*Review* Asunder – Jodi Meadows

 Asunder (Newsoul #2)

Jodi Meadows

406 pages

ISBN: 9780062060785

Read 4-30-13

Format: Hardcover

Source: Library

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DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

Jodi Meadows writes some of my favorite book scenes and she writes some of the best musical scenes!  I can almost hear the music swirling around me when I read those passages.  Her descriptions are really wonderful and magical; love it.  The first book was mostly very beautiful, but this book takes quite a different turn and is full of angry people and scenes that make me really angry, but it does show how ugly people really can be just because someone is different.

I really like Ana.  She is very strong and fights for whatever she believes in.  She has a good heart and wants the best for everyone, even after everything the people of Heart put her through.  Much of this book left me feeling very angry because how Ana is treated and it really made my blood boil.  I don’t like when people discriminate the way they do.  Sam is great also, I still love him and he is still one of my top book boyfriends.  He is just so amazingly sweet and loyal to Ana.  Dear Council, I hate you.

There were some interesting story twists along the way and I really can’t wait until the third book, which is sometime next year, and see how everything works out.  Religion is not something I seek out in a book, but I like how this book has a religious aspect without it being overkill.  This book is definitely easy to get yourself lost in and I didn’t want to put it down; it just really sucks you in.

Beautiful descriptions, bubbles emotion, great characters, didn’t want to put it down!

*Review* The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

 The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

313 pages

ISBN: 9780525478812

Read 1-15-13

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

This was my first time reading John Green and it definitely will not be the last.  This story was so beautiful, poignant and touching.  Very powerful.  It was also my first cancer book.  The author did so well portraying what it is like to be a cancer patient, especially from the female point of view.

Hazel was very strong, even though she was also very sick and Augustus could make anybody’s day bright with his playful quips and positive attitude.  As heartbreaking as this book was at points,  I also found myself laughing pretty hard in places, mainly because of Augustus.  I loved how witty he was.

The writing style was excellent and fluid.  It gave te story a poetic flow and nice sound as the performer read it.  This is one of my favorite audiobooks and you could really feel the emotion in all the right spots.  Even the accents were wonderfully done.   The whole book was simply beautiful and dealth with a tough subject in an incredible way.  I greatly look forward to all works by John Green and highly recommend this book to readers who want to have their heart touch by such a wonderful story.

Powerful, beautiful, amazing, have tissues.

*Review* Lola and the Boy Next Door – Stephanie Perkins

 Lola and the Boy Next Door

Stephanie Perkins

338 pages

ISBN: 9780525423287

Read 1-16-13

Format: Hardcover

Source: Own

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 Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion…she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit–more sparkly, more fun, more wild–the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket–a gifted inventor–steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

This was my Random Read for January and I knew I was going to love this just because I loved Anna.  This authoris an incredible writer and really knows how to put you in the shoes of her characters and feel exactly what they feel.  Both of these books were so real and readers can easily relate to Anna and Lola.  I also loved seeing Anna and St. Clair in this book.

Lola is a wonderful character.  She is smart, lively, fun and different; different in a very good way.  I would love to meet someone like Lola.  And Cricket?  Who wouldn’t want to fall in love with the thoughful, sweet, hot next door boy?  As for Max, at first I kind of liked him, but he became a jerk quickly.  We have all made the mistake of being blinded by love, but when nobody liked the guy you’re with, then something is wrong.

This story is set in San Fransisco, and because of this book, I really want to go, especially to see the wild parrots and the Japanese tea garden.  It’s obvious that the author is very familiar with this area (she used to live there) and she portays it beautifully.  The cover of the book is cute, it isn’t super fantastic, but it goes perfectly with the story becuse it really captures Lola and Cricket right down to the star on his left hand.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see St. Clair on the cover of Anna, so I’m very glad we got to see Cricket.

I am definitely a die hard fan of Stephanie Perkins now and she is on my auto-buy list.  I am very excited about her upcoming Isla, plus, next year, she is publishing a teen slasher novel and it will be really interesting to see how she does in that from romance.  Aside from a few words missing from sentences in a couple of spots toward the end of the book, it was pretty near perfect.  I loved it almost as much as I loved Anna!

Beautiful setting, incredible characters, couldn’t put it down, LOVE!!

*Review* Forgotten – Cat Patrick

 Forgotten

Cat Patrick

304 pages

ISBN: 9780316094610

Read 1-2-13

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you’d easily forget, yet try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come.

