Book Review: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.
Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.
Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life. 
When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids has been on my radar for awhile now for multiple reasons. Namely because of; diversity, interracial couple and the Pacific Northwest. 

Oh, and mermaids. Sort of. 

If you're looking for a story about actual mermaids, this isn't that. I think it was sort of like a modern re-telling of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. Either that or just an homage to it. The narrator can't speak, can't sing and her voice was stolen by the sea. She also meets a handsome sailor. So in those details, yes, it's similar to the Disney movie we all know and love.

But that's about where the similarities end. First off, we have a WOC (woman of color) as the narrator. Yay! The book is constantly bringing up parts of her culture without making it stereotypical, like it's "cool" or trying really hard to say that she's different. There was no "I'm [insert culture] so I do [insert thing] because I'm [insert culture]". None of that. It was just the character being herself and it was wonderful. 

The author did a great job with her culture as well as her disability. It was interesting to read from her perspective because while I'm used to constantly hearing the narrator's thoughts, I wasn't used to them not being able to share them easily. It was also interesting to see how others react to her disability. There was a wide range of them and it represented the characters well. It was also a great character development for her to lose her voice only to find it again. You'll see when you read it.

Being a PNW native myself, I was curious to see how the author would represent this rainy wasteland I call home. She did a great job. While the setting was mainly just a backdrop for the story, she captured the essence of it remarkably well. It was nice to see the narrator view it as cold and rainy until she came to realize the ancient power and wisdom it has. If you've been to the PNW, especially the Oregon coast, you'd understand.

Also, I loved the incorporation of the mermaid myth. Atargatis being the first mermaid and the town she lives in being named after her. Unfortunately, the town doesn't actually exist. (Another fictional let down. Why couldn't have Forks not existed instead?) Anyways, mermaids. It was so cool. I don't know what else to say besides read it. Seriously. It's worth it. Also it has a pretty cover. 

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

Book Review: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.
Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal. 
Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

Fair warning to all who are thinking about this: the story is about a girl who has schizophrenia. While it is not a story about the mental illness, it is still an important part of the story. 

If you are one who is well-versed in the genre that is Young Adult, then you are probably aware of the fact that there are a lot of book dedicated to all types of mental illness. Some are good and handle the illness as it should; with understanding and respect of it without making it to be any more or less than what it is. Others have been known to romanticize these illnesses and use them as an easy way to get popularity by tackling "hard issues". 

I praise all the higher beings out there that this one was not like the latter group at all. 

By the time the 10th page rolled around, I was in love with this book. I was laughing out loud because of how witty and genuinely funny the jokes were. The jokes were about how the protagonist, who is schizophrenic, sees things that aren't always there. It wasn't the demeaning bullying kind of joke where it made fun of it, it was just accepting of that fact and making observations in her situation. She does this throughout the book. 

Since she is the narrator of the story, she's obviously unreliable. She has auditory and visual hallucinations. I knew really soon into the novel that not everything I was seeing through her eyes were real. Which was exciting and also really interesting to know it but get so absorbed that you quickly forget. There are some obvious ones to the reader and maybe some not so obvious. 

It was just really great as a reader, to read from the perspective of a mental ill person without constantly thinking that they have this illness. After a while I just got used to her seeing red squirrels and men in suits on the school's roof. It was a part of her character as much as being good at math or living in San Diego is for other characters.

Then there was the romance. Yes, there is a romance in this book. Thankfully, her love interest does not find her "quirky" or whatever because of her illness. He just loves her for who she is and wants to be with her. He was more than able to handle the stuff in both their lives. He's a good boy.

There's also a mystery aspect. Which sounds weird since we have an unreliable narrator, but we have one anyways. It makes the story even more gripping for me. It was like playing Nancy Drew, only that some of the clues might not be real. I guessed the big plot twist like three pages before she did, so I'm really glad by that. I hate guessing correctly early on. Still confused about the scoreboard. Like, wtf. You'll understand when you read it. 

I can't wait to own this bad boy. The cover is wonderful and the story is even more so. SOON.

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

Book Review: Parallel by Lauren Miller

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

This had been on my radar for quite some time but never got around to actually reading it. I don't know why I waited so long because it's a time travel/parallel universe story and I love those. They are easy for me to understand, and I love seeing how each author explains how these worlds work. 

