Threats of Sky and Sea- Jennifer Ellision

 

 

I received an ebook copy of this book through netgalley. I was pretty excited to read this because it sounded so interesting. I gave this book 3/5 stars because there were some things that didn't make it great.

 

For instance, it just started off so slow. I started to get a little bored with it. There were just some places it was to drawn out. For example, their travels to the King. I just had to put the book down and do something else. I started to feel like I was forcing myself to read it, which is not a good feeling.

 

I did enjoy Bree. She was feisty and strong-willed. She didn't let anyone intimidate her and she didn't let them push her around. I did think it took a lot longer than it should have to figure out what was going on. She had so many clues and she never got it.

 

I liked the supporting characters a lot. I think that they added a lot to this story. I totally loved Aleta. A perfect example of not judging a book by it's cover. I think that Caden and his father's relationship remind me of the Prince and King in the Kiera Cass, Selection series. It was very similar.

 

Besides not having much going on plot-wise, I feel like it was a lost opportunity to give background information. There wasn't much about the world itself, or the actual magic. We know some about the Elementals, but not how it works. I think maybe it will come out more in the second book, hopefully.

 

Overall, I did like this book. I will be reading the next book because I just have to know what happens. I loved the characters and I think that now everything is in the open the plot will thicken. I also think it will help the pace and it will have a better pace.

WWW- July 30

This is a weekly meme by Should Be Reading

 

 

To Play along, just answer the following three questions:

1. What are you currently reading?

2. What did you recently finish reading?

3  What do you plan to read next?

 

 

What I'm Currently Reading:

  Book #1

 

 

I have received this as an ebook from netgalley. I'm currently reading this along with another book. So far I'm about 20% finished and I'm interested so far. It started out a bit slow but I think it's finally picking up!

 

 

Book #2

 

 

 

This came in at the library and there's a ton of holds on it. So to finish it in my borrowing time, I've started reading it at night. I try to get in about 50 page before bed time. This way, I'm getting in a personal book and a book I was given to review. So far, this book has been great. I love that with this whole series, there's always something crazy happening.

 

What I Recently Finished:

  

 

This came through the library and FINALLY didn't have a hold on it! I decided to snag it up before someone else could. I was totally disappointed with this book. :-(

 

 

What I Plan to Read Next:

 

 

 

This cover is gorgeous! I had it recommended to me through goodreads. I saw it on netgalley and instantly requested it! So glad that I got it and can't wait to read it!

 

 
Please leave a comment and share your own WWW!!!  :-)

 

 

  

 

 

 



Teaser Tuesday 7/29

   - A weekly meme by Should Be Reading

If you would like to participate, this is how you do so: (directions from Should Be Reading)

•  Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• share 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• Try not to include spoilers! Share the title & author, in case someone would like to add to their TBR shelf.

My Teaser:

 

Threats of the Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellison

 

"This is my life now. People who deal in falsehoods and omissions." pg. 72

 

Please leave a comment with either the link to your own TT post or share your teaser in the comments. Thanks!

 

 

An Abundance of Katherines- John Green

 

 

Wait. Is this a different author than TFIOS? Sure does seem like it. This was definitely not the same one who wrote TFIOS. This book was terrible. The only redeeming quality it had was that there was some humor. I did LOL at few times but that didn't make up for the horribleness of this book.

I don't think I could take another anagram. Sheesh! Colin was just a very annoying character. He was not likeable and it wasn't even for the fact that he just didn't have a personality. The fact that all he seemed to care about was being famous. For some reason, he was stuck on the notion that he had to be famous or his life was over. Are. You. Kidding. Me! He is just finishing high school and expects to be famous already?! You are a prodigy and not a genius. Wow, get over it. I don't how many times he had to mention the difference. Either way, he was set for life, get over yourself. He was a horrible friend and so self-centered. I'm so glad this book was short.

The whole Katherine thing was just plain weird. How in the world would he find 18 different Katherine's in his short life. Just not going to happen, sorry.

The footnotes were ridiculous! Having a hard time getting through this book? Let's add a ton of footnotes to just about every single page. Most of the footnotes were really excessive. Who cares! It took away from the story and I just couldn't skip them because I felt I wouldn't have read the whole book. Weird, I know. It's just an OCD thing.. I had to read them. What a waste of information and space.

