Review of Ever After High: Next Top Villain by Suzanne Selfors

Review of Suzanne Selfors' Ever After High: Next Top Villain

Release Date: January 6th, 2015

Synopsis as found on Amazon.com:

A brand-new series of school stories from the world of Ever After High!

Duchess Swan and Lizzie Hearts are roommates at Ever After High. While their personalities are very different, they bond over not quite fitting in with the other Royals. Lizzie, however, has one thing that Duchess doesn't: a happily-ever-after at the end of her story.

While Lizzie and the other princesses train for the day when they will rule their kingdoms, Duchess is torn between her role as the perfect, dutiful princess and her rebellious ambition to be a queen. When both girls are selected to attend General Villainy class, Duchess sees an opportunity to be a rebel while following the rules. But can she play a prank on her roomie to ace the class? Find out if Duchess' desire to change her destiny will make her Ever After High's Next Top Villain!

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I am really excited that this new series of Ever After High books is introducing different characters that have never been written about before. This first book in the entirely new series, written by a new author to the Ever After High family, Suzanne Selfors, is through the eyes of Duchess Swan.

While Duchess was mentioned once or twice, we never got to know her character.

Since Duchess' 8th Birthday, she has known what her fairy tale future would bring. She would be cursed to become a swan and she would have no Happily Ever After like many of the Royalty she knows. All she wants is to meet a Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset, but that future is not in the cards for her. There is one plus side for her, though. As a swan, she gets to be a Prima Ballerina... and that is the one thing she is good at.

When Duchess is placed into Mr. Badwolf's General Villainy class, she believes there must have been a mistake. She is not the villain in her story. She is the princess in distress. When she overhears a conversation between Badwolf and Headmaster Grimm, she gets the clue at to why her life is being flipped upside down. Grimm believes that Duchess wants to change her future and get her Happily Ever After. With Raven Queen having gone Rebel, they are going to need another Big Bad Villain to fill her shoes. He believes Duchess may be that person. Everyone may have the spark inside of them to go Evil and it looks like within Duchess, there just might be a Black Swan.

Before this story, the only picture I had of Duchess Swan was one of a stuck-up Princess who didn't look forward to her future and treated everyone else poorly. This story really changed my point of view on her character and there were quite a few times when I actually felt sorry for her.

I have to say, I think I enjoyed this book more than the books from the other series. Without the voice of the Narrator, this book feels less Juvenile and it made it feel like it was written for a broader audience. I love the series... and really most series that adapt fairy tales, so I am excited for the upcoming books. The new character point of views are really exciting and I can't wait to see what else Suzanne Selfors has in store for us.

Review of Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

Advance Review of Maria Dahvana Headley's Magonia

Release Date: April 28th, 2015

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:


Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars in this fantasy about a girl caught between two worlds…two races…and two destinies.

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn’t think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?  


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Excerpt from Magonia:


I breathe in. I breathe out. The sky's full of clouds. A rope is looping down from above, out of the sky and down to earth. There is a woman's face looking at me, and all around us, hundreds upon hundreds of birds. The flock flows like water, surging up and into the air, black and gold and red, and everything is safe and cold, bright with stars and moon.


I'm tiny in comparison. and I'm not on the ground.


I know everyone has dreams of flying, but this isn't a dream of flying. It's a dream of floating, and the ocean is not water but wind.


I call it a dream, but feels realer than my life.


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This book is so unlike any book I have ever read before. The premise was incredible and I was hooked from the very beginning. I can definitely see the comparison to The Fault in Our Stars, but the similarity doesn't last very long. This book is certainly in a category all its own.


Aza is dying. Of what, no one knows. No one has ever seen anything like it before and every Doctor is stumped on how to save her. She is about to turn 16, but the Doctor's have said many times that she wouldn't live to see another Birthday. So she is used to thinking every day could be her last. It comes as quite a shock when she actually does die.


She wakes up somewhere she is unfamiliar with. When a woman who looks like an Owl (an actual bird/human hybrid) starts caring for her, it is no surprise that she freaks out. The woman is a Rostrae, one of the winged class who can shift from fully bird, to partially bird. Aza is on a ship in the sky full of these bird people as well as other alien looking people. These people are Magonians. They are able to sing magic into being... and Aza is no longer on land, she is in their world, Magonia.


Aza quickly finds out that the family she has left behind was never really her family at all. She was kidnapped as a baby and switched with a human child. She lived in a human skin, but her body was never made to live on land. That is why she seemed as though she was dying. Her body could not properly breath Oxygen. The Captain of this ship has been searching for her for 15 years... because she is the daughter of the Captain, Zal Quel. She is Aza Ray Quel.


Why, if this is really her home, can she not stop thinking about the best friend she left behind, Jason, whom she has always been in love with? Why can she not stop wishing to be with her family on earth? Zal has wanted Aza for something and it sure doesn't seem like its because she missed her. What is really going on?


This book opened up a whole new world to me. A floating world that is right above us amongst the clouds. I am excited to see where Headley takes this series. I am a huge fan and this is only her first foray into teen... Exciting prospects await!!

