28 April 2013

Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of Hell’s best — a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment: Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of Hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions long ago buried.





I requested a copy of this from netgalley because I'd heard so many good things about it and everyone was excited for it to come out. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it at all. I was really disappointed that I didn't enjoy it. I just didn't have a connection with any of the characters and to be perfectly honest, I didn't really care about what was happening in the story either.

Dante was my main reason for not liking this book. He's an arrogant prick. Seriously. I didn't expect him to be that bad but he was, and he just got worse and worse throughout the book. He's so shallow and full of himself. He was constantly calling people "losers" and "douchebags" and it started to piss me off. He thought he was so much better than everyone else. I actually lost track of the amount of times I rolled my eyes at things he said. There was one point I actually thought my eyes were going to fall out of my head because I was constantly rolling them! And what was with him going off on tangents about pointless stuff? I'm pretty sure he started talking about Winnie the Pooh at some point. And his obsession with the colour red was annoying me. 


Charlie was another major part of me not liking this book. She was such a weak character! She let Dante manipulate her and wished for herself to be beautiful just so that Dante would like her! I actually couldn't believe how spineless she was. She actually seemed pretty pathetic to me. So what if she wasn't 'beautiful' in the general sense, she had friends and her life was actually alright. So I don't understand why she let Dante weasel his way in and change her in 10 DAYS! She didn't even know this guy, but she was letting him call the shots on how she looked? That pissed me off more than anything.


Don't even get me started on the romance. They've only know each other for 10 days, 10 DAYS, and they suddenly love each other? Give me a break. I can usually handle insta-love, but this was just too much. Dante basically tells her she's ugly and makes her wish to be beautiful, but she falls in love with him anyways? Is she stupid? I actually think she must be. If anyone told me that and then tried to get close to me I'd punch them in the face, repeatedly. He doesn't even deserve her after what he did. But she's willing to forgive him? No. Just, no.


I actually thought the storyline sound pretty good from the synopsis, but when I was reading I just couldn't get into the story. There were times I wanted to scream in frustration and times I actually threw my kindle away because I couldn't stand to listen to Dante being an arrogant ass. I just couldn't get interested in it. I kept pushing through and hoping that it would get better and that maybe Dante would redeem himself and I would start to like him. But none of that happened and I'm really disappointed. It had so much potential to be an amazing book. The only emotion I had when I was reading this book was anger. I could tell when I was supposed to be shocked or cheering on one of the characters, but I just didn't feel anything for these characters or the story. 


I debated for awhile on what to give this book and I finally settled on:

I definitely won't be continuing with this series because I really didn't enjoy this one.

Review: Losing It by Cara Carmack

Review may contain mature content.


Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that wasn't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.











So I hadn't actually planned on picking this up right after The Edge of Never. I was going to wait until morning, but I just couldn't sleep! So I thought, I'll just read a couple of chapters and then try to sleep. It's safe to say that's not what happened. I was up until about 5am finishing this book. I wanted to put it down and go to sleep, but I just couldn't!

So the whole story revolves around our main character Bliss who wants to lose her virginity before she graduates from college. Honestly, I couldn't understand why she thought it was so important. But nonetheless, I enjoyed Bliss' adventure to lose her virginity.


Bliss was a great character. I just wish she hadn't let her friend pressure her into going out to lose her virginity. It's her choice, not her friends. That was probably the only thing I didn't like about her. Other than that, she was a pretty good character. She was hilarious, motivated and such a nice person. 

And then we have Garrick. He's a British theatre professor who Bliss first sees sitting in a bar reading Shakespeare. He was intense and sexy, and I really liked him.

Their relationship got off to a good start - until Bliss started freaking out because of her 'cat' - and then her new professor walks in and it's Garrick. I actually thought the whole plot around the student/teacher relationship was pretty well done. I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing the development in their relationship and the complications they had trying to keep their relationship a secret. Bu they were just so cute together!


The ending was kind of cheesy and predictable, but it made me smile. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book which is why it got:

I can't wait for Faking It to come out because it sounds amazing!