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it’s time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

This book sounded like it was really going to be a good read, but it actually turned out to be a bit disappointing for me.  The second half of the book was better than the first half, but it was still not wonderful.  This story concept was a really good idea, but it had potential to be so much better.  There were a couple of spots where the memory explanations seemed to contradict each other, so I was never completely clear on certain aspects of how her memory worked.

As for the characters, London was not wonderful, but she wasn’t bad, either.  She has it rough because of her memory, but she doesn’t let that stop her from doing things, so she makes herself a bunch of notes to know what she needs for the next day.  Her best friend, Jamie, I couldn’t stand.  She made stupid choices (especially considering the choices she still made even after her friend that can see the future told her she shouldn’t do), she was selfish and she acted like a total slut.  I know I couldn’t have a best friend like her.  I really liked Luke.  He was very sweet and understanding and I felt like London was too harsh with him when she would get angry over things.

The writing was pretty good; it was the story itself that fell flat for me.  There were so many great turns the story could have taken or been improved on.  For me, the most disappointing part of the story was the ending.  The way the story was building I was expecting this nice big finish or some sort of high tension finale, but, no; it was actually very anticlimactic, and I hate to say this book didn’t live up to my expectations.

Good male character, had potential, contradicts in spots, anticlimactic ending.

*Review* Pandemonium – Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver

375 pages

ISBN: 9780061978067

Read 12-27-12

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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Lena joins the resistance effort against the oppressive government and fights for freedom.
After escaping from Portland, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community. Weak and grieving for Alex, Lena fights to survive. And then she fights her oppressors.
As the viewpoint shifts between Lena’s time in the Wilds and the present day, which is set in Brooklyn, Lena transforms into a warrior for the resistance. In New York City, the grass-roots movement for a Deliria-Free America (the DFA) is gathering strength, and its leader, Thomas Fineman, recruits more supporters by the day. His son Julian–as-yet uncured–heads up the DFA’s youth organization. Lena is tasked with blending into the DFA’s rallies; she seems to be a supporter yet she is really a spy.

I still find the concept of love being a disease a very interesting concept and  love how the author pulls it off!  I enjoyed the first book, but I think I actually enjoyed this one more because it had more action in it, where Delirium was more of a slow build.  Pandemonium jumps back and forth from what is happening now to when Lena was first out in the wilds.  I like how things connect and weave into each other from past and present.

I really liked the new relationships and characters that came in for this story.  I liked Julian better than Alex and Raven is an interesting character who I liked sometimes and wanted to blow up at other times.  There are some very heart breaking points in the book and few very slow points.  I enjoyed the ending (even if it was a cliffhanger) and I can’t wait to see what happens in Requiem (only 2 more months!).

Great characters, great writing, more action, a must read!

*Review* Rapture – Lauren Kate

 Rapture (Fallen #4)

Lauren Kate

432 pages

ISBN: 9780385739184

Read 12-2-12

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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The sky is dark with wings . . . .

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

I was pleasantly surprised with the final Fallen novel, and the second two books were definitely better than the first two.  I feel like Lauren’s writing was more ramped up and the descriptions were better, the characters were better and the story was better.   Knowing what I know now about this series, it is a beautiful love story; the first half of it was just a bit aggravating.  I hate having to go through so many books wanting to know what is being hidden from the character for sooooo long (kind of like when someone tells you they need to tell you something, but they wait a few days while you go crazy).

By the end of it, I did like Daniel and I was rather attached to a lot of the characters.  I really liked the way the story ended and thought it was perfect for their story.  There was just one thing I was confused about by the ending, not anything that happened, but it was something that didn’t quite add up right.  See spoiler below if you want to know if you already read it or don’t care about spoilers.

***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT****

When their lives start over, it comes back to them 17 years later and Luce is in college.  The part that didn’t add up for me was that Daniel was 2 years older than her.  I can see Luce being 17 and in college, but if it was 17 years later, how could Daniel be 19?  So yeah, that’s my quirk with it.

***END OF SPOILER***END OF SPOILER***END OF SPOILER***

I really wish the first two books were done a little differently and I really would have loved the series!  The audiobook reader stayed the same and she did a really great job.  I wasn’t surprised by the stuff that happened in this final book, except for maybe one thing.  If you don’t mind working through two okay books to get to two good books, then you can try this series out, and this is just my opinion as there are plenty of others who loved the first two books as well, so I am not trying to hinder anybody from reading it!

