The full review can be found at The Book Bratz!


I was disappointed in The Vault of Dreamers. I expected a lot more then I actually got. I was expecting more science fiction to it then, there was. The whole reality TV show was interesting but it wasn't enough to hold my attention. Sadly, I had high expectations of this book that were not met.

I wasn't a huge fan of the romance. It was cute, I can agree with that but I didn't think there were sparks. Rosie and Linus worked well with each other, they each held a quality that the other didn't. Rosie and Linus's on screen kiss is what kept Rosie in the top fifty ranking. But then there are trust issues and tons of unanswered questions that left me frustrated.

The whole dream harvesting / brain surgery idea was awesome! It really was and I got excited when I first read it because I thought that the book was going to take a turn. It did, for about five pages. Everything got predictable from there. Plus there are tons of unanswered questions! What happens to Linus? Is Burnham alive? Who is Numa and how is she involved?

I expected for a book that took place after 2045 to be more scientifically advanced then it was. It was like today's world, only slightly more advanced. Also, there is still Facebook in 2045? I was hugely disappointed in The Vault of Dreamers, I excepted something epic and attention grabbing but I got a bunch of blah and confusing details instead.
Actual Rating: 2.5

Review coming soon

Review to Come

The full review can be found at The Book Bratz closer to its release date!

I never been the princess type of girl. I never saw the princess movies, I didn't even know how Aurora was cursed. But as soon as I saw the summary of this book I knew I had to read the story of Sleeping Beauty because I just had to request A Wicked Thing.

I loved Aurora, she was a character that was pretty easy to relate too. Though I loved her I expected her not to be as passive as she was. Don't get me wrong, she was very clever but she didn't do anything spectacular about her situation until the last few chapters. Though being passive could do with the fact she had been asleep for a hundred years. (Actually Rodric tells her she has been asleep for 102 years.)

Rodric is the prince whose kiss woke Aurora up. Now I expected him to be perfected (I have that expectation for princes a lot.) But he wasn't. He was shy, timid, self conscious and just wanted to do everything right. Though it was clear he wasn't going to be the love interest in the story I really adored him and thought of him to be adorable. He is intelligent and would make a great King.

I was expecting more romance then was actually given to us. There were three guys who could have possibly been the love interest(s), Rodric, Prince Finnegan, and Tristan.

The plot was interesting. It dealt more with Aurora settling into her knew life and being jerked around by the King and the Queen. Her whole life was planned for her. For the most part I loved A Wicked Thing. It was interesting, had a decent pace and kept my attention even at the slower parts (there weren't many though!)

This review and more can be found at The Book Bratz!


I am questioning why I had put this book down when I tried to read it in October of 2013. What the hell was I thinking?! I defiantly made a huge mistake there. I am so glad now that I requested an ebook ARC of In a Hand Full of Dust, otherwise I would have never picked this up again.

My favorite kind of Dystopian novels are ones that deal with things that could possibly happen in the future. I feel as if it draws me in more and more and keeps me reading. I liked the plot to this, it was interesting and it wasn't long before I was hooked. (This was another one of those books I stayed up to 4 AM to read)

I loved Lynn. She was totally bad ass, and I loved to see how she went from someone who felt that she didn't need someone to eventually leaning on those she cares about. Lucy was a character I just fell in love with the minute she appeared in the book, she is just so cute and innocent. Especially since she lives in such a cruel world. Eli was just so adorable, he was an instant love for me. He was so kind and caring and a bit straight forward, especially about his flirting with Lynn. Which was adorable because she was so confused. Stebbs was someone at first that I thought would be trouble for Lynn, he just gave off that vibe. Eventually though their banter was entertaining at points, serious at others and I think Lynn in the end looked up to him in a father figure kind of way. (At least that is my opinion)

I do wish there was more romance between Lynn and Eli. I felt it was over too quick after their relationship had just started. Then you have the ending that just leaves you staring at the page with a "WTF" expression. I was very confused (I am still am!) and very sad. The book closes with an Epilogue , which has to be a few years into the future, because Lucy is going to be on guard for the first time.

In the end I really did love this book, and I am almost through the sequel, In a Handful of Dust. I also love how the titles make a sentence. Like "Not a drop to drink, in a handful of dust." I just love it!

The full review can be found at The Book Bratz

This book. My goodness. I only just finished it before sitting down to write this review and I am still trying to process everything. The Wrath and the Dawn is simply beautiful. Renee has a knack for sucking her readers in with beautiful descriptions and an enchanting romance.

When Shahrzad (Shazi) marries Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan she doesn't expect to live the night. Each day Khalid takes a new bride, only to kill her at sunrise the following morning. Shahrzad's best friend Shiva, was killed by the boy king weeks earlier and to avenge her death Shazi offers herself up to be his next bride. She doesn't go into it blind though. She has a plan. Or had one. Shazi doesn't die the first sunrise as Khalid's wife. She lives. Shazi had managed to do something that none of the other girls have done. But eventually Shazi begins to fall in love with her friend's murderer, a boy with secrets tightly held.

