Kaitlyn's Review: Intangible

Title: Intangible
Author: J. Meyers
Pages: 340
Published: January 31st, 2012
Source: Received from Author

Summary: Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift.

Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.

Review: So, this book was requested by the author to us (sorry it took so long! Reading is such a challenge lately, I need to kick it into high gear). I read it, and I have to say, overall, I was very pleased.

This plot has definite twists and turns, so this review might be vague… I fear giving away too many spoilers that make the book interesting!

First of all, the beginning gets your attention right away. The relationships are established, and the reader isn’t confused about who’s who or what’s what. That is one thing that is good about the narration: it’s clear, most of the time. I have to say in the beginning, I was kind of irked that the summary focused around the twins, but the book is a lot about Sera (even if they are the children of the prophecy, she undoubtedly takes a main spot in the beginning).

There are some things that feel forced about the novel. Some of the banter feels, I know this is dumb to say when reading but I think we all know the difference, scripted. Forced. And there were some flaws in the third person POV; while I adored that it switched from character to character, there were some problems with being told from the character’s point of view and a narrator’s. For example, it was in Marc’s narration: the use of “man” before sentences (like, “Man, she was hot.”) Except… it’d go on as if he wasn’t thinking the thought directly. I know, it’s weird! But it irked me in some parts.

I must say, though. The details are all there for the plot line: nothing is missed, and the reader can easily get a clear picture of each character and even the setting. There are little details that are added, that are usually forgotten in writing, and it makes everything jump off of the page a bit more. I especially liked the detail for their little coffee shop.

Enough about the writing though! What about the plot?

At first, I was intrigued, although only slightly. Twins with special powers and a prophecy… not the most unique thing ever. Except, the rest of the plot that comes to life as you read, is a wonderful twist on a plot line fantasy readers are relatively familiar with. I love the concept of the mark to show when they’re in danger and not (a clever little trick, you elves!) and I love so many other things in the books. I just hate that every detail, from the beginning, is imperative to not ruining the plot (I will say, though, the main antagonist woman reminded me much of Cinder’s Lunar Queen! Scary brilliant, both characters)!

I didn’t enjoy, however, the bit of the plot that is kind of pointed out by Jonas: that the twins do the very minimum to hide their powers, and no one in their town notices! I don’t know about you, but if half that stuff went down around me, I’d know something was up.

Ah. It’s really hard to talk about the plot, other than the basics: I do believe it flows, and the book is well-constructed and definitely thought out. I recommend this book for a good YA read. The main characters don’t get on your nerves too much, details are brilliantly written into the story, and the flaws aren’t that bad in light of the story that you get to enjoy.

Rating: ★★★ 3.5/5 Stars

Review: Slipping Reality

 Title: Slipping Reality
 Author: Emily Beaver
 Pages: 272
 Published: July 2011
 Source: NetGalley

Summary: In a time of hardship and heartbreak, sometimes, reality just isn't enough. Slipping Reality is the story of fourteen-year-old Katelyn Emerson, who, when faced with the glaring reality of her brother's illness, rebels against the truth by slipping away into the depths of her own imagination. There, she finds the kind of support and comfort she feels she deserves. There, she does not have to feel so alone. And yet, as Katelyn's grasp on reality begins to unravel, so too does the story of a girl who grew up too fast and fell apart too soon. Emily Beaver's debut novel is a coming of age story that deals with the trials of young grief, insight, and growth where it's least expected.

Review: I tried. I really did.

When I started reading Slipping Reality, it was probably a few weeks ago, closer to the end of February, but I had to set it aside because after reading only fifteen pages, I was bored to the point that I wasn’t sure how to continue on. It wasn’t that there was a flawed plot, because I still think that the plot could create an amazing book if it were given more time and attention. It really had to do with a flawed character and amateur writing.

Before I say anything else, I want to say that it’s amazing that Emily Beaver write this novel at the age of fourteen and got it published. Having just graduated that awkward phase known as teenagerdom, I’m slightly jealous and definitely in awe that she’s managed to write, complete and publish a novel while entering high school. Kudos!

That being said, it was a bad decision to take on such an intense project and release it at such a young age. Maybe she’s experienced this exact feeling and somehow has managed to write it down in an almost diary-like fashion, but this novel needed time to mature in both writing styles and character developments. There’s only so many times that I can read about the Katelyn listening to her iPod, taking a shower and complaining about the fact that she’s given easy books to read in her English class before I start to go crazy.

The actual plot concept is really intriguing, and with editing, could make an amazing novel, but at the level of writing and characterization that it’s at, this is not something that I could put myself through, which is disappointing. I was really looking forward to reading this novel, and I’m really sad to say that it’s something that I couldn’t finish, let alone get over the halfway point. There was just too much showing, not enough telling. Too much of the same thing over and over. It wasn’t until about a fifth of the way into the plot that anything actually started to happen, and when it did, the uneventful, repetitive daily motions were introduced and the character went on internal monologues that were pages long and ended in resolving nothing.

It’s impressive that someone so young managed to publish their novel, but it’s unfortunate to say that it was a disappointment and could not be finished because of poor construction. I always hate to give novels bad reviews, and I hate it even more when I give a novel that I couldn’t manage to finish a bad review, but that’s just how it has to be, and hopefully the next attempt will succeed far better than Slipping Reality did.

Rating: ★★ 2/5 Stars

Review: Whispering Hills

 Title: Whispering Hills
 Author: Taryn Browning
 Published: March 19th, 2012
 From: Received for Whispering Hills Book Tour

Summary: For as long as she can remember, 17-year-old Alexis Forbes can hear the thoughts of others. Most recently, she is disturbed by the dark, unfamiliar voice of a frightening killer: callous, cunning, charismatic…and dead.

She hears his every sinister thought. But she can’t tell anyone. No one would believe her. Alexis is suddenly being haunted by a terrifying past she doesn’t remember, and a ghost with a serious score to settle. Even Chance, the gorgeous new guy she’s falling for, has his own ghostly secret. He’s definitely not like any guy she’s ever met. Alexis soon discovers she has a connection to the dead and it runs much deeper than she could ever imagine. And if the sociopathic entity has his way, she’ll finally be sentenced to the fate she escaped thirteen years ago.

Review: Whispering Hills is a book that I was definitely excited to read when I found out about the book tour and I was so lucky that there was room for me on the tour! I have to say that I don’t regret it in the slightest. The book was really rather good and despite a few flaws, it was an enjoyable read that I finished in two days!

Alexis is seventeen years old and has been living in Whispering Hills her entire life. She’s just like every other teenager in her small town except for one small addition; she can hear people’s thoughts in her head. A new boy, Chance, shows up in her school this year and everything seems to change in her life thanks to him and his arrival.

I have to say that when I first started reading this book, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked it. The main character was written very well, and I have to say I liked Alexis a lot, which is something I can’t usually say for main characters. I’m all about the side characters and what they bring to the table, but Alexis ended up making me like her. Not nearly as much as Summer, I have to admit, but still, she was very likeable when it was all said and done.

