SamanthatheBookworm

I know I really shouldn't say this, but the first thing that drew me into this book was the cover... I'm a sucker for a pretty cover and I love this one! It's so pretty! And also, the very intriguing synopsis that had me wanting to find out what was going to happen in Joanna's life and that she met an alien made me really want to read it! I ended up really enjoying this book!

I had a problem with Joanna throughout the book. She was such a selfish character! I never noticed it at the start, but when her life changed, it became clear just how selfish of a character she actually was. She wanted her mother all to herself (even if it made her miserable), she didn't notice how other people around her were feeling and she was just constantly thinking about herself! However, I did like that I could relate to her because of the 'coming of age' thing. Joanna isn't happy with how her body is and how tall she is. That I could relate to very easily. When I started high school I was way taller than everyone else and got a couple of nicknames for that and always wished I was smaller, so I found it very easy to relate to Janine when she was feeling self-conscious about her height. There were times when Janine was so naïve and couldn't see what was right in front of her that I had to smack myself on the forehead. But Janine's character did develop and change a lot throughout the book and by the end, I really liked her character.

And then we have James. I was a bit iffy with James to start with (even though he did save Janine's life). He seemed to be hiding something and avoiding Janine's questions, but I gradually grew to like him. He was always there for Janine, helping and protecting her. He always wanted to know about Janine's life which I found pretty weird and made me start to suspect why he was actually there. I was a bit surprised by James' reveal at the end. I never saw that coming! But I had guessed why he was there because it became pretty obvious by the end. James was a brilliant character and friend, he really helped Janine develop and learn to appreciate her life throughout the book.

Tommy was a bit of an iffy character as well. He was a brilliant best friend, but a very jealous boyfriend. He flew off the handle at the mention of another boy from his girlfriend. So what if he was treated badly by an ex, that doesn't give him an excuse to pick a fight with every girlfriend he has over the mention of another boy. His girlfriends don't get jealous when he mentions Janine, do they? Well, I don't think they do anyways... But still, Tommy acted like an ass sometimes and I wanted to hit him. Janine started to see that he wasn't really the Tommy that she'd thought he was and that maybe she and him wouldn't actually be a good couple.

When chapter 3 came around, I was so confused! I was wondering if chapters 1 and 2 had actually happened, and then I just had no idea what the hell was going on! It took me a while to piece together everything because I was so thrown, but I really loved what happened with the story line in this book. It was fascinating to see a different Janine and see how different her life would be. It also helped Janine grow as a character as well. She realised that she'd made split judgments about people but hadn't bothered to learn about them; Some of the things she'd been desperate for weren't working out how she'd planned and she also learned a lot about her mother too. Janine definitely needed what James provided for her.
There were times that I was a bit iffy with the writing and the characters, and I wanted to hit them for being stupid/naïve/cringey/annoying, but I did find this to be an enjoyable read overall.

I was a bit miffed about what happened with James at the end though. But still, the ending was nice and I'm hoping that Tommy will be able to change eventually. I'm also hoping that Janine will start to be comfortable in her own skin and that maybe her and Blake will get together.

Overall, I thought this was a quick and entertaining read that I managed to get through in a couple of hours. I debated for a while on what rating to give it, and I finally settled on 3 stars. It just lacked something that would have pushed it to a 4 star for me, but I still really liked this book. It was a quick and enjoyable read that I definitely recommend.

After reading Shadow and Bone last month, I had to get my hands on this book ASAP so I ended up buying it when I really shouldn't have been buying books (But I don't even care. It was worth it). Although I didn't find this as enjoyable as the first book, I still really loved it! It was just that there were times when there was nothing happening and I was kind of bored... But that didn't stop me from loving this book because the characters are awesome (minus Mal...)!

So Siege and Storm picks up a couple of weeks after the showdown at the end of Shadow and Bone. Alina and Mal have made their escape and are hiding out in Cofton. That is, until The Darkling catches up with them very quickly (because they were stupid and left a trail that was easy to follow). The Darkling takes Mal and Alina about his ship that is captained by Sturmhond (YAY!). The Darkling has plans for Alina, but those plans don't go to plan because of Sturmhond (Double YAY!).

So first of all, I just have to say how much I freaking love Alina. She's willing to do anything to save Ravka (even give herself over to The Darkling) and I admire her for that! Even though she ran away, she knew she had to go back and save the people from The Darkling and his wrath. She's so focused on saving people and getting rid of The Darkling and she knows that the only way to do that is to make herself more powerful. I love how she stuck to her guns in this one and never let any whiny, insecure boys (*cough* Mal *cough*) prevent her from doing what she planned to do. I just love Alina so much!

And then we have Mal... I had high hopes for Mal after the ending of Shadow and Bone, but all of my hopes disappeared very quickly. Mal did nothing but moan and whine throughout this book. He was constantly like 'LOVE ME ALINA!' or 'PAY ATTENTION TO ME ALINA' and it was starting to piss me off. Alina was trying to save Ravka, and all Mal was worried about was the fact that he was losing Alina and she wasn't spending enough time with him.... Are you serious?! GROW THE FUCK UP MAL! THERE'S MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IN THE WORLD THAN YOU FEELING SELF-CONSCIOUS! I mostly wanted to punch him in the face for being so selfish. Frankly, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he dies in the next book. He holds Alina back and just acts like a 2 year old having a tantrum.

And then we have Sturmhond! What can I say? His charming personality won me over from the second he appeared in this book. He's a pirate and I love him. Sturmhond's revelation came as a massive shock to me, and I loved it! I loved seeing it all play out and hearing his story of how it all came about. And mainly, I just loved his change after his revelation. He became more cocky and charming and I loved him even more. I'm quite disappointed about the fact that he wasn't in it as much as I would have liked, but there's still another book to come! And he better be in it.

