Endure (Need #4) by Carrie Jones

Kindle Edition

 272 pages

 Published May 8th 2012

by Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.
Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .
Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

THIS BOOK CONTAINS:  Death, Extreme Violence, Mythology, and Romance.

My Thoughts:

In a word this book was FANTASTIC!!!!   I throughly enjoyed this one from beginning to end.   I was so happy to receive this book from  Netgalley that I actually jumped for joy!  This has been a very extreme reading experience, with all of the twist and turns that I have come to expect from a series of this quality.   I loved the ending to this book and I felt that the final twist to the story just added that something extra which pushed this book to the top of the list.  In my opinion  it is now the best book of the series and I just want to go back to the beginning so that I can  reread the series to experience the magic that Carrie has created within these books.  If you havent read this series you are truly missing out on an amazing reading experience!!!

All These Things I’ve Done (Birthright #1) by Gabrielle Zevin

Hardcover

354 pages

Published  September 6th 2011

by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

  In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city’s most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.’s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she’s to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight–at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.Engrossing and suspenseful, All These Things I’ve Done is an utterly unique, unputdownable read that blends both the familiar and the fantastic.

This Book Contains:  Crime, Violence, Death, Romance, and Gangsters.

CHARACTERS:

Anya Balanchine I liked a lot she is tough and focused on taking care of her family at all cost.  Win is a little too  sweet at times and I think that he didn’t alway express his feelings because of his fear that Anya would push him away.  Scarlet is a great best friend, very loyal and determined to help Anya with anything she can.  Scarlet does find herself following a relationship that may cause problems for her but so has many other girls.  You have the “Family” which may or may not have Anya’s family best interest at heart.  I love Leo he is mentally disabled but he has so much pride and love for his family that it just makes his character that much more endearing. 

MY THOUGHTS:

I had put off reading this book because the cover and synopsis didn’t draw me in.  I found it on audio at the library and thought I would try listening to it.   Wow, was I impressed with this book!  It is labeled dystopian but it didn’t have the war-torn dystopian feel that most have.  It just start off with things been rationed and things being banned such as chocolate.  You never got and explanation to why things were the way they were, but it never felt that you really needed to know.  The story was just so strong that you didn’t miss those details.  Which I find exceptional because a lot of books would lack in a believable storyline without adding those details. I never once found this story to be lacking in anything.   The author focused her energy and time on the actual characters so, that is where your focus is drawn. I was sucked into this book from the first chapter and couldn’t stop until I was finished with it.

Anya reminds me of Kat Bishop from “Heist Society” , who happens to be one of my top ten favorite female protagonist.  They are both strong females with criminal family ties and they both want to keep their family safe while doing what is right in their minds.   I have a feeling that as I continue with this series Anya will end up rising to my top ten.  She is flawed, tough and is full of love for her family and that is what makes a character great to me.  I connected with Anya and could visualize what she was going through.  Very seldom can you connect to a character so much so, that you can feel the emotions that they are felt as the author describes them.  I think that is why I am hooked on this book and will be waiting anxiously for the next installment.

 

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

 

Hardcover

342 pages

Published August 9th 2011

by Candlewick(first published August 1st 2011)

 

It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone— and her future full of peril.

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all.

 

This book contains:  Abuse, Death, Futuristic Retelling with Sci-fi Eliminates  and Violence.

PLOT:

A young girl has been awakened after sixty years in a stasis tube to find her world turned upside down because everyone and everything she knew is gone.  She has to learn to function in a world that is no longer like the one she knew before.  On top of all this she has to defend herself against someone or something that is out to do her harm. 

 CHARACTERS:

Rosalinda is a girl who is confused by the damaged done to her from her childhood and situation she now finds herself in.  She seems very weak and scared by the things going on with her. You have Bren who is a young man who removes Rosalinda from the chamber.  He is a kind of prince among his peers.  You have Otto who shares Rosalinda’s pain in away that no one else can.  Then you have Xavier who is Rosalindas boyfriend that is dead and gone but seen through flashbacks.  

MY THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed this book !  I loved that it is a futuristic Retelling of Sleeping Beauty.  I love how the story slowly unfolds with all the various flash backs of her life with Xavier and her parents.   Many of the reviews I saw thought that she was a weak character and that she should have stood up for herself more.  I saw her as a survivor that developed coping skills in order to survive the abuse that she was suffering from her own family.  I can’t wait until the next book comes out because the story left off at a point that just leaves you wanting more even without the big cliffhanger.

 

The Iron Thorn (Iron Codex #1) by Caitlin Kittredge

Hardcover

493 pages

Published February 22nd 2011

by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

 In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft’s epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.      Aoife Grayson’s family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.     

