Forever... by Judy Blume

Forever... by Judy Blume

3 stars

Katherine and Michael met at a New Year’s Eve party. Kath never thought they would grow to love each and promise each other forever. With promising forever comes love, making love, hardships, friendships, and breakups. Will Kath and Michael last forever? This book caused a storm of controversy when it came and some parents didn’t like the content, libraries banned, and it was just another book controversy apocalypse. I was expecting to be blown away. I first discovered this book when browsing the books in Walmart at the mere age of 10 and half. Since then I had been wanting to read this book very badly and that was four years ago. That’s a lot of waiting. I was disappointed in this book. It seems like I waited such a long time for something mediocre and not exciting at all. Well, that’s not entirely true. I thought the ending was very exciting with the whole Theo fiasco/ camp problem. My biggest pet peeve in this book was the writing. The writing and thoughts and sentences exchanged between the characters looked like this.

The main character is… Katherine… she also goes by Kath. Kath pauses… like a freaking madman. It got gather annoying… she also said um a lot. Um is Kath’s favorite word along with forever. Michael and Katherine… forever… See where the title comes into place. Even with the periods. I should’ve seen that coming just by the title. I was fooled. Kath is pretty unremarkable and I found myself not caring if she and Michael stayed together forever. I was more interested in finding out what was going to happen with the characters around her, but there were times when she became interesting. Like when she went to camp and started interacting with new people. Hey look I found Kath and Michael's song. Here it is
 

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 6.5

The main male character is Michael. Michael is boring and horny. The first time he was introduced I thought to myself, “This is who she falls in love with, oh lord.” Right from the start I knew it would be a mess… a very hot mess. Michael was boring, but the only thing he really seemed to offer in the story was sex. I guess that’s an odd thing to say considering this is YA and not erotica, but I said it and I mean it. Michael was boring and I could care less about him. We didn’t learn hardly anything about him and I don’t think Kath really knew him all that well either. A disappointing lead… probably one the most boring leads I’ve come across.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 4

The Villain- Hahahahahahaha
 
Hey, look it’s Kesha! Hot mess in the house just like their overly dependent relationship.
Villain Scale: bwahahahahah 2 cause I’m nice ;)

Kath’s friend, Erica, was interesting and trying to convert Artie, a young man who may or not be gay and is very confused. I thought she was kind of superficial, but at the same time I liked her. Artie was my favorite character along with Kath’s sister. They had substance and they were interesting. I felt like I know more about Jaime, Kath’s sister, and her aspirations, talents, and interests. Sybil was just thrown in there to be the sorta-friend that got knocked up. I wanted to know her story.


Character Scale: 4

The characters were nothing special, the writing felt mediocre, but I did enjoy some of the story. I expected so much and got nothing. I feel unsatisfied and sad. I expected so much. This was my mom’s first YA novel and she had loved, but why can’t I? Maybe it’s because writing has evolved and writing… like this… is pointless. I don’t know but I do know that my mom and I are going to have a very riveting discussion on this book tonight.

Cover Thoughts: I actually love the cover, but I wouldn’t really want my dad or anyone in public to see me with this. I find it simplistic and romantic, but I had been expecting a sizzling summer romance that would sweep me off my feet. I didn’t get that, but I did get the chance to read it and form and opinion.
  
 

Catch Up

Sorry I haven't posted any reviews and been pretty dormant on here. This week has been really busy since it's the last week before Showcase/Last Day of Marching Season Saturday! I'm currently reading Forever... by Judy Blume and Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland. Hopefully I'll write reviews for them soon!

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

First in The Dark Divine trilogy

5 stars

Grace Divine is the daughter of a pastor and feels like she will never live up to the Divine name. Then Daniel Kalbi comes back to town after not seeing him for three years. She doesn’t recognize him and he’s completely different from the Daniel she fell in love with when she was little. Grace can’t help falling for Daniel, even though she promised her older brother, Jude, that she would leave him alone, but saying it proves to be easier than doing it. I loved this book and I’m not afraid to admit it. Yes, this book had its flaws and there were quite a few, but I enjoyed this book. I read it in a day and gobbled up each word and cheesy line. I either have really good luck with werewolf books or really bad luck. The last one I had read was a flop and a disappointment. When picking up The Dark Divine I was hoping I wouldn’t want to toss the book at the wall or claw my eyes out. This book didn’t piss me off and make me angry, the whole time I was on the edge of my seat and waiting to find out more. The plot is very obvious and I guessed what would happen early on in the novel (which is something I try not to do, but can’t seem to help it), but I still seemed to be shocked when it was revealed. I think I was on a book rush, which is an adrenaline rush with books. But I think that’s what made me enjoy this book so much. Even though I knew what would happen I was still shocked and swamped in the story.


The main female character is Grace. Grace is well, I like her, but at the same time she confuses me. A lot of her thoughts had me scratching my head trying to figure out what the hell she meant. These parts probably didn’t make me look very attractive, but that’s a whole different story. I liked Grace, but she wasn’t an amazing character but she also wasn’t the worst. I do want to see where this is going to go because that ending was so good.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 7.5

The main male character is Daniel. Daniel stole my heart. It probably doesn’t help that I’m a total sucker for bad boys and I knew it would probably happen. Daniel was deep and layered kind of like Shrek, but attractive and a werewolf. Daniel and Grace’s relationship had felt a little rushed, but at the same time they had grown up with each other and they weren’t strangers.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5

The Villain- I had kind of saw that coming, but at the same time I hoped that wasn’t the case.

Villain Scale: 7

I loved Grace’s family even if they were annoying at times, but then again what family doesn’t have annoying members?

Character Scale: 8

I liked the werewolf folklore. It was a little different. Interesting, but not completely original, but also not completely unoriginal; if that makes any sense. I need to stop saying but I must have said it at least five times already. With that I’m done with this review and I loved it. I’m going to read the sequels someday whenever that may be, but I will read them… and expect them to be amazing.


