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: Ember X

**Mature Content Advisory** 

Recommended for readers 17+ due to sexual situations and language.

For nineteen-year-old Ember, life has always been about death. With a simple touch, she can see when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes herself from the world. The only person that knows her secret is her best friend Raven. 

But that changes when she meets Asher Morgan. He’s gorgeous and mysterious and is the only person Ember can't sense death from. The silence he instills in her mind and body allows her to feel things she’s never been able to before, so despite her initial reservations, Ember lets Asher into her life and lets herself to get close to him. But the closer they get, the more Ember realizes that Asher is keeping secrets from her.

When unexplained deaths begin to surface in her town, Ember questions why she can’t see Asher's death and what it is he’s hiding from her...

Recommended For:

People who can overlook immaturity and grammatical errors and are much more forgiving than I am.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So apparently there is a YA version of this book,  as in it's the exact same story and POV but this version has a lot more steam.  Leave it to me to choose the steamy version... 

Well, steamy version or not, I just couldn't get into it.  I've read two other books by Jessica Sorenson and maybe it was my age and reading experience at the time but I thought they were world's better than Ember X.  To me the writing and characters in Ember came across extremely juvenile and petty.  

I had no choice but to chalk this one up as a fail. It had great potential, the idea behind the book really interested me, but it just didn't make it there.

Review: My Forever by Kira Adams

MY FOREVER

Author: Kira Adams

Publication Date: 05/18/2014

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

 

Grief and loss can make a person act out in all the worst kinds of ways. Madalynne Johnson has always been a bit of a handful, but with the loss of her brother, separation of her parents, and her boyfriends unexpected news of joining the army she has gone into a full on tailspin.

Parker Grant experienced loss firsthand when his brother took his own life. Darkness closed in. Madalynne saved him; showed him the light. And even though he isn’t sure what the future holds--he wants Madalynne and this time he won’t give up without a fight.

My Forever is the second book in the Infinite Love series.  

 

Summary from Goodreads

 

 

REVIEW

 

 

Thanks again to Kira Adams for providing me with a ePub copy in exchange for an honest review!

 

Ummmmmmmm.  Well.  Sad day.

I absolutely LOVED Learning To Live, so it was with excitement that I started My Forever fully expecting to blow through it in no time.  Imagine my extreme disappointment when it seemed as if My Forever was written by a completely different person.  There was tons of info dumping and repeating of already known facts, granted the POVs switched between Madalynne and Parker so you can expect some overlap but the way it came across seemed forced and unnecessary.  In fact the switching of the POVs felt really choppy and inconsistent.

There was also the case of extreme hypocrisy on Parker's part.  He goes on and on about how he felt disconnected from Madalynne and pushed her away after the suicide of his brother Bo but when Madalynne's brother, Mason, is killed in war and she starts pushing Parker away and shutting him out she's a bitch.  He even gives her an ultimatum instead of allowing her the space she requests.  Granted how she is dealing with her grief isn't the best but I feel like Parker could have been more supportive.

I really think that the reason I didn't like My Forever is because I didn't like Parker and I felt that his and Madalynne's relationship was volatile at best.  She conforms to him, does everything to make him happy, but he gets to do what he wants no matter what she thinks about it.  Sorry, no.

 

In the end My Forever just wasn't for me but there were a LOT of 4 star reviews on Goodreads so I may be the minority here.  In cases like this I highly suggest giving it a shot because it could be other readers will get more out of it than I did.

 

Review: How To Love by Katie Cotugno

HOW TO LOVE

Author: Katie Cotugno

Publication Date: 10/01/2013

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Before:
Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he's never seemed to notice that Reena even exists until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After:
Almost three years have passed, and there's a new love in Reena's life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena's gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she's finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn't want anything to do with him, though she'd be lying if she said Sawyer's being back wasn't stirring something in her. After everything that's happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

Summary from Goodreads

REVIEW

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

STARCROSSED

Author: Josephine Angelini

Publication Date: 05/31/2011

Audience: YA

Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Romance

Goodreads Archive Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

DOROTHY MUST DIE

DOROTHY MUST DIE #1

Author: Danielle Paige

Publication Date: 04/01/2014

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Darker Days by Jus Accardo

DARKER DAYS

The Darker Days Agency #1 Author: Jus Accardo Publication Date: 08/19/2013 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Romance

 

Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They’re your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They’ll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...

When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.

Seven deadly ones, in fact.

They’ve got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...

There’s a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.

 

Picture and Summary from Goodreads.

