Waiting on Wednesday #9: Boundless

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Release Date: January 22nd, 2013

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfil her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Boundless is the third and final in the Unearthly series. I really, really loved the first two books, Unearthly and Hallowed, a whole lot. The first more than the second though, because I find that there's too much Christian in the second book to handle (Team Tucker, obviously!). I'm really excited to see where the characters end up, how they deal with all the drama, AND I WANT TO SEE MORE TUCKER.

Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince (Call of The Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa
Release Date: October 23rd, 2012
Page count: 379 pages
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Format: E-arc
Who I'd Recommend it To: Fans of The Iron Fey series.
Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
PREORDER IT HERE: 

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he's dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.

Review...

The book starts off with Ethan, after moving quite a few times, going to a new school. Obviously, he's not the cute, sweet four year old boy we read about in The Iron King. Ethan's all grown up, and he's changed a whole lot. He can see the Faeries, and they torment him constantly, resulting in Ethan trying not to get too close to people, so they don't end up getting hurt.Ethan starts off the book with a mean, cold personality, trying to be as unapproachable as possible, and he has a whole lot of resentment toward his sister Meghan, The Iron Queen, for abandoning him and their family.

This book reminded me of how much I miss The Iron Fey series and being transported into this magical, yet terrifying world. It was so lovely to go back to the Nevernever and to see the characters I adored in the books. Although we don't get to see them much, Ash, Meghan, Puck (who, might I add, is hilarious as always), Grimalkin and many more beloved characters make appearances. It was interesting to see how much had changed, and yet how a lot of things stayed the same.

Even though the old characters were delightful as always, I adored the new ones. Ethan, of course, was a fantastic character. He's a very bitter person and is a major A-hole to many people, but it's understandable. The guy's gone through hell of a lot, but his heart is in the right place. He pushes people away for good reason. He's also trained in Kali, a martial arts involving knives and sticks and stuff. So, yeah, it's safe to say he kicked some ass. 

Kenzie, Ethan's love interest, is a fantastic character, also. She seemed to even out Ethan's angst and moodiness with her lively, bubbly personality. And it was very refreshing to see a popular girl who isn't portrayed as mean and manipulative. It's hilarious how nosy she is, being a reporter and editor for the school's newspaper. She also happens to be surprisingly bad ass at times. And she's a great match for Ethan. They're adorable, and I loved the way their relationship developed. (And her confession at the end. My God. It made me tear up a little, I have to admit.) I'm definitely adding Julie Kagawa to my list of Authors Who I Suspect Are Trying To Kill Me - One Book At a Time. The supporting characters were great, also. I adored reading about Todd,  Annwyl and especially Keirran, who I'm sure we'll see a lot of in the next book!

Once again, Julie Kagawa's writing was amazing. It flows well, and keeps you interested at all times. Her world building is fantastic; everything is described so vividly. There was a lot of things I didn't see coming and didn't expect at all in this book, which is always a good thing. The only fault I can point out right now is the anticlimactic ending, but I feel like it didn't take away from the story that much. I feel like this book is leading up to something epic, so I'm excited to see where it all goes in the next book, for sure.

In short: Julie Kagawa has definitely done it again! The Lost Prince is amazing. This book is everything I'd hoped it'd be: Full of magic, great action, fantastic characters and constant surprises. Fans of The Iron Fey series will definitely not be disappointed!

Review: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke.
Release Date: October 2nd, 2012
Page count: 320
Publisher: Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry
Format: E-arc
Who I'd Recommend it To: Fans of books like Blood Red Road and Throne of Glass.
Rating:  ★★★★

From Goodreads:

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her. 

 And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.  

Review... 

To be honest, I definitely didn't get into this book straight away. It found it pretty ridiculous at first. Within the first couple of pages, we get to see Ananna, the main character, run off on a camel to avoid having to be marry some guy from a allying pirate clan. Yeah, a camel. It was pretty damn strange. But fear not! As you can tell from how I gave this book a four star rating, I enjoyed this book immensely! When I got through maybe two, three chapters, I absolutely fell in love with it, and was transported into this fantastic world. 

