Origin Review

Origin Review (The Lux #4)
By Jennifer L. Armentrout
INCLUDES SPOILERS FROM OBSIDIAN, ONYX, AND OPAL

Summary from Goodreads
Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.


All Katy can do is survive.


Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?


Together, they can face anything. 


But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? 


And will they even be together?

My Review

So far, out of the first four Lux books that I've read, this one has been my favorite by far. So much happens in Origin and so much madness ensues. We end Opal with Katy being captured by Daedalus and the end of that book was so insane and heartbreaking on its own, and Daemon was crushed by her capture. This book picks up afters the events of breaking Beth out of Mount Whether. Daemon is obviously furious and heartbroken about Katy being taken and, as the reader, we know he's not just going to sit around and wait for her to be released. The events that occur are pure insanity and make for an extremely edge-of-your-seat read. I think that overall this is my favorite book in the series so far.

A new feature in this book is the addition of Daemon's point of view. I really enjoyed the new point of view, and I think this added a new depth to both the story and their romance. This addition was especially important in the beginning of the book when Daemon and Katy were completely separated from each other, and I hope this carries through to the next book because I think it will provide extremely important information based upon the ending of this book.

Another amazing thing about this book is Archer. I really liked Archer and I don't exactly know why. He was just the only one I semi-trusted while Katy was trapped. Archer was pretty mysterious throughout the book, which added some depth to his character and always kept me guessing to an extent. Luc's role was also more prominent in this book, which I liked. Luc always kind of freaked me out because he's a strange and super powerful kid who could probably kill me with the blink of an eye. At the same time, he intrigued me and I always wanted to know more about him and I would seriously hate making an enemy out of Luc.

The end of this book was absolute insanity. I don't want to give away too much, because, spoilers. What I can say is that I don't know if I've ever been as on the edge of my seat within the last 20-30 pages of a book than in this one. The entire book is absolutely incredible and really knows how to completely capture your attention.

Overall, I loved this book and I think it was the best in the series so far. I have Origin 5 out of 5 stars.

1984 Review

1984 Review by George Orwell

Summary from Goodreads
The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. 1984 is still the great modern classic of "negative utopia" -a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. No one can deny the novel's hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions -a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time. 

My Review

I'm not entirely sure how necessary the summary was from Goodreads, but I included it anyway because I always do. First, let me state that this was required reading for me just recently, as I’m sure it was for many people, and I can safely say this is one of my all-time favorite required reads, ever. 1984 is a classic for very obvious reasons, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to love it, but I'm so glad that I can say I did love it. 1984 paints a terrifying and shocking image in the reader's mind of what the future could be like. Even if this future may have already passed, it doesn't entirely rule out the possibility of it still happening. There is also the fear that this future may happen or may be happening right under noses. It makes for a very thought provoking read, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The relationship between Winston and Julia was also extremely strange. Actually, all of Winston's relationships were very strange, between him and O'Brien, and even between him and his mother. Winston was very guarded and didn't really trust anyone, so that made forming relationships with other people kind of difficult. Winston's odd relationships were a huge part of the book and also may have made for the biggest turning point in the book.

My favorite section of the book was definitely Book 3. Book 3 was gruesome at some points, (minor spoilers ahead, if anyone cares) but seeing the inner workings of the Ministry of Love and the thinking of the Party was extremely interesting to me. The minds and ideologies of the Party were so twisted and corrupted that their thoughts could be highly disturbing at some points. The Party's ways for dealing with people who disagree with their beliefs is so brutal and unrelenting that I sometimes wanted to look away, but at the same time, I had to know what was happening to Winston.

Overall, as so many before me have, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, if you haven't read it yet, I would highly suggest doing so. I gave 1984 5 out of 5 stars.

Rebel Belle Review

Rebel Belle Review
By Rachel Hawkins

Summary from Goodreads

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.

My Review

With this being my fourth Rachel Hawkins book (I previously read and loved the Hex Hall trilogy), I have found that her books are best read quickly, within a couple of days, possibly a week tops. That being said, this book took me around a month to read. Between school and homework and obligations and such, I didn't have much time to read and I just couldn't justify spending time reading, so then I didn't and this book just sat half-read, staring at me guiltily on my desk. I flew through probably about 200 pages of this really quickly, and I probably could have flown through the rest of it too, if I'd tried. It was overall a very quick read and a really fun time.

