Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the fourth book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.
My review of #1: Half-Blood.
My review of #2: Pure.
My review of #3: Deity.
My review of #3.5: Elixr.

WARNING - This will contain spoilers for all the previous books in the series! Proceed reading with caution!

Aiden has taken Alex off of the Elixr, and now all she wants to do is find her Seth, her First, and give him what he wants - her power.

Just when she was about to escape and try to find Seth, something triggered inside of Alex. When she saw the rose pendant on her necklace, all of her memories with Aiden came rushing back. And with Seth screaming in her head, she was finally able to find a way to sever the connection with Seth, bringing back the old Alex.

Now Alex needs to learn how to fight with her new found powers - since she's not crazy with Seth in her head or doped up on the Elixr, she can finally see what she has become: the Apollyon.

And she is also able to be with Aiden finally. With a war going on between Half-Bloods, Pures, the Gods and mortals, no one cares if a Half-Blood and a Pure date right now.

But dating is not the only thing on Alex's mind. She has to figure out how to stop Seth and Lucian from destroying the world. And they will, once Seth connects with Alex and is able to take her power. Then he will be the God Killer.

It also doesn't help that every God Alex has come across has tried to kill her. With Alex gone, the fear of the God Killer won't exist. Except now no one can kill Alex, save for Seth and her God relative Apollo. But that doesn't mean that can't rough her up a little bit...

Alex is on a mission to figure out how to stop Seth from being the God Killer. She is running from Seth only to kill time in order to find the answer.

And she does find the answer. But it's not what she wanted. In fact, it's the farthest thing she ever wanted to happen. Because it will be the end to either her or Seth. One cannot be alive when the other has the transfer of power.

So Alex will have a big decision to make. And it won't be an easy choice, because there will be lives lost and loved one broken. But she will need to decide soon, because innocent people are dying every day.

Read Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout to see what happens!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I freaking love Jennifer L. Armentrout! I really do! I say this all the time and sound like a broken record, but she is amazing and writes the best worlds to get sucked into. The whole journey Alex and her friends traveled took me into another world where Gods were avenging something and daimons were feeding as often as they wanted to.

So, the book. I really like how Alex has grown. Sure, she was always thinking that everyone was with Alex because she was the Apollyon when really they were with her in order to make everything right. But for the most part, she learned how to hold her tongue and not lash out insults... well most of the time.

And we got to see Caleb again! I was so excited about that! He talked some sense into our dear Alex a few times, which she definitely needed and was too stubborn to listen to anyone else.

One of my favorite scenes in this novel was when Alex was fighting against the war machines outside of the college they were traveling to. She just snapped and her fifth power came into focus. She was so angry and protective that she didn't need to think twice about using her power - she just did and it was an amazing scene to read!

And the ending! We find out who Seth is related to, via the Gods and it was a shocker. I had no ideas ahead of time who it could be, because I knew it would be revealed sooner or later. But the way the God was revealed - amazing.

I cannot wait until the next, and final, book of this series comes out in December! I want to know how everything ends! Although I'll be sad to see this series concluded... It's a vicious cycle.

Obviously anything written by JLA is a high recommendation from me. I would say that you should read this book in order from the beginning to fully understand what is going on. But why wouldn't you want to read all of these books?!? Go! Now!

Soulbound by Heather Brewer

This is the first novel in the Legacy of Tril series by Heather Brewer.

Kaya has grown up living with the Unskilled - humans who known nothing about the Barrons and Healers who are in a 100 year war. But Kaya knows enough about them since her parents are both Barrons.

The only problem is that Kaya has not been introduced to that world. She has been told that she is a Healer by her parents, but because her mother and father are both Barrons, they broke the rule where they could not marry one of their own. It needs to be Barrons married to Healers.

Because her parents did that, they have been hiding with the Unskilled and have made sure that Kaya has stayed out of trouble.

But when a Graplar comes into her town, a creature that's soul purpose is to kill humans, and kills Avery, Kaya's best friend, the location of Kaya and her parents was revealed. Now, Kaya got an "invitation" to go to the Shadow Academy to be trained as a Healer. Only in the invite, it basically said that if Kaya doesn't go, her parents will pay the punishment.

Now Kaya is stuck in a place where Healers are snobs and Barrons are cocky. She has a guard, since Healers are not allowed to fight and are "weak" unless they have a Soulbound or a Bound where they can protect their Healer.

Kaya is not having it. She wants to learn how to take care of herself instead of waiting for someone to save her in a fight. But that is against Protocol. No one is willing to teach her how to protect herself, except for maybe one person.

Darius.

But for some reason, Darius, who is the only Unskilled at the Academy who trains all of the Barrons to fight, seems to hate Kaya on sight. And Trayton, Kaya's Bound who she is to be with at all times in case he gets hurt and needs Kaya to heal him, won't help her because it is his responsibility to protect Kaya if she is in trouble.

Somehow, though, the Graplars are able to come inside of the walls protecting Shadow Academy. And Kaya keeps getting caught by them. She will find a way to defend herself, even if it is against the law at Shadow Academy.

But can Kaya find a way to protect all of the ones she's come to care about at the Academy before it is too late? Read Soulbound by Heather Brewer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I have not yet had a chance to read any of Heather Brewer's novels, but I really loved this first novel of her new series! I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but after reading the synopsis about a girl wanting to find someone to train her to fight, I knew I would like it!

And I just have to say, once I met all of the characters I knew exactly where this was going to go. Especially because of the tension and the intensity with both male characters in Kaya's life, I knew exactly what was going to happen and I was waiting at the edge of my seat for it to occur.

But to have it happen on the last page?!? Gah, it just about killed me. I cannot wait until August to find out more of Kaya's adventure! Should have waited until closer to August before grabbing this and falling in love with this storyline.

So, as you can see, I really did like this novel. Actually, I liked it more than I thought I will.

Kaya is a great character. She knows she is a Healer and is anxious to learn more about Healing, but she also wants to learn how to protect the ones she loves. After seeing her best friend get attacked in her village  she never wants to be defenseless again.

And the love interest in this book! I definitely have a favorite and hope it goes in that path because I think they were made for one another.

Now I will have to look into Brewer's other series to see if they are as good as this novel. Maybe I will get a new favorite author!

I would definitely recommend this novel to young readers and try to explain the amazingness of this book to them! Can't wait for the sequel to come out!

This Is Not a Drill by Beck McDowell

For their French class, Emery and Jake got a chance to tutor a class of first graders with french words during their French period. Emery really enjoys it and she connects well with the kids. Jake just wanted to get out of French class, though being paired up with Emery could be a great chance to correct a wrong Jake did last year.

One day when they were doing flash cards of animals, one of the students's father walks in demanding that they let Patrick out of class with him.

As it was against protocol, the teacher led the father, Brian Stutts, toward the office to clear it with the administration.

But he was back in just a few moments with a gun in his hand and demanded his son. Stutts was leaving with his son, even if some causalities had to be made.

However, there were witnesses in the hallway and then the authorities came, so Stutts was stuck inside of the classroom with Emery, Jake, the teacher and 18 first graders.

And when the teacher collapsed, it was up to Emery and Jake to take care of all of the 5 year olds and make sure they didn't upset Stutts, who looked very unstable and was also under the influence of alcohol.

It also mean that Emery and Jake's past was bound to come up since they were working together and were stuck taking care of the kids. Even though it was the wrong time to be hashing out their past, they had to deal with both the past and present problems going on.

