Review Of: The Force Of Gravity

"I blast the stereo in a vain attempt to drown out my thoughts. I don’t want to be thinking about him and analyzing every detail of first period. It makes me feel like a young, foolish girl, and I’m embarrassed that I can’t control the way my body reacts every time his eyes meet mine."

In a quiet town in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, everything in life is seemingly perfect for eighteen-year-old Kaley Kennedy. She has loving parents, loyal friends, and is dating the hottest boy in school. With only a few months left of her senior year, she’s looking forward to an epic summer before heading off to Los Angeles for college.

Without warning, a gorgeous new math teacher interrupts Kaley’s predictable little world, challenging who she is. Suddenly, parties, dates, and Friday nights with her friends seem empty and unfulfilling as she finds herself obsessing over his every move. Desperate for something more, but determined to ignore her fierce attraction, every single relationship in her life begins to crumble by forces beyond her control. Struggling to transition from adolescence to adulthood, Kaley must choose between playing it safe or risking more than just her heart. . . 

At about the 50% mark I was standing on the edge trying to decide if I really wanted to finish this book or not.  I really thought I wouldn't but by some miracle I was able to push through and make it to the finish line.

I have no problem reading teacher/student relationship but the way TFOG is written made it really hard to trudge through.  Really I should say it was the characters that made it hard for me to accept their reality. Our MC Kaley is 18 and Mr. Slate is only 25 so the age gap isn't creepy at all.  Mr. Slate takes over Kaley's math class in March of her senior year so it's not as if they forever till Kaley graduates.  All of those facts combine to make it possible to read TFOG without feeling icky about it. What makes it hard to get through is the fact that Kaley is a very immature 18.  From her fights with her friends and boyfriend (yeah, she has a boyfriend who is very much her age) to the grudges she holds against her parents she shows how young her thought process really is.  There were a couple of instances where I really thought Slate would come to his senses and call her out on her child like tantrums. He didn't. Because he thinks she's amazing baby. *Eye roll*

If her immaturity wasn't enough, they're lust filled relationship definitely sealed the deal.  Remember how I said he took over the class in March? Yeah, from day one Kaley couldn't think or act straight around him, beginning the cringe worthy moments that would stay present for me throughout the whole book.  Which, this is one thing I don't understand.  Why is it these girls can't control themselves in the face of their crush? Pull yourselves together ladies, it is possible to lust after someone without revealing yourself and making yourself look a fool. Lordy.  Kaley isn't the only one to blame though because Mr. Slate falls head over heels for Kaley the moment she walks into class.  From that moment on they are both doomed.  They call it love but it is soo lust.  They know nothing about each other, not even by the end of the book! And the declaration he makes at the end? Ha! Give me a break.  I would give them maybe 6 months in the real world before the whole thing fell apart! And that's being optimistic!

Obviously,  I didn't like the Force of Gravity.  Does that mean you shouldn't try it? No, but don't say I didn't warn you!

Review Of: Anna and the French Kiss

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

Oh Anna. How do I explain my feelings for you?

I really wanted to love Anna and the French Kiss as I've heard nothing but good things about the whole series.  I didn't hate it, but I feel pretty impartial to it.  I think that if the main couple weren't a bunch of cheaters and hypocrites I would have had a better bond with them resulting in me feeling a better connection to the story. 

If I separate the facts from the love story it is very charming, it's also in no way an instant love type of situation which helped with my opinion of the overall book. Anna and St. Clair's relationship builds up over time, from acquaintances to friends to best friends to love.  It was fun and heartfelt watching their relationship bloom, if only they would have waited until St. Clair had ended things with his girlfriend!

There were secondary characters present and while they don't completely fade into the background there isn't a whole lot of interaction between them and Anna.  I believe a few of them will pop up in the next books but I can't say that after Anna I'm left wondering what happens with them.

Overall, Anna and the French Kiss is an enjoyable contemporary romance about a girl making her place in a new world and gaining friendship as well as love along the way.  If you don't hold tight to your morals I'm sure you will enjoy reading Anna's story.

Review Of: The Stars Never Rise

Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

Oh, how amazing this book was.  There were so many twists and surprises that I didn't expect, at all, which totally added to my enjoyment The Stars Never Rise.

