Review: Sweet Evil (Sweet Evil Trilogy #1) by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
Series: Sweet Evil Trilogy #1
Genre: Young Adult, Angels, Paranormal
Rating: ★★
Pages: 453
Published by HarperTeen on May 1, 2012
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels. Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Is it possible to think a book was stupid and amazing at the same time? Regardless, I am conflicted. On some level I absolutely loved Sweet Evil and on the other I think parts of it were completed stupid. Bear with as I read this book during the wee hours of the night and therefore my emotions were all over the place.

The Good: 

Kaiden was hot. Oh so, so, so hot. Reading about him was amazing, even if he didn't have a speaking part and when I wasn't reading about him I was looking forward to reading about him. Also, he was defined well while also still remaining distant and mysterious.

The Bad:

The plot. Though the idea of each sin plus commandments designated to a specific demon and their offspring is unique, I also find it incredibly stupid. They want to wreck havoc on the humans - okay, that's cool. But how is that much havoc happening when you have a limited number of people. And how is making people drink alcohol and throw up really that big of a deal?

Honestly, if it wasn't for Kaidan and the drama I probably wouldn't have steadily read Sweet Evil as I did. I just couldn't fall in love with the plot because in my eyes, there needs to be a thorough back story and the plot needs to make complete sense as to why what is going on is actually happening.

I think the reason why I read this every night was because I have trouble sleeping and it was something to do on my iPod in the dark. I'll give Higgins that there were good cliffhangers, intriguing characters and things that happened that I just had to read on to find out what happened next. But the plot just wasn't working for me.

Top Ten Books on Tori's Winter TBR (9)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and it's a weekly thing where you list your top ten whatever.

Well, first off I have to finish these three books.

  

Then I'm going to read these. Or at least try to. Yes, Christmas books. Don't judge. (And I'm only reading The Iron Daughter if The Iron King doesn't fail epically by the end of the book, which is probably not going to happen, 'cause Ash and Puck. You know.)

   
  

Review: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

I just...this book...I can't even... Life, I say. Life. Alina's life sucks cow's ass, and Mal's life is just tough, and that Darkling's life is sad, you know? There is just so much depth to all these characters, and I feel bad for all of them at the same time, which isn't good, and I don't know why, but I wish I could just hug them all and tell them that life will be okay. Poor Alina and her Sun Summoner power. Poor Mal and his constant battle with princes and Darklings. Poor Darkling and his pow...more Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo Series: The Grisha #2 Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance Rating: ★★★★★ Pages: 432 Published by Henry Holt and Co. on June 4, 2013 Amazon | Barnes & Noble Darkness never dies. Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm. I just...this book...I can't even... Life, I say. Life. Alina's life sucks cow's ass, and Mal's life is just tough, and that Darkling's life is sad, you know? There is just so much depth to all these characters, and I feel bad for all of them at the same time, which isn't good, and I don't know why, but I wish I could just hug them all and tell them that life will be okay. Poor Alina and her Sun Summoner power. Poor Mal and his constant battle with princes and Darklings. Poor Darkling and his power-hungry nature. Poor, poor, poor characters of Leigh Bardugo. Why must she create such sad characters? They have such tortured souls. I honestly don't even know what to say about this book other than the ending managed to piss me off and satisfy me and excite me all at the same time, and I honestly have no problems with this book other than the fact that it was so good, and that it sucks that the third book isn't out yet. COME ON LEIGH BARDUGO WRITE FASTER PLEASE I AM HAVING ANEURYSMS. But other than that, this beginning really ticked me off. I mean, it was just so slow. Don't get me wrong, I'm still giving this five stars, but it took a bit of will power to get through the beginning. Nothing happens. The first half, in my opinion, is Alina complaining about her boy problems, which really doesn't appeal to me. I like a little bit of romance, but when you just throw in a whirlwind of romance, I honestly don't know what to do with myself. But still. If you've read the first book, then you need to read this. If my rating doesn't say anything about this book, then I don't know what does.

Origin (Origin #1) by Jessica Khoury

Origin by Jessica Khoury
Series: Origin #1
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 394
Published by Razorbill on September 4, 2012
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home―and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin―a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.

I read the first 116 pages of this book out loud to my family and their Australian friends on Black Friday while we were driving around, and let me tell you, I enjoyed reading out loud a lot because it forced me to slow down and process each and every sentence separately and understand it for what it is. It took me a lot longer to get that far (I could've finished Origin that day, but instead I only made it through 1/4 of the book), and I sort of appreciated that.

The first thing I realized that I didn't like about this book was the romance between Eio and Pia. Now, don't get me wrong, Eio was awesome and Pia was a bamf, but I just felt like they shouldn't have fallen in love. And if they did fall in love, I doubt they would've fallen in love in such a short span of time. What was it? Three, four weeks? I'm sorry, but a month and they fall in love...that just doesn't seem realistic to me. I have to admit that Eio was incredibly sweet, and even though their love was rushed, that boy--ahem, man--made me swoon.

