Shattered Promises by Jessica Sorensen

A re-imagining of the YA Fallen Star series, Shattered Promises follows Gemma, a 21 year old college student who has never felt emotion, until now. After being swamped by every emotion she's never felt, strange thing begin happening around Gemma. Two new students seem to appear everywhere she is, and hulking beasts watch her, promptly disappearing as soon as she takes notice. There's more to Gemma's world than what she's always believed, and she may not have long to find the answers.

For a supposedly mature book, I found this novel extremely immature. I could tell it was a rewrite of a young adult book because the characters remained immature. Unfortunately, they didn't grow into the age they were supposed to be. Alex, who is twenty four acts like a moody teenager, and for the fits Gemma throws I would place her right around sixteen. The content warning at the beginning of the description was unnecessary, because other than some cussing and very vague descriptions of sexual encounters, this wasn't a graphic book, and I would still shelve it as young adult. Compared to a lot of NA books that are out there, this is practically Dora the Explorer.

As far as the writing goes, it wasn't terrible, especially for an india author. However, there were a lot of words used incorrectly as adjectives and verbs and such. It felt like Jessica took a thesaurus to the book and tried to replace words she used too many times, however the words she replaced them with weren't quite right. Now, I will applaud the effort because there's nothing worse than repetitive writing, however it is important when using tools like a thesaurus to make sure the words actually mean the right thing, and aren't just similar.

Let's talk about Gemma. I really liked her as a character. I felt like she was relatable and often times I would find myself asking a question, and she would ask it the very next line. Here's the deal though, she acted like a teenager, not a twenty year old. If I had read this with the expectation of a YA book with teenage characters, I would have liked it a lot more. However, I was expecting more mature characters with less of the teenage angst, and so it did leave me feeling disappointed. If I wanted to read the YA version, I would read the original.

The supporting characters never really gain any substance in the book. Laylan comes close, but he's in the book for such a short time that we never really grasp his character. I think he has a lot of potential, and I was actually upset that he wasn't in the book more, because what we do see of him definitely makes him the most mature character in the book. Aislin, Alex's sister is in short scenes throughout the book, but she's always just there, only ever contributing with a few spells.

Alex I really wanted to like, but as I said before, he acts like a moody teenager, not someone in their mid twenties. At first he is a huge jerk, and I don't mean like the sassy jerk in a lot of YA books these days that you love to hate and hate to love, but I mean actually someone I would slap in the face. He pushes her over, he lets a door slam into her, and is constantly being an ass. After he finally warms up to her his and Gemma's interactions are strange. He's always restraining her, and in an awkward way, too. Half their conversations he has her laying on her back with him laying over her talking down to her. Whenever they make out he grabs her hands and pins them above her head. Once or twice that kind of thing can be hot, but I literally mean every single time they kiss. Alex was a strange character for me, and all of his explanations were vague, took a long time, and honestly just frustrated me.

The bottom line with this book is I like the cover (anything with stars like that draws me in), and I really want to love the story, but the immaturity of the supposedly mature characters just doesn't fly with me. The plot is original and I like the emotions twist, but in the end I can't see myself spending the time continuing with the series.

Two Stars

Rosalie Williams

Shattered Promises on Goodreads

Taken at Dusk by C.C. Hunter

With Derek gone Kylie can finally investigate her feelings for Lucas, but that doesn't mean they can be together. With his pack, and his grandmother, both against her, their relationship will be far from easy. On top of that, animals are saving her from death, and someone is trying to kill her.

The problem I had with this book is that it's really full of non-action. I think as the third book in this series it really stalled as far as plot goes, because really nothing happens. All the development happens in the last few chapters. Kylie has really long conversations with everyone she talks to, and nothing ever comes out of them. They talk in circles about the same problems over and over again, and it gets hard to stay interested. Even the big climax is pretty bad, because all the excitement happens when Kylie isn't there, and she just rolls in later. Then the confrontation leaves her completely unscathed, and someone else dead.

I had a lot of hope for this series, and absolutely loved the first book. But at this point I'm losing interest. The little progress Kylie makes as far as finding out who she is leaves you wishing the author would just tell you already. The love triangle is annoying because Kylie ends up not being with either Lucas or Derek for most of the book, and then when she finally is with someone, she expects him to be perfect and judges him for every little thing he does wrong. Newsflash, Kylie, you were ridiculously judgmental when you first showed up, so what if he's not perfect all the time?

All in all this installment left me frustrated, and not exactly dying to read the next book in the series. I'm afraid to wait though, because I feel like I've lost all my enthusiasm, and will end up never finishing the series. Either way, I really didn't like this book in the series, which bums me out because I loved the series at the beginning. The plot is too slow, and Kylie whines too much.

Two Stars

Rosalie Williams

Taken at Dusk on Goodreads

Fall From Grace by Christine Zolendz

Grace has had her heart broken. Not by men, but by God. The people she loves have died endlessly as she is continuously shoved into the lived of dying women, as punishment for loving an angel. She doesn't feel anything for men, until Shane. A tattooed, guitar playing rock star, not to mention a man-whore (pardon my language), Grace doesn't know why she takes notice of him. She has to find her angel, because she'll never love another.