 

 

REVIEW

 

Jus Accardo you have disappointed me! I LOVE the Denazen series so when I heard about this book I was sooo excited for another awesomely snarky female lead. Unfortunately it fell flat. Don't get me wrong it's an okay book but my expectations were so high going in that I can't get over my disappointment. Jessie Darker was snarky but not in a good way and it was hard to get over her obvious lust/insta love for Lukas. More than anything Jessie just flat out annoyed me. I also had a hard time going a...moreJus Accardo you have disappointed me! I LOVE the Denazen series so when I heard about this book I was sooo excited for another awesomely snarky female lead. Unfortunately it fell flat. Don't get me wrong it's an okay book but my expectations were so high going in that I can't get over my disappointment. Jessie Darker was snarky but not in a good way and it was hard to get over her obvious lust/insta love for Lukas. More than anything Jessie just flat out annoyed me. I also had a hard time going along with the story. At times it seemed like the story was moving unrealistically fast and other times it drug on. There was plenty going on and a lot of unexpected realizations but I just wanted it to be so much more. The ending was the only time I got really into the book but I still don't think I will read the next one. My advice to you is if you are familiar with Accardo don't go in expecting anything, rather have an open mind so that maybe you will have a better chance of enjoying the book.       Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

 

 

Fates by Lanie Bross

FATES

Author: Lanie Bross

Publication Date: 02/11/2014

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

 

What if your destiny was to kill the one you love?

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people’s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she’s falling all over again—this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die.

In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

 

Picture and Summary from Goodreads

 

 

**I received this as an eARC through Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  In no way does that effect the thoughts and opinions expressed here.  I did not get compensated in any way for this review.**

 

 

REVIEW

 

Fates was a very interesting story.  The idea that there are all these different layers/worlds to the universe and that the balance depends on everything falling into a certain place based on unseen powers was hard to wrap my mind around.  The different worlds created for this book were so imaginative and crazy that I had a hard time following them all. 

 

But to be blunt I found the book boring.  Seriously there was a lot going on but none of it was stimulating enough to get me excited about reading it.  I found myself putting it down a LOT.

 

I ended the book feeling NOTHING for any of the characters.  I kept hoping it would change, that something would happen to make me invested in their outcome but it never did.  I will say that I felt a little more attached to Luc than I did Corinthe but mostly because of his loyalty to his sister and that he would do anything for his family while Corinthe seemed really cold and stand offish.  The relationship between Luc and Corinthe has me so confused.  Apparantly love has formed between the two even though there isn't a whole lot of interaction between them.  But it must be strong because....well, just because.

 

I think part of the problem was that there was a lot of internal dialogue and not so much interaction between characters.  It was also told from the POVs of Corinthe and Luc which I struggle with.  But also I'm left confused about the whole background of the story.  The author tried explaining it all but I just don't get who the power players of the story are supposed to be and how it's all supposed to work.

 

Overall Fates is a quick read and the idea of the story is good I just wish there had been more action and more interaction for the characters. 

 

 

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~

 

 

THE AUTHOR

 

Lanie Bross was born in a small town in Maine, where she spent the next 18 years dreaming of bigger places. After exploring city life, she and her husband and two young sons ended up coming right back to the wilds of Maine where they now live just one house down from where she grew up. Fate, perhaps? She loves chasing around her rambunctious kids, playing tug-o-war with her 95 pound Lab, and writing for Young Adults. Fates is her first novel.

 

 

 

 

Unearthed by Rebecca Bloomer

UNEARTHED

Author: Rebecca Bloomer

Publication Date: 07/02/2012

Published By: Odyssey Books

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Science Fiction

 

If you’re going to colonise a planet, you’d better be willing to fight for it.

Within Anphobos, there grows a new race. The first generation of humans never to set foot on Earth. They are pale skinned, large eyed and worship no god but science. They possess technological skills and processes Earth has refused to acknowledge. Until now…

“We are Martian. Your religion isn’t ours. Our god is Mars. Our religion is science. Anything we do in the service of Mars, is good. Make no mistake, Earth girl, we are both right and good.”

Fresh off Earth, Jodi Scarfield doesn’t really care for Mars or its politics. Still, accusations of treason will get a girl’s attention...

**I received this as an eARC through Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  In no way does that effect the thoughts and opinions expressed here.  I did not get compensated in any way for this review.**

REVIEW

 

My thoughts are a jumbled mess when it comes to thinking about Unearthed, much like the book itself was. For being such a short read (right around 100 pages) it took me THREE days to finish it!   There were some ideas that I liked; life on Mars, along with space travel, Jodi's hacker skills and the technology spoken about were all pretty fascinating but that's where my interest ended.  I feel like those ideas along with the governmental issues should have been explored more in depth. The characters felt flat and I was constantly wondering why Jodi felt a pull to her new "friends" Astrid and Jules.  What led up to the ending was the only excitement I felt during the book but even those events came out of nowhere.  I'm left feeling like there was no plot and I'm asking myself what the point of the story was.

