REVIEW: Losing It by Cora Carmack

LOSING IT (Losing It #1)

Author: Cora Carmack

Pages: 204

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

ISBN: 0062273248

Rating: 3.5

Virginity. Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible—a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half a brain would ever believe...

This book and Faking It, also by Cora Carmack, were my first real dip into the New Adult genre and I must say that it has really grown on me.

Bliss Edwards is a girl who is ready to make new transitions in her life – one of them being to lose her virginity. She’s the only one of her college friends who is still a virgin and she’s determined to lose it before she graduates. One night she almost comes close to accomplishing her mission with an extremely hot guy she met at a bar, but then when her brain tells her she is still not ready she makes a quick excuse to get away. And then she finds out he’s her theater professor in college. And, oh boy do things heat up from there!

This book has many funny and quirky moments! I thought the side characters were a bit predictable and cardboard but the main characters were pretty interesting. And of course British guys in novels forever and always remain my weakness.

Maybe it was because I read Faking It first but I just could not get into Losing It. There was something about it that was too similar to every other contemporary novel I've ever read and the plot toward the end sort of just fell into a puddle. Although I’m all for resolutions I felt like the end kind of dragged out too long. I hope, like with the second book in this series, the novels keep getting better with each new volume.

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REVIEW: Losing It by Cora Carmack

REVIEW: The Elite by Kiera Cass

THE ELITE (The Selection # 2)

Author: Kiera Cass

Pages: 323

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: 23 April 2013

ISBN: 0062059963

Rating: *3 stars*

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea. America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share...

The Selection = Awesome, The Elite…

I absolutely loved reading The Selection. The whole find-the-princess bachelor thing was really interesting, and I liked America and Maxon enough to care what happened to them in the next book. I thought their relationship was adorable. I also liked how America wasn't falling all over Maxon the moment she met him. However, after reading The Elite I no longer care about either America or Maxon. In fact, I can’t stand either of them.  

The romance, the confusion, the indecisiveness…

All I can say is for the love of god make up your mind, America! I can't go through a whole other book of "I love Maxon. No wait, I love Aspen! No wait Maxon! Don’t leave me." It gets really annoying after awhile. I also disliked how she thought it was completely okay for her to cheat all she wanted and had the audacity to blow up when [insert love interest] did it! And I am so tired of Maxon making excuses for what he did. Being a prince doesn't excuse you from being a complete jerk! It is still wrong.

The book as a whole, but mostly the ending…

Throughout the entirety of The Elite barely nothing major happened or if it did it wasn't that much of a big deal. I am still confused about the whole rebel thing and their random appearances to stir up conflict in the novel. The characters and their actions were completely inconsistent. The ending left everything right back to where the characters were in the beginning of the novel. I couldn't help but think to myself after reading the whole book “what was the point of all this?”. If you skipped this The Elite and went straight to book # 3 you would not be missing out on anything. There were some fun moments in this book but the more I read the more I started to dislike the characters. I can’t think of even one character I like enough to continue reading this series.  Sadly, I think my journey into the world of the Selection officially ends here.

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REVIEW: The Elite by Kiera Cass

REVIEW: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The ETERNITY CURE (Blood of Eden # 2)

Author: Julia Kagawa

Pages: 446

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: 30 April 2013

ISBN: 0373210698

Rating: *4 stars*

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally. Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

The ETERNITY CURE is not for the light-hearted, that’s for sure. My heart stopped so many times while reading this it is a wonder I never got dizzy. Allie is a kick-butt heroine who does a lot of self-discovery in this book. Despite her being a vampire and attacking humans for blood the way any other legitimate vampire would I always felt like Allie always had her humanity intact. Allie took Kanin’s words to heart about choosing what type of monster she wanted to become.

What I had problems with…

The beginning of The Eternity Cure is slow. Like, brain dead slow. At one point I was even tempted to skip ahead, that’s how frustrated I was. But gosh, I am SO happy, I didn't stop reading there because the second half of the book was so brilliantly woven , fast-paced, and darn amazing that it completely made up for the beginning. So if you’re reading this book and you’re wondering why nothing is going anywhere – keep going! Trust me when I say it gets so much better and you’ll be finishing the rest of it in a sitting like I did.

What I loved…

Allie’s relationship with Zeke warmed my heart. Sometimes I wish certain parts of the book were written in Zeke’s POV instead because I often wonder what’s going on in his head. Jackel lightened the mood of the story and though his comments were often crass and demeaning I found myself agreeing with him when he actually had something sane to say. I love his sister-brother relationship with Allie and am curious to see how that develops in the next book.

