Review: Silhouette of a Sparrow

Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin

Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Publication Date: September 18th 2012
Pages: 224
Source: eBook for Review
Genre: Historical Fiction, LGBT
Goodreads

In the summer of 1926, sixteen-year-old Garnet Richardson is sent to a lake resort to escape the polio epidemic in the city. She dreams of indulging her passion for ornithology and visiting the famous new amusement park--a summer of fun before she returns for her final year of high school, after which she’s expected to marry a nice boy and settle into middle-class homemaking. But in the country, Garnet finds herself under the supervision of equally oppressive guardians--her father’s wealthy cousin and the matron’s stuck-up daughter. Only a liberating job in a hat shop, an intense, secret relationship with a daring and beautiful flapper, and a deep faith in her own fierce heart can save her from the suffocating boredom of traditional femininity.
Silhouette of a Sparrow is a coming-of-age story about a search for wildness in a confining time, and a simultaneous quest for security in an era full of unrest. It is the tale of a young woman’s discovery of the science of risk and the art of rebellion, and of course, the power of unexpected love.

Silhouette of a Sparrow is a cute historical story about a girl named Garnet who is sent away for the summer to live with family in Excelsior Minnesota to escape the troubles and craziness of Minneapolis. Throughout the story Garnet finds friendship and romance in the most unlikely places for someone of her place in society as she discovers who she really is and steps away from the person that her family wants her to be to be herself.

Garnet is a very adventurous girl who really just wants to have fun despite the ideas of her family. Upon coming to Excelsior, Garnet automatically finds all of the fun things around and begins to make plans to try them even though her aunt disapproves. I really admire Garnet's strong will to find adventure and I really like that about her. Garnet has a very interesting hobby of cutting the outlines of birds out of pieces of paper that she carries with her, I think that hobby sounds really, really cool and I love Griffin's originality with that hobby. Another character that comes up in the books is Isabella, a dancer who meets Garnet and the two become fast friends. Isabella is a very different character than Garnet, while Garnet is more on the lady like side (despite her love for fun and adventure) Isabella is much more of a flapper and wears shorter, less subtle clothing. Another very unique point in this book is the romance that Garnet and Isabella share. I have read only a few LGBT books in the past and I really wasn't expecting the romance that appeared in this book. I never really thought about LGBT relationships in earlier time periods and I like how this shed a light on the idea.

Overall this book was very interesting with very cute, fun characters and a very interesting, unexpected romance.

Review: Nightshade

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: October 19th 2010
Pages: 454
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Source: Bought (Signed!)
Goodreads

Calla is the alpha female of a shape-shifting wolf pack. She is destined to marry Ren Laroche, the pack's alpha male. Together, they would rule their pack together, guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But then, Calla saves a beautiful human boy, who captures her heart. Calla begins to question everything - her fate, her existence, and her world and the orders the Keepers have asked her to follow. She will have to make a choice. But will she follow her heart if it means losing everything, including her own life?

Nightshade is a book that has been on my radar for a long time but I had not gotten around to reading it until now. Ever since I first heard of this book right around the time I started book blogging, all I heard about the book was great things. Nightshade is a very well written story with a very unique plot and structure that is so unlike any other werewolf books I have read in the past.  Instead of being a typical werewolf story with just shape shifters, this story also brings in other unique magical beings that are either leaders or enemy to the shifters.

Calla, the main character in the story is a very strong minded girl who has been raised in the ways of the Guardians and is soon to become an Alpha female to Ren, the boy she has been paired with since the were very young. Unlike many stories with an arranged marriage aspect, Calla was not at all opposed to being paired with Ren for much of the story, which surprised me a lot, it was an interesting twist to the average story. Ren was an on-the-line character for me. Even though he was always good to Calla and he seemed like a very good boy, he also had a history of dating a LOT of other girls at their school even though he and Calla had been paired since they were very little. Shay, the human boy the Calla saves, is a very adventurous boy that would do anything to protect Calla after she helped him. I see Shay like a little boy who is just a bit star-stuck after witnessing Calla shifting from wolf to human to save him from a bear. I really didn't see a spark between Calla and Shay, more of just a really cute friendship.

Overall I loved the plot and the writing, but the romance was a bit complicated and I really didn't really see the spark between Shay and Calla.

