ARC Review: Ink by Amanda Sun

Ink by Amanda Sun
Published: June 25, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 377
Series: Paper Gods #1
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

My Review: I think it's important to note that I don't read manga or watch anime. I'm pretty sure the only anime I've watched is Sailor Moon and I'm almost positive that I haven't read a manga book. So I have almost no experience with Japanese stuff. I was pretty excited about this book when I first heard of it because it sounded pretty awesome but I had no idea what to expect. I had some problems with it but overall it was a pretty enjoyable read.

The part of this book that I liked the most was probably the setting and the mythology that was mixed in. I haven't read anything like Ink so the book take place in Japan was interesting and new to me. It was obvious that the author did her research and the way she used Japanese in the story was very easy to understand. The strongest part of the book was definitely the world building. I felt like I was actually in Japan. The book had the potential to be something amazing but it fell flat with the characters and the romance.

I did not like the main character at all. Katie just moved to Japan and she had two friends. She's a social outcast and the first thing that happens in the book is her spying on Tomo breaking up with his girlfriend. She thinks he's a jerk because he's horrible to his girlfriend while he's breaking up with her but I'll get to that later. Katie happened to see one of Tomo's drawings move that day and after that she became obsessed with him. She turned into a stalker. Of course she didn't listen to her friends about staying away from Tomo. No that would be seeing reason and Katie is not reasonable at all. Somehow Katie goes from stalking Tomo to being his friend and then all of a sudden she's in love with him. Classic case of insta love.

The romance in this book was my least favorite part. Katie and Tomo fall in love way too quickly so I still have no idea how Katie went from stalking Tomo and thinking he is a jerk to being in love with him. The first time Katie sees Tomo he's telling his girlfriend that he got another girl pregnant. You would think that Katie would get the message that Tomo is bad news but of course she doesn't. Once Katie and Tomo become friends and are kind of dating Tomo continues to try to push Katie away because he's dangerous and she could get killed. Later in the book Tomo pretends to try to rape Katie and after she runs away from him, she thinks that she was a moron because she believes that Tomo was just trying to make her angry at him so that she would stay away from him. In her mind that meant that Tomo was trying to save her. I'm sorry but even though he was trying to save her, that doesn't excuse his behavior. Katie barely knows Tomo she says that she can't live without him. Maybe this would not have been so bad if there was time for their relationship to actually grow and develop.

Without the art in the book I would have probably given this book 2.5 stars but the art was just so beautiful that it deserved at least half of a star. The concept of the Kami being tied to ink and how Tomo's drawings can come to life was very interesting and even though this book has flaws, it wasn't terrible.

Waiting on Wednesday #41

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly Meme. It's hosted on Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick:

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Release date: September 10th 2013

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

Words for the Week #16

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

New Releases: May 26- June 1

This week's new releases:

 Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Impostor by Susanne Winnacker

The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

Of Triton by Anna Banks

Goddess by Josephine Angelini

ARC Review: Doll Bones by Holly Black

Doll Bones by Holly Black
Published: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 256
Source: Won
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends forever. And for almost as long, they’ve been playing one continuous, ever-changing game of pirates and thieves, mermaids and warriors. Ruling over all is the Great Queen, a bone-china doll cursing those who displease her.

But they are in middle school now. Zach’s father pushes him to give up make-believe, and Zach quits the game. Their friendship might be over, until Poppy declares she’s been having dreams about the Queen—and the ghost of a girl who will not rest until the bone-china doll is buried in her empty grave.

Zach and Alice and Poppy set off on one last adventure to lay the Queen’s ghost to rest. But nothing goes according to plan, and as their adventure turns into an epic journey, creepy things begin to happen. Is the doll just a doll or something more sinister? And if there really is a ghost, will it let them go now that it has them in its clutches?

My Review:  I'm a huge fan of Holly Black's Curse Worker series so when I heard about this book I just had to read it even though I don't typically read middle grade books.

This book was unbelievably easy to get lost in and it was very easy to connect to Zach. Anyone that remembers the time when they still liked playing with their childhood toys but knew that they should be too old for them would be able to connect to him. Holly Black really nailed his voice. The fear of growing up and loosing what he valued most was captured perfectly. It brought back memories of when I was told that I was too old for my toys and when I used to play pretend with my friends.

