Book Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Author: Stephanie Garber
Series: Caraval #1
Audience: +16
Genre: Ya, Fantasy
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: January 31st 2017
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Own Copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems.

Scarlett and Tella have never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show.

Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure.

When the sisters' long-awaited invitations finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show's mastermind organiser, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is an elaborate performance. But she quickly becomes entangled in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak.

And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.

I picked this book when I was on a trip to Prague, because there's no better thing to do when you're a bookworm on a trip than buy more books. I tried resisting, but in the end I couldn't do it and I can't possibly tell you how happy I am that I gave in in the end.

Holy crap you guys!

Books that are similar on carnivals, hidden objects/escape-adventure games have been hit-and-miss for me so far, but Caraval really had me hooked from the beginning to the end. I enjoyed reading it and I especially liked how the book was structured. Garber was a genius in my opinion to structure the chapters into days and nights spent during, before and after Caraval. That, for me, increased the sense of urgency the entire book had. Whenever that "Day/Night..." page came, my excitement grew because I could tell that there was real danger in Caraval. And that's the thing I loved most about the book, the danger, the unknown of it all. I feel like the entire book is based on mind-games. And that more than the actual action is even better to me. It's been a while since I read a book that mentally challenging, to be honest. It wasn't just the game itself, but actually trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't, who was lying and who was telling the truth.

Scarlett is a strong character, that is also quite surprising. She's really reserved and cautious, but at the same time she's naive and reckless. She tends to put her trust in the oddest of places, but then the game doesn't just help uncover the darker side people keep locked away, but also their pasts. In a way, that's what happens with Scarlett, and while the scene with her father before them going to Caraval gives you a hint towards what that man is capable of, this game really made me understand Scarlett more. I also liked that she discovered her inner strength through this game.

Tella, although not that present, is also a really important character. In a way, she's exactly what Scarlett discovers in herself, if it makes sense. Tella has the courage and the recklessness to do what needs to be done in order to save herself and her big sister. She just has a lot more darkness in her that she accepts, and I wonder how that will work for her in the next book.

Throughout the game there are several really important characters that Scarlett encounters and I really hope that they are involved in the sequel. They were surprising and not what I fully expected, to be honest.

As I said, this story was a huge mind-game, and a fast-paced game at that. I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took, and the constant not knowing what was happening made me feel like I was an active part of the game. I also wonder how this story would have looked like had it been told from a viewer's POV.

Oh! I almost forgot to add this. Another cool stuff about the book is that we get to see small parts of Scarlett and Tella's childhood through Scarlett's memories, but this is done in a way to kind of explain her actions within the game, which was also a cool thing.

All in all, this was a really good book, one of the best I've read this year and I am desperately waiting for Legendary, book 2, to come out.

Book Review: Cupid's Match by Lauren Palphreyman

Author: Lauren Palphreyman
Series: Cupid's Match #1
Audience: +16
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date:
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Wattpad
Blurb (from Goodreads):

In a world where everyone has a perfect match, what if you were matched with the dangerous, notoriously good looking, original bad boy....Cupid himself?

***
Dear Lila,
I am contacting you on behalf of The Cupids Matchmaking Service.

You will not have heard of us but we are an organisation that work behind the scenes of society, identifying each person's perfect match.

Usually we would not contact our clients. We prefer to work in secrecy - setting up the ideal environment for the two matches to have a chance encounter.

Recently, however, we ran your details through our system and...well....in your case...

We think you'd better come in.

Please respond at your earliest convenience.

Yours Urgently,

The Cupids Matchmaking Service

I think we all know by now I love books inspired by mythology. I probably said it so many times y'all are bored and annoyed already, but it's true. I love them. I read Cupid's Match on Wattpad when I hit a bit of a reading slump phase, and it was the perfect book to get me out of it.

The story focuses on the idea that each person has a destined partner, a so-called match. The Cupids Matchmaking Services organization is basically the name given to a group of cupids that have heen around since the beginning of time. As per the company rules, no cupid can find his or her match, it is forbidden. So what happens if this rule is broken and a cupid does find his match? Enter Lila, a regular teenager that finds herself matched to the Cupid, and all hell breaks loose.

I really enjoyed the idea of love being forbidden to the very creatures whose entire existence is dependent on love. It was an interesting aspect of the story, and it was a fun, new thing to do with the myth of love. I also liked how this was explained. For me it felt like a truly selfish reason from the organization's boss to have such a rule, because it meant that this person wasn't in the business of love for selfless reasons, but for the feeling of power that comes from playing with human emotions, but also from feeling loved by humans and served by cupids. The concept of love in this book is seen from many perspectives, from what some refer to as true love, to obsession, to adulation, all the way to envy and hate. So you get the positive and negative aspects of love, and I liked reading about that.

Lila was an enjoyable character to read about. At times she was a bit difficult to like though, probably because she was a bit too naive. And she was a bit undecided with what she wanted. I did like her spunk at the beginning of the story, when she refused to believe in the idea of an appointed, already decided-on match for her. While she had courage, I would have wanted to see her keep a bit more of that initial spark during the story. She kind of got it back towards the end of the story.

Cupid was depicted in an interesting way in this story. I got the idea of him more as a rebel here than a true bad boy, to be honest. He has a brother in this story, Cal, which I found insanely funny for some reason. There were moments when you could see a glimpse of Cupid's wild streak, but I didn't truly got a feeling of him as a full on bad boy.

There were a few details that I would have wanted to be more accurate in this story, at least from a mythological perspective. But all of that aside, as I said before, I really enjoyed seeing how the whole concept of love was depicted in this story. The villain in this story is pretty psychotic if you ask me. It's not that this particular villain is full on scary, just more deranged I'd say.

The plot was pretty evenly paced. One little technical thing that kept me from reading this story faster was the way it was put into pages. I don't know how this story translates to printed page or if a true ebook version of it is the same, but at least on Wattpad it felt as if the chapters were too short. I would have wanted longer, and therefore fewer chapters, just because the sudden breaks in reading with getting past the in-between posts kind of pulled me out of the story more than I liked.

