Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

 Once again, I've devoured this series...

(sequel to The Dream Thieves)

As usual, Stiefvater leaves me craving more with each book. I feel like this series is like a crime, and I only get clues piece by piece and its so deliciously frustrating!

 We pick up where our group left off; with a lot of drama. Blue's mother is missing, Blue and Adam's relationship has been injured, while Blue and Gansey's relationship becomes more desirable and forbidden. Noah's ghost status is still unstable and unpredictable, and Adam and Ronan's relationship is still left in question as they both struggle to understand their new found abilities.

Whew. Take a second to absorb all that.

We get to meet some new characters in this book, which really changes the game play this time around. Readers also get to discover more about the Raven King, but also more about another mysterious entity similar to the Raven King but much more ominous and evil who should remain unawakened. To add to the already building tension of this series, Stiefvater leaves this book with a cliffhanger that will leave you feeling robbed. 

Lauren - 5 stars

 

I am absolutely craving the next book! Bring on The Raven King! 

Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

Alternate universes and witches? 

Sign me up!

I found Trial by Fire to be interesting and intriguing with it's tale of alternate universes with a twist of magic. As we all know, our heroine Lily ends up in a different universe where there is another version of her, who is powerful and supposedly cruel. This part of the book is where the story gets interesting. At first though, as much as I hate to say it, Lily is completely and 100% a pathetic Mary Jane. Sick and weakly, and hung up romantically on an obviously douche-y best friend, when Lily finally left her universe I could only hope that she would get it together and woman up!

It took a little time, and some 'woe is me' moments, but I was happy to see Lily start to come into her own, and become open to her unique powers. There were a couple typical things that I felt could've been more refined, for example Lily discovers that she can speak to her sister in this new universe through her mind. Guess what they call it? Mind-speak. Surely there could be a better name for it?
 

Despite this though this new world is fascinating, with it's magical willstones that define their owners and become such a part of them, that it's painful and/or intimate to touch another's stone. Other unique points were that their ideals were different from ours as in nudity does not faze them, and their world has monsters that are disgusting, terrifying, and carnivorous.

There are sisterly bonds of love, dark secrets, possible universes linking together, an ominous and ongoing war, and of course a sexy love interest, Rowan. Who could ask for more? The ending left me feeling slightly confused, nervous, and yet still somewhat excited. I can only hope that Angelini will introduce more of this magical world and an even stronger more independent heroine in her sequel!

Lauren - 4 stars

Coming this September! 

A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab

Magical and exciting! Another winner from Victoria Schwab.

Imagine if you had magic: the ability to travel from one parallel universe to the next. Pretty awesome, right? 

Welcome to Kell's everyday life.
At first a slow start, I found myself soon wrapped up in Kell's plight. His troubles begin with his irresistible urge to collect items from the other Londons that he visits. Tricked into smuggling over an extremely dangerous magical item, Kell must rise to the face the consequences or risk losing his London, as well as the others.

Schwab gave great details and emotional connections in this book that helped bring the different worlds to life. I could almost feel the dustiness of Grey London, the chill of White London, and the glow of the Red London. It was fascinating to know that each was connected, but became unconnected when Black London became corrupted and devoured by it's magic. Each character was unique, strong, and brave in their own way, but Schwab built powerful connections. I simply loved Kell and Lilah. Lilah is so headstrong and spunky, it's hard not to like her! I was easily ensnared, with the strength and connection of them, and there were plenty of things left open to amp up excitement for the next book.

Lauren - 4 stars  

Shit is going down!! Feb 2016! 

Half Bad by Sally Green

4.5 stars

Loving the blood effect on this cover as well as this debut novel.

I stumbled upon this gem while looking for another book at the store. Honestly, I was not entirely sure what to expect, but what I didn't expect was such an amazing and heart wrenching story!

Nathan's tale is one of sadness from the day he was born, for he is a half white and half black witch. What makes this so unfortunate is that Nathan's black blood is of the darkest and most dangerous origins. Despite being constantly viewed with disdain and treated with hatred by nearly everyone he meets, Nathan is strong, clever, and optimistic in his own unique way.

Sally Green does an amazing job with her story telling for it ensnares you and compels you to finish this book as quickly as possible. Along with a rocky and deliciously forbidden romance, readers also get to experience living in a cage, tales of torture, and an underground system for witches on the run or in need of an illegal favor that comes with a price.

