Category: Review (Page 229 of 297)

BOOK REVIEW: End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

May 13, 2015 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

End of Days by Susan Ee
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

“It’ll be tough for them to take any action while I’m pummeling their faces. Disrespect will not be tolerated.” I half smile at him. “Because you’re all about respect.” He sighs as if a little disgusted with himself. “Lately, I seem to be all about you.”

Beautiful, mesmerizing, addicting….perfect. It’s no secret to anyone that knows me that this is my second favorite series of all time-not even close. I have fangirled about this series to friends and enemies alike, if only to spread a little more of the Raffe love-oh yeah, did I mention he’s my number one book guy?? EVER? Yeah, well, most people know that as well. But what most people don’t know, seeing as it’s my darkest secret, is that I was so terrified I’d hate this book that I almost wasn’t excited about it’s upcoming release. Yeah. Shocking. But as I picked this story up and began zooming through the story, pages of the book simply evaporated into thin air as if they were never there in the first place-I was a torrential reading storm. It was as if I had never left this world…and maybe I never truly have.

Sometimes, I wish I could take a vacation from myself.

What began as a story about an archangel losing his most coveted possession, his snowy white wings, and a girl taking him ‘hostage’ to get her sister back became an all out war between the two races. It’s almost as if Penryn was meant to run across the de-winging of my beloved Raffe all those days and nights ago. Humans are scared of angels. Angels believe man to be inferior and not worth questioning when told to slaughter them all. That is, until a certain cocky angel gets taken in by a stubborn and determined girl and they are forced to travel together for what they both want most. But what happens when what they want most becomes the one thing they were taught to despise: Each other.

He looks down at me with sincere eyes. “If I were human, I would have been the first in line for you…”

I’d have to say that, even through all the searching and war and battles, this has to be my favorite forbidden love story. And no, there’s so much more to this series than an angel bereft of his wings who has ‘secretly’ fallen for a daughter of man. I realize this. I’ve processed that. And my conclusion is this: While the story is amazing, unforgettable, and utterly epic, it wouldn’t mean half of what it did to me without Penryn and Raffe’s unattainable love for one another. They are by far the cutest, sweetest, fiercest enemies I’ve ever stumbled across, and I highly doubt I’ll cross paths with a couple that will ever mean more to me than them….and that’s a bold statement on my part: I’m the whore of ships.

He’s still scrutinizing my outfit. “Are you wearing men’s shorts?” “I guess so. But they fit.” “Whose are they?” “Nobody’s. I found them in a drawer.” He reaches over and pulls a thread off the frayed leg. It unravels, slowly winding it’s way around my thigh and incrementally shortening the already short shorts. “What would you do if you had to make a run for it?” His voice is husky as he stares, mesmerized, at the unraveling thread. “I’d grab my shoes and run.” “Dressed like this? In front of lawless men?” His eyes drift up to my midriff.

Every character was beyond wonderful in this story (main characters, let’s not be hasty). We got more Paige, some of Penryn’s crazy mom (Whom I absolutely adored in this installment), and some wonderful new Watchers. Each character added an intricate layer to the story that made it impossible not to fall harder and, in the end, they even added to Raffryn’s (YES, I WENT THERE-WHAT OF IT?) relationship. An amazing love scene is one thing, but added laughter, friendship, awkward instances, family love moments…that all makes it even better. One minute I’m swooning, then two seconds later I’m giggling and squeeing all at once (Keaton avoided me at all costs during this voyage through my beloved Raffe land-I was not to be trifled with as I fangirled openly) and unable to control the RIDICULOUS smile on my face.

The sun is beginning to set, adding a golden glow to the water. Wisps of mist begin creeping over the bay. It should be a peaceful scene, only my blood feels like it’s freezing by the second.

I can’t sign off of this series without saying something that is very important: Susan Ee is the Queen. Elaborate? Of course, my mistake. She’s the Queen of: Writing, characterization, gore, disturbing images, forbidden love, epic battle scenes, epic tormented love…. Need I really go on? This woman is my hero, from her creepy locust thingies that tore my heart out in book one to the creepy monster we see in the finale, no one has ever made me love evil (and now sometimes lovable, thanks to a certain sister) beings more than this author. She made me smile maliciously so many times I swear you could have caught me twirling my metaphorical mustache more than once in each installment. Breathless, heart-pounding, soul-crushing moments are her specialty, and I am in first in line when she serves them up…and no one is likely to take that accomplishment from her in my mind anytime soon (Kagawa is the only one likely on the same playing field, but I refuse to give either of them a step above the other-they’re both wonderful, sick, evil beings). Anyone over my fangirling yet? Too bad.

