Book Review: A Desire so Deadly

In this digital original novella set in the thrilling world of Suzanne Young’s A Need So Beautiful and A Want So Wicked, eighteen-year-old Claire Becks is forced to choose between a life of darkness and light.
Eighteen-year-old Claire Becks leads a charmed life surrounded by her loving family, great friends, and doting boyfriend, Ezra. Claire’s known for her great advice—and how easily she puts others at ease. And although she feels occasional bouts of sadness she can’t quite place, she is otherwise happy.
Then, one day, a mysterious stranger walks into her family’s bakery. Claire immediately senses something about Harlin—something tortured and dark. Even after he leaves, she can’t stop thinking about him, inexplicably feeling like there is unfinished business between them.
When Lucy, the new girl in town, starts to draw Claire into her world of darkness, Harlin realizes who Claire really is. But Claire will have to realize it too if she hopes to escape the fate of the Shadows.

This is the third and final book in the Need So Beautiful series by Suzanne Young, a series I have loved from the very beginning, and it only has nine chapters. So I’m only going to take nine sentences to review it:

I wish it were longer. The beginning takes a while to set up, but the writing is pretty flawless, so you don’t mind that the revelations were rushed. It would be hard if I didn’t remember the first two books so well (and there are gaps in my memory). The newest incarnation is nice, although we don’t get as much time to know her, and I think she’s rather gullible. But…Harlin is there, so it’s OK. The ending is certainly rushed, and not filled with any action to help butter it up, and the stakes are less than ideal. Lucy plays the role of the villain, and it just wasn’t believable. It does end up being a happy ending, which is all I was asking for, though. All in all, 3 ¾ stars.

Book of the Month: Sequel Review- Long Night Moon

Something is killing innocent people around Rylie Gresham's town. The police think it's a wild animal, but she has other suspicions. There are new kids at school, and they have a lot in common with her: gold eyes, super strength, and a habit of turning furry. It seems Rylie's not the only werewolf around anymore.

It's up to Rylie and her werewolf-hunting boyfriend, Seth, to stop the killings. But saving lives doesn't come naturally to a monster, and territory battles could risk the life of her sickly aunt--not to mention her own. Rylie has no choice but to stand her ground, protect her home, and stop the murderers before anyone else gets hurt.

This picks up soon after the previous one and Riley is still settling into dealing with being a wolf. Recent murders have her on high alert and when she notices the new kids, Levi and Bekah, are werewolves too she’s sure it’s them. The whole book is almost a murder mystery in that they’re searching for the killer the whole time. The twist ending threw me off for a few moments but wasn’t too unbelievable. Gwyn’s disease also plays a larger part in this one, amping up tension throughout the story and giving everyone a non-paranormal stake.
We don’t get to know Levi and Bekah too well but they do play an important role. We see more of Abel and, dare I say it?, we start to like him! Gasp! Actually, I really do like him. He’s a good guy at heart, just with a tough surface. I could get used to seeing more and more of him in the series, which I think is the point. Seth is still as adorable as ever, though, and I hope he stays with Riley. Speaking of Riley, as a narrator she has grown so much since the last book that I can barely imagine her as the same person. The writing, and the fact that it’s become very good, is what truly works the magic, here, though. Without Reine’s newly discovered talent at spinning words I don’t know if I could stomach the story.

I’m giving this one four stars.

Music: I Need Your Love (feat. Ellie Goulding)

Book Review: The Gathering

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.
 

So this one has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. I read the original trilogy three years ago and while I can’t remember all the little details I remember how much I really liked it. The characters were great, the story was unique, and it was one of those story worlds that almost wish were real.

This book, the first in the spin-off/continuation trilogy, was no different. Dare I say, it was better? Maybe not in every single sense, I felt like it was flimsier and less to chow down on while I read, but it was such a nice reprieve from the heavy things that have been circulating about my shelves. 

The characters were not as in-depth as they could have been, even Maya, Daniel and Rafe, the main characters, felt like they were missing something. I’m willing to bet that’s important for the series, though. I liked all the characters, but another problem I had was that I just wasn’t connecting with any of them. Normally it doesn’t take much for me to feel like they could be my new best friend, and while I admired each of them, none of them shone out. The love triangle- can I call it that?- was fun and not as serious as some people write it, which was nice because it makes it breathable. I didn’t feel like I had to choose a side, Daniel or Rafe, and then stick with it. Personally, I think she’s going to end up with Rafe (because they never end up with the best-friend character) and I have no problem with that.

