Review: Hallowed

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: January 17th 2012
Pages: 403
Source: Library
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

I read the first book so long ago, even after reading this book I don't remember everything that happened in Unearthly, but after reading Hallowed I am reminded why this series is so good. The last book in this series, Boundless, has recently come out and now I want it. SO BAD. But I'm going to have to wait (you should see my TBR pile guys, it's getting a little scary.)

Unearthly and Hallowed are about a angel-blood named Clara who has 1/4 angel blood. In Unearthly she is compelled to a new town to save a boy from a fire, in the process falling in love with a human and creating a very interesting story about love and fate.

Like in the last book the characters were wonderful. I loved Clara, and everyone else. A few new characters are introduced, and they seem to fit in just perfectly into the story without (much) strangeness, which I loved.

The story is wonderful, though it wasn't exactly as eventful as Unearthly. This book was much more emotion focused than action. Hallowed is more about Clara trying decide where she wants to go in her life and discovering the options she has, which isn't quite as exciting, but fits perfectly.

In Hallowed quite a few secrets are unveiled and some of them really, really surprised me, and made Hallowed much more interesting. I love it when books are unpredictable and just suddenly BAM it changes course, and this Hallowed totally did that.

At then end of Unearthly I was totally team Tucker, and that continued for about half the book while reading Hallowed. But at a certain point I just DIDN'T KNOW ANYMORE and I still don't. I really hate to be team switcher, but I might be getting there. I'm going to have to read Boundless to know for sure.

Overall I loved this book, and I can't wait to finish this series!

Waiting on Wednesday: Click To Subscribe

Click to Subscribe by L.M. Augustine
Published: April 2013
Goodreads

1,135,789. That’s how many subscribers sixteen-year-old West Ryder has on his web vlog series. But he only has eyes for one of them.

As one of the internet’s most prestigious video bloggers, West talks about high school relationships under the name “Sam Green.” As far as he knows, no one from school, not even his best friend, Cat, has seen his videos. But the highlight of the whole thing is Harper Knight, who comments every day at exactly 2:02 in the afternoon. He doesn’t know anything about her aside from the occasional deep philosophical messaging on why pizza tastes so delicious, but as stupid as it sounds, he might be falling for her. So when they finally agree to meet in real life, West’s hope for romance seems more and more in reach. But that all changes as soon as he arrives at their meeting spot and sees Cat walking toward him, wearing the same “I <3 Sam Green” T-shirt Harper promised she'd have on.

To his alarm, West realizes he is falling in love with the best friend who has always been a sister to him.

Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin


Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: October 23rd 2012
Pages: 544
Source: Library
Genre: Paranormal, Thriller, Romance
Goodreads

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

Mara Dyer. I didn't know how much I would like this book, just because I got SO CONFUSED reading the first Mara, but I'm so glad I gave this book a chance. The Evolution of Mara Dyer drew me in from the beginning with it's interesting plot and overall craziness, I was hooked!

I think, overall this book was much MUCH creepier/scarier/stranger/more awesome than the first book was. If you've read the first Mara book you'll know what I'm talking about when I say Jude. There is a lot of Jude in this book, and he haunts her day and night and it is just SO SCARY. I almost never get freaked out by books or movies, and this was just WOW. This book seriously messed with my head. I never would have thought of things the way they were thought up in this story, and everything was unexpected and just mind-boggling.

The characters, once again, are just great. Mara is the same unreliable character we fell in love with in the first book-even more so than before. I couldn't figure out when to believe anything she was seeing or thinking. Noah- he's just *sigh* I love how much he cares for Mara and sticks with her.

THE ROMANCE. I actually like Noah and Mara's relationship in this book, and if you liked them before, you will love them now.  There are a lot of sweet moment in this book, and I just love how they stick together despite all the crap that goes on in the lives of both of them.

THE ENDING THE ENDING THE ENDING. WHY. As you might be able to tell, I want more. The ending is just INSANE-more so than the book was in the first place.

Review: The Goddess Inheritance

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 26th 2013
Pages: 384
Source: eARC for Review from Publisher
Genre: Mythology, Romance
Goodreads

Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

My review of:
The Goddess Test
Goddess Interrupted 

Though I have read the past few books in the series and didn't end up not overly impressed, I started reading The Goddess Inheritance hoping that it would outshine the previous two.Though it still wasn't spectacular, I did like it better than I did the second book in the series.