There are a couple pages told from a first POV but I found it to be unique and different almost like you're being woven into the story. The idea of good/bad and black/white is strongly put into question.  I also found Nathan's view on life and his interactions with family and the people he meets to be beautiful as well as a touch cynical. My only dislike was my concern with his instant turn to brutality in certain occasions.

The ending was satisfying and left off with a mild cliffhanger but I see promise in it's sequel, Half Wild.

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen

4 stars
(Trilogy to The Runaway King)

An amazing conclusion to this trilogy!

And it was all done in classic Jaron style! I was rather impressed with how Jaron managed to work his way out of some tough situations, especially with his still injured leg, and how his friends were there for him in his most dire times of need and were extremely loyal.

Jaron is facing several enemies and finds himself quite short of the army he needs in order to face them. What else is there to be done if you're lacking brawn, except to outsmart with brains!

We get to see some fine strategy on Jaron's behalf, and losses too.

Most of all I was touched by the journey of this series. I watched a young rebellious boy go from the streets, to a Prince in an unwelcoming Kingdom, to a King defending his Throne, loyal subjects, and the people he considers family.

It was a delightfully strategic book with plenty of struggle and although I felt that this final book was missing just a touch of Jaron's clever pizzazz, it was still thoroughly enjoyable and I cannot wait for another book from Nielsen.

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

 

4 stars

Such a fun and adorable book!

I was nervous for this one for several reasons, one being that our main character was a Southern belle, and I was waiting to see if Harper Price would be anything like Sophie Mercer from Rachel Hawkin's previous series, Hex Hall. To my delight, our heroine was one of a kind.

Harper Price is the definition of perfection down to her petite and bright sounding name. She is the kind of girl that most girls either admired, hated, or both as she is highly successful, a perfectionist, and has a hand in every club, event, and is without a doubt Homecoming Queen. 

Harper's almost perfect world is turned upside down when she ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time, and inherits Paladin guardian/warrior powers. She also finds out that as her job as Paladin, she is forced to protect the one person she despises most; David Stark.

It seems David is more involved than even he knows, and the action and mystery get intense, let me tell you! It took me a bit to adjust to Harper's do good attitude, but I found myself growing fond of her fierce spirit, and occasional sarcasm in her attitude. David is especially lovable with his wit and eccentric dressing style! The two together make for several laughs, and heartwarming moments. 

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

5 stars

Love the matching theme cover, I must say!

(sequel to The Archived)

No sequel trauma here! What a knockout!!

Back with our independent heroine Mac, we start off with a new beginning, a new territory: school. Mackenzie is trying to cope with the trauma she experienced in the previous book with Owen, while attempting to take control of her life. Easier said than done in her case.

She finds it of course difficult since she suffers from morbid night terrors involving Owen that start to bleed into her waking life making her wonder if she's slowly going insane. What's especially difficult is that she can't show weaknesses right now since her job as a Keeper has been put on the line. 

To add to the mystery and chaos of it all people are disappearing and their only connection is to Mackenzie. 

Dun, dun, dunnn!

The Unbound round house kicked me in the face with awesomeness. We get more character development, more action, more mystery, and more layers of the "Archive" onion peeled away to reveal that there is more to this library of the dead than we could have ever hoped for...

For fellow Mac and Wes fans, I'm pleased to announce that they grow much closer in this book! (Finally!) 

Once again, I'm left dying for the next in the series, because everything was raw and intense. You feel Mac's pain, anxiety, and terror throughout the book and the ending leaves such promise for the third.

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

5 stars

(sequel to The False Prince)

My loyalty has been earned.

I was skeptical at first, I'll admit. I liked The False Prince, but as I said in the previous review, I wasn't blown off my feet. Consider me on my ass. Flat.

The Runaway King doesn't pick up too far off from its predecessor, which was a literary relief to start out with. I was nervous that this was going to be like another book I read where after all that pain to get where the main character to a certain point, they find themselves longing for their old life, and begin to feel irritable and unhappy with the life they worked the whole first book to obtain. 

But instead, I found myself reading about a Prince, trying to fill boots that he longs to fill properly, but finds he's a little rough around the edges. He was relate able, fierce, strong, stubborn, and best of all the underdog.