Cover Thoughts: It’s beautiful, her feet are kind of weird looking, but it’s still a beautiful cover and it’s what caught my attention.


I read this back in February, so yeah it's been a while. hehe  

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

5 stars
Hannah Baker committed suicide, but no one knows exactly why. Rumors swirl around why and how, but no one knows until cassette tapes show up to people who have hurt Hannah. Thirteen cassette tapes; each telling her story before her death leading up to her suicide. Clay Jensen comes home to discover these cassette tapes on his porch. As he listens to the girl he cared about recount the thirteen reasons why she killed herself he wonders why he has received the tapes. This book was recommended to me by a substitute teacher one day when I was in the fifth. After seeing and having my interest piqued, I wondered about the book and if I would ever read it. Easter came and my parents gave it to me as a gift and I was extremely excited. Even though I was extremely excited to read it, I didn’t pick it up until the May of my sixth grade year. I wait a really long time to read some books. A really long time. Sometimes I regret waiting and sometimes I think it was better if I hadn’t even bought the book. This was one of those books where I wondered why I waited, but at the same time I think it was best that I did. I think if I would’ve read this book in the fifth grade I probably wouldn’t have liked it nearly as much because I grew up a lot the following year and my opinions and thoughts changed. This story is gripping, emotional and touching. I still remember the chills I got when reading some parts or how I cried when reading certain parts.


The main male character is Clay. I don’t read a lot of male POVs, but when I do I usually enjoy them. Clay’s voice was clear and relatable. I don’t want to give a lot away about him though it doesn’t seem right if I did.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 8

The main female character is Hannah. Hannah is the girl behind the tapes and her story is tragic. Hannah is the rare occurrence of someone trying and failing to get help. Her last tape made me cry the most. Hannah deserved a chance at happiness and life, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8

On a side note: This book has been picked up to be a movie and they’ve already cast someone to be Hannah Baker- Selena Gomez. I hope she’ll pull it off and give her character justice.
I love this book, but I don’t think there’s much I can say that hasn’t already been said. With that I recommend this book a 100% to anyone and everyone.

Cover Thoughts: I love the cover. It tells Hannah’s story even if it’s just a little bit of it. I like the look on her face, you can see her thinking and I’ve always wondered what exactly she was thinking.


P.S. I'm a freshmen in high school now, but I still remember this book. That's how much of an impact it had on me. 

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

5 stars

In the year 1941, fifteen-year-old artist Lina Vilkas and her family were forced to leave their home by the NKVD, Stalin’s army of Soviets. The Soviets place Lina, her mother, and brother on a train with a group of other people in a tiny overcrowded car. Lina and her family keep hope that one day they’ll be reunited with her father who was separated from them. As they fight for their survival, they must keep each other alive and hope for freedom. It took me eleven days to read this book. It took me so long not because I didn’t like this book or was bored by it, but the fact that with every page there was a new horror or tragedy forced upon Lina and I needed to take a break from the sadness and despair. I love books like this. This is the kind of book to make you think, “What if that would’ve been me? What would I have done?” I don’t think I would’ve been brave enough to do half the stuff Lina did or maybe I would, but let’s hope I never have to find out. I’ve never heard of Lithuanians and Soviets or Stalin or the NKVD. When I think of this time period I think of Pearl Harbor or Hitler and the Nazis. I’m sad to admit that but I don’t have hardly any knowledge in this tragedy that was bestowed upon the world, but now I do have some even if most of it was from the Author’s Note. I now know something.


The female main character is Lina. Lina is an artist, but she’s also strong willed, stubborn, hopeful, and a fighter. I guess in some ways you could compare her to Anne Frank if you wanted to, but I don’t. Lina is a strong character and she was full of hope. Hope that she would see her father again, hope she and her family would return to Lithuania, hope she would see the next day, and hope that her family was safe. Lina will always have a special place in my heart as a fighter.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 10

The main male character is… Andrius, I guess you could consider him to be that. I loved Andrius even when he and Lina were fighting. Andrius was just as much as a fighter Lina. He fought to protect his mom even when it was obvious that he couldn’t against the NKVD. He cared about people, whether it was Jonas, Lina, Lina’s mother, or anyone else. He would smuggle food to people and help them as much as he could. Even though I cried at the ending I couldn’t but smile when I read that one line that confirmed what I hoped would happen.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 9

The Villain- The NKVD are the villains, but the commander of the beet farm Lina and her family were at, Kretzsky, and Stalin are the most prominent. Stalin is the reason Lithuanians are being forced out of their homes and killed and starved. The commander was a pig for what he did to Lina and I couldn’t stand how he treated people. Kretzsky… I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. From the moment I started to see his name more on the beet farm I had a feeling he wasn’t all what he seemed. In this case he was painted as the villain, but turned out to be a hero.


Villain Scale: 10

Lina’s mother was a great mother and she loved her children. She fought for them and other people as well. Jonas, Lina’s brother, was adorable and I liked him. There are so many other characters and I don’t want to name them all because meeting them was like meeting a new person and I feel like if you haven’t read the book you should be able to meet these other people on your own.

Character Scale: 10

I loved the writing; it was simplistic, but telling and never too wordy. I liked how there was small passages about Lina’s past and how some of that tied into what was happening even if it didn’t seem like it at the time. My little sister let me borrow this book after she bought it at the book fair and all I have to say is that I’m glad she let me borrow it because of it I’ve met characters that will stay in my heart, new knowledge, and a book I will never forget.


Cover Thoughts: I love the cover. It’s beautiful and after reading the story it makes a little more sense. I just love the cover and it’s beautiful. Need I say more?