All of that aside, I quite enjoyed this story. There were a few things that were left open-ended, and I hope this will be resolved in the other stories from this series. I am planning on reading the sequels, just because I am curious to see what happens to the secondary characters from this story. All in all, a pretty enjoyable read.

Book Review: Ever The Hunted by Erin Summerill

Author: Erin Summerill
Series: Clash of Kingdoms #1
Audience: +15
Genre: High Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: December 27th 2016
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley and HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or my opinion of the book in any way.

My latest visit into the land of High Fantasy takes me to Ever The Hunted and let me tell you, this was a very interesting story. The blurb and the cover managed to catch my eye, but I was really intrigued by the idea of a girl trying to catch her father's killer, who apparently is her former best friend.

Britta is a pretty interesting heroine. She has her moments when she kinda made me roll my eyes, but it was all explained to me at the end of the book. I liked the fact that she agreed to find out where her father's killer was, to find him and bring him to justice, even if that meant hunting down for her ex best friend. As I said, there were some moments that made me question her state of mind a little bit,. There's a beautiful moment in the book, when she tells Cohen exactly what his and her father's "protection" meant for her once she was left alone, without someone to be there for her, and I found myself a bit disappointed that that aspect of the story wasn't explored more. I can only hope that we'll see that aspect of Britta's life, how she suffered, physically and mentally, in the next book.

I wasn't so sure exactly why Cohen was so loved by Britta. He wasn't as charming to me as Britta made him out to be, and he didn't stand out as much as I expected him to stand out. The ending kind of explains Britta's infatuation with Cohen, and it's interesting to see how that aspect of their relationship will be explained in the next book.

The plot is pretty simple, and easily read. There are a few cliche elements to this story, but I wasn't bothered by them. I read this book pretty fast. All in all, Ever The Hunted was a good read and I'm very curious to see how the story will continue.

Book Review: Shadows and Dreams by Matthew Cody

Author: Matthew Cody
Series: ReMade #1.1
Audience: +16
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Serial Box Publishing
Release Date: September 14th 2016
My Rating: 3.5 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

You live. You love. You Die. Now RUN. ReMade is a thrilling sci-fi adventure that will take readers past the boundaries of time, space, and even death.

This is the 1st episode of ReMade, a 15-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode was written by Matthew Cody.

Holden Black never imagined his crush knew his name, much less that he’d suddenly be driving her to a party. But life can change in a second, especially when you’re 16. A look. A flash of headlights. A scream. What do you do when the unexpected jumps straight to the unbelievable, the dream becomes a nightmare, and waking changes everything except your heart’s desire?

ReMade Season One: In one moment the lives of twenty-three teenagers are forever changed, and it’s not just because they all happen to die. “ReMade” in a world they barely recognize – one with robots, space elevators, and unchecked jungle – they must work together to survive. They came from different places, backgrounds, and families, and now they might be the last people on earth. Lost meets The Maze Runner in this exciting serial adventure.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley and Serial Box Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of this review in any way.

I've never read a serial before. It's a new concept for me, and since I love TV shows, I thought it would be awesome to see how that concept could be applied to a book.

Shadows and Dreams is a pretty interesting start for this story. I wasn't really sure exactly what was happening, at first. I felt as confused as Holden for a while there, not knowing what is true and what isn't. Then it all became a little clearer as the story went on.

Just like you would expect in a TV show episode, a lot of stuff happens. I think I was most confused about the fact that there aren't many things that were explained. It kind of felt like a pilot episode, not that that's a bad thing. I did, however, feel like the action moved a little bit too fast towards the end, compared to how long the actual book is. I wouldn't have had any issue with the pacing had the book been even 10-15 pages longer, because I would have had more time to get into the story, and to believe that Holden and his companions really were in danger from those robots.

I'm curious enough about what happens next to pick up the second "episode" and read it. I am also intrigued by the idea that each episode has a new author, or at least some of them. I am hoping we'll get to learn more about Holden and his companions, not just get introduced to new characters in each issue. All in all, a pretty interesting way to tell a story, and I'm going to keep reading to find out more.

Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Audience: +15
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: September 18th 2012
My Rating: 3 cups
Source: Amazon
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

I know I'm a little late reading this book, as per usual with me and super hyped books, but I figured I should give it a try, especially now that the last book in the series is out.

It's rare that a book confuses me so much, that I don't know what rating to give it. But that's genuinely what I'm feeling right now. I've struggled with writing this review, not because I didn't enjoy reading this book, but because I'm so effin' confused here.

The thing that had me the most confused is the writing style. I won't lie to you, guys, I found this book to be too slow-paced for me. But the writing style made up for it. It was complicated, and yet so simple, beautiful and slightly scary at the same time. There's just something that the way Stiefvater writes hooked me, and kept me keep on reading, even if I didn't particularly root for the main characters. If you follow Stiefvater on social media, if you've read at least one of her blog posts, you've probably noticed that she has a way with words that not many people have, I don't think. And it's the same way with The Raven Boys, and I can see why so many people fell in love with her writing style, because I definitely did.

Now let's go back to the characters. Blue is a strange girl, because she's quite normal, compared to her family. But I found her a bit too... bland, if you know what I mean. She definitely wears her disappointment of the fact that she doesn't have any real powers of her own as you would a jacket or something, so it's really out there, and that kind of made me not be a super huge fan of hers. Also, the fact that she constantly has to take care to not kiss anyone because she might kill them was a bit strange. I understand that her family has all sorts of powers, but are we really sure that that's what's going to happen? Because I have a feeling that Blue might challenge that premonition. She's really careful, a girl that doesn't take a lot of chances, a lonely girl. I definitely enjoyed seeing her relax and enjoy the company of other kids, of strangers, and becoming friends with them, even if they are the Aglionby boys.

