Monday 31 August 2015

Review: The Pledge (College Bound #1) by Laura Ward & Christine Manzari

25738643Title: The Pledge
Authors: Laura Ward and Christine Manzari
Series: College Bound
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult
Publication date: July 27th 2015
Pages: 370
Source: received from author (Thank you!)







Taren needs a do-over. She's decided the best way to put the high school bullies behind her is to pledge a Taylor-Swift-lip-syncing, beer-guzzling, sorority. Sisterhood helps Taren find her acceptance she's always craved, but the love she needs.

Alec wants freedom. To escape his father's iron fist and unrealistic expectations, he pledges a campus acrobatics club where he finds that drugs and alcohol aren't the only ways to get high. His addiction to danger helps him gain his independence, but it comes at a heavy price.

When the two cross paths, Alec fears his undeniable attraction to the party girl just might threaten everything he's worked so hard to earn. Taren hasn't forgotten that Alec humiliated her back in high school, but she also can't deny the chemistry they share.

Alec and Taren have nothing in common, but fate is bound and determined to bring them together. They know falling in love is a risk, and yet it's too hard to ignore. When their worlds clash and they both end up suffering, will they fight to stay together? Or are some pledges too hard to keep?


I had never heard of Laura Ward before I read this book but when Christine Manzare approached me with the question if I wanted to read this book I had to say yes. A couple of months ago I have read her book Hooked and I loved it. So I had to see what The Pledge was about. And I am happy that I said yes to this request because the book was wonderful.

Taren was known as the geek in high school. Now that she is off to college she cannot wait create a whole new image for herself. She is determined to fit in for once. Still she is surprised by how well she fits in and how easy it is to make new friends. So the last thing she wants is a reminder of her old life. And certainly if that reminder comes in the form of Alec Hart.  Like Taren Alec is determined to leave his old life behind. He was not the nicest guy to be around in high school and he made some poor decisions but he changed for the better. All he wants now is to get out of his father’s iron grip on his life and start living the life he wants. They blame each other for their disastrous senior year of high school so they want to avoid each other at all costs but fate seems to have other plans in store. They keep bumping into each other and they can only ignore the attraction between them for so long.

The story is built on a really good idea. It is a mix of second chances, friendship and love. The book is told between altering first person point of views of Alec and Taren. I really like it when authors do this since I always love to know what both sides are thinking and feeling. It was especially helpfully in this book since there were a lot of misunderstandings between these two. That was one of the few things I disliked a little about this book. There was so much miscommunication between Taren and Alec that I could hardly wrap my head around it. They often made assumptions about certain situations before asking one another anything about it. Seriously communication is not that hard and it is a vital part of any type of relationship.

Taren and Alec where both easy to like. They were easy going and really nice people. There were some things that I did not like about them. Taren is too naïve at times and she makes some very poor decisions but in the end she gets all her priorities straight. Alec was a bit too protective at times and he could be a bit judgmental. But I really admired him. He made a life for himself and he worked his butt off in order to achieve it all.

Overall I really liked this book. The writing fluent and the book was easy to read. If you are looking for a new adult contemporary novel than this is worth reading. I cannot wait for the second book in the series to come out. 


El

Saturday 29 August 2015

Review: Dismissed by Kirsty McManus

25440825Title: Dismissed
Author: Kirsty McManus
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult
Publication date: April 28th 215
Pages: 166 (kindle)
Source: received from author through Xpresso Reads







The second Lizzie White lays eyes on her new English teacher Brandon Thomas, she is hooked. Brandon is young, cool and sexy - and nothing like the other teachers at her school. But of course he is forbidden from fraternising with the students or forming any sort of outside hours relationship. And combined with the fact that Lizzie's best friend Taylor decides it's all too hard and focuses on a budding relationship with fellow student and class clown Gabe instead. But then Jason shows up. Jason is Brandon's trouble-making twin brother who seems to have no qualms about flirting with students or leaving a trail of broken hearts wherever he goes. Before she knows it, Lizzie is dragged into a confusing world of blurred lines and lustful thoughts, where loyalties are tested and true feelings are explored.




