Release Date: February 12th, 2013
Genre: Romance, Mystery, Supernatural/Superpower
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 343
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

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

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

Blurb: HOLY CRAP I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

Review: I know that River already reviewed this and said pretty much all I am going to say. But I need to say it again: This book is amazing. It REALLY makes you think! First of all, I was not expecting it to be so... X-men like. I mean, they don't go around fighting bad guys, but they do have superpowers and go to a high school for people with super powers.

But that's not what makes this book truly amazing. The concept is just... so original. The idea that you can have two stories happening simultaneously to the same person is... mind blowing. Throw into that a murder mystery and some pretty cute boys, and you've got a winner.

One thing I especially loved was the rules that Kasie set up in the world. Although Addie can SEE the future, she understands that there really isn't anything she can do to CHANGE the future. There are so many uncontrollable details that go in to the future, that it's not like she says "I'll look at my future and if it sucks then I'll just fix it." This made for some great tension in the story. Ah! So much great tension!

The end of this book really blew me away. As in... I think pieces of my brain might still be scattered around from when my mind exploded. This book does not stick to standard romance conventions. Addie is forced to choose between her own happiness, and the happiness of others. And she might have to break some promises along the way. So good! If you want a more detailed/cohesive review, I would check out River's.

Other Reviews:

• Finding Bliss in Books (Loved it!)
• The Book Geek (It was okay)
• Mother/Gamer/Writer (Didn't Like It.)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: May 7th, 2013
Genre: Sci-fi, Apocalypse
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 480
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Blurb: I will never trust another human being again.

Review: Ho. Ly. Crow. This book blew my mind! And I hadn't realized it until I read it that there has been a distinct lack of aliens in the YA world (when compared to other paranormal creatures). NOT ANYMORE! The 5th Wave fills that hole and THEN some!

This was the kind of book that kept me up until 1 or 2 in the morning because I just kept saying "one more chapter. Okay. One more." Hence it's "Squeaky Book" designation. I found the characters compelling, the story absolutely engrossing, and the morality wonderfully complex.

I was especially pleased that Yancey did a wonderful job switching points of view and still keeping me engaged in EVERY story. Oftentimes switching PoV just frustrates me because there's only one story I care about. Not so with this book. Every time it switched viewpoints I thought, "Yay! They're back!"

If there's one thing that I have to say against this book (and the reason it got 4.5 flowers instead of 5) is that it does have quite a bit of profanity. Actually, it doesn't have all that much, but what it does have is extreme. The reason why that didn't totally throw me off is because my big problem is with pointless profanity. Now, I don't like profanity ever, but I can at least understand/tolerate it when the characters are under duress. And these characters were under a lot of duress.

All in all a FAAAABULOUS book. Yancey doesn't disappoint!

Other Reviews:

• Xpresso Reads (Loved it!)
• Speculating on SpecFic (It was okay)
• A Girl, a Boy and a Blog (REALLY Didn't Like It)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: May 21st, 2013
Genre: Bio-Punk (click here for details)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.

After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.

Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

Blurb: The awesomeness that is this book cannot be contained!

Review: I was planning waiting until closer to the review date to review this, but two months isn't that far, right? And I just can't hold back my feelings about this book!

This book grabs you from the first page. Seriously. I wasn't even 10 pages in before I knew that I needed to buckle up. I felt like I had stepped into a mix of the X-Men and Oceans 11 and it. was. awesome!

First of all, it was clear that Natalie had thought about this book in every way possible. Every single piece of this world was extremely well developed. One of my favorite parts was probably how Fiona thought of herself and how her childhood and development would have been so different since she was invisible. So often in books like this the characters have some kind of super-power and nothing is different in their lives. Not so in this book, each character not only had a power, but a clear way in which that power had affected their lives.

I also loved that the idea of having super-powers wasn't a secret. In every other super-hero show I've seen/book I've read the people with abilities have to remain a secret. Not in this world, nearly everyone has a power and everyone knows about it.

I also kinda... sorta... maybe... fell head over heels with one of the characters. There was a rough spot in which Fiona talked about her lame math teacher, but then HELLO cute math-tutor! He was so great. Again, a conflicted character because of his abilities and life, but he had overcome them to become awesome.

I thought this book was very well self-contained. It certainly works as a stand-alone. But I do wish that there was more. I would have loved to see what this super-ability world was like on a larger scale. This small piece of the world was so interesting that certainly the whole world must be even cooler. I want more!!

