Series Review: The Darkest Minds

Tags

Alexandra Bracken, In the Afterlight, Never Fade, The Darkest Minds

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Series: The Darkest Minds

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Dystopian

Synopsis (book 1): When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a government ′rehabilitation camp′. Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America′s children, but she and the others had emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now on the run, she is desperate to find East River, the only safe haven left for kids like her, and she joins a group of other runaways who have escaped their own camps. Liam, their brave leader, is falling for Ruby, but she can′t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all Liam. But there are also other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government.

Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice – and one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

How I got these books: Christmas presents

The Short Version:

Holy WOW! Absolutely amazing.

Review: Bright Before Sunrise

Tags

Book Review, Bright Before Sunrise, Tiffany Schmidt

Author: Tiffany Schmidt

Series: None

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Contemporary

Synopsis: Jonah and Brighton are about to have the most awkwardly awful night of their lives.

For Jonah, every aspect of his new life reminds him of what he has had to give up. All he wants is to be left alone.

Brighton is popular, pretty, and always there to help anyone . . . but has no idea of what she wants for herself. Her seemingly perfect life is marred only by Jonah, the one person who won’t give her the time of day, but also makes her feel, well, something. So when they are repeatedly thrown together over the course of one night, anything can–and does–happen.

Told in alternating chapters, this poignant, beautiful novel’s energy and tension, amidst the humour and romance, builds to a new beginning of self-acceptance and hope.

How I got this book: Sent from Bloomsbury (thank you so much!)

Release Date: May, 2015

The Short Version:

I AM NOT A CONTEMPORARY PERSON THIS BOOK WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME STAY UP UNTIL 3AM!!
Though I suppose I should have seen it coming…whenever a books time span takes a single night I can’t seem to help myself.

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Tags

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book Review, Sarah J. Maas

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book 1)

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

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

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

How I got this book: Sent from publisher (Thank you!!!!!)

Release Date: May 5, 2015

The Short Version:

Review: Half Wild

Tags

Half Bad, Half Wild, Sally Green

Author: Sally Green

Series: Half Life (Book 2)

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis: After finally meeting his elusive father, Marcus, and receiving the three gifts that confirm him as a full adult witch, Nathan is still on the run. He needs to find his friend Gabriel and rescue Annalise, now a prisoner of the powerful Black witch Mercury. Most of all he needs to learn how to control his Gift – a strange, wild new power that threatens to overwhelm him.

Meanwhile, Soul O’Brien has seized control of the Council of White Witches and is expanding his war against Black witches into Europe. In response, an unprecedented alliance has formed between Black and White witches determined to resist him. Drawn into the rebellion by the enigmatic Black witch Van Dal, Nathan finds himself fighting alongside both old friends and old enemies. But can all the rebels be trusted, or is Nathan walking into a trap?

How I got this book: Netgalley (and bought)

Release Date: March 25, 2015

The Short Version:

When I finished Half Bad, I asked myself if it was even possible for the next book to be half as awesome…

It WAS COMPLETELY POSSIBLE THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING AND I’M JUST GOING TO FLAIL FOREVER BECAUSE THIS SERIES IS INCREDIBLE AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON NEEDS TO READ IT!!!!!!!

Blog Tour: We All Looked Up (Review, Doomsday Plan and Giveaway)

Tags

Tommy Wallach, We All Looked Up

Author: Tommy Wallach

Series: None

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction/Contemporary

Synopsis: Four high school seniors put their hopes, hearts, and humanity on the line as an asteroid hurtles toward Earth in this contemporary novel.

They always say that high school is the best time of your life.

Peter, the star basketball player at his school, is worried “they” might actually be right. Meanwhile Eliza can’t wait to escape Seattle—and her reputation—and perfect-on-paper Anita wonders if admission to Princeton is worth the price of abandoning her real dreams. Andy, for his part, doesn’t understand all the fuss about college and career—the future can wait.

Or can it? Because it turns out the future is hurtling through space with the potential to wipe out life on Earth. As these four seniors—along with the rest of the planet—wait to see what damage an asteroid will cause, they must abandon all thoughts of the future and decide how they’re going to spend what remains of the present.

How I got this book: From Simon and Schuster (THANK YOU!!!)

Release Date: May 1, 2015

Add on Goodreads

The Short Version:

Um…how do I even? My mind is exploding.

Seriously my head hurts.

But really, this book is amazing. Go read it.

Now.

Review: Mind Games

Tags

Mind Games, Teri Terry

Author: Teri Terry

Series: None

Rating: Parts 1-3: 4 stars; the rest: 2 stars

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-fi

Synopsis: Luna is a no-hoper with a secret: in a world of illusion, she can see what is real. But can she see the truth before it is too late?

Luna has always been able to exist in virtual and real worlds at the same time, a secret she is warned to keep. She hides her ability by being a Refuser: excluded by choice from the virtual spheres others inhabit. But when she is singled out for testing, she can’t hide any longer.