I have some very mixed feelings about this book; therefore I also had a hard time rating and reviewing it. I believe that the only reason why I finished reading the book with ease was because it was short. And there was something addictive about the book; I just kept reading even when I did not feel like it.

The plot was underdeveloped; this book could have been really good. It had all the right elements to be a good book filled with drama: forbidden romance, friendship and betrayal. But unfortunately the author did not use these elements to their full potential. The saving of this book were probably the characters. I did not like them but they were worked out okay. At times I was a bit annoyed by them; they were so young in so many ways. And I know that might be how teenagers act nowadays but still I could not help but be aggravated by it. Also I mainly read YA books and it normally does not bother me like this. A lot of the characters were so superficial; especially Lizzie’s friend Taylor. All she cared about was appearance. To be honest she was a horrible character. Lizzie was okay in most ways, I guess she represents well how a lot of teenagers are. She felt insecure and wanted to be loved by her friends. And she grew throughout the book; she became stronger and realized that she did not need those people that said were here friends but did not act like it.

When I read the blurb I thought that there would be an epic forbidden romance between Lizzie and her teacher, Brandon. But I was disappointed by it. I could not see why they liked each other in the first place. They might have had maybe four “normal” conversations in the whole book. I could not feel the attraction and the chemistry between them. So the romance part felt really unrealistic to me and well that is a bit of a bummer since it is supposed to be a romance novel.


Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this book. I expected more of it; more action, more romance, just more of everything. But nothing like this happened in it. Luckily the writing was smooth and the dialogues flowed easily. This made it possible to finish the book fast. If you are looking for a book with forbidden romance in it than I can only say that there are better options out there. But if you are looking for a quick read than you can give this one a shot. 

El

Thursday 27 August 2015

Review: The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray

17899351Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
Series: The Diviners
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: December 3rd 2013
Pages: 578 (paperback)
Source: own it





Do you believe there are ghosts and demons and Diviners among us?
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City - and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It's 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfield girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.
Evie worries he'll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.
As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfurl in the city that never sleeps. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened...




This has been the first book in years that I have read by Libba Bray. I loved her Gemma Doyle series, so I don’t know why it took me so long to read another book by her. I am glad that The Diviners was the one I picked up in the end. I loved this book so much! Seriously Libba Bray is a brilliant author.

This book is like any other thing I have read before, and I mean that in the best way possible. There are so many different elements brought together in this story. The way they the author wove all these elements together was just magnificent. They all complemented each other so well and it looked like it was all done with ease while I am sure that it must have been a difficult task. It was interesting to see how all the different storylines and characters were brought together bit by bit.

There were a lot of different characters in this book and they were all important to the story line. But I think that it is safe to say that Evie O’Neill was the most important one in this book. I loved Evie so much. She developed so much during this book. At first she was just a naïve, spoiled girl but once she faces the real world she realizes that not everything is about her. She matures a lot and tries to help the ones around her. Sure she still has her moments where she is incredibly selfish but that only makes her more human. I love how she interacted with all the other characters. Her growing relationship with her uncle, her bantering with Sam and the girly drama with Mabel. Seriously I do not think that there is a character in this book that I did not love. There were all amazing in their own unique way.

One of the last aspects that I loved so much about this book is that it was set in America in the 1920s. I have always been a bit fascinated by this time period, the dresses, the parties… It all just seems so wonderful to me. But I did not know that much about that time. And after reading this book I know a little bit more about it. I always love it when I actually learn something knew by reading a book. Libba Bray must have put a lot of research in this book to get all the details right, and believe me there were quite a few of them, and I really appreciate that. She could have written this book with a lot less details of that time period, but the richness of the details makes this book so much more special to me.