Chance, on the other hand. I’m still not sure how I feel about him. The way that he came in and sort of took control over the novel, I wasn’t a huge fan about. I mean, I understand that it was important to the story line and that Alexis and Chance were intertwined in about a billion different ways (which really all just lead to one way but that’s not the point), but I just didn’t like the way he took over. All in all, he was an alright boy, but not one that I enjoyed.

The main reason I liked this book was for Summer and Gabriel. Summer’s just awesome, and I really want to be her. Or be her best friend, which I don’t think she’d like very much. Either way, it’d be awesome. Gabriel is just such an awesome, messed up character that I just wanted to know more about him. I’d really love to read a book in his POV and just see how he’s dealt with his life since the major incident in this novel. I’d love that more than life itself.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Whispering Hills. There were some problems that I had with it, mainly with the relationship between Alexis and Chance. I felt like I was riding the relationship rollercoaster with them, and I have to say it bothered me quite a bit, but other than that, it was good read. I’m really hoping that a sequel is in the works, but if not, I shall just continue to imagine what happened afterwards in Alexis’s life, as well as Summer’s, Chance’s and Gabriel’s.

If you’re looking for a good novel, or one that’s not the cookie-cutter YA novel, I’d definitely suggest that you give Whispering Hills a chance. It might just surprise you how good it is. It definitely did for me!

Rating: ★★★ 3/5 Stars

Review: Wanderlove

Title: Wanderlove
Author: Kirsten Hubbard
Pages: 352
Published: March 13th, 2012

Summary: It starts with a question. Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Review: When I requested this book on NetGalley, I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had just seen that a few other people I follow had requested it and while the concept sounded interesting, I wasn’t sure that it’d be at the top of my reading list.

I was so, so very wrong.

Bria’s struggling to get away from memories of a bad breakup and the looming, overwhelming concept of college rushing in just around the corner. She and her boyfriend, Toby, ended up badly and her dreams of going to an art school with him were destroyed by the breakup, so she’s off to another country in search of a much-needed vacation, only to find that she’s ending up with more than she expected. I jumped into this book, a little bit scared to travel with Bria, but mostly excited at the chance to escape into a country that I’ll probably never visit through a book that I normally wouldn’t have picked up off a bookshelf. Travelling with Bria down to Guatemala was an exciting experience, but ending up on the Global Vagabond tour was not. When Bria signed up for excitement and a chance to explore a new country, she didn’t expect to get saddled with a trip full of elderly people and end up just stopping at main tourist attractions.

To be quite honest, I didn’t either.

But then Bria meets Rowan and Starling and her entire trip becomes a new experience. Up to this point, I was just liking the novel, but Bria’s chance to start backpacking around a country she knew nothing about (and even go to another new country) was what made me fall in love with the novel. The experience and the desire to take a journey like this was overwhelming and I found myself clinging to this novel, forcing my nose closer and closer to my Kindle as I followed Bria everywhere she went, and experienced all of her emotions.

Overall, this novel far exceeded my expectations. I knew, based on others’ reviews, that I was going to finish reading Wanderlove and like it, but I never even knew just how much I was going to love. The chance to jump into uncharted waters and just experience fun was something so thrilling and breathtaking that I couldn’t bear to tear myself away from this book!

When I was nearing the end, the last thing I wanted to do was actually let it end, but the ending itself was just as amazing as the rest of the book. The descriptions in the novel were so beautiful that I could picture the scenery and all I want to do now is take a month off of life and go down to Guatemala and Belize and just explore the entire world. I can’t imagine a better idea of what to do for the month of April! Unfortunately, it’s not happening, but I know that the second this book hits the shelves, I’m getting a copy to have on my shelves. If I can’t backpack in real life, at least I can in the literary world, travelling alongside Bria and her companions through the exciting world of Central America.

Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5 Stars

Kaitlyn's Review: Things Fall Apart

Title: Things Fall Apart
Author:  Chinua Achebe
Pages: 209
Published: 1958
Summary: THINGS FALL APART tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society. 

The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. THINGS FALL APART is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within.

Review: I read Things Fall Apart in my English class. I had to write a report on it, fill out study guides, etc. It’s an older book, and definitely not the typical YA we’ve reviewed on this blog (for the most part).

It’s all about the destruction of the Ibo culture as a white man comes from Britain to colonize Africa; but the book focuses around one man, Okonkwo. He’s like the Hulk, really. Doesn’t think before he acts, and gets really, really mad really quickly.

Although a lot of people often don’t like the books they read in school, I liked Things Fall Apart. It’s a classic for a reason. Achebe’s style is superb. In order to get the western reader understanding the Ibo culture as much as possible, he spends much of the book in the exposition, getting the reader to know their customs and traditions. He also weaves African language into the text, teaching words (I will never forget the word egwugwu). I like learning when I read; whether it’s about philosophy, life, science, anything. I want to be exposed to something new. But when I read TFA, I learned so much about the African way of life. It breaks my heart knowing that imperialism almost completely wiped out a culture.

In a way, it reminded me a lot of the American Indian’s culture being wiped out. I mean, even in Disney’s Pocahontas, there’s a song that goes, “Savages! Savages! Barely even human.” But the thing is… even if these tribes in Africa, and the Indian’s tribes in the Americas… they weren’t savage. They had their customs, and we have ours. It’s sad, that people think they constantly need to be fixing everything. Even now-a-days, we see it. Trying to get everyone’s lives the same. Keeping up with the Joneses. It’s a vicious cycle, and who knows how many cultures we’ve lost to imperialism? Countless, I imagine.

This book really makes you think about all of that. Achebe is a brilliant writer, and even if Okonkwo is the tragic hero, I really like how the narration is kind of the voice of the tribe. The reader is not inclined to think that Okonkwo is right; in fact, in many occasions, we see where Okonkwo’s tragic flaw is evident to everyone around him.

And the ending! The ending was brilliant, even if it was short. If the reader was ignorant to Achebe’s purpose of the book, he pretty much spelled it out for the reader in just a paragraph without ever saying it. I loved it.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you’re looking for a change of pace from the usual YA novel. 

Review:  ★★★★ 3.5/5 Stars

Review: Wonder

Title: Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Pages: 320
Published: 2012

Summary: I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

Review: Where do I even begin with a book that has quite possibly managed to change all of my feelings towards books just by reading it? When I requested Wonder from NetGalley, I thought that I was going to read it and end up enjoying it since the few people I know have given it good reviews. I never, ever expected that I was going to fall in love with this book the way that I did. Not only did Wonder give me the chance to reflect on the way that I think about certain aspects of life, but it also made me laugh and cry from happiness and sadness and all the -nesses in between.

Ten-year-old August has been through more in his life than half a dozen people and he’s still going strong. Suffering from a chromosome deficiency, he was born with severe facial disfiguration that twenty-seven surgeries hasn’t managed to fix. His parents finally decide that August should go to school, and enroll him in a private school where the principal has three other kids who’ve volunteered to help him adjust and watch out for him.