Can Emery and Jake fix their problems? Can they save all of the kids with no one getting hurt, and get Mr. Stutts the help he needs? Or will things get even more out of control than they already are? Read This Is Not a Drill by Beck McDowell to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This is a very hard book to read considering what has happened the last few years with school shootings. From the minute I read the synopsis, I got goosebumps. I think other readers will feel the same since today's society has had to deal with this topic more than we want to.

Overall, it was an okay novel. I really didn't care for the blast of the past between Jake and Emery. Yeah, there was history there between them, but I think that if the author just summed it up into one chapter of what had happened and then went into the main part of the novel it would have been better.

I'm glad the reader got to read through both Emery and Jake's point of view. Knowing what each character was thinking was nice to read about because both characters are so opposite of the other.

I think the teacher got the reaction of the kids right, even though I would assume that they would cry more than they really did.

Now, Mr. Stutts. I'm not sure how I felt about him. He has PTSD from being in Iraq for the war, so that was one of the reasons for his reaction and actions in this novel.

I dunno. This book is still a really impacting topic in today's society and it's a good way to get one reasoning over why someone might do this, but I just can't say that I loved the book. Maybe because of the subject, maybe just because of the characters reactions and reasonings... I can't say.

I'm not sure who I would recommend this book to. I can see a lot of parents getting upset if their child brings this book home to read, but I also think it could be a good thing to read for what's happened lately in our time period.

And if you haven't gathered, this book has really stumped me. I'm glad I read it and it's a very short book, but at the same time I think it could have been better.

I applaud McDowell for writing about a horrible subject, even if it didn't impact me the way it should have.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

This is the first book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

After being in the salt mines of Endovier for a year, Celaena was given an opportunity to get out. Endovier almost broke the 18 year old assassin, so she was game for pretty much anything.

But when the Crown Prince Dorian was the man she was presented with a deal, she wasn't sure if she should take it. Dorian's father has created a competition for someone to be the King's Champion for 6 years and will do the kings biddings and "dirty work".

Celaena, before getting caught and sent to Endovier, was Adarlan's Assassin. She was the most feared assassin in Adarlan and she was such a good assassin that no one knew who she was. They especially didn't know she was younger than 17 or a girl.

So the thought of working for the king made her ill. But after 6 years, she would have her freedom - no more running from the authorities and she wouldn't have to be an assassin anymore because she would get a reward from the king.

After debating with the Crown Prince, they made a deal that she would be Dorian's candidate if she could take leave after 4 years, not 6, when she won. Because she knew she would win against any other candidate - that wasn't the issue.

Now Celaena is living in the castle under watch of numerous guards. But the one guard that is always around and trains with Celaena to get back into shape is the Captain of the Royal Guards, Captain Chaol Westfall.

Chaol does not trust Celaena - not one tiny bit. She is the feared and trained assassin that has no emotions and will do anything to survive, so he keeps both eyes on her and makes sure she can't harm the royal family.

But the more he gets to know Celaena, the more he might have misjudged her. That doesn't stop him from not trusting her, though. And the same is happening with the Crown Prince. Both men are surprised by how much they enjoy Celaena's company. Some times they even forget she's a trained assassin that will kill in a second.

Strange things are happening at the palace, though. The candidates are being murdered by a monster that tears through their skin and pieces are missing. With so many thieves  killers, assassins or hunters in the palace for the competition, anyone is a suspect, even Celaena.

And even though magic has been banned from the world, it seems that there might be someone who found a way to use the forbidden magic.

Can Celaena figure out who is doing the killings? Can she win against the other candidates, especially Cain who keeps getting stronger and bigger after each trial and test? And what will Celaena do if she does become the King's Champion, because she definitely doesn't want to work for the horrible king? Read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I've been wanting to read this book for awhile and I'm glad I finally did! If there are any die-hard fans of The Hunger Games this might be a great novel for you to pick up! It has the same idea: a group of people fighting to the end to a prized title.

Even though this is more science fiction than dystopian, I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the different world that Maas created. It was nice and I loved how Celaena was the complete opposite of the other "proper" women in the novel.

Celaena was by far my favorite character! She has spunk, she talked back, and she is a survivor; she will do anything that needs to be done in order to live another day, even if it means becoming a killer and getting paid to do it.

And the interactions with the Crown Prince Dorian and Captain Westfall are amazing. The reader can tell that she has feelings for both men, but she doesn't know what to do with them or how to act on them. Plus, she knows nothing can come from it since they are located in the palace and she is just trying to get out of it.

Out of the two men, I like Captain Westfall the most. He doesn't say much, a man of little words, but he is always watching Celaena and, because we get multiple narrations in this novel, we know a little of what he is thinking when it comes to Celaena.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and I think other readers will as well. Maybe if the cover was changed to make it gender neutral  more readers would pick it up and realize it's a different version of The Hunger Games, because the cover probably sends guy readers away.

I would definitely recommend this to other readers and I cannot wait to read the second novel later this year! Now I just have to play the waiting game!

Elixir by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is #3.5 novel in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.
My review of #1: Half-Blood.
My review of #2: Pure.
My review of #3: Deity.

WARNING - This review WILL contain spoilers from the previous novels. Do not continue reading if you have not read the previous novels, else you will find out exactly what has happened throughout the first four books!

When Alex became the next Apollyon, Aiden wasn't sure what was going to happen. But the minute he saw her eyes, he knew that the girl he was holding was no longer his Alex. Now she was connected to the First, to Seth, and she wanted to be near Seth instead of Aiden.

But Aiden is going to make sure that it doesn't happen. He already knows that Seth is taking over Alex, so they had to knock her out and moved her to another location where she didn't know, while also trapping her in a cell that will keep even Apollyon's from escaping.

Ever since she was put in the cage, though, she hasn't been eating or drinking. It's going on four days and she is starting to weaken.

Then Aiden is confronted with a choice. Apollo is able to kill Alex because she is part of his lineage, and Apollo could do it if he thought it was necessary.

Or they could put her on the Elixir - a liquid made to put half-bloods in a comatose reaction where they become slaves to whomever compels them. Alex has always been afraid that she will become a slave - it is her worst nightmare.

Aiden cannot do either option to Alex, but if they don't do something to dull the connection between her and Seth, she will end up dying while giving Seth the ability to become the God Killer.

No matter what decision Aiden chooses, he knows he will never be able to live with himself again. Because both options break the trust he has with Alex.

Which evil will Aiden choose? Can he forgive himself for what he is about to do to the love of his life? Will his choice end up making the situation better or worse? Read Elixir by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This novella was really emotional! This is the first time we've read through Aiden's point of view (for a novella that is) and boy did JLA throw a punch into our stomachs after reading about Aiden's inner struggle with this choice!

I tried to give away as few spoilers as possible - for this novel - and I think I did alright. The gut reaction Aiden had when he was given his two choices was very emotional and I would never want to be put into his shoes right then.

The whole novella was really good and I think JLA did a great job with the whole thing! It definitely helped me since I was left with that horrible ending of Deity so at least I was able to find out what happened after Alex turned 18 and became the Apollyon.

So, yes, this is a short review and short thoughts/reflections, but it was also a short novella so I'm okay with that.

I will say that anyone who has read this series MUST read this novel as it is very important in the series and will probably have a great impact on the next novel. It's free on one website and only $0.99 on Amazon. I got it off of Amazon because I wanted it on my Kindle, so I was okay with spending less than a dollar on it.

One of these days I'm going to buy all of these books in paper versions because I love them that much!