The story was very classic-YA as I call it. By that I mean that school and normal life are very important to the characters before their whole world is shifted and they are still forced to deal with normality even after the shift (i.e. Evermore by Alyson Noel; Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick) and this style has pretty much gone out of YA. I like having the change in my reading diet and while I don’t think I’ll be overdosing on books like this I can look forward to the next one in complete excitement.

Over all I’m giving the book four of five stars because it just didn’t wow me. It was predictable and mundane when so much more could have happened. I plan on getting to the next one eventually, but I’m not planning on buying it anytime soon.

Book of the Month: Sequels and three-quels: All Hallows Moon

Rylie survived becoming a werewolf at great cost. She moves to her aunt’s ranch in the hopes she can enroll in a new high school and quietly continue her life... with a few distinct changes. She transforms into a beast every new and full moon and struggles to control her murderous urges.

Without many werewolves left, it’s hard to stay in hiding. A family of hunters -- Eleanor, Abel, and Seth -- recognize the signs and follow Rylie to her new home. They want to stop her before she murders someone, and the only way to do it is with a silver bullet. Seth soon realizes the werewolf is Rylie, the one monster he failed to kill. Worse yet, he’s still in love with her.

Torn between family and love, Rylie struggles to reconcile her feelings and control the wolf within while Seth fights to do what’s right. But what is right-- obeying desire or duty?

The story takes another step in the right direction with this installment. The writing is twice as good as before and the characters really endear themselves to the reader over the novel. The ending is just as amazing as the first one and it’s hard to put down.

There are several new characters introduced, most notably Gwyn, Abel, Tate and Eleanor. Gwyn and Eleanor are pretty fully fleshed out but Tate, as handy as he is to have around, seems little more than a best-friend character the author is forcing on the readers. Not bad, but a little unnecessary. Gwyn is certainly an important addition to the story. At first she’s hard to like, but as with the general writing, over the course of the book she gets more likeable. Eleanor is an okay villain but I think there are shades of her we haven’t seen yet. Most importantly is Abel: I don’t know how I feel about him. He’s a more complex character than the other newcomers and he’s painted in an evil light, but there are parts where you can’t help but feel like he’s actually a good guy. I guess we’ll see, right?

Overall I’m giving it a 4 out of 5 stars because I think it could have been better.  

Book Review: The Iron Traitor (Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all

I love Julie Kagawa.  She’s one of my favorite authors in the whole entire world.  I think she’s just amazing, and her stories are so captivating.  My favorite parts?  Her endings.  They make you want to scream but you can’t help but feel satisfied with them anyways.  This one was no different.  It had everything I love about her in it.  Unfortunately, I found the beginning to be… lack luster.  I didn’t care about anything until maybe part three because, well, nothing to care about was happening.  I would say that’s because this is just a filler book, but it’s really not.  Another problem, the characters didn’t really grow as much as I would have liked.

Of course, as a fan girl it was amazing.  I loved returning to one of my favorite worlds.  As a review, though, I’m inclined to give this book only 3 and a half stars.  Nothing personal, because as a fan it gets five for sure.  The next (and final, I think) book will certainly be mind-blowing and I can not wait!

Book of the Month: Six Moon Summer

This is my final book of the month before it’ll be done for the year.  Next month there will be voting for the best one of the bunch, but more on that later.  This month I chose Six Summer Moon by SM Reine because it was short and has been sitting on my kindle for about a year now.  It’s about werewolves, one of my favorite supernatural creatures, if you didn’t know, and is the first in a series of four (although there is a spin-off novella-ish series, too).

Rylie's been bitten.

She's changing.

And now she has three months to find a cure before becoming a werewolf... forever.

Rylie Gresham hates everything about summer camp: the food, the fresh air, the dumb activities, and the other girls in her cabin. But the worst part is probably being bitten by a werewolf. Being a teenager is hard enough, but now she's craving raw flesh and struggles with uncontrollable anger. If she doesn't figure out a way to stop the transformation, then at the end of summer, her life is worse than over. She'll be a monster.

The book takes place over about three months and rushes straight through those days, taking time only for the important plot points.  Little is given to background story and side characters, making a simple, linear story that is pretty flimsy if you want something to dig into.  As it was, I was hoping for a quick read and that’s exactly what I got.  The ending, though, was amazing!  I would give the ending alone five stars because of the action, romance, and just plain flash-bang excitement of it all!  This pinnacle of story telling proves that Reine really does have a gift with the pen.  This ending was so worth it that I can’t wait to start the next one.

