ARC Review: Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Title: Stung
Author: Bethany Wiggins
Publication Date: April 2nd, 2013
Genre: YA - Post Apocalyptic - Sci-Fi - Dystopian

"There is no cure for being stung.
Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.
Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.
Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall." ~See it on Goodreads!

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Stung was definitely one of the most interesting and unique story concepts that I've come across so far this year. It was action packed and really sucked me in from the beginning.

In the world of Stung bees as we know them have gone extinct, and scientists have replaced them with a new genetically created species of bees. But while they were creating these new bees something went wrong (one of the risks when you start experimenting with things lol) and when the bees sting someone that person is infected with a deathly virus. So naturally the scientists start working towards a cure for the “Bee Flu” as it’s called, but unfortunately that doesn’t go as planned either. The so called cure that they developed has some pretty narly side effects, and the patients they give it to end up becoming wild, zombie-esque creatures, so it’s no surprise that chaos breaks lose soon after. Fiona wakes up after being in a coma, and nothing is the same for her. She’s alone and confused, with no memory as to how or why she was asleep in the first place.

There is a bit of romance in this story but suffice it to say I wasn’t very invested in it. I just felt like it was a little rushed and I’m sooo not a fan of the whole insta-love thing so that kind of put me off. I did wish there had been a little more to the world building and details in some areas, because I felt like there were some things that were only vaguely mentioned and I would have liked to see more information there.

Despite a few qualms, overall I did enjoy this one quite a bit. It kept my attention throughout and I never got bored with it. I thought the ending played out nicely but still left room for a possible sequel, which I would like to see because I’m interested to see what would come next.

3.5 Stars!

ARC Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Publication Date: January 1st, 2012
Genre: YA - Fantasy/ Retellings

"This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own." ~See it on Goodreads

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It's clearly no secret that I'm a huge Alice in Wonderland fan. It's hands down one of my all time favorite stories, I drove my family crazy watching the Disney version constantly while I was growing up lol. And I absolutely loved the newer version that Tim Burton did (but then I adore all things Tim Burton). So I was completely sold on this when I read the blurb and couldn't wait to get my hands on it! 

I love retellings in general, and I've read several retellings of Alice in Wonderland but this one was completely unique and different than any of the other ones I've read. It was a bit dark, but that fit perfectly in my opinion because when you think about it Wonderland isn't really a "happy-go-lucky" place full of rainbows and unicorns all the time. I think the author went above and beyond with this book and crafted a wonderfully exciting, and modern tale based around the original story.

There are so many interesting and unique characters in Splintered, and they really added so much to the story. I loved Alyssa, she was spunky and had her quirks which made her relatable. I liked the fact that she had a good relationship with her dad, and even though there was a struggle/strain in the relationship with her mom you could still tell how much she cared about her. It was nice seeing a good parent/child relationship, and that her dad was actually involved. You don't see that much in books nowadays.

Then there's Jeb. Where, oh where do I start? I adored him from the start and he's easily the right match for Alyssa. I liked the fact that there was no "insta-love", they'd been best friends for years and knew each other better than anyone. He was a loyal friend and was always there to protect her. I loved his personality and sarcasm, he made me laugh so hard at several parts in the book. I actually really liked Morpheus a lot too, there's a little hint of a love triangle but honestly I think the relationship between Alyssa and Morpheus wasn't really all that much of a romantic one. There were hints of it here and there but nothing like the relationship between her and Jeb, but I did still like his character. He's a bit darker than Jeb and can kind of be a jerk sometimes but there's something about him that just makes me like him in spite of that lol.

I have to admit I had a hard time writing this review without putting spoilers in, and I had to keep rethinking my wording, what elements to mention, ect. Lol. But that just goes to show how awesome the story was! The world building was just amazing, as was the writing itself. The attention to detail in this book was absolutely fantastic and the visualizations were spot on! I was totally enthralled by every sentence I read and could get to the next page fast enough. 

