Review: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword

Red Queen #2

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Publisher: Harper Teen

Genre: YA/Dystopia

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Synopsis:

If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

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?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

My Thoughts: First, I want to say that I love this series.  Neither of the books went where I expected them to and this one certainly lived up to the high expectations that the first one set!

We pick up Glass Sword where Red Queen  left off.  Mare and Cal are tired and shattered from the events at the end of Red Queen and are just trying to survive at this point.  Both seem to be looking for a purpose and neither one want to stop and take a breather, or rest.

Mare, I feel, really steps it up in this book.  She really is stuck between a rock and a hard place for most of the tough decisions she has to make.  Unlike Cal, she was never trained to be thrust into a leadership position and this is where she unexpectedly finds herself.  All of her moves, all of her decisions and non-decisions are questioned and scrutinized and I feel that in the middle of the book she just kind of loses herself.  I honestly don't blame her.

Cal feels like a lost floater sometimes.  He always had a clear path of who he was, what he was, what was expected of him and where he was headed.  Now that all of that has been ripped away from him and he is on the run with people he formerly saw as the enemy seems to have caught him up.  Luckily, he doesn't stay that way completely.

I have to say, there is a lot less romance and a lot more action in this book than the previous, which is to be expected.  In the first book, it was all about political intrigue and palace life.  How best to save people and still work within the confines of the castle.  Now, to put it blunt, all hell has broken loose.  Cal and Mare are constantly looking over their shoulders while at the same time trying to save people like Mare, regular Reds and even Silvers.

This book was fast paced and awesome.  The cliffhanger ending (much like the first book) was awe-dropping and not at all what I would have expected.  I am eagerly waiting at the edge of my seat for the next book - it can't come quick enough!

Review: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Alice in Zombieland
White Rabbit Chronicles #1

Author: Gena Showalter

Publication Date: September 12, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Young Adult/Horror

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Synopsis:

She won't rest until she's sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

If anyone had told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that's all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real.

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.

My Thoughts: I actually liked this book a lot more than I thought I would.  Normally, I hate anything to do with zombies.  I feel like they are overdone and, quite frankly, disturbing.  So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found this new take on zombie-kind.

Now, be forewarned, this is no where near a clear adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, if that is what you are looking for.  There are definitely throw-backs to the books and Easter-Eggs if you know the original series, but this is definitely it's own story with it's own plot.

Regardless, I really enjoyed this book.  Ali (or Alice) really surprised me a lot with her fortitude.  She was very reminiscent in a way of the Alice from Alice in Wonderland in that she sucked it up and didn't let people intimidate her or push her around.

I feel like the climax in this book may have been rushed a little and could have maybe been drawn out a bit more.  However, considering the fact that it is a multi-book series I am not surprised by the way it all went down.  I feel it has most likely set up for a more dramatic climax in other novels when we deal with the big bads of the series again.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It was one of the ones that once I picked up I could hardly put down for anything.  I am typing this review up with the second book sitting next to me, begging me to crack it open and devour it.  I would totally recommend this one to any YA reader, especially the paranormal-loving ones - even if you hate zombies!

Review: The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

The Royal We

Author: Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

Publication Date: April 7, 2015

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis:

"I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next."

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become.

Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this book a lot more than I initially thought I would.  Some have toted it as a glorified fan-fiction of Kate and Will, but I honestly don't care.  There were a lot of similarities between Bex and Nick and Prince William and Duchess Catherine's stories - that's for sure.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed the book regardless.

Rebecca Porter, or Bex, was just a regular American college student on a study abroad term to Oxford.  She only wanted to go and enjoy the art, to take in the architecture and have fun in the UK.  She wasn't looking for romance, and she certainly wasn't aiming to find love with the second in line to the throne.

I love that we get to follow their eight-year romance to the alter.  We get to see the highs and the lows and friends come and go.  Sometimes, I found myself stopping and remembering how their romance started and drawing lines on how the young 20 year olds with a brand new love story became 26 or 27 with all of these new responsibilities and stresses.  In that way, I was glad we got to see the whole span, which we very rarely get in books.

Neither of the main characters is anywhere near perfect (nor the side characters) and I think that is what I loved the most about this book.  We get to see them both do very well and mess up spectacularly throughout their relationship.  This book broke my heart in more than one spot and had me almost yelling at both or either Bex and Nick on more than one occasion.

The ending did leave me wanting a little more.  I felt it ended a little abrupt and would have liked to see a nice epilogue from two years later, even if it was just a quick snapshot of their life.  But that certainly did not dissuade me from rating this 5 stars/owls.

So, whether you feel this is some sort of fan-fiction on Wills and Kate or not, this book was an excellent read for me.  I hated when I had to put the book down for something.  If you are fascinated by all things royal or you just love a good love story I would definitely recommend this one.

