Out of This Place by Emma Cameron

Out of This Place by Emma Cameron

Originally published under Cinnamon Rain

3.5 stars

Luke spends his days going to school, hanging out at the beach, and working at the supermarket. His friend Bongo gets wasted to block out the memories of the little brother he can no longer see and his addict mom and abusive stepdad. Casey is the girl that they both love. She longs to get away from her controlling father and be free. This is a verse novel and it’s been forever since I read a novel in verse. I forgot how fragile writing a verse novel can be because either you can accomplish it or it will fail. This novel was in the middle of the plain between crashing and soaring above the sky. I adore poetry and verse always fascinates me, but I don’t think some characters should be written in verse. Some stories are meant for it and some are not. This novel alternates between Luke, Casey, and Bongo, but instead of alternating in the usual Ellen Hopkins fashion of one character then another and repeat this book focuses on one character for a few hundred pages and then alternates to the next character.


The main female character is Casey. Casey longs to be free. She is the perfect of example of a caged bird and when she finally breaks free it’s refreshing. While Casey is in her house it always felt so trapped, but once she finds her way out no matter the circumstances you can feel Casey’s happiness. Casey’s story was my favorite and she is my favorite character in Out of This Place. I liked seeing Casey grow and become a different person.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8.5

The main male characters are Luke and Bongo. By the fact that these boys are both in love with Casey you would probably think that there is a love triangle. Rest assured that is not the case. Luke is in love with Casey, but Casey has always kept him as more of friend or brother. He’s very over protective of her and questions her personal life a lot. Bongo is also in love with Casey, but would never hurt his best friend. He never acts on his love for her, but Casey had wanted him to several times. Luke is an OK guy, but I personally thought his story was boring. This is where what I mentioned about verse comes in. For me Luke’s story in verse was unnecessary and really Luke didn’t know what he wanted in life or even who he was. This made him incredibly boring. Bongo was much better to read about in verse, but it still didn’t flow as nicely as Casey’s story had. Bongo though stole my heart from the moment Luke talked about how Bongo not able to see his brother destroyed him. I liked Bongo’s story, but while he was homeless for that period of time the story dragged for me. He seemed to be to lost and I was worried that the story would stay that way, but it didn’t.

Swoon Worthy Scale: Luke: 7 Bongo: 8

Character Scale: 7.5

I loved the setting of Australia. I also read this at pretty good time since they go to the beach a lot. The writer did a good job of showing how a person’s life evolves, but sometimes this evolvement dragged a bit too much. Out of This Place is a novel about finding who you are and I liked how Cameron showed this.


Cover Thoughts: I love the cover it’s so beautiful. The only thing that bothers me is how Casey is holding one of the boy’s hands. She should probably be holding both of their hands.

Thank you, Candlewick Press and Netgalley for a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

Karma Kitty Goes to Comic Con by Mari Mancusi

Karma Kitty Goes to Comic Con by Mari Mancusi

3.5 stars

Hailey Hills is one of the comic book creators of the popular, Karma Kitty. She arrives at the famous New York Comic Con for the first time with her comic book artist, Thomas. She is anxious about the event because her ex-fiance is going to be there and she hasn’t gotten over him since she left him at the alter because she was kidnapped by alien cats. That’s right alien cats. Strange things happen to Hailey and she wasn’t expecting the boots she bought for her Karma Kitty costume to be magic and able to turn her into Karma Kitty. Hailey finds herself battling ninjas, pirates, and a past love she isn’t sure she wants to leave completely behind her. I’m never really sure how to rate short stories or even novellas because they just aren’t books and for me I have different guidelines for rating them. Unspoken guidelines that I just seem to automatically know how I feel about rating and writing a review for. I really like Karma Kitty (I’m not typing out that title it is far too long), but I didn’t feel like it was a five star or even four star story. It was definitely higher than a three though hence the rating. To be a five star story you really have to blow me away and Karma Kitty didn’t do that. For me, Karma Kitty was a fun short story I downloaded for my Kindle and would read periodically when the current book I was reading would get too dark. There are a lot of spelling and grammar errors in this book, but it’s easy to look past because it’s fun.


The main female character is Hailey. I liked Hailey well enough for her small part in the story and I felt like Mancusi did a great job of giving her a character. She was funny, sarcastic, sassy, and smart. She reminded me of myself a few times. Her situations were just so crazy and outlandish, but they would make me smile or laugh. One thing that really bothered me about Hailey was how she would lie to Collin and say it was because he wouldn’t believe her so there was no harm in lying. I disagree lying is lying and you should own up to the fact that your lying and not make excuses about it.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8

The main male character is Collin. Collin is a rather bland character compared to Hailey, while I did like him he didn’t have enough characterization for me to say if I really liked him or was just neutral. Even with his POVs, I learned nothing about him. While it’s not a bad thing considering this is a short story, I would’ve appreciated just as much depth as Hailey was given.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 7

The Villain- This was your typical bad Saturday morning cartoon villain. Not Joker bad because that is just far too evil, but more like Mojo Jojo and unless you were a 90s kid (or born in the 90s *cough cough* me *cough cough*) you probably don’t know who that is or even remember him.


