{Review} Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Dark Triumph
by Robin LaFevers
Series: His Fair Assassin #2
Pages: 358
Release Date: April 2, 2013
by Houghton Mifflin

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Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

Wow.  This book.  Wow.  This book was one big ball of feels.  OMG!  Ok.  Let me try to put my feelings into words.  It might not work.

This book was freaking amazing.  The action started from literally page one and after that I couldn’t stop reading, I couldn’t come up to breath until like page 250.  This was a thrilling, heartbreaking, adorable book…how can it be all those things?!  This book was a lot thinner than Grave Mercy because the setting and the world and the time period had already been explained in Grave Mercy so Robin LaFevers could just get right into the book.  But she still managed to connect the Sybella from Grave Mercy with the Sybella from this book.  The writing was really amazing and in-tune in the time period.  In other words, the characters weren’t talking like people do today.  They were talking like we imagine they would have in the 1500s.  And it was kind of annoying, but oh well.  I am so sick of the sentence “But of course.”  Ugh it drives me nuts!  But, one thing that I’ve noticed with LaFevers is she writes the most touching, beautiful love scenes.  Ever.  They’re so emotion filled and delicate.  When I reviewed Grave Mercy I put in a section from when Ismae and Duval are having a moment, and I just HAVE to do it for this book too.  It perfectly sums up all the emotion in Sybella, all the emotions between her and Beast, their personalities, and how much they love each other.

[SPOILER:

“I knock once on the door, then open it.

The room is dark but for a trickle of moonlight coming in from the window onto the bed.  At my entrance, Beast starts to reach for his sword, then stops. “Sybella?”

I shut the door softly behind me.  “I have slept with five men, not dozens.  Three because I had to, one because I thought he could save me, and the fifth so I could get close enough to kill him.”

He says nothing, but watches m fingers as then unlace my chemise.

“I have never lain with a man out of love.” I meet his gaze steadily.  “I would like to do so at least once before I die.”

“You love me?”

“Yes, you great lummox.  I love you.”

He lets out a sigh.  “Sweet Camulos!  It’s about time.”

I cannot help it.  I laugh.  “What do you mean?”

“I have loved you since you first slapped that vile mud on my leg and ordered me to heal.

“As far back as that?”

“I was too stupid to know it, but yes.”

“When did you realize you felt that way?” I am embarrassed to ask such a pitiable question, but I yearn to know.

He tilts his head back in thought.  “When the abbess announced you were d’Albert’s daughter.”

I gape.  “That is when you decided you loved me?”

He lifts his hands, as if in surrender.  “There is no deciding about it.  It was just there.  A great, unlooked-for complication.  It is why I grew so angry, thinking the gods were having a rich jape at my expense.” He shakes his head in disbelief.

“So does that mean you will lie with me?” My voice sounds far more vulnerable than seductive.

He swings his legs over the side of the bed, his face growing serious.  “Sybella, with all that you have endured at the hands of men, you do not have to do this.  You do not have to give your body to earn my love.  It is already yours.”

“I know,” I whisper.  “But I would go to my death having truly loved at least once.”

]

There ya go.  Classic Sybella and Beast.  They then go on to do It but I don’t want to put that in here.  Lol. ;P

I loved how LaFevers built up the suspense and story by hinting at Sybella’s past, and also how she introduced the characters.  The story line was so fast paced for the first half of the book, then it kind of got into a slow spot, then picked up again right after that.  The fight scenes were very well described, if not pretty gory and violent.  And then the ending of this book.  OH MY FREAKING GOD!  It was so action-packed, emotion filled, and thrilling.  Perfectly wrapped up the book.

THE FEELS FROM LIKE PAGE 300 TO PAGE 400!  I COULDN’T TAKE IT!  OMG!  There were so many plot twists and turns and I was literally screaming “WHAT!?” every single time LaFevers tweaked the story.  I couldn’t freaking believe it!!!!!  I never saw them coming.  [SPOILER: First Beast knocks out Sybella so she can’t go back to d’Albert’s household (and seriously, what was the abbess thinking when she tried to send Sybella back!?), THEN WE FIND OUT THAT BEAST’S SISTER, ALYSE, HAD A KID WITH D’ALBERT AND HER NAME IS LOUISE, WHO SYBELLA TAKES CARE OF!  OMG THE FEELS!  And then, and then, as if that wasn't enough heartbreak for one story, WE FIND OUT THAT SYBELLA HAD A BABY AND THAT D’ALBERT, HER FREAKING DAD, KILLED IT!!!!!!!!!  *falls to floor* *sobs eyes out* *never be happy again*.  Thank you LaFevers, thank you.  My life will never be the same, I will never be happy again, all because of you.  And then it’s explained why Sybella was so messed up when she was mentioned in Grave Mercy because wow, a lot of shit happened to her.  Her brothers both try to sleep with her, one she lets to protect herself from the other brother (yes, messed up right) and her father is always abusing her and ugh.  Gosh. ]

One thing that I noticed a lot of in this book was raping.  Yes, LaFevers based a lot of her events and staging on sexual events.  Not kidding.  I have never read historical fiction where sex is a huge part of the book, but honestly I’m glad that LaFevers put that in the book because it probably did actually happen as often as she put it in the book.  It’s not a good thing, but it needed to be mentioned.