The Darkling was also pretty absent in this one, which I was upset about. I kind of really love The Darkling, even if he is a murderer and very dangerous. I can't help it! He's just so charismatic! The Darkling gained some new, horrifying powers in this one that allowed him to create monsters (which were really creepy). And he definitely has to be stopped before he kills everyone in his path to power.

So, onto the story line for this one! There was a lot going on in this one, but to me it felt like some of the story lagged in the middle slightly, and there wasn't really anything interesting happening for a bit - which left me kind of bored. I think that's maybe why it took me slightly longer to get through than it normally would have. But there was a lot of stuff going on in this book: We had Alina and the army training to battle The Darkling; Alina on a quest to find the other mythical creatures for amplifiers and Sturmhond and his revelation.

The ending of this book was fantastic! I couldn't believe how stupid Vasily was (well, actually I can because he's so vain he can't see past his own reflection). But for him not to tell anyone else what he'd done? Yeah, stupid move Vasily. You basically doomed everyone just so that you could try to prove that you were worthy of the throne. Idiot. I loved how action packed the ending was. I was on the edge of my seat hoping that no one would get hurt and all the characters I loved would make it out alive! And after that ending, I'm SO EXCITED for Ruin and Rising! Can it be June 2014 yet? I'd be quite happy to skip forward a year just to get that book!

Overall, this was such a fantastic sequel that introduced some amazing new characters! I really really loved this book and the ending has made me so excited for the last book! I can't wait now!

Review coming soon!

This was one emotional book. I actually lost count of the amount of times I cried! I haven't cried that much at a book since the Deathly Hallows. Going by the synopsis, I knew it was inevitable I was going to cry, but I didn't expect to cry that much. What can I say? This book was just so fantastically amazing from start to finish. Definitely the best one yet.

OK, so review without spoilers. I can do this.

Well, from the synopsis we find out that Kaylee is going to die in this one. And to be honest, I think Kaylee dealt with the knowledge of her impending death quite well. Sure, she had her freak out moments but for the most part, she was the Queen of Calm. I honestly admire Kaylee so much for that, I definitely don't think I would have been able to do that. She's such a strong character. I also love that even though Kaylee knows she's going to die, she's focused on ridding her school of yet another evil creature. She's so focused on saving everyone else and doesn't really give herself a second thought. That's why I love her so much.

Nash was a dick in this one. I honestly can't put it any other way. He was selfish, controlling and just downright nasty. I honestly couldn't believe half of the stuff he did in this book, Kaylee didn't deserve any of it. Nash was just using Kaylee as blame for him using frost again to fuel his addiction and it pissed me off. That scene with him, Sabine and Kaylee in the parking lot made me hate him. I doubt I'll ever forgive him fully for that. Sabine is welcome to him.

Sabine actually grew on me a lot in this one Maybe it was because my feelings for Nash and Kaylee as a couple disappeared. I could actually focus on starting to like Sabine rather than hating her with every bone in my body. She's actually a pretty funny character, and she's nice when she wants to be. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her and maybe her and Kaylee will actually be friends.

And lastly, we have Tod. Now, I know in my review for My Soul to Steal I said I was giving up on this series if Nash and Kaylee didn't end up together, well that was before I read If I Die and saw Nash acting like a dick. I also saw how far Tod was willing to go to protect Kaylee and, inevitably, Tod won me over. Tod is one of the sweetest characters I've ever read about. He's had feelings for Kaylee for months, but never acted on them in respect to his brother. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for him to see Kaylee and Nash together. But he waited, and I just adore Tod even more now.

So yet again, there was something going down in Arlington. There's never a peaceful moment in damn place. So other than Kaylee's impending death, they were also dealing with a not-so-human math teacher and there was also something weird going on with teenage girls in the area. After doing some digging, Kaylee realises that maybe these two things aren't coincidences, and maybe they're related. Finding out that your math teacher is an incubus who's seducing teenage girls obviously doesn't sit well with Kaylee. Especially when her best friend seems to be the next target. I have to say that the story line in this book was the best one yet. I'd only planned on reading a couple of chapters before going to sleep, but I just couldn't put this down!

I have to say, I did cry a hell of a lot throughout this book mainly because of: Kaylee & Nash; Nash being a dick and hurting Kaylee; Kaylee & Tod and of course, the ending. My emotions were all over the place with this book. As soon as I'd finished crying because of one part, something else quickly came along and set me off again.

Overall, If I Die has probably been my favourite of all the Soul Screamer books yet (and I've loved them all). This is such a fantastic series that just gets better and better with every book. I'm absolutely loving it!

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

As soon as the kindle copy became available on Amazon, I had this baby pre-ordered! I knew I had to get my hands on it ASAP after that horrible cliffhanger at the end of Opal. It downloaded onto my kindle just after midnight and I managed to squeeze in a couple of chapters before I passed out. And then as soon as I woke up, I was back to reading it. I fell in love with this series in July and yet again, this book was fantastic. Seriously, there hasn't been one book in this series that I haven't loved every second of (even if some parts tear out my heart and make me want to cry).

I freaking LOVED that this book was told from both Katy and Daemon's POV. I was ecstatic to get a look inside Daemon's head for once and see what goes on inside there. And of course, I loved hearing from Katy as usual because she's fantastic.