25 April 2013

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Review: The Edge of Never by J A Redmerski

Review contains mature content and there may be strong language.


Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?


Ok, so for the past couple of weeks I haven't been reading as much and the last time I felt like I was in a slump I picked up a new adult book and it got me out of it. So, I thought I would do the same again. I actually only requested The Edge of Never from goodreads yesterday but I'd read a review of this book by Jess from Jess Hearts Books and I decided that I was just going to dive straight into this one. And boy am I glad I did. I'm being serious when I say this is the best new adult book I've read this year so far (and I doubt there'll be one that will beat it). It was just so different from the others. There wasn't the same trend with the issues that the characters had and I found it refreshing. The story had a deeper tone to it and I just loved everything about it.


Camryn was such a refreshing female character. She wasn't obsessed with guys or any of the usual stuff girls are into. She wanted to travel the world, think outside the box, not be restricted by jobs or rules and that's what I loved about her character. She was so unique and genuine that I connected with her immediately. I'd admire her balls to drop everything and jump on a bus with no plan of what she was going to. She knew she wanted to travel and that's exactly what she did. I'd love to be able to do what she did, but I don't have the guts to jump on a bus by myself and head of god knows where. 


And then Andrew Parrish was added to the mix. And, wow. From the instant he walked onto the bus late I knew I was going to love him, and I knew Camryn would love him too (eventually). He was cocky, full of himself and so bloody hilarious. I really felt for Andrew because of what he was going through with his family and I just wanted to help him! He brought out a different side of Camryn that she didn't think existed and I they helped each other out along the road. 


So the sex scenes in this book were steamy, and I mean steamy. Andrew's really dominant and brought out a submissive side in Camryn that she didn't know she had. I found myself wishing that I was Camryn on that road trip with Andrew, I would've said yes to him sooner than she did. Seriously. When he said 

"If you were to let me fuck you, you would have to let me own you" 
I actually went weak at the knees. He's got this aura around him that just makes him so damn sexy. He was just so irresistible when he was like that. Those scenes made me love his character even more. I wish that there was more of these scenes though. 

Andrew was hiding something from Camryn though. And it wasn't until they were at his mum's house that I started to piece everything together. I didn't want to believe it. I silenced my thoughts and ignored them until it became so painfully obvious that I was right and then I just cried. And cried some more. It was something that I hadn't seen coming until the end of the book. It was so unexpected and a very cruel twist. And then it just got worse and worse.


The ending was, however, slightly cheesy. I did expect it to be something along those lines because it's a romance novel. They all end well at the end. But to be honest, I didn't really care how cheesy it was. I was so wrapped up in these characters that I didn't care what they did, I just wanted to keep reading about them! This book definitely deserves:

I can't wait for The Edge of Always! I need more Cam and Andrew! Now!

24 April 2013

Review: Icons by Margaret Stohl & UK GIVEAWAY

Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.


I received an e-arc copy of this book from Netgalley, and I'm SOSOSO happy that I requested it! Ok, so this book did take me like 10 days to read, but in all fairness I had uni work to finish and I was watching every episode of The Vampire Diaries so that is my excuse as to why it took me so long. If I'd actually sat down and just read this, it probably would have only taken me 1-2 days to finish it. But other stuff got in the road.


I was so excited to get my hands on this. I'm a massive fan of The Caster Chronicles and I was just so excited for this one. 

For me, the storyline did start out pretty slow and I found myself getting confused - this may also be why it took me so long to finish it - but by about a third of the way in, I started to understand what was happening and my interest in the storyline grew and grew as the book went on. 

There were 4 main characters in this book (The Icon Children) - Dol, Ro, Lucas and Tima. 


Dol was the one I had the biggest connection with. She was the one telling the story so I got to learn a lot more about her than the rest of the characters. I really liked Dol's character, she was kind, compassionate and strong. Her strength grew throughout the book when she found out who she was and what her purpose was. She also has an incredible power that I still don't fully understand and I think I'll need to re-read this at some point to understand exactly what it is she can do. But Dol was just such an amazing main character.


