Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 336pgs

The Story

When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can't imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she's inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.

Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can't turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him - and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.

Amy Garvey's transcendent teen debut is perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures. Wren's unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.

The Review

I was reasonably surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It wasn't because it was a fun book per se, just that it turned out to be something of the unexpected which is always a good thing in my books. Before even starting COLD KISS, the first book in a YA series, the premise was something that didn't necessarily get me interested right away although after reading many raving reviews about it and after seeing that it had a really cool cover to add onto the bonus lists, I finally came across this book at my local library and decided to have a crack at it with not too many expectations. And, as it turns out, resurrecting a dead boyfriend and trying to hide him away from people had actually made this book a pretty great read for me after all!

While there are little enjoyable bits and pieces of the supernatural being wrapped around this story, but what I liked and preferred from the book was the emotional side Amy Garvey gave to us readers. The emotions of first love, the grief and the loss that came with it . . . it was something that I'm sure a lot of readers will be able to identify with without judging it solely on the supernatural elements, which was great I guess. Then adding to these emotions, for me personally, what strengthened this book even more was the supernatural ability the main character possessed, one of whom inherited this ability from her family which led to all of the character's troubles along the way. Now I really liked that aspect too. This certain 'ability' we soon get to know a bit about was really spunky and it was the answer for everything, even though it still lead to so many unanswered questions at the end of the book.

Now aside from the emotional connection, for the most part I really loved the heroine, Wren, and her whacky ways of life. She's definitely not perfect and she's knows it too which made her more appealing to me, but all she wants is to be with her boyfriend - her first love - even if he's technically . . . well . . . now dead. Wren is a very much well-layered character and she really grows on you, so while I understand why she resurrected her boyfriend and why she wanted him back (because the loss of a friend or in this case the loss of a boyfriend would be something that could ultimately destroy you) I still thought it was pretty extreme. Still, even though Wren's actions may make you love or hate her, but despite all of those ups and downs, I liked her a lot. She's a character experiencing so many complicated things at such a very young age and she's trying to move on the best way she knows how, while also trying to mend her broken friendships and not to mention her broken heart. So when you add all of that together and with her also trying to decide what to do with her resurrected boyfriend and handle her new feelings for the new guy (I know complicated!) . . . I think Wren did a splendid job with her 'situation'. Again she's not perfect by any means but hey, aren't we all?

With the side characters they were pretty great as well. Wren's friends for example, while they didn't necessarily play a huge part in the book, but I still liked how they continued to stay back and allowed Wren to grieve over her boyfriend, and I liked the fact that they never left her side and were always wanting to be there for their girl even when Wren kept pushing them away. That's what I like in friends. Then there's the love interests . . . you know, like in every story. Wren's dead-but-now-newly-resurrected boyfriend, Danny, was a character you just needed to sympathize with. He died with natural causes and yet he was brought back unnaturally and his soul is there but his mind is elsewhere you know . . . so with him being completely confused I truly and deeply felt for this guy. He deserved some peace. And then there's the new guy in town, Gabriel, whom becomes intrigued with Wren and somehow knows what she did to her boyfriend Danny. So for Gabriel's character I found he was someone really hard to trust at first. You didn't whether to love or be annoyed by him. He was a mystery all on his own I tell you, but once he opens up about himself and once you get to see the connection he and Wren soon share . . . I have to say I'm now pretty excited to see where this new relationship will go in the next book . . . because Gabriel was quite the catch!

Overall, COLD KISS was a book I wasn't going to read initially but I'm so glad I did anyway. All in all, this book is something that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you fall in love even when you're angry and frustrated with things, and in the end I guess there's nothing more you could possibly want from a book like that! So go and read it!

The Rating

4/5 stars

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Pages: 323pgs

The Story

It's the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won't stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn't sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she's failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she's forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group's fate is determined less and less by what's happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life - and death - inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

The Review

From what I've seen from this author so far, Courtney Summers has this special way of writing words - not only with her colourful cast of character's but with these raw, intense emotions that always seem to come along with them. THIS IS NOT A TEST is a greater risk for Summers as her new title is far from her usual works of her 'cutting edge' contemporary literature. But since I'm already a HUGE fan of the zombie and the post-apocalyptic genre, I was immediately drawn towards this book before I even started it. In the end and after reading it all, with a creative crossover between The Breakfast Club and Zombieland, it's no wonder why I've come to adore this author's work so, so much and even more than ever before when it comes to this book alone!

