Waiting on Wednesday (74)

Waiting on Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting.

Lady Midnight
(The Dark Artifices #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Expected Publication Date: March 8, 2016

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Synopsis:

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

My Thoughts: This is one of my pre-orders that is coming in and I have been anxiously awaiting it since it was announced in 2014.  I, seriously, LOVE the Shadowhunter world.  Cassandra Clare is the author whose books I own the most of (all in hardcover) and will continue to buy them until she stops writing them.  The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices series are in my top ten series list and I have no doubt that The Dark Artifices will be joining them soon.

Also, Shadowhunters the TV series makes me super happy.  I don't care if it isn't perfect (except Magnus, who is always perfect), I just like seeing the shadow world come to life.

Review: The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

The Heart of Betrayal 
The Remnant Chronicles #2

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Publication Date: July 7, 2015

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance

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Synopsis:

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save Lia's life, her erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar's interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.


Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: There's Rafe, who lied to Lia but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be savages. Now that she lives among them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country... and her own destiny.

My Thoughts: I will confess, the first book in this series (The Kiss of Deception) sat on my shelf for a whole year collecting dust before I finally picked it up.  In retrospect, I am kicking myself for this.  This book series is SO good.

SPOILER ALERT!  If you haven't read the first book (Kiss of Deception) turn back now!

Lia is now a prisoner in Venda, a country ruled by savages and a brutal Komizar.  A country that never takes prisoners.  Unless, of course, the Assassin of the country fell in love with you and he could spin it that you are a useful prisoner of war, given that you are a Princess and a First Daughter of Morrighan (something pretty important in this series).  Couple that with Rafe, who followed after Lia to save her and became a prisoner himself, and this book was filled with awesomeness.

I will say, if you haven't read the first book yet you should.  I am seriously in love with this series.  This book, The Heart of Betrayal, plays a lot into political intrigue and cunning whereas the previous book focused more on the love triangle between Lia, Kaden and Rafe a bit more with the political stuff more on the back burner.  It was definitely a shift, but I loved it.

Lia is a tough, runaway princess who knows her own mind and isn't afraid to voice her opinion.  This, usually, leads to her getting into trouble.  Regardless, I love how brave she is.  She didn't want an arranged marriage, so she fled.  When she is captured by the enemy and forced into their kingdom as a prisoner, she adapts and uses the situation.  I love Lia, seriously.  She is smart and loving and doesn't walk around the world with shutters over her eyes.

I also love both Kaden and Rafe - the two main boy characters.  Kaden and Rafe couldn't be from more different backgrounds, but each have their own charms.  Kaden, the assassin who has unwavering loyalty to his Komizar and Rafe, the Crown Prince of Dalbreck.  They are both trying to keep Lia alive and safe.  Kaden thinks that she is safest with him, in Venda and that he can protect her from everyone there looking to spill her blood.  Rafe, meanwhile, is trying his damnedest to get them out of there.

The villain in this one, the Komizar, had me torn and I both loved and hated that.  Pearson did a great job at painting a villain with multiple levels.  How, when the Komizar was young he was good-hearted and how over the years absolute power corrupts absolutely.  You could understand why people who had known him for years had pledged their loyalty to him.  You could also see how much he had changed and how some of them were blind to it.

**Spoiler Alert ended.  Safe from here on out.

I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting the next book, The Beauty of Darkness, due out on August 2016.  It is definitely on my list of books to pre-order.  The Heart of Betrayal ends with a pretty major cliffhanger that has me thirsting for more.  I can't wait to pick up the story of Lia, Kaden and Rafe again.  I love this world, I love these characters and being without them until August is going to be difficult.

Waiting on Wednesday (72)

Waiting on Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting.

Glass Sword
(Red Queen #2)

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Expected Publication Date: February 9, 2016

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Synopsis:

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

 The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind. 

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

My Thoughts: After the end of the last book (Red Queen), it was a "I can't even" moment.  Like, holy crap.  I cannot get my hands on this book fast enough.  Anyone who has read Red Queen knows what I mean.  If you haven't read it... pick it up!

Also, see the trailer for this book here.

