Sunday, September 30, 2012

Alice In Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Alice In Zombieland by Gena Showalter ReviewHardcover: 416 pages
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Fantasy/Zombies
 
White Rabbit Chronicles
 
Book One: Alice In Zombieland
Book Two: Through The Zombie Glass (2013)
 
Order On Amazon: Hardcover
                                Kindle
Order On Barnes and Noble:
 
Author's
 
Amazon Summary:
 
She won't rest until she's sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.Had anyone 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 Review:
 
Ahhhh. The wonderful world of soul sucking zombies. Riveting.

When I first saw this book on some WoWs from fellow bloggers, I didn't even spare it a glance. I mean zombies? Really? NOT my thing. But after Alice In Zombieland was released, this book was EVERYWHERE! And I do mean literally everywhere. I saw it on blogs, posters, and recommendations from Amazon and Goodreads, so I finally relented and reluctantly opened my very first zombie book.

When I first started this novel, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I loved Gena's style of writing and how she incorporated humor into her characters, especially the protagonist, Alice. I found myself grinning at Alice's inner dialogue and eager to read more about Alice's life. I felt really bad for her, since in the beginning she thought her dad was a nut job for believing that monsters wanted to hurt them. Little did she know, that everything her father had told her, was true. She was denied the childhood that she should of gotten, the friends she should of made, and the activities like school dances that she could never attend because she was never allowed out after nightfall. Alice was a strong character at the start of the novel, she dealt with her father's madness (or so she thought) and was a great friend and sibling to Emma, her adorable eight year old sister.  Her reactions were realistic when her parents died in the car crash. She didn't want people to keep telling her "I'm sorry for your loss," when they really didn't care. She reacted just like any other teenage girl who just lost everything that they ever loved within the blink of an eye.

However, after she moves in with her grandparents in a nearby town.....things started to go downhill. There was a Insta-Love connection between Alice and her love interest Cole *Gags*. Cole was the very embodiment of the Alpha Male. He was demanding, aggressive, and super possessive of Alice even though they were complete freaking strangers. Cole pushed her around and she seemed to enjoy it. *Aggravated sigh* Even though I didn't really like Cole there were some times when I grudgingly admired him. He could be sweet and caring when he wanted to be, and you could see that he put Alice's safety above all else. But.......mostly just a broody testosterone filled boy who growls when he doesn't get his way.

I didn't really see much of a connection with Alice in Wonderland. The most I ever saw was the white rabbit which reminded me of it. Alice In Zombieland was mostly based on teen drama, relationships, rumors, lies, and secrets rather than on the amazing storyline that captured so many children's hearts. If you hoped that this novel was a retelling of the famous Alice In Wonderland just with the added bonus of zombie monsters, you are terribly mistaken.

The humor at most times was witty and amusing, but sometimes Gena took it a littleee bit to far, and it veered toward corniness.

Overall, not a great retelling. I will not be reading anymore Zombie related books in the nearby future. The protagonist, Alice was at times the strong heroine I hoped for her to be and at other times was a little pathetic and stalkerish. However, if your looking for a story with a mostly amusing comedy, high school drama, and have a fetish for soul eating zombies, then Alice In Zombieland might be worth checking out.

Heroine- 2.5/5
Romance- 2.5/5
Action- 3/5
Comedy- 4/5
Overall- 3/5


Saturday, September 29, 2012

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren to showcase new books and ebooks that we have aquired over the past week.

 
In My Mailbox
 
Since I didn't get many books two weeks ago, I decided to do both book hauls in one post! :D
 
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
 
From the Library:
 
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff ( Amazon I Goodreads I Barnes and Noble ) Review
 
For My Kindle:
 
The Rise by H.D. Gordon ( Amazon I Goodreads I Barnes and Noble) Review
Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout ( Amazon I Goodreads I Barnes and Noble ) Review
Ceaseless by Abbi Glines ( Amazon I Goodreads I Barnes and NobleReview
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs ( Amazon I Goodreads I Barnes and Noble )
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter ( Amazon I Goodreads I Barnes and Noble )
Covet by Melissa Darnell ( Amazon I Goodreads I Barnes and Noble )
Gray Moon Rising by S.M. Reine ( Amazon I Goodreads )
 
What did you get in your mailbox last week?