Mojo Jojo was a villain that is scary for a kid but funny for a teenager and that is exactly how these villains are for me. They were so mediocre and I honestly thought they we didn’t even need them to continue the story. The ninjas were good enough and we didn’t need the whole Nancy Drew thing Hailey attempted to pull.


Villain Scale: 5

Our other character in this story is Thomas, Hailey’s comic book partner. He’s the artist of Karma Kitty and Hailey’s best friend. I really liked his character and he was just so funny. He reminded me of Beast Boy from Teen Titan personality wise. 

Character Scale: 7.5

This cartoon pictures and gifs are probably unnecessary, but I like them. Anyway keep in mind that this is only 92 pages. While it is developed quite well for a novella/ short story, I thought it could’ve been better. Once again Mancusi is able to achieve making me laugh (which is really hard to do in books) and I recommend her if you want a fun writer who will have you giggling.


Cover Thoughts: I like it. It says “Karma Kitty”. It would’ve been cool if she looked like she was ready to fight somebody, but it’s simple and fun. Perfect for a short story!

The Imaginary Friend by Kelly Hashway

The Imaginary Friend by Kelly Hashway

3 stars

Samantha and Tracy have been best friends ever since Tracy's first day of school. Tracy is finally getting over her shyness and has made new friends and Samantha feels left out. A strange girl named Jessica approaches Sam and tells her that she's no ordinary girl. She's an imaginary friend. Tracy has outgrown Samantha and she can no longer see her. Samantha needs to help a new child, but will she be able to move on and fulfill her duty?
I really liked the concept of this little story. It was cute and imaginary friends always fascinate me. My mom once told me that I used to have more than one imaginary friend and they were the cast of The Wizard of Oz. I kid you not. I don't remember this at all, but according to her until I made a friend I had Dorothy and the crew. A lot of what this story touched on made sense. Of course, I'm sure there's no place for imaginary friends called the Land of Imagination. I prefer to think they all live at Fosters.



Some of the things that I liked were how once a person finds a new friend they no longer need an imaginary friend and therefore can't see them. Imaginary friends can be created, but not all children are able to create imaginary friends. Again this is where Fosters comes into play.


I really enjoyed this story. It was really short, but it was cute and just so fluffy. It touches your heart and makes you go awe. At least it touched mine.


Cover Thoughts: It's not a very good one, but I kind of like it. In a way it's like the story childish, but purposeful.

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This Is Not a Test by Courntey Summers

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

5 stars

The end of the world is here. Six students have taken refuge in Cortege High until they are able to be rescued or until the horror that has started stops. The dead are trying to get in and they won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bit could kill a person and turn them into an empty shell of their self. Sloane Price woke up on a morning that she planned to die and finds zombies taking over. Being bitten doesn’t seem so bad to Sloane. Six months ago, her world officially ended and she doesn’t want to keep going. Now is the perfect time to give up. Sloane waits for the barricades to fall, but the other five students are striving to stay alive. As the days go by, the group’s fate is determined less by what’s happening on the outside, but the inside. It’s been a month since I read this book and I still don’t know what to say about it. This book blew me away. I’ve been caught up on my reviews for about a week, but I didn’t review this one until now because I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t know what to say. This book is different from the usual zombie novel. Yes, there are zombies, but they aren’t present very often. I appreciate this because even though the zombies weren’t there you could feel them waiting. Summers did an excellent job with the suspense of what would happen. This book will rip your heart out and slowly stitch back together and then rip it out again. If you want a happy book this is definitely not the book to go for. Depression is ever present and it always feels like a heavy weight is compressing the characters and the reader experiences it as well.