Review: Obsidian

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: November 29th 2011
Pages: 335
Genre: Paranormal/Science Fiction, Romance
Source: Library
Goodreads

Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.

For the longest time I was seeing and hearing so many amazing things about this book and  how much bloggers everywhere loved it. Obsidian is a very intense, emotional, and action packed story about friendship, romance, and aliens. Seriously, aliens. I am a big fan of Armentrout's other series, The Covenant series but I really didn't like this one as much as I had been hoping.

My absolute favorite thing about this story was that the main character, Katy was a book blogger! Offline it seems like no one knows what a book blogger is and what they do and I really like that Armentrout added that to the story! What really bugged me about this book was the guy, Daemon. Daemon is a complete jerk and a control freak. For pretty much the entire book I thought it was pretty obvious that he really liked Katy in a relationship building sort of way, but when they finally did kiss he was a complete jerk about it afterward and there was chapter after chapter where he did similar things that were just super inexcusable.

Other than my obvious issues with Daemon, I really enjoyed the writing and the story about the aliens and why they are here on earth. Their story reminded me a lot of I am Number Four, another story about aliens coming to earth when there world was destroyed.

Overall I liked the story but Daemon, the love interest was just a huge jerk and I really couldn't stand him.

Review: Firelight

Firelight By Sophie Jordan

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 7th 2010
Pages: 323
Source: Gifted
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy, Romance
Goodreads

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.
Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—, a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Firelight it a beautiful, enchanting Paranormal/Fantasy story about a Draki, a descendent of dragons. Her kind can shift between human and dragon forms and often have special talents. But the Draki are often hunted, and when Jacinda is hunted down by a group of hunters she knows it could very well be the death of her. But when a boy follows her into a cave during the search he doesn't kill her and leads his group away from her to saver her life. And then her mother takes her and her sister away from their safe Draki home and into the mortal world to keep her form the harsh Draki life that she would have had to endure there. In the mortal world she runs into lots of difficulty including keeping her dragon half alive, but then she runs into the boy that saved her life. And she falls for him. Hard.

I really, really loved this book. Right from the beginning the books starts off with a very magical feel that I absolutely adored to no end. The characters and creatures created in this book seem so beautiful and wonderful in this book I absolutely love them. Jacinda is an amazing character with a rebellious but innocent personality and I adore how courageous that she is throughout the book. Will, the boy Jacinda falls for is absolutely beyond words. Will comes from a family of Draki hunters who kill for money and skins. After Will sees Jacinda in dragon form, he refuses to lead his family to the Draki, and once he realizes that Jacinda is the one he saved, he doesn't even hesitate. I absolutly love Will and Jacinda, their romance is just so absolutely perfect!

This was a completely amazing book that I absolutely loved the whole way through. I can't wait for Vanish!

Review: Pure

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publication Date: April 3rd 2012
Pages: 329
Source: Library
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

This review should only be read by those who have read the first book, Half-blood.

After my extreme love of Half-blood (The fist book in this series) had been discovered I scrambled to get a copy of Pure, it's sequel as fast as I possibly could. Pure, in comparison to Half-Blood was just as addicting and loveable but with a slower, not as intense pace as the first book.

Like in the first book the characters were amazing and extremely well written. Alex still has a very rebellious and  hilarious personality and is over the top brave about everything she does. Aidan. Oh Aidan. I told myself going into this book if Alex and Aidan didn't kiss at lest once... I have no idea what would happen. I really really like the forbidden romance in this series. It seems so much different than it does in other forbidden romance books; this romance seems like a very real relationship. In Pure there is a lot more of Seth than there was in Half-Blood. I like that we got to learn a lot more about Seth in this book and people who are Team Seth I have a feeling will like this one a little more. There is much less action in this book then there was in the first. In the first there was a strong focus on training Alex, and now that she is more caught up this book focuses a bit more on the emotional side right before the very action packed end.

I really enjoy this series and I am very excited to get my hands on the 3rd in the series later this year!

Review: The Duff

The Duff by Kodi Keplinger

Publisher: Little Brown/Poppy
Publication Date: September 10th 2010
Pages: 280
Source: Won ARC at Library
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

One of the things I remember hearing about this book before I read it was that it was really funny. I was a bit disappointed by the end of the book after realizing that no- it wasn't very funny at all, but much more of an emotional roller-coaster that the main character, Bianca has to work though. I'm not sure where I heard that it was funny, though it was a very well written and beautifully put together story about a girl struggling to figure out how to handle all of the very difficult situations that are thrown at her in her very messed up life.

