The Death Cure Review

384 pages

Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test. What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says. The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine. Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

Review: 
Pretty good ending to the series. As usual full of action and mystery about Wicked, plenty of wondering whether this whole story is one new game. You get to see the world outside of the Trials and understand why the Trials were brought about. I was upset about a couple of the deaths in this novel because it didn't seem fair but the ending was interesting although a bit open-ended. Romance isn't a focal point of this novel so for those who like more action and adventure this last installment will suit them just fine. I did think Thomas can be pretty narrow-minded at times, however as the book went on and more of his past came out it was easier to understand why. This was a really great read and I recommend this book to those who have read the first two.

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Witch & Wizard: The Fire Review

352 pages

Whit and Wisty Allgood have sacrificed everything to lead the resistance against the merciless totalitarian regime that governs their world. Its supreme leader, The One Who Is The One, has banned everything they hold dear: books, music, art, and imagination. But the growing strength of the siblings' magic hasn't been enough to stop the One's evil rampage, and now he's executed the only family they had left. Wisty knows that the time has finally come for her to face The One. But her fight and her fire only channel more power to this already invincible being. How can she and Whit possibly prepare for their imminent showdown with the ruthless villain that devastated their world-before he can truly become all-powerful?

Review: 
Truthfully... I'm glad this series is finished. I liked James Patterson's Maximum Ride Series and he's written a couple of other books I liked. However, this series seemed to get more stagnant as it went on. I don't feel any kind of connection to the characters or the story really. Its not bad, writing-wise, but its not good story-wise. I didn't feel like the ending was that great either. I don't really want to recommend this book to anyone because it really wasn't that good.

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Prized Review

368 pages

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime.  In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

Review (ARC):
Ok so I enjoyed this yet I was frustrated at the same time. I was extremely excited to read the continuation of Gaia's story and see where it took her. When Gaia finally reached Sylum with her sister everything seemed to turn upside down. The strict rules there definitely seemed to have a huge impact on Gaia's personality and mindset. I didn't like the fact that Gaia seemed to fall in "like" too often in this book. However, I applauded her choice in the end. I found it interesting that the women were able to rule the men so efficiently especially since they were outnumbered. This book was definitely a great addition to the series. The twists and turns lead to an ending you won;t forget. I recommend this to dystopian fiction lovers who have also read the first book in the series, Birthmarked.

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Song of the Nile Review

416 pages

Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land. The magic of Isis flowing through her veins is what makes her indispensable to the emperor. Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra's daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother's throne be more than she's willing to pay?

Review:
The sequel to Lily of the Nile is as good as the first book, perhaps even better. I didn't know too much about Selene before reading these novels and I have to say that they give an interesting artistic view to her life. I enjoyed the way the author incorporated a sense of magic into these novels. In this novel Selene has grown stronger and become more like Cleopatra in the sense that she see's her destiny as being Egypt and will let nothing stand in her way. I enjoyed seeing Selene develop throughout the book and become stronger as a person and a queen. This is an extremely well written novel and as a lover of ancient Egypt I was not disappointed. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction and novels based on Egypt.

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Across the Universe Review

398 pages

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next. Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Review: 
Wow this was a really great book! The mystery aboard the Godspeed was an interesting one to say the least. I feel bad for Amy because she is woken up too soon ans as she comes to discover all is not right with the ship. I did enjoy seeing how she adapted to the new environment she woke up in. The society aboard the ship definitely changed a lot and it was interesting to see how. There is a bit of romance in this novel but its not the focus of the whole book which is great. There are a lot of lies and secrets on the ship but as the novel goes on and they start to unravel it captivates your mind. I really enjoyed this novel and I recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi dystopian novels.

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The Son of Neptune Review

513 pages

In the first pages of this standalone sequel to The Lost Hero, Percy Jackson remembers only his name and the name of Annabeth, a mysterious woman he associates somehow with the city of San Francisco. From those sparse clues, he must somehow complete a mission for the leader of the Roman camp even as he is being pursued by the two sisters of Medusa, who possess an apparently unquenchable thirst for vengeance: Even when killed, they spring back to life. Rick Riordan's second Heroes of Olympus promises even more excitement than the first.

Review:
Oh how I LOVE Percy Jackson! Rick Riordan is absolutely masterful with this series. This book is the second one in an interesting spin on the Percy Jackson series. Apparently there is a Roman camp of demigods as well and Percy Jackson ends up there with amnesia courtesy of Hera. Of course it has the usual adventure and quests and all kinds of action. I really wanted to see everything from Percy Jackson's point of view again but it wasn't too bad having the perspective of his two new friends. I thought it was interesting the way that the Roman camp was run, it seemed a bit more successful and useful than the Greek camp. I love mythology and I love Rick Riordan's new spin on what he originally started out as Greek mythology. This is an extremely well written book and I recommend it to all Percy Jackson fans but you definitely need to read the first one before this one.

