Plus One by Elizabeth Fama

Soleil is a Smudge. A human who is only allowed to leave her home during the night. D'Arcy is a privileged Ray with national honors and on his way to becoming a doctor. They never should have met, but when Sol hatches a plan to kidnap her niece from the hospital, she and D'Arcy discover not only might they have a future, but they also have a past.

This book got a lot of hype, and with a cover like that, how could it not? But I will admit to mixed feelings about this book. The plot is a bit slow, and for the majority of the book there just isn't enough excitement to really hook me.

Sol is funny in her own way but she seemed kind of shallow to me. Not her character, because she was intended to be this really sweet, deep person, but for some reason her actions just came off as hollow to me. This made it difficult to really connect with her.

Sol and D'Arcy's relationship has zero chemistry, and so I couldn't get invested in that part of the story either. Some of the things they said were really cute and all, but I'm sorry, I just didn't feel like there was anything there.

The writing was fantastic. Fama is clearly extremely well educated, because her writing is languid and smooth with words that I've heard, but rarely read in a young adult novel. It's fitting that Marissa Meyer would be featured on the cover because their writing styles are very similar.

All in all it wasn't a bad book, but it didn't really hook me either. I just read it because I needed to finish it before it become overdue at my library, and I'd already promised to review it! It's not super emotional, so if you're feeling a little down, or your emotions feel bottled due to other high-stress books (like me right now) this is a nice relaxing book with some very interesting ideas.

I'm not sure if I'll be pursuing the series, but I guess I'll decide when the second book comes out.

Three Stars

Rosalie Williams

Plus One on Goodreads

Perception by Lee Strauss

A perfect human. Beautiful, never succumbing to illness, living an extended life, Zoe has it all. Until her brother goes missing, and her utopian world begins to unravel around her, with a mysteriously charming "normal" at the center of it all with her.

Perception was free off of amazon, and I always have my reservations about free books, especially because editing errors eat at my soul–they're so easy to avoid! But that's beside the point. This is giong to be a short review because I honestly don't have much to say about this book. I read it in one night because I got it for free and didn't have anything else to read. It was fairly short, and to my amazement, didn't have any editing errors (that I caught anyway)! So that definitely put me in a good mood.

As far as the plot goes it was fast-paced and didn't get boring. I appreciated that, especially since it was two in the morning and I couldn't have lasted through anything tedious or slow. There is action the entire time, and it kept me excited. I did predict the ending, but that didn't keep me from liking it any less.

The romance is fairly bland, unfortunately. It's there, and I appreciate the effort, and I do like Zoe and Noah together, but  I just didn't feel that spark, sorry! I liked how protective Noah was of Zoe, but I think there was a bit of a dichotomy in his character, which took away from the romance aspect of the book. Noah is originally portrayed as a self-confident, pushy, arrogant guy. But then about halfway through, all that goes out the window, and suddenly he's a devout virgin Christian. I personally liked the bad-boy side of him more.

Zoe tries to be that stubborn female protagonist that is so popular in YA these days, but she doesn't quite pull it off. Her stubborn attitude ends up making her look kind of stupid, especially since she always makes rash decisions, and then banks on Noah to get her out! There was no real substance to her character, so I didn't connect with her as much as I would have liked to.

All in all it was a nice one-night read, but let's just say I won't be investing the few dollars to buy the next book in the series.

Three Stars

Rosalie Williams

Perception on Goodreads

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

The world gone in a flash, Evie and Jack band together in search of something neither know is alive. Constantly fighting with each other and the terrifying new world around them, Evie must accept that she is not who she thinks she is, and just when she and Jack may have a chance together, that secret might tear them apart.

I'm going to do something I've never done before in this review. Because of the intensity with which the book started, I had to begin the review only a few chapters in. I will end with my parting thoughts, of course, but I don't want to lose my opinion of the beginning.

The prologue is absolutely chilling. As with many of the books I review I'm listening to this on audiobook, and the reader is stunning. He speaks with a barely suppressed mania, which paired with the disturbing words, is enough to make you look over your shoulder. My skin literally rose in response to the scene, a chill shaking my spine. I've never had such a robust response to the beginning of the book, and it left me shaken. Arthur, the opening POV, is insane in a way that is hard to capture in the sentences of a book. His thoughts appear almost normal, save for the things he lusts after. I couldn't have imagined the mind of a serial killer better, and I know his thoughts will be trailing me next time I walk down the street in the dark.