Review of Ferals by Jacob Grey

Advance Review of Jacob Grey's Ferals

Release Date: April 28th, 2015

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:


A sinister threat. A city in danger. A boy with the power to command the crows. Ferals is the first book in a dark, action-packed trilogy that’s part The Graveyard Book, part Batman, and all high-octane adventure.

Blackstone was once a thriving metropolis. But that was before the Dark Summer—a wave of violence and crime that swept through the city eight years ago, orchestrated by the fearsome Spinning Man. Now the Spinning Man is on the move again, and a boy named Caw is about to be caught in his web.

Caw has never questioned his ability to communicate with crows. But as the threat of a new Dark Summer looms, Caw discovers the underground world of Blackstone’s ferals—those with the power to speak to and control animals. Caw is one of them. And to save his city, he must quickly master abilities he never knew he had . . . and prepare to defeat a darkness he never could have imagined.  


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Excerpt from Ferals:


A long, long time ago, ordinary people knew all about ferals. The let us be, living in harmony with the natural world. But then things changed. It started with accusations of witchcraft and sorcery. A few ferals were rooted out. Others went into hiding, but some fought back, and that only made the problem worse. Many feral lines were... ended. After that, the survivors learned to keep their powers a secret. Their gift became a curse.


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An exciting new world for Middle Grade kids (and some Adults). Blackstone is home to many different kinds of people, but it has been a sanctuary to a certain type of person for as long as they can remember. Ferals have flocked to the city to find a home with others of their kind. A Feral is a person who can talk with animals. Now, this isn't Doctor Doolittle and they do not talk with every animal. Each Feral can speak to only one type.


For 13 year old Caw, he has been alone for the past 8 years... well, almost alone. He has his crows to keep him company. They have kept him safe, scavenged for food with him, and talked with him when he felt lonely. As far as he knows, he is the only of his kind. Until one day, a prison break near the forest he lives in opens up a whole new world to him and one by one he finds more people like him. He also meets the prison warden's daughter, Lydia, whom he has seen with her family while he has spied on them during their daily routine. He isn't spying on them to be creepy, but because he is jealous. His mother and father pushed him away when he was only 5 years old.


Lydia quickly becomes his friend after he and his 3 crows (Glum, Screech, and Milky) save her, as well as her father, Mr. Strickham, from being killed by one of the escaped convicts. Even though his crows do not trust her, she offers to take him to the library to learn to read. While there, they draw a picture of a spider that was tattooed on one of the convicts chest and leave it with the librarian. This drawing sets off a chain of events that will change their lives and rock their world to the point where nothing will ever be the same again.


I kept a log of all the Ferals that were mentioned in the book and which animals they can communicate with.


Caw - Crows
Crumbs - Pigeons
Pip - Mice
Jawbone - Dogs
Mamba - Snakes
Scuttle - Cockroaches
Felix Quaker - Cats
Racklen - Wolves
Madeleine - Squirrels
Ali - Bees
Emily - Centipedes
Velma - Foxes
The Spinning Man - Spiders


Although it is mentioned that there are/were hundreds of different types of Ferals, some lines either died out during a tragedy that happened 8 years before the story begins, or they were too afraid to get involved with the events of this book.


I have loved this book and can't wait to see where Grey takes the story from this point. I think the plot is one I have never seen before and the story is very innovative. I think there are a lot of little "inside" jokes that the author has flecked throughout the story, like how the big bad villain is The Spinning Man. He controls spiders and the huge tragedy that killed off a lot of Feral lines happened 8 years ago (a spider has 8 legs). There is also the fact that the Cat Feral is named Felix. While this may not be obvious for most of the readers in this genre, there is a cartoon that began in the 1950's about a black cat named Felix (Felix the Cat). Little things like this make me smile, because it shows that the author not only has a sense of humor, but he really thought out the little things in the story.


While this book was written with tweens or younger kids in mind, it kept my attention the entire time. I recommend it for fans of Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, and the 39 Clues series..

Review of Death Marked by Leah Cypess

Advance Review of Leah Cypess' Death Marked

Release Date: March 3rd, 2015

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

A young sorceress’s entire life has been shaped to destroy the empire controlling her world. But if everything she knows is a lie, will she even want to fulfill her destiny? The sequel to Death Sworn is just as full of magic and surprising revelations, and will thrill fans of Leigh Bardugo and Robin LaFevers.

At seventeen, Ileni lost her magical power and was exiled to the hidden caves of the assassins. She never thought she would survive long. But she discovered she was always meant to end up, powerless, in the caves as part of an elder sorcerer’s plan to destroy the evil Empire they'd battled so long. Except that Ileni is not an assassin, and she doesn't want to be a weapon. And, after everything, she’s not even sure she knows the truth. Now, at the very heart of the Empire—its academy for sorcerers—the truth is what she seeks. What she finds challenges every belief she holds dear—and it threatens her fledgling romance with the young master of assassins.