I'm a huge sucker for the underdogs, the people who throw you in for the loop, who fight and fight until they just can't fight anymore, who care for the people around them, sometimes more than they care to let on. Long live the underdogs!

The plot was fast paced, dangerous, and exciting! We get to meet new friends, make stronger bonds with old friendships, and repair old damages done. We get to see Jaron fight for his right to party to the throne, and take risks like never before. Did I mention there is pirates?

That's right, the Prince goes to pirate island in order to gain information, and prove that he should be the rightful King.

There was a nice surprise near the end of the book, further revealing the treachery within the kingdom, and we also get some more development on characters who I felt were somewhat skimmed over like the lovely Princess Amarinda, the betrothed of Prince Jaron. 

I love how clever the women in this series are, both Amarinda and Imogen are extremely clever. I've got to say, I'm honestly torn between Imogen and Amarinda. I have no idea where Nielsen plans to take things when it comes to this complicated little love triangle. I am so excited for the next book!! Bring on the next broken item themed book! Bring on Jaron, and his smart ass comments, and witty humor!!

(My review for The Shadow Throne)

 

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

4 stars

The False Prince was an interesting book. Sage, our main character, was easy to fall into stride with due to his snarky humor and clever ways. 

Sage is whisked away with a four other boys in order to train to become the "lost" King. The royal family is dead and unless the presumed dead Prince Jaron steps up to the throne a relative will take the crown.

A nobleman looking to install a puppet prince, trains these boys. The catch is only one will be Prince Jaron, and the others will not survive. 

Though Sage does have some bad temperament, I found him easier to like more than his competitors within the story. I laughed aloud a few times while reading this book which I appreciated. 

I was honestly torn between 3 to 4 stars since the book didn't exactly blow me off my feet, especially since I found myself torn at times. It was hard to decide on whether or not I liked a character, because as readers were introduced to the different characters we were shown both their good and bad sides, making our impression of them debatable.

In strong favor of the book, I was kept intrigued with the many mysteries that arose but were later explained, and while the book was predictable, it still had some slight surprises to it's credit, near the end. 

When you finally discover more about Sage, you truly come to appreciate his character even more than you had before. Get ready for an intense sequel.

Get ready for The Runaway King.

 

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Steifvater

Loving this cover! 

5 brilliant stars~

(sequel to The Raven Boys)

FINALLY. 

It is here! I finished it and damn it! Why must you cliffhang us, Stiefvater?!

I'll admit to it being awesome though...Dream Thieves was so amazing that I was dreading the end. It was simply just one of those books, the ones you fly through so quickly. They say that sometimes that sequel can be the slump book but this one was everything a sequel should be in my opinion!

After the puzzling cliffhanger in the first book where Ronan reveals his unique nature of being able to pluck items from his dreams, we pick up immediately and get a deeper view into the progressing tale of Blue and her Raven Boys.

Ronan was definitely one of the boys that we got to take a dive into. All those questions about his complicated and mysterious past are given answers, and we get to explore and discover all he does, on the abilities of what I like to call dream manifestation. It's called something else, but I'd hate to spoil it for you guys!

 We also get some pov of  Adam, after his life changing and sacrificial decision in Cabeswater. It's interesting since he is changing, but at the same time Adam has some inner demons and struggles with the past to deal with.

I had some serious feels with this book as well, since there was a lot of the same old, but at the same time things were changing for everyone. They're closer to finding their Raven King, while all the while trying to discover themselves and what they want, where they belong. Not to mention, what the future holds for them. 

We also get to meet a new character who I was honestly, was unable to to classify into one category until the end. The Gray Man is definitely an interesting add-on. Although some might seem him as kind of unnecessary? Possibly.

I seriously enjoy Steifvater's style of writing, how she develops her characters, and how she describes surroundings, situations, and feelings. It was a wonderful, exciting, and amazing book! And I'm dying for the third one, Blue Lily, Lily Blue!

Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand

This review will include the entire series.

5 stars

 A truly unique angel series.

 I usually avoid the cliched themes if I can help it, I'm sure you've all noticed when there's a theme in the book business. Vampires, werewolves, mermaids, you get the gist.

I was drawn in however, when I saw promising reviews on this angel series! Yes, it has a love triangle, and yes it's about a young teenage girl trying to fit in.