Surprisingly, this one took a lot of brain power to fully understand. Actually, to be completely honest, I still don't fully understand. It's definitely a new theory/adaptation on parallel universes that I haven't read before, so really happy about that. You kind of learn with the protagonist through her journey to understanding it all. There's also a lot of scientific jargon that make it more believable. 

There's also a time leap from chapter to chapter. The protagonist doesn't remember the her senior year and we get to see everything that leads up to her present. Well, technically it's just her consciousness living out her parallel's life. Complicated, I know. It was weird seeing the path lead out for her while also adjusting to changes being made. It's confusing if you don't read it. How it happens it's that you make choices and in a parallel universe, you made a different one than the one you made. So interesting to think that the littlest things can have the potential to greatly steer our lives onto different paths. Anyways.

I did not like one of the love interests. Like, at all. I was very, very happy when the ending that explained everything and made it nice again happened. No spoilers, sweetie! But man, getting there, whoo boy. There's a point in the book where everything just goes to shi- poop. Just everything. It was So. Painful. You just wanted everything to go smoothly and her to end up with the right guy and UGH.

THE ENDING THOUGH. GOODNESS. I really want a sequel. Or an epilogue. SOMETHING. I know everything will be okay because it ended and stuff, but I want to know for sure. Everything just went poof! and all the trouble gone. Just read it. It's a good book in its own right and does a fantastic job in the parallel universe department, despite my slow understanding. I felt things and I wanted to throw the book. That means it's written very well. Ugh.

Read: July 2015

My Rating: 4.5 stars / 5 stars

Book Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.
The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.
Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Kasie West is easily one of my favorite authors. She's written wonderful novels like Pivot Point Series, On the Fence and The Distance Between Us. 
This is definitely a new favorite of hers. Probably 3rd favorite- with Pivot Point and The Distance Between Us first and second. 
Her writing is so brilliant and thought-out that I end up finishing the entire book within a 24-hour period because everything just flows. The Fill-In Boyfriend was no exception to this. In fact, I liked it a lot better than her previous contemporary novel, On the Fence. 
The characters are so well-written and they are fun to read as well as see them (usually) fall in love. The book is a contemporary romance, so if "chick-lit" isn't your thing, this might not be for you. Plus it has one of my favorite tropes/cliches: the pretend romantic lover that turns into real love. I'm a sucker for romance and cliches.

You get to see the characters evolve through out the book and actually see the chemistry between them. It didn't feel forced or written purely for a romantic plot; these characters are compatible, bring out the best in each other and very comfortable with just being near each other. 
It's just a wonderful read and great quick read for a trip to the beach. 
I also highly recommend the rest of Kasie West's books. They're awesome.

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

Book Review: End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES IN THE SUMMARY
After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.
When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

It's finally here!!!

I've been eagerly awaiting this book to come out. Like, going to Barnes and Noble almost everyday to see if it's there. 
I gobbled this up.
This is the last book in the Penryn & the End of Days trilogy (Angelfall and World After). If you ever need a reference on how to end a really well-written and successful series- use this as your guide. It ends the series perfectly and with justice.
The story was filled with tension and really had me engaged to see what was going to happen next. I didn't even have time to think about my predictions for where this was going to go; I just read. Most of the time I didn't figure it out until Penryn (the narrator) had figured it out. 
Great job, Susan Ee. Four for you, Susan Ee. You go, Susan Ee.

God, Penryn and Raffe have changed so much over this series. They've developed and learned so much about themselves and each other. 
The ending was unexpected, but good. Very good. Very happy with it.Would have really enjoyed an epilogue, though. 
I can't believe it's over now. I read the first two earlier in the year. Now it's over. No more.
10/10 would recommend for a wonderful series and story. 
I await whatever Susan Ee has to write next.

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

Book Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamicsThe Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.
It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

This is Emery Lord's second book. 
It's wonderful. Even better than her first, which is saying a lot.
The Start of Me and You is the perfect fluffy romance read, great for the beach or chilling out in the sun. 
I enjoyed this novel greatly because the protagonist was really easy to understand and collect for a introverted nerd like myself. You get to see, literally, these to characters fall in love.
Very, very slowly.

