Month: August 2014 (Page 4 of 43)

Ghosts don’t haunt people-their memories do.

Epic. Gripping. Powerful. You know when you read a really great first book in a series? And when it ends with a cliffhanger that leaves you crushed and heartbroken, but begging for more? Well, TDM was like that, and here we are, left picking up the pieces…and begging for that inevitable moment when all is right in the world-Ruby’s world…but it’s become ours all the same. But when we finally get what we want, will it really be what we want?

If a heart could break once, it shouldn’t have been able to happen again.

This review is going to be so hard because there is literally one thing I want to talk about…and it’s the one thing that will spoil the end of book one. I suppose this is an ample warning that the possibility of spoilers from book one is high, but I will do my best to keep book one’s spoilers to a minimum-because what makes this book so epic is stemmed from the cliffhanger of book one…and what makes this book all the sweeter.

“Safe.” The word sounded hollow. He closed his eyes on it. “Don’t go again,” he whispered. “Don’t go…where I can’t follow, please, please, not again…”

Ruby is on a mission-a mission to get all the kids out of the Psi camps where they are mistreated and even killed, depending on what color ranking they are. But more than that, she’s on a mission to forget the boy who inspired it all…View Spoiler » and to keep him safe no matter the cost-even her own happiness. When she made the agreement that the Children’s League let Liam go in exchange for her cooperation, she thought she was making the best choice for his safety-but is he really safer? « Hide Spoiler Was that really the best choice? It plagues her every day, consuming her with want and heartache-but in the end, she feels like she did what was right…what was right for the guy she loves. View Spoiler » She would rather be apart from him than to see him become a monster by the league’s hand, being broken down every day to be made a killer. But he would never leave on his own-not without Ruby. So she had to use her abilities to erase his memory…so he literally has no recollection of her or the moments they shared…though he swore he’d never forget her. « Hide Spoiler

His face was as open as it always was, so heartbreakingly perfect even with pain tightening the line of his mouth. His eyes were-they were so pale in this light, jumping from my eyes to my nose to my lips like he had never seen me before but never wanted to stop looking. An ache started at the center of my chest and worked its way out, twisting my insides until I finally forced myself to look away.

I absolutely loved this installment-my only complaint? That book three doesn’t come out until September. We have the return of old characters, the introduction of new characters, and a mix of the two-I LOVED that. When Ruby is assigned a special mission, she has to find a way to ditch the league (at least the part that doesn’t know anything about the assignment) and find a way to become invisible-she has to find a way to blend in and get to the disc that can change the course of all the camps and those trapped in them-but to get to this disc she must View Spoiler »find Liam-because he has it-without knowing he does. « Hide Spoiler.  And when she finds an opportunity to slip the league, she finds out that her friend and fellow league member, Jude, is being assigned to the deadly mission that she is using as a distraction to escape (he will most certainly be killed intentionally by dirty league members-thus why he was assigned to the mission) so she is forced to make a quick decision-bring Jude along in her escape…or leave him behind and risk him being taken out.

I knew what I’d been when I’d found them: a terrified splinter of a girl who had been shattered a long time ago. I had nothing, and no real place to go. Maybe I was still broken and would always be-but now, at least, I was piecing myself back together, lining up one jagged edge at a time.

I think we all know what Ruby decided to do-she is fierce, loyal, determined, and protective. She would never let a friend die or leave them behind to make her life easier. She is constantly putting herself in danger to protect others, and she lives for her friends. And this writing-it pulls you into the story until you become a part of it yourself and feel everything Ruby does and ache as she aches-you feel every pain and every vision and even her desperation-the writing is so vivid and painstakingly clear that it becomes impossible to look away from the page because it would totally break your connection-it just sucks you into every page and you don’t want to be separated. It’s that good.

