Review: Fallen by Susan Kaye Quinn

.

Title: Fallen

Series: Debt Collector #6

Author: Susan Kaye Quinn

Publication date: May 14th 2013

Source: I own a copy

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From Goodreads: 

Fallen- EPISODE 6 of the Debt Collector serial. Contains mature content and themes. For young-adult-appropriate thrills, see Susan’s bestselling Mindjack series.

What’s your life worth on the open market? 
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium’s hopes for escape from Kolek’s mob are threatened when Valac seems to be coming unhinged.

Fallen is approximately 13,000 words or 52 pages, and is the sixth of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. Episode 7, Promise, releases 5/29/13. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see DebtCollectorSeries.com

~~~~~

My Review

Lirium. *sigh* What can I say about the dude except that he never disappoints. In fact, I think the entire series should have been called: Lirium. Maybe every title in the series, too.

In case you hadn’t realised it, Lirium is the driving force of this series, for me. I adore his character. Adore his tortured soul. Adore his idealistic way of thinking despite everything going on around him (and sometimes inside his head, too) demanding he stand up and take notice that his world just ain’t built like that. Most of all, I adore the emotional connection Ms Quinn’s awesome writing ensures I constantly maintain with the dude.

Because, one instalment after another, she torments this guy, taking him on a journey to the pits of despair with nary a light at the end of any of those tunnels. And this time, just when we’re thinking something might actually come good for him, she goes and does it in the biggest and worst style she’s done to date. I’m truly not sure how much more this poor pudding can take before he cracks and collapses from emotional expenditure.

This instalment was pretty awesome from start to finish. From the new developments, to the tightly woven elements of the plot necessary for the lead-up to that ending (sorry, no spoilers)—and boy, what an ending. Like I said: I think Ms Quinn may just have done him in this time. I only hope that tiny glimmer of hope one of the characters fed him turns out to shine one of those tunnel-end lights that he needs.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Title: The 5th Wave

Series: The Fifth Wave #1

Author: Rick Yancy

Publication date: May 7th 2013

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Source: ARC received via NetGalley

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From Goodreads: 

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

~~~~~

My Review

The 5^th Wave was a DNF for me, which I’m actually quite sad about. It’s not that it’s a bad book, because I don’t believe it is. Nor is it that the voice is bad, because the voice was, in fact, great. I think it was simply a case of not-for-me because I didn’t get with the writing style.

Whilst the voice is very strong, as stated above, I struggled with the execution (and I know this is a mere personal preference, so you should seriously go check it out and decide for yourself). The MC narrated in first person, and usually, for me, I find a much deeper connection when reading this POV, because there is so much opportunity for emotions to be expressed to draw the reader inside the mind of the narrator. However, there seemed to be such a HUGE disconnect in the ‘way’ this story is narrated, that it only created a massive distance for me, almost like a barrier blocking me from creating a bond with the MC. Added to that, the majority of the chunk of book I read is ‘told’. And not necessarily in an ‘in the moment’ kind of telling, but in a way that I’m not too sure which activities of the MC’s are current and which are past—except for the constant backstory explaining the ‘waves’, which come to sound slightly repetitive quite early on.

So, as I said, it’s not that it’s a bad book, more that the telling of it was in a style I struggled to connect with.

UNRATED

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

{Blog Tour} Review: Werewolves Be Damned by Stacey Kennedy plus #Giveaway

Welcome, lovely peeps, to my stop for the Werewolves Be Damned Blog Tour.

I’m very excited to be a part of this tour, just as I was very excited to receive a copy of this yummy-looking book for review. 

Let’s take a quick look at what enticed me so, shall we?

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Title: Werewolves Be Damned

Series: Magic & Mayhem #1

Author: Stacey Kennedy

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication Date: April 15th 2013

Source: Review received from publisher (thanks)

Nexi Jones—part witch, part guardian, and wannabe kick-ass warrior—can’t throw a punch or conjure the simplest magic. But that doesn’t stop her from hunting the werewolves who slaughtered her human family. She’ll have her revenge, but only if Kyden, the elite guardian, would get the hell out of her way.

Kyden can’t decide if Nexi wants to get herself killed or if she just has no clue what she’s doing. But her father made it clear: keep Nexi safe…or else. Of course, the more Nexi runs toward revenge, the more she needs Kyden’s aid, and as she grows into her power and confidence, so does his desire to protect her. The only problem? She’d rather he dropped dead.

