Stephanie's books

Clockwork Angel
Eragon
City of Bones
Twilight
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Golden Compass
Night World, No. 2
Thirst No. 2: Phantom, Evil Thirst, and Creatures of Forever
Thirst No. 3: The Eternal Dawn
The Iron Daughter
The Iron King
Nightshade
Divergent
A Discovery of Witches
A Great and Terrible Beauty
The Hunger Games
The Host
City of Glass
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo


Stephanie's favorite books »

Sunday 14 September 2014

Review- Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)

   


Title: Wither
Author: Lauren Destefano
Series: The Chemical Garden book 1
Rating: 5/5






Summary
In the not-too-distant future, genetic engineering has turned every newborn into a ticking time bomb: Males die at age twenty-five, and females die at age twenty. While scientists seek a miracle antidote, young girls are routinely kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When sixteen-year-old Rhine is taken, she enters a world of wealth and privilege that both entices and terrifies her. She has everything she ever wanted - except freedom.

Soon it becomes clear that not everyone at her new husband's home is how they appear. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to escape... before her time runs out.


My Review
Well I'm not sure what I was waiting for cause this book was amazing and I was missing out by not having read this book sooner, now my only problem is the fact that I don't have the other books and I need them really bad now.
    "It doesn't matter how much his mother loves him; love is not enough to keep
      any of us alive."
I was so taken aback by the story line, the threat of death is always close for these characters because of the low life expectancy this world has and it makes every one scramble in this weird situation in which girls are kidnapped and sold off to rich families as sister wives with the goal of carrying on the crazy world. Rhine is stolen from her home and twin bother Rowan and sent to marry Linden and she also gains two sister wives  Jenna and Ciecly and I was very drawn into this book by the strange relationships of all the characters, I really liked the characters but I am not sure that I can say I loved any of them but I fell in love with the way this very strange and unique situation created very strong and very strange tense relationships that involved both trust and fear and almost always at the same time. It was also strange to me the thin line I walked between hating Linden and feeling sorry for him, Sometimes I felt like he was just as much a prisoner of his evil father, Vaughn, as the girls but I think he is aware of the evil in the house and plays the naive card for his own benefit.
I loved the descriptive way it was written it made a terrible tragedy and full of loss but it is wrapped in the beauty of the mansion and the clothes I could understand Rhine getting lost in the world, there were moments even I needed reminding of how she got there, and all the creepy things that could be going on down below.
I really can't wait to continue the series and I hope that the next books have a bit more of the science that is involved in a cure and the reason they die so young and I really hope that Rhine and Gabriel can be a part of finding a cure but only time will tell.

Read to Review- 97 (Rise of the Battle Bred #1)




Title: 97
Author: V.L. Holt
Series: Rise of the Battle Bred book 1
Rating: 4.5/5




Summary
Jane Burrows is the girl next door, well actually, five doors down from the new kid. She's happy with her life: she's got One True Friend, a set of wheels, and the best job ever, newspaper delivery girl! She's not even super annoyed when William McLeod starts following her around like a puppy dog. He's hot, after all. Except, what's with the spooky overprotective thing? What's with his stern opinions on ancient warfare? What's with his evasive answers to the most simple questions? Just...what's with William? If Jane's honest with herself, she wants it to be her! William's living on borrowed time. He's got three lives left before his number is up, and his dad is forcing the issue. No fighting again. Never mind the Lochspawn are hot on their tails. Nevermind they might be incriminated in four grisly murders. Nevermind the girl of his dreams is monster bait. He's supposed to sit on his hands and watch while his world goes up in Warloch flames? Yeah, no.