So the main focus of the first part of this book was getting Katy back. Daemon would stop at nothing to get Katy back - "Did you think you could stop me? I'll burn the world down to save her". And then Daemon goes off and does his usual crazy stupid stuff to get Katy back - the guy will actually do anything for her and it melts my heart. And as usual, Daemon's crazy ass ideas get him into trouble, not like he really cares though. He just wants Katy back.

I loved getting an insight into Daemon's mind in this book. It only made me love him more. The fact that Daemon is willing to risk his life to save Katy makes me love him more. Seeing how desperate he was to get her back and how much he loved her was heartbreaking. Daemon is a strong and determined character. When he's set his mind to something, no one can stop him. I love his determination. Sometimes he makes stupid and rash decisions, but they're always to protect someone he cares about.

Katy is one freaking strong and badass character. After being captured by Daedalus, Katy never lets them push her around. She stood her ground and stood up for herself. Even though she ended up getting hurt, she never gave into them. I adore Katy's strength. Even when she's scared to the bone, she never lets it show. She's a powerful, strong, sarcastic and lovable character.

Daeman and Katy had me squealing a hell of a lot during this book. I just adore those two together so much! It's unbelievable how perfect they are for each other. They're both so sarcastic and stubborn, and they make such a good team. There was a scene in this book about the two of them that brought tears to my eyes because it was just such a perfect moment.

Some of the things that were revealed about Daedalus was shocking. We found out why Daedalus was trying to find Hybrids and their creators which was shocking! I can't believe the force/coerce people into doing that! It's not right, especially since we found out what they do if everything goes wrong.
We also found out about the Origins. Origins are the offspring of Hybrids and Luxen - which is something that they didn't think was possible. They are born with immense powers and knowledge well beyond their years. Some of the stuff they can do is pretty freakin' scary. But I loved learning about them and seeing them. The fact that Daedalus kept them locked up was sickening. Sure, they're powerful, by they're also kids! They deserve a normal life instead of being locked away and treated like test subjects.
Blake got what he deserved in this book. I wish it hadn't happened the way it did, but it did and he fully deserved it. He was an ass.

The ending was manic and emotional. There were so many twists and stabs in the back that I just couldn't believe it! I felt so bad for the Black's when they found out that someone close to them betrayed them. And then of course, there was the massive showdown in Vegas. I was on the edge of my seat because I knew that no good could come from it. There was definitely going to be heartache and pain, and I was completely right. It was spectacular to see though. I did enjoy all the action and fighting, but there were parts that left me in tears.
Dawson's big reveal at the end didn't come as a shock to me. I'd already guessed it earlier on in the book, but I am excited to see what's going to happen! I'm really looking forward to seeing that story unravel!

And that ending! Oh, holy crap! I can't wait to see what it's going to bring for the next book because there's definitely going to be something major going down.

Overall, this was yet again another fantastic book by Jennifer L Armentrout! She sure knows how to make you feel happy and kick you in the gut at the same time (which is a good thing!). She had me feeling ecstatic, angry, sad and a hell of a lot more throughout this book because it was so damn good! So if you haven't read this series yet, what the hell are you waiting for? I insist that you go and read it right now because it's pretty freaking awesome!

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

As soon as the kindle copy became available on Amazon, I had this baby pre-ordered! I knew I had to get my hands on it ASAP after that horrible cliffhanger at the end of Opal. It downloaded onto my kindle just after midnight and I managed to squeeze in a couple of chapters before I passed out. And then as soon as I woke up, I was back to reading it. I fell in love with this series in July and yet again, this book was fantastic. Seriously, there hasn't been one book in this series that I haven't loved every second of (even if some parts tear out my heart and make me want to cry).

I freaking LOVED that this book was told from both Katy and Daemon's POV. I was ecstatic to get a look inside Daemon's head for once and see what goes on inside there. And of course, I loved hearing from Katy as usual because she's fantastic.

So the main focus of the first part of this book was getting Katy back. Daemon would stop at nothing to get Katy back - "Did you think you could stop me? I'll burn the world down to save her". And then Daemon goes off and does his usual crazy stupid stuff to get Katy back - the guy will actually do anything for her and it melts my heart. And as usual, Daemon's crazy ass ideas get him into trouble, not like he really cares though. He just wants Katy back.

I loved getting an insight into Daemon's mind in this book. It only made me love him more. The fact that Daemon is willing to risk his life to save Katy makes me love him more. Seeing how desperate he was to get her back and how much he loved her was heartbreaking. Daemon is a strong and determined character. When he's set his mind to something, no one can stop him. I love his determination. Sometimes he makes stupid and rash decisions, but they're always to protect someone he cares about.

Katy is one freaking strong and badass character. After being captured by Daedalus, Katy never lets them push her around. She stood her ground and stood up for herself. Even though she ended up getting hurt, she never gave into them. I adore Katy's strength. Even when she's scared to the bone, she never lets it show. She's a powerful, strong, sarcastic and lovable character.

Daeman and Katy had me squealing a hell of a lot during this book. I just adore those two together so much! It's unbelievable how perfect they are for each other. They're both so sarcastic and stubborn, and they make such a good team. There was a scene in this book about the two of them that brought tears to my eyes because it was just such a perfect moment.

Some of the things that were revealed about Daedalus was shocking. We found out why Daedalus was trying to find Hybrids and their creators which was shocking! I can't believe the force/coerce people into doing that! It's not right, especially since we found out what they do if everything goes wrong.
We also found out about the Origins. Origins are the offspring of Hybrids and Luxen - which is something that they didn't think was possible. They are born with immense powers and knowledge well beyond their years. Some of the stuff they can do is pretty freakin' scary. But I loved learning about them and seeing them. The fact that Daedalus kept them locked up was sickening. Sure, they're powerful, by they're also kids! They deserve a normal life instead of being locked away and treated like test subjects.
Blake got what he deserved in this book. I wish it hadn't happened the way it did, but it did and he fully deserved it. He was an ass.