I honestly felt like there was a whole different author writing this book. I did not enjoy it and I am kind of mad I wasted 3 hours reading this book! This was the one that sounded interesting out of his other books (besides TFIOS) so I know I won't be picking up the others.

The Forgotten Girl- David Bell

 

I won this book from a Goodreads, first reads giveaway. It's also the first book that I've read by this author. I had no idea what to expect. It's one of the things that I love about the giveaways. I can read authors that I never would have before.

This was definitely a good story. I always love murder mystery books that are good and not predictable. As soon as, I started this book, I was interested.  Jason's best friend disappeared the night of graduation over 20 years ago. They all just assumed he took off and started a new life of his own. Jason has a lot of trouble over the years, especially, since it happens after a big blow out.
   It turns out that there's a lot more going on and many more people involved than he could ever imagine. I think that the author does a great job keeping the book surprising. I never quite figured out what happened and who was responsible. Every time that I thought I had the person figured out, I was wrong.
   This book flowed really well and made it easy for me to get through it quickly. There was always something going on and I never got bored. I was a bit annoyed with the Jason and Regan. I felt like at some points they were crossing that line you don't cross. Mostly, because they would keep their meetings a secret. Also, because she would call the house and act so scandalous about it. "Is it okay that I'm calling." and so on... they acted like their was friendship was something they should be feel guilty about.

A theme about this book is that you just never know a person. Jason idolizes Logan and they were best friends for so long. Turns out that Jason didn't know his best friend at all. He doesn't know many of the people in his life until now. There's so many secrets that come to light.


 

Friday Finds (July 25)

Friday Finds are a weekly meme hosted by Shouldbereading

   Showcase the books you have found and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list.  It doesn't matter if you found them online, in a bookstore or in the library. They don't even have to be books you have purchased!

So show us your finds!! There's never enough books on your TBR, so this is a good way to add more!


     Here are some of mine: (Blurbs are from Goodreads)
            

 

Sixteen year-old Breena Perdit has spent her life as a barmaid, innocent to her father’s past and happily free from the Elemental gifts that would condemn her to a life in the Egrian King’s army. Until the day that three Elemental soldiers recognize her father as a traitor to the throne and Bree’s father is thrown in jail—along with the secrets from his last mission as the King’s assassin. Secrets that could help the King win a war. Secrets he refuses to share.

Desperate to escape before the King’s capricious whims prove her and her father’s downfall, Bree bargains with him: information for their lives. It’s a good trade. And she has faith she’ll get them both out of the King’s grasp with time.

But that was before the discovery that she’s the weapon the King’s been waiting for in his war.

Now, time is running out. To save her father’s life and understand her own, Bree must unravel the knot of her father’s past before the King takes his life– and uses her to bring a nation to its knees

 

-This was provided to me by netgalley today. I am excited to read it! It sounds interesting.

 

 

 

Vane Weston should have died in the category-five tornado that killed his parents. Instead, he woke up in a pile of rubble with no memories of his past - except one: a beautiful, dark-haired girl standing in the winds. She swept through his dreams ever since, and he clings to the hope that she's real.

Audra is real, but she isn't human. She's a sylph, an air elemental who can walk on the wind, translate its alluring songs, even twist it into a weapon. She's also a guardian - Vane's guardian - and has sworn an oath to protect him at all costs.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both their families, Audra has just days to help Vane unlock his memories. And as the storm winds gather, Audra and Vane start to realize that the greatest danger might not be the warriors coming to destroy them, but the forbidden romance growing between them.

 

- I found this for a good price at HPB (Half Price Books) and decided to try it. It has a good rating on goodreads and sounds interesting.

After the End- Amy Plum

 

 

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this series. Reading the premise, it sounded really interesting. Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. It had a lot of potential but I felt it never picked up speed. It was pretty slow and I found myself being bored a lot. It is a pretty fast read.

 

I don't know why but I feel like a lot of this book took me nowhere. I think the most exciting and interesting part of the book was the last couple chapters. I get that they were on the run the whole book and trying to hide out but it was just so uneventful. I was getting a bit bored with all the magical stuff too.

 

The whole Yara and the reason that her clan is being chased, is interesting enough. I just kind of got bored with the repetitiveness of how she was trying to use it. I would have liked to know more about what is actually going on than how she tried to harness the power. Obviously, it's not what she thinks.