This cast is freaking awesome.  I must admit, I can’t decide if I like Ismae or Sybella better.  Ismae was hurt just like Sybella, but I feel like Sybella endured more and was stronger than Ismae.  Sybella was such a flawed character, and her need to kill and to hurt was completely understandable after what happened to her.  She was a very strong character, with spunk, spirit, and confidence.  It’s really hard to explain her because she’s such a complicated character.  Then you have Beast, who Sybella has called many names, some of them being great ox, ogre, maggoty carcass, ugly oaf, mountain, infernal oaf, and great lummox.  Yep, there’s Sybella for ya.  Anyway, beast was unlike any love interest I’ve ever read about, and definitely completely different from Duval.  Beast was big, scarred, I guess ugly, and not some pretty boy just walking around being sexy.  Honestly he is perfect for Sybella.  I can’t really find the words to describe them together other than perfect.  One thing that I loved about the romance was the banter going back and forhte between the two.  They were taking jabs at each other the whole time, insulting and calling names, but they still loved each other *dreamy sigh*.  Then you have one of the best villains, I think, in YA.  Evil d’Albert.  Wow, that guy is freaking nuts.  And, after reading LaFevers afterword, apparently he actually lived.  I don’t know if he was like he was in the book in real life, but if he was I feel bad for anyone he came into contact with.  He was a really great villain, very evil haha, and just so many shades of wrong.  [SPOILER: And since he died at the end of the book, I have no idea what LaFevers is going to do with the third book.  I figured that the ending of this book would go something like Sybella goes back to the castle, tries to kill d’Albert, fails, he escapes, she escapes because Beast saves her, and then there is a huge cliffhanger at the end.  But to be honest I think the ending that actually happened was more fitting because d’Albert was Sybella’s father, so I think it was a better ending than if Annith (who will be the main character in the third book ) had killed him in the third book. ]

I really can’t decide which book I like better, Grave Mercy or Dark Triumph.  Dark Triumph was much more emotional and heartwrenching than Grave Mercy, but Grave Mercy had a sexier love interest and better build and action.  Oh well.  How about this?  THEY’RE BOTH FREAKING AMAZING!

5 pink flowers.

Quotes:

Besides, he is one of the few things that has ever loved me and survived.

"For one, he is a miller, not a peasant.  And two" - Beast gives me a grin as infectious as the plague - "I can kill without getting off my horse."

Beast nods in agreement, then grins.  "I've never met a lady who enjoys her work as much as I enjoy mine."
"My work?"
"Killing.  Assassin-ing."
"What are you implying?"
He looks puzzled at the anger in my voice. "That you are very good at what you do.  It was a compliment, nothing more."

"They drugged me," he says with mild outrage.
"Because you were too stupid to lie still and let your body heal."
"You didn't drug me," he points out.
"Because I had to get your maggoty carcass from one end of the country to the other.  Once we arrived, trust me, I would have drugged you too."
"Humph."

"Sleep now," he says.  "Else I will have to clout you again."

"But you can be sure of one thing.  I will not die until d'Albert is defeated."

"I was wondering, since I have kissed you three times now, if you might turn into a handsome prince."
At the sight of his quick, easy grin, I feel my heart dance in my chest.
"Alas, you are still stuck with a toad, my lady."
"Ah, but it turns out I am quite fond of toads."

What did you guys think of this book?  Leave your thoughts in a comment and we'll have a discussion! :)

{Review} Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Stung
by Bethany Wiggins
Series: Stung #1
Pages: 304
Release Date: April 2, 2013
by Walker Childrens (an imprint of Bloomsbury)

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There is no cure for being stung. Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right. Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark. Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.

*A copy was provided by Bloomsbury for review purposes*

What an amazing, amazing book.  Wow.  I don’t even know where to begin.  I was so into this book that at random times I was literally yelling at the pages, and my mom had to ask me if I was okay.  This book sucks you in so much and you can’t get out.  The idea for this book is absolutely amazing and unique, and the execution was perfect.  I loved how Wiggins didn’t immediately describe everything about the world and added that little bit of mystery about who Fiona was and what happened to her.  The writing was so amazing, and the story line was fast-paced and exciting.  One thing that I sometimes find lacking in books is a thrilling, believable escape from a difficult situation.  In this book, there are several situations where you are sure everyone is going to die, but Wiggins breaks them out in a very well thought-out way, and leaves you sitting there with an open mouth, asking yourself “How the heck did they survive that?”.  And then you have the romance which, I will admit, Wiggins didn’t really develop very much, but once it was there it was so sweet and genuine, I just loved it.  The ending was absolutely amazing, thrilling, and perfectly executed.  I don’t usually cry in books, but I was very close to crying because of what happened in the ending.  It was just so heart-wrenching and genuine that I couldn’t help it.  My one problem with this book is that there was one huge twist in this book, and Wiggins kind of hinted about two pages before it happened what was going to happen.  It took away the surprise and “what the heck just happened” aspect from the twist, and I really wished that it had just happened suddenly, without any hints before.  That little thing shouldn’t bother me as much as it did, it’s just that the rest of the book was so well done that this one little mess-up looked like a huge, glaring mistake.  Even though it really wasn’t.

