Book Review: Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Horror has a new name: introducing Courtney Alameda.
Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.
When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.
Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week.

I don't typically read horror novels because if I don't like scary movies; why would I like scary books? 
This wasn't bad. Not really scary either. (If you want scary, listen to creepy music and read this. 10x scarier. Trust me.)
It's about ghosts and hunting them. I would've wanted a more detailed description into how the whole hunting thing works and how a "tetrachromat" sees the paranormal. There's enough to get the basics and understand the story, but it could've benefit from a lot more. That would have probably called for two books instead of one. I'm glad this was a novel, so it's a toss up. 
The story itself was interesting. Highly predictable, but entertaining. I knew who the entity was and what was going to happen to the boys about half way into it. Sorry. They were good twists, but predictable. 
I liked Ryder. He was a good character and their relationship seemed understandable in the number of pages we were given. Maybe a little fast, but I'm a sucker for romance. He's definitely a fictional hottie. (What are they called? Do they have a name?) Plus, he was Australian. Always welcome in my books. (Yes, that is a pun.)
If you like horror/ghosts/adventure with a dash of romance; this is the book for you. 

Read: March 2015
My Rating: 3.75 stars / 5 stars

Book Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy. 
While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

I regret starting this series. 
Regret as in, It's-really-good-and-now-I've-caught-up-to-all-the-published-books-and-have-to-wait-until-September-until-the-next-one.
This was so good. Better than the last ones; and that's saying something. It was also horrible. The ending was horrible. My heart might as well have been chopped up and blended with my tears and that would've been less painful. 
I'm so excited. Each book builds more to what will happen while adding more to each character. 
It took a while to get used to all the different POVs this time. There was at least 5-ish? I didn't really like the witch's story in the beginning but grew to really like it in time. Very How to Train Your Dragon-esque. Is that a spoiler? Sorry. Very curious how she'll play into the grand scheme.
Celaena has become my baby. I'm sorry if you hate it when people chose "babies" or call characters that, but I just love her so much. She has grown into a badass lady and I can't wait for her to kick ass and take names. Learning about her past and everything was so good and painful. Ugh. She's so strong. 
I absolutely adored her relationship with Rowan. It was real, strong and platonic. (Yes, you can have a boy and a girl in a strong relationship without any romance! Crazy, I know.) I just loved them together and I can't wait to see more of them.
THE ENDING. Goddamn. I'm even more upset about having to wait a long time for the next one after reading this than I was. Ugh. I'm still not over it. Won't be over it. All I can say is that I will eagerly await the ass kicking that will happen with relish. 
I'm going to buy all of the books and stare at them remembering how they tore out my heart. Also for their pretty covers. 
Would 100% recommend.

Read: March 2015
My Rating: 5 stars / 5 stars

Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.
It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."
From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for

Oh my.
I read Throne of Glass in July. Hah. Last year! But this didn't have to be read right after. It still follows the story but isn't so packed with information from the first one that leaves you trying to figure everything out. 
This is a really good story. I liked the first one but wasn't really gushing about how I love all the characters or anything. It's just a really good and well written story. 
In this one however, I've come to love the characters. I adore Celaena. She is such a badass and such a troubled soul. My heart broke because of everything she went through. Especially in this book. Why did you do what you did Sarah J. Maas? Why? Do you enjoy sipping on the tears of your readers? I didn't actually cry but I was sobbing on the inside. 
Ugh. All the angst in this one? And after I get the couple I want together. (I don't do "Teams" but, come on, you still root for a certain couple. But Celaena can take care of herself. I just want her to be happy. For once.) 
On that note: Chaol, just say "I understand". PLEASE. Ugh. Boys.
I really love Celaena. She's the heroine but she's so morally ambiguous. I love it. It kind of redefines what it means to be a hero and what makes a hero. Also the parallels between her and the king. I love it when hero and villain have parallels. It makes the balance between "good" and "evil" seem even more slim.
I'm surprised the media/hollywood hasn't gobbled this series up. I'm happy that they haven't destroyed them, but they're so good that they would normally be made into movies by now. They have the whole Game of Thrones vibe about them. Both in that it's a game of thrones and that it does what Game of Thrones does best. Then there's the "love triangle". Which is bull. Sort of. Both boys love her. She loves both boys. 
Obviously 10/10 would recommend. Seriously. Go read them now. I can't wait to read the next one. I'll be watching this series closely. 

Read: March 2015
My Rating: 5 stars / 5 stars

Book Review: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

A new series of global proportions -- from master of intrigue, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter. 
This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.
Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay--in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

Let me start by saying I love Ally Carter. Her series' got me through middle school and high school.
I didn't really like this book of hers, however. It's really disappointing to not like one of your favorite authors' work. I just didn't enjoy this one.
It felt to...kid-ish. I know its audience is younger than I am, but it felt like they were all 13 rather than 16+. It felt like I was reading a Nickelodeon/Disney Channel movie. (They're not bad but they are made for younger viewers and sometimes are really obvious about it.)

I was confused a majority of the book anyways. I don't know if it was how I read it or if it was the book. Either way I didn't fully understand what was happening. Having the protagonist be confused half the time didn't help in my case either. Then the story jumped around a lot. I lost sight of what the point of the story was, the characters didn't seem really real and used so that the main character wasn't seen as a loner. Or crazy. I'm still don't know who the real bad guy is. If there was one? I don't even know. 

Now that I'm older, I didn't find the brooding, mysterious, stays-in-the-shadows love interest very appealing. In fact it was kind of creepy. Not like a creeper but just that she likes him without him doing a lot. Have him have character or show some kindness towards the protagonist, not stay in the shadows and disappear all the time. When they eventually get together (and you know they will), it'll seem weird that they had so little time to "fall in love". But maybe that's just me.

I wanted to like this a lot. But I didn't. I'm sad. 

Read: March 2015

My Rating: 3 stars / 5 stars

Book Review: Angelburn by L. A. Weatherly

They're out for your soul.
And they don't have heaven in mind...
Willow knows she's different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people's dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. 
But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself does. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces and that he's one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems; least of all good and evil.

Not going to lie, I was kind of expecting this to be similar to Angelfall. If anything I was hoping for it because then I'd have something to tie me over while I wait for the next one to come out.
Unfortunately, it wasn't like that at all. Which would've been fine if it had had a better story.
I called what was going to happen from the start. No book should do that. If anything you should have crumbs hinting but not large cookie size crumbs.
The huge reveal that she's what she is (spoilers?) didn't have me gasping in the slightest.
Then there's the angels. I was thinking people with wings and maybe some special powers. Nope, I got actual angels. With halos and gowns. Yeah. They have a human form that's more beautiful than regular humans, of course. They feed on people in some weird mind meld and diseases are the side effect of that? Okay, pushing it a little but okay.
Then there's the love story. I was hoping for some of that hate that would turn into love. It did but the hate lasted 0.5 seconds if it started at all. The male protagonist is taken away by her beauty, especially how "she doesn't even know she has it", and is supposed to hate her. Yeah, OK. So I let that slide since this is how these tropes work. Nope, a few pages later they're already admitting they don't actually hate each other. No! You're supposed to save that until one of them is close to dying! Come on! A few pages after that, they're saying they love each other. WHAT. No, I'm sorry but you guys dont love each other. You guys only met three days ago. I get that you've spent a lot of time together but come on. Not that much!
Ugh. Sorry but no. I thought that was cute when I was 11 and watched every Disney princess movie, but the audience reading this is a little older and know a little better. Show some respect.
I didn't particularly enjoy this but I mean at least I tried?

Read: March 2015
My Rating: 2 stars / 5 stars