My Review
 *I was given a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
The concept and lore surrounding this story was very cool and in my experience very fresh and new and I really enjoyed it, but I must confess I did have one complaint and that was the romance , I don't  really care for insta-love  I prefer to watch a relationship grow and although it could be argued this was not insta love I think it was close enough and I was also bothered by  the up and down when Jane became angry with William quickly, oh and also the blushing...okay so that was a few things but they were small for me because they did have sweet moments together and the story being told around them is so captivating and cool that I can see past it to enjoy the background and the growth.
I loved how the story was told from a few different points of view, we got Jane's, William's and even the evil Warlochs, it gave the story a well rounded quality that I really enjoyed. I think this is a wonderful start to what I think will be a great series, and with a cliff hanger like that I am anxious for book two and very very excited to see where we go from here. I am most curious about the Marine and how the Warlochs will use him to their advantage, and I also am interested in what the unveiling of secrets will do the relationships in this book. This was an action packed and exciting read, thank you to the author for the joy of reading it. 
Before I end this book I just have to mention Jane's list of "mom sayings" it was a cute little touch to the story that I Loved and for something so small it made a big impact on me :)

Review- Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)




Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone 
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone book 1
Rating: 5/5







Summary
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hairactually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?



My Review

 "She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devils lair.
   She wasn't innocent now..."

I'm not really sure what I expected from this book, but I know it was not this! I was kinda thrown off at first cause it's a lot to take in, there is A LOT of mystery, and a lot of world building but once I wrapped my head around it all and submerged myself in this world I found I enjoyed so much about it.
I loved the way this was written, it flowed so well even when it goes back and forth in time and when things started tying together my mind was blown, there was so much originality and so much unexpectedness that I was really caught off guard in the best possible way.
Karou was a great character she was a bad ass shrouded in mystery even to herself and I loved finding out about "Elsewhere" with her and then finding answers about where she comes from... it was spectacular. Akiva, I was not a fan of at first but as the mystery unfolded and we learned more I felt drawn into his story and his struggle.
I don't want to spoil anything but this book was an unexpected gem and I can't wait to see this series continue I have a feeling it's about to get epic.

Review- Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)





Title: Stolen Songbird
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Series: The Malediction Trilogy book 1
Rating: 5/5


Synopsis

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.


My Review
 wowza I loved this book, I knew it would be good from the moment I saw the beautiful cover and read the very interesting blurb on the back but I never expected it to be as amazing as it was, my only complaint it that I can't get book two yet, like WTF I need to know what happens, the last couple of chapters and the last lime were so intense that when the end came I felt like I had been severed from the one I was bonded (little inside joke for all those who have read it lol) I can't wait to much longer so I hope they hurry up.
I have so much I want to say but I hope it does not come off to fan girl cause this is a really great book and I want every one to know it. So much happens at the beginning of this book, cecile is kidnapped by a human working for Trolls, she is roughed up on the journey, and she is married off to the Troll prince and that's just the first 80 pages and it gets so much better from there as Cecile is thrust into the middle of a brewing revolution of the half-blood Trolls, who are treated like slaves since their magic is little or non at all and she is also believed to be the one person who can break the curse that has trapped them under the Mountain for hundreds of years. Now the fact that all of this is put on her shoulders in a short span of time, I admired how Cecile handled herself it was very honest and very brave and the fact that she found a way to make the best of a bad situation was my favorite thing about her and I liked a lot about her, also I enjoyed how she took her time in her decision whether to stay or not when Tristan was kind enough to finally give her a choice :
   "Trollus had it's dark side, but there was so much about it that I loved, a world of 
     opportunity in one small city-"
she may have been slightly blinded by love but for the most part she thought things through.
 Okay time to talk about Tristan..YAY!  Of course he started off acting like a huge jerk but something told me that was not the real him and of course my thinking was correct, because of his terrible Father he must put on an act to protect himself, his people, and most of all Cecile. I loved him so much and he broke my heart for so many reasons:
    "Now I was certain that I'd sacrifice everything to save her."
    "There was no good choice, because no matter the outcome, one thing was certain:
      I was going to lose her."
The best part about Tristan was how aware of his people's nature he was, he struggled with the decision to break the curse afraid for the humans that he had grown fond of over the years and afraid of    the destruction his people would bring :
     "Some creatures were best kept in their cages."
I really can't say enough good stuff about him, I do believe I have a new book boyfriend.
 There were so many other wonderful characters in this book like Marc, the twins, the Queen and Dutchess and even Anais who I hated at first but she grew on me over time and redeemed herself in the end.
This book had so much to love and I have to stop this review before I give much more away but if you love adventure, love, magic, and fantasy get your hands on this book I am so glad I finally got it and I am soooo stocked for book 2!!! This is a magical thrill ride that no one should miss.

