Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder

Release Date: January, 2014

Publisher: HarlequinTeen Australia

Pages: 458pgs

The Story

She's fought death and won. But how can she fight her fears?

Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.

But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision.

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher on netGalley for providing me with a review copy of this book!

Even though this series wasn't my favourite series from the author, but I still have come to really enjoy Maria V. Snyder's Healer series. Well, pretty much every book of hers is always enjoyable for me, no matter the story. But in regards to this particular book, all I can say is, at least after finishing this third and last instalment of the series, is that the ending was absolutely bittersweet for me and while this book may not have been my absolute favourite out of all three books but . . . yeah that ending had certainly turned me into a giggling schoolgirl. Hehe. It was just too damn perfect to handle in a serious matter (you'll know what I mean when you come to read it).

Now in terms of the actual storyline of TASTE OF DARKNESS, I thought it was such a really good story for the most part, especially considering the way things had ended in the previous sequel (you know with the whole Kerrick being poisoned thing and his disappearing act that left readers like me in disbelief over the whole idea of it all). But yeah, the storyline was definitely what I was come to expecting from the author and with this series so I'm really glad about that. And another thing to add about this book is that it was much darker compared to the three other books in the series which I was all for because I do like a darker side to things, so with that particular element in mind I thought the author had done a brilliant job with that and I really liked that different 'feel' to the books.

Like what I already expected in this final conclusion, our two main characters, Avry and Kerrick, who were my main focus while reading this book, were pretty awesome this time round and I just completely adore their relationship together. They just have this great form of respect for one another (like with most couples in Snyder's other series) and even when they are separated in the book, there's still this great sense of hope that surrounds them as they fight their individual battles and it's just lovely to witness such a romance and friendship play out til the end. Le sigh. This book definitely gave me many Avry and Kennick feels. I can definitely tell you that!

Overall, without spoiling things, TASTE OF DARKNESS will certainly not disappoint its readers and if you're like me with the whole romance thing between Avry and Kennick, the ending will definitely have your hearts racing in a foolish fangirl sense hehe.

The Rating

4/5 stars

Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Putnam

Pages: 368pgs

The Story

Ash and Natalie are just starting to build a life together when things in the United Sentry States go from bad to worse. Ash and Natalie find themselves at the center of turmoil when dictator Purian Rose threatens Natalie’s life unless Ash votes in favor of Rose’s Law—a law that will send Darklings and other dissenters to a deadly concentration camp known as the Tenth.

When Ash can’t bring himself to trade Natalie’s life for those of millions of Darklings, her fate is sealed. Enter Elijah Theroux, the handsome Bastet boy Natalie once saved from her mother’s labs, where he’d been experimented on and tortured. It was his venom the Sentry used to create the lethal Golden Haze, the heart of the government conspiracy that led to Black City’s uprising and Ash’s rebirth as the Phoenix, the face of the rebellion. Elijah is back and Ash doesn’t like him; it’s clear he’s taken with Natalie, and Ash fears she may have feelings for him as well.

But Elijah also may have the answer to taking down Purian Rose for good—a powerful weapon called the Ora. Ash, Natalie and Elijah just have to escape Black City undetected to find it. But fleeing the city and finding this weapon (if it even exists) are easier said than done, and the quest could tear Ash and Natalie apart, even pushing them into the arms of others.

The Review

After really enjoying Elizabeth Richards's debut novel, Black City, I couldn't wait until I got my hands on a copy of her next sequel in the series and thankfully I wasn't disappointed (at least not in the way most sequels end up disappointing you). Not only was PHOENIX very action-packed, romantic and just as intense as the first book was, but it also contained great deal of memorable scenes with our two main characters not to mention a I-can't-wait-anymore-for-the-third-book-type-ofending, so to say the least, I'm really, really looking forward to the third book now, especially with what the ending delivered to us all.

PHOENIX, while it was still an enjoyable read, but I found it didn't top the first book for me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it's always the first book you'll always fall in love with in a series. Still, what I've always come to love about Elizabeth Richards's writing is how she builds upon her own world and how we always learn new and interesting things about her world as well. It's just very cool to read about and her world kind of reminds me of Marie Lu's dystopian-like world of Legend, which is a really good thing because Marie Lu also sets up some great world-building herself.