Evie's world before the flash is bright and vivid. Kresley Cole does a fantastic job of immediately building the characters, their personalities, and their place in the world. The way she writes brings everything to life, without being overly descriptive. I love a book that is more like watching a movie in my mind, and this is exactly what I have found here.

The interactions between the characters have been witty and engaging. There are no long monologues that leave you bored and mind drifting, but make you cling to every word like it's the twist that I can feel building. After the introduction of new characters like Selena and Matthew, the dialogue can get a tad laborious, especially with her long and confusing conversations with Matthew. But all in all it does not take away from the book.

I'm not going to lie, this book is weird, and entirely heartbreaking. The characters are intense, realistic, and you fall in love with them so subtly that you don't even know it's happening until you are wrecked. They stick to their personalities, which can be so frustrating sometimes, and yet they are compelling an intriguing. For originality, characters, an exciting plot, fantastic writing, and breaking my heart, I award the first five stars of the summer.

Oh, and my opinion for hottest accent on a male has officially changed from British to Cajun French without a doubt. I'm moving to Louisiana holy hotness.

Five Stars

Rosalie Williams

Poison Princess on Goodreads

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

The Last Princess is a novel about the royal family after the devastating Seventeen Days destroy almost all of England. After the annual Roses Ball is attacked by Cornelius Hollister's army, only Princess Eliza escapes, thanks to mysterious help from a Sergeant. Siblings taken captive, Eliza sets out on a journey to avenge her murdered parents and captured siblings.

This was a one sitting book, and not in a good way. I knew that if I put this book down I would not pick it back up again, and since I own it, I wanted to have it read (I hate owning books that I haven't read). Reviewing my notes it's very difficult to decide what to say about this book. So let's start at the beginning.

The characters never become multi dimensional. Eliza sometimes shows courage, but then there is never a connection with her. She makes stupid yet valiant decisions, and it makes her an unrealistic heroine. Sergeant Wesley is innately kind, but as with Eliza, there is no connection with her character. Their romance is flimsy and practically nonexistent, when she suddenly declares she loves him.

There are a lot of inaccuracies in this book. Some mainly being the way the wild foxes acted in the forest. Wild foxes are extremely aggressive when they're starving. Living just outside of Yellowstone National Park, every year we get a story about a starving fox attacking a tourist. They don't snuggle into your hand. The other main one was the horses and more specifically the travel. Eliza travels 380 miles in less than a day on horseback. That's nearly impossible in a car, much less on a horse. Also, horses can't run flat-out for very long. Contrary to what John Wayne movies lead you to believe, you can't run a horse for very long or they die, and yes, True Grit got that part right, horses will run themselves literally to death.

So I will wrap up this short review by saying this: There is no connection with the story whatsoever. The writing is two dimensional and the characters are flat. The story lacks those things that make it seem realistic and draws the reader in. I considered abandoning it halfway through, but decided that it was necessary to read it to its conclusion. Unfortunately it was a waste of my day, and I wish I'd spent it reading a better book, or hiking, or cleaning, or baking, or doing classwork. Honestly, I'd rather do about anything than read this book again.

One Star

Rosalie Williams

The Last Princess on Goodreads

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Into the Still Blue is the final book in the Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi. It is one of the best written Young Adult series I've ever read, right alongside the Shatter Me series. The plot is so well devised, that everything flows into something else. The actions and events are so natural, the world seems almost more vivid than reality.

This finale was perfect. I can honestly say I've never read a more outstanding summation to a series. The author didn't try to startle the readers with shocking ending, but finished the series the way it should have been finished. With hindsight being 20 20, I couldn't have assembled a more perfect sequence of events.

The book is filled with action, but more seriousness than the other books. Perry is the leader of the Horns now, and Aria is the defacto leader of the Dwellers. There is much more responsibility on their shoulders, yet they don't yield to it. Both rise to the occasion and develop not only as characters, but as people, and as a couple.