My Life As a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

My Life As a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

First in the White Trash Zombie series

5 stars

Angel Crawford is a loser and has always been one. She lives with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana; she’s a high school dropout with a pill popping habit and a criminal record who’s been fired from more sucky low-paying jobs than she can count. Things start to take a turn for the odd when she wakes up in the hospital being told she ODed on pain killers. She remembers being in a car accident but doesn’t have the scars to prove it. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there’s a job waiting for her at the local coroner’s office and that if she refuses she’ll be thrown in jail. She starts to develop a sickening hunger for brains, the ability to lift things that are ten times her weight, but all these new perks come with a the Hunger. To add the horribleness, the morgue is filling up with headless corpses when ever she’s the hungriest and it doesn’t hurt that there’s a hunky cop that always seems to show up. Angel has to grow up and grow up fast or she’s dead meat. Literally! Ever since I discovered My Life as a White Trash Zombie on Amazon while browsing for new books I’ve wanted to get my hands on it. I finally have! This book is perfect for me. I’m not the biggest fan of zombies, but if it’s done right I love them. It’s definitely done right in this book. It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve found a book set in Louisiana the whole entire time. They don’t have very many of them, but I usually read most of the paranormal ones I find.

The main female character is Angel. I loved Angel. She was funny, witty, and strong. She proves that you don’t need a high school diploma to be smart. As someone who has quite a few members in my family who haven’t graduated with a diploma, it’s nice to see a portrayal that’s actually real and relatable. She even talks a lot like me. I’ve never realized how Louisiana dialect sounds until we started learning about voice patterns in Speech class, but let’s clear this up. People in Louisiana don’t talk like the people on Swamp People.
 

We don’t sound like that unless we are joking around and doing impressions. There are also no swamps everywhere you turn. My backyard is not a swamp and no I don't travel to school in a boat (someone actually asked a student at my school that). Now that we got those misconceptions cleared up. Angel may be considered white trash, but at least she’s real and easy to relate to. I can’t really discuss her pill popping habit because I’ve distanced myself from it. Yes, people do it, but they do it in other parts of the world too. Angel is probably one of my favorite characters I’ve ever come across and I liked her from the very first sentence. She’s an interesting zombie, who can think with her head and her gut when it comes to crimes. I’m glad she was able to fight all her battles trying to pull her back down and I can’t wait to read more about her.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 10

The main male character is… well there really wasn’t a main love interest for Angel until the very end, but her love interest is Marcus. I like Marcus and it may or may not have something to do with the fact that he’s Russian. Marcus is actually a really good guy and it’s obvious that he and Angel will start to have more. I can’t wait to learn more about him.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5

The Villain- The villain was actually a shocker for me. I had been thinking the whole time like Angel or that may be Kang, but boy was I wrong. I totally didn’t see that coming and I wonder if he’ll come back in the next book. Just shows that people are quick to judge based on their experiences and will exact revenge if it's a negative experience.

Villain Scale: 8

There is a really long cast of character from Randy, Angel’s loser on-again-off-again boyfriend, to Nick the Prick, a fellow co-worker, to Dr. Leblanc, the head coroner, to Derell, Angel’s partner, to Angel’s dad and to a bunch of other characters that will probably be more prominent in the upcoming books.


Character Scale: 9

These zombies are a lot more interesting than you’re regular run-of-the-mill B movie zombies. They are dead, but the brains they eat keep them looking like regular breathing human beings. If they don’t eat brains within three days their flesh starts to peel, they become slower, and less human. This book was zombariffic, yes I made that word up. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book and delve more into the world of Angel Crawford.

Cover Thoughts: The cover is absolutely kick-ass and one of my favorite covers. Everything about it is perfect. The colors, font, picture, and artwork; it’s my kind of cover and it’s what had me curious in the first place aside from the strange, but awesome title.


 

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

First in the Nevermore series

4.5 stars
Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is the perfect girl. She has the hair, looks, friends, clothes, boyfriend, house, and family. But she is less than thrilled to be working with the gothic Varen Nethers on an English project about the famous Edgar Allen Poe. His aloof, sarcastic, and sharp-tongued attitude only adds fuel to the fire between them. The more Isobel claims she can’t stand him the more she realizes she can’t stop thinking about him. When strange things start happening to her, she can’t but wonder if she’s going crazy or if what’s happening has something to do with the famous Edgar Allen Poe and Varen. I really liked this book, I almost loved it, but the whole time I was reading there were a few flaws that kept nagging at me the whole time while as I was reading. Let’s start with my biggest problem which was a character.


The main female character is Isobel. Isobel is such a stereotype and that bothered me so much. I thought I would like her, but for about 75% of the book I couldn’t stand her. She was rude, selfish, and condescending, but she started to change towards the end of the story. I’m hoping her demeanor changes more in Enshadowed.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 7

Another thing that really bothered me was the fact that pieces of the book felt left out. One of my biggest examples of this is how Isobel automatically loves Varen even though she didn’t say or feel anything before then to clarify her feelings.

The main male character is Varen. Varen is definitely a pro in this book and he’s just so delicious. Flawed, yes, but in a good way and I liked his depth and character from the moment he was mentioned. The whole time I was reading I kept picturing him to look like Andy Six, who I may or may not be obsessed with.




Fangirling over. I promise. Ok well maybe just one more pic.
 

Sorry, sorry I got distracted. Hehe Distractions over, I promise.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 10

The Villain- Your mom… hehe, just kidding. My lips are sealed when it comes to the villain becomes well that gives away Nevermore’s secrets. But I hated the villain automatically.

Villain Scale: 8

Gwen should’ve gotten more limelight in this story instead of seeming like a plot device. I have hopes for her character in Enshadowed. Penfeathers, enough said. Reynolds is a character that does nothing but confuse me. I want more of him.