First of all, all that talk about witty heroines, wipe it from your mind. I thought I knew witty and strong heroines. False. Grace is level-minded and hilarious, two traits I love in a main character. She likes Shane, she doesn't deny it, but she also doesn't fall all over him to be used and abused. Unlike most girls in books these days, he falls in love with her first, and she remains funny and charming the whole time. I really liked Grace to be honest.

Shane is hot and intense. He doesn't always say the right things, but in the end he comes around. Most of the time he tries to deny his attraction to Grace, but everyone can see how he feels. There is another book that tells the story from his point of view, and I cannot wait to read it.

Grace is beautiful, and because I'm a sucker like that, I love it when guys hit on her. It's amusing, I know, shame on me, but I can't help it!

There are a few mistakes, as any amazon publisher will have, but all in all it was really good. The writing is much better than what I'd come to expect from amazon writers, and best yet–the books aren't expensive and don't raise in price further down the series (I loath that)!

I very much enjoyed this, and it should probably be on the top of the amazon free books list. It has some adult content, while no actual sex, things get pretty heated (wink wink) so evaluate your maturity before reading this, it's not a young adult book.

Bravo

Four Stars

Rosalie Williams

Fall From Grace on Goodreads

Indebted by Amy Bartol

The third book in The Premonition series, Evie is struggling to find her place in the violent world of angels and demons. Pursued on all sides for different reasons, Evie must discover who she can trust–before it's too late.

The writing in this book is eons beyond the previous two books. The first two, while the plot, dialogue and characters were strong, the writing made me feel like I was reading a self-published Amazon book that I should have gotten for free or $0.99. But this was a 180 degree turn around as far as the quality of writing, and even the editing seems to have been stepped up for this novel, as there were far fewer errors. This leads me to believe that the second book was a bit rushed, and she spent more time on this one.

I loved the plot in this. I came to actually really likes Brennus, and I feel bad for him because he really does love Evie, but she can never love him. He is fiercely protective of her–a trait that I totally love–but also treats her as an equal. He fills her in on plans and while he wants to keep her safe, he allows her to participate. He's also startlingly compassionate, and the funeral scene was particularly moving for me. I love how Amy wrote their accents into their words, and I very much look forward to seeing what roll Brennus and the Gancanagh will be playing in the next book.

Reed really isn't in this book too much, but I liked all the scenes he was in. I do feel like his character may be slipping a little, because I don't feel the same chemistry between him and Evie that I did in the first book. To be honest, I was leaning a little more towards Evie and Brennus by the end of this.

Here's the thing though. People are always coming after Evie, and I love the plot, because it's exciting and fresh. But nothing really bad ever seems to happen to her. It's always red-shirts that are dying, and I feel like that makes it unrealistic. She's always crying about how awful her life is, and yet compared to most people (especially other people in the group) nothing terrible has happened, and yet they all treat her like she's survived worse things than them. Shall we recap? She hasn't been physically tortured (Russell, Brownie, Reed, Zephyr and probably Buns, though it doesn't mention it). She hasn't been raped (every girl in the Gancanagh castle). She hasn't had the love of her life turn on her (Reed, Brennus and Russell). So I just don't understand why Amy is making it out that her life is so bad. Sure she's always running, but she seems to have escaped the worst of it.

I'm very interested to see where the plot leads. I'm not completely sure if the fourth book is the last, but I think it is. The story ended with a lot of potential, and I hope that the ending lives up to the excitement of the rest of the series. I can honestly say I can't predict the ending, which is very new to me. I just hope that it's a good one, and doesn't ruin the series for me.

Four Stars

Rosalie Williams

Indebted on Goodreads

Intuition by Amy Bartol

Taking place right where Inescapable left off, Evie is living with Reed and still trying to survive. After being attacked by non-Fallen angels, Evie realizes the risk that protecting her Reed faces, and decides to take matters into her own hands–even if it means leaving the man she loves.

The second book in this series is strong on plot, just as the first one was. There was one lull in the story that was a little boring, but for the most part it kept me invested. The narration switches to Russell at one point, which is interesting to see another perspective on everything that's going on. I do like reading from Evie's POV more, but it was a nice change.

While the writing did improve some, I noticed a lot more little issues with this one, like missing quotation marks at the end of a spoken sentence, or a word in the wrong tense. It didn't bother me too much though, and the writing was a little better so it makes me even more optimistic for the next book.

There's an introduction of a new "villain" in this book, and I really like his character. Brennus is intriguing because he loves Evie and will do anything to get her back, but unlike Reed's love for Evie, he wants her because she makes his life better, not so that Evie's life can be better. This dichotomy really shows the difference between Reed and Brennus' love.

The time Evie spends with Brennus is interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat. The slow shifting of her thoughts and feeling toward the Gancanagh is really intriguing, and while I didn't want her to become one of them, it was just a really good part in the story after things got a little boring with her and Russell up in Canada!

I liked that Reed, even though Evie left him, doesn't hold that against her and try to push her away. He's upset that she did it, but realizes why she did, and accepts the blame for his part in her leaving. All in all I think it made them a better couple, and once they were together again it was like breathing a fresh breath of air after drowning.