Bianca, the main character, has a very snarky, outright attitude and she isn't really afraid to show it. Bianca was a very unique character, though not a very desirable person to hang out with, she was very interesting to read about. Wesley Rush, Bianca's worst enemy was the best developed character in the book. In the beginning Bianca hates Wesley, but over time Bianca slowly begins to understand Wesley and everything that he is dealing with and they are both able to advise each other about how to deal with their family troubles. This is a much more grown up version of YA that I do not suggest for anyone who is not mature enough to handle a more grown up book- I suggest being at least high school aged.

The Duff is a more mature YA with some very well written characters and resolutions, a very interesting story!

Review: Half-Blood

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publication Date: September 18th 2011
Pages: 281
Source: Bought Ebook
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

Half-blood is by far one of my favorite books of all time. Half-blood combines action, paranormal aspects, and a fiery forbidden love into an amazing story that I could not put down. Half-Blood is about a half-blood girl named Alex, who begins the book trying to kill daemons who have been trailing her since her mother had been killed by one daemon. After been away from the covenant for about three years Alex is taken back by the daemon hunters that rescued her, back to the covenant to face the world she left behind as she has only a summer to cover three years worth of what she missed- with a super super hot, untouchable Pure-blood daemon hunter of course.

Alex is absolutely one of the funniest, craziest, bravest, and absolutely the most awesome character I have ever read about. Alex begins the story with so much going on in her life that she has to deal with but somehow, though out the story she is able to remain strong and remain an absolutely amazing character with such a fun personality that I can't help but adore. Another major character in the story is the completely smoking hot Aidan, the daemon hunter who volunteers to help Alex catch up over the summer. I can't really say much with out ruining the book, but in so many ways how has some of the very same strength that Alex does and with that they are able to help each other figure out everything that is going on in their lives.

The story was overall written very, very well with a very interesting plot and characters I loved to pieces. The end was leaving me wanting more and I rushed to get the second book so I could eat it up as well!

Review: Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: April 3rd 2012
Pages: 549
Source: Library
Genre: Historical, Mythical Elements, Romance
Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Grave Mercy is a  very, very unique book about a girl who escapes a bad arranged marriage to live in a convent of the god of death where she learns to do his work and help the court of Brittany. This is a great historical book filled with action and romance that were very well written.

The main character, Ismae has grown up with a very difficult past with terrible parents and a horrible arranged marriage. Ismae is a very strong character despite all that has happened in her life and I really admired that in her. She was very good with other people and there really wasn't anything I didn't like about her. Duval is a character that Ismae has to travel with the the court of Brittany so she can help out in the court. I really didn't like Duval in the begging of the story, he acctually seemed like a bit of a jerk, but as the story continued on and on  secrets about Ismae and Duval are revealed to one another and the seem to warm up to each other. I really liked Duval by the end of the story. The writing in the story is written as people would have though and spoke in the time the book is taking place, but not in an overwhelming sense. The beginning was a little slower than I would have liked, but it picked up very quickly. The book is set up to be written as three companion novels, one for each of three girls who are part of the Convent of St. Mortain. I think that is a really cool way of putting together a world, and I can't wait to hear the stories of some of the other characters that were barely touched on in the story.

Grave Mercy is an amazing, interesting, action packed adventure book filled with amazing characters and a few I can't wait to learn more about.

Review: Demon Glass

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Sequel to Hex Hall
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Publication Date: March 22 2011
Pages: 368
Source: Library
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

My review will have spoilers for the first book in the series.

 Demonglass is the fabulous sequel to Hex Hall as it continues Sophie's story as she finds out more about her self after finding out that she was indeed not a witch like she once though, but a quarter demon. Just as the last book does, Demonglass has a very fun, interesting and funny writing style that is lots of fun to read. It was a great book that continued to develope many of the characters from the last book as well as bringing back a few characters that were left with unfinished stories in the first book.