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff ReviewHardcover: 336 Pages
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Genre: Steampunk

Book One: Stormdancer
Book Two: Untitled

Order On Amazon: Amazon
                                Kindle
Order On Barnes and Noble:
Hardcover and Nook

Author's
( Goodreads ! Website ! Twitter ! Facebook )

Amazon Summary:

The first in an epic new fantasy series, introducing an unforgettable new heroine and a stunningly original dystopian steampunk world with a flavor of feudal Japan.

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.


My Review:

What first caught  my attention when I was looking for books to buy, was the cover for Stormdancer! It was so pretty and unique! I literally spent two minutes just oohing and ahhing over it! The name Stormdancer, caught my attention as well. It didn't really make sense to me in the beginning because I had no idea what a Stormdancer was, maybe someone who dances in storms? but after reading the novel, It finally clicked! There aren't nearly enough YA Asian mythology/culture novels out there! I've probably read about two dozen Greek Mythology books, but Stormdancer is only the third Asian related book I've read so far! The other two I've read are Eon and Eona which is more based off of Chinese Mythology, rather than Stormdancer's Japanese Mythology.

The main character, Yukiko, was a sixteen year old girl with a deadly secret. Out of all the reviews I've read, every single one of them gushed about a strong female protagonist, and I mean come on, who wouldn't want to read about that? Yukiko didn't just stand by idly and pretend that everything in her world was fine, when the rain was black, the land was contaminated, and the people were dying off from pollution faster than they were born. When no one else would speak up against the Guild members and Royalty, she did. She stood up for what she believed in, even when it might have costed her her life. Yukiko was also very intelligent and cunning. She didn't let pride stand in her way, in fact she would push it down and play the act of a subservient woman, even when she was raging inside. She did whatever it took to accomplish her goals, and never wavered from it.

The Arashitora (Stormtiger), Buruu, was my favorite character out of the whole book. When he was first caught by Yukiko's father, he was angry, terrified, and in disbelief that something as great as he could be caught. One thing I loved about Buruu, was that his actions were realistic, and that he didn't build some instant bond with Yukiko that other YA novels what have put in just to move the novel along quicker. Instead, they built a slow and steady bond, that sprang from disdain and distrust, to affection for each other's company, and finally to a unbreakable bond that was held together by a love for each other. Another thing I loved was that Buruu grew as a character throughout the book. As their friendship flourished, Buruu started adopting Yukiko's tone of voice and turned from an impulsive creature, into a intelligent and perceptive soul with a human mind.

The action in this novel, was at times a little slow paced and tedious. Jay tends to be a little extensive and overzealous with his descriptions. I had trouble getting into the novel at first, because all of the Japanese sayings, terms, and similar names were a bit confusing to me. I kept picking up the book, setting it back down, then picking it up again because I was hoping it would get better. I was so happy that I did! There was one certain scene that the author created, that had tears dripping from my eyes and emotion clawing up my throat. When Buruu and Yukiko trusted each other with their lives and fought as one being, one entity. It was so beautiful, inspiring, and heart wrenching!

The worldbuilding was amazing as well! I saw that Stormdancer was described as a Steampunk novel many times. Although I have heard of the term before, I have never knew what it actually meant. I kind of guessed that it had something to do with machinery, because steam comes from machines. Finally, I just googled it online. Turns out I was right, to an extent. The official definition of Steampunk from Wikepedia is a genre that incorporates science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, horror, and speculative fiction. Sounds interesting right? I still had no idea what that meant so I just decided to see for my self! After reading Stormdancer, it kind of became obvious to me. Basically it's just Japanese culture and mythology mixed in with machinery like cars and trains and stuff. This kind of left me with a funny mental picture throughout the novel. People wearing kimonos and airplane goggles. Weird....but unique. xD

Overall, if you enjoy reading about Japanese Mythology, machinery, kick ass and cunning protagonists, cool animal sidekicks, betrayal, defiance, or all of the above, you'll love what Stormdancer has to offer!

Heroine- 4.5/5
Romance- 1/5
Action- 4/5
First 70 to 80 pages of Stormdancer was a little too slow paced for my taste.
Comedy- 4.5/5
Overall- 3.5/5


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Feature and Follow (6)

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee.

Question: What is the BIGGEST word you've seen used in a book lately - that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition & book too.