Biggest thing I learned in this book? Don't mess with Shazi. She is fierce. Favorite quality to her? Her wittiness. Shazi was able to take a serious moment and insert a witty comment. It was a real joy to see what would come out of her mouth next. Shazi didn't go into her marriage with Khalid with out a plan, her plan was clear cut. Kill him. Things didn't go according to plan though. I loved getting to see her internal monologue and begging Shiva for forgiveness and promised to avenge her after realizing she had falling in love with Khalid. There isn't much to say about Khalid, he is really a troubled boy who wasn't ready to be a king. He didn't have the easiest life and has been punished horribly for things that were out of his control. The growth he goes through from page one until the end of the novel is amazing. I can't wait to see more of him in the next book.

The romance in this book is stunning. If I could have a romance like this in every book I would. It was slow burn. Not to the point of boredom, but enough to actually give it a realistic feel. Shazi and Khalid are two complete opposites that they balanced each other out. One had what the other needed.

I had no prior knowledge of A Thousand and One Nights when I went into The Wrath and the Dawn so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I expected this book to be high fantasy, not a historical fiction set in the middle east. With that being said, Renee did a beautiful job at world building and developing the culture for her readers. (Do take advantage to the glossary at the back of the book. It will be a big help with a lot of the word meanings!) This is definitely a world I am excited to visit again with the book sequel.

Overall, I loved this book! It will be definitely something I will push on everyone who hasn't read it yet. The ending was a knife in the gut but I think I will be able to manage until next year for the sequel. Great part is: it is only a duology so the story won't get dragged out like it tends to happen in some series!

The full review can be found at The Book Bratz


Though I am a horror junkie, I don't read as much of it as I use to anymore. I have had my eye on this one for months and I was thrilled when it showed up at my door. I loved Katie's Bad Girl's Don't Die trilogy, and I knew for a fact her writing wasn't going to let me down. The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall was what I expected it to be and more. Interesting characters, fast paced plot, mysterious and dark it had everything I was looking for in a horror novel.

I have this strange obsession with old Asylums, I will be all over a book that involves an asylum in any way, shape or form. Delia doesn't realize the new home she inherited from her Great Aunt Cordelia was once a mental institution for the troubled and defiant woman of society. After Delia's unexplained death she comes face to face with the house residents, the good and the bad. The dark energy of the house that trapped spirits of those who have died there for eternity isn't done with Delia yet. Now, it wants her sister.

The book takes place over four years. Delia will start thinking, and it is like she entered a time warp. Things sped up. From when Delia dies to the end of the novel is four years she is dead. We see the aftermath of her death on her family and friends, and especially herself. Through out the novel Delia learns about the dark secrets of houses's history, the horrible man who built it and then rules over it, the unexplained deaths of patients, and why there is dark energy running around the house hunting the living.

I won't lie I teared up a few times. Delia is able witnesses what the aftermath of her death caused her family and friends, they were all still grieving as if Delia was gone, but really she was right next to them the whole time (As long as they were at the house) Delia tries to communicate with her family even though she knows that she can't. Delia's younger sister Janie went from a bubbly, blond haired eleven year old to a black hair, goth fifteen year old. Her ex-boyfriend and best friend look to each other to fight off their grief and her always bickering parents got a divorce. The mystery of the house and what actually was going on had me reading through the night. Katie created a creepy plot that sucked me right into Delia's world and wouldn't let me go.

I only have one small problem with The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall. I didn't quite understand Theo's part in the story. Sure, he was a *maybe* love interest for Delia, but he didn't really push or move the plot forward. He was sort of just there. I probably would have gotten a better feel for him if he was in more of the story.

Overall I really enjoyed The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall. I crown Katie Alender the queen of nightmare inducing horror novels.

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

I am not sure what I expected when I first read the summary of this book, Romeo and Juliet? Children of the Corn? It was an interesting but different mix. A mix that worked out really well. Salt and Blood is one of the creepiest books I have read so far this year. From the first line of the book I was entrapped in the world that Kim built for us.

Almost everyday since Ash was a young girl she has seen a dead girl, hanging from corn husk rope. Something that no one else sees. As time when on the dead girl began to look like Ash. Ash and her twin brother Rhys always lived a normal life, even if their mother did have weird tendencies because she grew up in a cult in a place called Quivira. But one day when Ash comes home from school and her mother is missing she knows right where to look. Packing a few belongings, and the things her mother seemed to leave behind for Ash to find. Ash and Rhys hit the road in search of Quivira. When arriving they are met by corn fields, and abandoned cars. Once in Quivira things are only about to get weirder. Who was the strange boy Ash met in the corn? Why are people suddenly dying? And where is their mother?

I love the banter between all the characters, even though the book is dark the constant banter between everyone gave it a lighter and funnier feel. Ash and Rhys who are twins have some of the best dialogue together. I enjoyed the fact that Ash is very protective of Rhys despite everything that is going on, and it is seen more in some books that the guy is more protective of the girl, then vise versa. Besides Ash and Rhys, there is Beth. Who meets the siblings when they first step out from the corn. She is a little out there, mostly due to an incident of hitting her head. She is the little blooming ray of sunshine in this horror book. (Besides the romance) Beth reminds me of a puppy. She wants everyone to be happy.