The main female character is Sloane. Sloane is probably one of the most depressed characters I’ve ever read about. You can literally feel her depression through the words. It’s haunting. Sloane’s depression is from one person leaving her. Her rock and best friend- her sister are what drive Sloane into giving up and not wanting to go on. I personally thought that Sloane was too far gone at points. As the story progresses, Sloane changes and begins to break away from her depression. Sloane doesn’t have much of a personality. She reminds me of Chloe from Imaginary Girls. She is so dependent on her sister that without her she is nobody. Sloane does change though and she becomes a different person and it’s for the better.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8.5

The main male character is Rhys. I actually really like Rhys, but he was just tool for Sloane to get over her problems. He really does come to care for Sloane and she for him. I wonder where their journey will take them next. Rhys is the second-in-command to the “leader” of the group. He was a ladies’ man and your typical bad boy before. I wonder how he has so many cigarettes. He always seems to have an endless supply and that’s a little odd considering that they are trapped in a school. I highly doubt every student had cigarettes in their locker because with as often as he smokes that would have to be where he would get them.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5

The Villain- While it would be seem like the zombies were the group’s biggest threat there was something lurking about that was worse. I’m not going to spoil that though because that would probably ruin the whole book.


Villain Scale: 8

The rest of the group consists of Cary, Grace, Trace, and Harrison. Cary is the unofficial leader of the group, much to Trace’s chagrin. Cary knew Sloane’s sister well, so they develop a kind-of friendship. I like Cary, but there were times where I wanted to punch him the face. He’s not always the nicest guy. Grace and Trace are twins. Grace and Sloane had a sleepover once and they could’ve been friends. As the story unfolds we learn more about what could’ve been. I really liked Grace especially towards the end. She had so much hope and she was so happy to start over. She was one of my favorites in the group. I didn’t particularly like Trace. As time went on I liked him less and less, but by the end of the book I understood his reasons and while I still didn’t like him I understood him a lot more. Harrison was always searching for approval and I didn’t really like him either. I didn’t hate him though, but like most of these characters as the story progressed I liked him more.


Character Scale: 8.5

This book hurts to think about because it’s one of those books where there is just no happiness when I thought about. Right all I want to do is eat chocolate and crawl into a ball and cry. Summers is officially one of my favorite writers. All hail Courtney Summers’ books. *bows*




Cover Thoughts: This girl is in such an awkward position, but I love the cover for some reason. There’s just something about it that I find beautiful.

Waiting on Wednesday #3

                                             

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine, where bloggers are able to showcase upcoming releases we're anticipating!

My WoW:

                                            
Goodreads Summary: You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

Released on: August 15, 2013
 Pages: 368

Why I'm Excited: 
1. The cover is beautiful.
2. The summary is amazing.
3. There's kissing in cemeteries!
4. It's a Gothic horror! 
I just can't wait for it! It sounds like my kind of book and I'm so excited for it!

The Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon

 

The Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon

First in the Dream-Hunter series and tenth in the Dark-Hunter series

4 stars

SERIES SPOILERS AHEAD!

There are gods that watch over the dreams of humans and there are gods who prey on them. Arik is a god that is cursed to live an eternity without emotions. The only way Arik is able to feel anything is through dreams. He’s finally found a dreamer whose dreams are so real that he can feel emotions even after the dream. Dr. Meageara Kafieri is in search of Atlantis. Her father ruined his whole life over the quest for Atlantis and she promised to find it for him when he was on his deathbed. Geary is in Greece and searching the sea for any signs of the lost city, but she finds a stranger floating in the sea. She’s seen his face many times, but only in her dreams. Arik holds more than ancient secrets that can help her find Atlantis. He made a pact with Hades to be human for two weeks in exchange for her soul. Arik is realizing that it’ll be harder to let go of Megeara than he expected and being mortal is quickly becoming a nightmare. This is probably my least favorite Dark Hunter book, which saddens me because I love this series so much. I was excited to start this book. I mean the cover is absolutely gorgeous, but it was lacking. I didn’t feel any chemistry between Geary and Arik like the other couples. They had a little bit, but it was as obvious as some of the couples.


The main female character is Geary. I don’t like Geary or hate her. My feelings are neutral towards. Sometimes I liked her sarcastic jokes, but other times I would find myself rolling my eyes at her. She was actually pretty stupid for someone who knows so much about Greek mythology. She knew what could happen if she released Apollymi and she said that not all myths could be true. Umm… your logic is wrong. You have a freaking cursed god as your lover-boyfriend, so I think it’s safe to say that myths have some truth.



Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 7.5

The main male character is Arik. There were times when I loved Arik and then there were times when it was fleeting. One minute I was swooning and the next I was rolling my eyes. He just seemed so immature for someone that is over 20 thousand years old. He didn’t steal the show for me. I swooned a little bit, but besides his amazing good looks he wasn’t that memorable. I have a soft spot for him, but he is far from being my favorite DH hero.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 8

The Villain- I knew that it would happen eventually. I respect this Oneroi and I even want him to have more character growth in a novel.