Review: The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

The Alchemy of Forever

Author: Avery Williams

Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Books For Young Readers

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance

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Synopsis:

Seraphina has been alive since the Middle Ages, when her boyfriend, Cyrus, managed to perfect a method of alchemy that lets them swap bodies with any human being. Sera ran away from Cyrus years ago, when she realized that what they were doing—taking the lives of innocent people—was wrong. Yet she doesn’t want to die, so she finds young people who are on the brink of death, and inhabits their bodies. Sera has just landed in the body of a girl named Kailey who was about to die in a car accident. For the first time, Sera falls in love with the life of the person she’s inhabiting. Sera also falls for the boy next door, Noah. And soon it’s clear the feelings are returned. But she can never kiss Noah, because for her to touch lips with a human would mean the human’s death. And she has even more to worry about: Cyrus is chasing her. If she stays in one place for long, she puts herself—and the people she’s grown to care for—in great danger. Will Sera have to give up the one thing that’s eluded her for centuries: true love?

My Thoughts: I found this book for 5$ at a book store  and after reading it I am really surprised it was being sold at such a low price. It's a relatively new release,just over a year old and it's definitely a really great read. Not that I am complaining obviously, I got a great book at a great price and as a book lover that is a wonderful thing, but I feel like it should have been worth more.

It is a pretty short read though, I read the whole thing in one sitting. It was the kind of book that had you turning the pages non stop. I had taken it off the shelf and to bed to read a couple chapters before I passed out. But I ended up not closing it again until I was done and it was way past bed time.

 This book absolutely keeps you intrigued and interested!  Seraphina has been alive for a very very long time but she has had to do terrible things to achieve this immortality. Sera was entranced by love and romance and the excitement of eternal life for a years, but the magic is definitely wearing off and the romance is hardening. Although she has made some great friends in her long course through life she has come to realize the depth of what she is doing, and what the man she has been with for so long is really like. But just as she makes the decision to move on and leave immortality behind, a fateful event changes everything and Sera finds herself in yet another body.

The story was fast paced, short for jam packed full of excitement and drama. I developed a very quick attachment to Sera and all of her humanity, of which she has a surprising amount of for someone who has been alive for so long. I really loved the idea of a person hopping from body to body eternally and I kept thinking to myself that if a prequel were ever made to this story that I would love it. I would love to read about the years between Sera becoming who she was and her coming to a realization that she was a monster of sorts. A girl can dream can't she?

Even still, it was a fantastic read and I would whole heartedly recommend it to any and all YA & Fantasy/Paranormal fans. It's definitely one you should add to your list. It won't take too much of your time to read and you'll be glad you did. I know I need to get my hands on the sequel because I can't wait to see what happens next with Sera!

Review: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publication Date: June 16th 2009

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Genre: Contemporay

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Synopsis:

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

My Thoughts: Sarah Dessen, Sarah Dessen, Sarah Dessen. I'm not sure how much praise I've heard for her, a lot. Everyone seems to love her. So I finally bought some of her books. After asking a friend which one I should start out with, I picked Along for the Ride as my first Sarah Dessen book. It was really, really good!

I have to admit, I felt really bad for Auden. Her parents pretty much didn't pay any attention to her and she ended up becoming and insomniac for it. It's really hard to get out of a routine once you're in it. And once you're used to staying up all night, well that just makes things hard. Auden's parents are divorced and she lives with her mom, but her mom seems to be too busy with grad students to have anything to do with Auden, so she gets sick of it and goes to visit her dad and his new wife, who just had a baby for the summer.

Well her dad's not much better than her mom, worse really in some ways. His wife jut had a baby and he doesn't help at all. Heidi (Auden's stepmother) is really struggling and Auden is the only one who will step up and help out, but she doesn't want Heidi to become dependent on her, so doesn't help all the time. But there were some points where I wanted to strangle her father for being a jerk. Plain and simple.

As far as contemporaries go, this is a pretty good one. Auden grows and changes a lot through out the book, in a good way. Yes, there in a boy, but they help each other get over a few things and it's adorable. Both of them are insomniacs, so the night is theirs. Eli is a really great guy and it was nice to see him finally letting go, but never forgetting, something that wasn't his fault at all. Eli and Auden were meant to be together. I also enjoyed seeing Auden find some girls to be friends with, she didn't have a very normal childhood. So to see things becoming normal for her is great.

