission and their friendship rather than romantic feelings for each other. I'm sure their relationship will be explored in subsequent books though.

The main reason I'm rating this book the way I am is the writing. The writing was simple, easy to follow and enjoyable. But it fell flat for me, there was nothing spectacular about it and there was nothing that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. While I did appreciate the simplicity of the writing in certain aspects of the book, there were other times when the writing did not fit my vision of the story. For the premise of this book, there was a large lack of true action. Yes, Skylar and Win were on the run from Enforcers and travel both across the world and time, but I did not have a big sense of adventure or action during their travels and “battles.”

Overall, this was an interesting start to the trilogy. I really like this premise, especially with the time travel. I'm also invested in this book enough that I do want to pick up the sequel and see what happens next in this world. However, I was not blow away by this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

3.5 Stars
While I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book, Earth & Sky, the writing was still a weakness for me. The characters gained some depth but it was still flat overall. This book also spanned a wider period of time which I appreciated. The entirety of Earth & Sky focused on basically a week.

I really did enjoy seeing life on Kemya or more specifically on the ship. There were so many new things that Megan Crewe added to the world. And we got to see even more of how much Kemya hates Earth and the Earthlings. I also appreciated how much more depth Skylar got in this book. She went from this very obsessed paranoid girl in the first book to someone willing to do whatever it takes to protect and save Earth. I appreciated her as a character much more in this book than the previous.

This book ended in a way that makes me really anxious to read the final book in the trilogy, but also extremely weary about what the final installment entails. I have a feeling that the third book may be incredibly drawn out to be a full length novel. While the ending was exciting and not what I was expecting, there were many other plot points that were incredibly predictable. I was able to guess pretty early on who the traitor was. I also found it incredibly convenient how easily Skylar learned the new language.

The only other complaint I have is the ridiculous inclusion of a love triangle. I do not think it was necessary at all. There are some books that this works for, but for the majority of them, it does not. For me the love triangle was not compelling at all.

Overall, this was a stronger installment than Earth & Sky, but I still had some issues with some of the plot choices and character development. I love the premise of this book and the overall story, but the writing falls flat for me. That being said when the final book in the trilogy does come out, I will probably read it to see what happens.

Initial Thoughts:So good! Really made me think and I loved all the dark topics that were discussed.

Review:
By now everyone should know how much I appreciate Andrew Smith and his writing. I love the humor, the wittiness, and even the absolute absurdity of his books. The Alex Crow is no exception to this. For me the writing technique was very similar to Grasshopper Jungle. The story is all intertwined between these 3 different perspectives we follow throughout the book. We have Ariel both in the present and in the past, we have Lenny and his bombing journey, and finally we have the arctic expedition in 1880. At first all these stories seemed so different but they all came together somehow.

And I know you are probably thinking that is not that weird, but once you learn about the experiments being done by the Alex Division things start to become really strange. The bionic pet Crow the Burgesses have is such a strange character and he is also somewhat central to the bizarre things that the company has been researching and conducting. The shining moments of humor in this book are the boys at summer camp. That is when we see the crazy things they get up as they piece together just what the Alex Department does.

The difference for me and this book was just how series the topics were. You had Ariel who is a refugee living with a new family in America. We learn all about the horrors that Ariel dealt with before moving to Sunday. And this story is woven into the narrative and story about the research and science experiments. I really appreciate how Andrew Smith discussed these topics while also staying weird. This book starts off in a really dark place with the attack on Ariel's village and from there we continue on this journey.

This book was not at all a disappointment. It lived up to my expectations for an Andrew Smith novel. It was weird but also intrigued me with its moral questions about just how far humans are willing to go in their thirst for knowledge. And that reincarnated bionic crow was a favorite character for me. We did not get a lot of scenes with him, but he was integral to the stories all tying together.

So this book. I do not know what I was expecting going into this, but I am not really sure it matched the expectations. I am not a fan by any means of the House of Night Series. Eventually I want to read them all, but I am in no rush. For me, the downfall to that series is its length and mediocre writing. This book reminded me of the same things that irk me when it comes to HoN.

The writing in this book left much to be desired. There is nothing spectacular about it and the plot and characters are not exciting enough to make up for it. I cannot pinpoint exactly what it is about the writing style that does not work for me, but I just know it is not my cup of tea.

As for the actual story and characters. I did not fall in love with any of the characters. Alek and Eva have this ridiculous insta-love stemmed from fate and destiny, but we do not even see any of that romance. It was such a strange concept for me. We have them talking about love and needing each other after only spending like an hour together. I was expecting this book to be a paranormal romance and what I got was set up of a journey with a whole lot of destiny and backstory.



