Linger

I have been impatiently waiting for this book to come out. After reading Shiver, the first book of the trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater, I fell in love. I fell in love with the writing, the characters, and the plot. I was a slave to this book. So the obvious thing to do was to preorder Linger and wait for it's release. Surprisingly, it released before it's original date and came to me early! I. Could. Not. Wait. To. Read. This. Book.

Grace and Sam are madly in love. Grace has loved him before she knew he was a boy. She loved him as a wolf in the woods behind her home. Sam and Grace have fought to keep him from changing back into a wolf. It's early spring, and Sam should be a wolf, but he's not. Their cure worked! Now Sam has to adjust as life as a teenage boy while all of his family is roaming the woods...as wolves. Meanwhile, Grace is sick. Could the wolf inside her finally be trying to escape?


Cole is a new werewolf searching for a way out of his human life. He desperately wants to escape his mind and live life as a wolf. He's selfish and conceited and he connects instantly with Isabel, a girl who has lost her brother while trying to kill the wolf inside of him.

These four teenagers are connected in a way that no one else can understand. Can this connection help them get through their individual struggles or will the wolves tear them apart.

I hate to say it, but I think my expectations were too high for this book. Not that it wasn't fabulous, but it did not own me like the previous book. It started off a little slow for me. Because of this, it took me a week to get through it. Once it picked up though, I was hooked...in there like swimwear. I also had a little trouble with the alternating POV. This may be because I was often too lazy to look at the name of the chapter before diving in. Having to read two POVs is awesome, four on the other hand can be confusing.

Although it seems like I'm complaining about the POVs, I'm totally not...really. I did LOVE "hearing" from Cole, the new wolf. I was happy that the whole book was not about the love between Sam and Grace and that the author introduced these new characters and we got to see them grow. So, the plot was great, but not AMAZEBALLS.

The writing however was AMAZEBALLS. Stiefvater's writing makes me feel like I'm floating on water. It is so poetic and beautiful and just...wow. If you are one of the very few people in the world who have not read any of her books, stop whatever you're doing, and do it NOW.

Spirit Bound

Last year I fell in love with the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead. The first four books were AWESOME! The fourth book was pretty good, but not as good as the others (in my opinion). Needless to say, I couldn't wait until the 5th book of the series, Spirit Bound, came out this year. I pre-ordered it on Amazon so that I wouldn't have to wait on my semi-slow library. As you can tell, I was super excited to read this book.

From Goodreads:

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives beyond the Academy’s iron gates to begin. But Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri, and he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

I hate to say it, but the book did not live up to my expectations. I LOVED Rose and her kick ass personality in the previous books, but now she is really getting on my nerves. She is completely self-centered and puts her friends in horrible situations that could get them killed. She also leads on her boyfriend Adrian, making him believe that she's really into him, when she's constantly fantasizing about Dimitri. I did love the growth that all the other characters experienced in this book. Everyone is maturing nicely and growing up. Everyone, except for Rose.

When reading this book, I almost felt as though Mead is just pulling plots from her ass in order to finish the series. I know there will be one last book (book 6) in this series, but I hope it's not as over the top as this one. Many of the subplots were so dramatic and over the top that I wanted to literally throw the book across the room.

All this being said, I will not give up on the series. Not when there is only one book left. I will patiently wait for the final book to come out in hopes that it does not disappoint. If you are into YA paranormal fantasies, then you should definitely give this series a try. Like I said, the first 3 books were AWESOME!

The Reckoning

Don't you hate when you fall in love with a group of characters in a series, and then the series ends?!?!? Yeah, me too. I'd been waiting and waiting for The Reckoning, the last book in the Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong, to become available from my library. Thankfully, my friend Crystal was nice enough to send me her copy to read. Of course, the next day the library had my copy ready for pick up. Silly library.

So, the third and final book picks up right where the last left off. Thankfully, there was some recap in there, otherwise I wouldn't have remembered some essential parts. Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori have finally found safety from the Edison Group. These supernatural teens don't know if they can trust their rescuers or even each other.

Haha...and that's all I will say because I don't want to give the plot away.

So, if you read my blog (ahem, let's pretend you do, okay?) then you know that I love YA paranormal fantasies. That, however, does not mean that I like the dark, mysterious, edgy boyfriend that seems to appear in an abundance in this genre. That is probably part of the reason I loved this series so much. It doesn't remind me of any other book or series.

This is definitely a must read series. I seriously fell in love with the characters and I will miss them. I hope that Armstrong will give glimpses of them in her next YA series.

Have you read any of the books in this trilogy? What did you think?

Beautiful Creatures

Miss me?

I have not posted on here, let alone read any other blogs in a loooong time! Sorry to keep you guys waiting. I've been working like a mad woman and that last few book I've read had to do with cervical fluid and baby-making. Thankfully, I did FINALLY finish reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I've had this book on my shelf at home for MONTHS. I was so excited to read it, but of course, I kept pushing it back. Once I finally finished all of my library books, I dug into it.

From Goodreads (because I'm being super lazy today):

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

So, obviously this description does not even begin to tell all this book encompasses. It was a longer read than most YA books, but it was written very well. One of the things that took me by surprise was how well these two women wrote in the voice of a teenage boy. Granted, he was more sensitive and down to earth than most teenage boys, but it wasn't overdone. I also LOVED the characters. I am from the South so I could appreciate the dialect and the way people behaved. It could have easily been set in a small town in Alabama, so I could really relate to the people and places.

It amazes me how these two authors put their idea together and created one pretty awesome book. I can't wait to read the sequel!