I very much look forward to the next book.

Three Stars

Rosalie Williams

Intuition on Goodreads

Inescapable by Amy Bartol

Inescapable is about Evie, a young girl's first year at college. She leaves her adoring uncle to pursue her dreams at a nice college on a full academic scholarship. She is greeted, however, by a hostile sophomore named Reed, and a warm-hearted Russell, whom she suspects there is more to than meets the eye. Though she feels like her relationship with Russell has more to it than is apparent on the surface, Evie can't deny her attraction to Reed, who is quickly warming to her to.

I would like to preface this by saying that I read a negative review about this book before buying it. I saw how high the ratings were and since the only option I had for reading it was to purchase it myself, I wanted to get an insider's look at what I was spending my money on. I honestly wish I hadn't because the review tainted my reception of the first half of the book. The beginning of a book is the hardest part for an author, because they have to begin building unfamiliar characters, while simultaneously hooking the reading with an exciting plot. I think if I hadn't been so pessimistic to start off, I would have let myself enjoy the beginning more.

So let's start with the bad things, so that I can get them out of the way before highlighting all the great parts of this book. Most blatantly is the issue with writing. Most of the writing isn't terrible. It isn't These Broken Stars good (thought that's a high standard to compare things to) but it also isn't terrible. The biggest issue Amy Bartol has is with those little tag sentences at the end of dialogue. She uses them far too much, and doesn't understand how not to make them repetitive. "She said (insert adjective here)" was used far too many times. But keep in mind this is a debut novel for Amy, so my hope is that her writing will improve throughout the series.

The other issue I had was her repetition. These seems like a book that wasn't edited by someone who knew what they were doing. Amy would use a fancy new word, and then use it again in the next sentence, then we would never see it again in the rest of the book! It's easy to fall into that trap, because the word sticks in your brain and as you're writing since you just used it, it's convenient to just put it back in again (See! As I was typing this sentence "easy" came to my head immediately, and I had to pause for a moment and settle on "convenient", so as not to do exactly what I'm critiquing.) Another repetition I saw was in Buns' speech. She uses "sweetie" in literally every sentence. This really bothered me at first, but it isn't something I couldn't get over.

Now on to the good stuff!

The storyline was very exciting, and so much was happening I never really got bored. The secret at the beginning wasn't hard to guess, but there's a twist to it that I didn't see coming. I like also that as she began to gain power she didn't just become some super-ass-kicking-ninja-girl overnight as so many girls do in YA novels these days. She gains power, but it's "young", the way it should be.

The romance is really great. I hate the love triangles these days where the girl can't make up her mind and it ends up pushing both the guys away. Evie is very clear in what she wants, and doesn't tell anyone otherwise. Reed is beyond sweet, but also fierce and protective, which is basically the perfect male lead. Russell is great, but I think his character got almost handicapped due to the strange way Amy chose to write his dialogue. Usually when a character has an accent the author will simply introduce the character that way, and write their words in proper English. But nope! Amy chose to literally sound out is accent, and I did find that annoying and it detracted from his character. Besides people with southern accents do know you to say "you" they don't always say "ya". So all in all I am team Reed, but I'm hoping to see better development of Russell's character later in the series.

Evie is a good character. She's supposed to be smart, and all the allusions the author uses does make her appear very well read. The only downfall with this is that Amy chose to explain EVERY allusion to make sure the reader realized how very smart Evie was in understanding this or inferring that. I think it's safe to say that most intelligent people can understand the allusions without detailed explanations, because they didn't seem like Evie, they seemed like Amy trying to make us understand how great Evie was. If she'd left well enough alone, I think I would have liked Evie even more. In the end I did like Evie, she didn't annoy me to death, but I didn't love her either. Like I said, hopefully she'll be fleshed out a little more in the following books.

The ending is surprising and I can honestly say I did not see that coming. I'm usually very good at predicting endings and plot twists, but absolutely not this one!

Most of the worst aspects can be chalked up to writing inexperience, so I'm going to maintain faith that the series will get better as it progresses and her writing matures. Why am I not putting it on my favorites shelf? The plot certainly deserves to be there because I can honestly say I did really love the story. I think reading it again without the pessimism so fresh in my brain because of the review will make me like it even more. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book because there could be a really good world here. But it doesn't make the shelf individually just because of the poor writing. It's not the descriptions, it's not the dialogue (Because that was pretty good) it's basically just the tags on the dialogue that really took away that last star and a place on the favorites shelf. I wish a better writer had written with storyline because it is absolutely fantastic, and this book could have been so vivid.

I have hope for the rest of the series, and look forward to reading them. I just pray that the writing improves and the plot keeps being fast-paced and exciting.

Four Stars

Rosalie Williams

Inescapable on Goodreads

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

Angel Eyes is about young ballet dancer Brielle, returning home after the alleged murder of her best friend Ali by Marco (Ali's boyfriend). Depressed and cold (physically and mentally) Brielle has a hard time adjusting back into her old life, especially after meeting hot (don't worry, only his hands are hot) boy Jake, who may have more connection to her past than she first realizes.