Out of the three main characters Zach was the easiest to connect to and definitely my favorite. My only problem with him was when he didn't tell Alice and Poppy about what his father did. I didn't understand why he thought they would be mad. It wasn't his fault so they had no reason to be mad at him. I liked Alice and I somewhat tolerated Poppy but in the beginning it was really difficult to tell them apart. As the story progressed it got easier but occasionally I would mix them up.

The quest to bring the doll to her empty grave was what really made this book enjoyable. From Zach's POV it looks like Poppy is convinced that the ghost is real and the book makes you want to believe the ghost is real too but there was this nagging thought in my mind that the ghost wasn't real. Almost every time something happened with the doll Poppy was the last one to see it or Zach was asleep. There's evidence for both opinions and I just loved that. It left it up to the reader's imagination and normally I don't like that but it worked for this book.

I wasn't expecting this book to be very creepy since it is a middle grade book, but some parts of this book actually gave me chills. I don't know how a doll made out of a dead girl isn't at least a little scary. The doll was just so wonderfully creepy and I'm so glad I wasn't disappointed by it. It was almost like a mystery because the kids don't know much about the ghost girl and while on the adventure they discovered more about her.

Not only was this book creepy but it was also pretty cute. It was cute how Zach didn't know about Alice's secret (even though it was pretty obvious). It was cute how Poppy, Zach, and Alice still played together even though they are all around twelve years old. I'm not sure how cute and creepy go together but in this book it just did.

I'll read basically anything Holly Black writes now even if it is another middle grade book. I just love her writing and I love how she's able to create a convincing male main character.

*I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday #40

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly Meme. It's hosted on Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick:

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
Release date: August 29th 2013

Free from bonds, but not each other 

It’s time to choose sides… On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.

But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be? 

Words for the Week #15

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer

New Releases: May 19-25

This week's new releases:

 

September Girls by Bennett Madison

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

 

The Runaway Queen by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson

Absent by Katie Williams

 

 Night School by C.J. Daugherty

Review: Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
Published:  July 10, 2012
Publisher: MTV Books
Pages: 325
Source: Bought
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

My Review: Flying is something that's always been something close to my heart. There's really nothing like flying a plane and being able to look at the ground below you.

It was very easy for me to connect with Leah but it might be more difficult for people that don't share a love for flying and have strict views on how relationships should work but it's still very possible because Leah is such a strong and brave character. She came from a background that immediately put her at a disadvantage due to her money issues and the fact that people constantly judged her. I don't think most people would have the will and the courage to change their future if they started out like Leah. I'm sure many of them want to but there's a difference between wanting and doing.

I was pleastnly surprised by how accurate the descriptions of how small airports work and how small airplanes work. The author definitely did her research because I don't think she missed anything. That being said, I'm not an expert on planes, I've just flown in the same little Piper Cherokee for as long as I can remember.

One of my problems with this book was Grayson. That guy was an asshole. He basically blackmails Leah into dating his brother and insults her every chance he gets. His brother and his father recently died but I don't think that's an excuse to treat someone like that. He even manipulates his brother. I honestly don't understand why Leah had a crush on him after he kept insulting her and basically calling her a whore. He does get nicer by the end but I'm still not a fan.

Honestly the only likeable characters in this book were Leah and Mr. Hall. I just wanted to punch all the other characters in the face. Especially Molly and the rich kids. The rich kids were just so awful to Leah because they thought that she was a slut and that she was trash because of the way she acted and she lived in a trailer. And Alec (Grayson's twin brother that Leah was blackmailed into dating) was so plain and boring. There was no excitement about him and I barely felt bad that Grayson was manipulating him because I barely felt anything for him.

Since I wasn't a huge fan of Grayson I didn't like the romance part of the book as much as I normally would have. I went into this book knowing that there was sex and that Leah first had sex when she was fourteen so it didn't come as a surprise and it didn't really bother me because expecting every single teenager to wait until they are older or even married to have sex is just so unrealistic to me. I'm still in high school and I know for a fact that some people in my grade are no longer virgins. If someone believes that people should wait until after they are married then this book is definitely not for them. I also wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 13.

Even though I didn't like some parts of the book I still really enjoyed it. It took awhile to get into but once the story really started I could barely put the book down.