The second thing I realized that I didn't like about Origin was the fact that the entire thing was very anticlimactic. The majority of the book is set on Pia wanting to know the catalyst for elysia, the plant that produced the liquid that was used to create the injection to make a person, after five generations, immortal. And when Pia discovered the catalyst, I didn't feel very shocked or awestruck. No, I hadn't guessed the ending, but I just felt like the way that Khoury decided to go with how the injection was created was very halfassed and not very surprising. The entire book, I spent knocking my head against the wall, figuratively, trying to think of ways that the injection could've been created. It's just that by the end of the book, I had wanted so badly for the catalyst to be something surprising and cliffhanger-worthy, but...it wasn't.

But those are the only two things that I didn't like. Everything else? Amazing! That's why I still gave this book four stars. I loved Pia's character. She was distinguishable, and that intrigued me so much. She had a distinct voice, as did the other characters, and she was real because she had motivation for her actions; they weren't spontaneous and not expected. Pia was a calculated girl, and everything she did came down to a science. And when she did do something out of character, she justified it in her own way. And everything came down to her being a scientist and wanting to know the truth, to seek knowledge.

Eio didn't have as strong as a voice, and he didn't exactly have a very high character arc, but he still maintained a distinct voice. He could say something without the speaker tag, and I'd know that it was him just because of the way he spoke to people as well as Pia. The same goes for Pia's mother, Uncle Paolo, Uncle Antonio, Aunt Harriet, etc. The characters were my favorite part of Origin.

The overall plot was great, too. The science aspect was clear and was very easy to follow. Like I said at the beginning about how it was anticlimactic, the beginning was very interesting, and I was compelled to read more. Although the ending was...unique...I don't regret reading Origin. At all. This book had a lot of potential as a plot, and I think that Khoury, although the big surprise could've been better, executed the idea quite well.

I'd recommend this book to my friends. In fact, three are already going to be borrowing it! I definitely recommend this book to anybody who liked adventure, animals, science, boys, or just the wild in general. This book isn't fantasy, though. Everything that occurs in Origin could very well happen in real life, which is something that I particularly enjoyed about this book.

Khoury's new book, Vitro, comes out next year, and I can't wait to get my hands on it once it gets released! I'm sure I'll love it just as much as I loved Origin.

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout + Reboot (Reboot #1) by Amy Tintera

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux #3
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Aliens
Rating: ★★
Pages: 382
Published by Entangled Teen on December 1, 2012
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

No one is like Daemon Black.

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

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

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

Together we’re stronger... and they know it. 

I guess the Daty obsession/fad is over now, for me at least. I know what these books flaws are now. In my opinion, you have to marathon read them with no time in between to read anything else in order to stay involved in their world. I stopped reading Opal because I had volleyball tryouts and then I just need picked it back up. Finally I finished it and I see how similar this book is to Wattpad books. And I can't do it anymore. The twists aren't aren't surprising anymore.

The ending was so predictable. It seemed like Armentrout foreshadowed the ending a little too much. To the extent that I knew exactly what was going to happen. And the betrayals were extremely obvious as well. The only reason I gave this book two stars was because, hey, I liked Daemon. He's supposed to be badass and callous but he's got a soft spot for Katy. I used to love Katy, but now I don't. I just can't stand to read in her point of view anymore.

And Armentrout's attempt at a climatic ending (with the totally susceptible and inevitable villain coming back to kill Katy) was weak, and it wasn't even very necessary to make the plot continue. While reading this book, I felt like the only reason she added it in was to fill up space in her book.

No hate on Armentrout, because she creates some pretty unique plots and she entertained me during Obsidian, Opal, and Obsession, but I just don't think I'll be able to read any of her stories anymore unless I'm up for something fluffy, and I want a break from heavy books that cause emotional stress on my sanity. I doubt I'll be reading Origin anytime soon.

To read the review for the first book in the Lux series Obsidian, click here. To read the review for the second book in the Lux series Opal, click here.

Reboot by Amy Tintera
Series: Reboot #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia,
Rating: ★★★

Pages: 365
Published by HarperTeen on May 7, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders. 

I read this a month or so ago, so this mini review is actually going to be mini. I'm just going to say why I gave the book three stars, as in what stood out to me and what didn't.

The first thing I hated about the book was Callum and Wren's relationship. I didn't hate Callum and I didn't hate Wren, I just hated their relationship. They should not have fallen in love. They had no reason two. They simply fell in love because, hey, the author wanted them to. In my opinion, two people should fall in love with each other's personalities. Callum and Wren fell in love with their circumstance.

