The Lost Saint

Author: Bree Despain
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Summary: A family destroyed. A love threatened. An enemy returns.

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with he werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer, Grace's relationship with Daniel is put in danger -- in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her -- not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung. 



Review: I loved the first book in this trilogy, The Dark Divine. But as with other second books in a series, I had sort of low expectations for it, because second books usually follow the same format; everything starts out all happy and love-y, but then there is a conflict between the main character and the love interest, and eventually at the end, they make up, but with a problem to be resolved in the third book. The Lost Saint did follow this, but it didn't take away from the story like I expected. 
    Okay, so the last review I did I said how all the books lately that I've read I've hated the love interest. Well, I still love Daniel from this series. I could see how some people wouldn't like him in this book, though. He was so secretive and kind of ignored Grace. I also really like Grace. I think because she kind of acts like me. If I were in her position, I would have done the exact same things throughout the book. And I don't feel that way about main characters often. Sometimes I just want to scream at them when they're being stupid or whiny. Also, another problem I have with paranormal romance sequels is usually the mysterious boy that the main character fell in love with in the first book gets boring because all his secrets and past are discovered already at the end of the first book. This makes the second book boring for me. Sometimes I only read the second book so I can read the last one, which is always awesome. But since in The Lost Saint, Daniel kept sneaking off for days on end without telling anyone, keeping even more secrets, and doing weird things that distanced himself and Grace, it kept me interested. Talbot, the new character introduced in this book, was also kind of cool in the beginning, but then he got kind of pushy. But Grace wasn't a pushover, so that was good.
    Overall, it was a really good sequel to a really good book. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do, because I really liked it. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because only my very favorite books get five stars.

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Waiting on Wednesday is a blogging meme started at Breaking the Spine. 

Summary: Another town. Another school. Another Mclean. Ever since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her father have been fleeing their unhappy past. And Mclean's become a pro at reinventing herself with each move. But in Lakeview, Mclean finds herself putting down roots and making friends—in part, thanks to Dave, the most real person Mclean's ever met. Dave just may be falling in love with her, but can he see the person she really is? Does Mclean herself know?


I am so excited for this one! Sarah Dessen is my favorite author EVER. The plot doesn't sound so exciting, but I know it will be because of her writing. And also I really hate the name Mclean as a girl's first name, but oh well. What books are you excited for?

Nightshade

Author: Andrea Cremer
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Summary: Calla Tor has always known her destiny:
After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates the master's laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Review: So originally when I heard about this book, I thought it'd just be another romance with werewolves. But it got such good reviews, and the cover was pretty, and it's got those awesome pages that are torn and uneven on the side... so I decided to buy it. I even read the first chapter on the store to make sure I would like it. And I really liked the first chapter. But it got worse from there.
    I really liked Calla's character and her world of wolves in the forest. I also really liked her fiancee Ren. But once she started falling for the human boy Shay, I became quickly annoyed. I HATED Shay. He is so ignorant and would not stop insulting her way of life and her pack and family. Yet she seemed to like it. He also kept pressuring her to do things she didn't want to do and wasn't supposed to do. And it got her in trouble. Yet she still liked him. By the middle of the book, it was a love triangle. She loved both Ren and Shay and they both loved her. I also knew which one she would choose from the beginning. SPOILER ALERT: In love triangles, characters always go with the person that I hate, no matter what. It's like they knew my opinion and went opposite of it. That way I can always predict who gets chosen in the end. MOCKINGJAY SPOILER ALERT: In Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, I knew Katniss would go with Peeta because I hated Peeta with a passion and was in love with Gale. SPOILER ALERT OVER.
    But I liked the plot overall, and the dynamics of the pack, and the way the story played out. Cremer has a good writing style which grabbed me at the beginning and kept me interested throughout the book, which was good. Really the only thing I didn't like about the book was Shay and the romance between Shay and Calla. From other reviews where I hated the love interest, you might think that I don;t like any of the love interests in books, but that's not true. I love Sam from the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I love Kartik from the A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray. I love a lot of the love interests. Just not the ones from books lately. But hopefully that little hating rut will disappear as I am about to read The Lost Saint by Bree Despain, and I love Daniel. So overall, it was a pretty good book, and it deserved those good reviews I read, and I understand why it got them. Probably a lot of other girls who read this were swooning over him, but I guess he just wasn't the character for me.

In My Mailbox (2)

IMM was started by The Story Siren and is for bloggers to share all of the new books we got this week.

