Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Published: January 24th, 2012; HarperCollins
370 Pages

From Goodreads:
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

My Rating:
5 stars

My Thoughts:

Let me put it frankly; This is a great book. Whether it was the awesome characters, the mythology, or the amazing plot, I had no trouble finishing Everneath.

                Nikki has made some bad choices, which have changed her life drastically. While she could have just curled into a ball and sulked for the 6 months she had left, she didn't, she got out and started mending the broken relationships she left behind. Yes, some of that mending was pretty painful to read (her interactions with Jack start off slow , and they left me wanting more every time), but you get to see Nikki's growth as she goes from an empty shell back to an actual human being. And the story didn't just center around the love triangle between Nikki, Jack, and Cole - Nikki also had to repair her relationships with her father, little brother, and her best friend, all while trying to get over the grief of her mother's death. She was a heroine with depth, so I wasn't annoyed by any of the choices she made. An amazing main character is always the first step to a great story, and was just that kind of character.

                 Jack was another great character in the story. Jack, Nikki's (sort of) ex-boyfriend who has changed since Nikki left. She thinks he hates her, but as the story progresses, you slowly learn more and more about the adorable relationship Jack and Nikki had before she left. Jack seemed like a jerk at the beginning of the story, what with him being described as a jock and a ladies' man. I didn't think my opinion of him would change so much, since he just seemed like one big cliché when he was first introduced. You eventually get to see that Jack never did anything to hurt Nikki - it was just a series of misunderstandings that led her astray. By the end of the book I loved Jack. Yes, he still was a bit of a cliché, but in a good way. He grew along with Nikki, and you could tell their relationship was built on something other than mutual lust.

                Surprisingly, I was a fan of Cole too (I usually only like one of the main male characters). Brodi Ashton did an amazing job of making Cole an antagonist while also being a sympathetic character - even though he wasn't always nice, there were still times I wished he was real so I could hug him.

                The backdrop of mythology that tied this whole story together was another reason I loved this book. I've always found the Persephone myth interesting, so I loved how it was tied into Everneath. It wasn't a verbatim reproduction of the myth - Ashton took it and made it her own.

                I won't go into detail about the end of the book, but I'll just say I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

                Overall, Everneath was a fantastic book. Brodi Ashton created characters that were real, and a story that made sense and had actual depth. I will be reading the rest of the Everneath series as soon as I can get my hands on it (and I suggest you do too).  

Review: Arise by Tara Hudson

Arise by Tara Hudson
Published: June 5th, 2012; HarperTeen
404 Pages

From Goodreads:
New Orleans
Saint Louis
Number One Cemetery
A night there can change a life . . . or a death.

Increasingly worried that dark spirits will carry out their threats and hurt the people she cares for most, Amelia is ready to try anything to protect them. And for his own very different reasons, Joshua has come to this cemetery at midnight to join her in a powerful ritual.

Both know that once Amelia steps inside the Voodoo circle and the beautiful girl from the Conjure Cafe begins the ceremony, everything will change.

Tara Hudson's enthralling sequel to "Hereafter" escalates the danger and excitement, bringing a new dimension to her already mesmerizing story of a haunted love.

My Rating:
4 stars

My Thoughts:

After reading Hereafter, I was somewhat disappointed in the outcome. The first book in a series is supposed to pull you into a rollercoaster ride that leaves you wanting more once it's finally over. I didn't really feel that after reading Hereafter, so I was hopeful that Arise wouldn't fall completely flat.

                I can't say that Arise completely made up for what Hereafter was lacking, but it was a bit better. I liked the setting of New Orleans, since it seemed to be more detailed than Hudson's description of Amelia's hometown in Oklahoma. The original setting was pretty stagnant for me, so a change of scenery was welcome, no matter how random it was.

                Gabrielle was also a breath of fresh air from Amelia's helplessness, I just didn't like how the author sort of shoved her into the story. It was too sudden for Gabrielle and Amelia to go from strangers to friends in all of a day. She was kind of a pro and a con to me; she was the right character, just not at the right time in the story.