Also, Wren was 'trained' to be a cold-hearted robot, and then the second Callum shows up, she picks him, the weakest reboot, to train? I'm sorry, but no. Wren had no motivation to make the choices that she did other than the fact that she wanted to. That's a little bit too weak for me. Now this would work in the case that the character making such choice was whimsical and spontaneous, not for a character that was rational and driven by their brain rather than their heart. Choosing Callum and falling in love with him were not rational, therefore Wren shouldn't have done it. I liked her just fine when she was a coldhearted bitch. She was hilarious.

I'm afraid that this book was exactly by Shatter Me in a sense of the action stopping halfway through the book. Shit goes the fuck down in the first half of the book and the characters are in a tough situation, but then the last half is the characters that have escaped facing the real life world. That's literally two different plots all in its own! Now, I don't really have a problem with this, I just noticed this particular point while reading Reboot. This didn't affect the rating, I just wanted to point it out.

Now the ending. The ending was...weak, to say the least. Wren and Callum made it to their end goal, but the ending was just...lacking. It wasn't action packed (a bit of action, but still) and everything was a bit too convenient. Callum is hurt (it gets a bit spoilery from here. Skip this paragraph if you don't want to be spoiled) and Wren doesn't know if she can help him. So she gets the cure and gives it to Callum and she doesn't know if it will work...but it does...? I mean, it's great that it worked and all but at least give the book a cliffhanger so the readers have a good reason to want to read the next book. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to read the next book, but honestly, it's only because I do have a soft spot for Callum. He's sweet. Good for him.

Anyway, if you want to, go ahead and read Reboot. It's worth it.

DNF: Shiver (The Wovles of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Werewolves, Paranormal
Rating: ★ DFN
Published by Scholastic Press on August 1, 2009
Pages: 390
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I guess it's not really a DNF since I've read it once before, but still... I simply couldn't continue on with this book. When I was 10 and I first got my nook, Shiver was one of the first five books I got. I don't know what was up with me then, but it seemed like the only thing that I wanted to read about was love--no plot, no characterization, no action, just love. Let's just say that over the past four years, a lot has changed. For example, my rating for Shiver is no longer four stars on Goodreads. In fact, it's now one.

I only picked up this book to read it again because Lindsay read it, thought it was good, and I didn't remember what happened other than the fact that this girl named Grace falls in love with a werewolf named Sam. I'm just going to say that I wish I never read this book again. I wish I just left it on my nook, allowing myself to still believe that I thought Shiver was a good, solid book. One-fourth through the book, I already wanted to rip my freaking hair out. It's so brain cell murdering, this book is. I asked Lindsay if it's just me that hates this book so much, and she said that it's just not for some people. Slow books, that is.

She's wrong. Shiver might be slow, but so are John Green's books, and I love John Green's book. They're deep and meaningful. I read in several reviews that Shiver is a tear jerker and that it's heartbreaking and wonderful but I can't agree. I just can't. The writing just drags on and on. And where one of my favorite reviewers says that the writing is absolutely beautiful, I'm over here just like 'no.'

Sam, who's the werewolf, doesn't know how to speak or think words while he's in his wolf form and so when he becomes human he doesn't really know how to control or use the influx of words that pour into his mind. Therefore, naturally, he resorts to song lyrics. Just no. Those lyrics sucked. No. Just no.

And Grace. Don't even get me started on her. Sam is clearly trying to be portrayed by the author as some magnificent creature of great beauty and emotions when really he's just annoying, obsessive, a little creepy, and a sap. Grace on the other hand...she's just plain flat. I can't find anything I like about her. She's obsessed with wolves because of one particular wolf's eyes that she saw while the other wolves were mauling her face. I don't know about you, but if wolves were mauling my face I'd be screaming bloody murder, not paying attention to the wolf with yellow eyes. Oh, and whenever Sam or Grace use the term 'yellow eyes' to describe Sam's eyes, I always think that his eyes look like piss.

Attractive.

I also hated Sam and Grace's relationship together. In my opinion, it was disgusting as hell. For instance, Grace watches Sam for years as a wolf and gains an obsession over him? Unlikely. And the fact that she fell in love with a wolf because of his eyes is absurd. Then literally one day after they meet in human form, he kisses her. Big no-no. I don't care if they've known each other (hypothetically...) for six or so years. Just no.

The supporting characters were very 2-D as well. Don't tell me that I just didn't read enough to realize that they had a soul, because I read half the book. The beginning was monotonous and uneventful. Why would I want to read more when there are other books I could reading? The only character that didn't fry my brain is Isabel. From the few encounters that Grace had with her, I liked her.

Other than Isabel the only saving grace (no pun intended) in Shiver was the werewolf world. The world that Stiefvater created for her wolves was amazing. She completely banished the other stereotypes for wolves and created her own. I'd give Shiver two stars because of her creativity, but because of everything else wrong and boring in this book, I simply cannot do that. I enjoyed pretty much nothing while reading this and two stars would suggest that I enjoyed some components and was about to persevere through.