Needless to say, the fact that this is a stand alone kinda bummed me out just because I loved it so much and now I want more! Everything was pretty well resolved at the end but there was a bit of an opening left that could possibly go forward into a sequel perhaps?? *hint hint* so I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for that, as well as any other work by Ms. Howard! Also the cover is flipping gorgeous, and I've been in "cover love" since I first saw it!

Splintered was a thrilling, dark, magical, and gorgeous adventure, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I couldn't have loved it more if I wanted to!

5 Stars! (but I think it deserves more!)

ARC Review: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Title: Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1)
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publication Date: September 18th, 2012
Genre: YA Fantasy - Steampunk

"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 QUESTThe 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 SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRLYukiko 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." ~See it on Goodreads

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Have you ever read a book that was so amazingly wonderful that it just left you at a loss for words?? Well Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff did that to me. If you haven’t heard of it I suggest that you look it up immediately and add it to your TBR lists! And if you’ve already got it on your TBR lists DO NOT hesitate to buy this one, you won’t regret it by any means!

It’s no secret that I adore Fantasy, whether it’s YA Fantasy, Urban/Modern Fantasy, or High/Epic Fantasy, I love it all. And I’ve become slightly obsessed with Steampunk, it’s such a unique concept to me and I honestly just can’t get enough of it. Stormdancer combines the two so it was a no brainer for me to decide to read it. I was utterly and completely enthralled by the characters, the world-building, and the just story itself. And speaking of the world-building, can you say A-Freaking-Mazing!! I’m such a sucker for a beautifully crafted world and Kristoff does not disappoint!

As for the characters, they were just perfection. And even though there are a lot of different characters in this book they all have their own distinct and unique personalities. I know sometimes with books that have a lot of characters it can feel like you can’t keep up with them all, or they all start to blend together and become dull and flat throughout the story. When that happens it doesn’t make for the best reading experience because honestly, you’re not going to be very invested in a character when you can’t remember them from one chapter to the next. But I have to say; while I was reading this book I never once felt that way at all. I was able to remember each character because all really stood out and made an impression, so major kudos to the author for that. If I have to pick my favorite character, it’s Buruu hands down!

The writing itself was just gorgeous and lyrical, and you really felt the emotions through every word. I literally couldn’t put his book down and yes, there were quite a few tissues used in the process of reading this. I could honestly just go on and on about this book because it was that amazing. I think it would appeal to so many readers whether you’re a fan of YA Fantasy or not, you just have to give it the chance and you’ll be so glad you did.

This is one of the most unique, beautiful, and brilliantly written books I’ve read. It’s without question the newest addition to my list of absolute favorite books, and I WILL be buying myself a hardcopy of this to have on my shelf so I can re-read as soon as it comes out! This book is just a complete WIN, and if you’re even remotely intrigued by this book, read it. It. Is. A. MUST!

5 Huge Stars!

ARC Review: Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Title: Velveteen (Velveteen #1)
Author: Daniel Marks
Publication Date: October 9th, 2012
Genre: YA - Paranormal

"Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.
The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.
Bonesaw.
Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.

It’ll be brutal... and awesome.
But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.
Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her." ~See it on Goodreads

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Velveteen is such an oddly fascinating story, the world building was really unique and unlike anything I’ve read recently. I saw that some people compared this book to The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold in their reviews and I really enjoyed that one so I was looking forward to seeing how this one stacked up. I could see some similarities between the two but honestly, I think this book stands out in its own interesting way.

The world of Purgatory was a really interesting and slightly creepy place; it put me in mind of a gothic type setting. Everything was extremely vivid and detailed and you feel like you’re seeing/experiencing it firsthand, especially some of the more slightly gory descriptions lol. There are a lot of unique concepts in this book that kept me interested and I think the whole thing kind of had a bit of a Tim Burton style to it (who by the way, I absolutely love). There’s a lot of action in this book and it easily kept me turning the pages.