Angel Eyes isn't a long book, and yet I was unable to finish it. I listened to it on audiobook, and it seemed like it just kept going on and on. The writing is elementary and repetitive, and the storyline is slow, adding to the laborious listen. The point of view switches between Brielle, Damian and Kanin, the latter two being angels. The switches are confusing and unnecessary. They add a lot of length to the book which it could do without. The story probably would have been better with just Brielle's point of view.

There were a lot of factor which added length to this book when it shouldn't have. 1. The point of view switches which as I said before didn't add anything to the story. 2. The long internal monologues. Brielle and both the angels spend a lot of time mulling things over in their heads, and it ends up taking way to long. As a listener of this book I found my mind wandering a lot, and when I realized I hadn't been paying attention it was sad because I hadn't actually missed anything. 3. The descriptions of the celestial are long and confusing. The idea is definitely there for this to be very cool, but the writing just isn't the caliber necessary to pull it off. The descriptions are complicated and almost vague, though detailed. It's a paradox that I just can't figure out. The author was clearly trying to convey this deep meaning about fear and how it's so difficult to get over because Brielle can see how it clings to people and multiplies like black tar blah blah blah. But she is clearly trying way too hard, and her elementary writing style just doesn't pull it off. The overall confusion of the entire book makes the storyline much too long and for listeners it just doesn't hold your attention.

Another issue is that the audiotape was divided into 8 sections, all about an hour and twenty minutes long. The first week of the book takes place in the first 5, and the last 3 are about one afternoon. As you can imagine this makes the story feel very awkward. There is no emotional connection to the story, so this long climax does nothing to you.

There is no romance between Jake and Brielle. Their conversations are awkward if they're personal, or one of them goes off on a long rant and the other just sits there listening. For example Brielle telling Jake about her "dark past" or Jake explaining everything about the world of angels to her. The explanations are long, and Jake does a horrible job, so it's no wonder Brielle is so confused the whole time!

Finally, the finale is long and boring. The descriptions are far too long to be reasonable, and half the characters you have no idea who they are. The action is stunted and badly composed. The dialogue during the fighting is worst of all. There's either a really long and basic description of the movements with no mention of sound whatsoever, or there's only talking and you imagine the characters just standing there.

Dittemore needs to go back to writing basics and review how to incorporate the 5 senses into writing to allow the reader to connect more fully with the plot and the characters. I could not finish this book, I will not finish it, and I do not recommend it. I'm giving it two stars because I liked the beginning, but it just went downhill from there.

Two Stars

Rosalie Williams

Angel Eyes on Goodreads

Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter

 

Born at Midnight is the first in a series of five books. Narrated in third person by the main character Kylie Galen, the story takes place in a Texas summer camp called Shadow Falls. We first meet Kylie as her father leaves her with her icy mother, and are told that she has a mysterious stalker who no one else can see. After being arrested at an underage party, her mother ships her off to a summer camp with all sorts of strange people, who do very strange things. Derek, a boy who resembles her ex-boyfriend (but even more attractive) takes an instant liking to her. We also meet Lucas, a boy from Kylie's past who she isn't sure remembers her or not, but still has a pull on her.

A quick disclaimer, I'm doing the first two books as a single review because I read the second before I wrote about the first, and unfortunately it did change my feelings, and I can't give the first quite the glowing review it deserves.

Therefore, the first book was very good. It held my interest and I instantly liked Kylie. Unlike many heroines these days, I found her reactions to the male protagonists to be better than most. She isn't overly clumsy (for some reason YA writers think this is an endearing trait to teenage girls, let me tell you, it's not) and she's beautiful, but doesn't flaunt it (that bothered me especially in the Vampire Diaries books). But the best thing was she was nice, without being a pansy. She cares about her friends and makes good decisions by them, but doesn't act like a wimp, or pretend to be nice to everyone no matter what.

So what, might you ask, changed my mind about liking Kylie so much? Well, I'll tell you, the second book did. The storyline is good and interesting, and so in that aspect I really enjoyed the second book. I listened to it on tape and managed to finish it in two days (that's about ten hours of listening). But like so many unfortunate heroines of YA these days, Kylie couldn't make up her mind about the boy she likes until it was too late, and he couldn't be with her anymore. It's unfortunate because in the beginning I liked that she didn't lose her head over the two boys, but in the second book she falls into the trap of every other YA love triangle out there.

SPOILER ALERT!

I can't write about the part where my feelings are the strongest without getting into details, so if you don't want to know, skip this paragraph! So here we go. Lucas is gone for most of the second book, which honestly didn't bother me that much, because I liked Kylie's relationship with Derek. But, like I said before, she couldn't stop thinking about Lucas, and eventually that came between her and Derek. When she finally chooses him, he is leaving the camp and says he can't be with her until she has her feelings for Lucas sorted out! Don't get me wrong, I like both Derek and Lucas, but Derek was there for her the entire time, and so I really wanted them to finally be together! To no avail I'm afraid.

END OF SPOILERS!