The Awakening

After reading the first book in the Darkest Powers series, The Summoning, I couldn't wait to pick up the second book.

From Goodreads:

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

This book was even better than the first. I have officially fallen in love with the characters. The boys are so fun and protective. Chloe is so kick ass and brave! I love seeing a teenage girl portrayed the way she is. She isn't angsty or boy crazed. She is smart, thoughtful, and just...awesome! I have to wait to get the third book from the library. I can not wait to get my hands on it!

The Dark Divine

This book by Bree Dispain has gotten some recent buzz on the interwebs. I looked it up on Goodreads and the cover was so pretty that I decided to check it out. I rarely read the synopsis of the book until I'm already reading said book. I know, I'm backwards like that. Anyway, I had no idea what this book was about when I checked it out.

Grace Divine is the daughter of a pastor. She is a good student. sister, friend, and Christian. Three years ago, something horrible happened to her brother Jude. She knows that his ex-best friend, Daniel, has something to do with the secret that Jude is hiding, after all, Daniel's been missing for the pass three years. One day, the troubled Daniel shows up in their lives again. Jude makes Grace promise to stay away from Daniel, but she can no longer deny her attraction to him. Grace must learn what Daniel's dark secret is and once she does, it will change her life forever.

I finished this book at 2am, and I am still unsure about how I feel about it. I enjoyed the first half, but the ending was a little off. It wasn't rushed, but it didn't seem complete either. That probably makes no sense to you, but that's just it. It didn't really make sense. Usually I can tell by the ending of a book whether or not there will be a sequel, but with this one, I HAVE NO IDEA! So, I looked it up and there will be a sequel. It's a pretty good book despite the ending, so I plan on reading the next installment. Plus, I fell in love with Daniel, so I give it 3/5 stars.

Hush, Hush

So there has been a lot of hype about this book from the girls in my interwebz book club. I HATE spoilers, so I really did not know what this book was Becca Fitzpatrick wrote about in Hush, Hush. I was a little surprised by the subject matter and a little disappointed in the writing.

Nora Grey is an excellent high school student. She has a best friend Vee and makes good grades. Nora and Vee and anti-twins. They are complete opposites in every way. Vee is not interested in school and is boy crazy. Nora is focused on her grades and could care less about boys. That is until Patch replaces Vee as her lab partner in Biology. Patch is the definition of mysterious. Nora knows nothing about him or his past, but she is drawn to him against her better judgement. He draws her in with his sly smile and dark eyes.

After a series of frightening events, Nora doesn't know if she can trust Patch or not. Patch knows a lot about Nora without her having to tell him. He also seems to be everywhere she is. When she finally gets answers about Patch and his past, she discovers that the truth is unsettling. She doesn't know who to trust, and the wrong decision can cost her her life.

I must say, I was a little disappointed in this book. It had many similarities to Twilight and Evermore and that's not a good thing.

First of all, they main characters meet in Biology class. Does that sound familiar to anyone? I must say that I am a Biology teacher and nothing that exciting ever happened in my classes. Thank you Stephanie Meyer for creating the idea that Biology class is so appealing. If only my students were as excited about their lab partners. *Note my sarcastic font.*

Second, the whole "he's so dangerous but oh-so-hot, but he may kill me, but I'm so attracted to him" premise is getting really old. Books like this do not teach about healthy relationships. Why are you attracted to someone who could potentially kill you? Yeah he's hot, but RUN THE OTHER WAY!

The last thing that bothered me were the characters' names. I mean seriously, Patch,Vee, and Nora? What year is this? These were the worst names in a YA book that I've ever come across. UGH! I can't even express how much I hated the names. Some of you are probably thinking that their names shouldn't get me so worked up, but YOU"RE WRONG. It's something about characters' names that either draw you in or make you totally uninterested. Needless to say, I was pretty uninterested in the characters.

So, the book wasn't a total fail. The last 100 pages had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I did like the ending of the book, and I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out later this year.

Hex Hall

So I've been reading a lot of Internet buzz about this book from some of the girls in my online book club. I read the synopsis online and decided to buy it and give it a try. Now, this is strange because I rarely buy new books. I totally believe in the library and I use it to my advantage. Boy am I glad I bought the book instead of waiting forever to check it out! Plus, the author, Rachel Hawkins, lives in Alabama; therefore, I'm supporting a local author! Yay me!

Sophie Mercer is a 16 year old witch who has lived in 19 different states and attended just as many schools. She always seems to cause problems (spells gone wrong) at her school and must relocate. After a love spell gone horribly wrong, Sophie's mother-a human, and her father-an out-of-the-picture warlock decide to send her to Hectate Hall until she turns 18. Hectate is a school for witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. Once at Hectate, Sophie befriends her roommate, the only vampire student, Jenna. Sophie and Jenna are constantly having to defend themselves against 3 dark witches/bitches, and Sophie begins to fall in love with a gorgeous warlock, Archer. When Jenna is accused of murder, Sophie is the only one on her side.

Okay, first things first- these were the best character names I've read in a LONG time! I mean Sophie, Archer, Chaston, and Elodie? I love them! Those names are way better than normal boring names like say, Bella, Jacob, or Edward. I'm just saying...

This book was so good! I zipped right through it and then was upset that there wasn't more. I can't believe I have to wait for the second book to come out in March 2011!! I loved Sophie! I really felt like I knew and understood her by the end of the book. This book was funny and exciting. There were some unexpected twists and a cliffhanger at the end. If those ingredients don't make a good book then I don't know what does. Go get your copy today!