There were several characters you have to keep up with at the same time so it got a tiny bit confusing at some points in that respect. But I really loved Velveteen (how cool and unique is her name?!), she’s definitely got a spunky personality and sometimes can be borderline bitchy, but she owns it and I like that about her. She’s strong, intelligent, is full of wit, and isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. I really loved her character from the start and had an easy connection with her, the way she died was definitely violent/brutal and you really empathize with her character, there were a lot of times where I was not only sad but angry for her as well. Nick was a likeable character and I loved the exchanges between him and Velveteen. I really loved Quenton, Logan, and Luisa as well; they’re definitely on my list of favorite supporting characters.

The romance in this book was good but not outstanding, and at times I felt a little disconnected with it. But for the most part it worked well with the storyline. I loved the dialogue between the characters, it flowed so naturally and didn’t feel forced in any way. And I think the dark bits of humor were a nice addition and kind of gave a nice reprieve from the main subject matter.

The one main thing that I found lacking in this book was more details on the conflict between Velveteen and Bonesaw. After reading the synopsis I went into this book thinking it would mainly focus on Velveteen getting revenge on the man who killed her and while that was part of the story, it seemed like it focused more on her being in Purgatory and the things she experienced there.

Even with my few nitpicks, I still really enjoyed the story, and the writing was beautiful and well crafted. I’ll be looking forward to reading more of this series in the future!

P.S. And how amazing is that cover?! I just adore everything about it, and not to mention the fact that it totally inspires my inner photographer/designer lol.

4 Stars!

ARC Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: August 7th, 2012
Genre: YA - High/Epic Fantasy

"After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined." ~See it on Goodreads

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This year I’ve been coming across some really fantastic books and Throne of Glass was no exception! I’ve always been a huge fan of Epic/High Fantasy so I was immediately drawn to this one after reading the synopsis.

The world building was wonderful and everything was so realistic and easy to visualize. The author really pulls you into this world and makes you feel like you’re actually there. I’ve read a few books like this where the history or back story of the world that the author created seemed slightly lacking, but I’m glad to say that this one wasn’t. There was enough information to satisfy my curiosity and there were some really fascinating and unique aspects like the Wyrd marks and the general magic in the story.

I think Calaena was a really interesting character, she’s very intelligent, sharp witted, strong, and determined. But at the same time she also has a vulnerable side, and I think that and the fact that she actually does have flaws helps her to be relatable because no one in real life is perfect. In the beginning she comes off as slightly rude and arrogant but as the story progresses she grows and you see that she is so much more than a snarky, kick butt assassin. She’s a truly admirable person and you’ll find yourself easily rooting for her.

There were a few small nitpicks I had that kept it just shy of reaching a 5 star rating. First off there were a few questions that I wish were worked out or explained a bit more, but I’m hoping that in the second book it’ll all be more fleshed out. And secondly, I just wasn’t a fan of the love triangle idea; it’s not that I’m completely anti-love triangle because some of my favorite books have them. But for this particular book I had a bit of trouble seeing the need for it I guess. I loved Chaol and Dorian, and I think from a first impression Chaol would probably be the most sensible match for Calaena and most people would likely agree. With that said, I still just like Dorian a bit better lol. I just adore him and his personality is great so I’m actually rooting for him lol.

But those small things aside, I still really loved this book! And when I absolutely had to put it down to do silly things like work, clean, or eat, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and wondering what was going to happen next. The only issue now is that I have to wait quite awhile to get my hands on the second book... *sigh*

4.5 Stars!

ARC Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Unspoken
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publication Date: September 11th, 2012
Genre: YA - Fantasy - Paranormal Romance

"Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.
But all that changes when the Lynburns return.
The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?" ~See it on Goodreads

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I’d heard soooooo many great things about Sarah Rees Brennan’s writing but I’d never read anything by her before I read Unspoken. And when I read the synopsis several months back it immediately went on my TBR list and I have to say I really enjoyed it and I’ll definitely be picking up more of her books in the future! 

One of the things I loved the most about this book was the absolutely amazing world building. It just completely pulled me in and I was immersed in this wonderfully magical and vivid world. And it has such an effortless feeling to it, it didn’t seem like the author was trying to hard to make the readers experience every detail. I liked the fact that the story was set in a small sleepy town and that it was called “Sorry-in-the-Vale”. I think I loved the quirkiness of the name a tad bit more than is normally appropriate lol. There was also an air of mystery there from the start, and who doesn’t love a well paced mystery?

