Review: The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

The Peculiar

Author: Stefan Bachmann

Publication Date: September 1st 2012

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged.

In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings--Peculiars--and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.

One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley--Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.

First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.

My Thoughts: The Peculiar was one of the books that I was really looking forward to reading ever since I saw the cover and read the synopsis. I love the cover of this book! Unfortunately, it took me a long time to even get into this book. It's a fast read, but I just wasn't loving it as much as I had hoped I would until about the last 100 pages. So it did pick up and redeem itself for me, but still very hard for me to get into. I don't even know why. The writing was good so I think it might have just had a hard time connecting with the main characters. There were some points where it might have been a bit too descriptive, but I've read much more descriptive books and not had trouble with them. So it was a bit of a disappointment, but like I said, it picked up in the end.

There are two protagonists in this one. Bartholomew Kettle, who is a peculiar (changeling, half fay, half human). Then there is Arthur Jelliby, a high ranking young man in London who for some reason feels compelled to help Bartholomew find his sister who was kidnapped. I didn't really connect with either character, but will say that I liked Arthur more of the two. You kind of always know who the bad guy is, so it doesn't even keep you guessing with that.

Once the story picked up, it finished off as a good read. I do want to know what happened next though. So I will be reading the next book, The Whatnot, to see what happens. So this is a good read, but not as good as I had hoped, for me that is. Still a good middle grade read and I would probably recommend it still!

Owl Post (33)

Owl Post is a weekly feature at Owl Read It where we let you know what new books we got in the past week as well as recap reviews posted during the week. It is inspired by The Story Siren's In My Mailbox Theme.

Jenn's Haul:

I actually didn't get any books for Christmas, I generally don't. That's going to have to change next year. I did however get one review book in the mail this week as well as splurged on a new KoboGlo as well. My old Kobo Touch was getting a little rough of wear since it was chucked down the stairs and jumped and stepped on by my toddler. A few pixels broke and bled out, which was highly annoying, so new Kobo it is! Plus I really, really wanted one after Kristal got hers :P (and yes, I'm still reading East of Eden, I'm almost done though!)

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Meghan's Haul:

Gifted

The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

My mom got me these amazing books for my birthday :) She's got pretty awesome taste I must say! hehe

For Review:

Edge of Disaster by A.M Hargrove

Anne sent me her newly release Contemporary Romance and I am  incredibly excited!!!

Kids:

I just wanted to share this cause it makes me so happy! These are all the books my kids got for X-mas :) They love to read almost as much as mommy so I encourage it as much as possible :D With the amount of books they already have I really need to get them each their own bookshelf haha.

Kristal's Haul:

I love the Christmas holidays.  My whole tree is usually filled with books and Chapters gift cards. I got a few less books this year because I got this :)  :

A new e-reader!!!  The Kobo Glo, since I do most of my reading at night time and I go through a LOT of booklight batteries.

I then purchased these books for my new Kobo:

  

I also got these books under the tree:

    

  

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Reviews from this week:

Croak & Scorch by Gina Damico

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Endure by Carrie Jones

***

What new reads did you get this week?

Owl Recommend (15)

Owl Recommend is a feature at Owl Read It where we try to help you find your next great read :).

I read these two books pretty close together and as far as Contemporary goes I'd probably say they are some of my favorites. They both capture the angst and struggle of being a teen and finding your place in the world pretty perfectly. And although they are alike in many ways, they are also very different. But I'm sure you'll enjoy both if you give them a try :)

Top 10 Books I’m Looking Forward To in 2013

This is part of the Top 10 of 2012 hosted by [Fikt]shun.  These are the top ten books we are looking forward to in the New Year.

Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2013

Jenn's List:

1. Divergent #3 by Veronica Roth (Hurry up with the title!!)
2. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
3. Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
4. The Elite by Kiera Cass
5. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
6. Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
7. The Archived by Victoria Schwab
8. Things I Cant Forget by Miranda Kenneally
9. Override by Heather Anastasiu
10. The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

Meghan's List:

1. Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare
2. The Nightmare Affair - Mindee Arnett
3. The Murmurings - Carly Anne West
4. Ink - Amanda Sun
5. Scarlet - Marissa Meyer
6. Mind Games- Kiersten White
7. Splintered - A.G Howard
8. Paper Valentine - Brenna Yovanoff
9. Hysteria - Megan Miranda
10. Empty - K.M Walton

Kristal's List:

No particular order but REALLY excited for all!!

1. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
2. Tiger's Dream by Colleen Houck
3. House of Hades by Rick Riordan
4. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
5. Renegade Heart by Theo Lawrence
6. Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
7. Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
8. The Elite by Kiera Cass
9. Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
10. The Goddess Inheritance by Aimée Carter

Review: Endure by Carrie Jones

Endure
Need #4

Author: Carrie Jones

Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology

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Synopsis:

Zara is at the center of an all-out war, and an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Bedford is being ravaged by evil pixies and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends, she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king…

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

My Thoughts: I read this series back to back in a whirlwind couple of days. I have to say, I really really enjoyed the series as well. I loved the first book, felt a small dull in the next few, but I am so glad that I stuck it out until the end because it was totally worth it.

The Need series is about a girl named Zara White and her journey. I loved watching her really and truly evolve and go through so much from Need to Endure. She was pretty awe-inspiring and I was glad to be in her head. The turmoil she goes through when facing moral dilemmas feels genuine.

Endure, in particular, is probably my favourite book out of this series. Not just because Zara ends up with the boy I was rooting for (YAY!) but also because of the action, the romance, the friendship and the obstacles they overcome.

Zara is the girl in Amnesty International. She tries to save the world, one letter at a time and is a pacifist. By this novel, all of her beliefs have been tested as well as her character. Nick is her first love and an overprotective alpha wolf with a black and white view of the world.

Astley is the pixie king that showed Zara that not all pixies are bad and turned her world from black and white to help her see the grey. He is respectful of her decisions and defends them (most of the time).

Again, I really liked this entire series and would recommend it! It has a lot of Norse Mythology in it, which I liked since I could discuss it with my husband since he loves it so much. The only negative I have about this book is that I wish a few more things were clarified for me in the end - but sometimes it is good to leave the viewers wanting more, I suppose.

Best Book Boyfriends of 2012

Welcome to the Best Books Boyfriends 2012 list.  This is part of the Top 10 of 2012 hosted by [Fikt] shun.  These are the top ten book boyfriends each of us have fallen in love with who have been brought into existence in 2012,.

The Best Boyfriends of 2012

Jenn's List:\

1. Four (Tobias) - Divergent series by Veronica Roth
2. Alex - The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle
3. Will - The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
4. Eric - Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
5. Ash - The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa
6. Adrian - Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
7. Prince Maxon - The Selection by Kiera Cass
8. Prince Kai - Cinder by Marissa Meyer
9. Noah - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
10. Justin - Awaken series by Katie Kacvinsky

Meghan's List:

1. Jace - Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

2. Will - Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare

3. Sam - Wolves of Mercy Falls Series by Maggie Stiefvater

4. Four - Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

5. Rayn - Guardians of Vesturon Series by A.M Hargrove

6. Eanrin - Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

7. Jem - Wake by Abria Mattina

8. Cas - Anna Series by Kendra Blake

9. Ash- The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa

10 Sean - The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Kristal's List:

These aren't in any particular order, but they are my favourites from this year:

1. Percy Jackson - The Mark of Athena - Rick Riordan
2. Henry (Hades) - The Goddess Legacy - Aimée Carter
3. Prince Maxon - The Selection - Kiera Cass
4. Kishan - Tiger's Destiny - Colleen Houck
5. Jared Lynburn - Unspoken - Sarah Rees Brennan
6. Hunter - Mystic City - Theo Lawrence
7. Four - Insurgent - Veronica Roth
8. Prince Kai - Cinder - Marissa Meyer
9. Jace - The City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare
10. Magnus Bane - The City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author: Stephen Chbosky

