Kirstie
I really wanted to like Wilder Girls but personally, I just could not connect with the characters. From the beginning, I did not feel like I was introduced to the world well. It felt like I was just dropped in without any context. I did not feel a connection to any of the characters mainly because I felt like they had no voice in the writing. I felt no personality. Teenagers are full of feelings and I feel like this situation would make them angry yet I got nothing from them to indicate that. The love interests felt force. I think the book would have been fine without them since we felt no connection to that love either. The ending was a disappointment as well... I feel like the entire book was just a lead up to the last 2 chapters where you learn the purpose of the disease and then that is it.
Realized going into this book that I know nothing of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. This storyline has an interesting magic twist to their story. This book doesn't play too much into the original story.. the only thing related is bringing people back to life from the dead. This book is a paranormal romance about Anora who can see the dead, pull souls out of bodies and also help their souls pass over. Shy is her protector. The soul that has been with her throughout all her lifetimes to help keep her safe but also becomes her lover. The Order has been looking for Eurydice since her last death and it took much longer for her to be reincarnated this time around. Who can Anora trust?
When Stars Come Out was a fun and easy read. Sometimes a quick YA paranormal book is what gets you through a reading slump and this one definitely did. Thank you to Net Galley for giving me this ARC!
Lydia was a really annoying main character. I get that she was a virgin but every time she said “the sex” “are we going to have the sex?” I wanted to punch her. Eventually she got a bit better but I felt like she needed to mature a bit quicker since its such a short book. Debating if I want to read the next book in the series.
Not sure what I just read. Definitely was interested based on all the hype it is getting online. It was entertaining and just smut all day long. I don't think I will read the next one since pregnancy plots just aren't for me.
Video Book Review where I also create a weird drink based off of 5 chapters! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGoiMkwVqSw
WELL Beth Revis did it again. She created, birthed, and gave me a new book that I have absolutely loved. The Body Electric was so much different than I thought it was going to be. Of course we all knew it was going to be a sci-fi read that had to deal with mind altering, war ending, and trust issues. What else is new?
This book is in the same universe as “Across the Universe”, Revis' very popular series that I absolutely loved. The story is in the prospective of Ella Shepherd. A young girl that is currently dealing with the loss of her very smart scientist father and having to take care of her sick mother. Ella comes from a very smart family. Her father has been trying to recreate a new human brain that can think for itself. Her mother has created a way for people to relive their memories. Of course when there are scientist involved, there are secrets that aren't shared and problems that rise with the creations.
[ WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ]
Ella stars to worry about her mother more and more because she is getting more sick. I really liked the part where Ella's mom talked about the love story from Across the Universe. It was a nice addition and I believe that is the only time it was brought up in the whole book. Anyway, her mother is getting more sick and Ella doesn't know what to do. She just wants to make her mothers last days last. I really enjoyed Ella's character. She was bright and curious about the world. Later when we find out more information about her, I was shocked by how she was how she is. She really is someone that could change the world. She would take action when she needed it. Her strength and love showed through her decision in forgetting/protecting Jack. She was a wonderful main character and I really enjoyed going on the journey with her to figure out the secrets in her family and the secret about herself. I really liked how Ella was the one protecting Jack and not Jack protecting Ella. It showed how she is strong individually and in a relationship.
The readers are introduced to this mysterious guy that Ella sort of keeps running into. He seems to be there when she is at her fathers grave and she gets taken to him by her fathers grave. This mysterious guy is named Jack Tyler. Who is this boy that seems to know who Ella is? Why doesn't she remember the person who she apparently loved? and he loves her? Jack was an interesting character, in the beginning he came off as the arrogant, confident, and self assured young adult who knew what was going for him. He is smart, as we know being Ella's fathers assistant, and he wants to better the world. You can tell he truly loves Ella and still loves her even when he finds out information about her throughout the book. He is a strong male lead who you want to love and cheer on.
Soooo, this book was so much different than I thought it was going to be. I very much enjoyed it and every time I picked it up, I got a good dent into the book. I read about 3/4 of it in one sitting almost then took a break from it. This book makes you think you know what is going on then it changes your view. By the end of the book, you finally get the gist of how everything is going on. You get to know most of the secrets that Ella's father kept from her and her family. Most of the secrets are learned at the end of the book. Near the final chapter, the readers get to know what is actually going on in the world. What her father was actually doing and how it affected the people around her and the people of the world.
One portion I really enjoyed of this book was the short story that was at the end of the novel. That portion made me really excited for her future writings or possibly just some novellas in that storyline. I really hope that “The Turning Test” becomes a book/novella.
Overall, this book was lovely and awesome. It was worth the wait and all of the excitement I was giving myself. Beth Revis has been really awesome when it comes to seeing what everyone thinks of her new book and loves to interact with her readers. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys sci-fi novels along with some romance, action, and mystery. It was a joy to read and I would also recommend picking up her other series, Across the Universe, because it is also a really great sci-fi read.