I'm on the fence about Ro. There were times when he was so caring and loving, but when his anger kicked in he was a monster. Full of rage and anger he kill someone very easily. The only person who could calm him was Dol. I'm hoping that Ro will managed to control his anger (even though it's his power) in the second book and maybe I'll get to see more of the nice side of him.


I'm on the fence with Lucas too. For most of the book, I didn't know what to think of him. Being the ambassadors son meant that he's grown up in the society rules by The Lords and trying to get him to fight against them was hard. He was a genuinely nice character and he helped Dol, Tima and Lucas a lot, but he was also kind of two faced when it came to fighting against The Lords. I kind of lost all respect for him at one point, but then at the end he managed to earn my respect again because of what he did. I'm still not too sure about his character and I can't wait to see more of him in the next book.


Tima was just fantastic! At first, I thought I wasn't going to like her. But then as the book went on, we learnt about Tima and her past and I grew to like her. When Tima was discovering what and who they were, she came out of her hard outer shell and became such an amazing character. She was so intelligent and friendly that I found myself wishing we had seen this girl the whole way through the book, but I knew the other side to her was necessary too. I'm really excited to see more of Tima in the next book and find out exactly what she can do with her power.


In my opinion, the romance in this book was unneeded. There was Dol & Ro and Dol & Lucas and I just felt myself getting annoyed. Sure Dol and Ro have been best friends for years, but is there any need for Ro to have romantic feeling for Dol? No. So what if she's helped him over the years, they just don't have the spark and it really annoyed me. And Dol and Lucas? Don't even get me started. I actually thought Tima and Lucas were together, but no, Lucas has to like Dol instead just to add a twist in the story and make Ro want to kill Dol even more. The worst part is that Dol likes him too. They haven't even known each other that long, and now they're together? No. Just, no.


To start with, I felt like the storyline was pretty confusing and I couldn't get a grip of it. I don't know if it was the layout of the e-arc or the actual storyline, but I just couldn't get into it. But about a third of the way in, the storyline starts to pick up and I managed to get a grasp of what was actually going on and start to have an interest in the story. 

From then on, everything just started moving really fast and there were so many twist that I didn't see coming - like how and why the Icon children came to be and why The Lords came to Earth. There are still some things to be explained like the projects, I'm not sure what their purpose is, but I'm sure we'll find out.
There was some action in this book, especially at the end, and it was done brilliantly.

The ending was the best part of this book. There was a lot uncovered and a lot that happened. There was even one part that almost had me in tears and I just didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe it, not after everything that had happened and everything else that was yet to come.


Overall, I highly enjoyed this book. Even though I had some issues with it, the plot was just so amazing that it deserves:


So this is the exciting part! I have a finished copy of ICONS to giveaway! Harper Collins were kind enough to send me one to giveaway to you lovely people. It's going to be a UK giveaway only because I can't afford international delivery.

GIVEAWAY STARTS AT 12AM.
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Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.




I received an e-arc copy of this book from Netgalley and I was so excited! The Selection was the first book I read this year and it was amazing! I was so excited to read The Elite and it didn't disappoint. I actually decided to read this on a whim. I hadn't been reading a lot and I though what better to get me back on track than a sequel I've been dying to read. I definitely made the right decision because as soon as I started this, I just couldn't put it down. I loved The Selection, but The Elite was just superb!


America was amazing in this book. Although there were moments when she started to annoy me with the Maxon/Aspen thing, I just absolutely love her character. She's so genuine and nice that I find it hard not to like her. She's got a determination about her when it comes to what she thinks is worth fighting for and I admire her for it. She'll do whatever she can to get her point across - even if it means endangering her place. I love her attitude and her whole character. She's probably one of my favourite female characters.


I loved learning more about Maxon in this book. I didn't think it was possible to love him more than I already did, boy was I proved wrong. We got an insight into Maxon's family life and I really felt for him. Having no one to talk to about it and no one to tell because of how scared he is made me just want to hug him and tell him everything was going to be alright. He's so sweet and caring that I just couldn't believe that it had happened to him. There were a few moments where I felt like Maxon needed a punch in the face to get him back on track, but for most of the book  I loved him.