The end was very good. The finale of the second tied into the finale of the first, and I can see a sort of string stretching between them, and the overall storyline of the series is beginning to be flushed out. If you're wondering, no, Kylie does not find out what she is in the second book, but we do get some more clues. I've been grappling with whether or not to google what she is, because to be honest, the suspense is killing me and the third book is currently checked out from my library. But here's what's held my hand thus far: the mystery is really keeping me interested in the story. If I find out I'm afraid I'll just get frustrated because I know, and Kylie doesn't, and that's such a big part of the story I know I'd get angry.

So there you go. I liked everything in the first book. but Kylie really lost brownie points with me in the second. Hopefully she can redeem herself in the next book, because I'm not sure I can handle more of these cliche, overprinted YA love triangle mishaps.

Born at Midnight: Four Stars
Awake at Dawn: Three Stars

Rosalie Williams

Born at Midnight on Goodreads
Awake at Dawn on Goodreads

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Halo is an interesting book. Bethany, the youngest of three angels sent from heaven to disspell the darkness dominating earth, falls in love with a human boy. Against the rules, yet somehow allowed, their love is forced to face...not much.

Let's start with the positive. The writing is very good. Descriptions are not at all too long, and give an avid idea of what is happening at all times. There's a lot of potential for this book from the beginning. Unfortunately, it's a steady decline throughout the novel.

From the first day at school Bethany isn't much of an angel. She's rude, distracted, and self-centered. While her siblings immerse themselves in projects, she doesn't even try to do what she was meant to. Gabriel expresses his doubts about her selection for the mission, and he's completely right, she shouldn't have been sent. Even if she is this young angel who connects more easily with human nature, she should at least attempt to help! Not only that, but from her first day at school she is very much human. Her angelic nature doesn't come out in her personality at all, and she's just another awkward teenager.

The angel rules aren't followed either. There are many inconsistencies in the book, and details that are later ignored. For instance, in the beginning it is explained that angels do not sweat because they have an unlimited energy source. Only a few chapters later however, she describes her sweat making her hair stick. Then she goes for a run and is out of breath at the end, which isn't supposed to be possible! These little details distracted me from the story.

Lastly, the love story. At first it isn't bad. But I wasn't surprised to find out that Ms. Alexandra was only 18 when she wrote this book. The love story is desperate and rushed, with no real chemistry between the two before they're making undying confessions of love. Bethany also chooses very abruptly to reveal that she is an angel, before there is really any cause to do so. Further on she turns into a complete Bella when they break up for a week, and that is the point in which I lost all respect for her.

There wasn't a lot of action, and I got pretty bored. The action finale is extremely short for the length of the book, and Bethany is unconscious for most of it, so really it wasn't well organized.

It wasn't a terrible book, but as far as the angel theme goes, it's one of the worst I've read. I won't be looking into the next books in the series.

Two Stars

Rosalie Williams

Halo on Goodreads

Kindred by Erica Stevens

Kindred is a self-published series by Erica Stevens. It is available free on the Amazon store for your Kindle.

Cassie is a beautiful vampire hunter who wishes to be normal. Devon is one of the oldest vampires in existence, and they feel an immediate pull towards each other. Both are desperate to keep each other out of the world of death and violence that each of them are firmly entrenched in.

Stevens is a good writer. Her other series have been some of my favorite self-publishers, and I did follow the Captive series to completion. But first, I must start with the bad. Like most self-publishers, there are quite a few editing mistakes. Some of the worst are the improper uses of "then" and "than." Alongside those are the basic misspellings, mis-placed punctuation, and awkward wording that doesn't quite make sense. Although these may seem minor, the writing is what makes a book, and the editing errors detract from the plotline, and make it seem much more amateur, unfortunately. The last thing I have to mention is how short they are. Barely above 200 pages, the books go by in a flash. Like most self-publishing series, the rest cost around $3. I was dismayed to find that the next is also only 200 pages. This detracts a lot, in my opinion, from the author themselves. It feels like buying mini-stories, and she's doing it to stretch out the series and make more money from it.

Aside from my revision rant, the storyline was interesting and fun. The characters aren't a total bore, and the dialogue flows nicely. Although it is another of those instantaneous love/infatuation stories, I'm a sucker for those, so I did enjoy it. Unfortunately there isn't much substantial to say. It isn't the most original story, but it's still good, like a retold classic.

Three Stars

Rosalie Williams

Kindred on Goodreads

Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

Evertrue is the final installment in the Everneath trilogy by Brodi Ashton. This much anticipated finale had a lot to live up to, especially after the surprising ending to the second novel. So the question is, did it live up the the high standards? That's debatable. 

Let's start with the characters. This is the first book where Jack and Nikki are together the entire book. In the first two they were separated by something for nearly the entire book, so we finally get to see them as a couple. I'd say that overall they are good together. They know each other, and you can almost believe the intense commitment they always profess to each other. Heres my issue. I don't feel like the emotions were real. Nikki's attachment to Cole seemed more profuse than her loyalty to Jack for some reason. 