The reason I picked up The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black was because I was on a Faerie kick after reading another book. If anything, the beautiful cover would make you want to pick it up and check out the synopsis. The synopsis is what made me want to read it because of a mysterious Faerie Prince stuck in a glass coffin in the woods. I've read a few of Holly Black's other books so I knew this one would not disappoint me.
The Darkest Part of the Forest was strangely beautiful from the writing, characters, and the Fae history itself. I really enjoyed reading and finding out little mysterious secrets about all of the different characters and about the town itself. Not everyone is how they seem in this book which is what makes it interesting and makes you want to keep reading.
The history of the forest and the Faerie folk in the town of Fairfold was well developed and you would learn something new about the town with every chapter. Since we mostly follow the main character, Hazel, you don't know much outside of the mortal world than what she has heard from other mortals. The book is in third person so you do get the opportunity every once in a while to get inside of the other characters minds. This happens only when something major happens that Hazel would not know about or Holly Black wants us to learn about it through the other characters point of view. I quite enjoyed reading in other characters POV, especially Jack's.
The main character, Hazel, was everything I hoped she would be and more. There were so many twists and turns with her story and I really enjoyed the plot twist for her character. Hazel is a very kickass character and she seems to be the knight in this story most of the time. She is always looking out for everyone that she loves and is willing to do anything for them.
Between all of the characters, I would have to say Jack was my favorite. He was that perfect combination of Fae and mortal to interest the reader. I would of loved a book all about him and his POV. We do get a few chapters (or maybe one) in his POV. I quite enjoyed how he seemed so carefree in the beginning of the book through Hazel's eyes then you realize throughout the book he is a misunderstood and we actually don't know a lot about him.
I think I would mostly give this book a 4.5/5 stars because it was very good and everything in the book was very well developed. It is a very nice standalone novel and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys Faerie books, romance (Even LGBT), and some action scenes. The story is kind of predictable but I enjoyed it because it was a fun read! I see a lot of potential in this book and would enjoy another one in this world.
VIDEO REVIEW COMING FRIDAY, MAY 22nd! Where I will discuss the book in depth!
I didn't know much going into this book. All I knew that it was somewhat fantasy, the main girl was missing an eye, and that Marie Lu wrote it. That is all I really needed to know but the entire idea behind this book is better reason to pick it up.
The Young Elites is about this sickness that hit the world and caused the adults that got it to die and the children have been marked where some even grew to have certain “powers”. The main girl is named Adelina Amouteru and damn is she not the most broken main protagonist I have read in a while. She has this dark twisted background that a lot of characters do not have without being the villain in the story. She has so many problems and they all have to do with her father. He grew a type of anger toward her after she grew sick and lost her appeal. She never felt loved by her father but her little sister got all of the attention because she was still pretty and he could get some money off her by giving her away.
Adelina got sick during this time and it caused her to lose one of her eyes, gained marks on her face, and was marked as a malfetto. These are the people that have been marked from the sickness and are frown upon by the other people around the world. I mean what the fuck is that about though? Like I am sooooo sorry I got sick as a kid, lived through it, and now I have these marks. My bad. It was obviously my entire fault and you should hate me. Anyway.. some of the kids that lived through this fever have gotten certain powers and are known as the Elites.
Learning about the background of the fever and the Elites bothered me a bit. It didn't add up that much in my mind and I needed more information. I'm sure Marie Lu will go more into it in the second book and the first book was just there for the structure of the actual problem. There wasn't much information about where this part of the world actually was and it was hard for me to picture it all happening except in a generic area.
For the young elites, they all seemed weird and I had a hard time picturing what they looked like and ended up matching their faces up with their personalities. All of the Elites have this broken background (except Gemma) because they were all shunned or left alone. The Reaper, or Prince Enzo, was a different character to get to know. He just takes care of all these people and trains them for what is to come. The problem is that they are fighting fire with fire because The Elites are pretty much a terrorist group, killing people around them to get back at the kingdom and even their own people/malfettos.
I did like the Prince though because he seemed like one of those main characters that actually had their shit together. (Even though he was broken as well) He took care of everyone around him and made sure that they did their best but he wasn't afraid to kill them if they got out of hand or would be a problem for the others.
One of the characters I liked the most was Raffaele because he was very protective of the Prince but he also wanted to see the best in Adelina... even though we know that he was also scared of her. He and Enzo pretty much ran the Elites. Raffaele would find the others like them and Enzo would help train them. He was just an interesting character to read about.
Even though Adelina was pretty weird and dark, she was an interesting character to read about and narrate. I enjoyed that twisted side that she had and the little thoughts in her head being the angel/devil. It was something new for Marie Lu to mess with and I think she did a decent job on creating the correct atmosphere for the characters.
I cannot wait for the next book to come out because that ending made me so mad and I needed to find out what will happen next! The epilogue kept me interested in wanting to read the next book and even introduced a new character that seemed pretty kickass.