One thing that drove me absolutely NUTS was Jodi's nail biting/chewing/picking habit.  It's so gross and every time she mentioned tearing a sliver of a nail off I wanted to hit her upside the head.  Ok so you want your character to have a nervous habit?  Fine.  Mention it once or twice, maybe three times but constantly describing it through the whole book is really too much.

Overall I feel like if the book had been a little longer we would have had a chance to get more details and character development.  The story has a ton of potential it just needs...more.

 

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~

 

 

THE AUTHOR

 

I'm an adventure junkie who likes to write. I collect pretty things - baubles, phrases, people - and write them into stories so others can adventure with me.

I have never, to my knowledge, used the word 'boring' (unless it pertained to what small animals were doing to my woodwork) and hope I never will.

 

Website

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Unite by Jamie Campbell

UNITE

PROJECT INTEGRATE #1

Author: Jamie Campbell

Publication Date: 12/03/2013

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Science Fiction

 

United They Stand.

Seventeen years ago an entire generation of aliens were sent to Earth in order to save their home planet and integrate into the human population. Now, those aliens are being hunted.

Amery Jones is your typical teenager, except for the fact she is an alien and a member of the government’s secret Project Integrate.

When Amery’s best friend Lola is kidnapped in order to get to her, there is only one person that can help – the exceedingly annoying and charming Lochie Mercury.

Together, Amery and Lochie must put aside their differences and attraction in order to rescue Lola before it’s too late.

 

Picture and Summary from Goodreads

 

 

** I received this as an eARC through Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for a review.  In no way does that effect the thoughts and opinions expressed here.  I did not receive compensation in any way for this review.**

 

 

 

REVIEW

 

Hmm.  Well.  That was disappointing.

 

I had such high hopes for this book only to have it fall flatter than flat.  Don't get me wrong, it had it's redeeming points but there were some serious issues that truly drove me batty!!

 

First off the MC is being trained for something.  She starts off telling us that she was in a group of babies that were "chosen".  It takes SEVERAL chapters for us to finally find out what exactly it is that she's being prepared for, which seems kinda ridiculous since the synopsis obviously gives the secret away.  So after we find out that Amery has been placed by the FBI among the earthlings I began wondering...why is Amery so unuseful?  I mean she has spent all her life in and out of the FBI headquarters and knowing what her future holds for her you would think she could invest in some self defense classes.  PLUS she's an ALIEN!  Shouldn't she have some kind of superpowers?? (Not really a bad thing, I just wish she had super powers.) When her BFF Lola is kidnapped we really start to see how lacking Amery is.  I mean yeah she does everything she can to save Lola but she kind of goes at it like a chicken without a head.

 

Another thing that drove me CRAZY is Amery's almost obsessive like hatred for Lochie, the boy she has grown up "hating".  You know how some books have insta-love?  Well I'm pretty sure Campbell was so scared of having her characters fall in insta-love that she went in the complete opposite.  Why is Amery so insistent on hating Lochie?!  He seems like such a nice guy who really likes her and only wants to help!  I mean not once did I ever agree with her when she said he was being "so annoying".

 

And to top it off I wanted to knock sense into her hypocritical parents aka HANDLERS.   Towards the beginning of the book her mom witnesses Amery making faces at Lochie (Seriously! She sticks her tongue out at him) at supper that evening they grill her about who he is and how she can't risk him not liking her, everyone NEEDS to like her!  But when she explains who he his they get all worried stating she isn't allowed to date and maybe she should stop being his project partner, better to not have the temptation.  Do you want him to like her or not?!

 

As for those redeeming points.  I really did love Lochie, he seemed like such a sweet guy.  And the alien idea is a great one, I just wish it had been executed a little differently.  The pacing was most definitely fast paced, it only took me a day to finish it.  I think that if Amery were a little more tough I would have liked it a lot more.

 

I finished the book and it was okay but I probably won't read it again, or the next one.

 

 

 

 

 

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~

 

 

THE AUTHOR 

 

(Picture and Bio from Goodreads Profile)

 

Jamie was born into a big, crazy family of 6 children. Being the youngest, she always got away with anything and would never shut up. Constantly letting her imagination run wild, her teachers were often frustrated when her ‘What I did on the weekend’ stories contained bunyips and princesses.

Growing up, Jamie did the sensible things and obtained a Bachelor of Business degree from Southern Cross University and worked hard to gain her membership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.

Yet nothing compared to writing. Quitting the rat race to spend quality time with her laptop named Lily, Jamie has written several novels and screenplays. Spanning a number of genres and mediums, Jamie writes whatever inspires her from ghost stories to teenage love stories to tantalising murder mysteries. Nothing is off limits.

A self-confessed television addict, dog lover, Taylor Swift fan, and ghost hunter, Jamie loves nothing more than the thrill of sharing her stories.

 

Goodreads

Website

Twitter