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**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**Bright Fire is the first book in a young adult fantasy/mythology series. Delfia is the daughter of Persephone and Hades, only she never knew that little tidbit about herself. I love mythology stories and I have a special affinity for Persephone and Hades. Bright Fire was a little different than most Hades fiction that I have read. Here he is more of the traditional bad guy, and certainly not the love interest like he was in the few other young adult books he was featured in. Bright Fire took a unique perspective on the fantasy tales and I enjoyed it. Plus, I can't get over how much I love this cover. I just want to stare at it all day. Sigh.
The book felt kind of stilted at first. Delfia's parents are killed almost instantly and no one really had a reaction. People were shocked and sad, but Delfia's mom's best friend just acted like nothing even happened at all. The book said she was sad, but in the very next sentence she told Delfia and her own daughter (Delfia's best friend) "ok girls, be good, don't get into too much trouble, i'm off to work." This was just hours after both of Delphina's parents were brutally murdered in their own home. It just felt really strange to me. But moving past that, once Delfia meets up with Alec and starts to get some more answers on what she is and what is going on, the action really starts to fly. It was easy to get lost in the story then.
This is a fun read, but as many other reviewers have warned (on goodreads) this book could have benefited from an additional grammar and general flow editing read through. But it should be noted that this is M.J. Austin's first book, so I am sure the next book in the series will not make some of the same mistakes Bright Fire made. Overall though, Bright Fire was an enjoyable read. There is a cliffhanger at the end that is a pretty brutal one. It will leave you wanting the next book.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
The book felt kind of stilted at first. Delfia's parents are killed almost instantly and no one really had a reaction. People were shocked and sad, but Delfia's mom's best friend just acted like nothing even happened at all. The book said she was sad, but in the very next sentence she told Delfia and her own daughter (Delfia's best friend) "ok girls, be good, don't get into too much trouble, i'm off to work." This was just hours after both of Delphina's parents were brutally murdered in their own home. It just felt really strange to me. But moving past that, once Delfia meets up with Alec and starts to get some more answers on what she is and what is going on, the action really starts to fly. It was easy to get lost in the story then.
This is a fun read, but as many other reviewers have warned (on goodreads) this book could have benefited from an additional grammar and general flow editing read through. But it should be noted that this is M.J. Austin's first book, so I am sure the next book in the series will not make some of the same mistakes Bright Fire made. Overall though, Bright Fire was an enjoyable read. There is a cliffhanger at the end that is a pretty brutal one. It will leave you wanting the next book.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**Pretty Smart Girls: Lace Up is a standalone (at least at this time) new adult contemporary romance from Entangled Embrace's romance imprint. This is another one of Entangled's imprints that I all seem to have great luck with. And Pretty Smart Girls is a fun, flirty and well rounded romance story about a girls team from Michigan State and a guys team from University of Michigan competing against each other in an entrepreneurial competition. I really liked the competition setting and I liked the school rivalry theme woven throughout the book. I could easily picture this as a Florida State v. University of Florida thing and put myself right in that rivalry mindset. I also loved the title for this book, these ladies are pretty, yes, but first and foremost they are smart. And the play on the pretty smart and pretty, smart girls is explained throughout the book.
This was my first opportunity to enjoy a book by Shae Ross, and I have to say I can't wait to read more by her. The book was under 300 pages but it was a complete story, with well developed, fleshed out characters. I had only two very minor issues with the book, but they weren't things that detracted from the story, and the ending kind of resolved one of the tiny issues anyway. First, this seemed like a very high stake, very public competition with a New York powerhouse company. Why were there only 2 teams competing, and why were both of the teams from Michigan? Especially since it wasn't a Michigan based company. I was kind of hoping there would be more teams involved, and that these two were the front runners or something. And second, it seemed a little convenient that the three guys and the three girls each paired up so easily. But like I said, it didn't detract from the flow of the story and in the end it kind of resolved itself because different relationships and friendships developed between the 6 of them.