I'm going to be straight with you, right here and now, and try not to bore with you the minor details. So here we go . . . There's no doubt in my mind when I say that Courtney Summers should continue writing books with zombies or at least books with some form of horror in them, because quite frankly she had totally made my mind blow and I still can't believe how amazeballs this book really was and how Summers managed to pull it all off! No, seriously! It was that good! I mean, WOW! Even with this book having zombies popping up here, there and everywhere, this book for me was still far more than your average zombie novel. It was rather a simplistic novel but with a somewhat complexity about it, you know? After all, there's a group of teenagers who are trying to fight against every possible, violent curve-ball the world seems to throw at them and while - for the majority of the book - it's depressing to read about and even a little uncomfortable at times, but there's this sense of realism that this book just . . . had which I guess made me connect with the story a hell of a lot more than I'd ever imagined it would do. There's depression, there's grief, there's death, there's killing, there's hope, there's consequences, there's even love and honestly . . . this book had it all!

What had stolen the show for me - apart from the storyline - was the main character, Sloane, who was the one who made this book as epic (and depressing) as possible. Sloane's voice - compared to all of the characters we are soon introduced to in the book - was so raw, brutal, fresh, and yet she possessed this split-lip of pain about her that made everything all worth while in the end, and made my own heart ache every time she came onto the page. I mean, reading her voice alone and having small glimpses of her past life that made her for what she is today, I can say I've never read a character like her before nor have I ever EVER had such a strong connection with a character like her before, at least not as powerful as the connection I had with Sloane. With this main heroine at heart, Sloane is hard to describe since there's so many layers to her character arc but with everything Sloane experiences or rather has 'experienced', both in the present and in the past, you'll be right there cheering with her and wanting her to triumph over the many difficult situations  that she is now faced with. But wow, wow, WOW . . . Sloane impressed me and with her in the lines of some very interesting company of teenagers with their own mindsets as well, I have to say the characters, the zombies, the story, the blah, blah blah . . . was just . . . WOW!

Overall, I can't necessarily say anymore about this book because you will just have to find out for yourself on how really amazing Courtney Summers's THIS IS NOT A TEST book really is! With a little blood and gore, some heartbreak and death, and a bleak world of dire desperation where people will do almost anything in the means of survival, this is the kind of book you really DO NOT won't to miss out on! But word for the wise - DON'T READ THIS BOOK IN THE DARK! It's scary!!!

The Rating

5/5 stars

Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Pages: 496pgs

The Story

Can the living coexist with the living dead?

That's the question that has New Victorian society fiercely divided ever since the mysterious plague known as "The Laz" hit the city of New London and turned thousands into walking corpses. But while some of these zombies are mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh, others can still think, speak, reasons, and control their ravenous new appetites.

Just ask Nora Dearly, the young lady of means who was nearly kidnapped by a band of sinister zombies but valiantly rescued by a dashing young man . . . of the dead variety.

Nora and her savior, the young zombie soldier Bram Griswold, fell hopelessly in love. But others feel only fear and loathing for the reanimated dead. Now, as tensions grown between pro - and anti - zombie factions, battle lines are being drawn in the streets. And though Bram is no longer in the New Victorian army, he and his ex-cammando zombie comrades are determined to help keep the peace. That means taking a dangerous stand between The Changed, a radical group of sentient zombies fighting for survival, and The Murder, a masked squad of urban guerrillas hellbent on destroying the living dead. But zombies aren't the only ones in danger: Their living allies are also in The Murder's crosshairs, and for one vengeful zealot, Nora Dearly is the number one target.

As paranoia, prejudice, and terrorist attacks threaten to plunge the city into full-scale war, Nora's scientist father and his team continue their desperate race to unlock the secrets of "The Laz" and find a cure. But their efforts may be doomed when a mysterious zombie appears bearing an entirely new strain of the virus - and the nation of New Victoria braces for a new wave of the apocalypse.

Lia Habel's spellbinding, suspenseful sequel to Dearly, Departed takes her imaginative mash-up of period romance, futuristic thriller, and zombie drama to a whole new level of innovative and irresistible storytelling.