But it exceeded the usual crap by starting out immediately with Clara, our main character,  
receiving a vision.
From the reaction her mother takes of immediately picking her family up and moving to another state in accordance with this vision, we know these things are pretty damn important. There is also different types of angels. You have your quarter bloods, half bloods, and triple bloods which are more rare, and of course your full blood angels whose appearances come and go on Earth.

You also have your good and bad angels.
Which are defined by the color of their wings, since their wings represent their soul. So naturally, evil angels are called "dark wings." 
 Intriguing little concept that was thrown in there!
The whole story revolves around Clara moving from California to Wyoming with her mother and brother, in order to complete her vision and meet the boy in them.
We find out later that this boy is Christian, local popular boy but we also get to meet Tucker, our hometown cowboy; meet our love triangle. It was definitely one of those rare good love triangles, but for the first book the love triangle doesn't get competitive just yet.


As Clara tries to adjust to a more simple lifestyle with new people, she of course pines and pursues her vision boy, Christian. All the while, trying to be a good angel, and live a somewhat normal life. When Clara reaches a low point in her romantic pursuits, Tucker is there to pick up the pieces which leads to a budding romance that nobody can honestly dislike.
What makes the romance wonderful and difficult for readers is that for once, both boys are crush-worthy gentlemen!  
 The book is definitely has its action points, for example, a stand off with Clara and a dark wing! The ending of the book definitely hints at future romantic tension, people. Prepare yourself.

Don't you just love matching covers?
5 stars


What a follow up!
Usually sequels are outrageous disappointments, that "slow book" in the middle to lead up to the final book and it's (possible) excitement.
Cynthia Hand said NAY.
I found myself engaged in an exciting rising action book, that made me cry bitter tears into the pages. Bitter not because I was frustrated, but because this book was genuinely sad.

To start off, I can see why this book was named Hallowed since "hallowed ground" plays an important and often used appearance in this book. Clara's complicated life has taken a definite turn for more drama, as it has now peaked with a moody brother, new angel related worries, and Christian determined to put himself into Clara's life and Tucker trying to make sure he stays out of it.

We find out more about Clara's secretive mother,  and are introduced to a  
ton of new angel bloods!
We also get to FINALLY meet Clara's mysterious father and what we find out is wow, mind blowing.
 Samjeeza, the dark wing who was causing a lot of trouble for Clara and family, keeps pestering and causing problems more than ever in this book, but this time we find out a little more about his history and how it ties into Clara's future and how he was was an important part of her mother's past.

5 stars

I've got to applaud Cynthia Hand for writing a smooth flowing story that never slows, is well paced, developed, and keeps readers engaged.
 Each book is fascinating, 
I was never bored. I especially appreciate how she developed her characters in this series so you can feel how they've matured since Unearthly and Hallowed. The way she ties angels and religions together appeases readers, and the importance of family is beautifully displayed, a concept lost on a lot of books from the YA genre in this day and age. This really is a must read series.

A flaw in the book though was that I felt honestly torn when it came to Clara choosing between Tucker and Christian. I found Tucker to be a great romantic interest, in the first book especially since I felt Christian had a lot of maturing to do. By the second book, I found myself torn. By the third book I truly felt that it should be Christian. He makes a lot of sacrifices for Clara in the third book, and they have an amazing connection as fellow angels, two of only nine triple blood angels on Earth! 
There was even a great opening in the book where Clara could have truly chosen between the two but instead it took us for a twist, and I found myself disappointed feeling that the book had copped out when it came to choosing the permanent love interest. 

Despite my disappointment, this book was the best out of the entire series! It really had meaning and feeling!

The Curse Worker Series by Holly Black

This review will include the entire series.

5 stars

This cover alone made me interested, it screamed sexy bad boy and his angst filled story. Usually not something that interests me but this time I wanted it.

This series truly intrigued me, a unique take on the fantasy side of the literature, Holly Black charms readers with the idea of "curse workers." People born with powers that are activated by touch, something once prized in others, now considered a threat, a fear for everyone. People are forced to wear gloves in public 24/7, and using your abilities is now considered a crime. Which makes Cassel and his family criminals; usually working as mob bosses or con artists. 

The catch is Cassel is the only one in his family who isn't gifted, which makes him somewhat of an outsider. 

He does have a deep dark secret; that he killed his best friend and love, Lila.