Aspen is just not a character I care about. I hate him, his relationship with America and the fact that he's interfering with Maxon and America. Can he not just get lost already? Clearly America loves Maxon and Aspen is just making everything awkward and making her doubt her decision. If he just left, America would be able to tell Maxon exactly how she feels about him and forget all about Aspen. He just won't let her move on!

If you couldn't tell, I'm Team Maxon all the way! :)

Like I said above, I just don't see Aspen and America going anywhere. But Maxon and America? You can just tell that they're destined to be together. The compliment each other and when (when not if) they get together, they're going to do great things for Illea. They'll also make such a cute couple because they are so perfect for each other.


There was a lot more action in this book. The rebels became more determined and I'm still really interested to find out what they want! America had kind of an idea what they were after, but we still don't know if it's true or not. Guess we'll find out in the next book!
Maxon's father is a piece of work too. He's such a horrible person. I actually despise him, and I really hope he dies in the next book. He deserves to.


The storyline was more gripping and more interesting because it was down to the final 6. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming and that part with Marlee? I was in shock. 


And then there was the ending. The ending had me squealing with joy! I'm so excited for the last book now! I can't wait! This book definitely deserves:

I actually can't wait for the last book now! And we have a name - The One - and the name made me even more excited! Roll on 2014!

15 April 2013

Review: Wait For You by J Lynn

NEW ADULT REVIEW - MAY CONTAIN MATURE CONTENT


Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn't need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.


Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…


So I was sent an invitation by Harper Fiction on netgalley to review this book last week. I wasn't actually planning on reading it anytime soon, but I was bored and in the mood for a romance novel so I just decided to start reading it. And I am so glad that I did. This is definitely the best new adult book I've read so far. The characters and the storyline were fantastic! I got completely sucked into the story and I finished it in about a day.

So first of all, we have our main character Avery. She's moved to a college far away from her home town to escape what happened to her in the past. I really loved Avery's character. She was funny, likeable and I honestly couldn't fault her. What she went through when she was younger was traumatic and horrible and I really felt for Avery when I actually found out what had happened to her. Avery's character develops throughout the book and by the end she is a strong, independent character who has finally managed to move on from her past and focus on her future.


And then we have Cam. Cam, Cam, Cam. Oh god I love him. Right from that first meeting. He had me at "sweetheart". He was funny, cocky and oh so lovable. Most of the things he said had me laughing and smiling and I just love him! Cam's got a bit of a secret too. When I found out what his secret was, I completely understood why he did what he did. OK, maybe he went slightly too far, but I couldn't really blame him for it. Also, he's very persistent when it comes to what he wants. And he has a pet turtle called Raphael (TMNT).


Brit and Jordan (Avery's friends) were brilliant characters as well. I was so happy that Avery had managed to make friends. They were really good for her and really likable characters - especially Jordan.

Ollie a.k.a Senor Fucktard (Cam's roommate) was a brilliant character as well. He had me in stitches most of the time when he spoke. He was just so funny!

Cam and Avery's relationship was hot. And I mean HOT. The scenes where they were making out were so steamy. I was actually reading this on the bus when I came across a scene like this. I was trying to angle myself away from the person sitting next to me and hide my kindle from the person behind me in case they were reading it. But, yeah, I really enjoyed reading those scene. Cam and Avery had some serious chemistry and that was definitely shown during the sex scenes (yes there are sex scenes, and yes they are hot). Most of the time I was just wishing I was Avery.


I fell in love with the storyline. I loved seeing Cam and Avery's relationship develop and seeing Avery finally realise her feelings for Cam. There were a few bumps in the road along the way, but they kept the story interesting.


I loved the ending! I love this book! Which is why it definitely deserves:

I'm so excited for the next book now which looks like it's going to be about about Cam's sister. I can't wait! I definitely recommend this book if you love romance/new adult novels. It was just brilliant!

Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ DELIRIUM & PANDEMONIUM


They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.
But we are still here.
And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.
Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.
But we have chosen a different road.
And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.