The ending was manic and emotional. There were so many twists and stabs in the back that I just couldn't believe it! I felt so bad for the Black's when they found out that someone close to them betrayed them. And then of course, there was the massive showdown in Vegas. I was on the edge of my seat because I knew that no good could come from it. There was definitely going to be heartache and pain, and I was completely right. It was spectacular to see though. I did enjoy all the action and fighting, but there were parts that left me in tears.
Dawson's big reveal at the end didn't come as a shock to me. I'd already guessed it earlier on in the book, but I am excited to see what's going to happen! I'm really looking forward to seeing that story unravel!

And that ending! Oh, holy crap! I can't wait to see what it's going to bring for the next book because there's definitely going to be something major going down.

Overall, this was yet again another fantastic book by Jennifer L Armentrout! She sure knows how to make you feel happy and kick you in the gut at the same time (which is a good thing!). She had me feeling ecstatic, angry, sad and a hell of a lot more throughout this book because it was so damn good! So if you haven't read this series yet, what the hell are you waiting for? I insist that you go and read it right now because it's pretty freaking awesome!

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

Even though I have 3 reviews to write before this one, I had to get this one written first because I have so much to say about this book. Plus, I've actually managed to stop crying but I'll probably start again while writing the review (it was so damn heartbreaking!).

First things first, holy crap Elizabeth Norris. I didn't think I could be even more torn up than I was at Unravelling, but this book almost killed me. Things were building and building throughout the book, and then then ending was cruel and unexpected and horrible. Well done on writing such a fantastic and heartbreaking ending.

The story line of this one focuses on a human trafficking ring that are kidnapping people from different universes to use as slaves. Barclay comes back to get Janelle because Ben is believed to have been a part of the ring. So Janelle and Barclay set out to clear Ben's name and rescue everyone that has been kidnapped.

I loved Janelle so much more in this one. She proved herself to be such a badass and she knew exactly what she had to do to survive. She managed to get out of some pretty tough situations and save people along the way. She was so strong and tough. She was determined to get her friend back, and she never forgot about that for one second. I loved that about her.

When Ben first came into this book, I knew I was so over him. He did some pretty terrible things and even though he said he did it for Janelle, I couldn't forgive him for what he'd done. I still saw the connection between him and Janelle, but I just wasn't rooting for them anymore.

I freaking loved Barclay in this one! He came back for Janelle because he knew that he could rely on her to help him. Barclay was always looking out for Janelle and protecting her. I just loved him so much.

My emotions were all over the place before I even started this book (I blame Amber for that), and I just got worse throughout the book and especially at the ending. There was so much to focus on in this one. Who was in control of the trafficking ring? Why were they doing it? Where was Ben? Was he involved? Who can be trusted?
This was a book full of questions that all answered throughout the book. I was so hooked that I finished it in about 5 hours. It was unputdownable and a much better (and more heartbreaking) than the first one.

The ending almost killed me. I'd been all geared up for something that had been building throughout the whole book, and then the cruel ending happened and ruined everything. I was a complete wreck for about the last 20% of this book, I could barely see my kindle through my tears. I can't even explain why I was crying because it'd be a major spoiler, but I will say that it tore me apart. I didn't want to read on because I was in so much pain, but I did and the book ended perfectly. I'm still upset that my ending didn't happen, but it was still a perfect ending to this series.

Overall, this was an extremely emotional and heartbreaking novel but I loved every second of it. If you haven't read this series yet I definitely, definitely recommend it. It's amazing.

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

Unravelling was a gripping and thrilling novel that I just couldn't put down. As soon as Janelle was hit by that truck and killed and Ben brought her back to live, I knew I was hooked and that I had to find out exactly who and what he was. That wasn't the only intriguing part of the book though. There were also horrific discoveries of bodies by the FBI and Janelle is digging into her father's files when she realises that there are numbers on the pictures counting down to something that was going to happen in 23 days. So yeah, this book was full of intriguing, mysterious and shocking discoveries.

I loved Janelle straight away. She was a stubborn and strong character who didn't like to back down when she knew she was right. She was determined to get Ben to talk and tell her what happened and who he is. She was also very determined. She was determined to figure out what the hell was going on and help her father solve his case. Janelle's mother is bipolar and she basically raised her brother and protected him from their mother's moments. She's slightly angry at her father for leaving her in charge of raising her brother, taking care of her mother, the house and for making her grow up too quickly.

As soon as Ben brought Janelle back to life, I was extremely intrigued by him. I spent quite a bit of this book thinking he was an alien (and how funny it was that Janelle's father wanted to look for aliens and Janelle may have just found one), but then we found out Ben's story and it was much more interesting that my alien theory. I found myself drawn to Ben and wanting him and Janelle to get together because he cared about her so much.

With the gruesome bodies and Ben's reveal, there was definitely a lot going on in this book. It's very hard to describe without spoilers, but there was someone else like Ben who was doing stuff that was causing destruction on Earth and causing all the gruesome deaths to happen. And it wasn't just Earth that was being affected. I enjoyed discovering Ben's story and learning about what happened to him. I felt bad for him because of how he was separated from his family and he's been trying for years to get back.

The ending was cruel and heartbreaking. I ended up crying a bit at it because Janelle had lost so much throughout the book and that hit at the end was the last straw for my emotions. I just couldn't believe everything that had happened to her and how much she would have to deal with. She's a strong character though, so I knew she'd managed to get through it.

