Tori's Review: The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Series: Shades of London #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 372
Published by Putnam Juvenile on September 29, 2011
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

The plot (no spoilers): Rory gets to London. Rory is chastised for being a silly American. Rory meets a cute English boy. Rory is in London when Jack the Ripper style murders go on. Rory meets a ghost. Rory meets some other people that can see ghosts. Rory makes friends. Rory is hunted.

Despite the fact that the plot seems very simplistic...okay, well the plot in The Name of the Star is very simplistic. But it's a good simplistic! Johnson's writing is very short and to the point, and I like that about it. It's no nonsense writing. There's only one thing I'd complain about when it comes to Johnson's writing, and I had the same issue with Libba Bray's writing in The Diviners, and that's the fact that yes, Johnson did research on London, and yes Johnson made it seem real (wait. What would I know? I've never been to London. Oh, well), but no Johnson did not have to show me every. single. thing that she learned.

It wasn't as bad as Bray though, who just had to tell me all about the 1920's when I could've cared less. But still. In the beginning, I had a little History Class Taught by Rory about the school's history. Yeah, I really didn't care. I kind of glazed in that part. But after you get past the first hundred pages (for me, it's really easy to get past the first 100 pages in most books. Notice how I say most books and not all books), the plot really picks up and the book takes off.

I really liked the characters in this book. They might not have seemed really real to me and they might not have stood out among other characters I've read before, but I still really liked them. Stephen, particularly. (Except when he told Rory his life story. I like story time and all, but I hate hearing people's back stories. I know that they're necessary though.) Anyway, I wasn't too fond of Jerome though. I know that he was the love interest, but I really just didn't like him all that much. He seemed a bit flaky at times and suspicious as well as reckless.

(Like, no. You do not go to the bar where a body was just found and a murderer is still out there. You just...don't.)

But other than Jerome, I was fine with the other characters. Even Charlotte. She reminded me of people that I know and (would) love (to castrate and/or stab repeatedly). Boo was meh. She was fun and all, but I feel like she was only added to spice up the book a bit, which is fine, but still.

As far as murder/mystery goes, I really don't think this was a mystery. I consider a mystery to be like Bones (the TV program) or CSI or other crime shows like that. Or even Find Me by Romily Bernard where even though the killer may or may not be blatantly obvious, you still have to guess as to who the killer is. In this book, it's just kind of thrown at you. I doubt the author chose the genres, but if you want a whodunit mystery, this isn't it. It's still worth the read though! Creepy enough in some parts, especially when explaining Jack the Ripper's fourth (or was it fifth?) murder.

Overall, I really liked this book and its plot. It was really interesting to me. It took me a while to get around to reading it (I bought it in September '13), but that's fine. I'm glad I did decide to pick it up randomly. I really enjoyed it. I'll be buying the next book really soon.

On a final note, I'm so glad that book three comes out this year. I heard the cliffhanger at the end of book two is killer.

You also might like: 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Top Ten Books That Made Tori Swoon

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books That Made Tori Swoon!

This week's Top Ten shall be interesting. There are so many books that I've swooned in, and I just have to choose the ones that seem the most interesting.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I fangirled (see what I did there?) over Levi so much. He was absolutely a sweetheart, and I loved him so much. He obviously cared about Cath in the book, and the fact that Rowell slowly progressed their relationship made it all the better.

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

I honestly love Adrian so much in this book, especially Adrian WITH Sydney. They are honestly my OTP of the book world right now (other than Juliette and Warner. They will be in a later swoon book).

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Oh my gosh, you guys. If you haven't read this book, then...go read it now. Including Shatter Me. Sure, Shatter Me may be a bit of a struggle if you aren't liking it, but chapter 62 in Unravel Me is so worth. Sososososo worth it.

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

I don't really know why this book made me swoon, but the ending was honesntly perfect. I just loved it so much. I think Park concluded the book with a really good ending that makes people want to stay for more...but oops, the book is over!

Champion by Marie Lu

If you've read the Legend series, then you would know that every book makes one swoon. I think there's just something special about Champion that makes it even more swoon-worthy than the other two. I mean, that ending, right?

Angelfall by Susan Ee

In Lindsay's review of Angelfall, she basically summed up all my thoughts for that book. Angelfall was just amazing, and I swear that I'm shipping Rafryn for the rest of my life.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

I don't know why, but I usually end up loving the enemy (if he's hot), so typically I eneded up voting for The Darkling. But strangely, Mal still holds a place in my heart. This book trilogy just gives me a bad case of the feels.

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

If you're read my unintelligeble review of The Eternity Cure, then you'd know that this book destroyed me. It freaking destroyed me.

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Ren... This book... I just can't... I mean... Ren. Come on. I just love this book series so much. It's hilarious because the writing isn't that great, but the plot is just so good that I can't help but love the book.

Cress by Marissa Meyer

I honestly can't contain my feels when it comes to this book. Wolf was cute. And I still love Kai, I have to admit, but Thone really started to grow on me during this book. Like, really, really started to grow on me.

What are some books that made you swoon? What books gave you a bad case of the feels?