Leah Cypess spins an intricate and beautiful conclusion to Ileni's story. In the end, it may not be the epic decisions that bring down an empire, but the small ones that pierce the heart.

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The sequel to Cypess' first installment into the world of Assassins & Sorcerers, Death Sworn, does not disappoint. Death Marked has as much adventure and excitement as the first book, while bringing us into a whole new dynamic that we have yet to experience. While Sworn had us locked into a battle of wills deep in the caves of the Assassins, Marked is above ground in the school for the Empire's Sorcerers. We do see some familiar characters from time to time (other than the main characters of Ileni & Soren), but for the most part it is all new characters.

Ileni has killed the Master of the Assassins & the man she has fallen for has assumed the role of the new Master. She has turned her back on the caves, pulling up her bootstraps, sucking up her pride and running home with her tail tucked between her legs. On the road outside her little mountain village, she is ambushed and captured by Karyn, the woman who had infiltrated to caves in the previous book. She is the head Sorcerer at the Empire's school for Sorcerers. She is determined to turn Ileni to the side of the Empire and she will stop at nothing to make sure she betrays the Assassins.

Ileni knows what it is like to be alone and powerless, because her powers have finally slowly disappeared, so when she is offered the one thing she wants more than peace, what will she do? The lodestones in the walls of the academy have stored powers of the many people the Empire has killed and now that Ileni is there, she can access power she had thought she would never feel again. But those powers come at a cost. Karyn wishes for her to betray the man she loves... and if she doesn't, her powers really will be gone & Ileni will be kicked out on the street... to finally go back to her people in shame.

I am happy that this book was as good, if not even better than the first. You should have just enough time to run out and get Death Sworn before the release of the sequel in a little over a month. Make sure to pick it up, because it is definitely worth reading.

Review of Reborn by Jennifer Rush

Review of Jennifer Rush's Reborn

Release Date: January 6th, 2015

Synopsis as found on the inside cover flap:

No one involved with the Branch was ever innocent. Me included.

The Branch is in shambles, but Anna, Sam, Cas, and Nick can't rest easy. Remnants of the organization lurk unseen and the flashbacks to their old lives are only getting stronger--especially Nick's.

Following scattered memories and clues from his Branch file, Nick sets off alone in search of answers and in search of the girl who haunts his dreams. But the sleepy town where she lives in full of secrets and Nick soon learns that uncovering their shared past may have deadly consequences.

Experience the Branch through Nick's eyes in this action-packed finale to the Altered saga.

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I freakin' love this series! I am a little confused though... while reading the book and after finishing it, I was positive that there would be another (at least 1, maybe more) book to go. But when I was getting the synopsis to put on here, it says that this is the finale for the series. WTF? I hope this is not the ending.

So unlike Altered & Erased (the first 2 books in the series), this book is not about Anna or Sam. They are still in the book, but their parts are minor. This book is all about Nick. The brooding miserable character that we all loved to hate and hated to love finally gets his time in the spotlight. We finally get to see his softer more compassionate side. While it does take a minute to step back and see if it even feels like the same character, I actually enjoyed this new Nick.

During his flashbacks, which are coming a lot lately seeing as how none of them are taking the medicine that the Branch was feeding them to keep their old memories away, Nick sees a girl. In this flashback, he isn't sure if he is trying to save the girl or kill her. In his mind, he knows that this girl's life is tied to his sanity and humanity. If he saved her, than maybe he can save himself. If he killed her, then he is no better than the abusive father he now remembers running away from so many years ago. This whole story centers on Nick leaving the group to find Elizabeth, the girl literally of his dreams.

When Nick finds her in a town a few hours away, she seems to be living her life again, albeit in a foster home. Elizabeth also suffers from flashbacks. Unfortunately for her, they are not from having her memories wiped. Hers are from the PTSD she suffers from 6 months she was held in captivity. She was kidnapped with her mother and forced to undergo tests in a lab. The last memory she has of her mom was of her being used to make Lizzy behave. When she was saved (Nick was the one who took her to a hospital after a mysterious stranger broke her out), her mother was never seen from again. Her father had committed suicide during the 6 months after he was accused of involvement in their disappearance.

Nick sticks around the little town she lives in so that he can uncover what really happened to Elizabeth and the role he played in all of it. He needs to know... what he doesn't expect is to fall for this beautiful broken girl.

So, seeing as how I have finished book 3, I was expecting to find out about book 4 or 5... now that Nick has a love interest and Sam has Anna, where are the love interests for Cas or Trev. Although they may have faltered the Branch's plans yet again, there is NO WAY that they will just disappear without a fight. The Branch has ties to the government, there HAS TO BE more to this story!!! Maybe we should all write letters to Jennifer Rush expressing out need for more. Do you think that would work?

Check back in a couple days for my first of 3 upcoming Advance Reader Copy reads... as always, Keep Reading!!

