Into the Light

Pedigree (goodreads shortlist for 2016 Mystery and Thriller) and the fact that it was included as part of my Kindle Prime) got me interested but it suffered from a few problems. First, and most critical, is that the first book is useless without the second. I mean there is not even a partial satisfaction in finishing the first as even the few revelations at the end were really quite predictable by the way the characters were portrait. The “page turner” presumably begins with the second book as the first does a lot of work setting up the premise. Nothing wrong in that, Romig does a fine job in that but there are a few huge chunks missing (like when Sara removes her bandages...) and the end is so abrupt I actually had to check that i got the full download...

Into the Light by Aleatha Romig is the third book I have read by this author but I can guarantee it won't be my last. I started my journey with Ms Romig with the first two books of her Consequences series (and I am waiting for a friend of mine to say she is ready to read the third before I read it on my own.

I loved this book just as much as I loved the other two I read previously. It's dark and twisty and it keeps you guessing until the very last page. This book is so well put together that the lies that are wrapped in the romance really hold you captive to see who Sara Adams is? What role Stella plays in this whole web of lies and whose loyalties lie with whom?

The plot of Into the Light is twofold, as Aleatha Romig alternates her story between Sara, Jacob and Stella's first person points of view. Sara Adams awakens in a hospital bed with no eyesight and no memory whatsoever of what came before. She's injured and completely dependent upon Jacob Adams, a husband she cannot remember. A husband who has complete responsibility for her actions and care.

Stella Montgomery is an investigative journalist who works for WCJB in Detroit. Her best friend and coworker Mindy has disappeared. In fact, there's been a rash of women who have disappeared from the Detroit area. Stella is on a mission to find out who or what is behind their disappearances – and to find and bring her friend home.
Hands down a 5 Delightfully dark Stars from me. I was lucky enough to be granted a copy of Away from the Dark so I can't wait to see how this story continues.

Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review... WOW, I didn't see that coming!? Yet another incredible book from Aleatha and completely different from anything she has done before! I truly had no idea where this story was going and just when I think I did, she twists the story yet again... Sara wakes up remembering nothing, in a world she has no recollection of and a husband who is determined to bring her back into “The Light”. So many crazy twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out where the story heads next... and after that killer cliffhanger ending, I'm sure we're all DYING to get our hands on the next book!? HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended read!!

I received this copy in exchange of an honest review, for so, none of my feelings were affected or biased by the author or publisher.

Update: 01/05/2015

If you'd like to read this review on my blog.

Rating: 2./5 stars.

Shattered Blue is the story of Noah, a sixteen-year-old girl who befriends a new student in her boarding school, Callum. But things are not exactly what they seem, as a strange feeling sinks in whenever Callum is around. Soon enough, things start getting interesting and even dangerous, threatening the relationship between them.

Disclaimer, I have tried to do this review multiple times in the past, but haven't been able to complete or publish it because of multiple problems while at it. After getting over my anger, I am now trying again and (hopefully) succeeding.

Shattered Blue was weird. It tried to be so many things, or rather, it tried not to be so many things. I could see that the author wanted to avoid a lot of cliches and pet peeves of the Young Adult Paranormal genre. She was very aware of them and tried to avoid it at all cost. But in reality, she ended up creating many other problems and even creating the same problems she was trying to avoid in the first place.

Let me explain.

She most profoundly tried to avoid the instant-love kind of setting and show it isn't a real, healthy relationship. But while trying to avoid it, she created another even more annoying instant-love kind of setting, one where the girl falls for the very troubled boy, and even worse, the brother.

She also tried to do an interesting plot that was simple enough, but really, it was lacking and also not original at all. And she did something that incredibly annoyed me, that is, hiding things from the reader. Alright, like, normally that's good. But she literally loaded all of the secrets in one character alone, and that sole character revealed those secrets in the worst kind of way. Like, firstly, the secrets were incredibly obvious and unsurprising, and secondly, the attitude didn't really fit in with what was happening. It all felt kind of uncomfortable and weird. Specially that scene where he tells them about the little girl's real identity. It made me cringe.

The characters... I'm not sure. Noah was alright, I guess, but she, at the end, became more of the dumb characters that we all hate in paranormal. I did like her poems, but I never really understood them. I don't know, they felt kind of unnecessary as well.

Callum was meh. All those secrets kind of put me down on liking him. And I'm so done with the “I want you, can't have you” struggle. Really, we are all done with it. And I hated how he changed so much through the book just so we could add the love triangle (hate that as well) with Callum's brother (can't remember his name).

And talking about that brother, he was a most contradictory character. At first renegade and violent, then just romantic, then violent, then super whinny. Definitely didn't like his character. And again, hate what the author did to Callum's image in order to get the brother in the picture.

I really believe that this novel has too many secrets, bad done secrets, to be all that enjoyable. Some for shadowing and a little more coherence would have helped.

And, this is more a personal thing, I completely guessed the whole plot. All of it. The sister being not her sister, the white fae thing... am I getting good or are they lowering their skills?

And the final, most important thing that annoyed me throughout the whole book, is that this is literally Twilight. Everything about it screams Twilight at me. It feels like what the author wished had happened on Twilight. But with fae. Literally. Twilight. The world don't need no mo'.

I did give those 2 stars because it did entertain me through it all, and there was some kind of originality in it. The other sister, everything that had to do about her, I liked. Actually, a book that was solely about Noah trying to figure her life after her sister's dead, and her mom and dad, etc. That, I would have enjoyed way more.

Initial Reaction

That was confusing. I mean, I think some people would like this book, but I'm just not there anymore. Too much teenage angst for me. And some things weren't written in exactly the best way. I don't know.

Proper review to come.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I first started this book, I wasn't prepared to love it. I had very little expectations because it reminded me of so many other young adult series and I just couldn't help but groan and sigh when Callum and Noa began their little romance. But. Oh my god. That plot twist? I didn't see it coming. I had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to Lily's death than Callum gave off, but otherwise, it came out of left field.
Also, that romance between Noa and Judah? Yes. Yes. The buildup was amazing and though I had a sneaking suspicion that they would be each other's true love, I didn't know how they would find out and what the consequences were going to be. Hopefully, they find each other once again in the second or third book!
As for favorite characters, Judah and Sasha are definitely my favorite. Sometimes Noa can be a little bit too strong-headed and intense when it comes to Callum, but that is what makes Noa, Noa. As for the other characters, I didn't exactly care about Miles or Olivia that much? And the missing people were just brushed over and no mention of the students or the teachers were ever brought up.
There was little character development but that wasn't something that detracted from the overall novel. I am looking forward to reading the next few books!