I would recommend picking up this book if you like fantasy (not high fantasy) and need a bit of a change in protagonists. There are no heroes in this book. They all have problems and they all seem to be on the bad side of things but it is interesting to view it as such. Also, Marie Lu writes her characters well and there are so many different ones in this book.
Fates by Lanie Bross is about a girl that has been exiled from her main land where she helps control fates. Being exiled to Earth was supposed to teach her a lesson. She got a Guardian and was given tasks to help keep the the fates in line on Earth.
When Corinthe is tasked with her last few objectives, she can finally go back her her world after being exiled for years. Her last task is to kill a boy named Luc that she has had a few encounters with. Corinthe has never killed anyone but who is she to question the fates?
The real problem is that her “Guardian” Miranda is trying to destroy the land they come from and by disturbing the fates and giving Corinthe a wrong path, she will end their land with killing Luc.
[ SPOILERS AHEAD ]
Alright, so this idea sounds kinda interesting right? I thought so too. The beginning was good and I felt like it had a lot of potential for the storyline I was getting in the beginning. I thought Corinthe was a little strange but that is to be expected when you are dealing with someone that has come to Earth from another... place? And doesn't know how Earth works. It was a very interesting first chapter though which made me to keep reading it.
I thought Miranda was very odd from the beginning and she seemed to be planning something. I was right, of course. Usually when you're exiled you don't get some type of guardian. I thought the idea behind the killing of Luc was a little out there. It's not something you would think to end a world but maybe it would.
I thought the relationship between Corinthe and Luc was very odd. Most of the time she wanted to kill him and all he could think about was kissing her! He only seemed upset for like a few seconds when that was happening. I would of been like get this girl the heck away from me. But he embraced it and even went on an adventure with her to find her world. Of course he needed her but the first night they snuggled already. He got over his hatred for her wanting to kill him quickly.
Also, the last few chapters were very odd. They both just realized they loved each other?! What was that all about? Their relationship felt very enforced and I didn't really care for it at all. I never felt any chemistry and I felt like the author was trying to push it on us through Luc's prospective.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book that much. I mostly tolerated it and was able to actually finish it. I did enjoy Rhys character though. He seemed to be very wholesome and knew the right things to say. I liked reading about his parts and his wisdom was very helpful to the storyline.
I wouldn't really recommend this book because it was quite boring and the plot didn't keep me interested that much. It was a quick read though and I did finish it. I felt iffy about the book itself about halfway through. I think the author could work on the character development and plot a bit more. There is a second book but I am not sure yet if I want to pick it up.
First off, let me start by saying... ohhhh mmmmyyyy gooooodddddd. This was the best so far! I fell in love with Fire & Flood last year, it was even one of my favorite books of 2014, and Salt & Stone did not disappoint me at all. I am already needing the 3rd book in my hands right now! (WAIT, IS THERE EVEN GOING TO BE A 3RD BOOK?!) Anywayyy....
Now, if you haven't read the first book, Fire & Flood, I suggest you go do that right now and run far away from this review because I need to get a lot of my feelings out. If you haven't started Salt & Stone yet, then I suggest you just read the first paragraph after this one and pick the book up yourself.
We start off Salt and Stone by getting into the second half of the race for the cure that the main character, Tella, is trying to get for her brother. We have the whole gang in the beginning as they are resting after the dessert section of the race. Everyone is getting ready for the 3rd part of the race. For the second book, there are of course so many events that happen. The last two legs of the race are for the ocean and the mountains. Tella and her group has to worry about face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race. There will be heartache, happiness, tests, new friendships and more that everyone will have face throughout the entire book.
There is so much more action in the second book! I was on a roller coaster the entire time and I loved every second of it. Victoria Scott is so good at keeping the reader entertained and on their toes. Each character got better in this book as well. I started to fall for some of the characters in the last book that may or may of not been as important. You also get to know some new characters that are loveable as well. Victoria Scott writes her characters beautifully and I enjoy reading/learning about each new character.
Let's talk about the Pandora's in this second book. I think my heart grew 3 times bigger when Tella fell in love with a new Pandora. I just loved how they acted and my heart ached for so many of them. They seemed like real people with real feelings. I just couldn't handle the cuteness and background for some of the main Pandora's. Who knew I could fall in love with an animal through a book. You fall in love with Madox more in this book and along with the other Contendor's Pandora's.
Alrightttt, so lets get into the depthness that was Salt & Stone. I fell in love with the main characters so much during this book which made it hard for me when it came to some certain events that took place. The plot thickened with every chapter and I couldn't take it anymore! When we started the new race, I really liked how Tella was starting to grow as a person and think for herself. She was following Guy far too much in the first book and as a main character, you want to root for her and make her think for herself.
When it comes to these life and death situations, you start to grow as a person and sometimes you do things you never thought you would do before this happened. Each character grew and became stronger. Even though we are rooting for Tella to get the cure, you start to feel bad for the other contendors and want them to get it as well.