Character Scale: 8

There is no denying that world the Creagh has created isn’t fascinating and captivating and her incorporation of Poe only increases the mystical setting and tone. I loved how he started out as just a subject for an English project but became a main faction to the world created. Creagh is a wonderful writer and prose sucked me in and trapped me. I am looking forward to getting my hands on Enshadowed, even though it was at the library and I had a chance I was already carrying far too many books.


Cover Thoughts: I liked the cover more with Varen’s lip ring and why does his nose have to look so raven like? But I do like the cover.

Original cover:
 





See what I'm saying a thousand times better and sexier.;)

P.S. I read this book back in February. :) I know my review slightly different in format, but sometimes I rebel against myself and do something different.   

The Space Between by Brenna Yvoanoff

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

4.5 stars

Can you imagine a world where everything is made of steel? The flowers, carpets, beds, houses, sidewalks, lights, and everything else you come into contact with, but some things in this world aren’t made of steel. These items are brought down from Earth. This place where everything is cold and full of steel is Hell. Daphne is the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. She fears that she will succumb to the disgusting urge to feed off of men’s souls with a kiss like her sisters have. When her beloved brother, Obies goes missing, Lilith turns to Daphne to rescue him. Daphne travels to Earth to discover a world so completely foreign and nothing like she imagined. She hunts down Truman Flynn, a young man that traveled into Hell, but was brought back by Obie. He was the last person to see Obie alive and Daphne needs his help. The Space Between is the oddest book I’ve ever read. If you asked me to described this book in one word, I would say that it’s peculiar. I’ve never thought of Hell being steel, but Yovanoff made it believable. Hell is supposed to be a place meant to torture a soul for its sins, so it makes since for the world to be only steel. Steel is cold, unfeeling, lifeless, detached. Perfect way to drive someone insane for an eternity trapped in its depths.


The main female character is Daphne. Daphne’s POV was my favorite to read and her struggle to control her demon side and angel side was believable in the best way a paranormal novel can be believable. Daphne isn’t an amazing character, but she isn’t a terrible one either. Nor is she just a meh character that left me feeling like I had nothing to say. She is a caring demon. I know what an oxymoron, but it’s true. She loves her brother Obie, but just didn’t know how to say it or show it. She’s strong because I think it takes a lot of guts to leave behind a world you’ve been with for a long time and travel to a new one all by yourself without a clue how anything works.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8

The main male character is Truman. I wasn’t a big fan of Truman or his POV, but I did like him. He was annoying though and was constantly going on and on about his suicide attempt. I feel like he should’ve moved on sooner from this because all it did was plague him and cause him to make terrible decisions.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 7

The Villain- The villain in this novel truly came as a shock for me because the whole time I thought maybe it was Lucifer all along. It would make sense since Obie isn’t his son, but Adam’s. (I’ll talk more about that soon.)


Villain Scale: 8.5

My favorite character of this novel though was hands down Raymie. Raymie was just so adorable and odd. I liked this little demon baby that they had no plans of finding. She gave a little bit of life to the dark tone and setting of this novel. Lucifer is of course THE Lucifer, but aside from that I’m not going to all into his tale. Lilith, Daphne’s mother, on the other hand deserves to be talked about. Not very many have heard of Lilith, but everyone knows about Eve. Lilith was before Eve, but was cast out of Paradise with Adam because well she was obviously a lot more difficult to control like Adam wanted and she met Lucifer. Then in the book, she was already pregnant with Adam’s child and went back to the Garden to find him with Eve. So she ran away to Hell with Lucifer where she had Daphne and took on all kinds of lovers creating all of Daphne’s sisters.

Character Scale: 8

This book may be odd, but it made sense to me for it to be odd. The ending for me felt like it was missing something though, but I think it was a good ending. I have a feeling that she purposely ended it that way with a few little loose ends. Overall this book was really good and exceeded my expectations. I’ll definitely be checking out some of Yovanoff’s other books.


Cover Thoughts: I absolutely love the cover. It was the first thing that caught my eye. When I look for books the first thing I look at is the cover if I like the cover I read the summary, which all lead me to reading this book. It fits Hell perfectly and even the girl on the cover looks like Daphne.



P.S. I read this book back in March and some things aren't as clear in my memory as they used to be, but I remember almost everything.

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

5 stars

Being on the top of Hallowell High’s social ladder means everything, but once fall from the grace you achieved you never come back up. Regina Afton is a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, a clique that is feared, hated, but worshipped by the entire student body. People know not to mess with these girls but what happens when the Fivesome start to mess with each other? Regina Afton made a mistake she told a girl that she knew would backstab her a secret and now she’s out of the Fearsome Fivesome. Her once best friend is starting to spread vicious rumors about her and torments her with her clique every chance she gets. As she’s shunned by everyone in school she finds solace in Michael Hayden, a guy she herself spread rumors about, but Michael might just be the one person that Regina needs to get through that battle with her ex-bestfriends. No one ever said that high school was easy and that there wouldn’t be judgment and disapproval from other teens. I haven’t been judged harshly so far in the couple of months that I’ve been in high school, but I read this book when I was in middle school which made me wary to go to high school. Some girls are nice, some girls are fake, some girls are smart, some girls are alone, some girls are friendly, some girls are crazy, some girls are bitches, some girls are hateful, some girls are vindictive, and some girls look nice but are really evil. Girls sometimes are just things that they’ve adapted to becoming, whether it’s because of a broken family or other problems thrown their way growing up. Some girls though shouldn’t be trusted. That’s the biggest problem Regina had. In her time of need she turned to a person she knew could destroy her and her best friend’s friendship because she was in need of help and comfort. We knew what would happen but you still hoped this frenemie wouldn’t do it. These girls are actual bullies. They are scary and they aren’t afraid to physically and mentally scar you. I don’t like when books tiptoe around bullying and make the bullying situation a push or shove or cuss word. That has some effect, but not a big enough one. Sometimes that little push or shove isn’t really bullying in the eyes of some people (I think it’s bullying just not the most effective way of getting a point across), words on the other hand affect people more than we realize. The Fearsome Fivesome wasn’t afraid to use vulgar words, push people down stairs, start slander campaigns, and any other vicious act committed you can think of.

