Book Review - Maxon

Maxon
Author: Christina Bauer
Series: Angelbound #5
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | New Adult
Release Date: 12th May 2015
Publishers: Ink Monster LLC
Source: Review Copy - Ink Monster LLC
Rating:

Prince Maxon may be twenty-two years old now, but he's still haunted by his boyhood abduction and torture in Hell. To deal with his past, Maxon limits his present-day activities to killing demons and seducing women. No long-term relationships. No combat too dangerous. No problem, right?

Wrong.

Maxon’s life has stalled out. The old thrills aren't there anymore, either on the battlefield or in the bedroom. While staking out his next fight, Maxon meets what seems like just another girl after a good time. What he gets is a close encounter with Lianna, a lady warrior with ties to the mysterious elemental rulers called the monarkki. It's love at first fight. Trouble is, Lianna's running from a dark history of her own, and her elemental enemies are closing in. When Lianna gets taken, Maxon realizes that after years of wrong choices and dead ends, the right woman is worth risking it all.

Ugh, why wasn't this the amazing sequel and look into Maxon's life I was hoping for? I'm not sure if there was something about my expectations, or my slightly less impressed state with Armageddon, or that there was overall more character and development, plot and action issues, but this was not what I had in mind. Credit where credit is due, this is a really good sequel, and I'm still going to continue reading the instalments that follow, I'll just be sure to lower my expectations this time around.

Book Review - The Traitor

The Traitor
Author: Allen Zadoff
Series: Unknown Assassin #3
Genres: Mystery, Thriller | Young Adult
Release Date: 12th June 2015
Publisher: Orchard Books
Source: Review Copy - Orchard Books
Rating:

The Program has sent Boy Nobody on countless missions, instructed to kill whichever target he was given. But now, after going rogue, he is on his own mission to rescue his friend Howard who was captured by The Program.

Boy Nobody manages to free Howard as well as Tanya, a mysterious girl who was being held with him. Howard and Tanya help Boy Nobody collect information about his father, eventually revealing a dangerous secret that teaches Boy Nobody a valuable lesson..

..he can't trust anyone.

I hate saying goodbye to any series I've had strong feelings for at the best of times, but saying goodbye to Unknown Assassin is definitely up there in 'most saddening au revoirs' ever. I will never forget just how much The Hit blew me away and surprised the heck out of me, and I definitely can't get how awesome The Mission was out of my mind, and yet I feel as though The Traitor just trumped both these previous instalments by a mile. The long year wait was hard, counting down the days was painful, but I'm pleased to say, The Traitor was a roller-coaster ride of adrenaline-fuelled perfection.

Zadoff has this extremely brilliant way of writing that, no matter how long it's been since reading previous novels, you can't help but fall right back into the world of The Program and Zach, into the mind and feelings that a young boy assassin would have, and it's superb. I felt like I'd never been away from this series. After the horrendously unacceptable cliff-hanger in The Mission, I admit to being a little surprised at how easily the tables were turned when it came to addressing that cliff-hanger, but my surprise didn't affect any of my enjoyment whatsoever, it heightened it, which I never thought was possible. I've fallen head over heels for this world of assassins, or danger and action, of explosions, car chases, questionable motives, untrustworthy characters, twists and turns at ever corner, and you'd think I'd come to expect these great things from Zadoff, but alas, he continues to excel, and I'm seriously not complaining.

The characters and hidden motives and aspects of loyalty, friendship, family were all intensely strong in this instalment - not that they weren't already, but seeing just how far Zach has come, from pure detachment in The Hit, to a group of people he would lay down his life for, people he would fight to the very end for, it's really rather wonderful to see the development through his actions, his emotions and his thoughts. It's been a slow development, and a realistic one at that - it would be unusual to see an assassin got from murder to being best buddies, but the pacing and the experience's Zach has been through with both his missions, the program and the friendships he's made along the way, it's helped create a character I couldn't love more.