Other Reviews:

• I couldn't find any yet. Hopefully I'll be able to link to some soon!

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: January 8th, 2013
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 336
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

I hope y'all don't mind, but I'm going to ease myself back into reviewing with this shorter-ish review (not that my reviews are ever very long...)

Review: Wow. I was NOT expecting to like this book this much. I mean, I love serial killers and all, but it seemed like a pretty contemporary read. And to be honest, it was. The majority of this book reads like a standard contemporary novel, but that 20% that ISN'T contemporary... woah. That blew me away.

That's all I can really say without giving major spoilers. This book really messes with your head. It was SOOOOO good. However, it would have been 100 times better if the last line of the novel wasn't included. I don't like that the author doesn't think I'm smart enough to realize what's going on. (DO NOT READ THE LAST LINE BEFORE READING THE BOOK. IT WILL GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY!) And I wish this was a stand-alone.

Other than that, though. AH-MAZING!

Other Reviews:

• Emily's Reading Room (Loved it!)
• (It was okay) I couldn't really find people who thought it was just okay. They either loved it or hated it. If YOU thought it was "just okay," leave a link to your review!
• Wendy Darling (Didn't Like It)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Author: Laini Taylor
Narrator: Khristine Hvam
Genre: Supernatural/Middle Grade
Producer: HarperCollins Audio

Story Review: I adore this book. I love Karou with all my heart. She's such a strong character. And the whole world building of chimera vs. angel. I especially loved it because there is absolutely nothing religious about it. Angels are just another species, not heavenly beings. That was a cool take on it.

The twists were my favorites. There are so many twists in this book that I was gasping every other page. The characters are all so highly developed that they can't help but have twists!

There is some PG-13 stuff in there. Laini's books are always a little edgy. In terms of language, there is primarily the different uses of the a** word. And the book is about a war so there is a bit of violence. Most of it is in flash-back form, though, and fairly vague.

There isn't ANY drinking and drugs, but there IS sexual content. At the beginning the main character talks briefly about her regret over losing her virginity to a jerk. And near the end there's some talk of the leading man's old flame and them "loving" each other. This isn't explicitly sexual, only some short mentions of them not wearing clothes. It was awkward, but brief. And again, most of this stuff is flash-back-y, because the girl in question has been dead for years, so it's just him remembering their time together. This is only for the last 50 pages, and the reason why he's remembering is so sad and action-filled that it didn't bother me.

Audio Review: To be honest, at first I didn't think the narrator had a strong enough voice/personality to voice Karou. But by the end I felt like she had really grown into the character. The narrator was also really great at doing accents. She gave Brimstone a Carribbean accent, which I never would have thought of myself but totally fit him! Definitely glad I listened to the audiobook before reading the second one. The refresher was great and the listening was a pleasure!

Release Date: February 7th, 2013
Genre: Romance, Dystopia
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 464
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Lunar Chronicles #2 (Review of #1)
Summary (Spoilers, highlight to view):

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Blurb: Original, French, and a non-stop jaw-drop.

Review: So I already loved the first book in this series, and I wasn't sure that Marissa could top it. Oh me of little faith, she did a lot more than top it.

What made this book so great (aside from the fact that it had lots of Frenchy things. That always makes a book a lot better for me) was how original it was. Many people complained about how Cinder was too much like the original tale, or too predictable. Well, I'll tell you right now that this book is NEITHER of those things.

While Cinder was a fairly close retelling of Cinderella, Scarlet really is its own book. And Scarlet herself certainly isn't a wimpy chick like the girl from Little Red Riding Hood. The girl carries a handgun in the waistband of her pants 24/7. That's pretty hardcore. And the wolf... well, let's just say that Wolf isn't exactly what he seems. He's a very conflicted character/villain. And you know how I love conflicted characters/villains.

I think I've covered the major points. If you haven't yet read Cinder you totally should. And if you have and you didn't like it for either of the reasons I mentioned before, you should still give Scarlet a go. I dunno what happened, but Marissa's writing improved a lot in between these two books, and it was already great so that's saying something.

Other Reviews:

• TC closer to the release date. (I couldn't find any other reviews in my GoodReads friend list! If you have a review, leave a link in the comments and maybe I'll link to you!)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Genre: Romance, Dystopia
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Pages: 512
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Matched #3 (Review of #1, #2)
Summary (Spoilers, highlight to view):

After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

Blurb: A fantastic book that stays true to the very end.