This week I got only one book:

Something like Hope by Shawn Goodman from RandomBuzzers

Random Buzzers
The Story Siren

Slice of Cherry

Author: Dia Reeves
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary: Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.
It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities…. (From Goodreads.com)

Review: So this book has to be one of the weirdest books I've ever read, aside from Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I have no idea how the author created this town and characters. But this was a good thing as I like out-there books.
    Okay, so this book was not like other books in terms of literary devices, either. One of the motifs in this book is growing up (I know weird right? I totally didn't expect it from the summary). I love books that are deeper than just the story and actually have themes and references. I really liked Reeves's writing style and techniques.
     Some parts of this book were kind of gross, because of all the bloody scenes that the main characters cause. But I didn't really mind as it kept the pace of the book going. It took me about a week to read this, which is really slow for me, but I don't know why because there weren't really any boring spots. Most of the things happening are intriguing, strange, and interesting at the same time.
    As for the main characters, Kit and Fancy, I liked them at first. I liked how they were loyal to each other, and also, they were so intriguing because of their "need to kill". Though I couldn't relate to them at all, partly because they were murderers and partly because they were so clingy! Fancy got jealous of and almost killed her sister's new boyfriend because she wanted Kit to spend all of her time with her. 
    But I really liked the setting of this book. I didn't read the author's first book, Bleeding Violet, also set in Portero, so I didn't know what to expect. But let me tell you it was weird. Like something out of a dream, or in this case, a nightmare. Randomly there would be a monster coming out of the ground and all the townspeople would go about their business as usual. They were so nonchalant about all the weird stuff! But I kind of liked that aspect. It wasn't necessary be freak out and make everything dramatic with something that didn't even contribute to the story. Also, reading the summary you might think that Kit and Fancy are freaks and everyone else is normal, like the real world. But no, weird happenings and gore was normal in this town. Everyone was a little cuckoo. In a good way.
    If you like interesting plots and characters, this is the book for you, but I don't know, there was just something missing, I think. Maybe it was the absolute no emotions from anyone. But it was still a fun read.

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is for bloggers to share our excitement about upcoming books. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Summary: For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. Then Dosinia runs away to the mainland, and Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

Ahh! I just can't help myself when it comes to books about mermaids or selkies! I feel like a little girl. I'm soo excited to read this one.
Breaking the Spine 

In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It's to show off all the new books we got this week!

Bought:
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Won:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Wayne Josephson from Chick Lit Teens
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain from Simply Books
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain from Shut Up! I'm Reading

The Story Siren
Chick Lit Teens
Simply Books
Shut Up! I'm Reading

The Monstrumologist

 

Author: Rick Yancey
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Summary: These are the secrets I have kept.
This is the trust I never betrayed.
But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets.
The one who saved me...and the one who cursed me.

So begins the journal of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet. (From Goodreads.com)


Review: I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with this book. I have this thing where I have to finish a book, no matter how much I dislike it or how boring it is. And if I have to give it back to the library and I didn’t like it, I have to wait awhile and check it out again. It’s weird, I know. Anyway, when I first started The Monstrumologist, I got like two pages into it before I put it down and read another book. I finally forced myself to pick it back up and finish it, and I’m so glad I did. The writing is one of the best I’ve read in YA fiction so far. Not style-wise, but just the quality. But his writing is only for the experienced reader, because of the wide range of vocabulary Yancey uses.

    I’m usually not into books with monsters, as I find that most authors make them a bit ridiculous and not at all scary. But this was one of the scariest books I’ve read. Actually, it probably is the scariest book I’ve read, because I don’t read much horror. I would, if there were more out there, but there aren’t many YA horror novels. So, if you don’t like scary things, this isn’t the book for you. Also, if you have a weak stomach, this isn’t the book for you. Right away with the first couple chapters, Yancey explains in gruesome detail some pretty nasty things. I won’t say what, but towards the middle of the book, I read the most disgusting this I’ve ever read, in gory detail. But I have a strong stomach and I’m not grossed out easily, so I was able to keep reading until the end, which was fantastic! So exciting!

    I would be hesitant to recommend this book to someone unless I knew that they could handle the nasty parts, which unfortunately, is not many people. It’s a waste that this piece of fantastic literature will go unread by most because it’s in the horror genre and is a little gruesome.