Cole. Quick spoiler, he loses his memory about of a third of the way through the book, and all he can remember is how much he loves Nikki. I think this was a bad choice for Brodi Ashton to make. Having Cole lose his memory turned him into a different person, and it was like a new main character was introduced in the final book! Readers have grown attached to Cole, despite his scheming, and taking him out of the picture was a bad idea. I can see how Ms. Ashton thought it was necessary for Nikki to forgive Cole, but in the end, it was Cole that Nikki still loved, not the version that had lost his memory. It was distracting to the plot of the story, and I didn't enjoy it. The first book is the story when the characters are scrambling around, trying to figure everything out, not the third. This book felt pretty frantic, and didn't provide the closure that should have been there after all the build up.

If you don't want to read a spoiler about how the book ends, stop reading now.

The final scene was far too short. You want my to believe that this hundreds of year old queen is defeated by Nikki in a matter of minutes when all Nikki could conjure up was a straw? Nope, I don't think so. The climax was extremely short compared to how long they spent dithering about the Everneath and the world, trying to figure things out. Like I said, there wasn't the relationship development that I needed to feel like the story came to a good end.

So Cole dies. I'm not sure why, but I always root for the underdog, for the guy you're pretty sure the girl won't choose. But so what? I didn't connect with Jack the way I connected with Cole, and I honestly think that Cole was better for Nikki than Jack was. But I still can't decide if this was a good ending or not. My heart tells me no, but my brain tells my yes. The lack of closure with Cole is what really throws me off I think. He (or at least the version of him with his memory) isn't in most of the story, and when he finally comes back, he saves them all and helps them destroy the Everneath! Cole is a really good person, and I wasn't happy with him dying like that in end. 

Not the ending I was hoping for, to be honest. I don't know if I wanted Nikki to choose Cole, or what should have happened, I just know this wasn't it.

After all the months of waiting, I hate to say I'm disappointed.

Three Stars

Evertrue on Goodreads

Promise by Kristie Cook

As a foreward, I would like to preface this review with a quick mention of my thoughts. Despite the review, I was drawn to this book from the beginning. I was hooked immediately, regardless of all the flaws, and couldn't stop reading. The only reason it's getting such a low review is because of the ending. It was a five star book and probably my next favorite save the ending, which destroyed all my positive emotions for the plot, and the characters, and especially the author.

If you've read Twilight, you know exactly what the plot is, minus the love triangle, and replace the vamps with angels and demons. Despite that, I liked the story a lot more than Twilight. Why? I honestly can't tell you. So let's break it down.
1. The writing wasn't great, definitely a self-publisher.
2. The plot moved very quickly, and lacked substantial development.
3. The romance was superficial, and Alexis and Tristan seemed very awkward together despite their constant confessions of endless love.
4. This was such a big deal I have to say it twice, this literally was Twilight.

They fall in love (though there isn't much development, it just happens), and get married. The girl is special even before she becomes a vampire–oh! Excuse me, an Amadis, my mistake–and they know she will have awesome power. Tristan is afraid to hurt Bella–Alexis! Sorry! I'm not sure what's wrong with me today–and so refuses to have sex with her until they're married. Alexis gets sick but no one considers she might be pregnant even after all the unprotected sex! It's ridiculous, honestly.

This read very much like a bad young adult novel save for the poorly written sex scenes.

Tristan was definitely my favorite character, though that's not saying much. The only other character with good development was Alexis, and she was immature and annoying. She most definitely didn't seem like she was nineteen, and most definitely not ready to be married and having children! None of the other characters became substantial or even played a big role. Her mother and grandmother were carbon copies of each other, and were completely interchangeable throughout the story.

While I won't ruin it for the readers, the ending ruined the entire story for me. Like I said, I was completely planning on buying the second book and giving this a five star rating until the last thirty pages destroyed everything. Trust me on this one, it's bad. I no longer have any intention of reading the next installment in the story.

Two Stars

Rosalie

Promise on Goodreads

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase must follow her best friend, the infamous fairy Puck into another world to save her brother who has been replaced by a nasty, biting child.

The writing in all of Julia Kagawa's books is fantastic. While the storyline didn't appeal much to me, after reading her Immortal Rules book I decided I had to give it a try, and I'm glad I did.

Now, the first thing I have to rant about quickly is the similarity between this book and the Immortal Rules. While I like the story, I feel like they are exactly the same, just one with vampires and one with fairies. In both the girl's life changes early in the beginning, and has to go on a quest or journey. They both meet boys who eventually help them and fall in love, and they both achieve their goals only to be separated from their loves. So, yeah, very similar. If I had to choose, hands done the Immortal Rules was better.

Now, on to Meghan. Something I've noticed about Julie's books is people are very mean to the heroine. While I realize the world she lives in is dangerous, not everyone is mean like that. Every turn Meghan is making a new enemy and people are trying to hurt her. To me there wasn't enough balance, and I did get tired of the animosity always targeted at Meghan, and I ended up not liking her very much either.

The Prince, yum. I really did like the romance in this book. However, like the Immortal Rules series, they are separated at the end! Why can't her romances have happy endings? Unfortunately I read the description of the second book and I don't know if I'll be reading it simply because it sounds dumb. Enough said.