Honestly, I think this is just one of those books that you really have to get into. I can't really recommend this to anybody because clearly I loved it before but hate it now. And plenty of my favorite reviewers on Goodreads loved this book, so I'm not really sure.

It's up to you whether or not to read it. I just suggest that you save your money and borrow this from the library, and if you like it, then by all means go and but a hard copy. But I have to admit that maybe I'll try to reread it for the third time sometime in the future when I don't have as many books on my immediate TBR as I do at the moment. Maybe I'll enjoy it more as a fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen year old? I just hope that The Raven Boys is better, because I bought that book too.

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Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia
Series: The Legion #1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 320
Published by Little, Brown Books on October 1, 2013
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in this action-packed paranormal thriller, the first book in a new series from New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia.

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

Note: There is swearing in this review. A lot. Read with discretion.

Holy shit balls. This was so good. Seriously. I did NOT expect that going into this good, but now I can honestly say that I am pleasantly surprised. I haven't read Beautiful Creatures but boy am I going to now.

There are only two things that I really disliked about this book. One being the fact that even though there was so much proof weaved throughout this novel that Kennedy is apart of the Legion, she still refused to believe it time and time again. like, girl, get a fucking hold of yourself, because believe it or not, you are a bamf demon slaying bitch, okay? Okay.

The other two things they really pissed me off were Jared and Lukas. Now don't get me wrong. The are hot, and I like them just fine. But really, characterization is key. Jared and Lukas were basically the same character but with different names. If you took one hot seventeen year old boy and split him in two, you would get Jared and Lukas. Basically the grumpy, I-hate-life part of this teenage boy would be Jared, and the let's-go-ride-a-fucking-pony side of the teenage boy would be Lukas. Plus they look the same. Seriously, I don't get why Kennedy would prefer one over the other. Is she the type of girl that likes a challenge? Her thoughts in this book say no, but her choices say yes. I don't know what to think.

I have to admit, though, that the ending pissed me off. Not in the I hate it sort of way but more in the why are you doing this to me you author you kind of way. Like seriously. You get me to ship Jaredy after the kiss scene, and then you tear them apart. Then you get them back together ONLY TO TEAR THEM APART AGAIN.

I'm sorry but do you not care about my heart or what?

Sorry. I just got really angry there. Like really. Jaredy's romance isn't even that developed yet, but you still insist on tearing them apart and making me even angrier? Can't there just be a happy ending?

I JUST WANT A HAPPY ENDING GOSH.

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Through to You by Emily Hainsworth

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Lindsay's Review: The F-It List by Julie Halpern

The F-It List by Julie Halpern
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 256
Published by Feiwel and Friends on November 12, 2013
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Alex and Becca have always been best friends. But when Becca does something nearly unforgivable at Alex’s dad’s funeral, Alex cuts ties with her and focuses on her grieving family.

Time passes, and Alex finally decides to forgive Becca. Then she’s hit with another shocker: Becca has cancer. It also turns out Becca has a bucket list, one she doesn’t know she’ll be able to finish now. That’s where Alex comes in, along with a mysterious and guarded boy who just may help Alex check a few items off her own bucket list.

Julie Halpern writes about illness, loss, love, and friendship with candor and compassion. Here is an unforgettable book about living fully, living authentically, and just . . . living.

A quick but thorough read that had me staying up late reading at night when I was really needing sleep. The premise has been used before - best friend gets cancer - however add in best friend sleeps with boyfriend the night of your father's funeral and then get cancer, well that, my friends, is the most original idea I've ever heard.

The summary of this book is so wrong in my opinion. Half the book isn't even about the bucket list. Honestly, the bucket list isn't even really an important part of the book. It's mostly about Becca being sick and Alex's struggle between a guy and fear of being happy.

My main problems with this book were the characters and the length. Alex's problems were big ones and could have been drawn out more clearly while also making the book longer. She never quite goes into much about her father's death or having any real memories of him. Her brothers were genetic characters with nothing to define them not only from each other, but to make them realistic, and her mother never seemed to be a real person either. This book could have been five stars if the length was longer because then the author could have had much more room to define these characters and make them believable.

And I don't know about you guys, but I don't talk to my friends about my 'private' life and they don't tell me about theirs. We don't go into detail, we don't discuss people's sex lives or our own. But Becca and Alex talked about it CONSTANTLY. I'm no prude, but even I was blushing and embarrassed at the amount that they were going on about it. BECCA IS DYING AND ALEX'S FATHER IS DEAD AND ALL THEY DO IS TALK ABOUT SEX.

Another minor problem in the book - Becca's love for Alex's dad was never that big of a deal. I'm sorry, but if my best friend thought of my dad as her own and I JUST found that out, I would think that was a pretty big deal. But Alex hardly even cares. It's brought up once at the start of the book and never brought up again. If you create a problem in a novel, it has to be consistent until it's resolved and it was neither.