AHHHHH the ending…

My mind = blown. That’s all I have to say about it. That and I need to read the next book as soon as humanely possible so I could figure out what the heck is going on. ><

Overall thoughts…

Put together action-packed fighting, psychotic vampires, a crazy virus on the loose, delicious plot twists and you get the heart-pounding sequel. Fans of The Immortal Rules do not want to miss The ETERNITY CURE.

On a side note:

I think the cover model for Allie looks pretty amazing! So glad they changed the cover! 

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REVIEW: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

REVIEW: "Unravel Me" by Tahereh Mafi

UNRAVEL ME (Shatter Me # 2)

by Tahereh Mafi

Pages: 461

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: February 5^th, 2013

Rating: *4 stars*

   

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance. She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch. Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible. In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life. 

How I was unraveled by Unravel Me...

I can’t even put into words what I felt when after reading the last page of Unravel Me, but I will try. One thing I felt for sure was that was that I could never go back to being Team Adam again after reading Unravel Me. No matter how nice or sweet or perfect he is. Ever since I read the e-novella, Destroy Me, I knew that I would love Warner. He just cares so much for Juliette, like she was essential to his breathing or something. I just feel like it’s not the same with Adam. I don’t know, I’m kind of torn between the two because they’re both so great but Warner just takes the romance plot to this series on to a whole new level.  At this point I hardly care for any horrible thing he did in the past especially after reading the e-novella. He always had a good reason for what he did – even if the decision was a tough one to make, and I respect him for that. I think he’s brave, and different, and completely right for Juliette.

Wow, I cannot believe that just happened…

Another thing I felt a lot of while reading Unravel Me was “Wow, I can’t believe that just happened.” I can’t believe half the stuff in this book happened. Also, half the time I could hardly understand Juliette’s angst. I think she gets too nervous too fast, too anxious, too emotional. Her emotions were all over the place all of the time. At one point I just wanted to make her stop. And the plot twister! Whoa, boy did I not see that coming. The only thing that ticked me off about this book was how the entire plot centered around Juliette’s love life and then occasionally “yeah...um, there’s a war going on. We have to prepare um. *insert make out scene* *insert angst-filled love scene* Yeah but on top of all that making out...oh yeah there’s a war.” Come on! There’s got to be more to this books substance than just the romance no matter how adorable and cute I thought it was.

Oh Juliette, wherefore art thou…

Juliette’s character in general just ticked me off. Kenjie would try so hard to snap some sense into her, but she would completely forget everything he told her in the next scene. I mean sometimes I thought her character was cute and misguided and not willing to trust, but then most of the time she was just self-pitying how awful she thought her life was and I got annoyed by how much she kept on having to repeat how she was not a monster. Overall, I loved this book. The writing was gorgeous in its own unique way. I recommend it 100 times over. It’s addictive, (although slightly annoying) but still REALLY addictive. Shatter Me fans go out and get this a.s.a.p! 

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REVIEW: "Unravel Me" by Tahereh Mafi

REVIEW: "Destroy Me" by Tahereh Mafi

D E S T R O Y  M E  (Shatter Me 1.5)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Pages: 103

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: October 2^nd, 2012

Format: ebook

Rating: *5 stars*

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow. Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45. 

Though short, I felt insane chills while reading DESTROY ME. Gorgeous writing aside, the e-novella had me thinking for a whole week, warring with my original thoughts on who I thought Warner was. I was expecting this angry psychotic character willing to kill anyone who got in his path (well…that’s actually pretty close to the truth), but instead I got this tortured hero who is desperately in love with a person who tried to kill him.

Warner is so sweet and amazing in a tortured-soul kind of way.  I can’t really explain it, but after a while he sort of grows to you. You start to realize that he actually has a heart and isn’t the reckless killer we saw him as in the first book. But what was even more incredible was how intensely he felt about Juliette. Honestly, as much as I like Adam I’m not really sure if his feelings for Juliette are even half as much intense as how Warner feels about her. And if you think about it Juliette having Warner as an ally would be awesome because together they would have the power to go against the Reestablishment and stage a REAL full-blown rebellion (but let me not get ahead of myself).

If you haven’t had the chance to read Destroy Me yet I highly recommend reading it before you go on to reading Unravel Me. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up switching to Team Warner as well.

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REVIEW: "Destroy Me" by Tahereh Mafi

REVIEW: "Renegade" by J.A Souders

Title: R E N E G A D E (The Elysium Chronicles #1)

Author: J.A Souders

Pages: 364

Publisher: Tor Teen

Release Date: November 13, 2012

ISBN: 0765332450

Rating: *4 Stars*

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law. But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded...