The banter and humour in this series though, it helps strike the perfect balance within the dark, dangerous, slinky spy work, and the light-hearted angle of friendships and love. Seeing Zach interact once again with Howard was beautiful, really, it made me face, and heart, light up - watching their relationship, their never wavering loyalty, their support for one another, the advice they gave each other, the real sense of brotherly love between them, it was struck wonderfully with the joking scenes they shared, and yet the best banter came from the romance between Zach and Tanya. That girl can put a knife up my back any time - she was strong and willful, wise and intelligent, independent, creative and totally badass - the perfect addition to a fantastic double act, creating, without a doubt, one of my favourite trios to date. Zach and Tanya's banter and jokes, the emotional rollercoaster of doubt, trust, loyalty, lies and hidden agenda's that came between them, and the honest and realistic emotions that bloomed was really rather good. For a man that writes superb mystery novels, Zadoff sure can right a romance I can get behind. I'm impressed.

The Traitor, while really focusing and hammering home the characters, the development, the friendships and the romance, never once forgot about it's speedy styled plot, it's fantastic and amazingly well paced feel, and the variety of scenes, delicate or dark, twisted and horrifying - his simple yet completely immersive writing compliments the quick taste of action and defiance, of deceit and entertainment that this series gives, it's physically impossible for me to fault it. Getting much needed answers to questions that haunted this series though, that was one of the stand-out features behind the The Traitor and boy oh boy did I get what I wanted. Zadoff knocked every twist out of the park each and every time, and just when I thought it couldn't get any more amazing, it did. Taking steps back into the past in order to revisit and close up loose ends, finding out more about important characters just at the right time, being reminded of just how realistic this novel is, and how scarily real the events in this novel could be true, I confess, I almost want them to be.

I'm always in awe of Zadoff, and I'm sure I always will be. The series has been one of the most action-packed, exciting, plot-filled, character driven, intense and completely mesmorising I've ever read. It wowed me, enthralled me, and captured my heart. I'll be sad to see this series end - saying goodbye to characters I've connected so easily with, turning my back on a plot unrivalled in this genre, and to a series that I never expected to fall so madly in love with before, but it's definitely not the end. This is a series I will without a doubt read again some day, and Zadoff is an author I can guarantee I'll be reading more from. Let us pray the wait isn't too long.

Book Review: One Night

One Night
Author: A.J. Pine
Series: Only You #1
Genres: Contemporary | New Adult
Release Date: 21st April 2015
Publisher: Intermix
Source: Review Copy - A.J. Pine
Rating:

Twenty-one-year-old Jess used to have everything - a loyal best friend, a boyfriend she loved, and a future that was right on track. But in a single night, her whole world changed.

Now, Jess lives for the impersonal connection of drunken hook-ups and to-go coffee cups in the morning. All she needs is one night to pretend everything is fine.. until she meets Adam.

Thanks to a sports injury, gorgeous, charming basketball star Adam Carson is stuck in physical therapy at the hospital where Jess interns - giving her the perfect opportunity to see his sweet, considerate nature and making her realize that maybe she does want something more.

But while Adam might be the best thing that's happened to Jess in a long time, letting him past her carefully constructed walls means letting him know what happened.. and why he'd never want her for more than one night.

The moment I found out Pine had another book set for release, I halted everything I was doing and rushed to find out more about it. That's one of the most wonderful things about having an author that you love, especially when you're almost completely certain that everything they write will please you. One Night, much like If Only and What If, isn't doesn't differ much from other New Adult novels in the genre, but there's something about Pine's characters and writing, I just can't get enough of it. One Night is special, and utterly broke my heart.

Book Review - Mindwalker

Mindwalker
Author: A.J. Steiger
Series: Mindwalker #1
Genres: Dystopian | Young Adult
Release Date: 9th June 2015
Source: Review Copy - Knopf Books for Young Readers
Rating:

At seventeen, Lain Fisher has already aced the Institute's elite training program for Mindwalkers, therapists who use a direct neural link to erase a patient's traumatic memories. A prodigy and the daughter of a renowned scientist-whose unexplained death left her alone in the world-Lain is driven by the need to save others.