Of course, such a thrilling, well-written book has to have a kick-butt cast, and this one doesn’t disappoint.  I absolutely LOVED this cast.  Fiona was such a strong ,well-developed character, and she completely controlled the book.  And then there’s Bowen.  Don’t even get me started on how awesome this guy is.  He was such a attractive, strong character, but also kind and caring, that you couldn’t help but fall in love with him.  And, like I said before, once the romance was established, it was so well-done and heartwrenching that you can’t help but love it.

For those of you who didn’t know, this book is a spin on Sleeping Beauty.  I don’t know about you guys, but I like this story better.  What with the amazing idea and story line, kick-butt characters, sweet romance, and events that could make Professor Umbridge cry, this is a book you CAN NOT pass up.

5 pink flowers

{Review} Victoria Rebels by Carolyn Meyer

Victoria Rebels

by Carolyn Meyer

Pages: 265

Release Date: January 1, 2013

by Paula Wiseman Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)

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Queen Victoria’s personal journals inform this captivating first-person account of one of history’s most prominent female leaders. Queen Victoria most certainly left a legacy—under her rule as the longest reigning female monarch in history, the British Empire was greatly expanded and significant industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military changes occurred within the United Kingdom. To be a young woman in a time when few other females held positions of power was to lead in a remarkable age—and because Queen Victoria kept personal journals, this historical novel from award-winning author Carolyn Meyer shares authentic emotional insight along with accurate information, weaving a true story of intrigue and romance.

*A copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for review purposes*

Every once and a while I get a craving for some historical fiction, and I always turn to Carolyn Meyer when this happens.  I was reading and loving her books even before I started blogging.  I’ve always been secretly interested in historical fiction based on famous queens, such as Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and now Queen Victoria.  This book, like most of Meyer’s, depicted perfectly a side of Victoria that is very interesting.  It’s shows how she grew from a child to a 24 year old queen, and all her struggles to get there.  I loved Meyer’s writing style, and it was interesting to learn about Victoria’s childhood and all the people who affected her as she grew up.

Victoria was a very different character than I’m used to.  For one, she actually lived as some point, and in this book the author can give her a personality she didn’t have.  In my opinion, Victoria was a very strong woman, but at times stupid and selfish.  From the events described in this book she sometimes held grudges that would prove fatal to someone, and was stubborn when she was in the wrong.  But, by the end of the book, when she is a grown and experienced woman, I did like her.  I got to learn a lot about her, as well as Sir John Cavoy, Victoria’s mother’s “friend”, and Albert, and Daisy, and Uncle Leopold, and a ton of other historical figures.

Meyer is a master at historical fiction, and she always manages to make her novels interesting yet informative.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to read more of Meyer’s books.

4.5 pink flowers

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{Review} Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Apollyon
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Covenant #4
Pages: 344
Release Date: April 4, 2013
by Spencer Hill Press

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Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex. Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back. The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries. Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

*A copy was provided by Spencer Hill Press for review purposes*

Crap on a cracker!  Holy daimon babies!  What an epic book!

Needless to say, I’ve gotten over the fact that this series is very similar to Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy books.  In fact, I might like this series a tiny bit more.  This book is a combination of everything I love in a book: snarky characters, smoking hot guys, kick-ass fighting, good writing, and a fast-paced story line.  This book started right where book three, Deity, ended, and I couldn’t really remember what had happened, so I was bit lost at the beginning of this book.  JLA didn’t explain what had happened it the previous books so I didn’t really have a clue, but I kind of hate it when authors describe every little thing that had happened in the previous books, so I was okay with being clueless.  I really loved JLA’s writing style.  It was, in a word, sassy.  I literally was laughing my head off at some of the things she wrote, including those to morsels of hilarity above.  I love her sense of humor!  The staging was perfect, the story line was fast-paced, the fight scenes were very well described, and romance finished it off perfectly.  The romantic scenes (if you know what I mean) could best be described as sizzling, but how else could you describe them when Aiden is involved right?  I also really liked the ending, even though it wasn’t really a conventional ending.  It’s like the lull before the storm, and JLA set up the fifth and final book in this series to be one hell of a thriller!

Because of this book, Alex has become my new favorite female character – EVER!  There are no words to describe her.  She was completely kick-ass, snarky, defiant, didn’t take any crap, annoying (but in a good way.  She was good at getting on people’s nerves in the book, and it was hilarious to read), funny, and just freaking awesome.  Can I please be her?  Please please please please please!?  Of course, if I’m her, I also get Aiden.  Aiden Aiden Aiden – sex-god extraordinaire, smoking hot, kick-ass, sweet, nice, sexy…I could really go on and on forever and I still wouldn’t be able to describe how freaking attractive Aiden is.

The main reasons I like this series better than Vampire Academy would have to be JLA’s hilarious writing style and Alex and Aiden.  Those three things make this series what it is, and what it is is awesome.  So there!

5 pink flowers

Favorite Quotes ah la Alex: 

I rolled my eyes, finishing off the burger.  Rummaging around in the bag, I pulled out an extra-large order of fries.  With all the exercise I was getting, my escape would involve me rolling out of here.