Can't wait for the next novel and anyone who is a devoted fan of JLA needs to read this ASAP!!

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the third book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.
My review of #1: Half-Blood.
My review of #2: Pure.

WARNING - This book will contain spoilers from the previous novels. Continue reading with caution!

After what happened in New York with the daimons and the furies, Alex just wants a break from everything Apollyon. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen since her 18th birthday is right around the corner and she will turn into the second Apollyon.

And now she has to go back to classes. Without Caleb. Everyone is looking at her with weird looks - either because of the upcoming Apollyon or because she has been in a lot of incidents lately, but either way she just wants to get away for awhile.

Then Alex has her own personal problems that include Seth and Aiden. Alex chose Seth, even if they aren't technically dating but are just hanging out a lot, but she can't forget Aiden, especially since he is always around protecting Alex from some threatening group trying to harm her.

And Seth is acting very odd. He seems to want to be with Alex, but she can't figure out if he wants to be with her because of the odd connection between them or if he actually likes her, or if he just wants to speed up the process where she becomes the Apollyon.

Everyone is saying that Seth just wants Alex to be the Apollyon so he can be the next God Killer, but Alex doesn't think so. Seth is different around her and actually cares about her, but lately he's been around her step father, Lucian, a lot and that is never a good thing.

The situation with Aiden becomes unclear. Alex can't stop thinking about him, even though she's decided that they can't be together for more than one reason. But the attraction between them is growing stronger and stronger - almost to the point of not being able to avoid it any longer.

Another problem Alex has is Major Telly wanted Alex dead. He's tried over and over to figure out a way to ensure she doesn't complete the transition to being the Apollyon because no one wants the second God Killer to awaken.

And it it wasn't for Apollo, Alex would be dead, after being stabbed. So now she needs to fight for what she has to do, but the deciding factor will but what will happen when she turns 18.

Can Alex figure out what is the right thing to do? What will happen when she turns 18? Will Seth keep his promise to protect her, or will it go horribly wrong? Read Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
It's been awhile since I read the previous books in this series, but I still found myself sucked into the Covenant world with Alex having a difficult life. And I loved it!

There was a lot of down time in this novel compared to the others, but I don't think that was anything wrong. Stories need down time and Alex needed to figure out what she wanted. Sure, she's going to be the Apollyon but she can also enjoy making out with a boy here or there.

So yes, Alex did chose a guy and she did get deceived by another boy.

The part that I really enjoyed during this book was getting to meet more Gods. We met Apollo and Artemis, we read about Poisiden and also met Hades for a bit. It was also very humorous with the Gods when they interacted with one another.

Before, I did have a guy that I hoped Alex would end up with, but now I'm not sure who she should be with. There are good and bad things about both of them and I kinda just want a new hot guy to come in and sweep Alex off of her feet and there will be nothing bad about him. But I know that won't happen, haha.

I really enjoyed this novel and the ending was very interesting... I'm excited to see what will happen for Alex after she becomes the Apollyon and what will occur with Seth as the "God Killer".

If anyone wants to read this, I would definitely recommend that you read the first books in the series. Even after I read them, it took me awhile to get into this world, so I could never imagine someone just jumping in with this book!

For devoted fans of JLA, you must read this book! And for anyone who likes mythology, I would definitely recommend this series!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

This is the second novel in the Lunar Chronicles series by Melissa Meyer.

My review of #1: Cinder.

WARNING - There will be spoilers from the first novel! Proceed reading with caution!

Near Paris, Scarlet's grandmother has been missing for 2 weeks when she got the comm saying that the police were going to stop searching for her. The police thinks that her grandmother, Michelle, ran away instead of being kidnapped like Scarlet believes.

Now that the police are no longer a part of it, it's up to Scarlet to find her grandmother. And she gets a hint as to how to find her when her father lets out a clue after he had been taken by the same men: they have a tattoo on their bicep of letters and numbers.

And Scarlet just happened to meet a man who had that same kind of tattoo on his arm.

So she went hunting for Wolf, the street fighter, to get her answers. And he has answers, just not the one that she's looking for. But Wolf decided that he will help her find her grandmother, since he knows the people who took her and where they are located.

On the other side of the world, Cinder is escaping the prison she was put into after the horrible ball Prince Kai held and where Kai found out that not only is Cinder a cyborg, she is also Lunar.

Now Cinder needs to run away, and fast, before she is exchanged to Queen Levana, queen of Luna, where Cinder will be executed for being a "runaway Lunar". Or that's what the whole world believes. In fact, she is going to be killed because Cinder is the missing Princess Selene, the little girl Levana tried to kill when she was only 3 years old so she would be the only ruler of Luna.

She successfully escaped prison with the help of Captain Thorne, who just happen to steal an American spaceship before he was caught. And so they are two fugitives who are running to survive for their lives.

But Cinder needs to know more about what happened when she was younger, as the Princess Selene. And the one living person who might have some answers is Michelle Benoit - Scarlet's mother.

So the two cross paths together, both having their very own big problems to deal with, but mutually trying to find the same solution: Michelle Benoit and the answers to their pending questions.

It won't be easy though. Wolf is not a normal man, and the men who stole Michelle are really not normal. Things are about to change for Kai, as well, when an attack occurs on Earth, by command of Queen Levana herself.

Can each character find what they are looking for, or will they run out of time and find that everything will crumble? Read Scarlet by Melissa Meyer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I flew through this novel! Since I was already introduced to this setting, I didn't have the troubles that I had throughout the first novel so I was able to understand what was going on and didn't need to pause to understand certain things.

I loved Scarlet even more than Cinder, I think! She's spunky. She knows how to fly a ship, has a permit for a gun, and even used a few throughout the novel! And she is always looking for the good in everyone, no matter what the situation may look like.

The one thing she wanted the most was to find her grandmother, so when she found out that Wolf may have had a part in her kidnapping, she took charge and confronted the undefeated street fighter - very brave for a small female.

And I also liked how this book had different narrators, unlike the first who was only Cinder's point of view. The reader got to experience Cinder, Scarlet, Captain Thorne and Kai's viewpoint, along with one small chapter from Queen Levana.

It was nice to view all of these viewpoints because we got more of a feeling from each characters and what they were thinking about the events from Cinders revealing at the Ball of being Lunar and a cyborg.

I think the most entertaining character was Captain Thorne. He thinks he's hot stuff and is a ladies man, so the introduction between him and Cinder when she busted through his jail cell was very entertaining.

Cinder is one heck of a fighter, though. Not only is she trying to escape her fate from Queen Levana, but she is also trying to figure out how to control her Lunar powers. She doesn't want to mind control anyone, or make anyone do her bidding or see what she wants to see, which makes her polar opposite of Queen Levana.

I very much enjoyed this novel and I cannot wait for more to come! Unfortunately, the third novel, Cress, won't come out until 2014!! It's just now 2013... I don't want to wait that long! However, it's going to have the RAPUNZEL character in it, and I really love that character :) I do hope Scarlet and Wolf will be in it too, though the small synopsis on Goodreads doesn't say as of yet.

This is turning out to be an amazing series, so I would definitely recommend it to other readers!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This is the first novel in the Lunar Chronicles series by Melissa Meyer.

Cinder is a cyborg. When she was eleven, she went through a procedure after a hoover craft accident that crushed most of her bones, and now those bones are metal and she has a computer programmed inside of her head.