Review: This book is fantastic. I stays true to what *I* believe is the true purpose of this book, and that is the characters and the way they react to the situations they are put in. This is NOT a plot-driven trilogy. YES, it has an awesome plot, but it comes second to the even more awesome characters. If you don't love the characters, I'm not sure you'll love this book because you aren't on a constant chase across the world with danger at every turn. And if you're expecting answers to all of your questions about the world of the book, you'll probably be disappointed.

Once again, Ally does an amazing job of making me think. We see A LOT more of the Rising in this book, and readers are forced to decide whether or not the Rising is actually good. It's very similar to how the Society looked bad/good (depending on who you are) but wasn't quite so black and white on closer examination. Nothing is handed to you on a silver platter in this book, you have to work for it. And I think that's beyond awesome.

Finally, I loved how the relationships shook out. Did everyone end up with who I wanted them to end up with? No. Certainly not. But was every choice made believable? Absolutely. To the very end Ally stayed true to her characters, her story, and her world. I have nothing but undying respect for authors who do that. And respect turns to adoration since I loved the book she stayed true to.

Thank you, Ally! I can't wait to see what you give us next!

Other Reviews:

• TBA

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: April 28th, 2009
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 362
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Kingdom of Xia #2
Summary (Spoilers, highlight to view):

The Gods have abandoned Ai Ling.

Her mysterious power haunts her day and night, and she leaves home--with just the moon as her guide--overwhelmed by her memories and visions and an unbearable sense of dread. For Ai Ling knows that Chen Yong is vulnerable to corrupt enchantments from the under-world. How can she do nothing when she has the skill and power to fight at his side? A dream has told her where he is, the name of the ship he is traveling on, his destination. So she steals off and stows away on board.

The ocean voyage brings with it brutal danger, haunting revelations, and new friendships, but also the premonition of a very real and terrifying threat. Zhong Ye--the powerful sorcerer whom Ai Ling believed she had vanquished in the Palace of Fragrant Dreams--is trapped in Hell, neither alive nor dead. Can he reach from beyond the grave to reunite with Silver Phoenix and destroy Chen Yong? And destroy whatever chance Ai Ling has at happiness, at love?

Blurb: Best. Villain. Ever.

Review: I loved this book even more than the first. It's a parallel story line one taking place in the present, the other many years in the past. When you break down the two parallel stories into their parts very little happens; but when you put this book together with the first it is an amazing ride.

I think this book is best read right after Silver Phoenix. My only complaint with SP was that it went too fast and didn't focus enough on the details. My only complaint with this one was that it didn't have as much adventure as the first. Put them together, and you have the perfect book.

Although less fantastical and "epic," Fury of the Phoenix is the epitome of masterful character creation. I think I will now dub Cindy Pon the master of creating the sympathetic villain. By the end of this book I WAS IN LOVE WITH THE VILLAIN! When does THAT ever happen?!

Seriously. So good.

Other Reviews (most contain spoilers!):

• The Mod Podge Bookshelf (Loved it!)
• Bibliophilic Monologues (It was okay)
• Epor (Didn't like it)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: April 28th, 2009
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 338
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Kingdom of Xia #1
Summary:

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.

Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.

Blurb: LOVE! Beautiful setting, beautiful characters, beautiful book.

Review: I LOVED this book! Thanks so much to Megan for being such a big fan and getting me to read it.

First of all, what I ADORED was the setting. I loved how everything in Ai Ling's world balanced on the tip of "normal" and magical. She would only occasionally see creatures that we would think of as "fantastic" and sometimes she reacted calmly, and other times it was clearly a shock. It really made me want to dive into this world and discover its secrets. Is magic common? What kind of creatures roam the land? And a map! I need a map! You know I love a setting if I need a map. The only things I strugged with were names. They were all like Ai Ling, Li Rong, Wai Pen, etc. I actually can't tell you from memory what the love interest's name was because my brain just couldn't wrap itself around that kind of names. Doesn't mean I didn't like it; it just confused me.

Even though I couldn't grasp their names, the characters in this book were GREAT! I found the romantic and friendship relationships completely authentic. I really was invested in these characters. When bad things happened to them my heart broke. When marvelous things happened, I felt my eyes widen in wonder. I loved them! It was them interacting with that wonderful setting that made this book truly amazing.