Now what I've come to also appreciate in this particular series is the connection between our two main characters, Natalie and Ash. While the couple definitely had their many ups and downs in this sequel, more so on Ash's part (even though Natalie was a major contributor to most of their 'couple' problems), but in the end - no matter what happened throughout the book and no matter how much the characters can frustrate you so with the decisions they make - I still loved the way Natalie and Ash came together and worked through their problems as best as they could, despite their dire situations.

In terms of faults between the two main characters, I think the only problem I had with this book was Natalie's character (even though Ash could sometimes make me throw the book against the wall because of the way he acted at times and I'm talking about jealously here) and how she wasn't as emotionally strong in this book compared to the first. Mind you, Natalie is going through a lot problematic things in this particular sequel or rather she holds back a very important piece of information that she didn't want anymore to know of (mostly for Ash's sake) which frustrated me so much considering he found out anyway (it was kind of obvious), but in saying that, I still very much enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading the next book next year.

Overall, PHOENIX may not have entirely won my heart as Black City did, but considering the ending and what could possibly happen to our favourite couple, Ash and Natalie, I'll still be gearing up for the third book now and I can't wait to see what happens in the end of this trilogy (which I hope ends in the best way possible because I just want Ash and Natalie to be together with nothing interfering their relationship so I'm hoping for the best here!).

The Rating

4/5 stars

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

 
Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 464pgs

The Story

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher on netGalley for providing me with a review copy of this book!

From the very first book in the Pushing the Limits series I have loved the author's writing not to mention all of her characters - main or supporting ones, and while I still don't know how she manages to write these amazing stories, but I know one thing is for sure: Katie McGarry is definitely one of my favourite contemporary writers by far! She just nails each and every book of hers!

CRASH INTO YOU was such a thrill ride for me and while I wouldn't necessarily say that it was my favourite, favourite book in the series (really it's hard to decide because all of the books are written so brilliantly), but boy it was pretty close and SO GOOD too! Now initially it took me some time to warm up to our new leading lady, Rachel, and be immersed with her story this time round (even though she definitely turns into such a lovely, bad-ass girl later in the book), but when her perspective is switched and paired up with Isaiah's perspective . . . then everything else in the book soon becomes perfection within itself and honestly Isaiah was what I loved most out of everyone else. He was the driving force of the entire book I thought!

Oh Isaiah! I have loved him from the get-go of this series and while I wasn't entirely sure what he could be capable of with his own book (especially since his heart was broken in the previous sequel), but now I think out of all of the guys I have met in this series so far, he's definitely in my top lists of favourite boy characters of all time. Just boy . . .  I love him and that's probably because he reminds me so much of Alex from Simone Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry which is bonus for us fangirls if I do say so myself. Isaiah just has so much compassionate and protective hotness in this book (much more than I ever expected from him too), so just you wait until you get to know him some more and see the flaming hot chemistry he shares with Rachel . . . just you wait girls . . . you're going to love him a hundred times more than you do already!

Overall, CRASH INTO YOU contains a lot of frustrating and over-the-edge type of characters (especially with Rachel's family), but with the driving force of Isaiah and Rachel's newfound love . . . everything in this book is totally worth the wait!

The Rating

5/5 stars

The Elites by Natasha Ngan

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Pages: 368pgs

The Story

‘There is a rumour that the Elites don’t bleed.’

Hundreds of years into the future, wars, riots, resource crises and rising sea-levels have destroyed the old civilisations. Only one city has survived: Neo-Babel, a city full of cultures – and racial tension. 

Fifteen-year-old Silver is an Elite, a citizen of Neo-Babel chosen to guard the city due to her superior DNA. She’d never dream of leaving – but then she fails to prevent the assassination of Neo Babel’s president, setting off a chain of events more shocking and devastating than she could ever have imagined. Forced to flee the city with her best friend Butterfly (a boy with genetically-enhanced wings), Silver will have to fight to find her family, uncover the truth about Neo-Babel and come to terms with her complicated feelings for Butterfly.