Guys, this book blew my mind away...seriously

From the beautiful utopian underwater setting of Elysium, to the deliciously sweet romance, the got-to-love-them characters, and the heart-pounding escape—what’s not to love about RENEGADE? It is rare that I find a book that is able to keep me so entertained and invested in the story. Guys, seriously, don’t let the cover fool you—Renegade is not just a gorgeous cover. It has a beautiful, action-packed, kick-butt storyline to match.

Utopias, claustrophobia, and brainwashing, oh my!

Reading Renegade gave me my first real case of readers-claustrophobia. While Evelyn didn’t seem to mind her underwater utopian home of Elysium I constantly kept getting the chills thinking what life would be like if I never got to see real sunlight again. The setting and world-building is what did it for this book. The technology, the way the society works, and the explanation of how the heck a society of people can survive underwater was pretty darn fascinating. I loved Evelyn’s character, especially toward the end as she began to get back some of her old memories and she became this awesome kick-butt heroine as opposed to the fragile meek brain-washed girl we meet in the first few chapters of the book.

REVIEW: "Renegade" by J.A Souders

Review & Giveaway: Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Title: BLACK CITY (Black City # 1)

by Elizabeth Richards

Pages: 384

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR

Release Date: November 13th 2012

ISBN: 0399159436

Rating: *2.5*

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war. In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong. When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

Germany in World War 2…but with vampires

The whole entire book could be summarized as just that: Events from World War 2, Germany and the Holocaust—but with vampires thrown in for good measure. The connection between this book and actual historical events is really stunning. In the end, I felt more like I was reading a history textbook than a paranormal romance novel. Why? Well there are some pretty obvious connections right from the start, like how the Darklings and were forced to live in the “ghetto”. The ghetto is a term used for the places where Jews were forced to live in during the Holocaust. There was wide-spread poverty and starvation there which parallels to the “ghetto” used in Black City. Another connection I made was how the Sentry leader “Purian Rose” decided to use children to become “trackers” or rather young soldiers. This reminded me of how Hitler used an army of children (young German boys) as a last ditch effort to try to win a losing war. Then, the book mentions use of cyanide as a quick and painless way to end your life, and this is historically known as the way Hitler chose to commit suicide. On one page it said, “It was common practice during the war for less moralistic Darklings to collaborate with Trackers, in return for food and protection.” This is the same thing they did to Jews during the Holocaust. They had male Jews round up and help murder their own kind in return for their insured safety for the time being. All this and much more happened just in the very beginning of the book. I found myself really confused at this point, wondering if this was really going to be a rehash of the Holocaust. And it turned out to be just that.

Vampires, cheese, and insta-love. Oh my!

The narrative and dialogue were cheesy to a fault. At one point I found myself not able to believe anything the characters were saying. Everything was an empty reason, their actions and reactions unexplained. There were times when the characters would say or do things that seem so out of character and unnatural that I would often wonder if I had read it right or not. The insta love moved way too fast for my liking. First they planned their first date without dating in the first place. Then there was an info dump in the scene where Ash explains the term “Blood Mate “ which was all tell and no show. Next thing you know they’re both willing to give up everything and risk their lives for each other. It all felt very sudden and unnatural, I actually thought that the relationship between Natalie and Ash was a lot more romantic and sweeter before they officially decided they wanted to be together.

In a nutshell…

I liked this story but the inconsistency with the characters, predictability of the plot, insta-love, and the cheesiness in general made it a slow read for me. Overall, I think what made this story the most interesting for me was the world building of the Darkling/ Sentry world. It’s not typical to see a universe in which humans rule over the vampires. Normally you would see quite the opposite. If you’re a historian buff and like vampires I would recommend this to you. However if you, like me, don’t particularly care for insta-loves or cheesiness you probably might want to stay clear of this one. 

Read an excerpt: [ Click Here ]

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Connect with the author - Elizabeth Richards: [ Website | Blog | Twitter ]

Other fabulous reviews: [ Dark Ferie Tales | Dazzling Reads |  Midnight Bloom Reads ]

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Review & Giveaway: Black City by Elizabeth Richards

REVIEW: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Title: THE LOST PRINCE (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)

by Julie Kagawa

Pages: 379

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: October 23^rd, 2012

ISBN: 0373210574

Rating: *4 stars*

Ethan Chase has been plagued by the fey all his life. Protective of his family and resentful of his older sister, the Iron Queen, whom he believes deserted them, Ethan wants only to be left alone. But that becomes impossible when exiled fey start dying or disappearing...          (click to read full summary)

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them...

I wanted to be whisked away once again back into the faery world of the NeverNever when I picked up The Lost Prince, and boy did I ever get what I asked for! Exciting, thrilling, captivating. There is never a word quite good enough to sum up my feelings after reading Julie Kagawa novel. All I can say to those who have loved her work before—yes, she’s done it again. But this time, from the point of view of the cynical bad boy (yes, you heard that right) Ethan Chase.