Speaking of the boys, I have a confession to make. Ronan and Adam, combined, reminded me of Michael from Rosswell. The TV version, because I haven't yet read the books. I love Ronan, and I kind of like Adam, but they reminded me so, so much of Michael, that I was trying not to swoon. (Michael is my favorite, but that's a different story). I'm super excited to read more about Ronan, actually, to find out about his story more, and understand exactly what it is that he can do, as well as how will this ability influence the events of the entire story. Gansey...yeah, he kind of annoyed me a little bit. Just a bit. I admire his dedication or solving one of history's mysteries, although I'm not sure I understood his motivation. I think there's more to Gansey's story that I hope we get to learn more about in the following books. And Noah, my sweet, sweet Noah. I'm not sure I know what to say about him, other than wow. I definitely want to know more about this mysterious guy.

Halfway through the book, I kind of got to get used to the writing style, and with the pacing, and a little detail that surfaced about one of the four boys hooked me in for good. Let's just say that what was revealed was so unexpected, that it surprised the hell out of me. But it was an interesting detail, and I'm curious to see what exactly will that "provoke" in the future, what consequences does that have on the future of all of the characters.

I saw that people who reread this book, after reading the last one, said that there's a ton of foreshadowing happening in The Raven Boys, so I'm really curious to see what happens in the future. I'll definitely read The Dream Thieves. I don't know when, but I will.

Book Review: How To Make Out by Brianna Shrum

Author: Brianna Shrum
Series: N/A
Audience: +15
Genre: YA, Contemporary Y
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release Date: September 6, 2016
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Edelweiss
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Renley needs three thousand dollars for the math club’s trip to New York City, and she knows exactly how to get it: she’s going to start a how-to blog where people pay for answers to all of life’s questions from a “certified expert.” The only problems: 1) She doesn’t know how to do anything but long division and calculus. 2) She’s totally invisible to people at school. And not in a cool Gossip Girl kind of way.

So, she decides to learn to do . . . well . . . everything. When her anonymous blog shifts in a more scandalous direction and the questions (and money) start rolling in, she has to learn not just how to do waterfall braids and cat-eye makeup, but a few other things, like how to cure a hangover, how to flirt, and how to make out (something her very experienced, and very in-love-with-her neighbor, Drew, is more than willing to help with).

As her blog’s reputation skyrockets, so does “new and improved” Renley’s popularity. She’s not only nabbed the attention of the entire school, but also the eye of Seth Levine, the hot culinary wizard she’s admired from across the home-ec classroom all year.

Soon, caught up in the thrill of popularity both in and out of cyberspace, her secrets start to spiral, and she finds that she’s forgotten the most important how-to: how to be herself. When her online and real lives converge, Renley will have to make a choice: lose everything she loves in her new life, or everyone she loves in the life she left behind.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Edelweiss and Sky Pony Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or my rating of the book in any way.

If you're expecting a light, fun read, know that this book is much more complex than that. It's actually one of the things that surprised me about this book, but also one of the things I loved most about it.

The blurb fooled me. Like I said, I was expecting a lighter read, instead I found myself reading about the danger of losing yourself, and how easy it is to be influenced by others, especially at such a young age.

Renley is funny, and awkward, and at times she reminded me of myself and of most of my girl friends growing up. She had many thoughts that I did, so I was able to relate with her in certain moments. Towards the end though, I felt as though she wasn't as aware of the consequences of what she did and how it could affect others. The one thing I didn't like about her was this "say like me or you're not my friend" attitude. Throughout the book she had these moments where she seemed a bit selfish, and I think that if you call someone your best friend, then you're accepting the dose of honesty that they'll give you when you need it.

Drew was actually my favorite character. I loved the guy, and I wish Renley would have noticed him earlier. He's a really thoughtful guy, and I would've wanted to see him more throughout the book. While I believe what he did was extreme, I'm glad he did it and it showed that he cared about Renley more than he let on.

One of my pet peeves in YA is, as you probably know, irresponsible adults. I had a bit of an issue here with that, because I feel that it was a bit too much, in a way. Renley's mom is not in the picture, her dad is not a father figure, and Drew's parents are just as bad, if not worse. So I'm not really sure how the adults in this book expected these kids to be just fine and to be mature and stuff.

I'm sure the blog aspect of this book has been brought up a lot, but it is a very important aspect of this book, too important to be left unmentioned. I'm not sure how she got to be so popular, since in the beginning she wasn't really dedicated to her blog, visiting it, creating new posts and such. I found the fact that Renley was willing to do a bunch of things for this blog, that otherwise it probably wouldn't have crossed her mind, very important and very telling. It showed that she really didn't get over her mom abandoning her, and that no matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise, her dad was also a negative figure for her. I liked how near the end of the book, after a scene with her dad, she acknowledged the scene as a really important one for their father-daughter relationship. But at the same time, I'm not sure I believe Renley learned her lesson. She's sixteen and she can make mistakes, and she should make some mistakes, because that's how you learn, but I would want to believe that she learned something.

The plot is pretty fast, and I read this book in one sitting. There were a bunch of funny scenes in this book, which I enjoyed. All in all, a pretty good and funny book.

Book Review: Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven (ARC)

Author: Jennifer Niven
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: October 6th 2016
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone - and love someone - for who they truly are.

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed 'America's Fattest Teen'. But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to see who she really is. Since her mum's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the art of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his own brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game which lands them in group counseling, Libby and Jack are both angry, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world - theirs and yours.

Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are - and seeing them right back.

Praise for All the Bright Places:

'If you're looking for the next The Fault in Our Stars - this is it' Guardian

'[A] heartbreaking love story about two funny, fragile, and wildly damaged high school kids' Entertainment Weekly

'A do-not-miss for fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe' Justine Magazine

'At the heart - a big one - of All the Bright Places lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers' The New York Times Book Review

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Penguin in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or my rating of this book in any way.

Do you ever find yourself surrounded by one book and one book only? Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, even other blogs and booktubers at one point or another featured this book, so I got so curious I had to try it out.