That was also when she was adopted and taken to the states with her new family. Unfortunately, her new mother and the eldest girl, Pearl, didn't appreciate having a cyborg as a family member. And the adopted father passed away not too long after bringing Cinder with him.

But Cinder has Peony, the younger sibling, and Iko, the android of the house, to keep her company.

When her adopted father died, though, Adri, her adopted mother, made her work for her keep and treated her just like an android to do her every bidding. Otherwise, Adri could sell her for money, since she was technically her ward, and Cinder didn't want that to happen.

It just so happens that Cinder is very good at fixing technical problems, so a lot of people bring their adroids, communication devices, and other technical devices to her and she charges them to fix it. It keeps her busy and brings in money to keep her stay at home.

One day, Prince Kai showed up at her shop, needing her to fix his android from his childhood. That was the day everything changed. Kai thought that she was just a normal human, and Cinder wasn't about to tell him that she was a cyborg.

Then her sister, Peony, got sick - critically sick - and Cinder was sold to use as parts and other materials to try to find a cure for this horrible disease. It just so happens that Cinder is immune to this disease. And the doctor who was treating her seems to know a lot more than he is telling Cinder...

Things go from bad to worse as the Queen of Luna comes to try to marry Prince Kai after his father, the king, passes away. Queen Levana has the ability to make anyone see any illusion she comes up with - so no one knows exactly what she looks like. To have a person of that power in control of the Commonwealth would be horrible, but a war is about to occur with the Lunars if Kai can't find a different solution.

Cinder is stuck in the middle, being immune to the disease and having attracted Kai's attention, but she doesn't realize just how in the middle she is until the doctor finding a cure informs Cinder of just who she really is.

Can Cinder help with the cure since she is immune? Will Kai be able to find another way to save his people now that he is king? Or will a war break out between the two species? And just who is Cinder? Read Cinder by Melissa Meyer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Many of my friends have read this and rated it very high, so I was intrigued to start reading it. But for some reason I found it very slow going at first. I think it's because this novel is a dystopian plus science fiction and I haven't read too many of that genre to really get into the setting.

However, I've heard that the sequel novel is superb and I knew I needed to get through this novel in order to fully enjoy Scarlet, since it's published now, so I trucked through it and actually enjoyed the story!

Cinder has accepted her fate of being a cyborg slave since she has lived with Adri, but she has used her skills for good and was able to fend for herself to fix machines and technology on hand. When Kai showed up at her shop, she was extremely shocked, but flattered that he would come to her and ask for her help.

I really liked Cinder. Even though I didn't understand half of the things she was fixing or how she was fixing them, she is a girl who does what she needs to do in order to survive. And she has perfected her talent for fixing objects, giving her a great image of a mechanic.

Like I said earlier, the setting is what threw me off, but I got used to it after reading past the first 200 pages. It did take awhile for me, but now that I've delved into this world that Meyer created, I can't wait to read more!

There really isn't a lot of similarities between this story and Disney's version of Cinderella, which I found refreshing and unique to other retellings. Meyer had a great way of detail to the point where I couldn't figure out what the heck was being done, but it seemed very legit that I didn't care if I understood it or not - that's how I could tell that Cinder knew what she was doing.

I'm really hoping that this series gets better, like everyone keeps reviewing about. It was a very interesting viewpoint of this story and I'm glad I finally got a chance to see why my friends gave a steller review for this novel.

So if you want a very unique, techy version of Cinderella, that also dabbles in other planet colonization and the world on a brink of another war, this would be the perfect book for you. I would recommend sticking this book out if you have trouble at the beginning, because it does get better and you'll want more by the end of the novel!

Major Crush by Jennifer Echols

Out of the blue, Virginia gave up her crown and tiara's of being a pageant girl and decided to join the high school marching band. However, she didn't want to be a part of the band - she wanted to be the drum major and lead the marching band.

Which meant she had to compete against Drew, previous drum major for the last two years.

So it was to everyone's surprise when both Drew and Virginia were chosen to be the drum majors. The first time in their school's history where there were two leaders, let alone the first time that one was a female.

This made the relationship and work area very tense between Drew and Virginia, but after they tanked their first performance at the football game, they realized that they have to get over their anger and tension if they want their marching band to compete against other schools.

However, Virginia is having a hard time of with since Drew's girlfriend, the Evil Twin, keeps spreading rumors about her. So Drew and Virginia make a pact - they will play nice and be friends, and try to win the competitions - otherwise they might as well quit while they were ahead.

It's a good thing Virginia has Allison, her best friend and fellow pageant girl, to keep her sane so she can vent about all of the dreadful things that have happened.

Like, for instance, the new band director making Virginia wear a mini skirt and knee high boots instead of the normal drum major uniform.

And that Drew and Virginia have to do a dip for their performance, meaning that they need to be extremely close to each other, even though they can't stand being around the other.

But things are staring to change. Now that they are friends, they are getting along with one another. And for some reason, Virginia is having romantic thoughts about Drew? So not going to happen for many, many reason.

Everything gets blown up, though, when Drew and Virginia find out who really got the most votes to be the next drum major. Because no matter who got it, the tension shot rocket high between the two of them. And somehow, the deepest secret Virginia has about her family was leaked - but she only told one person what that secret was...

Can Drew and Virginia work things out? Can they both be drum majors and maybe even date one another? Or will there be too much tension between their past and present that they can't overcome? Read Major Crush by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I'm getting closer and closer to my goal of reading all of Jennifer Echols novels! I think I have one more to read before I'm caught up with the published novels :D

This was a cute novel. I have no knowledge of marching band, so it was all very interesting to me. I was pretty amazed at how popular marching band is in this novel - is it like this for all schools?

Well anyway, I loved Virginia. She didn't take crap from anyone and had some sass to go along with it. Plus I loved how she had her nose pierced and everyone thought it was a crime.

Virginia had a lot of courage to stop pageant showing and do something that she actually wanted to do. And she was proud to be the drum major, even if the whole band was angry she took Drew's thunder by making them partners.

So, yeah, this was a cute novel. I liked how I was introduced to a different topic in a YA novel and a topic that hasn't been written about too much - at least one that I haven't heard too much about.

And I also liked how Drew worked in a family business where he was trying to get out of it, so he was very intense and serious until it came around Virginia, who seemed to push all of his buttons to let him speak his mind for once, instead of the "proper" thing to do.

My favorite part was when Drew wouldn't yell at his evil girlfriend because "a gentleman doesn't yell at girls", but when he got around Virginia, all he seemed to do was yell at her :) Oh, and how Virginia kept stealing Drew's marching band shoes so he had to march in his normal shoes. Ah, the small details in this story that cracked me up!

Exile by Anne Osterlund

This is the second novel in the Aurelia series by Anne Osterlund.

My review of #1: Aurelia.

After finding out who was trying to kill Aurelia, she decided that she was going on an expedition through her country to get to know the different tribes and lands. She defied her father by not marrying the man he chose for her and took control of her own life.

And beside her is Robert. The man she kissed. The man she yells at, all of the time. But Robert is her companion - her friend - and one of the few people she trust now-a-days.

The expedition is not the nicest trip she's ever had. In fact, she's been taken more times than she can count, and is still finding herself in danger of being assassined - even though she found out who was trying to kill her before her trip.

One of the groups she gets captured by surprisingly has her mother located there - a mother she has not seen in 14 years.

Even though she wants to get to know her mother again, the trip is what is important, and she won't let Robert leave without her.