All grown up and broody...

Ethan Chase is all grown up. For those of you who have read the Iron Fey series you’ll remember that he is Meghan’s little brother who has the rare ability of being able to see the Fey. And he absolutely hates it. The fey bring nothing but trouble and misery to Ethan and his family. To protect those he loves he keeps himself at a distance from anyone foolish enough to get close to him, and thus far in his life he’s been pretty good about shutting people away...that is...until he meets McKenzie St. James—the beautiful girl with long dark hair, and the complete inability to take no for an answer. Try as Ethan might to scare her away, her stubborness along with his beating heart refuses to listen to good reason. I loved Kenzie in this book! What a pleasant character she is.

The big sister crisis...Oh, Meghan...

Ethan Chase and his family have been abandoned by his sister. Meghan. Now that she’s The Iron Queen she’s stopped coming back to visit him. For all Meghan knows Ethan could be dead. Not that she would care. Meghan has a whole new life now—one that excludes her human little brother who misses her so much sometimes that it hurts. Over the years Ethan's developed a bitter hatred toward her and Ash for taking her away from him. And you know what? I’m just as pissed off at Meghan as Ethan is—maybe even more so. Are you telling me that she could not even be bothered to call her own brother on his birthday or even just call to let him know that she’s still alive? I don’t care what excuse Meghan comes up with in future books, how she neglected Ethan is %100 percent NOT okay. Unforgiveable. Especially the part about Kaidan, and I can’t even talk about him without giving away any spoilers. Oh Meghan, what’s gotten into you? Seriously, I’m so confused.

Overall a stunning first novel to a series I can see doing very very well! I loved the cynical, brooding voice of Ethan Chase and I absolutely cannot wait to find out what happens in the next installment of this new series. This will definitely be one to watch! 

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Other fabulous reviews: [ A Beautiful Madness | The Sweet Bookshelf ]

Special thanks to Harlequin Teen and NetGalley for my review copy! 

REVIEW: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Reluctant Bachelorette Blog Tour

Title: The Reluctant Bachelorette

Author: Rachael Renee Anderson

Pages: 300

Publisher: HEA Publishing

Release Date: September 8, 2012

ISBN: 9781479269679

Rating: *4 stars*

Buy it from: [ Amazon ]

Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go. Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge…

The Bachelor meets Shelter Springs, Colorado….

Taycee’s hometown, Shelter Springs, is going way downhill due to financial issues. Its residents can not afford to stay around because the farming business has not been good. The solution? Taycee’s best friend creates Shelter’s Bachelorette. It is reality TV Show’s The Bachelor meets American Idol. Voters can choose which bachelor will stay and move onto the next round. If the show is successful their town will be saved and the farming families will not have to move out. Taycee thinks this is a great idea…that is…until she finds out who the bachelorette is.

Could they be any cuter...?

Luke is Taycee’s best guy friend from her childhood who left and never came back. He doesn’t even bother to give her a call, and she’s been troubled by it since the day he left. When he finally shows up again old feelings and fuzzy memories start coming back and she’s fallen for him all over again. Taycee and Luke are absolutely amazing together! They’re both very fleshed out and quirky characters. I especially enjoyed the parts about Taycee’s addiction to curly fries. Yum! And the sweet dates that he had planned out for her were amazing. The banter between them is so incredibly fun to read. Luke and Taycee were the perfect couple and seriously had amazing chemistry together. I almost teared up a bit at the end. It was so perfect how things turned out.

What I had a problem with…

The only thing that really bothered me about the book was mostly Taycee’s friend, Jessa. She came up with the bachelorette idea and made Taycee the star of the show without her consent. At first it was okay, but she increasingly became more pushy in forcing Taycee to string along guys who she didn't care about. Guys who were actually serious about a relationship with Taycee and not in it just for show. I feel like no best friend would ever do this to someone they cared about while hurting other people in the process. She's willing to force Taycee to risk the most important person in her life for her obsession with getting more money through votes, even though Taycee never agreed to being bachelorette in the first place. She also tried to force Taycee to fall for one of the guys, and made Taycee feel bad for not being romatically attracted to him. Seriously? Who does that? In the end, I didn't even feel like it was about saving the town for Jessa. It was more like an obsession she couldn't get over and that she was willing to hurt and stomp on anyone in order to get it--including her best friend.  If I were Taycee I could never have forgiven her.

Overall, The Reluctant Bachelorette is a nice quick read with characters you come to care about. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about girls from small towns, incredibly sweet romance, reality television, and curly fries.

*To read my interview with author Rachael Anderson [ Click here! ]

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REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Reluctant Bachelorette Blog Tour