The only complaint I'd had with Through the Ever Night, the second book in the trilogy, is there wasn't much time that Perry and Aria spent together. It seemed as if they'd just become a couple and stolen our hearts, when they are whacked hundreds of miles apart from each other. However, the redeeming feature of that installment was the never wavering loyalty they had toward each other. The second book allowed Perry and Aria to develop separately, and then more together as a couple in Into the Still Blue.

I won't mislead you, this is a roller coaster of action and emotion. The book covers a lot in a very short amount of time, but it never feels rushed. There is sacrifice, and I doubt you'll make it through the pages without shedding at least a few tears–I know I didn't!

For me, this was a highly awaited finale, and it was definitely worth the wait. If all YA series came to a close as cleanly, and as well as this one did, I would be much happier with the current YA genre.

To put this into perspective, Divergent is all the rage right now in the YA literature, and cinematic world. I would rank this series above that one in a heartbeat. Not only above it, but miles ahead in terms of plot, characters, and the overall writing.

It is an honor to award this book:

Five Stars

Rosalie

Into the Still Blue on Goodreads

Beyond Our Stars by Marie Langager

Beyond our stars very much has the feel of a self-published novel. I didn't do enough background research to determine whether or not it is, just know that I rented it from my library.

Beyond Our Stars is about a fleet of ships sent from a ruined Earth to colonize a new planet. Originally they have no idea if there is inhabitation on the new planet, but the day after they land it becomes obvious that there are is an advanced civilization already living there.

This review is going to be very short, because I'll admit it's been a while since I finished the book.

The editing errors really bothered me. Spelling and grammar errors take away from the validity of the story for me, and are highly distracting. If the writing is already teetering on the edge of below par and par, editing errors really tip the scales for me.

Regardless of the editing issues, I really enjoyed this book. I love anything to do with space and aliens, and I did like the story here. I've always believed that the teenage generations are the ones that can bridge the gaps between species and even races. The young are too easily influenced, and the adults too stuck in their ways.

What I didn't like was the characters. The main character seemed really mean, and very antisocial. Despite her being referenced as "the most popular girl on the ship" she doesn't have very many friends, and her boyfriend is really immature. Her boyfriend was the weakest point for me. She was definitely the dominant in their relationship, and he was too submissive and needy. While I appreciated the ending and a lot of what happened near the end as far as character and events go, there were times when I was ridiculously upset with the main characters. After refusing his marriage proposal he was very mean and like I said before, immature.

There were fun aspects to the story, like the observation decks, as well as the alien—human interaction.

If you don't mind rather annoying characters, I'd highly recommend this.

Three Stars

Rosalie

Beyond Our Stars on Goodreads

Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

I would like to begin by saying that this is a reread for me. I listened to it as an audiobook in the summer last year, and really loved it. Just recently I was looking for a new book to listen to, and couldn't find any that seemed appealing! Remembering how much I liked this one, I decided to listen to it again.

So let's get started!

Marina can't remember anything from her past. All she knows is she cost people from the Arclight their lives when they left the safety of the lights to rescue her from the darkness. The Fade have been attacking nonstop since she was brought into the Arclight, and for some reason the leaders think she holds the answers to the plague that wiped out most of humanity and resulted in the ominous Fade.

The beginning of the book really hooked me, and I think that might be one of the reasons I like this book so much. It doesn't take long to get started, and isn't confusing the way a lot of dystopian books are, because Josin didn't give a new name to everything, which was much appreciated. I immediately liked Tobin, as well as the way the teenagers are more mature than normal, which is to be expected in a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has to grow up quickly.

The action does slow a bit toward the middle, and at that point it becomes a little tedious, though the relationship development is great in this novel.

I really liked the idea of the Fade, and I loved Rue, to be honest. I think he was my favorite character. The one thing that really bothered me was the hive mind mentality of the Fade. Maybe it's because I'm human and we cling to our individuality like the world depends on it, but the hive mind mentality didn't appeal to me much. This, of course, means that when the "big decision" at the end came, I was fairly certain which side she would choose, and who she would end up with. The hive mentality is too unappealing to humans, so Josin would have lost a lot of fans over a choice to assimilate.