                My main problem with both Arise and Hereafter is that they have little to no depth. The story is original, but the characters and the plot were flat to me. The first half of the book was Amelia worrying about leaving Joshua so he wouldn't get hurt by the evil demons that were following her (which, frankly, didn't seem all that evil). When she finally "left" it was for a day, which she spent moping over how much she missed Joshua. Joshua and Amelia win my award for sappiest couple; I would welcome a bit more dysfunction.

                 I really hoped Amelia would grow a bit more in Arise, but she was still fumbling around blindly. Her story could really use some more direction, instead of Amelia simply reacting to situations.

                Don't get me wrong, I liked this book, but it just has some hiccups that made it harder to finish. The series could use some more continuity with the antagonist, since I have a feeling Hudson is going to recycle the same thing that happened in the first two books (but I would be incredibly happy if she didn't!). The demons haven't really been explained enough for them to be menacing - they're just creepy looking people who are supposed to be evil.

I'll probably give something away if I go on, so I'll end this review here. Let me just say that Arise was definitely an improvement over Hereafter, but the series still has a long way to go before it'll be one of my favorites. Tara Hudson wins on originality and her writing, but the flimsy plot and flat characters made it hard to finish. I gave it four stars, because the good outweighed the bad, and I was able to finish it. If you read Hereafter and liked it, I would definitely recommend reading Arise.

Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Published: June 7th, 2011; HarperTeen
404 pages

From Goodreads:
Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life--or her actual death--she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but "will" him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, "Hereafter" is a sensation you won't want to miss.

My Rating:
3 stars

My Thoughts:

Hereafter is the story of Amelia, a ghost that wanders the streets of a small town  and has no recollection of her past, other than that she drowned. Everything changes for her when she rescues a boy from drowning, and her whole world is turned upside down.

                I was first drawn to this story because it's plot sounded so unique - I haven't read many books where the main character is a ghost with no memory of her past. I read it with high expectations, and while I can't say it completely let me down, I wasn't totally enthralled by it either.

                The book started off well enough, with Amelia rescuing a handsome boy named Joshua - who can see her -  from drowning in the river where she died - she doesn't pull him out of the water or anything, she just wills him to live. That seemed sort of strange to me, but still, the romantic in me (I try to keep her locked away as much as possible...) was swooning at their chance encounter.

                Their romance heats up as the story goes on, and I thought Hudson did a good job with building romantic tension between Amelia and Joshua, which included a fireworks-and-electricity reaction whenever they touched. But at the same time, their interactions were extremely cheesy. Joshua was the perfect hero, with his dark hair, blue eyes, and innate ability to compliment the heroine and make her feel all tingly. And I had to roll my eyes every time Amelia's voice cracked/squeaked when she was talking to Joshua. I'm pretty sure it happened every time she spoke to him, and it made her sound like a middle-schooler talking to her crush. Their interactions became a constant repetition of Joshua being perfect, and Amelia swooning at how perfect he was.

                And Eli wasn't very menacing as an antagonist. Amelia went back and forth between whether or not she could trust Eli, and Amelia's final "battle" with him was pretty anticlimactic (in my opinion). I would definitely preferred an antagonist with a bit more menace. Joshua's grandma posed a bit of a threat, but even she was more like an angry kitten.

                My main problem with Hereafter was the ending, which lacked an amazing cliffhanger that would have made me run out and buy the next book ASAP. There was a final showdown and everything, but no setup for the next book. In my opinion, a lot of events were rushed, so the author left little setup for events that could happen in the next book.

                I liked Hudson's writing, but Amelia wasn't really deep enough for me to feel like I could relate to her, and Joshua was too much of a cut-and-paste YA "hottie" for him to be believable. I didn't hate this book, but it could have used a bit more work. The plot had promise, but it went downward from there. I will be reading the next book in the series, and I'm just hoping the characters develop more and become more than just their relationship. I really have no idea what's happening in the next book in the series, but I'm hoping for the best.