~Page 32, uncorrected ARC edition

No matter how convoluted my life got, one thing remained consistent—my hair looked like a baby opossum had taken refuge in it, invited friends over, and thrown a party.

~Page 64, uncorrected ARC edition

Now I was in full internal whine mode.

~Page 92, uncorrected ARC edition

“Alex,” Aiden snapped…” I also doubt Apollo meant for your mouth to be the only thing getting a workout.”

~Page 93, uncorrected ARC edition

I flipped the dagger in my right hand.  “It’s called being awesome and it worked.”

~Page 94, uncorrected ARC edition

The bathroom door opened and Aiden filled the doorway.  Lit by the soft glow of the light behind him, he was a study of shadowy contrast – shirtless and wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms that hung low on his hips.  That didn’t help my heart or breathing problem.

(See, I told you Aiden was freaking sexy!)

~Page 98, uncorrected ARC edition

Apollo dropped the necklace into my palm.  “Ha,” I said.  “It’s like Harry Potter and the invisibility cloak.”

Everyone stared at me.

I rolled my eyes.  “Whatever.  So I’m invisible if I wear this.”

~Page 139, uncorrected ARC edition

(So, for the record, Alex was like shaking her leg up and down because she was bored.  Plus, I TOTALLY DO THIS!!)

Apollo smacked a hand down on my leg.  “Must you always be moving some part of your body?”

I glared at him and not-so-gently removed his hand.  “It’s not hurting you,” I said.

“It’s annoying.”

“You’re annoying,” I shot back.

(Ah, classic Alex)

~Page 141, uncorrected ARC edition

Me?  The girl who pretty much said F.U. to everything, especially Fate.

~Page 262, uncorrected ARC edition

Damn.  Aiden was a badass ninja.

~Page 266, uncorrected ARC edition

I squared my shoulders.  “Release the Kraken!”

Several sets of eyes settled on me.

“What?” I gave a lopsided shrug.  “I’ve always wanted to yell that since I saw the movie.  Seemed like the perfect moment.”

~Page 275, uncorrected ARC edition

YADP Post: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Young Adult Debut Promotions (YADP) is a post I do to help out debut authors, and to get them noticed.  My posts will definitely include a feature of the book, a feature of the author, and a giveaway, with an interview, guest post, or excerpt optional.  If you would like more information about YADP click here and scroll down until you come to the section talking about it.

Today I am featuring...


Cat Winters
And I will be doing a review and giveaway!

~The Book~

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

by Cat Winters

Pages: 400

Release Date: April 2, 2013
by Amulet

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In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her? Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

*A copy was provided by Amulet for review purposes*

What a heartbreaking, breathtaking book!  Seriously, the feels from this book!  If I didn’t already know that Cat Winters was a debut novelist, I would have sworn on my life she was a seasoned writer with tons of award winning novels already published.  The way she wrote this book and manipulated the story line and characters was just mesmerizing.  Her writing was fluent and flowing, the story line was perfect, and the staging was absolutely superb.  She found a way to slip in little details that would be crucial later on in such a way that you didn’t have a clue it would affect the story until something big had already happened because of it, and then you think back and go “Oh, that’s what it was”.  The idea was just amazing for this book, and the way she introduced the setting and everything was just masterfully done.  I loved how history played a part in this book, and how there was a mystery aspect to this book.  The combination of romance, mystery, history, and hauntings was just superbly done.  I will say, though, that I guessed half of what happens in the end.  I was so invested and focused and into this book that I literally was yelling at the pages that for about 20 pages in the middle, and my dad had to come in and ask what was wrong.

The romance in this book could best be described as tragically beautiful.  It was heartbreaking to read about how much Mary and Stephen loved each other, but could never be together again.  I will say, I absolutely loved Mary.  From her name (her full name is Mary Shelley Black.  How awesome is that) to her personality, she was awesome.  She was head-strong, defiant, didn’t take any crap, and was completely kick-butt in her own way.  Stephen seemed like a really awesome guy, sweet, caring, and perfect.

Winters completely sucked me in from page one of this book and didn’t let me come up to breath until the very last page.  I was reading so intently that the TV didn’t even bother me, and I had the book pulled up closer to my face as if I could actually go into the pages.  This was such a beautifully written, tragically romantic, and well written novel, I can’t wait to see what Winters comes up with for her sophomore novel.

5 pink flowers

~Giveaway~

~There will be 1 winner

~Giveaway ends on April 15, 2013 @ 12:00 A.M.

~This giveaway is US/CAN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Get to know Cat Winters~

Bio:

Cat Winters was born and raised in Southern California, near Disneyland, which may explain her love of haunted mansions, bygone eras, and fantasylands. She received degrees in drama and English from the University of California, Irvine, and formerly worked in publishing. Her debut novel, IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS—a YA ghost tale set during the World War I era—is coming April 2, 2013, from Amulet Books/ABRAMS. She currently lives outside of Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two kids.

Connect:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Thank you so much Cat for stopping by today!  It was a blast to have you on the blog!!!

Thanks for checking out this post!  If you could share it with a friend that would be really great.  The whole point of this post was to get an awesome debut author noticed, so if you could help that would be awesome!