Now that my very minor issues are out of the way, I can talk about how much I loved Pretty Smart Girls. This was a book that I wanted to ignore my job, my boyfriend and even food for. It was one of those book where I picked it up and started reading thinking I had been reading for only 15 minutes or so and I look up and 2 hours have passed. it sucked me in, and I kind of had a perma-smile on my face throughout most of the story. I loved the back and forth between Rose (Ryan) and Jett. And I just really enjoyed the whole story. I don't know if there is going to be a follow up or not, but I do know that Shae Ross is an author I want to see more from. This is a book I would recommend to everyone and anyone who likes contemporary romance books. It is wonderful.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
This was my first opportunity to enjoy a book by Shae Ross, and I have to say I can't wait to read more by her. The book was under 300 pages but it was a complete story, with well developed, fleshed out characters. I had only two very minor issues with the book, but they weren't things that detracted from the story, and the ending kind of resolved one of the tiny issues anyway. First, this seemed like a very high stake, very public competition with a New York powerhouse company. Why were there only 2 teams competing, and why were both of the teams from Michigan? Especially since it wasn't a Michigan based company. I was kind of hoping there would be more teams involved, and that these two were the front runners or something. And second, it seemed a little convenient that the three guys and the three girls each paired up so easily. But like I said, it didn't detract from the flow of the story and in the end it kind of resolved itself because different relationships and friendships developed between the 6 of them.
Now that my very minor issues are out of the way, I can talk about how much I loved Pretty Smart Girls. This was a book that I wanted to ignore my job, my boyfriend and even food for. It was one of those book where I picked it up and started reading thinking I had been reading for only 15 minutes or so and I look up and 2 hours have passed. it sucked me in, and I kind of had a perma-smile on my face throughout most of the story. I loved the back and forth between Rose (Ryan) and Jett. And I just really enjoyed the whole story. I don't know if there is going to be a follow up or not, but I do know that Shae Ross is an author I want to see more from. This is a book I would recommend to everyone and anyone who likes contemporary romance books. It is wonderful.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**See this full review and more at http://bookbriefs.net**
Don't Fall is a completely contemporary retelling of Rapunzel. I have read 3 or 4 re-tellings of Rapunzel now to date and this was a really interesting one. I know the very first line of the summary states that it is a contemporary retelling, but even going into the book knowing that I wasn't sure what to expect. I was reading and enjoying the story, but I kept thinking in the back of my head, "what is the twist going to be". And while there were a few little twists and turns that I didn't see coming, this book really is 100% a contemporary story about a girl with a very over-protective mother. It was a fresh spin on Rapunzel, very fitting for this day and age actually.
I felt for Anya. Her mom is so over the top protective. She is only allowed to venture outside of her house to go to the library. And even then, the main librarian is a friend of the mothers so she is basically a spy. The girl has no where to go. She is tutored at home, only interacts with her mom and goes to the local library two days a week. I think it was because she was so sheltered that her interactions with the cute boy, Zander were so adorable. It made me smile to see the two of them together. Everything about them was sweet and innocent. It was so cute how Zander would wait for Anya every Tuesday and Thursday.
It was so interesting seeing the split in emotions that Don't Fall made me feel. I would go from being so happy with a goofy grin on my face watching Zander and Anya get closer and closer, to feeling so sad for Anya when I would watch her get locked away at home again. Every time she tried to speak to her mother she was met with "no's" and stony silence. Her mother would not even discuss anything except expecting a complete devotion to her "rules".
Don't Fall is a standalone book that I think so many will really enjoy. The story is cute and very easy to get into. It is a super quick read; one that you can finish in an afternoon. It is my first book that I have read by Rachel Schieffelbein and I really enjoyed it.
Don't Fall is a completely contemporary retelling of Rapunzel. I have read 3 or 4 re-tellings of Rapunzel now to date and this was a really interesting one. I know the very first line of the summary states that it is a contemporary retelling, but even going into the book knowing that I wasn't sure what to expect. I was reading and enjoying the story, but I kept thinking in the back of my head, "what is the twist going to be". And while there were a few little twists and turns that I didn't see coming, this book really is 100% a contemporary story about a girl with a very over-protective mother. It was a fresh spin on Rapunzel, very fitting for this day and age actually.