P.S I met the author at a book convention near my city and she was very lovely so add that to the reasons you should read this book!

Thursday 4 September 2014

Blog Tour Review- Unlit Star by Lindy Zart






 Title: Unlit Star
Author: Lindy Zart
Rating: 4/5
Summary
We are not guaranteed anything, not even this life.

Rivers Young is the popular guy untouchable by reality. He is like a star—bright, consuming, otherworldly. The thing about stars, though, is that they eventually fall, and he is no different. 

He falls far and he falls hard. 

Delilah Bana is the outcast enshrouded in all of life's ironies. Alone, in the dark, like dusk as it falls on the world. When Rivers hits the ground, she is the night that catches him. In the darkness, they meld into something beautiful that shines like the sun. 

Only, the greater the star is, the shorter its lifespan

My Review
So I signed up for this blog tour thinking that the book was something entirely different from what it was, and when I looked the book up to refresh my memory (I signed up a while ago) I must be totally honest... I did not have high expectations and I thought that I may not like it, well if anyone is having similar thoughts I will tell you that in my case... I was wrong.
My issue with this book is Delilah's internal monologue it was extremely long and wordy, yes she is a loner so she will converse with herself a lot, and yes she had some gems of wisdom hidden in there but you had to wade through a lot of other stuff to get to them. I am also not sure I really liked the characters of River and Delilah, I loved the idea of them and I loved what they did for each other, changing lives for the better but I am not sure I will remember them exactly and just the tale the two of them wove, and I think that is enough.
I don't really read much contemporary romance but this was an intense tale of love and loss and it gave me pause to think about A Walk to Remember, So if you love a good romance that will pull at your heart strings, and you also don't mind crying (This one will make you cry I assure you) then this is the book you need to read.
Overall I really loved this book and I am very glad I signed up for the tour!

About this author 

Lindy Zart has been writing since she was a child. Luckily for readers, her writing has improved since then. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two sons, and one cat. Lindy loves hearing from people who enjoy her work.







Thursday 28 August 2014

Review- The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1)





Title: The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave book 1
Rating: 4/5





Summary
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

My Review
I am struggling a lot with this review, because although I gave the book 4 stars I still don't know if I liked it enough for 4 stars. I had the book recommended to me by a few people and when I looked it up I noticed many people raving about it or very excited to read it and that always worries me I have been fooled by hype before and I may have been fooled again with this one but I am still unsure, so I'm going to try to give this book a review that makes more sense than my feelings about it.
The way in which the "others" attack  and the reveal of the 5th wave were very unsettling but in a good way I guess, I did enjoy how clever that was and to pray on the trust of humans was smart and down right dirty. Call me crazy but I wanted a slimy alien or scaly or something because an invisible enemy is so much more scary and unsettling.
I liked Cassie she was determined and smart and she followed her instincts well until Evan came along and that whole thing was okay but I think it was a little part of the reason I did not fall in love with this book, but most of all I loved how she was ready to die to keep her promise to her brother.
I thought the book was well written but there were a few parts that felt like they dragged on for too long and I put the book down on several occasions when I got bored and I even finished two books before I finished this one.
I really don't have more to say about this book except don't always believe what you hear read something because you want to and hope that it turns out well. Overall this was pretty good and I may read the next ones.....only time will tell :)

Review- Ruby Red (The Ruby Red Trilogy #1)





Title: Ruby Red
Author: Kerstin Gier
Series: Ruby Red Trilogy book 1
Rating: 4/5





Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended - and rather eccentric - family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesly. It comes as an unwelcome surprise when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.

She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century . . . .