If that's not your jam, then maybe brace yourself or not read it. 
However, it's great to read her journey in falling in love and see her be in love before she even realizes it. And her love interest is a huge nerd, so they are pretty adorable.
She also has some issues to get over herself. This is not a "love fixes all". Love doesn't come into play until the end, but she begins to accept her problems and conquer them. 
This leads to a lot of angst- which I love. 

The ending was great but after reading the entire thing, I just wanted a tiny bit more romance. There aren't a lot of swoons, so a little epilogue would've satisfied me. 
I'm such a hopeless romantic. These romance novels are going to be the death of me.
10/10 would recommend if you want a cute little romance novel.
Also check out Emery Lord's Open Road Summer.

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

Book Review: Fractured by Sarah Fine

Really all I have to say about this book is:



Seriously. This book is amazing. If you've read the first one (Sanctum), then you should most definitely read this one. If anything this might be better than the first. 
The characters are so real and have such growth in each book. I love, love Lela. She's a great protagonist and such a badass. She's everything I hope to be. Malachi is great. That boy is wonderful and I want one for myself. Their relationship is real and goes through similar emotions that other couples do. (I would say situations but I don't think most couples fight spirit-infested people.) 
The angst! Oh, the angst. It was heart-breaking to read but so well done. Ugh. 

BUT THE ENDING. Oh man. I am so happy I had the third one with me on hand. I would've died if I had to wait to read it. This is left with the worth possible cliff hanger ever. It's so sad and everything. Oh my God. Just-just read it. Seriously. You will not regret it. Okay, maybe you will because of the emotional trauma this will cause. 
This is definitely one of my favorite series.

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

Book Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."
"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....
"I dare you..."
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

I love me some romance. I've read the third and fourth in this series before reading this one (the second in the series). It doesn't require you to read them in order but you would recognize the characters and it would follow the timeline. 
This has been my favorite of the three I've read so far. I'm a sucker for the cliches/tropes in romance novels/movies. This one was the "Dating this girl for a bet and oh no, I actually love her". I loved it. I really loved it. 
I could really relate to Beth, surprisingly. I was trying to figure out why I liked this so much and really liked reading from Beth's POV- then it hit me. She is constantly running away from her emotions and any person who wants to show love/affection for her. I'm constantly thinking in other novels that I'd run away if I was put in an emotionally charged situation, but they never do. Except this time. I liked it. Others might not. 
Beth is also a badass. I was scared of her but also wanted to be her friend most of the time. A goal I hope to achieve later in life. 
Then there's all that angst. I love angst. Angst means a cute and wonderful make-up or at least some kind of comfort that's all fluffy. Of course dating someone on a dare is a sure-fire way of getting a lot of angst and I wasn't disappointed. So this also serves as a warning if you don't like angst. (Which I enjoy. For some reason.)
I should add a warning for a possible trigger to anyone who does not want to read about physical abuse or drug abuse. This book deals with it, but it's not the entire time. But just letting you know.
This book is on my "to-buy" list for sure. I want to be able to re-read all the swoons and angst over and over again.


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

Book Review: I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.
Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

Let's take a moment to appreciate the pretty cover.
I've read Heather Demetrios' other novel, Something Real sometime last year and really enjoyed it.
This one blew that out of the water. 
I loved this book. So. Much. It was written beautifully, the characters were real and compelling, the story was great and the heart-breaking moments were heart-shattering. I went around the house for days as I read this saying "Ugh, it's sooo sad" "Whyyyy" and a lot of groaning. 
When I first read that this was most likely going to end up as a romance novel with a girl falling in love with a boy who had just come back from war without a leg- I was hesitant. I was afraid this was going to be some weird romanticizing of amputees and war veterans. It wasn't, to my delight. She also didn't ignore it. It wasn't a quick mention in the beginning and then you forget about it until it's mentioned later. It was just... there. I never pictured Josh (the love interest & sometimes narrator) without his prosthetic, unless specified that he didn't have it on. The author wrote it as a normal thing that happens, which it is. I really loved how she did that. Thank you.
God, this was heartbreaking. It wasn't because of what you're probably thinking. It was the normal things that happen to everyone when they start dating or doing that thing in books and movies where they're basically dating but not officially. And then one of them goes off and messes everything up. That's what happened. So much angst and sorrow and FEELINGS. Prepare yourself, if you decide to read this.
I would so recommend it and I can't wait until I have enough money so I can buy this.