 

The romance that was so predictable felt forced. I didn't really get the chemistry between the characters and it was just so.. flat. I just didn't feel it and the way that the author described the moments felt so unnatural.

 

I don't know that I'll be picking up the next book. I'm sure that the next book will have more action and hopefully not be as boring but I don't know that it would matter. I just can't really jump on the relationship between these two. I don't like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WWW Wednesdays #2

This is a weekly meme by Should Be Reading

 

 

What I'm Reading:

 

After the End by Amy Plum

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.
At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.
When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.
Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

--I'm about half way through this and it's pretty interesting so far. I can't wait to find out how it all connects. I'm sure it will be a part of a series but that's usually what happens these days.



What I've read Recently:

 

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Blurb from Goodreads:

Suley, Georgia, is home to Lost Lake Cottages and not much else. Which is why it's the perfect place for newly-widowed Kate and her eccentric eight-year-old daughter Devin to heal. Kate spent one memorable childhood summer at Lost Lake, had her first almost-kiss at Lost Lake, and met a boy named Wes at Lost Lake. It was a place for dreaming. But Kate doesn't believe in dreams anymore, and her Aunt Eby, Lost Lake's owner, wants to sell the place and move on. Lost Lake's magic is gone. As Kate discovers that time has a way of standing still at Lost Lake can she bring the cottages—and her heart—back to life?
Sometimes lost loves aren't really lost. They're right where you left them, waiting for you to find them again

 

 

--I thought this book was just okay. It was a good story but there just wasn't much depth to the characters or the plot. There was too much going on but the author just touched each storyline, not ever going into a whole lot of details. I gave it 3/5 stars.

 

 



What I'm reading Next:

 

- I was going to read, The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, next but I received a Goodreads Giveaway book yesterday. So that will be my next book!

 

 

The Forgotten Girl by David Bell

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 

The past has arrived uninvited at Jason Danvers’s door…

…and it’s his younger sister, Hayden, a former addict who severed all contact with her family as her life spiraled out of control. Now she’s clean and sober but in need of a desperate favor—she asks Jason and his wife to take care of her teenage daughter for forty-eight hours while she handles some business in town.

But Hayden never returns.

And her disappearance brings up more unresolved problems from Jason’s past, including the abrupt departure of his best friend on their high school graduation night twenty-seven years earlier. When a body is discovered in the woods, the mysteries of his sister’s life—and possible death—deepen. And one by one these events will shatter every expectation Jason has ever had about families, about the awful truths that bind them and the secrets that should be taken to the grave.

 

--I won this from a Goodreads Giveaway and will be reading it next. I haven't read anything by this author but the book sounds interesting.

Teaser Tuesday #2

   - A weekly meme by Should Be Reading

If you would like to participate, this is how you do so: (directions from Should Be Reading)

•  Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• share 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• Try not to include spoilers! Share the title & author, in case someone would like to add to their TBR shelf.

My Teaser:

"What you're saying is kind of like Wendy and her brothers flying with fairy dust. They had to believe it or they couldn't fly." - pg. 152, After the End by Amy Plum

 

Loat Lake- Sarah Addison Allen

 

 

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It was a very light read. Something that I would recommend for a beach read. This is a book about a recently widowed wife trying to heal and move on with her life. It was a good read but with that being said.. I didn't really connect to the characters.

 I feel like there was just so much surface and not enough depth to these characters. The one character that I thought had the most depth, was Eby. I give her lots of props for standing up to her horrible family. I mean her sister just sounded awful! Then she makes a life for herself, even after the love of her life dies. That's something that would be very difficult for many people. To give away all the money and safety to keep the family off you. I couldn't imagine being from a family like that.

Even though, Kate finally stood up to her mother-in-law, she wasn't relatable to me. I mean it's barely a year after her husband has passed and she's in the arms of another man. I know for some that's a long time but for her it wasn't. She had no where to go in life and no plan. She was a mess. It almost felt like a safe rebound.

I loved Devin's spunk and personality. She definitely lived in her own world and there's nothing wrong with that. I found myself grinding my teeth when her grandmother tried to change her. I also really liked how Selma ended up finally figuring out what she wanted and making a big sacrifice to save the place she "hated" so much. To me, she has the most growth.