My Name is Memory

Author: Ann Brashares
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Summary: Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together, and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short. Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.
A magical, suspenseful, heartbreaking story of true love, My Name is Memory proves the power and endurance of a union that was meant to be. (From Goodreads.com)


Review: I read this book because I loved Brashares's other series, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Also, it seems like a pretty epic love story, and not some mushy one between some paranormal creature and a human that just met. This is also  little bit of a historical fiction novel, because some of the chapters jump around a bit from the different lives the main character, Daniel, has. I actually learned a lot about world history.
    Anyway, sometimes the supporting characters of books really annoy me, but I loved all the characters in this book (except the bad guy). Daniel did some bad things in his first life, but as history goes on, you can tell he is really a good person. And the love interest/other main character, Lucy, was also a well-developed character. But I have to say, my favorite character was Ben, Daniel's friend from another life who also remembered his past lives. Ben was very wise, but also funny; like the perfect grandpa.
     Toward the end of the book, leading up to the climax, I especially loved this book. Everyone was so close to getting what they wanted finally, but then comes all the action. I don't want to ruin it for you, but it was soooo good. But my favorite part was the epilogue. It was so perfect! But I'm pretty sure this book will have a sequel, because the story isn't over yet. I haven't heard of her writing a new book yet, though; although this one did just come out in June. This book, and all of her other books, are perfect summer reads. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good romance that isn't fluffy or ridiculous, but wanting drama, mystery, and a little history.

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's to share our excitement on books yet to be released.

 Author: Suzanne Young
Summary: Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

There have been others before who’ve felt the Need, but they’re gone—erased from the memories of everyone whose lives they had touched. It's as though they never existed. This is the fate that awaits Charlotte. But the last thing Charlotte wants to do is disappear, to be Forgotten. She wants to stay with her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend’s arms forever. She wishes she could just ignore the Need, but she can’t. And as everyone important in her life begins to slowly forget her, she has to decide if she’ll fight the Need in order to remain herself—no matter how dark the consequences. (From Goodreads.com)


Doesn't this sound so good?! Finally a book about doing good deeds for people instead of villains or enemies trying to ruin everyone's lives! I haven't read her other books, but I'm definitely picking this one up as soon as it comes out.

A Blue So Dark

Author: Holly Schindler
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Summary: Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura's dad left them. Convinced that "creative" equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears. (From Goodreads.com)


Review: I was really intrigued by the plot of this book, because I'm fascinated by Schizophrenia (I know it's weird). I also love characters in books that are artists or very creative, because mpst of the people in my life are like that. Anyway, I thought it was a really good idea for a book. Also, other reviews of this book said that the writing was wonderful and they are going to read all of Schindler's other books. But I don't really agree. I definitely thought that the style was unique, but it wasn't engaging. Usually I can read a medium sized book in a few days, but I felt like I was reading this book for weeks. It was boring. 
    As for the plot, nothing exciting or surprising really happened. The mom just got worse because she wasn't taking her meds and did some pretty crazy things. Also, Aura wasn't really a good main character as far as main characters go. I understand that she was under extreme stress, but she was NOT making smart decisions, and she was kind of frustrating because of it. She could have avoided sooo much if she had just make a couple smart moves. 
    It was interesting to learn all about Schizophrenia and many of the famous artists with the illness. At every chapter, there was a little note talking about the correlation between Schizophrenia and creative and talented people. 
    Overall, I was a little disappointed with this book, but maybe my expectations were too high. But isn't that cover beeeeeauuuutiful?

Matched

Author: Allie Condie
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. (From Goodreads.com)



Review: I really wanted to love this book, and I started out loving it. Dystopian novels are my favorite genre, and I'd been looking forward to reading this since it was first mentioned it was an upcoming novel, back in the spring.
    The story stared out with the main character, Cassia, going to her Match Banquet, where in the Society, is where the government will match you up with your perfect partner to marry and have kids with. Her childhood friend gets matched with her, and first they are happy, but there is a suposed "malfunction" in the device that tells you about your match. Her friend shows up instead, and she gets really curious about him, since he isn't from her town. I really liked her original match, Xander, and he and Cassia started out all couple-y. But then she almost became obsessed with hanging out with Ky and learning about his background. All she could think about was Ky. When she was at work, or at home, or hanging out with friends, all she wanted to do was "learn more of Ky's story". I was kind of sick of it. I didn't even like Ky. He was not very nice and had almost no personality. In my opinion, Xander was way better for her, but she practically ignored him the whole book.
     The society in which Matched is set in was also a little confusing. Nothing is explained of how it came to be and why all the culture is gone. Everything is plain and everyone is the same. It's a bad thing to be unique in this world. In other dystopian novels, the author gives an explanation of how the world got to be like that, but in Matched, the author just jumped into it without explaining anything.
     This is a series, but I don't know if I'll read the rest of it because I hate Ky so much.