The Review

You know what? This book had actually surprised me in many ways. Not that I should be surprised or anything. I mean, the blurb of the book gave me this feeling that it was going to be a really, really different kind of read and it definitely was, at least I found that the world was. It was odd, strange, a little unique and again very strange, but I like all of those things combined into one and because the book was written so well too, I think that's why I enjoyed reading this book more than I thought I would. And I like finding those little surprises along the way.

To put it simply, I found THE ELITES is kind of like Marie Lu's Legend meets Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. At least that's the vibe I got from this book. So whether you're into that sort of thing, I think any sort of reader will enjoy this book because there is so much to like whether it's the story, the world or its unique characters who are good or bad. For me personally, I liked everything about this book and while it's not entirely perfect (though I'm sure many things will be explained in the next sequel), but what I loved the most was the driving force of the main characters and what they bring to this new series, that being Silver, who was such a delightful young heroine to have, and her best 'boy' friend, Butterfly, who was also such a delight to read about. Together, as they go looking for Silver's parents who have disappeared which for reasons will be later explained in the book (don't want to spoil here), I thought Silver and Butterfly worked so well together as partners in crime and I think if it wasn't for their very different personalities that have somehow worked together magically, I don't think I would have liked this book as much as I did, so just go and read this book just for those two characters! They were a real treat and I'm sure they will be for you too.

In saying that, another thing I loved was the whole unique world the author has created and everything in it. From Butterfly's own wings to Neo-Babel's own official government to the racism of many cultures in the book (especially with Silver who is known as a Red which is considered a real threat and where she is always picked on because of her particular race) is just a few things that made this book truly awesome and I'm looking forward to seeing what the author will come up with next because this book is really unique and I loved it.

Overall, THE ELITES was a very enjoyable book and with many unexpected twists, new romance and friendships, and with truly awesome characters who are surrounded by this very unique - and not to mention magical - world of Ngan's, I'm sure many readers will love this book as much as I did and is definitely one you should be out on the look for!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 320pgs

The Story

Kennedy Waters didn't believe in ghosts, until one tried to kill her.

When Kennedy finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn't know that evil forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into her house and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon - a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother's place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon - battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

The Review

A big thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

Initially I didn't know what to think about this book or what I was getting myself into since the ghost/demon genre seems to be used quite a lot in YA books, but considering who has written the book and since I enjoyed the Beautiful Creatures series, I wanted to see for myself how well Kami Garcia writes by herself without her writing partner. So with everything that I've just read, on whole I thought this was actually a pretty good book. Not entirely perfect but a pretty good book.

UNBREAKABLE tells the story of Kennedy Waters who has her first encounter with a ghost and brings more trouble than she is willing to deal with right now. But ever since her mother died, stranger things have been happening and it all starts with that one ghost, which leads Kennedy to meet with two twin brothers, Jared and Lukas, who are apart of a secret group called the Legion, people who fight against demons who pose a threat to the world. Little does she know that she and her mother have a connection to the Legion and will ultimately change Kennedy's life forever.

While the story is not entirely original and may share certain similarities with other paranormal series such as Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, but I really liked reading how Garcia writes by herself and in the end I thought she wrote this new book of hers quite well, including her world and her characters and so on. In regards to the characters themselves, while I struggled to connect with Kennedy at times, however during the course of events in the book where more bad-ass things tended to happen, I soon grew closer to her character and I quite loved her in the end. She definitely proved herself in this first book, so I'm looking forward to reading more of her in the sequel. 

But the only thing I think this book lacked and what was possibly the only reason why I'm rating this book down was the romance and the character chemistry/connection side of things. While I appreciate a slow-buring romance and light character connections and overall relationships (which can develop over time in a series and are not supposed to be entirely perfect in the very first book), but I was kind of expecting more chemistry - romance or otherwise - between the characters Kennedy, Jared and Lukas, who are our main characters. I don't know why I didn't feel the connection between them . . . but I just found that their connection and relationships will one another was very light and not necessarily working well together . . . so yeah I don't know . . . I just found there was a lack of something between the three of them. But since this is a series and all, I'm sure there is plenty of time to make them connect better with each other and with their other supporting characters.