Let's talk about the characters: Ananna is a great main character (although her name is super annoying to say). Being a pirate, she can kick major ass, obviously. She's strong, witty, brave, smart, speaks her mind but she's also very naive and is sometimes quite reckless. Definitely no damsel in distress business here, as she saves Naji (the assassin) as much as he saves her.

Now on to Naji. He definitely isn't your typical male hero. Although he's strong and capable, he's also very vulnerable and insecure because of his facial disfigurement. I loved that he wasn't that typical egotistical, amazingly attractive guy who seems to be popping up everywhere lately. It was definitely a refreshing change, and made him more realistic. Naji is a very mysterious and secretive guy, and we don't get to know a lot about him until the end of the book, which is a shame. But I'm definitely looking forward to knowing more about his past (and is it ever mentioned how old he is? I wanna know!). 

Also, I pictured him like Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender:

Just the facial expression and the scar screams Naji to me. 

Most of the supporting characters we see throughout the book were equally as interesting to read about. And let's just say most of them weren't the nicest of people.

Another thing I adored about this book was Ananna and Naji's relationship. The author could've easily made it an insta-love romance, but decided to develop their relationship more, which I loved. I enjoyed seeing them start to trust each other, and care for each other. Obviously there was a little bit of tension between them (though it only really started near the end), but it was very subtle and lovely. I'm really excited to see where it goes in future books!

The plot was all kinds of bad ass, obviously, and moved at a fast pace all throughout the novel. It was filled with action and danger. The writing style was fantastic, and Ananna's narration made it even better. The world building was really good; I absolutely loved the setting and it felt as I was there with them, but I would've liked a bit more information here and there. I also felt like this book was too short for me to enjoy it fully, and it ended too abruptly for my liking. I think I expected more out of the ended. Like, I wanted it to go out with a bang, but it didn't.

In short: The Assassin's Curse is, without a doubt, a fantastic debut from Cassandra Rose Clarke. Although it has its flaws, its thrilling, action-packed, and keeps you turning the pages. I mean, c'mon, it has assassins AND pirates AND magic. What's not to love? An amazing, thoroughly entertaining read! Definitely one to check out and put on your to-read list.



PREORDER: AMAZON  | THE BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKTOPIA 

Waiting on Wednesday #4: Nerve and Friday Brown

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. 

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan.

Release Date: September 13th, 2012

Goodreads: A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly when Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game "knows" her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

You simply cannot read that blurb and think this doesn't sound cool. Seriously.

. 

Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield.

Release Date: August 22nd, 2012

Goodreads:‘I am Friday Brown. I buried my mother. My grandfather buried a swimming pool. A boy who can’t speak has adopted me. A girl kissed me. I broke and entered. Now I’m fantasising about a guy who’s a victim of crime and I am the criminal. I’m going nowhere and every minute I’m not moving, I’m being tail-gated by a curse that may or may not be real. They call me Friday. It has been foretold that on a Saturday I will drown…’

Seventeen-year-old Friday Brown is on the run—running to escape memories of her mother and of the family curse. And of a grandfather who’d like her to stay. She’s lost, alone and afraid. Silence, a street kid, finds Friday and she joins him in a gang led by beautiful, charismatic Arden. When Silence is involved in a crime, the gang escapes to a ghost town in the outback. In Murungal Creek, the town of never leaving, Friday must face the ghosts of her past. She will learn that sometimes you have to stay to finish what you started—and often, before you can find out who you are, you have to become someone you were never meant to be.

  

I really enjoyed Vikki Wakefield's first book, All I Ever Wanted,(I think I rated it 3.5 stars?) and the synopsis for this one sounds fantastic. I'm sure it will be as gritty and real as her last book. I also really seem to lurvvvve this cover. I adore the colours, the simplicity of it, and just the overall  feel of it. Cannot wait.