Rylie changes as the book progresses.  She actually realizes and puts it best when she says something along the lines of “I was no longer the whiny girl at the beginning of summer”.  It’s true.  She was whiny, a little annoying, but as she goes through her six moons in the story she grows stronger, braver, and just an all around better person.  The moons aren’t the only things that have this effect on her either, nor her love of Seth, but I’m not going to spoil the shocker for you.  It actually had me gasp out loud, that’s how out of the blue it comes.  Did I mention Seth yet?  He’s pretty swoon worthy after you get to know him, although it’s pretty obvious right away that he’s not who he says he is.  That’s a flaw for pretty much all of the characters, really.  The final two chapters are told from his point of view and that was pretty awesome.  I honestly think he’s a stronger narrator than Rylie, and it looks like in the next book it’ll be split up between them.  Now, onto villains!  There’s a bad were-wolf and an evil camp counselor, Jericho.  Really pretty basic, but they’re pretty see-through and the mystery is killed pretty much from the get-go.  Trust me when I say, guessing who the bad were-wolf is isn’t hard.

Overall, I’m giving this book a 3 and a half out of five stars, and I’m looking forward to watching the series go up from here.

PS

Sorry this review was up so late things just got away from me.  NaNoWriMo, work, school, football (finally over) and reading in general have stolen all of my time.

Book of the Month: Sequels and three-quels: Darkness, Kindled

The fourth and final book in the Fire Spirits series.  In a way I'm glad it's over, but on the other hand, I wish it weren't.  Let me explain:

I don't normally read all the books in a series right after each other, I try to cushion other novels in between.  Why?  So that when I finish reading the series I'm not in such a book funk that I can't pick something else up.  I get so immersed in the world, in the characters, that leaving them can become painful.  When I read Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue in a row I couldn't read anything else and enjoy it for about a month.  The drawback?  I don't get as involved with the characters, with the world.  I still get really passionate, don't get me wrong, but if I marathon a series I get in deeper.  So, yes, I wish this series weren't over because I would love more, but I'm so glad it is because I don't think I could take more.

This was a good last book in a series.  It wrapped up nicely, though I felt the climax was a little premature and the ending a little useless.  All the characters ended up in their perfect places, something you don't always get when dealing with life and death (I'm talking to you, Veronica Roth, Suzanne Collins, Richelle Mead, Julie Kagawa) and I love seeing happy endings.  I'm glad not all authors do them because then it would become really artificial, but seeing one or two every blue moon is nice.

This book gets four stars from me.

Check out the next book of the month starting later this week and feel free to read along!

What did you think about this months book of the month?  Comment and let me know!

Book Review: Fool Moon (Dresden Files #2)

And here we are again, talking about that other wizard named Harry. Funny enough, I’m currently re-reading Sorcerer’s Stone.

This book has twice the action the first one has and it’s so much better for it. It starts off slow and dry, but by the end, culminates in a pinnacle of “OMG!” that has you getting all these wonderful feels. Harry again manages to get himself into the worst situation possible by pissing off every single type of werewolf there is, Johnny Marcone, and Murphy. This book is also high on magic, there’s so much more here than in the first one where it also had a great deal to be solved in a more traditional method.

There aren’t any new characters that need much of a mentioning, but going back to Marcone, I think he may be a favorite. There’s this scene near the end where (well, I won’t tell you what’s happening and spoil it, will I?) and it just had me sold on what kind of a character he is. I wouldn’t stretch and call him an anti-hero, he’s a villain through-and-through, but maybe there is something underneath that hard exterior. Anyways, Dresden himself remains my favorite character in the book.

This plot, like the first one, keeps you guessing until the end when you’re so blown away by what’s happening that you don’t get to marvel at the way-to-complex mystery involved. I give it 3 ½ stars.

Book of the Month: Smokeless Fire

And here we are again with another book of the month.  This is the first in a series of four books by Samantha Young.  It's about Ari, a seemingly normal girl whose world is flipped upside down when she learns she is one of the Jinn.  Jinn as in Genies.  Her guardian, Jai, and best friend, Charlie, are in on the secret, too.

Let's all take a moment to marvel at this gorgeous cover.