Overall, this was a fantastic novel that had me hooked from the very start. It was mysterious, intriguing and thrilling, and I definitely recommend reading it if you haven't already.

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure whether I was actually going to like it or not. It took me about 50 pages before I actually started connecting with the story line and the characters, and then I started to really enjoy this book.

The story follows our main character Pat who was in a psychiatric hospital for a while, and he's finally being allowed to go home. Pat is determined to change himself and become a better person so that he can reconcile with his wife Nikki. And then Pat meets Tiffany. Tiffany becomes a sort of friend for Pat, and then Tiffany gives Pat something he's been wanting for ages - a way to connect with his wife, and Pat will do whatever it takes to get that chance.

So, like I said, it took me a while to get interested in the story. It all came down to Pat though. His whole life before he went in to the psychiatric hospital was a mystery to us. The reader (and Pat) has no idea why he was put into the psychiatric hospital and what the reasons behind Nikki's absence are. I was very intrigued by Pat. He had an unhealthy obsession with exercising to get himself in shape and keep fit which led him to exercising for hours every day. He also had an unhealthy obsession with doing things that would make Nikki proud to be with him. He read all the books on her class syllabus, and it worried me how deep his obsession went. There was clearly something that he wasn't being told and something that was being hidden from him, which made me think that something definitely happened between him and Nikki before he ended up in the hospital. Don't get me wrong, I thought Pat was a sweet character. He was naive, emotional and such a nice guy, he just had some unhealthy obsessions.

And then we have Tiffany. Boy, is she one messed up chick. She'd fly off the handle sometimes and I'd be sitting there like, 'Whoa, was that really necessary?'. But she was good for Pat. Everyone was always warning him against Tiffany, and sure, she did some crazy and messed up stuff. But in the end, she helped Pat a hell of a lot throughout the book. She was there for him; she motivated him and most of all, she helped him move on. Tiffany lost her husband and dealt with her grief the wrong way, but her friendship with Pat not only helped him, it helped her a lot too.

Football was a major part of this book. I'm not a massive football fan, and it did annoy me how much this book was centered around it but it was major part of the book and Pat's family. Pat really only has a relationship with his brother and his father through their shared love of the Philadelphia Eagles. Anytime the Eagles lost, Pat's dad would have a fit and refuse to talk to his son of his wife. I felt so bad for Pat that his relationship with his father relied on the the Eagles winning their games.
The Eagles were what also connected Pat to his therapist Cliff. They maintained a professional and a personal relationship. Cliff was a fantastic therapist and he definitely helped Pat a lot.
I was annoyed at the amount of secrets that Pat's family were keeping from him. They were constantly lying to him and giving each other weird looks, so I knew that things were worse that Pat thought. He'd been away for much longer that he thought, so there were a lot of things that his family were keeping hidden. I think Pat would have been able to deal with it all if they'd introduced it slowly instead of lying to him. But I do understand why they did it.

The big reveal of what Pat did to get himself into a psychiatric hospital was shocking. I understood why his brain blocked it out, because it was a major source of pain for him. It broke his heart, and he almost did something unforgivable. But I'm glad that Pat managed to remember everything, and start to move on with his life.

I was so happy at the end that everything managed to work out. I'm positive that Pat will be able to get his life back on track and his obsessions will die down, and he'll be able to lead a normal life again.

Overall, this was such an amazing book. I loved finding out about Pat and Tiffany and seeing their journey throughout the book. It's was brilliant.

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

After reading The Summoning last month, I knew that as soon as I got my hands on the next book I would have to read it and find out what was going to happen to Chloe and Rae, and find out if Simon and Derek were alright. So that's exactly what I did!

The Awakening picked up not long after The Summoning, and Chloe and Rae are back in the clutches of Dr Davidoff. Chloe thought that her Aunt could be trusted, but she turned them over to the doctors from Lyle House. Chloe is determined to do everything she possibly can to get out of there and get back to Simon and Derek to help them find their father.

I love Chloe. She never once gave up on getting out of that place or gave up the boys location, and I admire her strength for that. She's a determined and resourceful character. She's always looking out for people, and hardly ever thinks about herself. I just love her.

I started to really like Derek a lot more in this one. Even though he can still act like an ass and a complete jerk, I feel like I got to know him a lot more in this one. He's so vulnerable because he can't control what he is, and he's scared of it. He and Chloe bond in this one because Chloe helps Derek through his change, and they become a lot closer. Derek can be a real sweetheart sometimes.

I like Simon too. He's such a nice guy. He's always looking out for everyone and it always trying to protect Derek. He's determined to do anything he can to find his father to help them.

Tori actually started to grow on me in this book. At first, she was still a bitch but I got to understand her a lot more and see why she's the way she is and I began to like her. She and Chloe bonded in this one and I'm looking forward to seeing their relationship in the next one.

I really want Chloe and Derek to get together! They just seem so right for each other. They've both managed to help each other and I think they'd be great together.

So there were a lot of secrets and unexpected twists that I loved! I was shocked about Rae though! I couldn't believe it when I found out! I always thought she had Chloe's back. The twist involving the four of them and where their powers came from was unexpected. It was kind of horrible to think that everything they've been through was just a test to see if their sick experiments worked. Finding Simon's father was the main story line of this book, but they still haven't came across him yet which make them think he was definitely taken. They do, however, find their dad's friend Andrew who was also taken but managed to escape and came to find Derek and Simon. I'm intrigued by Chloe's necklace though. We still haven't found out what it does, and the fact that it's changed colour has me even more intrigued and I want to know what it does.