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher on netGalley for accepting my request in reading this book early!

In Lia Habel's debut novel, Dearly Departed, it was an interesting read for me. It wasn't exactly a fantastic book but it was an enjoyable one at the very least. Now I think what had drawn me into this world of Habel's in the first place was the way she handled zombies and how she represented in the book - not as mindless and flesh-eating creatures (okay there are some like that), but rather they were quite intelligent, interesting and surprisingly so very human, with even some that were pretty, handsome and charming too, which was a great take on the zombie genre. It added something unique. But as much as I hate giving an average 'Yeah, it was okay . . .' review for what I expected to be a very great read, unfortunately the sequel just didn't cut it for me and it didn't even convince me to love this series more and I kind of knew this would happen yet again.

Much like what I'd read from the first book, DEARLY, BELOVED followed exactly the same pacing as the previous book - slow and steady - and it was told through several perspectives once more. Argh! Like I said before . . . I knew this would happen again. I can handle two or three perspectives at one time, heck even the third perspective which I have come to favour over the years rather than the common first person perspective view, but with this book it had at least five POVs under its belt and it was god awful. I'm not kidding. Just awful. While I favoured only two character perspectives, both of which were the main characters of the story and whom I only wanted to read about - that being Nora and Bram, but as for the others I just felt like they added nothing really special to the story and I found them completely pointless to be honest with you. The only redemption that the book earned was with myself enjoying Nora and Bram's view of this bleak world and having some tension arising throughout the book between them until the tension blew everything into utter chaos. I like me some chaos, okay?

Character-wise and as I mentioned with the perspectives aspect, the only characters I really grew attached to and the only characters I really cared about were Nora and Bram. They are the ones who'd kept me going with this book. Together they grew closer and built on each other's strange worlds, not to mention they have some sizzling chemistry sparking between them, but even when they are in angst over certain things or even when they are apart, Nora and Bram somehow turn out to be two very great individuals. So I'm really thankful for their character growth in that. And that ending . . . god it was so out of the blue and so mushy mushy, but I still ended up really digging it so all of you romantic fans out there . . . you'll totally love it!

Overall, DEARLY, BELOVED may have failed to impress me but it was still a nice little follow up to the first book of the series and it'll interesting where the author takes us with the final installment of this YA series. Really interesting . . . especially when you consider how everything ended and all. Quite surprising!

The Rating

3/5 stars

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Pages: 384pgs

The Story

Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.

Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others . . .

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others - including John.

But so are they.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

They caught me in New York - but I escaped.

I am Number Six.

They want to finish what they started.

But they'll have to fight us first.

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher on netGalley for accepting my request in reading this book early!

It's action-packed, it's addictive, it's fun and it's explosive! And in case you were wondering about what I'm talking about . . . YES I'm clearly talking about Pittacus Lore's third installment of the Lorien Legacies series, THE RISE OF NINE, and Number Four and his numbered little gang are back better than ever before!

This time round the book's events are narrated back-and-forth between several of the characters - Four, Six and Seven's perspectives. Now from the previous installment Four (John) is still with number Nine who are continually making small - and sometimes MAJOR - discoveries about their chests, their powered legacies and many other important things about themselves as well. Whereas on the other side of the globe, Six and Seven (Marina) are now in the company of Ten (Ella) and Clayton who end up finding someone else like them . . . number Eight that is. But as both groups fight to stay alive and try to find each other there are many shocking twists coming their way and ones they didn't see coming which was a real treat for, even if this book wasn't my favourite in the series so far.

With a sad and lacking of no reappearance from Sam (I know how could they do that to me!), I still loved getting back into the Lorien Legacies world and no longer missing out on these wide variety of characters that I love so, so much from the other two books. So while John (Four) and his fiery sidekick Nine didn't interest me whatsoever in this book (mostly this was due to nothing much really happening between them), but I absolutely LOVED the perspectives exchanged between Six and Seven. Now I liked Six in the first book but I found her too annoying for her own good in the sequel because she was becoming a love interest for Four rather than that strange, kick-ass girl friend that I just loved having around. But not to worry dear readers Six is back and totally badass than ever before. She rocked in this book! But it wasn't Six that did it for me this time . . . it was Seven all the way and the newly introduced character Eight who made me smile every single time he came onto the page. Those two were just so adorable alone and together as well! Eight in particular was a total hottie and whom I wanted all to myself. He was SO cute, sweet, resourceful and was totally perfect for our sweet Seven, and it was really cute seeing her boy-crushing over him. It was so nice to see her grow. But Eight . . . *melts* I blab too much, right? Okay I'll stop here.

Overall, I don't want to spoil too many things that happened in the book but I'm really excited to see what will happen next in this series and how far the author is willing to go in wrapping things up in this explosive YA series! With plenty of action, drama, teen angst and film-like sequences running through everyone of the pages and into my mind, I have to say while this book wasn't my favourite compared to the sequel but THE RISE OF NINE was definitely a worthy follow-up for fans of this series and I'm glad everything from the characters to the unique elements of sci-fi keeps getting better and better! It's such a sweet little delight to say the least!

The Rating

4/5 stars

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Macmillan

Pages: 352pgs

The Story

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects - and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she's determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes - but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

The Review

A big thanks to Macmillan for sending me a review copy of this book!

If you've been reading reviews on Goodreads lately, especially over the past few months, then you would already know about people in the book blogging world raving non-stop about the Australian author, Jay Kristoff, and waiting in agony over his debut novel STORMDANCER, the first in The Lotus War series. Fortunately enough, I was one of those readers waiting in agony to get my hands on this book. Not because of its gorgeous covers, both the US and the UK one, okay maybe it was 'part' of my reasoning in wanting this book in the first place, but rather it was because of the book being a Japanese-based steampunk storyline and those are my two favourite combinations genre-wise. In fact, I'm obsessed over those two types of genres.

In a dying and polluted land, we are quickly introduced to our main heroine, a sixteen-year-old girl named Kitsune Yukiko (otherwise known as Yukiko), who lives within the borders of The Shima Imperium Empire. Given a command by the Shogun of Shima, Yoritomo, both Yukiko and her father, Masaru, must look for an ancient 'extinct' beast known as the arashitora and as one impossible journey leads to another, along with many dangers, secrets and lies, Yukiko soons finds out that she possesses a strange power: She is able to communicate with animals telepathically. But when her adventure is soon put on hold and turns awry, she then crosses paths with Buruu, one of the arashitora, but will she sacrifice and turnover Buruu over to the Shogun or will she do whatever it takes in order to protect him, herself and those she holds most dear to her heart?

Now I'm not going to lie. Despite those glowing 5 stars worth of praise, STORMDANCER and I had a pretty bumpy ride from the beginning and almost til the very end. I know, right? How could I of all people say that about a book such as this one? Clearly as much as I thought this book and I would be practically soul mates, but I guess some things just aren't meant to be for certain readers and their much anticipated books. So with me already being a Japanese-fanatic, I did understand most of the terms mentioned throughout the book without needing to look at the glossary terms at the back of the book. So, if I wasn't already aware of those Japanese terms or even the culture within itself . . . then really, there would be little hope for the rest of us - those other average readers - to understand certain things that happened that book so I was lucky I wasn't one of them.

But as I continued reading on and on, sadly I also had further problems as I kept reading the book, one of which included not understanding what was actually going on for the first half of the book. Really I was pretty much clueless with STORMDANCER and I was bored too - and it frustrated me so - at being that clueless about the book. However, when it came to the second half of the book it all eventually began to pick up the pace and it became a little bit more comprehensible for me than the first half of the book was, so a big yay for that! But then there was the writing also . . . I know, I know . . . I hate saying this but as much as I love the uniqueness in Kristoff's writing - how everything read like beautiful and descriptive poetry - but I also found that there was too much description in the paragraphs and I was lost in it I'm afraid. While I do applaud the author for actually knowing what he is talking about and you can easily tell through his writing alone that he researched Japan and other little things like that but . . . yeah . . . the book just didn't work in my favour as sad as it is and it then became a huge disappointment for me. I'm probably one of a few readers saying this but that's just how I felt.

For STORMDANCER's characters they were all pretty intriguing and different to each other's in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. I, especially, loved the relationship between Yukiko and the ancient beast, Buruu, who were in all honesty the only characters I would say had some love coming from me. But when push comes to shove, much like what I had experienced with the storyline, I still felt that there was no real passionate connection with the characters either. Sure I cared about what was happening, but I still didn't care all that much because they were all just . . . characters to me. In the end I guess I just wanted characters to be more then just characters placed into a book, so I really, really hope the sequel brings more out from these characters of ours, you know . . . to a much higher level so I can then appreciate them more than I did in this first book. Also, even the romance I'm afraid to say, the brief romance shared between Yukiko and Kin and with another boy vying for Yukiko's attention, Hiro, had no real passion either. Take for example a 'certain scene' in the book that occurred between two of the love interests (if you've read this book you will know what scene I am talking about), now that scene I found was completely unnecessary and out-of-the-blue because of the lack in romance-depth, but hey, what can you do?

Overall, I can see why many readers utterly adored this book, not only because it contained some of the most beautiful writing but because the story was told from a beautiful imagination as well, this great and wondrous world of Jay Kristoff's. While it may not have been a great read for me, but maybe it will for you! Both original and stunning in its own right, STORMDANCER is a great debut from an Australian author and it will please many of its readers and let's hope you are one of them too!

The Rating

3/5 stars

Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Pages: 350pgs

The Story

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally.

Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can't. Like the fire that killed his parents.

Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he's not doing it.

More than Gabriel's pride is at stake - this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own.

Gabriel can't let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that's right at his heels. But there are some risks he can't help taking.

The fuse is lit . . .

The Review

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

Honestly there's no better word in describing SPARK than it being hot, hot HOT?! Because really that is exactly what it is folks . . . HOT! With the book being far more than light fiery sparks flying across the pages and with me being already in love with the author's previous installment Storm, it's no real secret when I say I'm a huge fan of this series, especially when it comes to Brigid Kemmerer's work and her fabulous ways of entertaining her readers with in-depth characterization, sizzling romances and spine-tingling action! It's just plain awesome!

For the next sequel of the Elemental series, SPARK, this time round the story mainly focuses on Gabriel Merrick, one of the other Merrick brothers that we've read about previously, and unlike his twin-brother, the calm and collective Nick, Gabriel is a hot-tempered, arrogant, and a blunt mess to boot. But as he tries to work on his elemental powers and maintain a normal lifestyle as much as possible, Layne - the sweet, caring and shy girl - suddenly comes into his life, and Gabriel must seriously rethink his situation and what he is really living for. And, like what we have previously experienced from the first book in the series, with many other dangers headed on the horizon for Gabriel and his family, he will soon remember exactly what it means to protect his family, his love and everything lying in-between.

Despite some minor issues I had with Gabriel from the previous book to this one (mostly because of his arrogance and saying the wrong things to certain people in certain situations), I have to say that he really did surprise me in this sequel and he's definitely more than meets the eye. I mean throughout the entire book, SPARK, Gabriel's character continued to slowly evolve into bigger and much better things, and he has faced so many, many challenges that tested him to the ultimate limits - things including studying for the first time in ages, falling in and out with his relationship with his own twin brother Nick, becoming an outcast, and falling in love in the most unexpected places. It was needless to say such a pleasure to read about Gabriel's own story and journey, and finally seeing how different he is compared to his twin, Nick, even when he too shared some of his brother's most likable qualities which surprised me also.

For Gabriel's main love interest, Layne, she was someone I liked straight off the bat, even when I first met with her as a main character. As much as I loved Becca, the other main love interest from the first book Storm, but Layne for me was my favourite kick-ass girl in the series so far and I could relate to her on a lot more levels. She's geeky, she's shy, she's well-balanced (sooooooooo like me at least I would like to think so haha) and she's in all honesty the perfect match for Gabriel as he is quite the opposite to her. It's a great match what can I say? While Layne's father was a total mess for the majority of the book and I so wanted to slap him for being an idiot  but when it came to the relationship between Layne and Gabriel it was just something that may have started out as very rocky and complicated at times, but in the end it ended up being something totally undeniably perfect and I can see why this book was called 'Spark' because there was definitely sparks flying about when you interacted closely with these two main characters and I loved every moment of it!

Overall, SPARK was such a fabulous follow up to the Elemental series and while it wasn't necessarily my favourite in the series but considering we have another book, Spirit, heading our way very soon, I'm still super excited to see what else Brigid Kemmerer has to offer us! I'm sure it'll be a book that will make has swoon like we've never swoon before!

The Rating

4/5 stars

Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Pages: 375pgs

The Story

Waverly and Kieran are finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems . . . Kieran's leadership methods have raised Seth's hackles - and Waverly's suspicions. Is this really her fiance? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned with Seth's. But if Seth is Kieran's Enemy No. 1, what does that make her?

In one night, a strange explosion rocks the Empyrean - shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New Horizon - and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious suspect for releasing him. As tension reaches a boling point, will Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both away - or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every decision counts . . . every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a sudden end . . .

The Review

A big thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me a review copy of this book!

Last year in my review I gave Amy Kathleen Ryan's debut and the first installment of the Sky Chasers series, Glow, two stars and I have to say it wasn't my favourite book in the sci-fi and YA genre. Or rather . . . not at all. But since there were many others who had shared similar opinions as me in regards to the first book and since there were still many other readers who had actually highly praised the sequel in improving and being far more entertaining than the first book, I decided against my better judgement and gave this series another go, and in the end I'm really glad that I did because boy oh boy . . . it sure changed my mind on a big, big level!

In the next sequel of the Sky Chasers series, SPARK, it picks up right after Glow had left off at. With Waverly and the other girls just barely escaping the sinister ship of the New Horizon, they soon find themselves returning to Empyrean, where Kieran is now in command of the ship and where Seth, someone Waverly deeply cares about, is now imprisoned in the brigs. Upon Waverly's arrival and on top of everything else that is going on, she is considered a traitor and is being blamed for not returning with everyone else's parents, and one crazy moment after another, including an incident where explosions are set off and Seth is released under unusual circumstances, Waverly must determine how to prove Seth's innocence as well as keeping everyone else in the ship safe . . . by all means possible.

Unlike what I had experienced from the first book, SPARK was amazing right from the very beginning and I was so surprised by this feeling that I'd gotten as I kept reading this book because I had zero expectations. Absolutely zero. Though, despite these judgments of mine, I did secretly hope this sequel would change my mind - about the storyline, about the characters, about the pacing and basically everything else in this series - and that it did. The author, Amy Kathleen Ryan, wrote the sequel with a much better attitude than she did with Glow this time round since the pacing was faster, there was far more action to suck me back into the storyline, and most importantly, there was way more character development which blew me away. In all honesty, I really loved this book and it goes to show that you shouldn't stop a series until you read its sequel, because the author can and will surprise you in many ways, and can make you eat up your own words in the end. So way a go for this author in doing that to me!

When it came to the characters, especially with the main ones, I really liked Waverly, Kieran and Seth, and all of the faults they may have possessed. For our main heroine, Waverly, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl especially since how everyone seemed to be treating her lately . . . almost like a criminal when really . . . she was the ultimate hero among all of them. I remember how I felt about Waverly in the first book and I didn't fully connect with her like I wanted to, however in this sequel there was so much more to love about her - all because she had much more development in her character and we finally got to see her strengths that I'm sure was there all along and I just couldn't see. For one thing, she stood up for herself (about time girl!) and at certain moments in the book she even went up against Kieran (really against him and his bullying ways) which made my eyes bulge out and feel wowed by her! I mean going against the likes of Kieran is like wishing for a death sentence, so again, way a go author for making Waverly of all people do that in the book.

Regarding the two boys of the story, that being Kieran and Seth, it's easy to justify them and their actions, and whose team I'm really rooting for. With Kieran, like with how most readers view him, he was never ever a favourite character of mine and I don't think he will ever be one with the way he's going right now. That character . . . man . . . he needs a beaten sometime soon because he was ridiculous and just stupid. So let's forget about Kieran at the moment and just focus on Seth alone, the boy we ALL want to talk about. Am I right, readers? Yup, I'm right. When it comes to our boy Seth, he is absolutely my favourite character in this entire series and he continues to impress me each and every time he comes onto the page. There's just something about him that gets under my skin (in a good way of course) and his strength is simply amazing . . . it just matches Waverly's so perfectly and it's no wonder why I love them being together!

Overall, SPARK surprised me SO much and I would recommend this book in a heartbeat, even if you were like me and didn't fall hard for the first book, Glow. Trust me when I say this: This sequel was such an amazing installment and I'm really, really looking forward to seeing how everything will end in the last book of the series which I hope is just as amazing as this one!

The Rating

4/5 stars