Overall, even though I did a bit of bashing, this book was a worthwhile read. The premise is unique, intriguing and writing isn't bad at all. I really enjoyed it and was fist pumping at the end of it for the character's!

"So yes. We had sex," I pronounced with a cheeky smile.

"I knew it! It's almost like I could psychically feel you doing it last night while I was in bed!"

"My god, Becca, contain yourself."

Lindsay's Review: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 294
Published by Disney Hyperion on May 7th, 2013

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.
Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn't. 
When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.
But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.
A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

Highlight black bars to reveal spoilers!

After getting invited to spend the summer in Nantucket at her best friend's summer home, Cricket can't be more excited. She has plans to get a tan, see all the things her best friend Jules' has been telling her about for years, and also getting together with her crush. But quickly things go downhill. Jules' mother dies unexpectedly the night that she invited Cricket to their summer and after being asked to leave their home the next morning, Jules tells Cricket she's no longer coming with her for the summer.

I expected a lot from this story. An amazing plot, amazing characters and a general idea that hasn't been done before a million times and then some. And on some level, I received what I asked for. But on another, I was disappointed.

I have a love-hate relationship with Cricket as a main character. Some things she would do I would absolutely love about her, like going way out of her way to be there for her best friend and her family. She did things I could never do and made me envy how great of a friend she is. However, sometimes she would go overboard. At Jules mother's funeral, when she started to choke up and not say anything at all, Cricket went up to the podium and began to speak on Jules' behalf. I thought this was very out of line, although it could be very nice for her to do, I would not have spoken at a funeral I wasn't asked to speak at. Another thing that really upset me was when Cricket kissed someone right before going on a date with someone she said she loved. Like what the hell! That is not okay!

Overall, the plot isn't fantastic. I'm not going to give any plot spoilers away about what Cricket does, but the things she does for her best friend are amazing, and the problems that arise because of it, and also a romance are so genius that I wish I thought of them myself.

Though the characters could have been deeper and less forgettable, I found some of them well defined like Jules which really made me enjoy reading about her. Also reading about Cricket's personal problems on top of the Jules drama was quite intriguing, however I could have done without the summer intern job for a memoir writer, which is the main reason I gave the book only three stars. On top of the character issues, I found the parts where Cricket helped the writer hopelessly boring. I'm a writer myself and I was so bored.

Despite my bashing, I enjoyed Nantucket Blue and couldn't tear myself away from it for long. It was an intriguing read and I recommend it to anyone who is still trying to hold onto their summer as the colder weather starts to move in.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

A slow but sure read. I've complained about this book for about three and a half weeks, but now that I've finished it I feel like all my complaining was for nothing. I have to admit that this (along with World War Z) is literally the slowest book I've ever read. Where The Red Fern Grows was faster paced than this book. And nothing ever happens. I mean, stuff happens, then stuff doesn't happen, then stuff happens, then nothing happens for legitimately 200 pages, and then fucking shit goes the fuc...more Pages: 552 Release Date: March 14, 2006 Publisher: Knopf Books Rating: ☆☆ The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that will be in movie theaters on November 15, 2013, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time. A slow but sure read. I've complained about this book for about three and a half weeks, but now that I've finished it I feel like all my complaining was for nothing. I have to admit that this (along with World War Z) is literally the slowest book I've ever read. Where The Red Fern Grows was faster paced than this book. And nothing ever happens. I mean, stuff happens, then stuff doesn't happen, then stuff happens, then nothing happens for legitimately 200 pages, and then fucking shit goes the fuck down. The ending. Like what the fuck. Oh my fucking god. But the story aside, the character's weren't even my biggest issue. It was the narrator and the pace. Like I said above, it was just such a slow read. Literally I think that half of this book could've been scraped in the editing process and the book would've been just fine. The narrator being death was a risky move on Zusak's part, and I wish he just abandoned that idea. The colors of the skies and days was intriguing, but everything else was weird. Oh, there was one other thing I liked about Death. One. The fact that he explained war and being rushed. Where there was always someone on his back telling him to get it done. I thought that was creative and nice. There are two characters that saved this book for me: Max and Hans. Rudy was alright. I liked how he named her The Book Thief and how he always asked for a kiss. That's it, really. Max and Hans had so much life in them. I could feel Max's pain coming off the page. He was a Jew in a time where Jews weren't accepted. Hans was a man that owed his friend a favor, and that favor just so happened to be protecting his son from the Nazis. I feel that that part of the book was beautifully crafted--the Jew/Nazi part of the book. The other parts, where Liesel was stealing books and learning to read and hanging out with Rudy and being a little brat weren't very interesting. Especially when she joined that group of thieves. Like, what? No really. What? It just made me so mad that basically nothing happened in this book. My expectations were so high, and then they were crushed. Yeah, thanks, Markus Zusak. I originally gave this book three stars, but I'm writing this review a month after I finished it, and now that I think back on the whole experience, I really didn't like this book all that much. It was a bore, and it was extremely difficult to finish. I can't exactly recommend this book because I didn't particularly fall in love with it like others have, but still, I think this is a book everyone should experience once in their lifetime. Liesel's story is quite powerful in its own way, and I feel as if everybody should experience it at least once. Oh yeah and I don't understand that cover. At all. Liesel never played dominos.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 438
Published by St. Martin's Press on September 10, 2013