The book is split into two parts.  Part one is, in my opinion, a lot better, although not as interesting as, part two.  The characters seem fresher and the plot moves smoother.  Part two is where all the paranormal stuff starts to happen, but I almost feel like that's all being forced.  Like a bad musical number is moving the plot along rather than actual plot.

The characters are all endearing.  Ari is a great main character, Jai is just smoking (and totally book-crushable), and Charlie is pretty awesome, too.  There's certainly tragedy in the story (all the characters have some sort of family flaw) but those things don't completely overwhelm their lives (besides Charlie, who's totally got that right).  The characters seem well thought out, although they don't particularly stand off the page.  Where the plot not as unique as it is they probably wouldn't at all.

Speaking of the plot, it's really cool.  You don't see to many stories about genies, especially in YA lit.  If nothing else, this is a total draw to the story.  Everyone's using used ideas (OK, not everyone) and this refreshing NEW idea will make hard-core readers happy.  I wish more time had been spent in the realm of the Jinn, but as it is, I'm happy with the originality.
I'm giving this book 4 stars.  It's by far, though, my favorite BotM (book of the month) so far!  I hope you all give it a chance and read it (if you haven't already) because it's certainly worth it.

Book Review: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

(SPOILER FREE)

While I did enjoy this book, it was not as good as the first.  While the first third held all that magical, fairy-tale-esque feeling, there was little plot, and little focus on anything.  The writing was amazing- in fact, so good it was distracting.  The entirety of the book felt as if nothing happened at all, really.  Too many cars, too many drugs, too much pointless swearing, and, dare I say it?, to much Ronan.

 

This book was wonderful, don't get me wrong, it just felt distracted.  The characters did grow, important roots were planted, but over all, the book felt like a filler book.  Maybe that's necessary set-up for the next two books, but maybe it's not.  I guess I won't know until number three comes out.  However, it was disappointing.

 

Because so little happened I have so little to say.  I did like the direction the characters are heading, especially the many relationships between them, and I love the Grey Man (new character; you'll love him, too) but beyond the prose I wasn't impressed.

 

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

Book of the Month: Sequel Review- Hollowmen

the sequel to Hollowland....
After six months in the quarantine, Remy finds out things are much worse than she feared. Her plans to escape come with a heavy cost, and she realizes that zombies aren't the worst of her problems.

I have never hated a book because of the direction the author took a story in. Sometimes I don’t like the story, but I always respect it. Not here not now. (OK, I’m kidding a little. I didn’t HATE it, but I was really, really unhappy.) You see, my favorite part about the first one was the cast of characters. I loved them all so much. Guess which characters stick around in this book besides Remy. Guess, seriously.

Ripley.

That’s it.

And that’s why I’m so angry.

I came to like all the new characters a lot. I really did. But I wanted the OLD ONES! I wanted Blue, and Lazlo, and Harlow! I’m not going to tell you where they are, of course, because that would spoil everything, but I am going to tell you that they are not there!

Besides the new cast of characters nothing much has changed except the end goal. It’s still an adventure story. It mirrors the original quite a bit. But, besides the character differences, the adventure is MUCH better. It’s also a more mature book than the first one was.

I also really liked the ending. It’s… well, it’s a happier ending than the first one and wraps the little duology up very nicely. I think most readers will be happy with it.

Rating: 3/2 Stars

Book Review: Hounded

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

 

Do you see this cover?  It's just so perfect.  That's exactly how I pictured Atticus.

 

On goodreads someone who reviewed this book wrote: "If Joss Whedon and Jim Butcher had a love child, he would grow up and write this book" and (sorry, I can't remember who wrote that) that's really the perfect description.  And, in case you didn't know, I'm a big fan of both Whedon and Butcher.

 

The characters were all fun to read, they really flowed off the pages.  Even Oberon, who's a talking dog (a character I wouldn't normally like), was pretty great.  Early on the dialogue is a little rusty, but after the first chapter or so you can settle in nicely.  The plot was rather anticlimactic, but at the same time I was always a little worried that Atticus may not come out on top.

 

The mix of mythology in this book was perfectly displayed.  Any fan of mythology (especially Irish) will get a kick out of it.  I think that might have been my favorite part of the whole story, actually.  It even has me thinking about the world through that lens.

 

This was also a funny book.  Real, laugh out loud humor that just tumbles off the page.  I couldn't help but enjoy myself the whole time.  I was always looking forward to the next time I would be able to pick it up.