And now I have not even talked about the plotline itself, the murders. Libba Bray did an amazing job with this. So many different things were going on in this book but she never lost the end goal out of sight, solving the murders and finding the murdering. I have to say they were times that I was scared and freaked out. That has never happened to me before while reading a book. But I just could feel all the suspense and I watched several times over my shoulder while reading this book because I had the feeling that the murderer was standing right behind me! I still get the chills when I think about it…


I think that it is safe to say that I loved this book! I cannot think of a thing that I did not like about this book. The Diviners just blew me away. While it might have been a lengthy novel I still finished it still did not take me too long to read it because it was so good! Seriously I could not put it down; I just had to keep reading. If you have not read this book yet than I urge you to read it as soon as possible. Personally I cannot wait to read the sequel! 



El

Wednesday 26 August 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #104: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Lady Midnight
by Cassandra Clare

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Los Angeles. It's been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents.After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge. 

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention - they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn't the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackhorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they'll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it's open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she's absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angels, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

Goodreads

Why I Can't Wait

I really like Cassandra Clare's her writing and I can't get enough of the Shadowhunter world. So I can't wait to start this new series. 

Publication date: March 8th 2016

El

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Top Ten Tuesday #62: Top Ten Books That Would Be On Your Syllabus If You Taught YA Fantasy 101


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks topic is 
Top Ten Books That Would Be On Your Syllabus If You Taught YA Fantasy 101


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The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray
Seraphina (Seraphina #1) by Rachel Hartman
Blades of Magic (Crown Service #1) by Terah Edun
Embers (The Wings of War #1) by Karen Ann Hopkins
Cutlass (Cutlass #1) by Ashley Nixon
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare
A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1) by Libba Bray
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien



Friday 21 August 2015

Review: Insight Kindling (The Call to Search Everywhen #2) by Chess Desalls

23510730Title: Insight Kindling
Author: Chess Desalls
Series: The Call to Search Everywhen
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: Czidor Lore, LLC
Publication date: January 13th 2015
Pages: 218 (kindle)
Source: received from author






Call faces charges against her for changing the past. Her use of the Travel Glasses resulted in the creation of two writings that affected the lives of Edgar, the inventor of the Travel Glasses, and Valcas, their prior owner. Now Calla must explain her actions before the Time and Space Travel Agency.

The hearing does not end well. The travel commissioner finds Calla guilty as charged and forces her to choose between two harsh penalties. Despite the risk of becoming lost herself, Calla accepts a dangerous travel mission that may help her find her father. She teams up with a group of talented travelers. While working with them, she soon discovers that she has a special travel talent of her own.

Pursued by he sentient being of white light that's been tracking her father's bloodline, Calla fears her newfound talents may not be enough to protect her and her teammates before they complete their mission.

Insight Kindling is the second installment in The Call to Search Everywhen serial series. 


Insight Kindling starts off right where Travel Glasses left off. I always love it when authors do that, otherwise I just keep wondering what has happened in the time between. And it was also perfect for this series because so much was going on at the end of the first book.

The story of this series is original; I do not think I have ever read anything like this before. A lot of things that were a bit unclear in the first book become so much clearer now. The first book focused a lot on world building and Calla coming to terms with her new life. Now that she accepted all that was going on she could grow so much more as a character. I really liked the direction she was going into. She showed that she would take responsibility for her actions and that she would do what had to be done. But then by the end she made some poor decisions again. But what annoyed me the most was the mood swings she had towards Valcas. It seems to be a recurring aspect in many YA novels and I honestly do not know why. Insight Kindling was more focused on the romance between the characters than the previous books and I believe that the book would have been fine without it. There is so much going on that I feel like the romance aspect was not really necessary.

Valcas really grew on me during this book. I was not a big fan of him during the first novel but he finally showed his good side and I really appreciated that. And I enjoyed getting an insight in his POV. All the new characters that were introduced in this book were very likeable. And I am looking forward to see them again in the next book.