Now, the entire second book is about the last two legs are of the race. We get to see the characters deal with life and death situations, problem solve, work as a team, and then finally work alone. The second book just got better as time went on.
I would really recommend this series because it would remind people of the Hunger Games but I have always seen it as more realistic. In my personal opinion, I like it more than Hunger Games because it has more depth and the characters just seem so real to me. The reasoning behind the race has a better background/reasoning and it is overall an amazing series. Victoria Scott is an amazing author and I have loved all of her books that I have read so far. Pick it up if you haven't already... but I mean you shouldn't of read this review anyway!
Ivy Westfall is the granddaughter of the founder of her town but there is one problem, her grandfather lost the war to the Lattimer family which means that they are in power of her town. The Westfall family wanted democracy after the war. The truce between the Westfall family and Lattimer's was only supposed to be temporary.
Now that Ivy is sixteen, she is able to participate in the tradition of marring someone from the wealthy side of the town. She is supposed to marry Bishop Lattimer, the presidents son. Originally her sister was supposed to marry Bishop. Her family has come up with a plan though. To kill Bishop, the president, and to take over their town again.
Now you know where this is going... books like this are pretty predictable but it doesn't mean I like them any less. I actually really enjoyed The Book of Ivy and I couldn't put it down the day I decided to read it. I really enjoyed Ivy's character and personality. Her family made her seem like she was weak and would not be able to fulfill her duty to kill Bishop but I knew she was stronger than they thought.
Bishop was a lovely character to read about. As the book went on, I started to like him more and more. I actually instantly liked him once he we introduced. I know you're supposed to hate him because he is the enemy of the narrator, but I could tell instantly by the way he acted, that he was not like his father. That he would win over Ivy and that there was a hidden meaning on why he waited to marry her and not her sister, Callie.
I really enjoyed reading about how Bishop and Ivy got to know each other more each day. How they would open up to each other even though they have no had that ability before this marriage. I could tell that Bishop wanted to get to know her right away. He never resented her for the forced marriage that was put on them like in some other books. Which usually makes it easier for the girl to do her job, but in this case, I think Ivy caved quicker than it would of been if he treated her bad.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it. I was interested the second I read the synopsis and I was not let down. The next book comes out in less than a year but I need it now! Can't wait to see what happens to Ivy and how Bishop will be in the next book. Pick it up!
Leila is the best friend and girlfriend you wish you had. She is beautiful, outgoing, and near impossible to get rid of once you've had the opportunity to let her into your life.
For these four random strangers, Leila has left an impact on them one way or another. Have it be the love of your life, best friend, or supporter. She will leave you wondering who the hell she is and how she left this feeling inside of you.
This book is full of wonder, love, support, and this mysterious girl that you learn a little bit more about with each persons story. There are themes that you will learn by the end of the book and all of the characters are very lovable. It is very much a coming of age novel for these four teens and even Leila herself.
[ THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD ]
For Hudson, it was love at first sight inside of his garage. This mysterious women comes into it and needs her car to be tuned up for the road trip of her life to the Northern Lights. They spend a lovely night together but it is tarnished by the fear and disappointment that Hudson put on himself about college and his future. This was my favorite story and it started off the book with a bang.
For Bree, Leila is the best friend and sister you never had. Bree is on the road after getting in a fight with her sister and has no where to go. A hitchhiker picks her up and they go on the adventure of the day. But the adventure is different once they end up arrested.
For Elliot, he has fallen in love with his best friend but is rejected at his prom when he tells her how he feels. Leila almost runs him over when he is sadly drunk in the middle of the road and she helps him find his movie love moment.
For Sonia, Leila helps her through a hard time and breaks a few laws along the way. Having to cross the Canadian border illegally is not something you would do for a stranger. This was my second favorite story.
With each person and story, Leila leaves a lasting impression on them. This is how you know that Leila is a very special person. Even though she just met these people, they all feel the urge to love her and be there for her when she was there for them. Each story Leila helps these four people through a specific time in their life.
In the last part of the book, you follow Leila's prospective for once and you learn a few new things about her life. She finally made it to Alaska for the Northern Lights. You find out about her past and why going to the Northern Lights was so important to her. You learn that she is the type of person to help everyone out, but no one has helped her through her problems until now.
Learning about Leila and her memory loss, I now understand why she didn't know what a pinky promise was or if she could swim. It heartwarming what this family did for her once they found out she had no memory of who she was or her family. This is why she went on this trip, to find herself and I like how she helped people find themselves along the way. The book ended exactly how I wanted it to and I really like that the author gave his readers some closure with Hudson and Leila.
Overall, this book was lovely and I enjoyed every minute of reading it. It was a fast read but that doesn't mean there wasn't a good meaning behind those stories. I would recommend this coming of age story to anyone that finds the synopsis even a little bit interesting. I didn't know much going into this book but it gave me great expectations that I enjoyed.
Unite Me was perfect. I was happy that they made it an actual book with both Novellas and Juliette's Journal.