Publication Date: February 1st, 1999

Publisher: MTV & Pocket Books

Genre: Contemporary/YA

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Synopsis:

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix-tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

My Thoughts:   I never heard of this book really until  I heard about the movie. Which I feel kind of bad for, but I did the right thing and I read the book before I watched the movie, so I don't feel as bad about it anymore. It also happens to be on a list of top 100 YA books I am attempting to tackle, so it was a good excuse as any to crack it open.

I really haven't read many contemporary books. I've definitely read more just this year though than I ever have. That being said, my total amount read is still pretty low. I never had much of a taste for them before. I always wanted  fantasy, paranormal or sci-fi. But I am beginning to really like them. The few I have read this year I have extremely enjoyed. Including this one.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was definitely written with the teenagers in mind. I'm sure it was aimed at them specifically, but I also think that it makes for a good read for any age really. It's a story about finding yourself and also a story about losing yourself. It's dual messages don't stop there either because I found it to carry good messages for not letting other people take you down, but also, not letting you take yourself down either. It showed us that message that is so popular lately, it gets better. And again it's teaching us two things at once because it's brutally honest as it shows us that things usually get worse before they get better.

Charlie has a lot going on in that mind of his. He has experienced so much emotionally and he doesn't have the ability to talk about it. Charlie doesn't talk much at all period. He's an observer and he is really good at taking things in. But in is where they stay and that doesn't work out so well for him.  It of course doesn't help that he doesn't really have any friends. Not since his closest one committed suicide unexpectedly. Until one day he comes upon Sam & Patrick and his life takes on a brand new light. He finds people who can actually accept him for who he is, people who make him feel normal, and even loved.

The method in which the story was written was so unique and  made the it all that much more interesting. I think it takes some pretty good ability to be able to tell the story in such a fashion. We are the readers of letters that Charlie is writing anonymously. As a means to alleviate the endless thoughts he has in his mind, a way to talk about his feelings on daily events without feeling judged. It's such a different idea and Chbosky pulls it off so well.

For once my favorite character wasn't actually the main character.  My favorite character was definitely Patrick. I fell in love with him right away, and at times I even sympathised more for him than I did for Charlie.  I could easily read a story written about him and his own experiences. I almost wish I could read the whole book again, but from his point of view. Not that I didn't enjoy Charlie's character as well, but I definitely had a major soft spot for Patrick.

This book is an oldie, but if you're like me and you still haven't read it. Than I really think you should :) Especially those of you out there who are also just beginning to discover yourself and find your place in the world. It's not easy task, but a book always makes for a great companion!

Best ________ of 2012

Since there are three of us here, we're each gong to share a list of our choice, so you're getting a look at our different tastes! This is part of the Top 10 of 2012 hosted by [Fikt] shun.  

Blogger's Choice

Jenn's List:

I've decided to make my top 10 list of choice for the Top 10 Books That I wish I'd Read Sooner. You know those books that you add to your TBR on Goodreads or even buy and then they just sit there for months? Yeah, those books, or even the ones that everyone's raving about, because clearly I should have read them sooner! This is going to consist of books released this year as well. Why? Because there are some books that I regret not having read right on release!

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth (seriously! This was so good that I can't believe I let it sit on my bookshelf for like 5 months before I read it!)
2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (Again, sat on my shelf for MONTHS before I managed to pick it up and devour it!)
3. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa (I only discovered it this year. Shame on me!)
4. The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead (Another one that I only found this year and I'm so glad I did!)
5. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (So awesome!)
6. Croak by Gina Damico (I only got around to reading this one within the last month because the publisher sent me a copy of Scorch, I can't even believe how awesome this series is!)
7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman (This one is an absolutely heart wrenching, tear jerking masterpiece. I cried the whole way through it and just loved it so much!)
8. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Another one that I only just read recently, even though it came out almost a year ago and everyone was raving about it!)
9. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R Martin , books 1-3 (I only started reading these afer the first season of GoT, love!)
10. This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel (I have loved Kenneth Oppel for years, this was no exception. I have no idea why I waited so long to read this!)