I've read my fair share of books about angels and I'm no stranger to stories involving demons but this was a whole new take on the whole thing. The writing and pacing was fantastic, the characters unique in their own right and the love aspect....a challenge that I am dying to see play out.

 

I really don't want to say too much for fear of giving away things that I enjoyed being surprised by. For what it's worth, I completely loved the book and can't wait for the next installment!

Review Of: Salt and Blood

“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”

These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.

Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.

As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt.

I was really, really looking forward to Salt and Blood.  Horror plus romance = my favorite thing. 

The first few chapters seemed to be heading in the right direction, but, then the rest of the book happened. Sadly, Salt and Blood left me feeling bored in both the romance and horror departments.  I didn't really feel anything between Dane and Ash, I didn't get goosebumps from the corn, and the ending left me feeling like I had completely wasted my time.  It did pick up towards the last few chapters and I started to feel excited but how things are wrapped up throws all the good parts out the window.  

I obviously liked it enough to finish it, which is saying something, but I figure in a few days most of the details will fade away.  As much as I would like to know how things finally end up, I seriously doubt that I pick up the second book.

Review Of: What I Thought Was True

Gwen Castle has never so badly wanted to say good-bye to her island home till now: the summer her Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, takes a job there as the local yard boy. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

I absolutely adored Huntley Fitzpatrick's My Life Next Door so I was super excited to get my hands on her next book What I Thought Was True.  I had to stop and start the book twice, a year apart, before I could finally force myself to finish it.  I don't know if it was that I didn't like the characters or the story itself but something kept me from falling in love with the book.

Gwen is trying to find herself, she's struggling with the fact that she doesn't have a set plan for the future whereas it seems like her best friend and cousin both have their future's mapped out.  All Gwen knows is that she desperately wants to leave town rather than find herself stuck like her parents and grandparents. At the end of the book, while a lot of things have changed, everyone still seems to know what they're going to do except Gwen.  In fact, Gwen doesn't really make a whole bunch of decisions aside from whether or not she is going to give Cassidy (love interest) a second chance, or really, a first chance.  The entire time she seems hell bent on thinking of Cass as an ass but at the same time pines after him like a love sick puppy.  When we have enough of a flash back memory to piece the whole story together (because to be truthful we as the reader have no idea what is going on for most of the book) it turns out that  Cass really didn't do a whole lot to deserve Gwen's wrath. And the advice from Gwen's dad? Not that fantastic....not even that much of a lead up to it other than the mention in the summary.

Whatever the reason, What I Thought Was True and I just didn't see eye to eye.  Even so I'm not giving up on Fitzpatrick, she has proven that she can write a book that I love, this just wasn't it.

Review Of: Roomies

Graham Malone is my roommate, my personal eye candy, the reason I get up in the morning smiling (that could be from the illicit dreams I have about him too, I suppose. Let's move on.). He's also beautiful to look at, but his heart is where his true beauty lies. Take away the exterior and the interior still shines. 

I love him. I mean, I'm pretty sure I do, having never been in love before. Anyway, it seems legit. 

And now his brother Blake is here, and, well, he's the complete opposite of Graham. Sarcastic, brooding, and totally available. But he's leaving soon, and Graham's the one I want. I shouldn't have to remind myself of this, right? I wouldn't have to if Blake would quit looking at me like I'm something yummy and he's starving.

Here's a toast to roomies; the ones you should never fall in love with. Or something.

Yes, Roomies could be classified as your generic, over done, love triangle contemporary but I can't hold that against it because it was so adorkable (yeah, I just made that up). 

Yes, it drove me insane that Kennedy and Graham could not see what was in front of them but they were so fun to watch/read that I can forgive them their shortcomings.  

Yes, Kennedy"s inner monologue took a couple of chapters for me to wrap my brain around it, in fact it borders on annoying, but she is so full of sass and attitude and sarcasm... I loved it and her.  

So while I don't have a lot to say about Roomies I do believe it's worth a read, especially if you're in the mood for a short and easy to get through story about two people who were made for each other.

Review Of: Something Real

There’s nothing real about reality TV.