Review of The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Review of Aimee Carter's The Goddess Inheritance

Release Date: February 26th, 2013

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

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It has been a few years since I read the book that came before this one in the Goddess Test series, so I played catch up, yet again, when trying to remember everything that happened up to this point. Kate has passed her trials and The Goddess Test, making her the official Goddess of the Underworld along side Henry (aka Hades). While in Tartarus, she was tricked into letting out the father of the Gods & King of the Titans, Cronus, and now all of the Gods are getting ready for war. Kate feels responsible and is going to look for Rhea, Queen of the Titans, but before she even leaves New York, is caught by Calliope (Hera). Unbeknownst to Kate, she is pregnant with Henry's child.

Flash forward to 9 months later... everyone thinks that Kate is searching for Rhea, so no one except for Cronus, Calliope, & Ava (Aphrodite) are even aware that she is not. Ava has been forced into helping Calliope, because she has kidnapped Ava's husband, Nicholas (Hephaestus) and is forcing him to create a weapon infused with the power of a Titan... the only power strong enough to kill a God. Cronus only wants to marry Kate and make her his Queen, because of the generosity she showed him. No one has been kind to him in millennia. Calliope has always wanted Henry and plans on keeping the unborn child.

This book centers on the final fight between the Gods & Cronus. There is plenty of action that will satisfy even those finicky readers. There are a lot of realizations and eye opening scenes, while the author is closing the door on this series. There are even a couple major character deaths.

If you enjoy books about Greek Mythology, you are sure to enjoy this series... just keep the diagram ready that is located in the back or front of every book in the series, because the name changes are sometimes a little confusing and hard to keep up with.

Review of The Goddess War: Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake

Review of Kendare Blake's The Goddess War: Mortal Gods

Release Date: October 14th, 2014

Synopsis as found on Amazon.com:

As ancient immortals are left reeling, a modern Athena and Hermes search the world for answers in Mortal Gods, the second Goddess War novel by Kendare Blake, acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood.
 

Ares, god of war, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She’s ready to wage a war of her own, and she’s never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she’ll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace.

Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can’t have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite.

The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra's hate will get them all killed.

The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can’t, fates far worse than death await.

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It has been a year and a half since I picked up the Advance Copy of Antigoddess. A year and a half is a long time in between books. Although it is partially my fault I waited so long, seeing as how the sequel did come out in October (3 months ago)... well, and I did read the Advanced Copy of the first book. So I only had my self to blame when I had to catch up while reading to remember all the little things that happened in Book 1. Luckily, Blake has a way of writing that not only explains to you what is going on, but definitely helped to jog my memory on everything that already happened.

Book 2, Mortal Gods, in the Goddess War series, was similar and yet different to its predecessor in that it continued on introducing different Gods and what their ailments are, but it also gave us a hint at the cause of it. To explain for any of you readers who haven't picked up this series yet, each of the Greek Gods we meet is dying... slowly. They are no longer immortal and are at war to solve the reason they are dying. Each is dying in a different way. The Gods we met from Antigoddess were:

Athena (growing Owl feathers on and inside of her body, including inside of her veins, organs, mouth, skin, etc)
Hermes (losing all body fat and muscle, slowly withering away)
Poseidon (all of his body was turning into different sea life)
Aphrodite (going insane)
Demeter (her body is stretching and stretching until it covers the most of a Nevada desert)
Hera (turning into a Marble statue)
Apollo (no visible signs)

In Book 2, we meet a few more Gods:

Artemis (the animals she lives among are turning on her and she is being chased by a pack of rabid dogs)
Ares (all of his healed war wounds are breaking open and he is losing blood... lots of it)
Persephone (one side of her body is dead and the other is rotting)

Most of this book is spent as the Mortal Heroes prepare to wage war on what we the reader see as the Villains. We do get some action through the book, but most of the real drama doesn't happen until the last chapters of the book. There are some minor fight scenes between Athena & Ares, or when Ares wolves attack some of the Humans, but they are over quickly and all we are left with is the aftermath of days of healing and training.

I am a lover of all books about Greek Mythology. While I loved Antigoddess and enjoyed Mortal Gods, it left a lot to be desired. I hope the 3rd book picks up the action, because I need something to happen worth wild to feel like I've lost myself in the story.

If you enjoyed this book, pick up Aimee Carter's Goddess Test. I am going to read the final book in that series next... which is long over do.

Review of The Memory Key by Liana Liu

Advance Review of Liana Liu's The Memory Key

Release Date: March 3rd, 2015

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

In a five-minutes-into-the-future world, a bereaved daughter must choose between losing memories of her mother to the haze of time and the reality-distorting, visceral pain of complete, perfect recall.

Lora Mint is determined not to forget.

Though her mother’s been dead for five years, Lora struggles to remember every detail about her—most importantly, the specific events that occurred the night she sped off in her car, never to return.