Robert is having conflicting feelings. He wants to protect the Princess, but knows that he is not capable of doing that. He wants her to be safe, but as long as she is on this expedition, safe is far from what she will be.

And is also starting to fall in love with her. Which can't happen because she is the royal princess, even if she is currently exiled from the palace by defying the King.

So both Robert and Aurelia take it day by day, but soon Aurelia realizes that she needs to face the problems at the palace rather than running away from them. However, they find out who is trying to kill Aurelia again, which makes going home a bit of a problem...

Will Aurelia be able to go back to Tyralt and take her royal place again? What will happen with the attraction between Aurelia and Robert? Who is trying to kill Aurelia, yet again? Read Exile by Anne Osterlund to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book ended just where the first novel ended, which was nice for me since I read them back to back. And I really enjoyed where this book went. Aurelia has shown once again that she is not the spoiled princess that most are claimed to be.

She gets dirty and takes the blame for the mistakes she's made. She also wants to know the people of her country, who are ruled by her father and one day, by her.

Also, attempting to be assassined is a lot for a person to handle, but Aurelia gets back up and fights back, which I very much admire about her.

My favorite part of the novel is when she is at Robert's family's house and is working on the farm. Who would have thought that a royal princess could milk a cow?!

I guessed who was trying to kill her through this book, so the ending wasn't a surprise.

What was a surprise was how the book ended as a whole! Is there going to be another book? Cause that was not a final ending! There was too much left open and I need to know what happens next. Does anyone know if there will be another book to wrap everything up?!?

Other than the ending being what it is, I really liked this novel and enjoyed how both Robert and Aurelia developed from the first novel. The trust between them only grew, which made their decision choices a lot more wiser than in the first novel.

I would recommend this to any female reader, as it mostly focuses on Aurelia. For those that want a strong lead female character who isn't afraid to get in a bind, this book would also be good for you to read. I would advise that you should read the first novel first, though, as it will make it a lot more clearer when reading this novel.

Gravity by Melissa West

This is the first novel in The Taking series by Melissa West.

It's the year 2140. A lot of things have changed, including an invasion against the Ancients - otherworldly people who participated in World War IV. Otherwise known as aliens.

After most of the population died, a treaty was formed between the rest of the humans and the Ancients: they will stop fighting if the humans will allow the Ancients to "take" certain supplements from the humans when they are asleep.

It's called The Taking.

And the one rule is: never peek.

When 17 year old Ari lost her patch - a smooth cloth that clings to the persons face, not allowing them to move, see or feel - she has to go through the Taking very much alert.

And she couldn't help but peek...just a little bit.

Turns out, her Ancient is none other than Jackson Locke - a classmate who competing her for the top spot in  Force Training.

He's supposed to be human, but he is very much not. Instead of reporting Jackson to her father, the Commander, Jackson talks to Ari and she realizes that another war is about to occur. So either Ari helps Jackson stop the war, or she jump starts it by telling her father.

Now Ari is between two worlds, trying to figure out which way is the right decision for everyone she loves and cares about.

But the government doesn't see it the way Ari does, and they go to drastic measures. Ari needs to decide what to do, but either way she will get hurt in the end by losing someone she cares about.

Can Ari find a way to save both humans and Ancients? Or will another war wipe out all of mankind this time? Read Gravity by Melissa West to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Another alien novel! Seems this is going to be a topic to write about now? Not that I'm complaining - I really love the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and will definitely take more sexy aliens.

This novel is a little different though. It's dystopian and more "governmental" than some others, making it almost realistic because the reader can see this happening with the amount of detail West put into the description of the world in 2140.

Ari is amazing. Growing up as the Commanders daughter, she got no slack and was expected to one day take her father's places as the new Commander. She got up every morning to fight and train with her father, making her one of the best in her class as a Force Training.

She also has a clear head and can see both sides, rather than her father who only sees the world where humans are concerned.

So yeah, I really liked Ari. She stood up for what she believed in rather than what was expected, and I really like female roles that do that.

Jackson is very mysterious and kept a lot of information to himself, making it hard for Ari to trust him. Even at the end of the novel he was still being mysterious! Which is a little aggravating after awhile!

This was definitely set up to be part of a series, and I'm glad because I want to go back to this world and see what happens after this ending! (Read it if you want to know the ending :P)

Unfortunately I have to wait until August 2013!! Way too long for me, but I will get it as soon as it's released.

If you want a governmental, dystopian, alien filled novel to read, this one is for you. I would highly recommend it!

Deceiving Destiny by Nadège Richards

This is the second novel in The Bleeding Heart Trilogy series by Nadège Richards.

My review of #1: Burning Bridges.

Now that Echo and Ayden are running from the king, everything is a little more intense than it used to be. And that was when they were sneaking around!

The king is destroying Echo and Ayden's home, now that she has broke his laws by seeing a Hunter and is also not the king's biological daughter. Everything is upside down now and Echo is only just seeing the beginning of a revolution.

When her and Ayden run away from New Haven, they get a group of followers as well. Many are friends of Ayden's who he grew up with, but all of them have decided that Echo is their leader. She is the Princess, though she doesn't think that way, and what she says goes.

Well, all but a few who have decided to hate Echo for their own personal reasons...

It is decided that they will go to another town ruled by another king to try to get his rule as their ally. The more to revolt against Echo's pretend father, the more they might win against this war of power.

But along the way, Echo is having visions and dreams of a mystery man. The only thing she knows about his is the color of his eyes: amber/gold/yellow. The dreams seem so real to Echo, though, and she is very disturbed by the feelings she gets when she wakes up.

She doesn't know what these visions mean. She doesn't know who the man is, but he sure knows her and secrets that she couldn't have imagined herself.

There are many complications on the way to the other land, and with a group of children and adults, it becomes a struggle to keep going. But Echo is able to keep everyone afloat and figure out a way to give the hope.

But will they make it in time? And will they get the help they need, or will their travels and hardships be for naught? What is happening to Echo? What do the visions and events mean? Read Deceiving Destiny by Nadège Richards to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I was given this eBook by the author to edit and review, since I also did the same for her first novel, and I'm glad I got it! It started right where Burning Bridges ended and even though it's been a few months since I read the first novel, I dove right back into the story without problems to continue Echo and Ayden's story of fight and survival.

Also - side note - I have to say that I LOVE the cover of this book!! Kudos to the artist!

Okay, back to my thoughts! I really think Ayden and Echo's character developed in this novel compared to the first.

Echo is a very caring person and hates the thought of hurting anyone, but when it comes to survival and protecting the ones she loves, she's now realizing that she will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Even if it means a troubled conscience later.

And the banter between Ayden and Echo is adorable, as always, but now that they are in love with each other, they do it out of habit and to keep the other in line, rather than fighting the attraction between each other.

Of course, not everything is butterflies and sunshine - especially when Feven and Adamo come into the picture. They seem to have a grudge against Echo for obvious reasons and it's always interesting to read about those characters in regard to Echo.

Again, the ending leaves the reader wanting more, but it's not necessarily a cliff hanger. More of the next chapter in the series, so while the reader doesn't know what's going to happen, no one died or anything extreme happened at the end to curse the author for making me wait so many months for the conclusion to the story line.

So yes, I enjoyed this story and really got into it. Wish it wasn't so short! Can't wait for the third, and final, novel in this series to come out in April 2013!

For anyone looking for a dystopian novel about a war and fighting to survive, with a twist a mystery and forbidden love, I would recommend you pick this up ASAP. I would pick up the first novel first, though, so you have the complete story. Also, for the month of January both novels are only $0.99 on Amazon! So hurry!

Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is the third novel in the Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

My review of #1: Raised by Wolves.
My review of #2: Trial by Fire.

WARNING - This book will contain spoilers from the previous two novels in the series. Proceed with caution!

Bryn has had to make some tough decisions as alpha of her pack. The latest one was having to kill a wolf she took in her pack, only to have him challenge her. And once an alpha is challenged, there is no going back. They have to fight. To the death.

While Bryn won the fight, and killed Lucas, she lost another member of the pack: Maddy. She was in love with Lucas and could not look at Bryn afterward without feeling anger at her for killing the one she loved.

So Bryn let Maddy go and now she's living on her own in the No-Man's-Land.

Let's just say things were going pretty rough for Bryn.

Now she's training with Jed, another human like Bryn who has a psychic ability to go feral, or rabid but without shifting into a wolf. They lose control of what their body does and they fight to survive any threat that tries to kill them. And almost always they get out of the situation somewhat unscathed.

Things can't keep staying normal for Bryn, though. Shay, the alpha of the bordering territory has called for an alpha meeting. He reveals that there is a lone, rabid wolf roaming around killing animals and humans, brutally. Local police are starting to notice.

But the part that intrigues all of the male alphas is that the rabid wolf is FEMALE. Female wolves are very rare and every pack, besides Bryn's, wants their own so they can breed more children and make their pack larger.

Bryn needs to find this wolf before everyone else because she is the only one that won't force the female wolf to join her pack just to use her as a breeding tool. She will allow the wolf to be free, just letting her join her pack to steer clear of the other alphas.

But the mysterious killer wolf is not what Bryn's pack thinks. And Shay is not a wolf to underestimate. Because he usually has an ultimate goal that Bryn doesn't see coming. And everything is about to become 100 times worse before she can see any brightness in her future. Will Bryn be able to help this female wolf and figure out who is attacking innocent humans and animals? Read Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. I was a little leery when down to the last 20 pages and it was still mid story, but Barnes did a wonderful job creating this ending to her series!

And I'm going to say it: it was bittersweet and heartbreaking. I was very teary eyed and couldn't believe all of the things Barnes did in the last 50 pages of this book. I was angry, I was sad, I was satisfied, but I was devastated.

All in all, I went on a rollercoaster ride and, even though I know I loved the ending, I'm still trying to get past all of the emotions that I went through.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you why I went through all of those emotions, because it would give away the ending and I'm so not a spoiler reviewer. Let's just say that some characters die and if you want to know who, you'll have to read the series to get attached to them just to lose them.

Ironically, I read many reviews saying that this was the best YA werewolf story ever written. I'm not sure if I would go that far, but I did really, really like this storyline. There was so much randomness and multiple topics thrown into this series that I felt satisfied with how Barnes pulled it off.

I would definitely recommend this novel to werewolf fans, and also supernatural fans since there's a little bit more going on than just werewolves. Also, if you've read the first two novels, you HAVE to read this story to find out what happens!

For those who want to read this series but only have the third novel, I would advise you to find the first two because it will make the story so much better and you would also understand a lot more by the third novel.

Great series, Barnes! I was made a believer by the very last page of this book that this series is a great story and beautifully written! Now, I'm going to hunt for more of Barnes's books and see if she will entrap me again with her story telling!

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is the second novel in the Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

My review of #1: Raised by Wolves.

Warning - This book will contain spoilers from the first novel. Proceed with caution after this sentence!

After saving a group of humans turned werewolves, Bryn has now found herself their alpha, even though she's only human and can't transform like everyone else.

But she set them all free from the Rabid and they decided that they wanted Bryn to be their leader. She's not just human; she has a power that no other werewolf has and they feel safe with her. Devon and Lake, her two best friends since childhood, have also joined her pack, being her guards and protecting her.

Things aren't necessarily going to work out right away though. In fact, because Bryn is human and a female, many of the other alphas don't like what she is doing. They can't do anything about it, though, because they are a democracy and go by rules, rather than judge on their feelings.

The one alpha that hates Bryn with a passion is Shay - who just happens to be Devon's older brother. He is ruling his own pack on the other border next to Bryn's and is definitely trying to get a reaction out of Bryn's pack.

When a werewolf shows up on her doorstep, beaten and bloodied and shifting from human to wolf, Bryn gets her first duty as alpha. Lucas is part of Shay's pack. But Shay tortures and abuses his wolves, so Bryn doesn't want to send Lucas back there.

However, she can't keep him since he is still Shay's wolf. So now she has to figure out a way to save Lucas without going against werewolf rules.

And to top it off, there is a coven in town - a group of humans who have extraordinary powers and are after Lucas. They hate werewolves and follow so such rules that Shay and Bryn have to follow from the werewolf council.

But things are not what they seem to be and Bryn has only a week to figure everything out before she could lose her entire pack. Can Bryn save everyone, including Lucas, or will she find herself without a pack right after she just got them? Read Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
A great sequel to the first novel in this series!

We jump right back into the story following what happened at the end of the first novel, and boy is there no rest for the weary! Bryn just got used to being a sophomore in high school and also being an alpha to a bunch of rowdy teenage or younger werewolves. She has a lot of things to balance.

I don't know what it is about these novels. There's just something different about them that leaves me satisfied but also a little bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong! I really enjoyed both of them and gave them both 4 stars out of 5.

Well, one, there isn't as much romance, which is unique in YA  literature and also a little refreshing.

And two, there is a lot of inner dialogue that Bryn shares with her packmates, so that might be throwing me off a little bit when reading.

And, third, there is just so much in this novel that is unique to any other novel I've read, so many aspects and plot lines that actually go together real well.

So yeah, I liked this novel. We got to see more of Bryn growing up, learning from mistakes, and having to make tough decisions before she's ready for them. But she does it thinking about her pack, thinking about others instead of herself.

I think others who are a werewolf fan will really enjoy this series and that they should pick these up now! There is only one more novel in the series, so I'm hoping that it will end well. And now I'm going to go and read it :)

Covet by Melissa Darnell

This is the second novel in The Clann series by Melissa Darnell.

My review of #1: Crave.

Note - There will be spoilers of the first novel. Just to forewarn you before you continue reading!

Savannah's life sucks. She's half vampire, half witch and is in love with a boy that she cannot be with - according to both The Clann council and the vampire council.

So when Tristan was taken by the vampires to perform a test with Savannah, she promised to break it off with him so it wouldn't cause an outright war between the witches and vampires.

But Tristan didn't like that idea and wanted to still see Savannah. She made it clear, though, that she wasn't going to continue seeing him and they separated on bad terms.

Right after that, Savannah's vampire side kicked in and now she can't eat human food and has a lot more abilities than she did before. And she has no one to talk to about it because her friends are human and she's not talking to Tristan anymore.

Because Savannah's grandmother died, all of the magic that had been helping Savannah with her vampire side faded away. Then Savannah had to go live with her father because the bloodlust that comes with being a vampire would be too strong to stay with her witch mother, whose blood is very tempting for vampires.

One bright side in Savannah's life, which there aren't many, was that when her grandmother died, Savannah got possession of her magic books/journals. Now Savannah is teaching herself how to control magic, but keeping it quite from The Clann because they don't want her to know anything about using magic against them.

Meanwhile, there are supposidly vampire attacks happening over the world, and one hits close to Tristan's family, causing a rift between The Clann members and Savannah and her father - the only vampires near them in Jacksonville, Texas.