My ONLY complaint is that it seemed to go by really fast. Every time we're introduced to something fantastic we only see it for a few pages, then the characters move on! TAKE A MINUTE! Yes, I know that monster is trying to kill you, but can you just hold still a minute so I can examine it? There was one time where these "worm demons" attack and they were only there for like, two pages! The characters were like "oh, run away!" And then when they escaped they simply said "those were worm demons," and moved on. I WANT TO KNOW MORE! Seriously. If I could have had an illustrated encyclopedia of all things Xia I would be happy.

As a note: there is A LOT of sexual content in this book. At least, a lot for me. None of it is very graphic, but it is all VERY plainly stated.

Other Reviews:

• Candace's Book Blog (Loved it!)
• Chachic's Book Nook (It was okay)
• One Librarian's Book Reviews (Didn't like it)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: August 21st, 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 336
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Princess Academy #2
Summary: (Spoilers, highlight to view)

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting . . . until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should" help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where "Princess Academy" left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.

Blurb: "Holy cow. Holy holy cow. If there ever was a holy cow, I’m invoking said cow now." ~Shannon Hale

Review: I adored this book. No joke. Loved it. I think I may even love it more than the first one. Shall I tell you why?

First of all, the characters were BRILLIANT. Shannon masterfully managed to weave together so many lives that I loved all the characters, especially Miri. I loved watching Miri grow and learn. In the first book Miri became book-smart, and now we get to see her become street-smart and it's just as wonderful.

Another reason? I don't think this book would win the Newberry. Why? Because it's much more plot-driven than Princess Academy. And honestly, I prefer that. Even if you were to take out all of Shannon's writing ability and look at this book JUST AS A STORY, it would still be awesome. Put Shannon's writing in, and it becomes amazing. This one just has such higher stakes than the first one. And the first one had pretty high stakes.

Was it perfect? Well... I'm afraid to call anything perfect. There was a slight love-triangle introduced, and Miri and Peder went through a little bit of sequel-phase, which I'm never a fan of. But honestly, there was very little I didn't like. Shannon has wowed me once again. You should go read these books now so you can be wowed too. Okay? Okay.

Other Reviews:

• Emily's Reading Room (Loved it!)
• Hope, Love, and Happy Endings (It was okay)
• TBA (Didn't like it)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: September 13th, 2011
Genre: Fantasy, Romance (Adult, but would very much appeal to mature teen readers)
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 387
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Blurb: Dreamlike. This book changed the way I think.
Review: Really, this book can be described in just that one word: dreamlike. The way that the romance, magic, and circus are all woven together makes the reader feel like they are floating along in the story. I felt like I was walking through the circus as I read. I would oftentimes say "oh!" out loud as I discovered something new and enchanting.

Morgenstern is a master storyteller. The book is not very linear. There are multiple storylines happening at once, and they aren't all happening in the same time period; but by the end all of the stories converge in the same time, same place, and it's magical.

What makes this book under "adult"? Well, for one thing the characters are definitely all adults. There are some adult themes (the mentors of the two children are... unkind. Not graphically so, but unkind nonetheless). There is one sexual encounter (again, not graphic, but also very obvious). And the book (true to its dreamlike nature) moves very slowly. You float from one idea to the next, and you'll gather up a lot of questions along the way. The answers to those questions take longer in coming. This might be frustrating to some people. But I definitely think a mature teen reader would certainly be able to handle this book.

Speaking of frustrating, there were only two things that I would have liked to see in this book: 1) I wish we could have actually gone into the characters heads a little bit more. Sometimes they would say "I did this for you." But we don't know why they thought the other party would like it. 2) The magic was very... undefined. I'm still not sure exactly how they did the magic. The rules were confusing.

BUT, perhaps if those two things had been changed, it would have lost its dream-like quality. That would be mucho-not-good-o.

The people who interacted with me while I was reading this book know how much I love it. This is one of those books that I would run to the nearest person and say "Do you have a minute? I have to tell you what just happened!" and then I'd spend the next hour explaining the entire book so far, as well as my theories. It's a rare book that makes me do that (I can't remember doing it this much since Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). And this book is rare. And amazing.


*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: June 5th, 2012
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Pages: 368
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart

Blurb: How can so much awesome be packed into one book?

Review: This book was AMAZING. I was going to wait until closer to the release date to tell you exactly how amazing it was, but I just couldn't. I've never read anything quite like it. Let me tell you about all the awesomeness it contains:

It has a lot of high-fantasy flair, with great Russian roots. It doesn't take place in Russia, so you don't need to know anything about Russian culture to get it. Always a plus. But it allowed for some BEAUTIFUL imagery and language-building. Oh! I love the setting and language so much! Granted, the language was a little confusing at first, but there's a guide at the beginning that tells you the most important words you need to know. And after the first few chapters you start to get the hang of it.