                I know I've pointed out a lot of negatives about this book, but Hereafter wasn't a horrible book. I don't regret reading it, but it doesn't stand out from other run-of-the-mill YA novels. I would recommend reading it, since it has an interesting plot, and Tara Hudson's writing is pretty decent. I wouldn't put this on the top of my list, but it was still a good read.     

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie
Published: November 30th, 2010; Dutton Juvenile
366 pages

From Goodreads:
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

My Rating:
4 stars

My Thoughts:

                I have been wanting to read Matched for quite a while, so you can only imagine my excitement when I finally found it at the library. I know I'm pretty behind on reviewing it, since it came out in 2010, but I wanted to share my opinion anyways. It wasn't the greatest book I've ever read, but Matched was still an amazing dystopian story. I might be a little bit biased because I'm obsessed with anything dystopian, but I haven't read a single dystopian novel (as of yet) that has let me down completely.

                Matched had some rough edges, but it was overall a good book. Cassia seemed shallow at points, but - in my opinion - that's what happens when you're brainwashed to sit back while someone controls your entire life for you. She was raised to follow instruction, not think for herself, so you can't expect her to be a strong-minded, independent person just yet. I'm hopeful she grows into a stronger personality in the next book, because she had just begun to change by the end of the first book.

                I thought Condie did a great job creating the society - it was detailed, and the government seemed like a menacing force. But there really wasn't much background on how the society formed in the first place. The Society didn't seem loosely thrown together, but at least a little more past info would have helped, such as why the country is divided as it is, and if all of the changes happened gradually over time, or if there was a war that caused sudden changes. I have a few questions, and I hope they're answered in the next book.

                My final problem is that I would have enjoyed a bit more "fireworks" between Cassia and her men. It was simply stated that she and Xander were best friends, but their interactions didn't make it seem that way. Even when they acted like a couple it reminded me of grade school puppy love. Cassia's relationship with Ky was a bit more dangerous and forbidden, but there was a lack of romantic tension built up between them (other than Cassia saying she wanted to kiss Ky). It seemed a little lacking; once again, I'm hopeful to see them develop more in the next book.

                Aside from the things I DIDN'T like about this book, there were plenty of good parts to it, and I expect the problems will be ironed out in the later books. I loved the addition of the poetry in the story, and the way it inspired Cassia to act. And (as I said before) I thought the concept of The Society was original (it just needs to be explained a bit more). This book was really good. It had imperfections, but not so many that I had to set the book down and stop reading it. I enjoyed it, and I would totally recommend reading  Matched, whether you're dystopia obsessed like me, or you just want a good book to read. 

Review: Chime by Franny Billingsley

Chime by Franny Billingsley
Published: March 17th, 2011; Dial
361 pages

From Goodreads:
Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

My Rating:
2 stars

My Thoughts:

To some, Chime might be the perfect gothic masterpiece. To me, it was confusing, childish, and an overall struggle to finish. The first chapter started off well enough, with Briony telling a judge that she was a witch, and she deserved to die. It was a good hook, but the story went downhill from there.

I was confused from the start by the vague setting of the story (a swamp in England called the swampsea. Where?). And Briony’s inner monologue didn’t help either; she spent so much of the book talking about how horrible of a person she was, that there wasn’t much story there other than that. And Billingsley’s writing style left me with no idea what the setting or the characters looked like. I had to re-read entire sections because of their strange wording, which made me fall out of the story, and made the book an ordeal to finish.

The plot wasn’t confusing, but that was only because it was so simple that I could tell what was going to happen at the end of the book. I didn’t feel like I could relate to anything that was happening because it all seemed so made up.

And the relationship between Eldric and Briony was barely even there. When Briony and Eldric spent time together, it was in their “bad-boy club” which involved Eldric teaching Briony to box, and the two of them speaking in their own made-up version of Latin. And every description of Eldric from Briony’s point of view described him as a lion. I couldn’t see him as a good hero because I kept picturing a man with whiskers and cat ears. And then Briony would go on about how she was lusting for him, for no reason. To put it in short terms; they had zero chemistry.

