Review: The Caretaker by Megan Shepherd

The Caretaker by Megan Shepherd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A great, free read! Cassian is my favorite so it was nice to see some of his thoughts and emotions during the first novel. I'm so on Team Cassian for Cora, so hopefully they can work things out :)

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Review: The Cage by Megan Shepherd

The Cage by Megan Shepherd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.

I have had this book for so long and have just now gotten around to reading it. At first, I didn't think I would like the book overall because it was long, winded and I wasn't connecting with the characters at all. I admire Cora's determination to escape from her cage, and also her dedication to making sure the other kids in the cage went with her. Even when everyone turned on her.

The main reason that I started liking this book was because of her connection with Cassian. I can't help it, it was so forbidden and the tension between the two of them was crazy intense. And with that ending? The reason for everything happening? I seriously want Cora and Cassian to be together, so that better happen by the end of this trilogy, otherwise I will be very upset!

The other characters: Lucky, Nok, Mali, Rolf and Leon? They were okay. Not anyone I'm super impressed with. I just need more Cora and Cassian in my life - stat.

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Review: Caught by Raathi Chota

Caught by Raathi Chota
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I really, really, really wanted to like this. I truly did. I love the cover, I love the synopsis, I love the beginning. But this book just wasn't for me, I don't think. First, the characters. There are so many boys, first of all, and all of them are bullies. And not true bullies, because they will be mean one moment and then nice the next. They are bi-polar bullies. And there are 2 different group of guys that are bullying Lana, and she basically goes from one group to the next without blinking an eye. Plus there is another character that I bet has a significant role to play, at least by reading the synopsis for the second book, that I didn't even get to before I gave up on this book.

Also, Lana. Gah, she is supposed to be a nerdy girl, a good girl, a Yale girl, but she interchanges herself so much that she goes from a good girl to a rebel in literally a second. It depends on who she is around, which honestly makes her two-faced and changes herself depending on who she's next to, which really annoys me to no end.

I know this book says 361 pages on the goodreads page, but I seriously think the one I got is way more pages, because I only got 54% through this book, and it took forever.

One other thing that got too much? There were so many plot twists and such terrible things that happened that the reader would assume that the book was finished with a cliffhanger and ready for the next book in the series. Instead, one bad thing after another kept happening to Lana. What made this really unrealistic was that Lana had a normal life before the 4 got intertwined with her, and now everything that can go wrong is going wrong... It was just a lot to deal with.

I'm bummed that I didn't like this book as well as I wanted to, and I really wanted to see what happened to these characters, but it was just TOO much for me. I'm sure there are readers out there who would enjoy this novel, though! I'm glad I got a chance to read this.

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Review: I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong

I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from BookSirens and the Publisher. This is my honest review.

Mallory NEEDS to go to high school. She’s been home schooled her whole life, and she wants a normal, teenage girl experience. Being stuck in her house with her mother and brother all day is not enough for her anymore. After convincing her mother (with her dad’s help) she finally gets to experience high school for her senior year.

And the biggest reason she wants to go: Troy Parker. The boy she’s been in love with for 5 years since he moved in next door. Don’t be mistaken – she’s never interacted with him, but Mallory knows she can’t get enough of him. She’s even gone so far as spying outside her window at 4pm when he comes back from his run, every day.

So Mallory goes to school with a lot of expectations. Most are fine, but Troy’s reaction to her doesn’t change. He’s surly, moody and glares at her. A. Lot. Mallory may be a good girl, but she is tired of the way he treats her, so she’s on a mission to fix this.

But Mallory has no idea what is really going on in her life. In fact, she’s completely blindsided when deep, dark, hidden secrets are revealed – and it seems Troy might have a role in the secrets. Now Mallory needs to figure out everything, and see if her feelings for Troy are even real.

I’ve seen this book floating around a lot, and I’ve ignored it for the most part. I think it was the odd, creepy title and the bland book cover (yes, I judge books by their cover…I can’t help it!). But I decided to get it a go this time, and I’m actually glad I did! I enjoyed it fairly well, which was a surprise!

If you like Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, then this is right up your ally. In fact, they even mention Travis Maddox in here, which cracked me up because Troy is pretty much an exact replica of Travis.

There are a lot of twists and turns, mood swings up the galore, love and hate, mystery and reveals in this book. Mallory is pretty much naïve in all things, so seeing her learn is entertaining and revealing.

Again, I’m glad I finally read this and will be recommending it to friends who enjoy this genre.

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Review: Rage by Cora Carmack

Rage by Cora Carmack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Aurora/Rora/Roar went on a mission to get magic. What she discovered was far beyond what she imagined. Now that she has a better understanding of her world, Roar needs to go back home. Except when she gets there, she finds that everything has changed. The man she was supposed to marry has taken over her castle, her mother has not been seen since Roar left, and her people are being attacked by not only the new royal guards, but also from the Stormlord, who is out to get revenge on the Locke’s, and doesn’t care who he destroys in the process.

Waiting has never been a strong trait of Roar’s, but she is going to need a lot of patience if she wants to achieve everything she must to make sure her future is hers to rule…

This was a great sequel to Roar. I do admit that it was a bit slower than book #1, but it was a lot of character development and getting to know more about the current state of Pavan. The reader also gets a chance to see more characters – not only meeting new ones, but also getting their viewpoint of the situation at hand.

The Stormlord is a confused, complicated character, but I think I have him figured out. This novel didn’t come right out and say it, but I think I know who he is and why he’s so messed up.

Roar showed a lot of impatience and rash decisions throughout this book, but the good thing is that she learned from them, which will mean that she will be a great leader in the future.

My conflicting feels for Locke and Cassius still exist after reading this book. I can’t decide if I’m Team Locke or Team Cassius because both have their strengths and weaknesses. I have to say, unless something major happens in the next book, I’d be happy with Roar ending up with either of them, which is very rare for me as I also have a favorite.

I’m very glad I got a chance to read this eARC and I think a lot of readers are going to enjoy this next installment of Roar’s adventure!

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Review: Right Next Door by Delilah Peters

Right Next Door by Delilah Peters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This was short and sweet. I enjoyed the background story of the characters and how much they had grown from their pasts. The instant attraction was great and the simmering scenes between them were steamy. I'm glad i got a chance to read this.

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Review: Break Me by Tracy Wolff

Break Me by Tracy Wolff
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I just couldn't get into this book. Two strangers meet, have an instant attraction and then they can't stop going after each other. I'm all for that in a book, but I also need a bit more. There are dark pasts that neither of them want to think, which means that I'm left in the dark about it, and the focus is on the superficial things, which makes me disconnect from the story.

I'm sure other readers will enjoy this novel, but it just wasn't for me overall.

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