Review: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Storm (Elementals #1) by Brigid Kemmerer.
Release Date: April 24th, 2012
Page count: 353 pages
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Format: Paperback
Who I'd Recommend it To: Probably fans of Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Rating: ★★★★

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys - all the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her. 
Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.
And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.
Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all. 
The storm is coming.

Review...

Prior to reading this, I'd seen this book EVERYWHERE online. I constantly saw it on Goodreads, on Youtube, or blogs.. everywhere. So I finally gave into the hype surrounding it and decided to pick it up, and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed it immensely and devoured it in a day or so. It was fantastic. This novel had many good points, but it had some bad ones, too.


Let's start with the good points, shall we?

• THE. CHARACTERS. Ho-ly crap. I think I loved them all. All of them. Well, the ones we're actually supposed to like, anyway. For once, I actually adored the best friend of the main character. Like, my god, she was awesome. Four for you, Quinn. You go, Quinn! Becca was also great, as were ALL THE BROTHERS. (Please excuse me while I fan myself.) My favourite was Gabriel, by far. And the fact that his element is fire makes him ever hotter. (Yeah, I know, that was a bad excuse for a joke). The only character I liked but not loved was Hunter. But that's probably just because he kept getting in the way of Chris and Becca. So. Infuriating.
• I loved the whole elemental thing. So damn cool. I was expecting it to be a lot like Avatar (not the blue people)  for some reason, but it definitely wasn't. It was very unique and was a refreshing change. 
• Hands down, my favourite thing of the book is the relationship between all the brothers. Some get along, some don't. They have a very dysfunctional family at times, but they all care deeply for each other. Their relationship was very complex and endearing. I especially liked the relationship between Gabriel and Michael. Very realistic. 
• The book was freakin' hilarious at times. Loved the one-liners and the witty banter. It was great.
• Brothers. Hot brothers. Four hot brothers. Four hot brothers with powers. 
• Gabriel. Merrick.
• The romance between Chris and Becca was done very well. It wasn't quite insta-love, like I thought it would be. It developed throughout the book slowly, and I liked that. 
• Did I mention Gabriel Merrick?!

The bad points.

• The love triangle. I'm sorry, but lately, I haven't been so in to love triangles (with the exception of Infernal Devices series). I get why it was there, but I just didn't like it. It didn't help that I didn't care for Becca and Hunter's relationship whatsoever. It annoyed me to no end.
• The ending was too abrupt for my tastes. 
• The story felt a little repetitive at times. Becca would be in danger, boy would save her. Becca would be in danger again, boy would save her again. Repeat this about 2 more times. Got on my nerves a little.

In short: Overall, I thoroughy enjoyed this and it's a fantastic start to what I think is going to be a fantastic series. Great characterization, good romance, cool powers, and four hot brothers. It was thrilling, it was romantic, and full of drama! Looking forward to book 2, Spark!

Why I Love Ash from The Iron Fey Series

Attention fans of Julie Kagawa's series, THE IRON FEY. Julie, being awesome as always, has decided she would giveaway three signed copies of The Iron Legends, an anthology containing the novellas Winter's Passage, Summer's Crossing, and Iron's Prophecy. This book also contains loads of cool extra content.


But this isn't just a giveaway, this is a competition! So, what exactly is the competition? The challenge is to write a 150 word post titled "Why I love -insert character name- from The Iron Fey series", and then comment on her blog post with the link to your post, and your email address. Thinking about participating? Find out more about about the competition at Julia Kagawa's blog. Go, go, go! :)


---

My entry:


Ash is, without a doubt, my favourite character in The Iron Fey series. For some reason, I've always liked the dark, brooding characters who are extremely complex, and Ash is exactly that. Ash has a lot of layers, has an extremely sad past and he's done bad things, but he overcomes them and strives to be a better person (or, well, faery). I truly admire him for that. Not to mention, he's absolutely gorgeous, and brave, and totally bad ass. I loved the way he grew throughout the series, and I adored watching him slowly fall in love with Meghan. The romantic one-liners he would say made my heart melt. His relationship with Puck was also a favourite of mine. Their witty banter, their fights and their love-hate relationship was a joy to read about. Ash is my favourite Ice Boy, for sure. Totally swoon-worthy.