So the layout of this one was much different from the previous books. Delirium & Pandemonium were told from only Lena's POV (although Pandemonium was past and present). Requiem is told from Lena and Hana's POV. At first, this did annoy me because I honestly didn't care about Hana's life. But as the story went on, I realised just how important Hana's story was and I started to enjoy it.

OK, so this one picks up after that massive cliffhanger at the end of Pandemonium when Alex returned. I was so excited that Alex was back and I just couldn't believe it! I couldn't wait to read about him and I was keeping my fingers crossed for a Lena and Alex reunion.


Unfortunately, Alex had changed. He was no longer the sweet, caring, lovable boy he was in Delirium. He'd hardened after spending time in jail and kept his feelings hidden. He was kind of arrogant and I didn't like his attitude towards Lena. He did start to redeem himself throughout the book, but I didn't feel the same way about him as I did in Delirium.


I felt really bad for Julian in this book. He was having to adjust to the wild and living with the rebels and Lena was distancing herself from him because of Alex, and it wasn't fair. Julian was sweet and lovely and he was determined to do everything he could to help the rebels.


Lena started to slightly annoy me in this book because of the whole  Julian/Alex thing. She was stringing Julian along, but wouldn't be close with him because of her feeling for Alex. I wish she would have just stopped moaning about the both of them and thought more about what was going on with the rebels. To me, it was clearly obvious that she loved Alex more than Julian and she wanted to be with Alex. So I don't really understand why she didn't figure it out sooner! 


Poor Hana. I really felt for her in this book. She was discovering things about her soon to be husband and she had no one to turn to. Her cure hadn't worked as well as it should have and I'm actually glad it didn't. Hana was still there and I really loved reading about her story.


I loved the scenes between Lena and her mother. I liked seeing their relationship re-build and I hope that they'll be able to be a family again in the future.


The was a lot of action in this book, with the government hunting the rebels and the rebel attacks on the cities. It was exciting and I was hooked throughout the scenes. The big fight at the end was thrilling and heartbreaking.


I didn't really enjoy the way the book ended. It was too open. It didn't give me what I was looking for and I was pretty annoyed about that. I still really enjoyed the book though which is why I gave it:

I'm really glad I decided to pick up Delirium this month because the whole series was fantastic

8 April 2013

Review: Forsaken by Jana Oliver

The Forsaken (The Demon Trappers #1)
by Jana Oliver

Demon Trapper Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself—and that’s exactly what Lucifer is counting on…

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.


To start with, I felt like this book was really slow. The story line was dragging in and I was getting bored. But then, something happened in Riley's life and the story started to pick up. From then on, I was captivated by the story and the characters in it and I was desperate to know what was going to happen. 

I really liked Riley. I admired her determination to become a trapper even though a lot of the Trappers Guild were against her joining because she's a girl. I also thought it was pretty badass that she is the only female trapper. It just makes her that bit more awesome. I also admire her strength. Riley has gone through alot in her life, and there's a lot that happens to her in this book. Although she has her moments when she breaks down, most of the time she keeps her head held high and gets on with it. She was also pretty funny and really likable.

There were 3 guys in this book that were all interested in Riley: Beck, Simon and Ori. The only one I really liked was Beck. Sure, Simon's nice enough and Ori's mysterious, but Beck was the only one that stood out for me (that might have been because some of the story was from his POV). 

Beck's had a rough life, and Riley's dad helped him through it. He's got this kind of tough outer shell that he puts on to hide his true feelings, but when he drops it, he's so sweet and kind. He cares for Riley a lot and has battle with his feelings for her for years. I had my fingers crossed for these two because they just seem like they would be perfect together.

Simon is a goody two shoes. He's too nice and restrained and I just couldn't find myself enjoying the moments that Riley and Simon had together. I was mostly hoping Beck would show up and declare his love for her (even though that's not his style). Simon just seemed too perfect.

We haven't learnt a lot about Ori yet. He's still a mysterious character that I'm intrigued to learn more about. He's saved Riley's ass twice now, so I'm hoping he'll turn up in the rest of the series because I want to know more about him.

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for Beck and Riley though.