Along for the Ride is a great story that will pull at your heart strings! I'm definitely glad I gave Sarah Dessen a chance and can't wait to read more by her!

Review: Lightpoints by Peter Kassan

Lightpoints

Author: Peter Kassan

Publication Date: March 25th, 2013

Publisher: Melange Books

Genre: YA/Paranormal/Romance

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Synopsis:

When Amanda Lindner Nichols, a 24-year-old graphic artist living with her husband in Queens, New York, is revived from a near-death experience, she discovers she perceives everyone around her as points of light—but not with her eyes. She soon learns she can not only perceive the life energy of others, but she can give and take it. With the help of others like her, she brings her husband Chris to the brink of death and back to bestow on him the same remarkable faculty, and they’re the happiest they’ve been. But not for long. All over the world, people who’ve been revived from their own near-death experience at just the right moment discover themselves with these same unusual powers. They find ways to use them—some for good and some for evil. When Amanda and Chris encounter a ruthless group of gangsters with the same faculty, tragedy follows—and Amanda faces the greatest challenge of her life

My Thoughts:  Lightpoints was an interesting read for sure! I definitely enjoyed it, especially since it was so unique. I  liked the idea behind the story, this ability that I want to call super natural but it isn't really, I guess. But I don't think it's an ability  I would ever want to have myself, it sounds overwhelming and like it would take over your life.

Amanda faces death and lives to tell the tale, but she definitely does not come back the same woman. She comes back with the ability to sense all other people as these points of light in her head. Although it gets a little confusing there and it's kind of hard to imagine what the author is describing. They are always referred to as points of light but we are also told they aren't literally points of light and they don't actually see anything. I can understand it, but I can't really envision what it would be like and I wish that had of been a little clearer. But I definitely liked the idea behind it, it was something totally new and it kept me interested  and it made for a good read watching her adapt to her new life, how her new ability grew and changed and what she did to cope with her new life.

The other thing that I really liked about this book, was the little side stories. Amanda isn't the only person who finds themselves burdened with this new faculty. Every other chapter or so we get to read about these other people and what they are doing with their abilities. It was incredibly interesting and the diversity it added to the story was fantastic. We got to see how the exact same abilities could be used for good and bad, and how the exact same thing happening to lots of people can bring about so many different results. I think those little side stories made the book, I really do. I often found myself enjoying them more than Amanda's chapters. It got even better when the stories started to intertwine and Amanda finds herself dealing with someone who feels the need to make the most of their ability in a really bad way.

I would recommend this book, it was an light easy read that was very interesting and unique. I did find it a little repetitive at times and maybe sometimes it was a little slow getting to the point, but overall it was a very decent read and I think you should give it a go.

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han

Publication Date: May 5th 2009

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre: Contemporary

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Synopsis:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

My Thoughts: This book came highly recommended to me and it did not disappoint me! This is the perfect summer (or even winter) read. It's got beaches, romance and a main character who is just coming into the age where she's no longer in that awkward stage. You know what I mean, when you're too old to be considered a child and too young to be a young adult. Suddenly everything is becoming right for you. Goodbye awkwardness. And the boys she's been around her whole life? They're noticing!

At first I was kind of confused and wondering what kind of name Belly was. A nickname, durr. I kind of felt bad for Belly, she's been the only girl at the beach house every summer (except one when her best friend showed up) and being surrounded by boys kind of sucks. I know, I have 3 brothers. Lucky for her, they weren't all her brothers, but they mostly looked at her like a little sister, for awhile anyways. But suddenly, once she has grown up, she's a bit more interesting to the boys.

This story isn't all about summer love. There are definitely some points that are going to be tear jerkers for you, there were for me. It's a really great story and I'm very glad that I finally got around to reading it. I don't regret it for a moment. I do need to get around to reading the next book though! I really do! With how things ended, I really want to know what happens next. So if you're like me and have been looking at this one but haven't read it, you should! It's worth the read It's a really great story!