The main female character, Regina, is a bully. In fact she’s just as much of a bully as Anna and Kara because she had partaken in bullying before she became the bullied. Even though she’s a bully and I would normally hate her character, I couldn’t help but sympathize with her. I felt like she didn’t really deserve everything that these girls were dishing out on her, but as the saying goes
 

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8

The main male character is Michael. There was a lot of tension between Regina and Michael. Sometimes I found myself routing for them and then others thinking that Michael was too good for her. She hadn’t been the nicest person to him before, but I felt like she did deserve something. Michael was a tool easily used by Anna to hurt Regina, but the outcome was a good one.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5

The Villain- The Fearsome Fivesome are obviously the villains, but the two girls root of the antagonizing are Anna and Kara. Kara was always jealous of Anna and Regina’s friendship and when she finally had something she could use against Regina, she took the opportunity. That one scene with the beating was brutal and I think Kara is a monster. Anna likes to play games and everyone around is a tool to hurt someone… in this case Regina. She used Michael, Regina’s ex, and even Regina herself against her. Anna did have a layer of two, but what she was doing to people isn’t a good enough reason to be excused from it.

Villain Scale: 10

There were a few other supporting characters whose name I have forgotten over such a long period of time. I read this book back in April so don’t blame me. It is hard for me to fully discuss my feelings on the characters because I feel so many different emotions toward them. This how rumors spread. What did you really think I wouldn't put at least one Regina George gif in here?


Character Scale: 9

When I walked into this book I knew there would be bullies, mean girls, and cliques. Of course I hadn’t realized the extent of all this. I had read a review and they said it was similar to Mean Girls. I being a huge Mean Girls fan (I’m watching it right now actually, hehe) decided to give this book a shot. Actually I read the review and had already checked it out at the library, but moved it up my stack to be read sooner. Regina George is IMO the queen of the bitches. She’s a force to be reckoned with, but she definitely got out-bitched by these girls. The one who out-bitched her though wasn’t the Queen Bee herself, but a follower who hated Regina and was jealous of her. Some of the stuff these girls pulled was appalling and unsettling. In Mean Girls, Regina’s downfall was being hit by a bus, but Anna’s downfall was much simpler and much more believable. I loved that her being brought down was painted to be believable and not fake, thrown in, or a random wrap. I couldn’t get over the fact that Regina didn’t ask her parents or an adult for help, especially after what happened at the end. I would’ve ran to the cops and had them arrested, which would’ve been great revenge, but she took it upon herself to keep being a bully and instigating back, which I didn’t like. I wish the book would’ve been longer because it felt too short, but sometimes good things come in small things. Sorry this review is all over the place, but I was just writing as things came to me.

Cover Thoughts: I love the cover because it tells a story. I knew immediately when I first saw this cover that there would be bullying and it fits perfectly with the novel.


 

Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Second in the Guild Hunter series

5 stars
Vampire hunter, also known as Guild Hunters, Elena Deveraux wakes up for a year-long coma to being an immortal angel. Raphael, one of the strongest and most powerful archangels of the U.S., is official her lover and it’s hard for Elena to accept his authority and control. After the powerful and oldest archangel, Lijuan, sends out an invitation to a ball for Elena’s “coming out” as Raphael’s mate and the first Made angel in existence. Elena is struggling to maintain this new world, its brutality, her new body, wings, new history, love, and finding out who is hurting angels on the Refuge, an area that is meant to be a safe haven for angels. Lijuan also has a surprise for Elena, a surprise better left dead. Whohoo! Nalini Singh does it again. After reading the disastrous Strange Angels, it’s good to read a book that I loved reading and didn’t want to end. I loved getting to see more angels and Elena’s interaction with these new beings.


The main female character is once again Elena. Elena is still a strong character in my eyes, but this is her weakest and most vulnerable time. She wakes up from a coming to discover she’s an angel with wings and that her body is completely than it used to be. Nightmares from the murders of family are starting to surface again along with having to deal with angels and archangels games. She still stayed strong and level-headed. I didn’t really like the Refuge though, it wasn’t Elena’s element and she seemed out of place. I liked learning more of Elena’s childhood and what really happened.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 9.5

The main male character is Raphael. Raphael was such the first few pages. He was a dominate and controlling jerk and then I remembered that’s who is. He’s an archangel. Archangels get what they want when they want it. After that Raphael started to grow on me and he stopped being such a jerk. I like the banter and teasing between him and Elena. It’s nice to him joke around because he’s usually so serious. I can’t wait for Raphael to start revealing more about himself to Elena. I also can’t wait to see more about his theory on his mom. I have a feeling about that and I think he’s right.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 9.5
The Villain- Moral of the story angels like to play games and they don’t care who they hurt, especially humans because they are weak and can be easily replaced in their eyes. Lijuan plays a sick, twisted games dealing with reanimation and resurrecting the dead. Lijuan is unstable; I know she’s really old, but that is no excuse for being obsessed with the dead. Micheala is still being a bitch and wants to destroy Elena because Elena is stealing her attention. Then they have the central villain wreaking havoc across the Refuge in hopes of traveling of the ranks from angel to archangel. There was also the villain from Elena’s past in flashbacks after regaining memories she blocked off from the event that hurt her family. Angels kind of scare me; some of them are just straight up ruthless.


