Book Review: Henge (Le Fay, Book #1) by Realm Lovejoy

My Rating: 

Book: Henge (Le Fay, Book #1)

Author: Realm Lovejoy

Release date: November 11th 2014

Synopsis:
Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven—the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur’s Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.

Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur’s Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.

But Morgan has a secret—years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan’s desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot’s tests of survival and magic? Only time—and Morgan’s powerful fire—will tell.

Book Review: What Once Was One (The Passage of Hellsfire, #2) by Marc Johnson

My Rating:

Book: What Once Was One (The Passage of Hellsfire #2) 

Author: Marc Johnson

Page Numbers: 374 pages

Publication date: September 15th, 2013

Synopsis:

Lead by the dark wizard, Premier, the kingdom of Alexandria was almost overrun by the foul creatures from the Wastelands. With the help of his friends and neighboring kingdoms, Hellsfire was able to defeat him, but only at the cost of his mentor.

Hellsfire is now a wizard, but he must finish what he started by hunting down Premier and retrieving the Book of Shazul. He must venture deep into the Wastelands, bypassing his way through thousands of creatures bent on killing him.

Beating in the heart of the Wastelands, is something far more dangerous than Premier or his beasts waiting for Hellsfire. It will force Hellsfire to make a devastating choice—a choice that will have repercussions not only for the Wastelands and Northern Shala, but for the entire land and the one he loves the most.
What once was one, will then be two, and never again be as whole...

Book Review: Lost by Donnielle Tyner

My Rating:

Book: Lost (The Caelian Cycle #1)

Author: Donnielle Tyner

Page Numbers: 346 pages

Publication date: November 20th 2013

Synopsis:

During WW1, a meteorite crashed, releasing a mist that changed the DNA of all who were exposed. One hundred years has passed and society is divided between the Norms and the Caelians, whose changed DNA awakened dormant gifts, called Talents.
Sadie is over it!
She’s an orphan, her boyfriend was murdered, and she’s the only Caelian at St. Vincent’s without a Talent. Once she turns 18, there will be no place for her in the world. That is, until a chance encounter with Kian, a Caelian boy who makes her feel uncomfortable and alive at the same time.
Secrets of her past are uncovered and Sadie’s latent, rare Talent is exposed. With great power comes the hunters, hired by an egomaniac who wants to use Sadie’s power to establish Caelian dominance. On the run with Kian and her friends, Sadie will have to decide: hide or fight.
Will Sadie accept her new reality or will she stay lost?

Book Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

“Only death will take me away from you, vampire girl," he whispered. "And even then, I'll watch over you from wherever I end up.”- Zeke Crosse
My Rating: 
Book: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden#2)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Page Numbers: 446 pages
Publication date: April 30th, 2013

 

Synopsis:
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters. Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again. Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

My Review:

I received an ARC copy from the publisher to read and review in return. (- And thank GOD for that...!)

Oh Julie Kagawa, you may be pure evil and fit to give any reader one heart attack after the other, but you're also completely and utterly brilliant! The Eternity Cure is absolute proof that the Blood of Eden series is so perfectly constructed in every way possible and that it is impossible not to fall in love and completely become obsessed with. Any true paranormal fan will instantly be captivated with everything Ms. Kagawa has to offer; she did it magnificently in her first book of the series, The Immortal Rules (review), and enhanced this talent of hers by ten fold in The Eternity Cure. Each chapter had me on the edge of my seat, my heart beating at a dangerous pace, and I became so involved with the story and ALL of the characters that my emotions ran completely wild throughout each chapter of this book. I do not know where to begin to describe how fantastic this book is, so let's get into the details!

Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

My Rating: 
Book: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Page Numbers: 485 pages
Publication date: April 24th, 2012

Synopsis:
In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence. There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time. Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

The Collector by Victoria Scott Review

"I am The Collector. It's not as bad as it sounds. I'm kinda like Santa Claus. We're both jolly guys with a passion for frosted cookies, the color red... and sorting souls. 

My job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and I get the fun ones." - Dante Walker

My Rating: 

Book: The Collector (Dante Walker #1)
Author: Victoria Scott
Page Numbers: 352 pages
Publication date: March 25th, 2013
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My Review:

It is so fun and refreshing to realize while you are reading a book that you know you are going to absolutely love it. Lately I have been reading such 'heavy' (but good!) novels, that I didn't realize how much in need I was for something a bit more 'nonchalant' (not meant in a negative way), hilarious, exciting, original, and an entertaining read. My desire was met through The Collector by Victoria Scott. I had read some other book reviewers rave about this book, so when I received The Collector through NetGalley, I was more than thrilled!

I really loved everything about this book from the diverse characters, to the snide, sarcastic and hilarious narration and writing style, to the non stop action happening throughout.  

Let's get into the details.

