Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

This is the second book in the Unearthly series.

I've reviewed the first book at this link: Unearthly.

After Clara failed her purpose that all angels have at the end of Unearthly, she doesn't really know what to do anymore.

She is dating a human boy named Tucker, is friends with another angel-blood Christian, and gets a strange vibe from her mom every so often after their encounter with the Black Wings.

When Clara starts to have dreams, she realizes that they are visions of the future, and might be another purpose for her since she failed the first one.

What bothers Clara is that she can't see Tucker in these dreams. But Christian is there and that makes her worried, especially because the Black Wings are coming back to get Clara and her mother.

Life is going as well as can be expected until Clara's friend Angela discovers that angels can only live til the age of 120... And someone very close to Clara just turned 120 a few weeks ago.

Now with the looming doom of losing a lost one and her conflicted feelings between Christian and Tucker, Clara is unsure what to do. Add to the fact that the Black Wing knows more about her history than Clara and is still coming after Clara and her mother, Clara is ready for a time-out.

And that's not even touching on the subject of where to go to college in the fall...

Who will Clara choose? Who is going to die that is close to Clara? And what is the mysterious secret that her mother has kept from her all of these years? Read Hallowed by Cynthia Hand to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
It's really great to be back into this series again, if only for a short time allowed in a single book.

I've always had a special place in my heart for one of the male characters (Tucker/Christian). I'm not going to say who because I want to express my love for the ending of this novel, and if I say who Clara choose, I'll ruin it for everyone else!

Clara definitely grew more into a mature adult during this novel. After what happened when she moved to Wyoming and the events that followed, she realized that not everything is set in stone and not everything is fair in life.

With losing a loved one, Clara realized that angels don't get to live forever and they need to live their life to the fullest. But that didn't make losing someone any easier.

Now I'm sorry that I took so long to read this novel! But even sadder? I have to wait until January 2013 for the third novel... Guess I'll just have to reread the first two novels in preparation :)

I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone in love with angel stories and a triangle love story. I would highly urge you to read the first novel, Unearthly, though, in order to understand this novel.

Fracture by Megan Miranda

It was just another cold winter in Maine where 17-year-old Delaney and her best friend Decker were racing to play outside in the snow with their friends.

Only it wasn't. When Delaney fell through the frozen lake, everything for her changed. 

She was inside of the lake for 11 minutes. Enough time that she actually died. Only with the help of Decker giving her CPR did Delaney live - even if the doctors couldn't figure out how she came back to life. 

After two weeks, though, Delaney realized that not everything is the same as what it once was. First, Decker is acting strange - almost as if he wants to be more than friends with Delaney. 

Second, a strange boy, Troy, starts hanging around Delaney who says that he knows her, when in fact she has never met him before. 

And third, Delaney gets an odd sensation in her body, a tingle, whenever she is near someone who is about to die. 

Troy is like Delaney - he can sense when others are going to die too. When Delaney finds this out, she feels connected to him in a way she can't feel toward Decker. 

Things start to go downhill for Delaney, though. Troy is not who she thought she was, Decker has moved on to another girl, and everyone in town is treating her as if she is "fine" when in reality, she's not. 

But can Delaney figure out what her new "ability" is? Or will she be trapped in this life she doesn't know forever, fearing being around people who are sick? Read Fracture by Megan Miranda to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections

I was blown away by this book. I read it in one sitting, having to know what was going to happen next and how the story ended. 

I didn't think it was going to be supernatural. I thought it was contemporary, which is is a little bit but with Delaney's new "gift" it definitely changed the storyline. 

I could not imagine what Delaney went through. Having been in the hospital for 2 weeks and finding out that she literally died would make any sane person a little scared. But then getting tingles next to anyone that was about to die? Yeah, I would have clung to Troy as well since he knew about the "gift" from the start!

Ah, Decker. The boy next door, the boy who befriended Delaney, the boy who is always there. He was my favorite character in this book even if he started dating another girl and ignored Delaney. I don't blame him - Delaney wasn't telling him what was going on so he was very much out of the loop. 

Drowning is a huge fear of mine, because I don't know how to swim, so I understand Delaney's turmoil toward the lake. At the end of the book, when she's back on the lake, I thought she was very brave and somewhat stupid to do that again, but she did have an overall goal for that. 

I really liked this novel! It's about heartbreak, confusion, misunderstanding, romance, and life. 

I think many other readers will fall into this story like I have and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a darker tale of mystery and survival. 

Black Heart by Holly Black

This is the third book in The Curse Worker series by Holly Black.

Here is my review of the first book: White Cat.

Here is my review of the second book: Red Glove.

After forcing his brother into working with the government, Cassel is now training with Barron during the time he has off from school.

Since he has nothing better to do, right?

When the government needs Cassel's curse magic, though, Cassel has to make a decision. Work for the Feds, or they will find his mother and put her in prison again for another con she pulled - this time with a politician.

Since Cassel really had no choice, he's doing a job that seems very familiar to a job he would have done with the mob. So in reality, both sides of the coin are pretty much the same thing, only one thinks they are doing "good".