Villain Scale: 8

There was NO Acheron until the very end! This saddens me and I have to address that final chapter. You know who really stole the show for me Solin and ZT did. I am in love with these two. Solin better end up having a book because I need to know about him! He makes me laugh so much and ZT is just so mysterious and I loved the small parts he was in. Kat made an appearance and I remembered her from one of the previous books. I still don’t want her to be Acheron and since I’ve looked at the Acheron page on the SK website I know she doesn’t. I vote ZT because there was chemistry. Tory was my favorite of the characters on the Atlantis search team. I feel like she’ll end being in a book. In fact, OMG! My little brain just thought of something and it was confirmed! I’m mind blown. This Tory does show up and the series and guess who she ends up with it!!!!!!!!!! Not bragging or anything, but I figured that Geary’s grandfather was rescued by Acheron! I know these things! My life is completed until I pick up the next book. Like this makes me so happy. I knew there was no way that she was just going to leave Atlantis alone!

I’m tempted to just skip to Acheron’s book, but I want to read all the ones before then so I don’t miss anything.


Character Scale: 9

That ending! Well that one chapter I must address. In the last chapter before the epilogue we see M’Adoc being shipped to Acheron at Kyrian’s house and Nick is there. I started crying you guys! Not because of what was happening, but because it was the old Nick. Nick before Seize the Night (which is one of my favorite books in this series) and it hurt. There was also that foreshadowing if you haven’t read that book of just two little lines and it broke my heart and that was when the waterworks came. Seize the Night ripped my heart out and this brought all of that back. I miss Nick before and it saddens me to see the old fun, playful Nick that was in all of the books. I just I can’t even… It hurts so much. This book takes place before Kyrian even met Amanda and when Zarek was still in Alaska. This through me off completely, but I liked revisiting the past. It made me realize how fragile we humans are and how things change so instantly. Enough of my depressingness. This book was somewhat of a letdown, but I think I’ll be picking up Dream Chaser as soon as I finish my pile of books I’m currently reading.


Cover Thoughts: I absolutely love the cover. Arik is so sexy. I’m in love with those eyes and hair. *swoons*

Manga Monday #1: Hot Gimmick

MANGA
                 MONDAY! 

This is my first Manga Monday! I'm excited to participate! Manga Mondays is hosted by Alison Can Read!
 

Hot Gimmick Volumes 1-3 by Miki Aihara

5 stars

Hot Gimmick centers around Hatsumi Narita, a high-school girl who is one of the tenants in her father’s company apartment complex. Mrs. Tachibiana rules the complex and Hatsumi does everything she can to stay out of her way. Hatsumi buys a pregnancy test when her little sister has a pregnancy scare and Mrs. Tachibana’s son, Ryoki, Hatsumi’s childhood bully, sees her with the test. He promises not tell her secret if she becomes his slave. Then Azusa, Hatumi’s childhood friend appears and saves the day. As romance starts to bloom between Hatsumi and Azusa, Ryoki does everything in his power to make sure that Hatsumi remembers that he knows her secret. I can see why a lot of people don’t like Hot Gimmick. It is a pretty trashy manga series, but it is one of my all-time favorites. I prefer my manga trashy and out there. Hot Gimmick is fun and it is full of drama. I love drama and manga dram is always the best. I personally didn’t like Azusa and I always had a soft spot for Ryoki. I think Hatsumi is probably one of the dumbest heroines ever and she is so naïve, but I also love her and her dramatic life. This isn’t very sophisticated manga, but it’s fun and trashy! I think I may reread this series!


Cover Thoughts: I have the omnibus version, but I absolutely love the covers. They are so vibrant and fun!

 

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

First in the Night Huntress series

5 stars

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield wants to get rid of the undead and is hoping one of them turns out to be her father. Out on patrol one night she ends being captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter. She is forced to strike a deal with Bones. In exchange for finding her father, Cat has to train under Bones to become a lethal weapon in helping him track down a vicious vampire he’s been after for years. Bones isn’t as bad as Cat thought he was and starts to question if all vampires are evil. While she’s questioning everything she’s ever believed in, she finds herself wanting Bones. I’ve searched for this book everywhere. I live in a pretty big city and books are easy to come. So easy that all the ones I always seem to want are always checked out or not available. Then one day my bookstore finally had a copy.


It was the best book I’ve found unexpectedly since Obsidian and Lux. This book was everything I wanted and more. I haven’t loved a book this much in a while. I’ve been in a reading slump and I definitely needed a book like this- a book that was fun, sexy, and totally bad ass.