Read: April 2015
My Rating: 5 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: Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.
Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.
Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

I've had my eye out for this book for awhile before I just decided to put it on hold rather than wait. I'd say it was worth the wait. Different than what I was expecting but good.
It wasn't really a book that I can gush over or say that I can totally relate to the characters; it was just a good book. 
It was written really well and despite being confusing in the beginning, it turned out wonderfully. 
I loved the ending. It made sense and it was really cute. It also made a scene in the beginning make a hell of a lot more sense. I remember reading it in the beginning thinking that maybe she was just crazy or that it was a weird mess-up. It makes sense in the end! I like when books do that.
It was sad, so if you don't like sad, don't read it. Or at least read with caution. It was exactly sad, it deals with hard topics that make the characters sad and because it's written well, it makes the reader sad as well. It's not the whole story but rather an aspect of it. The whole book doesn't revolve around this one event, it revolves around the characters that the event happened to. 
It had sad moments, funny moments, cute moments and everything else. 
I liked the nickname "Sunshine"- that was adorable. Their banter was so much fun to read, the relationship between Nastya and the boys was great and didn't turn into a love triangle (THANK GOD). It was just a nice friendship. Take note: You can have relationships like that without turning romantic. There is a thing called platonic. 
It was a nice read and would recommend to anyone, really. 

Read: February 2015
My Rating: 4.5 stars / 5 stars

Book Review: Sanctum by Sarah Fine

“My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple.”
A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance—hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone—she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife. 
As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t—the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate

This was just a spur of the moment, "This looks good" kind of read.
Boy, did it pay off. I am so happy I read this, I can not even begin. I'll do my best anyways. 
First, we have a badass heroine that is also a POC (person/people of color) and that's HUGE for a book like this. We need more POCs in literature because representation is very important. It empowers others that there are people like them that can do the same stuff as other characters. Okay, kind of a tangent, but it was really nice to read.
Secondly, she is your typical action hero with all the badassery, snark, and terrible back story. BUT she's real. She's not this way because she wanted to be but it's how she dealt with the hand she was given. She's a great, great character. 
Third, the story is AMAZING. It's a new twist on the whole "afterlife" thing that's been done before. This was unlike anything I've read and written really well. 
Fourth, the character development was really fun to read. We get to see how her thoughts change throughout this journey.
Fifth, her love interest is the perfect yin to her yang. Plus, it was like a bonus to the whole story and not the story itself. Just how it should be. The boy is to die for. (Sorry, it's a terrible pun but we are talking about the afterlife after all.) Not a lot of swoons but a lot of cute moments. 
Finally, the ending was wonderful. I could've seen this as a complete novel had certain things not happened, but it's a trilogy. I already have the whole series and I eagerly await reading them. 
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good book. Also check out Sarah Fine's other book Of Metal and Wishes, which is also really good. (And a modern take of Phantom of the Opera.)

Read: February 2015

My Rating: 5 stars / 5 stars

Book Review: World After by Susan Ee

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

Goddamn, goddamn, goddamn. 
I knew starting this series would be deadly. I just didn't know how deadly until I finished this one and found out that there's another one that doesn't  come out til May. MAY. Someone just stab me with a fork because that'll be less painful than waiting until it comes out.
God, this book is amazing.
I just don't really have a lot to say about it except "AHHHHHHHHHH" and "READ IT". Seriously.
I just love all the characters and the complexity that each of them have. It makes the story a lot stronger, more believable and definitely more enjoyable.
I also really like how this isn't your typical dystopian/apocalyptic series. It's not like some corrupt government that rules all and only one girl can save the whole world (AKA AMERICA). It's just about a girl who wants her sister back. And who also has an extremely attractive angel man to help her. 
Ugh, I swear, if I don't get some big romance scene in the next one, I'll be upset. But I'll live because that's not the whole point of it, but come on. It's been brewing for some time. Give them some happiness. PLEASE. 
This book reminded me why I love reading.

Read: January 2015
My Rating: 5 stars / 5 stars (obviously)