Rachel Hawkins writes very sassy female main characters. They don't take crap from anyone and they know who they are and that they can kick-butt. Harper, our main character, was no different. Harper was super sassy and had some great lines, and her interactions with other characters were always thoroughly entertaining. However, in the beginning, Harper bothered me a little. While she was a really fun POV to follow, she also just irked me a little. She came off as little shallow and stuck-up at times, and it just bothered me. She did grow on me as the book went on, though, and I ended up liking her.

"Brandon's hair was a few shades darker than Bee's, more gold than blond, and while I guess he was attractive in a clean-cut jock kind of way, I'd never go for his type. Too many muscles, too few brain cells." (p. 70)

One thing that kind of bothered me was the situation with Harper's sister. I won't go into depth on the situation, because spoilers (I think?), but it just didn't really feel fleshed out. It was mentioned in the beginning, so maybe it's just because I read the beginning so long ago, but the situation felt a little brushed over to me and almost a little unnecessary at points, and it was kind of dropped once there was more drama in Harper's life. This is why I should have finished the book sooner.

"David's grin slowly faded and his fingers fiddled with the edge of his T-shirt, pulling it up and over his bicep a little. Since when did David Stark have biceps? How did you get any muscle tome when all you did was type and be annoying?" (p. 187) 

I really quite like David Stark very much. He balanced Harper out and brought her down to earth. David was so many things that Harper wasn't, but at the same time, they were very similar. David was kind of a dork (in the best way possible) and I loved every time he talked to Harper. David would always tease and kind of poke fun at Harper, which was such a change from Ryan, who just kind of annoyed me.Yeah, I'd take David over Ryan any day. Ryan is more or less your stereotypical, one-dimensional jock/homecoming king/boyfriend of the captain of the cheerleading squad. Okay, maybe he is slightly more than one dimension, but I still like David more.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I wish I had been able to read it faster, because I think that would have improved my reading experience. I will be picking up the sequel, eventually but I don't know how soon I will be reading because at this point I'm just not super inclined to read it. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Onyx Review

Onyx Review
By Jennifer L. Armentrout

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS FOR OBSIDIAN

Summary from Goodreads

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

My Review

This book was really good, and I think I may have liked it more than Obsidian. I read the two in the bind-up edition, so it just kind of felt like one book, and the way they weave together, I think they are best read back to back. Onyx, I think, may have been better, just because I found it more surprising and shocking, and it was just completely captivating.

In this book, there was more of a mystery. I felt like I couldn't trust anybody, and it was exciting having no idea what was going to happen. I was so shocked when certain events in the book happened and I didn't expect it at all. The whole book was just a whirlwind of emotion and shock and surprise, and I loved all of it. So much happened in this book, and I have no idea where the next book is going to go from here. Onyx, while feeling like a continuation of Obsidian, had a completely different tone and story line. In Onyx, it felt like there was more at stake than in Obsidian, and everything felt more important, so the book was more serious, tense, and suspenseful because of this.

Both Obsidian and Onyx were really funny. I didn't discuss this much in my other review, but both books just have this lighthearted sense of humor, that can be sarcastic and sassy at times, and is always really funny. I always find myself smiling and laughing at the comments that Katy makes. The humor helps to make the books feel shorter and also makes them faster reads.

"[Daemon] stared out the window, one hand on the oh-sh*t handle. As if my driving was that bad." (Lux: Beginnings, p. 591)

I talked about this is my review of Obsidian, but I feel it needs to be mentioned again: I really love Daemon and Katy together. They are so good for each other in so many ways. They make make each other stronger and they balance each other out. It's also great that they both feel the need to protect each other. In some books, the female character can end up being a "damsel-in-distress," but Katy will do whatever it takes to protect Daemon (and Dee and anyone else she cares about, too), and she doesn't sit by idly and stay out of harms way if she knows she can help. Daemon and Katy are so funny together, they have great chemistry, and they are just such a good pair of characters. It's also nice that the two characters continue to exist and be interesting on their own, and they aren't completely co-dependent on each other.

"The tender touch was so at odds with what he'd just said. Deadly and sweet souls- that was what Daemon was; two very different kinds of souls rested in him, fused together." (p. 758)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and the Lux series as a whole, so far. I was a little concerned at first because the series has a lot of hype, but I think that this book lived up to its hype, and I think the rest of the books will, too. I gave Onyx 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Amulet Volumes 1-4 Review

Amulet Volumes 1-4 Review
By Kazu Kibuishi

Amulet Volume 1: The Stonekeeper Summary from Goodreads

Graphic novel star Kazu Kibuishi creates a world of terrible, man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, a giant robot---and two ordinary children on a life-or-death mission.