I did like the story for sure. There were just some things that fell a little flat for me. I have a couple of her other books and will be reading them. I will say that this cover is Beautiful! haha.
 

Beautiful Oblivion- Jamie McGuire

 

 

I was really disappointed with this book. I know that she hit the jackpot with Beautiful Disaster and Travis Maddox. This was definitely a book that is trying to soak up all of us who loved the previous book. Lets face it, when she started writing novellas, it was over. A Beautiful Wedding was just bad.

 

 One of the things that was really annoying, was the character overload. Sheesh! Her roommate and her triangle, off/on again, love/hate drama was just over the top. I know what she was doing. She was setting up for ANOTHER spin-off. It was just all wrong. I started to feel that Cami & Trent were just background characters. It made it hard to connect and learn anything real about them. I was so ready to just put this down so many times when Ray/Brazil started in with their bickering and drama. It was just too much.

 

  Secondly, Cami's home life. I feel like Jamie McGuire just tried to make her previous series almost the same exact way. She introduces all this family trouble and then when things "hit the fan" nothing comes from it? She just misses the holidays with her family and that's it? Her brothers fight her boyfriend in a parking lot and that cools them off? Her mother totally let her husband attack their daughter with no consequences? Yeah, it was total crap for a plot line. I feel like it was a lot of fluff for her to pop out a few more books in the future.

 

 Uggghhh. WHY, oh WHY, did she have to ruin Abby's intentions for their marriage in BD?! You definitely get that implication but it's not written in stone. So you can just pretend that it's all love and fairy tales. I know, I know. It never is but STILL this IS fiction! In a few paragraphs she completely shatters that with Abby's phone call to Trent. Just to tell him it was just for cover. She was so hesitant and I felt she was like 100% not wanting to do it from her free will.

 

 Lastly, there was TOO much Travis/Abby in this book! They EACH got their own book! There really was no need to add all of their drama into this book. I just did not appreciate it. It was like she was trying to just suck every last bit out of their story. We get it, it was a huge hit but now let it go...

 

 I will not even go into the whole T.J. thing.. Gross.

 

 Well I will not be picking up the next book in this series. I think that Jamie McGuire has officially shot herself in the foot with this one. Everything you write cannot be about the same characters.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before- Jenny Han

 

 

 

 This book was all over goodreads and had a pretty good rating. It looked cute and sounded interesting so I thought, why not? I really is cute. There were some things about this that really bugged me. I'll get to that.

 

First...

 

It's a story about a family of 3 sisters and their father coming together after their mother had passed. They are a little unit and are there for each other. The eldest sister is leaving for college and just broke up with her boyfriend, who is a family friend. Lara Jean is the middle sister who now has all the responsibilities. Her younger sister and her get into a fight that cause Kitty to send some very personal letters. Lara Jean always wrote a "goodbye" letter after she was over a boy. Well, she never meant to actually send them and kept them in a hatbox. Her sister finds them and sends them out. Most of them are several years old, so you can image what they boys think when they receive them. So confusing, right?

 

 Unfortunately, one of them is to Josh, who was just dumped by Margot (Lara's sister). They were friends before and Lara really crushed on him. Turns out that he did have a crush on her too. So it turns into this whole scenario where she is trying to convince him she has moved on. She ends up just faking a relationship with another boy, Peter. He also had received a letter because he was her first kiss.

 

Anyways, first, how in the world can someone who is in love with another person just turn it off? Lara Jean, claims that she felt nothing for him the 2 years he was dating Margot. I don't know that I believe that. Then when she dumps him, all the sudden her feelings are back. Worst of all, is how confusing Josh is. He gets the letter and forgets that he's miserable and wants Lara Jean? The whole book, I had to remind myself that this was a Junior in high school. I felt like she was 12 year old girl, maturity wise. I honestly felt that her younger sister was more mature. She was really so naïve. I understand that they didn't go out much and it was always sister time but really? Also... I can't believe there is a second book. What could possibly happen that would warrant another whole book? I thought everything was pretty much resolved but I guess not.

 

I did really like Kitty. She was the  youngest sister and so funny. I had some laugh out loud moments. I think that when she always tells Lara Jean she's more of a baby than her, it's pretty much true.