Overall, this was a great sequel and I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to read The Reckoning now and see how the trilogy is going to end!

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

I'd been debating about whether to pick this book up for quite a while. I loved Matched, didn't enjoy Crossed, so I didn't really know whether it was worth picking the last book up. I decided to anyways, so that I could finish the series and get it over with. I enjoyed this one more than Crossed, but it still wasn't amazing. I found myself having to push myself to read this one. I just wasn't all that interested in the story line - apart from the finding the cure bit, that was the only part I found interesting. I wasn't a major fan of the characters (except Xander), so it just wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be.

So this whole book revolves around the Rising trying to take down the Society, and they get their chance when a virus starts spreading and the Rising have the cure. But what they didn't plan for was the virus to mutate and their cure didn't work on the mutation. Cassia is working in Central doing sorting for the Rising; Xander is in the Camas Providence acting as an Official for the Rising; and Ky and Indie are flying planes for the Pilot. The story also revolves around Ky and Cassia's desperation to be together again.

Cassia was alright in this one, not my favourite character but I didn't hate her. She was just... there. Wandering about, trading, sorting, and thinking about Ky and Xander. I don't like how she stringed Xander along for so long. It's clear he has strong feelings for her, and she never told him that she didn't have feelings for him, so Xander always had hope that they'd get together and I didn't like Cassia for doing that.

I wasn't a massive fan of Ky either in this one. He was supposed to be helping the Rising and the Pilot, but all he could think about was Cassia. When he was delivering cures, he was planning to take the plane to Central to find Cassia and all I could think was "How selfish is that?". There were people dying and being infected by the virus and he was thinking of taking of with a plane full of cures just to find Cassia? Yeah, that was very selfish.

I loved Xander though. Xander was in Camas pretending to be an Official, and when the virus broke out he was brought in as a Physic. So Xander is working first hand with the virus and is the first one to notice the difference when the mutation starts. Xander puts all of his energy into finding a cure for the virus and I loved that he did that. Xander was determined that he was going to find a cure and help people - especially after his friend Lei contracts the mutation.

The story line of the cure was interesting. I was intrigued by the fact that there were people immune to the mutation and the original virus, so it was interesting to see all the research and studying that went into finding the cure, because those people were obviously doing something right. The story of the Pilot and the Rising didn't interest me that much. There was so much crossover between the Society and the Rising that they were basically the same people. It made me wonder if the rebelling was even worth it since there were Society infiltrates in the Rising. It just seemed pointless when I found that out. I was pretty upset about what happened with Indie. Indie was a fantastic character and I just wish we'd gotten to see more of her in this book. The ending was nice for Xander. I was happy that he'd finally managed to get over Cassia and find his happy ending. It was nice.

Overall, this wasn't a great book but it wasn't terrible either. I enjoyed parts of it and had to force myself through other parts. I am glad that I finished the series though, but I'm disappointed at how quickly it went downhill after the first book for me. But it was a nice end to the series.

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

I'm actually finding it really hard to write this review because I still haven't gotten over this book yet. Rachel Vincent takes you on a roller coaster ride in this book. There's so many things thrown at you, so many ups and down and twists and turns that I finding it hard to get over some of them.

So after everything that happened in the previous book, Kaylee is still trying to forgive Nash and work out her feelings for him. But then, Nash's ex-girlfriend Sabine shows up at school. Sabine lets Kaylee know that she's willing to do anything and everything it takes to get Nash back, no matter the cost. But that's not all Kaylee has to worry about with Sabine, it turns out that Sabine is a mara - she can read people's fears, give them nightmares and then feeds off of them. So of course, when teachers start dying in their sleep, Sabine is the main suspect. But Kaylee is about to find out that things are more complicated than they look.

So I love Kaylee, but I just wish she would have at least visited Nash while he was at his worst point trying to get over Demons Breath. She was just so damn stubborn! But still, visiting him probably would have helped her sort our her feelings. She didn't need to touch him or be close to him, but she could have at least been there for him instead of completely ignoring him. That's the only thing that annoyed me about Kaylee in this one. She was still a badass when it came to fighting hellions (and Sabine!). She's always looking out for everyone else and protecting them. She's such a strong character.

I actually felt really really bad for Nash in this one. He had to come with the Demons Breath withdrawl by himself most of the time because no one was talking to him, and I just really felt for him. I know I said in my review of My Soul to Keep that it would take a lot for Nash to get back in my good books, but it didn't. As soon as he came into the book, all of my feelings for Nash came back and I just wanted Kaylee to hurry up and forgive him so that they could get back together.

And then we have Sabine. I HATE her so much. She was such a bitch! She was all over Nash, kissing him, throwing herself topless at him and threatening Kaylee! I hated her the moment she set foot in that school and threw her arms around Nash. I swear, if those two end up together, I'm done. I can't sit and read about Nash with someone else when he belongs with Kaylee!

I'm actually starting to think that Tod has a crush on Kaylee... But I don't want Tod to be with Kaylee! As much as I love him, I just can't see them together. He's funny, sweet and caring, but he and Kaylee aren't meant for each other (imo).

I loved the storyline in this one! Right from the start, we had no idea what the hell was going on at Kaylee's school. We only knew that teachers were dying and students and teachers were going crazy! Sabine was the main suspect for all of this because of what she is. We also had the Sabine-Nash-Kaylee storyline going on as well, with Sabine trying to get her claws into Nash while Kaylee and Nash were making up. I can't stand Sabine right now! There was also the stuff going on with Alec (the guy Kaylee rescued from Avari in the previous book). We found out what he is, and that there's been something happening to him that could tie him to the dying teachers.