My Review
I have read only a few time travel books because I love the idea but so many of them are confusing and not well thought out, I believe time-travel is a tricky subject and when not done well it is a sin. The time traveling Gene was a unique way to go about it and I found it neat that everyone was aware of this power and in Gwen's family it was even a thing of pride that her cousin Charlotte was a carrier, but of course this book was not about her it is about Gwen, so of course Gwen turns out to be the time traveler and chaos ensues, she gets a lot of grief from her cousin and aunt since they think she stole it from them, but that is just so dumb, how can you steal something you never wanted.
I sort of feel like this book, the first in a trilogy, was just a book of questions, so may secrets and so many half truths that I am more confused than when I started but I guess since this is book one it's not so bad, but I would have liked more answers than just the one that I had already guessed.

This book was filled with a bunch of crewed characters, most of her family were jerks and stuck up and I guess when you are part of a secret society you tend to be stuffy but since I have not been a part of a secret society I would not know, but to me they all seemed jerky and rude even Evan, although like many male leads he starts that way but kindness leaks out over time and I see myself enjoying him in the next books, I am excited to more on as I am very frustrated at being left hanging.

Review- Glow (Sky Chasers 1)

Title: Glow
Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Series: Sky Chasers book 1
Rating: 3/5

Synopsis
What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.


My Review
I was really excited about reading this book and I liked the beginning and how the action started right away, but once the battle was over I felt parts dragged out for a bit to long and there were a few times that things were foreshadowed for way to long so when things did happen I didn't really care cause I had been expecting it for a long time already. It took me much longer than I had expected to get through this book and I can't really explain why, I mean the central theme was very disturbing and different but the rest of the book left me bored and actually skimming a lot of it, I did not hate this book but it did not live up to the standards that I had set it. I found the writing off too I am all for description but that's not what this was, it was a bunch of words piled together to make it seem descriptive but it was not. The characters were not ones that I found myself particularly drawn or attached too, especially Keiran I did not care for him at all and by the end I sort of wished for him to fail, Seth was a little more likable but I want to know more about him and if I decide to read book 2 I hope to get more of his story (well since I bought book 2 cheap I will read it lol.)
Waverly was not my favorite at first but she did grow on me as the terror she experienced unfolded and she was also very strong willed and smart and I wait with bated breath to see how she handles what's next.
I wish I loved this book as much as so many others but I did not so I will close this review by saying this book was a like but not a love.

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Review- The Infernal Devices: Manga (Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince)

Author: Cassandra Clare and Art by Hyekyung Baek
Rating: Book 1- 4/5
           Book 2- 4/5

Clockwork Angel 

(The Infernal Devices:Manga#1)

Clockwork Prince 

(The Infernal Devices: Manga #2)

A manga-adaption to the prequel of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices is the story of Tessa Gray, a sixteen-year-old American girl traveling alone to Victorian London who runs afoul of the city's sordid supernatural underworld. Rescued by the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, Tessa quickly finds herself caught up in an intrigue that may very well destroy her new friends - including the two enigmatic young men, Jem and Will, who have taken her under their wing...

My Review

I wanted to review these books together because I really don't have that much to say about them of course I have read the series and was in love and so when I saw these in the  store I picked them up right away eager to get a look at the artists take on these beloved characters. Well I was so pleased with this I think both books had a little missing but who could blame them they are long books and these were long enough in my opinon so all is forgiven there. these were my first graphic novels and I am soo glad I started here and once I get the third I may move on to other graphic novels now that I had a taste of the good stuff. I think I would like to read more graphic novels  based on books I have already read I liked having the knowledge and just enjoying the art more.


