Tag: Young Adult (Page 23 of 158)

BOOK REVIEW: Demon Bound by Chris Cannon

BOOK REVIEW: Demon Bound by Chris CannonDemon Bound by Chris Cannon
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

When a summoning goes awry, suddenly booknerd Meena’s summer job becomes something drastically different. Instead of cleaning eccentric Carol’s house, she’s bound to a demon as his soul-collector. Soon Meena discovers that the boring, pageant-obsessed, bonfire-loving town that she’s never fit in to is a hotbed for soul-sucking demons, demon-hunting witches, and vampires who just wanna have fun… And then she comes into her own powers.

Could things get any stranger? Good thing she meets new guy Jake—who gets her and still hangs around.

When Jake’s mom sends him off to his Aunt Zelda’s for the summer, he thought he’d be bored. But nothing is what it seems in this town. His aunt isn’t just odd, she’s a witch who fights demons and tries to maintain the magical balance of the town. Jake should get the hell out of there and, he would leave, except for bad-ass newbie witch Meena, who looks at him like he matters.

He never counted on sticking around, but Meena’s bound to a demon who wants to destroy her soul—and Jake’s finally found someone worth fighting for.

Review:

Demon Bound was a paranormal story that was cute and unique.  Witches, demons, vampires and even spirits were in this story and it all felt like a fresh take on them.  I was fascinated learning the rules for the magic and the creatures were oh so interesting!  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect to Meena or Jake.  But if you adore paranormal stories, definitely check this one out!

I’d love to say that I’m a sparkly unicorn, but I’m more like my cats Marshmallow and Pumpkin… I’d rather eat, take naps, and ignore the world.

This story alternated between Jake and Meena, and I liked both of them right away.  Meena’s thoughts made me laugh and Jake seemed like he had all the potential to be a book boyfriend.  But right from the start, they were lost, just like me.  We met Carol, Meena’s new boss, and Carol’s friend Zelda, who was kind of like a distant Aunt to Jake.  Carol and Zelda’s comments and words were so over the top and matter of fact that it was hard not to laugh.  And with a séance gone wrong, we quickly dived into the magical world around them.  It was definitely a magical ride.

I had a vague memory of when my life had been normal. When no one threw knives at me and people answered questions without strange fetishy requests.
I missed that time.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t ever to connect to Jake and Meena.  No matter how much I liked them.  But I enjoyed watching them learn about each other and how fast their friendship was formed.  It had an insta-love feel to it, but being introduced to the paranormal world can definitely do that to some!  And I liked how protective Jake was of Meena.  Especially when it came to Bane.  Bane was a powerful demon who wreaked havoc on the town they lived in.  But I saw him as a weirdo who was beyond creepy.  Bane had a hair fetish that made me want to teach him about boundaries.  So I kept hoping that someone in this story would take him down!  For good.

“This town might be infested with demons.” I leaned down and brushed my lips across hers. “But it has its perks.” And then I kissed her for real.

Demon Bound was a fluffy paranormal book that made me smile and laugh.  I enjoyed that this story never made me nervous, that I just got to sit back and enjoy the story.  Even if it hit some more serious topics throughout this story.  The ending stopped at the perfect spot to give us a happily for now.  Yet there’s still so many different paths this story could take in the future.  I hope you have a lot of fun discovering this book too!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Slippers And Thieves (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4) by Christina Bauer

BOOK REVIEW: Slippers And Thieves (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4) by Christina BauerSlippers And Thieves (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4)
by Christina Bauer
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Years ago, Elle ― never call her Cinderella ― escaped her evil step family in order to build a new life for herself in Manhattan. Today, Elle’s awful past is a distant memory. In fact, Elle even attends West Lake Prep, an exclusive high school where regular humans mix with members of the Magicorum, such as fairies, shifters and witches. Although she still must live in hiding from her evil step family, Elle always has found ways to get whatever her heart desires.

That is, until Alec Le Charme. Sure, Alec is the heir to the Le Charme dynasty of high-end jewelers, but he's also kind, charismatic, and has a knee-melting smile.

Long story short, Elle has fallen for Alec, hard. Unfortunately, thanks to Elle’s evil step family, the Le Charme heir is absolutely off limits. In fact, if Elle and Alec so much as kiss, it could start a magical chain reaction that would end in powerful factions of witches and wizards going to war. As a result, Elle and Alec vow to stay friends, no matter what. Then West Lake Prep holds a masquerade ball. Identities get mixed up and forbidden kisses are finally shared.

Time for the Magicorum to go to war, and for Elle to confront her hidden past in ways she never thought possible.