But in a world ravaged by Vergets disease, a viral form of Alzheimer’s, that isn’t easy. Usually Lora is aided by her memory key, a standard-issue chip embedded in her brain that preserves memories just the way a human brain would. Then a minor accident damages Lora’s key, and her memories go haywire. Suddenly Lora remembers a moment from the night of her mother’s disappearance that indicates her death was no accident. Can she trust these formerly forgotten memories? Or is her ability to remember every painful part of her past driving her slowly mad—burying the truth forever?

Lora’s longing for her lost mother and journey to patch up her broken memories is filled with authentic and poignant emotion. Her race to uncover the truth is a twisty ride. In the end, Liana Liu’s story will spark topical conversations about memory and privacy in a world that is reliant on increasingly invasive forms of technology.

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Excerpt from The Memory Key:

Vergets disease, the forgetting sickness, is a degenerative disorder that affects the brain and causes severe memory loss. For the most of history, the illness was endemic in our country, primarily afflicting older people. But sixty years ago, the disease began spreading, and it was no longer just the elderly who suffered; more and more middle-aged were being diagnosed with Vergets, including several members of my family, most on my dad's side but a few on my mom's as well.

The reasons for the epidemic are still unclear. Most scientists blame pollution and genetics. Some believe that lack of exercise and bad diet were contributing factors. A few religious sects declared we were being punished for our heathen ways. A report circulated that an extremist group, the Citizen Army, had poisoned our water supply. Then there are conspiracy theorists who believe our government poisoned our water supply. But most scientists blame pollution and genetics.

Whatever the reason, the whole nation was in crisis (other parts of the world, mostly first world countries, were also affected, though not to the same degree). The workforce was shrinking. The economy deteriorating. The population was afraid and who could blame them? How frightening it must have been to watch their loved ones' brains turn into zombie mush. How terrifying it must have been to wonder if their own brain would be the next to turn traitor.

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Although the story had a very robotic bullet point presentation feel to it at times, I found Liu's take on internal memory hardware intriguing. I did enjoy the overall story, but was never really able to connect with the main character, Lora, due to her style of writing. A lot of times when I read a book I can relate to a character in a lot of ways... and even though Lora & I have some things in common (like the loss of a parent at a young age), I never really found myself sympathizing with her pain.

In The Memory Key, Lora is a recent high school graduate who is still coping with the loss of her mother (her mother Jeanette died six years prior). In this future America, many people have turned to an invention called the Memory Key to solve the growing epidemic of memory loss due to a wide spread disease called Vergets (see above excerpt). Like a natural memory, memories saved on a Memory Key will slowly deteriorate over the years and for Lora, her mother's memories are slowly being lost with time.

When Lora saves a little old lady from being hit by a car, she hits her head on the pavement and damages her Key. All of a sudden, memories she thought she had lost are becoming vivid. She is losing her self little by little into the memories of her mother. This is where she starts seeing things that she saw different at a younger age. When her mother died in the tragic car crash, they were told it was an accident while she was on her way to work. But what she begins to remember speaks of something much more sinister.

As she begins to remember more and more, Lora starts to investigate her mother's death and the company she worked for, which is also the exact same company that holds the patent on the exact device implanted in her head... the exact device implanted in 80% of the populations heads... the Memory Key. But what she finds is something so much more than she thought she would. What will happen if the people she suspects got rid of her mother find out she knows more than she should? Will she be the next to have a tragic accident?

Find out for yourself when you pick up your copy on March 3rd!

I will say, beyond her writing style, I really did enjoy the plot of this story. I kept trying to guess what the outcome was going to be, but was super surprised when the whole story unfolded. I will be excited to see what happens next.

Review of The Replaced by Kimberly Derting

Advance Review of Kimberly Derting's The Replaced

Release Date: April 28th, 2015

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

Romantic and action-packed, The Replaced is the gripping second installment in the Taking trilogy.

Kyra hasn't been the same since she returned from her mysterious five-year disappearance. Now, on the run from the NSA, Kyra is forced to hide out with others who, like her, have been Returned. Yet she is determined to find Tyler, the boy she loves who was also abducted—all because of her. When her group intercepts a message that Tyler might still be alive but is in the hands of a shadowy government organization that experiments on the Returned, Kyra knows it's a risk to go after him. What if it's a trap? And worse, what if the returned Tyler isn't the same boy she lost?

Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the Body Finder series, The Replaced is both chilling and explosive, with creepy, otherworldly elements and twisty, psychological thrills that will have you questioning what exactly it means to be human.  

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I think I am on an alien abduction kick at the moment, because this is the second book I have read in a row with the same genre. I read an advance of The Taking in December of 2013 and have not been able to get it out of my head. There are always books that I read and I make sure to constantly check on the release of their sequel and this series has been one of those.

In book 1, Kyra wakes up behind a convenient store in her home town with only the memory of getting out of her Dad's car and running away from the fight they were having. She expects to find him in his car looking for her, but he is nowhere to be found. She runs home (however many miles it was, I can't remember) to find that nothing is how she remembers. She knocks on her door, but the person who answers is not her Mother. They claim that her family moved out years ago. She soon finds out that she has been missing for 5 years.