But when a vampire paints a bull’s-eye on Nexi’s back, she’s hard-pressed to deny Kyden and the help he’s offering. Even if it means getting her revenge will be a little bit harder. At least it will still be as sweet.

~~~~~

My Review

Werewolves Be Damned took me by surprise a little bit. Sure, I liked the sound of the blurb, and yup, the cover is pleasing to the eye—but I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite as much as I did. Because, whilst the beginning was a little rocky for the first couple of percent, it didn’t take long for me to connect with the characters, and to have a handle on the world Ms Kennedy had begun to build, and I very soon found myself rolling happily along for the ride.

Before I explain what I liked about it so much, let’s quickly get the yukkies out of the way. The biggest issue I had with the book had absolutely nothing to do with the story but with the writing. It’s not bad. I’m just a finicky blighter, and there were quite a few parts I felt were overwritten. And there were quite a few details that were repeated more than once, as though the author felt the need to drum it into our skulls. The bits that were overwritten? They were mostly in what I like to call the pondering paragraphs, where the MC is figuring stuff out, or trying to explain stuff to drip-feed the reader. These sections could’ve been tighter and the pace would’ve been faster—which would have made the writing more consistent throughout.

Because, in other sections, there were moments of pure brilliance in this writing. Like the fight scenes, for instance. All too often, I spend fight scenes frowning, trying to figure it out and follow, and I reach certain spots and realise I actually had NO handle on where all the involved characters were.

SO not the case with Werewolves Be Damned. Every single fight scene was nothing short of awesome. On top of those, we have the intimate—the ‘heated’—scenes.

Again, far too often in adult PNR, these end up being contrite and cheesy and my eyes start rolling around like they’re lost, at all the ridiculous dialogue asking if the other person ‘likes that?’ like the groans and writhing isn’t indication enough … wow, steering off track here.

Anyway, again, SO not a concern in Werewolves Be Damned. These scenes were placed in exactly the right spots. None of them seemed ‘convenient’ or unnatural, and those combined with the fight scenes, combined with the character development and the world building, make this into one rocking read.

And those characters I mentioned? Yeah, we get to see both Nexi’s and Kyden’s (ROAWRRR!!!!) POV, and I enjoyed that a lot. Both of them have credibility. Both of them are likeable and bondable from a reader perspective. Kyden is HOT AS HECK! It was a pleasure spending time with this duo, and I’m really looking forward to meeting with them again (because Kyden is HOT AS HECK!).

I’m also looking forward to seeing more of all the side characters. Do you think Ms Kennedy will consider giving me some airtime with a couple of those wolves if I bat my lashes enough? Worth a try, right?

On top of those, we also have the plot, which was great from the off. Everything was so smoothly looped together and so clearly expressed that I had no trouble following along and chasing the ‘mystery’ with them.

Not even the world building was an issue for me—and absorbing created worlds are the biggest hurdles for me in books. Rather, the world this author has given us felt fresh (to me) and solid and displayed with a clarity that tells me the author not only understands her world but knows what she’s doing when it comes to delivering it to the reader. This, aside from the kick-a$$ fight scenes, is the strongest attribute of the book, imo.

So, have I convinced you to give it a try yet?

Well, if you’re a fan of PNR with butt-booting heroines, hotness, and testosterone, you certainly should.

Because Werewolves Be Damned promises to be the start of a great series, which I believe will become a great addition to the genre.

~~~~~

And if that’s not enough to grab your interest, then how about an excerpt of this wolfy tale?

Below:

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Teaser:

 

I’ve found you, fur ball.

Nexi peered from behind the large oak tree and spotted the small log cabin nestled in the thick forest. The porch light cast a warm glow into the night. Fog settled over the lush grass, and the night was dark, eerie.

Stepping away from her hiding place behind the tree, she strode forward and gripped the dagger tightly in her hand. Keeping the silver blade pointed outward, she climbed the cabin’s porch steps, taking each one slowly to avoid detection.

Once she arrived at the front door, she wrapped her hand around the door handle. Rich hunger for revenge burned in her veins and made her intent on one thing: to slaughter the werewolf who escaped the night of her parents’ murder. Not caring what awaited her, she stormed inside, dagger pointed, ready to kill.