Amazon | B&N

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Wow. Wow. Wow. This book was just magical and amazing and I honestly only have one bad thing to say about it. One. Only one. That's amazing, to say the least. And the only bad thing that I have to say is the Simon Snow aspect of the whole book.

I get that this entire novel was based on Simon Snow, but Simon Snow is basically the equivalent to Harry Potter, and no offense to you Potterheads, but Harry Potter is just not for me. So naturally, Simon Snow was just not for me. Eventually, I got past all the Simon Snow and thought about Levi and Reagan, and everything was great again. Rainbow Rowell has a way of creating such realistic characters that I can relate to and understand on a deeper level. My all-time favorite character in this book that wasn't Levi was Reagan. She's exactly what I would want for a college roommate. As for the twins, I thought that the whole Cather/Wren thing was pretty genius (Catherine), but Wren seemed pretty flaky to me. And I understand that Cather used Wren as a crutch her entire life, hiding behind her sister while she quietly wrote fanfiction about Simon Snow. So when Wren and Cath started drifting apart, it naturally took a toll on Cath. Personally, I felt that Cath leaned a bit too much on her twin, but I think that was the point of the book.

As for plotting and writing, Rainbow Rowell can do no wrong in my eyes. Her prose is so majestic (yes, I just said majestic), and it was easy to just read. Sometimes, I just want an easy read where I can fly through the pages without difficulty, and Fangirl is definitely one of those books. It's going to be a longtime favorite; I can see it. And the ending was good. Really good. It didn't give that much closure for the characters, but I don't think these specific characters really needed any. The final book in the Simon Snow series was released and yay! The end.

In conclusion, I honestly would've never read this book if it hadn't gone on sale on Amazon for $1.70 for the eBook version. I hate to admit that since I loved it so much, but I honestly just wouldn't have had the time or money to buy it and read it. I was okay with Attachments, and I loved Eleanor & Park. So I had no idea how I was going to feel about this book. And the fanfiction part turned me off even more. I write on Wattpad, and literally in the past year the fanfiction section of Wattpad has spiked so much just because of One freaking Direction. Fanfiction is just not for me, so I was surprised that I loved this book. 

Wil Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Pages: 304
Release Date: 4/6/10
Publisher: Dutton's Children's
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both of them legions of faithful fans.

This book was honestly so great. I went into it thinking that it was going to suck--no thanks to the girl that I borrowed it from--and I left the book reevaluating my life. I'm not even kidding. This book made me think about everything that I do so much. Because honestly, if you don't life your life the way you want to, then what's the point? You've only got one life, so really, don't screw it up.

The characters in this book are amazing. Will Grayson and Will Grayson. In my opinion, the second Will Grayson (the one that David Levithan wrote) was the one that I liked the most, which sounds kind of horrible since the second WG wanted to kill himself and ignored his mom, but still. He was so sarcastic when I was first going into the book, just like I am. So I sort of related to him a bit, and that's what I liked about him.

The first WG (the one that John Green wrote) was sort of a pussy. I mean, come on. Basically all he did was whine about how having a fat, gay friend was horrible. Seriously though. The starting line in WGWG was like 'my dad always said that you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose' and then John Green's WG went on to call his dad a liar and say that he didn't pick his fat, gay friend Tiny, and that Tiny picked him. Then John Green's WG continued to complain about how it's Tiny's fault that he's not cool anymore.

Yes, John Green's WG, you're welcome to fucking fall off your high horse now, because you're ridin' pretty high in the sky.

But nonetheless, I liked John Green's WG. Just not as much as David Levithan's WG.

The other characters that I loved were Tiny, Jane, and Gideon. I loved Gideon the best. He was a minor character, but he definitely was a turning point in the book and he was the one that made the end possible. So yeah. Kudos to you, Gideon.

Tiny and Jane though. If you've read this book, then you'd understand why these characters are my faves.

But like I said in the beginning, I went into this book expecting something horrible and left it feeling like I was unable to comprehend. This book was truly a gem to read, and I'll probably be rereading it eventually once I knock all my other TBR books off my list. I definitely recommend this book, so go read it!

Champion by Marie Lu

Series: Legend #3
Pages: 369
Date Released: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Note: There are spoilers for Legend and Prodigy in this review.