Insta-love is typically a turn off for me in books. But due to the plot and the history of Quivira, and they Ash's overall personality it fit in with the book well. And Dane. You guys. As Kim described him to me in a tweet he is: "tortured." But he is also a mixed (Families play a huge role in Quivira's culture) which means any romance between him and Ash is basically forbidden. But there is always ways around that isn't there? Kim basically destroyed me in the last fifty pages of this book, and I am excited where she will take this in with the second book.

The world building was really well done. I pictured Quivira as in almost like a settlement back in the 1700s. (Which I may be wrong but that is how Ash described it to us) But also the flashbacks, and how they were told through Ash's "Gift" added to the creep factor of Blood and Salt. Overall I really loved Blood and Salt, I can't wait to see what Kim has planned for us in book 2!

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

Why does Victoria Scott books always hit me really hard in the feels? I haven't cried over a book in a long time, and during the last chapter of this book I had tears pouring down my face. This book is a MUST READ of 2016. Despite the fantasy aspect of the Titans (Mechanical horses!), Victoria's novel is full of real world problems, a strong female friendship, and tons of girl power.

I liked Astrid from page one. She is determined and fierce. She knows what she wants. After her grandfather gambled away all his money and then the house his family lived in away, Astrid's family has no choice but live in their car. After settling down again, Astrid's father looses his job that results in hardships for his family. Then matters get worse Astrid's father gambles the remaining of their money away in a Titans race. Now facing eviction Astrid doesn't know what to do. Her father and his pride refuses the thought of Astrid getting a job.

I was easily able to relate to Astrid. Though my family isn't as unfortunate as Astrid's family, I understand her fear of loosing her home. It is a scary thought. But hope arises when the makers of the Titan races announce that one person will have the $50,000 entrance fee waived. By luck Astrid meets someone with an early version of a Titan and enters the race. The winner of the overall races receives an award of 2 million dollars and Astrid knows that is enough to save her house, and send her and her best friend to college.

I never thought I was going to fall in love with a metal horse, but Padlock is different. Titans 3.0 don't have feelings. They are incapable because it wasn't programmed into them. But Titans 1.0 do.

Padlock acted and behaved like a real horse, he was able to be afraid and show love to Astrid. He went even further at the races. Astrid doesn't trust anybody except her best friend. Its hard for her too. The people she trusted all her life made nothing but mistakes. Eventually she trusts Padlock, she jokes with and was generally a happier person around him. Padlock even had a little romance with the White Mare that lived in Barney's barn. I was routing for a horse romance. That is how much I loved Padlock.

I can talk all day and night about how much I loved this book. I am still trying to put into words how it made feel. The ending left me content with how Astrid's life will be after everything is said and done. In my mind I can see where Scott can write a sequel to Titans but I won't be unhappy if it doesn't happen because I loved this book. Titans is a book I will highly recommend to everyone and anyone who will listen to me.

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

It is pretty common knowledge among my blogger friends now that I am a huge Wendy Higgins fan, and when they told me that The Great Hunt was on Edelweiss I knew I just had to request it. The Great Hunt is a whole other world then compared to what Higgins fans are use too. But with that said, I really enjoyed the world we were thrown into.

I really admired Princess Aerity's strength throughout the book. With a beast terroizing the citizens of their kingdom Aerity's father, the King promises his daughter's hand in marriage to who ever can kill the beast. The King believes in his children finding love on their own, but he is desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures. Though Aerity doesn't like the idea, she agrees so she can save the kingdom she will one day rule. I admired that Aerity knew what was expected of her and owned up to the responsibility for what she needed to do. I read a lot of fantasy princess's and Aerity is among the ones that I really do like. My own heart breaks for her having to marry someone she doesn't love, but my hope at the Higgin's will work it out in the next book. (I have faith that she will!)

Paxton is a Lashed. Lashed are people that have magical abilities. One upon a time they were allowed to live in peace, but 100 years ago after a uprising in a neighboring kingdom they are now feared and forced to register as a Lashed. In the beginning of the novel we meet a lashed man, and the disdain and the disgust that the people held for him because of what he was. Though Paxton's abilities aren't revealed right away, there was a suspect that something was off about him. Paxton enters the hunt along with his brother, but Paxton has no desire to marry Aerity. At first Paxton appears cold and distant. But over time he opens up to Aerity, and as you learn more about him you begin to love him.

There is a third POV in The Great Hunt, that I admit at first I was a little hesitant about. But as the story moves on, it makes sense. Especially in the end.

The romance is very slow for obvious reasons. But I went into this book with the mindset of Sweet Evil and expected steaminess and teenage angst that wasn't there. But standing back and looking at the story it makes sense, and I like that there was romance but not too much. It didn't take away from the story like some romances tend to do.

I took a star off for the pacing, I find it a bit slow at moments and dragging with information. But beside that fact, I really enjoyed this book. I am excited to see what Higgins has planned for the next book considering the end of this one.