The book is about Libby and Jack and their road to acceptance. Of themselves, of each other, of other people. It's also about standing up to bullies, which is a theme I don't get to read about that much.

Libby was an interesting heroine. She talks about her struggles with being overweight, her fear for her health for something that happened when she was a kid, and she's also talking about fitting in, in a society that equals thinness with being cool, smart, and "the way to be". It was interesting to read about her struggles, but what I loved most was reading about how she dealt with bullying. I also liked that she tries to understand the people around her, even with people that don't honestly deserve it.

Jack suffers from prosopagnosia, which means he can't recognize faces. I was actually more excited to read about his POV. This is because while I studied this disorder, back in university, I never got to learn what people that suffer from this disorder actually go through, how they deal with it, how it affects their everyday life. So it was a unique experience for me, and also a way to learn more about this disorder. I liked reading about his journey especially towards accepting what he's suffering from.

The book is pretty fast-paced, and I liked the way the focus shifted from Libby to Jack. I also liked the way the book ended, because it gave me the feeling that everything was possible for Libby and Jack moving on. I didn't get the feeling of Libby getting "better" and finding herself because of Jack, but I definitely got that feeling with Jack, that he got to accept himself because of Libby. It didn't bother me as much as I thought, because in the story it makes sense, and also because sometimes you just need another person to wake you up. My only issue with the book, and really the only reason why my rating isn't the highest possible, was with most of the adults in the book. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't talk about it, but let's just say that some of the adult figures in this book let me down. Not all, some were actually pretty cool.

All in all, a really good book, and I'll definitely be checking the author's books out in the future.

Book Review: #Static by Eric Laster

Author: Eric Laster
Series: N/A
Genre: YA, Mystery & Thrillers
Publisher: Automatic Publishing
Release Date: 19 Apr 2016
My Rating: 3 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

When Curtis Brooks starts receiving phone calls from his older brother Wilt, who’s been dead a week, he’s sure it’s to help him find evidence that will lead to a murderer’s arrest. But Wilt claims he wasn’t murdered; his calling, meant to help him adjust, is standard protocol for newly deceased at the Aftermart—a kind of inescapable, ever-expanding Walmart filled with discontinued products.

Wilt’s death ruled a homicide, Curtis embarks on a dangerous plan to find the killer, which soon has him scheming against a billionaire and floundering toward love with his brother’s ex-girlfriend Suzy, all while struggling through high school and his single mom’s poor choices.

Why does Wilt help Curtis win over Suzy, even as he organizes a rebellion at the Aftermart? Who’d wanted him dead? Curtis risks his life to answer these questions, in the process forging a bond with his brother unlike any they’ve ever had.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley and Automatic Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or my rating of this book in any way.

As soon as I saw the description on Netgalley I was intrigued, because the theme of a dead person being able to call a loved one is one that I haven't read much about. I was also a bit confused by the genre, because surely a book that talks about receiving phone calls from the dead has a little bit of fantasy in it, right? Or horror, depends on how you look at it.

It was interesting to read an entire story from a boy's POV. I found it a bit strange at times, but I definitely found it an interesting and good change from what I normally read.

I thought Curtis was a fascinating character. He had moments when he frustrated me, but for the most part I rooted for him and hoped he'd succeed in what he was doing. The story reveals a lot of things about Curtis that made me question some of the things about the story. I feel like, in the end, he does the best he can with the cards he was dealt. His parents are far from perfect, his life in general sucks. The fact that his brother died is important, but I feel like the fact that he got these phone calls from Wilt helped him cope or at least ignore the fact that Wilt isn't physically there for him when he needs him the most.

Remember when I said that I was confused by the genre? Well, the story itself left me with a lot of doubts regarding these phone calls. I kept wondering, mostly because of some of the details that emerged about Curtis throughout the book, if those phone calls were real. Which in a way I thought was brilliant, because then, depending on what you want to believe, there's two ways in which you can see the book. Either Curtis was completely delusional, or he really was talking to his dead brother on the phone.

I felt like the pace was a little too slow for my taste, and the ending turned out to be completely not what I imagined. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I expected.

My only issue was with the parents in this book. I would've wanted at least one of the parents to be somewhat normal, or at least true, mature adults. Actually, now that I think about it, all of the adults in this book weren't exactly role models, or even adults per se.

Anyway, I thought the book was okay and if you're fans of YA mysteries, you should definitely check it out and let me know what you think.

Book Review: Once Upon A Dream by Liz Braswell

Author: Liz Braswell
Series: Twisted Tales #2
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date:April 5th 2016
My Rating: 3 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways.

It should be simple--a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.

With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?

*Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from Netgalley and Disney Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion of this book or my rating in any way.

Sleeping Beauty has always been one of my Top 3 Disney animated movies. As a little girl, I remember being captivated by Aurora's relationship with the animals, but also by the three fairy godmothers. One thing I've always been attracted to, that I don't think I've ever told anyone before, was Maleficent's raven. I had a soft spot for that animal, even though he did ultimately belong to Maleficent, making him one of the bad guys, but he was a pretty bird. I was always sad when he ended up being turned into stone. Anyway...

I was very excited to see how the author would remake this story and make the villain win. There have been many remakes of the story, but I was really curious to see if this book could match the original movie's lavish world, with the medieval-looking drawings and details.

I have to say, I was a bit disappointed with the first quarter or so of the book. The plot was slow-paced and the language used made me think the book was intended for middle-grade aged readers. Which is not bad, except I was expecting more, for some reason.

I have to say though, I'm glad I pushed through and kept reading. Around the middle of the book, the story started picking up and it became the dark story I hoped it would be. It touched on some really delicate themes, like suicide and child abandonment, and I'm really happy the story went there. It was also really interesting to see that Aurora/Rose isn't shown as the delicate princess with the pretty voice and gorgeous hair that the movie shown, but she's more than that. She basically becomes the hero in this story, and I liked that very, very much.

I can't say I liked Prince Phillip very much. Probably because we see him mostly from Aurora's perspective, and he is yet another person who hid things from her. Even so, I was expecting more from the daring prince who faced a dragon for a girl he didn't even know.