Our main character, Dante Walker is a collector of souls for the underworld (a.k.a. hell). He is a cocky, arrogant, confident, humorous and uber sarcastic character. He is considered the best collector to roam around hell and earth and is therefore considered the right hand man for Boss Man (aka Lucifer). He is sent on a mission by Boss Man, to collect the soul of a 'puberistic' teenager named Charlie Cooper within ten days, and as a reward he will receive a promotion to Director (which means he will never have to go back to hell again).

When he meets Charlie, his first impression is superficial. He only looks at her physicality and construes her as ugly, unpopular and unworthy. It is therefore no surprise that he initially has no problem with collecting such an innocent soul. Throughout his mission, he starts becoming more paranoid about the motives as to why Boss Man wants to have her soul, and he can't shake the feeling that he is consistently being watched by another collector.

Dante goes through an amazing transitional journey where he not only discovers his deepest and dearest emotions which still sparks within him, but that he realizes he will soon will need to face the hardest choices of his life between what is truly right and wrong.

With full determination I can say hands down that Dante is thus far my favorite male fictional character. He is so much more than just 'another paranormal hunk'. He has so much spunk and personality to him that I could not refrain from consistently giggling, laughing out loud, and feel compassion for the nature of his character. He really does create the story and I truly believe that if Dante's character did not exist that this book would not have been half as fantastic as it is.

All the other characters, Charlie Cooper and her friends, Annabelle and Blue, and even Charlie's grandmother, make the entire novel complete. Each represents a significant piece of the story which makes the book as a whole such a great read. I connected with all the characters, even the evil popular high school girls and boys. Victoria Scott really knows the mind of a teenager and she is not afraid to add a bit of feistiness to the mix.

The writing style is just hilarious! Because the point of view and narration goes through Dante's eyes and thoughts, I was consistently entertained. The story has a great flow to it and it is such a fast paced book that I was trying to pace myself to not finish it too quickly!

I definitely recommend this book to any reader who is up for a great adventure laced with an abundance of romance, super natural hotness, non stop humor, and thrilling and unpredictable twists. If you want to read the next hottest paranormal book, then look no further and get The Collector now in your hands (or on your kindle).

I know most of you have probably by now already heard or read The Collector, so I would love to know what your thoughts are! Let me know in the comments below!

Book Review: City of Glass (#3 The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare

My Rating:

Book: City of Glass (#3 The Mortal Instruments)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publication date: September 1st, 2009

Synopsis:
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments

Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My Rating

Book: Catching Fire (#2 The Hunger Games)

Author: Suzanne Collins
Publication date: September 1st, 2009

Description from Goodreads: Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn..

My review: 
As you probably have read in my review of the first book of this wonderful series, The Hunger Games, I was completely sold! Luckily I bought the trilogy in one go, so I had the luxury to continue reading the next book as soon as I finished the first one! The first  book did not exactly end on a great suspense moment, however my fingers were still itching to turn the pages of the next book and find out what would happen next.

I gave this book a righteous 5 star rating! The beginning of the book was slower than the first book, however the twists were prominently present and just as unexpected and intense (if not more) as in the first book! The book picks up almost exactly where we left off, where Katniss Everdeen is coping with her victory of the hunger games, living in an exact opposite life she was living prior to her (forced) participation in the hunger games. She deals with the dreadful aftermath of the games, experiencing horrific nightmares which she can only share with Peeta. and Haymitch, as they are the only ones who can truly understand. Not only is she threatened by her continuous nightmares, she soon finds out that her actions at the end of the hunger games have serious consequences, and that these will not be ignored by the all-mighty President Snow. Peeta, as usual, is a very supportive character for Katniss, keeping her grounded and keeping her from going insane from her drastic thoughts, paranoia and nightmares. You can't help but falling in love with his character even more.

The characters and their relationship between each other really surprised me, as they all changed so immensely. Among these drastic changed relationships are Katniss as Gale. This was primarily a shocker as I  expected that after Katniss being away from her home so long,  that their secret admiration for each other would continue to grow. As a matter of fact, this was quite the contrary, and one can already guess that this change in their relationship has sooomething to with Peeta ;) They grew distant, only meeting on rare occasions when they hunted together. Another relationship development which really surprised me (and I secretly also enjoyed) was Katniss and Haymitch. After going through all their differences, they actually grew closer to each other due to their pain they shared during the games, which formulates quite a serious, dramatic, but also humorous bond.

The twists in this book were really unexpected! I don't want to give anything away to those who have not read this book yet, but there is one major twists which surprisingly doesn't happen until approximately towards the middle of the book. It changes the entire setting which puts the main characters, once again, in jeopardy and sets you on the edge of your seat!

The beginning might have been slower than what I was used to, but once the story picked up again I was once again thrown into the crazy, hectic, horrific, thrilling, dramatic and fast paced plot that keeps your attention at its peak and makes you want to read on and on and on (and on...)!