You don’t have to keep reading lol, but this is my final Raffe review and I will not stop before it’s all out.

Without his feathered wings, the angels won’t accept him. And regardless of what kind of wings he has, humans won’t accept him either. Uriel or someone in his crew once said that angels were made to be part of a pack, but no matter where Raffe goes, he always seems to be the outsider.

The way Raffe protects, takes care of, treats, saves, lives for Penryn shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces. The love he tries to hide so he can save his brethren throughout the series crushed my soul (in the best possible way). And the way he longs for Pen…..it made me so beyond happy I could barely breathe. Nothing compares to his jealousies, his devastation that he can’t be with her because it could never be in the world they live in. This installment capitalized on all those wonderful feelings we got from book one and multiplied them into this tragic and epic betrayal of what they both want more than their next breath-I teared up so many times it bordered on crazy. Even after they repeatedly say goodbye, is there a way to make it work?

I could not have loved this more. I don’t care about literally any of the flaws, any world-building faux pas my lovely and aggravating friends found to be incriminating, or any of the beyond disturbing and nightmare inducing images. Any flaw is minuscule to the immense enjoyment I found while reading this wonderful, addicting, and, again, UNFORGETTABLE series about a beautiful, tormented, and lonely angel who feels the only person he can trust in the world is the daughter of man who once took him hostage. Nothing compares to the feelings I got while reading this and I will perpetually re-read this series until I know it word for word and scene by scene. I would say, ‘Hey, you HAVE to read this,’ but everyone and their brother has read it. Dude, my GRANDMOTHER has read this and began this final installment yesterday, like me. What kind of person hasn’t? Do you live under a rock?? Bro, step it up! And seriously, Raffe, enough about the farming lol. That won’t win Penryn-we don’t live in 1950 (or whenever-psh).

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OMG SO PRETTEH!!!!!! AGHHHHHH!!!!!

RAFFEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! I NEED YOU, LIKE, YESTERDAY ♥

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Angelfall #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Laura Anna	World After #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	End of Days #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea

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BOOK REVIEW: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

May 11, 2015 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Oh my dear, dear Kasie West…Where have you been all my life?? Well, in all fairness, it’s my fault I’ve never picked up a masterpiece that is a KW novel. My friend, Anna, has been more than clear about how I would love this author, if only for her adorable, yes, absolutely adorable male leads. And, ya know, she was right-as usual. Damn know it all Alien. Anyway, I digress. My whole point is that when I was down and tired and couldn’t hardly read this weekend, what did I do? I listened to someone’s advice and picked up a fun book that was supposed to be light, funny, and altogether an easy read. I’ve never been so glad I did.

He laughs a little. “You live above a porcelain-doll store; your best friend lives in a cemetery. You’ve pretty much grown up surrounded by creepy things. Is there anything you’re afraid of?”
You.

I have been in a perpetual bad mood for the last two weeks-I won’t lie about that. It’s been horrible. I haven’t cared about much and yes, I come off as (generally) pretty normal/happy most of the time. I’ve even found some amazing books to read. But, what happens when an already bad mood turns just plain sour the minute Thursday strikes? Why, you pick up a fluffy book. All the booze and/or medicine in the world couldn’t salvage my mood, but guess what did? This book cured a two week streak of surliness and altogether inexcusable snark on my part. This book did what no person could do, no matter how hard they tried, and that’s how I know I waited until the perfect time to start obsessing over this woman’s books.

A lot of people don’t get my humor. My mom calls it dry humor. I think that means “not funny,” but it also means I’m the only one who ever knows it’s a joke. Maybe if I laugh afterward, like my mom does when she’s helping customers, more people would humor me, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

It’s more than that, though. I don’t do cheesy. I loathe easy peasy story-lines, unless it’s my dear Lauren Layne. And I don’t really venture from my dystopian or fantasies very often-but for this author? I think I’m going to start making an exception. From page one I was giggling, smiling ear-to-ear, and felt immediately lighter. The snarkiness of our main character was parallel to some of my all time favorite snark-masters and Xander was…oh my, what was Xander? Xander was the equivalent to every good person in the world I feel like I would date.