“I don’t like you,” he repeated, his face bleak. “I don’t like you?”
“Liam-” I started, alarmed.
“I can’t-I can’t think about anything or anyone else,” he whispered. A hand drifted up, dragging back through his hair. “I can’t think straight when you’re around. I can’t sleep. It feels like I can’t breathe-I just-“

I adore this cast of characters. As I said in my first review, there really is never a character wasted. Even those new additions that seem like we could never really get attached to, I found myself bonded to them. Jude is one of those characters. He is young, loyal, and sweet-and even though he knows he was set up to be taken out, he believes in the good of the league-what they are fighting for. He sees the good in everything and is always a ray of sun on a crappy day-he is always there to pick up Ruby’s mood. And then there’s the return of Chubs-the ever uppity, rude, intelligent, but, as you probably guessed, loyal friend Ruby traveled with in book one. You are also probably wondering why the group got separated-I guess you need to read book one to find out. 😉

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he breathed out. “I feel like…I feel like I’m losing my damn mind, like your face has been carved into my heart, and I don’t remember when, and I don’t understand why, but the scar is there, and I can’t get it to heal. It won’t go. I can’t make it fade. And you won’t even look at me.”

And there’s…..drum roll please…..Liam. Liam, who would throw himself in front of a bus for his friends. Liam, who loves Ruby more than words can express. Liam, who needs Ruby’s help more than he even knows…and is in mortal danger. He deserves every paragraph in this review, because his presence brings so much happiness, giddiness, and sweetness. Every moment with Liam was heart-wrenching, soul-crushing, butterfly-inducing awesomeness. I, at one point, was choking on the butterflies emerging in my stomach and could not stop gooning and making mooney eyes at my screen-I really invested the time for this story and it really payed off. I was so engrossed in this world and this story that all I could do was merely swat reality away-“Go away pesky dishes…shut up dog, I know you have to pee-but ten more minutes-PLEASE. I’ll give you five treats and treats!” See? I was bargaining with my animal-pitiful.

“I’m…It’s-it’s like torture.” His voice was strained, hardly even a whisper. “I think I’m losing it-I don’t know what’s happening, what happened, but I look at you, I look at you and I love you so much. Not because of anything you’ve said, or done, or anything at all. I look at you, and I just love you, and it terrifies me. It terrifies me what I would do for you. Please…you have to tell me….tell me I’m not crazy. Please just look at me.”
My eyes drifted up to his, and it was over.

Twists, turns, danger, enemies you thought you’d never see again-they are here, people. I had even finished and was driving around yesterday, thinking-‘Oh yay! I get to go home now-I’m so excited-More, Ruby, Liam, and Chubs adventures! Oh….wait…I finished this last night….’ *cue crumpled, sad face*. I literally became deflated. I LOVED this world, I LOVED these characters, I LOVED this story. I am really going to miss them until September comes…no matter how many tears I have shed over these characters and what happens to them, I will never get enough-ever.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Darkest Minds #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Laura	Never Fade #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	In the Afterlight #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea
Through the Dark #1.5, 2.5 & 3.5 Reviews: Jen (Sparks Rise #2.5)

*5 Stars!!!!! I can’t forget about these books-rating any lower is blasphemy on my part. END OF STORY.*

*4.5 Stars*

They were afraid of us-the ones who lived.

What if one touch could change the course of your life forever? Wow. I didn’t know what to expect. So many dystopians lately fail to stand out and just fade back into the crowd. I can’t say that this necessarily jumped to the front-I’ve read a LOT of dystopians-but it definitely brought something special to the table. I never once felt bored, never felt the desire to skim and skip and jump to another page. Each page had something to say and added another thin, fine layer to this already interesting and expertly woven story. And, for once, I don’t think a single character’s presence was a wasted space-everyone slid perfectly into their slot of the story and made the moments that much more meaningful.

They’d taken in a monster, thinking it was a mouse.

Ruby is hiding something, something that will not only change her status in the camp she was taken to, but make her a weapon for the good guys-or are they the bad guys? Who should she trust?

How can she embrace this ability, this gift, as people are starting to say, when it’s always been taught and implied that it’s wrong wrong wrong? What will she do when all of a sudden she shouldn’t be suppressing her powers, but embracing and using them? And most importantly-how will she keep herself from becoming a monster?