Review:

Slippers and Thieves unfortunately didn’t work for me.  This makes me so sad because I loved this series.  The previous books were intricate and made me smile and laugh.  They were impossible to put down and I was always glued to the pages.  But Slippers and Thieves didn’t even feel like the others books. It felt choppy and there were inconsistencies with the previous books.  I’m not sure what happened, but the further I got into this story, the more it didn’t work for me.  I’m so sad because I loved these characters, ugh.  So here were some of my problems with this story…

 

✮ Elle’s Backstory Differs✮

In Shifters and Glyphs, Elle didn’t know she was a Warden.  Until the Colonel told her what she truly was, and she was shocked.  But in this book, she knew she was a Warden even before she met Briar Rose or the Colonel.  Her parents told her when she was little.

Another inconsistency was that in this book, Elle said her parents took her wings.  In the previous book, Colonel said he took her wings.  It was so she could change the way she looked and escape the captors who imprisoned her since they knew she was the warden of fae magic.  But that doesn’t line up with the history we’re given about her in this story – She was always with her parents, they took her wings in this book and she was never imprisoned when she was a child.

Also in the previous books, Elle said that she couldn’t use her magic or her family would find her.  But in this book, she couldn’t use her magic because the fae would kill her if they found out she was their Warden.

 

✮ Missing Houses✮

In the first book, Wolves and Roses, Elle said she had other safe houses. Besides the cabin. Yet in this book, when they have to find a place to stay, she only says she has her place in the village. Where are the other safe houses? Why weren’t they mentioned? And even though her cabin burnt down, she was supposed to have it rebuilt with the insurance money. The cabin wasn’t even mentioned once in this story.

 

✮ Where’s The Money✮

I don’t get how Elle had two houses in the first book. Yes she returns stolen jewels to their rightful owner, but in this book she gets paid a few hundred dollars here and a few hundred dollars there.  How did she afford two houses, especially one in the village?  She couldn’t access the money she saved, so I don’t get it.

 

✮ Gustav✮

In the movie Cinderella, she was kind and friends with the mice.  She had saved and fed them, in exchange they did favors for her.  But in this book, Elle continually asked Gustav for help and why he kept coming back was beyond me.  It always left a bitter taste in my mouth that she expected him to help and she never did anything back in return. Except that one time.  But even that one time, she threatened him with something he hates.  Not nice.

 

✮ Things That Made Me Say Why✮

I don’t get why her dad said they needed the future step sisters help in their shop.  Especially when he said they couldn’t survive without them.  Not only did he cover one of their shifts in the shop that left him frazzled, but they never did any work from what we saw.  They just hid in the back.  What was the point of that conversation between Elle and her dad?

 

✮ More Questions✮

In the previous books, Alex says his parents will pay a scholarship and give the girls an apartment in their building. But in this book, his mom was shocked they went to the same school and it wasn’t even mentioned that they helped give the girls their apartment.  The mom didn’t even realize they were living there.

Also, in the first book, Elle was in Alec’s office. People saw them together and it was such a huge deal they had to escape. But in this story we learn how his moves were being watched. Nothing was said to his mom, how did she not know?

 

There were so many more issues than this, but these were the ones that bothered me the most.  If you can’t tell, I struggle when there are inconsistencies in a story.  Especially when it feels like I’m reading a beta version in a finished copy.  So I’m sad to be walking away from this series.  But when I constantly get pulled out of a story for hiccups, it doesn’t matter how fabulous the characters are, I just can’t go on.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts

BOOK REVIEW: The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown RobertsThe Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

True love can't be strategized.

After book blogger Vivian Galdi’s longtime crush pretends their secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe crushes, determined to protect her heart.

But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission and Vivian’s zing meter into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore where Vivian works, Dallas wages a counter-mission.

Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is determined to take her heart off the shelf.

Review:

The Replacement Crush was smile inducing and absolutely adorable!  With a book blogging girl, an adorkable and swoon worthy guy and a group of friends who I wished were mine too, The Replacement Crush was such a huge hit.  The story was set in a cute little beach town and with so many of the scenes happening in a book store, oh my heart, this story had it all. If you love ya romance, talking about books and falling in love then definitely add this one to your tbr!

The romance in my life existed between the covers, all right. The covers of books.

Viv’s mom wanted to modernize their book store, so she hired Dallas, the new kid in town to create software for them.  The first few times Viv and Dallas ran into each other, I couldn’t stop the laughter or becoming completely obsessed with them.  They were so awkward, yet funny at the same time.  And while I wanted something to happen between them, Viv was determined that nothing would.  Her heart had just been stomped on by her childhood crush, so she wanted to find her replacement crush.  Someone who was safe and she wouldn’t fall head over heels for.  But true love isn’t something you can plan out, so I had a good feeling that Viv was setting herself up for the most epic disaster ever.  Especially since Dallas was always around and seemed like someone she could fall for.