Seventeen-year-old Bonnie™ Baker has grown up on TV—she and her twelve siblings are the stars of one-time hit reality show Baker’s Dozen. Since the show’s cancellation and the scandal surrounding it, Bonnie™ has tried to live a normal life, under the radar and out of the spotlight. But it’s about to fall apart…because Baker’s Dozen is going back on the air. Bonnie™’s mom and the show’s producers won’t let her quit and soon the life she has so carefully built for herself, with real friends (and maybe even a real boyfriend), is in danger of being destroyed by the show. Bonnie™ needs to do something drastic if her life is ever going to be her own—even if it means being more exposed than ever before.

This book.  This booook.  Seriously, you all NEED this book.

I started Something Real in the afternoon, I didn't put Something Real down until I finished it at 12am that night...  a work night... That's kinda a big deal, considering now that I have kids and never get decent sleep, I don't allow myself to stay up late.

Chloe aka Bonnie, I frigging loved her. She was so real, she was so brave, she deserves a better mother. Which brings me to Beth. I flipping hate Beth.  Repulsive human being.

Luckily, Chloe has carved out a small place for herself in her new town so she has this amazing support system. Not to mention her amazing brother Benny and her hunk of a boy crush Patrick. What I'm trying to say is that the character relationships rocked and filled me with the warm fuzzies and helped combat the stabby feeling I was having towards Beth.

The whole premise of this book is that Chloe's family is the center of this "reality" tv show, Baker's Dozen. People everywhere spend their time watching, reading, and tweeting anything and everything that has to do with the Baker's Dozen. Chloe and her siblings have all grown up in the camera eye, as in from birth.  Much like our very own Jon and Kate Plus 8 phenomenon.  Chloe has grown to hate it and blames it for breaking up her family, rightfully so I believe.  Chloe brings to light a whole lot of reality about how warped our societies obsession with all things reality has become. I feel this quote in particular sums up everything in life right now. Seriously.

Granted, I'm agreeing with this quote as I sit here typing a review that I will eventually make public, after having just shot off an instagram picture about writing said post. Irony.

Something Real is full of witty and sarcastic conversations while touching on some serious issues.  It ends in a way that keeps it grounded and feeling relatable; things don't always wrap up nicely in life. I completely recommend this book to everyone and highly suggest you get to it sooner rather than later.

Review Of: Shadow and Bone

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.

Recommended For:
People who enjoy fantasy aspects and who are ok with romance being involved.  Shadow and Bone has the same feel as Throne of Glass it just isn't as long.

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I seriously loved this book....I seem to be saying that a lot but what can I say? Shadow and Bone was truly a remarkable story start to finish. 

Leigh Bardugo does an excellent job of painting the scene and immersing her readers into this world of fantasy.  From the characters to the rich Grisha aspect everything seemed completely fleshed out and well composed.

One thing I really kind of enjoyed is the fact that I never knew who to trust or what certain characters intentions were.  It actually left me feeling betrayed at times.. Weird thing to enjoy, I know, but what I'm saying is that I truly ended  up feeling like a part of the story.  Alina's suspicions were my suspicions, her betrayal my betrayal, her loneliness my loneliness.  I love books that can make me feel all the feels with the characters.

Shadow and Bone is just the beginning of Alina and Mal's journey and I can't wait to continue it with Siege and Storm.

Review Of: A Thousand Pieces Of You

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Recommended For:

People who like their romance with a side of sci-fi and adventure.

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I must admit I didn't start out liking A Thousand Pieces Of You.   In fact, I started it several months ago only to put it back on the shelf.  I'm so glad I gave it another chance, it was well worth it.  

I feel like I should point out the fact that I don't like sci-fi....I mean cut and dry sci-fi.  It bores me. So what bothered others about this book didn't bother me.  Some readers were expecting more sci-fi and scientific explanations.  Whereas I was looking for a romance with a sci-fi feel.  I don't need explanations on how things work, if the author tells me the characters can fly then I believe them and I don't ask why or how.

The whole idea of dimensional travel is unique to me, so much so that I had to remind myself that they weren't just traveling back in forth in time but different realities.  At the same time it was relatively easy to follow along with so I didn't have to spend a whole lot of time thinking about it. 