The main female character is Cat. I’ve known who Cat was before I’ve even picked up Halfway to the Grave. Everyone raves about how great she is and totally kick ass. I didn’t think she would be all that great, but for me Cat is the adult version of Rose Hathaway. Not very many characters are that cool or can hang in that category, but if Vampire Academy had a mom Night Huntress is the series that would’ve birthed it. Cat is strong, funny, smart, and totally awesome. She’s isn’t the most confident character, but as time progressed she became stronger and more confident in herself. I appreciate when a character is able to grow, but the ending frustrated me so much. I wasn’t expecting that and I wanted to punch somebody.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 9.5

The main male character is Bones. Bones is the epitome of sex on a stick. Like Cat, I knew who Bones was because everyone loves him. I can see why. I’m just as smitten and in love with him as the next fangirl. Bones is officially apart of my harem of hot, sexy, fictional men. He’s not always the nicest at first I was reserved to him, but I fell in love with him with every single page he was in. He cares about Cat even though he has a funny way of showing it sometimes. I want to know more about Bones and why he has gone after the guy he was going after.



Swoon Worthy Scale: 10

The Villain- Not a very intimidating villain, but I appreciate that it wasn’t the nice or stereotypical one. I absolutely love a good scary villain. This didn’t give me that, but I was on the edge of my seat.


Villain Scale: 7.5

There weren’t very many side characters. There was Spade who I felt like was the one character that stuck out the most. I absolutely adored him from the moment I met him. I’m not exactly sure why I liked him so much, but I did. There were also those characters at the end that have me interested in seeing where all this goes. Cat’s mom drove me crazy with her hate, but I understand it. I sympathize for her and what she went through. I understand her fear, but I wish it was so full of absolutely hatred.


Character Scale: 8

I can’t wait to continue the Night Huntress series! I can tell it won’t disappoint! This series has everything a paranormal fan could ask for. A strong heroine, swoon worthy hero, vampires, and action galore. I can’t wait to read more of this series!


Cover Thoughts: The cover is kick ass. It’s not a favorite of mine, but I really like it.

Stacking the Shelves #4

                                
Stacking the Shelves is a quickly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's a way for readers to share books they've received or bought.

So I had a family reunion to go to yesterday and I wasn't able to the post together before then. So here's my Stacking the Shelves

I cheated this week in breaking my little goal for 2013. I told myself that I wouldn't go to the library until I finished at least half of the books I own, but I just keep buying books instead. I went to the library and got three books.

 

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta I really want to read this one and it's been recommended to me by so many people.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta I picked this one up because if I end up liking Jellicoe Road, I figured why not pick up another book by her.

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty I've heard great things about it and I love the concept.

Netgalley:

 

Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell (Thanks, Atria Books!)

 

Eyes Ever to the Sky by Katie French (Thanks, Katie French!)

 

Crush.Candy.Corpse. by Sylvia McNicoll (Thanks, James Lorimer & Company!)

 

Gated by Amy Christine Parker (Thanks, Random House Children's!)

 

Demonic Dora by Claire Chilton (Thanks, Ragz Books!)

 

Backward Glass by David Lomax (Thanks, Flux!)

 

The Truth About You & Me by Amanda Grace (Thanks, Flux!)

                       
                         Leave your STS in the comments! I would love to hear what you've got!

I Was Wondering...

As it's almost been a whole year since I started this blog I used to do this little things when I first started and I was wondering if I should do it again. I used do TV TALK every Friday and I was wondering if I should bring it back. I've also thought about sharing music with you guys like I spontaneously used to. Thoughts?! Let me know in the comments I would love to know if I should do this and if you have any ideas of memes or things I should let me know!
Random Summer gif!

Starers by Nathan Robinson

Starers by Nathan Robinson

3.5 stars

The Keene family awakens one morning like any other day, but there’s a strange man standing at the bus stop that was there last night. Things get weirder when neighbors and townspeople start surrounding the house in a hypnotized trance. The crowd grows bigger and bigger and the Keene family finds themselves under siege. Will the family be able to find the cause of the Starers or make it out alive? I probably would’ve never even been slightly interested in this book until I read Emily May's review. I probably would’ve never even come across this book, but I’m glad that I did. I haven’t read a horror novel in years, which is odd because I used to be a rabid little horror and mystery fan. Robinson style reminds me a lot of King’s in ways. I personally enjoyed Robinson writing much more than King’s but it’s a style preference. Robinson weaves a truly captivating tale of horror. Something so simple plot wise is scarier than the ugliest and cruelest of monsters. While this novel isn’t perfect it has a lot of great aspects to it.


The main male character is Dylan Keene. He is a father, husband, and brother. I don’t particularly like Dylan, but he is a good guy at heart. He does his best to protect his family and while I didn’t always like him, he has good intentions and I admire him for that.


The Villain- I personally think that this villain is one encountered several times in movies and books. So it’s not completely original, but the shape or body he took form in was an interesting and creeptastic one.