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Get Even by Gretchen McNeil COVER REVEAL + GIVEAWAY

This is the official cover reveal for Gretchen McNeil's upcoming Get Even, the first in her new series! It hits the shelves on September 16, 2014 and is published by Balzer + Bray, so get pumped! I know I am! I absolutely loved her book Ten, so I'm sure I'll love this one as well!

And let me wish a special somebody—the author herself, Gretchen McNeil—a very happy birthday! I hope it's amazing and all your wishes come true! ♥

Here it is, guys...

Follows the secretive exploits of four high school juniors - Kitty, Olivia, Margot and Bree - at an exclusive Catholic prep school.

To all outward appearances, the girls barely know each other. At best, they don't move in the same social circles; at worst, they're overtly hostile.

Margot Mejia – academically ranked number two in her class, Margot is a focused overachiever bound for the Ivy League.

Kitty Li – captain of the California state and national champion varsity girls' volleyball team, she's been recruited by a dozen colleges and has dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal.

Olivia Hayes – popular star of the drama program, she's been voted "most eligible bachelorette" two years running in the high school yearbook and has an almost lethal combination of beauty and charm.

Bree Deringer – outcast, misfit and the kind of girl you don't want to meet in a dark alley, the stop sign red-haired punk is a constant thorn in the side of teachers and school administrators alike.

Different goals, different friends, different lives, but the girls share a secret no one would ever guess. They are members of Don't Get Mad, a society specializing in seeking revenge for fellow students who have been silently victimized by their peers. Each girl has her own reason for joining the group, her own set of demons to assuage by evening the score for someone else. And though school administration is desperate to find out who is behind the DGM "events", the girls have managed to keep their secret well hidden.

That is until one of their targets – a douchebag senior who took advantage of a drunk underclassman during a house party, videotaped it on his phone, and posted it on YouTube – turns up dead, and DGM is implicated in the murder.

Now the girls don't know who to trust, and as their tenuous alliance begins to crumble, the secrets they've hidden for so long might be their ultimate undoing.

Add Get Even to your Goodreads shelf now!

If you're super excited and already want a copy, pre-order links will be available soon! Keep an eye out on various pre-ordering retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, etc. (:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She is a founding member of vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as "Monday," and she is an active member of both The Enchanted Inkpot, a group blog of YA and middle grade fantasy writers, and The Apocalypsies, a group blog of 2012 children's debut authors.

You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, and on her blog.

GIVEAWAY

One winner will win a signed ARC of Get Even, and another winner will win a 30 minute Skype chat with Gretchen McNeil herself! Good luck! (:

RULES:

• Must be 13+ years old to enter
• See restrictions in Terms & Conditions located at bottom of Rafflecopter Form

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tori's Review: The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher 

Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 384
Published by Chicken House on January 7, 2014
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Fatal attraction, primal fear, survival in the forest: From the author of the Printz Honor Book STOLEN, the highly anticipated thriller about deadly games played in the dark.

Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd's dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl's broken body. "Gone," he says, then retreats into silence.

What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent -- isn't he? Before he's convicted, she's got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee's charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her -- the kinds of games that can kill?

NOTE: I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation in return for writing this candid review on the product. 

First off, I just wanted to say that this book is nothing like Stolen, Lucy Christopher's other book. I absolutely loved Stolen, and I probably wouldn't have ever requested this book from Chicken House on NetGalley if it weren't for the fact that Christopher's name was tacked on it. When reading this book, I hate to say that I expected more from Christopher, but I did. I expected to be emotionally invested in the characters, which didn't happen. The one thing that did happen was the imagery.

The imagery in The Killing Woods, like in Stolen, is amazing. I could picture Darkwood in my mind like I was actually there. The details and precision in explaining Darkwood was just astounding, and it reminded me of why I loved Christopher's writing in the first place. But like I said above, I wanted to be emotionally invested in the characters. Well, I wasn't. In fact, I was pretty apathetic toward the cast. And after learning how Ashlee really died, I couldn't care less. I was pretty neutral throughout the entire book as far as feelings go.

Also there was Damon and Emily, our two narrators. Yes, the book is in split points of views. I honestly liked Damon, to be fair. Emily? Not so much. I've decided that I only liked Damon because I felt bad for him. Sure, he shouldn't have been on drugs and all, but it would suck to not remember. Plus his girlfriend died. I had minor sympathy for him, but it was still there.

Emily was a flat character without substance. I didn't like her at all. She was too soft (except when she tackled Kirsty), and she just didn't appeal to me as a "heroine." I found myself rooting for her to be the next victim. Simply put, she just really irritated me.

And I guessed the murderer about 20 pages into the book. That isn't a good thing. I'm usually really bad at guessing the killer, so when I actually do, it must be pretty obvious. It just irritated me that this book was a murder/mystery/thriller, and yet I still guessed the killer before any real hints were given. It was just a bit too predictable.

Something I did like about the book, though, was the creepy and ominous "Game" (okay, well, the Game ended up not being that creepy and ominous but the buildup toward the revelation regarding the Game was great!). I also liked the fact that I liked Ashlee less and less as the book went along. I love books where the main character(s) slowly uncover secrets about a murdered person. It reminds me of a scandalous Bones episode.