It is my duty to warn you that there is a love triangle...of sorts...you'll see what I mean. However none of the love is instant, the characters have grown up, in a way, with each other so they have plenty of background to fall on.

While there were plenty of twists and turns that I had no idea were coming there was one fact that I guessed from the beginning and I'm so glad I was right!  Nonetheless it was a nerve wracking journey to the end, and the end was just the beginning!

Goodreads Archive Review: Split Second by Kasie West

SPLIT SECOND

PIVOT POINT #2

Author: Kasie West

Publication Date: 02/11/2014

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Science Fiction, Paranormal

The Sweet Trilogy by Wendy Higgins

SWEET EVIL THE SWEET TRILOGY #1 Author: Wendy Higgins Publication Date: 05/01/2012 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Paranormal, Romance   Embrace the Forbidden

 

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?


 

 

SWEET PERIL

THE SWEET TRILOGY #2

Author: Wendy Higgins

Publication Date: 04/30/2013

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Paranormal, Romance

 

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

SWEET RECKONING

THE SWEET TRILOGY #3

Author: Wendy Higgins

Publication Date: 04/29/2014

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Paranormal, Romance

 

It’s time.

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom.

    Pictures and Summaries from Goodreads     REVIEW  

Mmm, I just love yummy forbidden romances with hot, sexy man candy ...The Sweet Trilogy does not disappoint.

It's an exciting, suspensful, and swoonworthy tale told from the POV of Anna, a teenage girl who quickly learns she is anything BUT normal.  Anna's character seemed very relatable.  She loves her friends and her mom and is constantly putting the well being of her family before herself. 

It was easy to get wrapped up in the story and with each book I quickly found myself unable to put it down.  While a lot of the focus is on Anna and Kaidan there is still this huge conflict going on throughout all three books that have Anna and her rockstar supporting cast fighting for their lives.

I will admit that in the third book Anna started to annoy me a little.  She never came off as a ditzy blonde until Sweet Reckoning.  I don't know if it was because certain things happened allowing her to feel deliriously happy or what.  All I know is that I wasn't a fan of her personality for the first half of the book.  It doesn't take long though before she's back to her tough self.

By the end of the third book everything comes to a dramatic end and I was left feeling like the story was complete.  It's a series that I know I will reread, I highly recommend

 

  ~ Goodreads ~

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

FANGIRL Author: Rainbow Rowell Publication Date: 09/10/2013 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary, Romance    

 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan.... But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she's really good at it. She and her twin, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fanfiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.

Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words...and she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

    Picture and Summary from Goodreads     REVIEW  

I absolutely adored this book!! Fangirl is filled with adorable, cutesy moments but also holds depth and meaning. The relationships that fill this book are complicated and deep but also full of love and emotion. I seriously loved almost ALL of the characters, I loved their interactions and banter, I could feel everything Cath was going through and felt like I was going through it with her. Following Cath on her journey to find herself, independently from her sister Wren, was at times heartbreakin...moreI absolutely adored this book!! Fangirl is filled with adorable, cutesy moments but also holds depth and meaning. The relationships that fill this book are complicated and deep, full of love and emotion. I seriously loved almost ALL of the characters, I loved their interactions and banter, I could feel everything Cath was going through and felt like I was going through it with her. Following Cath on her journey to find herself, independently from her sister Wren, was at times heartbreaking. She's kind of thrown into the situation by force and at times has a hard time staying afloat. Cath felt very real to me; her struggles, her anxieties, her fear of change..it all spoke to me. I felt like I was living through her. To me it's an amazing book when I can relate to a character so well that I feel like they are a part of me. Fangirl is beautifully written and when the end comes around you feel completed, even if you are sad that it's over. This has easily become one of my favorites of all time.   Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

EVERNEATH Author: Brodi Ashton Publication Date: 01/24/2012 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Mythology

 

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.

