Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

My current favorite book of this series!!

(fourth installment after Heir of Fire)

Time to get down ladies and gents. Things don't take too long to progress in this book because everyone is currently at war. Celaena seeks to help her Kingdom by taking down it's evil King but now a new threat stands in her way; her once ally and now possessed enemy, Prince Dorian. Torn between the mercy of saving and the mercy of killing, she must face truths and find ways to think ahead of her enemies! So much drama to be had! Past enemies become friends, past romances become reluctant allies, current romances become steamier. (Helloooo bathroom scene!) More intense battle scenes and dangerous foe!

Things really take a big step in this book, a lot of the old history in the series is also brought forth to be dealt with so make sure you know about the back stories! Plenty of drama and action to keep readers strung along, I dare not reveal a single morsel in fear I shall spoil the delight of this book for you. What I liked least about this book was again, the POV of the witches, though I found it more tolerable than before since a new character is introduced and we get some more back stories. Eventually these two worlds collide, definitely making it more interesting so I'm intrigued to what will happen next!

 5 stars

 

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

  Wow, Wow, WOW!!! Sooo much better! 
                           (third installment after Crown of Midnight)




I was agonizing over the first two books. It would be so good one second then so angsty, dramatic, and cheesy. This one started out with a little angst with Celaena being in a new country with no allies, but it progressively got better.

Celaena takes on the name she was born with, Aelin, and with this change she morphs into womanhood, becoming more comfortable with herself, her powers, heritage, and her role as Queen. She aims for change, and keeps a promise made to her dead friend in her heart. But it was moving to see her make personal progress with the troubles of her life and past. Not to mention, we get to meet Rowan.

Aelin's strict, battle harden, elven teacher. Yum. Team Rowan, please!
Besides the delicious side dish we are introduced to, we get to follow a new character line of blood thirsty witches. I found their story to be a tad distracting when I was more enamored with Aelin's, but I suppose it will lead to something important...eventually.

It does give hints as to what Dorian's father is up to, (nothing good, obviously). There is also some personal progression with Dorian and Chaol. We're left with a giant, frustrating cliffhanger, alas but I was quite thrilled with where Maas is taking her tale!

Lauren - 5 stars

My review for Queen of Shadows! 

A Pocket Full of Murder by R.J. Anderson

            An adorable story, really.

 

 Some might say it's predictable, and while it is, readers must keep in mind the audience this book was intended for.

Isaveth is a poor girl who dabbles in Common Magic. She is sweet, full of gusto, loyal, and clever. Together with her new found friend, Quiz, they're the Detective Duo of the streets! They try to solve the mystery of a murder, one her father was wrongly accused of. We get a feel of this little magical world as the two explore and experience their surroundings and the people in it. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Anderson wrote a well paced and fun book, and I felt in some ways this book was realistic: not all stories get a fully resolved ending. Some reviewers said they felt the religious aspect of Isaveth's life wasn't really working for them, but honestly I did not mind it all that much. I felt it gave the book the extra twist of despair that it needed to make things harder for our main characters.

If I had to choose a favorite for me, it's definitely Quiz with his pure, innocent love, his strong desire for justice, and his bravery. I can't wait for more! 

Expect the sequel sometime of October of 2016!

 Lauren - 3 stars

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

5 stars

(sequel to The Darkest Minds)

Such an amazing sequel, I want to kick myself for putting it off for so long!

We pick up where we left off in the previous book but some time has passed. Ruby is now an official member of the Children's League, and has become much more comfortable with her powers compared to how out of control she was before.

She works for the League doing a variety of tasks, mostly unpleasant. Whether its missions to help attain goods for the League, or questioning prisoners aggressively, Ruby does what she needs to do though Liam and friends are a constant on her mind.

We get to meet a few new people, mostly people from Ruby's team. We have the sweet and loveable Jude though he can be annoying, to the rather bitchy but stunning beauty, Vida. We also get to meet Liam's older brother but with his arrival comes bad news: Liam is unknowingly carrying information that is important to his brother, and possibly vital to the League, which puts Ruby in a situation since she sacrificed everything to protect him. 

Things become especially complicated when Ruby finds that there are untrustworthy members of the League that have no problem killing children or any one who gets in their way of their higher goals. The story once again takes on an on the run theme, as Ruby seeks the information Liam carries in order to protect him while keeping out of the reach of the dangerous clutches of the rogue League members. 

Readers unite with old friends, meet new enemies, and encounter old ones as well. The ending of the book leaves off in a triumphant and dangerous cliffhanger that was absolutely brilliant. The third book, In the Afterlight, should be released this year!

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.

Heaven's Queen by Rachel Bach

5 stars

(trilogy for Honor's Knight)

What an ending.

It was honestly a whammy of a finisher, and with this final book the Paradox trilogy has earned it's way to keeper on my bookshelf.

The action and spunk continues as Devi seeks justice for the daughters, a cure for herself, and aims to solve the dilemma and mystery of the phantoms.  She is on the run from nearly everyone, but this time she is not so alone. This book was more pleasing in the romantic aspect, and even has an eye-watering moment. 