I really like Kami, she’s quirky, intelligent, daring and just an all around interesting character. I also like that she can be a bit sarcastic (I have a love for sarcasm and snarky-ness lol) I haven’t read about someone quite like her recently so she will most definitely be remembered for a long time. And I could totally relate to some of her more geeky habits/interests, geeks rule right? :p another thing that set this book apart for me was the fact that the parents are actually present and involved! In a lot of YA books out these days the parents are either somewhat unfit or just completely non-existent (as in they’re never even mentioned lol), and usually that doesn’t bug me but it’s a nice change to see parents that are actually around in the story.

And I think if I had to pick one thing I loved the most about this book, it would hands down have to be the humor! Between the dialogue and the banter between the characters, I had so many “laugh out loud” moments while I was reading this book. And I adored the fact that there was some Shakespeare humor mixed in there as well (Shakespeare nerd here), suffice it to say I just thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now as much as I loved this book I did have a few nit-picks, first was the whole love triangle thing. Sometimes I can overlook it, but honestly I just didn’t think this book needed it so that might have taken a little something away from it for me. But the biggest thing I had an issue with would be the ending, I was just completely not expecting that and it left me flabbergasted (is it insanely nerdy that I love having the chance to use that word???)

Those things aside I will still be rushing out to get my hands on book two in this series! This book was an unexpected gem and I definitely recommend it. I’m looking forward to reading more by Ms. Brennan!

4 Stars!

ARC Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Publication Date: July 31st, 2012
Genre: YA - Contemporary Romance

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.
So wrong for each other...and yet so right.
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again." ~See it on Goodreads

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Okay, first off I just have to say, holy. freaking. WOW! Pushing the Limits has most definitely become one of my favorite reads of 2012 so far! I absolutely loved every single bit of it!

Pushing the Limits stands out from some of the more common types of YA Contemporary books because it deals with some real and difficult issues. It’s not one of those perfect scenarios where the girl and the guy seem to have no issues and their lives are fairly picturesque, Noah and Echo both deal with a lot of serious personal issues and it really gives you another perspective on what some people really go through in life.

I really liked Echo (how awesome is her name by the way?!), and I adored Noah! They had such an amazing connection and their chemistry together it was fantastic. Echo has so much pain and sadness inside after all she’s been through and even though she tries to feign normalcy it’s right there under the surface. But as she opens up throughout the story you get to know her and she’s a really likeable girl. Now Noah is definitely what you would classify as a “bad boy”, but honestly who doesn’t like that?? Lol. But that aside, Noah has so many layers and I loved how as the story went on you got to see and learn little more about him. Underneath his “bad boy” appearance he was such an endearing, and kindhearted person and he will forever be a favorite of mine.

The romance in this book was amazing to me. I love that it had time to build up and I’m so extremely glad it didn’t end up as some kind of unrealistic “insta-love” where everything is unicorns and rainbows and they have the “perfect” relationship right from the get go. Echo and Noah have to learn how to overcome the drama from their personal/family lives to be able to make their relationship work. The learn things about each other that they never saw before. And one thing I really liked so much was the fact that Echo and Noah didn’t try to change each other, they accept each other for who they are at that point and time but they still grow and change but not only do they grow individually, they grow together as well. I just love them together so much and some of the conversations they have *sigh* Love. It.

Not only did the author write two great main characters, all of the secondary characters were just as interesting. They didn’t fade into the background and end up being forgotten about, which sometimes happens in books. I was especially intrigued by Beth and Isaiah, and I absolutely freaking loved Mrs. Collins! If only there were more people like her in real life.

This book is definitely and emotional rollercoaster, I went from being angry, to overwhelmingly sad, to happy, and everything in between. It’s one of those books you not only read, but experience as well. As I said before this book immediately went to my favorites list. I highly recommend reading this book and I honestly can’t wait for the companion book where we’ll get to see Beth’s story! New favorite author? Umm I think so!