Will both Tristan's clann and Savannah and her father figure out what is really happening with the attack on Clann members before an outright war come between the two species? And will Tristan and Savannah ever be able to figure a way to be together, or will they forever love each other but have to stay separate to save the other's life? Read Covet by Melissa Darnell to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This was a great novel!

Now, I thoroughly hate it when the characters are not together and keep insisting that they are better apart to save the other's life. I always think that there can be another way around that and they should fight to be with each other.

But Savannah and Tristan? They really do have to be apart from each other, looking at a distance at the one person they truely love. And I actually didn't mind that, so good job Darnell for giving me an actual reason to like the characters being separated!

Also, I think I didn't mind because both Tristan and Savannah had a lot of things they needed to work through and that kept them busy, even though they were missing the other like crazy.

I was really happy that Savannah got to learn how to do magic. I think it's appropriate that if she is half witch she should do magic, no matter what The Clann thinks about it.

This is told through both Savannah and Tristan's point of view, which I really liked, especially when they were separated from each other.

And, also, I really didn't notice the length of this book! It's 470 pages and when I came to find final paragraph, I wanted more!

The only bad part about this novel is the ending! Why?! Why a cliffhanger?!? I hate them and now I have to wait until 2013 to find out what happens. Because, let me tell you, it was one heck of a cliffhanger and left me wanting a lot more!

Guess I'll have to be patient and wait for it...

I loved this book and think everyone should read it! I would start with the first novel, though, because it will help explain a lot in this novel. So, what are you waiting for? Go get 'em!

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the second book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.
My review of #1: Half-Blood.

Warning - There will be spoilers from the first two books in this series. Continue reading at your own risk!

Being back at school isn't all Alex thought it would be. Now she gets cracks from not only her classmates, but also from her pure-blood teachers who think she's only at the Covenant because of her connection with her uncle and stepfather.

Also, she now has to hide her tags from the daimons that tried to change her - bite marks all up and down her arms and on her neck. But that doesn't stop the stares from everyone around her.

While also doing school stuff, Alex has to train with BOTH Aiden and Seth, alternating days and weekends with them. It's a lot of testosterone going around where Alex is concerned.

To make matters worse, now that everyone knows half-bloods can turn into daimons, a daimon attack happened on campus, and everyone is looking at Alex and Caleb since they were the latest victims on getting attacked by daimons.

Now Alex has to prove to everyone that she is not involved in the daimon activities happening around the Covenant - which is a little hard since she tends to get defensive when that topic is brought up - especially when it concerns her mother.

Seth has decided to start hanging around Alex more and more, while Aiden has been pushing her away. And to top off everything, her and Seth are connecting a heck of a lot more. Seth can feel Alex's emotions as if they were his own and sometimes Alex can feel certain things about Seth...things she'd rather not know about.

As if Alex hasn't been through enough, her and Caleb were attacked on campus by daimons, and Caleb didn't make it. The grief Alex feels from both her mother and Caleb's death takes the toll on her, causing Alex to act rash - more so than usual.

When Alex goes to the Council to do a statement about what happened with her mother in Tennessee, she knew that she would get grilled. But the council members have it out for her and want her to go into servitude instead of fighting daimons.

Can Alex find a way to convince the council that she is becoming mature and responsible? And what is going on between the trio: Seth, Alex and Aiden? What will happen as it gets closer to her eighteenth birthday, when she will Awaken with her Apollyon powers? Read Pure by Jennifer. L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
There is so much packed into this novel! I love it!

Okay, this series just gets better and better. If I thought I loved Alex before, she grew on me even more during this novel.

I also have to say that I am really enjoying Seth. I know some are all "Aiden!" because he is sacrificing his love for Alex to keep her safe, but Seth is such a tool but a clown around Alex that I can't help but love him. And saying that will not spoil anything as I have no idea who Alex will pick in the end between the love triangle :)

I feel like I've been on an adventure throughout this novel, but the one thing that broke my heart was losing Caleb. Alex's reaction to his death was spot on for any best friend losing their other half (friend half) and I don't blame her one bit for all that she went through after that horrendous fight.

Armentrout is amazing to be able to come up with so much in this different world from ours and keep it simple so the reader won't get lost in all of the madness and blame fest. I truly enjoy reading this series and am very upset that I have to take a pause and wait until another library lets me check it out (it just came out this month, so it's too "new" to send to me - boo!).

I will be continuing this story, though, and I may just have to buy the series when they are all released to have my own copy.

I urge everyone (well female readers would appreciate it more, I think) to go read this series now! I have fallen in love with it and I think others will too :)

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Mia is a lightning addict. Ever since she got struck the first time, she knows when a storm is coming and wants to chase after it to get struck by lightning again.

Yes, it hurts. Yes, she has marks all over her body every time she gets struck by lightning.

But that doesn't stop her from wanting the sensation she gets every time it happens.

After an incident occurred in Arizona, her and her family (mother and younger brother Parker) moved to L.A. because there wasn't too many storms that occurred there.

Lightning storms that is. Earthquakes, on the other hand, happen. And just over a month ago, a horrible earthquake came through her town and destroyed homes and killed people.

Right before the earthquake hit, a Prophet claimed that it was going to come. He told them, even though no one believed. But after it hit, he got Followers who started to believe everything he said. Which was basically the end of the world was coming.

On the other hand, there was another group forming against the Followers - the Seekers. They think they can stop the end of the world, as long as they can get a lot of people on their side.

And for some reason, Mia is in the middle of these two groups. Both want her for their own purposes. Mia wants neither of them, just to take care of her mother, who was mentally and physically hurt in the earthquake, and her young brother.

When a mysterious boy comes into the picture, someone Mia has never met before, she feels torn about what to do. And Jeremey is telling her she shouldn't do anything, but not telling her why he's saying something like that.

Will Mia pick a side between the Followers or the Seekers? And what is her purpose in this upcoming storm the Prophet is talking about? More importantly, can the storm be stopped before it wipes out the whole world? Read Struck by Jennifer Bosworth to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book did not work for me. Right from the beginning, I had to force myself to read it and then I started skimming trying to find dialogue rather than 5-7 paragraphs about religion.

I really wanted to like it. I got to the end of the novel, so I worked really hard to find out what happens to Mia. But I feel like I've wasted a good part of my day reading something that I will never think about again and I don't like doing that.

Even the romance between Mia and Jeremy didn't cut it for me, and that's an unusual thing to happen because the romantic couple can always get me to look forward to their scenes in the novel.

I'm not sure if it's because it had a lot of religion in the novel. I'm not anit-religious, I just think it was on overdrive in this novel and every other word was about God. It got a little repetitive after awhile.

I see on Goodreads that it is part of a series, but I know for a fact that I will not read the second novel if/when it comes out. I'm just happy that I got through this novel as a whole, even with the skimming of pages I did every once in awhile.

For anyone who doesn't mind reading a supernatural novel that also has a lot of content about religion, this might be up your alley. It just didn't go over well for me and I'm glad I just got it from the library instead of buying at the store - which I might have done since it's about a topic I would normally enjoy reading.

Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe

This is the first novel in the Kythan Guardians series by Trisha Wolfe.

In 2040, Dez is fighting against her own people. She's a Shythe, a race of shape-shifters descended from the Egyptian pharaohs. At the age of 17, she gains her full Charge power and will be assigned to humans to protect them from any harm.