Review: The Secret Eater by Ros Jackson

The Secret Eater

Author: Ros Jackson

Publication Date: July 15th, 2013

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: YA/Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Kenssie is a demon who feeds from secrets. Lately pickings have been slim, and she has grown so weak that her shield of invisibility is slipping. As the servant of a demon who eats embarrassment she already feels like she's the laughing stock of the demonic world. But the scorn of someone who thinks that Hawaiian shirts are the height of cool is the least of her worries. A powerful fear demon is dead set on making her his slave, a position that carries seriously short life expectancy. She has no friends. No powers. No clue. Her only hope of escaping a life of terror lies in stealing a grimoire she's never seen from the clutches of a vindictive group of master demons.

My Thoughts: I always feel quite terrible when I read through a review book and don't enjoy it. But I have to do my part as a book reviewer and be honest, since that is what an Author expects when sending out copies of their books. It definitely wasn't a terrible or completely un-enjoyable book, and I'm sure there are readers out there who will enjoy it. But it wasn't for me and don't worry I will explain why.

The entire book felt to me as if it had been pretty hastily thrown together. There was quite a bit happening, so it wasn't boring or anything like that. I enjoy a fast paced book  but this one was a little bit too fast for me. Just as I was starting to get used to a certain scenario or grasping what was going on, things were changing and moving on to something else. It wasn't necessarily hard to follow, but it was hard to get into the story or attached to the characters when everything was flying by so quickly.

Nothing was explained too clearly during the story. We can grasp the main idea which you get from the synopsis above, but we  pretty much hit the ground running in this story with no time for catch up or back story or even just more information about how these characters work. The plot line just seemed to be lacking in depth, and quite a few events just didn't really make sense to me. I found it to be kind of flat and stitched together with a few characters thrown in there that we don't really get the chance to know at all.

It definitely makes for a quick read with only 10 chapters, and none of them being very large. So if you're looking for a quick fantasy fix or a light read in between books, then this might work for you. Fantasy and paranormal are usually a soft spot for me and it's not hard to get me hooked on such a book, but unfortunately this book just didn't do it for me. I found it to be anti-climatic with an abrupt ending that left me feeling confused. That being said I know there will be others who will like it and find all the strong points that I missed.

Review: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Author: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Publication Date: May 23rd 2006

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre: Contemporary

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Synopsis:

t all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date. This he said/she said romance told by YA stars Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night, with two teenagers, both recovering from broken hearts, who are just trying to figure out who they want to be—and where the next great band is playing.

My Thoughts: I have to admit, I watched the movie for this book way before reading it. When the movie first came out I didn't realize that it was based on a book, so I watched it before reading it. Well it's probably a good thing I did because if I had of read this first, I wouldn't have watched the movie. This is one of those rare cases where the movie is actually better than the book for me. Like way better.

For some reason, even though this book is only 183 pages, which would make you think it was fast paced, I found it really slow. I was wondering when anything was going to happen. Another thing that bothered me? I'm not sure how many times this book says "fuck" or some variety of it, but it was way too many times. Wait, scratch that, I looked it up and someone has it counted as 335 f-bombs in the 183 pages that this book is. Yeah, at least almost twice per page. Now I don't exactly have the cleanest mouth out there, but that just seems a bit ridiculous to me.

I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I did finish the book and it was okay. I definitely won't be reading it again and it's not the first book I'd recommend to someone. I might tell them to watch the movie, it at least was censored. Sometime too much swearing is a bad thing. I don't care if the characters are in New York and if that's what it's like, it doesn't make for an enjoyable read. Plus the insta love thing that was going on? Not really that believable for me, especially when the two of them were still obsessing over their ex's, because they were. How can you claim to be falling in love with someone when you can't stop thinking about and comparing them to someone else. Nope, not really insta love for me, more like raging teenage hormones.

If you're interested in this one, I say skip the book and watch the movie. More like 1.5 Owls, not two.