After he climbs in as well, he starts the engine and then gives me a long look. “What’s wrong, babe?” Xander grabs my hand and puts it on his knee.
“Is that the pet name we’re going with? Babe?”
He backs out of the parking stall and starts driving. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s okay. It makes me think of the pig, though.”
“Are you putting in a request, then?”
“I’ve always been partial to sweetie, mostly because I’m not sweet so it makes me laugh.”

I don’t know. He just…there was just something so special about him. He may have been rich and a tad spoiled, but it never once showed in his demeanor and he never let it effect who he was as a person (namely, he didn’t act like a pompous, spoiled brat). Sure, he might have worn driving gloves (BAHAHA okay, that was unnecessary of me to say, but come on, Xander-driving gloves?? LMAO) and he may not own anything shoddier than a high-brow polo, expensive jeans, and loafers, but he was a total boy-next-door type, and his sweetness never once effected me as it does with other books. I like dark, tortured guys the most, lately, but I also have always had a soft spot for the good ones. Those boys that we should all aspire to date, if they existed beyond these pages. And yeah, my heart is super easy to break into (and break, when it comes to book boys) but lately the boys in these stories have had to work really hard for my fangirl affection….But with Xander? It was effortless.

He pockets his phone. “Caymen.”
“Xander.”
“Does this mean I won the game?”
“I didn’t realize we were playing a game.”
He picks up the doll and backs away with his lower-lip-biting smile. “I think you did.”

Even now as I am finishing up this review my heart is soaring and I have the biggest smile on my face as I recall my favorite quotes and moments from this story. It wasn’t without it’s flaws, much like any other book, but the flaws were hardly a blip on my radar. But, hey, that’s the way I am. I truly believe that, if a book made you extremely happy and you weren’t without warm and blissful feelings throughout, it deserves every star in the world. But that’s only if the flaws don’t outweigh the good-in that case, yeah, it probably stunted your enjoyment a tad. But, even with some of the miscommunications and rude preconceived notions, my smile never slipped once (Okay, lie, there was definitely some angst that made me frowny face-but only because I love my dear Xander so much!!!).

So, you know, I loved this. The rich, beckoning boy and the not-so-rich girl meeting and finding a spark they’ve never felt before, mixed with funny shenanigans to find each other’s destiny, this story was perfection. From the way Xander looked at Caymen all the way to how much he was willing to do to make her a part of his life-I couldn’t put this one down. Pre-sipped drinks and bakery made blueberry muffins never sounded so wonderful, thanks to Xander, and I know I’ll be re-reading this many times over if only to read about Xander’s hard earned smiles and Caymen curiosities. Anna, I owe you one, ya ol’ dark pup. 😛

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BOOK REVIEW: Ashfall (Ashfall #1) by Mike Mullin

May 8, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Ashfall (Ashfall #1)
by Mike Mullin
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to search for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

For the first time ever, I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn’t taken our humanity. No, we’d given that up on our own.

Oh my gosh, guys…this book was SO good!!! I think I’m only shocked because, well, I kept putting it off and putting it off and then my wonderful Jen bought this for me for Christmas. Turns out??? I am a total MORON for not reading this before now!!!! I could smack myself for not reading this sooner-SERIOUSLY.

Hunger of choice is a painful luxury; hunger of necessity is terrifying torture.

What is so amazing about this book, among many things, is that it reads as a day-to-day survival story. I was so happy when I began to realize that we were going to get to see Alex struggling (I mean it…he literally struggled not to die all the time lol) every single day and that it wasn’t, oh, I don’t know…forced?? He literally broke down everything he did. It almost almost reminded of a Hunger Games type of style, though I don’t know why. If this isn’t what you like, then this story is not for you. Every day is a new hurdle, because even if you survive the night, you have to get up and face the elements the next day-whether snow, the falling ash you can’t breathe in lest you die, rain, or a mixture of the ash and snow or rain, he had to face it every day with no food, water, and no shelter. He was scavenging every moment just to get by-one day he ate skittles from an abandoned gas station. Skittles. Can you imagine? You are dehydrated, exhausted, starving, fighting to keep going and then you find a gas station….but all you find are skittles. Again-SKITTLES.