{Review} Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Dance of Shadows
by Yelena Black
Series: Dance of Shadows #1
Pages: 447
Release Date: February 12, 2013
by Bloomsbury

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Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts… Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames… Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed…

*A copy was provided by Bloomsbury for review purposes*

Coming into this book I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I’m glad that I didn’t have very high expectations because I would have been even more disappointed than I am now.  What this book had was a bad case of bad-execution-ites.  The idea for this book was awesome, but the execution was not.  The writing was definitely not amazing, but the thing that really got me was the bad staging, and the lack of finesse when introducing new characters or situations.  The staging was way too obvious and easy, and the events were choppy and disconnected.  Vanessa had 4 best friends within 10 pages, and they were tight, tight, tight.  And the way they were introduced wasn’t very well done.  Also, this book had insta-love at it’s finest.  Not to mention, the guy dumped his then girlfriend to go with Vanessa.  Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t really like when that happens – in real life or in books.  The ending was pretty decent, but I think it was way to easy to overcome the evil and come up with a solution.  It wasn’t thrilling, it wasn’t very well done, and pretty much summed up the whole book: too sudden and lacking finesse.

I had a huge problem with this cast.  First off, Vanessa.  Who, as I mentioned earlier, stole another girl’s boyfriend.  Enough said.  She was annoying, weak, and clueless.  And boyfriend himself, Zep.  Ditto what I said about Vanessa.  He was annoying, controlling, mean, and a jerk.  There were so many things wrong with these two characters that they really shouldn’t have been written like this.

The only reason I’m not giving this book a big fat 1 star is the idea and the few bright moments in the book where things moved smoothly and the staging was good, and also because of the fact that the book was pretty well written, in the middle at least.

2 pink flowers

{Review} Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality
by Elizabeth Eulberg
Pages: 272
Release Date:
by Point (an imprint of Scholastic)

Goodreads / Purchase

A hilarious new novel from Elizabeth Eulberg about taking the wall out of the wallflower so she can bloom. Don't mess with a girl with a great personality! Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup). Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection. The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.

*A copy was provided by Scholastic for review purposes*

Wow, this was a pretty interesting read.  When I first started reading this I thought it was going to be a very dark, sad, heartbreaking book, but it turned out to be kind of a fluffy coming-of-age story, and I kind of would have liked it better if it had stayed sad.  I don’t really feel like the whole “girl who everyone thinks is ugly” and “becoming popular and learning about yourself” really fits together.  The writing was really awesome, and I loved the humor that was added in.  The story line was okay.  The little things that Eulberg threw in to try and add to the story (like how Lexi wants to design clothes, the big “moment” back then) were totally see-through and annoying.  I can see that Eulberg tried to make this an inspiring, “believe in yourself” book, but I gotta say, it didn’t really work very well…at least for me.  The ending was kind of blah, I didn’t really like the way Eulberg decided to go with the story.  But I think there might be a possibility of a sequel because the ending was very open.

I wasn’t really a huge fan of Lexi in this book, and I actually like the supporting characters better than the main character.  Lexi felt like she was ugly, so she tried to change to make everyone else notice her and like her, and I know that Eulberg was making a point with this book that you shouldn’t do that, but it annoyed me to no end that Lexi kept on changing to please people.  She came across as petty, weak, had no self-esteem, and let people walk all over her.  And, funnily enough, she really didn’t have much personality, she just sat around cracking jokes that put herself down.  The supporting characters had more personality than she did!  Benny was gay and proud of it.  Cam was confident and didn’t care what people said about her.  Lexi needs to learn a thing or two from them.

I really, really wish I could have liked this book more, but for me it came across as a coming-of-age story fail, and a bad combination of ideas.  While the supporting characters were awesome, Lexi was really pathetic, and I like my books to have strong main characters, especially in a book like this.  Also, I don’t really get the title for this book, because Lexi isn’t malicious or anything, and she doesn’t try to get revenge.  Ummmmmmmm?????????

3 pink flowers

{Review} Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Going Vintage
by Lindsey Leavitt
Pages: 320
Release Date: March 26, 2013
by Bloomsbury

Goodreads / Pre-Order

When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List: 1. Run for pep club secretary 2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree 3. Sew a dress for Homecoming 4. Find a steady 5. Do something dangerous But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

*A copy was provided by Bloomsbury for review purposes*

What a cute, fun read!  Seriously, am I the only one who thinks this book would make the perfect movie?  I absolutely loved the idea and how Leavitt proved a point with this book.  The writing was funny, witty, and entertaining, and the story line was awesome.  I really loved all the different components of the book, especially the characters and how Mallory grew over the course of the story.  The romance was so sweet and cute to read about, and I really loved the twists and the ending in this book.

Mallory was really the perfect main character in this book.  I really respect several of her decisions throughout the book and I’m glad that Leavitt wrote her like she did.  I loved how Mallory grew over the course of the story, and how she was strong and independent, and sometimes funny as well.  Oliver was pretty awesome as well, and I really loved that he was such a sweet, nice guy and didn’t mess with Mallory.

This book was an awesome coming-off-age story that I thoroughly enjoyed.  The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was the few boring parts with the grandma and sewing, but other than that this book was pretty awesome and exciting!