Review: Rory by Ciye Cho

Rory

Author: Ciye Cho

Expected Publication Date: August 10th, 2013

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: YA/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Far beyond heaven, earth and hell is a city known as Palladino, a place ruled by ghosts and filled with demons, magic, and all sorts of darkly beautiful things. A city where no one can ever escape. Eighteen-year-old Rory is a cake decorator who makes stunning confections. But no amount of frosting or miracles can save her when a demon kidnaps her—and carries her to Palladino. Here, Rory ends up in a deadly charm school where young women are forced to become companions for the Ghost Lords. And for her to survive, Rory must become everything that she isn’t: graceful, elegant... and perfect. But nothing is what it seems in Palladino. Not the magic. Not the ghosts. And definitely not Martin Marius, the bizarre Ghost Lord-slash-inventor who is drawn to Rory. For amid a thousand machines and a hundred cats, Martin holds a secret that could change everything. A secret that could either free Rory... or destroy her.

My Thoughts:  This is the third book I have read by Ciye Cho and I find myself falling more and more in love with his writing every time. He has an amazing talent for creating these, enchanting, alluring worlds that are also intimidating and terrifying at the same time.  Ciye Cho has the ability to use his words like a paintbrush and create the most vivid and colorful imagery. He really knows  how to set the stage and it makes the story that much more enjoyable when you can picture everything around them and it just looks incredible and or haunting depending on the situation at hand.

So in this new series Cho  has created a world that is kind of like a purgatory. It is full of ghosts who have not passed on into the afterlife. Rory manages to find herself in this world because these ghosts happen to have demon consorts who capture humans for them. They bring them to their world and feed off of their memories as most of them can't remember anything of their human life or what it was like to be human with emotions and experiences.

Despite being the main character in a seriously paranormal world Rory is the most down to earth, relate-able character I have had the pleasure to enjoy in a while.  She is literally just your average girl with faults, quirks, fear, and confidence issues. But she also carries a strong fearlessness when she feels that there is injustice being done.  She was great, and I loved watching her navigate her way through this insane, brand new world. It was obviously not the best place for a young girl to be trapped but she did mange to find a silver lining when she could and  I admired that as well.

 Rory wasn't the only character I fell in love with. All of the characters in the story were wonderfully portrayed and expertly written. Especially the adorable talking kitty, Cookie! Intimidation, fear, and awe were all very real feelings that I experienced while watching the characters play out their parts on the pages.

This is the start of a series I know that I am going to love. It was a great introductory book that absolutely sinks it's claws into you. I can't wait to read more about the world of Palladino and the adventures of Rory within. The hardest part now is to wait until the release of the next book in the series.  The pace in the story was perfect, not too fast as well as not being to slow or boring at any time. Thank you to Ciye Cho for sharing his new novel with me, I can't wait to see what comes next! This book is set to be released one month from today, so be sure to make a note of it and grab it when it comes out, you want want to miss this new inventive and unique series from Ciye Cho!

Review: The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

The Mockingbirds
(The Mockingbirds #1)

Author: Daisy Whitney

Publication Date: November 2nd 2010

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Contemporary / Realistic Fiction

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Synopsis:

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

My Thoughts: So I had heard a lot of good things about this book. But I forgot about it for the longest time. Then one day, I saw it on the bargain shelf at Chapters and remembered it was supposed to be good, so I picked it up. It's a relatively short read, just over 300 pages. Surprisingly, I actually read it shortly after buying it, much to the disappointment of all the books that have been sitting on my shelf for over a year, just waiting to be read.

Basically, the book is about a girl who is date raped. She doesn't really remember much but starts to have flash backs and realizes that she did not in fact give permission to have sex. It was her first time and she doesn't remember it, worse, it apparently happened twice. As the story goes on, she begins to remember more and more, getting madder and madder at what's happened to her. She enlists the help of the student led and operated court, which is the Mockingbirds. They are there for the students because the teachers live in a dream world where nothing wrong ever happens at their school, the students are perfect and even if someone comes to them about an issue, they ignore it or that person is kicked out for some reason or other. So the students are there for justice.