In conclusion, I thought this book was okay. I'm not too overly excited about it, but I think it's worth a read if you liked Stolen. Just don't have your hopes up too high. I think I would've liked The Killing Woods a lot more if I hadn't read Stolen first.

Lindsay's Review: Ink (Paper Gods #1) by Amanda Sun

Ink by Amanda Sun
Series: Paper Gods #1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 326
Published by Harlequin Teen on June 25th, 2013
Amazon | B&N

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Dono yō ni shite iru? Don't know what that says? Don't worry! I'm just asking how are you in Japanese. I actually learned a lot of simple phrases while reading the book and if you know me in real life you're probably sick of me shouting out random things in Japanese.

Now, as much as I hate to admit it, I think that the reason I truly loved this book is because it took place in Japan. I love everything about the culture and the fashion, and Ink made me truly feel like I was really there in Japan. I felt like I was biking down the streets, staring at the sakura trees or in the school, feeling like a black sheep in a field of white.

Amanda Sun combines English and Japanese perfectly, making the words flow while also translating for the reader to understand. There's even a glossary at the back, but I found I didn't even look at it until I finished the book because Ink was so easy to understand. Also, the drawings throughout the book, both actual pictures and doodles, fit well and didn't take away from the story. As the pages kept turning I was genuinely trying to slow down because I didn't want it to end so soon, but I had to fight with myself because I absolutely needed to know what was going to happen next.

Katie is a main character I can relate to. When she's upset, I can really sympathize with her and feel what she's going through. I felt her struggle personally and loved her as a main character no matter what actions she took. 

"You're right," he said. "I'm sorry. Let me draw something to make it up to you."

"Draw yourself getting smacked in the face."

And Tomo as a love interest, despite my caution about how an author would integrate two languages together for romance, was perfect. Everything he did was justified, and unlike typical bad boys, he actually felt real.

I really don't have one bad thing to say about the book, the plot, or the writing. It was all fantastic in my opinion. The only thing I don't like? That I have to wait until the end of June to get a copy of the next book in the series! I want it in my hands right now!

Preordering Books—My Love/Hate Relationship With Online Shopping

I honestly don't think I'll be preordering anymore. At least not highly anticipated books that I want to have right on the release date. Want to know why? Because from my experience the books don't get there on time.

I preordered Unremembered by Jessica Brody (the paperback) so that I could read it as soon as possible so I could read my ARC of Unforgotten so I could have reviews posted before Unforgotten's release date. The paperback of Unremembered was scheduled to release on January 28th. It did. Was my book at my house? No... Barnes & Noble hadn't even shipped it yet.

(I'm not specifically calling out Barnes & Noble. I believe other preordering systems work this as well. I've learned from talking to several people that there's a 50/50 chance you'll get your preordered book on the book's release date.)

I didn't even get the 'Your Books Are On Their Way!' until January 31st. Three days doesn't seem like a lot, but when Barnes & Noble promises three day shipping to members and doesn't even ship the book until three days after the release, I'm not example happy. I wasn't too put out by the delay in this order, because I wasn't dying to read the book. Yes, it would've been nice to get the book on the scheduled release date, but what happens, happens.

But then I preordered Cress and Ignite Me, which came out today, and not only are they not on my doorstep, but I haven't even gotten the 'Your Books Are On Their Way!' email yet. I am not willing to pay another ten dollars for the ebooks version when I could be getting my hardbacks any time soon. If I did that, I could've just saved money by going to Barnes & Noble in person.

The reason I preordered was because it was convenient for me, and it was cheaper. I guess the buyer has to sacrifice having their book on the release day in exchange for the convenience and the cheaper price.

Yeah, hopefully I'll get my books soon. (As of writing this post on February 4th, the books have still not arrived. I have no idea if they'll arrive on Thursday, February 7th when this discussion is scheduled to post.)

So what's your take on preordering? Love it? Hate it? What are your experiences? Tell me in the comments! NOTE: Do not spoil Cress or Ignite Me in the comments below. I will most likely hurt you if you do.

What Order Do You Read Books In—Order You Receive Them or When You Want?

When you receive new books in the mail, do the older ones get moved to the bottom of your list or do go strictly "by the book" and keep your list with older books first and then the new ones?

It honestly depends on the book. For example, I got The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead in the mail last Wednesday, and I started it on Thursday the day after. But on Monday I got UnWholly by Neal Shusterman and Everneath by Brodi Ashton in the mail, and I haven't started them yet. It's not because The Fiery Heart is better that the other two, but it's because I ordered it specially because I had been reading The Indigo Spell. I had been anticipating it.

Also, Cress and Ignite Me—yeah, I preordered—should be coming in the mail soon. I'll probably read Ignite Me and then Cress right away unless I have any eARCs that need to be read before a certain date. (I don't want to feel rushed. The only drawback of waiting to read Cress and Ignite Me would be the spoilers that will no doubt be surfacing on Twitter and Goodreads. Don't lie to me and say it won't happen. I was around for Clockwork Princess. I know how y'all bookish people work.)