The world-building was good. I liked how the story is told from the lens of a war won by the villain. Unlike the previous book in the series, I felt like Maleficent really was a villain in this story. She was cruel, she was ruthless, and she was deranged. Far more dark than the movie allows the audience to see. I still feel that, for a story where the villain wins at first, there were so few scenes told from her perspective.

I did enjoy this book more than the other one, however I think the first part of the book, as I said before, could have been a bit more fast paced, and maybe used a more mature language. I saw that the next book in the series is about Beauty and the Beast, and I can't even explain how much I want to read about that library that Beast has in his castle. So I'll definitely read the next book in this series.

Book Review: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Series: N/A
Publisher: Random House Delacorte
Release Date: October 27th 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A wealthy family. A deadly secret. A young woman with more to lose than she knows.

Josephine Montfort is from one of New York's oldest, most respected, and wealthiest families. Like most well-off girls of the Gilded Age, her future looks set - after a finishing school education, she will be favourably married off to a handsome gentleman, after which she'll want for nothing. But Jo has other dreams and desires that make her long for a very different kind of future. She wants a more meaningful and exciting life: she wants to be an investigative journalist like her heroine Nellie Bly.

But when Jo's father is found dead in his study after an alleged accident, her life becomes far more exciting than even Jo would wish. Unable to accept that her father could have been so careless, she begins to investigate his death with the help of a young reporter, Eddie Gallagher. It quickly becomes clear he was murdered, and in their race against time to discover the culprit and his motive, Jo and Eddie find themselves not only battling dark characters on the violent and gritty streets of New York, but also their growing feelings for each other.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley and Bonnier Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or my review of this book.

I've been meaning to read this book ever since I heard about it last year, during BEA. I was in love with the original cover, but I was also very intrigued by the premise of the book. It's also been a while since I last read a historical novel, and I've been meaning to find some historical novels to read.

The first thing that comes to mind as I'm writing this review is how multifaceted Jo Montfort, the heroine, is. She's really brave and witty in some situations, and then she's shy and innocent, bordering on naive. This was actually one of the most interesting things to read about, but also one of the aspects I struggled with the most. I think this is because I myself don't have to face a lot of the social rigors that she had to struggle with, as well as with the various ways in which women from a higher social class were, basically, uneducated. I had to wrap my head around that aspect of the story. At the same time though, it was a very interesting piece of history to read about, to try to understand how women were educated and how society dictated they should act like, how they should dress, walk, talk, even dance or study. So from that point of view it was very interesting.

As I said, Jo was a really interesting character. I have to point out that at times I struggled a bit to accept how she did things, but in the end I think she proved to be much braver and smarter than I initially thought. I also admired her a lot, especially since she really did go against everything society told her polite young women should be like.

Eddie was a character that, for some reason, I felt wasn't as explored as I wanted him to be. Granted, the book was told from Jo's perspective, but I also wanted to know more about Eddie. I feel like there's a story there, one that deserves to be told. I'm mostly interested about his childhood more than anything.

There's another character that I feel the need to talk about, that I can't however talk about as much as I wanted, because of spoilers. The only thing I can say is that I was a bit disappointed with how his story concluded. I felt like someone who went through what this character had to face, for 20 years, could have had a different epilogue.

All in all, this was a really entertaining story, one that I feel manages to educate readers a little bit more about pioneer women, like the journalist Nellie Bly. I can only hope there's going to be a story from Eddie's POV, because honestly, he is a character I really want to see get more page time.

ARC Book Review: And I Darken by Kiersten White

Author: Kiersten White
Series: The Conquerors Saga #1
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Release Date: June 28th 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwyla likes it that way.

Ever since she and her brother were abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman sultan’s courts, Lada has known that ruthlessness is the key to survival. For the lineage that makes her and her brother special also makes them targets.

Lada hones her skills as a warrior as she nurtures plans to wreak revenge on the empire that holds her captive. Then she and Radu meet the sultan’s son, Mehmed, and everything changes. Now Mehmed unwittingly stands between Lada and Radu as they transform from siblings to rivals, and the ties of love and loyalty that bind them together are stretched to breaking point.

The first of an epic new trilogy starring the ultimate anti-princess who does not have a gentle heart. Lada knows how to wield a sword, and she'll stop at nothing to keep herself and her brother alive.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Children’s in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my review or my opinion of the book.

There are books that I love and then there are the books that blow my mind in such a way that it goes beyond me merely enjoying them. It's been a while since I've read a book that I thought deserved the "Recommended Read" badge/rating, but And I Darken is definitely one of those. But I'll get to the why of this later on. Let me first talk about the characters, because they were simply amazing.

Lada is one of those characters that at times I wanted to hate, but I just couldn't. Being a girl, born to the most powerful man in a medieval country, has to be tough. I liked how the author explores that aspect a little bit in the beginning of the book, how Lada struggles to make her father see her as worthy and as just as good as her brothers. Then, she and her younger brother, Radu, are given to the Ottomans as tribute. It was a very interesting theme throughout the book, how the siblings coped with their situation, how they adapted to a new culture, new environment, new rules, new language. I can't help but admire Lada's wits. She's a natural at leading, she is a leader, and I was really hoping she'd succeed. She's the antihero, and I fell in love with her because she was not the typical female character in a historical novel.

Radu was an interesting character. He is the complete opposite of Lada: he's not a leader, he's not a fighter, he's definitely not as strong as Lada, especially when they were kids. There's also a really interesting development towards the end of the book that, considering the time period, it is such a great thing to explore. I hope that the next book explores that more in depth and show how Radu deals with certain aspects of his life more. At times I felt he was a bit too sensitive, too weak, but then I realized that his ability to get near people, to talk to them, to make them talk to him, is what make him a great figure, from a historical perspective.

Mehmed is also a really interesting character. He's very different than Lada and Radu. At times I thought that he has no idea what he wants. He might have a good heart, he might want the throne of the Ottoman Empire, but I feel that if he hadn't have Lada by his side, he wouldn't have had it.