 

I can't wait to read the next one (however, I must.  Too many books on my TBR pile, at the moment.), which always makes a book worthwhile.  In the end I'm giving it 4 stars.

*In case you were wondering, I just put up a new rating system.
ONE STAR- TERRIBLE; CAN'T BELIEVE I FINISHED IT
TWO STARS- OK; ALMOST GOOD
THREE STARS- PRETTY GOOD, I'LL READ THE REST OF THE SERIES
FOUR STARS- GREAT SIGN ME UP TO PRE-ORDER THE NEXT BOOK
FIVE STARS- MIND BLOWING AWESOME
(the rare)SIX STARS- THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ
at the moment I've only given one book six stars (and only on goodreads) and that would be Clockwork Princess.  Nothing has ever come close to that book.

Book Review: Fallen

I've read this book before, about three years ago, but I really wanted to give it another try for various reasons.  I'm sooo glad I did.  As often happens, when you go back into a book with a clear mind and a desire to like the book, you will.  In fact, knowing the story from the first time I read it made it more enjoyable.  Near the end it gets a little confusing, so having it all straight saved me some headache.

The pace isn't too slow, but it's not flash-bang fast either.  There isn't a lot of originality to the events, nor does the scenery really change.  It's another of those boarding-school books, but this one has a twist.  It's a darker place that I really enjoyed regardless of the clichés.

The characters, too, aren't that unique at the first glimpse.  They're written with a deft hand that knows its way around these people and you can't help but start to like them.  Luce is a good heroine, not too strong, but also not ready to be saved every second.  She recognizes that she's at fault for some of the stuff, too, which we don't often see.  Daniel is cute, but we don't get to know him well enough, yet, and while I like him, I'm waiting for a deeper look into him.  All the supporting characters were strong and I liked them all, especially Arriane, who I think everyone will love.

The world isn't too deep... yet.  From Luce's perspective we're as lost to this world of (MILD SPOILER) angels as she is, but I assume that will be rectified soon.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Book of the Month: Hollowland

I'm continuing with book of the month to try and highlight some books that don't get the attention they deserve.  This one may not exactly fit the bill since the author is a bestseller, but I feel like this series of hers is a little left out.  Maybe this will convince you to pick it up if you haven't yet.

"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

This was a good zombie book. For the most part it reads like one big adventure, but then, for the last few chapters, the pace drops and it becomes a slow. The ending was fine, but leading up to it really had me bored. I liked the fast pace previous to it and the fact that it seemed pretty realistic, timing wise, rather than the journey being over to fast or not taking too long. The group runs into a couple snags, but this doesn’t stop them for long. The hurdles here are inventive and things that aren’t normally the problem. I wish more time could have been spent on them, but all in all, the pace was pretty good.

There wasn’t a large cast of characters, rather a small group made up of unforgettable ones. The main character is Remy, a no-nonsense 19-year old trying to find her brother. She’s a good female character and does everything she can to stay strong, but you also see the weakness in her as well. Joining her are Harlow, a pre-teen who does get pretty annoying but is actually pretty smart when it comes to staying alive; Lazlo (who’s totally crush-worthy) the ex-rock star who follows Remy around like a puppy; Blue, an almost doctor who knows how to survive in their new world; and Ripley, a bad-ass, zombie-killing lion. Ripley’s pretty awesome.

The zombies in this book are pretty standard and the mythology isn’t too deep, but that just brings out the horror in them. They make you go “eww” which is what zombies are supposed to make you do.

Hollowland actually reminded me a little of 5th Wave, but since this came first, I guess it’s the other way around. It doesn’t make either seem like a copy of the other, but they do have similarities that are pretty obvious. Not bad, just similar.

Amanda Hocking really is a good writer (I’ve read other works of hers) and I thoroughly enjoy the freshness of her stories. This book gets ****4 out of 5 stars**** and I would recommend you pick it up.

Book Review: The Power of Six (Lorian Legacies #2)

by Pittacus Lore

TTHEY know about the charm.
THEY know about our legacies.
THEY caught number one, number two, and number three.
THEY killed them all.
I AM NUMBER SEVEN.  ONE OF SIX STILL ALIVE.
WE are growing stronger.
WE are starting to come together.
WE are ready to fight.
WE ARE THE LAST DEFENSE










This book was much better then the first.  There was more going on, there were more surprises, and there were more characters and a deeper understanding of the mythology in the series.  I always feel paranoid when I read these books, like I can't trust any of the characters, and I really think this book keeps you guessing.  I also liked that part of the story was told from a different character's point of view: Marina.  Her story is just as important as John's and it helps keep his story from dragging along like it did in the first one.