This absence of chemistry seemed to be because Briony (and the story in general) was so childish. Sure, Briony made a few clever witticisms, but her behavior made her seem like she was ten, not eighteen. And the names she had for the “old ones” sounded like they had been pulled out of a children’s story (take “mucky face” for example). I felt like I was reading a children’s book.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this book one star (I know I haven’t said anything good about it) is that Billingsley’s writing style wasn’t bad in a seemed-like-a-first-grader-wrote-it kind of way. Her writing was detailed and even fancy, but in such a way that it seemed overdone. If the author had spent more time developing her plot and characters (instead of using fancy words and creating pretty sentences) I might have liked this book.

I feel kind of bad about giving Chime such a low rating, but I just couldn’t make myself enjoy reading it, no matter how hard I tried. Certain passages were kind of poetic, but that didn’t make up for the bad plot and flat characters. I liked Rose at certain points, but that was it. Billingsley’s writing style might be an acquired taste, but it’s definitely not for me. Unless you like vague stories with little to no romance, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book.

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Published: January 17th, 2012; HarperTeen
403 pages

From Goodreads:
For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her 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.

My Rating:
5 stars

My Thoughts:

Let me just start off by saying, I finished this book in one sitting. I get bored easily, so if a book doesn’t capture my attention and keep it I eventually put it down and take a break. If it’s a pretty good book, I’ll probably pick it up again later on the very same day. If it’s bad, I’ll agonize over whether or not to finish it at all. In the case of Hallowed, I had no problem finishing the second book in Clara’s story.

The book started off great, was great in the middle, and ended amazingly. There weren’t any epic battles in this book (which, for a YA paranormal book is pretty strange) but that didn’t matter, because the story was emotionally charged enough as is.

It seems like Cynthia Hand has a talent for writing secrets into a story and systematically dropping them like bombs. The thing I loved most about Hallowed was that many of these secrets were revealed by the end of the book, to maximum effect (but not all of them, since there is a third book). Some of them I kind of expected, but others were a surprise, one of the main reasons I could not put this book down.

I also really liked that we finally got to see Christian as a real character, instead of the boy Clara had dreams about, and then spent the next few weeks obsessing over. This time, he’s no longer a superficial popular boy, so we get to learn more about him, and less about how darn hot he is (not that I have any complaints against the hotness). I was sad that Tucker didn’t play as big of a part in the second book, but Christian’s larger role was a fine alternative.

My other reason for giving this book a five star rating, is that it almost made me cry. I had to keep myself from bawling because I would have had one of my family members pounding on my bedroom door and asking me what the heck was going on. The only book that has made me actually cry was Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, but that was mostly because I was just sitting there like “WHAT?!?” as soon as I was done reading it. When it comes to being sad, Hallowed comes in as a close second (but good sad, not everyone-is-dead-and-the-series-is-over sad).

All in all, this book was AMAZING. Angels are a popular theme these days, and I think Cynthia Hand does an incredible job with their back story. It’s original, heart-wrenching, and every single chapter sucks you in and leaves you wanting more. I will be purchasing the third book (Boundless. It has a title! But it doesn’t come out until 2013 D:) as soon as it comes out, so if you haven’t read Hallowed, or it’s prequel, Unearthly, read them ASAP. They’re amazing.  

Review: The Savage Grace by Bree Despain

The Savage Grace by Bree Despain
Published: March 13th, 2012; EgmontUSA
488 pages

From Goodreads:
 A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle.

Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything.

With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders.

The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion.

My Rating:
4 stars

My Thoughts:

In the final installment of the dark divine series, Grace Divine is still the somewhat angsty teen she’s always been (no thanks to the homicidal werewolf possessing her), but she’s faced with bigger problems than she ever had before; Daniel is stuck in wolf form, her mom is in a mental hospital, Caleb Kalbi has escaped, swearing revenge on his son and the Divine family, and Sirhan Etlu (leader of the Etlu clan of werewolves) is dying. If I was in the same situation, I’d probably be a ball of nerves as well.