“Well, I couldn’t.” I raised my voice a bit and shot clipped words at her. “And I’m not an idiot. And this is getting old. I know you’ve probably got ash in your panties, but do you have to take it out on me?”
She pushed herself out from under the hood. “Huh? What did you-”
“Ash in your-well, you seem so irritated at me all the time.”
“Ash in my-” She laughed. “Yeah, I do. And it is irritating. And what are you doing thinking about my panties, anyway?”

Sigh. I’d have been dead. But, even with all his various brushes with death (I mean, there were a multitude of them), he manages to find the one thing that will give him his extra edge-Darla. Now, I’m not sure how people feel about love in a dystopian world (Um, I’m all for it, clearly) but this wasn’t really what I was expecting when I started this book. Darla wasn’t your average girl. She was self-sufficient, strong, intelligent, flawed, and loyal. Are you thinking she’s the damsel in distress?? Hmm. Lol. Why don’t you switch those roles around and you’ll be closer to what it’s really like…and I loved every minute of it.

My knees and arms hung over the edge of the couch. The room was bright-we’d built the fire up before we turned in. I stared into the flames for a while.
“You awake?” I asked, my voice pitched low.
“Yeah.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“You just did.”
“What?”
“Obviously, you can ask me something. You just did. You asked if you could ask me something.”
“Do you know you’re annoying?” I punctuated this comment by elbowing her in the side.

Darla was so rude to Alex from day one. It’s not unheard of that we meet an abrasive female lead who doesn’t take to the hero right away, but she really doesn’t hold anything back, which I found to be utterly refreshing. More than once something serious would be going on and out of nowhere she’d be shouting obscenities at him and I would immediately bust out laughing. In a dark, cold world where there is little chance of survival, it’s nice to see that asshole-ness doesn’t just wither away and die with humanity.

Darla grabbed the woman’s coat and got right in her face. “We might die because of all the stuff my stupid, softhearted boyfriend is leaving you. So don’t you die, too. You take this stuff, and you keep yourself and your kids alive. You hear?”
“I hear.”
I didn’t care much for being called stupid and softhearted. The boyfriend bit I could live with.

And that’s not even mentioning Alex’s snark. The inner workings of his mind are much like how I’d imagine mine would be if I were in book form-short, to the point, sporadic, snarky, and not without humorous thoughts that should NEVER be said aloud. From the minute I picked up this story, I knew that Alex was a character I was really going to enjoy. Privileged and a bit naive, I knew he was in for a world of awakening, because nothing would ever be the same again. He was a character I loved and rooted for, and he never ceased to make me laugh. And once he met Darla, he became a boy that was so sweet and so smitten that I couldn’t help but to be enthralled by their mismatched romance.

Ask someone to lock you in a box with no light, nobody to talk to, and then have them beat on it with a tree limb to make a hideous booming sound. Do that for hours, and if you’re still not bat-shit crazy, you’ll know how we felt.

This book isn’t without it’s triggers. It was so realistic. I immediately was googling ‘Yellowstone National Park Super Volcano’ the minute bad things began to happen. And OMG has this book alarmed me. I don’t think I have ever googled about events in a book I’m reading…ever. So this was new for me. There were dark moments where blood and pain were all Alex knew. Loneliness suffocated him as he searched for his family. Companionship was indirectly found when he met this girl who was unwilling to help a stranger out but did anyway, and even then she sometimes didn’t act like she cared about him. Rape, gangs, violence, and, obviously the big one, a realistic natural disaster that will make you think twice about where you live. These are all things that you need to know about, and I’m probably forgetting some-OH, HOW COULD I FORGET. Bunnies. If you love bunnies….I dunno if you’d like this book lol. Or any animal, really. This book is about survival and mean people-take out of that what you will.