Overall I really enjoyed reading this book; I really enjoy all the action that is mixed with the time travel aspect. This series is unique and original in its own way. If you are looking for a series about time travel then I would definitely recommend this series to you. Personally I am looking forward to the next book in this series. 


El

Thursday 20 August 2015

Review: The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

18635016Title: The One
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: May 6th 2014
Pages: 323 (hardcover)
Source: Netgalley







The time has come for one winner to be crowned. 

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown - or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose - and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.


The previous book in this series, The Elite, was not what I was expecting from it. So my expectations for The One were definitely lower than they were for The Elite. I still did not like this book as much as I liked The Selection, but overall I am satisfied with it. The book was a good ending to the story.

We finally got to know a lot more about the rebels.  Their part in the book was definitely interesting but I still feel like their story is underdeveloped. Kiera Cass could have done so much more with it. But there was still a lot of suspense in the book to keep me on the edge of my seat most of the time.  And the rebel parts made sure that there was some action in the book to keep me interested. 

The four girls really grew on me in this book, we finally got to know their motives and reasons for wanting Maxon. And I really appreciated them for that. I even started liking Celeste and she is the kind of character I normally do not like since she is just a spoiled, rich girl. It was nice to see them bond in this book. They were all so different from each other but they still had some things in common. Especially America grew on me during this book. I liked her in the first book but then she made some poor decisions in the second one and I was a bit troubled by her. But she redeemed herself in this one. She made up her mind and went for the things in life she wanted the most. She proved to me that she was a young women who is independent, can make up her own mind and will follow the consequences of her decisions.  In this book I had more of a problem with Maxon. When we first met him he was this sweet, innocent guy but now he was just a major flirt. He wandered from girl to girl, not thinking about their feelings, and then he just claimed that he had to do it because of the selection. And all the while he knew that there was only one girl he actually wanted to be with.


Overall I liked this book. The ending was satisfying even though it could have been worked out a little bit better. Some parts felt a bit rushed, especially the parts with the rebels, where other parts felt dragging. Still I enjoyed this series and I hope to read more books by this author in the future. 


El

Friday 14 August 2015

Book Blitz: Star Crossed: Worlds Apart by Jolene Poole

20078090Title: Star Crossed: Worlds Apart
Author: Jolene Poole
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: Tenth Street Press
Publication date: December 19th 2013
Pages: 202 (ebook)
Buy links: Amazon | B&N






Gwyn Farrow's disturbing claims of an alien abduction made her parents commit her to a mental institution. When she was released, she knew that she could only rely on herself. But she doesn't return to her normal life. She begins to spend time with a friendly alien named Kael, and although terrified of his species, she finds it in her heart to care for him.
When his world declares war on hers, she is torn between defending her planet and the alien she has come to love.


Excerpt 

She could hear them creeping down the hall. They were making their way to her room. She would have screamed, but she was too afraid to move. Who were they coming for tonight? Her? Her siblings? Her parents? What did they want?

     As her door opened and she started to scream, figures that seemed nothing more than blurs were grabbing at her, dragging her from her bedroom.
    They were moving too fast for her to fully comprehend what they were. . .
    Suddenly, there were flashing lights. Bright white lights shining on her. She had been stripped of most of her clothing and was strapped to a cold stainless steel table.

    She could hear the whizzing and buzzing of things around her, though she couldn't see anything yet. Then there were people around her. Some of them looked human and others had a bluish-silver tint to their skin. Before she had the chance to concentrate on their faces, they were cutting into her.


