Books Reviewed in May 2013

 

 Inferno (Chronicles of Nick #4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

"I was minding my own business when that trash can went suicidal, came out of nowhere, and jumped in front of the car."

While this was still a good book, it didn't touch the books before it. There was no where near as much action in this book. And I was very disappointed with how things went between the two Malachai's.
The ending was very abrupt and very odd. I don't quite see it as a cliffhanger, because it was just really confusing--as it was intended, I'm sure.
 
It was still very funny. Nick still has his sarcastic charm that keeps me laughing. I was happy to learn more about Caleb. I love his character. I'm hoping we get to know a bit more about Simi as this series progresses.
 
One of my favourite things about these books is Nick's respect for his mother. I like that his mother plays a big part in these books. There is lots of wisdom coming out of that woman's mouth. I love her character, too.
 
I've been hooked since the very first book in this series. Although this book wasn't up to the standards of the three before it, it has still kept my interest and I am still eager to read the next

Read from April 30 to May 01, 2013

 Broken and Screwed (BS #1) by Tijan  [Spoiler Alert]

What a piece of shit Jesse was. He really didn't care too much for Ethan if he's treating his sister like shit.
 
This book was disgusting--in a good way. 
Alex was weak as shit. I found myself very disappointed with her and held no sympathy for her. She let everything happen to her without standing up for herself.
 
I loved Eric, and I'm glad things didn't work out between them. She didn't deserve him. And I agreed with everything he said to her. I'm also happy that everyone left her ass. She didn't deserve her friends either. She didn't do for them what they did for her. Sure, she was hurting. But everyone goes through shit in life.
 
I did like the fact that this book tackles what happens to people who choose negativity in life though. It's a refreshing perspective. I was thrilled that there wasn't a happily ever after, either. I will be reading the next one.

Read on May 02, 2013

 

 Breathe (Breathe #1) by Sarah Crossan

So, this book was not thought out very well. The plot had so many fucking holes, and Crossan didn't even attempt to fill them.

It was okay, I suppose, if you're looking at the bones to this book. You have a reason--even if it is the worst reason ever--for the end of the world. You have some crazed society ruling everyone. You have resistance to the crazed society. You have a boy and a girl who will play a major role in ruining everything so everything can be fixed. And you have an outcome that will work, if not for everyone, at least the major players in the book. Sounds decent? Sure. But the execution was just not there.

I took serious issue with the reason for the near extinction of the trees. We know we need trees to produce a large quantity of our oxygen supply. In fact, many countries have safeguards for forestry to avoid destroying all of the trees. So, us killing them off because we got too greedy would just not happen. There were many ways this could have been explained that would have been far superior, and even made a lick of sense. 

My other problem was the lack of animals. The earth just wouldn't survive without them. There is a a rhyme and reason to ecosystems. You take out something, or add another--no matter how inconsequential it may seem--and there will be a disaster to the living organisms which thrive there. What about the insects? Trees are not the only plants that produce oxygen either. And all this land waste killing the ocean? How do you think the rest of the earth would survive without it? I was not convinced with the world build-up that things would be the way they were. 

You were not informed how the Breathe dome even functioned. It was just there. You were given a very brief explanation for how people got there to begin with. But you didn't learn much about how things were run the way they were or why. You were just given the expected explanation that the people running the place just wanted power. They were greedy. They weren't even thinking that they were doing what was best for everyone. 

I just didn't buy any of the plot to this. I wasn't impressed with how Bea and Quinn got involved with this whole fiasco either. There was no buildup to their relationships. Even the relationship between Bea and Quinn was just thrown out there. You certainly knew that Bea had feelings, but Quinn was very uninterested. He even stated that looking at her ass would feel "weird".
 
The resistance was pretty lame. So they were tree huggers. Okay. They were outcasts from the Dome. Okay. You'd think they would be happy to have new recruits, and sure they wouldn't want people just coming in without proving themselves, but you never did get to see how the recruitment process worked. How did they prove themselves? How did they turn people to their cause? What was their cause? Regrow the trees? How were they planning to do this unnoticed by their terrible foes? Why were people okay with killing the trees? Just because you're rich and powerful doesn't make you heartless, ruthless, and evil. 

There were many, many elements missing to this story. I didn't learn enough to keep me interested. I didn't get attached to the characters at all. So, honestly, I couldn't care less where this story goes. I won't be reading further.

Read from May 01 to 02, 2013    

Nice Day to Die (I Am Alive Serial #1) by Cameron Jace

I told you I was going to surprise you. Yes, you did. And I was surprised.
This was an okay take on The Hunger Games style dystopia, I suppose.
The games used to kill the Monsters were clever enough. I just think the explanations for the state of the world could have been better. 

The use of X's and Z's was annoying, and the read was very juvenile. It was still a fun little read though. Jace has a good sense of humour. 

There was a very desperate need of character development. 

The plot itself was decent, weak, but decent. 

I like that the books are short, because it's a lazy read that I'm sure would become boring if it were any longer.
I'll read further for shits and giggles 

Read on May 05, 2013

A Need So Beautiful (A Need So Beautiful #1) by Suzanne Young

True Rating: 3.5 stars.

This was a very original plot. I liked it. 

There was no action in this book. And I honestly would have enjoyed some. It wasn't quite boring, but it wasn't exciting either.
 