Words for the Week #14

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

New Releases: May 12-18

This week's new releases:

 

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green

The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

Parallel by Lauren Miller

Golden by Jess Kirby

Towering by Alex Flinn

Stacking The Shelves #33

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and here you can find all the books I've recently received that I'm stacking my shelves with!

Won:

The Mackenzie Legacy by Derrolyn Anderson

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Bought:

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

I'm so excited to read all of these books. Especially Just One Day and Doll Bones. I loved both of those authors other books so I'm hoping that I like these books just as much!

Review: Eve & Adam by Michael Grant & Katherine Applegate

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant & Katherine Applegate
Published: October 2, 2012 
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 291
Source: Bought
My Rating: 2 of 5 stars

And girl created boy…

In the beginning, there was an apple—

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

My Review: This book was strange. I'm not entirely sure what I just read but I know it involved evil scientists. That summary is very misleading. I expected more of Eve building Adam and less of Aislin drama. There's also no mention of Solo in the summary so when part of the book was from his point of view I was confused.

The concept of Eve creating Adam was interesting but Adam had such a small role in this book that it turned out to be very boring. Eve spends more than half the book creating him. In the whole scheme of things he really wasn't important at all. I actually don't mind that he wasn't real for most of the book because once he became real I couldn't stand him. His thoughts were just so strange and he's too perfect. Adam is supposed to be drop dead gorgeous but he's only described as having blue eyes, dark hair, muscles. A character has too be more than just attractive for me to like him.Unfortunately Adam doesn't have much of a personality.

I wasn't a fan of Eve either. The book starts out with a car accident and Eve looses a leg. She's taken to a hospital and then she's taken to her mother's research facility. The doctors won't let her see underneath the bandages and she doesn't even question anything. Eve doesn't even seem that upset. She lost a freaking leg and she barely cares. What kind of person doesn't care that they lost a leg? 

Then there's Solo. I immediately disliked him when he thinks about how hot Eve is while she's screaming in pain because she just lost a leg. What kind of person does that? How is screaming in pain because she just lost a leg attractive? 

It's very obvious that Terra Spiker is supposed to be evil. According to Solo she's evil incarnate. I just found it kind of funny that she actually agrees that she's evil. It's like she's okay with having some teenager that she basically raised say that she's evil.

"I didn't know all that. I didn't know what they did, who they were. I thought...well, I thought you were just a ruthless, amoral, manipulative, cold bitch."
Mom nods. "Yes. All that's true."

There's really no evidence that Terra is actually evil except for the fact that she is constantly calling Eve's best friend a drunken slut. I didn't care about Aislin but it really bothered me how practically everyone called her a drunken slut. Including Adam. But a few pages later I think Adam and Aislin are together but I'm not really sure. It all happened so quickly.

The entire book felt like it happened way too fast. A few days passed very quickly but it didn't feel like it. Solo ends up trusting Eve after a few days and after talking to her only a handful of times. He questions something that he's been working on for a very long time because of her even though he just met her.

There's also this really creepy part when forty year old scientists are talking about how they would do Eve.

"She's not my girlfriend," I say. Which is a stupid and dorky thing to insist on.
"You haven't tapped that little piece yet? She's no great beauty, but she's cute enough, and she's got a nice little body."
"I'd do her," Dr. Chen says.

That's actually disgusting and very disturbing. I get that these are evil scientists but did they really have to go there? Couldn't they have just talked about their evil plants instead. Add this to the fact that they are telling Solo this and he doesn't comment on it.

I don't understand why Eve got to create Adam. Just because Terra thought she was bored? It just didn't make much sense to me. Actually this entire book didn't make much sense. Thankfully it was a very quick read.

Guest Post: Katie Hayoz author of Untethered

Ten Ways to Tell if You Are a Writer

When I was in high school, I told the career counselor I wanted to be a novelist.  She looked at me and  let out a huge sigh.  “A writer?  Of fiction?” she said in a toxic tone.  “How about psychology? ”

It was good advice.  That first year at university I delved into Psychology 101 and discovered how insane I was to want to be a writer.  It’s the one career that’s rife with rejection, sprinkled with self-doubt and constant criticism.  Even so, I kept on writing.  Call me mentally disturbed.