I was very happy to be inside Warner's head. I love him to death and I wanted more. I needed more. I wanted to see how he felt and how he reacted to certain things. I would read the whole series again in his POV. I would love to see how he grew up and how he became the man he is today.
Reading about Warner discovering Juliette's journal and reading it for himself was very liberating. He found out that they aren't so different. That they have both suffered and have been beaten. I just loved after he read a journal entry and said, “Oh God, Juliette.” It was as if he was letting go of a breath he was holding in while reading her journal.
I also really enjoyed seeing how it changed him. He was nicer to Delalieu. You got to see how Delaleiu would react to him changing. Saying thank you? Also, we got to see how his father treated him. How things happened in the book. His paroling around the camp. I just LOVED IT.
Now for ADAMS part. It was interesting to be inside his head. You got to see how he acted and felt around Juliette. It was sort of annoying when he would view her as a delicate flower. Kept saying she shouldn't be doing this because it is too dangerous.
He also didn't care much when she was taken away. You'd think for someone who was so in love and so upset he would care? KENJI WAS MORE UPSET. That was just the straw. I knew he didn't care much anymore. I know he loves James but someone who is in love would at least THINK about saving her.
Overall, wow. Wonderful. I needed more of this series. I would read anything else about this series. Please, Tahereh, make something else. I need more. I am too invested in this series. I would read it again and again.
This One Summer is a coming of age novel about two girls who grew up going to the same summer cottage. This summer is a little different though because there is drama happening everywhere. The girls are starting to learn things about the world and their families that they were not allowed to know when they were younger.
The graphic novel follows two young girls, Rose and Windy but it is in Rose's prospective. Rose is back for the summer at the cottage and her neighbor is Windy and her mother. Rose and Windy start learning about new things that are happening around the area. Someone might be pregnant. Scary movies. The word slut. It is a growing experience for them both.
One of the main issues is that Rose's parents are fighting more and more on their trip. Rose knows that her mother has been trying for a baby but wasn't able to conceive so what should be the problem? Is that really why she's so upset?
Since you follow Rose's prospective, who is a young girl, you have a lot of gaps for the stories because she does not know everything. I really enjoyed her prospective because you got to see how she feels about everything that is happening in the family. Her thoughts fill the page and they are quite mature for the most part but she is still a young girl.
Windy is a very spunky and funny young girl. She is Rose's best friend at the cottage and they spend every summer together. This summer they start to experience new things and Windy seems kind of weirded out by them and doesn't care as much but stays interested for Rose. I really liked reading about Windy because she had so much spirt in her. Probably because of her mom.
Overall, this was a very cute graphic novel and it is full of lessons that a young reader would enjoy. It is a coming of age novel so there is a lot of growth in the novel. You see each character grow throughout the novel and they all seem better by the end. I quite enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone that would like a quick lovely story about two best friends.
I was really excited and hesitant going into this book. This book is pretty much made up of two different stories and they could be separate books. Being separate, they work on their own but are better together. The first one is about the author of the second one. The second one is the book Afterworlds.
Darcy is this fresh out of high school student that ended up writing an entire novel in a month. (It says it was done in November which I am assuming was for NaNoRiMo). The first perspective is in Darcy's as she learns about who she is as a writer and as a human being. It is pretty much her life in New York as a newly to be published writer. Full of writing deadlines and writing mock-ups. She ends up meeting lots of authors and deals with the struggle of first loves. It was really interesting to read about Darcy. I didn't expect half of the things that she did to happen. You learned about some chapters of Afterworlds before it happens. You get to see her thought process in why she wrote some things for her novel. It was like a behind the scenes for an author that goes through writing revisions.
Now onto Afterworlds, it was a really interesting story. I liked the idea of the afterworld (ha) and how the main character Lizzie dealt with it. As stated a lot in the Darcy's story, the first chapter was very good and set the scene for the rest of the entire story. I really enjoyed reading about Lizzie and how she grows throughout Afterworlds. I do feel like she was left in the dark a lot of the book which I don't think was good for her because it brought on a lot of problems and they could of been avoided if someone would of just taught her about the damn world she is now apart of. I assume that is the growing part of her character development though.
Onto the main man, Yamaraj. He is permanently in the afterworld by choice. He is not dead but has been living there for a very long time. He followed his sister after she died and decided to stay with her in the afterworld and look after ghosts that have also passed. I wasn't as interested in his character as I thought I would be. They didn't go that much in depth about who he was and his past. We only learned a little bit. I guess since this book wasn't really about the romance between him and Lizzie. It was just something that helped the story along. I wasn't very sold on their “relationship”.
I was anticipating the end of Afterworlds because Darcy spent a very long time trying to make the ending the way it should of ended. I really enjoyed how it ended and brought the story all together. I think it was more important to the character development of Lizzie for how it ended instead of the way Darcy had it originally. I think it was a better ending than the other she talked about in her portion of the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed Afterworlds and I liked the idea of the two stories. I think Scotty Westerfeld wrote it really well and intertwined the two together beautifully. As the story went on, I was more interested in Lizzie's story but that doesn't mean that I did not like Darcy's. This entire book was 600 pages and the time just flew by. It was a pretty easy read and I enjoyed it all. I would recommend this to read.