When Steven, a troubled classmate, asks her to wipe a horrific childhood experience from his mind, Lain's superiors warn her to stay away. Steven's scars are too deep, they say; the risk too great. Yet the more time Lain spends with him, the more she begins to question everything about her society. As she defies the warnings and explores Steven's memories, it becomes clear that he's connected to something much bigger…something the Institute doesn't want the world to discover.

Lain never expected to be a rule breaker. She certainly didn't plan on falling in love with a boy she's been forbidden to help. But then, she never expected to stumble into a conspiracy that could ignite a revolution.

So yet again we have book that was available from LoveReading4Kids for request, it is yet again one that I had heard nothing about and was completely unaware of until I got the email through about it. I think it would be safe to say that it was another book requested on a whim, one that I wanted to read purely because its a dystopian and everyone must now by now how much I love my dystopian books. When I first read the summary the first thing that caught my eye was just how unique and original the story sounded, it wasn't one I felt like I had read hundreds of times and instantly my expectations were. Everything about it sounded good but it was one that seemed to be relatively unknown throughout the young adult community, so that itself was enough to make me unsure about reading it. LoveReading4Kids is pretty lethal to me at the moment because I can't seem to stop requesting books that I may be on the fence about reading, however it wasn't for them I wouldn't have known about some great books otherwise and I'm happy to say that Mindwalker was one of them.

Book Review: Bruja

Bruja
Author: Aileen Erin
Series: Alpha Girl #4
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 12th May 2015
Publisher: Ink Monster LLC
Source: Review Copy - Ink Monster LLC
Rating:

Claudia de Santos has always looked out for every witch but herself. She fought from the shadows as her coven turned dark, and with a little help from her half-witch/half-Alpha werewolf cousin, Teresa McCaide, Claudia is doing everything she can to keeper friends and family in the light.

Now the coven has splintered into two factions: Luciana’s army of witches wielding dark magic, and Claudia’s few stragglers who fight with the wolves. War is coming, and it won’t be much of a battle if Claudia can’t find the spells to counteract Luciana’s demonic power. But Luciana strikes before they’re prepared, and Claudia’s twin brother pays the price.

Suddenly, going to Peru in search of ancient Incan magic doesn’t seem so crazy. Fighting evil will require a pure spirit, but her quest is full of temptations, including a handsome Peruvian guide with secrets of his own. Finding love is the last thing on Claudia’s ever-growing to-do list, but sometimes what you need has a way of seeking you out.

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

Anybody that has been following for any length of time will know that the Alpha Girl series is a series that forever proceeds to steal my heart, ruin me for any other paranormal series, and makes me really really really want my own wolf in my life, (alas, I shall stick to wanting my own cat-sized fluff-ball instead.) Tessa and Dastien's story has always hit a soft spot in my heart, as has the entire plot and collection of characters throughout the series, but Claudia has always been a character I've wanted to explore more, and I could not be happier than Erin not only explored her story, but made Claudia shine.

Book Review - Nowhere But Here

Nowhere But Here
Author: Katie McGarry
Series: Thunder Road
Genres: Contempoary | Young Adult
Release Date: May 26th 2015
Source: Review Copy - Harlequin Teen
Rating:

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighbourhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home

When I heard about Nowhere But Here I was excited but also very cautious. Personally speaking I was in a love affair with Katie's writing at the start, but as the series went on I felt like we had become comfortable and I began cheating on it with more exciting, challenging and memorable contemporary books, while always going back for the happy memories we had (much like a marriage haha). I knew I would request Nowhere But Here, I knew at some point I would read it and experience new characters with different situations (hopefully). However what I didn't know was just how much I would end up loving it. When I decided to bite the bullet and just get the book over and done with, I wanted that spark I first felt when I picked up Pushing The Limits and I would be lying if I said I didn't think I would get that with Katie again, I'm so glad to say that I was wrong because from the first chapter my heart was not only fluttery but I was hooked!

Book Review - A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Genres: Fantasy | New Adult
Release Date: 7th May 2015
Source: Review Copy - Bloomsbury
Rating:

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin - one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae.