The relationship between Grace and Daniel is one of the high points in this book. They had moved past their high school relationship and were more of adults when they were together (Daniel kept Grace from going crazy, and vice versa). They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other from time to time, but ultimately, the relationship they shared helped each of them grow, so I enjoyed that aspect of the book. Also, Daniel – post wolf transformation – was no longer described as skinny, or lanky, which was something that had kept me from being a huge fan of his in the first two books. He was a full on “beef cake” this time around, which I was a big fan of.

Talbot, on the other hand, made me sad. I liked him in the second book – sure he was a little intense at times, and we found out he was Caleb’s right hand man, but still, I’m a sucker for the tall dark and handsome types. With Grace and Daniel’s relationship on steady ground, Talbot was shut out. I felt bad for him, but to resist spoiling the book, I won’t say any more than that.

The pack of boys who recognized Daniel as their Alpha at the end of book two returned in the final book, and the “Lost Boys” (as Grace calls them) were good comic relief at points in the book, and they also showed Grace maturing as she mothered them and thought about their welfare, as if they were her own children (awwww!)

My definite favorite part of this book was the awesome fight scenes. It’s a given that there was going to be a final battle between Daniel and Caleb, and the way Bree Despain set up the climax of the book made it a ton more awesome than a father and son going at each other in hand-to-hand combat. The final 50 pages of the book were pretty epic, let me just say that.

My problems with this book, however, kept me from giving it 5 stars. I’ll try not to go on about them for too long, since this was a really great book, but they also kept me from being completely absorbed while I was reading.

First off, parts of the book seemed to drag. It’s kind of long at 488 pages, but that’s mainly because the author can be very descriptive times. This is kind of a neutral thing to me, because I would rather read a well-written descriptive book that’s really long, than a 200 page book that has no detail. I really enjoy Despain’s writing style, so I don’t feel like I wasted my time with this book. I just couldn’t get completely into it.

Also, certain characters in the book annoyed me. I haven’t liked April from the start of the series; she was a sad excuse for a best friend, and I didn’t really see her as a necessary character. Sadly, Grace was also annoying from time to time. When she said she didn’t have a life if they couldn’t change Daniel back into a human, I could practically see the blank pages in Twilight when Edward left Bella. Yes, most of the books I read are about romance, but a heroine should have an identity outside of her relationship with the hero.

My final problem was that the book was pretty predictable at times. I like a book that surprises me, and this one really didn’t.

Overall, The Savage Grace was really good. I like Bree Despain’s writing style, and most of the characters she created. Some parts of the book could have been better, but I would still recommend reading this book if you enjoyed the first two books in the Dark Divine series.

Review: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Fateful by Claudia Gray
Published: March 29th 2012; HarperCollins
328 pages

From Goodreads:
The RMS Titanic is the most luxurious ship ever built, but for eighteen-year-old Tess Davies it’s a prison. Travelling as a maid for the family she has served for years, Tess is trapped in their employ amid painful memories and family secrets.

When she meets Alec, a handsome upper class passenger, Tess falls helplessly in love. But Alec has secrets of his own… and soon Tess is entangled in a dangerous game. A sinister brotherhood that will do anything to induct Alec into their mystical order has followed him onboard. And Tess is now their most powerful pawn.

Tess and Alec fight the dark forces threatening to tear them apart, never realising that they will have to face an even greater peril before the journey is over…
  
My Rating:
5 stars

My Thoughts:
 

I think this book was just the perfect storm for me. First off, I have been fascinated by the story of the titanic since I was little, and I read practically every book I could find on the subject. Imagine my excitement when I found out Claudia Gray had written a YA paranormal romance that took place on the Titanic!

            I didn’t really know what to expect when starting this book, and whether it would be more historical fiction or paranormal romance. Luckily, it was a great balance of both.

            Tess’ employers (the Lisles) were truly evil, and her hopes of getting away from them just kept getting muddled. That is, until she meets Alec - the rich, handsome man of her dreams. Problem is, he’s a werewolf… sure, this story could have become perfectly cheesy from that point on, but it didn’t (yet another one of its many charms).  It had an amazing balance of action and romance, and an evil nemesis to match (other than the Lisles, of course).