Just like in the first book I loved Sophie, she is  very funny and sarcastic. Sophie has a lot of struggles and challenges that are placed in front of her that she has to overcome. The only thing I really don't like about Sophie is that there really isn't anything else that I can use to describe her other than funny. She could be so much more to Sophie if she had some sort of hobby or other describing feature to her. There were a lot of surprising twists and turns in this book that I think were really well written because they were so unexpected. One of my favorite parts about this books is the return of Archer [insert dramatic sigh]. There wasn't much of Archer in Hex Hall, and I really love that he was brought back in the story. Sophie and Archer have this pretty generic Romeo and Juliet forbidden romance (Don't worry- no insta-love in this book!) thing going on- but for some reason I really like them together. Unlike Hex Hall, Demonglass takes place not at the school, but at the council's headquarters where Sophie is getting to know her dad. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about the scene change of the book but I really came to love it and I think it was the perfect setting for this second book!

Demonglass was the perfect sequel to Hex Hall and I really can't imagine it being any better! I am eagerly waiting to get my hands on the third book to find out what all happens after such a cliffhanger ending! Highly recommended!

Review: Hex Hall

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Hyperion Books CH
Publication Date: March 2nd 2010
Pages: 336
Source: Library
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.
As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Hex Hall is a cute, interesting book about a witch named Sophie who is sent to a school witch is pretty much Juvie for Paranormals. Throughout the story Sophie runs into a lot of trouble including the wrath of a teacher, a hot guy who might possibly seem more perfect than he really is and the near deaths of some classmates.

The characters in this book were all very well distinguished from one another with very fun (or not so fun) personalities and, of course, lots of magic. Though Sophie doesn't have the most extravagant of personalities she has a very fun voice as she comes into this magic school as a girl who has been raised by a human mother. My favorite character in the book was probably be Jenna, Sophie's pink obsessed, funny, cute, vampire, roommate.  The story centers around Sophie's crazy time at Hex Hall as she faces mean witch classmates and a ghost that can see her... even though that's not supposed to happen. Though amazingly packed with some awesome stuff the story seemed a little lacking to me. I feel like with all that the story delivered there could have been more content in the book to make it even better.

Hex Hall was such a fun read with great characters and lots of good content that could have been a little longer to make it even better. I liked it a lot!

Review: Dearly, Departed

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: October 18th 2011
Pages: 470
Copy: Hardcover
Source: Library
Genre: Dystopian, Zombies
Goodreads

Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

I love the background that has been put in place for the setting of the story and how Habel incorporated the Victorian styles of clothing and manners in a future setting with futuristic technology. The setting was really well out together and it was very obvious that Habel had a lot of knowledge about the era.

The background given for "The Laz," or the reason that there are people becoming "Zombies" was very well put together and seemed very realistic in the story. In the story, "The Laz" is a disuse passed through bodily fluids that makes a person die and then come back alive in a zombie like from.

The story is told in multiple points of view, including Nora, Bram, Wolfe, Pam, and Victor. When books are told in so many points of view I usually only find one point of view that I really like to follow but in this story I didn't find any of the character's points of view any less enjoyable than the others, though personally I preferred Bram and Nora's story.

 Spoiler Section May Contain information that the reader may not want to know before reading the book.

I loved the romance between Nora and Bram and how, because of the Victorian setting the romance was very subtle and old fashioned between the two of the characters. 

Review: Nevermore

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Publisher: Atheneum
Publication Date: August 31st 2010
Pages: 543
Copy: Paperback
Source: Library
Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Goodreads

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. 


This books is a beautifully written story that is much like a paranormal version of Perfect Chemistry. 
 
My favorite character in this entire  book was probably Varen, the goth boy that Isobel gets paired with for her English report. Varen is a mysterious dark character at the beginning that it's very nice to get to know a bit after bit about him as Isobel and Varen spend more and more time together. 

This reminds me of Perfect Chemistry because both same the same "opposites attract" message that I love to see in Young Adult Literature. 


The relationship between Varen and Isobel is very gradual and you can really see them begin to fall for each other. Their relationship doesn't even begin to happen until the end of the book but when they finally become a couple it feels very rightly placed and a very natural place to add romance. 


The paranormal aspect is indeed very creepy. Varen has come up with this very real world in the dream would that is based off of Edgar Allen Poe's stories. Slowly, but surely Isobel does become tangled in Varen's nightmares.


The ending was very sudden, though I really wouldn't have written it another way. 


This is one of my favorite books of all time. 