The new characters are all really from Marina's story and while I don't feel particularly attached to any of them, everyone has a reason.  Pittacus didn't just write filler characters he actually gave them purpose which I always like.  There is an important introduction at the end but I don't want to spoil it here.  I am really excited with this character, though.  In this book we are also, kinda, introduced to the big villain of the story (and he has some ridiculous name I'm not going to type here).

In the end I'm giving this book a solid ****4 stars****.  It was entertaining and original.  I really liked this one.

Book of the Month: Hidden Wings

Continuing with my book of the month project, this month I'm going to be showing Hidden Wings by Cameo Renae. 

This book makes me want to move to Alaska.

In Hidden Wings Emma Wise is suddenly orphaned when her parents are killed in a car crash.  She finds out she has an aunt she didn't know about living in Alaska and goes to live with her and her rather strange family.  Emma learns fast that she's not who or what she thought she was and that there really are monsters in the dark.

This is one of those books that everyone should be talking about.  A book where generally everyone has read/owns/or at least heard about.  It's good writing, is about angels, and has a bunch of hot guys in it.  Seriously, paranormal romance fans, why isn't this book getting more of a spot light?

Let me start with the characters.  I already mentioned the hot guys and (besides Kade) I have a hard time picking a favorite.  They're all awesome and each has their own, well-defined, personality.  Seeing them in action is awesome and the scenes fly off the pages.  Kade is a very dreamy book crush, but he's also more then that.  There is this aura about him that makes you wonder what exactly is going on in his head.  Emma, herself, is a decent character when you get to know her, but she does come off a bit rude.  She's a little harsh to her friend Jeremy and, honestly, I wasn't sold on the fact that she would be hanging with the "geeky-loner-group".  Emma's aunt Alaine is tough but she isn't keen on keeping secrets, which is a nice break from the general idea in YA that there should be secrets kept from main characters by the annoying adult figure.

The mythology in this story was pretty cool.  A little complicated but easy to grasp.  There are angels, fallen angels, darkling, and nephilim that make up the general group of paranormals here.  The villain didn't strike me as very evil, though, and a good (and by good I mean bad and cruel and cold and hard and complicated) villain is something that really makes a book something great in my opinion.

Overall, I can't wait to read the next book in this series (be warned: major cliffhanger at the end and you won't see it coming) and I hope that you seriously consider picking this one up.

Rating: 4 stars

Book Review: Delirium

 Description taken from book:

Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

This is one of those books almost everyone seems to pick up at some point.  From what I've heard, a lot of those people love this book and it makes it onto a lot of favorite shelves.  So, needless to say, I had high expectations for this book.  I wasn't disappointed, but it also won't be on my favorite shelf any time soon.

The pace was slow.  It takes place over the course of a little less then a hundred days, so I suppose that's why, but it made it hard to read.  I was slogging along, waiting for something, anything, to happen.  From the way this book ended I think the next one might be a little faster and more dramatic.

The characters were good.  Each one was well defined, I liked the ones I was supposed to, disliked the ones I was supposed to.  It's a clear cut divide between the "good guys" and the "bad guys", which was both nice and rather disappointing.  I felt that I knew Lena really well, like she was a real person who reacted like a real person would.  However, no matter how well the reader knows her, I can't help but feel she was a little drab.  She certainly grows over the course of the book, but her attitude and just general personality reminded me of a wet blanket.

Alex was very crush worthy, but I didn't feel like I knew him as well as any of the other characters, which I'm assuming was on purpose.  His and Lena's love was very heart-warming and natural feeling.  The character that I feel really takes the cake is Hana.  She was a different sort of best friend then I often see in YA books.  Not only was she exciting and rebellious, but she needed Lena as much as Lena needed her and acted like her own person.  Her character never betrays itself and keeps grounded in the reality of the story.

The idea behind this story, a world where love is a disease, was so real it had me believing it.  The fact that this could happen (theoretically) and how people respond to it is perfectly depicted and leaves you wondering.  It makes you feel like this world isn't very far away from ours.

The writing in this book was gorgeous and melodic.  You know that you're reading the work of a genius.  There are great writers, and then there is this.  Lauren Oliver obviously knows her way around a keyboard.  Honestly, I'm envious of her skill, and can see how this book has sold so many copies and almost became a television series.