5 Stars!

ARC Review: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Title: Glitch
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Publication Date: August 7th, 2012
Genre: YA - Sci-Fi - Dystopian

"In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.
When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.
As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.
In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy" ~See it on Goodreads

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Normally I’m a big fan of Sci-Fi, but lately most of the Sci-Fi books I’ve read (especially the YA ones) haven’t really been big hits for me. And unfortunately Glitch wasn’t an exception.

The thing that really intrigued me about this book in the first place was the premise, I mean it sounded pretty darn awesome when I read it for the first time. And when I first started reading the book I was pretty interested in the story, the descriptions were great and the author took her time with the details (which I liked). And the way it described Zoe’s malfunctions put me in mind of cyborgs of some kind and had me wondering things like how these people came to be that way, how did they lose their ability to understand emotions, ect.

But as the story progressed it just seemed to go downhill for me, especially when Zoe met Max and Adrien… *sigh* it was just such a letdown. I just couldn’t take the over-the-top “insta-love”. I’m a huge fan of romance when it’s done well, and I was really hoping there would be some kind of build up to the romance in this story because Zoe was experiencing it for the first time and didn’t really know what those emotions were at first. But sadly that wasn’t the case. At. All. I wasn’t a fan of the whole “love triangle” thing either, it’s just so common and slightly overdone nowadays. Sometimes I can over look it if the rest of the story elements are good enough but in this case it was just downright strange in my opinion. But I think one thing that just really had me dumbfounded was the fact that one of the guys straight up asked Zoe to see her private girl parts, like right after meeting her..… Seriously dude?! what the heck?! I think that’s just taking the whole “experiencing emotions for the first time” thing waaaaaay too far to be believable.

The dialogue and lingo throughout the whole book was just pretty cheesy to me, I just couldn’t get into it and honestly got a bit annoying. The plotline got pretty predictable at times and I think having so much focus on the romance aspect took a little something away from the rest of the story. I also wished the characters had been a little more developed. They weren’t horrible but at the same time they weren’t great, and they didn’t make a huge impact on me.

Trying not to make this too much of a rant, so I’ll end it here. I do think there are people out there that will like this book (fans of Across the Universe for one) and then others who won’t, and unfortunately I fall into the latter category. I can see the overall appeal of the book because that’s what drew me to it in the first place, but sadly this one just didn’t make the cut for me.

2 Stars!

ARC Review: Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Title: Dark Kiss

Author: Michelle Rowen

Publication Date:  May 29th, 2012

Genre: YA Fantasy - Paranormal

"I don't do dangerous. Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back. Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me.... NIGHTWATCHERS When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising..." ~See it on Goodreads

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Well I’m always a little skeptical with books about fallen angels, maybe it’s because I have mixed feelings on the majority of the ones I’ve read (Daughter of Smoke and Bone being an exception). So I don’t immediately lean towards that particular subject matter, plus I’d seen a lot of mixed reviews for this one so I didn’t have super high expectations when I was starting this book.

However, I’m glad to report that I ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought I would, the premise of the story was interesting and well planned out. The author did a fantastic job with the world building and the pace was perfect, I didn’t think the story moved too fast but then it wasn’t slow or boring either. There was also a little mystery mixed in there as well and it really kept my interest until the end.

I really liked Samantha, she was strong and intelligent. She took the challenges she was faced with head on and didn’t start acting all soft and whiny like some female characters in other YA novels tend to do (definitely a pet peeve lol). I absolutely freaking LOVED Kraven!! It’s no secret that I’m a total sucker for the snarky/sarcastic, smart-ass characters lol, and I’m happy to say Kraven fits that type perfectly. He was hilarious and had me laughing out loud at several parts of the story, I loved his personality and he was such a memorable character. On the downside, I wasn’t really impressed with Bishop. I didn’t get a good connection with him at all and I kind of forgot about him when I wasn’t reading something directly referring to or including him. I mean I get that Samantha (and I’m sure every other girl in the story) thought he was “so cute” but beyond that his personality just wasn’t memorable to me so I wasn’t really interested in him *shrugs*

The one main thing I didn’t like about the story was the ending, I had several questions that went unanswered and was kind of confused. But since this is the first book in the series I’m hoping the questions will be answered in future installments *fingers crossed*

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I’m really glad I decided to give it a chance and read it. I’ll be continuing on with this series for sure.