I'm sure next year will bring many more of these since I currently have over 100 books sitting on my shelf just waiting to be read. Bring on the awesome books!

Meghan's List:

My top 10 list of choice is my top 10 Authors I have discovered this year. One of the amazing things blogging has done for me is open me up to so many new and incredible Authors. So here are 10 that I discovered this year and fell in love with, not listed in any particular order. I have found so many, so just like every other list, picking 10 was really hard!

1. Cassandra Clare

2. A.M Hargrove

3. Julie Kagawa

4. Veronica Roth

5. Maggie Stiefvater

6. Laini Taylor

7. Marissa Meyer

8. Anne Elisabeth Stengl

9. Suzanne Collins

10. Jennifer Mason-Black

Kristal's List:

My choice for my top-ten list of 2012 is love-triangles and here are my top ten of this year that I have read in no particular order:

1. Everneath                 (Cole/Nikki/Jack)
2. The Selection            (Maxon/America/Aspen)
3. Tiger's Destiny         (Ren/Kelsey/Kishan)
4. Dreamless                (Orion/Helen/Lucas)
5. Need Series               (Nick/Zara/Astley)
6. Clockwork Prince    (Will/Tess/Jem)
7. Embrace                   (Phoenix/Violet/Lincoln)
8. Bloodrose                 (Shay/Cala/Ren)
9. The Goddess Legacy (Calliope/Henry/Kate)
10. Ember                       (Cameron/Ember/Asher)

Best Book Covers of 2012

Welcome to the Best Books Covers of 2012 list.  This is part of the Top 10 of 2012 hosted by [Fikt]shun.  Best Book covers must be from books released in 2012.

The Best Book Covers of 2012

Jenn's List:

1. The Selection by Kiera Cass
2. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
3. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
4. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
5. Purity by Jackson Pearce
6. Belles by Jen Calonita
7. ReVamped by Ada Adams
8. Breathe by Sarah Crossan
9. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
10. Speechless by Hannah Harrington

(these are in no particular order)

Meghan's List:

(not in order)

1. Breaking the Devil's Heart - H.A Goodman

2. Tiger's Destiny - Colleen Houck

3. The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater

4. Eve and Adam - Michael Grant

5. Mystic City - Theo Lawrence

6. Origin - Jessica Khoury

7. Unspoken - Sarah Rees Brennan

8. Starters - Lissa Price

9. Pure- Julianna Baggott

10. Black City - Elizabeth Richards

Kristal's List:

These aren't in any particular order, but they are my favourites from this year:

1. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
2. Mystic City by Theo Lawrence
3. Under the Never Sky by Vernonica Rossi
4. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
5. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
6. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
7. Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck
8. Everneath by Brodi Ashton
9. The Selection by Kiera Cass
10. Days of Blood & Starlight by Taylor Laini

Teaser Tuesday (43)

I just wanted to start this post by saying Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us! :D We hope you have a wonderful, love filled day with your loved ones! Also, if you're reading this, thanks for taking the time to stop by our blog on such a day as today :). It's my birthday today as well, so happy birthday to me hehe! 

Merry Christmas!!!

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should Be Reading

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

This week's teaser comes from: 

Marked

Author: P.C & Kristin Cast

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Teaser:

He lifted one long white finger and pointed at me. As my forehead exploded in pain Kayla opened her mouth and screamed.