This series was decent as I was reading the first few books but I just feel it going down hill. I decided after learning that you need to read like 5 other books throughout the series (that aren't even in the Fae Chronicles) to learn what is happening, that I will not be finishing this series. It feels like it is getting more sloppy as the books go on anyway. Bummer!
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton was a different read then what I am used to. It is written in third person with a handful of different stories and/or characters to keep track of. The general story is different. It isn't about hope and it barely has a happy ending. It was more of a story about self discovery, the hardships in life, and has a little of a different background for Ava.
I felt like this story was good going into not knowing what was going on or what it was about. That is how I enjoyed it anyway. I am not sure I would of picked it up if I knew the brief explanation on what it was about but I am very happy I did.
[ WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ]
The story itself has many different points of views or character stories to read. It doesn't have a particular order but it starts out in the early 1900s. The entire story is about the background on Ava's family and how she was born. The readers learn about her great great grandparents (The Roux's) and how they came to the land that she lives at currently. We as readers got to go down the family tree with Ava and learn about each person and their love story.
We start out with her grandmother then make way to her mother's story. Leslye focuses mainly on her mothers love background. We learn about how her mother was dating a local boy named Jack Griffith who has a father that does not approve of their love. Jack has been trying to get his fathers approval all his life and decides to go off to college. Her mother does not like this plan because she thinks he may forget her. Spoiler alert, he finds someone else. Shocker! He decides to marry this boring girl he found at college to make his father approve of him instead of the love of his life. They have one last night though and Ava's mother ends up pregnant with is child.
When her mother finally gives birth, Ava comes out with wings that can wrap around her. The doctor is shocked by how she was created to be but there is another shock. She has a twin brother! Her brother is a little odd though and doesn't make a sound. It isn't until they are around the age of 14 or 15 that he finally talks and it is just phases.
As Ava grows, she is trying to fit into a world where she is not welcome. People are still confused by her and why she has wings. Ava herself doesn't even know and tries to hide who she is because she wants to be normal. Just like anyone else in a book that has something different about themselves. She has a best friend though and eventually has a boyfriend.
She meets this man named Nathaniel Sorrows who is obsessed with her as an angel. He watches her and researches about angels daily. Right off the start he seems odd and creepy but Ava seemed to like how he acted around her at first. His touch was interesting and the way he spoke gave her chills. His point of view is written in letter from from his personal journal which was interesting to read about because it was his thoughts. As time went on, the reader saw how he became obsessed with Ava. Even to the point where he ended up hurting her.
She was out in the rain after being with her best friend and boyfriend walking home when she ran into Nathaniel Sorrows.This part of the book was odd and creepy as he asked her to come inside. He becomes over obsessed with her wings and ends up cutting them off. She is rushed to the hospital where she is taken care of. Now she is who she wants to be. Normal.
This book was very interesting to read and written differently. I really enjoyed the different point of views and how we got to know the entire background of the family. I personally enjoyed reading about Ava's mother and he rite of passage in the book with Jack and then Gabe. This book was an easy read and was quickly demolished while I was at work. I would pass this book onto someone else who wants to read something different and a tad dark for a change. This wasn't a love story but a way of telling a story of someones past, present, and future.
The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel is a good contemporary book to read when you are in the mood for something simple and heartwarming. The concept he had for this book was really interesting and different than anything else because who breaks people up for money? Usually you hear of the Love Doctor.
The main character, Rebecca or Becca, is a normal girl at school that has a deep hatred toward love and is willing to help break people up in her school... for a hundred dollars via PayPal. Becca does a good amount of research when it comes to needing to know about the couple and their history. She looks into the rumors throughout their relationship and their past relationships. She has a best friend that is the complete opposite though. Val loves the idea of having a boyfriend and the idea of love. She goes through a lot to try and get this boy she has had an eye on but she does this type of extreme for all the boys that catch her eye.
Becca has been given the big task of breaking up her former friend and her boyfriend. At first, it isn't hard because she has hurt her in the past for the exact reason she wanted to break people up... because they have blown off their friends that they already have for their new boyfriend.
Throughout the entire book, most of Becca's time is taken from trying to break up Huxley and Steve. As this goes on though, Becca starts to become friends with Huxley again and starts to reconsider breaking the two of them up. There is a lot of conflict because she doesn't know then entire story behind their relationship.
Even though this book revolves around relationships and their ups and downs... it really shows the theme of true friendship the most. Relationships don't last forever but you will always have your friends that are there for you. Becca has to deal with many different themes in this book when it comes to faith, honesty, and friendship. Once everything is said and done, she still need to be there for her friends and help them out.