Villain Scale: 8

The Keenes, aside from Dylan, consist of Kirsty, Lucy, and Lennon. All characters play a role in this book and aren’t just props are tools. Kirsty is Dylan’s wife and Lucy’s mother. She’s level-headed, but also scared. She struggles with depression and it doesn’t always show, but you can see it underlying in her thoughts. Lucy is Dylan and Kirsty’s daughter. She was recently caught in a very compromising position at school with another boy in a closet. Lucy is probably the most complex character of this entire novel. I never know what her intentions are or whether or not to like her. She has a terrible temper and one that she is well aware of and even uses it against her peers at school. Lennon is my favorite character of Starers. He is always cracking jokes even in the most serious of times. He struggles with alcohol and is a heavy chain smoker. Lennon is pretty much the shadow of his brother and relies on him for a place to stay every now and then.

Character Scale: 9

While I’m rather disappointed in the ending I’m satisfied with it at the same time. I wish it was longer and that it hadn’t ended so abruptly. I appreciate that kind of ending though because I do like open endings if done right and this one was done right. I still have questions that I wish were answered, but I’m okay with it if they never are. I can’t help but wonder what this would be like if it was a movie. I think it would be a very good one. The writing is very vivid and it makes it easy to picture things your mind so I guess it is like a movie, but in a book. Those are always the best.


Cover Thoughts: I personally love the cover. It’s creeptastic and who doesn’t love a well drawn-out cover. I love how it fits the story and even though it’s not completely correct it’s a pretty good cover.

Thank you, Nathan Robinson for providing me kindly with a copy of your book in exchange for an honest review. It is greatly appreciated!

Teaser Tuesday #1

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

"Two seconds later, the gods went flying as if she struck them all with lightning. Arik raised his hand to shield his face as he felt the heat of an Atlantean god bolt." 
 The Dream-Hunter 
by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Leave your Teaser Tuesday in the comments!

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

2 stars
Lizzie Hart faced the word SLUT scribbled on her locker and then one scribbled turned to several. One week after Lizzie kills herself SUICIDE SLUT replaces it in Lizzie’s perfect scrawl. Lizzie’s reputation was trashed when she was caught sleeping with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. Angie doesn’t speak to Lizzie and the school turns against her. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary are plastered around the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who made Lizzie decide that life wasn’t worth living anymore. I definitely didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t really like it. The S-Word reminded of me a Lifetime movie- and not the good ones. While I don’t hate The S-Word, I’m also not sure if I liked it. I sped through reading it, but while I was reading I would come across things that bothered me. Some of them I noted and others were just too trivial to take note of.


The main female character is Angie. Angie is a very cynical girl. I also didn’t really like her and the more the book progressed I just liked her less and less. I don’t understand why exactly Angie turned this into a big who-did-it search, but it seemed pointless to me. Angie shut Lizzie out after the scandal and I didn’t think it was fair to bring drag something like this out. I was always wary of Angie and her motives. She’s a very unreliable character. Probably one of the most unreliable characters I’ve encountered as of late. I love unreliable characters, but I don’t feel that Angie was portrayed well enough for me to buy into her story or her motives.
“I’ll graduate high school with a major in Cynicism and a minor in Irritation.”


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 2

The main male character is Jesse. Jesse is a cross-dressing teenager and of course Angie just had to fall in lurve with him and it would be crazy for him not to return the feelings.

I love my books with romance and lots of romance, but don’t put romance in there if there is absolutely no need for romance. Jesse isn’t a bad character, but I feel like he more of a prop for a story. Although , I like him wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than any of the other characters.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 3.5The Villain- It is a mystery of who is dragging out Lizzie’s past, but I feel like I should’ve known that ending was coming and in some ways the thought flittered through my mind. I just didn’t think she would take that route because I knew it wouldn’t work with this book.


Villain Scale: 4.5

Lizzie is what really drives this book. By this I mean if Lizzie hadn’t killed herself The S-Word would have no plot or purpose. Lizzie is a typical trope for every Lifetime movie surrounding a dead friend. Everything in her diary I saw coming. Yes I even saw the rape and her being in love with Angie. I wasn’t expecting the whole father-molestation thing thought. One thing that really bothered me was a flashback of Lizzie’s torment.
“A week before Lizzie died, a group of senior girls decided to teach her a lesion about taking off her clothes at improper times. Each time they caught her alone in the halls, they attempted to snip off a piece of her outfit. In reality, very few girls managed to snag a decent piece of fabric, but it didn’t matter much. By the end of the week, the mere snapping of scissors made Lizzie seize up in terror.”
You’re telling me not one teacher or counselor saw this? I find this really hard to believe since they mention pretty heavy security on campus. What pisses me off even more is that Angie being a so-called friend let Lizzie being submitted to this cruelty and she can still think that she has the right to consider herself ever a friend. Friends don’t abandon someone so easily. Lizzie didn’t deserve that or any of the horrible things that were done to her.