This series, like I said before, is about Alien Abduction. It isn't like any of the other Alien books I have read in the past. Where many are about an Alien Apocalypse or an Alien Takeover, this book is similar to the Urban Legends you hear about people being abducted, experimented on, and then returned. The characters in this story are just returned a little different than they were before. There is even a nod to the Roswell/Government conspiracy rumors and the theory that First Contact happened in the 1950's-60's.

In book 2 we find out that every human abducted is returned with their DNA spliced. They have come back with Alien DNA intertwined with their own. Most of them show only a couple of unique abilities (Very Very Slow Aging & Quick Healing), but for Kyra, she can do much more... more than she even knows yet. We already know she heals faster than any other returned, that sometimes she can hit or throw super hard, and when she is really scared or angry she can move things with her mind. We find out what makes her special as well as why the NSA is so desperate to get ahold of her. There is also a traitor in their midst. Who can they trust and who is working with the No-Suchers...?

This book has all the drama from book 1 with a bunch of brand new characters and a lot more back story. The love story is put on the back burner for most of it though, so for all of you hoping to get to see more of Kyra & Tyler, you may be a little disappointed... but don't worry, they are back together in book 3. Now, when will we get to see book 3? I hope it is sooner than the 13 months it took me to get to read book 2.

Review of The Cage by Megan Sheperd

Advance Review of Megan Sheperd's The Cage

Release Date: May 26th, 2015

Synopsis as found on Amazon.com:

The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?

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Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated with the idea of what an alien zoo would look like. There is a scene from Flight of the Navigator where you see all the cages at the back of the space ship and there are a plethora of animals from different worlds in each cage. So when I saw this book as an option to download, I immediately wanted to read it.

What would happen if you woke up in a strange new world. Everything looked like your world, from the sand, the sea, the swamp, and even the little town in the center, but it was all engineered to seem human made. The only problem, even though it all seems real, it just can't be. While the flora is all correct, there is no fauna; there are no birds, there are no bugs... there aren't even any stars in the sky at night. When Cora wakes up, the first thing she finds is the dead body of a girl. She is of Middle Eastern decent and has a collection of dots on her neck.

One by one, she finds different people also in this strange new place with her. There is Lucky, the boy whom she holds a mysterious unknown past with, Leon, the Maori smuggler with violent tendancies and tattoos all over his body, Nok the timid Asian model, and Rolf, the Scottish genius. Each person is special in their own way. If they hadn't been, maybe they wouldn't have been chosen. They soon meet the Caretaker (Cassian), a metallic skinned alien with black eyes. He is to be the one in charge of their new home. He claims that his people, the Kindred, have saved them from the fate of Earth. There job is to repopulate their species. Each of them is meant for eachother. Each of them has a match: Nok & Rolf, Cora & Lucky, and Leon with the deceased Indian girl. They will have 21 days to begin procreating or they will be removed.

Little by little, things come in to focus for Cora. Their new home is nothing more than a cage and they are nothing more than lab rats. She vows to escape and tasks the others with helping her. But for some of them, this cage is better than the thought of going home to a life they hated. While she is working to save them, others are working to find peace and happiness in their new home.

What will happen when Cora finds out that even a gilded cage is better than the truth?

This story is chalk full of twists and turns. The minute I felt like I had figured everything out, there is a new twist. I found myself rooting for the Cassian at many points. I can't wait until the next book comes out... which seeing as how The Cage is not even out yet, looks like I will be waiting a LONG TIME!

Review of City 1 by Gregg Rosenblum

Review of Gregg Rosenblum's City 1

Release Date: January 6th, 2015

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

In the explosive conclusion to the thrilling Revolution 19 series, the time has come to win the cities back from the bots—or die trying.

After finally reuniting at a rebel camp, siblings Nick, Kevin, and Cass are willing to do anything to stay together—and free their parents from bot rule. But the leader of the rebel camp has her own ideas. Cruel and determined, General Clay won’t let anything stand in the way of her plan to destroy the robots and all the brainwashed humans. This means their parents’ lives are at stake, but Nick, Kevin, and Cass can’t desert the rebels when they’re so close to freedom. How far will they go to save the world they believe in?

Created in conjunction with Alloy Entertainment; Howard Gordon, the showrunner of 24 and Showtime’s Emmy Award– and Golden Globe–winning Homeland; and James Wong, the executive producer of American Horror Story; City 1 is the gripping finale to the exhilarating Revolution 19 series.

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After I read the ending of Fugitive X, I was itching to find out what happened next. I don't read many books about Robot Armageddon, so I was very interested in the Revolution 19 series. It was a release from my usual reads. Needless to say, I was and am a fan of it. I enjoy the omnipresent writing style that Rosenblum adopts for the story. We get to know many different characters thoughts, because every chapter is in a different person's point of view.

I have been reading a lot of series conclusions lately, so I know that in my head I keep comparing one to the other, which is doing a huge disservice to the authors of each book, because each book is different. Every author has a different idea that they grow their stories on and no 2 books are exactly alike. So, even though I finished a book yesterday that I was super happy with, it is hard to be as happy with this book's ending.