The simple cabin had two large brown couches near a wood-burning stove, a kitchenette behind the living room, and a quilt-covered bed resting in the back. And that was it; there were no other rooms to investigate. No secret hiding places she could see.

No damned werewolf.

She cursed, shut the front door behind her, then trotted down the steps to return to her hiding spot. On her way across the yard, she glanced at the space to the right of the tree, which looked much like a heat wave, indicating that the portal to the Otherworld remained.

In some places around the world—or the Earthworld, as supernaturals had called it—there were permanent portals to the supernatural realm. This portal had only appeared because Nexi had travelled to this cabin from the Otherworld. Once she passed through the portal again, the gateway would vanish.

Magic had its perks. Quick travel was one of them.

Nexi shook her head at how normal all this magical stuff seemed now. Just over a month ago she’d never believed in anything that went bump in the night. Now she knew all those things existed, and in fact, she was one of them.

To her horror, she had learned that her birth mother, Tillie, had been murdered by a power-hungry vampire, Lazarus.  All those years ago, her birth father, Drake, had protectively decided to block Nexi’s supernatural abilities. He had planned for her to live and die as a mortal. Now with her return to the Otherworld and the removal of the block on her true identity, there was no going back.

She was no longer plain, human, Nexi Jones.

She was Nexi Jones, part guardian, part witch.

Looking away from the portal and to her hiding spot until the werewolf returned, she hurried her steps. She wasn’t ready to return to the Otherworld yet. Not until she had the werewolf’s head as her wall ornament would she dare go home.

Just as she neared the tree, a woodsy scent that had nothing to do with the forest mixed with the citrusy aroma of aftershave. A blink of an eye later, the dagger she held was now at her throat, a hard body closed in on her back.

“You smelled lovely when you arrived.” The low voice by her ear held a faint English accent. “But I never imagined you’d be so pretty.”

The blade pressed into her skin, not drawing blood, but implying that if the werewolf chose, she’d be destined for the grave. “I’m…”

“Going to explain yourself.” He lowered the dagger, took hold of her arm, and jerked her forward.

In a few short strides, the werewolf tossed her through the threshold of the cabin, and slammed the door behind them. He sauntered to the couch, sat down, and regarded her. “Now then, darlin’.” His olive skin was stunningly flawless, and his chocolate-colored hair was spiked tall. “Why would a pretty lass like yourself plan to attack me?”

“Don’t move.” That charm wouldn’t fool her. “Stay right where you are.”

“My mouth is the only thing moving.” His slanted amber eyes raked over her. “Would you like me to stop talking?”

“No.” She hesitated then added, “Only your mouth can move. Nothing else. Tell me what you know.”

He gave her a long look. “I’d be glad to tell you anything you’d like, love.”

His kind face and soft voice wouldn’t trick her. He was a werewolf. She was certain, which was another oddity.

After the block on her supernatural abilities had been lifted, she could identify a supernatural creature as if knowing the difference between a brunette and a redhead. “Tell me why you killed my family.”

“That’s an interesting accusation.” He cocked his head, studying her with a frown. “But I think the more important question is who are you?”

She lifted her chin. “The lass who’s going to cut off your furry wolf balls.”

~~~~~

Oh-hody-ho, she sounds like my type of lass to hang about with.

If I’ve convinced you at last, you can check out Werewolves Be Damned at all the following places:

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

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But wait … because there’s more!

Yup, it’s …

And there is an awesome $100 Amazon Gift Card up for grabs!

All’s you gotta do is hop across to the RAFFLECOPTER FORM!!!!

Good Luck!

~~~~~

Stacey Kennedy is an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Sons of Anarchy and Game of Thrones.

Visit her here: Website | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Twitter | Goodreads

Review: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Title: The Summer I Became a Nerd

Author: Leah Rae Miller

Publication date: May 7th 2013

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Source: Copy received from publisher for review

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From Goodreads: 

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl’s body isn’t just unknown, it’s anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

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My Review

Geekalicious in every way, The Summer I Became a Nerd is a wholesome serving of cute, with a dash of dorkberry sauce and sprinkles, and topped with a nerdishly-ripe cherry.

In case you didn’t quite get the hint, I kinda loved this one.