The way he’d looked at me; the way he’d held me. Was it all my crazy imagination?

Dallas Lang was the ultimate book boyfriend.  He was thoughtful, sweet, caring, charismatic and sigh worthy.  He definitely rocked the nerd vibe with his glasses and Star Trek knowledge but he also had this whole Clark Kent thing going on.  I. Was. Obsessed.  He was the strong yet sometimes silent type, and he seemed to observe more than Viv ever wanted him too.  But since we only got to hear from Viv, Dallas felt like a mystery to me.  So I desperately wanted to know what was going on in his head and what all of his secrets were!

I was like a one-girl tornado, leaving a pile of rubble in my wake.

I loved being in Viv’s head and joining her on her journey.  She had so much to learn, and she grew in leaps and bounds by the end of the story. But Viv made a lot of mistakes along the way.  Especially since she didn’t have a lot of experience with boys, so you have to be patient with her.  She even acknowledged her mistakes by calling herself tstl at one point lol.  But Viv was quick witted and funny, so I was rooting for her every step of the way.

He tilted my chin up, making my breath catch as my eyes met his.
“You’re sure you aren’t interested in chemistry? Not even as bonus criteria?” His voice was low and sexy.
“I’m s-sure,” I barely stammered out the words before his lips claimed mine.

When Viv and Dallas were around each other, there was always a spark between them.  And since they had to work together a few times a week, that spark seemed to burn even brighter as time went on.  While some of those moments were sweet and had me sighing out loud, other times I was laughing and screaming because of their antics.  Their banter was hilarious!  But it didn’t matter how hot some of those moments felt, Viv was determined to stick to her guns and find a guy that didn’t set off her zing meter.  And Dallas constantly was setting it off for her.  And for me too.

You can do this, Viv. Just pretend you’re in one of your books.
The question was, what type of book? Would I finally get my happy ending or was this going to be an ugly-cry ending?

With book stores, book clubs, bookish lingo and books weaved throughout this story, you couldn’t stop my smiling.  And with side characters that I found myself caring for just as deeply, this book was such a huge win!  Amy, Jaz, Viv’s mom and Toff were my favorites.  You guys have to meet Toff! He’s like Viv’s brother and he stole every single scene he was in. I’m so happy he got his own book, The Book Worm Crush!  So yes, I definitely recommend this book!  The Replacement Crush is for all the book and romance lovers out there!  I can’t ever recommend Lisa Brown Roberts’ books enough!

BOOK REVIEW: The Trouble With Christmas by Robin Daniels

BOOK REVIEW: The Trouble With Christmas by Robin DanielsThe Trouble With Christmas (Holiday Romance #1)
by Robin Daniels
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Chrissy Jensen lives in a town full of Christmas fanatics. Too bad she hates everything about the holiday. Aside from her justifiable grievances, the endless barrage of displays and events is enough to make any girl gag. Nothing has ever been able to thaw her frozen yuletide heart. But when her brother brings a handsome friend home for the holiday, she starts to reconsider her contemptuous attitude. The deliciously yummy houseguest LOVES Christmas. Pretending to share his sentiment couldn’t hurt. Right?

Wrong. The sudden personality transplant doesn’t sit well with her best friend Nate. He perpetuates the deception in order to get even, which causes an agonizing dilemma. Now, Chrissy must keep up the charade—with a cheerful disposition—or risk being caught in her lie.


Review:

The Trouble With Christmas was absolutely adorable!  If you like Kasie West, Cookie O’Gorman, Lisa Brown Roberts or cute ya romance, then you should definitely check out this book.  The story line was a ton of fun, the characters were so easy to connect to and the Christmas activities were completely entertaining.  I’m so glad I picked this up this book, it was exactly what I needed!

My best friend is the Bob Cratchit to my Ebenezer Scrooge, the Cindy Lou Who to my Grinch.

Christmas Eve Jensen, aka Chrissy, was not a fan of Christmas.  Not only was she born on Christmas day but her town, which was named Rudolph, was the honorary Christmas town in the US.  But this year, Christmas time was finally looking up!  Her brother brought home his gorgeous friend, Evan, who loved Christmas.  So what if Chrissy had to pretend to like Christmas.  What could possibly go wrong?

He stuck his finger into the bowl of icing and bopped my nose with it. “Plus, you’re really cute when your frustrated.”
“I hate you.” I growled.
“You love me.” He grinned and swiped at my cheek with the rest of the icing.