It certainly wasn't a difficult read. The plot moved along smoothly. There wasn't much to anticipate, but it was touching at times--like her last Need. 

It was easy to feel lost with Charlotte. 

She wasn't a complicated character, which I felt kind of made this book fall flat. She was straight laced and she wasn't questioning everything the way I thought she should. The fact that she kept everything to herself instead of trying to build a support system or even seeking help from her friends made her hard to relate to. Most people would not keep things of this nature to themselves. They'd be frightened and hungry for answers. They'd seek comfort for someone to help them with their thoughts. They might not tell the world, but they'd tell someone they trusted. I didn't see Monroe as this person. 

She was quick to let things go and her actions to hide things were not how I'd imagine someone of her age doing.
 

The character development needed work. Charlotte was mundane considering the circumstances. I don't know much about who Harlin was, aside from a drop out with a ton of baggage. Sarah was a stuck up rich kid who didn't really show much love or concern for her best friend. I can't imagine someone who cared about their friend, expecting them to get the fuck up and come see them because they need someone to talk to, when their friend had just been hit by a car. No..that's not very friendly at all.
 

I will still look into the next one. I am curious as to where this story will lead. 

Read from May 03 to 05, 2013

Paper Dolls (Dark Carousel #2) by Anya Allyn

Not as good as the first one.

Again, Allyn didn't convey Americans as she should. I don't know of any Americans who call dresses "frocks". And I'm not sure about Australia, but I do know that in New Zealand the only people to use the word "frock" were my grandparents. I'm only 26. So, teens using that language is just extremely unlikely. I could see Jessamine using that type of wordage, but not the rest.

I had a problem with the plot in this book. It was certainly interesting and I do like the uniqueness of it, but it was very forced. Nothing in this book flowed naturally. Nothing fell into place. It was stuffed together to make things work. It was not conveyed in a way that was easy to follow. I'm still confused as to what Allyn was trying to depict here. All this time travel between worlds needed to be explained better. It needed to fit into the plot with smooth lines rather than the disjointedness that prevailed through the delivery. There were many things that didn't make sense or add up. Like the girls going in a helicopter to buy dresses for a function when their parents had made it clear they did not want to impose. They couldn't go back to the mainland in a boat, but they could go by helicopter to by dresses? Really?

The dialogue was awful. The relationships were not well written. This book was rushed and needed more time to make it really pop. It has so many elements to make it a great tale, but it lacks direction, development, and explanation. It was very boring. I skimmed a great deal of this book. I felt this book really took away from the first one. Rather than a continuance, you kind of get a second story with bits and pieces to connect it to the first one. I do like that you get Jessamine's story, but I feel that it would have been better off on its own. There are still so many questions from the first book that have yet to be answered. And now there are even more.

There needed to be some serious editing going on in here. There were a number of missing words, a lot of the time even in the same sentence. Suicided isn't a word.

There were a lot of plot holes, as well. How did Ethan even know about the other worlds? All he knew about was the inheritance, supposedly. I don't know. The whole multiple world planes really screwed this up. It's most certainly not a new idea, but I don't think it is being done right in here. I'm confused about it. The connections between characters and their goals are not clear. Their motivations are left out, on purpose to create revelations later, but in this case, it is hurting the book rather than helping it.

I will still read the last one. I may as well, since I've read this far. But I will have much lower expectations after having read this book. 

Read from May 05 to 06, 2013

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin

It was an interesting, if not predictable, plot. Not very exciting. It had some darker elements sprinkled throughout the read, but I didn't think they were used to their full potential.

A very easy read. I did feel that there was some much needed character development. Adelice was a flimsy character. I never really got a rebellious feel from her. She only went in directions that other people pushed her in. She never actually did anything herself. I wasn't even sure of how she really felt about the Guild and being a Creweler. 

What is the unhealthy obsession with brothers? It's gross. Extremely skanky. It was also one of the most obvious surprises in the book. It was spelled out for you from the get go, so why was the confirmation held back for so long? I'm not sure why that tid bit of information sent Maela over the edge, either.

The villains in this book were very subpar. I would just expect Adelice to rip their threads and be done with it. 

I didn't feel any emotion from this read. That was my biggest problem with this book. Even the sad stuff didn't rock me, at all. Adelice just felt very plastic. 

As creative as this book was, it was still very dull. There was no play on my emotions--though there were attempts, they just didn't work. There was no suspense. The love triangle was uneventful and unnecessary. It didn't add to the plot and it didn't add any excitement.
I was not hooked in. I won't be bothering to read any further. 

Read from May 06 to 07, 2013

Anew (The Archers of Avalon #1) by Chelsea Fine

True rating: 3.5 Stars.
Another brother love triangle? Really? That's sick. But at least it was a strange triangle. It just annoys me that all these stupid female protagonists have no problem destroying family ties. It's disgusting.

Although this book was cheesy and extremely immature, the plot was really good. The subplots could use a little work, but they weren't half bad either.

Gabriel
What a pussy. I like how he felt the need to date Scarlet instead of trying to find a way to save her. He felt that role should be left to his brother. What a man. He certainly was a pretty boy, and that's not attractive at all. But his worst fault would be his selfishness. He was blind to everything that was outside his wants, including Scarlet's well being.

Tristan
By far the better of the brothers. I also liked how he worked. He was my favourite character in the book and the only one of the lot that showed any maturity. As for being 500 years old, they all--with the exception of Scarlet--should have shown a lot more than they did. His selflessness was to be commended. I will say, though, that I was aware of who his "mark" was from the get go. That was not a surprise to me.