But with an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, Feyre must find a way to stop it..
or doom Tamlin - and his world - forever.

This book and/or review may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due its use of language, sexual content, drug and alcohol abuse and/or violence. Please bare this in mind before reading.

Sometimes, books just don't impress you. No matter your expectations, nor the authors talent, the story itself can just feel, flat, and to me, that is what ACOTAR felt like. Flat. Unimpressive. A little, meh. Don't get me wrong, Maas' talent and writing still sings to me in a way many other authors couldn't even begin to dream of doing, and her talent of crafting stories in a way that always keeps me additively reading is commendable, if not fabulous, and yet ACOTAR felt miles away from any of my few expectations, and that's not a good thing. As featured with Deep Blue and The Rain, ACOTAR will be reviewed in the only way feels right to me..

Book Review - Steelheart

Steelheart
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: Reckoners #1
Genres: Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 26th September 2013
Source: Borrowed
Rating:

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics.. nobody but the Reckoners.

A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

By now I think that everyone has heard about or read something by Brandon Sanderson, but I as always came very late to the party. Growing up I've always loved the fantastical worlds more than reality, so I was pretty shocked that I hadn’t heard of him before a few months ago. I first talked about him in Who Wore it Better post, not really knowing who he was or much about his stories but it seemed like after that I noticed him everywhere. I'm not even exaggerating with you, I started watching Booktube finally (late again) and it was like everyone and their next door neighbour was talking about him. So what did I do? I like any other normal person searched high and low for any of his book until I finally I hunted down Steelheart, I prepared myself for what was sure to be an excellent book while still trying to keep my expectations low and I was blown away. He isn't for everyone though, I'm not sure if Amanda would fangirl with me but for me, it was everything I wanted and more.

Book Review - Because You'll Never Meet Me

Because You'll Never Meet Me
Author: Leah Thomas
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 2nd July 2015
Source: Review Copy - Bloomsbury Children's Books
Rating:

Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie is allergic to electricity. Contact with it causes debilitating seizures. Moritz’s weak heart is kept pumping by an electronic pacemaker. If they ever did meet, Ollie would seize. But Moritz would die without his pacemaker. Both hermits from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times—as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him.

A story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances, this debut is powerful, dark and humorous in equal measure. These extraordinary voices bring readers into the hearts and minds of two special boys who, like many teens, are just waiting for their moment to shine

Everyone who knows me will know just how much I love a good, well written young adult contemporary. I'm always on the look out for the next best thing in the genre ever since getting my first taste of Sarah Dessen and John Green, and once in a while I come across a book that is so different than I expected or I'm left speechless, this everyone is how I felt after I finished Because You'll Never Meet Me. The first time I heard about this book was when I received an email from Lovereading4kids asking if I would like to review it, I skimmed over the summary and thought that I might as well because at the worst way it would just be a quick read. I was wrong, so so wrong. It was a quick read, but I was never prepared for the attachment or emotions I would feel towards the characters.

Book Review - World After

World After
Author: Susan Ee
Series: Penryn and the End of Days #2
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Dystopian | Young Adult
Release Date: 21st November 2013
No. Pages: 438
Source: Purchased
Rating:

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

I do believe I feel let down. Angelfall was, without a doubt, one of the best books I read last year - in fact, it was the best book I could have ended 2014 on, there was no other book I would have wanted to finish the year with, it was complete perfection and faultless. No surprise then I purchased this book milliseconds after finishing Angelfall and that my expectations had been sky high since that fateful moment, right? I just feel so cheated and so disappointed by this sequel, and that hurts.

Mini Reviews - My Secret Ella Remix

My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend
Author: Eleanor Wood
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: June 4th 2015
Source: Review Copy - Macmillan Children's Books
Rating:

Geeky girl meets famous boy.. what could go wrong?