I felt for Anya. Her mom is so over the top protective. She is only allowed to venture outside of her house to go to the library. And even then, the main librarian is a friend of the mothers so she is basically a spy. The girl has no where to go. She is tutored at home, only interacts with her mom and goes to the local library two days a week. I think it was because she was so sheltered that her interactions with the cute boy, Zander were so adorable. It made me smile to see the two of them together. Everything about them was sweet and innocent. It was so cute how Zander would wait for Anya every Tuesday and Thursday.
It was so interesting seeing the split in emotions that Don't Fall made me feel. I would go from being so happy with a goofy grin on my face watching Zander and Anya get closer and closer, to feeling so sad for Anya when I would watch her get locked away at home again. Every time she tried to speak to her mother she was met with "no's" and stony silence. Her mother would not even discuss anything except expecting a complete devotion to her "rules".
Don't Fall is a standalone book that I think so many will really enjoy. The story is cute and very easy to get into. It is a super quick read; one that you can finish in an afternoon. It is my first book that I have read by Rachel Schieffelbein and I really enjoyed it.
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Remote is the first book in the young adult sci fi/dystopian series. Although it doesn't say specifically that there will be a series, the ending led me to believe that there would at the very least be a sequel. I don't read too many young adult science fiction books with a dystopian leaning. Because they need to be really well done for me to enjoy them. World building is so, so critical to the development of the story and for whatever reason, I find myself not liking more books in this genre than others in young adult. I don't exactly know why because I really love some of them, they are just harder for me to find. I am happy to report that I found Remote to be a very enjoyable read. It certainly goes into the well done category of science fiction and dystopian books. I found the world that Lisa Acerbo created to be detailed, descriptive and well developed.
New State is a world where everyone is implanted with a micro-chip at birth and that enables them to "hook up" to their computer and experience a virtual reality that is whatever they want it to be. New State is obviously very big on government control over all aspects of their citizens lives. While I think that the hooking up idea is fascinating and I would certainly like to try it, the freedom and privacy you give up for it is not my cup of tea. But still, it was not so far off that I would say this plot is implausible. And that is the scary part. Putting that aside, I do love to read technology based dystopian books because they are so fascinating to me. It is one of the reasons that I liked Remote so much. I liked how Josh011015 was not completely sold on hooking up and was starting to question his world. It was the perfect time for Yara to enter his life and make a connection with him. That aspect of the book felt very natural and flowed great for me. I loved watching their friendship develop, and a lot of the world building details stemmed from their initial talks and meetings.
Yara is a rebel that lives underground. The rebels are the people that weren't properly chipped, so they are not "plugged in" to new state. They underground world seemed fantastical in a whole different way than the technology based world of New State. I enjoyed seeing the differences in the two worlds and watching what kinds of people they produced. Remote is a fast paced, fun science fiction tale that I think young adult dystopian and sci fi readers will really enjoy. While I do wish there was a little more information on the how and why New State initially formed, I thought the present day world building and details of New State were great. I got a wonderfully descriptive picture of what the world was like as the story was going on, and that made the whole book feel much more immersive. Remote is a very good read.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Remote is the first book in the young adult sci fi/dystopian series. Although it doesn't say specifically that there will be a series, the ending led me to believe that there would at the very least be a sequel. I don't read too many young adult science fiction books with a dystopian leaning. Because they need to be really well done for me to enjoy them. World building is so, so critical to the development of the story and for whatever reason, I find myself not liking more books in this genre than others in young adult. I don't exactly know why because I really love some of them, they are just harder for me to find. I am happy to report that I found Remote to be a very enjoyable read. It certainly goes into the well done category of science fiction and dystopian books. I found the world that Lisa Acerbo created to be detailed, descriptive and well developed.