The characters were engaging and easy to sympathize with. I loved Alina. Yes, she's quite a bit self-deprecating at times, but I can understand why she would be. In her world the people of power can magic themselves into looking beautiful, therefore there's this idea that if you aren't extremely beautiful you aren't powerful. Makes sense that she would have some self-esteem issues. And her issues were totally believable. Watching her resolve them and come into her own made me so happy!

Also, the villain was awesome. The whole time you're reading the book you think you know who the villain is, but then something happens that makes you doubt yourself, and by the time the villain is actually revealed you're on the edge of your seat! My head is STILL spinning from this!

The same thing goes for the love interests. Yes, I said love interestS, as in plural. But for all of you rolling your eyes and such, Bardugo manages to stick in two love interests WITHOUT creating a love triangle. GENIUS! And the romance was there, but subtle. I would definitely classify this book as a fantasy, and not a romance. Sure, it's got some romance in it, as most great stories do, but it didn't overpower the plot. It was subtle, and beautiful.

So there you go. I adored it. It was amazing. You all need to pre-order it right now and shower Leigh with love. That is all.

Oh, wait, one more thing: There's some summary floating around the internet that describes this book as "The most compelling romance since Twilight." I'm currently on a personal quest to hunt down all of these summaries. Please ignore them.

UPDATE: Leigh just posted today that books 2 & 3 have titles and you can win a personalized copy of Shadow & Bone! Go forth and do: CLICK HERE.


Other Reviews:

• Paperback Dolls (Loved it!)
• The Readventurer (It was okay)
• Steph Su (Some Spoilers, Didn't like it)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: March 22nd, 2011
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Publisher: Philomel
Pages: 344
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously-and at great risk-documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.

Blurb: I feel like my soul has been put through a paper shredder and then glued back together. Amazing. Amazing.

Review: Now, I had absolutely no desire to read this book. But Emily wanted someone to go meet Ruta with, so I grudgingly borrowed my grandmother's copy.

Ho. Ly. Cow. I'm usually not a big historical fiction fan, but when I like them I like them hard. Guys. I like this book hardcore. We hear a lot about what happened to the Jews and the Germans in WWII, but I've never read a book about the Soviets and Lithuanians. I get my Axis and Allies all mixed up, and so I was floored when I found out about 80% into the book that the "bad guys" were allied with the Americans! Hello, Enna! Your ignorance is showing.

Lina is a great narrator. She's such a powerful character. She's got spunk, and charisma, and an unwavering spirit. She was able to be strong, and still human. She broke down sometimes, she wasn't perfect, but she always knew when to pick herself back up. If there's ever a fictional character I want in my corner, it'd be her.

Please, if you don't know much about this side of WWII (or even if you do) PICK UP THIS BOOK. It is beautiful and it will open your eyes.

HOWEVER, the ending is very unsatisfying! Usually I'd be okay with that because it would mean there was another book coming, but the end of the book is followed by an epilogue that vaguely ties up the loose ends. Enough to close the story, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity! Again, I could spend another hundred or more pages with these characters. Ruta talked about why she ended the way she did (she didn't want the ending to be corny or false), and I guess I can understand where's she's coming from, but... I WANT MORE!

Other Reviews:

• The Story Girl (Loved it!)
• The Night Bookmobile (It was okay)
• Venn Librarian (Didn't like it)

 

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: March 13th, 2012
Genre:  Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 488
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: The Dark Divine #3 (Review of #1, #2)
Summary (Spoilers, highlight to view):

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.

Blurb: A strong heroine. Believable love story. A great ending to a wonderful series.

Review: I've been in love with this series even before I met Bree (who's a Utah author!). It's amazing. The first book had me completely surprised, the second had me screaming for more, and the third totally satisfied me.

Here's what I love about this book: Grace is treated like an equal. In so many paranormal books the girl is treated as an inferior. She isn't allowed into battle because her love interest is too worried about her. No chance of this happening here. Daniel and Grace are 100% equals. If he goes to battle, she's right on his heels and he's glad to have her. I love that! For being werewolves, their relationship sure is healthy.