The whole storyline about the Trappers and Demons was really interesting. I liked learning about trapping along with Riley since she's an apprentice. I also enjoyed learning about the different kind of demons and what can be used to trap them. I also enjoyed seeing the different kinds of necromancers and learning more about them. I'm interested to see more of them in the next book.

The last couple of chapters were pretty exciting and I was hooked. I didn't want to put the book down until I'd finished it. I'm really excited to read Forbidden now!

I really enjoyed this book which is why I gave it:

Overall, I thought this book was pretty good. I definitely recommend checking it out!

7 April 2013

Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2)
by Julie Kagawa

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

For some reason, it's taken me forever to get around to writing this review. The storyline picks up where The Iron King left off with Meghan having to fulfill her end of the deal she made with Ash (The Winter Prince).

I did find this slightly slow to start with, but when the storyline picked up, it picked up fast and it made up for the start of the book. I enjoyed this one more than the first book.

Meghan was a completely different person in this book. The situation she was in at the start caused her to change slightly and become more reserved. But throughout the rest of the book we got to see the real Meghan Chase. The tough, kick-ass girl who would do anything possible to protect the people she loved and would do anything to save them. I love her attitude and her strength and I'm excited to see her development in the next book.

I'm not going to go into much detail about Ash for this book, because there's a lot that happened and I don't want to end up spoiling anything. But I did absolutely love his character.

I'm not too keen on Puck. Yeah, he's funny. But he just gets in the road of Meghan and Ash most of the time and it annoys me. I know there's supposed to be kind of a love triangle in this book, but I doubt Meghan would ever give up Ash for Puck.

There was more action in this book with the fight scenes at the palace. There were also a couple of huge, massive fights in the book that were nerve wracking. I was convinced someone was going to get hurt or die and I was on the edge of my seat throughout those scenes.

Meghan & Ash's relationship is probably one of my favourites. They're just so perfect when they're together and you can tell how much they love each other. It has the Romeo & Juliet feel though because they come from two different families that hate each other, but that didn't really bother me because I was so invested in their relationship.

I gave this book:
I'm really excited to read The Iron Queen and find out what's going to happen next because the ending of this book was fantastic & unexpected!

4 April 2013

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ DELIRIUM

Pandemonium (Delirium #2) 
by Lauren Oliver

I'm pushing aside 
the memory of my nightmare, 
pushing aside thoughts of Alex, 
pushing aside thoughts of Hana 
and my old school, 
push, 
push, 
push, 
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence, 
behind a wall of smoke and flame.


Holy mother of god this book was awesome. I expected it to been good because Delirium was fantastic, but Pandemonium blew Delirium out of the park! I haven't felt this strongly about a book in a while. 

The book is told from two different points: Then & Now. So we get to see what is happening in Lena's life, but we also get to see what happened to her after she escaped into The Wilds leaving Alex behind. At first, I found myself really enjoying getting to see both parts, but then there were times when I was just desperate to read the Now chapters because of what was happening and what was developing. Don't get me wrong, I still loved the flicking between the two different parts of Lena's life, there were just times where I wanted longer Now chapters and I didn't want them being broken up by Then chapters.

Lena is a completely different person in this book. The Then chapters allow you to see what Lena has been through and how she has developed into the person she is in the Now chapters. I had a much stronger connection with Lena in this book. After what happened during her escape, Lena is trying to forget and convince herself that Alex didn't die. I felt so bad for Lena to start with, after everything she'd been through to escape with Alex to have him ripped away from her was cruel. Lena started to change though, she started to become strong and independent. She had to change her attitude and adapt to life in The Wilds. I really liked the change in Lena, it made me like her character even more.

I had a love/hate relationship with Raven. There were times where I wanted to punch her and times where I really liked her. Raven was practical. She made sure everything that had to be done was done, and sometimes she went to extreme measures to get it done. And those were the times I really hated her. But Raven was also compassionate and I really enjoyed seeing the softer side of her.