4 Stars! 

Now before I end this I just have to say, how much do you love that cover?! I mean can you say hotness?! I mean the guy on the cover is pretty darn good looking right?? haha. Anyways, I love the contrast of the light and dark colors and the way the wings look kind of like ink spreading behind him, it has a bit of mysterious feel to it and totally captures the eye.

ARC Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Title: Scarlet

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Genre: YA - Action/Adventure - Historical Fiction - Re-telling

Publication Date: February 14th, 2012

"Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. 


Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for." ~Goodreads

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This book is easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far! I’ve always loved the original tale of Robin Hood but I’ve had my disappointments with some of the re-tellings I’ve come across in the past, but I was absolutely enthralled by this one and in no way disappointed! It had me riveted from beginning to end!

The action in this book starts fairly quickly and you’re wrapped up in the thrilling world that Ms. Gaughen expertly creates. All of the characters were different and had their own unique personalities; they came alive within the pages and added so much depth to the story. Scarlet is a wonderful character. She has such a strength and confidence about her from the very beginning, and by the end of the story you see how much she’s grown and changed into a deeper and more complex person.

I thought the romance areas of the story were realistic and flowed perfectly. There is a slight love triangle but it was executed extremely well and didn’t distract me from the main storyline, so I didn’t have any issues with that. I also really loved the style of the writing itself, it definitely had a classic feel to it and I think it matched beautifully with the setting of the story.

It was extremely difficult for me to tear myself away from this story and I couldn’t get to the next page fast enough. I adored this book and I’m desperately hoping there is going to be a sequel because to put it simply, I’m dying to read more! Riveting, full of action, spectacular characters, and a lovely romance, Scarlet is definitely a must read!

5 Stars!

ARC Review: Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J.Bick

Title: Drowning Instinct 
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Genre: Contemporary/Social YA
Publication Date: January 28th, 2012


"There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.) 

Jenna Lord's first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire. 

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.) 
Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain...magnetism. 

And there are stories where it's hard to be sure who's a prince and who's a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.) 
Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules." ~Goodreads

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Drowning Instinct had me thinking for quite awhile after I finished reading it. I don’t normally read a lot of books that are in the Contemporary, or Social YA genre, but I did enjoy this book.

This book breaches the subject of teacher and student relationships; nowadays the issue doesn’t seem to be as much of a taboo subject as it used to be. I don’t mean to belittle the issue in any way, but since it’s become a somewhat common occurrence in real life and personally when I see a news story about a student and a teacher I’m not all that shocked (sad I know).

I thought Jenna’s character was well developed and I like her narrators voice throughout the book, she had a bit of a sarcastic tone but I like that when it’s done well. That said I did think her parents characters could have used a bit more development, I didn’t really understand why Jenna referred to her dad as “Psycho-Dad” I mean yeah you could tell he wasn’t the greatest guy but I wish I could have seen more to back up the reference. One other thing that bothered me was the unanswered questions at the end, I think that if they had been answered it would have wrapped up the story a bit better and you wouldn’t be left guessing and slightly confused.

This story was definitely an emotional ride as it hits on a lot of social issues found in real life, and I think the emotion and the writing itself are what really pulled me into the story and kept me engaged throughout the whole thing. Drowning Instinct is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Bick, but I’ve heard great things about her other books and after reading this one I’ll definitely be picking up more books by this author.

4 Stars!

ARC Review: Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry

Title: Dead of Night
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Publication Date: October 25th, 2011
Genre: Horror


"A prison doctor injects a condemned serial killer with a formula designed to keep his consciousness awake while his body rots in the grave.  But all drugs have unforeseen side-effects.  Before he could be buried, the killer wakes up.  Hungry.  Infected.  Contagious.  This is the way the world ends.  Not with a bang…but a bite." ~Goodreads

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First off I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin, for the chance to read Dead of Night!