Character Scale: 4

While I appreciate what this book was trying to tackle, I feel that Ms. Pitcher didn’t do a very strong job of it. It’s a pity because I had high hopes for this book, but it doesn’t live up to any of my expectations. Some of them were fleetingly touched and then she would do something that would make me shake my head. I’m just disappointed by this book and it’s as simple as that.


Cover Thoughts: My favorite thing about the whole book. I wish I had a physical copy just for the cover alone.

Thank you, Netgalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Forbidden to Love by Debbie Davies

Forbidden to Love by Debbie Davies

First in The Erosians series

2 stars

Acacia was made by Zeus almost a year. She was made for Eros the God of Love in hopes of making him happy and forgets about his lost love. After the third time of Zeus lying to him Eros says that he has a year to return his love or their will be a war. Eros rejected Acacia and is forbidden to love anyone else but Eros. Acacia was content with this until she sees an auraless mortal. He stole her breath away and she hasn’t been able to forget about him; no matter how many times Allana to stay away. She’ll do anything to be with Josh even it means the depths of the Underworld as punishment.


5 Reasons Why I Should Have Loved Forbidden to Love:
1. It has Greek mythology.
2. The Greek mythology is a different new take and sounds refreshing.
3. Acacia sounds determined to fight for love.
4. This auraless love interest should sweep me off my feet.
5. There are the gods and love auras and matchmaking.


5 Reasons Why It Didn’t Work For Me:
1. Acacia has no personality.
2. Josh is just as boring.
3. The pointless war between Acacia and the other sister (whose name I can’t remember) was dumb.
4. The ending was obvious.
5. There just had to be a insta-lust-love and a love triangle.
I could finish this review here, but I’m not because I should elaborate on things.


The main female character is Acacia. Acacia has absolutely no personality. I understand that she isn’t human or was even born, but I feel like she should’ve developed a personality and hobbies. For once I would like a writer to write about someone that isn’t born but has likes, interests, dislikes, and opinions. Another thing I didn’t get is that Acacia is a god but she doesn’t know anything about them. She didn’t even freaking know that Hades had abducted Persephone.

This make me weep for humanity if the world is the fate of someone’s hands that doesn’t even know probably one of the most well known mythologies ever. I only pray that she knows about Pandora’s Box because we don’t need her ruining into one and then releasing it upon the masses.



Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 2

The main male characters are Josh and Luca. Josh was the apple of Acacia’s eye for 2/3 of the novel. Acacia put her life on the line for someone that doesn’t have a personality. He is just as boring as Acacia. So maybe they are perfect for each other. Josh is nothing but eye candy. Not once did my heart flutter for him. Then once what we all knew would eventually happen, Acacia finds herself in the Underworld. Enter Luca who is similar to Acacia but different. Luca falls in love with Acacia rather fast, but in all honesty I liked Luca a thousand times more than Acacia and Josh combined. Luca in my opinion should leave Acacia alone and find someone with a brain, personality, and isn’t selfish.


Swoon Worthy Scale: Josh-2 Luca-7

The Villain- Well there are several probable villains and a whole lot of unnecessary problems. None of them are scary or intimidating. Not even Hades.

Villain Scale: 1

Allana is the first Erosian and she is a lot like a mom to Acacia. I liked her well enough, but as of the ending I think she is a complete and total moron. Then there’s the other Erosian that is a jealous mess and I don’t see the point of her other than being a tool to make Acacia look innocent.


Character Scale: 2

Another thing that bothered me is that Acacia says yeh and erm way too much. Not yeah, but yeh. This makes absolutely NO sense. I also find this one particular quote even though it has no purpose other than to make me laugh.
“I see the only thing Zeus improved with each Erosian was their bra size and not their IQ.”
Oh, Persephone you are totally awesome. Please be mean to Acacia more often because she is so annoying. There is too cases of insta-love. One took a little bit more time because it was just lust, but the other was BAM! YOU LOVE ME AND I LOVE YOU LET’S MAKE OUT! Nothing about this book made me gasp, but my favorite thing out of this whole novel was the mythology. It was only thing that I hoped to like and still wound up liking.


Cover Thoughts: This cover is horrible. I thought it was an erotic romance the first time I saw it. The old one believe it or not is somewhat better.

They are still both terrible and she needs to find better cover artists.

Thank you Netgalley and Createspace for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Best of the Bunch #1 Month of May!