If I receive ARCs in the mail, I read those first. Unless it's the second book in a series, and I haven't read book one yet. For example, I got Unforgotten by Jessica Brody the other week in the mail, but I couldn't read it until I read Unremembered. 

(Yeah, cute story. Barnes & Noble emailed me and said that my preorder of the paperback of Unremembered was being delayed. I can't decide if I'm mad or not. As long as I can get both read and reviewed before the release of Unforgotten, I'm okay...)

So yeah. There's my lengthy answer.

What about you? Do you read your books in the order that you receive/buy them or do you read "priority" books first?

Love you guys! (:
Tori ♡

WWW Wednesday (FEB 5 2014)

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

To participate, just answer the following questions.

• What are you currently reading? 
• What did you recently finish reading? 
• What do you think you'll read next? 

Currently Reading

Finished Reading

Review to be posted on FEBRUARY 15, 2014.

To Read

Well, I'll be reading these two books if they come in the mail. There will probably be some sort of discussion post on this on Friday, because it's frustrating me.

So what are you reading? What have you just finished? What do you plan on reading? Let me know in the comments!

Tori's Review: Me Since You by Laura Wiess

Me Since You by Laura Wiess

Series: None

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: ★★★★

Pages: 368
Published by MTV Books on February 18, 2014
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Laura Wiess captures the visceral emotion of a girl’s journey from innocence to devastating loss and, ultimately, to a strange and unexpected kind of understanding—in this beautiful and painfully honest new novel.

Are there any answers when someone you love makes a tragic choice?

Before and After. That’s how Rowan Areno sees her life now. Before: she was a normal sixteen-year-old—a little too sheltered by her police officer father and her mother. After: everything she once believed has been destroyed in the wake of a shattering tragedy, and every day is there to be survived.

If she had known, on that Friday in March when she cut school, that a random stranger’s shocking crime would have traumatic consequences, she never would have left campus. If the crime video never went viral, maybe she could have saved her mother, grandmother — and herself — from the endless replay of heartache and grief.

Finding a soul mate in Eli, a witness to the crime who is haunted by losses of his own, Rowan begins to see there is no simple, straightforward path to healing wounded hearts. Can she learn to trust, hope, and believe in happiness again?

NOTE: I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. 

Before reading this book, I wanted to pick up a nice feel-good contemporary book with a love interest that would make me want to swoon. Imagine my surprise when I cried halfway through reading this book. That's right, guys. I cried during this book. The emotional roller coaster that this book put me through was something that I was not anticipating whatsoever. I honestly had no idea how to cope with the idea that I was crying for a fictional character (I rarely cry for books or movies or TV shows. Just so you know, I did cry for Flat-Out Love though).

At first, this book is not what it seems to be. By reading the summary, you really get no accurate idea of what this book is about. From reading the part where Wiess captures "the visceral emotion of a girl’s journey from innocence to devastating loss," I totally thought the main girl Rowan was going to get raped by somebody (namely Justin from the beginning) and then she was going to have to deal with the emotional trauma of being violated. But as soon as the scene went from happy-go-lucky just-got-busted-skipping-school Rowan's point of view to I'm-a-cop and I've-seen-bad-things Rowan's dad's point of view, I knew that this book was about way more than just the woes of being a sixteen year old girl.

I really don't know how to explain this book without giving major spoilers away. (I read a review of this book halfway through my own reading of it, and I got very mad because the entire plot was spoiled for me in a review marked no spoilers.) But even though the big "twist" was spoiled for me, I was still very shocked and saddened when the twist occurred.

spoilers are the STDs of the book world. Protect yourself. If you have a spoiler, be responsible and warn your reading partners.
— Lauren DeStefano (@LaurenDeStefano) January 26, 2014

I loved the romance in this book between Rowan and Eli. It was very innocent and seemingly realistic. Things weren't rushed and them sharing a feeling of emotional loss wasn't an incentive for them to hook up. No, they got together and hung out on their own time regardless of what was going on around them. The fact that they had that emotional loss in common was what really kept them together in those three months where Rowan was holed up in her shell, I think.

One thing I didn't really enjoy about this book, though, was the pacing. I get that this a contemporary read and it's supposed to be slow and steady...but I just really wanted some action to go on. I wanted something big to happen, and it just didn't. (Well, you know, until 50% in.) This isn't that big of a deal to me, but I wish that every chapter kept me thoroughly engaged, which didn't happened. I have to admit though that after the prologue (which I totally thought was chapter one...) was over, I was really interested. Sadly, things slowed down about 20% in.

In all, this was an enjoyable read, and it really tug at my heartstrings (does such a thing exist?). I really can't put my emotions into words when describing my feelings. I think if you enjoy a nice, thoughtful read (think Looking for Alaska, Thirteen Reasons Why, I Will Save You, etc.) then this is the book for you. Be sure to pick this up when it hits the shelves in two weeks because, holy cow did this book make me feel things.

Confession Time - Tori Hasn't Read Harry Potter...