The ending was fantastic again. I adored seeing Kaylee be all badass and strong when it comes to fighting hellions. She's fantastic! I never saw any of that coming at the end! Avari is going to be seriously pissed so I can't wait to see what he's got up his sleeve next! It definitely won't be good.

Overall, this was yet again another AMAZING book in the Soul Screamers series. I think this is definitely going to end up being one of my favourite series'.

Originally at The Secret life of a Bookworm

Pivot Point is one of the best and most unique novels I've ever read. It's about a Compound where a lot of people live, but they all have mind powers! How awesome is that? I was drawn in by this story line straight away and I didn't want to put the book down.

Addie finds out that her parents are getting a divorce and she must choose who she wants to live with. So since Addie's power is that she can look into the future when she's face with a choice, she decides to see what her life would be like six weeks into the future is she lived with her mum or with her dad.

First of all, I adored how the chapters flicked between Addie's two different lives. I loved how at the beginning of each chapter there were words with the leters 'PARA' or 'NORM' to help you distinguish what life of Addie's you were reading about. It was such a unique way of doing it, and I loved it!

So lets start of with Addie's life with her mother in the Compound. If Addie stays with her mother, she gets to stay with her best friend. She also starts dating the schools quarterback Duke. But everything doesn't go smoothly in this life. Addie manages to get herself in a bit of trouble by getting involved with her best friends fathers drug dealer, which causes a lot of problems. Her boyfriend is lying to her and Addie suspects that they're using the powers when they're playing normal football teams. And then something horrible happens at the end and I was gobsmacked to find out who was behind everything!

Addie's life with her father outside the Compound in Dallas was amazing. It was very interesting getting to see Addie interacting with normal humans and acting like one herself. She was starting a new school and had to make new friends, and then she met Trevor. I knew the second she met Trevor I wanted her to pick this life. He was so cute and sweet, and Addie seemed to help him a lot. I adored seeing those two together! Addie settled into life outside the compound quite easily. It took her a while to get used to all the stuff she hadn't encountered before and learning to act normal, but she managed to do it. But then something horrible and tragic happened at the end of this one, and I just couldn't believe it. I was so distraught (as was Addie).

Onto the characters now!
I loved Addie! She was such a brilliant character. There were times when I though she was a little naive (PARA), but overall she was an excellent character. She was funny, smart and just amazing. She could have been a better friend in the NORM version of her life and maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did, but we'll never know.

Laila was an awesome character too! She could erase memories, which makes her even more awesome. She was a fantastic best friend, hilarious, flirty and I just loved her. She was brilliant for Addie.

So there were two love interests in this book. First we had Duke. I didn't like Duke at all. He was a jerk, he was cocky and I just never believed that he cared about Addie. He just seemed to come from nowhere and he was suddenly interested in her. I never liked his relationship with Addie at all.
And then we have Trevor. I loved Trevor so, so much. He befriended Addie straight away which made me like him right away. And then they had their own little inside jokes and they got closer and closer. Addie and Trevor were perfect together. They were so cute <3<br/>
The ending of the book kind of left me slightly heartbroken, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get over it in the next book!

Overall, this was a very unique and intriguing book. I loved exploring the two possible lives for Addie and I can't wait to see what's in store for her next.

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

This is one of those contemporary novels that I've seen everywhere. Every review I've seen for this, people have adored it. So I was really looking forward to diving into this book! I'm pleased to say, that I really loved it too!

It revolves around our main character Samantha who lives next door to the Garrett family. Samantha's mother disapproves of their family because they have 8 kids and their house/garden is always untidy. Samantha, however, has always had a fascination with watching the Garretts', and then she meets Jase.

I really liked Samantha. She doesn't seem to like living in her mother's perfect house bubble, but it isn't until she meets Jase that she starts to change. Meeting Jase was definitely one of the best things to happen to Samantha. She fit in so perfectly to the Garretts' chaotic house, and it was like home to her. She was brilliant with the kids and she just seemed to comfortable in a house surrounded by kids. She was a really nice, helpful and friendly character. However, there were times when I wish she'd grown a spine and told her mother where to shove her 'planned summer'. She's a 17 year old girl and she was still letting her mother call the shots on what she did and how much free time she had. There was also that incident at the end where I was pretty disappointed in her for not coming clean sooner. She knew, she kept it to herself, she did something awful and then eventually made up for it. But, other than that, I really liked her.

I adored Jase. The second he climbed up onto her roof, I fell in love. Jase is so swoon-worthy! He's sweet, funny, adorable, charming, but mostly I loved him for how dedicated he was to his family. He'd learned how to do handiwork which meant everything that broke he could fix for free, and he and his brothers and sisters got on so well! I loved being inside the Garrett household. It was so warm and cost, and full of love. Jase was just the most perfect character ever. If he we real, I'd marry him.

Out of the rest of the Garrett kids, I think George had to be my favourite. He was such a little cutie! Asking is Samantha would marry him - it was so cute! He was always running around telling people facts, and I adored that about him. I loved all of the Garrett kids but, apart from Jase, George is definitely my favourite.

I was slightly iffy on Tim at the start because he was a junkie and an alcoholic, but he changed and I really loved seeing him pulling himself together and starting to become a better guy. It was really nice to see.
Nan (Samantha's BF) on the other hand, I'd quite happily push her off a cliff. I hated her that much. At first it was just the odd comment and I thought nothing of it, but then it started to build up and I realised how much of a cow she actually was. So yes, I'd push her off a cliff and I wouldn't feel bad about it.