Review- Juliet Immortal



Title: Juliet Immortal
Author: Stacey Jay
Rating: 5/5


Synopsis
The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

"These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."
—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare


My Review
Romeo and Juliet has always been a Shakespeare play I was fond of since my first reading (Yes I have read it more than once!) and to be honest I was a little nervous as to how it could be retold and done justice, well I should not have been nervous because this was a great book full of fabulous ties to the original but it was also a great work of fiction all it's own. The story of the Ambassadors and Mirsenaries and how each side recruited one person each, from the pair of lovers, turning them against each other for all eternity was so tragic and maybe a little hard for me to wrap my head around at first since the image of Romeo and Juliet has always been of love and devotion, but after I was introduced to this version of Romeo was so gross and evil that my mind was changed. Juliet was a very enjoyable character, the complexity of all she had been through made her very interesting, I found myself flying through this book eager for her story to continue and true love to prevail. Since Juliet inhabits another persons body I thought things may get a little confusing but it was very well done, it was always clear who the focus was and I was never confused. 
I am so glad I finally made time to read this book I enjoyed so much of it...mostly the ending!!! and I know there is a companion novel but I feel like I got all I wanted out of this story and I could not ask for more so I will not spoil it with one I may not care for.

Wednesday 30 July 2014

Review- Born To Fight (Born 2)

Title: Born To Fight 
Author: Tara Brown
Series: Born book 2
Rating: 4/5

Summary
When Emma wakes strapped to a cold metal table she has only one name on her lips, "Marshall!" What she doesn't expect is discovering that he is only one of the disturbing people in her small world who deserves to die in a fiery death. 

Twenty years ago scientists made some remarkable discoveries with genetics and the ability to perfect the babies we gave birth to.

Ten years ago the governments of the world made a hard choice, earth or people.

Nine weeks ago the choices they made came full circle.

Fourteen days ago the truth of their mutations leaked out into the borderlands and other areas.

Yesterday the worst thing they ever made learned about what she was.

Today she's coming for them and she knows about the strengths they gave her.

Tomorrow she plans on destroying everything.

She plans on starting with her her own creator. Her own father.
Mature Content Warning



My Review
Book 1 had a crazy cliffhanger and since I had this one I moved one right away, now I did not love this one as much as the first but it is a very solid sequel and I am very happy to continue on and see where things go from here. I found a much deeper connection with Emma in this book and I believe it's because I feel like I understand her a lot better after so many secrets were revealed right off the bat, I do also have an issue with so much being let out all at once, it felt like it started off really strong and then it plateaued for a bit, all of the action and gore was still there but it felt like a lot of the drama was removed and only fighting remained.
There were times that the act of killing comes so easy for them and I have to remind myself that they are at war and when Anna and Emma talk about it and say that the people they kill just chose the wrong side, it made it less of an issue because war has casualties and they are the price that must be paid. I love the action and the gore in this series, the world they live in is brutal and it shows but sometimes I felt like the plot got scattered and some things just happen for the sake of action and it makes it feel a little forced.
The love triangle is still a sore spot for me I feel like I know who she will choose and so does she but it is being dragged out but I also get that Emma is very lost in the relationship department so I can understand her confusion and unease.
I am excited to finish the series and I will read the next one soon.


Review- Born (Born 1)



Title: Born
Author: Tara Brown
Series: Born book 1
Rating: 5/5







Summary
Emma ran when her daddy told her to. She hid like he said she should. He was the first person she turned her back on. The first one she let die.
Ten years has gone by and she still lives by the simple rules he taught her when she was nine years old.

"Don't help anyone. Don't go where other people are unless you have to. Trust no one. Always pull the trigger."

Until one night she hears the worst sound in the world, a knock. A simple, timid knock, on the door to her cabin.
Only the voice of the brave little girl, ready to die for her brother, persuades Emma to open the door.
As her fingers turn the lock, she has a terrible feeling she will regret her decision.
But even as regret fills her world, so do love and companionship. Things she never imagined she would ever have again.

Everything comes at a cost, you decide what you'll pay.