I am ashamed to admit that I haven't read the Harry Potter series.

 

Okay, I'm really not that ashamed of it...but you know. I think that's pretty much equivalent to saying, "I've never read a John Green book." Okay, maybe not. Maybe, "I've never read Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit." No? I know a lot of people who haven't read that book series. But I mean, guys...

Just let this sentence sink in: Tori, a young adult book blogger, has not read the Harry Potter series.



If it makes you Potterheads feel better, I've read the first three books in the series.



Yes, okay, I'm sort of done with gifs now. Anyway, back onto the main point. I, Tori Davis, have not read Harry Potter. I stopped after Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Why, you ask? Well, because I lost my copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I had found it at Goodwill and bought it but then I lost it and I just never bought another copy after I finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. 

You Harry Potter people know that the book series doesn't get interesting until the fourth book (or so I've heard...). The first three are just fun. There aren't any major cliffhangers or anything.

Yeah so I just haven't picked up another Harry Potter book since 2010. #noshame

Maybe it will be a Summer 2014 goal of mine. You know, to read--or at least finish--the Harry Potter series. How does that sound? I can make it a big deal on this blog and have a whole segment where I talk about reading Harry Potter.

I think that sounds good.

Tori's Review: The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #3
Genre: Vampires, Young Adult, Paranormal
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 401
Published by Razorbill on February 12, 2013
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets--and human lives."

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

NOTE: Guys, this is the third book in a series.

This book is by far the best in the series so far in my opinion. The plot just really takes off in this book. It's funny, because it was the same case for Vampire Academy. The first two books are meh, and then the third book just wows everybody.

I think the fact that Sydney really starts to defy the Alchemists and learns that they're not on her side is what really gave this book the extra push it needed to be the best in the series so far. Also, Adrian. Adrian also made this book a hundred million times better than Bloodlines and/or The Golden Lily. There's just something about him--it's that he's hot. Yes, that's it--that really makes him an amazing character to have in this book series. Adrian really brings life to the plot especially since Sydney really doesn't do much.
Don't get me wrong, I like Sydney. It's just that Sydney is Sydney. There's no other way to put it. Sometimes Sydney really gets on my nerves, and then other times I love her death. One thing I do love about Sydney, though? The fact that Sydrian leaves the dock That's right, guys. Sydrian is in this book, and I loved it so much.

Although the plot is still a bit predictable, I still loved this book regardless. It wasn't as predictable as its predecessors. 

The ending though. Let's just take a moment and



Yeah. That ending, man. That ending. I think you all should read this book just for the ending. If you don't even like Sydney, just...read the series for the ending. (I have to admit that if you don't like Adrian though you might not like the ending, but who doesn't like Adrian?) I think that this book is honestly the sexiest (other than Unravel Me. I mean. Come on. Chapter 62) young adult book I've read in the past year. I mean, the kissing is just--oh my gosh.

I'm wowed by this quality young adult literature. Richelle Mead just has such a distinctive voice. And she's so sarcastic in all her writing, and I love that. Sydney might not be a Rose, but she sure is hilarious at times.

Once again...can I say...ADRIAN?



Let's just say that I was very, very sad when the book was over and I had to wait for The Fiery Heart to arrive in the mail.



Adrian. I just--



Yeah. I'm done raving now. I hope this was a substantial review concerning my feelings on this book. I really don't have any other words. There's nothing more glowing that I can say about this book without typing Syndrian over and over on my keyboard. (Oops, too late.)

Torsay Reviews: Rise (Eve #3) by Anna Carey

Torsay Reviews is a feature that Lindsay and Tori have where they both read a book together and then review it. These posts will feature both Tori and Lindsay's review of a specific book and maybe even a discussion between the two on what they thought.

Rise by Anna Carey
Series: Eve #3
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance
Pages: 310
Published by HarperCollins on April 2, 2013
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

How far will you go when you have nothing left to lose?

When she lost her soul mate, Caleb, Eve felt like her world had ended. Trapped in the palace, forced to play the part of the happy, patriotic princess of The New America—and the blushing bride of her father's top adviser—Eve's whole life is a lie. The only thing that keeps her going is Caleb's memory, and the revolution he started.

Now, Eve is taking over where Caleb left off. With the help of Moss, an undercover subversive in the King's court, she plots to take down The New America, beginning with the capital, the City of Sand. Will Eve be able to bring about a new, free world when she's called upon to perform the ultimate act of rebellion—killing her father?

In Rise, Eve must choose who to leave behind, who to save, and who to fight as Anna Carey's epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion.

Tori's Review

Rating: ♚♚

NOTE: There are spoilers for books one and two, Eve and Once respectively, in this review. Read at your own risk.

If you've read my review of Eve, then you'd know that I loved that book. Like, a lot. There was the right amount of action and romance and mystery that just made the book all that amazing. Then if you've read my review of Once, then you'd know that I wasn't too fond of that one, although I didn't hate it either. Once suffered from Second Book Syndrome, and it just didn't have as much going on as the first book, which made it somewhat boring.