Answer: Uhhh....Let me think about this for a second. The biggest word I've seen that I remember, is the word sarantraas from Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. You'll have to excuse the spelling because I'm way to lazy to go get my Kindle and find the word. xD At first, I thought sarantraas was a real word but I soon figured out that it was a made up word by the author of the story. In Seraphina, sarantraas is a dragon's human form.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
 
What's the biggest word that you've seen lately?

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Rise by H.D. Gordon

The Rise by H.D. Gordon Review Kindle: 429 KB
Release Date: September 24, 2012
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Paranormal

Book One: Blood Warrior
Book Two: Half Black Soul
Book Three: The Rise
Book Four: Redemption (December 2012)

Order on Amazon: Kindle
Order on Barnes and Noble: Nook

Author's
( Goodreads ! Website ! Twitter )


So I was just scanning through my recommendations on Amazon, minding my own business, when BAM! I see the link for the third book in the Alexa Montgomery series! This was my reaction......





Photobucket

 


  And then after the shock wore off......
 
 
Photobucket

So as you can obviously see, I have been waiting for this book to be released for a long long long time! The Rise starts off right where Half Black Soul ends, and it doesn't disappoint. Like the last novel, The Rise is mainly switched between two different POVs, Alexa and her little sister Nelly. Although, it's mainly between these two characters there are also less common POVs, from the evil and diabolical King, Alexa's boyfriend, Kayden, and last but not least Jackson, Alexa's werewolf friend.

Alexa is badass, maybe even more so, than she was in the last two books. Sometimes she can be a little rude and has some certain anger management problems, but that's understandable because if you really think about it, she's still just a teenager, thrown into a world she still dosen't understand. Into a world where everyone thinks of her as their savior, a person who was going to defeat evil once and for all. I don't know about you, but if I was in her position, I would be feeling a little pressured as well. Another great thing I loved about Alexa's character, was that she had alot of conversations in her head. When she feels her monster rising within her, demanding that she solve things with violence, she beats her "monster" side into submission by acting as if it was another person. And the only way to pretend that it was a different person was to give that person a separate voice. That made for some very....interesting conversations, because she was essentially arguing with herself. Even though Alexa tends to be violent and harsh, she also has a softer side to her. Sun Warriors tend to be motivated and driven by either anger or love. After protecting her sister for years and years, a bond sprang between them. There was nothing in the world that Alexa would not give up for her sister. Even her life.

Although Nelly is not strong in the physical sense, she is undefeatable in the mental sense. If you have read the past two books you would know by now that she is Half Searcher and Half Lamia. Her Lamia side makes her Searcher side even stronger. It was amazing to see how much Nelly grows throughout the first two books. In the start, Nelly resorted to sucking her thumb when she was scared, which annoyed me because it was so childish! But now, after all the things that she's seen, all the problems that she's faced and overcome, she grew into a character that I both respected and admired. However in the third book......let's just say that she's not completely herself.

I loved the style of writing in this book. Although there were a few spelling errors and grammatical errors, it was easy to overlook because i was just so immersed into the story! This was a very fast paced novel and I enjoyed every second of it. When I started reading The Rise, I thought that it was the last and final book in the series, but I was wrong. The conclusion of this series is called Redemption and is expected to be released sometime in December 2012! Can't wait! :D


Heroine- 5/5
Romance- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Comedy- 5/5
Overall- 5/5

Waiting On Wednesday (6)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights books that we can't wait to read!

Waiting On Wednesday
 
This week's WoW is.......Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi!!
 
 
Amazon Summary
 
tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.
She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.
Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.
In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.



I loved the kind of poetic style of writing that Tahereh used in Shatter Me and I can't wait for the sequel to come out! The covers of both novels are also really unique and I've never seen anything like them before! Unravel Me will be released on February 5, 2013!

 
What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?
 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays (6)

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

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
 
                             
                              Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
 
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
 
"She rolled aside as her cover was smashed to kindling, azalea petals drifting over the oni's sholders like perfumed snowflakes." -Kindle
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I wanted to thank you. She could almost feel his stare throught the curtain between them. "For keeping me safe. Wandering alone in the wilderness all that time could not have been easy. I am indebted to you."-Kindle
 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman ReviewReading Level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 480 pages
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genre: Fantasy/Dragons

Book One: Seraphina
Book Two: Dracomachia (2013)

Order on Amazon: Hardcover
                               Kindle
Order on Barnes and Noble:
Hardcover and Nook

Author's
( Goodreads ! Website ! Twitter ! Facebook )

Amazon Summary:

In her New York Times bestselling debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages. Eragon-author Christopher Paolini calls them, "Some of the most interesting dragons I've read in fantasy."