Nate was Chrissy’s best friend and only lived a few doors down from her house.  They were the truest of friends and I loved how they were embedded in each other’s lives. Nate was thoughtful, caring, smart and he even made me sigh out loud.  So when Nate saw that Chrissy was pretending to like Christmas, all for Evan’s sake, what’s a best friend to do.  He helped push along her little lie and got Chrissy in over her head.

“Get out.” I pointed my finger toward the hallway.
Garland’s grin widened. Getting under my skin was a favorite hobby of his. He backed away, fully aware that it didn’t take long for me to resort to violence. “Fine. But for the record, I think he’s into you.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Who’s into me?”
“Now that is the million-dollar question.” My brother shut the door without elaborating, and I plopped onto my bed.

There was so much that I loved about this story.  The small town charm and adorable townspeople.  Chrissy’s family, who was a little over the top at times, but filled the pages with love. And even to Chrissy who grew so much.  We didn’t always see eye to eye, I thought one of the guys she interacted with was annoying and his charming never worked for me.  But the decisions she made towards the end of the book and even how she came to see the holidays made my heart burst with joy!

He held me tighter, then slowly ran one hand up and my back until his fingers twined in the wispy hairs that had fallen from my bun. The move wasn’t anywhere close to feeling friendly. Especially when he leaned down and his lips grazed my ear. “And for the record, I noticed too. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I replied hoarsely. My heart sped up. My stomach fluttered. Goose bumps covered my arms, and I had to fight off a shiver. Something freaky was happening.

So if you’re looking for a Christmas story that has tons of charm and will make you smile, then definitely pick up The Trouble With Christmas.  The romance was sigh worthy and the friendships and family relationships were beyond adorable.  I don’t even want to talk about the challenges, that I had so much fun reading about, because I want it all to be a surprise.  Just know that I loved every single minute of it.  And now I can’t wait to check out the rest of Robin Daniels books!

PS There was a kiss in the pages that completely took me by surprise and I even gasped out loud!  I loved, loved, loved how that unfolded!

BOOK REVIEW: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

BOOK REVIEW: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid KemmererA Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2)
by Brigid Kemmerer
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places.

Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

Review

“Must you men make everything about violence?” I say. “Not every problem can be solved by the edge of a sword.”

This was SO good. Even after reading my review from A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I can’t say that I remember a whole lot about the first book in this series. I remember liking it but not being completely in love. I also remember wanting to focus more on Rhen since he was the actual love interest/ part of the main couple BUT being more drawn to Grey instead. You see, Grey is my exact brand of BBF. He reminded me a lot of Chaol from the Throne of Glass series and anyone who knows me, should know that he is the damaged cinnamon roll of my heart.

As much as I feel bad saying this, too, I didn’t get into the book fully until after we leave Rhen and Harper in Emberfall and fully get to Grey and Lia Mara’s time together. Rhen does….some pretty shitty things in this book. I don’t think that they were really out of character for him for a number of different reasons however, I think there’s a good chance that it’s going to piss some die hard Rhen fans off when they read this…at least until they get to the epilogue.

Anyway, Grey not surprisingly, was a damn treat. Again, he is so like Chaol in the sense that he has this very specific sense of duty and honor and following orders without question because that’s all he’s done all his life. When he’s inevitably found and brought back to the castle, he refuses to tell Rhen that he’s the heir/the one with magic. He thinks he’s keeping Rhen safe and when Rhen does a certain something that I can’t say, his old and steady view of things drastically changes.

It’s then that the real story begins. He ends up on a journey with Lia Mara, eldest daughter (but not heir) of the queen of Syhl Shallow, a boy named Tycho that has become quite attached to Grey, a new magical creature called a scraver that is named Iisak, and Harper’s brother, Jake and boyfriend Noah round out the rag-tag group. Even though Jake annoyed me at first, he actually became a really well rounded character. I mean all of them, really. I felt like I was way connected to them than half the people mentioned in book one. Lia Mara was my favorite, though. She was so smart and kind and STRONG. Like the scene where she and Grey carried that deer to the fire…that was amazing. I loved how he just basically was this cheerleader for her and held her up with kind (but always very truthful) words. He made her see the potential in herself and that she WAS smart, kind, strong, and important. Also, their romantic scenes were so. Damn. Swoony. I want to go back and re-read them all immediately and probably will.

Overall I think this book had a lot more development than the first. Grey’s growth as a character in itself was beyond what I could have imagined. I had already been dying to see how things were going to pan out in book three but even more so after the epilogue. 

View Spoiler »

“But you are far more dangerous.”
I can hardly think with his fingers tracing a line down the side of my face.
“Ah, yes, the most dangerous person at the party is always the girl sitting alone with a book.”


Huge thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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