Like in the last two books in the series I really didn't like the main character, Kate. She often acted on compulsion and did things that didn't seem logical. I really don't think the character seemed to think things through very much, and very little emotion was portrayed in the writing.

Other than Kate many of the other characters I really didn't like. Some were plain rude, others had some of the same issues as Kate did, and many of them were very hard to understand. I really, really haven't like Henry in any of this books, and this time is no exception. I have no idea why anyone would like him, but that is my own personal opinion I suppose. He really doesn't seem like all that interesting or nice of a guy in my point of view. I really don't how Kate began to just accept him as her partner in the first place.

Just like in Goddess Interrupted, I really thing there was very much going on in the story. Pretty much nothing happened other than Kate going to go see someone over and over and over and over and over.... and then a random scene in between all of that.

Finally... there's going to be a spin off. I don't think I'm going to read it. Though I liked the first book in this series a bit, I really don't think there is going to be any way that it will be better after the second and third books in the series. 

Maybe more like 2.5...

Waiting on Wednesday- Taste Test

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore
Published: August 20th 2013
Goodreads

If you can grill it, smoke it, or fry it, Nora Henderson knows all about it. Her father owns one of North Carolina’s most successful barbeque joints and she’s been shredding pork and basting baby back ribs since she could reach the counter. When Taste Test, a reality cooking show for teens, accepts her for their fifth season, it’s a chance for Nora to get out of her humble hometown and break into the big leagues of the culinary world. When she shows up on set at the North American Culinary Academy, however, it’s not just the New England weather that’s ice cold. Fights with her high-society roommate and run-ins with the son of a famous chef force Nora to work even harder to prove she’s a force to be reckoned with. But, despite winning challenges and falling for a fellow contestant, Nora can’t ignore the mysterious accidents that are plaguing the kitchen arena. It seems like someone is conducting eliminations of their own and Nora’s determined to get to the bottom of the mystery before she, or anyone else, is “86ed” for good.

Review: Envy

Envy by Gregg Olson

Publisher: Splinter
Published: August 23rd 2011
Pages: 285
Source: ARCycling Program
Genre: Mystery, Paranormal
Goodreads

Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.

Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.

I think quite a while back something had caught my eye about this book that had made me want to read it, so I couldn't pass up a chance when I saw it was up for grabs on ARCycling. From the very beginning I quickly realized that this was not the book for me, despite the excitement I had had before.

This book is just overall very confusing. There are so many things and characters and just STUFF, that I almost never was 100% sure what was going on at any given time. Many times when a new chapter or scene was started I barely understood which character was being talked about until the middle of that section, and it just got really redundant after a while.

There are so many characters in this book. The characters that are followed the most are twins Hayley and Taylor. Between these two main characters I could almost never find anyway to tell them apart personality, appearance, or otherwise. In the book they really just seemed like one person in two different bodies  because I could never tell which was which. Other characters described were a little easier to tell apart, but many times I had no idea why their story would be relevant, nor was I interested.

During the first half of the book it felt like the time in which scenes take place jumped all over the place. Though I'm not sure if this is in fact true, it seemed to me like one second it would be the day after the girl, Kate died, and in others it would be only a few hours. I have no idea.

Finally, there was some physic/medium strangeness in this book. When it arose the first time I was so confused, and then it just kept popping up. I think that the same outcome could have been found if that stuff had not been there, and it really just makes the story seem less serious.

Overall I really did not like this book and I often found myself wanting to put it down. It took a lot for me to finish this book.

 

Book Haul January & February 2013

I haven't made a book haul since the end of the holiday season, and now that I've suddenly got a lot of new books, I thought I'd share them with you. Some of these I have already read, and most of those I have loved. The others I am very excited to get a chance to read later in the coming months. 

Bought:

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Gift:

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore

Bubble World by Carol Snow

The Elite by Kiera Cass

Giveaway:
The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

Poison by Bridget Zinn

Dark Star by Bethany Frenette

Envy by Gregg Olsen

Ebooks For Review:

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon

Review: Audition

Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Published: October 13th 2011
Pages: 458
Source: Library
Genre: Contemporary
Goodreads

When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she's deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem's muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she's chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? This debut novel in verse is as intense and romantic as it is eloquent.