Now if you've read my review of Rise, then--

Oh, wait. That's what you're doing. Right. Knew that.

Onto the review. To be blunt, Rise was boring. Nothing happens until page 280. At least, nothing interesting, anyway. The first 280 pages was a whole bunch of Eve missing Caleb, Eve pretending (yes, I say pretending) to be brave, and Eve putting people in danger. And in the middle, maybe even a little bit of Eve being the naive little girl that she was in book one. Basically, throughout this entire book, the entire book, Eve annoyed the crap out of me. 

Around page 100, Eve helps girls from the Schools that have come to the City escape. Nine of them. At first, it seems like a good idea to her. But then they get on the road and this one girl--Bette--doesn't like her. (Shocker.) Eve begins to realize that this is a bad idea. (No crap?) So Eve's taking these girls to Califia, and at first I think this is a great idea to move the plot along, but no. Again with the nothing happening. They travel for about 100 pages of nothing. Turns out, Bette's stupid, almost gets them killed, and she still manages to despise Eve in her free time.

I think the biggest fault with this book was my lack of emotion toward the characters. Well, any emotion other than hate. I think that a book's characters should be memorable enough that even if it takes me three years to pick up the next book, I should still remember how much I cared about the characters. I didn't care about any of the characters in Rise. Also, I don't think Carey gives us enough time to cultivate feelings for the girls from the Schools that Eve brings to Califia. The book seemed rushed to me. 

Nothing happened (I've said this several times, I realize), but things were still rushed. When I say nothing happened, I mean nothing important happened. The events that did occur seemed irrelevant to me. In Eve and even in Once, the major plot points were clear and big and meaningful, but in Rise they just didn't seem as, you know, clear and big and meaningful.

In conclusion, I just wasn't feeling it with Rise. I'm not going to say that Rise ruined the series for me, because I don't regret reading the trilogy, per say. It's just that it wasn't the best ending that could've happened for the trilogy. I think the ending should've been bigger and better and just more monumental than it actually was.

Lindsay's Review

Rating: ♚♚

When an author concludes a series, I feel like there should be a big buildup throughout the last book. There should be major issues, major self discovery where applicable, and end with a note that ties up loose ends but leaves the reader wanting more. To be honest, as much as I enjoyed the Rise series, it just didn't do that for me.

Because this is a conclusion book, I won't talk much about the characters, major plot spoilers and issues as much. I like to look more at how it ended a series I spent my time reading. Once ended with a whimper rather than a bang. There was a lot going on, I'll give Carey that. However I felt no build up, no pressure, no stress with what was happening. And then how it ended - I won't spoil this part for you, but I must say that I do not understand how that person at the end of the novel existed. It just makes me angry almost to think about how throughout the book there were no explanations or mentions of this possibility, and then it happens.

Character-wise, Once was lacking. There was a bunch of new girls added into the mix from the schools who were either forgettable or irrelevant, old characters killed off without a second thought, and even though Eve was changing, something was missing with her relationships. She almost seemed like a numb character, like she was detached from everything and not in an artistic writing way. I also noticed that there were a lot of characters throughout the novel with such little parts that made the book feel like a rough draft. Mauve from Califia, her daughter, Bette, Beatrice and Sarah. They all just seemed irrelevant to me and didn't seem to have a purpose to the plot whatsoever.

And don't get me started on Caleb being dead the entire novel.

He would have made the book more readable, and I think it was a dumb move for Anna Carey to cut him out because romance is what sells with readers these days.

For some readers there was no epilogue at the end of the book unless they got the book after it's first publication. I was excited at the chance to read it, given the ending. And when I closed the book I really didn't understand why the epilogue was needed. It was irrelevant and overall frustrating. Some parts were cute but it didn't really make the point of even including it. Sure, the new world is crumbling after everything Eve has done and they're going back to Califia, but really, why is this needed? It just ruined what I had previously read and honestly, kind of made me hate Eve who I defended the entire book.

If you're in the middle of the series, I suggest finishing it, just because I can't stand leaving a series halfway through. Eve was fantastic and could have been a great standalone book, but the series seemed to tumble downward instead of creating a buildup. I'm disappointed with the ending of the trilogy, but will keep the first book as a favorite regardless.

Maya's Review: Uglies (Uglies #1) by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Series: Uglies
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 448
Published by Simon Pulse on February 8, 2005
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license - for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all.

The choice Tally makes changes her world forever...

Okay, so I like a lot of books, by a lot of different people and a lot of other genres, but this has to be one of my all-time favorites. Not just because the plot line was very original – and thank the Lord not necessarily all romance – but the way Westerfeld described the new mentality, the new world and the new apocalypse.

Most of the story revolves around rough descriptions and there is a lot less dialogue than I expected at first, which I honestly liked a lot about this book. The author has a way of describing the scenery around the character which really grabbed me. And the human interactions were solid, Tally and David were a solid almost-couple. Although I didn’t like David with Shay before Tally came along. There was no chemistry what-so-ever between them, and it was unnecessary.