Things start to get interesting when Cassel realizes his family is keeping a secret from him, he has to go deeper in order to find out more.

The idea of "curse workers" was really creative. You have your luck workers, memory workers, emotion workers, death workers, and the rarest of all, transformation workers. Cassel's family is so messed up, that at times I wondered why he hadn't run away. But as jumbled as they are, you can't help but read avidly as the story unfolds.

4 stars

Of all the painful yet enchanting sequels! Gah.

Imagine loving someone for oh say, forever. And you have the chance to have that love reciprocated! Except you don't know if it's even true.

Welcome to Cassel's world.

We've have a heap ton of tid bits revealed to us from the first book for example, Cassel never killed Lila, she is in fact alive! Cassel is actually a transformation worker, and his brothers have known for awhile! In fact, they have been using him for his powers and erasing his memory. Just when everything seems to be working out in Cassel's favor his mom decides to do a thoughtful deed, and emotion work Lila to love him. 

Ouch.

So here we are, struggling with Lila's new re-entrance into Cassel's life and his new grasp on his powers plus his budding romance with Lila which he feels entirely unsure about. Plus Cassel gets entangled with the mob and the feds, plus the other events of his life make the book seem like a constant whirlwind.

I have to give Holly Black serious kudos for her con work in the books so far. This book has an even better con than the first, and they're always so clever and creative! I was so frustrated with the ending and Cassel's decision when it came to Lila and their messed up relationship.

The feels.

5 stars

The third book cover that never was.

  It was supposed to match the first two, and then suddenly, they decided to revamp the covers to attract more readers. I had to buy a book with a cover I didn't want. I wanted to yell at them saying, "Don't I get any say in this?!" Anyway, onto the review.

Black Heart is a damn good ending to a Noire themed trilogy with magic, crime, and good old fashioned style. 

While there wasn't as much crime work in this final book, the con itself was epicly amazing. Probably the best yet. One of the disappointments I had was the diamond. Supposedly, it belonged to Lila's father, and was swiped off of him by Cassel's mother which led to some drama in the book since he is holding her prisoner in a hotel until he gets it back.

There was even more tension for Cassel as he is torn between his usual life of crime and his love for Lila, and his chance to turn a new leaf and help the feds. Yet he feels torn between the two, as though the feds might be using him for their dirty work as well...

Despite all the frustrations, we get a deeply satisfying ending.  

Cassel achieves "the big score." The one con every crook wants to make, because criminals are never satisfied. You'll have to see for yourself!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stievater

5 stars

This book! How can I convince everyone to read it? It feels like it's been awhile for me to truly say that I loved this book.

Supernatural? Excellent. Forbidden romance that is not overly dramatic? Yes! Mystery, death, psychics, and a hunt for something more? Lots of it. Needless to say I was hooked badly and was super excited. The 408 pages felt like nothing.


Stiefvater is an excellent writer and descriptor. Her characters were unique, and interesting and her story was fantastic. Blue is an eccentric character that is unique and loving. Her odd-ness comes naturally considering she comes from a psychic mother and lives in a house overloaded with them. The Raven Boys, Ronan, Gansey, Adam, and Noah are adorably complicated each in their own way, but apart they just aren't the same as they are together. It's hard to imagine each boy separately, since they are so complete together. Her words help me see each character as I should, for example:

  Ronan and and Declan Lynch were undeniably brothers, with the same dark brown hair and sharp nose, but Declan was solid where Ronan was brittle. Declan's wide jaw and smile said, Vote for me while Ronan's buzzed head and thin mouth warned that this species was poisonous.

OR

Noah, unlike his pristine room, always seemed a little grubby. There was something out of place about his clothing, his mostly combed-back fair hair. His unkempt uniform always made Adam feel a little less like he stuck out.

Wow.

 With that I felt like I was there, seeing the two brothers, studying them and understanding the danger of each one. But not only was she good at describing the characters, but her story was secretive and unique. I was truly thrown in for a lot of loops even though some part of me saw them coming. Everything in this book was dangerous, thrilling, and beautiful. To help intrigue you more, the book revolves around an ancient tale of Kings and Welsh heroes disappearing in thin air and a promise that if woken any request would be granted. Sounds like a genie, but darker with ghosts, and mystery.

I am so excited for the sequel! Dream Thieves review is here!