The Anatomy of Wings

Author: Karen Foxlee
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Summary: Ten-year-old Jennifer Day lives in a small mining town full of secrets. Trying to make sense of the sudden death of her teenage sister, Beth, she looks to the adult world around her for answers.

As she recounts the final months of Beth’s life, Jennifer sifts through the lies and the truth, but what she finds are mysteries, miracles, and more questions. Was Beth’s death an accident? Why couldn’t Jennifer—or anyone else—save her?

Through Jennifer’s eyes, we see one girl’s failure to cross the threshold into adulthood as her family slowly falls apart. (From Hardcover edition)



Review: I LOVED this book. I read it about a year and a half ago, but it was one of those books that I still remember perfectly and reflect back on. I was about a girl in a small mining town, whose older sister Beth, dies. She and her friend find a box of things that Beth left behind, and from those things, try to piece back the mystery that led up to Beth's death. In one of the flashbacks that the main character Jennifer talks about, her older sister faints unexpectedly, and sees something divine that changes her. I didn't really understand this part when I was reading it, but as I've gotten more experience analyzing literature, I somewhat understand more of the things that happened in this book.
    I have also come to appreciate the writing of this book much more. The writing is absolutely beautiful, especially the imagery. Some of the parts of the book are a bit graphic for younger readers, like some of the things that Beth does with her friends and boyfriend, but even during those parts, I still loved the writing style.
    My favorite part of the book was at the end, during the storm in the school, but I don't want to give anything away. Also when I first read this book, I didn't know how to detect things like recurring theme and indirect metaphors, so I didn't get the whole thing about wings, which now that I understand, I love this book even more. I definitely think that everyone should read this book, if they can handle the graphic parts and have had enough experience reading difficult books and can detect the themes, etc.

Firelight

Author: Sophie Jordan
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Summary: Jacinda is extraordinary–even for a draki (descendants of dragons who can shift into human form): she is a fire-breather. Unique and invaluable to her “pride,” the 16-year-old is kept on a short leash, and it has already been ordained that she will mate with the alpha male, Cassian. Jacinda's determination to do things her own way finds her nearly captured by dragon hunters, but a surprisingly kind young hunter named Will allows her to escape. Rather than suffer the pride's punishment for her daughter's risky behavior, Jacinda's mother decides the family should flee to live among regular humans. Masquerading as a typical high school student would bury Jacinda's draki nature until it died out. When Will turns out to be a classmate, Jacinda finds that her inexplicable attraction to him keeps her feel of fire and flight alive. Being near a hunter is the most dangerous choice Jacinda can make, yet her desire for him–and need to preserve her inner dragon–cannot be ignored. (From Amazon.com)

Review:

    I got this book for Christmas, and finished it in one day it was so good. I usually don't go for fantasy books, but this was more of a paranormal romance than a fantasy. And I've never read a book on dragons, or "draki" as they're called in this book. Also, I'm not going to lie, the cover is awesome and that's another reason I wanted to read it.
    The first chapter of Firelight drew me in immediately, with the main character, Jacinda, and her best friend in draki form  about to break the pride rules by flying in broad daylight. The imagery is excellent; I could picture the surroundings perfectly. Then the action began. There was not one boring part in this book, whether Jacinda was fleeing for her life, starting her new school, or having steamy hookups with Will.
    Speaking of Will, I had mixed feelings about him. I liked him in the beginning, when he was mysterious and dangerous, but then when he and Jacinda became closer, he got boring and a little too mushy for my taste. I also didn't like most of the other supporting characters. Her old best friend from the pride was really sweet and caring, even though you don't see much of her. When she gets to the school and makes a new friend, the new friend is really clueless and didn't have much of a personality. Jacinda also had an identical twin sister, and I like the idea of that, but she turned out to be really selfish and uncaring, though I could see where she was coming from. Also, the mom was just like the sister; selfish and uncaring. She was trying to hurt her daughter, in her opinion, for the best, and it just made me hate her.
    Overall, the book was really good, and the paranormal part of it was well thought-out and created by Jordan. The ending was left open, so there will definitely be a sequel, and I will be reading it.