This book is definitely listed as one of my favourite reads of 2012. Probably the absolute favourite, right up there with The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I stayed up until 6am to try and finish Wonder, and was so disappointed that sleep needed to take priority to reading. Reading about Auggie’s life through his point of view as well as others’ (his sister, Via, his best friend, Summer, his other best friend, Jack, Via’s beau, Justin, and Via’s best friend, Miranda) gave me the chance to fall in love with, not only the plot, but each and every character just because I got a chance to see how they interacted in the life of Auggie and his family.

My favourite person (but least favourite point of view, unfortunately) was Via’s boyfriend’s, Justin. While I really disliked the way that Justin’s part was written in the same aspect of David Levithan’s Will Grayson (worse, actually, because I wasn’t sure where the characters were speaking at some points) I really enjoyed the way that he had with words, and the feelings that he had for Oliva were the most beautiful in the world. I found myself wanting to cry a little bit when I reached the end of his part, when he said:

"olivia reminds me of a bird sometimes, how her feathers get all ruffled when she's mad. and when she's fragile like this, she's a little lost bird looking for its nest. so i give her my wings to hide under."

I know the focus of the story really isn’t about Via, but I really, really liked the way that her character was written. She was so understanding and protective of her brother, where most teenagers would have been somewhat selfish in that aspect. She never asked for anything, never tried to have her wants and needs taken care of first. She put everything aside for Auggie, and I found that to be the best part of the novel. Even though the focus of Wonder was on August, I found myself loving Via most when it came to the characterisations.

Speaking of August, that boy… He’s amazing. I can’t even begin to imagine going through twenty-seven surgeries and then being brave enough to go to school and try and be normal. Being two years younger than everyone else was enough for me to hate school, so I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for him. August is such a strong, wonderful boy, and while they mistreated him so much in the beginning of the novel, he grew, as did those who hurt him and those who helped him. I loved seeing the transformation when these kids realised that it wasn’t about how their friend looked; it was about who he was as a person.

Wonder is a book that will probably always live with me, and I can’t imagine a day where I’ll find myself completely forgetting that I’ve ever read it. It’s one of those books that touches your soul and makes you realise that there’s more to humanity than what’s on the surface. If you have this on your to-read list, or even if you don’t, stop what you’re doing and go pick it up, because I guarantee that by the time you’re done reading it, you’ll realise just how wonderful Wonder actually is.

Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5 Stars
           I'd give it a million stars and it still wouldn't be enough.

Review: Unearthly

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly
Pages: 435
Published: 2011

Summary: In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Review: I really shouldn’t be playing favourites with what book I pick to review first, especially when there are still so many others that I need to get done and have been waiting for a lot longer than Unearthly has, but I may or may not have fallen for this book enough to know that if I don’t get the review down today, it’s going to be potentially swamped with Hallowed spoilers when I read it this week.

Initially, I had no desire to read Unearthly. I had read reviews from people who I’ve friended and thought that while it sounded like an adequate book, it wasn’t something that was going to be nearing the top of my to-be-read pile. Then, when I won a copy of its sequel, Hallowed, I knew that I had to read it or else I’d never touch Hallowed and the point of entering the giveaway would not exist.

Clara Gardner, who is a quarter angel, starts having these visions of her purpose. Her destiny leads her to move with her family to middle-of-nowhere Wyoming so that she can fulfill her purpose, which every angel must do. Along the way, she finds challenges that she has to overcome, such as befriending the boy who she will have to end up saving, Christian, and batting away some unwanted enemies while finding some surprising new friends.

I have to say, when I started reading Unearthly, I thought it was going to be just an alright book. True, there were some good parts and other bad ones, but overall, I felt like it was just an average book. Clara seemed like a well-written character, which I enjoyed, and I really enjoyed the way she and her mom interacted, as well as her brother, Jeremy. The fact that there was the angel part in there really didn’t seem to matter much during the first part of the book. There were moments when I sort of forgot that I was reading a book about angels until she mentioned that she had to continue hunting down her purpose and then it’d all rush back to me. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing. I’m just saying that there really wasn’t anything too special about the first half of the book.

It really was only when we got the point that we find out about Angela that I found myself really starting to like the book. The fact that Clara could relate to Angela was really awesome, and the fact that she was no longer alone and had someone to discuss all of her teen drama with was pretty exciting.

The only thing that I found a little bit frustrating was that there seemed to much stuffed into the book. I understand that certain things need to happen in the span of a book to set up a plot and break down all the boring and exciting details that are required to know in order to understand a character, but I honestly felt like there was too much time elapsing in the book. I found myself wondering when it would end multiple times, only to realize that I still had a percentage to go.

The angel storyline I wasn’t hugely keen on, but the ending is what really won me over in this book. In the span of the final twenty percent of the book, Cynthia Hand managed to take my reality of Unearthly and turn it upside-down, making me fall in love with everything about this novel. Kaitlyn and I were talking as I finished reading the book, and she was listening to me as I screamed from excitement and confusion and all the other reasons a person would scream as they finished up Unearthly. Despite its beginnings, the novel clearly ended up becoming one of my favourite reads this year.

If you’re looking for a good angel book and you’re late to the party (like me) check out Unearthly because it’s an amazing read in the end, even if the middle lags a little bit.

Rating: ★★★★★ 4.5/5 Stars

Guest Post & Review: Back to You by Natalie-Nicole Bates

Title: Back to You
Author: Natalie-Nicole Bates

Summary: On the surface, Lynsey Reznor seems to have it all. She is beautiful, brilliant, and a successful true-crime writer who has been living the past decade in Miami. But what Lynsey lacks is what she needs the most—a family.

After the death of her mother, and yet another failed relationship, Lynsey makes an impulsive decision to return to her hometown of Unity. But Unity will present its own bittersweet memories, most notably, her first love, Nick Lincoln.

Twenty years ago, Nick broke teenager Lynsey’s heart when he decided to marry another. He had his own private reasons—reasons he never explained to Lynsey. Now she is back, along with a chance to reclaim her love. But Lynsey wants answers from him that he may never be able to give out of duty and guilt.



Natalie-Nicole Bates has been kind enough to let us read and review her book, Back to You on her blog tour. Today she has brought us an interview with her main character, Lynsey Reznor.


Today I’m pleased to get a chance to visit with my heroine, Lynsey Reznor, from my contemporary romance Back To You. Lynsey is going is going to talk a bit about her reasons for leaving Unity when she was a teenager.

NNB: Lynsey, thank you for agreeing to talk about your early years in Unity. Can you tell me about your life before you left at sixteen?

LR: Well, the only family I had was my mother. My father died when I was young—I don’t remember him. I had a normal childhood, I guess. My mother was always there for me. I loved her tremendously.

NNB: I understand you have always been a whip-smart cookie!

LR: I suppose so. I skipped over two grades, so I was actually sixteen in my senior year of high school.

NNB: When you were sixteen, you were offered a scholarship to a school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Did you feel torn between accepting the scholarship and staying on in Unity?

LR: Sixteen was a difficult age for me. I developed a crush on my best friend Suzy’s brother, Nick. I thought he liked me as well, but…he chose to peruse a relationship with another girl.

NNB: That must have hurt very much.