After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals.

Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves.

My Review

I normally don't read graphic novels. I've just never been one of those people who are drawn to them. Other than this series, I have read one graphic novel, and that was Blankets, which was completely different from the Amulet series. Even though this isn't the type of book I would usually read, after reading the first volume, I will find myself drawn to these books and I always look forward to picking them up and reading the next one. I really liked the first four books I've read, and I can't wait to keep reading them.

This map is found in the back of Volume 3, The Cloud Searchers, and it so beautiful.

The artwork in this series is so beautiful and I love the use of color in this series. Their are some really beautiful full-page drawings that can be found throughout the series and they are all so detailed and so well done (some of these will be placed throughout the review, as you may have already noticed).

Volume 4, The Last Council, p. 21

In this story, a really strong aspect is the presence of family. Family is what started this entire series from the first fifteen pages and it continues to drive and motivate the characters. The love that Emily and Navin have for their mom is so sweet and touching, and their mom is so protective and supportive of them. Emily and Navin also have a really good relationship, especially since they have to stick together to survive in this foreign world that they were thrown into, and it's nice to see such a solid sibling bond in a series.

Volume 3, The Cloud Searchers, p. 31 

Emily and Navin are also exceptionally strong characters. They were thrown into this entirely new world, with magic systems and creatures and dangers that would never be found on Earth, and they take everything with a grain of salt. Emily and Navin accept a lot of responsibility and some powerful leadership roles in this series, and they have really grown up in just the four volumes I've read. 

The villains and magic system are really intriguing in this series. The magic system takes a little while to learn about, and it confused me at first, but over time, things start to make more sense. The villains are also all so complex and they all have so many layers to them and so much mystery surrounding them, which I really want to learn more about. All of the characters, curses, and magic, in general, are just so cool and whimsical.

Volume 3, The Cloud Searchers, p. 1

Overall, this series is just so much fun and, like I mentioned before, the artwork is just so beautiful and full of color and detail. My favorites of this series so far are probably Volume 1, The Stonekeeper, and Volume 4, The Last Council, but I think Volume 4 might pull a little bit further ahead and claim the sole spot as my favorite. I would definitely recommend this series, especially if you've never read a graphic novel or haven't read many before (like me), since it's pretty easy to follow. I gave Volumes 1-3, The Stonekeepers, The Stonekeeper's Curse, and The Cloud Searchers all 4 out of 5 stars. I gave Volume 4, The Last Council, 5 out 5 stars.  

Point of Retreat Review

Point of Retreat Review (Slammed Book #2)

By Colleen Hoover

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS FOR SLAMMED

Summary from Goodreads

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’ 

My Review

Compared to Slammed, I liked this book a lot less. Part of the problem, I think, had to do with the fact that I read Slammed at the very beginning of the year, so I spent a little while in the beginning of the book just trying to remember everything that had happened. It took me way too long to remember whether Lake's little brother was Kel or Caulder (after about thirty pages, I figured out that it was Kel).

Like in Slammed, I really liked the inclusion of poetry. After reading Slammed, I became really interested in slam poetry, so reading this having having watched some slam poets and liking it more, I appreciated the slam poetry in the book more than I did when I read Slammed.

"A first glance

A first smile

A first kiss

A first fall" (p. 189) 

I liked the addition of Kiersten in this book. I thought she was really funny and refreshing, because we there aren't many nine or ten year olds who are as vocal of their opinions as Kiersten and it made all of her scenes, especially when we first meet her, pretty funny. I also liked Kiersten's mom, because she was one of the few older adults in this book. Will and Lake are so young and they have so many adult responsibilities, so I think that it's good for them that Kiersten's mom is right down the road and that she can support them.

"'Sorry,' Kiersten says to Lake and me. 'Mom says the FCC is responsible for inventing cuss words just for media shock value. She says if everyone would just use them enough, they wouldn't be considered cuss words anymore, and no one would ever be offended by them.'" (p. 10)

A big problem for me in this book was its tone. It was so different from that of Slammed, where Will and Lake faced so many problems that were serious issues. In this book, though, some of their issues felt childish and so did their fights. I felt like after everything Will and Lake had been through together that they wouldn't really have trust issues, but there were some major trust issues in their relationship in this book. In the first half of the book, maybe a little longer, I found it a bit boring and Will and Lake's problems kind of annoying. However, a little past that halfway point something happens, and that was when I got more interested in the story and that helped to save the book a little for me.