I said earlier that I was going to explain my "Recommended Read" rating. I don't know if you know this, but I am Romanian. So for me, as for many other Romanians, the figure of Vlad the Impaler is a really important one for our history. He's basically a national hero. That's what we're told in school, in books, in movies, everywhere. So because of that I usually stay away from books and foreign movies that portray him as anything but a hero, simply because I don't see him as the bloodthirsty tyrant or as the old-as-dirt vampire that these movies and books show him to be. The idea of a female version of him was really intriguing. I still wasn't sure I wanted to read the book, until I saw the cover that I put in the beginning of this post, on Netgalley, and I knew that I had to read it. I'll be honest and say that at a certain point I wanted to just put the book down, outraged. Because some of the things shown in this book are nothing like what I knew them to be. However, to say I know my country's history would be a big fat lie. I only know a small portion of it, mainly what is taught in school, and let's face it, the important things, like, for instance, how Radu gained his "the Beautiful" nickname, will never be discussed in school. But after that initial thought, I decided to keep reading. And the reason that I think everyone should read this book is that it serves as a discussion starter. In school, I never got to explore the consequences of Vlad and Radu going to Edirne and live with the Ottomans for a good portion of their formative years. History books usually talk about how much Vlad hated the Ottomans and how much he hated his time in the Empire, but we also know that history is not always objective and that it can be interpreted in many ways. So the great thing that And I Darken does is to explore the ways in which what we know today may not be as black-and-white as it seems. Of course, this is an alternate history, so it must be taken accordingly, but I think that, as I said before, it can be used to start a conversation.

With all of that said, I desperately need the sequel, because I need to know what happens next with Lada, Radu and Mehmed, as well as all the other minor characters that I simply adored.

ARC Book Review: Girl Against The Universe by Paula Stokes

Author: Paula Stokes
Series: N/A
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 17th 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: ARC
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Maguire is bad luck.

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.

From author Paula Stokes comes a funny and poignant novel about accepting the past, embracing the future, and learning to make your own luck.

*Disclaimer: I won a physical ARC copy of this book. This does not influence my rating or opinion of the book.


I had really high expectations when I started reading this book. Mental illness and characters going to therapy are themes that I usually shy away from, because of my own profession. I find it hard not to focus on the technical aspects of these themes when reading, or on the fact that sometimes some of the stuff mentioned is inaccurate. So, as I said, really high expectations here.

Since I mentioned therapy first, I have to rate that. Major props to Paula Stokes for nailing the heart of therapy. I can't remember the exact quote (and like the idiot that I am I didn't write it down or anything *smacks self*), but Maguire's therapist says at one point something along the lines of "You're doing the hard work, I'm just here to guide you". Which, to me, as someone who's thinking of working in the field, is insanely gratifying because people, we are not wizards. That sentence (or the real version, from the book, not my memory of it), made me squeal in delight because YAY! Someone gets it!

I fell in love with Maguire right away. I admired her so much, from start to finish. She might seem like a weak individual at first, because of her PTSD and her other issues, but holy crap is she strong and brave! I love how she decides to start fighting her demons, how she decides to live instead of hide away from the world. I also loved the fact that there are a few bumps along the way, because it showed not only how strong mental problems are, but also that you have to be strong no matter what.

I also loved Jordy. He was a pretty complex character, but I loved the fact that he just provided the tiny push Maguire needed to start fighting her PTSD, and not the cure. Jordy was also really strong and I liked that he too managed to find himself along the way. I'm now going to pester Paula and bribe her with virtual cookies to maaaaaybe write a novella from his POV. Not a full novel (although I can hope!!), but just a glimpse into his psyche, how he got to the point we find him at the start of the book, how he decided to fight his own demons, how he felt when things got a little bit rough, how he feels now, at the end. Okay, so maybe that is a full novel *blush*.

I also learned a lot about tennis, which I never thought possible. I cried, because what else are you supposed to do when reading some of the most heartbreaking scenes in this book? This was also my first PA novel, and I definitely enjoyed it, enough to be add this author on my watch/must read list. So when this book comes out, grab a copy and read it, because it's an amazing story of how to face your demons by relying on yourself and not take shortcuts or rely on someone else to make the pain go away.

Early Book Review: Firstlife by Gena Showalter

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Everlife #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 23rd 201
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

ONE CHOICE.

TWO REALMS.

NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

*Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC of this copy from Netgalley and Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review.

Life after death is one of those topics that will always be of interest to people, for various reasons, whether it's scientific curiosity, fear of the unknown or personal beliefs. I've always been fascinated with how different people interpret and imagine it, which is what attracted me to requesting and reading Firstlife.

I was very fascinated with the mythology of this world, the idea that you can choose where to go in the Afterlife, either Troika or Myriad. Usually the story of the afterlife is pretty much the one we've grown up with, that if you do good in this life, you end up in Heaven, if you do bad things, you end up in Hell. So I really enjoyed that aspect of free will and the fact that no matter what you do, you can choose how life after death is going to be like.

Tenley, or Ten as friends call her, is in a really bad place at the beginning of this book. I admired her courage, her stubbornness, and her conviction. I personally would have folded and would have accepted anything just to make my life easier. I liked the fact that she was also very loyal to her friends and that she had that "no man left behind" code, when a lot of other people wouldn't have given a damn. I also enjoyed her fascination with numbers. I thought that made her a very unique character and made her stand out more.

The boys, Killian and Archer, make the entire story much wilder and interesting than I first imagined. I didn't get the feeling of a love triangle, which made me insanely happy. Instead, I got the impression that they were willing to put their differences aside and make the right choices for the things they believed in, even if it might have gone against their world. There's an interesting dynamic not only between the two guys and Ten, but also between the guys themselves. There's definitely a story worth exploring there and I'm sure that there's a lot of other stuff that wasn't mentioned in this book that I want to see mentioned in the next books.