SMALL NOTE: Sorry my past couple reviews have been really short.  It’s been a while since I’ve written a review and I’m kind of out of practice, but I’ll try to improve in the future :)

4.5 pink flowers

{Review} Escape Theory by Margaux Froley

Escape Theory
by Margaux Froley
Series: Keaton School #1
Pages: 288
Release Date: March 12, 2013
by Soho Teen

Goodreads / Purchase

Sixteen-year-old Devon Mackintosh has always felt like an outsider at Keaton, the prestigious California boarding school perched above the Pacific. As long as she’s not fitting in, Devon figures she might as well pad her application to Stanford’s psych program. So junior year, she decides to become a peer counselor, a de facto therapist for students in crisis. At first, it seems like it will be an easy fly-on-the-wall gig, but her expectations are turned upside down when Jason Hutchins (a.k.a. “Hutch”), one of the Keaton’s most popular students, commits suicide.
Devon dives into her new role providing support for Hutch’s friends, but she’s haunted by her own attachment to him. The two shared an extraordinary night during their first week freshman year; it was the only time at Keaton when she felt like someone else really understood her.  As the secrets and confessions pile up in her sessions, Devon comes to a startling conclusion: Hutch couldn't have taken his own life. Bound by her oath of confidentiality—and tortured by her unrequited love—Devon embarks on a solitary mission to get to the bottom of Hutch's death, and the stakes are higher than she ever could have imagined.

*A copy was provided by Soho Teen for review purposes*

Escape Theory really reminded me of Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday, which you guys may or may not know is my favorite mystery book ever.  The dialogue was very funny and entertaining and the best friend was absolutely nuts and had tons of personality.  I really liked Froley’s idea, and I loved the setting and how she described it.  The set-up was absolutely perfect, and the circumstances were written flawlessly.  In some mystery books I feel like the solution comes too easily, but in this book it smoothed into the answer with ease and finesse, and it all made sense.  The staging and story line was absolutely perfect, and the ending summed up the whole story line effortless and thrilling way.  Really, I can’t believe that this book is Margaux Froley’s first.

This cast was a rather large one, but since each character had such a great and different personality, it was easy to keep track.  I liked how each character played a part in the mystery and the solving of the mystery.  I really liked Devon and how she was persistent in her beliefs and didn’t give up on Hutch.  Her best friend, Presley, was an absolute riot, and I loved reading about how they interacted.

If this is Margaux Froley’s debut mystery book and it was this freaking good, I can’t even imagine how awesome her next books are going to be.  Her grasp on writing, staging, and complex settings is just amazing…gah, this book was so awesome!

5 pink flowers

CHECK OUT DEADLY COOL - TRUST ME, YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!

Add on Goodreads / Buy on Amazon

{Review} Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

Shadows in the Silence
by Courtney Allison Moulton
Series: Angelfire #3
Pages: 469
Release Date: January 29, 2013
by Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper)

Goodreads / Purchase

Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . .
Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:

She must fight for Will.
The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.

She must fight for humanity.
As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.And Ellie must save herself.

And Ellie must save herself.
Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.

In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.

I AM SO FREAKING SAD!  THIS SERIES IS OVER! *cries in a corner*.  This is the bad thing about absolutely loving a series: it ends.  This book was amazing, and this series really couldn’t have ended a better way.  I absolutely loved this book!  After the cliffhanger at the ending of Wings of the Wicked, I wasn’t sure what Moulton would do with the beginning of this one, but she picked up right where book two left off, which I really liked.  The beginning kind of irritated me because I couldn’t understand why Ellie didn’t have a huge sense of urgency (if you’ve read the book you’ll know what I’m talking about) but after that this book was a thrill-ride.  Moulton’s writing was absolutely flawless as usual, and the story line was fast-paced, with the ending a groundbreaking thriller.  Moulton is a freaking magician!

One of the reasons I’m so sad to see this series go is Will.  That man – OH MY GOD!!  Words cannot describe how awesome he is – as in hot, sexy, smoking, smoldering…and just perfect.  He was so kick-ass, sweet, and nice to Ellie, and really I would love a guy like him.  I also really liked Ellie in this book.  I remember in Wings of the Wicked I was really annoyed with her for messing with Will, but she completely redeemed herself in this book.  I still had a bit of a problem with her being selfish (those of you who have read this will know what I’m talking about) but that was only a minor thing.  She was fierce, strong, kick-butt, and a very strong character, and I really liked how she and Will acted around each other, and the romance in this book.  I don’t think it’s possible to talk about the characters in this book without at least mentioning Caden.  In a word, I really respect him.  He is such a cool guy, so nice, and he’s in a really painful position but he handles it very well.  He is so sweet and nice you can’t even describe how sweet and nice he is.

And now that I’ve written this review, my life is over.  Because there isn’t another Angelfire book coming out.  And no more Will.  Haha just kidding I own the entire series so I can read about Will whenever I want to.  But this series was just so amazing, each book action packed, fast-paced, and romantic, with a lot of kick-ass fighting going on in between.  I highly recommend this series!

5 pink flowers

The Angelfire series:

Check out my review of Angelfire, here.

Check out my review of Wings of the Wicked, here.

Sorry, I couldn't resist posting some pics! ;P

{Review} Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

Deep Betrayal
by Anne Greenwood Brown
Series: Lies Beneath #2
Pages: 352
Release Date: March 12, 2013
by Delacorte Press (an imprint of Random House)

Goodreads / Purchase

*Warning: Summery could be spoilery for the first book if you haven't read it!