Rating: 4 stars

Book of the Month: Sequels and Three-quels

Continuing on with my Book Of The Month posts, today I'm reviewing the second and third books in the Crescent Chronicles series.  Beware, there may be spoilers.

The second book in the series takes place a couple weeks or so after the first one.  Allie is now in college and attending Tulane.  She's still getting used to the idea that she's the mate to the prince of paranormals and what this position entails.

Allie and Levi's relationship seemed to stall and then grow very suddenly.  It still remains a little unrealistic, but you also got to peek in deeper and see how much they really cared for each other. 

Speaking of growth, none of the characters really seemed to grow.  Except, maybe Jared.  There was more of the paranormal society, which was fun and interesting to see, and got a closer look at how things are run.

The ending was the best part.  It was romantic, exciting, and a cliff hanger that isn't too bad but still has you wanting the third.  Better then the first one for sure.

 This is the final and best book in this trilogy.  The characters became extremely believable and I felt like they were finally taking everything with the right amount of seriousness.  Honestly, the most action happened in this book and I feel like that was the secret ingredient the other two were missing to make them perfect.  Levi remained rather annoying with his over-protectedness, but that is his character so I can't really be too angry.

The ending was perfect.  PERFECT.  Not everything was wrapped up, necessarily (no worries, there's a spinoff trilogy about... Toby!  can't wait.), but everything clicked into place- the only place they should have gone.  I really liked this one and it makes the whole series desirable.  It actually just came out so it was nice to read it so soon.

Series rating: 3.45 stars

Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight

This is the sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, so be warned: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS but I'll try my very best not to give anything away.  The below description is taken from Goodreads.

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

One word: EPIC

This book was so much more then the first one.  While Daughter of Smoke & Bone was a paranormal romance, this was high fantasy.  It was war!

The characters in this one became more defined for me.  I knew who they were like the back of my hand while reading it because they were so perfectly carved out to be themselves (does that make sense?).  They matured and found the paths they were supposed to travel down.  The new characters all struck a chord with me and they will with you as well.

The beginning was slow and a little arduous, if I do say so.  The ending, however, makes up for it in all the best ways.  Twists, turns, surprises, and MAGIC and what I can only guess at for the third one (which will be AMAZING, I'm sure).

So, if you haven't read this series yet, you really should.  It's one everyone will be talking about for a bit.  Plus, there's a movie in the works.  :)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Series Rating (so far): 4 stars

Book of the Month: Flight

Book of the month is something new I'm going to be doing.  Every month I will be highlighting a different book or series to introduce other reader's to it.  Every Monday (or so) of the month will have something dedicated to this book or author.  The idea originally came from Danny Marks' youtube channel (he's awesome) when he made a propping video.  Go check it out.  Basically he was talking about how some books aren't showcased enough and get left in the dark, so I'm trying to remedy that.

This month I'll be focusing on Flight, by Alyssa Rose Ivy.

This book isn't great.  It's good, at best, really, but there is so much potential.  It's an Indie book, and as far as I know, you can only purchase it in eBook form.  Because it hasn't been through as professional an editing process it has several flaws, particularly with the ways character's respond to certain things and character's not being completely fleshed out.

The writing makes for a fast read (less then 24 hours) and it is a captivating idea.  The "creature" in this story is a Pterons, which means they're basically humans with wings (think Maximum Ride, but with a paranormal aspect).  For the record, it's been my dream to be able to have wings, so it was fun to just live in this world for a bit and enjoy it.

The characters are decent besides the fact that they're rather shallow, and I did like Levi, he was fun and really sweet.

I must warn you, though.  This may be YA, but it borders on NA (New Adult).  There are some scenes that may not be suitable to younger readers (not that I would ever listen to those warnings when they were given).  Nothing R, but make sure you know what you're getting into when you pick this one up.

Also, did I mention the cover?  (Phat Puppy Art did it, and I think she does the most amazing covers in the whole entire world!)

Another fun little thing about the book is that it takes place in New Orleans (where I would love to live someday).  In the story there are other shifters and also vampires, although the main idea doesn't belong to those types of characters.

There is so much potential to this book and it is a very enjoyable read regardless of its flaws.  I will be reading and reviewing the next two (the third comes out mid-July), so look for those soon!


Music: Imagine Dragons