Obsidian

Obsidian

Jenifer Armentrout

When seventeen-year-old Katy Swartz moved to West Virginia right before her senior year, she’d pretty much resigned herself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring, but then she spotted her hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up…until he opened his mouth. Daemon Black is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. It’s hate at first sight, but when a stranger attacks her and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens. The hot guy next door? Well, he’s an alien. Turns out that Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities and Katy is caught in the crosshairs. Daemon’s touch has lit her up like the Vegas Strip and the only way she’s getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until her alien mojo fades. That is if she doesn’t kill him first...

Ok so I am not really a sy-fi girl most the time I just find it to cheesy, farfetched and predictable for my liking but, I read the synopsis for this book and thought ehh sounds like it might be ok I'll give it a shot and loved every second of this book. I just couldn't put it down although the synopsis tells Daemon and his sister, Dee's, biggest secret Jenifer still managed to pack the book with new twists, secrets and surprises to captivate the reader. The plot was great and totally unpredictable through the very ending that left me surprised and wanting to read the next book right then and there. I immediately loved Katy and connected to her being that she reminded me a lot of myself, her love of books, her slight smart alec no fuss personality that was most of the time hidden by her more shy outer personality, until some one like Daemon pisses her off, and her strong dislike of arrogance, vanity and the stuck up 'populars.' The way Daemon, Katy, Dee and others learn the true meaning of love and sacrifice and learn to trust is shown artfully thought the story, Jenifer's writing skills perfectly projecting every aspect of the story painting it in your mind and leaving a lasting impression. It is 4.5 out of 5.

Briana

The Selection

The Selection

by Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Ok so this book was amazing and was a refreshing twist on the normally fantasy books that I have read however many of the names drove me insane the entire book such as the main character's name America and then her last name Singer and that wouldn't be too bad if her mother and her didn't sing for a living. I know that is a small detail but man that drove me crazy. The story line was fresh and original, loved it. Character development you saw some but it was subtle which is fine with me. I fell in love with America from the very beginning, she is one of those wonderful main characters that everyone can connect with and is really not unrealistically perfect looking or acting and her sass and sharp tongue will have every reader smiling. I loved this book it was so original I don't quite know what to say about it accept it was amazing Cass is a brilliant writer and I can't wait for the next book! It is 4 out of 5 stars.

Briana

Crescendo

Crescendo

Becca Fitzpatric

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The further Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim bloodline has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?


I was extremely disappointed by this book. I loved the first book Hush, Hush  but this book was hard to get into and I actually stopped reading it several times and opted to read another book. I finally pushed through with much difficulty and the last half almost last fourth of the book were great however the last part was not amazing enough to balance out the disappointing roller coaster of a beginning. The plot was good with lots of twists like a good mystery. There was not a lot  evident character development other than Nora learning to trust Patch and Patch learning what true love really is. Scott grows allot as well, in many different ways although he still has a lot of unresolved problems. Also, I found that Becca re-used some potential climactic scenes in Crescendo  such as (kind of spoiler alert nothing really big or important) some one (see not naming names here) traps Nora (sorry) in the library again like in Hush, Hush. Overall this book just was not impressive to me and I had an extremely difficult time getting into it and getting to the good parts. This book gets a 2 1/2 stars from me.

Briana

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was a step outside of my comfort zone a little bit for me being that it is not the normal fantasy, paranormal, ect. with magic and make believe creatures that I normally read. The synopsis is not impressive in fact the synopsis almost made me not want to read it because it sounded boring and pretty generic and the first chapter left me skeptical and made me want to read the rest of the book even less than the synopsis did! But man was I glad I pushed through and read past the first chapter because once I did I couldn't put it down. Michelle's writing (in this book at least) is simplistic and not really jam-packed with style and technique but has just the right amount to make her writing interesting like many of the authors and books I have read recently. It works perfectly for her, her simplistic approach to writing lets the story come out and tell itself in beautiful detail, thrilling twists and shocking endings. So I can quit talking about all the technical stuff let me just say Michelle gets an A+ on everything: plot, style and technique ect. Now to get to the characters and other fun stuff. I loved Mara from the very beginning because she is just the kind of person that people can relate to and is just the kind of person that I typically hang out with. Mara Dyer is the "normal" girl that can't stand the "popular" people that act like snobs, is just a little on the shy side at times and has no problem putting someone in their place when they get just a little too far out of line with a well said comment.  Mara develops so much over the course of the book although I feel that at the very end she kind of falls back to be worse than she was in the beginning which left me shocked and pretty annoyed. You will be wondering right along with her, debating back and forth the whole book through the end is she crazy, is she just PTSD, is she not? Noah. Every one comments that they really did not like him and that he was awful but to me after a short time he really was a pretty good person and when you really think about it him and his personality are very important to the story. I love this book and can't wait for the next book. The killer ending is one you will never expect. This is a must read.  4 1/2 out of 5 stars. :)

Briana

C.J. Redwine's New Book Defiance

Defiance

C.J. Redwine

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan--the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Doesn't it sound epic I am so excited! Sadly it doesn't come out 'till this August 28. I will review it and put the review up here as soon as I read it. You can check out C.J.'s blog here :
http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/

COUNTDOWN TIMER WIDGET

Briana

Abandon

Abandon

Meg Cabot

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone... because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

This is a killer modern twist on the classic Greek tale of Persephone. Meg nailed cliffhangers and foreshadowing so you never wanted to put the book down. As far as style and technique it is simplistic and fits the story perfectly. Character development is good, although subtle, and it becomes most obvious in her changing, clearly stated, goals and priorities in life. The plot is wonderful again it is a more subtle approach and has smooth, transitions. The plot line is more complex than some every day popular action books, this plot line isn't just rising, climax, falling this one is more continuous and smoother. Cabot's twist on the story of Persephone impressed me because unlike some classic stories written with a twist hers showed a different way of looking at the legend with the story coming from the point of view of Peirce, a girl who finds herself in a similar situation as the Legendry Persephone, and Peirce's story was similar enough to Persephone’s that you could see the connection but so drastically different it kept you hooked and guessing through the very end and left you wanting more. So, I highly recommend this book and for me it is 4 out of 5 stars. 

Briana

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

After reading this I was thinking about just how I could possibly describe the book to do it justice and the perfect phrase to describe it popped into my head: "Hauntingly Beautiful." This is a stellar modern gothic romance with a better ending.  The book my look large and intimidating in size but it immediately the story's cunningness and thrill have you so wrapped up you can’t put it down. My first thoughts before picking this up were: 1) the synopsis is rather bland. 2) *sigh* another gothic romance sad predictable and boring. 3) if it is this long a story it is going to have wayyyyy to much rising and falling action. Turns out I was wrong about the last two (this is probably one of the only times I love being wrong) and despite all my doubts I have to give it to my friend Eleena who recommended this to me when she became obsessed with the series, Eleena you were right this book is the best book I have ever read (no exaggerations) it really is it's just that awesome. The plot is great, fast paced, and enticing with just enough rising and falling action and killer twists. Watching Ethan and Lena learn to trust and love adds so much to the book. Kami and Margret nailed everything: plot, style and technique, character development, vivid description, word choice, strong story line, everything that makes a book great.  It is defiantly a 5 out of 5 stars for me and the best book I have ever read.

Briana