Aside from being a fantasy, dystopian story about life after death, I feel like at the core of this book there's the theme of parent-child relationships. I felt like the asylum was a giant metaphor for dysfunctional, toxic relationships between a child or a teenager and whoever raises them and is their legal guardian, be they a biological parent or whatever. It was something that honestly surprised me a little bit, because I wasn't expecting that, but it was done beautifully and I am glad that this was one of the many themes in the book.

As far as pacing goes, I felt like it was well paced, not too fast, not too slow. The ending came out of nowhere and I was shocked that it ended the way it did. It was a massive cliffhanger in my opinion and I am curious to see when exactly will the story be picked up in the next book.

This was a fantastic read and I am very, very excited for book number 2 and the (hopefully) many more books to come.

Book Review: Shadows by Paula Weston

Author: Paula Weston
Series: The Rephaim #1
Publisher: Orion Children's
Release Date: January 3rd 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

It's almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And who is Gaby? The truth lies in the shadows of her nightmares.

*Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from Netgalley and Hachette Children's Group in exchange for an honest review.

Shadows was one of those books that everyone around me seemed to read and enjoy, so I will admit that I was a bit nervous when I decided to read this book. I am glad I did it though, because I ended up liking it a lot.

Gaby is one of those characters that is full of surprises. I felt very sad for her and for her twin brother. She is a loyal friend and I liked how she was willing to do anything to protect her best friend. What was interesting about her character is how the author managed to make Gaby seem different than the person that Rafa and his friends tell her she was in the past. It was almost like reading about two different characters and that was something that I enjoyed a lot.

Rafa is a difficult character to like. Actually, half the time I wanted to smack him, while the other half I wanted to hug him, because his side of the story was sad too. At times he was infuriating, other times he was a charmer. He is loyal though and I really do want to know more about him and his story.

The plot was pretty well paced, not too fast and not too slow. There were a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming, a few scenes that I did anticipate but that I enjoyed. There was a very powerful scene near the end, a scene that really made me question what is actually going on. It kind of made me question a lot of the things that Rafa knew and that were presented by different characters throughout the book. But I also loved that it showed that the Rephaim were a true family in the end, and that even though they might not agree with each other or even fight each other, they would stand united against enemies. I really loved that scene.

I liked how the book ended. It seemed fast and it came out of nowhere to be honest, but that just made me even more curious about the rest of the story. I will definitely read the rest of the series.

Book Review: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Author: Dawn Kurtagich
Series: N/A
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 15th 2015
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . .

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?

Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, THE DEAD HOUSE is one of those very special books that finds all the dark places in your imagination, and haunts you long after you've finished reading.

*Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.


I've been trying to figure out a way to adequately express how I feel about this book for a while now. It's really hard to make myself seem half-intelligent when all I can come up with is "OMG I LOVED IT!" But it's true, I did love this book.

This book stayed with me for a few days after I finished reading it. Not in a "book hangover" way, but in a "this made me think about stuff" way. I love when a book can be about a million different things, depending on how you choose to read it. Kind of like a "Choose your adventure" story, only it's entirely up to you how you interpret it.

On one side there's the mental health aspect, which I loved. I liked that there were scenes which showed that the main characters were in therapy, but also that they had seemingly normal lives. I also loved the idea that you kind of don't know who's "healthy" and who's not. I kept wondering if there would be a twist at the end where everyone, including the detective, where all patients, The Sixth Sense style, if you will. I know, I watch too many movies :P

Then there's the supernatural, horror element. I know not many people were scared by this book, but I was. I stay away from true horror books, so this is as close as I could get to being really freaked out by a book. And I don't scare easily either.

Kaitlyn and Carly. Man, I felt so sorry for them. The entire time I was reading their story I kept wondering what had happened to them to  make them live the drama that they were living in. It doesn't matter if you think it's supernatural, therefore they're twins or if it's mental health, and as such there's only one girl with multiple-personality disorder, the fact is that this is a drama. And it's heartbreaking. There are a lot of little details that could make your heart break a little bit for these two girls.

I can also say that this is one of the few books where I didn't trust any of the secondary characters. Anyone could be a villain, anyone could have ulterior motives for hanging out with Carly and with Kaitlyn. I actually loved that the author made me doubt everyone, because, like I said earlier, it made me think about stuff and it made me see the book from different perspectives.

I loved the format of this book. There's diary entries, transcripts of interrogations and detailed descriptions of video and audio recordings. I loved that. In a way, it reminded me of some Hidden Objects video games, which I love, so I really enjoyed the format of the story. On the other hand, I reaaally wanted to know who the storyteller was, who was reading the diaries, who was "seeing" those videos. I really would've enjoyed seeing a glimpse into who that person was.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this story and I am definitely going to read more books from this author!

Book Review: Into a Million Pieces by Angela V. Cook

Author: Angela V. Cook
Series: N/A
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing, LLC
Release Date: January 1st 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Allison McKready is a succubus. So is her twin sister. But while Allison spends her summer break hiding in the library behind her Goth makeup, Jade fools around as often as she can. Allison can’t believe Jade would ignore their mother’s fatal example so recklessly, but concealing a cursed bloodline and its dangerous effects is far from Allison’s only problem. Mean girl Julie’s snob mob is determined to ruin her summer, and Aunt Sarah’s Bible thumping is getting louder. Only her new friend, Ren Fisher, offers safe haven from the chaos of her life.

When one of Jade’s risky dates leads to humiliation and sudden tragedy, Allison reels, and Ren catches her. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her fear that she’ll hurt him—or worse—in an unguarded moment. The choice is coming—love him or save him—but Allison might not live to make it. One way or another, the curse will have its due.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley and Red Adept Publishing in exchange for an honest review


I've only encountered succubus in TV shows and let me tell you, unless that character's name is Bo (Lost Girl), usually these creatures are evil. This is the first time, however, that I've read about them and I loved the unique way in which they were described in this book.