This book contains: Mental Illness, Violence, Death, Otherworldly Creatures, Romance and Magic.  This is Listed as a Steampunk Novel.

My Thoughts On The Plot:

I enjoyed the plot very much because it is very different from other books I have read before.  It has a very complex world of magic, machines, and otherworldly creatures.  The plot of the book left you wondering what could possible be thrown at these characters next.   There seemed to always be an eliminate of surprise or a twist that you didn’t see coming.  Kittredge is a very talented author with a very vivid imagination.   The plot is very complex and creative and it just blew me away.

The Characters:
Aoife Grayson is a strong female lead protagonist.  She is willing to do whatever it takes to save her brother even after mental illness takes over and makes him try to kill her.  Then we have Cal who is Aoife’s best friend with a lot of issues.  I found him to be a loyal  but some what annoying character in the beginning.   I liked him a lot better later in the book.  Last you have Dean,  well what can I say about Dean?  Dean is a very strong male lead and he has his own set of secrets.  Although, I have to say I love the fierce connection he has to Aoife.    With these character you get a really good connection that is sometimes lacking in books of this type.

My Thought:

I found the book to be very slow to get into but once I did I really enjoyed it.  There was a lot of world and character building in this story.  I think all the building helped you feel connected to this story and with out it I don’t think there would have been that connection.  I enjoyed this story a lot and I look forward to reading the next book in this series, because I have high hopes that this will be one of those epic type stories that you talk about for years after it has ended.

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hardcover

438 pages

Published October 4th 2011

by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They’ve overcome the secrets riddled in Patch’s dark past…bridged two irreconcilable worlds…faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust…and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they’ve worked for—and their love—forever.

This has to be my absolute favorite book of the series so far.  After the aggravation I felt for Crescendo I was so happy to read this book.  Nora redeemed herself in this book because she was no longer a whinny self-indulgent little twit.  I liked Crescendo but with all Nora’s insecurities it was very hard not to throw the book and scream.  

Nora has under gone a lot of changes in this book but I think it has helped her grow and realize that she can trust Patch.  Patch has proven his love for Nora time and time again.  In this book he takes it to an all new level of devotion in trying to protect Nora.  Then there is Scott who I just adore and love reading about him.  I love how he gets under Patchs skin just by being around Nora.

All and all this is an incredible addition to an already incredible series.  If you havent read this series, I totally recommend that you do.  Also, if you are a fan of this series then you will be very happy to with this addition to this series.  I do believe that Mrs. Fitzpatrick has really out done herself this time!

The Exiled Queen(Seven Realms #2)by Cinda Williams Chima

Hardcover

586 pages

Published September 28th 2010

by Hyperion Book CH

You can’t always run from danger…
Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean danger isn’t far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.
Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden’s Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.
The Exiled Queen is an epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

I am absolutely in love with this series.  I know many people say that this series is epic but it is so beyond that.  I really don’t know what the right word for this series is. 

 I am so torn by the Amon and Han love triangle that I am now at a loss to say as to whom or if I want Raisa with either of them.  Then there is Micah who I know cares for Raisa but I am not sure what he is up to.  Then there is his sister who is so just annoying and I know she wants Han even though she pretends different.

There is so much going on behind the scenes in this book that it keeps you guessing on where plot is headed.  I love this about the series.  I feel that this book is a journey that no one should miss.  I just know that once we get to the end of the series we will be happy that we went along for the ride.

The Demon King (Seven Realms, #1)by Cinda Williams Chima

Hardcover

506 pages

Published

November 19th 2009

by HYPERION (first published September 6th 2009)

This novel marks the first giant step in a momentous fantasy journey orchestrated by Cinda Williams Chima, the author of the popular Warrior Heir series. Its two chief protagonists are ex-thief Han Alister, an impoverished commoner, and Raisa ana’Marianna, the headstrong Princess Heir of the Fells. The Demon King brings them together, creating part of a volatile mix of action, magic, and danger. Empathetic characters; wizardly attacks.

I have always loved fantasy and this book just proves why I love it.  The world is just so well done that it is just pure genius on the authors part.  She takes several different characters that have very different lives and brings them together in such away that you know that their connections run far deeper.  There is a feeling of a story with in a story that just is ready to be told just yet.   As you are reading this story you can see the thread coming together but the author only gives you enough to keep you craving even more.

The chapters are told mostly in Raisas and Hans points of view.  I find that I really like this style of writing because you get to know the characters on a more personal level.  I tend to find myself caring more about the characters this way.  