Villain Scale: 9.5

Illium, AKA Bluebell, is one of my favorite angels. I want to see his wings so bad; they sound like they would be beautiful in person. Venom is such an interesting vampire and I want to see more of him. Galen seems like a jerk, but it’s obvious that he doesn’t trust Elena which is why he’s distant around her, which worries me because what if he hurts her and that would definitely piss off Raphael. Neha scares me to death and I have feeling she’ll be doing some crazy stuff in the future. I miss Sara and the other Guild hunters and hope to see them in future books.

Character Scale: 9.5
One of my favorite parts of the book was when Sam, a child angel who was viciously attacked and Elena gives him a dagger and tells him the story of a dragon. I love the story for some reason and it’s so interesting and it felt real. As I mentioned earlier, I liked reading about Elena’s family before and during the attack on them. It was such a sad thing, but I felt like it gave more depth and light to Elena’s story. Raphael talked a little bit more about his story, too and I can’t wait to see where that goes. Overall this book left me with anticipation and after I read it, I went to the library and they didn’t have Archangel’s Consort, but they had the fourth and fifth book. Does that make any sense?


That means I don’t get find out what happens until I actually feel like requesting a book, which I hopefully do soon. This book was perfect and I can’t wait to read more about the Guild Hunter world.


Cover Thoughts: I like this cover a thousand times more than Angels’ Blood. The setting fits the tone of the world better, but I don’t really like how Elena’s wings look.

The Nymph King by Gena Showalter

I feel kind of stupid. So I forgot to review this book and I read it back in September. Hehe and I've already reviewed the last book of the series but I'm going to review it anyway.



The Nymph King by Gena Showalter

Third in the Atlantis series

5 stars
Females of all ages and races flock to Valerian for his touch and attention. No one can resist his allure since he is a nymph. When he steals Shaye Holling from a Florida beach and holds her prisoner in his underwater kingdom. Shaye wants nothing to do with Valerian or any one. She doesn’t like people and people don’t like her. Trying to fight her attraction to Valerian is a lot of work and it becomes harder to do when Valerian realizes that she is his mate. And once nymphs find their mates they only crave that female. I could’ve sworn I had written a review for this book. I finished this in September and it’s October. How could I have not realized I didn’t review this book? Especially since it’s a book I loved. Well this book was amazing and since I last read this book I’ve finished this series. This book definitely takes the cake or Atlantian dish. I think it’s the best book of the series and it seems like a lot of other people do to. I had been excited to read this one because I had heard it was so good and I was blown away. I had been expecting that. It was just so good. I feel speechless when I think about it.


The main female character is Shaye. I like Shaye, I’m not always a fan of pessimists, but she’s just so funny. I loved most of her Anti-Cards. They were so funny and just proved she’s a genius when it comes to snark. The only thing I didn’t like is how she fought so hard to push Valerian away from him, but I understand why she would push him away. I don’t blame her for it, but I wish she would’ve realized her love for him sooner than she did.

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 9
The main male character is Valerian. Valerian… ah Valerian.


I love Valerian and he’s my favorite male of the Atlantis series. I want a nymph of my own. Valerian is a strong, protective guy who really seems like a hard and tough guy but he’s sweet and cares about people. I love him and I just don’t want to keep talking about him because I’ll give away something important.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 10

The Villain- Poseidon, oh how, I dislike you and your stupid games. He needs to stop meddling with people. I actually hated him more in this one than I did in the next one. He annoys me with his cockiness and absolute control over things.

Villain Scale: 7
Brenna, Shivawn, and Joachim had a love nymph war triangle going on. Joachim had wanted Brenna but Brenna didn’t want to be there and Shivawn chose Brenna which lead to Joachim getting pissed and deciding to steal Shaye from Valerian. This is how love triangles spiral out of control. Joachim was an idiot, at first I wanted him to be with Brenna and then he pissed me off when he tried to steal Shaye and Valerian’s throne, but after he was wounded I wanted Brenna to choose him again. Shivawn was not in the equation for me and I only saw him as a brother for Brenna. Plus I know what happens to Shivawn already since I’ve finished the series! Am I missing somebody? I read this back in September so I’m sure I’ll forget somebody, but since I can’t remember I’ll wrap it up.


Character Scale: 9

I love the Nymph King and I wish more books entranced me like Valerian and Shaye’s story did. I loved the world and the descriptions, even though I had traveled to Atlantis before Showalter had made it feel new to me again. Definitely the best book of the series.

Cover Thoughts: I love this cover. It’s sexy and it fits the nymph-ness of this book. I like how the water forms and flows over Valerian it looks like a painting.

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

First in the Strange Angels series

3 stars
Dru Anderson has always been a different, but what do you expect when you move around constantly and your dad hunts paranormal creatures and sometimes you help. One night Dru is visited by an owl, her grandmother’s spirit, and has a bad sinking feeling. When a zombie comes bursting through her back door and she realizes it’s her dad, her world comes crashing down. The world Dru has known is about to get weirder and someone is hunting Dru and her destruction’s the number one prize for the suckers. I feel like 3 stars is kind of nice because to be honest this book wasn’t at all like I thought it would be. I had been expecting to be blown away. I was hoping for another Vampire Academy, which is my favorite YA series, but this book didn’t even come close to it. The mythology was interesting but not fleshed out enough. I really want to talk about the characters before I talk about anything else because the characters were my biggest problem.

The main female character is Dru. I thought Dru was going to be a kickass heroine. I wanted a new Rose Hathaway or a character similar to Sherrilyn Kenyon’s heroines, but Dru was a bitch.
 
She was a straight up judgmental bitch and every word that came out of her mouth made me want to scream. She was rude to Graves and he pretty much help save her dumbass. I’m trying not to curse, but Dru is so infuriating. 
 