It's been thirty days, two hours, and seventeen minutes since Calder left Lily standing on the shores of Lake Superior. Not that she's counting. And when Calder does return, it's not quite the reunion Lily hoped for. Especially after she lets her father in on a huge secret: he, like Calder, is a merman. Obsessed with his new identity, Lily's dad monopolizes Calder's time as the two of them spend every day in the water, leaving Lily behind.

Then dead bodies start washing ashore. Calder blames his mermaid sisters, but Lily fears her father has embraced the merman's natural need to kill. As the body count grows, everyone is pointing fingers. Lily doesn't know what to believe—only that whoever's responsible is sure to strike again. . . .

*A copy was provided by Random House for review purposes*

I hate to say it, but I kind of liked the first book in this series, Lies Beneath  better than this one.  Even though it was a good continuation of the story, Deep Betrayal wasn’t as thrilling or well done.  In Lies Beneath I was completely knocked over by the twists and turns, and the story line was amazing, but in this book I didn’t get that.  The idea and writing was still really good, but the story line wasn’t that awesome.  You might think, from the summery, that this book had a murder mystery incorporated into it.  WRONG!  There wasn’t a murder mystery, and the route that Brown took instead of a mystery was, I think, a bad decision.  I didn’t like how half-way through the book she kind of – for lack of a better world – re-did the story line.  She changed the way the book was going by throwing in a couple cheesy urban legends that, while imaginative, were completely pointless.  It seemed like Brown just added them to make the book thicker.  I really enjoyed the story line before the “makeover”, and I really liked the ending as well.  I liked how all the things that had been growing over the course of the story all came together, and I thought it was very well done.

I really love how Brown has developed the characters over these two books, and I think her strategy is ingenious.  Lies Beneath was narrated from Calder’s point of view, and Deep Betrayal  is from Lily’s, so in each book we get to know each character very, very well.  It’s freaking genius!  These books have two of my most favorite characters ever, and I really like how they are solid, strong characters.  Calder is very unique.  He’s different from his kind, and he’s kind of a tortured character, but he still finds time to melt my heart with his sexy muscles and awesome personality.  Seriously, I want to date a merman!  Lily I really love as well.  I really like how she has a mind of her own and isn’t helpless, and that she does what she wants.  To me she’s kind of defiant, and I love that.  Calder and Lily really make a perfect pair, but, umm, Calder, if you ever get sick of Lily, I’m here!

I’m not sure at the moment if there is going to be another installment in this series (I’m guessing most likely) but if I think I might give it a try.  I really enjoyed Lies Beneath, so maybe first and third times the charm? :P

3 pink flowers

The Lies Beneath series:

Check out my review of Lies Beneath, here.

{Review & Author Interview} Starstruck by Rachel Shukert

Today I am super excited to be featuring Rachel Shukert's newest book, Starstruck.  It looks like such an awesome book, and if you guys have heard of it feel free to promote it yourself!!!

Starstruck

by Rachel Shukert

Pages: 352

Release Date: March 12, 2013

by Delacorte Press (an imprint of Random House)

Goodreads / Pre-Order

The golden age of glam...

Every week they arrive in Los Angeles--beautiful and talented young hopefuls who dream of becoming stars. It's all Margaret Frobisher has ever wanted—and when she's discovered by a powerful agent, she can barely believe her luck. She's more than ready to escape her snobby private school and conservative Pasadena family for a chance to light up the silver screen.

The competition is fierce at Olympus Studios and Margaret—now Margo—is chasing her Hollywood dreams alongside girls like Gabby Preston, who at 16 is already a grizzled show-biz veteran caught between the studio and the ravenous ambition of her ruthless mother, and sultry Amanda Farraday, who seems to have it all--ambition, glamour . . . and dirty secrets. Missing from the pack is Diana Chesterfield, the beautiful actress who mysteriously disappeared, and there are whispers that Diana's boyfriend—Margo's new co-star—may have had something to do with it. Margo quickly learns that fame comes with a price, and that nothing is what it seems.

Set in old Hollywood, Starstruck follows the lives of three teen girls as they live, love, and claw their way to the top in a world where being a star is all that matters.

*A copy was provided by Random House for review purposes*

What a star-studded story!  I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with this particular focus, and, I must say, I rather enjoyed it!  The idea was so awesome, and I really enjoyed how the foreshadowing played into the book, and how the circumstances all lined up.  It was really a very well thought through book, with fluid writing, perfect staging, and a few twists to keep the story interesting.  Add in a few attractive actors, cut-throat actresses, and crazy producers, and you’ve got yourself a book!  One thing that I really loved about this book was the fact that there were multiple points of view, but only one person was the main character really, and the other characters fed into her story (does that make sense?  I know I just kind of contradicted myself).  I really loved the ending and all the twists that it was made of – I never in a million years saw that one coming!  But this was just a very solid book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I wonder if there’s going to be a sequel though, because I never found out what happened to the other two supporting characters…

The three points of views that were featured in this book was those of Margo, Amanda, and Gabby.  The last two had shadowed pasts, and Margo was a rising star.  Perfect!  I really liked each of them because they all were a huge part of the story, had such strong personalities, and really made a difference.  Margo was a sweet belle who wasn’t used to Hollywood, Amanda was a seasoned – well, let’s call her actress – and was as cut-throut as anyone, and Gabby was having major issues.  What a cast!  Not to mention Dane, the love interest, who was definitely lovely.