Yes, the story is (for the most part) resolved. There was a definitive ending, but then there is an extra chapter where you think maybe this isn't the end. I hope it isn't the end, because even though there were no major character deaths (Many people died, this is war! Just not the main characters I loved), I just didn't feel there was enough surprising dramatic portions. I found myself getting a little bored in a few parts which really depresses me, seeing as how I loved the first 2 books.

Don't let my review make you think that this series is not worth picking up, because I hope everyone makes their own decisions on what they think about it. It is definitely worth reading. Let me know what you thought & how you felt about the ending.

Thanks for checking out my blog and stay tuned for my next great read!

Review of The Darkest Minds: In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

Review of Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds: In the Afterlight

Release Date: October 28th, 2014

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds.

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.

Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire.

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If I looked at all of the books I have read as a whole, you would think there is a growing commonality in many of them. There are the Dystopian books, the books about Aliens, the ones about Vampires, or Werewolves, or Ghost Hunters, or Witches, or Mermaids... and then there are the books about kids with powers. The Darkest Minds series definitely falls into one of the many categories of books I like. But when looked at with every other series with a similar topic, it stands out about & beyond them.

I remember my reaction to the treatment of the children at Thurmond when I first read The Darkest Minds. I was shocked and appalled, but I could definitely picture everything happening. I'm not sure if it is the way our world works now a days, with all of the shootings, murders, and physical abuse I hear about in the news, or if it is just the amazing writing style that Bracken uses, but I believe what she writes. I can imagine vividly what she writes and I can't say that about every book I read. I do read a lot.

This book is the conclusion of the trilogy and where many series give me an ending that I am unsatisfied with, I can not say that in this case. I am so happy with the ending that she has written that I still feel like I am on a high. That incredible book ending high. With every thing that these kids have dealt with, the government putting them into camps, being hunted down like animals for money, being turned in by their own parents for fear of what they can do, being killed off... you would think that a happy ending would unfeasible.

If you haven't read this series, you are surely missing out!

Review of The Lost Souls: Creators by Tiffany Truitt

Review of Tiffany Truitt's The Lost Souls: Creators

Release Date: August 9th, 2014

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

The dramatic conclusion to the Lost Souls trilogy, which answers readers’ questions and finally pits natural Tess against the true enemies of Templeton, the creators

Heartbroken but more determined than ever after a tense showdown in the woods, sixteen-year-old Tess once again returns to the safety of her community of Isolationists. Bolstered by new alliances and desperate to protect those she loves, this time she knows she can return stronger and more powerful than ever to take back what is hers. As she trains in combat and grows more confident, Tess receives beautiful letters penned by her forbidden love, the chosen one James, from his prison in Templeton. He is now serving as a bodyguard to the creators-the team of scientists who created artificial life in the first place. And what he has discovered about the true origin of the illness that halted natural life could change everything. Enemy will become ally and death will bring new hope in this stunning conclusion to Tiffany Truitt's epic Lost Souls trilogy.  

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I have a love hate relationship with series conclusions. I will ALWAYS want to know what happens next when I read a book. When I picked up Chosen Ones 2 and a half years ago, I knew I would read this series until its completion. Chosen Ones was such an incredible read. It had the forbidden romance, the defying of government, the people with amazing unbelievable powers... I remember reading it in little to no time & then telling everyone I knew that they had to read it. As the series has gone on, I have come to fall in love with the characters from this story. So it is really hard to say goodbye to any of them.

When we left off in Naturals, Tess was traveling to meet with George (the crazy Chosen One from Templeton who had tried to hurt her at every turn) who had her sister Louisa held captive. The Isolationists had just kicked her and her rag tag team of Naturals out of their compound. When they arrive, Tess discovers that Louisa is pregnant with George's child. George will only exchange Louisa for James (the Chosen One that Tess is in love with).

In the beginning of Creators, we are left with a distraught Louisa, who thought George was in love with her (turns out he was only using her... besides her, anyone could have guessed that), a distraught Tess (she has just lost the man she loves), and SURPRISE... their father back from the dead? Charlie, their father had run away from their home many years ago, because he didn't want to see what would become of his family under the rules of the Chosen Ones. He is now the head of the Rebellion. Together they head back to the Isolationists compound.

This book seemed much more rushed that the prior 2, but I think so many conclusions seem rushed lately. I know the hip thing to do is write a Trilogy, but why not a Quartet? Tetralogy? Whatever its called, four books are better than 3. Maybe so many characters would not have had to die if more could have been written? Yes, MANY MANY characters die. Including 3 or 4 I really loved. It breaks my heart knowing that some of them will never find happiness in the nether world.

One thing I really did not like was the direction Truitt went with both Charlie (their father) and Henry. Both ended up being vile people only out for Revenge. I could have imagined a much happier ending for either of them. But alas, not all endings can be happy!