The action follows up not too far after and we even get a bit of a drama bomb near the beginning of the book. 

The most intense battle and flee scene in my opinion was near the end involving nearly all important and hard-core characters! I dare not reveal a single moment so I don't ruin it but the fight even involves the phantoms, and Maat so look forward to that!

Rachel Bach has written an awesome trilogy full of passion, action, and girl power. (Hell yeah!) So what's not to love?

Honor's Knight by Rachel Bach

5 stars

(sequel to Fortune's Pawn)

Applause for Rachel Bach for such an action packed series! The sequel was made to not disappoint as we continue where we left off but with more questions and more drama!

Now that Devi is missing her memories, she finds herself frequently confused. If not by why her memory is suddenly blank, then her unexplained disgust for Rupert the cook, what happened for her to have such a huge gap in her mind and why she is seeing little glowing creatures.

Besides our heroine's internal struggle, there is the constant threat of the Fool's trouble attracting reputation that keeps her on her toes and in constant motion and along the way Devi begins to discover new information about the enemy. The more she learns the more the Fool and it's crew grow in suspicion and appear to be more than they seem...

I feel readers only scratched the surface with Fortune's Pawn, we gain more information about the mysterious phantoms, what is up with the Captain's quiet and unusual daughter, and just what is going on underneath the surface of the Fool? Be ready because you will be blown away. I can only fall on my knees in silent thanks that Rachel Bach is a kind author who released the third book a month later.

(Review for Heaven's Queen)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

4.5 stars

I was a serious sucker for this cover. Dramatic wings? Yes, please!

A book that actually surprised me!

As mentioned on the cover, This book is a nearly perfect mix between Hunger Games and Ender's Game. Except people are classified as colors. 

Be warned, it takes a little bit for the story to pick up, so hang in there, because you won't regret it!

Darrow is a hero that you can't help but admire as he climbs the ranks in this tragic tale. His back story is one of hardship right from the beginning as he is a poor, hungry miner among his fellow people who are also suffering from the short end of the stick. Believing that some day their sacrifice will help make Mars habitable for future colonies you can imagine his anger when he discovers it is all for naught as they are considered merely slaves for the "upper classes," and that Mars has been lived on for quite a long time.

Darrow seeks revenge with the help of a rebel group, by taking on the disguise of a Gold, the highest rank of color in society, in order to earn the power he needs to complete his goals. 

I honestly expected something boring when I learned that Darrow was to enter a Gold's school. Classrooms, government, history, all that boring political stuff, right?  Imagine my surprise when he is forced to kill a fellow student with his bare hands in order to move on into a bloodier arena; a battlefield of strategic warfare.

The story itself was constantly exciting and yet horrifying, as we uncover secrets, experimentation, and how far humanity will go before they're simply monsters instead of men. There is an element of rape in here, so be warned. Nothing to horribly graphic, but it's there. 

I'm dying for next step of Darrow's story, because I'm honestly not sure what will happen next! 

Tune in, readers!

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.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

5 stars

A truly heartwarming and heart wrenching story.

It is about love between a soldier of humble origins and a girl who is known from her connections to her father who is rich and successful.

They come from two completely different worlds but they learn to try and work together when their space ship crashes and they get stranded on a strange planet.

The point of view switches between Lilac and Tarver as they journey through the planet's grasses, mountains, and forests seeking fellow survivors, food, and salvation. Their relationship is not instantaneous but at least the interest was there. At first Lilac and Tarver struggle to get along. 
Lilac comes off as slightly snooty at first, but when we really get to know her, she is an admirable heroine and a clever woman. Tarver is likeable right from the start since he is a man of good character and strength. You cannot help but respect his humble living and love his good heart. 

What really makes this story interesting besides the survivor aspect is that things get interesting when Lilac starts seeing hallucinations, and Tarver gets a suspicious feeling that something is strange about this planet. His clues being that there does not seem to be any inhabitants, but there is signs that someone had attempted to make the planet habitable. 

As the story leads up to their remarkable discover I was turning the pages eager for whatever was next. It's an intense read, and the ending is sweet and happy. I recommend to sci fi and romance fans! 

Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach

5 stars

I loved it to the point of raving, and I hated it to the point of throwing it across the room. 

Which just means it was that good.

You've got Devi Morris, spunky, kickass mercenary, who is talented and impressive and will do anything to avoid the future prospect of being stuck in a desk job. Put her on a ship that is known for attracting deadly trouble and you've got yourself an action packed 330 pages.

I honestly did not know what to expect when I started this one but it was really interesting! On this journey, you'll discover unusual creatures, zombie aliens, deadly secrets, and unique and powerful human beings.
  
Devi alone is a clever and dryly humorous heroine who owns some seriously tricked out, high quality armor that she loves so tenderly, that we too develop feelings for the hunk of metal. Have I mentioned how attached she is to her weapons?