It’s fresh, it’s young-hearted, it’s full of underlying life-lessons and messages but in a way that doesn’t ram it down the readers throat, and the whole geekdom of references and nerd talk just add a wholesome flavour that make this one awesome.

From the off, Maddie is seriously cute as narrator. And then she becomes cutely annoying. And cutely angers the reader with her behaviour. In most books, when I dislike the person a character is becoming, it turns me off wanting to keep going. The fact I still found Maddie cute even when she was behaving like a jerk, and still wanted everything to be okay for her, should tell you just how much her cuteness suckered me in and how strong the connection was that I had with this great character. Though I think a lot of her cuteness was thanks to Logan, who she owes BIG TIME for managing to draw it out of her.

Logan has all the cuteness that Maddie does and THEN SOME! He is (in Maddie’s words) ADORKABLE! I LOVED this guy. From the first moment the reader lays eyes on him, I just wanted her to run off and dump Eric and be with the one she obviously was more suited for. Darn you, Maddie, for being so damn stubborn and needy.

Logan has a whole lot of patience and a whole lot of comfort in who he is. It’s so refreshing to meet a male character who knows how to be himself and wins everybody over—the reader included—without even really having to try. Logan just … was—is. That’s all that really needs to be said. I challenge anyone with a young heart (whatever their age) not to find this dude adorable. Loved him. Did I mention that I loved him?

And then we have the plot—which was great (sorry, no spoilers for you); and the side characters—Yes! Brilliant! Both Maddie’s friends AND Logan’s—even Eric and rotten-ex-girlfriend-who-doesn’t-deserve-being-named-on-my-review; their families—loved how we slowly learned more about who Maddie was as we got to know her family better and LOVED Martha, she’s the bees-knees, and Vera; and most of all, what pulled this entire story together to give it its awesome credibility, the geekiness I’ve now mentioned more than once.

True, not being a geek beyond my book fetish, I didn’t really understand the whole RPG part of it. But guess what? I didn’t care. Because no matter that I couldn’t follow all the rules and how it works, I still LOVED those scenes and read them with a big stupid grin on my face. All the comic book references, too, and how all that tied in. I just loved them. Loved them all.

Okay, I’ll stop now. I think it’s clear enough that I loved this one. For Maddie, it might have been the summer she became a nerd. For me, it’s the summer I became a The Sumer I Became a Nerd fan.

That is all.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: Driven by Susan Kaye Quinn

Title: Driven

Series: Debt Collector #5

Author: Susan Kaye Quinn

Publication date: May 1st 2013

Source: I own a copy

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From Goodreads: 

Driven- EPISODE 5 of the Debt Collector serial. Contains mature content and themes. For young-adult-appropriate thrills, see Susan’s bestselling Mindjack series.

What’s your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium pretends he’s a willing debt collector for the mob while deciding whether he can trust Ophelia to help him escape.

Driven is approximately 14,000 words or 56 pages, and is the fourth of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. Episode 6, Fallen, releases 5/15/13. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see DebtCollectorSeries.com

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My Review

I actually love how every one of the Debt Collector instalments have all so far been 4/5* reads for me. And this latest one—Driven—was just as satisfying.

Again, I find myself totally loving Lirium. It’s kinda starting to feel like we have our own fictional romance going on, and each time a new episode is released, it’s date time again—and whilst I’m waiting for that date, I have the anticipation to work with, where I get to try and predict where he’s going to take me next.

Well, guess what? So far, I’ve predicted nothing. Because this series is one surprise after and another, which constantly keeps the reader guessing and, thus, on the edge of their seats.

In Driven, Lirium is forced to participate in acts he finds distasteful—I agree with him—but he has little choice as the price of not obeying is his life. He’s still in deep. He’s still in a whole pile of shizzazz, which, quite frankly, stinks. And he’s still tugging on my heartstrings and whispering his tales so clearly in my ears that I found myself at the end of this episode feeling somewhat tainted on his behalf. He’s still redeemable, though. He’s still good at his core. And I still want to cuddle him up and save him from exposure to the evils he’s being forced to experience.

In short, Driven is another great instalment to a series that has fast become one of my favourites.

p.s. what the fudge is Ophelia playing at? I don’t trust that chick one bit (grrrrrrrr).