"'Lake, stop it! You're acting like a ten-year-old!'" (p. 135)

I also liked the whole group parenting/family thing that Will and Lake have. I like that they were raising Kel and Caulder together, and that Eddie and Gavin would come over and they would all just hang out. I also thought it was funny that nobody ever knocked when coming into their houses. They were all so supportive of each other and I just like the community feel that they all had.

"Write poorly.

Suck

Write awful

Terribly

Frightfully

Don't care" (p. 86) 

Overall, I did like this book, but definitely not as much as I liked Slammed. I don't think this is a necessary read, but if you liked Slammed and want to know more about Will and Lake and their relationship, then I would say read it. It's not that long and it's a pretty quick read, so it doesn't take long. I gave this 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Siege and Storm Review

Siege and Storm Review (Shadow and Bone Book #2)
By Leigh Bardugo

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS FOR SHADOW AND BONE

Summary from Goodreads

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.

My Review

This book was so good, like the first one. I think I have to say that I liked this sequel more than Shadow and Bone, though, but I loved both of them. I really loved the writing in this book. The writing was so beautiful and wonderful and spectacular and all the adjectives. The pacing was well done in this book and her descriptions were specific and made the image really vivid in my mind.

"His voice was raw white wood, torn from the heart of the tree." (p. 418)

The writing in this book was also really funny at times, too, and would help to lighten the mood. And I actually laughed out loud sometimes, which doesn't happen a lot with me, so that was a plus.

"'My brother snores like a drunk bear.'

I laughed. 'Mal snores, too.'

'Then they can perform a duet.'" (p. 90)       

Alina progressed so much in this book. It was great to see Alina finally come into her own and accept her fate as a leader. Alina had to take on a leadership role and she embraced it and faced it head on, which was so different from the same girl who used to run from her powers. Alina is also really loyal to her country, which is an admirable quality for her to have and shows her bravery. I liked Alina a lot in this book and I can't wait to see where she progresses in Ruin and Rising.

We meet a new character in this book and, boy, is he a great new character. Early on, Alina meets Sturmhond and he is such a good character. Sturmhond is so funny and sarcastic and sassy and all of his lines are just great and laugh-out-loud worthy. Sutrmhond was super confident and sometimes a little arrogant, but he was never too arrogant or cocky to the point where I found him annoying.

"Mal crossed his arms and considered the privateer. 'I can't decide if you're crazy or stupid.'

'I have so many good qualities,' Sturmhond said. 'It can be hard to choose.'" (p. 81)

I really liked most of the book. I got a little bit bored in the middle, but it didn't last long. One thing that I didn't like, but always seemed to be there, though, was Mal. He annoys me to no end, and I don't like the relationship he has with Alina. I didn't love him in the first book, but now I just really don't like him. I can sum up most of my feelings with this one thought Alina had in the beginning of the book and I'll just leave it at that.

"I felt like I had when we were kids: capable Mal and useless Alina." (p. 13)

Overall, I liked this book and I will be completing the trilogy and definitely be reading more of Leigh Bardugo's work once it comes out. I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Obsidian Review

Obsidian Review (The Lux Book #1)
By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Summary from Goodreads
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

My Review

This was such a fun book. It wasn't a perfect book, but it was fun and an addictive read and I think it was a good paranormal romance story. This book was fast-paced, especially towards the end, when I was left on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to pick the book up again. In this book, I really liked the backstory behind the aliens and all of their powers. I think that part of the book was really well done, which is an important backbone for the rest of the series to build off of. The aliens' powers are really interesting and different, and I really liked that, especially since some mythologies in paranormal romances can seem repetitive and over-used at times.

I really liked Katy as a main character. She was sassy and never took any crap from Daemon, and I just loved their interactions. I also loved that Katy loves books and is a book blogger. Whenever she would get excited about books and ARC's or talk about blogging, it was really cool. I do like how that wasn't her entire character, though, and that there were other likable parts of her besides her love of books, which many of us can relate to. Katy was also a loyal character and she could be strong, especially when she was put in tough situations.