LR: My first love, my first heartbreak. It caused me to rebound to another guy.

NNB: Caleb Smith?

LR: Yes, Caleb. A decent guy, but he pressured me for a commitment I wasn’t ready for.

NNB: So you fled Unity?

LR: Pretty much. But I certainly don’t regret it. I even stayed on in Switzerland an additional four years. I feel quite grateful to have been able to travel and be educated in Europe. My French became fluid and effortless, and I learned to ski. All in all, a great life experience.

NNB: I heard there was also a romance with an Olympic ice hockey player?

LR: Ah…Jean-Luc. How I did enjoy my time with him. But the relationship ran in its course. We do remain friends to this day. He’s a coach with an NHL team now. Every time his team came to Florida we always would get together for dinner and speak to each other in nothing but French. He is still the smoothest man I’ve ever known.

NNB: Sounds like fun. Do you miss Miami yet?

LR: Not really. Like my time with Jean-Luc, my time in Miami was great while it lasted, but a thing of the past nonetheless. I am happy, excited, and looking forward to returning to my hometown of Unity.

NNB: Much luck, Lynsey, I wish you nothing but the best and I hope you find everything you are looking for in Unity.

Read more about Lynsey and her life in Unity in Back To You, available now at Bradley Publishing!

Back to you is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bradley Publishing.

~

Review: This book, if anything, was a short story. I’m really disappointed in reading this novel and I almost wish that I hadn’t. It’s not because of the fact that it was a bad novel, although it really had its dull moments. The thing that I disliked about this ‘novel’ more than anything was that it had the potential to be a really, really amazing novel, but it fell so very short of its potential.

Back to You started off right with plot line, and while that could be alright in most books, it wasn’t okay in this one. The plot line started off and we knew nothing about the characters, but then all of a sudden we were learning everything about the characters and yet we were learning nothing of intense importance. It was important to learn that Nick had lost his wife, and it was important to learn why Lynsey had moved back to her hometown, Unity, but we didn’t learn things that were actually potentially important about the characters. It took halfway into the book for me to learn exactly what type of writing Lynsey did and when the author initially mentioned that there was a ‘new division’ in Unity, I thought it meant her job, not a housing division.

In addition to that, everyone and their mother was a cop. Street cop, detective, sergeant. Every single guy that was interested in Lynsey had or was in the police force one way or another. The town didn’t seem that big of a town either, so it made absolutely no sense that three people that she’d initially known since childhood were in the police force and then there was another man who she knew from somewhere else who was also in the force. It felt like an overdose of police and it made me wonder if anyone else in the town did anything other than work for the police.

For a novel that wasn’t even 30,000 words, it had a surprising amount of insignificant detail. I mean, it was a great concept to have our Mary Sue (Lynsey) visit her injured friend, Evan (another of the males who was not only on the police force but was also after her), but there was absolutely nothing about Suzy’s divorce that had any relevance to the novel. I breezed through this, mainly looking for a reason to get it done and over with.

Between the bad quality of the PDF (putting the PDF on my Kindle completely ruined the formatting and made it difficult to read) and the downright ridiculousness of the concept of four guys hunting after a girl who clearly had her heart set on the man she’d been in love with since she was sixteen, I felt like I was reading a bad soap opera. Nick and Lynsey exchanged these little sentences that ended or started with words like ‘sweetheart’, ‘honey’ and ‘my angel’ which made it so very obvious that they were meant for each other at the beginning of the novel. And the attempt at sex scenes in here… It was like watching a car crash; terrible, horrible, but unable to look away for fear of missing something important to write about in the review.

Overall, I managed to finish the novel, so I didn’t despise it, but it really could have been something had the author actually sat down and gone over this with some thought and edited it a heck of a lot more. Back to You had the potential to be an amazing novel, but instead it was just a boring, lukewarm short story that made me want to fall asleep rather than read it.

Rating: ★★ 2/5 Stars

Review: EXILED

Title: Exiled
Author: RaShelle Workman
Series: Immortal Essence
Pages: 340
Published: 2011

Summary: Stubborn, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus of Kelari wants one thing, to become immortal, that is, until someone exiles her to Earth, kills her irrihunter and takes her family. Now she wants revenge.

First she’s got to get home. But before she can return to Kelari, the Gods have commanded her to help an arrogant boy named Michael find his soul mate. Only she doesn't know the first thing about love. Rather quickly, her inexperience with human emotion is obscured by other matters--alien-controlled psychotic teens that are out to kill her, and a government group that is set on capturing and dissecting her.

Worst of all, Venus will suffer a painful death-by-poisoning, thanks to Earth’s atmosphere, if she remains on the planet longer than one week. Still, Venus is a Princess and she's got a plan. Surely, with her help, Michael will fall in love with a human. But time is running out and Michael is falling for the wrong girl--her.

Review: When searching for books to read, I always have a tendency to pick the ones that everyone else on my goodreads friends list have already read and reviewed, so it gives me a sort of idea as to what to expect from the novel and if it’s worth reading or not. I was a little bit surprised and a lot excited to find that Exiled by Rashelle Workman was something that none of the people I’m friends with has yet to read. Knowing that it was new and uncharted waters, I eagerly delved in.

Of course, I didn’t expect for it to instantly make me love it, and there was a time that I set it down completely and avoided it (although that was because NetGalley approved me for Wonder by R.J. Palacio and I just couldn’t resist), but when I came back to reading, I practically fell in love.

Venus is a Kelarian, but not just any Kelarian. Venus is the princess of Kelari. It starts off on Venus’s sixteenth birthday, the day that she’s supposed to leave home and take the journey to see the gods, Ith and Athea, so that she can be granted immortality. While that’s all she cares about, there’s different plans set for her, and she finds herself exiled on Earth, accused of killing her irrihunter and being the reason her family has been kidnapped. On top of all of that, she has to make a human named Michael find his soul mate if she wants to live.

A lot happens in this book, most of which I don’t plan on even coming close to spoiling for you, but if you’re curious in picking up a book to read, then I really have to suggest that it be this one. First off, there’s a distinct beauty to the description in this novel, and if you don’t fall in love with the way the characters look (which I have to say is absolutely breathtaking for the most part) then that’s a shame. Second of all, the plot is intriguing. There were twists that I didn’t expect to happen, and it’s very interesting to learn about Michael and Venus and see how their time together allows them to progress and find new labels to their relationship.

On the other hand, there were two things that I disliked about this book. The first has to deal with a spoiler, so we’ll only touch on the key point of my disliking. Venus ends up telling Michael a story about a war that happened on her planet because he asks her to, and while it was nice to know some back history of Kelari, I found myself skimming past these pages because they bored me. It just wasn’t something that I felt needed to be dragged on during this book, but I otherwise liked the story. Well, the end of the story at least.

The other part that I really disliked was the ending. There was a point where the book should have ended and then it just continued on for another two chapters, which was really pointless. Granted, they weren’t long chapters, but that doesn’t change the fact that I really wasn’t a fan of the fact that the book didn’t end at a natural ending and instead took an unnatural ‘cliffhanger-esque’ ending. I’m really starting to not be able to stand cliffhangers. Or love triangles, but that’s a whole other topic that we won’t get on about right now.