Waiting on Wednesday #3: The Raven Boys and The Lost Prince

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.
Release Date: September 18th, 2012

From Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

Have I mentioned my love for all things Maggie Stiefvater? I lurrve her Wolves of Mercy Falls series. It's true. I like to take long, moonlit walks with that trilogy. In my opinion, Maggie Stiefvater is one of the best YA writers, like, ever, so naturally as soon as I heard about this one, I was super excited (and that's probably an understatement). I adore the cover and the synopsis and I'm JUST SO DAMN EXCITED.

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa.

Release Date: October 23rd, 2012

From Goodreads: That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he's dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth 

birthday.

I can't even explain how excited I am for this one. I think this gif kind of covers my thoughts on it.

Review: Shadows by Paula Weston

Shadows (The Rephaim #1) by Paula Weston.
Release Date: July 2nd, 2012
Page count: 388
Publisher: Text Publishing
Format: Paperback
Who I'd Recommend it To: Fans of well-written Angel books. (Angelfall, Unearthly, Daughter of Smoke and Bone.)
Rating: ★★★★ 1/2


Synopsis from Goodreads: It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.

And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be
found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

Fast-paced and gripping, Shadows, the first book in the Rephaim series, is a standout paranormal romance for fans of Richelle Mead and Stephenie Meyer.

                                                                                                             


Review:

With an exceptionally high rating on Goodreads, I had high expectations for this book. And to learn that it was by an Australian author made me even more excited to read it. Thankfully, I was not disappointed by this one bit. From the very first page, I knew I'd adore this book. The writing is fantastic and pulls you in right away, and the constant suspense and questions that you just need to know the answers to keeps you turning the pages. Many things set this apart from other books about Angels, but the main thing that totally sets it apart is wonderful Australian setting. It was a very refreshing change to see a paranormal novel set in Australia, and it definitely added to the story.

I loved the characters in this one, and the fact that they were quite older than normal characters in YA fiction was great. Gaby is an extremely likable, realistic main character. She's tough, smart, funny and also very relatable. You definitely feel for her situation. Rafe, who reminds me a lot of Raffe (Heh. Such similar names.) from Susan Ee's Angelfall, can be a major A-hole sometimes, but you know deep down that he's not so bad. I liked how Gaby's and Rafe's relationship developed throughout the novel, and I'm seriously so excited to read more about their past in the next installment. Also, their relationship didn't randomly become the centre of the novel, which seems to be a recurring thing in YA fiction lately. So, yay for that. The supporting characters were equally as fun, and I cared about them as much as I cared about the main characters. One thing I loved about the characters was that they weren't such stereotypical Aussie characters (Well, except the Butler Brothers, of course. Those boys are your typical rednecks.). There wasn't a "G'day" in sight. WOO.


The plot was extremely fast-paced, and I was able to devour this one in about one or two days. There was constant twists and turns and some things I definitely did not see coming. I liked all the different creatures shown in the novel, which was another thing that sets this book apart from other Angel novels. The 'hellions' sounded pretty damn frightening, to say the least. 


The only thing that particularly annoyed me was the abrupt ending. (But maybe that was just me not wanting it to end at all...) Honestly, I could go on and on about how much I liked this book. I'm so glad I picked it up. Fantastic debut from Paula Weston!


In short: Read. This. Book. Seriously, you will not be disappointed! Eagerly anticipating the sequel!