Life on the ship is made interesting even during the tamer parts of the story, due to the motley crew the captain has rigged up. Who would have thought the navigator would be a bird, or the doctor a race of alien that usually eats humans? 
Each character is well described and unique in their own way. You tend to grow attached to them all, really. There is plenty of action for the thrill seekers and even some romance which was tastefully written and not a plot sucker.

Alas, it was the romance that left me throwing the book down in frustration and anger in the end, but I am still eager for our upcoming sequel. You can follow my review for that here.
 

There isn't a moment to be bored with this one, and everyone loves a little space travel with a kickass heroine!

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

 

A dazzling and striking cover!

 4 stars

Jay Kristoff, you've earned every star. 

Though you tore my heart out...quite brutally. I still give you the honor of a slow clap.


How do I describe a book that is so fantastic, there is a loss of words? I shall try my best.
We meet Yukiko, our heroine, who accompanies her father on the hunt for the legendary Ashitora, Thunder Tiger, or as we Americans call them, Griffins. It is said to be a myth or at least extinct thanks to the Blood Lotus, a red flower that is toxic and addictive. It slowly kills their land, animals, and people. Imagine everyone's surprise when they discover that they do still exist. 

Yukiko later names it Buruu, and events lead to the two of them being stranded in the wilderness together, relying on each other to survive. It was here, ladies and gentlemen, that I found the book to be at it's reading peak. For it is here, that Yukiko truly discovers herself,and the truth behind her mother's sudden departure, which really shape her as a person. It was also an important period for them since Yukiko and Buruu truly bond and become brother and sister. Which i adored by the way, it was really cute!

All in all, the book is chock-full of awesome action and suspense! Who would have guessed that there was so many people within the Kingdom who hated the Shogun's guts? I mean, his own sister is even against him!
We also meet a lot of interesting characters like Yukiko's father, The Kage, and Kin, a friend she makes on her father's boat, the Thunder Child. Each character has a complicated past, which of course, only makes everything more interesting.

Not to mention, the complicated love line. Kin loves Yukiko, Yukiko loves Hiro & his green eyes, Hiro has sex with her but is eternally loyal and obsessed with the Shogun, and the Shogun is an all out tyrant when it comes to women but is apparently in love with his sister. Ew. What is with screwed up leaders being in love with their sisters? Do I even need to bring up Gladiator? 

The sex between Yukiko and Hiro was tasteful considering it's in the YA genre. I again, felt a bit of mixed feelings, towards Hiro. He seemed so perfect considering all Yukiko did for a good third of the book was dream of him, and then readers finally get up close and personal and I felt myself thinking, "Eh." I understood Hiro was needed for some romantic conflict, maturing of Yukiko, and role of scapegoat. But I wasn't all that aggrieved when Yukiko and Buruu killed him. It almost felt like Stormdancer would have been find without a romantic interest at all this time around. I got to say I'm interested to see if things go anywhere with Kin and Yukiko especially considering she broke his heart.

What broke my heart was when we lose someone very important to our story and Yukiko. My heart...

I knew somebody important died and I was really worried it was going to be Buruu. Now that would make me cry. Especially with my favorite quote of the book being Buruu saying to Yukiko: "Feathers grow back. Sisters do not."

I am really excited for the second book! The first book leaves it open to possibilities. Readers obviously know that war will most likely happen, but it ended on such an upbeat rebellious note. I found myself not dreading the sequel, but anticipating it! Bring on the heartbreak!!

 GORGEOUS! *fangirls*

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman

4 stars

Not what I expected, but still really good! 

I'll admit it took me awhile to finally just let the darkness just become a norm for me to get into the horror themed story of Waking Dark. All in all, it's pretty intense, guys.

Welcome to Oleander. 

I do not like this town. This town to me, screams, "Run, and never look back!"  Every character is as extreme as they possibly could be in most of the time, a bad way. As in it's creepy. 

It's bad enough that this town was built upon the ruins of the previous Oleander town, where a fire started and by the next day not a single person had survived.

But that's just the history. We are thrown into a story told  by multiple perspectives, but it's smooth flowing since it's not broken up by each chapter, and names are used often. We read about five different murders scenes right from the beginning. Each horrible, gory, and unexplained. Each leaving one scarred and horrified witness in it's wake. Each killer has killed themselves along with their victim(s) except one. 

One who doesn't remember even committing the deed or why she did it.

A lot of people die in this book, even important main characters which makes this book seriously intense. The town felt so creepy, domesticated, and old fashioned to me from the start. It had almost a Stepford Wives feel to it. It only got worse from there. 

Each main character has a twisted and sympathy cuing story and lifestyle, and it's harsh because it's the truth in some aspects. 

What really attracted me to this story, was not only that while I was cringing while reading, smacking my forehead, thinking, "Could shit get any worse?" (And it always did.) I still couldn't put my kindle down, it was addicting! You want to know what's up with this messed up town, and you know there's a reason behind it. It takes almost the entire book for the source to be revealed, but while we wait, we get to experience the town's descent into madness and violence.

It's a dark and thrilling ride.