Overall, I really did like this book, and I’m really excited for the sequel, Beguiled, which comes out in May! If you’re looking for a book that’s not quite the typical young adult novel but is still right up the paranormal-ish alley, check out Exiled and maybe when you’re done reading it, you can sneak into the novel for me and kidnap me a pair of the boots that I would die for. They’re so beautiful and, in the words of someone that I adore, so fierce! Someday I will have a pair of my own! Someday.

Rating: ★★★★ 3.5/5 Stars

Review: Tainted Soul

Title: Tainted Soul
Author: Sam C. Leonhard
Series: Tainted
Pages: 314
Published: 2011

Summary: Gabriel Jordan, part-time werewolf and full-time private investigator, should be living a happy life. Three years ago, he was a homeless thief; now he’s got a loving partner and a job he enjoys, he lives in a nice house, and he doesn’t have to worry about tomorrow. So why the sudden urge to cheat on Aleksei, the handsome and occasionally deceptive fae he loves? Why does Gabriel feel compelled to flee the life he’s built for himself?

Someone’s calling him. Someone’s looking for him. Someone holds his destiny in her hands. The portals to the hidden worlds have become unstable, even dangerous. Fear and madness linger in the dark. Panic and nightmares chase him, but Gabriel can’t fight an enemy he can’t see, and even turning into his wolf form may not be enough to save him.

Review: I have been putting this review off for a while because of all of the feelings that have taken over my poor mind after having finished this book. When I initially read the first book in the Tainted series, Tainted Blood, I found that I really enjoyed the characterization and the way that Gabriel and Aleksei interacted. In Tainted Soul, I found that the plotline was far superior to that of the first novel, something that surprised me because I don’t tend to like sequels more than the original novel. It was a refreshing surprise.

In Tainted Soul, Gabriel keeps hearing this voice that’s telling him to harm his boyfriend, to cheat on him and even kill him. Now, I can’t begin to imagine what in the world I would do if I were in Gabriel’s situation, but I know for a fact that I would not be able to handle it nearly as well as he did. The way that he managed to ignore the voice so long and to the point that he actually thought he’d listened to it when he hadn’t…it was very impressive.

The thing that I liked most about Tainted Soul was that we finally got the chance to discover what Gabriel really was, and it’s pretty impressive. I can’t imagine being just a werewolf or just a faerie, let alone the combination that Gabriel discovers is what he actually is. The discovery and the plot line that led up to it was really what captivated me with Tainted Soul. I had started the book in the beginning of February and ended up setting it down after a little while because I was a little bit dissatisfied with how the story was starting

As with Tainted Blood, I had some issues with the sex scenes. They weren’t nearly as bad as in Tainted Soul, because there thankfully wasn’t an entire chapter worth, but there was one and a half that I really wasn’t sure needed to be in the novel and were just page fillers. I understand that the novel called for sex scenes, but I really don’t think that we needed all of the ones that were actually in Tainted Soul.

I have to say that the ending was quite literally my favourite part of the novel and what made the sequel better than the original novel. The climax of the novel was so dramatic that I was sneaking the chance to read it during my math class, almost daring my teacher to catch me as I desperately determined that I had, had to find out what happened next. There was a part of the novel that left me heartbroken and a part of it that left me screaming for joy (not in math class, I promise).

Overall, I’d love to see what would potentially happen next in Gabriel and Aleksei’s lives, but if the series ends there, then I would have to say that I’m very glad that I got the chance to read the books. Tainted Soul surprised me when I read it, proving to me that I could be wrong when it came to if I would like the book or not. I thought that I’d get bored with it around page 80 and that we’d get to the point of no return when I find myself unable to finish books, but that wasn’t the case at all. It was a joy to read, and I’m really very glad that I requested the title on NetGalley.

Thank you to Ariel at Dreamspinner Press for providing me with Tainted Blood so that I could read Tainted Soul, and thank you to Dreamspinner Press for providing Tainted Soul for review.

Rating: ★★★★ 4.5/5 Stars

Review: Tithe

Title: Tithe
Author: Holly Black
Series: The Modern Faerie Tales
Pages: 331
Published: 2002

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.

Review: I wish I could say that I expected to finish this book and give it a two star rating, but I hadn't. When I had first picked up Tithe, I purchased it in a trilogy box set as Borders declared that they were shutting their doors. I figured that getting three books for eight dollars wasn't a bad deal, especially since they were books that I had heard were talked about when I was back in high school. From what I had heard, Holly Black had made faerie tales fun, had brought a spark of life into them that hadn't been seen before.

If I were to sit back and think about the six months that it has taken me to actually start and finish this book, I might very generously round my rating up to two and a half stars, but I really can't be bothered taking time out of my day to sit and think about Tithe more than I am right now as I write this review.

When I started this book back in October, I figured that it would be a pretty good book, but I have to say that I wasn't expecting all the language and drama and all that stuff that happened at the beginning. On the one hand, I have to give props to Holly Black for actually making a young adult novel seem like how teenagers act these days, but on the other hand I wanted to say that the swearing was a bit much, especially since it really, really mellowed out farther on in the book.

The only thing that I liked about this book was Corny. I found Kaye to be annoying and Roiben was...I don't even know how to describe him. I wanted to punch him in the face. Also, all of this drama just happened in about a week's time, something that sounds feasible, but really didn't work in this book. I kept expecting that there would be some amount of time lapse in this novel, but no. I have read books that have had less pages and have managed to spread out over a year of a character's life and still ended up being better written than Tithe. It's just that too much happened in not enough pages and the drama was overwhelming. Also, there were too many things to keep track of, and I found myself having to put this book down over and over again just because my head was spinning from all of the nonsense that was in this novel.

Another thing that really bothered me was the writing style. Some of it was really wonderful prose. I found myself locked in a paragraph, rereading it twice or three times because I loved how it was worded, and then all of a sudden we went from that magical prose to this very frustrating writing style that made me want to rip out pages in this book and throw them across the room. I can't stand damaging books, but I really, really wanted to destroy this one, and I really want to stick it on a bookshelf with other novels that I will never go near again, like Twilight.

With the plot that Tithe had, it could have been such an interesting read, but it lacked because of the writing and the unnecessary additions and overbearing drama that was scattered all throughout the novel. I'm disappointed to say that I regret my purchase and don't know if I'll ever come close to reading the rest in the modern faerie tale series.

Rating: ★★ 2/5 Stars

Review: Divergent

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent
Pages: 487
Published: 2011

Summary: In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Review: I’m always hesitant of novels that have ended up on bestseller lists, especially since the whole Twilight fiasco all those years ago. Reading Divergent was something that I had wanted to do since it had come out, but I kept having to put it off because of one thing or another, and by the time I got back to it, I was hesitant to read it. It was recommended to me as a read for this month and so I took on the challenge and actually sat down to read Divergent, allowing myself to get into the book and read it, and I have to say that I was very surprised with how much I liked it.