One of my favorite parts of the book was Katy's and Daemon's relationship. All of their interactions were hilarious and so great. I liked that they hated each other, but they still really wanted and kind of liked each other, and it made for some great tension between them. Daemon was a good character, because he could be kind of a jerk and rude at times, but he didn't really cross the line with Katy into him being a bad person. Deep down, he wasn't a bad person, so there always felt like there was a redeemable part of him, especially because of how he treated Dee. 

I liked Dee a lot, and she was so bubbly and personable. I liked how protective Daemon was of Dee, and that he always did what he thought was best for Dee. Dee was a good balance for Daemon's seriousness, and also a great friend to Katy.

Overall, I liked Obsidian a lot and I read it pretty quickly and always wanted to pick it back up. As soon as I finished it, I jumped right into Onyx, which is proving to be just as good and addictive as Obsidian so far. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour Review

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour Review
By Morgan Matson



Summary from Goodreads

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

My Review:

I loved this book. Plain and simply put, I thought it was amazing. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour will most likely end up being one of my favorites for the year, and probably will be one of my favorites for a long time. Morgan Matson is a pretty popular author, but, before this, I had never read anything by her, although after reading this, I will definitely be reading more by her.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour takes you on such an emotional -and physical- journey. I really grew to love the characters, and not just Amy and Roger, but also many of the side characters that we meet while they travel across America, too. Morgan Matson wrote them in such a way that made all the characters feel real, because they all had little flaws in them and they weren't perfect.

Amy and Roger also changed so much throughout the book and it was great to see how they impacted each other and made each other better people. In general, Amy and Roger's interactions were great and they had some funny dialogue together. The little things that Amy and Roger learned about each other while traveling across the country was really adorable, and it was nice to see their relationship progress. Even though this book took place over the span of about a week, it felt like longer, and at the end, it definitely  felt like Amy and Roger had known each other longer. 

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the road trip. This book made me want to be adventurous and go on a road trip in a completely new and unfamiliar place, and that may be one of the parts that impacted me the most. Throughout the book, pictures are included of places that Amy and Roger visited, which made their journey feel more real. There were also playlists included that Amy and Roger created and listened to along the way, which was a nice addition to the story.

Overall, this is one book that will always have a special place in my heart for so many reasons and I really loved it.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The Sweet Trilogy Review

The Sweet Trilogy Review
By Wendy Higgins

 

Sweet Evil Summary from Goodreads

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?

My Review:

For this review, I will go through each book individually and also give my thoughts on the series as a whole.

The entire series as a whole was pretty good and fairly enjoyable. It is a paranormal romance, so there is a lot of angst and it can be kind of cheesy sometimes, but if that is what you're looking for, then it is an enjoyable read.

The main characters in this series weren't that outstanding, but they were okay. The main character, Anna, and her love interest, Kaidan, were both kind of stereotypical. Anna was the plain, mousy, good girl who thought there was nothing special about her until she one day learns of her heritage. Despite this, I did like Anna and did like seeing her progression through the series, because she definitely got stronger, and she was likable enough most of the time, but I didn't love her and there was nothing that made her feel super special or really stand out to me. 

Kaidan was also the stereotypical bad boy drummer, with a British accent, dark hair and really blue eyes. And he's the Son of Lust, which means he has stronger feelings of lust than most normal teenagers. Yeah. That makes things interesting for the story. I still liked Kaidan, even though he was kind of a jerk to Anna sometimes, but he also had some good character progression through the series.

Sweet Evil is probably my favorite of the series. Sweet Evil is very heavy on the romance and the tension between the main character and her love interest, which I did enjoy and made the book pretty interesting. Sweet Evil is probably the most romance based of the series and I think it has the best plot of the series because it doesn't try to take on too much at once. I found the writing easy to read and I did read this pretty quickly, so that was a plus. I gave Sweet Evil 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Sweet Peril is my least favorite of the series. I felt like this book fell into the category of being a middle, filler book. My main problem with this book is that it felt like not a lot happened even though almost two years passed in the book. There were a lot of jumps in time and I felt like there wasn't enough progression of plot to support all of the jumps in time. I did enjoy the romance in this book, though, and I still thought that was pretty well done. Like the first book, I flew through this and still enjoyed it even though there were a few problems. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Sweet Reckoning is one that I had a lot of mixed feelings about. I really liked the ending and I thought it was satisfying and wrapped up the story nicely with no loose ends. In the middle, though, I just got stuck. Maybe it was because I had just read Shadow and Bone and I was in a bit of a reading slump or maybe I really just didn't like it, I don't know, either way, I just stopped reading it. I felt like the story had been dragged out a little bit too much and I kind of just wanted to reach the climactic scene that we had been waiting for. Once I started to read it again, I did enjoy it and I did get a little emotional at the end. I gave this book 4.25 out of 5 stars.