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: Icons by Margaret Stohl

Title: Icons

Series: Icons #1

Author: Margaret Stohl

Publication date: May 7th 2013

Source: Review received from publisher via NetGalley (thanks)

From Goodreads: 

Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol’s family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn’t know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside — safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can’t avoid.

She’s different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador’s privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn’t a coincidence. It’s a conspiracy.

Within the Icon’s reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions — which they’ve always thought to be their greatest weaknesses — may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts — in order to save the future.

My Review

Icons is a fresh take on dystopia, enhanced by the well-woven sci-fi angle of the plot. And I well and truly enjoyed the read.

Now, let me just preface this by saying that Icons was one of those ‘slower’ reads for me, though that’s mostly due to absorbing the sci-fi elements mentioned above, as well as the world building, and the simple fact that I realised pretty early on that I just did not want to miss a single detail.

For that reason, I don’t really care that this one took me quite a few days to get through, because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment in this book.

I’d imagine a fair bit of that has to do with Ms Stohl’s awesome ability to world build. Everything was just so well explained and described that there was simply no room for confusions—making the journey just … smooth as honey.

But, more than that, I believe it was the amazing four characters that fast became the driving force of this well-woven tale. And although a certain two of them took me longer to ‘like’, within time, I grew to love each and every one of them—I suspect at exactly the time the author intended me to.

So, let’s take a quick look at each of those characters.

First up, Lucas. There was just something about this dude that made me trust him from the off. And then I didn’t trust him. And then I did. I have a feeling this was done on purpose to keep the reader guessing. But it took me a long time to get a handle on this guy, and even then, I had him all wrong. But in a good way. Because I was very glad he turned out better than I’d expected him to.

Then we have Tima. She’s an oddity. And that just makes her all the more intriguing. And what comes across as one thing when looking at the shell is something totally other when we get a glimpse at the inside. I loved the complicated-ness of her character. Loved how she turned out to be one of the strongest in the end.

Furo. *sigh* Furo is one awesome character. He’s is so expertly portrayed that the reader has a complete reading on him from start to finish. He’ll make you fall in love. With his faults. With his strengths. With his weaknesses. He’ll make you fall in love with him. But he’s another complicated soul, and I ‘feel’ for him. Because not everything in life can turn out as you yearn for it to, and your heart will break alongside his, for sure.

And last, but by no means least, we have Doloria. She was a fabulous narrator to travel this read with. I loved her drive. Loved her passion. Her character. Her personality. Her connection with Ro (Furo). Her prominent goodness. Her ‘place’ in the tale. Just everything about this MC suckered me right in and made me want to learn more. And not just about her, but about everyone and everything she came into contact with.

Aside from those four, we also have a couple of great side characters. Fortis was brilliant. Just brilliant. Full of mystery. Full of excitement. Sure, I kinda had my suspicions about his true ‘identity’ before the reveal came, but that did little to diminish how much I enjoyed having it confirmed. And alongside Fortis, we have ‘Doc’. For something that isn’t supposed to have a personality, he had a GREAT one. I loved his relationship with Lucas. And loved ‘watching’ the unfolding of his part played and how he related to the bigger picture. There were other characters with smaller parts, who were just as vibrant and colourful, but too many to list. And each and every one of them added layers and depth to this story, as well as credibility where credibility should be lacking.

Okay then, onto the plot. I hate spoilers, so I’m not going to detail anything that happens in the book. If you want to know that, you’ll have to read it for yourself. But I will say, in an intricately-woven plot such as this, there is so much leeway for threads to be left dangling, but there weren’t any. As I already said, there was no room for confusions. Everything was so beautifully wrapped up and presented that I completed the book feeling wholly content, and with a warmth in my heart as though Doloria’s character had somehow touched me, just as she ‘touches’ so many within her world. And, whilst I won’t mention spoilers, I feel the communication snippets that are included in the book between each of the chapters, where information is slowly leaked to the reader, but with no time stamps so the reader is left trying to piece it all together and how it ties in exactly to what’s happening now, turn this novel into one big mystery waiting to be unravelled.

I’d never read anything by Margaret Stohl before Icons. I will definitely be picking up more of her books now, that’s for sure.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: Broken by Susan Kaye Quinn

Title: Broken

Series: Debt Collector #4

Author: Susan Kaye Quinn

Publication date: April 17th 2013

Source: I own a copy

From Goodreads: 

Broken- EPISODE 4 of the Debt Collector serial. Contains mature content and themes. For young-adult-appropriate thrills, see Susan’s bestselling Mindjack Series.