Dead of Night was definitely a thrilling read! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire thing, and I couldn’t get to the next page fast enough!

I’ve always thought zombies were interesting so I decided it was time to see what the hype over all these zombie books was about. I’m really glad I decided to start out with Jonathan Maberry’s books! I was hooked on his writing style from the start, it’s elegant, yet riveting at the same time and I had a very hard to tearing myself away from reading this book!

The characters were all well developed and it was easy to feel a connection with them. I really liked how he told the story through from each characters POV, I think it added depth to the story by letting the reader kind of get a glimpse into each characters head/thoughts while the events were happening. I liked how the zombies were created; it was a unique idea and fit well with the whole plotline of the story (which by the way was brilliantly developed!). I think the thing I loved the most about the story was how real it seemed, I think that gave it even more depth and added a lot to the fright-factor.

By the end of the book I was covered in goose bumps and just about speechless, I’m also certain I gasped out loud quite a few times. I thoroughly enjoyed Dead of Night and I’m really looking forward to reading more by Jonathan Maberry! If you’re a zombie/horror fan I would definitely recommend this book, it’s so worth the read!

4.5 Stars!

ARC Review: Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

Title: Shattered Dreams 
Author: Ellie James
Genre: YA Fantasy - Paranormal - Mystery
Publication Date: December 6th, 2011

"Sixteen-year-old Trinity Monsour wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But that isn’t as easy as it seems. Trinity is different. She isspecial. She sees visions, and for those she’s seen, it’s already too late.

Trinity arrives on her aunt’s doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. She begins settling into life at a new school and even starts making friends. But all too quickly her dreams accelerate; twisted, terrifying visions of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing, Trinity knows she has no choice but to step forward with what she’s seen.

But people believe that Trinity has information about Jessica’s disappearance not because of a dream, but because she is involved. She iskind-of dating Jessica’s ex-boyfriend, Chase, and Jessica did pull a nasty prank on Trinity. Revenge seems like the likeliest scenario.

Nothing prepares Trinity for the dark odyssey that ensues while searching for Jessica, including the surprising romance she finds with Chase, or the shocking truths she learns, not just about the girl who has gone missing, but the past that has been hidden from her." ~Goodreads

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First off I’d like to send out my thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read Shattered Dreams.

Shattered Dreams was unique, the storyline was a bit different than the type I usually go for but I was immediately intrigued by this book once I read the synopsis. It’s not your usual Paranormal; the author really put their own spin on it.

I really liked this book, it grabbed me from the beginning and the mystery kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole thing. The setting of New Orleans, which I absolutely loved, was unique in itself. I’ve always thought New Orleans was a really interesting place; I went once about four years ago to help out in some of the areas where they were rebuilding people’s homes. There were still some areas where the damage was still really bad so I could recall firsthand how it looked while I was reading this book. I think being able to recognize some of the places that were described in the book and how the city looks overall helped me to really immerse myself in the story even more.

For the most part I liked Trinity’s character, but there were a few times when I got a bit annoyed with her and kind of wanted to shake some sense into her because of how she reacted to certain things. One other thing I wasn’t overly fond of was how quickly Trinity and Chase’s relationship happened. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a complete romantic and all for it when it’s done well. But I think that in this case their relationship happened a little too quickly and it just didn’t seem to develop at a natural pace, if that makes sense. But I was able to pretty much overlook these few minor things because the main story was so enjoyable.

I keep forgetting this is the first book in a series, once I finished reading it I was satisfied with how everything wrapped up and it actually could have been just fine as a stand-alone. But since I really enjoyed Shattered Dreams so much I’m interested to see what the author brings in the rest of the series.

This was a really good read, it was engaging and full of mystery. I definitely recommend it especially if you’re a Paranormal lover and are looking for something a little different.

4 Stars!