Scarlet
Doesn't trust her instincts. She's a weak character and does not stand up for herself well. She is hypocritical and shameless. I didn't like her. I did like how she showed appropriate emotion for her circumstances, though.

The Curse
I loved the multifaceted aspects to the curse. That was very original. I liked how it tied the triangle together, as well. I like when there is a definable reason for these types of atrocities, regardless of how awful it is. It really added to the story, when typically this type of arrangement kills a book for me. The curse, I would say, was my favourite element to this book.

The characterization was done very well. I liked that the characters stayed true to their development and it was easy to identify with them.

The Downside
There was an awful lot of redundancy throughout this read. It is often repeated that Laura and Heather were the only ones to give Scarlet a chance. They were the only ones to love her regardless of her "freakishness" for having amnesia. Not sure why anyone would think that a fault of theirs though. I was also not a fan of Scarlet wanting so desperately to be "normal". I feel that is not something that people should want to achieve. I think happiness overrides normality and, in my opinion, is much more difficult to obtain.
My other complaint: "She tucked her lips in"... Uh? Have you been reading Noel's works? "I pressed my lips together..." Repetitive phrases and actions are not cute. Especially something like that. Making ugly faces on a regular basis is more freaky than amnesia. Perhaps she should have been more concerned about her lip tucking. At least it wasn't as often as Noel's lip pressing...but it was still obnoxious.

Anywho...I am interested enough to read the next book.  

Read from May 09 to 10, 2013

Skylark (Skylark #1) by Megan Spooner  [Spoiler Alert]

True Rating: 3.5 Stars.
A very interesting plot despite the holes and missing information, or information that contradicted itself.

In the beginning of the story, Lark is trying to break into her school. She is sneaking in to see the list of names for the upcoming harvest. Her name's not on the list. She is caught trying to flee the school and destroys a pixie, so she is scared she will be punished for unlawful use of the Resource--magic. You never do find out why she was taken, even though her name was not on the list. Nor do you find out why they left her so long before doing this experiment. (She was a late bloomer--or so she'd thought.) The other children whose names were on the list, supposedly were not taken...What happened here? I was really looking forward to the answer.

Miss Lark was then experimented on--which I must say, I didn't see that coming--and apparently they chose to do this to her because it worked on her brother, Basil. She was used as a tool and was made to appear to be set free by Kris, a young man she was crushing on in the Institute. Where were her parents in all this? Supposedly, they only leave the nest once they've been harvested and given a purpose for the rest of their life. But Lark lived with her brother? Or, he just happened to be around a lot, which I was led to believe was unusual. What exactly was going on in this crazy magical world?

Then there was Lark, herself. She was a very empty character, in contrast to the very busy life she lead. She was terrified in the pipe she had become stuck in, trying to get into her school. But once she is outside the Wall, she doesn't act much like one would expect her to. At times she is frightened by the sky--but not as often as you'd think. And she only became frightened later, when it suited Spooner's plans. She didn't cower like you'd think she would, or take much time to gather herself. She just kind of pressed on. Until she is with Oren, then all of a sudden she's frightened of everything, as she should have been from the get go. She also knew more about the outside world than you were lead to believe she would. That annoyed me. It's one or the other, you can't just have her knowing shit when she knew shit all about it.

I loved Oren. But I was a little surprised by his vocabulary. I doubt, given his circumstances, that he'd be so articulate. Why would he have a reason to be? Another thing that annoyed me.

The pixie was another thing that should have been elaborated further. How was this thing able to go against its programming? As much as I liked the creature, it wasn't believable, even in this crazy world of magical shit. 

Despite all this, it was still a captivating read. It was still rather entertaining. And I will still read the next one .

Read from May 12 to 13, 2013

 

Anathema (Casual Enchantment #1) by K.A. Tucker 

Oh...yeah, this was disappointing.

So, the premise is not too bad. The beginning point and the ending point are pretty decent--it's how it got from one point to the other that was the problem.

I am sure that at some point in their life, most girls would love to be whisked off to be treated like a princess. Having money dropped on them, and being catered to by complete strangers...sounds good right? But not very conceivable. 

Well, this happens for miss Evangeline. And unlike what you'd expect from this weak representation of a female, she doesn't question it, nor does she oppose it, at all. For someone who wanted to work to pay off her ten thousand dollar debt, she didn't seem to be bothered to earn the money that was being showered on her from two new men, it was certainly rather conflicting. 

There were some interesting aspects to the plot; however, it was all overshadowed by the terrible, terrible character development and shitty world building. Tucker had an opportunity to do something with the new world we were introduced to; however, she decided it would be better to go the boring route and make it a complete carbon copy of ours. Instead of great imaginative beauty with new fauna and flora, there's more of the same. Even the fucking slang, let along language, is the same as ours. So, too, was the technology--well before they ended their world, anyway. 

I was incredibly disappointed by this laziness. I don't even know why Tucker bothered having Evangeline traipsing off to a new world. Perhaps an isolated island in the middle of the sea would have been better, because not only was this boring, but it was something I just don't see ever happening--even in fiction. It is so very unlikely.