What’s your life worth on the open market? 
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium tries to free himself and Ophelia from the Kolek mob, but Valac has other plans for him.

Broken is approximately 15,000 words or 60 pages, and is the fourth of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. Episode 5, Driven, releases 5/1/13. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see DebtCollectorSeries.com

My Review

With each episode I read of this amazing (mini) series, I find myself falling in love with Lirium (and the series itself) a little more. Lirium is such a troubled, misunderstood, and rash character, who starts the series appearing to be worldly wise and street smart, yet the more time we spend with him, the more we realise how much of the opening is an act—an act he doesn’t even realise he’s playing in, because he has no idea how clueless he truly is, until he’s faced with situations he probably never imagined to find himself in.

In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m slightly in (fictional) love with Lirium. The last episode, Ecstasy, was the best episode so far, and a tough one to top. To be honest, Broken was maybe a star rating behind Ecstasy, until I headed through the action at the end, see the betrayal, witness his downfall on a scale nobody would truly want to ever experience, and the dude just tugged on my heartstrings hard enough to earn his top marks.

So, to wrap up: great addition to the series, great character development, enlightenment, discoveries, and a fresh in depth glimpse at a new level of this awesome world building.

Now, hurry up and give me the next one. Because I need to make sure Lirium’s okay (my poor pet).

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

.

Title: The Elite

Series: The Selection #2

Author: Kiera Cass

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication date: April 23rd 2013

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley (thanks)

From Goodreads: 

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Iléa.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

My Review

When I first read The Selection way back when, I remember thinking (and stating in my review) that it was the kind of book I could re-read many times. So, I happily did a re-read of the title when I received The Elite for review. Which meant I headed into The Elite with everything fresh in my mind, reading the duo of books back-to-back in a handful of days, and it just made the reading experience so much more … oomphy.

Because I loved The Elite just as much as I did The Selection. I loved where it took off from. Loved the twists and turns. Loved the revelations. The battles. The slow drip-feed of information that the reader should be suspicious about and trying to analyse, but they don’t because they don’t realise they should have been until we’re hit with those ‘WTH/OMG/Please, God, no’ moments.

As I said in my review of The Selection, I kinda predicted how it would all play out. That wasn’t the case for me with The Elite. Yes, we had the whole does she-doesn’t she want Maxon. The whole does he-doesn’t he truly want her. Or does she-doesn’t she want Aspen. And dude, YES it became confusing as heck. YES it became as frustrating as heck. But I have a horrible of habit of slipping pretty deeply into an MC’s role, assuming the author has done the job I expect of them, and so what they feel, I feel—and America was no exception to that. And if how I felt was anything to go by? No wonder the poor girl didn’t know whether she was coming or going.

Because I spent the entire book mad at Maxon, then loving Maxon, then mad at America for being confused, then mad at Maxon, then loving Maxon, then mad at America again—which all led to me feeling totally confused about the ‘other dude’. Though I do believe my mind is mostly made up by the end. Which is good—because judging by that ending, I predict (here I go again) America will have a whole other level of conflict to deal with in the third book, and I’m looking forward to (immensely) the change of scenery where that’s concerned. Whilst the conflict I mentioned arrives with a horrifying realisation for the reader (though I had suspected Maxon didn’t have as much control as is publicly portrayed—just not to this level), I loved this added depth, because I believe we needed something this powerful for the reader to forgive Maxon for everything that has had America in turmoil.

As you can probably tell from my review, my thoughts about this are still pretty random and waffly, and I suspect that’s because I’m still sitting here thinking about it, evaluating it, musing over it, wondering what’s really going to be thrown at us next—to the point I haven’t even started my next book, because I knew I’d need to try and work out my review for this one before I can move on. So before I begin to make absolutely no sense whatsoever, I’ll try and wrap up with a tight and slightly more cohesive conclusion.

Did I love The Elite as much as The Selection?

Heck, yes.

Did I like where the story was taken in this addition?