If you enjoy a great dystopian tale, check out the Lost Souls series by Tiffany Truitt. Although there is a lot of sadness, there is a lot of joy and adventure throughout the story!

Review of Little Peach by Peggy Kern

Advance Review of Peggy Kern's Little Peach

Release Date: March 10th, 2015

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

What do you do if you're in trouble?

When Michelle runs away from her drug-addicted mother, she has just enough money to make it to New York City, where she hopes to move in with a friend. But once she arrives at the bustling Port Authority, she is confronted with the terrifying truth: she is alone and out of options.

Then she meets Devon, a good-looking, well-dressed guy who emerges from the crowd armed with a kind smile, a place for her to stay, and eyes that seem to understand exactly how she feels.

But Devon is not what he seems to be, and soon Michelle finds herself engulfed in the world of child prostitution where he becomes her “Daddy” and she his “Little Peach.” It is a world of impossible choices, where the line between love and abuse, captor and savior, is blurred beyond recognition.

This hauntingly vivid story illustrates the human spirit’s indomitable search for home, and one girl’s struggle to survive.  

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It is hard to review a book that ended long before I really got to know any of the characters. At only a couple hundred pages, this book is a very quick read. While the story is ultra realistic and I can picture it happening right now (because it is happening right now, everyday across the US), I never really connected with Michelle (Peach). Don't get me wrong, I feel immensely sad for the life the character is tricked into, but I never really got to know her as a character. Maybe that was the author's point in writing this story... these girls are lost & forgotten with no one who cares for them. They are never known by anyone.

While parts of the story confused me, like why I didn't find out until halfway through the story that Baby is only 12 years old (I thought she was an older girl dressing much younger), I do believe this story is thought-provoking and can be very eye-opening to a lot of young girls. While I have known about human trafficking from the news, different television series, and other books, some readers of a different generation might read this for the first time and realize that the world is not all Champagne & Fairy Tales.

Review of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Advance Review of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen

Release Date: February 10th, 2015

Synopsis as found on Amazon.com:

Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

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It is always exciting when you read a great book and know that it is going to be a huge success. Red Queen is everything I ever hope for when I pick up a new book. It has action, mystery, romance, suspense... a multitude of things wrapped up with a beautiful Red & Silver bow. I'd have to say this book is going to be the Hunger Games of 2015!

After the world has been devastated by war, a new race of people are discovered. While there is no real back story as to what happened in the past, we know that man-kind is now divided by classes. There are the Silvers who rule over all others with amazing abilities (which I will list some of in a few), but also, when cut, bleed Silver blood. There are the Reds, who are common folk who are forced into a semblance of slavery to do the bidding of the Silvers. The Reds have no powers (and also bleed Red blood). Then there are the techies, whom are not talked about much, but the reader finds out at one point that they live in Factory towns building all weapons, cameras, and whatever else is needed by the Silvers. Techies are never allowed to leave the life they are born into, even to become soldiers.

I won't give you too much back story on Mare Molly Barrow, because you read enough from the synopsis to get the gist. She is a Red, who by chance & fate ends up in the palace at the wrong place/wrong time. While different girls from different Silver families are being paraded around to show their powers to see which one will be chosen by one of 2 princes to become their brides, she falls onto a forcefield made of electricity. Instead of immediately dying, her powers are ignited. Never before has there been a Red with powers before. Even though this happens in front of hundreds of people, the King & Queen decide to make up a ruse so that no one will find out the truth. Thus begins Mare's life in this treacherous new world.

Now, I mentioned before that the Silvers have a plethora of powers. Some are mentioned in the book, & others are hinted around, but it is said that there are too many to possibly list them. I will list the ones that were named within:

Whisper - Can Read Minds
Telky - Can Move Objects With Their Mind
Greenwarden (Greeny) - Manipulates Plants & The Earth
Cloner - Multiples Themselves Into Multiple Clones On Command
Oblivion - Obliterates Anything They Think Of (Human Bomb)
Nymph - Controls Water
Swift - Moves Incredibly Quickly
Strongarm - Immense Strength (Sometimes Comes With Enlarged Body Parts)
Animos - Controls Animals
Magnetron - Controls Metal
Shadow - Bends Light
Burner - Controls Heat & Fire
Storm - Controls Weather
Blood Healer - Can Heal Themselves
Skin Healer - Can Heal Others
Silk - Quick, Quiet, Perfectly Balanced, & Agile
Eyes - Can See The Immediate Future
Silence - Can Turn Off Other's Powers
Singers - Can Make Others Do What The Want By Speaking To Them
Shiver - Freezes Objects

I tried to keep track of every different power that was written about, but I know I missed a few. I got really into this book & may have overlooked some powers. There are a few that were talked about that were never named, like a girl who could shatter glass with her voice, turning their skin to stone, & of course, Mare's powers over Electricity were never given a name.

I hope I have written enough about this book to entice you into picking it up when it comes out next month, because I really do believe that it is going to be a huge success. I didn't want to give too much away, because I want you to enjoy finding out the little things like I did while reading. Enjoy & Happy New Year!