I guess once you’d had a taste of the worst, pretty bad isn’t all that terrible.

A story about a 16 year old girl coming to terms with the struggle she has faced since she turned 10, the feeling of loneliness and not belonging anywhere, and the realization that she might always be alone. And then, after she is ‘taken’ from the camp by a group claiming to be advocates for the ‘greater good’ and people who don’t condone her abilities, she gets away and runs into a group of other ‘infected’ kids who are also on the run after a camp escape-but they have their own grief to carry. Smuggled on by the youngest, and cutest :P, member of their little threesome, Zu, she finds herself on a journey to find a place that is described as ‘heaven’ to kids with their abilities-and at the head of this place of peace and comfort is a guy, Clancy, who might be one of the last people who can truly understand Ruby-for he has the same level (orange-hard to explain the color system) of abilities as she, and perhaps he could help her hone them to become something more than a hindrance…but can she trust him?

“I told you we should have taken that Ford SUV,” Chubs said.
“That piece of-” Liam caught himself. “That box on wheels was a death trap-not to mention its transmission was shot to hell.”
“So, naturally, the next choice was a minivan.”
“Yep, she called to me from the parking lot of abandoned cars. The sun was shining through her windows like a beacon of hope.”
Chubs groaned. “Why are you so weird?”
“Because my weird has to be able to cancel out your weird, Lady Cross-stitch.”

What I loved most about this story? The friendships that were formed and the loyalties earned were so precious and not taken lightly-and I found myself grinning from ear-to-ear merely because of the banter between friends. Romance wasn’t the only star of the show. BUT….you know meeeeeeee-it wouldn’t be a Chelsea review if I didn’t gush about the romance. It was absolutely adorable, incredibly sweet, kind, and over-the-top heart-wrenching as Ruby and Liam fell for one another. It was NOT rushed. It was NOT forced. It was NOT whiny or one-sided. But the slow-burn and building realization that they might be able to make it work (even with her crazy ability) was utterly heartwarming and I was a butterfly induced, grinning fool. But not once did the romance overshadow the story-the pacing and progression was absolute perfection with just enough of a slow-burn to make me a mess.

“God.” He shook his head, mouth twisting into a shadow of a smile. “Did you know…you make me so happy that sometimes I actually forget to breathe? I’ll be looking at you, and my chest will get so tight…and it’s like, the only thought in my head is how much I want to reach over and kiss you.” He blew out a shaky breath. “So don’t talk about getting me out of here, because I’m not leaving, not unless you’re part of the package too.”

I finished this late last night and was very pleased with the cliffhanger. I really enjoyed the book as a whole, even, but the last 40% was just so good. It brought the story up a few paces and raised my 4 star rating to a quick 4.5. Loyalty, love, betrayal, and naivety, there wasn’t much missing from TDM. I guess the only reason this wasn’t a five star was that I wasn’t fully engrossed in the story at first. You know, the incessantly talking in my ear, turning the television up to ear-busting decibels boyfriend was a huge factor, and also, I was just extremely tired and was half dozing through the first 40%, so I can’t say really anything was wrong with the story-just lack of time and quiet to fully immerse myself into the book. So, at the moment, I can’t think of a single negative thing to say…and the more I think about it, I get even giddier about the story as a whole….so yeah.

“The darkest minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.”

A strong cast and even stronger story of survival while the whole world is out to get you, we get a very fun, and yet very serious, story about what it means to embrace what you are or what you can be. This is one of those that while I would make sure you like dystopian first, there was literally no reason I wouldn’t pass along a recommendation. It was funny, fast-paced, sweet, and even a little heartbreaking…but completely worth the read. Read it, don’t read it…doesn’t matter. But I am stoked for book two.

“Never, never, never. I am never going to forget you.”

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Darkest Minds #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Laura	Never Fade #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	In the Afterlight #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea
Through the Dark #1.5, 2.5 & 3.5 Reviews: Jen (Sparks Rise #2.5)