So, saying all that, I adored this book. Even amidst all the people you can’t trust and the horrible world they now live in, there were some very sweet and deep moments. This book wasn’t without it’s innocence and young love…in fact, those are my favorite types of romances, and they are rarely done correctly-So, of course I was obsessed with this one. I am so so happy I finally gave this one a chance…It would likely still be on my TBR if my lovely Jen hadn’t taken the initiative to gift me this, so I have her to thank, in a sense. Thanks, Lovely, for knowing me better than I know myself. *Muah*

BOOK REVIEW – Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

May 6, 2015 / Jen / 2 Comments

Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)
by Danielle L. Jensen
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

Review:

***I did NOT like the final book in this series. It was missing everything that I had previously fallen in love with. And that’s not even the worst part. Worst of all was that ending. That ending left me completely unsatisfied and utterly depressed. You can see my review of Warrior Witch here – Warrior Witch: 1/5 Stars***

This book was beautifully intoxicating. From the feeling of being in past generations from their dialect, to characters that enchanted my heart, to the intricate storyline that kept me glued to the pages, it was impossible not to become lost in their twisted world. I was completely blown away by how much I loved this book and how Cecile and Tristan’s happiness, sorrow and horror became mine. Everything that filled these pages was perfection and what I always hope for when picking up a book!

Does a troll know sadness, anger, or happiness? Can a troll love another troll? Or are they as cold inside as the rocks they were buried beneath? – Cecile

Cecile is destined for fame with her opera voice, and her mother has been grooming her for her destiny. But before her departure to start her new life, she is kidnapped and taken to Trollus. A city that is trapped underneath a mountain where the trolls have lived for over 500 years because of a witch’s curse. They are hoping that by creating a union between Cecile and one of their own, a prince, that the prophecy will be fulfilled and that freedom will become theirs for the taking. But Cecile has her own plans, and those include escaping. But while plotting her escape, her feelings for the troll Prince, Tristan, start to bloom. For what shall she do?

And I was done with crying – tears accomplished nothing but exhausting me further and I needed my wits about me if I were going to escape this place. Perhaps not today, tomorrow, or even the next day, but I would stand beneath the sun again. I swore it to myself. – Cecile

Cecile is now on my favorite heroines list. She was daring, brave, smart and a fighter who truly cared about the hardships of others, even if they were trolls. Her feelings and reactions to situations felt so real and honest that I had such an easy time slipping into her shoes which helped me become further lost in the story. But my favorite thing about her? That she doesn’t lay down and die when her situation is dire. She plots, plans and bids her time. Time that is sometimes filled with Tristan, sigh.

If I wasn’t careful, she would be my undoing. – Tristan

You MUST meet the troll Prince, Tristan. I was all kinds of questionable about falling for a troll BUT he is sexy, infuriating, haughty and sarcastic. His actions sometimes made you swoon and other times made you want to punch him in the face. But the swoon worthy moments I promise are worth his jerky moments! Not only do we get those swoon worthy moments, but we also get a few chapters here and there that are from his perspective. Plus add in the fact that we get to know what his emotions are from Cecile, once they have bonded, and clearly we can see that there is a lot going on underneath his indifferent facade. When you combine some of the acts he did without hesitation and the emotions he radiated, it solidified what an amazing troll he was and kept me hoping that he had feelings for Cecile. He always tried to wear his mask of indifference when it came to her, but the more it slipped, the more I fell for Tristan.

“They aren’t ugly.” I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. “More like beautiful things that have had the misfortune of being broken.” Tristan turned his face back to me. I saw the sorrow in his eyes and felt it in my heart. – Cecile

I had a feeling that I was going to love this book, but so many things still took me by surprise. The peril was through the roof intense. It was the type of situations where you can’t read fast enough yet you also want to slow down because you are terrified about how much more horrific everything is going to turn out. I panicked, I cried, and I even yelled at my book. Those multiple scenes turned me inside out. And then on the flipside, the banter and fighting between Cecile and Tristan had me laughing so hard I had tears pouring down my face. I desperately wanted them to defy the odds and be together. And I won’t ever forget the setting of Trollus, it felt so real and vivid. So without a shadow of doubt, Stolen Songbird is going on my favorites list!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Stolen Songbird #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Hidden Huntress #2 Reviews: Jen	Hidden Huntress #3 Reviews: Jen

BOOK REVIEW: A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

May 5, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorced dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great. Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together. Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about.

“Ready?” Nathan asked, pulling car keys from his pocket.
“You kids have fun,” Dad said from the sofa, turning a page in the novel he was reading. “Get to know each other. You’re family now.”
Yeah, I thought. Family who’ve banged each other.