Overall, the writing for this book really was sublime, and I very much look forward to getting my hands on the sequel.

Four Stars

Rosalie

Arclight on Goodreads

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The immortal rules is a dystopian vampire novel about Allison Sekemoto, and her struggle to survive in the harsh world.

Firstly, I must mention that Allison is Asian, and the girl on the cover is not. This shouldn't bother me as much as it does, but covers matching the story and characters is very important to me. The marketing of a book can make or break whether or not it becomes a best seller, or even if a reader chooses to pick it up off the shelf. I would recommend a reprint of this book with a different cover.

Now to the story. Initially, I had a hard time getting into the story. I'm always on the lookout for a love interest for the main character, and the only possibility was killed in the first few pages. The character Stick really bothered me, but upon reflection I think that was probably his purpose in the story. There was a lot of action pretty quickly, and I liked that. It set up the story well, and established Allie as a character.

I really liked the way Allie became a vampire (it's not a spoiler, it happens in the first hundred pages!) and I liked Kanin. Of course I thought they would end up being together, so imagine my surprise when they are separated early on! But in the end I really appreciated this choice, as it left an opening for a second book. The way this story progressed reminded me a lot of the Graceling series, but better. There was a lot of distance covered throughout the book, and a lot happened without it feeling rushed. The sequence of events moved smoothly and I was thoroughly entranced in the book.

About halfway through Allison meets up with a traveling gang of humans, which I really liked as a plot twist. The rest of the book is eventful and fun, though sad at times.

I don't want to give too much away because this really is a book I'd strongly recommend reading, as it wasn't the same as modern vampire books, and had an aspect of reality that a lot of them lack. I will tell you this, there is a love interest, and it end in a bittersweet kind of way. For once I really liked the ending of the book. There were other ways it could have gone, but I liked the direction it took in the end. I'm excited to read the second, though I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to read it. I really liked Julia Kagawa's writing style, and I will be looking in to other books by her as well, so prepare yourself!

I strongly recommend this book.

Four Stars

Rosalie

The Immortal Rules on Goodreads

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

The second in the For Darkness Shows the Star series, Across a Star-Swept Sea takes place on another surviving island, much different from the one described in the first book.

Initially I was disappointed that Diana wasn't sticking with her original characters. The biggest problem I had with For Darkness Shows the Stars was that the romance really didn't come into play until the last few chapters. For the most part the main characters were mean to each other, and I really wanted to see them actually be happy together. To my dismay, the same thing happened in this book. The main characters strongly dislike each other for the majority of the book, though it's not as extreme as the first. Luckily, there is a bit more romance, though it's slow moving and not nearly enough.

First of all, I have to comment on the cover. By far one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. The way the water turns into the dress is stunning, not to mention the sky and island background, with the few stars floating on the water, it's fantastic. It really helped me visualize a few key moments in the book, so bravo for the marketing team on this one.

So let's talk about the Wild Poppy. I really did like the idea of a beautiful revolutionary who play dumb but it really a genius. I think Persis' character was very fun, and I liked the way she carried herself. While sometimes she did seem a little immature, for the most part she made logical decisions. One thing I think could have added to the story was had she demonstrated times of more cunning. Even when she's in the mindset of the Wild Poppy, her thoughts lack a certain clarity that would have convinced me more that she really is a hidden genius.

Justen, I did not appreciate as much as I did Persis. He wasn't as much of a masculine figure as Kai was in the first book, and he seemed rather immature. He made stupid decisions, and was complaining a lot. His only really strong moments were when he was taking care of people as a medic. In those situations he really took control and established himself as an equal to Persis.

This is supposed to be a rewrite of the Scarlet Pimpernel, which I have never read, I hate to admit. While in general I enjoyed the story, it lacked a depth to the characters and storyline that it really could have benefitted from. There was a shallow introduction of the old characters, and I didn't like it as much as I should have.

As you can probably tell I am very torn with this series. I didn't love it, but I didn't not like it either. There is an element of mysticism that I adore, though the cover may be part of that…either way, I'll be interested to see if Diana's writing evolves at all with the next book (if there is one?) and whether or not she learns to develop characters more effectively.