Review: That Summer by Sarah Dessen

That Summer

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

Genre: Contemporary

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Synopsis:

The more things change... As far as Haven is concerned, there's just too much going on. Everything is changing, and she's not sure where she fits in. Then her sister's old boyfriend shows up, sparking memories of the summer when they were all happy and everything was perfect... But along the way, Haven realizes that sometimes change is a good thing.

My Thoughts:

I read my first Sarah Dessen book in 2013 and man did I ever get sucked in. Finally, I found out what everyone else was talking about when it came to this author. This book was my 7th book that I read by her, all the previous ones were 4-5 stars, how could I go wrong? Well I went wrong. So, so wrong. This book is NOT like the rest of her books. It was a horrible struggle to get through, and at a mere 198 pages, took me 4 days to get through, when I was expecting a quick one day read.

Now, That Summer was written in 1996, so it's quite possible that it's not aged well. Young adult was not even a thing back then, it was just Children's books and Adult books. So we've come a long way. Now, it wasn't my only issue with the book. Sarah Dessen's writing style has changed a lot since her early days, unfortunately, it was easy to tell that this was her first book. I really do like her writing, but I'm more used to her new stuff I guess. This book just never sucked me in like her newer ones. It was slow and I slogged through it.

I think one of my problems was that I just couldn't sympathize with the main character, Haven. Her problems didn't seem like they were that bad. Sure, she was going through a crazy growth spurt and was getting really tall and felt awkward. Everyone goes through puberty and we all get through it. Sure, we don't all have our parents going through a divorce and getting remarried and an older sister getting married at the same time. But to me it just felt like Haven was getting upset because she wasn't getting all the attention. Her mom was concentrating on her sister's wedding and trying to distract herself from her ex-husband getting remarried (to someone only a few years older than their oldest daughter) by going out and trying to meet people. Yes, her father was getting remarried, it was over a year after her parents divorce. So the attention was on other people this summer, not her. I don't remember getting all that much attention. I was my mom's easy kid and it didn't bother me that I was left on my own to do my own thing.

I kind of have to agree that she chose the wrong time to have her flip out, the day before her sister's wedding? Yeah. I didn't get the whole thing that was going on with Sumner either. I guess she just wanted things to go back to the way they were when he was with her sister? But that obviously wasn't going to happen. I thought it was a little weird that she kept running into him and having all these heart to hearts, but I guess no one else was talking to her because they were all busy, so it kind of makes sense in a way.

Overall, this book just didn't do it for me. It wasn't faced paced like I'm used to with Dessen. I'm very glad that this isn't the first of her books that I've read. It doesn't change that I love her other books, so I will continue to read her stuff. It's too bad that this one fell flat for me, but it did. I think if you're planning on trying out some of Sarah Dessen's work, or have tried some of her newer stuff already, pass on this one. I mean, it's not the worst thing I've read, and it was okay, but it was hard to get through.

Review: Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

Frostfire
((Kanin Chronicles #1)

Author: Amanda Hocking

Publication Date: January 5, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Bryn Aven is an outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes.

Set apart by her heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who's determined to become a respected part of her world. She has just one goal: become a member of the elite King’s Guard to protect the royal family. She's not going to let anything stand in her way, not even a forbidden romance with her boss Ridley Dresden.

But all her plans for the future are put on hold when Konstantin– a fallen hero she once loved – begins kidnapping changelings. Bryn is sent in to help stop him, but will she lose her heart in the process?

My Thoughts: I was so excited when I managed to get this book series from BookOutlet at a massively discounted price.  I really love Amanda Hocking and have read all of her series thus far and own most of the books from the series.

One thing I love about this book is that it is set in a universe I have already fallen in love with, the world of the Tryll.  If you haven't read the Tryll series, it is a definite must.  I absolutely adored the whole thing.

In this series, instead of following the Tryll Kingdom, we follow the Kingdom of Kanin.  They are another species of troll that live in West Canada.  So, yay for that!  Woot, Canada!  (I am from Eastern Canada).   It follows Bryn Aven, a Kanin tracker whose job it is to bring Changlings home safely.

Hocking has created another strong, independent female character.  Bryn shows that she doesn't need to rely on anyone to get the job done.  She is dedicated, strong-willed and willing to do what has to be done to get the job done.  In fact, it almost becomes a flaw on how stubborn and independent she can be.  But I like that.  I like when strong characters have obvious flaws.  No one is perfect.

The men in this book definitely take a back-seat to Bryn.  She has two "love" interests, but given that she isn't buying into the whole getting married having babies propaganda she tries really hard to just ignore it and move on in life.  Bryn is more focused on her career and advancement.

All in all, I really loved this book.  There was intrigue, mystery, a kick-ass female lead and just enough romance to give it flare.  I would recommend any Amanda Hocking book to anyone who enjoys reading Young Adult Fantasy.  I can't wait to pick up the next book in this series and delve in.