Many people found themselves comparing this story to DUFF and some of Keplinger’s other works. Now, while I did say, “This was so good! But I loved DUFF more,” I never once felt the need to compare while I was reading. I believe each book has it’s own characters, problems, and merits. Even if there are moments where we get glimpses of the DUFF world we all love (or hate, if you’re one of those.), it doesn’t, by any means, have to be anything the same or surrounded by old characters all the time-That’s just an added bonus when we get to see Wesley and my lovely bitch., Bianca. I loved seeing them, if only for brief moments!

“Buckle up,” he [Nathan] said to me, hitting the button for the radio.
He waited until my seat belt had clicked before he even pulled out of the driveway. As if traveling those three extra feet without restraints might actually kill me or something. I didn’t expect someone who had one-night stands with strangers or threw crazy parties to have such a stick up his ass.

This story was exactly what I needed-Light, sarcastic, funny, and heartwarming. Hell, I even found myself tearing up a few times, to which I replied while blinking rapidly, “What the hell?” It’s not enough to merely create an interesting plot. You have to add warmth and love and laughter to these characters and make us unable to dislike them. With this author, I find that I am always in love with her characters. Whether they’re offhandedly witty and snarky like Bianca, controlled, composed and in charge like Lissa, or just a plain old bitch like Whit (Daaaawww, Whit) I always find that they have me laughing or giggling out loud-which I RARELY do.

“Hey,” he said, folding his arms over his chest, only barely obscuring the image of a hand making the Vulcan salute on his T-shirt. “I thought you were giving this whole being-nice thing a try.”
“I am,” I told him. “But come on. You want to major in computer science, you’re practically swooning over some ancient movie about a time-traveling car, and you have a freaking Darth Vader bobblehead in your room. I thought jocks beat up geeks, not aspired to be them.”
“What can I say? I’m a complicated guy.”

And then her boys. Talk. About. Butterflies. That’s another thing-I don’t know if it’s the author’s younger age or if she just has an unwitty knack to create all the boys in the world I’d love to gather and keep for myself, but I don’t think she has created a boy that hasn’t broken my heart or made my tummy erupt into butterflies, yet. They are always kind, caring, and over-the-moon sweet, no matter their status *Cough* Wesley, the manwhore *Cough Cough* and they always stay in my heart long after I have turned (swiped) the last page. It’s not that they are different than what we see all the time, per se, but it’s the heart that goes into writing their characters-It leaps off the page and gives you multiple opportunities to grab onto it and feel that visceral connection that is so within your reach. If that’s not incentive enough, I don’t know what is.

My head began to spin. My whole body felt alive, like it was on fire. I gasped for breath between each kiss, my fingers digging into his soft cotton T-shirt. Something like euphoria swept over me, and I couldn’t think about anything anymore. It was just Nathan and me and way too many layers of clothing between us. I wanted to touch every inch of him. I wanted to melt into him. I wanted him. So much.

I mentioned the author’s age, earlier, and I wanted to say a little more on that. I still can’t believe a girl so young creates such simply amazing books. They have no typos. They are witty. They are snarky. They have VERY swoon-worthy lines from those aforementioned boys (Cash, Wesley, and now, Nathan). And I just have the hardest time wrapping my brain around that-not that young people can’t write, no, that’s not what I mean-it’s that she’s so young, yet has more accuracy and clarity in her writing (whether or not you admire the funny cliches and content) than some of the more seasoned authors that sell 10x more books than this girl does. I don’t get that. These books are light, care-free, and they have lots of heart and passion in every page. And the drama actually makes you feel because it’s not long and drawn out. These books are short, sweet, and to the point. I’m sorry, but what more can you ask for?

So, you know, I really loved this one. And while I only gave it a 4.5, it doesn’t change the fact that my heart is light as air and I have the hugest smile on my face. I can’t put my finger on why I didn’t feel the same ‘hard-core connection’ as I did with the last two I read (maybe my mood?), but there was a strong connection, nonetheless. But that’s where the .5 star went. Merely a case of not just slapping on the same rating for the hell of it…eh, I dunno. I’m weird.

Since I could remember, I’d always been a night person. My burst of energy came right around the time the sun set. I lived in the darkness. Loved the darkness. My world came alive when the stars came out.
But for the first time in my life, I wanted the night to end.