The romance...oh, wow. There is nothing funnier than a Mary Sue man eater...I mean, really! What chance would mediocre, shell shocked, too stupid to live, gullible, naive Evangeline have with an incredibly sexy vampire who has an equally sexy girlfriend? Uh, none, that's what. 

There wasn't time for them to form a bond. There was no chemistry. So, Evangeline had a crush? Okay? How did it go from that to them being interested in each other? He's a vampire, who has been starved of human blood for 700 years! I doubt he would see beyond that--or any of them--in such a short amount of time, regardless of her having help from a magical necklace. They still know what she is. 

 The romance was already icky, cheesy, and unconvincing, but then Tucker decides to have Caden declare his love for her? Please.
 

I will admit, I sure did laugh my ass off a great deal reading this book. I'm not entirely sure that was always the point--but hey, Evangeline is a fucking dip shit. She doesn't learn, she has no self preservation, and no sense. It's a wonder the girl can breathe. It is sad to read about female characters being portrayed this way. I'm not sure how anyone can relate to them. I am sure we all have blundering moments-but come on! We are not all complete imbeciles. It's insulting.

Will I read the next one? Eh, I don't know. I'm not going to search for it, and I most certainly am not going to pay for it. But if I stumble across it? Maybe...and that's a very weak maybe.

Read from May 13 to 14, 2013

Conversion (Conversion #1) by S.C. Stevens  

This was the most boring book about vampires that I have ever read. Seriously. There was only action at the tail end of this book. The rest was spent reading like a fucking interior design magazine and landscape magazine that never ended! Emma was boring. Fuck, Teren was boring! It was slightly humourous at times, but that did not save it. I skimmed the majority of this read. Even the action was boring. That's just...something else altogether.

Emma was a waste of time to read about. She was nothing special. I liked the idea behind Teren's lineage, but he was nothing special either.

Sorry ladies, but for those of you who thought maybe you could get away with some sexy time--for all the sex these two have, this is a clean romance...so, no, there's not even any hot sex to keep you entertained.

I can't believe this is part of a series...what more is there to tell? Do you have more house tours planned? More intricate details about a fucking bush? I don't know how I finished this. But I certainly won't be picking up any of the others.

Read from May 14 to 15, 2013

Satan's Stone (Demon Kissed #4) by H.M. Ward 

Ugh, Ivy...such a stupid, stupid girl. "I had no choice." "It had to be done." "There was no other way." Really? Those are her favourite lines in this book. She does not take responsibility for her actions, her decisions, or her inability to listen.
She is a lousy person. Quite happy to go around kissing Eric, even though she is supposedly in a relationship with Collin. But, again, she had no choice there either, you know, because of the blood-lusting she has for Eric, right? She is so weak. I think it's funny how she is supposedly very powerful, because she does nothing to show it.

Again, this book is very predictable. You can see future revelations coming from a mile away. It's ridiculous. 

Eric is the only thing worth reading about. Reading from Ivy's point of view causes headaches. I wish she were a real person so I could bitch slap her a few thousand times. No person could possibly be so idiotic.

I read too far into this series not to see it through, but at least my expectations will be met. I know it's going to be garbage.

Read from May 16 to 17, 2013

Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles #1) by Kresley Cole 

True Rating: 4.5

"Hey, you've still got your endangered hymen. Which means you'll make it to closing credits. I'm s.o.l."

"Not to worry sugartits, I got this."

I loved this book. The prologue was very dark and creepy, and it set the stage for a lot of expectations for where this book would go.

The first five chapters were not what I was looking for. It was a bit slow going and it was completely opposite to what I was hoping to get. But once it got rolling, it was awesome. I couldn't put this book down. I loved that it was an apocalypse with the horsemen being replaced by the Major Arcana--Trump cards for the Tarot deck. I've not read anything like this before. And it did not disappoint. I had let this sit in my reader for a while because friends of mine who had read this didn't think too much of it. They were bitching about the lack of romance and the lack of true action. But I wasn't fazed by that. I liked the subtle route taken with the romance in this book. It's not often done quietly--and in this case it was, even though it was certainly vulgar; I liked that too. 

Normally, miss Evangeline is a character I wouldn't like. But I really loved her characterization. I liked that she had been a spoiled rich girl used to getting everything handed to her. I liked that she was naive and had no clue how to fend for herself. I liked that she was continually skeptical of how bad the world around her had plummeted while she had stayed locked up in her cellar. Her reactions and stupidity were completely believable for her development. 

I also loved Jackson. He was an ass, he was hilarious, he didn't sugarcoat anything. I had a lot of respect for him. I can't say he was a solid catch. I liked that he had his issues, like his need for whisky. It kept him real. It made him easy to dislike at times. I also liked how he and Evie fought like cats and dogs. I laughed my ass off.

I am eager to see the other Arcana and find out where this story is going. I love the setting of this tale. I definitely recommend it. But if you're looking for a bunch of lovie dovieness, this won't be for you.

Read from May 17 to 18, 2013

Bonded by Michelle D.Argyle 

Cinders --4.5 Stars.

This is the first time I have read about after the happily ever after for Cinderella. I loved it. It was dark and full of unforeseen consequences. 

There were a few issues, though. 

The language was all wrong for this tale. I felt having it modernized while still keeping the setting in another time and full of magical ambiance really detracted from the nostalgic feel to the tale. 

There was also a lack of explanation for the hows and whys. There was a brief touching of the subject, but it was kept pretty vague.

 It was still a great story. I really enjoyed it.

Thirds 5 Stars.

Loved this. So very depressing, but the end result was beautiful.

Full of emotion. 

Again, the language was a problem for me, as it didn't match the setting. But it was so captivating. I was completely engrossed. I could feel all of Issina's heartache. She was a beautiful character.

Scales 4.5 Stars

I loved how this one was put together. I liked how it included the lore from all three stories and brought understanding to things already mentioned, yet not completely explored. I think this story had a lot more depth than Cinders, but not quite as much as Thirds.

I loved how all three stories followed the same theme--dark and glorious. They shared the same elements and lore; I loved it

Read on May 20, 2013

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence #1) by Jessica Sorensen   

True Rating: 3.5 stars.

After seeing that this had amazing reviews, my expectations were very high. So, let's get this show on the road.

This was a lovely story, but doesn't hold a candle to Colleen Hoover. This story has a strong resemblance to Hopeless. I think that Callie had a very strong reaction to her rape that was a bit over the top for a one time thing. I get that everyone is different and their responses vary for what they can handle, but the way she acted, I would have thought she'd been frequently abused, and threatened.

I loved the list. That was a beautiful way to start therapy. And it was fun to witness.

Why was the fucking shock necessary? It was fine without it. That completely ruined it for me. I detracted a whole star because of it.

Dragging out the who and whats of Callie's secret didn't do anything for me. It was obvious from the get go, and it actually pissed me off.

There were also a few editing errors in here...

Otherwise though, it was still a good book. And I will read the next one. But it really lost a lot of its shine since I have read Hoover's books. Had I not, maybe I would have liked this more.

Read from May 21 to 22, 2013

 

Light (Gone #6) by Michael Grant 

"If you move, Caine, I will shoot your balls off"..."Toto?"
"He will."..."Although he's not sure it will be just your balls."

"They'll be afraid of us, brother, not because we can shoot light out of our hands or throw people through walls, but because we'll be the living proof that they're nothing special just because they're old. They'll fear us and they'll hate us. Most of them, anyway. And they'll try to use us, make money off us,"...You don't know much about human nature do you?"

"What happens when we do know?"
"I suppose we'll behave like a bunch of holier-than-thou hypocrites. Because the alternative is to look in the mirror and know that we are capable of dark and terrible things."
I have always had such admiration for Sam. He is a very well fleshed out character that has to jump through a lot of hoops afire with judgement. Always questioning the morality and consequences to his actions or lack of action, while still showing his adolescence with every move he makes. He did a lot of growing up from Gone and I liked the end result of his characterization. 

I was very impressed with how Grant emphasized the gray area with all of his characters, but particularly with Sam and Caine.
 

The darkness and futility of this story was very well portrayed. I loved every chapter of it. It was a fine ending to a fantastic series.

I loved all the villains! Drake was a creepy bastard. I loved that he didn't have a reason for his nastiness, he was just horrible, without remorse. He was easy to hate. I was especially glad that he didn't decide to be one of the characters searching for redemption. I think that would have ruined him. He was crazy, he knew it and he wasn't about to apologize for it.

My favourite part of this series would be how everyone kind of played musical chairs with their terrible deeds. It was fun to watch them go back and forth with who was going to be the good guy and who was going to be the bad guy. How they thought, and the reasons behind their actions. I think it was an adequate display of human nature at its best and worst. 

Anywho, it was a great series. This book did not disappoint. I am sad to see it end, but I am glad that it went out in a blaze of glory. 

Read on May 23, 2013

 Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath #1) by Anne Greenwood Brown 

True Rating: 2.5 stars.

Eh...this one had mixed reviews. I wasn't sure how well this was going to go down with me because I am not really into the whole mermaid/merman thing.

It wasn't terrible. Very basic writing; very basic plot. It was slow going and there wasn't very much excitement. I was looking for murderous mermaids, and well, there wasn't very much killing going on. The twists weren't too bad, some of them were more obvious than others. Though, there were a few that were concealed decently.

I liked that the romance between Lily and Calder actually had some build up. It didn't just happen.

I didn't mind Lily's indifference to Calder, but I felt she was unnecessarily cold towards him--a lot. She was also a little too perceptive for my liking. It made it so the plot could progress, but it was unfounded. I didn't buy it. So in a lot of cases, the book didn't flow naturally. It most definitely felt forced.

Calder was a weak character, ultimately. His development was conflicted. And I suppose it was done on purpose because of what he was, but he didn't really feel male to me, nor did he feel dangerous, and he didn't really feel his supposed age, either. I would have liked to know why he was refraining from killing people to absorb their emotions. That wasn't adequately explained. It was just thrown out there as a reason for him not going on murderous binges. I guess it was supposed to make it easier for you to root for him. But it annoyed me. He should have been engaging in what he was taught to do; what he felt was normal and maybe even expected of him. And since he wasn't, there should have been a better explanation for why he wasn't.

Anyhow, I skimmed an awful lot of this due to the tediousness and lack of action or any kind of excitement. I don't know if I will bother with the series. The ending didn't exactly leave me with anticipation for a sequel. It really could have been a stand alone.

Read from May 22 to 23, 2013

Hushed by Kelley York 

"Everything you do, everything you think and say somehow ties back to Vivian. Her wants, her needs. You go where she wants you to go, do the things she wants to do. God, even your apartment isn't yours. It's hers. What you two have isn't a relationship. You're leeches. You feed off of her praise and attention, and she"--"she sucks all the humanity and life out of you. Take Vivian away, and what's left?"
"I don't know."
"Bones."..."Just bones, Archer. Vivian's the skin and muscle and everything else of what makes you you."

This was just right up my alley. Dark, disturbing; cold, yet full of life, depressing and inspiring. There was so much to roll around in and experience. 

All of the emotions in this book felt genuine. The awkwardness between Archer and Evan--their romance was adorable. The obsession misinterpreted as love and misguided loyalty and protection. The need to stabilize life that will forever be unstable. The desperation to be enough when every step taken will ultimately falter and be anything but. The jealousy and possessiveness that turns into frantic grappling for support to keep everything from shattering. It can all be felt within this story from more than just Archer.

I loved the direction this book went. I didn't see Vivian coming. Most of the time girls like her are always the victim in books. They are never put under the microscope so you can see the true snake writhing within their veins. I enjoyed watching her unravel while Archer started to bloom. 

It was hard not to fall in love with Archer. He was obsessed with Vivian, vying for her attention just for her to throw him away after rounding each corner. He got so sucked in to his need to punish and protect; to free Vivian, he lost himself in the process. It was easy to feel sorry for him and hope that he got away with his misguided sense of justice. 

It was also hard not to feel a bit of sympathy for Vivian, all the while hating her for the shit she put on Archer. The way she used him and how it was so easy for her to turn against him. But the way she acted is definitely a side effect of being dealt a hand of cards you don't know how to deal with. 

I loved Evan. He was patient but sure of what he wanted. I did find it strange for him to be so willing to go along with everything. I wasn't sure what drew him to Archer in the first place, and I think that could have been a little more apparent. But he was a nice addition to the vicious cycle of jealousy and pain.

I loved this book. I loved the ending. I was very satisfied with it, especially because I had become very attached to Archer, and I had prepared myself to have my heart broken.

Read on May 24, 2013

The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2) by Patrick Ness 

Dogs don't got the problems of people. Dogs can be happy any old time.

"If you ever see a war,"..."you'll learn that war only destroys. No one escapes from a war. No one. Not even the survivors. You accept things that would appall you at any other time because life has temporarily lost all meaning."

The Mayor's wrong--
He's wrong forever and ever--
It's not that you should never love something so much it can control you. It's that you need to love something that much so you can never be controlled.
It's not a weakness--
It's your best strength--

Ness is a fantastic story teller. There is so much manipulation in this book, you get turned around and upside down, and then spun around, all over again. By the time you think you've stopped spinning--you're spinning again. The villains in this book are amazing. The depth to all of the characters; I'm attached to every single one of them. I want to know where this is going. The only problem I have with this book is the butchering of the English language, but because I knew to expect it, it wasn't so bad.
I will gladly read the next book in this series. And I recommend it to everyone, adults and teens alike.

Read from May 24 to 25, 2013 

Beg for Mercy (Cambion #1) by Shannon Dermott 

Someone needs to give me props for finishing this book. I don't understand how it got raving reviews. I really don't.
It took only two chapters for Dermott to hit almost every one of my pet peeves.
"Normally I wouldn't call a guy beautiful..." I was already pissed off about the calling a guy beautiful; however, this line is almost always what follows that terrible cliche. I almost stopped reading right then and there.
Then there's the whole "I look a lot like my mother but she's beautiful and I am not." For fucks sake.
There was also a handful of information dumps that weren't done with any bit of creativity from Dermott. It's lazy. It's boring. It does not create a natural flow; no, instead it makes everything feel plastic.

There is not a love triangle. There is a fucking love star. It was ridiculous. I understand that she is a succubus, but supposedly, this had nothing to do with her nature. There wasn't even any reason for these boys to be interested in her. 

Mercy has no back bone. None with her friends. None with her mother. None with the males in her life. She is a complete Mary Sue. What a waste of character.

I have a big beef with redundancy. And this book was full of it.
I also have a big beef with never ending nonsense that has nothing to do with anything. That was all this book was.
There was no originality in this what so ever.

The plot was horrible and so very transparent. It didn't get good until the last two chapters. And that wasn't enough to save it. The whole book is nothing more than Mercy's petty whining about everything in life, and everything good in the lives of everyone around her. 

 

Her mother doesn't tell her anything about what she is. How likely is that? It's not. With her being dangerous to the population at large--especially with how many people she goes around kissing--it would be highly irresponsible of her mother to just let her get herself in such a lethal situation. Not to mention the publicity that would come of it. Since everyone seems to be unaware of the supernatural, I doubt her mother would leave her in obscurity about what harm she could bring. Furthermore, Mercy doesn't bother to ever take her mother to task about anything. She makes half-hearted attempts to bring issues to the forefront, but doesn't follow anything up. She lets her mother evade her questions and doesn't press for answers. It's unbelievable. 

What was the purpose of her mother not letting her know she was seeing someone? And why wasn't his name brought up before the dinner where Mercy would meet him? Not to mention his son's name? This wouldn't happen either. She wasn't even curious? 

And for all the danger Mercy was supposed to be in, her mother sure wasn't too concerned about it. They left her alone plenty of times. She was fine to have children watch her. All of this was just a load of bullshit.

Now, let's bring up these awesome SAT words. I thought it was cute, oh so very cute, that Dermott wanted to incorporate big words. But it really would help if she knew how to use them. Most of them were used incorrectly, or at the very least, awkwardly. It didn't make Mercy seem smart; no, it made her seem desperate to prove she was worth something. But she sounded like an imbecile who thought herself higher than anyone else. 

The other problem was that Dermott really needed to work on the smaller words, like, too, to, and two; were and wear, among others. She didn't even have her tenses right half the time. So all the SAT wording just made Dermott look ridiculous. Once you master the little words--which by the way are more important--then you can move on to the big ones. ;) 

You might want to work on your then and than's too. 

There were also a lot of missing words. A lot of sentences that didn't actually make sense. And well, the writing as a whole was awful.

I don't know why this was nothing but petty drama. There could have been some awesome showdowns or something worth reading. But no. It was nothing more than a whore fest in which the whore couldn't actually do anything whorish in case she killed everyone. 

Will I bother reading further? No. If you can't get your to, two, and too's right, you have no business writing in the first place.

 

Read on May 26, 2013

Point of Retreat (Slammed #2) by Colleen Hoover 

I didn't like this one as much as Slammed. 

It started off very slow. And really, I think it wasn't necessary to really continue this story. There wasn't much in this one that added to Slammed. It was still a cute read, but it didn't really do a lot for me.

Lake was an immature bitch. She was very hypocritical and this book ruined my view of her. The way she was acting actually suggested that she didn't love Will for the right reasons. And she wasn't comfortable in their relationship. 

A guy shouldn't have to fight for you. You should be fighting for each other. If only one person in the relationship is doing the fighting, then it is lopsided and the person doing their best to sabotage everything isn't worth your time or your heart. There will be ups and downs in every relationship. But if you choose to run and expect the other to chase you, it's clear you don't really have that much invested in the relationship as you claim.

This seemed to be a women's right advocacy. Women are not the only ones affected by a pregnancy. Men should have just as much say about becoming a parent as women do. You can't blame the man for you getting pregnant. It takes two to tango, that includes you. In fact, because women are the ones to deal with pregnancy, they should take more caution to prevent it. But, hey, you want equal rights? Start there.
Equal means equal--not that one has more rights than the other. So, sorry ladies, but if you get the right to choose to become a parent, then so should men. Because that's equal. You can't pick and choose what equalities you want. It's all or nothing. 

I did love the vase with the stars. It was a problem that everything that came out of the jar, for the most part, was somehow tied to the situation. That made it a bit cheesy. 

I still love Hoover's writing style. I just think I wouldn't have missed this book had I not read it

Read on May 27, 2013

Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn #1) by J.A. London 

A massive information dump is not a pleasant way to start a book. But that is how this book started. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed. 

 

The plot was incredibly transparent. I don't know why I wasted my time reading this. Everything that I thought would happen happened. Everything. It was obvious who all of the mystery characters were. I would have appreciated at least an attempt to make it questionable.

There is never a need for redundancy in writing. It's annoying. Talking in circles, trying to draw out scenarios, doesn't do your book any favours. It's lazy. And torture. When writing a book, I really hope your goal is not to torture your readers. London needs to work on this.

I skimmed every long winded description in this book. There was nothing they had to offer. And the whole victorian era bullshit detracted from the story because it ultimately served no purpose. It didn't fit. It was only used once, really. It was unnecessary fluff that turned me off completely. 

Dawn was awful. She was nothing. She wasn't strong. She wasn't even weak. She may as well have been dust floating in the wind. Why was I reading about her? She wasn't a heroine. She didn't do anything worthwhile. Supposedly, she is special, but we weren't given any true indication of it. Victor claimed she saw passion in everything. When did he get this idea? I didn't see any of it. I didn't see any reason for him to be interested in her. None. What. So. Ever. All I saw was a terrified little girl being forced to play dress up in her dead parents' shoes.

The writing style was bland, to say the least. I read it in a monotone. Most of this story was inconsequential drama. It served nothing. I wasn't even entertained. I honestly have no clue as to what anyone saw in this. It's all been done before. And it most certainly has been done better. I won't be reading further into this series. And I certainly do not recommend it.

 

Read from May 27 to 28, 2013

The Unwanted by John Saul 

I don't know how I really feel about this. On the one hand, it was absolutely ridiculous. And on the other, it kept me reading.

I was surprised by some of the turn of events. It was definitely dark, but I wouldn't consider it scary. In fact, I found myself laughing at most of it. I don't know if that is bad or not.

The structure was odd. I really don't care for multiple points of view, but this book handled it well. The biggest issue I took with the story was the long winded rambling sessions that took up a good part of this story. I wound up skimming a lot of it.

I loved Eric. He was a very well fleshed out character. His manipulations were thought out and executed perfectly.
I felt sorry for Cassie. She was dealt a raw deal. Even her step mother wouldn't give her a chance. I think I disliked Rosemary the most in this book. She put on a false front. At least with Ed, you knew he was a douche bag. But Rosemary was obviously jealous. She felt threatened by Cassie--but not in the way she tries to convince herself and Keith. She was threatened by the fact that she wasn't her daughter, she wasn't part of her perfect family, and Cassie wasn't welcome in her home. I noticed a lot of people didn't like the end. I liked it just fine. 

Very reminiscent of Carrie, yet certainly unique, as well. Again, a little ridiculous, but it was still a fun read. So, three stars.