Let's just take a moment to admire the beautiful quality of that cover. It's almost just as beautiful as this book. Now, I have to point out first that the ending wasn't what I expected at all. I honestly thought that Lu was going to pull a Veronica Roth on us. Just saying. But she didn't, and I'm so glad. But she pulled something that broke my heart, and my friends at school thought I was having a seizure or something. (Yes, I read at school, and while reading this ending in class, I was pretty much hyperventilating.)

But putting the end aside--it was amazingly yet heartbreakingly executed--Champion was solid. Real solid. Usually, third books are difficult to keep interesting and yet continue on with the plot. I have to admit that Champion did struggle with this a bit. Sure, it was interesting enough, but there were times where I wanted to read just one point of view. The spilt views is...unique...but sometimes June would be really intriguing me but then Lu would cut the chapter off and move onto Day. Like, no. I'm sorry. I love you, Day, but I want to hear from June right now. And vice versa. But I will say that Lu does well with two points of views, which I'm happy about.

There was this one scene (multiple scenes, actually) where June is in Antarctica with Arden doing her Princeps-Elect duties. The entire prospect of life being a game in Antarctica is so interesting that I almost wish that we could have that right now. The whole system seems to work out nicely with Antarctica. And it's weird to read a book where Antarctica is inhabited and appears to be the leading country regarding economics and defense. I think I'm still a bit stuck on the fact that there is civilization in Antarctica.

I loved the characters in Champion way more than when they were in Legend and Prodigy. For one, June isn't blindly following a government that could very well be deceiving her (which they were, but who cares now?), and Day wasn't...well, I don't know. Day is nice in every book. I just liked him in here more for some reason. Probably because his brother Eden is back.

The bond that Day shares with his brother makes me all warm inside. Day loves his brother so much, and it's apparent in the book. Eden is always in the back of Day's mind when he makes decisions, and to me, that's love. When you think about others more than yourself, that's love.

I think it was a mix of characters, emotion, and the right amount of romance and action that made me love this book all the more. Champion was definitely a strong finish for the trilogy, and I'm glad that I spent the time to read the previous two books. I feel very satisfied with the ending, therefore I can see one or two rereads in the future.

If you've read Legend and Prodigy but not Champion, go and read Champion now! It's definitely worth it. And if you haven't read Legend yet and you decided to read this review even though I said that there would be spoilers (were there? I can't tell), then go and read the first book!

World After by Susan Ee

Pages: 314
Release Date: November 19th, 2013
Publisher: Skyscrape
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.
When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.
Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.
Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

 

I only waited a few months for this book but for me a few months was too long. Angelfall is now one of my favorite books and I honestly haven't stopped thinking about it since I read it. Now, having gotten my hands on World After I feel like this series is weaving it's way into a place in my heart.

We left off in Angelfall with Raffie, the sexy, arrogant and addicting fallen angel carries Penryn, who he believes is dead to her family despite the countless human soldiers with their guns pointed at him. However, Penryn wasn't actually dead, just paralyzed, and has to continue her life with Raffie long gone, thinking she's dead.

To save you from any spoilers of this book, I'll continue with my feelings during the read. The only, single, problem I had with this book - I need more Raffie. I'm possibly addicted to him just as much as Penryn was and could read about him brushing his teeth and enjoy it. Seriously, he wasn't in this book much until near the end and even though some cute moments made up for it, I missed the connection and reading about him as much as I did in Angelfall.

I think the two main reasons that this book and the series as a whole is fantastic, amazing and honestly truly great, are the plot and the characters.

The plot is truly unique with twists and turns you don't expect to happen. Raffie's sword bonding with Penryn and training her to what happens at the very end - and I guess everything- with her sister Paige. You just don't see it coming, and when it happens, it's something amazing to read about, even if it's negative.

The characters have to be my favorite part. None of them are forgettable. Penryn and her wit, her mother and the cow prod, Raffie and his demon wings and Paige with her stitches. Each character is unique with their appearance, personality and has their own story throughout Penryn's. Unlike other stories, they aren't on Penryn's journey, every person has their own and they intertwine, which makes it amazing. It's realistic even in a post-apocalyptic world.

This book had me cheering for Paige, for Penryn, for her mom - for everyone, up until the very end. I felt like I was in a movie the entire time and I know I'll be reading this again very soon.

Great job, Susan Ee! Thank you for this wonderful series. :3

For the first book review on Angelfall, click here

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent #3

Pages: 526
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Note: No spoilers for the first two books!

I am so dead inside. This book was just so amazing. I don't get how it could be so damn amazing. I mean, when I first read that huge plot twist at the end, I freaking screamed (in the car). I didn't know whether or not this is how I wanted the series to end. It took a whole for me to realize that it's most definitely not how I wanted it to end, but it's a magnificent way to end the series nonetheless. To me, Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant are about so much more than some characters in a dys...more I am so dead inside. This book was just so amazing. I don't get how it could be so damn amazing. I mean, when I first read that huge plot twist at the end, I freaking screamed (in the car). I didn't know whether or not this is how I wanted the series to end. It took a whole for me to realize that it's most definitely not how I wanted it to end, but it's a magnificent way to end the series nonetheless. To me, Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant are about so much more than some characters in a dystopian society. To me, these books represent the choices you make and how they affect you. And Allegiant most of all taught me that I need variety in my life, and that I need to realize I need to be smart, brave, selfless, peaceful, and truthful all at the same time. I can't just be one. In all, this book series is by far my favorite--ever--not just because of my absolutely love for the characters and this world but for the lesson that I have learned from my experience of reading them. I was so apprehensive about the wrap up of this series, as I am with every final book in a series, so much so that I read half and then stopped reading for a few hours because I just couldn't handle it if it didn't reach my expectations. Let me tell you: Allegiant took my expectations, ripped them out of my heart, stomped on them, and then shoved them back inside my body. Yeah. That is how much I loved this book. In conclusion, this book series was so amazing, and I have a feeling there are going to be many rereads in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to purchase them in hard copy soon. Ebook version of Tris and Four just don't cut it for me(;

Weekly Summary - Nov. 16, 2013

  

November 10, 2013 - November 16, 2013

This is a new segment in which Tori recounts the past week on her and Lindsay's blog. Tori tries to write about both girls equally, therefore she types in third person. If it sounds awkward, she's sorry.
 

 

 

So the Divergent movie poster was released this week (Tori thinks; she's not sure). But even if it wasn't this week, she still saw it this week, so it counts. Also, she saw the character posters for Tris, Four, Christina, Max, Peter, Eric (JAI COURTNERY, HELLO), and Tori. They're so cool, in her opinion. She's so excited for this movie to come out next year! Let's not forget the trailer.

 

 

So yes. Tori's very excited for this movie to come out. So many movies coming out in 2014. So hard to keep track!

 

 

Click book cover to be directed to review.

  

  

  

 

 

 

 Tori's Reads

  

 

Tori's Currently Reading

  

 

Lindsay's Currently Reading

 

 

 

This section really doesn't have much to do about book, but that's okay! This will just be our favorites like makeup, books (oh look, books), music, apps, etc. Tori might even posts some pictures of her collection of phone cases if she particularly likes one for the week.

 

Music:

• You'll Think of Me by Keith Urban (Tori)
• Afraid by The Neighbourhood (Tori)
• A Town Like This by Cady Groves (Tori)
• 23 by a bunch of people Tori can't remember (Tori)
• That's My Kind of Night by Luke Bryan (Tori. As you can see, she's sort of in a country phase)

Books:

•  Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Apps:

• Name Dice. Because honestly, Tori always needs names for her story characters, but can never think of good enough names. This app rolls name dice which really helps her with new characters and their names.
• Overdrive. If you have a library card and a phone and/or tablet, then you should get this app. You can basically just borrow ebooks from your library (if your library is supported. Some apparently aren't, yet). It's convenient.
• Goodreads. Tori's had this app for a while, but when she got the newest update for her iPhone, she loved it. It's optimized for iOS 7, and the new look and feel of the app is great. (I love it, Tori says.)

 

 

Tori:

I plan on reading three books next week. They're library books from Overdrive, so I really need to get these read before they expire.

 



  

 

Other than books, there's also NaNoWriMo. God, NaNoWriMo is hard, and it makes me sort of want to cry. 50,000 words in one month seems impossible, but I did it last November, and I did it in April this year, so I can do it again. In April, I was ahead by like 10,000-20,000 words by April 16th, but today I haven't even reached my word count goal of 26,666 words yet, oops. It's just so hard. You guys should go and be my buddy on NaNoWriMo if you're participating as well. You can find me here! Or you can read my NaNoWriMo story on Wattpad here. It's a rough draft, so no making fun of me, haha.

 

And other than to be read books and NaNoWriMo, look out for some new reviews! My reviews for Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Allegiant should be up this coming week as well as a Waiting on Wednesday. Maybe even an Has This Ever Happened to You? because for some reason the last five chapters in my copy of Unwind are missing. How does that even happen? So I guess I haven't actually finished Unwind yet even though I've reviewed it. I got spoiled on the ending, and my thoughts are still the same, so I won't be changing my review, but I'm pissed because I'm missing the last five chapters. You can't just not have the ending. So I'm going to Barnes & Noble tomorrow to see if they'll give me a new copy. I don't have my receipt, so I doubt it, but one can hope. It's still in perfect condition. I'm OCD about my books. This is the only time that has ever come in handy.

 

Oh, yes, and Lindsay was busy, so she couldn't contribute to this.