Nathan and Whitley will likely bury themselves deep under your skin and stick with you long after the last page. There’s a twist with Nathan (You’re asking, wait, aside from him being her future step-brother?) that made me smile and squee so loud, it was unreal. I don’t know why I loved it that much, but I did. It was adorable, swoon-worthy, and without a doubt something I wholeheartedly did not expect. Whether you’ll feel the same or not is merely opinion and speculation-I just severely enjoyed it. Whitley and Nathan were beyond adorable-I hope you’ll give them a chance on a rainy, depressing day.

BOOK REVIEW: End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

Synopsis:

“It’ll be tough for them to take any action while I’m pummeling their faces. Disrespect will not be tolerated.” I half smile at him. “Because you’re all about respect.” He sighs as if a little disgusted with himself. “Lately, I seem to be all about you.”

Sometimes, I wish I could take a vacation from myself.

He looks down at me with sincere eyes. “If I were human, I would have been the first in line for you…”

The sun is beginning to set, adding a golden glow to the water. Wisps of mist begin creeping over the bay. It should be a peaceful scene, only my blood feels like it’s freezing by the second.

Without his feathered wings, the angels won’t accept him. And regardless of what kind of wings he has, humans won’t accept him either. Uriel or someone in his crew once said that angels were made to be part of a pack, but no matter where Raffe goes, he always seems to be the outsider.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Synopsis:

He laughs a little. “You live above a porcelain-doll store; your best friend lives in a cemetery. You’ve pretty much grown up surrounded by creepy things. Is there anything you’re afraid of?” You.

He pockets his phone. “Caymen.” “Xander.” “Does this mean I won the game?” “I didn’t realize we were playing a game.” He picks up the doll and backs away with his lower-lip-biting smile. “I think you did.”

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BOOK REVIEW: Ashfall (Ashfall #1) by Mike Mullin

Synopsis:

For the first time ever, I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn’t taken our humanity. No, we’d given that up on our own.

Hunger of choice is a painful luxury; hunger of necessity is terrifying torture.

Ask someone to lock you in a box with no light, nobody to talk to, and then have them beat on it with a tree limb to make a hideous booming sound. Do that for hours, and if you’re still not bat-shit crazy, you’ll know how we felt.

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BOOK REVIEW – Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

Synopsis:

Review:

Does a troll know sadness, anger, or happiness? Can a troll love another troll? Or are they as cold inside as the rocks they were buried beneath? – Cecile

And I was done with crying – tears accomplished nothing but exhausting me further and I needed my wits about me if I were going to escape this place. Perhaps not today, tomorrow, or even the next day, but I would stand beneath the sun again. I swore it to myself. – Cecile

If I wasn’t careful, she would be my undoing. – Tristan

“They aren’t ugly.” I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. “More like beautiful things that have had the misfortune of being broken.” Tristan turned his face back to me. I saw the sorrow in his eyes and felt it in my heart. – Cecile

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BOOK REVIEW: A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Synopsis:

“Ready?” Nathan asked, pulling car keys from his pocket. “You kids have fun,” Dad said from the sofa, turning a page in the novel he was reading. “Get to know each other. You’re family now.” Yeah, I thought. Family who’ve banged each other.

Since I could remember, I’d always been a night person. My burst of energy came right around the time the sun set. I lived in the darkness. Loved the darkness. My world came alive when the stars came out. But for the first time in my life, I wanted the night to end.

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He laughs a little. “You live above a porcelain-doll store; your best friend lives in a cemetery. You’ve pretty much grown up surrounded by creepy things. Is there anything you’re afraid of?”
You.

He pockets his phone. “Caymen.”
“Xander.”
“Does this mean I won the game?”
“I didn’t realize we were playing a game.”
He picks up the doll and backs away with his lower-lip-biting smile. “I think you did.”

“Ready?” Nathan asked, pulling car keys from his pocket.
“You kids have fun,” Dad said from the sofa, turning a page in the novel he was reading. “Get to know each other. You’re family now.”
Yeah, I thought. Family who’ve banged each other.

Since I could remember, I’d always been a night person. My burst of energy came right around the time the sun set. I lived in the darkness. Loved the darkness. My world came alive when the stars came out.
But for the first time in my life, I wanted the night to end.