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.


My Review:
 
***Contains Minor Spoilers that could probably be predicted***
 
Seraphina has a secret. She's not completely human. In the far far away land of Goredd, the forty year peace treaty between humans and dragons is wearing thin. Humans, think that dragons are disgusting, revolting, and nothing more than abominations that need to be extinguished. Certain dragons are starting to rebel against the peace and want to take over the human population so that they can hoard treasures and knowledge once again. Seraphina, a talented musician and singer is a half dragon. Can she unite the dragons and humans so that they can keep the peace treaty intact? Or will she instigate a full blown out war that not everyone will survive?

Seraphina, is the type of novel that can speak to your very soul. I was absolutely stunned and amazed by the emotions that this author can invoke just with her words. Her style of writing was beautiful and even close to poetic. Even though the names and different words in the dragon's language did confuse me a bit, there was a glossary in the back that explained everything (Of course, I didn't see the glossary until after I finished the novel but ehh. xD).

Seraphina, the protagonist, was one of my favorite heroines of all 2012! She was a natural born leader, had good virtues, wanted to protect all of those that she loved, and was still vulnerable at times. My heart reached out to her, because she had spent her whole life hiding and lying about what she really is because if she told the truth she would be undoubtedly killed and tortured. Although Prince Lucian Kiggs wasn't the greatest looking love interest, he was cunning, smart, and thoughtful and that definitely made up for it! The best thing I loved about this novel was that the romance was NOT an Insta-Love! I was so excited about this that I even did a happy dance! Seraphina and Kiggs didn't just instantly have this random attraction toward each other. They both were strangers in the beginning, and slowly got to know each other and learn about each other's quirks before finally feeling drawn toward each other. It was slow and building and eventually led up to something beautiful and structured!

However, even though I loved Seraphina and Kigg's roles in the story, my favorite character wasn't either of them. Orma, Seraphina's dragon teacher and uncle, was the one that I was most interested in and the one that I ended up loving throughout the whole novel! Dragons, back then were not supposed to feel emotion. They balled up their emotions and shoved them into imaginary boxes, where no one in the world could see. Why did they do this? Because emotions were considered dangerous and love was considered the most dangerous of all. Orma, broke those rules, and put Seraphina before everything else and loved her like a real uncle should! There were times that I was even left bawling like a baby from the conversations exchanged between these two!

Overall, you do not want to miss this book! Seraphina was filled with forbidden love, life threatening secrets, deception, and everything else you could want in a novel!

Heroine- 5/5
Secondary Characters- 6/5
Romance- 6/5
Action- 4/5
Comedy- 3/5
Overall- 5/5

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Ceaseless by Abbi Glines

Ceaseless by Abbi Glines ReviewKindle: 446 KB
Release Date: September 16, 2012
Publisher: Abbi Glines
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Book One: Existence
Book Two: Predestined
Book Three: Ceaseless
Extras: Leif's POV

Order On Amazon: Kindle
Order On Barnes and Noble: Nook

Author's
( Goodreads ! Website ! Twitter ! Facebook )

Amazon Summary:

Can he make her fall in love with him… again?

When Pagan Moore proved worthy of Death’s devotion, he was given the gift of getting to keep her.

But Dank was never promised that Pagan would keep him.

When a soul is created, so is its mate. In every lifetime those souls find each other. They complete the other’s destiny. It’s time for Pagan’s soul to choose if she truly wants an eternity at Death’s side or if she wants the mate created just for her.

Dank didn’t think he had to worry about her choice. He knew where her heart belonged. Until he realized that every kiss, every touch, every moment of their time together would be washed from her memories. He would have to win her heart all over again and prove to her soul that he was where she belonged.

If only her soul’s mate wasn’t right there standing in his way.