Tuesday Cooper is happy being normal -doing her a-levels and indulging in her twin obsessions: buying weird vintage clothes in charity shops and writing her beloved music blog (which nobody ever reads). Her love for music started when she was thirteen and had a massive crush on Jackson Griffith, teen rock god and SUPER HOT LOVE OF HER LIFE. Now Tuesday's eighteen and has moved on to fancying boys in real life and Jackson went off the celebrity radar years ago.

So it can't be him that's messaging her on her blog, can it?

I think the thing that made me want to read this book is the fact that I just kept thinking about what I would do in the situation. When I was around 13 I was completely obsessed and in love with Marilyn Manson (he's gone downhill over the last few years but going back 12 years he was still good) and I had a blog where I would talk about my life and my 'struggles' as a teenager, I was pretty much the original emo, and I would mention him on there a lot because I listened to him all the time. Anyway I was trying to think what I would do and how I would react if I was Tuesdays (granted giving what Marilyn Manson was like I probably wouldn't sneak off to meet him because that would be silly, even at 18) so before I even read it I was already really intrigued with the storyline.

Book Review - The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Boys #2
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 19th September 2013
No. Pages: 464
Source: Borrowed
Rating:

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

*slow claps* The blogging community did well when recommending me this series. No, I've not fallen in love with the series - well, I have fallen in love, there's something so unlike anything I've ever read before about this series that just produces so many emotions in me, it is one of the strongest series in any number of ways that I've read in a while, but will I ever completely and utterly love it? I'm not so sure. For now, I can settle for being in awe, inspired and completely enthralled in this series, and Dream Thieves especially.

Book Review - Day Four

Day Four
Author: Sarah Lotz
Series: The Three #2
Genres: Horror, Thriller | Adult
Release 21st May 2015
Source: Review Copy - Hodder & Stoughton
Rating:

Four days into a five day singles cruise on the Gulf of Mexico, the ageing ship Beautiful Dreamer stops dead in the water. With no electricity and no cellular signals, the passengers and crew have no way to call for help. But everyone is certain that rescue teams will come looking for them soon. All they have to do is wait.

That is, until the toilets stop working and the food begins to run out. When the body of a woman is discovered in her cabin the passengers start to panic. There's a murderer on board the Beautiful Dreamer... and maybe something worse.

When it comes to Day Four, I only really heard of it because of The Three, and then when I was given the opportunity to read and review it for LoveReading I was a bit cautious at first. It's been a long time since I last read what is classed as adult, I used to read them more than young adult books when I was a teenager but recently I've only read 1 or 2 over the last 3 years. Anyway I've been looking to get back into adult books lately, and I thought that Day Four would be just the book to help me make the transition (I'm not leaving the young adult community, don't panic haha). When I first read the summary it struck me as a really creepy read, something that would keep me interested and have me hooked. I was looking forward to it, I wont lie, but sadly it wasn't as good as I hoped. Its meant to be a companion to The Three, but you can read it as a standalone. It has mention of some of the characters from the 'first' book but overall I don't think you would be missing much if you read this first.

Book Review - Life Unaware

Life Unaware
Author: Cole Gibson
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 28th April 2015
No. Pages: 320
Source: Review Copy - Entangled: Teen
Rating:

Regan Flay has been talking about you.

Regan Flay is on the cusp of achieving her control-freak mother's 'plan' for high school success - cheerleading, student council, the Honor Society - until her life gets turned horribly, horribly upside down. Every bitchy text. Every bitchy email. Every lie, manipulation, and insult she's ever said have been printed out and taped to all the lockers in school.

Now Regan has gone from popular princess to total pariah.

The only person who even speaks to her is her former best friend's hot but socially miscreant brother, Nolan Letner. Nolan thinks he knows what Regan's going through, but what nobody knows is that Regan isn't really Little Miss Perfect. In fact, she's barely holding it together under her mom's pressure. But the consequences of Regan's fall from grace are only just beginning. Once the chain reaction starts, no one will remain untouched..

Especially Regan Flay.