As an afterthought, I must say the story progressed rather slowly. I had a hard time continuing at a few points, and it didn't hold my attention.

Three Stars

Rosalie

Across a Star-Swept Sea on Goodreads

Absence

Hello!

Long time no posts! I apologize immensely for my long absence from the blog and my previously quick reviews. With finals week in school and an increasing work load plus state for my debate team coming up, I've had my hands full!

Currently, I am working on three books. I'll admit that I've read a few since I last posted, and yes, they were great. My favorites, however, I plowed through so quickly that I could never have reviewed them without giving away things from the sequels, so, my apologies. As I finish the immediate books I'm reading I'll be sure to review them, and I promise to work on getting back to regular postings!

Thanks for baring with me!

What am I reading right now?

Across a Star-Swept Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars, #2) by Diana Peterfreund

Fire (Graceling Realm, #2) by Kristin Cashore

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa

Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

After finding out her father created the plague that destroyed most of mankind, Araby has a lot to deal with. That, and the three groups fighting for control all want her for some reason or another. Betrayed by her boyfriend and proposed to by a slightly crazed revolutionary, she's having a rough month. Yet somehow, she deals. Bravo.

Masque of the Red Death was a very good book. It set up very well for the sequel, which I think was a main focus on it. While Masque was a little slow, Dance was fast paced and exciting through and through. There was never a dull moment, and I read it in one sitting. It was a rather short book, and I think some parts could have been elaborated on a little more. I think there were tons of fun elements to the plot, as well as some really great scenes, which could have been extrapolated to make the book a little bit of a higher level, while intoning those darker themes which are hinted at, but left relatively unexplored.

One thing I really did like about this book was the love triangle. Bethany did a wonderful job of establishing three very different characters that you do feel a connection to at one point or another. I enjoyed the multidimensional parts of Elliot. You got to see his crazed side, his sensitive side, and also his cruel side all in one book.

Will annoyed me for the first half of the book. After betraying her he was rather shy and tentative, a huge contrast to the dark and mysterious Will we met in the first book. He did redeem himself though. He continued to persue Araby even while she seemed to be with Elliot, albeit more subtly than before. He's always there for her, and in the end he cares for her more than Elliot does, and Araby realizes that.

Araby and Elliot's relationship is complicated. At some points she seems very into it and appears to really like Elliot. Then the next scene she's pushing his away. Eventually they really do seem like a couple, but Araby bases that relationship on them both being bad people. She even says that they "really do deserve each other". I think this added to the plot, that her and Will's relationship was more pure than hers and Elliot's. Once Elliot really gains control of the revolution, he does change his stripes. He becomes bossier of Araby, and publicly tries to claim her as his. I think this aided Araby in realizing who she really should be with in the end, and it didn't feel like she was changing her mind for no reason.

The end was good. Like I said before, some elements of the story could have been elaborated on, and since I did enjoy the characters so much I wish they had been. In the end everyone got what they deserved. While Bethany doesn't tell you exactly how the world turns out, she ends on a happy note that gives hope for the future.

Bethany did an amazing job with creating her characters. They were all very down to earth, realistic, and individual. There were no copies in the story, and I really appreciate that. Unfortunately her plot skills do not share the same ground as her character building ones. If this had been a collaborated duo with an author really good at making a clear and concise plot, it would have been much better.

I really enjoyed this series, but do to the short nature of the second book and amateur plot line, I'm left feeling like there's a lot more to the story that wasn't told.

Three Stars.

Rosalie

Dance of the Red Death on Goodreads

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

After a confusing reaction to the first book, I had a lot of trouble convincing myself to read the second. I'll admit that after retrieving it from the library I allowed it to sit dormant on my shelf for a week or so. I can't hide that I was procrastinating reading it. But now that I have I am very glad that I did.

First I've come to the conclusion that the reason the first book left such an unsatisfying aftertaste in my mouth is because of the romance that I witnessed. Prince Kai was pretty great, but as soon as he became emperor he lost all his freedom, and so the romance in the book failed pretty miserably. But I am happy to say that the romance in the second is much better.