All in all, this book was beautifully written, had awesome characters, and terrible twists.  What more could you want????

4 pink flowers

~Author Interview~

1. Why did you decide to become a writer?

To be honest, it was less a conscious decision than something that crept up on me. As a kid, I always had a running storyline in my head...like, I would be doing whatever I was doing, except in my head I was a different person, and so were the people all around me. It would look like I was sitting in the principal's office or at piano lessons, but in my mind I was 17th Century French aristocrat facing the guillotine or a young concert pianist at the audition of my life. But I always thought of it as somehow performative--it was years before I realized that I was writing stories, and that I was thinking like a writer. So I went to college for acting, and I started writing things for myself to perform, which turned into writing plays, which turned into writing books. Once I made the decision of "okay, I'm doing this now" things began to happen quickly. It was like I had always been a writer, but I was waiting for myself to figure it out.

2. Who were your biggest influences?

It depends what I'm writing! I like to experiment with a lot of different forms and styles, and doing that, I feel like I have different sets of influences in a way--it always helps to identify what you're trying to do, and then look at the work of the people who have done it in a way you admire. For "Starstruck" I looked a lot at kind of contemporaneous novels about Hollywood at that time, things like "What Makes Sammy Run?" and "The Day of the Locust" and "Inside Daisy Clover." Those books were great, because not only are they great books, they provided a lot of the right kind of research. Like, Budd Schulberg (who wrote "Sammy") knows exactly what restaurant someone might go to, and exactly what it looked like, because he was there. And also because they were written at the same time as "Starstruck" is set, they have a really casual attitude about the period, because to them, it isn't period. That was something I really wanted for my books--to have the period feel very lived in and organic, like you're really there, not sort of constantly commenting on it, you know? I also--unsurprisingly!--was really, really influenced by movies from around this time, especially movies about show business. Things like "Stage Door Canteen," "42nd Street," "The Bad and the Beautiful," "All About Eve." They've always been my favorites, and the book is kind of a tribute to them, that kind of "kid, you're going out there a scared amateur, but you've GOT to come back a star!" That's my favorite thing.

3. Where do you like to write?

At home. I have a little home office set up. I need it to be really quiet, so I can't really try to write in cafes or anything like that. Although I wish I could, it would be nice to get out of my apartment sometimes!

4. Do you have a special routine you like to do before you write?

It depends. I usually take it kind of easy when I first get up, read the paper, have breakfast, email, etc. And then the writing starts to come. I do like to have a little kind of game plan for the day, like, this is the point I want to get to by the time I'm done for the day, and I don't like to really push past that point unless I'm really feeling insanely inspired. It's important to set yourself manageable tasks and give your brain some time to unwind and do some subconscious operating.

5. When and how did you get the idea for Starstruck?

You know, I'm not sure anymore! I'd always loved old movies, and been really obsessed with Old Hollywood--not just the glamor, but the whole way it worked, with the studios, and the star system. But I think it was really two things--I remember reading some interview with Elizabeth Taylor where she was talking about growing up at the MGM lot, how all the child actors had their own school there, and ate all their meals together. And then I remember kind of thinking that the old studio star system was a lot like high school. You had different stars that represented different things, you had these very paternal, very powerful executives who would cover up all your mistakes, but also controlled every aspect of your life. There's a lot of potential for conflict there. And then of course, everyone is also gorgeous and talented and glamorous, so that's fun too!

6. What can we expect from the next book in the series?

It's hard to know how to answer without giving too much away! Basically, our girls are have been around a little more, they're a little more savvy about the world they're in and how to operate in it.  It's a little sexier, a little older, a little more sophisticated. Margo had this meteoric rise, in her career and in her love life--what now? How can you make it last? What do you do when you got everything you ever wanted and it turns out not to be everything it was cracked up to be? Amanda is trying to put her life back together, with some surprising--and very dramatic--results. And Gabby is asserting her independence more, and getting in touch with her wild side, but maybe she's playing with fire. There's lots of exciting new romance, and a lot of supporting players lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance on the stage. And it's Hollywood, so as always there are lots of juicy secrets waiting to be spilled! I don't want to reveal too much that will spoil the first book!

THIS OR THAT

1. Jelly or peanut butter?

Jam! And it has to be strawberry. Strawberry jam on buttered bread, this is my favorite thing.

2. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Milk chocolate, absolutely. Between this and the jam, I feel like I'm revealing a lot about my palate, which is basically I like pretty much anything a 6-year-old likes.

3. Cats or dogs?

I have a cat, but I actually prefer dogs. Don't tell her though.

4. Hardcover/ paperbacks or ebooks?

Regular books at home, ebooks when I'm traveling. I feel like I get more absorbed with a print book, but I love being able to take a ton of books with me without having to make room for all of them in my suitcase.

THANKS SO MUCH RACHEL SHUKERT FOR STOPPING BY!!