Books are special. They're a mixture of 26 letters, jumbled up into an impossible number of variations, influencing us and our thoughts, our decisions, our emotions, changing our perspectives, our opinions, our attitudes, rearranging our point of view, how we see people and the world, but most of all, when they're good, connect and allow a reader to completely and utterly resonate with the story that's being told. When a book is that good that it takes a hold of your sensitive heart strings, those that feel, sometimes, just a little too close to home, and manages to make the world, in the time you're reading, less scary, and less intense, less, overwhelming, that's when you know you've got more than just a good book - it's perfection. Life Unaware, to me, was nothing short of perfection.

Book Review - Killer Instinct

The Naturals
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Naturals #2
Genres: Mystery, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 6th November 2014
Publishers: Quercus
No. Pages: 352
Source: Gifted
Rating:

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother’s murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father - a man he'd do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer's psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

You know what makes reading books that don't quite hit the spot bearable? What makes those unimpressive, slightly uninteresting, or pleasant books worth reading through? There's a feeling that comes with anything you realise is perfect for you; the perfect clothes, the perfect shoes, the perfect bed, the perfect film, the perfect day out, there's something about the entire scenario that just feels complete, that just feels, beautiful and calming, like a trustworthy friend, like a blanket that's so comfortable, so snuggly, so warm and wonderful, there's nothing more made for you. That feeling, that is the feeling I have towards The Naturals, and each of it's instalments, Killer Instinct included.

Book Review - Love, Lucas

Love, Lucas
Author: Chantele Sedgwick
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: May 5th 2015
No. Pages: 208
Source: Review Copy - Sky Pony Press
Rating:

When Oakley Nelson loses her brother, Lucas, to cancer, she thinks she'll never recover. Between her parents’ arguing and the battle she’s fighting with depression, she feels nothing inside but a hollow emptiness. When Mom suggests they spend the summer in California with Aunt Jo, Oakley isn't sure that a change of scenery will alter anything, but she’s willing to give it a try.

In California, Oakley discovers a sort of safety and freedom in Aunt Jo’s beach house. Once they're settled, Mom hands her a notebook full of letters addressed to her - from Lucas. As Oakley reads one each day, she realizes how much he loved her, and each letter challenges her to be better and to continue to enjoy her life. He wants her to move on.

If only it were that easy.

When it comes to the summary of Love, Lucas, I like many other I'm sure, were completely and utterly in love with the premise of how good this book could be. Just going on the fact that its a story about a young girl who has 1) lost her brother to cancer and 2) is left with a notebook that he wrote in while in hospital, is enough to interest you right? Well it was for me. When I saw this on Edelweiss for direct download I would be lying if I told you that my original intentions of downloading it were pure, they weren't. I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to review some books for Edelweiss, thus boosting my feedback rating (I know I isn't the same as Netgalley, but there must be something keeping score). That might be my reasons for wanting to download it, however after I read the summary I was just thankfully that would I expected to be a heart wrenching book was available without the hassle of requesting. I wouldn't say I had any expectations as such before I started reading Love, Lucas, but sadly I was hoping for more.

Book Review - The Last Summer of Us

The Last Summer of Us
Author: Maggie Harcourt
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary, Road Trip | Young Adult
Release Date: 1st May 2015
No. Pages: 295
Source: Review Copy - Usborne
Rating:

Limpet, Steffan and Jared. Three best friends crammed into a clapped-out rust bucket of a car on a whirlwind road trip to forget their troubles and see out the end of the summer.

But no matter how far they drive, they can't escape the hidden secrets and slow-burning romance that could upset the balance of their friendship..

..perhaps forever.

Before I saw this book available for request from LoveReading4Kids I hadn't heard of it. I loved the cover and did a quick research on what the book was about and after being intrigued, I decided to request it on nothing more than a whim. I'm a big sucker for a good contemporary and when road trips are added into the mix it is more often than not a recipe for success right? Regardless of how much I was looking forward to the book I was somewhat cautious, there really wasn't much about the book anywhere and because the review had to be in by the end of the month I was worried that it wouldn't be as good as I expected, leaving me in a situation where I would have to try and write a less than positive review, something I struggle with from time to time. However I tried my hardest to keep my expectations low and was just happy to be reading more UKYA. Though it took me a few chapters to really get into the book, as I feel it started of slow, I became hooked and devoured it in a few hours.