Shadow and Bone Review

Shadow and Bone Review (Shadow and Bone Book #1)

By Leigh Bardugo

Summary from Goodreads:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

My Review:

I must begin this by saying how much I loved this book. Shadow and Bone completely blew me away. I went into this book knowing there was a good amount of hype around it, so I tried not to keep my expectations too high, but there were still expectations. This book, however, exceeded all of my expectations and it was just so great and wonderful and enjoyable.

At first, the book seems confusing, because, as the reader, we are just thrown into the world and magic system, so the words were all new and foreign, along with the politics of the world. Leigh Bardugo does a good job world-building though, and she never just dumped information on us all at once, but rather slowly explained more things as time went on. Leigh Bardugo's writing in general was also amazing. She had some of the most beautiful descriptions, her writing being both beautiful and easy to read, and she created some fascinating characters, including Alina, our main character, and the Darkling. Alina was a strong character and knew how to hold her own after being thrown into this entirely new world of being Grisha. And then there's the Darkling. 

Before I even read this book, I had heard about the Darkling and everyone’s love for him. I was hoping I would also love him, and he definitely stole my heart. I have so many feelings for the Darkling that I can’t explain, but he is a very complex and amazing character, and one of the highlights of the book. Leigh Bardugo created an amazing character when she created the Darkling. In the beginning, I mostly read for the Darkling, and while the plot was good, I was just more interested in the Darkling. Around halfway, however, I began really reading for the plot. There was a lot of world building and getting used to the magic system in the beginning of the book, but in the last half of the book, I was completely captured by the plot, and I found the book more action-packed, and this solidified my love for the book.

Overall, I loved this book and I cannot wait to read the sequel, which I will be doing very soon. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

The Heir Review

The Heir Review (The Selection Book #4)

By Kiera Cass

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE SELECTION, THE ELITE, AND THE ONE

Summary from Goodreads:

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought. 

My Review:

When I first heard the original Selection trilogy was going to be extended, I had very mixed feelings about it. I felt like the story had been wrapped up in The One and I was not sure where The Heir was going to take the story. However, I did quite enjoy the original three books and I still wanted to know how Illéa was affected by Maxon coming into power and ending the caste system. Either way, I still read the book pretty soon after publication and flew through it. The Heir had the same addictive quality that I found the first three books in the series had, and I did end up liking the book.

The Heir did address some of the politics in Illéa, but that was definitely not the main part of the story. This book, like the original three in the series, was very much centered on the romance and relationships that Eadlyn was developing during her selection. I felt like there were more politics in this book, however, than in the first three books, since we see from the perspective of Eadlyn, who is going to become queen someday and has to know about what is happening in her country.

Eadlyn is our main character in this novel, and for those who have read The Selection, we remember America’s infamous indecisiveness and stubbornness, which made her very hard to truly like at times. Eadlyn, like America, is not always the most likeable character. I would not say that Eadlyn is indecisive, but she can be very stubborn, which we especially see at the beginning of the novel. However, her stubbornness felt kind of childish sometimes, and I felt like she was just retaliating against her parents instead being stubborn for what she believes in. She also came off as a bit of a spoiled brat at times, which probably came from her growing up in the palace, but that cannot be completely to blame since Maxon never acted spoiled like Eadlyn does. Her attitude just really bothered me at times. All of this did leave room for character development, and we did begin to see Eadlyn start to develop later in the novel, so hopefully she will change more in the next book and become more likeable.

Throughout the book, I liked some of the relationships that were forming, especially when Eadlyn allowed herself to open up to the boys. I felt bad for the boys sometimes because Eadlyn was so closed off and just plain rude to them at times, but many of them were actually quite accepting of Eadlyn and that made me grow to like some of them. Many of the boys in the selection, specifically Kile, Henri and Erik, were much more likeable than Eadlyn, and helped balance out Eadlyn’s harshness at times.

Overall, I liked and enjoyed this book, and I would recommend this to anybody who wants more the Selection world. If you enjoyed the original books, I think you will also enjoy this book.    

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.