Review: Halfway Bitten by Terry Maggert

Halfway Bitten
((Halfway Witchy Series #2)

Author: Terry Maggert

Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Synopsis:

Take a bite out of evil.

The circus came to Halfway, and they brought the weird.

When clowns, vampires, and corpses start piling up in town, Carlie has to break away from her boyfriend, Wulfric, to bring her witchy skills to the table- or grill, as the case may be.

When the body of a young woman washes up in the lake, it unleashes a spiral of mystery that will bring Carlie, Gran, and Wulfric into a storm of magical warfare.

Spells will fly. Curses will rain. Amidst it all, Carlie will make waffles, protect her town, and find out if a man from the distant past can join her in happy ever after.

With love and honor at stake, Carlie has no peer.

My Thoughts: This series of books, Halfway Witchy, was definitely an interesting find that I may not have necessarily picked up myself if I hadn't had a request for a review.  The series, to me, is very reminiscent of the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris with the exception that there is less gore and this series seems targeted for a more PG audience.

In this book, the circus is in town and it is up to Carlie, her grandmother and her half-vamp/half-human boyfriend Wulfric (a Viking of old) to figure out why people are ending up dead. Since it is Carlie's family who protects the area in which they live, it is up to her to solve the supernatural murders and bring peace back to her town.

Carlie is a pretty kick-butt waffle chef who also happens to be a witch.  I really like her and I like that she wasn't some girl in need of saving - Carlie does the saving.  She is short, powerful and in charge.
I also LOVED Carlie's Gram.  She oozes power, intelligence and just all around badass witchery.  It seems the women in this family line are just amazing.

I have to admit, I had a hard time reading this story.  It wasn't because I didn't love the characters or the plot, but the writing style kept throwing me off.  I'm not saying that the writing is terrible, because it isn't.  Just all writing styles aren't for everyone and this one definitely is one of the kind that I have difficulty with.  There were a lot of paragraphs and a lot of the dialogue was within the paragraphs instead of on it's own separate line, which is something that throws me off when reading.

All in all though, I really enjoyed the story and the characters within.  It did take me a little longer than usual to read because I had to adjust myself to the writing style, but it was worth it to take the extra time.  I would definitely recommend this book series to anyone who enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse series or to anyone who likes seeing short witches kick some major behind.

Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave
(The 5th Wave #1)

Author: Rick Yancey

Publication Date: May 7, 2013

Publisher: G.P. Putnuam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction

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Synopsis:

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

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

My Thoughts: I read this one for my monthly book club.  Well, I listened to the whole thing on audiobook rather than physically read it but same difference to me.

At first, I wasn't sure how I would like this book.  I usually tend to stay away from Science Fiction novels and especially alien-type SciFi books - they just aren't my shtick.  I must say that The 5th Wave left me with a pleasant surprise.

I instantly liked Cassie.  She comes of as a paranoid hard-ass most times but I was like: "Yeah, I would be like that too, given the circumstances!"  The book shows her descent from a regular, high school teenager to one of the few survivors of the human race after the "Others" decide that the human race was something that was unnecessary to Earth (to say the least).

Personally though, as a mother, this book really hits you hard and in the heart and gut (the movie too - if you haven't seen it, you should!).  A sister who is willing to do anything to get to her little brother and save him from his fate, the "others" planned use for the human children and everything else in this book is just terrifying and terribly, terribly sad.

The author, Rick Yancey, certainly knows how to weave a tale.  This book was enough to have me paranoid of every character in the book (and I still am, a little bit).  The thought of an alien race making it so that humanity couldn't even trust another human really freaks me out.

All in all, this was a pretty amazing book (even if I hate aliens in general).  I definitely enjoyed the whole story and it had me on the edge of my seat.  I would most definitely recommend this book and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the sequels!

Review: Elite by Rachel van Dyken

Elite
(Eagle Elite #1)

Author: Rachel van Dyken

Publication Date: October 14, 2014

Publisher: Forever

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis:

For Tracey Rooks, life with her grandparents on a Wyoming farm has always been simple. But after her grandmother's death, Tracey is all her grandfather has. So when Eagle Elite University announces its annual scholarship lottery, Tracey jumps at the opportunity to secure their future and enters. She isn't expecting much-but then she wins. And life as she knows it will never be same . . .

The students at Eagle Elite are unlike any she's ever met . . . and they refuse to make things easy for her. There's Nixon, gorgeous, irresistible, and leader of a group that everyone fears: The Elect. Their rules are simple. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. No matter how hard she tries to stay away, The Elect are always around her and it isn't long until she finds out the reason why they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. She just didn't realize she was the enemy -- until it was too late.