The enemy of Shythe's are Narcos, who are also shape-shifters but instead of having a Charge, they have Flame in order to produce steam, fire, and other substances of flame to help humans.

Together, they help the human race, but the Narco's have been killing the Kythan species for years. Now, it's  just the Narco's and Shythe's, who are still mortal enemies, but are now told from the council that they have to live together to keep their race alive.

While this is going on in the Kythan world, Dez is fighting her own battles. She was part of an experiment when she was conceived, and was the only one who survived.

She's half Narco and half Shythe, raised in a Shythe world. Her friends are Shythe. Her mother ran away when the creators of the experiment starting killing everyone, saying the procedure went wrong. So they came to Haven and changed their names, fitting in with the Shythe world.

But she doesn't know if she will have the Charge power, or the Flame power when her abilities come the day she turns 17.

Dez is starting to grow feelings for one of her best friends, Jace, who is a Shythe, and is also one of the council members son. But right when things might be looking up for them, a Narco comes barreling through when they are forced to live with Shythes: Reece.

For some reason, Dez is strangely connected to Reece - in a bigger way than she can imagine. When she turns 17 and gets her immense power, it's not Jace she turns to for help, but Reece.

Things are not as they seem, though, between the Narco's and the Shythe's. Peace is not the only thing they are striving for, and Dez is caught right in the middle of this battle between two races.

Can Dez find a way to contain her massive power of both Narco and Shythe? Can she do it in time to save the ones she loves? Read Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Now I know I have a lot of labels for this book review that don't make sense, like Supernatural, Dystopian, Science Fiction, but for me, this book had all of these genres! It was amazing!

I haven't read too many Sci Fi novels lately - especially YA novels - so it was great to get lost into another world with different rules than I'm used to.

And I found the way the author wrote this novel was fantastic! She didn't overly explain things but gradually let the reader figure out how this world was with the rules and the setting. It wasn't a whole paragraph where it was narration to the reader of what was going on - we have to read it longer than a chapter to figure everything out, which I found refreshing.

Dez is amazing. She has been keeping this secret for years and is scared to death as to what is going to happen when she receives her full power. And then, when she does get it, she's able to use some of it before it gets out of control.

Now, the first scene, directly when the reader starts, is HOT. But then it gets hotter with another boy.

As much as I liked Reece, I think the acceptance of him that Dez gave him was a little odd. He's supposed to be her mortal enemy and after revealing the truth about himself, she trusts him with her life? Yeah, not very realistic or smart, I think.

I think Wolfe did an amazing job with this novel. It sucked me into another world, gave me a different viewpoint on different topics, and kept me wanting a lot more throughout the novel and at the end. It's not a cliffhanger, but the reader will definitely know that there is more to this amazing world.

I cannot wait until the next book comes out. Unfortunately, I can't find any information on Goodreads about the sequel, but I'm hoping that I won't have too long of a wait for it?!?

I would definitely recommend this to any female reader who wants an other worldly novel to read and one with a kick a$$ female lead character to read about! I won't be forgetting this world any time soon!

Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick

This is the second novel in the Ashes trilogy by Ilsa J. Bick.

My review of #1: Ashes.

Note - There will be spoilers from the first novel in this series. Be warned before reading past this sentence!

Alex
When Alex ran away from the town of Rule, she really wasn't expecting to be the next meal for the Changed, or Chucky's, as a ritual for Rule. Because that's what it is. The Chucky's leave the people of Rule alone as long as they get humans to eat and food to feed the humans so they don't die right away.

After trying to fight the Changed, she was taken captive and was forced to travel with them and other human sacrifices. While traveling with them, she realizes that her ability to smell things was starting to become stronger, making her more aware of what the Changed are doing before they decide to act on it. Maybe her ability will help her survive this nightmare?


Tom
Tom was saved by an older couple who took them in when he was shot in the leg. They saved his leg and took care of him, but they were also pretending that Tom was their dead son. There were a lot of similarities between the two and were still devastated over the death of their son.

Tom went along with it for awhile, but it was time to move on and find Alex. He knew it might be a lost cause but he needed to try and find her. But the trip from the farm house he was taken to and Alex, who was now the possibility of the Changed's last meal was not going to be easy. In fact, he got captured so many times by older adults who wanted the rewards of bringing in a young 'un that wasn't Changed that he had to keep a close eye on everyone around him.

Chris
After trying to save Alex from leaving Rule, Chris woke up a week later and couldn't remember all of the details of what happened in those last moments before blanking out. Turns out that he was knocked unconscious by a close friend from Rule in order to let Alex leave to be the next sacrifice for the Changed.

Then Chris was kicked out of Rule because he chose Alex over his family and home. He was able to escape a cruel fate only to have to fight at every turn to find shelter and food during the brutal snow storms that kept coming. Thankfully he was with Lena and Nathan, though they hindered more than helped sometimes on their hike to survival. But Chris was bound and determined to find Alex and correct what was wronged.

Lena
Rule was never a safe place for Lena, where they wanted all of the young females to mate with the older grandpa's there and keep the population booming. So she sided with Chris and was sent out of Rule as well.

Only things weren't going well for Lena. She found out that her semi-sorta boyfriend was working with the Changed and did the exchange for protection by giving them humans to snack on, then found out that he was killed on the last trip out of Rule for supplies. But even worse, she's been sick to her stomach for most of the trip away from Rule and she has a horrible suspicion why... And she's also having the ability to see in the dark - details she should not see and has...cravings and urges that should not be her most priority... What is happening to her?

Peter
When Peter's group was ambushed, he was sure that he was dead for good. But then he woke up strapped to a gurney and found out that the people who ambushed him wanted him specifically to "experiment" on him. Turns out, the ex-militia solider Finn put the Changed's blood inside of him when he needed a transfusion  And now they were putting other things inside of him to see how much he can resist the fluids.

Peter can't escape, but he can fight to stay alive to try to escape later. Finn is making him fight Chucky's that they are capturing, to train the Chucky's how to survive longer by watching Peter. Peter doesn't know how much longer he can keep surviving, but he is not going down without a fight.

All of these characters are fighting for one thing in this nightmare of a world: survival and to find the person they are searching for. Will they be able to succeed, or will the Changed get in their way? Read Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, so I was really excited when I got this book from the library.

Except that I didn't really like this one.

The first reason was the narration. It's nice that we had 5 people to follow and get a broader story. I just found it ridiculously hard to figure out which chapter was which character narration at the time. There were times that I would skim the first two pages looking for familiar names, figuring out who it was about and then go back to the beginning of the chapter with that setting in mind.

I didn't find that enjoyable. I like narration that flows and that did not flow for me.

Secondly, the length. Good lord, it was over 500 pages of long, detailed, agonizingly slow narration. Don't get me wrong, I read Harry Potter 7 in a day so length does not scare me. Just slow paced length gives me a problem.

And third, there was too much happening. I couldn't keep everything straight and I read this quite a bit after the first one (in July and just now for the second one). I found myself lost and looking things up online to try and figure out who was who at the beginning of the story.

Now, despite all of the negativity above, I did enjoy it a little bit. I was dedicated and determined to finish it because I really did enjoy the first novel and I want to read the conclusion when it comes out in March 2013. I just found myself not enjoying this book while reading it.

Now that I'm done, though, I appreciate the story and am able to remember what happened and how it all fit together.

I will be reading the final story when it comes out just to see how Bick will finish this world that she created, and how each character fares throughout the story. I'm especially curious to see what happens to Alex, particularly after her last scene in Shadows.