Overall, UNBREAKABLE is definitely a fast-paced read and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel next year considering the ending had left things with many questions going through my mind right now.

The Rating

4/5 stars

Elegy by Tara Hudson

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 400pgs

The Story

A stalker ghost, misguided Seers, and spellbinding wraiths—Amelia Ashley has faced them all. Now her greatest hope is to spend the rest of her afterlife with her living boyfriend, Joshua. But the demonic forces return to give her an ultimatum: turn herself over to the darkness or watch them murder one living person per week until she does.

Amelia fears she might really be doomed, until the forces of light give her another option. She can join them in their quest to gather souls, with a catch: Once she joins them, she can never see Joshua again.

Faced with impossible choices, Amelia decides to take her afterlife into her own hands—and fight back.

The Review

ELEGY is the final book in the Hereafter trilogy and it concerns itself with Amelia, the ghost we all know and love who now has to face the consequences of many evil beings who want her to join them in Hell. However, if she does not, her current and very human boyfriend, Joshua, the one person she counts on more than anyone else and whom she would do anything for, will be the one next in danger.

Now like with anyone who has already read this series, I've always loved this one and how well it was written. It's just one of those rare book series where you get so invested in the storyline and with its characters and with everything else, and you don't even have to try  to like it . . . it's just awesome anyway and truly heart-felt to the core. But I have to admit, much like with what happened in Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood series, which this book reminds me so much of only with less gore and so on,  I knew from the very beginning that with the coupling between the ghost, Amelia, and the human boy, Joshua, that their relationship would be tested in several ways, not to mention it wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows between them both in this particular book and I was right even though it displeases me so. 

Ultimately, this book was definitely not all sunshine and rainbows and I can guarantee you that. But in saying that, while I already knew how this book would end and why it took me a few moments or two to embrace my prediction that actually happened, in the end of it all, I thought it was all well-done for the final book and that all sacrifices that were made had this bittersweet kick to it . . . so even though I didn't totally love it . . . but it was the kind of ending that needed to happen one way or another, so yeah . . . it was an all-round good book. The same goes for the characters and in particular with Amelia and Joshua's characters. They might have made a few decisions that I didn't necessarily agree with even though they were the right things to do at the time, but in the end the choices needed to be made, so it was a real pleasure to meet with these colourful and sometimes dark characters. I'm definitely going to be missing them heaps!

Overall, ELEGY was a pleasant read and while it may have had its ups and downs, particularly with the conclusion it left for us readers, but ultimately and while you start to think about why the ending ended the way it did, you will soon embrace it in no time and understand that things happen for a reason even though it comes with a severe consequence.

The Rating

3/5 stars

Red Hill by Jamie McGuire

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 368pgs

The Story

When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher for providing me a review copy of this book!

Like any other fan out there, I love the dystopian genre and I especially love flesh-eating zombies - or pretty much anything with an outbreak that is used as a main plotline - so while I wasn't a huge fan of Jamie McGuire's debut book Beautiful Disaster, but her new adult title, RED HILL, was definitely up my alley for sure and in a certain way it was definitely a decent book to read.

RED HILL may not have been completely believable in a sense of survival techniques or in the romance department for that matter (which I found was a bit too insta-love for me between our two main characters and one for which I did not understand at all), but looking back on the story, I thought it was definitely a book that kept me fairly entertained (or at least interested) which, no matter what, is the whole point of a book despite its few flaws. Now in terms of the characters as well, while I didn't have any particular favourites, but they were still interesting to read about, even though there was so much more that the author could have done with them, particularly with what happened to them in the easy-fix kind of ending. Perhaps it was just me who thought of this, but I kind of wanted more oomph from the characters towards the end of the book or some sort of revelation of sorts because . . . they just seemed like they were capable of so much more than what they have already accomplished, you know? Still, they were good characters for the most part.

Overall, RED HILL offers nothing particularly new to the dystopian and zombie genre, but for a quick read with decent characters, I thought it was an okay book and definitely one you should check out!

The Rating

3/5 stars