But I am far from alone. 

There are many of us out there.  Are you one of them? 

You know you are a writer if:

1. You carry a pen with you everywhere and you are seriously possessive about it.  When someone asks to borrow it, you hesitate before allowing them to use it.  Then you don’t let them out of your sight.
2. You can see the silver lining in dramatic break-ups, major accidents and family disputes.  They make for good stories.  In fact, there are times you complain that nothing bad enough ever happens to you.
3. You rewrite everything.  From birthday wishes to text messages to grocery lists.
4. This rewriting is especially true for your creative writing.  You write, rip apart, write some more, and rearrange -- constantly aiming to fill plot holes, write smoother sentences, and create deeper characters.  Unfortunately, it is only after your novel is published that you’ll know exactly how to fix it.
5. Your thesaurus is more beat up and dog eared than a 13 year-old-boy’s Playboy magazine.
6. Your butt is wider than your shoulders because you are sitting all the time.
7. Coffee is your best friend. 
8.  In fact, you have very few friends because most of them are avoiding you after reading your short story about the rabid werewolves who started a colony on Mars.  Yeah, you know the one.
9. You are still in a state of shock from finding out that there are people who don’t read books. Like ever.
10. Your best memory is actually from a novel.

Katie Hayoz is the author of Untethered, a YA novel about jealousy obession, and astral projection. You can find Untethered on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, and Kobo. Check out Katie's website at: http://www.katiehayoz.com/

Untethered by Katie Hayoz

      Sylvie isn’t comfortable in her own skin. In fact, there are times she can’t even manage to stay inside it. But if there is one thing she’s sure of, it’s her love for Kevin Phillips. She’s willing to stake everything on it –her family, her friends, and possibly her soul.

Sixteen-year-old Sylvie has been best friends with Cassie forever. But everything is turned around when the boy Sylvie’s loved since fifth grade falls for Cassie. Devastated, Sylvie intends to get Kevin by any means possible, even if it involves treachery, deceit, and the dark side of astral projection. She is positive her plans will give her what she wants, but she doesn’t count on it all spiraling out of control.

Untethered explores the intoxicating and dangerous world of jealousy and obsession when coupled with paranormal ability. Finalist in Mslexia novel competition.

      About the author:

      Katie Hayoz was born in Racine, WI, the youngest of six kids. Originally, she wanted to become pope (for the awesome hat and fancy robes), but quickly realized reading was her true religion. Writing was always a hobby and she only decided to try her hand at it seriously when she ended up in Geneva, Switzerland. Now she's constantly at her laptop in the small apartment she shares with her husband, two daughters, and a very fuzzy cat. She devours YA novels like she does popcorn and black licorice: quickly and in large quantities.

      Connect with Katie on her website: www.katiehayoz.com

      On Twitter: www.twitter.com/katiehayoz

      On Facebook: www.facebook.com/katiehayoz.author

      Buy Untethered on Amazon: http://amzn.to/ZH2qzY

      On Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/10LDiPU

      On Smashwords: http://bit.ly/Y6zWDd

      On Kobo: http://bit.ly/11PjUx3

Giveaway!

      Rules:

      Open internationally!

      Winners will have 48 hours to respond from the time that they are notified before a new winner is picked

      You must be at least 13 or have your parents permission to enter

      Only one entry per household

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Words for the Week #13

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”
― Albert Einstein

New Releases: May 5-11

This week's new releases:

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Icons by Margaret Stohl

Coda by Emma Trevayne

The Originals by Cat Patrick

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan

Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

Doll Bones by Holly Black

ARC Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry
Published: May 28, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 479
Series: Pushing the Limits #2
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

My Review: After reading Pushing the Limits and seeing the high ratings for this book I thought I would be blown away by it. It is very possible that my hopes were just too high for this book because I ended up enjoying it less than the first one.

This is not a light contemporary read. It was actually very dark. There's a lot of tough subjects in this book like drugs, alcohol, and abuse. There is also sex so this isn't a book for young readers (and when I say young I mean like younger than 13). I really liked how the book handled those subjects and I thought that all the characters were very realistic.