Speaking of backstory, the one thing I really enjoyed with this book is the level of backstory we got on the Furies and why Alek and Eva have to save Tartarus. I also enjoyed the sisters fussing over Alek. As for plot this whole book was a drawn out forty-eight hours or so. Parts that were supposed to be suspensful and thrilling left me indifferent. I was not pulled into this story and what was happening. Typically when a character is being threatened and hurting you want to see them get better and have that small voice in the back of your head that questions if they will really make it out of this okay. I did not feel any of these thoughts or feelings at any point in this book. I just did not have a connection with the characters that comes with experiencing the story.

I have the sequel Scarlet Rain also checked out from the library, but I am not sure I even want to continue with this series at this point. But on the other hand, these are short books, so it is not a huge time commitment to read them. However, I am not at all invested in this story. I am a little curious to see what happens to Tartarus but I am not entirely motivated to continue.

I don't have much to say about this one except this series is becoming one of my guilty pleasures. There is something so great about reading a contemporary after all the fantasy and sci-fi books I read. I'm really enjoying this little contemporary/new adult fix I've been on.

So where to start with this book. This book has my main buzz word: DEMONS

Granted in this story the Demons are still evil, but regardless, I love books that bring demon folklore and ideas into them. For me this sequel and conclusion to the duology was not as strong as the first. The first book drew me in with the amazing world building and intricacies of the world. I fell in love with Nina, Finn, and their motley group of misfit exorcists. I loved seeing more of the group together all sticking up for each other.

That being said, this book to me seemed more rushed and not as exciting as the first. I didn't feel the same pull as I did with the first. However, there were still plot points I did not see coming. And with that came certain aspects that were beyond obvious from the start...

And then that ending! Who ends a duology like that? While there was some resolution, it was not nearly enough for me. There definitely is no need for another book, but i needed a chapter or two more to tie everything up. You cannot just leave the bombshell of an epilogue like was done and expect me to be okay with that.

I really enjoyed this third installment in the Jackaby series. I loved getting to see Jackaby, Abigail, Jenny, and a few more characters again. I absolutely love this world and these characters. Each one of them adds so much to the story.

That being said this book was a little bit of a filler book. We definitely learned a lot and it set up the final installment, but it wasn't as much of a clear case to solve as the first two. The big question that comes up at the beginning of the book is definitely answered, but I definitely have more questions following this book than I normally do with this series. I'm also a little hesitant about how everything can be wrapped up in one final book, but we shall see.

I love this trilogy so much. This was a such a great ending to an amazing trilogy. I loved each and every moment of this (well that isn't entirely true, there is one death I'm not at all happy about, but I was prepared for it nonetheless). Leigh Bardugo crafted this amazing world and these great intrigue characters. I really loved how characters were not good or evil. It was not black or white. She did a fantastic job showing all the grey areas and showing all the sides to humans.

I'm really sad this trilogy is over, but I'm also really happy to have read and loved it. This is probably now my favorite trilogy of all time (taking over Splintered and the Mara Dyer trilogies).

My new adult/contemporary Binge continues. There are a few authors that a lot of people talk about when it comes to New Adult and Elle Kennedy is one of them. Plus with my love of hockey, this book was a must. I actually enjoyed it more than I expected. The romance was a great slow build and the inevitable breakup before they get back together was done well.

3.5 Stars
This was an interesting tale. Somewhat predictable at times but still very enjoyable. The characters are likeable and I'm interested to see where it goes next.

I don't even know how to review this. But I will say it was definitely better in terms of editing than Twilight ever was. I will also say that I found the name/gender changes to be very distracting. Part of it was how ridiculous the names were, at least in the original series the names were semi-common. I think with this she wanted similar but also went way too out there.

This books are utterly ridiculous but also highly addicting. I was intrigued enough to need to know what was going to become of all the characters but I'm pretty disappointed with how this all turned out. To me, it was incredibly rushed and seemed too easy of a solution.

I also so wanted more Sawyer and Sebastian and we did not get much of them in this book. That being said, this is a great trilogy to binge read when you need something quick and mindless to read.

It is way to late to formulate an actual review and true thoughts on this book, but I will say that I loved it. It was fully of amazing comebacks, snide remarks, and great sarcasm. I basically read this book in one sitting so you know I enjoyed it.

