City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books

Date Published: April 2009

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

I first read this book in 2011, when a friend and fellow bookworm recommended it to me. But today, August 14th 2013, I have finished re-reading it. I wanted to re-read it before the movie comes out and I see it. Of course, I loved it, just as I did the first time.

Clary and Simon go to Pandemonium, a popular club for teens one night and Clary see's a blue-haired boy about to be killed. And the best part? No one else can see these people. Next thing she knows, Clary's mother disappears and Clary is attacked by a demon intent on eating her. Clary teams up with the Shadowhunters--Jace, Isabelle, and Alec to find her mother.

That was a crappy description that doesn't do the story justice at all, but I'm awake too early to make it sound better. Anyways, this story is awesome. I hope the movie sticks to the book, because the book is great.

Things I loved about this book: Clary is kind of cute in an 'I'm short like a leprechaun with red hair but I'll kick your ass and burn down the world to save my mom.' I love that Simon gets turned into a rat. That's just so Simon. Jace is arrogant, but cockiness and arrogance can be just as hot as they can be infuriating. I love that this isn't just a werewolf book, or a vampire book, or a magician book, or an angel/demon/neph book; it's an everything book.

Thing's I didn't really like: The only thing I can think of is that the book was in third person. I absolutely detest third person, but I love the story so much I don't really care. So I guess it's really just a 'thing' that I don't like, not 'thing's,' plural.

The first time I read this was the best, probably because now I know what happens next in the other books, before I had to find out what was to happen and the anticipation made the book that much sweeter. But overall, an awesome book. And if you plan on seeing the movie, and even if you aren't, read the book first. It'll be worth it.

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Synopsis:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

 

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Kacii 

Secrets of the Moon by Kristy Centeno

Secrets of the Moon by Kristy Centeno
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Publisher: Inkspell Publishing            
Date Published: July 7th 2013
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Honestly? I was incredibly surprised by this book. It blew me away. And that's saying a lot, considering how many werewolf books I've read. Werewolves are my favorite supernatural/paranormal/fantasy creatures. But this book, oh boy, they were so different from any of the other werewolf books I've read.

Marjorie Emery was in a car crash because she was driving way above the speed limit and she was drunk. It didn't help that a herd of deer and a huge furry beast appeared in the middle of the road. All of her friends came out alive, as well as Marjorie, but one friend who (very stupidly) wasn't wearing a seatbelt could no longer walk and of course she blames Marjorie.

Skip forward thirteen months later and Marjorie is a changed person. And then walks in Kyran. Hottie, and suddenly a possible love interest for Marjorie. Quiet, and not so interested in the people around him, well, except for Marjorie, Kyran is a mystery. As events unfold and people go missing, animals get mauled to death things start to click in place for Marjorie.

Okay, so this is probably the most grotesque teen werewolf book I've ever read. And if I'm being completely honest, it's a nice change from all of the sappy werewolf books where the werewolves are as dangerous as little puppies. This is a real werewolf book. There is the romance, but there is also a probable werewolf. It's a believable story.

The things I think could've been improved: When her dog and her horse die Marjorie doesn't seem all that concerned. She thinks something along the lines of 'Yeah, that dog is definitely dead.' And 'The horrifying site of my mauled horse.' But no real despair. If something had happened to my dog or one of my horses, or even one of my chickens, I'd be in tears for days. Though I can understand that she was more concerned with her life at that moment, but still. There are gaps in the story. I kept wondering 'Which one ate her horse?' And 'Who is stalking her here, and who is stalking her there?' A fair few questions were left unanswered, so I sincerely hope there will be another book to answer those questions. If there isn't I will be severely disappointed.

Now for the things I liked about the story: The characters were believable. I hate it when authors make them transparent and clichéd. This story had real characters that I can picture in my head. As I said before, the werewolves felt more believable than any werewolves in any story I've ever read before. I liked the love story. Though I hope there isn't a love triangle between Marjorie and Kyran and Alexis. I liked both Kyran and Alexis, but I have no idea whose side I'd be on if it came down to that.

I also think I know who the alpha of the rogue werewolves is. I'm not going to voice my suspicions, in case I am right. Read the story yourself and come up with your own conclusions.

Overall, a wonderful story that I hope will continue into another book. A story doesn't have to be perfect and polished and full of light to be a good story. This book has a dark side to it, and I think that's part of what made it a good book. I think it gave a different side of pseudo-reality that you simply don't get in most young adult werewolf books. Now there are plenty of horror books with scary werewolves, but this isn't a horror book. This is the real werewolf YA.