Review: Crossed

Crossed by Ally Condie

Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: November 1st 2011
Pages: 367
Copy Type: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Sub-Genre: Adventure
Goodreads

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

Crossed is the second book in the very popular Matched trilogy. I read Matched a little while after it came out, which was before I had started blogging and loved the book. Matched is a beautifully written romance that is very easy to see in your head.

Corssed is told in two perspectives, Ky's and Cassia's. I felt like I connected with Ky's character much more than I did Cassia's in this story because she really doesn't seem to know what she wants or what she is getting herself into. Ky however has a much stronger minded character and he seems easier to connect with. 
 
The story that the book told was fairly uneventful and seemed to drag out much longer than it should have. Most of the book was the characters traveling and there really wasn't much story to be told for either character.

The romance seemed pretty fake in most of the book. The only time I really felt like the characters where meant to be together was when the see each other for the first time and then afterwards the romance falls apart. It seems like they really had no time to know each other before coming across their obstetricals and now their connection isn't as strong as the characters thought it was. 

The ending was fairly disappointing, it felt a lot like the end of the first book and there really wasn't a whole lot accomplished in the story.    

Review: Shatter Me

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: November 15th 2011
Copy Type: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Genre: Romance, Dystopian, Paranormal
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Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

SHATTER ME is a book that kept me hooked from the very start. Starting from the first chapter you feel an instant connection to the characters. There is never a dull or predictable moment and its very difficult not to read this book in one sitting. From the moment I got it I spent every available moment gripped to the pages, and when I was not, I was wishing I was reading. 

Juliette enters the book in one of the most unforgettable ways ever. The way Mafi narrates in a first person perspective is beautiful, emotional, and very distinct. One can instantly understand how the main character, Juliette feels through the writings and she seems like a very real person you wish you could just hug and encourage at many points of the book because you become so connected.

Juliette's and her love interest Adam are perfect together is so many ways. The romance is placed in just the perfect parts of the book. Unlike many romance stories today their love is unwavering and does not consist of love triangles. There love is so pure you can't help falling in love with the characters yourself. 

Through out the book lines are crossed out which are lines the Juliette have eliminated from her mind like a filter though they are what she truly feels. I love how they used the crossed out lines to give a feeling of how she views herself and truly thinks that she is a monster until Adam comes and pulls her from the darkness. 

I am truly at a loss of words to review this book with. If I were to sum up this book in one sentence it would probably look something like this: 

THIS BOOK IS TOTALLY REMARKABLE SO YOU NEED TO READ IT NOW!

So yeah... go do that...

 

Review: The Iron Knight

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: October 25th 2011
Pages: 361
Copy Type: Paperback
Source: LIbrary
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Sub-Genes: Adventure
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Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The Iron Fey series is the most exciting, unpredictable, and enchanting I have read in a long time. Writing a review for the last book in a series is always very difficult and this is no exception. 

This story begins in Ash's point of view. Ash's story begins with Puck (Robin Goodfellow) and the two going on a quest to find a way for Ash to once again join his love, Meghan in the Iron Kingdom which Ash can not currently survive in his fey form. 


The characters in this series all have very distinct and loveable personalities. My favorite characters in this series are Puck and Grim who are both very opposite figures. Puck is the loveable prankster from A Midsummer Night's Dream who can be found more ofter than not sneaking alligators in toilets or popping up when he is need the most. Grim however is the least humorble of the group who often acts as the brain or guide in most situations. 

The setting of this books is always either Enchanting or completely frightening. There are many pieces to the NeverNever the most common being the Wyldwood which is the mostly unpopulated woods in the Fey realm in which most of the traveling that the characters makes takes place. 

I love the imagination humor that is put in this story and I am completely satisfied with the ending that is presented in the end, though I never think I would be tired of the story. 

 

Review: Glow

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: September 13th 2011
Pages: 307
Copy Type: ARC
Book Received By: RAK
Genre: Science Fiction
Sub-Genres: Romance, Adventure
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Synopsis 


What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

I usually have a very difficult time reading Science fiction but right away Glow caught my attention. Right from the first chapter the book is full of action and there is never a dull moment. Glow follows a young couple, Waverly and Kieran as Waverly is separated from her ship to New Earth and taken to the companion ship. The story goes back in forth between both teen's struggles and accomplishments to get back to each other.