I adored the cutsey romance in this book. Samantha and Jace were so adorable <3 I found myself smiling and squealing a lot throughout the book. They were just SO DAMN CUTE! I don't even care that it was kind of insta-love, because I just adore them together so much!<br/>
I couldn't honestly believe what had happened near the end of the book to begin with. It was horrible to have to see the Garretts' go through that and I would have loved to punch Samantha's mother and Clay because they were both assholes - mainly Clay, but Samantha's mother wasn't that much better. I just couldn't believe the way Clay and her mother were talking! It was unbelievable. I'm glad that Samantha did what she did. Both of them deserve whatever they get.

I am slightly disappointed that I didn't get to find out what happened to Mr Garrett, see what happened to Clay and Samantha's mother and plus, I wanted more Samantha and Jase and more of the Garretts' because they're awesome! So yeah, I just wish that there had been a bit more.

Overall, this was such a cute and adorable contemporary that had some deeper storylines. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I think it might end up being one of those books I re-read every year.

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

Cyborg Cinderella was basically the main reason I picked this book up because HOW AWESOME IS THAT! CYBORG CINDERELLA! I think I now love books about robots, they're awesome! (especially Cinder).

Cinder is a mechanic (the best mechanic in New Beijing) and she lives with her step-mother and her two step-sisters. However, instead of both of her step-sisters hating her, Cinder is very close to one of them - Peony. Even though Cinder was a cyborg, she still experienced emotions. The only thing she couldn't do was cry. I loved Cinder! She was just like a normal teenage girl, although she was part cyborg. She was funny, caring, lovable and just amazing. I adored finding out about Cinder and everything she could do because she was a cyborg. Her cyborg wiring came in extremely helpful a lot of the time. It was especially helpful at hiding something.

Prince Kai *sigh*, I think I'm in love. Prince Kai is one of the sweetest guys ever. After what happened to his dad I felt to bad for him because he then had to deal with the bitch queen from Lunar (the moon). He was so invested on helping his people, helping the world that he was willing to do everything he possibly could to save them. Even if it meant endangering himself. He was so selfless and caring. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him and Cinder.

I loved Peony so much! Even though we didn't really get to see a lot of her, I still loved her. She accepted Cinder and treated her like a sister, and I just loved seeing them together. They had such a lovely relationship.

The big twist involving Cinder didn't come as a surprise for me, I guessed it about 4 chapters in so that kind of ruined the ending slightly for me. It just seemed so obvious to me! The story line about the plague was heartbreaking and also very interesting. I was intrigued to find out where it had came from and why no one was able to find a cure. And then we found out and I was like, of course! That's why! It was probably released on purpose, so that the population of Earth would decline and lots of people would be unhealthy. Queen Levana is a woman I wouldn't trust with anything. She was such a horrible woman. If she gets her claws into Prince Kai, I think I'll probably die because I just couldn't deal with that. I doubt we've seen even half of what she's capable of. But I can't wait to see her face when she finds out about Cinder!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I'm looking forward to seeing what Cinder is going to do in the next book, hopefully Kai will come around and I'm interested to see what Levana is going to do now. I'll definitely be getting my hands on Scarlet soon!

Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

After reading Unearthly last month, I've been dying to get around to reading Hallowed. I had so many questions and suspicions at the end of Unearthly that I just HAD to find out what was going to happen next. Hallowed didn't disappoint. I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than the first book. I found the storyline more interesting and I felt more attached to the characters and grew to love them - including some of the new characters.

Clara is a stronger character in this book after everything she went through in the previous book. She's still struggling with what happened and trying to come to terms with it, but she manages to pull herself out of it when her mother tells her she might not be done. She had a hell of a lot to deal with and understand in this one. She's an incredibly strong and resourceful character. She's always trying to keep her friends out of trouble because she doesn't want them to get hurt, but sometimes it causes her to hurt them.

My love for Tucker kind of started to disappear in this book. I don't know why, but I just didn't feel as strongly towards him or about him and Clara in this one. He was his usual sweet and charming self, but I just didn't feel the same way about him as I did in the first book.

But, my love for Christian grew in this one. I don't know why, but I just started to prefer Christian in this one. Maybe it's because he can help and protect Clara. He's like her so he won't be in as much danger which means he's always there to protect her. Or maybe it's just because he turned out to be such a sweetheart in this one and he helped Clara through something extremely tough. So yeah, I'm 'Team Christian' now!

Clara was having some weird dreams in this one that she wasn't sure whether it was a dream or a vision, and it wasn't until she had a conversation with Christian that she realised she was dreaming about a funeral. Someone she loved was going to die. Clara spent quite a bit of this novel agonizing over who was going to die, and she thought she'd figured it out. But she was wrong, and it was so much worse that she thought. Then there was the fact that Samjeeza was practically stalking her because of what happened in the previous book - Clara went all badass on him again though! There was also all the stuff going on with Jeffrey. I'm seriously worried about that boy, especially after everything he's went though, everything we found out about him and of course, because of the ending. Also, Clara's father showed up in this one with a little surprise of his own! It was nice to see Clara and her father bonding and building a relationship. I do hope that they'll be able to maintain it.

I found myself close to tears quite a lot at the end of the book. It was extremely sad, but I did enjoy seeing those last moments and seeing everyone together. It was very sweet, but very sad. The last chapter was especially sad.

Overall, this was such an amazing sequel. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first book. The characters were better, the storyline was deeper and there was definitely a lot more going on. I'm really looking forward to seeing what's in store for these characters in the final installment of this trilogy.