Along with the governmental issues Cassel has, he is also heartbroken by the way things went with Lila. The curse his mother put on her has finally gone away, but now she's angry at Cassel and has been ignoring him.

Things are also going badly for his roommate, Sam, and his girlfriend, creating chaos for both Sam and Cassel that is keeping them distracted from other things.

And since Cassel never seems to get a break, a girl from his school came to him for help because someone is blackmailing her. Only he gets a strange vibe from her, knowing she is lying but not knowing what about.

When Cassel and Lila finally talk about their feelings and find out that the love each other, Cassel has a decision to make. Will he stay with the Feds, on the "good" side, or will he go with Lila, the love of his life?

And, because this is Cassel, he'll also have to get himself out of a mess he created with another con act.

My Thought/Reflections
Another great novel in The Curse Workers series, and a great ending! There was more con acts to follow, more mystery to unfold, and enough romance to keep the reader engaged in this continued story.

I really was very happy with this ending. I don't want to give too much away, but Cassel finally opened his eyes to what he really wanted and forgot about everything else, which is what a teenager should do every once in awhile.

The thing that I loved about this series is Cassel. He was the main character, the main narrator, and it was nice and different to get a guys perspective in a novel rather than a female.

I think that this would be a great book for guys. I just wish that the covers were more appealing to guy readers - maybe show Cassel do a con act, or a "mysterious" vibe to the cover that might get more guys to pick up these novels.

I'm also really happy that while there was a romantic story included, it wasn't the story itself. There was magic, mobs, government, politics - events that happen in the "real" world and what grown ups usually deal with.

Only Cassel was stuck in the grown up world.

I really enjoyed this story and will be finding out if there is more to come or if this is the end to Holly Black's series.

If it's the ending, I'd call myself a happy camper. If there is more, I will definitely be picking up the next novel ready to delve into Cassel's next adventure, because I'm sure his life will never be boring haha.

Red Glove by Holly Black

This is the second book in The Curse Workers series by Holly Black.

To read the review of the first novel, click here: White Cat.

Cassel is starting his senior year at his preparatory school, but things are very different than last semester. First, his roommate and his girlfriend know Cassel is a curse worker, though they don't know what kind yet.

Second, the girl Cassel loves, Lila, was worked by his mother to fall in love with Cassel. Now that she's at his school, he can't ignore her as much, and resisting her is becoming harder and harder.

When Cassel is confronted by two FBI agents informing him that his oldest brother, Phillip was murdered, Cassel finds himself in a very compromising situation.

Zacharov, the crime boss and Lila's father, wants Cassel to use his curse magic for him. The FBI wants Cassel to be a part of a team for the government.

And Cassel? He just wants Lila not to be cursed to love him and to get through his senior year in school.

However, the FBI gave him an ultimatum: find out who killed his brother, and the killer of unsolved cases Phillip was working on, or they will frame his mother since she's been working older, elite men since she got out of prison.

But when Cassel finds out who killed the men of the unsolved cases and finds out who Phillip's killer is, he has to pull out all of his con abilities to protect those two people.

Once again, Cassel will need to use the tricks and tools he's grown up with to get everyone out of trouble. Hopefully his luck stays with him throughout this investigation.

My Thoughts/Reflections
Now that I've been introduced to Holly Black's world in the Curse Worker realm, I really enjoyed this novel!

Cassel is stuck in so many worlds and so many lies, I don't know how he can keep them all straight! I also love how he comes up with his cons and how detailed he is before he reveals his story to anyone. That is a great gift; conniving, but great!

I had to chuckle when reading about Cassel and Lila. I know it's not funny, having a girl be forced to love you because of a curse, but the intense work he put into avoiding her did nothing to stop the attraction between the two.

This was a great novel and a great addition to add to the first novel of the series. I also liked how Cassel started to trust more people with the real truth, and not the version that he decided to give to his friends and associates.

Being part of so many circles can be a burden to one person, but Cassel managed it throughout this novel and I was very impressed with how much his character had grown.

I'm anxiously waiting to read the third, and final, book in this series to see what is in store for Cassel at the end.

Cover Reveal: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

I am a huge fan of Becca Fitzpatrick's series, Hush, Hush, and the new cover for the final book is now revealed! Check it out:

I'm glad they stayed with the original colors and font print! And I think it's absolutely gorgeous! I can't wait to read it!

This book is coming out October 23, 2012, so just a few more months to find out what happens to Nora and Patch! I have done reviews on the first three novels of the series, which you can view here:

1st novel: Hush, Hush
2nd novel: Crescendo
3rd novel: Silence

I know that angels seem to be popping up more in books now, but this is a great series and I think many will like the story so if you haven't read them I would definitely recommend them!

Easy by Tammara Webber

This is an eBook which you can buy on Amazon.com for $3.99!

Also, the synopsis is located in this blog post, along with a free sneak peek through Amazon that I blogged about last week.

Starting college is always a struggle. Jacqueline had it pretty easy, though, since she went to the same college as her boyfriend of 3 years, Kennedy, and was automatically accepted into his circle of friends.