First we have Allison. She's what you might call the good twin. She stays away from boys, tries really hard to ignore her nature and what she is and, for the most part, she manages quite well. I felt very bad for her while reading this book. She knows that her mom killed her father, she knows why her mother is dead, she also knows that there's a huge chance that she'll end up the same as her mom. Her twin sister, Jade, is the perfect example of what she's running away from and of what she's desperately trying not to become. Then she meets Ren and she understands what she might lose if she gives in to her urges.

Then there's Jade, who, like I said earlier, she's reckless and completely different from Allison. Jade is much more in control of herself though, than Allison is, no matter how dangerous the situation might get with the guys she meets. Her reckless behavior eventually catches up with her and she ends up in a bad situation and it's interesting to see how the sisters deal with this situation.

You also have Aunt Sarah, who's... let's just say she surprised the hell out of me in this book. She's the type of character that made me want to be able to shake her really hard. And then my mind was blown because I did not see that one coming AT ALL!

Taking the supernatural elements out of this book, there's a really powerful moment in the story that I loved and that I wanted to see being explored more in depth, especially since it's something that can happen but that doesn't get talked about a lot. I can't say more, because of spoilers, but let's just say that this particular situation is not something most people feel inclined to acknowledge.

The ending felt a bit too abrupt, so I'm hoping there's a second book in the works, because I want to see how the story moves on and if Allison finds what she's looking for and if she finds answers to all of her questions. I'll definitely planning on reading the second book if and when it comes out.

Book Review: 13 Days of Midnight by Leo Hunt

Author: Leo Hunt
Series:
Publisher: Orchard Books
Release Date: February 19th 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

When Luke Manchett's estranged father dies suddenly, he leaves his son a dark inheritance. Luke has been left in charge of his father's ghost collection: eight restless spirits. They want revenge for their long enslavement, and in the absence of the father, they're more than happy to take his son. It isn't fair, but you try and reason with the vengeful dead.

Halloween, the night when the ghosts reach the height of their power, is fast approaching. With the help of school witchlet Elza Moss, and his cowardly dog Ham, Luke has just thirteen days to uncover the closely guarded secrets of black magic, and send the unquiet spirits to their eternal rest. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Hachette Children's Books in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy taking a chance with new-to-me authors. Usually this forces me out of my comfy reader box, which I will admit is something that I need sometimes. This book presents a new take on necromancers and ghosts and I have to say, it was an interesting perspective. The fact that the story is told from a male character's POV was also a welcome change for me.

I really was intrigued by the idea that someone can "inherit" someone else's ghosts. This was the first thing that stood out when I read the blurb. One would hope they'd inherit money, estates or really pricey possessions from relatives, but ghosts? And not just any ghosts, but angry, creepy, scary as hell ghosts. I think Luke reacted like any other person would, which basically means to freak out at first.

Luke was an interesting character. I feel like he could have done things differently at the beginning of the story, mainly regarding his decision to hide certain things from his mom. I liked that he had the sense to be scared when he was. I did however wanted to shake him a few times, like I said before. But, all in all, it turned out great and I really did feel like he grew as a character by the end of the story.

 Elza was an interesting character. She was the voice of reason on some occasions. And I liked her willingness to help him, even though they weren't friends exactly. There is a romance element to their relationship, which I saw coming, to be fair.

This book was an interesting read, very fast paced and, like I said, new and fresh. I did hear that there's going to be a sequel and I hope that's not just a rumor and that it will be out soon. I want to see how Luke and Elza move on and how their relationship grows, but I also expect to see some new take on another supernatural element or creatures.

Early Book Review: Breakaway by Kat Spears

Author: Kat Spears
Series: N/A
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: September 15th 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source:Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

From Kat Spears, author of Sway, comes a new novel that asks the question: when a group of four best friends begin to drift apart, what will it take to bring them back together?

When Jason Marshall's younger sister passes away, he knows he can count on his three best friends and soccer teammates—Mario, Jordie, and Chick—to be there for him. With a grief-crippled mother and a father who's not in the picture, he needs them more than ever. But when Mario starts hanging out with a rough group of friends and Jordie finally lands the girl of his dreams, Jason is left to fend for himself while maintaining a strained relationship with troubled and quiet Chick. Then Jason meets Raine, a girl he thinks is out of his league but who sees him for everything he wants to be, and he finds himself pulled between building a healthy and stable relationship with a girl he might be falling in love with, grieving for his sister, and trying to hold onto the friendships he has always relied on.

A witty and emotionally moving tale of friendship, first love, and loss, Breakaway is Kat Spears at her finest.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review

I was browsing Netgalley a few weeks ago and I saw this book. I have to say I'm quite glad that I gave this book a chance.

I liked Jason. I was sorry for him for a lot of reasons. His little sister died, his mom was clearly depressed. He had his best friends, but then life happened. I liked how mature he was at times. I also liked that although it seemed that some of his friends forgot about him, he didn't forget about them and he was there for his buddies when they needed him.

Speaking of his friends... Mario was the one guy who I didn't see drifting apart from Jason. Jordie, yes. It made sense, because he always gave me the impression that he was very controlled in a way by what other people thought about him. Mario, however, got into a bad crowd and made bad decisions. Although it was sad, especially since you can actually see since the very start of the book that he and Jason were really good friends. The type of friendship that you find once in a lifetime if you're lucky. Chick broke my heart a lot. He just broke me. I was so sad for him, especially knowing that he was having some really serious problems. In all of this, I felt like he was the innocent one and also the one who suffered the most.

Raine is the type of girl one can easily misjudge. I was glad she wasn't the cliche rich, but shallow girl. She was a good influence on Jason. Unlike the girls that suddenly started paying attention to Jason just because his sister died, she gave me the idea that she wasn't with him because of that.

The story, in my opinion, is about friendship and how sometimes, even the best of friends can drift apart. How sometimes a word can make or break a person, how it's easy to be mean to others. There's no happy ending in this book. Actually, the book is open-ended. I was left with some questions, some worries. I'd like to think that in the end, although some things can't be changed, things get better and the characters find a way to be happy.