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Mastiff Review

560 pages

Beka and her friends will face their greatest and most important challenge ever when the young heir to the kingdom vanishes. They will be sent out of Corus on a trail that appears and disappears, following a twisting road throughout Tortall. It will be her greatest Hunt—if she can survive the very powerful people who do not want her to succeed in her goal.

Review (ARC): 
This was definitely a worthy ending to the Beka Cooper series! I admit at first I felt like I was just slowly going through it because the Beka Cooper series does seem a bit wordy at times. As I progressed through the book the mystery and action picked up and I was thoroughly intrigued. Beka Cooper is an interesting character, extremely strong and serious but at the same time shy with some inner humor. I enjoyed seeing Beka unravel the mystery of the heir's kidnapping. This novel has so much adventure and misfortune that you just can't help but continue reading to see what happens next. I actually felt like I was right there with them as I immersed myself in this novel. This novel can stand by itself but I'd still recommend reading the first two books to familiarize yourself with the characters. For anyone who loves a good fantasy and adventure book then this book is for you.

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Sweet Venom Review

352 pages

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.
Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.
Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.
These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Review: 
This novel was wonderfully fast-paced and full of adventure. I usually don't enjoy much switching between point of view but I definitely didn't mind in this case. I feel like the guys as romantic interests in this novel were complete mysteries. I am interested to see what more there is to the guys in the next novel as the author left this one on a cliffhanger. Other than that I enjoyed seeing the three girls get to know each other and grow and learn to fight together. All three girls are completely different from each other due to the environments they grew up in but they all bring something to the table when it comes to fighting monsters. I am a huge fan of mythology and I thought it was interesting that the author used Medusa as a focus point. Medusa is typically portrayed as a villain so its interesting to see her descendants fighting evil. This is a fun read and I recommend it to anyone who likes mythology or fun adventure books.

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Half-Blood Review

281 pages

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

Review (ARC): 
I first read the short prequel to this novel Daimon, and I instantly wanted to read more. I couldn't wait to find out more of Alexandria's story and I wasn't disappointed. Alexandria is an extremely tough character with a badass personality. She's been on the run with her mom for a long time and now she's finally back at the place they left behind. The unfairness in the way the half-bloods are treated definitely made me feel for her throughout the novel. I could definitely feel the tension in the attraction between Alexandria and Aiden when I was reading the novel. The author definitely left me wanting to know how they'll end up in the end. I loved the way the Hematoi and their offspring are descendents of gods. I'm curious to see where the author takes the mythology side of the story in her next novel. There are a lot of surprises and twists in this novel and I can't wait to read the next one in the series! Definitely recommend this to anyone who loves mythology and fantasy or just reading about a strong kickass heroine.

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The Unwanteds Review

390 pages

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths. Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret—behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime. In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation. But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

Review:
There was a lot of hype behind this book and after reading it I honestly can't see why. While it has a beautiful cover, the writing inside doesn't live up to whats expected. The writing jumps around a lot and leaves a bit of confusion at some points in the novel.  This wasn't necessarily a bad book, there were a great message behind the story and there were some enjoyable parts, I just expected more. There is no true focus on a main character even though Alex is apparently supposed to be that character. I think the characters needed to be developed a bit more so that I could fully immerse myself in that world. I just felt no connection to the storyline or anyone in the novel at all. I won't recommend this as a must read book, but it is something to read if you just want to pass time.

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Crave Review

416 pages

Savannah Colbert has been shunned all her life by the kids of the Clann. And when she undergoes some drastic changes after a strange illness, Savannah learns secrets about the group and about herself—dangerous secrets. For the Clann are powerful magic users, and Savannah herself is half Clann and half vampire—a forbidden, unheard of combination. Falling for Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman isn't just a bad idea—it could be deadly if anyone finds out. But her attraction to Tristan—and his to her—isn't something either of them can resist for long.

Review (ARC): 
I absolutely enjoyed this book. It is so much more than another vampire novel. The world created here has so many secrets and an enjoyable way of figuring these mysteries out. Savannah is a character who I admired especially after she found out what she really was. She did what she thought was right regardless of what anyone else thinks. I loved the relationship between Savannah and Tristan. Although it is forbidden the attraction between them is amazingly strong. Usually I'm not a fan of books that change the point of view too often but I love being able to see things from both  Savannah and Tristan's point of view. The ending of the book left me wanting to know more so I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of vampire or magic novels.

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