Another apprehension I had about Scarlet is I didn't like the idea of new characters being introduced into the story. But in the end I can say I like Scarlet and Wolf's story more than I liked Cinder's. Cinder had a rather boring tale throughout this book, but Wolf and Scarlet were thrilling and so much fun to read.

At one point something happened that upset me so much I put the book down and didn't pick it up again for a solid two days. I was so afraid that what happened in the first book was happening again in the second–the romance was being ruined. But in the end that moment only made the ending more exciting, and so much better when Scarlet and Wolf resolved themselves.

It's a long book, I will say that. There's a lot of plot and character development throughout it though. It's basically two stories in one, so it makes sense to be so long. The font is rather wide and big, so it doesn't actually take too long to get through. The story is so interesting that you can blow through fifty pages without even realizing it, I assure you that.

Meyer did a good job of balancing the stories. Sometimes with story and personality breaks, the author will cut at the climax of one person's story, to something less interesting going on with another character. This is a dire pitfall because then the reader is tempted to skip that chapter (as I will admit to doing more than once), and in good writing every chapter should be important, and the reader unable to skip a chapter. As I said Meyer did a good job of avoiding this, and keeping the reader engaged.

There are two more books in the series, or that's what I've been told. I can say I am much more excited going into the third than I was going into the second. Meyer is a gifted writing, crafting a world wonderful, exciting and imaginative, that you can't help but fall in love with. If the next two books are as good as this one was, I think it's safe to say this will be one of the best works of YA writing we've seen in the current decade.

Four Stars.

Rosalie

Scarlet on Goodreads

Countdown by Michelle Rowen

I am going to begin this review rather bluntly in saying that I would not recommend this book. Honestly, I'm not quite sure how this got published. I've read amazon books for free that are better than this one, and I must say I despise the poor writing and slow story lines in free ebooks. So you can imagine this must have been pretty awful for me to say such a thing.

Let's start from the beginning. The writing style? Nothing particularly interesting about it. It's not bad, though maybe a bit lacking, but not godawful. The cover? A little cheesy, but it caught my attention! Then in the summary promised a Hunger Games-like book? Sold! If only it were that easy.

Rogan, the main boy of the story I will admit to liking very much. I'm not sure why, but something about him was really fun. Kira on the other hand? I did not like her, not at all. She was trying way to hard to be like Katniss, and honestly I think the author was just trying to hook people on this story because of their love for the Hunger Games.

I wanted to like this, I really did. In fact, for the first one hundred pages I really did like it! I'd read a few poor reviews about it, and up until that point I was wondering what could have spurred such negative thoughts! Then the games ended, and there was still one hundred pages left in the story! The story line started getting really weird, and at that point I couldn't take it anymore. There were conspiracies, and hidden houses and all sorts of things that I just could take.

As for the romance, it progressed way too quickly. For people supposed to hate each other, they sure fell in love quickly! Rogan almost seemed to go into the games with his mind set on falling in love with her! From the first seen he seems ridiculously devoted to her! Honestly while I adore a love story as much as the next girl, it has to feel genuine, and this was anything but.

Another thing that really bothered me was the way it was obvious the author was setting everything up. Unlike a good story, things didn't flow. I didn't become lost in the story. Normally you can emerge yourself and feel like you're there with the characters. They make their own decisions, and the story flows in a way that seems real. This had none of those qualities. Especially when it got to the part where Kira was dressed like slut, it was just too much. Unfortunately I felt like the author was literally telling me the story, and begging me to believe that these people and actions are real.

The world building in this story is truly terrible. I cannot even picture the world because there is so little to go off of! It feels like this story is occurring in a white box floating in the nothingness of space, and for a dystopian novel, that is a very bad thing.

I'm not sure if there is a sequel, and if there is I am not interested in reading it. If you're looking for a good book to read, I strongly encourage you to steer clear of this one.

One Star

Yours Truly,

Rosalie

Countdown on Goodreads

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

From the moment I picked up this book something about it called to me. And yet somehow, I have undoubtably mixed feelings regarding this book. As much as I wish I could dislike it so I could simply toss aside the series, I cannot stop my mind from wandering to this strange and so beautiful future. Even as I considered tossing the book aside and not finishing it, I stayed up reading late into the night, unable to put it down.