The story itself was exciting with basically nonstop action, and a lot of really fun magical scenes. I wish the relationships had developed more, but all in all I did enjoy it, though I definitely wouldn't call it a page turner.

Three Stars

Rosalie

The Iron King 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

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Fire is the second book in the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore. I'll admit to having reservations when it comes to the series, because I found myself unsatisfied at the end of the first. You can take a look at the review on my blog to read for yourself my exact thoughts. But nonetheless, the description intrigued me and I eventually relented, listening to the entire book on a long road trip.

Fire is about a young monster girl with the power to bewitch men and women alike with just the power of her beauty. She has mystical fiery hair and mental power enough to read and control minds which are not guarded against her. Admittedly, she is in love with her childhood friend Archer, but also feels an incessant need to keep everyone at a distance. Eventually she becomes entangled in a web of conspiracy with the king, his brother, and Archer himself.

This book is long, and just like the first, a lot happens across those pages. To be honest, the first probably third isn't very interesting. It's a lot of set up for the action that occurs in the second half of the book, and while it's appreciated, you must struggle through it to get to the end.

Fire's final love interest is predictable, and I was abet to anticipate it from the very beginning. Knowing this, however, just made the book seem to drag even slower. It seemed like the characters were always getting so close to being together, and then suddenly they would just turn away.

Cashore has a remarkable gift when it comes to establishing characters, because all of them are vibrant and realistic. Yet she is almost an anti romantic. She sets up these incredible scenes that you can visualize perfectly, unfolding before your eyes, and then she'll bluntly end the chapter by having one of the characters walk away, seemingly at the crux of the moment! This bothered me as well in her first book, that the main characters don't spend as much time together as they should.

Despite these issues, I liked Fire more than I liked Graceling. Fire is more mature than Katsa was, and I appreciate that immensely. I also like the male characters in this book more, because they seem, well, more manly. The plot of this is also more interesting than that of Graceling. I appreciate the contrast between Katsa (who never wants kids) and Fire (who does but knows she can't have them) and that Cashore didn't write two different women who are really the same.

The romance was also better in this book, because the characters were more devoted to each other. A big issue I had with Graceling was how easily Katsa left Po behind, and while she said she loved him, it just didn't seem like it. Fire and Brigan, on the other hand, were very devoted to each other, and didn't lash out with angry words all the time. They also made a lasting commitment to each other in the end, even if it did take the majority of the book for them to even admit they loved each other!

With a lot of anticlimactic moment and frustrating exchanges, Fire was a difficult read. But in the end the world Cashore painted was brilliant, imaginative, and fun, so much so it was hard to tear myself away. While I'm unsure if I'll read the third book in the series, I did enjoy this one more than the first.

Three Stars,

Rosalie

Fire 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

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Intertwined, as suggested by the title, is about the lives of four teenagers, who all seem to be mysteriously linked. Aden, the main character, has four souls trapped inside of him, who can do numerous paranormal acts such as time travel, raising the dead, body possession and seeing the future.

Unfortunately I cannot give a plot summary because this book was highly complicated, as well as deceptively long. But basically Aden falls in love with vampire Victoria, Mary Ann falls in love with werewolf Riley, and Aden and Mary Ann feel a strange connection like they are siblings. Aden is a troubled teen being kept at the D and M Ranch because of his diagnosis of schizophrenia, and violent history. That's about as basic as I could possibly go, because there are so many elements in this it would be impossible to explain the book without giving away the ending and the two climaxes.

So let's start with Aden. Overall I liked him as a male lead. He recognized Victoria's strength as a woman and a vampire, but also felt it was his duty to protect her. He was very selfless throughout the entire book, and apart from an extremely awkward beginning, he was a good friend.

Mary Ann on the other hand, was beyond annoying. Not only is she self-centered, but she's obsessed with being a goody-goody and grades and school and her job. The amount of times she said "I want to be a clinical psychologist, so I know blah blah blah" made me want to scream. Really, I'm sorry, but she was the weakest link in the story. Sort of like a Bella character, everyone feels drawn to her and love her oh so very much, but to the reader she just seems awkward and self-absorbed.

I'll take Riley and Victoria together, since Riley is Victoria's bodyguard. They were fun characters, but still didn't seem to have as much substance as Aden did. Riley was super fantastic, and deserves way better than Mary Ann. Victoria was cool, but didn't really do anything to stand out much throughout the book. Mostly Aden just obsesses about her, and then she shows up and says some things, then leaves and Aden goes back to obsessing.

As far as the plot goes I'll say it was a little predictable, but not completely. I can say I guessed one of the climaxes, but not the other. However, the story seemed really long. It took me forever to read, when I've read much longer books in a shorter time. I'm not sure why this is, but it could have had to do with how many elements were in the plot. It just felt like it would never end! And it doesn't, by the way, most of the big mysteries are left unsolved, which makes it clear Ms. Showalter was planning on making a few sequels.

Gena mostly writes adult novels, a few of which I have reviewed on this sight. Normally I really love her stories, but I think this attempt at Young Adult was a little weak, to be honest. I think it got too complicated, and there was so much plot mixed in that there wasn't time for character development. There was a lot of internal conversations going on that weren't really necessary, and that made it really drag. I'd say I definitely like Gena's adult books more than this one.