It's a pretty interesting read and I thought it did a great job of showing how someone reacts to being date raped. A lot of rape victims are afraid to report it because of what it is, and you learn as you go on that this has actually happened before, but that person was too afraid to push forward. A lot of people are ashamed and feel like they asked for it. Which isn't true. Unfortunately there isn't much justice in the world when it comes to rape but I thought the way it was handled in this story was good. I really liked the writing style and was pretty much able to sit down and read this book in one sitting. It kept my attention and kept me reading. I will definitely be looking to continue on with the series and will be watching out for more by Daisy Whitney.

Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Fever

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Publication Date: February 21st, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Children's Publishing

Genre: YA/Dystopia/Romance

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Synopsis:

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness. The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

My Thoughts: Although I did enjoy this book, I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I did the first book Wither, you can find my review for that here.

This book had pretty much the same pace and same amount of action and excitement which was good. I really liked the kind of slow but still very intriguing pace of the first book. Normally I would not be one to be a fan of a laid back pace in a book. But this series seems to pull it off really well. It's not action packed and exciting things aren't necessarily happening in every chapter. But there is always great character development and Rhine has an inner dialogue that is never boring and a personality that is entirely admirable.

The story starts off right where Wither left off. Rhine and Gabriel have escaped from the mansion and are heading to what they think will be a much better life. But oh, they were so wrong. Things are not all hunky dory outside those gates. Things are much more terrifying, corrupted, and down right filthy. They are almost immediately taken captive by a rather disgusting group of people and they spend the majority of the book trying to figure out how to escape yet again. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Rhine both are fighting a sickness that is definitely complicating the matter of escaping.

The one thing that made me like this book a little less than the previous one is definitely that it felt rather repetitive throughout the story. Rhine was constantly passing in and out of consciousness for different reasons. But it was always the same effect of her passing out and coming too and thinking about how badly she needs to change the current situation and to get away from her horrible nightmares. Lots of things changed around her during the course of the story, but her own predicament stayed about the same and it got a little monotonous to me.

But it was still a pretty great read and I will definitely continue on to the last book in the trilogy. Especially since things really started to get heated up and exciting towards the very end! Definitely a cliff hanger of an ending and I will be needing to get my hands on the next book in the series,  Sever.

I would still recommend this book and the series, especially to Dystopian fans. It is also a romance novel, but the romance in this book of the series was pretty limited.  I am definitely looking forward to what will happen romance wise in the final book!

Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publication Date: February 5th, 2013

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Genre: YA/Romance/ReTelling/Dystopia

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Synopsis:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or 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 is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My Thoughts: Marissa Meyer has mastered the ReTelling genre! You will not find any others in the genre  that are nearly as unique, imaginative, adventurous, and creative as The Lunar Chronicles. Meyer has breathed the most fresh breath of air possible into stories that we all know so well. She has all but turned these stories on their heads and emptied their pockets and stripped down to their bare essentials. She then rebuilt them in a way only she can, with every page and character becoming something even better and more astounding than it previously was.

I'm sad that it took me so long to read this. I read Cinder last year and I absolutely loved it. You can read my review for Cindre here. It should not have taken me this long to get my hands on the sequel, and if it weren't for my great friend Jenn here passing me on  her copy I would probably still have it on my to read list. So big thanks to Jenn for being so generous and giving me the encouragement I needed to get this book read!

Scarlet is a female heroine we all can't help but love. She has a  fierce loyalty to her loved ones and a determination that never quits. I fell in love with  her just as easily as I fell for Cinder in the first book. Both are female leads you will be rooting for right from the start.

I was especially happy to find that Cinder was in this book. I had assumed that it would be a brand new re-telling with all new characters. This is because I have a habit of not reading the synopsis to sequel books because I just love being surprised too much and I don't want the slightest surprise to be given away. But yes, you can imagine my delight when Cinder was amongst the pages. This delight only intensified to the max as Cinder's and Scarlet's stories intertwined.

The way Meyer has weaved these two fairy tales together is nothing short of incredible. She obviously has a gift for this genre and I would say her books are the yardstick that all others in the genre are measured against. You don't want to miss out on these books. If you have not looked into the Lunar Chronicles yet you seriously need to hop on that train! Pick up these books and prepare to fall in love with the stories you've always known, only this time around, they are revved up, and totally kick ass!