But do not go into this trilogy expecting an amazingly written story. It is full of amazing remarks and sarcasm, but it is completely unrealistic and has many aspects that are completely not plausible. This is a good book to read when you need something quick to get through and something that is over the top and obnoxious.

As soon as I got home from work today, I sat down and started this book. I had to take two breaks, one for dinner and another because I was getting to wrapped up in the story and needed a breather. For me, this book was even better than the first. This installment brought in Reed's POV and I feel like we got to know so many more details and secrets about the Royals. It was still just as ridiculous as the previous book, but kept me entertained.

That being said, the cliffhanger in this book was even worse than the first. We were left with two huge bombshells that have me dying for Twisted Palace.

I do not know where to begin with this book. I do not think anything I write will do it justice. This book had everything I wanted and needed. There was so much to fall in love with.

I'm a huge fan of Victoria Schwab and everything she has written, this book being no exception. She just has this way of writing that pulls you right into the meat of the story and the world. So Verity is an amazing setting. From the first page I was obsessed with learning as much as I could about the city and its strange inhabitants. Victoria did a fantastic job of giving us the information about the world as we needed it. The story unfolded in a great way that keep me hooked all the way through. For me there was very little down time at all, I was eager throughout the book to see what was going to happen next.

In terms of the characters, we have two completely different but also the same people. Kate and August were a great pair and I loved watching their chemistry unfold throughout the book. There is so much keeping them apart but they are thrown into this war.

Victoria Schwab has this way of making you think everything is going to be okay then throwing a total curve ball at you. At the very end of the book you get what I assume is monsters rising in Prosperity and Alice reviving who I'm also assuming is Sloan. This is going to make for a great conclusion to the duology. I'm really interested to see how Schwab gets August and Kate back together for this one.

This book is actually a collection of novellas that are prequels to the Throne of Glass Series. Each one contains some event that shaped Celaena into the assassin we see in the series. These novellas were amazing and I really enjoyed all the background we got.

Each novella showed a lot of the choices Celaena makes that contradict the stereotypical assassin persona. These novellas helped show that what Celaena does in Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire is not completely out of character and she has done similar things in the past. Personally I wish I had read this book before reading Heir of Fire because it would have augmented a few of the things Celaena goes through with Rowan if I had already read the Assassin's blade.

From the other books in the series, I did not think I would like Sam, but reading this book really made me understand why Sam and Celaena were good for each other. They dealt with the struggles of being an Assassin together and supported each other through that. Along with this came the heartbreak of just how devastated Celaena must be at the beginning of the Throne of Glass with being in the camp plus Sam's death. The slow build up of Celaena realize just how much she cares about Sam was wonderfully done.

Each of these stories were a great window into Celaena's life prior to Endovier and how they have shaped the events that take place in the other books. Arobynn is incredibly cruel and I absolutely do not understand how Celaena survived all that time with him. The Silent Master definitely taught her a lot and was a far better Master.

That last page killed me. So sad, but she is using Sam's death and her imprisonment to motivate her to survive and get her revenge. This book also made me crave more Celaena and I also miss Chaol and Dorian. I don't like that I have to wait until Fall 2015.

4.5 Stars

“You're naming your collector's-item, kick-ass sword that's made to maim and kill, specifically designed to bring your ginormous enemies to their knees and hear the lamentation of their women- Pooky Bear?”

This series is fantastic. I love the characters, the plot, the premise. They all go together to form this amazing fast-paced, action filled story. World After starts off right where Angelfall left off and like Angelfall I flew through this book. I didn't want to put it down, I wanted to find out exactly what was going to happen to Penryn and Raffe, and even Paige and their mom. One thing I can say is that while I'm glad I waited until now to start this series since End of Days comes out in May, I'm also sad that I waited this long. This series is so amazingly done that I wish I had read it sooner.

My only complaint with this installment is the lack of Raffe for the first half of this book. However, while he may not be with Penryn physically, the sword brings them together. I loved all the little background information we got on Raffe from the sword. And of course once they were together again, I was beyond excited. The banter between them is perfect and I love every minute of it. They are both such strong characters who work perfectly together, but are also completely capable on their own.

To me this installment seemed creepier and darker than the first. Locust like beings have a strong presence in this installment, plus what goes on with Paige in this book. I felt so bad for what she had to go through, especially when you remember that she is only 7. There were many times in this book where I would forget just how young Paige is. And to imagine what she went through and is going through is heartbreaking. But at least she has Penryn and her mom who will do anything for her.

I cannot wait to get my hands on End of Days. I hope it picks up right where were left Penryn, Raffe, and Paige. I also really need more Raffe and Penryn.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review