My Review
I won this book (and the other 2 in trilogy) at a facebook party and when I was gong through my kindle I spotted it and decided it was time to pick it up and I am so glad I did cause I enjoyed this book fully and flew through wanting so much more. I love the world that was built and the characters trying to survive in it. Emma was very complex, alone for 10 years with only her wolf Leo for company was not good for her social skills but very good for her survival skills, she kept the world out until one day when someone knocks on the door and for Emma once she opens that door it opens so much more in her and she finds things she has been missing being so isolated but it also made things a lot harder for her. I find her very interesting because she is so naive in so many ways but she is a killing machine trained by a paranoid Father, it was a weird mix but also it worked.
I'm not sure how I feel about the love triangle, I sort of like what it does for the story overall but I get so frustrated with Emma and Will and then I just feel bad for Jake I just hope it is resolved soon and not dragged out the entire series.
There was lots of action and a very interesting back story to the collapse of the world and the terrors that hide in plain sight once everything changed, I am so excited for book 2 and after the cliffhanger at the end I am moving on quickly.

Review-The Scorpio Races

Title: The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Rating: 4/5

Summary
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.


My Review
This book was extremely different and very exciting, I was not really sure about it at first and it took me a while to get attached, but once I was I was really hooked, I could not give it 5 stars and let me tell you why, the ending sort of left me unsatisfied, it was very beautiful and poetic I will give it that I just really did not like to abruptness and the hole it left and also because I had a slow start with the book and other than those two things I really did enjoy this book.
This is the second book of Stiefvater's I have read and I love the way her characters speak, they are all so different but I can see her stamp on them. I did enjoy the relationship between Puck and Sean but with them both being so stand offish there were times that it got a little boring and frustrating. 
I love horses and it has been a long time since I read a book centered around them and I was glad that the one I picked was about water horses rising from the sea and being raced down the beach, oh and I forgot to mention the water horses are savage and they kill people well yeah that's the truth, so basically they are racing tigers or bears with the beauty of a horse and yes it is as interesting and intense as it sounds.
This has sealed it for me and I will be reading more books by the great Maggie Stiefvater
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Review- Redemption (The Alexa Montgomery Saga 4)



Title: Redemption
Author: H.D. Gordon
Series: The Alexa Montgomery Saga 4
Rating: 5/5









Summary
The final test is here. The war is no longer a worry of tomorrow, but a reality of today. Turning back is no longer an option. Maybe it never was. It is time for Alexa Montgomery to look fate in the eyes. Death waits there for certain. The only question is... for who?

My Review
DAMN this book made me feel soooo much!!
This is by far my favorite series and as heartbreaking as it was for the series to have to end and the book itself was one of the saddest endings I have ever read, this is my favorite book of the four. I absolutely love Gordon's writing she has a way with words and a way of making you feel so many things all at once, my favorite thing about this book is that the theme of this book is very dark and both Alexa and Nelly carry a dark side that they can't control and yet this story is full of so much beautiful pure love and devotion that it shines a light through the darkness, giving the whole thing a haunting beauty.
The ending was so sad but as I think about it I know it could not have gone any other way and I will grieve the loss but rejoice in the series overall. I know all of this sounds cheesy and that's why I will keep this review brief all I want is for this book to be as well known as the likes of Twilight cause it is so much better than that and it needs worldwide love.
I don't have much to say that wont spoil things so read this book and then look me up cause I can talk Alexa Montgomery and friends all night long :)

Review- The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns 1)



Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author: Rae Carson

Series: Fire and Thorns 1

Rating: 3.5/5









Summary

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one. 

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will. 

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.


My Review
I have had this book on my kobo for a long time and when it was book of the month for a group I thought it must be a sign and I started reading. I almost stopped this one and picked up another one, but I am glad I pushed on cause things did pick up and get a little more exciting.
I felt a little bit odd about the amount of religous talk in this book, I completly understand the need for it and it was for sure part of the story, but I found it very hard to connect to that part of the story and that side of Elisa.
There were a few things different about this book I liked, the main thing being that the book was not so focussed on the romance and more on the war and Elisa's struggle to understand why she has the Godstone , and since she was married off in the first chapter and then stolen away from him quickly it left little room for love, although it was there but it was a backround tale.
The second half was much better than the first and it has some very interesting twists, I was very very shocked at one point and I think the ending was very intense. But I am not sure I am rushing out to get the next book, I think I will finish the series someday but not in the near future.