This book also delves more into religion. What captivated me in Bree's first book and continues to do so here is her ability to deal with religion in a way that is neither offensive nor cheesy. Grace is really trying to develop her relationship with God, but the book never explicitly states what is right and wrong. Neary anyone can read this and relate to Grace regardless of personal religion. That's so rare in a book. Usually those who are religious are so religious that unless you think EXACTLY like they do you can't relate, or they're shown as crazy, evil people. None of that here!

There were a few things in this book that might be considered deus ex machina, but I think Bree handled them very well. She created a lot of problems she had to solve, and some were solved a little easily but still believably. The one regret I have is that I didn't re-read the first two books before reading this one. It took me a while to remember who everyone was, which made it hard for me to enjoy the first few chapters. I'd recommend reading all of these in one fell swoop if I were you. Lots of names and places to remember.

All in all a fabulous end to a fabulous series. It is paranormal romance, which I know many of you are sick of, but it's one of the best PnRs I've had the pleasure of reading. It's got a lot more depth than most and I LOVE it.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Genre:  Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Philomel
Pages: 406
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Nightshade #3 (Review of #1, #2)
Summary (Spoilers, highlight to view):

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

Blurb: I don't think this series could have ended any better, even if it means some people are unhappy.

Review: Ah, the end of a series. Always so hard to read, and I imagine hard to write. Especially when  you've created a pretty killer love triangle. I'm team Ren, by the way. I think Shay is a whiny baby.

Speaking of whiny babies, let's talk about the things I DIDN'T like first. There's really only one: Calla. It really bothered me how unfaithful she was, to EITHER guy. She's always thinking about having sex with one of them, and then feeling bad about it, and then lusting after the other. It drove me BONKERS. And Shay was still a whiny baby.

Also, I feel like ther was A LOT crammed into this book. Calla and Shay are looking for things (very horcrux-like actually) and it takes them, what? maybe 3 days to find all of them? A chapter for each? I would have MUCH rather had another book in this series that took a little longer to work this part out, rather than cramming it all into this book.

But what makes this book AWESOME is the different relationships and the ending. There's a whole lot of love happening in this book-- platonic, romantic, and familial-- and it was all pretty awesome. And the ending... hm. To be honest, I had to give myself time to think about whether I loved or hated the ending. I decided on love (though hate is just under the surface). She ended it in such a way that really made me think. And I liked that. I can't say much for fear of spoilers, but let's just say that I think almost everyone (in the book at least) ends up where they should be.

So even though I didn't like Calla, she was balanced by her other characters. And Shay actually did become a little less whiny. All of the negatives in this book were far outweighed by the positives. Sometimes there's a danger of getting invested in a series and then loving it UNTIL the last book, and then you feel like you've wasted your time. Not so with this series. It started out awesome, and it ends awesome. Not perfect, but still pretty awesome.

Did I mention awesome?



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Genre:  Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 390
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Blurb: Totally unique, and totally awesome

Review: WOW! This book was GOOD! For some reason, when I first read the summary I was turned off. I don't know why. But when I had the chance to go to a private Q&A with the author, I figured I should probably read her book. I'm so glad I did!

An upfront warning: this book is totally predictable. Totally. As in, you'll see the major twist coming pretty much from the beginning. Does that take away from the good-ness of the book? Not at all!

One of the things I loved about this book is that, even aside from being sci-fi, Marissa wasn't afraid to make the fairy-tale her own. This book isn't predictable because it follows the original/Disney Cinderella. She has so many more things that make it unique. Moon-people with "magic" powers, a robot helper (instead of mice), and a stepsister who actually likes her! So fun! One of my pet-peeves is when fairy-tale "retellings" are SO close to the original story that it's a stretch to call them a "retelling."

Marissa does a great job incorporating the sci-fi elements into the story. She doesn't bog you down with egregious details on how the different mechanics work, but I believe all the tech she does describe. It was also easy to like the prince. There was no insta-love, and Cinder certainly isn't one to swoon, but there certainly was some chemistry going on there. Literally.

All-in-all a really great read, and I'm so excited that the next three books already have titles and release dates! All of the books will star Cinder as the main character, but will also share a POV with another fairy-tale heroine. Scarlet (2013) will take place in France with Little Red Riding Hood, Cress (2014) will take place ON THE MOON with Rapunzel, and Winter (2015) will take place in the Sahara Desert with Snow White. Cool, eh? Clearly the publisher sees some pretty serious talent in Marissa if they've already taken her on for FOUR books in FOUR years. And I don't blame them. She rocks, and so does Cinder.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.