For the most part I think I was waiting for something to happen. The entire book feels as if you're teetering on the edge of action, of romance, of anything! That if you just read onto the next chapter the characters will be in love again the anger and strife will end. To my dismay, the suffering of the main character doesn't end until the last ten pages of the book!

The finale to this story is undeniably wonderful, though the proceeding book also plays to that a lot. For the first ninety five percent of the book the main character is sad, treated poorly, and almost everyone is miserable. At one point it got to be so depressing and seemingly hopeless I almost started crying out of frustration (of the book, not the character's struggles)! So why was I unable to put it down? I honestly can't say. Something about the character's personalities appealed to me immensely, and I must say I am very glad that I finished the book, because the ending is wonderful.

Elliot is a lovely heroine, but at times I did become fed up with her. What I really did respect though was her loyalty to those who she loves, even when they were wretched to her. One of my biggest angers with the book's characters was inability for any of them to see how hard she worked for them all.

Kai was amazing, but he also pissed me off to no end. He is so terrible to her. I know it must have been hard because he loved her so much, and I can imagine that feeling like she'd abandoned him must have hurt a lot. Unfortunately, this does not justify his behavior. If he hadn't won my heart with the ending of the book, I believe this review would be going a lot differently.

All in all I feel like the sequel to this will be much better than the first, and I look forward to reading it. This whole book felt like a set up for the next won, and I am curious to see where the storyline goes. It will be nice to watch Elliot and Kai's romance bloom and expand a little more. In this we never see them together. Mostly all you have to go on is the strange letters written by children interjected between every few chapters, and Elliot's miserable internal musings about how much she loves him. Despite that all though, you can tell that they are meant to be together. There is a chemistry between Elliot and Kai that cannot be denied, and I hope that the next book will extrapolate on their relationship some more.

The writing is a bit strange. Although it is good and has some finesse, there's something lacking in it, that I will admit turned me off a bit. It felt a bit like the writer was rather inexperienced, and as I have high hopes for the story and the romance in the next book, as do I hope that Diana's writing will have improved.

Overall I will say that I liked it, but feel as if it set up more for the next book, so I hope it lives up to high expectations that are now being set forth.

Three Stars

Yours Truly,

Rosalie

For Darkness Shows the Stars on Goodreads

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Masque of the Red Death is a post-apocolyptic novel about a young girl named Araby. After losing her brother to the contagion she becomes reliant on parties and drugs to escape into the oblivion. Determined to deny herself any experiences her brother did not get to have, she remains relatively checked out from the world. Then her best friend disappears, and she is pulled deep into the world of the rebellion, where she will learn that sometimes it's worth dying to stop death.

A truly haunting tale, Bethany Griffin doesn't shelter us from the world of the plague. Not only that, but the plague isn't gone. Everyday people live in crippling fear of contracting the deadly illness, some even never setting foot outside. The world depicted is so depressingly accurate, I feel for the first time that I've been given a look at what life would really be like if humanity was struck by a plague.

The cover art is absolutely incredible. A better cover could not have been chosen for such a numbing book, and you don't understand until the end how truly perfect the red represents everything that happens in the book.

Araby is a wonderful character, and you actually see growth throughout the novel! From a withdrawn and suicidal girl, to someone who cares so passionately she'd sacrifice her own life. It isn't a split second change either. Ms. Griffin takes the time to truly establish the characters before having them change too much. By the end you feel a real attachment to them.

For a young adult novel this is wonderfully written and fantastically unsheltered. I will say that the writing style took some getting used to, but once you adapt it really paints the world in an exciting way. Sometimes the scenes feel a little bit disjointed, and you wonder about things because Griffin doesn't always describe in minute detail every aspect of what's going on. At first it threw me off, but a few chapters in I realized it really provided the room for your own interpretation of what the world looks like.

Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing. Normally I really don't like plague books because the idea of a massive disease decimating humanity is truly frightening, especially if you know the truly awesome abilities of bacteria and viruses. Even today disease like Ebola are reminiscent of the Red Plague described in this very book. But Griffin has won me over with a fast paced, exciting book with fun characters that actually develop over the course of the book.

Four Stars.

Rosalie

Masque of the Red Death on Goodreads