I quite enjoyed this book because it was an easy read and the concept of a break up artist was really interesting to me. If you are in the mood for a good contemporary with some self discovering and friendship then you should pick this book up.
White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the beginning of a new series which has already gotten me sucked in like all her other series. Do not judge the book by the cheesy adult romance cover because it has such lovely story inside. I really enjoyed this book because it had that paranormal background mixed with a love triangle. It has a lot of similar themes in the “Half-Blood” series that I could relate to mainly because I still have it freshly on the brain. I cannot wait for the second book and I wish I could get my hands on an ARC.
White Hot Kiss is about a girl named Layla who is part Demon part Warden. She was created and left at the doorstep where she currently lives with a family of Wardens. She has a best friend named Zayne who is also a Warden. Layla is an interesting mix because she has the struggle of not stealing a soul. She can see souls/auras of other people and is able to identify what they are through that source. She can “tag” demons which is her Warden side. She started doing this when she turned 13 and has been doing it since.
One night Layla is out with her two best friends, Stacy and Sam, studying at a local diner where she lives. She notices a demon where she is at and wants to tag him before he gets away. When she is following him after leaving her friends, she realized that he is a higher demon or seeker. She cannot get away from him once he notices her and she gets attacked. Someone comes out of the dark and saves her life. She realized that he is also a demon though and runs away from him. He finds her again at school and this is when we are introduced to the other male lead, Roth.
[WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS]
Roth is a higher level demon who is up on Earth to watch over Layla. Roth with his sexy tattoos and bad attitude that is attractive. He has tattoos that turn into familiars and helps him out. Mainly his snake Bambi. She doesn't like him at first but her body is reacting to him strangely. She is attracted to him and once they start to get each other, they become friends/more. Roth really caught my heart. I tend to fall for the bad boys in Jennifer L. Armentrout's books and I am hoping she can be with him. Roth and Layla start spending more time together and are tying to make sure the Boss doesn't get to her.
The story has a good amount of twists like most of her books. The readers learn about the Warden and Demon side and how they are both with the uproar that is going on between the two species. The Wardens that have been with her all of her life have been keeping secrets from her and she can only find out the truth through Roth. Layla is a big portion of the story has to do with who she is and what she was created for. Layla finds out that her mother is the Lilith and her father is a Warden that has been in her life but hates her deeply. She has been created to be used by the Demons to have an uproar happen on Earth.
Something happens during the fight with Layla, Roth, and Zayne against a demon that is trying to take Layla away from them to use her against the Wardens. Roth ends up getting somewhat “dead” but is sent to the pits of Hell. It ends with Layla going to get his stuff from his apartment and is given his snake Bambi.
Overall, this book was a good start to the series. I cannot wait for the second book and I hope Roth somehow gets out of the pits of Hell to be around Layla again.
After reading the Tiger's Curse series and loving it, I was super excited to pick up Colleen Houck's new book.
While reading Reawakened, it was very similar to Tiger's Curse in the sense that a young girl is the savior for some very handsome foreign stranger that is dealing with some type of situation where they will need the help from said young girl. Some readers may not enjoy reading another series from a similar plot line, but I enjoyed it a good amount.
Reawakened is about a girl named Lily that lives in New York. While she is at an art museum that she frequents, she stumbles upon a young man that has been awakened from his mummy state. Amon is the sun god from Egypt and needs Lily's help to find his organs so he can get his powers again and be able to finish the ceremony that he and his two brothers have to do every time they awaken.
Throughout the entire book, I was very interested in the way that Colleen wrote about Egypt. I know with each series she has researched a good amount and tries really hard to be accurate with her writing. Some readers may not enjoy it as much but for the ignorant bliss that is my mind, I do not notice the complete details for specific areas the characters are in.
I really do think that this is a book that you should just enjoy and not judge every single sentence because the story is mostly about the characters when Colleen is writing. The places they are just end up being something exciting and adds to the story but I think she mainly focuses on the characters growth. If you're looking for a plotline that is very much in depth and a curse is the main focus of the book, this isn't a book for you. I wouldn't say that it is a fluffy read but it is something you can easily get through and enjoy your time reading it.
Colleen Houck's writing has improved so much since the TIger's Curse series. I even read her self published works before they got published and you can really tell the difference in her writing. It has gotten a lot more descriptive and complex. The way her main characters think are much more descriptive and I really enjoyed being in their minds.
Lily reminded me a lot of Kelsey and Amon reminded me of Ren. I couldn't really help seeing that. The main characters did remind me a lot of their counter partners from her other series. I think that is why it didn't get a complete five star rating. I just really hope in the next books, the same plot from the Tiger's Curse series does not follow over to the new Reawakened series. I would enjoy seeing something like that happen but I think having the story too similar would just make the series too predicable. I hope she spices is up next.
Overall, it was a good book and really set the mood for the series. I think the writing got better as the book went on and the plot started to get more complex. It would add some foreshadowing as you kept going in the book and it was nice to see some portions of the story unfold at the end. This is the first book in her new series and it ended very nicely. Without the epilogue, I could of seen it has a one book series but I am glad it is continuing on. I look forward to reading the next book.