                                     

Best of the Bunch is a monthly post to showcase the best book we read of the month!

This month I've read (link leads to review):
The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski
The Odyssey by Homer (read for school so the review is only on GR)
The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher (haven't reviewed yet, but I will be soon)
Sketchy by Olivia Samms
Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (not reviewed yet, but soon)
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (not reviewed yet but soon)
Forbidden to Love by Debbie Davies (next to review)
A Taste of You by Sorcha Grace

My best is:
Official GR summary:
Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father--the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner--are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

My Thoughts:
This was definitely my favorite book I've read this month! Bones stole my heart and I can't wait for more of this series!

Stacking the Shelves #3

So it's been a while since I've done a Stacking the Shelves. So let's get down to business.

                            

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's a way to share books we've borrowed, gathered, or received.

Like I said it's been since December since I've done one and I don't do them regularly, which means I've gotten tons of swag and what not.

 

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (bought) I'm reading this one right now and I was so excited for it, but I'm not feeling it. I don't know if I'll finish it or not.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (bought) I'm so excited for this one!

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (recieved) Thank you Epic Reads and Harper Teen! I read Shatter Me and I want to read this one, but I want to get Destroy Me first because it seems necessary to read.

Easy by Tammara Webber (bought) I really can't wait to read this one! It sounds fantastic.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (bought) I'm going to finally lose my Green virginity and hopefully have my soul crushed!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (bought) I'm really looking forward to this one because I've heard so many great things.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (bought) I'm really excited for this because it sounds epic! I have the new cover, but I think it's way better than the first one in person.

 

SWAG!
Rush bookmark by Eve Silver Thank you so much, Eve! I can't wait to read Rush and I'm so happy I got a signed bookmark from one.:)

2 Game. Set. Match. bookmarks and an #OBoxers wristband by Jennifer Iacopelli  Thank you to Jennifer the SWAG and hosting the #OBxers Team!

 

Excuse my feet! My feet are so pale. I'm a lot tanner I promise!

Looking for Alaska by John Green (bought) Why wouldn't I buy this one? It's a given. Plus it's been a while since I read a drug addiction novel.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (bought) I'm an Infernal Devices virgin and I can't wait to see what this series has to offer.

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger (bought) YAY! I loved The DUFF and I can't wait to read Shut Out!

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young (bought) I'm really curious about this one and whether I'll be swept away! *fingers crossed*

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins (bought) I haven't read Hopkins in forever and I miss her books so much. I can't wait to read Tilt, but I think I might try to get my hands on Triangles so I'll have a better understanding of the kids.

 

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines (bought) I bought this on impulse and a few people recommended it to me. Let's see how that one goes.

Gates of Paradise by Melissa de la Cruz (bought) I'm a die hard fan of the Blue Bloods series, but I heard that it's best to read the Wolf Pact books first. So, I'll be downloading them on my kindle.

Unwind by Neil Shusterman (bought) I'm really looking forward to this one. I've heard so many marvelous things about it.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (bought) The summary sounds great and I can't wait to see the tiaras fly!

The Host by Stephenie Meyer (gifted by my mom) My mom bought this for me before the movie came out and I was reading a thousand books so I still haven't gotten to it. I still haven't seen the movie.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (bought) I want to see the movie and I figured I should read the book first. It has a poster inside, but I'm not sure if I'll read it soon due to the negative reviews.

 

Wild About You by Kerrelyn Sparks (bought) I love the Love at Stake series and I can't wait to pick this one up!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky I absolutely adored this one! 5 stars

Obsidian and Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout They were so amazing! I can't wait to finish the series. BOTH 5 Stars 

He's Gone by Deb Caletti (won) I received this one through GoodReads FirstReads! I really liked this one and it was great to read something by Caletti again. 3.5 stars 

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (bought) I haven't reviewed this one yet, but I absolutely loved it! I'll be reviewing it soon!

Just One Day by Gayle Forman (bought) This one is absolutely amazing and I highly recommend it! 5 stars 

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma (won and signed!) I can't believe I won this one! Thanks so much Penguin Teen and Ms. Suma! 5 stars 

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (bought) This book is absolutely beautiful and I haven't reviewed it yet, but be on the lookout for my review! 

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma (bought) This book broke my heart and it's probably one of the most heartbreaking books I've read this year. 5 stars

The Dark Light by Sara Walsh (bought) I was so excited for this book, but it was disappointing. 3.75 stars 

I have a bunch more books that I've received, but I'll save them for next week since I don't plan on getting anytime soon! Be sure to leave me a comment with the link to your Stacking the Shelves! I love reading them or watching them! HAPPY READING AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR... IN BOOK BUYING!