The bit that I liked the most would be the way David and Tally traveled back into town. They would spend days and nights together, and just bond in intense silence. Intense silence that turns into a romance. It was natural and somehow, not forced. Tally and David sound interesting characters on their own, so it isn’t hard to put them together and create a whole new level of perfection.

The climax of the story is quite intense: Tally learns the truth about the operations and must choose between the operation to become a pretty and running off with David.

Maybe the worst part of this book (or the whole series) is that Westerfeld repeats the fact that Tally is responsible for everything. That she blames herself for everything that happened. But by reading the story I understood that what she thought wasn't true.

All in all, this book maintains a solid consistency I like. The pace is good, even a little slow, but I like it that way. The descriptions were perfect, and every little detail was explained. The dialogue, although not equivalent to the descriptions, was amazing. The plot in general is spot on and I love the way he succeeded in transferring the mentality of those people there and it really made me feel like I was in Tally’s world, following her everywhere. Brilliant.

Life of a Blogger: Genres of Music

Life of a Blogger is a weekly meme hosted by Novel Heartbeat!

I love a total of three things in life: books, socializing, and music. (I'm leaving out family, because I think it's a given that I love them. They're my family.) Honestly, I have a very eclectic taste in music. I'll just list some songs that I like, and you can decide what genre I like. I'm doing this because I don't want to list death metal or hardcore as a genre that I like because there are only some death metal and hardcore songs that I like... I don't think any really hardcore songs will be making the list though, because I haven't been too into that lately. Please don't judge me. Everyone has a different taste in music. 

WARNING: Some of these songs have foul language. I'm not going to listen to each and every song over once to see which songs have profanities, but here's a list of the songs that could have obscene language: Backpack, Gas Pedal, Hoodie Allen's music, T. Mill's music, Tennis Court, FU, some The Neighbourhood songs, anything by Sleeping with Sirens, 

• Séisouso by Cirque du Soleil (from the show Quidam)
• Backpack by Justin Bieber
• Bartholomew by The Silent Comedy 
• Gas Pedal by Sage the Gemini 
• Counting Stars by OneRepubic
• Hoodie Allen - No Faith in Brooklyn - Two Lips/Casanova - No Interruption
• T. Mill's - Other B**** Callin' - Asstrology - Purr Like a Cat - She Got A...  - Crystalized 
• That's My Kind of Night by Luke Bryan
• Lorde - Team - Royals - Tennis Court - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
• I Drive Your Truck by Lee Brice
• Highway Don't Care by Tim McGraw
• Turkish March composed by Mozart
• La La Lainey by Forever the Sickest Kids
• Annabelle by A Rocket to the Moon
• FU by Miley Cyrus
• Chocolate by The 1975
• Mason Jar by Smallpools
• Anything by the Neighbourhood
• Anything by Ghost Town
• Pretty much anything by Sleeping with Sirens
• Collide with the Sky (the album) by Pierce the Veil 
• Devil May Cry by The Weekend
• Terrible Things by Mayday Parade
• Anything by Bastille

As you can see, I like a variety of things. I only wanted to have about 10 songs/artists listed, but clearly there are a lot more. It seriously depends on my mood/what I'm writing. Yes, I like Justin Bieber's music (not him. His music. His music). Yes, I sometimes jam out to Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, maybe even Taylor Swift if I'm feeling particularly Swifty. Yes, I head bang to metal and sway my head to classical tunes as well. 

The point is, everybody has a different taste in music and mine just happens to be a variety of tunes! I even like some Spanish music (mostly the Spanish rap) by Abusadora and La Pregunta (yes, I know what these song titles mean. Abuser and The Question, respectively). 

So hopefully you got to listen to some new songs today and got a feel for what I like, which is basically anything. (Hell, I'll admit that I even listen to One Direction at times. I particularly enjoy Story of My Life right now thanks to Joey Graceffa and Luke Conrad.)

I wish I could list all my favorite songs/artists/albums, but that would take so long! Let's leave that to another, more summer-y post? (;

Love you all (:
Tori ♡

Tori's Review: The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #2
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Vampires
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 418
Published by Razorbill on June 12, 2012
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

NOTE: Thank you, Lindsay, for sending this to me for Christmas! You're such a doll. Also, if you haven't read book one, Bloodlines, then go read that now. This review will have spoilers for that book as well as spoilers for Vampire Academy, the six books preceding this series. So yeah. Go read all that before reading this review. Or go and read my Bloodlines review!

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, but you already knew that. Sydney Sage is a smart***, but you probably already knew that, too. Sydney Sage is doubting her Alchemist heritage, but you--oh, wait. You didn't know that, did you? Well, now you do.

There were two aspects of this book that made it an extremely enjoyable 400 pages: Adrian and Sydney's doubt and Syndrian. In the first book, Bloodlines, Sydney is a blind follower. She does everything the Alchemists tell her to do without question, without research. The only reason she does what she does is because the Alchemists tell her to. She is their lap dog. It was annoying. I like strong leads that know what they want and go and get what they want (even if I'm so not like that in some cases). I was happy to find out that Sydney is no longer that annoying lap dog in The Golden Lily! She learns that not everything is what it seems and that, yes, the Alchemists are capable of lying to her. In other words, she grows a backbone.