  Picture and Summary from Goodreads     REVIEW

 

I loved this book! I put off reading it for so long and I'm super mad at myself for it! At first I was completely confused thinking surely there was a book before this one but no the story just starts off after a century in the Everneath which turns out to be six months on the surface (Earth). Needless to say there is some catching up that has to take place and while that can be a slow process in this case it wasn't. I was instantly hooked from chapter one and couldn't stop until the end and now...moreI loved this book! I put off reading it for so long and I'm super mad at myself for it! At first I was completely confused thinking surely there was a book before this one but no the story just starts off after a century in the Everneath which turns out to be six months on the surface (Earth). Needless to say there is some catching up that has to take place and while that can be a slow process in this case it wasn't. I was instantly hooked from chapter one and couldn't stop until the end and now I'm counting down the days till the next installment shows up on my doorstep. Nikki is such a strong and selfless main character, I was dying for her to tell Jack EVERYTHING. While I normally don't like love triangles this one wasn't too bad because I could sense the substance between Jack and Nikki whereas with Cole it was obvious he's a slimeball who's suffering from puppy love. Team Jack all the way!! This was a super fast, suck you in, can't catch your breath read.      Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

CINDER THE LUNAR CHRONICLES #1 Author: Marissa Meyer Publication Date: 01/03/2012 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopia  

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.

  Picture and Summary from Goodreads       REVIEW  

A lot of people are going to hate me for this but remember it is just my opinion, just because something didn't work for me doesn't mean it isn't good.

 

I feel like I missed something. The reviews for this book were sooo good that I knew I would just love it. Having now finished it I'm left wondering what the big deal was.  I was expecting some kind of wow factor but it really is just a cinderella story with a cyborg twist.  Maybe I'm not into the cyborg part of it and that's why I wasn't blown away?  I think it also had to do with my being detached from the characters. I hate bouncing around between different POVs, maybe I have character ADD.  The story itself was good and had obviously a unique twist to it and I really did like Cinders character, but overall the story just fell flat for me.

 

    Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Storm Warning by E. Lee & C. Quinn

STORM WARNING BROKEN HEARTLAND #1 Author: E.Lee & C. Quinn Publication Date: 12/12/2013 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary

 

Sometimes you can’t see the storm coming until it’s too late...

Severe Storm Warning Tip #1:
Be alert to changing weather conditions. Look for approaching storms.

Severe Storm Warning Tip #2:
If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.

Severe Storm Warning Tip #3:
They may strike quickly, with little or no warning.

Situated just outside of Oklahoma City, Calumet County is divided into two drastically different communities: Hope’s Grove and Summit Bluffs. One is the small backward town where dirt roads lead the way to field parties and railroad tracks. And the other, a sprawling suburb where paved drives lead to the landscaped lawns of the wealthy and over privileged.

For five teenagers smack in the middle of Tornado Alley, summer is heating up fast. The winds of change are blurring the invisible line that divides the rich and the rural.

One has a secret.
One has a crush.
One has been lying.
One will get caught.
And one might not make it out alive.

They’re from two different worlds…but one summer is about to change everything.

    Picture and Summary from Goodreads     REVIEW  

Ok so this book was the type of book where it has rave reviews and you think "This is going to be awesome!" Then you start reading it and you're thinking "It's good but I don't get why people are obsessed with it." Then you get to the last few chapters and are like "Hot damn I can't handle the suspense" but when you get to the last chapter you're all "Holy hell of cliffhangers" but wait the author gives you an epilogue, so of course you read it in hopes of answers but end up thinking "WTF, THAT was NOT an epilogue, it did NOTHING to reassure my feels" You walk away from the book feeling like it's a 4 when in reality the majority of the book ranked a 3 but the ending blew your mind and your hooked and will HAVE to read the next book to know what happens.

The writing was well done and the characters were decently developed. The story is told from each person's view points and I found that my favorite characters were EJ, Hayden, and Coop. I'm torn between whose team I want to be on. I really love Coop because he's the type of guy I find yummy but Hayden has some redeeming points too. But back on point, since I preferred certain people I found myself skimming through Kyle and Cami's story, it seemed like most of the exciting stuff was happening with EJ so that could be why she's my favorite.

It's mostly your run of the mill contemporary YA romance but the ending really took my breath away. It was a quick read (I read it at work and had it finished by the end of my 8 hour day)and a fun one.

 

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