Audition is the first book I have ever read in verse, so when I began to read (I admit, I didn't know at first that the book was in verse until I began to read) I wasn't sure how much I would actually get of the story, nor how much story there would be at all. Some parts of this book I quite liked, while others were harder to enjoy in this story.

Audition tells Sara's story as she goes from small town dancer to a more advanced school in another state, away from her family and everything she has ever known. The book follows Sara as she discovers the difficulties of becoming a ballerina, as well as the drama of being a teen in a new city.  

I though it was really interesting reading a story in verse. I really liked how I easily I understood the story in shorter lines and with a flow that really fit the story. It was very beautiful how the story flowed like the dancers it was telling the story of. I loved how this story was put together to put dance to words. Describing something so hard to describe takes a lot of work, and how it was done it verse worked out perfectly to describe the movement and emotions of dance.

I had a lot of trouble connecting with the main character, as well as the other characters in the book. Audition is extremely emotion and description based, and the characters felt like an afterthought in the story. I really did  not empathize with Sara, the main character, nor did I feel like she had depth to her other than her ability to do as others said. None of there characters really had a significant part in the story otherwise.

This book is really depressing. It just it. Sara gets in a really bad relationship in this story, and that on top of all the stress of dance, school, and the fact that Sara is in a new city living away from her family makes this book just really sad overall. I really didn't like that there really wasn't one happy moment in the book, it was the same feelings straight through.

Overall I didn't really like Audition very much. It really just wasn't a story for me, but I think that other people could very well have a very different opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday: Severed Heads, Broken Hearts

 Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider
Published: June 4th 2013
Goodreads 
Waiting on Wednesday is hosted at Breaking the Spine

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

This book just sounds like it has the potential to become a classic. I think it sounds really interesting and I really want to read it!

Review: Dark Star

Dark Star by Bethany Frenette

Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published: October 23rd 2012
Pages: 368
Source: Library (Another copy also received in Giveaway)
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
Goodreads

Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities, so it's hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she's lured into the sweet night air by something human and not human--something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile.

Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn't fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers--livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago. Yet some have managed to escape. And they want Audrey dead, just because of who she is: one of the Kin.

To survive, Audrey will need to sharpen the powers she has always had. When she gets close to someone, dark corners of the person's memories become her own, and she sometimes even glimpses the future. If Audrey could only get close to Patrick Tigue, a powerful Harrower masquerading as human, she could use her Knowing to discover the Harrowers' next move. But Leon, her mother's bossy, infuriatingly attractive sidekick, has other ideas. Lately, he won't let Audrey out of his sight.

When an unthinkable betrayal puts Minneapolis in terrible danger, Audrey discovers a wild, untamed power within herself. It may be the key to saving her herself, her family, and her city. Or it may be the force that destroys everything--and everyone--she loves.

When I heard of Dark Star for the first time I was really excited. I don't think I have ever read a book about superheros, and I love superhero movies so I had to get my hands on this book. I was a little disappointed when I finally dove into this book because it just wasn't what I had been looking for when I heard about it and it let me down a little.

I thought this book would be about a superhero, which the synopsis doesn't say specifically, but I thought the main character, Audrey, would get some action. Instead this book is about a girl learning about her family and their abilities, where the come from, and what they are destined to do. I have heard this story line so many times, it's starting to get to be the same story.

Some parts of the story were told in flashbacks of Audry's childhood. These flashbacks were helpful to help tell the story but some of them were transitioned into very  badly and I was extremely confused when all of a sudden she was remembering something and I didn't realize it. 

Despite what I said before, I did quite like this book. The characters and the setting were nicely done. This book takes place in Minneapolis, and there are a lot of references to many places in that city as well as some of the things in the surrounding cities, and I really like how this book did not ignore the setting.

The main characters in this story include Audrey, the main character. I liked Audrey, she didn't exactly have a strong personality but she was still a good character. She really didn't question many things that seemed sort of sketchy from the start, which sort of bugged me but other wise I liked her. Tink and Gideon were her best friends, and they don't really play that big of a role in the story, I'm hoping they have a bigger part in the sequel. Morning Star- Audrey's mother and the superhero in the cities. Morning Star was very protective, overly so in some respects. She kept a lot from her daughter and it was stuff that she really should have been sharing. And finally, Leon. Leon was okay, I really didn't see much that was interesting in him at all though and he didn't have much of a story or personality just like some of the other characters.