Well, it wasn’t really taken massively further than the last book. But all of those little bits of additional pieces, those side stories that help mould the characters and bring colour from the background onto the forefront, and help the reader to fall in love with all the right people … those are what helps make this story great and help to set it apart and give it the strength to stand in its own right from the first book. There are quite a few of those. And they’re all very impactful. Plus … THANK GOODNESS they’ve both quit beating about the bush and finally begun to be honest with one another.

Do I intend to read on?

Dude! Wild horses couldn’t keep me away. I NEED to know how America’s going to deal with this new conflict, and how she will now fight for what she’s realised she wants. I just hope I don’t have my love-triangle emotions tugged all over the shop again—because those nearly drove me insane in this one with not being able to make up MY mind (never mind America’s).

And finally, would I recommend?

O_O Why are we even having this conversation? *sigh* Maxon *sigh* Go and read these books. Now.

That is all.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: Origins: The Fire by Debra Driza

Title: Origins: The Fire

Series: Mila 2.0 #0.5

Author: Debra Driza

Publication date: January 8th 2013

Source: I own a copy

From Goodreads: 

Heart-stopping and electric, MILA 2.0: Origins: The Fire contains a short prequel story and an excerpt to MILA 2.0, the first book in a riveting Bourne Identity–style trilogy by Debra Driza.

Mila can’t remember anything before the fire that took her father’s life. It’s normal to have some memory loss after traumatic events, but Mila doesn’t remember if she’s ever learned to ride a bike, or if she’s ever been in love. Nothing.

What she doesn’t know is that she isn’t supposed to remember—that she was built in a computer science lab and programmed to forget. Because if she remembers, she might discover her true identity.

The question is: If she relived the fire, what would she see?

My Review

When I received Mila 2.0 for review, I immediately went and grabbed this short intro from Amazon.

And short it is. However, I’m very glad I read it, because I’ve now headed into Mila 2.0 knowing exactly what happened to her dad—for which I’m grateful—and understanding the situation a lot better. I’m not sure it would have been received with such clarity otherwise.

Aside from that purpose, this little insight gives a good indication of the character the reader will be spending time with in Mila 2.0, as well as the style of writing/story. For me, it encouraged me to want to read Mila 2.0 sooner—in fact, I made it my next read—because when I reached the end, I wasn’t ready to reach the end, and I was more than eager to find out what happens for her next.

So, if you’ve seen Mila 2.0 about and you’re not sure if it might be your cup of tea, I highly recommend picking this little short up first (I nabbed it for free from Amazon), because it might just help you make up your mind.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry

Title: Crossing the Line

Series: Pushing the Limits #1.5

Author: Katie McGarry

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication date: April 1st 2013

Source: I own a copy

From Goodreads: 

Katie McGarry captivated readers with her “riveting, emotional”* Young Adult debut, Pushing the Limits. In this gripping novella, she tells the story of Lila and Lincoln, who discover that sometimes it’s worth crossing the line for love…

Lila McCormick, Echo’s best friend from Pushing the Limits, first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives. But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters—or that she’d fall for the boy she’s only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most.

Hurting Lila is the last thing Lincoln wanted. For two years, her letters have been the only thing getting him through the day. Admitting his feelings would cross a line he’s never dared breach before. But Lincoln will do whatever it takes to fix his mistakes, earn Lila’s forgiveness—and finally win a chance to be with the girl he loves.

My Review

Ah, Lila and Lincoln. LOVED these two. What a great addition to the series this is. Both Lila AND Lincoln were great MC’s. Seriously couldn’t fault them. I absolutely loved how we learned so much about them in so few words. The slow build up to the desired outcome through each of their uncertainty. Plus, the fun aspect of it with the whole paintball scene and how they even seem connected through that.

Not to mention that opening, where we come in from Lincoln’s POV ,was so strong, and written so well, the intensity of it was all but blaring from the page. Which is just one of the reasons Katie McGarry is way up there amongst my favourite authors. From what I’ve read of hers so far, she pretty much has done no wrong.

And the letters in the opening, and the snippets of letters dotted throughout to open each POV switch were pure genius. Because they added so much credence to the relationship between these two far better than giving us chapters and chapters of shown scenes. Totally and utterly loved how this novella was portrayed from start to finish. My only wish upon reaching the end is: Lord, please let us see more from this awesome pair of MC’s. Please. It’s not too much to ask, right?

Have you read this title? What’d you think?