New State is a world where everyone is implanted with a micro-chip at birth and that enables them to "hook up" to their computer and experience a virtual reality that is whatever they want it to be. New State is obviously very big on government control over all aspects of their citizens lives. While I think that the hooking up idea is fascinating and I would certainly like to try it, the freedom and privacy you give up for it is not my cup of tea. But still, it was not so far off that I would say this plot is implausible. And that is the scary part. Putting that aside, I do love to read technology based dystopian books because they are so fascinating to me. It is one of the reasons that I liked Remote so much. I liked how Josh011015 was not completely sold on hooking up and was starting to question his world. It was the perfect time for Yara to enter his life and make a connection with him. That aspect of the book felt very natural and flowed great for me. I loved watching their friendship develop, and a lot of the world building details stemmed from their initial talks and meetings.
Yara is a rebel that lives underground. The rebels are the people that weren't properly chipped, so they are not "plugged in" to new state. They underground world seemed fantastical in a whole different way than the technology based world of New State. I enjoyed seeing the differences in the two worlds and watching what kinds of people they produced. Remote is a fast paced, fun science fiction tale that I think young adult dystopian and sci fi readers will really enjoy. While I do wish there was a little more information on the how and why New State initially formed, I thought the present day world building and details of New State were great. I got a wonderfully descriptive picture of what the world was like as the story was going on, and that made the whole book feel much more immersive. Remote is a very good read.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Insanity is the first book in the young adult series of the same name. Originally I thought that the series was going to be called Mad in Wonderland, and I have to admit that I liked that name more, but insanity is very fitting for this book. I loved this book. I think it might be my first (and only) 5 star book of the month. I thought that Cameron Jace did an amazing job capturing the mad essence and nonsensical sense of Lewis Carrol in his writing. I am a huge fan of both Through the Looking Glass and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, so these books were a match made in mad heaven for me.
I loved Cameron Jace's Grimm Diaries, but Insanity has to be my favorite book of his to date. All of the characters came to life right in front of my eyes. Pillar the Killer was incredible. I know it sounds weird, but I am totally infatuated with him. I know that was not the intent at all, but I really like seeing the way his mind works, and through Cameron Jace's masterful writing, I felt like I could see his insane little gears spinning in his head as we way talking to Alice. And Alice was a treat all in herself. I am just as confused as she is about why she would kill her classmates. Or did she even do it? I don't know. Sometimes I think she did, and sometimes I don't even know what I think. Insanity will have you questioning everything. I love when a book can make me do that.
Insanity focuses on the Catepillar and Alice being in an asylum. They have to stop the Cheshire Cat from his killing spree of girls. All of the wonderland characters, or monsters, have been reincarnated into modern versions of themselves. It was a cool take on the story. I am not going to get into too many details, because that is half the fun of reading the book, but I will say that it kidn of reminded me of the saw movies mixed with Alice in Wonderland. And I am sure that there are many more twists, turns and secrets to be revealed in the next book. I would love to pick Cameron Jace's brain about his Lewis Carrol knowledge and learn more about his research for the book, because I am kind of obsessed with it. In fact, I think my only 2 5 star reviews of 2015 have been about alice in wonderland! (Insanity and The Collector's Society.)
Whether you love Alice in Wonderland or not, read insanity. It is totally messed up and crazy but in the best way possible. I loved every cuckoo moment of Insanity.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Insanity is the first book in the young adult series of the same name. Originally I thought that the series was going to be called Mad in Wonderland, and I have to admit that I liked that name more, but insanity is very fitting for this book. I loved this book. I think it might be my first (and only) 5 star book of the month. I thought that Cameron Jace did an amazing job capturing the mad essence and nonsensical sense of Lewis Carrol in his writing. I am a huge fan of both Through the Looking Glass and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, so these books were a match made in mad heaven for me.