About the author

Jolene Poole
 Jolene was born and raised (with the exception of a few years in Canada) in Michigan. She’s had a notebook in her hand since she was old enough to write. Becoming a published author has always been a dream of hers. Casting Stones was the first of three books to be published (under her pen name – Laurencia Hoffman). Her second publication is called Star Crossed: Worlds Apart, and her third publication is called Bittersweet (also published under Laurencia Hoffman). Writing takes up most of her time and will always be a part of her life, but she also has her own line of natural products, and she works with her mother in their floral preservation business.
Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads 

El

Thursday 13 August 2015

Review: The Lovers (Virtual Arcana #6) by Karen Amanda Hooper

23361182Title: The Lovers
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Series: Virtual Arcana
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publication date: April 25th 2015
Pages: 54 (ebook)
Source: received from author
Goodreads




This book was a perfect ending to the first season of this new book series by Karen Amanda Hooper. The entire time I was so confused by everything that was going on and I was afraid that I would be left with so many questions by the end of this season. But everything was made clear by the end of it and I loved it! I would never have guessed what was going on by myself and now that I know everything makes so much more sense to me. Honestly I do not know why I did not figure it out sooner, there were a lot of things that I could have picked up from the previous books…

I loved that we got to know so much more about Kelsey’s character in this book. This book shed a whole new light on her and I have got to say I only love her more now. This book just shed a completely new light on most of the characters. My mind is just blown away with this book. I cannot describe it in any other way.

But what surprised me the most was that there is a connection to the Kindrily series by Karen Amanda Hooper. I could never have seen that coming and I want to see how both of them are connected. The Kindrily series is one of my favorite series so I am so excited to see what is going to happen!


The books in this series are so cleverly written, they will make your head spin with all kinds of theories. And you will keep thinking about it because you want to know what exactly is going on. I would highly recommend this series to everyone. I cannot wait until the second season comes out. 



El

Thursday 6 August 2015

New Book Releases in August


This month is a month in which some amazing books are released. I'm so excited for some of them and I can't wait to read them! 

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Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3) Jeniffer L. Armentrout (August 1st)
Most Likely to Succeed (Superlatives #3) by Jennifer Echols (August 4th)
Torn Sky (Rebel Wing #3) by Tracy Banghart (August 4th)
The Heartbreakers (The Hearbreaker Chronicles #1) by Ali Novak (August 4th)

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The Moment of Letting Go by J.A. Redmerski (August 11th)
Something Beautiful (Beautiful #3) by Jamie McGuire (August 16th)
The Boy Most Likely To (My Life Next Door #2) by Huntley Fitzpatrick (August 18th)
Deceptions (Cainsville #3) by Kelley Armstrong (August 20th)

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Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray (August 25th)
The Taming of the Queen (The Tudor Court #4) by Philippa Gregory (August 25th)
Insidious (The Twixt #3) by Dawn Metcalf (August 25th)
Darkest Misery (Miss Misery #4) by Tracey Martin (August 25th)

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Another Day (Every Day #2) by David Levithan (August 25th)

El

Wednesday 5 August 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #103: Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Lair of Dreams 
by Libba Bray

16060716

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O'Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. Now that the world knows of her ability to "read" objects, and therefore, read the past, she has become a media darling, earning the title, "America's Sweetheart Seer". But not everyone is so accepting of the Diviners' abilities...

Meanwhile, mysterious deaths have been turning up in the city, victims of an unknown sleeping sickness. Can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld and catch a killer?

Goodreads

Why I Can't Wait

I am currently reading the Diviners and I am really loving that book. So I am already excited to read the sequel. 

Publication date: August 25th 2015

El

Tuesday 4 August 2015

Top Ten Tuesday #70: Top Ten Favorite Fairytale Retellings (On My TBR)


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks topic is 
Top Ten Favorite Fairytale Retellings (On My TBR)


Favorite Fairytale Retellings 

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Sleeping Beauty and the Beast by Melissa Lemon
The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer


Favorite Fairytale Retellings On My TBR

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Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1) Gena Showalter
Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe #1) by Rosamund Hodge
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh
Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer
Beastly (Beastly #1) by Alex Flinn
The Looking Glass Wars (The Looking Glass Wars #1) by Frank Beddor

El