My Review:

In this book, basically what happens is that The Deity, kind of like a god in this book, sees that Pagan and Dank (Aka Death) are in love with each other and want to spend the rest of eternity together. What neither of them anticipated was that Pagan's soul mate, is out there looking for her and wanting to find his "other half". Since Pagan knows alot more than any single soul has the right to know, The Deity believes that her choice would be biased and ends up taking away all of her memories of Dank and anything having to do with the spiritual/soul related world. This way, Dank doesn't have a unfair advantage over her soul mate, and Pagan can choose fairly. The question throughout the whole novel is. Can Dank get Pagan to fall in love with him again? Will she choose to live the rest of her days with Dank, the boy she swore her never ending love too? Or her soul mate, the soul that was designed specifically for her, and the one that she was destined to fall in love with over and over again, through every single one of her reincarnations?

After reading the summary of Ceaseless, I was expecting a book full of teenage angst, jealousy, and love triangles. Fortunately after reading it, I realized that Abbi took a different and unique approach to it, instead of following in Twilight's footsteps. Pagan, was a likable and strong character. She was loyal and protective of her best friend Miranda, and was there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. Pagan also had a funny inner commentary and her reactions were pretty realistic throughout the novel, even though there were a few parts that left me a bit skeptical. However, there were still times when Pagan said things that made me want to do a facepalm from how idiotic she sounded. Dank, was as sexy, brooding, and possessive as always. He had a tendency to go ballistic when Pagan came anywhere in the near vicinity to Jay, her soul mate, or if they touched in any way.

I enjoyed the romance thoroughly but I had to skip through some parts at the end because Pagan and Dank do have sex...and the author is a little too vivid with her words. I definitely was not expecting something so descriptive since her first two novels never veered that far off of the road.

There were a couple spelling errors in Ceaseless, not a huge amount but enough to catch your attention. I had to reread over a couple spots, because the words weren't grammatically correct or the spelling was just way off. I also felt that the ending was just a little bit too convenient and clean. It jumped from everything being a mess to all the puzzle pieces falling together perfectly, and that left me feeling like I just missed a huge portion of the story.

In conclusion, if you want to enjoy a easy read that includes a dark and broody bad boy, Ceaseless is the book for you. Just be warned that some scenes are not appropriate for younger readers.

Heroine- 5/5
Romance- 4.5/5
Action- 3/5
Comedy 3.5/5
Overall- 3.5/5

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout ReviewHardcover: 304 pages
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Genre: Fantasy/Superpowers
Series: Standalone

Order on Amazon: Hardcover
                               Kindle
Order on Barnes and Noble:
Hardcover and Nook

Author's
( Goodreads ! Website ! Twitter ! Facebook )

Amazon Summary:

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't? But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

My Review:

I have to say that I'm disappointed with the outcome of Cursed. I've been an avid Jennifer Armentrout fan ever since I read her Lux and Covenant series, and when I saw that she was releasing a new novel, I was ecstatic! I've always loved the way that Jennifer can blend in a witty and kick ass heroine, fast moving and heart racing action, drop dead gorgeous love interests, and a hot steamy romance that makes you want to melt. That wasn't the case for Cursed.

The protagonist, Ember, wasn't who I was expecting her to be. I can't say that I hated her but I didn't love her either. Yes, there were many things that I admired about Ember, like her determination to take care of her sister and herself without any outside help. You can see right off the bat that Ember always thinks of her sister before anyone else and truly cares about her even when she's throwing a massive temper tantrum. Ember also has the funny inner dialogue that is present in Jennifer's other heroines, which I love! Those were probably the only things I liked about her. At other times in the novel, I found her submissive, weak, and sometimes even pathetic.

Someone with the touch of death, is a concept that isn't overused but isn't unique in the world of young adult books. Books like Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Touch by Jus Accardo have the same ideas. I found the plot slow moving, since there wasn't as much action as I hoped for there to be. The villain was also to easy to spot and from there on most of the twists and turns were predictable.

I'm probably the only person who feels this way. I've heard nothing but amazing reviews on this, and I really wished I could've enjoyed it more. I won't be reading the sequel if she decides to make another one, but I will still be anxiously waiting for Deity and Opal to be released.

Heroine- 3/5
Romance- 3/5
It was a insta love, which annoyed the crap out of me. If you ignore that fact, then at times it was a pretty steamy and tense romance because of Ember's hands off policy.
Comedy- 4/5
Action- 2.5/5
Overall- 3/5

 

Friday, September 21, 2012

Feature and Follow (5)

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee.