Set in futuristic, dystopian Chicago, Divergent is about a girl named Beatrice who has to pick which of the five factions (groups of people) she belongs in. She finds out during the test that she’s a Divergent (destined for multiple factions) and is told to keep the whole thing secret while she considers which faction to choose.

The five factions: Candor, Erudite, Abnegation, Amity and Dauntless, each have a key defining point that make them a faction. The faction that Beatrice chooses, Dauntless, is known for bravery. She then changes her name to Tris and meets Four, her new coach who is to lead her and the other new transfers through the screening process to stay in Dauntless. If not, then end up factionless, the equivalent of a homeless person and they have no one or nothing to look forward to ever.

I really liked reading Divergent because the plotline was intriguing and the relationship between Tris and Four builds beautifully, in a sort of slow and continuous way rather than choppily or sudden like most YA novels these days. I just had a problem with the way that the Dauntless worked. I mean, the fact that they all wore black and had tattoos and piercings was cool and all, but the concept of jumping on and off of trains, throwing yourself off of buildings and basically letting yourself get killed or almost killed just in order to be accepted into the faction is ridiculous and disturbing. Well, not disturbing, but quite improbable.

The thing that I understood the least was that Tris and all of these recruits just went along with it like there was nothing wrong whatsoever. I understand that had they not, they would have ended up factionless and that is a disturbing thought within itself, but it just seems like people wouldn’t blindly go through all of these tests without even knowing if they’re going to come out of it alive or not. SPOILER: [Also, a place where suicide is considered a bold and heroic movement is…I don’t have words…]

Aside from that, I really liked the plotline and I really liked that the author didn’t leave us with a cliffhanger that made us desperately crave the next one the second it was done. I have to say that I desperately craved it anyway, but the point of that is that cliffhangers seem to be the next big thing in YA fiction and it’s really frustrating because I’m sick of being stuck in these , ‘Will this happen will that happen oh my god what’s next!?’ ending to books. I like that Veronica Roth didn’t leave us with a cliffhanger and yet still left us desiring more. I’m craving the next book so badly that it makes me want to cry.

I can’t wait to see what happens in Insurgent, and if you haven’t read Divergent yet, you really need to. Despite some plot holes that I really can’t get past, it’s a really amazing novel, and it deserves to be read.

Rating: ★★★★ 4/5 Stars

Review: My Enchanted Life

Title: My Enchanted Life
Author: Laura Eno
Pages: 256
Published: 2011

Summary: An American teen finds herself thrust into a world she never knew existed in England's magical community of Wode Gate. While dealing with gnomes, a cranky dragon, murder and mayhem, Emma tries to cope with her unwanted duties as Sentinel and fights to get back home again.

She finds that things aren't always what they seem, people aren't who they pretend to be, and someone wants her dead. The king of the underworld wants her too, but he may be the least of her problems as Emma struggles to control her powers—while losing her heart to a demon.

Review: I know that the schedule said that I was going to review Divergent tonight, but due to some ridiculously annoying circumstances, Divergent has been pushed back to tomorrow.

I didn’t have many expectations for this book since I knew little to nothing about it, excluding the fact that I had requested it. When I realised that I had to read it for an upcoming review date, I just dug in without even rereading the synopsis. Sometimes it’s better to jump into a book blindly, without knowing what goes on in the book at all and just experiencing it firsthand. My Enchanted Life was definitely one of those books.

In My Enchanted Life, Emma finds herself relocated to Britain when her uncle dies and leaves her his home. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to be eighteen, just out of high school and finding yourself the owner of a home in a country that you haven’t been to since you were born. Emma bravely accepted the duty to go and see what the property was like and landed herself in a world that she never expected.

I knew from starting the book that it was going to be some sort of paranormal YA novel, but I hadn’t expected it to end up being such an intriguing novel. There were so many different types of novels in the YA universe these days that stick to one or two different kinds of concepts; dystopian, vampires vs. werewolves, mermaids, et cetera. It was nice to see that this one had a sort of different concept to it. There were the typical concepts inside of the novel and Emma had some Mary Sue qualities, but there was some uniqueness to it.

I enjoyed that there was a variety of paranormal and that they all lived together. My favourite had to be Cussard, a wonderful dragon that was the colours of the rainbow. He just had such a wonderful personality to him, and while he was supposed to be one of those ‘grumpy’ characters, I enjoyed him. I also have to say that I really liked Randolph despite the fact that he ended up being a jerk in the end. I wanted to see more about him and I really wanted him and Emma to get together.

Out of all the characters, the one I liked the least was Matthew. I was not a fan and I kind of wanted to punch him in the face within moments after first meeting him. Of course the Greek God-esque person with the hard past and the troubled heritage was the one and only fit for Emma. It bothered me, to be quite honest, that he was the one that she ended up with, and despite the fact that I really liked the story, I think it would have been better without his character, even though he was vital for about half of the novel to commence.

My Enchanted Life was an intriguing read, and if there is a sequel I plan on reading it, if only to hope that Emma and Randolph will end up together in the end and to see more of Cussard, Lizzy and the rest of the gang. I wasn’t a huge fan of the main characters, but then again, I usually am not when it comes to a novel. Even the best of them don’t seem to have MCs that I want to fall in love with. It’s the side characters that are my favourite, and Laura Eno managed to give me side characters that I fell in love with, side characters that make the novel one worth reading.


Rating: ★★★★ 4/5 Stars

Review: Forbidden

Title: Forbidden
Author: Megan Curd
Series: The Guardian Chronicles
Pages: 270
Published: 2011

Summary: Levi's job is to protect his human until it's their time to go. That's what a Guard does. He's done it for years on end, and he'll spend his eternity doing the same, mundane thing, following the same, mundane rules.

...Watch from afar.
...Never share your name.
...And above all, never touch a human.

What Levi doesn't know is that his newest human to protect, Hannah, just might be the catalyst to tipping the scales between good and evil, and he will be forced to decide which side he belongs to. Which friends will he side with, and who will he ultimately protect: his human, or the delicate balance that hangs on stopping the heartbeat of the person he has sworn to protect?

And, when you're already condemned, what's there to lose by breaking the rules?

Review: I really wasn't sure what to expect when I initially started reading Forbidden. First off, props to Megan Curd for writing a first person book from a boy's perspective. It's not something that's really intensely seen in novels, so I approve immensely. I believe that I was hesitant to read Forbidden because of the fact that I hadn't been recommended it and I had heard nothing about it at all. The only bit of knowledge that I had about it was from the summary, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to read it at all.

Looking back, I am so glad that I picked up this book. The days that I read it, I had actually fallen asleep while reading it. That wasn't because it was a boring or bad book, but due to the fact that I had stayed up until almost five in the morning, knowing that I had school the next day, just to see what was going to happen next in the book.

Levi intrigued me. I had almost expected him to be a little frustrating and annoying because his initial personality made me assume that he was going to be as such. It was refreshingly surprising to realise that the entire time that I read Forbidden, I didn't find him annoying or frustrating. Instead, I found his character to be one that grew throughout the book and I really enjoyed the way his feelings for his charge, Hannah, changed throughout the book.