The cover is what really caught my eye to pick up this book. The wings on Merrin are just so beautiful and once I read the synopsis, I understood the reason for them being there.
I really liked this book due to how the plot is quite original. Reading as Merrin struggles to make her power strong and become a Super was very interesting to read. When she trasnfers to a Normal school and meets Elias, you can tell there is something different with him and I pretty much knew he was a One too.
I loved the journey in the beginning of Merrin and Elias getting to know each other. The technology advancements in the future is interesting to read like when Merrin went to Elias house for the first time and met Rosie; his smart house. I could not put down this book once I started reading it. I was that good! Now it is time to read the 2nd book in this series: Two.
I have to admit, it did take me a little while to get into this world and how it was set throughout the book. I really enjoyed The Bone Season though and after about 200 pages in, I was hooked.
The Bone Season is about a clairvoyant dreamwalker named Paige. She is from Ireland but is now currently working for a man that uses her dreamwalking ability for what he wants. This helps Paige get some money and also makes he feel like she is not alone. The world that Paige lives in is an alternate reality of the world today. Being a clairvoyant is a sin. She is not supposed to show who she is. In the late 1850s, there has been an issue with the people of Britain and it ends up becoming what is now called “The Bone Season”. Every year they get new “unnatural” people to become clairvoyant slaves of the somewhat higher class beings. This is a type of prison for them. Paige ends up being caught as an unnatural as she is going home to visit her father. She is sent for the next bone season and ends up being picked up by the Warden to become his new slave.
I really enjoyed Paige's character. She was quite fierce and had a lot of backbone. She wasn't the strongest female lead I have read that would have someone in this type of situation, but I really liked how she stood up for herself. She was not submissive at all. It was nice to see how she thought about everything that was happening and how she wanted to fight it. It shows great leadership for her to want to help everyone that is there. The world that Paige is apart of as a dreamwalker is very interesting to read about. I knew as our main character, she was going to be special. Learning about her past and how she discoverd how she was made me like her even more.
I had a feeling when we met Paige's capture that he was going to be different that all the others. He gave her a bit of freedom in the beginning and he said he would help her train to be her best. I liked the Warden in the beginning but liked him even more in the end. I couldn't really picture what he looked like though. Throughout the entire book, it felt like a beauty and the best relationship. That is just a personal thought though. I really enjoyed his character and how different he was from the other owners. Near the end, I really started to enjoy reading about him. Paige and his connection was a good thing to add right at the end.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. The second one just came out and now it is time to read it after that cliffhanger. I hope to see more of Paige and the Warden in the second book. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a type of fantasy meets dystopian meets magic type of world.
Crown of Midnight pretty much picked up where we left in Throne of Glass. Personally, I think the series is getting better and better with each chapter and book. The second book was full of twists and turns. You didn't know who to trust and who was an enemy. It was constantly changing and I loved every minute of it.
We start off with the King's Champion herself. Celaena has just won the competition and she is awaiting the King's orders to sign her contract. While this has been going on, she has been taking the names that the King has been giving her and killing the suspects that he wants gone. The is obviously part of her job and it is her job to not question the King on what people he wants to have eliminated. Although, she has been going behind the King's back and giving the suspects a chance to flee. When this happens, she finds a dead body and presents it to the King. This is on the behalf of Queen Elena herself. She has a task for Celeaea which involves going against the King's orders.
Even in the beginning, you can feel the attraction and connection between Celaena and Chaol. He makes sure to check up on her after her missions and goes with her to dinner. They even hang out with each other after dinner and read silently. Their friendship and “romance” (that they don't really know about) is growing with each day. I really enjoyed reading about their friendship. Celaena really needed someone to be there through the bad and the good. Chaol will take no crap from her and her actions. Unlike Dorian. I always thought he would just follow her around like a dog.
As the story progresses, we learn more about the kingdoms past and the wrongs that have happened. Celaena is tasked by the king to kill someone she knew when she was growing up; Archer. Archer is someone that she knew when she was younger and watched her become an assassin. She is tasked to kill him but she decides to find out any information she can from him about the organization the King does not approve of.
We learn a lot in the second book when it comes to everyones past. There are new stories to be told and secrets that come out but there are still some mysteries that need to be solved. We deal with a battle that is physical but also spiritually and mentally draining. There are hardships between Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian. Celaena's past is coming up more and more often. Sooner or later she will be found out. But by whom? She gives a hint to someone only she trusts. Chaol.
Overall, the second book was wonderful. I hated having to put it down when I needed to but I was able to finish it quickly in one afternoon. It was full of new adventures, love, and even some answers. The ending will leave you wanting more and making you curse for not realizing it yourself!
I would recommend picking up the second one if you have finished Throne of Glass because it is full of a new adventure between the characters. Each character grows and discovers new things about themselves. You will experience all of the emotions that they have to undergo.