 

 

Like I said, it was cute.  It is definitely a book for a younger audience. I will probably read the second book just because I need to know what happens!

One Plus One- Jojo Moyes

 

 

I really enjoyed this book! I got through it pretty quickly because I just couldn't put it down. So far, I have loved every book by Jojo Moyes. It's only been her latest 3 but I'll be reading them all before long. Although, I have to say that Moyes is just getting better and better with every single book!

   

     This one is about Jess, who is a struggling single mom. She has a daughter named Tanzie and a son (who is not her blood) named Nicky. I'll explain about Nicky.. He is the son of Jess's husband by another woman. Nicky's biological mother was sick and just couldn't take care of him. Jess took him in and has had him ever since. Their father, Marty has abandoned the family. Although, Jess doesn't know it yet. She thinks that he is living at home and sick aka depressed. All she wants in the world is to provide a better life for her children. They are great kids. Really. Tanzie is a math genius. She loves math and has been offered a scholarship to a private school. Although, Jess has no idea how it will be paid for. Nicky, is just misunderstood and trying to find his way through life.

 

     Jess cleans houses and Ed is one of them. He owns his own company, who is now suspended and about to lose everything for insider trading. He ends up getting drunk at the bar that Jess works at and it sets things in motion. Jess has no money. She is struggling to pay the bills and they have to skimp and cut all over the place to make it.

 

 Then comes Ed. He gets sucked into their life. When Tanzie is offered a chance to win a competition, he is the one to offers them a ride. Over the time of the road trip, they all end up getting closer. I mean how can they not? Things just become real and emotional several times, for them all. I mean you can guess what happens with Jess and Ed. It's something that you are just rooting for. It's the writing and amazing way that Moyes can make you laugh and then cry the next minute. She has a way to make you feel exactly what these characters are going through. She pulls your right into this book and you don't care to ever leave.

 

   I loved how she made each character have their own chapters on their POV. It was insightful and you get a lot more character building that way. I loved Ed. I really liked how it was all so messy but they still found a way to be happy. I honestly can't wait for the next Moyes books. She's one of my favorite authors!  

WWW Wednesdays!

  This is from MizB from Should Be Reading
 
 To play along just answer the following questions:

•  What are you currently reading?
•  What did you recently finish reading?
•  What do you think you’ll read next?

What I'm Reading:

 

               
 I've read her other books and really enjoyed them. So I'm hoping this will be just as good! I just started it.

What I recently just finished:

 

I have recently started reading everything that Jojo Moyes has written. This book was just as good. I couldn't put it down and I'm so glad that I picked up, Me Before You. It started my obsession and I now can say that Jojo Moyes, is one of my top authors.

 

 

 

What I'm going to read next:

 

 

 

  I have my book club book to read so I think that will be my next book. I hope that it's good because our last few haven't been very good. 

Teaser Tuesday!

                               - A weekly meme by Should Be Reading

If you would like to participate, this is how you do so: (directions from Should Be Reading)

•  Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• share 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• Try not to include spoilers! Share the title & author, in case someone would like to add to their TBR shelf.

                          My Teaser:
                            -One Plus One by Jojo Moyes -pg 223

                           " You did your best. That's all that matters."

Landline- Rainbow Rowell

 

 

I was pretty surprised to find out this was an adult book. I'm used to her as writing young adult fiction. So when I received this and realized it was an adult book, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I really enjoyed it. I brought it home from the Library yesterday and finished it this morning.

     It's really a fast read. I'm not sure if it's because it's a smaller size or because I had to just know what was going to happen. You know how they say, you don't know what you have until it's gone? That's exactly what this book is about. How all it takes is some silence and separation and your whole perspective changes. It was great for Neal and Georgie.

 

 This book is about Neal and Georgie's marriage. They fell in love in college and married shortly after. Fifteen years have passed and they are in a rough spot. She is so wrapped up in her career and he is all about their two daughters, as a stay at home dad. They are more like roommates than husband and wife. Another issue that they have had repeatedly over their marriage is Seth. He's her best friend and writing partner. In fact, she's known him longer than Neal. I think the problem is that Neal sees what Georgie does not, Seth loves her.