My downright favourite character in the story had to have been Ethan. He entertained me and when I feared that something was going to happen to him, I freaked out more than any normal person should ever freak out when it comes to a character in a book. His personality was wonderful, the way he started out with a nonchalant attitude towards the humans and ended up becoming such a wonderful, starting-to-become-kind character. I really hope to see him progressing in the sequel, which I really can't wait to read!

The plot line of Forbidden kept me clinging to it, and I really was glad that it was a book that I hadn't set aside until whenever I was bored. It was a good choice and I would definitely recommend it to someone who was interested in reading a book about angels and rule-breaking from a male perspective, not that it much mattered whose perspective the book was from. It was wonderful and I won't hesitate to reread it sometime in the future.

Rating: ★★★★ 4/5 Stars

Kaitlyn's Review: Cinder

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles
Pages: 387
Published: 2012

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl... Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

Review: Cinder. The title is the name of the main character, and it’s obvious that this is sort of a spin on the “Cinderella” story. However, Marissa Meyers takes this classic tale most of us grew up with and turns it into something entirely of her own; something as new as her book.

I adored this book! I know, I know, what book haven’t I adored lately, but the fact is that Rhee filters out the bad books and then lets me read them and then I get to rave about them. But! That doesn’t discredit the fact that Cinder was an amazing, amazing read.

First of all, it’s in third person, which is nice. The reader can’t help fall for Cinder. And as per she’s supposed to, she has an evil step mother. Who still makes me angry just thinking about her! Ugh.

There are aspects of the classic tale that Meyers makes her own. IE: the robot, Iko. Iko is adorable and I have my own predictions about her character (which I won’t say!) but I love her.

I also love the premise of the plague. Well, I hate it, because it’s a plague, but without it the book wouldn’t have that certain something that sets it apart from most other YA novels. I love that Cinder isn’t a typical teenage girl—not just in the fact that she’s a cyborg, but because she’s modest without being a Mary Sue that’s like “I can’t do anything right blah blah blah.” While it’s obvious Cinder doesn’t have much self-worth, she knows she’s the most skilled mechanic and doesn’t try to hide it, even if she is humble, which is exactly one of the best qualities about her. It really is almost impossible not to fall in love with Cinder.

As for the love interest, Prince Kai, just let me say there were so many “NOW KISS!” moments that I was groaning and whining at the book. Those really are the only moments when the reader wants to yell at Cinder because she’s being a doofus. Even if she has her reasons!

The premise of the “Lunars” is very interesting. It’s like Marissa Meyers mashed the thought of fairies and aliens and humans into one being. They’re scary, and I hope they never, ever exist, but it’s interesting and once again, adds that unique twist to the book. The book also will make you laugh. Meyers writes with a flow and grace that’s hard to ignore. The book will just flow and you won’t want to put it down, I promise.

If you’re looking for a book that’ll have you on your toes, feeling all the feelings, and leave you with such a cliff hanger that you will cry when you remember the next book doesn’t come out until 2013… then Cinder is for you! I completely recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5 Stars

Review: Between the Land and the Sea

Title: Between the Land and the Sea
Author: Derrolyn Anderson
Series: Marina's Tales
Pages: 248
Published: 2011

Summary: Something extraordinary is lurking in the deep waters off the coast of Aptos, California. A few weeks after moving to the charming beach town, sixteen year-old Marina has nearly drowned twice, enchanted the hottest guy in high school, and discovered a supernatural creature. If she can only manage to survive increasingly dangerous encounters with unpredictable mermaids, she might be able to unlock the mystery of her past and learn how to appease the mysterious forces that seem to want something from her... And maybe even find true love along the way.

Review: To be honest, I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I first requested a copy of Between the Land and the Sea to read. I feared that it was going to be like all the other young adult books out there which all seem to have the same sort of plot line that drags on and on and on and ends up with the boy and the girl together and everything's perfect in the end. While it doesn't fully deviate from the normal expectations of YA books, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I ended up liking the book more than I thought I would have.

Starting off, I felt like this was going to be a novel that I rushed through just to get it over with. I had a feeling that it was going to be adequate in the terms of a novel, and it would be something that I wasn't impressed by in the slightest. I think a lot of that came with the fact that initially I didn't like Marina at all. I was bored with her character and was much more interested in the side characters rather than her.

It wasn't until somewhere around a third of the way through the book that I realised that I really did like Marina as a character. She seemed well-rounded. Foolish, but well-rounded. She had a wide variety of feelings and they weren't too intense nor timid. She's a good character, and I really like the way that we got to experience the story through her eyes and yet still got a feel of what was happening around her. Most first person novels that I read have a tendency to completely forget that there's a world outside of the main character, and I was glad to know that Between the Land and the Sea wasn't like that.

My downright favourite character was Cruz. He is absolutely adorable and I want one for myself so that I have someone to design amazing clothing for me. Plus, fashion designer cousins are always a wonderful concept.

Between the Land and the Sea was a pleasant read, and I have a feeling that I might read this book again in the future. I greatly enjoyed it, and I hope that others will be able to enjoy it the way that I did. If you're looking for an interesting tale of mermaids and wonderful cousins and friends, then this is a book for you.

Rating: ★★★★ 3.5/5 Stars

Review: Bittersweet

Title: Bittersweet
Author: Sarah Ockler
Pages: 378
Published: 2012

Summary: Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances… a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life…and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last…

Review: This novel was downright adorable, but I have to warn you before you even get started, make sure you are either a. Full and have just eaten, or b. Have an entire plate of cupcakes or something sweet next to you to eat while you read the sweetness of this novel.

Some of the cupcake recipes in this novel...I had to stop and salivate over the beginning of almost every chapter because the downright deliciousness of each cupcake description, and if the sweetness of the cupcakes weren't enough, the novel itself made me develop cavities upon cavities.

I really liked the way that Bittersweet started off with a dramatic moment, with Hudson discovering how her father had cheated on her mother and how that threw off everything for her and her family, and I really like the way Sarah Ockler allowed us to see a little bit of the girl's life before we went into the present day.

Hudson's current life is nothing like her past, and she's gone from being an almost-professional ice skater to a nobody hiding in the back of her mother's diner and trying to bury herself in cupcakes. She's lost all of her past friends and only has her best friend, Dani, left, aside from her mother and her brother, Bug (who was my downright favourite character in the entire book. So adorable!). And then we discover this whole new idea that Hudson is secretly skating again, which is where we run into the absolute and wonderful Josh!

Oh Josh. Where do I begin with Josh? He is adorable and I just want one of him for myself, yes please! Throughout the book he seemed downright adorable and throughout the entire book I was just waiting for him and Hudson to get together, especially since they were absolutely precious as friends.

My favourite bits of the book had to be where the hockey team actually appreciated the way that Hudson worked to help train them and make sure that they were ready and prepared to take on the season, but I wanted to punch Will in the face. I get the way he was trying to fix things in the end, but he was selfish and he managed to try and screw everything up between Hudson and Josh, and almost succeeded.