For those that have read the first book, all I can say is: what are you waiting for?? Get the next book right now, as I can guarantee you that you haven't read it all! Katniss & co have many more horrific and amazing 'surprises' ahead of them that will keep you ohh-ing and aww-ing throughout the entire book!!

Book Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

My Rating: 
Book: Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1)
Author: Moira Young
Publication date: June 7th 2011

Synopsis:

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

My Review:

I received a copy from the author to read and review in return.

After I finished reading Divergent, a wonderful, hectic and adventurous dystopian novel of a tough girl surviving in a distorted society, I was once again searching for that book which had the dystopian similarity, however this time I was also looking for something completely different plot wise... And then I found Blood Red Road. I actually stumbled upon this book when I was browsing through some reviewers on YouTube. I soon found out that at that time there weren't a lot of reviews on this book, but the ones which were out were all extremely positive. So you can expect at what level my expectations were.. and I can tell you from  the bottom of my heart that these expectations are definitely met!

Pros: 
This book had so much to offer: romance, thrill, drama, chaos, deception, fighting and more! What I liked most from this book was the amazing and distinctive plot, the protagonist (Saba), the accompanied characters, the romance and more! I will touch upon the pros which I felt were the strongest in this book...

• The writing style: I found the writing style genius! At first it seemed that almost every word was misspelled, the structure of most of the sentences were formulated incorrectly, when a dialogue took place there were no quotation marks, and so on! But knowing obviously that Moira Young, the author, did this on purpose, it portrayed a solid and covincing atmosphere for the reader. The characters living in this dystopian, unstructured world are not educated as you and I are. They speak in slang and the words are truly written in the way in which they are pronounced. Some reviewers found this very tricky to get used to and it took them a couple of chapters to get into the story... but personally for me, after 2 pages, it was as if this writing style was natural and most normal! It really helped me engage more in the ambiance of the book and helped me get an idea of the nature of the characters and the deviant world they live in.
• The Protagonist Saba: Saba is the protagonist of this book. She is an amazing bad ass character! Her spirit mildly reminded me of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. She is very stubborn, but strong (emotionally and physically), extremely devoted, and mainly a very spunky kick-ass chick! She is completely blind-sided by what she is capable of and how strong she truly is. She is very independent which shows throughout the book as she always wants to solve problems without any help... this also quite portrays her as sometimes selfish and irresponsible. I recognize these traits of hers and they are very believable seeing her circumstances. Moira Young describes her feelings and emotions so vividly that I felt them as if they were my own. When her brother, Lugh, is kidnapped and she is compelled to find him to what ever extent, her true colors genuinely shine through. In the beginning of the book you can hardly sympathize for her, but once the ruthless and unpredictable plot develops, you cannot but help feel for Saba, and root for her all the way through.
• The Plot: Kidnappings, mysterious villains, corrupt horrid cities, cage fighting, rebellions, giant lethal worms... what more can you ask for?? The plot had a consistent thrill which made the book extremely fast paced.
  
  From one mysterious and unpredictable happening to another, you were not able to go through the book without a chill going down your spine or shouting "WHAT?! REALLY?!" at the end of each page/chapter.  The characters Saba meets on the way of her dangerous journey are so well thought out by Moira Young, to each which you either totally hate or love! The book made me laugh, shout out in disbelief, cry (okay, silent tears :3), and hoot every time a hint of romance appeared.

Cons:
The cons which I am going to elaborate on have no influence on the 5 stars I have given this book. I believe Moira Young has done an exceptional job, so not in any means did these cons hinder my positive perception over this book.

• The cage fighting: Even though I really enjoyed the cage fighting experiences Saba had to go through, I found that it was a little unbelievable how everything seemed to continuously work out for her in the fights. The 'hot red' which Saba describes as her inner fury, would always come out which made her perform at such strength and cage-fighting-expertise, that I found it was a little unbelievable how such a girl all of a sudden had such fighting talent.
• The final stage: the second to last action-packed stage of the plot was a little confusing for me. I found it somewhat hard to picture the setting they were in and how they managed to get away with (almost) everything. I am not sure if this has to do with the fact that Moira Young did not describe it as vivid as the other setting she depicted, or that I simply did not read well enough to grasp the idea of the circumstances (I still believe the latter...). However, I cannot stress enough on how this book was an amazing thrilling ride from the very beginning until the very end!

All in all, this book deserves a 5/5 star rating. It is definitely a quick read, action-packed, and an phenomenal book out of the ordinary! Pick it up at the bookstores now! I am sure you'll love it!

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Rating:

Title: Divergent (Divergent #1)
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 487
Publishing date: May 3rd 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books

Synopsis:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Veronica Roth is the New York Times bestselling author ofDivergent, the first in a trilogy of dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Overall, Divergent was a great book to read! I rate this book readable and a 5/5!

Run to your bookstore right now and purchase this before the second one comes out in 8 days! Believe me, you will not regret it!