    Georgie and Seth have been trying to get their big break for years. It finally has a chance of happening but it could be at a high cost. Neal and Georgie were going to Omaha for Christmas to be with Neal's family. The pilot for her show and more episodes have to be finished a few days after Christmas. So they part ways and Georgie stays home to work the full week of Christmas break. She then starts to realize things about her marriage. After Neal doesn't pick up phone calls for two days straight, she knows this is different. Could it be the end for them? Is this Neal's last straw? When she tries to call from her old phone using a landline, she is surprised to be talking to Neal 1998.

    You don't know if it's divine intervention, a second chance, or a way to fix past mistakes. She has no idea what is going on but the chance to reconnect with past Neal, is all she cares about.

     After realizing many things about their marriage, love, and life together, she knows she's messed up. She then makes a grand gesture because she loves him more than anything. It was so nice to see her make these realizations and figure out what went wrong. I mean, nothing is perfect and marriage is hard work. She knows where her shortcomings are and will try to be better. I think all he needed was to know that she still love him and cared for him. They were in a limbo so long, they forgot how to connect with each other.

 

 

I loved that in the end, she did have to choose. It was always an issue with Seth being in the picture. She always told him that if he (Neal) made her choose, it would always be him. He doesn't make her choose but it does happen on it's own. She chooses Neal and it's without a hesitation. The ending.. I just loved it. It was so perfect, not over the top. You could just FEEL how Neal felt and it was fantastic. Great book and I'm looking forward to the next installment from Rainbow Rowell. 

Monday Musings!

My Monday Musing- Books Purchased for my Mom!

I received some half price books coupons in the mail. Today, I went hoping to find any of, The Walk series, by Richard Paul Evans. I was So excited to find 3 of them!
  
  Now- I work at a Library. I had a patron come in and ask me about The Walk series. I gave her a blank face and asked, umm, do you know the author? She had no idea! Can you imagine how many books have "walk" in the title! So she said she would get the authors name and come back. Two hours later, I had a patron return items and what do you know?! She returned, The Walk by Richard Paul Evans. I was intrigued and decided to check it out. She said that it was a great read and that a lot of people were talking about it in book clubs.

    I LOVED the book. The whole entire series is amazing. I love how inspiring it could be and there were so many quotes of wisdom. It was a great series and I tore through them, quickly. 

    My mom has recently found time to start reading and has been borrowing books from me. She lives 3 hours away, so it's not easy. She hates our home library because it takes months to get a book. So I decided a couple months ago to buy her the series for Christmas.

  I was so stoked to find 3 of them tonight! The 4th one, I'll buy tomorrow. I hate that you can only use your coupon on one item! My husband hates coupon week because then he knows what we are doing every night. HAHA!

So yay, for a great series and for HPB coupons! Happy Monday!

Dangerous Creatures-Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

 

 

 I was really disappointed with the ending of the Beautiful Creatures series. When I saw that they were doing a spin-off trilogy with Ridley, I was intrigued. She was my favorite from the BC series. I feel like she was a bad ass  but deep down she just wanted to be loved. I think she finds that with Link. Even though, they kind of have a toxic relationship.

   Anyway, I was a bit disappointed in this book. She didn't seem like the in control, crazy, bad ass Ridley, we know and love. She was struggling and not confident. I get they were trying to show her "softer" misunderstood side. It just felt a little forced. The little past episodes of when she was  younger, felt a little out of place. I think the past memory with Nox, was definitely huge and important though.
   I'm not sure how I feel about the authors adding another love interest. I'm a bit tired of all the teen books having love triangles. I do understand that his feelings for Ridley, save her and Link, at the moment. Although, couldn't it have just been from the goodness of his heart? I'm not sure how I like the fact that Abraham is STILL alive. Ugh, can't people just die and be dead? Sheesh!
    
   I honestly never got a chance to get attached to the band mates in this book. How Link and Ridley felt for them at the end, I didn't. I don't think there was a good amount of time spent with them to form that kind of attachment. We really don't know much about them or their life story. I just felt like they were random people in the story.

    I can't believe how they ended this book! A Car crash?! Really! That's a mean way to have a cliff hanger. Ah! If something happens to Link, I will be really disappointed. He's so good for Ridley and brings out the normal side in her. She just admits her feelings to him and something bad happens. I can't even imagine how this is going to a negative impact on her emotions. I guess, I'll just have to wait for the next book to find out.
   Overall, it wasn't a bad book, just disappointing. I expected a lot more from this than I got. My fault. I should have known with how BC ended. I will be reading the next book to just see how what happens with that cliff hanger. I guess, they did do what they intended with it.