And then there's Julian. As soon as I started reading this book I was convincing myself I wouldn't like Julian because he's not Alex. And Alex was just beautiful and amazing and no one could take his place. But then when Julian and Lena suddenly found themselves thrown together, I started to learn about Julian and I couldn't help but fall for him. Julian was sweet and naive and I got so sucked in by his character that I kind of forgot about Alex for a while, I was all for Julian and Lena. His character development was one I loved seeing. The Julian at the start of the book is a completely different person from the Julian at the end. I honestly couldn't help falling for him.

The whole plot of this book was so much more exciting. There was a lot more action and I found myself being pulled into the story. I honestly can't think of a dull moment in this book. It was fast paced and thrilling. I couldn't put it down.

And then the ending happened. My feelings just exploded. I had no idea what to do after it. Everything I'd been dead set on in this book was just blown to pieces. WHYWHYWHY!? This cliffhanger was worse than the one in Delirium, and that one was awful! My head is a mess now, and I'm so confused. My heart is torn.

So, yeah. In case you couldn't tell, I absolutely loved this book which is why I gave it:
Although, I definitely feel like it deserves more because it was brilliant. I'm dying to get my hands on Requiem now and I'll definitely be buying it this weekend!

3 April 2013

THE HOST: Movie Review

Hello everyone! So today I finally went to see The Host and I have a movie review for you guys! So I've decided to post the video review instead of write a review because I had a lot to say about this movie and the written review would have been HUGE.

Contains some spoilers


If you've seen the movie, let me know what you thought of it in the comments!

2 April 2013

Review: Hunger by Michael Grant

Hunger (Gone #2)
by Michael Grant

It's been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.


Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers. Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.


But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.


The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.


Ok, so when I started this series, I had a bit of trouble getting into Gone and I had to put it down for a couple of months. Then I picked it up again in November last year and I finally managed to finish it (although it took me most of the month) and then I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with the series since I didn't enjoy the first one. After being constantly told by one of my friends at uni that the series gets better as it goes along, I finally caved and decided to pick up Hunger this month. I'm glad I did because I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one. 

I managed to get a grasp on most of the characters in this book. There are a hell of alot of them and it was confusing at first, but eventually I managed to remember who everyone was and what side they were on. 

I'm only going to go through a couple of the characters fully because if I did them all, I'd be here all day.

Sam grew on me in this book. I feel like I got to understand him more and see how he manages to stay strong after everything he's been through and everything he still has to do. I actually admire Sam in this book because his strength, he's just such an amazing character.

Astrid grew on me as well. I love how she's so intelligent. She's the person who's always there for Sam while dealing with her own problems and I think she's developing into a strong character.

I'm actually not to sure what to think about Caine anymore. I started to pity him in this book. He was so pathetic. I actually found myself feeling sorry for him at one point, but then I remembered everything he'd done and I went back to hating him. But we got to see a different side of Caine at the end of the book, a side that had feelings and that was scared, and I'm hoping that we'll get to see more of that side of him. 

I also changed my opinion of Diana in this book. I started to realise that everything she does is to benefit her. She stays with whoever will be able to protect and and keep her safe. I realised that she wasn't actually a bad person, she was just trying to stay alive.

I really enjoyed being introduced to some new characters. Some of these characters were great and I really liked them e.g. Duck & Orsay, and others not so much e.g. The Human Crew. These new characters definitely added some more excitement and action into this book and I'm looking forward to seeing what Sam is going to do about The Human Crew. 

And then we have Drake. I wish he would die already. He's sick in the head and he's a complete psychopath!

The storyline in this book was much more fast paced and more enjoyable. There was a lot more going on with Caine, The Human Crew, Darkness and the Zekes that I just got hooked into the storyline  I'm really excited to see where the story is going to go from here because the Darkness is getting stronger and something is definitely going to happen. The ending was exciting and thrilling and it was actually nice to see Sam and Caine sort of working together against a common enemy. Maybe they'll learn to be friends, but I'm not keeping my fingers crossed.

So overall, this book was much more enjoyable that Gone which is why I gave it:
I still have some issues with the series, there are a couple of things that I'm not too sure of and some things that I don't like, but the things I liked outweighed the things I don't and that's why it got 4 stars. I'm really excited to continue on with the series!