My Thoughts: I bought this on a super discount through Book Outlet as part of my "Christmas Haul" (which I actually ended up ordering in January lol).  At first, I thought it was just going to be a quick, easy read and then I would be done and move on to other books.  Boy, was I wrong.

To start off, this is part of a series of books called Eagle Elite.  I, personally, think the series should have had the moniker The Elect, which happens to be the title of the second book but what can you do?

Anyway, this is a series of six books that I know of so far (the sixth is due to be release in May 2016) and a couple of novellas.  Safe to say, as soon as I put down Elite I started right on the second book.  Then the third, and the fourth until I finished the whole series in little over a week.  I really enjoyed this book series!  Even though I don't normally read books where we follow different characters (for the most part) in every book.  But everyone is so entwined it didn't really make a difference to me.

As for Elite, I really enjoyed this read.  The book didn't at all turn out as I expected it would at first glance or by reading the summary. I was expecting a something like Push the Limits y Katie McGarry and I was presented with Nixon, Chase, Phoenix and Tex.  They have so many secrets you could... you know, write six or more books about it.

I loved Trace!  This girl was put through hell and yet she somehow managed (for the most part) to keep herself pulled together and to keep standing up for herself.  That is a common theme in these books and something I love.  The women are not afraid to stand up for themselves, be strong and independent and tell these fierce, and sometimes terrifying, men exactly where to go and how to do it when need be.

Gah!  I just really enjoyed these books and I find it hard to review just the one without touching on them all.  If you like anything to do with the mob or mafia with some romance thrown in for good measure, these are the books for you.  Fair warning though, they do touch more on the New Adult crowd than the Young Adult - mainly for violence and some sexual situations and insinuations.

Review: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Between the Lines

Author: Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse Simon Schuster

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary

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Synopsis:

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales.

My Thoughts: This is probably closer to 3 1/2 stars for me, but we don't do half-stars here at Owl Read It, and neither does Goodreads (much to my disappointment).  I didn't feel like it deserved to be rounded down, so I rounded up.

This was an unique story with an interesting idea.  What if the characters you were reading about in a book were sentient and went about their own lives when the book was shut?  What if they were just acting out the story like actors in a play?  What if the main character, the Prince, wanted out?

I will admit, the concept of this book was awesome.  I think any reader would agree that it is an interesting idea and the thought of any of our beloved book characters not being confined to the pages that they were written in is enough to make the fanfiction world go wild.

Like I said, I liked the idea and the premise, but I found that the follow through wasn't so great.  There were definitely times where I felt I had to suspend my belief a bit too far.  I also felt that the pacing off the novel was a little off at times.  I did read it pretty fast and there were some pretty awesome illustrations throughout.

I also had a hard time connecting to the characters.  I seemed to be okay with Delilah in general, but every other character in the book I didn't really care too much about.  Even Olly, the Prince in need of rescue, didn't inspire much feeling from me.

All in all, I am glad that I did read it (it has been sitting on my shelf for a while).  If someone was looking for a light, quick read I would probably recommend it.

Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything

Author: Nicola Yoon

Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Publisher: Delacourte Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary

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Synopsis:

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. 

 But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. 

 Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

My Thoughts: This was a book I picked up for my monthly local book club meeting that Jenn and I started a few months back.  Normally, despite the amazing cover, I probably wouldn't have bothered.  I mean, how much could I really read about a "bubble kid" (an immuno-compromised teenager who is living in constant state of quarantine).  Luckily, however, the book club forced this book into my hands and I read it in only four hours.  It's a fast read, but a good one!

Madeline lives in a world of white.  White walls, white clothes, white everything.  Well, everything except her books where she lives her life.  She has SCID, a rare disease that means she is allergic to, well, pretty much everything.  The only outside contact she gets (other than via the internet) is with her mother and her nurse Carla.  That is, until, Olly moves next door.

Madeline hasn't had neighbours in what I could only guess has been years.  She makes it her priority to know what they are doing.  I likened it to watching reality tv, only on her neighbours.  It seems weird and kind of creepy, but when you put it into context of how little human interaction this girl has had in her life and that it is innocent then I though it was just kind of quirky.

Olly notices Madeline watching him from her window and immediately tries to make contact, not realizing the girl from the window next door is incredibly sick.  But it doesn't matter.

Oh boy, did this book throw out some fast ones on me.  It did have a few predictable moments but at about half way through it had me hook, line and sinker.  Not only with the untraditional way the novel was written and set up (both with illustrations, IM messages and emails which all added to the charm) but because I genuinely fell for the characters.

This book would have gotten a solid five owls from me if I hadn't felt like the ended wasn't a bit rushed.  There was some issues with Maddy's Mom that I felt were left unresolved but I was okay with that, given the nature of problems and mothers in real life.  I just wanted to see a more flushed out resolution with Maddy and Olly.  But, the ending was still satisfying and left me smiling.  I would definitely recommend this book to people!

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.

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!