Finally, the relationship. I think this book would have been fine without the relationship, but it wasn't terrible. I didn't think there was much of a spark but it was cute... I just... I don't know. 

Reivew: Pivot Point

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: February 12th 2013
Pages: 320
Source: Ebook for review from Publisher
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Pivot Point is a book that surprisingly became favorite of mine. I had heard many good things about this book before I had gotten a copy for review, and I plunged in know little more about it than the first two sentences in the description above. At first I was very weary about the story, thinking it might not be as deep  as I had hoped because of it's simple start. Though the start of the book may be innocent in the beginning, the book quickly has a much deeper and complex meaning that I first thought, and I really liked that about this book.

The book starts out setting up the the scene and introducing the main character, Addie. The story really begins when her parents tell her that they are going to be getting a divorce, and she must choose who she wants to live with. Addie has the ability to see into her future, and naturally she uses her power to choose which parent she would most like to live with. What makes this book so interesting is that the book alternates in chapters, as if there are two different perspectives, but the chapters alternate between her two possible futures, and the consequences of choosing which parent she wants to live with.

I really enjoyed this book. Each character in each future was really brought out in a way that was appropriate for that path, and I really love seeing how Addie's choice in where to live affected those around her in so many different ways. Characters such as Trevor and Duke, the two different love interests (Team Trevor!) in the two different futures, both caught my interest in different ways. I also liked seeing how Addie's best friend saw her in the different paths.

I really liked seeing conflict in the book was handled in different ways in Addie's different futures. The way that things unfolded in each future really made this book very interesting and unexpected. This element also plays in to Addie's final decision.

The ending. Oh the ending... I want more so badly now. This book just wrapped itself around my heart and now it's over! I want a sequel!

*Edit There is no love triangle, it is much  more complex than that, and it is extremely hard to explain. Sorry I can't be more specific, it's very difficult to put this book into words. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Parallel

Parallel by Lauren Miller
Published: May 14th 2013
Goodreads

Abby Barnes had a plan. Get into a great college, major in journalism, and land her dream job at a major newspaper. But on the eve of her 18th birthday, she's stuck on a Hollywood movie set instead, wishing she could rewind her life. But the next morning, she’s in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. A collision of parallel worlds has left Abby living a new reality every time her younger parallel self makes a new decision. Forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go on her plans for the future and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that’s finally in reach.

This book just sounds really good. It sounds like it might almost be like Pivot Point, and I loved that book SO MUCH. I want to read more like it! I'm super excited to read this one!

Review: The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published: December 18th 2012
Pages: 496
Source: Library
Genre: Paranormal, Apocalyptic, Romance
Goodreads

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

I heard about The Darkest Minds just a little before it released, and I knew from the moment I heard about it that I would love this book. The Darkest Minds is one of the most twisted versions of Apocalyptic YA I have ever heard about or read. This is such an addicting, loveable book I cannot recommend it enough.

The first thing I fell in love with in this book was the beautiful writing style. The book, especially in the beginning, is filled with intricate, beautiful imagery that dove right into the scene. There could not have been a better style used to write this book.

The main character in the story, Ruby, is an amazingly well done character. From the very beginning Ruby is a very guarded, anxious, broken character because of everything she had gone through and despite that being sad, it was done very well and realistically.

Some of the other characters in this story include Liam- I loved Liam, he was kind and understanding and patient. Just perfect. Zu- Zu is adorable. She excepts Ruby from the very start and loves her unconditionally. Chubs- I really don't know what to think of Chubs, he was quite whiny and wasn't exactly the nicest guy, but then he would do something over-the-top nice. I don't know.

The romance. Oh the romance was just perfect but then... Oh I can't tell you. I can't.

THAT ENDING. That ending just kills me. Cliff hanger... just... I can't speak words at how much I did not want that ending to happen. Nope.

Young Adult Romance Recommendations

Coming up later this month is Valentines day, so I thought I'd make a post about some books with some really good romance. Not all of these feature romance as the main aspect of the story, but instead this is a list of some books that contain really good romance in general.

*Starred books feature romance as the main aspect of the story.

The Selection

Born Wicked

Embrace

*Perfect Chemistry

*Wanderlove 

*Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Half-blood 

*Anna/Lola

What are some of your favorite YA romances?