My favorite part of this story is the science fiction aspect of the entire story and how real the circumstances really felt. The plan to find a new earth seems like a possible future and I love the thought that went into the story.

The romance in this book seemed very second priority for this book at it seemed to be marketed as a romance story when it seemed that Science fiction seems like a more fitting. The romance also seemed very under developed and there was little reasoning to why the two teens were a couple in the first place.

This book did a very nice job showing differencing opinions on religion and the conflict between the opposing beliefs on religion. 

Review Summery: This book was a very nice science fiction read though it did lack good developed romance. 

Review: Frost

Frost by Marrianna Baer

Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publication date: September 13th 2011
Pages: 400
Copy Type: Hardcover
Copy Received by: Borrowed from Library
Genre: Haunting
Sub-genre: Romance

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Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school begins with a shock: Frost House, her cozy dorm of close friends, has been assigned an unexpected roommate: confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. But while Leena’s anxiety about a threat to her sanctuary proves valid, it becomes less and less clear whether the threat lies with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind, or within the very nature of Frost House itself. Mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and Celeste’s brother, and the reawakening of childhood fears, all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. Frost is the story of a haunting. As to whether the demons are supernatural or psychological . . . well, which answer would let you sleep at night?

This is the kind of book that you end up thinking about long after you finish reading it. This was my Halloween read because I had been told that it had a sort of creepy factor which is quite true. Leena is very drawn to Frost house while her temporary roommate is convinced that the house wants her gone.

My favorite part of the book is the ending where the ending isn't really complete and you don't really know for sure what happened. It gives you something to think about and makes the book something you really can't forget. 

A draw back of the book is I felt little to no connection to any of the characters including the main character, Leena. They all fell flat for me personality wise and I often confused Leena's two friends. David, Leena's boyfriend bugged me an awful lot. He seemed much to over protective of his sister (Leena's roommate) excepted his sister's belief that the dorm was out to get her much to easily. 

This book was mildly creepy but I didn't really get creeped out at all and I wish that the scary parts had really made that impression on me.

Review: Uglies

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing  
Publication Date: February 8th 200
Pages: 425
Book Type: Paperback
Book Received by: Bought
Genre: Dystopian
Sub-Genres: Romance, Adventure, Young Adult, Friendships


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Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.
 
This is an exciting, well written story with a very powerful hidden meaning that makes you think about popular culture as a whole. 

The story takes place in a future world were everyone gets a surgery to become pretty at the age of 16, leading them to a life of beauty and happiness. Tally can't wait until her birthday when she can finally join her best friends in New Pretty Town. When her new friend Shay shares that she is going to run away to a city were you don't have to turn pretty the government forces her to use her knowledge of where Shay is to find and locate the town so it can once and for all be destroyed. 

One of my favorite parts of this story is the growth of Tally and how she begins to learn the truth of the pretty way of life. I also love the description of the world outside of the Pretty and Ugly towns, such as the town that Tally sets out to find, the Smoke, and the old Rusty towns (The remains of how we live presently) and how the adventure the characters take is presented. 

 

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

The cover is even prettier in person!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone By Laini Taylor

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publication date: September 27th 2011
Pages: 420
Copy type: Hardcover
Revived by: Bought

Genre: Fantasy
Sub-genres: Romance, Action, Paranormal

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Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

This is a beautiful, unique tale of fantasy and self-discovery that really can't be compared to any other book out there.

Karou is a teenage girl from Prague who runs errands for a very peculiar bunch, part animal part humans who send her to get teeth from people all over the world, though the refuse to tell her why she is getting the teeth or what they do with them. But after she gets attacked by a winged angel on an errand and she gets kicked out of the creatures' shop all of the doorways to their shop are burned and she's left alone.

Karou is the kind of girl who can fight fer herself and doesn't need someone to rush in ad rescue her all the time. I love how she takes part in this fantasy other-world and the story is about her discovery of the world and where she comes from. 

I liked the beginning and middle of the book a lot more then the end (I'm avoiding spoilers) because there is a section that tells the story of a character other than Karou and I liked Karou a lot more than the other character.

Reincarnation. Yes, it's in this book. I love reincarnation, and how it is used in this book is completely unexpected and beautifully used.  

I recommend this book to all Young Adult and Fantasy fans.