I haven’t been so frustrated with someone in a while. She did have a few good qualities and she started to stop being such a bitch at the end, but her bad qualities outweigh her good ones. I liked how she could fight, but even her fighting skills didn’t seem all that amazing and were just pure luck. She even admitted that the werewulf attack was luck and she and Graves were lucky. I want to know why she has this owl following her around. I get that it’s supposed to be her grandmother’s spirit, but why is her grandmother protecting her and what is the owl’s exact purpose other than a premonition of what’s to come. I’m glad we got insight as to why her mother was killed though and I want to know more about her species or gift, whatever you want to call it. One more thing, how can she hex people? Is it a gift or just a common thing for her race?

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 5


The main male character is Graves. I like Graves, he’s my favorite character in the whole entire novel, but even he wasn’t all that fleshed out. Graves took Dru’s verbal abuse and helped her find a place to stay after her dad was zombified. Dru described him as ugly, but I think he sounds kind of hot, minus the uni-brow, but I think it sounds kind of hot; just throwing that out there. He’s a nice guy and I feel bad that he was dragged into this mess. I’m curious to know more about him being a loup garou and how that’s going to work out.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5

The Villain- One of my biggest problems with this book was the pacing. It was so fricking slow. We didn’t even know how the villain was until around 65%. I wasn’t taking notes so I don’t remember and I returned the book to the school library. All I can remember about the villain is that his name is Russian and something along the lines of Sergei. Probably not right, but this guy just sounds like a weird looking teenager. He was creepy sounding and made me uneasy. He better be more a villain than just creepy or I’m going to be POed because I will try to read the rest of the series.

Villain Scale: 7

Christophe is a sucker. Try to guess what a sucker is. Do you give up?




That’s right he’s a vampire, but not just any vampire. But a djamphir, I think that’s the spelling. Dang I wish I would’ve taken notes on spelling of names. Anyway he’s similar to Rose Hathaway only though djamphirs(?) are usually only males and they are the children of a ‘sucker’ and a human female. Female djamphirs are rare and they have their own name which I forgot. I should probably look it up on the internet.
*looks stuff up*
I didn’t find anything other than a quiz and some cool looking wallpapers. Anyway Christophe seems like a jerk and I like Graves. IMO Graves seems like a cooler guy, but I also kind of like Christophe. I don’t know, I’m conflicted; I mostly hate him, but at the same time I kind of like him. Dru’s dad was only featured in memories and as a ZOMBIE. He was obviously not very prominent in Dru’s life. I bet if he was there at home instead of hunting her butt would be in school.


Character Scale: 7.5
The mythology could’ve been more fleshed out, but maybe St. Crow is saving it for the other books. I expect to learn more about the REAL WORLD. A brief take on some of the mythology I learned:
Suckers= Vampires
Ghosts= Ghosts ;) Glad to see something didn’t change. Btw that snake thing part was pretty cool and even though I forgot what it’s called I think it was an interesting concept and I want to see more of it because it’s obvious it could wreak havoc.
Wulfen= Werewolf I hate how werewulf is spelt it annoys me so much; almost more than how the Casts spell vampire in the House of Night series.
Zombies= Dead people risen from the dead through spells, usually to kill enemies.
Laoup Garou= A person bitten by a werewulf that didn’t fully change. They can still talk and have human qualities in this form, unlike werewulf.
Djamphir(?)= A male vampire hunter that is the product of a vampire and female human. They can go out in the sun and have excellent strength and fighting skills.
Whatever the hell a female djamphir is called= A rare djamphir that is only female. They are faster, stronger, and more valuable than male djamphirs. They are usually hunted and killed by suckers because they are such a threat.

Every time Dru mentions the Real World, I feel like I’m watching the show.
 
The pacing was slow as I mentioned early and after the ending, I’m hoping the pacing to be a little faster. I’m not asking it to be race car fast, but let’s leave the segway speed to mall cops and be a bike speed.
 

I am expecting the next book to be better because I want it to and I’m hoping it is. I have a feeling it might redeem itself and if it doesn’t I’ll probably continue with the series anyway. That is all I have to say because I think I may have given away quite a bit.


Cover Thoughts: I like the cover. It looks kickass, unlike Dru, but at the same time I pictured Dru to look exactly like this. The night sky sets a dark tone to the cover and I like it.  

  

The Vampire's Bride by Gena Showalter

The Vampire's Bride by Gena Showalter

Fourth in the Atlantis series

5 stars

Layel is the king of the vampires and he has seen more deaths than all of the armies of Atlantis combined have… and he has been the one giving it. After the dragons viciously murdered the woman he loved he vowed to destroy the entire race for the death of his mate and unborn child. Layel meets Delilah during a battle between the dragons and Amazon’s that he decided to join. Delilah is one the fiercest Amazon warriors and she longs for love. After seeing all the races of Atlantis embrace love she wonders what it would be like for her. When they are both thrust onto a deserted island along with two members of almost every Atlantean race to compete in a battle of strength to amuse the gods, there’s no denying their fierce desire for each other. But the gods want a victor as for the victor will bring them the right to enter Atlantis as they wish and the losers die by beheading will their love be strong enough to outsmart the gods? This is the last book in the Atlantis series and in honor of the ending to an amazing series I’ve decided to use gifs in this review a lot of gifs.

Doesn't it look very Atlantis-esque? I enjoyed the ending to this series, but I didn’t love it as much as the Nymph King. I had been expecting excitement, suspense, sizzling passion, and action. There was action, some sizzling passion, and a little bit of excitement and suspense, but not as much as I would’ve liked. I had high hopes for Layel’s story mostly because he’s the “villain” of Atlantis. That prologue is one of the saddest prologues I’ve ever read and I had started crying almost immediately.
 
I enjoyed Delilah and Layel’s story, but the couple that I really enjoyed reading about was Shivawn and Alyssa. I lurve Shivawn and Alyssa love and struggle and feel that they should’ve gotten a short story. That’s just my opinion though. I did also enjoy Nola and Zane’s budding romance and I think the short story after this book is based on them. I hope so because once I get a Kindle that book will be mine. 