            The main thing I LOVE about Claudia Gray’s books (I read her Evernight series, which was also amazing) is that they’re for young adults, but she makes them a bit more sexy than any other YA books I have read. She crosses the boundary of cute puppy love in a very, very good way. Thanks to this, her heroes are always capital H-O-T hot, and Alec fit this description to a T.

            Aside from the hero’s sexiness, this book amazed me because I was practically crying by the end of it. Gray did her research; everything about the titanic was believable, and the last few chapters had me feeling like I was actually there, reliving this tragic event. I even got chills at certain passages because they were so amazingly written.  

            This book was AMAZING, and gets 5 stars because I could barely put it down while I was reading. It’s equal parts exciting, sexy, and moving, which is a hard combination to find nowadays. I know I’ll be putting any new books by Claudia Gray on the top of my reading list from now on. If you haven’t read Fateful by Claudia Gray yet… Read it. Now.

Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Published: April 12th 2011; HarperCollins
359 pages

From Goodreads:

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.

My Rating:

4 stars 

 

Thoughts:
 

The YA genre has become overrun with books about werewolves (and other were-beings). Some people scoff at this and say they’ve lost faith in reading any of these books since they think they’re all just the same cut-and-paste story. I, on the other hand, love this abundance of books. Sure, some of them will be bad, but there will also be some amazing ones mixed in there too. As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

            The Gathering was one of these amazing finds. I read Armstrong’s Darkest Powers series a few years ago; I loved her writing style, and her series was one of the first ones I read that had a heroine who was a necromancer. In short, I had high expectations for The Gathering, and I wasn’t disappointed.

            The story starts off with the death of Maya’s best friend, Serena, and then fast-forwards to a year later. Maya has mostly moved on, and spends most of her time with Serena’s boyfriend, Daniel. Her life is mostly problem free, but the new guy, Rafe, won’t leave her alone.

            By far, my favorite part of this book was Maya herself, because there wasn’t a single point in this book where I had to question whether or not she had a brain. She was smart, and she didn’t swoon every time Rafe looked at her. All of the characters in this book were well thought out, and they didn’t fit perfectly into any stereotype.

            After the first few chapters of the book I expected there to be some budding romance between Maya and Daniel, since they were best friends and spent most of their time together. Surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be too much romance between them, but with this being a series I won’t be shocked if something does happen eventually (what can I say, I’m a fan of love triangles).

            The romance between Maya and Rafe was also a high point of the book, because it wasn’t an immediate “oh wow, I’m in love with you even though we just met” situation. Even by the end of the book there wasn’t any declaration that they were soul mates and they would be together forever. I can’t wait to see how their relationship develops in the next book.

Overall, I really liked this book. There were a few points where it dragged a little, but everything else about it was amazing. This book had a lot of setup for the next book (The Calling, which is out now!) so there were a lot of unanswered questions and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. If you’re looking for a great book, definitely read The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong.

Review: The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

From Goodreads:
If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave.

The first day of sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her. Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life.

Enter three stunning girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days.

While the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she willing to cross to get what she wants?

My Rating: 3 stars

Thoughts:

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers has me torn for multiple reasons. First of all, the sisterhood was original, and I really liked Olivia, Gil and Liza (though the descriptions of Liza as “big” didn’t really make sense to me). When I started reading this book I was expecting more of a cutesy contemporary YA romance where the heroine goes through a few trials before winning back the boy she loves. It was that kind of story in some ways, but it had a lot more magic than I thought it would (in a good way) so I was happily surprised.

On the other hand, the main character and her attempts at romance fell completely flat for me. Yes, it’s supposed to be tragic that Lucy’s boyfriend broke up with her, but after reading the first hundred pages or so, it made no sense why she was so obsessed with him in the first place. There weren’t any descriptions of him that showed his redeeming qualities, other than that he liked to take pictures, but Lucy still kept going after him. My main problem with this was that Lucy spent 95% of the book fantasizing about getting Alex back, so there wasn’t room for any actual romance in the book; there was potential for things to happen, but nothing ever did.