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Synopsis:

Teenager Marjorie Emery eluded death. As she struggles to get her life back on track, she believes her efforts are paying off. Yet, when a black dressing, unfriendly, and incredibly handsome hottie walks into her classroom, she’s forced into a tailspin. Marjorie has no idea how much his presence is going to shatter what little tranquility she’s achieved.

Kyran Rousseau’s gloomy nature has a name, one that is potentially fatal under the right circumstances. His family harbors secrets and does everything to protect Kyran. While, he doesn’t want to ruin Marjorie’s normal life, love has a way of changing his plans.

Falling for Kyran is the least of Marjorie’s worries. With a faceless threat hunting her and a boyfriend who's as dangerous as he is good looking—how can Marjorie and Kyran keep all hell from breaking loose before it’s too late? 

 

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That really was an awesome book. I hope some of you guys read it because it's not getting a lot of attention but I know it deserves a ton of attention. It really is a great book, and I plan on helping to promote it a bit with social media. I'd love it if you guys could read the book and help me promote it, because I'm sure you'd love it.

Thanks! And happy reading!



Kacii 

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Date Published: August 27th 2013
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi/Supernatural/Fantasy Romance

Origin most definitely displays a rollercoaster of emotions. I actually had to run around screaming to calm down before beginning to write this review. That ending is a cliffhanger that's going to make you scream "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???????" about a thousand times over.

The story picks up where it left off in the last book with Katy being held by the DOD. Of course, Daemon being Daemon, decided that the best thing he could do was join Katy in her confinement. At first I thought it was a really idiotic idea, but eventually I realized his genius.

We finally find what Luc is, and it is a pretty interesting find. Unfortunately, my lips are sealed, so you'll be getting no info on that lovely discovery. I will say that Daemon holds his promise to burn the world down for Katy or rather *cough, cough* Vegas. But you'll have to read Origin to figure that part out too.

Let's get the bad things about this book out of the way first. To start off, I actually cried, screamed, and caused bodily harm to both myself and my poor bedroom door by hitting it repeatedly. The emotions in this book are INTENSE. It should come with a warning label. I suppose it could be considered a good thing that JLA's writing is powerful enough to make me (and possible others?) react so strongly. But I haven't been this crazed by a book since I read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I hit a wall that time.

The awesome things about this book are endless. Like I said, powerful emotion could be considered good or bad, depending on your viewpoint. Same with the cliffhanger. It makes me want to hit my door again with the way the book ended, but there's a guarantee that I'll be reading the next book. So I guess it's good for business.

Other great things: Blake goes bye-bye! Finally (though I do feel a twinge of guilt for that). Daemon and Katy have awesome make-up-for-lost-time sex. Yay! Love make-up-for-lost-time sex. It's usually better than the first time they have sex. JLA borrows a little bit from Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins (genius idea, BTW). Considering that Sweet Evil is my favorite demon/angel/neph series, I can appreciate the awesomeness of that.

There's so many other things that happen that would blow your socks off, but, in Katy's words "I'm trying to keep the mystery alive." You'll read that quote in Origin :) and I think it fits so I'm borrowing it from Katy.

Overall, this book is wonderful, it'll keep you on the edge of your seat and I'm sure my family is glad that I've finished reading so the mood swings from crying to screaming to being increasingly violent will stop. Too bad for them I plan on reading it again *cue evil laugh*

Trust me, you're going to love it ;)

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Synopsis:

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

Amazon Paperback / Kindle / Barnes & Noble (Nook & Paperback)

I hope you guys will all read this book! I really loved it. Any of you have other books by JLA that you'd recommend? I've read Frigid, Wait For You, all of the other books in the Lux series, and Obsessed. I don't know all that much about her other books. Suggestions? You're welcome to recommend books that are totally unrelated to JLA as well.


Kacii 

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Date Published: May 28th 2013
Genre: Young Adult Romance

Beth has one effed up life. Maybe not as effed up as Echo's and Noah's, but still effed up. She has a mother who is, for lack of a better word, insane in the mothering department. And not insane in a good way. Not to mention her bastard of a boyfriend who hits them both. So when she gets sent to her Uncle Scott's house I can tell it's a good thing for her.

And Ryan. Perfect boy has some issues of his own. His brother is gay and his family can' deal with it because their homophobes. I would give his family the middle finger and walk out, just like his brother did.

I can't say I feel sorry for Ryan about how he acts towards his brother and how he lets his parents control his world. He needs to grow a pair. I do feel a twinge of sympathy for him when his parents reject his writing abilities. But he has to stand up for himself, and in the end, he does.

When I first started reading this I resented the author for not putting Beth and Isaiah together as a couple. But I am appeased now by knowing that Isaiah will have his own love story next. I definitely liked Noah and Echo's story better, because they had actual problems, not just inner demons in their minds, though they did have some of that too.