Review: Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell

Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell.
Release Date: October 31st, 2012
Page count: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Format: E-book - advanced copy. (Big thanks to St. Martins Press!!!)
Who I'd Recommend it To: Fans of sci-fi & people who like the show, Falling Skies.
Rating: ★★★★


Synopsis from Goodreads: 
In a post-apocalyptic world controlled by alien invaders, two teens and a young girl with mysterious powers embark on a dangerous journey. What they find will change everything...

Earth has been conquered. An extraterrestrial race known as The Assembly has abducted the adult population, leaving the planet's youth to fend for themselves. In this treacherous landscape, Holt, a bounty hunter, is transporting his prisoner Mira when they discover Zoey, a young girl with powerful abilities who could be the key to stopping The Assembly. As they make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, the trio must contend with freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and perhaps most perilous of all: Holt and Mira's growing attraction to each other.

Midnight City is the breathtaking first novel in the Conquered Earth series, and a stunning work of imagination from debut author J. Barton Mitchell


                                                                                                                       


Review: 


As soon as I saw the words "post-apocalyptic" and "aliens" together, I was in! Midnight City is a refreshing young adult novel. It was nothing like I had ever read before. And it was awesome. The world that the author has created is seriously frightening. The gang (Mira, Holt and Zoey) are faced with new danger everywhere they go. The world is just chaos! It only took me a short time to really get into the story and I was sucked into this horrific world completely. It was thrilling, action-packed and full of surprises!


As I said before, I really liked the world the author had set up. It was pretty complex, with all the different factions people were in, and all the different aliens and the artifacts but I eventually got my head around it all. The prose, pacing and plot were all really great. The writing flowed really well, the plot was fast-paced and barely ever slowed down and the plot was just really exciting.


Although it was very much a plot driven novel, the characters were a delight to read about. All were seriously bad ass in their own way. I really liked Holt, Mira and Zoey. Holt and Mira were both strong characters, yet very broken. There was a lot of fantastic character development with these characters and I loved how their relationships slowly grew as well. Zoey was completely adorable and the way she called Holt's Dog Max "the Max" -- so cute! I'm totally excited to see more about her powers in the next book. Still kind of confused about what she can and can't do though. The characters we met along the way were really interesting to read about, as well! I'm really excited to see if some of the supporting characters come back in the next book.


My only gripes would be that sometimes it felt like too much was going on and at first I had trouble picturing everything (maybe that's just my lack of imagination, though..). 


In short: Midnight City is an action packed adventure that sucks you right in. With fantastic characterization, a fast-paced plot and great world building, this book is a real page turner. Awesome on so many levels. Sci-fi fan or not, this book has a little something for everyone!

Clockwork Princess Cover Reveal!

I'm sure you all have figured out by now that I'm a HUGE Cassandra Clare fan. Like, I practically worship her -- well, not quite that far, but still. 


ANYWAY, obviously I was super excited to see the cover of the highly anticipated final installment of the Infernal Devices series when I logged onto tumblr this morning. And oh my God, the cover. . . IT'S SO GORGEOUS. Tessa looks exactly like I picture her in the books, like WOW. And the dress is beautiful. And the necklace. It's perfect.


So, obviously, I am super-duper excited for this. And kind of dreading it, seeing as I know one way or another one of my babies  my favourite characters is going to get hurt. Or die. Or something. Let's all hope it's not Will, eh? or Tessa or Jem or Sophie or Gideon or anyone else.

Review: Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett.
Page count: 304
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN (Thanks for the copy, guys!)
Release Date: August 28th, 2012
Book: E-BOOK (arc version)
Who I'd Recommend It To: People who like to read realistic fiction set in high school and don't mind such a young MC.
Rating: ★★★


Synopsis from Goodreads: Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some CONFESSIONS to make... #1: I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?

#2: I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who "might" be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.

#3: High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry-get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.) (Sorry. That was rude.)