   I really wish we could get a pre-quel with Macon and Lila. I feel like there's a lot there that I'd like to know!

Prime Deception- Carys Jones

The author reached out to me and offered me a copy of this book through NetGalley. Because I have received a free copy, it has in no way, influenced my opinion.

I read the premise and was really interested by the fact that it was a mystery. Who doesn't love a good mystery novel?! It started off pretty strong and I was intrigued. When the Laurie showed up is when things started to get a little repetitive and a bit boring. Really, most of this book could be summed up by the characters feelings. I feel like that's all I got.
 
  For example, how many times do I need to be told that the Charles and Elaine have a happy marriage and she's an emotionless robot? How many times do I need to be told about his depression over Lorna's death? I started to just get annoyed with his obsession with Laurie. Okay, they look the same, so I get the hopefulness. It just got weird. Instead of being excited to learn more about Lorna's investigation, he was more happy to talk to Laurie.

    I understand that Laurie is upset, but come on. She didn't really do anything to investigate this. She just took Charles word for it and played intern. She wasn't actively trying to look into her sisters life, to dig into everything. I feel like she was just expecting to wait on the Prime Minister to do it for her. For her being so adamant about it not being a suicide, she didn't do much to look into it.
      I get that she tried to confuse us and make the killer be a big mystery but I'm confused about one thing. If Arthur took a gun to go after his girl, how did he know she was going to be in trouble?? He couldn't possibly know that when he left home and "wasn't going to let her get away," yet he showed up to save the day. So what WAS he going to do with that gun?! He just happened to have something fall into his lap to get the girl back. I think that saving her was not his intention, it couldn't have been, right? Even his mother thought so!
 
  Something I did like about this book was the author's writing style. I liked how we got everybody's POV. Every character that had some part of this story had their opinion shown. Even if it was only once. You got to see how they felt and thought about the certain situation. So instead of doing what other authors do and alternate chapters, she does it right there in the middle of the chapter. It happens all the time.

     One thing I didn't like about the style though was that it would change. It would alternate between the characters POV and then change to more of a narration. Like someone else was telling me the story. It would just happen suddenly and I felt like it took away from some of the story.

   For this being advertised as an exciting mystery, it fell flat for me. I didn't get the action during the book, only in the last couple of chapters. Overall, it wasn't a bad read just not something that stands out for me. I give it 3 stars. Although, there were some things that bugged me, it kept me interested enough.

Allegiant- Veronica Roth

I loved this! I give it a 4.5 stars! I loved this series immediately and it has not disappointed me. I have to say that I was worried about this last book. The last books in series have a tendency to not be good.
     Now, I've read some reviews and I know A LOT of people are angry about the ending. I on the other hand, believe that's what made this book fantastic. I don't know if it's my personality or what but if every book ending in a "Happy" ending then that would be boring! I know that Tris and Four are characters that you love but that makes what happens so much more impactful. I mean can you blame Tris? Wouldn't you do the exact same thing?
    For a character to be so complex and then when it comes down to it, the choice is simple when it comes to the people you love. One of my favorite things about reading a book is when it becomes unpredictable,
   I love what Veronica Roth did with this series. Now this might be my major talking (psychology) but I have noticed that more adults enjoyed the ending, than teens. Now, teens still have a lot of development to do and at that age, it's all about selfishness. It's the "me" and how I feel right now. So they don't really grasp the big picture. It makes them upset because it's not a happy ending and automatically hate the book. At least, that's what I have noticed. Working at a library is fun when you have so many people to get opinions from.
   Anyways, I'm totally in love with this series and I am completely happy how it ended. I can't wait for the movie. I'm sure it's not going to come close to the book but we will see.
Thank you, Veronica Roth, for an amazing world and ending.