Book Review - Armageddon

Armageddon
Author: Christina Bauer
Series: Angelbound #3
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 14th October 2014
Publishers: Ink Monster LLC
No. Pages: 303
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Myla Lewis once fought gladiator-style in Purgatory’s Arena. Now, she’s fighting again, only this time in Hell. And the stakes have never been higher. The King of Hell, Armageddon, has kidnapped Myla and Lincoln’s young son, Maxon.

In the wake of Maxon’s abduction, all the after-realms calling for war, and no one shouts louder than Lincoln. Myla knows that a war against Hell will cost millions of lives, so she devises her own plan, involving a small attack team and a secret entrance to Hell. Will Myla save Maxon, or will her child and all the after-realms fall to Armageddon?

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

Some books can be imperfect and their issues can hinder your enjoyment of the experience, they can have you finding yourself annoyed or irritated by the glaring problems or lack of continuity, but with some books, those things don't matter. The Angelbound is the perfectly example. Is each instalment without faults? No, at least, it doesn't feel to me like it's faultless, but this has never been an issue for me. I never expect perfection, nor a story written with lyrical prose and deep, intense emotions, I sign up for an entertaining, mature, humorous and exciting read, and every time, Bauer delivers.

Book Review - Perfectly Ella

Perfectly Ella
Author: Candy Harper
Series: Strawberry Sisters #1
Genres: Contemporary | Childrens, Young Adult
Release Date: 23rd April 2015
Source: Review Copy - Simon and Schuster
Rating:

Meet the Strawberry Sisters!

Oldest sister Amelia wants to be left alone to have deep thoughts, so she's grown a fringe to hide under. Second up is Chloe who's sport-crazy and in training to be a wrestling star (this week anyway). Littlest sister Lucy is the cute one who's training an army of earwigs.

Then there's Ella. The middle one who's still trying to work out what makes her 'Perfectly Ella' and how to stand out in a house full of big personalities.

And now there's a new Strawberry Sister.
Baby Kirsti who lives with Dad and his Finnish girlfriend.

Along with her sisters and one very tired Mum who's struggling to keep it all together, Ella's small home is crammed with almost-finished homework, nearly-clean jumpers and a vampire bunny called Buttercup. With so much going on, life can sometimes feel totally crazy but the Strawberry sisters have a secret weapon against the craziness of the world they live in, each other.

Candy Harper is what I would call one of my 'staple authors'. She's an author whom, whenever I see or hear of new work to be released by her, I'm on edge, watching and waiting, researching and stalking, ready to snap up advance copies of her work and every time, I'm impressed. With every new release, harper creates youthful characters I fall in love with, relationships and family connections that just turn my cold heart in a warm slushy goo, and stories that tug on my heartstrings and remind me of my own childhood. Perfectly Ella is absolutely no different and was beautiful to read.

Book Review - Sweet Reckoning

Sweet Reckoning
Author: Wendy Higgins
Series: The Sweet Trilogy #3
Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy | Young Adult
Release 22nd May 2014
Source: Purchased
Rating:

It’s time.

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous - especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

If you have read my reviews of Sweet Evil and Sweet Peril you will know that the series started of rather strongly for me. I had been meaning to start it for a long time but last year after hearing Amanda rave about the series I thought it would be the time to finally start it and with Sweet Evil I thought I had found a wonderful unique story, I loved the idea of the sins being people and having children, who they order to do their bidding. I was so excited to read the rest of the series only to be less than happy with Sweet Peril, the pacing was off and I just lost my connection to the characters, but I was still hopeful for the last book, Sweet Reckoning. I knew early on while reading the book that though some of the things had got better, I would have the same problems I did with the last book and I'm sorry to say that I'm happy the series is over because I've finished it and can move on. I don't feel the need to read the next book which will be set from Kaidan's POV because I've honestly just fell out of love with it and I'm really not sure how good it would be, he sometimes has a one track mind.