Read from May 28 to 29, 2013

Ever Fire (A Dark Faerie Tale #2) by Alexia Purdy [Spoiler Alert]

Ah, well...after much consideration and a round of arguments with myself, I decided I would give Purdy another shot. I thought, well, maybe--just maybe--her writing might have improved a bit since the first book. No such luck.

Miss Shade is supposed to be of college age now, but you wouldn't know it. She acts like a petulant child, throwing tantrums like a nine year old, crying all the time, and never once considering anyone but herself. She has herself a slew of admirers. She has feelings for two--of course you have to have a ridiculous love triangle, otherwise a story is not complete. She knows both have feelings for her in return, but she just can't make up her mind. It's so tough, you know, being hounded by a bunch of beautiful men. 

She decides she wants Dylan to accompany her to her training and proceeds to bitch about his jealousies--which she was aware of prior to insisting he go with her--and winds up getting pissed at both guys, and can't stand to be around them any longer. Why did she insist Dylan go, then? Why would she torment him like that? Knowing he was feeling useless being there, not to mention rubbing his nose in the fact that she was spending a lot of up close and personal time with the other guy who has the hots for her. 

Throughout the book, she expects everyone to drop what they're doing to jump at her beck and call. When she didn't get her way, she would stomp her foot and make a scene. She gets caught making out with Soap, right after he pours his heart out to her, and then tells Dylan "It's not what it looks like." It was what it looked like. I found that to be highly disrespectful to both Dylan and Soap. 

When Dylan leaves to answer his Queen, Shade bitches nonstop and feels sorry for herself rather than understand the commitment he has to someone else--someone he has served long before she became a part of any picture. She seemed to forget he was only with her because he spared his brother's life. 

I approved of her torture. Hopefully she will learn something from it.

The time framing was very awkward. What was portrayed as a day passing, was actually supposed to be weeks. That left me rereading sections to see where the time went. I don't know where it went. I'm guessing Shade stepped through a few black holes along the way.

There was some steady character development for Shade this time. She's selfish, inconsiderate, immature, weak and stupid. Hardly a heroine. 

As for Dylan and Soap--they don't feel male. They don't act like any male I've ever encountered. Is that because they're fey and beautiful? Does that make creatures who are supposed to be eons old act like preteen imbeciles? Not one single character in this book represented their supposed age. Not even the grandmother.

The dialogue was as poor as the first book. Purdy really needs to work on making conversations feel natural. She needs to work on making her plot flow seamlessly with her information dumps and dialogue. She needs to work on making her point of views transition without clashing and disrupting the story. She really needs to work on her character development, so that what she writes portrays the gender and overall demeanor the way she intends them to be seen. 

The attempts to draw emotion from the reader failed monumentally. Everything felt plastic. There wasn't enough buildup to anything that happened that was supposed to work your emotions and bring you further into the read. Lana was a great example of this. The reader was not given enough time to accept this new character and form an attachment. Not to mention the first thing you get from her is that she doesn't have a grandchild. Then she moves on to contradict herself a few breaths later, telling Shade she had been searching for her. So, when she starts spouting off her love for Shade and everything, after what was supposed to be weeks, yet felt like a day, and then perishes, I felt nothing. Shade's reaction was actually distasteful to me. I didn't pity her in the sense that she had just lost someone she loved, I pitied her that she was such a fucking weak piece of shit.

The ending was terrible. There were still too many things left open, and to leave it hanging on a question that answered a great deal of this book, really pissed me off. 

Anyway, I gave this two stars because the ideas behind the story aren't terrible. Purdy has potential, she just also has a lot of work ahead of her before her books are really worth the time it takes to read them.

Read on May 31, 2013

Touched by Cyn Balog  [Spoiler Alert] 

This was not the most original concept by any means, but it did have some unique qualities. 

But it wasn't really explained in a way that really encompassed how the future seeing really worked. I found it hard to believe that, with the way it was conveyed, Nick would have been truly able to function. At all. 

There were a few inconsistencies as well. Nick had pain from his brain cycling only when it seemed necessary to Balog. And I thought it was odd that his mother had cycling going on, but he didn't, when things she was seeing were things he should have been seeing too. From what I gathered, the only time Taryn affected his ability was when they were in physical contact, otherwise she merely toned it down while in his presence. 

The "Green Elephant" business reminded me of the "Banana-ing" from The Butterfly Clues. 

The writing wasn't very good, to be frank. Nick didn't come across very masculine, at all. He whined--a lot.
Supposedly, $1000.00 was enough to get you some serious bad ass powers. That was the most unlikely thing in the story to me. I laughed at that. His mother's life savings, at what? 18? By her description, I doubt she had any savings at all. 

A lot of the back stories and explanations for things did not add up. I wasn't impressed with the reason for Taryn's family curse, either. That was ridiculous. 

Some people may have been okay with the end. I was happy with the way things were going before the end. After everything did its whole time warp, I was just pissed. I'm not sure why there was a need to keep Taryn in Nick's life. I don't know why she needed to be brought back to life, actually. And why was Nick the only one to remember? His mother should have too. She had the same ability as him. That really ruined the story for me.

There was also a lot of nonsense to skip. So much shit that was written that really didn't belong in the story. I'm surprised I finished it. I don't know that I'll bother picking up anything else written by Balog. This wasn't a good first impression.

Read from May 30 to 31, 2013