The safest thing to do would be to fail, to go back to a dead-end life, no future. But Luna is starting to hope for something better, and hope is a dangerous thing…

How I got this book: Netgalley

Release Date: March 5, 2015

The Short Version:

I have no idea what to make of this book. It’s divided into parts, which is helpful because my mixed feelings can be allocated a part each. I was absolutely loving it, until part 4 happened. Then things went downhill.

Or, rather, things jumped of a cliff, landed at the bottom, and made a slow ascent back up, but never made it back to the top.

Yes, I think that’s probably the best way to describe it.

WARNING: THE LONG VERSION MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS

Review: Soul Crossed

Tags

Book Review, Lisa Gail Green, Soul Crossed

Author: Lisa Gail Green

Series: Of Angels and Demons (Book 1)

Rating: 2 stars

Genre: Paranormal

Synopsis: One Demon.

One Angel.

One Soul.

Josh lived a reckless, selfish life, so upon his death, escaping the eternal torments of Hell by assuming the role of a powerful, soul-corrupting demon is an easy choice. His first soul assignment doesn’t seem too hard: the mortal Camden is already obsessed with weapons, pain, and torture. If only Josh wasn’t distracted by Cam’s beautiful friend, Grace.

Grace never expected to die violently at age sixteen, but now she’s an Angel, responsible for saving a soul. She can already see past Camden’s earthly flaws, so the job should be be easy. If only that handsome, playboy Josh would stop getting in the way.

It’s forbidden for an Angel to be with a Demon, so if Josh and Grace stop resisting each other, the results would be disastrous.

And only one can claim Cam’s soul.

How I got this book: Netgalley

Release Date: February 25, 2015

The Short Version:

I was expecting something awesomely amazing.

I didn’t get it.

Warning: The Long Version may contain spoilers

Review: I Was Here

Tags

Book Review, Gayle Forman, I Was Here

Author: Gayle Forman

Series: Standalone

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Contemporary

Synopsis: This characteristically powerful novel follows eighteen-year-old Cody Reynolds in the months following her best friend’s shocking suicide.

As Cody numbly searches for answers as to why Meg took her own life, she begins a journey of self-discovery which takes her to a terrifying precipice, and forces her to question not only her relationship with the Meg she thought she knew, but her own understanding of life, love, death and forgiveness.

A phenomenally moving story, I Was Here explores the sadly all-too-familiar issue of suicide and self-harm, addressing it in an authentic way with sensitivity and honesty.

How I got this book: Sent from publisher (Thank you Simon and Schuster)

Release Date: February 1, 2015

The Short Version:

It took a while to get started, but once it did I started to enjoy it.

It was fairly creepy and disturbing, which I was not expecting. But it was still good.

I dunno…I expected one thing out of this book but got another, and I just really don’t know how I feel about it.

WARNING: THE LONG VERSION WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.
There was just no way to properly explain my mixed feelings about the book without mentioning specific events/reveals.
As usual, the conclusion is still spoiler-free.

Review: Inked

Tags

Book Review, Eric Smith, Inked

Author: Eric Smith

Series: Standalone

Rating: 2.5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis: Tattoos once were an act of rebellion.

Now they decide your destiny the moment the magical Ink settles under your skin.

And in a world where Ink controls your fate, Caenum can’t escape soon enough. He is ready to run from his family, and his best friend Dreya, and the home he has known, just to have a chance at a choice.

But when he upsets the very Scribe scheduled to give him his Ink on his eighteenth birthday, he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that sends the corrupt, magic-fearing government, The Citadel, after him and those he loves.

Now Caenum, Dreya, and their reluctant companion Kenzi must find their way to the Sanctuary, a secret town where those with the gift of magic are safe. Along the way, they learn the truth behind Ink, its dark origins, and why they are the only ones who can stop the Citadel.

How I got this book: Netgalley

Release Date: February 3, 2015

The Short Version:

First things first: everyone ignore the synopsis. It doesn’t mean anything.

Second, I did not like this book. This book made me angry. Of all 191 pages, I think I enjoyed 15 of them all up.

WARNING: THE LONG VERSION MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS

Review: Spark

Tags

Book Review, Rachael Craw, Spark

Author: Rachael Craw

Series: Spark (Book 1)

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Sci-fi

Synopsis: Evie doesn’t have a choice.

One day she’s an ordinary seventeen year old, grieving for her mother. The next, she’s a Shield, the result of a decades-old experiment gone wrong, bound by DNA to defend her best friend from an unknown killer. The threat could come at home, at school, anywhere. All Evie knows is that it will be a fight to the death.

And then there’s Jamie. Irresistible. Off-limits.

How I got this book: Won from Paper Fury (a million thanks)

The Short Version:

7 hours and 20 minutes had me finishing this at 6:20am and I read the whole thing in one sitting. So. Totally. Worth it.