The Rosie Project- Graeme Simsion

I had this recommended to me by a friend. I have to say that being a psychology major in college, I was totally intrigued with the description. I really liked this book! Not only does it have a lot of psychology references but how this is an experiment. It's an experiment that totally fails but that's a good thing. The main character, Don, is totally in his own world. He's a bit antisocial, a little out of touch with societal cues, and in a way too smart for his own good. It's definitely really...more I had this recommended to me by a friend. I have to say that being a psychology major in college, I was totally intrigued with the description. I really liked this book! Not only does it have a lot of psychology references but how this is an experiment. It's an experiment that totally fails but that's a good thing. The main character, Don, is totally in his own world. He's a bit antisocial, a little out of touch with societal cues, and in a way too smart for his own good. It's definitely really easy to root for him.

Losing Hope- Colleen Hoover

I think that Colleen Hoover has moved onto my favorite authors list. Every book she write just has so much emotion and it becomes hard to put out of your mind. Sometimes you will still be thinking about these books days after you have read them. I love how she does the same story but in his POV. Holder was a touch one to figure out in Hopeless and now you get to see his side. I feel like there was just so much going on with him and you get to see what has happened to make him the way he is. Even though, it's his side, it's a completely different book. You get to see how he deals with the death of his twin sister. All her books are hard to put down.

Because of Audrey- Mary Sullivan

I won this from a First Reads- Goodreads Giveaway. I want to thank Mary Sullivan for the book and her message. I liked this book. I have to say that I was intrigued with Gray's past and what everyone was keeping secret. Also, I liked how I couldn't figure out the Shelly situation until it was spelled out for me. I don't like when I can figure everything out. With that being said, the ending was a bit too "sweet" for my liking. It is the reason for the 3 stars. All in all, it was a cute, story. I...more I won this from a First Reads- Goodreads Giveaway. I want to thank Mary Sullivan for the book and her message. I liked this book. I have to say that I was intrigued with Gray's past and what everyone was keeping secret. Also, I liked how I couldn't figure out the Shelly situation until it was spelled out for me. I don't like when I can figure everything out. With that being said, the ending was a bit too "sweet" for my liking. It is the reason for the 3 stars. All in all, it was a cute, story. I wouldn't mind reading more from this author

First Phone Call From Heaven- Mitch Albom

I've been wanting to read a few of his books but they are just on my never ending list of "TBR." I flew through this book. It's not only a quick read but very interesting. I was worried that it would get too preachy but it didn't. There's definitely a religious theme but it's not overwhelming if you don't like that kind of book. I will definitely be reading his other books.

Back from hiatus!

So it's been a while since I've posted anything. The end of last summer, we were told that my husband needed open heart surgery. Unfortunately, we had to go to NY, when we live in Ohio. His surgery was this past April and we are finally out of recovery!! It's been a long, hard year. I have still kept up with reading but haven't had much time to do some in depth reviews. I just dropped a few lines on my goodreads account, when I was finished with a book. I've been transferring them and now it's time to get back to business! 😄😄

Coldest Girl in Coldtown- Holly Black

I really wasn't quite sure what this book was about. I picked it up because the cover intrigued me. Hah- I know, never judge a book by its cover. Although, in this case, I'm glad I did. I really liked this book. It was another vampire book among the millions already out there. I liked this story though. It was different and I have to say that the main character, Tana, was different than your average human in the vampire mix. She was strong and didn't let anyone tell her what to do. She took things into her own hands and she was saving the other people around her, even vampires. I liked the relationship between Tana and Gavriel. Mostly, that she wasn't a damsel in distress that needed saving. She took charge and she did what needed to be done to stay alive. I'm wondering if this is a stand alone book. The ending was left completely open.

Christmas Bliss- Mary Kay Andrews

I won this front First Reads giveaway. I haven't read anything by this author before but I bought a couple of her books to try. I'm glad I won this because it was a cute story. It was a quick read. I gave it 3 stars because sometimes the book got a little too cute at times. There's a few parts in the book where there are just too many details. I don't need to know how the character puts on her make up and which order it is done. Other then that, it was good. I'm glad I bought her other books bec...more I won this front First Reads giveaway. I haven't read anything by this author before but I bought a couple of her books to try. I'm glad I won this because it was a cute story. It was a quick read. I gave it 3 stars because sometimes the book got a little too cute at times. There's a few parts in the book where there are just too many details. I don't need to know how the character puts on her make up and which order it is done. Other then that, it was good. I'm glad I bought her other books because they have the same characters and it will be nice to get more of their stories. I didn't realize it was in a series before I read this book. I don't think you have to read them first though because I never really felt lost.