Beth is first introduced in Pushing the Limits but the first book is about Echo and Noah so not much about her is revealed. I don't remember what I thought of her character before, but I ended up really liking her as a main character. Her story almost made me cry. The one thing that kind of bugged me was that she couldn't let herself be happy but that's sort of expected since her entire life has been horrible. Out of the two main characters I definitely liked Beth more.

Ryan is the other main character and I had a few issues with him. During the first couple pages Ryan and his friends have this dare about who can get the most phone numbers from girls. Basically the guys flirt with girls, get their phone number, and then forget about them. I'm not exactly okay with that but that's not the part that really bothered me. My problem was that Ryan is all about respecting women yet he goes around getting phone numbers from random girls because of some dare. That doesn't sound very respectful to me.

Obviously Ryan and Beth fall in love. When I first found out about Ryan I was confused. What happened to Isaiah? As the story progressed I realized that even though I love Isaiah, I could not picture Beth with him. There's kind of a love triangle because Isaiah says that he's in love with Beth but it didn't bother me at all. It is very obvious who Beth ends up with.

Many lines from this book were also pretty corny. Almost every single time Ryan and Beth were together Ryan would continuously tell Beth that he loves her. The first few times were sweet but after awhile I started to wonder if the word love was the only word in Ryan's vocabulary. That word was said so much and each time it was said it started to be less powerful.

I ended up enjoying the book despite the issues I had with Ryan. Out of all the characters I think I liked Logan and Scott the most. I loved how Echo and Noah made appearances in this book. I was hoping that they would show up and I was so happy when they did. I can't wait for Isaiah's book!

Best of the Bunch- April 2013

Best of the Bunch is a monthly meme hosted by Always Lost in Stories on the last day of every month. The aim of this meme is to share the best book that we have read or reviewed in that month and give it out Best of the Bunch award.

This month I read:
The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Unspoken by Sara Rees Brennan
Taken by Erin Bowman
Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
AfterLife by S.P. Cloward
Macbeth by William Shakespeare

And of Best of the Bunch for April is...

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike. 

I read many good books in April but The Eternity Cure definitely my favorite. It is one of the only vampire books that I really enjoy just because it is so intense and I don't think it's like most other vampire books.

Blog Hop: Hope by Theresa M. Jones

Excerpt

 

Chapter 18- Russia

Finally I looked around. I noticed all the bodies lying around the room. Death hung heavily to every inch of the dreadful place. I could no longer see the beauty it once held. Then I saw him. Before I realized what I was doing, my legs moved faster beneath me and I weaved my way through the maze of lifeless bodies that scattered the floor.

When I came to him, I knelt down. His blue was gone, his body wasn’t moving.

“He was gone before I could get to him. He had been fighting the man they call Frank. Apparently he is a leader of sorts, as the other Rising members answered to his commands.” He explained. I barely listened.

I placed my hands to his head, and pulled it up into my lap. I was already covered in blood, so the blood that dripped from his ears and nose didn’t bother me. Tears ran down my cheeks slowly, the salt they contained mixed with the scent of blood already heavy in the air.

My body shook as the full weight of what I had lost wrenched my heartstrings and twisted them in unnatural knots. I placed my forehead against his chest and cried without cease. 

I tried pulling him closer, his heavy body sagged against my legs as I attempted to pull him onto my lap. I held him in our last embrace and cried more fiercely. I was angry that he was gone. Angry that he could have been taken from me. He was so Powerful! But he was gone.

Finally Nicholas and the Guard came back in.

“The sequence was stopped. We have won.”

“Won?” I shouted at him. “How the hell can you call this winning?” My voice cracked as I screeched the words at him.

Hope by Theresa M. Jones

Allison now understands who she is and where she comes from, but will it be enough to save the world? She went through a dangerous journey, dragging her young daughter along for the ride, in an attempt to stop the evil Rising Leader, Damien, from opening the Seven Seals and bringing about the Apocalypse.

But she hasn’t succeeded yet. The Rising still thrives and Lilith has made it her mission to open the remaining Seals so that she and her minions can rule the Earth.

David and Allison hope that love can conquer all, but in reality, love is never enough. Will they, along with the rest of the gang back at the Compound, be able to stop the Rising?

And where is The Descendant that is prophesied to save them all?

Power (The Descendent Trilogy #1) is free on Amazon until May 3rd!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway