Review | Forsaken (Daughters of the Sea #1) by Kristen Day

Author: Kristen Day
Published: January 27, 2015 (2012)
Publisher: Mark My Words Book Publicity
Format: PDF ebook ARC
Pages: 242
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Mythology, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis]
Synopsis
Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…

Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago. Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her. Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity. Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendants of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she. But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love. She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesized to be a part of. The fate of all the descendants will forever depend upon it. (from NetGalley)

Review
I received this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

Forsaken turned out to be fantastic. Way better than I was expecting. I am surprised more people do not know about this series especially with how popular the Percy Jackson series has become. The cover caught my attention immediately and after reading the summary, I thought it would be something I would like to give a try. I love mythology especially when incorporated in a contemporary fashion. That it is a mermaid-esque story also intrigued me. I've never really read a lot of mermaid novels, and the ones I have read really didn't thrill me, however this one definitely exceeded my expectations, and I will be reading the second book.

Plot
The idea behind the story was pretty original. It is somewhat similar to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but other than these two series, I cannot think of a series or novel that takes this kind of take on ancient Greek mythology. In both series, the main characters do not know the legacy left for them, they go to a meeting place of people similar to them, and they face difficulties because of who they are and grow because of it. However, what I like about Daughters of the Sea is that it is from a girl's point of view. Just having that makes this story entirely different from Percy Jackson. Many stories like this seem male dominated. It is great to have these two stories from different perspectives.

Review | The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaign #1) by Diango Wexler

Author: Diango Wexler
Published: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Roc
Pages: 528
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, War
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis]
Synopsis
Enter an epic fantasy world that echoes with the thunder of muskets and the clang of steel—but where the real battle is against a subtle and sinister magic....

Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.

The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.

Review
I fell into this book pretty quickly. The story was structured fairly well, but seemed loose in some places. The pathetic map at the beginning didn't help my impression much. I really enjoyed Winter's portion of the story and would have enjoyed the story more if Marcus was given less of the book and was featured more as a secondary character rather than on the same level as Winter.

I just felt like his story wasn't as captivating as Winter's. If an author is going to write parallel stories, both stories need to be equally captivating and important. I found myself skimming more during Marcus's story to get to Winter's, and I feel like my skimming didn't really make me miss anything of the whole story, which tells me that there was a lot of fluff or at least unimportant things written in.

Review | Alienated (Alienated #1) by Melissa Landers

Author: Melissa Landers
Published: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis] Synopsis
Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Review
This book was better than I expected! I've been looking forward to it's release. I tried getting the galley, but was denied. :(

I don't usually read/watch too much media about aliens, but recently there have been quite a few books/shows grabbing my attention--My Love From Another Star (kdrama), Star Crossed (TV), this book. This year seems to be the year of aliens. Is everyone finally over vampires?

Review | The Way of Shadows (Night Angel #1) by Brent Weeks

Author: Brent Weeks
Published: October 2008
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 645
Format: Paperback
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis]
Synopsis
For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist. For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint. But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.

Review
Yes! Assassins, magic, and secret organizations. I thought all the Japanese names were kind of interesting. Kind of reminded me of a dark version of Naruto.

Durzo and Azoth were awesome characters. Durzo kind of frustrated me until I learned more about his back story. Azoth's development was kind of typical for a story. From streetrat to deadly assassin feared by all. He seemed to learn and adapt so easily that I could wait to see what he would do next.

I felt sorry for the people around Azoth though, for the most part, he gets through things unscathed, but the people around him always seem to get hurt.

The universe created for this story seemed to be well thoughtout and planned. It was very structured and easy to follow. It also made the story more interesting and exciting. I would love to read another story line placed in this universe.

Review | What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Author: Liane Moriarty
Published: May 2010 (January 2009)
Publisher: PanMacmillan Australia
Pages: 487
Format: Paperback
Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis]
Synopsis
Alice is twenty-nine. She is whimsical, optimistic and adores sleep, chocolate, her ramshackle new house and her wonderful husband Nick. What's more, she's looking forward to the birth of the 'Sultana' - her first baby.

But now Alice has slipped and hit her head in her step-aerobics class and everyone's telling her she's misplaced the last ten years of her life.

In fact, it would seem that Alice is actually thirty-nine and now she loves schedules, expensive lingerie, caffeine and manicures. She has three children and the honeymoon is well and truly over for her and Nick. In fact, he looks at her like she's his worst enemy. What's more, her beloved sister Elisabeth isn't speaking to her either. And who is this 'Gina' everyone is so carefully trying not to mention?

Alice isn't sure that she likes life ten years on. Every photo is another memory she doesn't have and nothing makes sense. Just how much can happen in a decade? Has she really lost her lovely husband forever?

Review
Not exactly an original idea. Girl has family troubles, she falls down, gets amnesia, and forgets all about any family problems, but it was a pretty good book. It didn't end anything like I expected it to though.

I liked younger Alice more. She was more carefree, maybe a little too much though, and actually listened to her kids instead of assuming she knew everything. Younger Alice kind of reminds me more of my mom. I always felt sorry for the kids who had parents like older Alice.

Review | Beastly by Alex Flinn

Author: Alex Flinn
Narrator: Chris Patton
Published: June 30, 2010
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Pages: 6 hrs 41 mins
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis]
Synopsis
I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright--a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever--ruined--unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

Review
My first thought when I finished this book was, "I'm so glad they made the movie the way they did rather than completely following the book," especially on the ending. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't as realistic as the movie was. Though realistic is kind of relative since Kendra isn't exactly human and since she used magic to change Kyle.

Review | Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

Author: Geraldine Brooks
Published: April 30, 2002
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 308
Format: Paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Spoiler]
Synopsis
When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a "year of wonders."

Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. Written with stunning emotional intelligence and introducing "an inspiring heroine" (The Wall Street Journal), Brooks blends love and learning, loss and renewal into a spellbinding and unforgettable read.

Review
I liked the book overall, but it was kind of dull. There wasn't much excitement except for the couple times the townspeople rioted over witchcraft and theft. The whole tone was kind of depressing, but it was a depressing time and situation.

I really liked Anna. She was an easy character to understand and sympathize with. It made it really easy to feel sorry for everything she had to go through with her father, step-mother, and plague. It was wonderful to see how strong she became though. Women at the time were viewed as weak, small-minded people. But when in the time of need, it always seems like we hear stories of women coming to the forefront and keeping everything together.

Early Review & Book Release | The Angel Stone (Fairwick Chronicles #3) by Juliet Dark

TO BE RELEASED TUESDAY!!
Author: Juliet Dark (pseudonym of Carol Goodman)
Published: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Ballantine Books (Random House)
Pages: 288
Format: ARC/ebook
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis]
Synopsis
For Callie McFay, a half-witch/half-fey professor of folklore and Gothic literature, the fight to save the enchanted town of Fairwick, New York, is far from over. After a hostile takeover by the Grove—a sinister group of witches and their cohorts—many of the local fey have been banished or killed, including Callie’s one true love. And in place of the spirit of tolerance and harmony, the new administration at Fairwick College has fostered an air of danger and distrust.

With her unique magical abilities, Callie is the only one who can rescue her friends from exile and restore order to the school—a task that requires her to find the Angel Stone, a legendary talisman of immense power. Propelled on an extraordinary quest back to seventeenth-century Scotland, Callie risks her life to obtain the stone. Yet when she encounters a sexy incarnation of her lost love, she finds the greater risk is to her heart. As the fate of Fairwick hangs in the balance, Callie must make a wrenching choice: reclaim a chance for eternal passion or save everything she holds dear.

Review
I received this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

I loved this book! I was surprised by how much I liked it, especially since I'm not into fairies that much, but it mostly had to do with witches. It was also really easy to follow the story even though I hadn't read the first two books. I hadn't realized this book was part of a series when I requested the egalley. It kind of reminded me of A Discovery of Witches. There were witches and vampires; they were college professors; it had time travel; and of course, they're battling evil.

The writing style was very descriptive. Enough to draw you in but not so overpowering so as to make you bored. For the most part, the story was very seriously written--the college has been taken over, and she's recovering from lost love, but it wasn't dark or dismal.

Review | The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

Author: Chris Bohjalian
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell, Alison Fraser
Published: July 17, 2012
Publisher: Random House Audio
Format: Audiobook
Length:  11 hrs 9min
Genre: Adventure, Historical Fiction, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis]
Synopsis
(from Goodreads)
When Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Syria, she has a diploma from Mount Holyoke College, a crash course in nursing, and only the most basic grasp of the Armenian language. The First World War is spreading across Europe, and she has volunteered on behalf of the Boston-based Friends of Armenia to deliver food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian genocide. There, Elizabeth becomes friendly with Armen, a young Armenian engineer who has already lost his wife and infant daughter. When Armen leaves Aleppo to join the British Army in Egypt, he begins to write Elizabeth letters, and comes to realize that he has fallen in love with the wealthy, young American woman who is so different from the wife he lost.Flash forward to the present, where we meet Laura Petrosian, a novelist living in suburban New York. Although her grandparents’ ornate Pelham home was affectionately nicknamed the “Ottoman Annex,” Laura has never really given her Armenian heritage much thought. But when an old friend calls, claiming to have seen a newspaper photo of Laura’s grandmother promoting an exhibit at a Boston museum, Laura embarks on a journey back through her family’s history that reveals love, loss—and a wrenching secret that has been buried for generations.

Review
I'm kind of mad at myself for not writing this review earlier when I finished the book. I had a whole page of notes and comments about this book, and I can't find it. I think I must have left it in the book when I returned it to the library.

This book was somewhat of a shock to me. It was recommended to me by my Grandmother. I knew it was about a world war and since she is so interested in World War II, I thought it was going to be another escape the Nazis book, so I was really surprised to find out it was about World War I. Most people don't know too much about the first World War. The Holocaust is so publicized that they don't realize that the first World War also contained a genocide of massive proportions. As it was called in the book, "The Genocide You Know Almost Nothing About."

Review | The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

Author: Jojo Moyes
Published: June 26, 2012 (first published 2010)
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Genre: Drama, Historical, Romance, Women's Fiction 
Rating: ★★★★☆

[Show Synopsis]
Synopsis
(from Goodreads)
A Brief Encounter for our time, The Last Letter from Your Lover is a sophisticated, spellbinding double love story that spans decades and thrillingly evokes a bygone era. In 1960, Jennifer Stirling wakes in the hospital and remembers nothing—not the car accident that put her there, not her wealthy husband, not even her own name. Searching for clues, she finds an impassioned letter, signed simply "B," from a man for whom she seemed willing to risk everything. In 2003, journalist Ellie Haworth stumbles upon the letter and becomes obsessed with learning the unknown lovers’ fate—hoping it will inspire her own happy ending. Remarkably moving, this is a novel for romantics of every age.

Review
Yet another book that I wouldn't have picked up on my own that I can thank Ladies & Lit book club for. The first half of the book takes place in the 1960s. As you are reading (I can't stress this enough), pay attention to dates. The titles of each chapter tell when the chapter is occurring. They jump back and forth from before and after a car accident. I was really confused during the first few chapters since I wasn't aware of this.

I felt really sorry for Jennifer. Her husband wanted the old fashion trophy housewife--dumb, quiet, breeding, and pretty. If Jennifer acted even slightly intellectual, he quickly told her to mind business she actually knew about and that was up to her standards--like the house and home. The way he treated her drove me crazy. What made me even madder is that she just took it meekly. I know that's how women were treated and reacted back then. It just made me even happier that I was born toward the end of the 20th century.

Review | A Vintage Affair

Author: Isabel Wolff
Published: January 19, 2009
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 432
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Women's Fiction, World War II
Rating: ★★★★☆
Reading Guide from LitLovers

Synopsis 
(from Goodreads)
Every dress has a history. And so does every woman.

Phoebe Swift’s friends are stunned when she abruptly leaves a plum job to open her own vintage clothing shop in London—but to Phoebe, it’s the fulfillment of a dream, and her passion. Digging for finds in attics and wardrobes, Phoebe knows that when you buy a piece of vintage clothing, you’re not just buying fabric and thread—you’re buying a piece of someone’s past. But one particular article of clothing will soon unexpectedly change her life.

Review | Affliction (Anita Blake #22)

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Published: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Format: ebook
Pages: 576
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Vampires
Rating: ★★★★☆

I was so thrilled to see this was coming out. I checked months ago but forgot the date. I checked a couple days ago and was excited to see that I didn't have long to wait. As soon as it was out, I hurried and got a copy.

The sex has been steadily decreasing in this series much to my delight. Hamilton comes up with some awesome plot lines that are diminished by how much pornographic material is added. I wonder if someone complained about it or if there was some indicator that caused her to decide to decrease its amount.

I was excited that they were going to Micah's home. You don't hear or see much of anyone's home life. You hear back stories of some people, but aside from Jason, no one returns home or sees their family much. You hear every once in a while that Anita's family doesn't approve of something she does, but it's usually a passing comment touched on and left quickly. I would like to see Anita in a setting where she had to return home too.

Review | The Secret Garden

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Published: 1911
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap, New York
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 375
Genres: Classic, Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

(finished April 6th)
With this, I have finally transferred all my reviews over. Yay!

This story demonstrates how the love of a family, the power one has over their mind, and the environment one lives in affects the behavior and health of a person. How people view others affects how we view ourselves which in turn affects how we act and behave.

At the beginning of the story, both children were neglected by their parents, given everything they want so they did not value anything, and were forced to live shut up in a distant part of the house. Neither children had any friends nor understood basic human emotions. They were expected to stay out of the way until such a time that their parents would require them like a thing or a toy.

The sudden death of Mary's parents and her subsequent move from India to England changed everything--Mary was required to gain some independence, having nothing to do forced her outside, and her wandering lead her to family. The combination of everything changed both Mary and her cousin Collin for the better so that they could both learn and understand what it's really like to be children and have fun.

A very cute story and one that needs to be presented to modern children watching TV and playing video games more often.

Review | The Light Between Oceans

Author: M.L. Stedman
Published: April 9, 2012
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 343
Genres: Drama, Historical Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis
(from Goodreads)
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

Dead Ever After (Sookie Stackhouse #13)

Wow. My first book this month. Life has been super busy, and I kind of went on hiatus. I'm so behind in reading. I need to read 3 books before the end of the month for my book clubs, and I went and read this one instead!

Find Dead Ever After on GoodReads
Genres/Themes: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

I was really excited when I stumbled across this book last night. I have been a bit starved for good vampire romance novels and hadn’t realized this had been released. I seem to be caught up on all my favorite series at the moment, and it’s frustrating having to wait for the next book to be released. If you’re like me and starved for more material, check out Kerrelyn Sparks and A Discovery of Witches (Review) if you haven’t already. Two of my favorites!

This book was pretty good and definitely temporarily satisfied my vamp cravings. I feel like Sookie’s tone was different in this book than the others though, but that just could be because it’s been a while since I’ve back-read and it’s being tainted by the horrible setting of True Blood. (Sorry to anyone who likes it. Good for you, enjoy, but I don’t like it.) I couldn’t really put my finger on it, but some of the things she said and did were just slightly un-Sookie like to me. She just seemed too blasé about everything—like she’s gotten used to the situation or is a bit shocked.

The whole thing with Eric wasn’t really done very well. I was finally getting to like him, but for the most part, he was out of the picture in this book. [Show Spoiler] (Though now I understand why.) I kind of felt like Harris was tired of Eric and just wanted him out of the picture. With the way she tied everything up with him and Sookie and Sookie’s new romance and feelings, it gave the sense that she’s trying to bring the whole series to a close.

The Selection (The Selection #1)

Find The Selection on Goodreads
Genres/Themes: Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

My sister has been on me for about a year now to read this. I kept putting it off thinking it was going to be some childish story, and it was a bit, but it was pretty good.

This is basically a Cinderella tale. There is a caste system where Ones are relations of the royal family and Eights are the homeless. America's family is in caste Five: Artists. Entered in a drawing, her name is one of 35 drawn to join the Selection and becomes a potential bride to the prince.

I love and hate the twist that comes at the very end. I was kind of expecting it but dreaded that it would actually happen. I can't wait to see how it plays out in book two.

There were two things that I didn't like about the book. (1) There was no world map. Some of the places you would figure out since the author used places we are familiar with or just meshed names together, but there were some that made me wonder and some that would have been nice to see where the boundaries were. (2) I didn't like the name choice for America. I don't like it when people name their kids after countries or states or certain inanimate objects. Just gets on my nerves.

The book was written decently well for a children's/young adult book--simple enough for children but not too childish for adults. I kind of laughed when America picked on the prince for using the word "shall." I don't really think it's that uncommon of a word and hear it used regularly all the time.

The Thirteenth Tale

Find The Thirteenth Tale on GoodReads

Genres/Themes: Fantasy, Mystery
Rating: ★★★★☆

(finished May 4th)
At the beginning, I had a hard time getting into the book. It has a bit of a slow start, but as the story started twisting around, and as it presented more and more questions, I found it hard to put down.

When I started reading this book, I hadn't read anything about it yet. I just knew that a lot of people were reading it (and my book club chose it). I was expecting something like a fairy tale. At the end, Vida Winter relates the story to Cinderella. In that case, it is the most twisted Cinderella story I've ever read. (And I thought Cinder was different!)

I found it interesting that both stories told in the book were stories of twins. Twins aren't usually a common topic for books. Vida Winter's twin tale was strange, shocking and sad. Margaret's was strange and sad in another way. I found the camera/mirror scene kind of weird.

The ending for me was a surprise. Some people I have talked to said they guessed at it, but it wasn't until just before it was revealed that I figured it out. A wonderful twist of an ending, though I felt sad for Emmaline.

I'm rather surprised by all the high ratings this book has received on GoodReads. It seems to me that this is the type of book that would have more of an even spread over like, neutral, and dislike. If you find yourself not liking the book, try to make it to when the twins are born. I thought it got better after that.

Shadow of Night (All Souls #2)

Find Shadow of Night on Goodreads
Genres/Themes: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
My Rating: ★★★★☆

(finished April 19th)
Another awesome book! I couldn't put it down. It's been a while since I've read a book as fast as I've read these two.

During the beginning of this book, everyone is still trying to catch Diana. I was still rather confused as to why they were chasing her. Yes, they wanted the manuscript, but it never really said why no one else went after the manuscript themselves after they found out it was at the library. Why didn't they just break into the library and try to steal it? The book was so focused on having to catch Diana than the manuscript itself that it made me suspicious as to the enemies' true objective.

Since I didn't read the book description before reading, I wasn't aware of the time traveling. Typically, I don't really go for the time traveling stories, but this one was absolutely wonderful. Probably because they aren't traveling all over the place and just stayed in one past time.

I really enjoyed the time period Harkness chose. I found it more interesting since I just recently went on a vacation to the outer banks and visited Roanoke Island. If you don't know some of the details of the characters Diana and Matthew meet in the past, I would suggest you do some research on them as you are introduced to them.

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Find Cinder on Goodreads
Genres/Themes: Fantasy, Retelling, Romance
My Rating: ★★★★☆

Wow. This was both an awesome and frustrating book. The world that Marissa Meyer made for this story was amazing, though there was one thing that really bothered me about it, and unfortunately it is one of the biggest rules of Meyer's world. Cyborgs aren't human.

Cinder is treated as crap not just because she was "adopted" by her stepfather and then left to her stepmother when he died, but because she was a cyborg. Being a cyborg means she isn't human anymore. She's property. A slave. Infuriatingly WRONG!

Why does a person's position in the world change because they gain a few metal parts? So if the emperor were to get into an accident, lose half his body, and become a cyborg, is he removed from being emperor and become a common slave? This is just messed up. And the fact that her "legal guardian" was able to sell her for scientific experimentation when I'm assuming human trafficking is illegal was just wrong. If human trafficking is illegal, how can cyborg trafficking be okay?

The line stating that cyborgs owe themselves because of the miracle scientists were able to perform was just immoral. I'm assuming that many of these cyborgs were in accidents and had to pay for surgery to save their lives. They paid for the surgery, why are they supposed to keep on paying. If a patient has a brain hemorrhage, and the doctor saves their life, how are they different from the cyborgs. Both would have died; both were saved by medical miracle.

Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2)

Find on Goodreads
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆

One of the most imaginative and captivating books I've ever read! But only 4 stars because of how long winded he was. I've found my favorite characters and my least favorites. My least favorites as you can imagine are the ones that seem to drag on the most. My absolute favorites right now are Bran and Arya. I much prefer the way Martin wrote their activities at the end of the book than how they were enacted at the end of season 2 of the TV show.

The first book of this series was amazing--lots of action, lots of drama. The second book...not so much. Even though I understand that drama after drama can get repetitive, boring, and cluttered, I wish more had happened. The second book largely seemed to move characters around and explain situations. It wasn't until the last third that the pace picked back up to where it had been at the beginning of the book.

I highly recommend reading first before watching the TV show, otherwise you're fingers are going to itch and want to turn the page and skip ahead.

All-in-all, an amazing book. Heading straight to book 3 now!