Ryan kind of feels like a whiny baby to me. That being said, not everyone knows how to stand up to the people who should matter most in the world. Whether it makes Ryan weak for at first not standing up to his parents or just scared and confused, I don't really know. I'm biased, so it's really fair to judge him like that.

Beth... I liked her and I didn't. I didn't like her because she clung to her mother who would throw her away in a heartbeat if it meant her father would come back to her. At the same time, she's her mother, and how can you give up on the one person that is supposed to be everything? It would be extremely hard to let your mother go, but in the end she did and I like her for realizing that.

Overall, not as good as Pushing the Limits, but not totally bad either. I have an inkling that the next one will blow the first two to pieces. Isaiah was always one of my favorite characters, and I love a story with a girl who loves cars. So I am looking forward to reading Crashing into You.

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Synopsis:

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

Anyone agree that the first book was better? Yes? No? Maybe?




Kacii

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Publisher: Bella Forrest
Date Published: December 14th 2012
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance

I was incredibly surprised with this book. I expected a cliché vampire story with pathetic characters and your typical plotline. I got something I definitely did not expect.

Sofia is kidnapped on her birthday by a vampire. She's taken to a place where the sun never shines, and she's selected to be part of the harem of the royal prince. He's addicted to power and he loves blood, so she needs to get far, far away. Only she ends up liking him more than she should.

It was short and sweet, but it kept me hooked. A delicious read. I can't wait to read the next one!

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Synopsis:

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

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Kacii

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Publisher: HarperTeen
Date Published: April 30th 2013
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

This trilogy (it is a trilogy, isn't it?) is still one of my favorites. I get kind of bored with all of the Neph stories out there, but I love this one. Is Anna a bit of a cliché when it comes to a heroine, but I love the story nonetheless.

Anna and Kopano travel around the world recruiting other neph to join their cause against the dukes. Kaidan is still a total hottie and AWOL for a big chunk of the book. Not mention that he’s on a secret diet–no girls. He’s so crazy for Anna that he’s ignoring her but trying not to go after any girls.

Anna is a bit of a party girl in this one, but she still hasn't turned in her V card. I almost wonder if she will in the next book, but she's all pure and stuff, so I think it's doubtful.

I of course loved this book. Neph stories are kind of boring with all of the hate against the bad guys and such. But these... I don't know, they're just different. I like them. I like the weird names and the freaky badges and the way everything is written.

I'll probably read this a million and one times over. So yeah, you can bet your buttocks I loved this book and recommend it to everyone out there.

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Synopsis:

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

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Kacii

Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter

Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date Published: April 23rd 2013
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

I think this was the worst one. The last one wasn't so great either, but I'm really pissed about this one. I think it could've been so good but it just wasn't.

So Kylie ran off to her group of chameleons, but none of the story took place there. We didn't really learn anything about the chameleons as a species or as actual people. It seemed sort of pointless for her to go there at the end of the last book and then just head back to shadow falls at the beginning of this one.

Everyone is telling Kylie to forgive Lucas, which pisses me off because she has a right to be mad at him. Yes, he realizes he made a mistake and feels guilt for that, but that doesn't excuse what he did. And Derek is so fickle. He likes Kylie, bangs a vampire, loves Kylie, and now he's into Jenny? Seriously?

And Mr. Evil has no point to the series. He has no reason to hate Kylie and want to kill her. And I suppose you could argue that because he's evil he doesn't have to have a reason to want her dead. But for the sake of a story, the evil person has to have a reason. In real life, they probably wouldn't have a reason, like those nutty terrorists. But this is a story and so the villain needs purpose. Even Voldemort had a reason to want to kill Harry.

I think that Lucas giving Kylie a promise ring is tacky and that Kylie would never have stood a chance against the evil dude. I get that its a story and so it doesn't necessarily have to be believable, but it was really... fake.

Not a great book.

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Synopsis:

Kylie Galen's life hasn't been the same since her world was turned upside-down in Born at Midnight, Shadow Falls #1, and now an epic conclusion to her journey—not to mention a tough choice between two guys!—is brewing in Chosen at Nightfall:

When Kylie Galen left Shadow Falls, she thought it was the hardest decision of her life. Heartbroken and separated from everyone she loves, she has to embrace her abilities and what it means to be a chameleon. But as Kylie's journey comes to a close, she must return to the camp that started it all...and she must finally chose between the two boys who love her. The werewolf who broke her heart when he chose his pack over her, and the half-fae who ran from their intense attraction before they ever really had a chance. For Kylie, everything will finally be revealed and nothing will ever be the same.

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Kacii