That is, until he broke up with her, saying that he wanted to "live a little" and "see other people" before he went into politics after college.

When he broke up with her, Jacqueline had a couple of weeks where she didn't go to her econ class since Kennedy was in that class with her. It was a class that she didn't really want to take, but it was too late to drop it when they broke up.

After her two week break-down, Jacqueline found out that she missed the midterm and might be close to failing her first class, ever. The teacher, feeling pity on her, gave her the econ tutor's email address to try and catch up.

Turns out that Jacqueline couldn't make it to any of the tutoring sessions so Landon, the tutor, gave her the notes and they communicated solely through email. And some of the email exchanges seemed a little... flirty?

While somewhat flirting with the econ tutor, Jacqueline was also paying attention to a guy in her econ class she hadn't noticed before: Lucas. He didn't seem like the student to fit econ as he was always drawing in class and never paying attention.

And to top off having certain desires toward Lucas, whose smoldering stare kept Jacqueline's attention far more than it should have, and flirting with the tutor, a frat brother of Jacqueline's ex was starting to show unwanted advances to Jacqueline.

Jacqueline didn't want to be anywhere near Buck, the frat brother, and found herself in a position she didn't like, so she took up a self-defense class on Saturdays - where Lucas happened to volunteer at.

With all of these boys in her life, Jacqueline isn't sure what to do. She's even more lost when Kennedy decides he made a mistake by breaking up with her and wants to get back together.

With so many choices, what will Jacqueline decide to do and who to pick? Read Easy by Tammara Webber to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Right when I read the synopsis to this book, I knew I had to read it even though I don't read too many eBooks since I don't have a real Kindle.

And boy am I sure glad I decided to buy it! If you've read my review of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, you know how much I love that book and this novel is very similar to McGuire's work. So it undoubtedly means that I loved this book as well!

Jacqueline is like any normal teenager girl who has followed a boy over her own dreams. And, as much as I hate to admit it, her reaction to getting dumped by a boyfriend of 3 years is pretty realistic.

I definitely like Jacqueline though. When she was forced in a horrible situation, she took action with the help of her roommate, Erin, to make sure she would never be that vulnerable again.

I also loved Lucas. He was a loner in some ways, but very popular in others. Add the fact that he was very attractive but never seemed to be with the same girl and you have the typical bad-boy character. And his infatuation of Jacqueline, which would normally seem stalkerish, was in fact flattering and will make any female reader want his attention.

This is a great novel and I would definitely recommend it to any female reader, no matter how old they are. It's fast paced, lots of relateable events that the reader can connect with, along with a strong leading female character that will make the reader cheer her on silently and out loud.

The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell

Emily has always been the girl who was "nice". She did nice things and said the right comments at the right time. She grew up in that sort of household - especially because her mom wrote novels about etiquette and related topics.

But then things happened to Emily that weren't very nice.

For instance, she had to move from Chicago to Boston half-way through her senior year of high school. She was a shoe-in for valedictorian, but once she transferred she wouldn't be able to do that at her new school. Her father, who wanted to move in the first place, ended up staying in Chicago. Emily's boyfriend decided to dump her the morning she was leaving.

Emily was tired of being the "nice" girl. When reunited with her old friends from freshman year, they decided to do something about guys being, well, guys.

Every year the senior class creates a class capsule. Emily decided she's making a guide for guys in the future on how to treat a girl they way they should. Tell them what the guys are doing wrong and what doesn't appeal to girls.

Before they were putting it in the capsule, though, Emily's friends Josie and Lucy wanted to test out the guides to make sure they work. Who better than the school's bad-boy, cocky senior Luke to try it out on? And only Emily could do it since she hasn't been at that high school for 2 1/2 years.

But when Emily starts to really fall for Luke and not just using him for the guide, she finds herself in a huge mess. Josie still liked Luke and wanted to get together with him after the experiment, so Emily couldn't tell her about her newly developed feelings.

And Emily couldn't tell Luke because he would get angry.

When everything gets out in the open, though, Emily finds that she really isn't the nice girl anymore. While she thought that she would be happy, it had the opposite effect.

Will Emily be able to fix all of her broken relationships, or will she finally be known as the mean girl? Read The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This is a typical book about high school drama and revenge. Overall, it was a good story, but I found myself very frustrated at Emily. She seemed almost selfish and she never really talked about her problems but wanted to know everyone elses, which didn't seem fair.

I really liked Luke. He was a shy, awkward 8th/9th grader when Emily knew him before, but when she came back he was gorgeous, athletic, and everyone bowed at his feet.

He didn't necessarily ask for it, but he wasn't telling everyone to stop either - when you are an awkward person who becomes popular it's a kick that I can understand why he might have acted like that.

For Emily, lies never came easy but reading this novel the reader would never know that. She lied constantly and after awhile it came back to bite her - hard. In the end, she realized that she needed to be HERSELF not someone that her family or friends wanted her to be.

This was an alright book. For any teen girl who has been scorned by a male, they would definitely love it. I found it a little juvenile in some places and was almost glad to finish it, but I think it could appeal to other, younger readers.