My Thoughts: Yet another series that has been sitting unread on my shelf for too long. My attempt is to read the first 4 before the new year to reach my 100 goal. Will I be able to do it! Cheer for me! haha

Best Books We’ve Read in 2012

Welcome to the Best Books We've Read in 2012 list.  This is part of the Top 10 of 2012 hosted by [Fikt]shun.  These are the top ten books each of us have read in 2012, but the books haven't necessarily been released this year.

The Best Books We've Read in 2012

Jenn's List:

Picking just 10 books that I loved this year is extremely hard because I read a lot of awesome books!

1. Divergent/Insurgent by Veronica Roth (I know, this is two books but they are both so good!!) (Divergent review) (Insurgent review)
2. The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle (review)
3. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (review)
4. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (review)
5. The Selection by Kiera Cass (review)
6. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (review)
7. The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa (review)
8. Purity by Jackson Pearce (review)
9. Croak/Scorch by Gina Damico (reviews) (again, two books but they are awesome!!)
10. Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally (review)

Honorable Mentions:
ReVamped by Ada Adams (review) (I can't leave this one out because I loved it so much!)
The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead (This whole series is AWESOME!)
The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa (<3!!!!!)
Adaptation by Malinda Lo (review)


Meghan's List:

Not in any specific order, but here are my top 10 I read this year :)

This was really hard to do. I really wish I could have picked more than 10! Read so many great books this year! :)

1. Clockwork Prince- Cassandra Clare (review)
2. Divergent - Veronica Roth (review)
3. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (review)
4. The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater (review)
5. Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater (review) 
6. The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa (review) 
7. Wake - Abria Mattina (review) 
8. City of Bones- Cassandra Clare (review) 
9. Starflower - Anne Elisabeth Stengl (review) 
10. Resurrection - A.M Hargrove (review)

Kristal's List:

These aren't in any particular order, but they are my favourites from this year:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer       (Review)
3. The Goddess Test Series by Aimée Carter    (#2.5 Review)
4. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
5. The Selection by Kiera Cass    (Review)
6. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
7. Mystic City by Theo Lawrence     (Review)
8. Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck     (Review)
9. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi     (Review)
10. Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis      (Review)

Double Review: Croak & Scorch by Gina Damico

Croak
(Croak #1)

Author: Gina Damico

Publication Date: March 1st 2012

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Genre: Paranormal / Urban Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex's parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape.

But Uncle Mort's true occupation is much dirtier than shoveling manure. He's a Grim Reaper. And he's going to teach Lex the family business.

She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can't stop her desire for justice - or is it vengeance? - whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again.

Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills?

My Thoughts: Ahhh, why didn't I read this sooner? <3 <3 <3!! It was so awesome! I couldn't put it down.  I'm so glad I had a copy of Scorch on hand because I almost started it immediately after finishing this. I don't even know what to say about this one, it was just too good! Definitely one of my favourite books of the year! Thank you so much Gina! You are amazing and made it so I was completely unable to put this down! It was just so different from any other book I've read, very unique and funny! so many times I was laughing out loud.

So we have Lex, a 16 year old who has a problem with everyone and everything. She uses her fists to slove her problems and it really doesn't really know why she is so violent, she hasn't always been this way. She just knows she can't help it. So she is shipped off to her uncles and becomes a teenaged Grim. She actually really enjoys it and it does wonders for her temper. Finally she has friends and seems to fit in.

Next there is Driggs, the sexy boy living with her uncle, the boy whom she immediately hates and punches in the eye the first night. He hits back of course, and they start down their rocky slope towards love. Driggs is quite the guy, he has two differently coloured eyes and is apparently extremely hot. He is hard not to like and I was just waiting for them to get together the whole time.