Question: What hyped up book was worth all of the fuss?

Answer: Divergent by Veronica Roth! The first time I read the summary I fell in love and was eagerly counting down the days until it was released! I wasn't disappointed at all! It exceeded all my expectations.






Divergent by Veronica Roth
 
Divergent by Veronica Roth
 

How about you? What book did you think was worth all the fuss?

Cover Reveal: Opal by Jennifer Armentrout

Without further ado......the cover for the third and final book in the highly coveted Lux series!
Opal by Jennifer Armentrout Cover Release
 

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.
Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!
 USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.
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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Outpost by Ann Aguirre

Outpost by Ann Aguirre ReviewReading Level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 336 pages
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Genre: Dystopian

Book One: Enclave
Book Two: Outpost

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Order on Barnes and Noble:
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Author's
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Amazon Summary:

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

My Review:

Since I read Enclave a long time ago, I didn't remember the plot or the characters very well. But I was feeling particularly lazy that day and didn't feel like skimming through the first book, so I cracked open Outpost and hoped for the best.

If you don't remember Enclave very well and still want to read the sequel, I suggest that you recap on a few things. The first ten pages left me super confused because the author doesn't do much to jog your memory. She jumps right into it. After googling some basic information about each of the main characters, my memory of Enclave started to slowly come back to me and by the third or forth chapter I was cruising along and enjoying every minute of it!

Outpost, starts off in the clean and sanitary city of Salvation. Salvation probably wasn't clean in our standards, but compared to what Deuce has been through the past months and the underground sewer sort of city she's lived in for the first fifteen years of her life, it's definitely considered clean! Although, some people welcome her and her companions with open arms, others look down at her for doing a man's job. This annoyed the crap out of me because the citizens of the city believed women to be subservient and only be of use in the kitchen or for pleasurable activities with the men felt like it. I think I got so annoyed at this part of the book that I literally snarled. Snarled! Of course, disgust was probably the emotion the author wanted to invoke out of the reader, and I would say that after what I felt, it was a success!

I admired the way that Ann wrote about Deuce! From what I remember of Enclave, Deuce was an all steel and knives kind of girl. She spent her whole life training and fighting to earn her name as a Huntress. She even had to kill a full grown man when she was just twelve years old to be considered a adult and not a "brat" (the term they used for kid in her enclave) anymore. Throughout Outpost, Deuce still has that fierce and primitive edge to her, to the extent that my eyes widened at some of the things she did (For example, laughing when she was being mobbed by brain sucking Freaks). She kind of reminded me of the protagonist from C.J. Redwine's Defiance. But even though she's volatile, she's cunning and uses her brain in the face of danger, instead of just flashing out and instigating battles that cannot be won, like the main character in Defiance. Throughout the novel, we also see a more feminine and naive side to Deuce. Often in the book, she explains these two sides as Girl and Huntress, and that they are constantly at war against each other. Even though Deuce has clearly lost all innocence while living down below, she still holds a certain fascination and ignorance to simple things like birthdays that are almost childlike. All of these characteristics combined made a beautifully structured protagonist, and I loved reading about her!

The secondary characters, Fade and Stalker weren't as outstanding as I found Deuce to be, but I still liked reading about them. I know alot of people cringe at love triangles, but I have to admit that I have a certain weakness for them! However, the love triangle in this book wasn't to die for. Fade, I kind of both liked and disliked. He was sort of stupid and blinded in the beginning. I can't really say much without giving spoilers away. Stalker, was described as being "the same" as Deuce. They were both fierce to the point of being a little on the scary side and both were always eager for action. Other important characters were Deuce's foster parents Momma Oaks and Edmund. In the beginning I wasn't to crazy about them, but that changed as the novel moved along. You can see that they really do care about her and think of her as their own daughter. The moments exchanged between them were touching and even made me cry!

Overall, this book had an amazing storyline that I both loved and cherished. There was tons of action and hand to hand fighting for all of those who love fast paced books! The characters were well written, but I don't think I can pick between Team Fade or Team Stalker just yet. I'm not to crazy about either one of them, but hopefully that will change after the third novel is released!

Heroine- 6/5
Romance- 3/5
Action- 5/5
Comedy- 4/5
Overall- 4.5/5