The story has so much going on and there is never a dull moment or a feeling that this it doesn’t make sense.  This story makes you want to know where did the silver cuffs come from, who is Dancers father, what are the Bayars after and when will Raisa get what she wants.

I am so glad that I don’t have to wait for the next book because I don’t think I could bare it.  I have the second book right here and plan to start it today!   If you havent read this book than you should because you are missing out on an absolutely beautiful story.

Hades (Olympians)by George O’Connor

Paperback

80 pages

Expected publication:

January 31st 2012

by First Second

Volume 4 of the highly acclaimed Olympians series!

 

Hades: Lord of the Dead tells the story of the great God of the Underworld and one of the most famous of all Greek myths: Hades’ abduction of Persephone and her mother’s revenge. Be prepared to see a new side of Persephone in this dynamic adaptation of the story of the creation of the seasons.

 

In Olympians, O’Connor draws from primary documents to reconstruct and retell classic Greek myths. But these stories aren’t sedate, scholarly works. They’re action-packed, fast-paced, high-drama adventures with monsters, romance, and not a few huge explosions. O’Connor’s vibrant, kinetic art brings ancient tales to undeniable life in a perfect fusion of super-hero aesthetics and ancient Greek mythology.

 

 I am a huge fan of greek mythology.  I also am an art lover in pretty much all its forms.  So when I received this book from Netgalley I was extremely excited.    I downloaded it right away so that I could read it that day.   I have to say I was not disappointed.   My daughter also read it because she is a huge fan of the whole Persephone story and she loved this one and wants me to buy her a copy once it hits the stores. 

I enjoyed the authors unique take on the story.  The art was really good but at times I felt that the character look a little unrealistic.   Over all this was a very well done graphic novel and one that I will soon be displaying in my home  once it is released.

Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2)by Andrea Cremer

Hardcover

390 pages

Published

July 26th 2011

by Penguin Young Readers Group

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

I thought Nightshade was amazing and then I read Wolfsbane.  Wow, this one introduces a whole new cast of characters.  These characters are just as fabulous as the wolves are in Nightshade.   The group dynamics between the different characters is just amazing.  There are several surprises in this book that you never see coming.   Which is one of my favorite things in a book because I hate things to be predictable. 

Shay and Calla still have very intense moments together which, to tell you the truth are probably my favorite parts of the book.   Calla is of course still very conflicted over Ren.   She also wants to help her pack and feels very guilty for leaving them.  Shay of course is dealing with his new-found role that he has to play in this war.  He also has to deal with the changes going on in his own body.  

There is a lot of history and insight going on in this book.   I feel that it just takes this book to another level.   Finding out the true story about the battle that caused Rens’ mothers death was really good.   Meeting characters that played a part in that battle and the connections that they have to the wolf pack is a real eye opener and makes you wish you could read the third book to see how all these thread meet up.

Cremer is a fantastic story writer that not only can she weave a tale that is so full of magic that it actually makes your skin feel all prickly.  You can also picture what is going on because her descriptions are so just so vivid.  I have been throughly swept away into this world and I can’t wait to revisit it again.

Angel Burn (Angel #1) by L.A. Weatherly

Hardcover

449 pages

Published May 24th 2011

by Candlewick Press

original title

Angel

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. 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. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip – and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They’re out for your soul . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.

I have been very impressed with the types of Angel books produce within the last few years.  Although none have been as unique as this particular one.  Angels are thought to be every thing good and righteous but that is not the case in this book.  This book is definitely a new take on angels.  These angels are not from heaven but from a different world altogether.  These beings are evil, so evil that they feed off humans.  They suck away you life essence and leave you feeling as if you have been given a divine message.  When in fact they are depleting what makes you, you.

I loved how they have Willow the main lead who is part Angel and human as the one capable of destroying the angels.  Although, I am not sure how she is to fight the angels if all she can do is keep them from killing her.  I think her character is a little under developed.  I hope as the series progresses that she will discover more powers or strengths that she can use against the angels or I am not sure what the point is.

Alex by far is my favorite character.  I liked the fact that he is an AK and that he has been training since he was a very young boy to fight the angels.   By far he is the most complex of all the characters.  His struggles to accept Willow for who she is instead of what she is, has to be some of my favorite moments in the book.  There relationship and how it evolves is just so sweet that is just makes you warm inside.

The only negative thing I have to say about this book is the ending.  I felt that the ending was a little vague on some points and that it lacked this big show down that it was building up to.  Although given that there is more books to come it does explain the ending somewhat.  I just felt the things could have been written in away that was a little more clear.

Over all I enjoyed the book immensely and I can’t wait to continue the series.  I have very high hopes for future books and can’t wait to read more of Alex and Willow.