Needless to say, I thouroughly enjoyed Croak. It's my first book about Grim Reapers and I couldn't be any happier with it. I did guess the "bad" gut pretty early on though. I'm not at all disappointed by that though. I'm hoping for great things in Scorch, I've enjoyed what I've read so far. If you are at all interested in a laugh out loud, original, unique coming of age story, read this one! Please don't wait forever like me, you are missing out big time! Just make sure you have the next book on hand, you're going to need it. Also, the ending is very sad, I was in tears for much of it. Clearly an amazing and emotional, can't be put down book that you HAVE to read!

Scorch
(Croak #2)

Author: Gina Damico

Publication Date: September 25th 2012

Publisher: Graphia

Genre: Paranormal / Urban Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby is a teenage grim reaper with the bizarre ability to damn souls. That makes her pretty scary, even to fellow Grims. But after inadvertently transferring her ability to Zara, a murderous outlaw, Lex is a pariah in Croak, the little town she calls home.

To escape the townspeople’s wrath, she and her friends embark on a wild road trip to DeMyse. Though this sparkling desert oasis is full of luxuries and amusements, it feels like a prison to Lex. Her best chance at escape would be to stop Zara once and for all—but how can she do that from DeMyse, where the Grims seem mysteriously oblivious to Zara’s killing spree?

My Thoughts: Another awesome book by Gina Damico. I have to say that I'm still very surprised at how much I enjoyed these because at first, from the synopsis I was a little wary, BUT I'd heard so many great things about them. So when I was sent this one by the publisher, I knew I had to at least try it. I don't regret it at all! Actually, I regret not reading them sooner because they are so awesome! I once again had the hardest time putting this one down! You guys should really read them if you haven't.

So Scorch basically picks up where Croak leaves off (which was a very sad ending!) and we are dropped back into Lex's life as a teenage grim reaper. She and all of the other junior grims, for that matter, are being shunned by the senior grim community (well, most of them). The seniors want to ban them and blame them for helping Zara, even saying that they still are helping her. Basically there is a huge uprising and the juniors are forced to flee Croak, with the exception of Sophie, and head to DeMyse, another grim city that is a lot like Vegas. All the while, they are still trying to figure out a way to stop Zara and get a hold of the The Wrong Book before her.

 I loved Lex and the juniors even more in this book, they are pretty amusing characters. There are a lot of laughs in these books, which is weird since they are about people who Kill and Cull for a living. But, it's really good because I love a book that makes me laugh out loud, as this one did, multiple times! At the same time, the ending once again was super sad! I was in tears for parts of it. Books that pull at my emotions are always good for me because I have a horrible tendency to hold things in. This way I get a bit of an emotional release (sometimes I even seek out books that are supposed to be sad just for that reason).

So once again, this is just as well written, funny, emotional, page turning and awesome as Croak. I will definitely not be waiting as long to read the next book, Rogue. Especially after the ending of this one where there were a lot of things that happened that left me with my mouth gaping. These were thoroughly enjoyed by me and you should really read them!

Owl Post (32)

Owl Post is a weekly feature at Owl Read It where we let you know what new books we got in the past week as well as recap reviews posted during the week. It is inspired by The Story Siren's In My Mailbox Theme.

Jenn's Haul:

Nothing for me this week. I'll have to wait for the boxing day sales! (or Boxing week as it is around here!) Happy holidays everyone!

Meghan's Haul:

All I've got to share this week is a book I got for free. It's from a series I've been wanting to read so when I seen it for free I grabbed it :)

The Goddess Hunt by Aimee Carter

Kristal's Haul:

Made it to the library again this week for these awesome finds:

  

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Endure by Carrie Jones

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Reviews from this week:

ReAwakened by Ada Adams

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Daughter of Earth and Sky by Kaitlin Bevis

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What new reads did you get this week?

Owl Recommend (14)

Owl Recommend is a feature at Owl Read It where we try to help you find your next great read :).

I haven't finished the Need series yet, but so far I am reminded of the Iron Fey series.  Maybe it is because I don't read that many books about fairies?  Either way, I think that if you like one you would enjoy the other. They both have very different worlds but they are both good in their own right.