Like I said, Adrian is one of the reasons this book was extremely enjoyable. This is true. Very true. Like I said in my Bloodlines review, Adrian is a very fleshed out character in my opinion. There are a couple instances where he says things that seem out of character, but maybe that's just how he is. I don't question it. It must be his spirit. But I still stand by my words when I say that Adrian is very prominent, and I'd know that it was him talking without a speaker tag attached to the end of the quote. Even in the Vampire Academy series Adrian was one of my favorite characters. It's no different in the Bloodlines series.

But Dimitri was my all time favorite in the Vampire Academy series, and now he's not really my favorite anymore. I don't know if it has to do with the fact that he's kind of pompous in The Golden Lily or if he's just too stoic for me...but I just didn't like him all that much. Dimitri seemed pretty dull and he lacked substance. I'm actually starting to wonder what I saw in him when I was reading the first series. His fighting skills? His (literary) good looks? His...in-love-ed-ness with Rose? I don't know. All I know is that at the end of Bloodlines I was really happy to see him, but halfway through The Golden Lily I stopped caring that he was around.

I did like most of the characters in this book though. Even though Dimitri was dull and lacked substance as a secondary used-to-be-main character, I didn't hate him. I didn't hate anybody really except Brayden. At first, I thought, "Oh, cool name! Sydney finally gets a date! She's just practicing for Adrian, yeah?" but that was before I realized how boring Brayden really is. He's just like Sydney in academic terms, but he's just so boring. His words could put me to sleep. And his first kiss with Sydney was just awkward and weird and just no. I did not like them together whatsoever.

I have to admit that this series really isn't as good as the Vampire Academy series. I think part of it--okay, a lot of it--has to do with the fact that I'm not a big fan of Sydney. She's just...finicky and I don't really know what to make of her. She's depicted as being so brilliant and smart, but she misses the simpliest things. The plot is so predictable, just like it was in Bloodlines, and it's hard for me to believe that someone so smart like Sydney could just let all those signs breeze over her head. She's not very aware of her surroundings, and I think that if it weren't for Eddie or Dimitri (maybe even Adrian?) then she'd already be dead.

But the ending. Just. That ending. I really can't even talk about how torturous that ending was for me. I read it, but I had to pause mid-way because I was just like, "This is so not happening. It's so not happening," and I took a break. I just set the book down and took deep breaths for a good five minutes before finishing the book. The ending was just so painful.



I will. I will drown with Syndrian if that's what it takes to get those two together. I heard The Indigo Spell, the next book, is a lot better than the first two, and that there's more Syndrian! I'm really hopig there is because I can't stand to see my Adrian being so sad. It's painful. I'm just so glad that I already have The Indigo Spell. I need to order The Fiery Heart. Like right now. I might die if I don't. I hope that Barnes & Noble shipping thing really is three days or else I will flip out.

Despite the fact that I just pretty much pointed out everything that bugged me about this book, I actually really liked it. A lot. I liked this book a lot. Or maybe I just liked Sydrian a lot. Who knows? I still think this series is a must read if you've read Vampire Academy.

"He shouldn't have said that," repeated Adrian, eerily serious. He leaned his face toward mine. "I don't care if he's not the emotional type or the complimentary type or what. No one can look at you in this dress, in all that fire and gold, and start talking about anachronisms. If I were him, I would have said, 'You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking this earth.'"

You may now swoon.

You might also like:

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Fault in Our Stars Official Movie Trailer 2014

This is a very unexpected post, considering I barely post twice on one day, but I just had to make this post. I just watched the trailer for The Fault in Our Stars (no, I did not watch the leak), and literally I want to cry. If you haven't seen it, watch it now.

Just watch it now and cry, okay?

Okay.

(Get the joke? Hahaha. Because you know. Their "always" is "okay," and I think that's the most genius thing I've ever seen...)

WoW: Panic by Lauren Oliver (13)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Panic by Lauren Oliver

published on march 4, 2014

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Love Spell Blog Tour Spotlight

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Love Spell by Stan Crowe

Clint Christopherson’s love life is a running joke. When a crazed gypsy curses him with the best wish he could ever ask for, the punchline stops being funny. Now, even his barest touch drives girls mad for him. Desperate to reverse the curse, he turns to his last hope: an attractive private investigator who may be able to locate his missing gypsy. If only Clint knew who it was he just hired...

Amazon

Author Stan Crowe

Stan had a pretty normal, middle-class American youth. He was lucky enough to change that by convincing an exceptional woman to marry him in 2000, setting him on a much more fulfilling life course. Four years later, Brigham Young University awarded him with a Bachelors of Science in civil and environmental engineering. He then he spent several years designing homes, prescribing work for bridges, and even exploring the mortgage industry. In the midst of all this, he produced two science fiction anthologies in 2006 and 2007. In 2012, Breezy Reads Publishing picked up his romantic comedy The Cinderella Project. And thus he transformed himself from Captain Kirk into Don Juan. Stan lives with his wife, children (final count to be determined) and two cats in Utah.

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