The main female character is Delilah. I really like Delilah maybe even more than Grace and Shaye. OK well, maybe not but I still really liked her and she was definitely better than Jewel. Delilah was strong and knew what she wanted, but she was also conflicted and scared. Scared and anxious about being in a relationship with Layel when it might not work out or not because of his love for his old mate, Susan. I respect Delilah and I liked her outcome. I feel like Delilah would kind of look like her. Not exactly like her, but a lot of the same features.
 
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8.5

The main male character is Layel. I love Layel, but at the same he pissed me off with constant pushing Delilah away from him. Layel went through a lot of shit from the dragons and finally understood his hatred, but I think he shouldn’t have been so fast to push Delilah away. Layel isn’t my favorite male of the Atlantis series but I did love reading about him. This is completely random, but it made me laugh so yeah.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 9.5

The Villain- The pesky gods that love meddling in people’s lives well they are the villains. Remember how Poseidon remembered Atlantis and decided to wreak havoc in The Nymph King well he’s back and he has some other gods with him. Hestia, Ares, Athena, and Apollo accompany Poseidon in watching and conducting the game between the races of Atlantis. These gods don't really scare me, but amuse me. Most of the time I laugh at their greediness.

Villain Scale: 8

As I mentioned above Alyssa and Shivawn were my favorite couple to read about. I think they should’ve gotten their own story or at least a novella. I loved their story, but it was cut too short and they need more attention. Zane and Nola are going to be an interesting couple if they hopefully become a couple. I hope they become a couple. God, I need to know. Brand was trying to settle the peace between all the races. He’s a nice dragon, but I can’t say the same for his other brethren in the competition. I still wonder what his punishment was, but I’m not going to say his name because well I’ll let you find out if you haven’t read this book already.


Character Scale: 9

So, this series isn't completely over, but it’s the last book. I need to get my hands on the novella ASAP.  
I'm ready for that book and it shall be mine! Hopefully it’ll wrap up all loose ends and make a perfect little bow. I loved the Atlantis books. It was a world I enjoyed being a part of and wish it wasn’t over for me. This is a series I’m going to miss because it was a world that is rare in books and it will have a special place in my heart. 

 

Cover Thoughts: I like the cover, but it’s the weakest of the covers compared to the other books. The color swirling around Layel is captivating though. 


   

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

This week I've been super busy and will probably just be a lot more busy the upcoming weeks so sorry for my absence! But on a happy note today was my first festival and we did pretty good. The drum major scored a 2, percussion 2, overall band 1, and guard got a 1. Whooohoooo!! Go Guard! *Happy Dances awkwardly*

Anyway the book I'm reviewing is a book I read a really long time ago, like 2011 old. Haha But I decided to review this book because a senior at my school committed suicide last week the night before Homecoming. I would like to dedicate this him if that's possible and any person thinking about committing suicide or has been close to someone who has committed suicide. Stay strong♥



Hold Still by Nina LaCour

3 stars
Hold Still is about Caitlin’s struggle to cope with her best friend, Ingrid’s suicide. As she starts to make new friends she realizes that not everything is as bad as she thought and comes across Ingrid’s journal. I feel compelled to re-review this book right now because a senior at my high school recently killed himself before Homecoming. I didn’t know him, but I have a lot friends that did and I was still affected by his death. Suicide is a serious matter and it happens all of the time in the world. It’s a scary thing to deal with and face. When I read this book I didn’t know anyone who had killed themselves, but I do now. I feel connected in some ways to Caitlin, but for different reasons. I had liked this book when I read it, but now I like it a little bit more because I understand Caitlin’s pain after seeing friends going through similar emotions.


The main female character is Caitlin. Caitlin is dealing with her best friend’s suicide and grieving seriously. She and Ingrid shared a love for photography and this passion connects to the story, but I wish it would have affected it more. I liked Caitlin and liked reading about her grieving and self-discovery process. I thought Caitlin was a good character, but I also think she could’ve been fleshed out more.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 7.5

The main male character is Taylor… I think. I’m not sure, but that’s what I think. I liked him, but that’s pretty much it. I only saw him as a tool for Caitlin’s grieving process and not an actual love interest.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 5

The Villain- I’m going to go on a limb and say the villain is Caitlin’s depression with Ingrid’s depression in suicide. There was a lot of depression, it was like a circle. You’re depressed and I’m depressed because you’re depressed kind of circle. It was, well, depressing. And yes I meant to do that.
Villain Scale: Prozac 7 


I felt that Ingrid wasn’t really a character. She was mentioned and the story dealt with her, but I feel like not even her journals gave insight to exactly who she was and her personality. I’m sure I’m not making much sense but that’s how I interpreted the situation. Dylan is Caitlin’s new best friend who also happens to be a girl. I have never heard of a girl being named Dylan. I’ve heard of Ryann, Jordan, and Taylor, but Dylan is different, which is kind of cool, but not cool enough to make me name my child that. Other than that I have nothing to say about Dylan and she was also a tool in my opinion. Then there was this guy name Jayson, who Ingrid was apparently in crush with. I don’t understand why the hell he was mentioned for more than a second.


Character Scale: 7.5 


The book could’ve been great, no amazing, but it lacked and I didn’t enjoy some parts of this book. One of my biggest problems was how it felt like the author was throwing unnecessary things into the story line to make the story longer, but I felt like have the stuff was unnecessary. I love the artwork featured in here though. I think it’s beautiful and fits the story perfectly. I would recommend this for a quick read.


Cover Thoughts: I love this cover. I mean look at it. The color scheme is awesome and the chick looks like she’s being set free. It’s perf and totally amazing. 

Stay strong and don't give up♥ Remember you decisions affect people more than you think they will.