This book was downright adorable and I definitely know that I will potentially reread it in the future. It was sweet and left a heck of a cupcake craving by the end of the book. If you're looking for a cute, quick read (even though it does get a little bit slow in the end), and are desperate to make some cupcakes by the end of it all, then this book is definitely for you!

Rating: ★★★★ 4/5 Stars

Review: Worlds Burn Through

Title: Worlds Burn Through
Author: Vicki Keire
Pages: 78
Published: 2012

Summary: Chloe Burke has nightmares of a world burned to ash and the strange boy who saves them both.

Underneath the dreams lurks a deeply buried reality; Chloe and a handful of others are survivors of a decade old apocalypse that burned their home world to the ground.

Now their ancient enemies hunt them again. To keep their adopted world safe, Chloe must undergo a ritual of blood sacrifice that will have life-long consequences if she survives. Her lethal protector, Eliot Gray, must keep her alive long enough to do it.

Together they will uncover even more dangerous secrets buried in the past’s deepest, darkest ashes.

Review: Worlds Burn Through was a wonderful little novella about a girl named Chloe and how her life is changing after the death of her father, in mysterious ways of course.

I have to admit that I enjoyed reading Worlds Burn Through more than I thought I would. When I received the ARC from NetGalley, I thought that the premise sounded interesting but would just be one of those books that you enjoy but don't consider continuing with the series. Reading it proved to me that that wasn't the case at all.

Even if you end up reading the book and decide that you aren't a huge fan of it, there's no way that you can deny that Vicki Keire doesn't have a way with words. The way she writes is inspirational and while I was reading it, I could imagine everything so vividly thanks to the description and beautiful wording.

While I'm not sure I'll continue on to read the rest of the series (too many books, not enough time), I do know that I really did enjoy what I did read of it. I hope that whoever picks up a copy of it discovers the wonders of Worlds Burn Through the way that I did, and even if they don't, I hope that they find themselves submersed in the vivid imagery of Vicki Keire's writing.

Review: ★★★ 3/5 Stars

Review: Looking for Alaska

Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Page: 221
Published: 2005

Summary: Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

Review: When I initially finished reading Looking for Alaska, I was completely overwhelmed by the end of the novel which involves too many spoilers to count, and I considered it to be an almost 5-Star book. I realise now that that had a lot to do with the fact that it was somewhere around four in the morning and I was not only sleep deprived but in love with the ending that really does make the book worth reading.

I can't deny it. John Green has a way with words, especially when it comes to the ending of Looking of Alaska. He knows how to take a novel and play with it enough to make it sound like an intriguing read, and he also manages to make his stories seem realistic and have just a proper touch of drama that could theoretically happen in life. Despite all of that, I found Looking for Alaska to be just an average teen novel, and while it did have its moments, it did not deserve the 4.5 Stars that I had first given it, so 3.5 is what I'll stick with for the purpose of this review.

There were times while I was reading the book that I was wondering if we were ever going to come to a point where something exciting or dramatic would happen. I am all for novels where the merry band of friends go around and do crazy things like get drunk, party and plan pranks to pass the time, but when there's so much hype surrounding an author, I expected more, and while I did get more, I don't think it was enough.

SPOILER: [I kind of had predicted that Alaska would either get injured or disappear/die/something during the book, but I hadn't expected why she would have. After we got past the fact that she wasn't going to see her boyfriend, the reason behind her leaving was predictable but I have to give John Green some credit. It takes a whole lot of love to leave school at (I think it was three) in the morning to go and leave flowers on her grave. Even if she thought she was the cause of her mother's death, it was beautiful.]

I found the end of the book, not the last scene, to be funny and sweet, but the very last scene of the book, where we were with Miles as he thought about the religion teacher (who I loved. The religion class was such an awesome concept.) and Alaska's question and he came to his conclusions about life and getting out of the labyrinth to be one of the best endings to a book that I've read, and that's why I may or may not have fallen in love with Looking for Alaska.

To be honest, I most likely would not reread it, but I would reread that last scene and I would see a film version if they were to create one. I do hope that other John Green books are as wonderful as the ending of Looking for Alaska and I will continue to read his works.

Rating: ★★★★ 3.5/5 Stars

Review: Tainted Blood

Title: Tainted Blood
Author: Sam C. Leonhard
Series: Tainted
Pages: 296
Published: 2010

Summary: Gabriel Jordan lives a lonely life on the streets, taking the rare job that usually means spending hours in the cold, waiting for a chance to take a photograph of a cheating spouse. That’s how he meets Dr. Aleksei Tennant—who he sees suspiciously jumping from a window of a woman’s apartment. Tennant introduces Gabriel to the hidden worlds, magical worlds connected to this one by portals. Gabriel is eager to learn the runes for opening them, Tennant is eager to teach, and a fragile friendship develops amidst a series of murders.

These aren’t just any murders. The killer has a grudge against the mixture of other races: he doesn't kill humans, only those of the hidden worlds who are producing children of tainted blood. When the killer attacks them directly, Gabriel and Tennant have to team up to find the murderer, even though they’re putting themselves, their love, and any chance at a future together, in danger.

Review: Before I say anything, I would like to thank Ariel from Dreamspinner Press for providing me with a copy of Tainted Blood when I foolishly requested the second novel without realising that it was part of a series.

Tainted Blood has caused me to nitpick a little bit with my rating, earning it a whole 3.75 stars, something that one would never see unless they were attempting to average a bunch of reviews. The novel was something that I really enjoyed reading, but it didn't quite earn four stars because of some of the less-wonderful points in the novel which mainly revolved around moments where Gabriel whined about the fact that he loved Dr. Tennant and the man would never feel the same way.

While stereotypes were called on when it came to this novel, Tainted Blood was a refreshing read and I really did enjoy it. The feistiness of Gabriel's personality and the way that Tennant was so intrigued by Gabriel and his magical wonders was surprisingly refreshing.

I really did enjoy the fact that not only did Gabriel find his way out of his homelessness and his crappy job of having to take pictures of people doing things like cheating on their spouses for his creepy boss, but he found someone that he fell in love with. The entire time I was rooting for Gabriel, waiting for him to find love in Tennant and the man to love him back. I honestly just wanted them to kiss.

But they definitely did much more than that. SPOILER: [This was my least favourite part of the book, and it has nothing to do with the overdose on sex in the one chapter of Tainted Blood. Fuck or Die options are something that I have never been a fan of in any style of writing and I personally find them to be something annoying, so I was highly disappointed to find that that was exactly what had to happen in Tainted Blood.] It was an intense read for someone who hadn't expected it to go from nothing to everything, but I won't lie and say that I didn't enjoy it. I just think it could have been toned down a little.

The end of the book was kind of awesome, and I expected it to take a different path, but was rather pleased that it didn't. I'm so used to what I predict in a novel coming true but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't the case and the ending made me appreciate the book a lot more that I had the knowledge that the author chose a different route from the typical.

I really did semi-love Tainted Blood and I would definitely read it again. Right now I'm reading the sequel and I can't wait to see what comes out of it!

Rating: ★★★★ 3.75 Stars