Better writing, great descriptions, perfect ending, this series gets better with each book.

*Review* Passion – Lauren Kate

 Passion (Fallen #3)

Lauren Kate

420 pages

ISBN: 9780385739160

Read (11-26-12)

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way….

Luce is certain that something – or someone – in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime…going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel…and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history. Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames…forever.

Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series.

I would have to say that so far, this is the book I have enjoyed most of the series.  In this book, we get to see and learn so much more than in the first two combined.  We got to see much more of Luce and Daniel’s story as she moves through time to witness their love with her past lives.  I really enjoyed seeing Luce’s past selves and how Daniel came into them.  They were all quite different and their relationship connected better in all those previous lives than they did in their current one to me.

The reader for the audiobook does a fantastic job with all the different accents as Luce travels to different countries as she goes back in time and she has a very clear and pelasant voice.  I still felt no surprise through the book as it was quite predictable to me.  Only one more book to the series left and I am hoping for a great finale with some surprises since it is the end.

Great reader, get to see more romance between Luce and Daniel, wonderful past lives scenes, still predictable, but enjoyable.

*Review* Torment – Lauren Kate

 Torment (Fallen #2)

Lauren Kate

452 pages

ISBN: 9780385739146

Read 11-8-12

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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Hell on earth.

That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.

It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts – immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something – something dangerous.

What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series…where love never dies.

This one was better than Fallen in some parts, worse in some parts and still aggravating.  Luce is still blind to the obvious and makes very bad decisions when it comes to some things.  I feel like she is a character that you have to spell everything out for.

I do, however, like Luce’s roommate, Shelby.  She has a rough exterior, but she is a really devoted friend.  I also really liked Myles.  He is suchs a sweet character and an all around good guy.

I did like the fact that we get to find out more about the shadows, what they are for and what they do.  I would probably treat them kind of like pets if it was me.  The way it describes them slithering around and such, in my head, I pictures them as little blobs like the nulls in Reboot (if anybody remembers this show – if you haven’t seen it, you definitely should).  I can’t help but to be nice to little things like that that seem to be alive.

Luce also starts to delve into past life stuff and I think it would be rather hard to see the things she does.  I am still not crazy about Daniel and after seeing some of the stuff from the past, I am even less crazy about him.  The way the book ended was interesting and I liked the decision that Luce made.  You can really tell how confused she is by everything and the mixed emotions she has over it.  So far, the series is still only okay, but it is interesting enough to keep going.

Likeable secondary characters, still frustrating, no interest in lvoe interest, good ending.

*Review* Fallen – Lauren Kate

 Fallen

Lauren Kate

452 pages

ISBN: 9780385738934

Read 10-27-12

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret…even if it kills her.

For me, this book wasn’t quite as good as I hoped it would be.  I wasn’t overly impressed with any of the characters, though  did like some of them; just didn’t love them.  There wasn’t anything about Luce that wowed me and she became super non-functioning and dumb-struck when Daniel came around.  I don’t like or dislike Daniel.  Honestly, I don’t know him well enough from the first book of this series to make a decision on how much I like him.

The story was kind of enjoyable, but I don’t feel like I know very much from it.  I really didn’t learn much more than what I already knew when I started the book.  In fact, it left me a bit frustrated because nobody wanted to say anything.  There was one part I was surprised and saddened by, and it’s hard to know who to trust.  The reader did a good job, and I found out I have been mispronouncing a word all my life (I think it is a southern thing).  Not a long review for this book.  Don’t really have much to say on it.  It was okay and hopefully I like the next book more.  Oh, and it is insta-love MAJOR, so if you are not a fan of insta-love, you may want to bypass it, if you are, then by all means, check it out!

Insta-love, okay characters, not much revealed, good descriptions.

*Review* Kissing Shakespeare – Pamela Mingle

 Kissing Shakespeare

Pamela Mingle

352 pages

ISBN: 9780385741965

Read 8-31-12

Format: Hardcover

Source: Borrowed

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 Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school’s staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide. 

Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she’d like to meetShakespeare, Miranda thinks he’s a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen’s really from. He wants Miranda to use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lost its greatest playwright. 

Miranda isn’t convinced she’s the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it’s her only chance of getting back to the present and her “real” life. What Miranda doesn’t bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

After a synopsis like that, I was really looking forward to reading this book.  I added it to my TBR back in November and was thrilled when it finally came out.  I was looking forward to a fabulously romantic book, but unfortunately, it was not what I was hoping for.