So in conclusion I'd have to say I don't recommend this very highly. I don't think I'll be finishing the series, and to be honest I'm really glad I'm down so I can move on to something better. The world and characters all just seemed blurred and grey to me, though I wish I could say otherwise.

Two Stars.

Rosalie

Intertwined on Goodreads

Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs

This is the kind of book you would never admit to liking. The name, Greta and the Goblin King, implies a kind of cheesy-ness that makes you embarrassed just to say the name. But despite the self-eplanatory name and poorly marketed cover art, I actually enjoyed this book a lot.

The goblin king, Isaac, had the strong willed determination that is often lacking in the heroes of YA literature these days. In a time that is fiercely promoting female heroes and strong heroines, I find myself missing the knights in shining armor. But what stood out about this book is that it had a strong heroin and a knight! Not only that but there was romance and a brief love triangle!

I would say the biggest turn-off about this book was a lot of the plot contained simply this: Isaac chases Greta, trying to convince her to trust him. She kisses him and almost believes him, the goes all defensive and runs away. Repeat several times.

That was frustrating because I really liked Isaac and I wanted to scream at Greta to get herself together! But in the end she managed to straighten everything out, and even saved some people! I think the finale was fitting for the story, and she even admitted her feelings in the end which was a nice change from the stubbornness that she maintained throughout the entire story.

While it wasn't one of those breathtaking books that changes your life, I enjoyed it. Despite some heavier material in the plot, it felt light, like I wasn't taking on some great burden that will weigh down my soul as I read. It was a feel-good read with fun characters and a vivid new world. If there is a sequel I am looking forward very much to reading it.

The creativity of Ms. Jacobs is extremely refreshing, and it was nice to not be able to predict a plot for once. While the stubbornheadedness of Greta did sometimes get on my nerves, she was a good person all around, and a real person. I think the maturity that the characters showed really elevated the storyline. It wasn't a bunch of hormone ridden teens making rash decisions and professing undying love to each other after knowing each other for a day. This was a real plot, with excitement and fantasy. Really a perfect book if you enjoy the genre as much as I do.

I would highly recommend this book if you can get over the cover and the old-world title, because it truly is a wonderful story.

Four Stars.

Rosalie

Greta and the Goblin King 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

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

I apologize for reviewing the second book in the series before first posting the premiere novel, but in this case I read the book so long ago I feel I cannot post an accurate or fair review, particularly after reading the second book in the series.

Since I haven't told you about the first book, let's start there. First I'll say, it's fantastic. So far this series has been an absolute stunner to me. In the first book we meet Cat, a half human half vampire who's mother hates nothing more than vampires themselves since Cat's father raped her before drinking her blood. Cat is an amateur vampire hunter, who's greatest advantage is surprise, since none of them expect a human with the strength of a vampire. Enter Bones, an extremely powerful master vampire bounty hunter who kidnaps Cat and forces her into an alliance with himself. Basically they fall in love, and their romance is truly fantastic. But of course life goes downhill and fast forward to the end; the only way for Cat to save her mother and Graves is to leave Bones and go to work for a branch of Homeland Security specializing in the undead.

Now on to the second book. It's four years since Cat left Bones, and she hasn't been with anyone since. She has friends, but of course isn't happy with her life. Luckily for her Graves tracks her down–because someone put a bounty on her head. The rest of the book concerns them trying to find out who is trying to have her killed, as well as Bones' sire trying to take her as her own.

I know I really summarized the second book up, but I really don't want to spoil the story. Sound boring? Absolutely not. It is nonstop action and romance. Cat is truly a badass, and I love that she can really fight. But then there's Bones, the absolutely perfect boyfriend, Of course he's mad she left him, but he is still in love with her. Instead of holding a grudge he focuses more on keeping her safe, and getting her to fall in love with him again.

There's definitely some growth from the first book, and I really enjoyed that. There is more development on the vampires themselves, which keeps it interesting. In the first book we don't really see the extent of the vampires, and in the second Cat deals with some much more powerful vampires. I also enjoyed the expansion on Bones' past and his own powers. We definitely find some more things out about his powers, as well as meet some characters from his past.

Throughout the whole book there was never a lull. I read it all in one seating if that tells you anything. The plot flows so naturally that before you realize it, you're at the end of the book!

I do have one thing (only one!) that I did not like about this book. Normally the sex scenes are pretty great in this book, and there's no question that they get even more intense in this one. But here's the deal. I won't state explicitly what happens, but let's just say Bones is showing Cat the skills he acquired as a young gigilo, and one of them is rather distasteful. For what it was Ms. Frost did a good job of making it sound less perverse than most people view this act, but it still made me feel rather uncomfortable. That scene however, was quite long, and the before and after parts were interesting and exciting.

So in light of this I will strongly encourage you to look into this series. However this is a very adult series, so if you're younger please consider your maturity level as well as if you would want your parents to know that you're reading it before you dive in.

Four Stars

Yours Truly,

Rosalie

One Foot in the Grave on Goodreads