Luckily, this book improved after Lucy finally realized her ex was a dud (sadly, that wasn’t until there were only like 20 pages left in the book). I would give this book a higher rating if it weren’t for all of Lucy’s pointless attempts to win Alex back. But, her final realization was worth the wait, and while I can’t say I loved this book, it was still worth reading.   

Review: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

From Goodreads:

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

My Rating:
2 stars

Thoughts:

I started reading this book with a bit of skepticism, since mermaids are usually the subject of children’s books and little cutesy stories. There was the potential for this to twist that stereotype around and create its own original breed of mermaid (like the man-eating mermaids in Pirates of the Caribbean – they were awesome). Sadly, that isn’t the case in Forgive My Fins, which was a sometimes-painful mash up of an irritating heroine who uses cutesy ocean words in practically every other sentence (ex:  her heart was beating “flipper-fast”). The guy she was obsessed with had little to no merit, and it was obvious from the start what was going to happen by the end of the book. The thing that bugged me the most was when Lily goes back to her kingdom, and they had things that humans use, only their names had been slightly changed so they sounded like they came from the ocean. Mermaids eat sushi in this story (since rice would keep so well in ocean water…), but they use “seasticks”, which the heroine explains are the mermaid equivalent of chopsticks. Apparently if you change half of a word to “sea” then it’s automatically something that mermaids use. I’m not buying it.

                The only redeeming qualities about this book were certain points in the relationship between Quince and Lily, and the idea of “mermaid bonding”. Other than that, I had trouble finishing this book because it was mostly Lily complaining about the fact that Brody didn’t love her. That got old really fast.

The author’s writing style wasn’t bad, and that was probably one of the very few reasons why I was able to finish this book. I might be a little biased because I’m used to reading darker paranormal books, but the mermaids were just way too cutesy for me. With a lot of ironing out, this could be a good story. But before then, I wouldn’t recommend reading Forgive My Fins.

Review: The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

Summary:

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

My Rating:
4 stars

Thoughts:

                I loved this book. First off, Riley was just the right mix of spunky and interesting. She did what she wanted to do, and her decisions made sense (most of the time). The world Oliver created was believable, and I liked the intermingling of all different types of paranormal creatures throughout the story. There are witches, demon hunters, demon trappers (there’s a difference), demons, necromancers, and even hints at vampires, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night. And I loved the originality of demon trapping. Everything from the types of demons, and the way they were caught was unique, which made the story that much more interesting, since I didn’t really know what to expect.

Most of all, this book was interesting because it turned out to be so dark, but in a very good way. Horrible things kept happening to Riley (and I mean horrible) but her ability to pull through them made me like her that much more as a character. The part about this book that amazed me the most was that romance wasn’t a huge part of this book, and I still loved it (this is weird for me, because I usually get bored with books that aren’t romance centered – maybe it was just the promise of romance to come in the next books that kept me going). The only problems I had were that I had trouble keeping track of all the trappers, and Riley’s romance with Simon seemed to move kind of fast. Other than that, this book was amazing, and was a great start to what is sure to be an amazing series. I can’t wait to read the next book, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read an amazing YA book.  


Author's Site:
http://www.janaoliver.com/

Review: Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

From Goodreads:
Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

My Rating:

3 stars

Thoughts:

This book surprised me. I went into it expecting a run of the mill YA paranormal romance, with the dark and mysterious hero, and the heroine who just can’t seem to keep away from him. At certain points, it was just that, but at others it had just the right amount of originality. The first few chapters had me rolling my eyes and thinking “oh great, another book I’m not going to finish.” But I stuck with it, and I wasn’t disappointed. First off, I liked the fact that it wasn’t explicitly stated that Haden and Theia were soul mates. Lately, as soon as those two words come into play, it seems like the author doesn’t feel the need to add any chemistry between the main characters because they are “meant to be together”, and then poof! They’re in love. In Falling Under, Haden and Theia are sort of thrown into the same situation, but they still did their fair share of flirting, and got to know each other before being “in love”. Yes, the story was very clichéd at times, but the explanation for Haden and Theia’s “connection” was original (to me at least) and while I’m not going to say what it was, I will say that it was one of the high points of the story. Theia’s friends were a little too stereotypical at times, but I still liked them, nonetheless.