Review:


The best thing about this book, is without a doubt, the protagonist -Rose Zarelli. Although I wanted to reach inside the book and slap her in the face occasionally and sometimes I felt so much secondhand embarrassment from her awkwardness, I couldn't help but really like this character and find her extremely easy to relate to. She was really funny, snarky and incredibly sarcastic.The way she viewed high school and the people in it reminds me a lot of myself. Rose is flawed and layered character, and I love that. But sometimes the way she was so naive and they way she treated people (Poor Robert!) really annoyed me to no end, but it was realistic, I guess. 


The other characters, for me, didn't really stand out. They were undeveloped, as were some of the relationships in this novel. Jamie, the love interest, well. . . I didn't really understand what kind of character he was supposed to be. I didn't really feel the connection between them that I gather I was supposed to. I really seemed to like Robert, though. And a guy called Angelo (I think that was his name. . .) Tracy was also an interesting character. I really liked the relationship between Rose and her mum - it was incredibly realistic and moving. And I might have cried once or twice in a couple of their scenes.


It didn't take me long to read it whatsoever. It's pretty fast-paced as well. The writing was great. 


Overall, I thought the book was alright and has got me interested enough to read the sequel. I'm really excited to see how everything develops.

Review: Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter.

Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls #5) by Ally Carter.
Page count: 294
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: March 13th, 2012
Book: Hardcover
Who I'd Recommend It To: Fans of the previous Gallagher Girls books.
Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads: The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan--an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home. 

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

Review:

Dear Ally Carter, 
You are now on my list of "Authors who I am convinced are trying to kill me one book at a time". (See also: Cassandra Clare, John Green, Veronica Roth, Suzanne Collins.) Try not to hurt my babies too much in the next book, OK?

Love, me.

Out of Sight, Out of Time is the fifth installment in the Gallagher Girls series. Now I'm sure people have read those books where the first was really great, but everything after that gradually gets worse and worse? Yeah. I've read my fair share of those. But I can assure you now that this is NOT ONE OF THEM. As this series has gone along, it has just gotten better and better -- not to mention more heartbreaking and shocking and totally bad ass.

Remember book one? It was light and fluffy and totally cute. The biggest thing Cammie and the gang had to worry about was boys, really. But the stakes are definitely high in this book. It's constant action and suspense and it's absolutely terrifying at times.  And oh, wow, did it ruin me. It was an emotional rollercoaster. This was like a Cassandra Clare  type of rollercoaster, and if you've read her books, you know what I'm on about. The stuff that everyone goes through in this book -- especially Cammie -- is truly heartbreaking.

From the first page, this book pulls you in and never lets you go. You want to know what happens next. The writing style is excellent, as always. And the plot is absolutely fantastic. It's unpredictable and you never see anything coming. It's also really fast paced, but not so fast that you like "Wait, what just happened?"

All the lovable characters from the previous books are in this one -- Liz, Bex, Macey, Zach, Mr Solomon, Agent Townsend, Aunt Abby, etc. I really love how each character, even the supporting ones, stands out. In Ally Carter's books, there's no boring and undeveloped characters. Her characters are layered and flawed and are totally kick ass. Cammie and her friends develop a whole lot more in this book than in the previous ones. You see a different side to everyone. I loved Cammie and the gang as always, but missed their usual shenanigans, as everything in this book was more serious. I also really loved Zach. (Excuse me while I fan myself.) He also showed a different side to him and I really loved his and Cammie's relationship in this one. They've come a long way since book 2. Annnnd, thankfully, they weren't one of those annoying couples who make out in the most inappropriate times. You always get those couples who are running for their lives or something, and seem to think that's when they should profess their undying love for each other and then go make out against a wall.  Cammie and Zach  get that there are bigger things to worry about than their relationship.

In short, this book was undoubtedly amazing. I'm convinced Ally Carter is some sort of genius. The writing style is great, the plot is action-packed and is fast-paced and the characterization is fantastic. Out of Sight, Out of Time is the best book in the Gallagher Girl series yet and will leave you an emotional wreck. Looking forward to the next (and hopefully not the last!!!) installment to the series.