 I’m pretty sure that if I keep talking about this book I’m going to give too much away. So I’ll stop here and say that this book was a diamond in the rough. I know 3 stars seems kind of low if I'm saying I liked the book, but it was just the first half that made me hesitant give it a higher rating. It started out badly (an annoying heroine, clichés galore, etc.) but by the end of the book I was hooked, and I’m definitely going to read the sequel. If YA paranormal clichés make you want to scream and pull out your hair, you probably shouldn’t read Falling Under. BUT if you can get past them and want to read a good book with an interesting twist on the paranormal genre, then put Falling Under on your reading list.

Author's Site:

http://www.gwenhayes.com/

Review: Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

From Goodreads:

The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy work, and of course, the evil Knights.

Since the gripping conclusion of Once A Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother's prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice.

My Rating:
4 stars

Thoughts:

If you haven’t already read the prequel to Always a Witch (Once a Witch) then stop reading this post immediately and go get it from your library, or local bookstore.

 I read Once a Witch about a year ago, and was impressed with the story MacCullough had created.

Always a Witch matched up with its predecessor easily; Tamsin is still the same spunky character she was in the first book, and her relationship with Gabriel was stable, and didn’t overwhelm the entire story. It didn’t seem completely original that each of the witches had their own special power, and Tamsin’s ability was to block other people’s powers (sound familiar? *cough*Twilight*cough*) BUT, there were some pretty unique abilities. The plethora of aunts and uncles got a bit confusing at times, but all of them were pretty well developed – it didn’t feel like they were added in last minute.

 Overall, the book was great. You get a deeper look at the rivalry between the Greene's and the Knight's, which makes it all the more apparent why Tamsin is her family's only hope. I’m a sucker for books with time travel (especially to the 1800s), and I thought it was well done in Always a Witch. The book didn’t drag on forever, but it wasn’t rushed either, and when I finished it I didn’t feel like I’d been cheated by some ridiculous ending. Tamsin’s fulfillment of her grandmother’s prophecy wasn’t some grand realization that she had some amazing ability – her powers didn’t save her family, she did. If you are looking for a good book, I would definitely recommend Always a Witch, and its prequel.

Author's Site:
http://www.carolynmaccullough.com/main.html

Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

From the Cover:

Azalea is trapped.

Just when she should feel that everything is before her…beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing… it’s taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He’s trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

My Rating:

3 Stars

My Thoughts:

I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but I was first drawn to this book because of its amazing cover. Turns out, what was inside wasn’t half bad either. Entwined is based off the story of the 12 dancing princesses, and does a pretty good job of telling the Brothers Grimm tale, albeit with a few additions. I thought Dixon did a good job of creating the characters, especially with there being so many (12 princesses, plus everyone else). The addition of the Keeper was an interesting take on the story, since there wasn’t really any explanation of why the sisters had to dance every night in the Brothers Grimm tale. It was good, but the story did seem to drag on after a while, so I had trouble finishing it quickly (the same story could have fit into half as many pages if it hadn’t repeated itself so much). Also, the setting was pretty much 19^th century England remixed (but with different country names), so I felt like Dixon could have spent more time on world building to make the story more unique. Azalea bugged me at points because she was so determined to protect her family, but her decisions usually created more harm than help, or were completely accidental. Overall, I thought this was an okay book, and if you’re looking for a dystopian, fairytale-inspired story (and you’re not a huge stickler for world building), I would recommend it.

Here it is!

My first blog post! I made this blog in the hopes that I will read more of the books on my list if I'm excited to post reviews about them, and so I can share my love for reading with more people. If you're reading this, thanks for visiting! and whether not you were brought here on accident or on purpose, I hope you enjoy I Dream of Reading. :)