I loved Cameron Jace's Grimm Diaries, but Insanity has to be my favorite book of his to date. All of the characters came to life right in front of my eyes. Pillar the Killer was incredible. I know it sounds weird, but I am totally infatuated with him. I know that was not the intent at all, but I really like seeing the way his mind works, and through Cameron Jace's masterful writing, I felt like I could see his insane little gears spinning in his head as we way talking to Alice. And Alice was a treat all in herself. I am just as confused as she is about why she would kill her classmates. Or did she even do it? I don't know. Sometimes I think she did, and sometimes I don't even know what I think. Insanity will have you questioning everything. I love when a book can make me do that.
Insanity focuses on the Catepillar and Alice being in an asylum. They have to stop the Cheshire Cat from his killing spree of girls. All of the wonderland characters, or monsters, have been reincarnated into modern versions of themselves. It was a cool take on the story. I am not going to get into too many details, because that is half the fun of reading the book, but I will say that it kidn of reminded me of the saw movies mixed with Alice in Wonderland. And I am sure that there are many more twists, turns and secrets to be revealed in the next book. I would love to pick Cameron Jace's brain about his Lewis Carrol knowledge and learn more about his research for the book, because I am kind of obsessed with it. In fact, I think my only 2 5 star reviews of 2015 have been about alice in wonderland! (Insanity and The Collector's Society.)
Whether you love Alice in Wonderland or not, read insanity. It is totally messed up and crazy but in the best way possible. I loved every cuckoo moment of Insanity.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Gathering Frost is the first book in the young adult fantasy series. The Series is called Once Upon a Curse, and each of the books are loosely based on fairy tale re-tellings. But let me tell you that if the rest of the books are anything like the first one, these are fairy tales that are twisted and turned in ways that you will not see coming. Gathering Frost is a re-telling of Sleeping Beauty, but there is no sleeping beauty in this tale. It is a waking curse placed on the heroine, who in the very first chapter claims that she is actually the bad guy? Sounds different than your average take, doesn't it? It is! Gathering Frost seemed like Sleeping Beauty meets the Snow Queen meets the creativity that is Kaitlyn Davis' mind.
Jade is an interesting girl. I loved seeing the bland, emotionless shell that she was at the start of the book because it makes you appreciate the moments where the real Jade starts to peek through. I really liked watching her progress throughout the story, even if she doubted herself at times. And Asher, well Asher is just a sweetie-pie. There is no getting around that. That boy can thaw anyone's heart out.
Gathering Frost is an exciting tale that has a ton of twists and turns throughout. Just when you think the story is going in one way, the author veers and shoot you off in another direction. More than once I thought I had the ending figured out, just to completely doubt myself when a crazy twist is thrown my way. I finally gave up trying to guess what was going to happen and just enjoyed the crazy ride that Kaitlyn Davis was taking me on. Gathering Frost was a completely fun filled read. I love the fairy tale fantasy genre and Kaitlyn Davis does a wonderful job. The ending is nuts. I didn't see it coming at all, and I kind of wish we got a little more. It felt a little incomplete. Maybe it will be picked up in the next book, but I am not sure because the next book is going to be a re-telling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast. Whether this story is continued or not, I know that I am excited to read more from Kaitlyn Davis. Gathering Frost is a great read for fans of ya fantasy and fairy tale re-tellings.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Gathering Frost is the first book in the young adult fantasy series. The Series is called Once Upon a Curse, and each of the books are loosely based on fairy tale re-tellings. But let me tell you that if the rest of the books are anything like the first one, these are fairy tales that are twisted and turned in ways that you will not see coming. Gathering Frost is a re-telling of Sleeping Beauty, but there is no sleeping beauty in this tale. It is a waking curse placed on the heroine, who in the very first chapter claims that she is actually the bad guy? Sounds different than your average take, doesn't it? It is! Gathering Frost seemed like Sleeping Beauty meets the Snow Queen meets the creativity that is Kaitlyn Davis' mind.
Jade is an interesting girl. I loved seeing the bland, emotionless shell that she was at the start of the book because it makes you appreciate the moments where the real Jade starts to peek through. I really liked watching her progress throughout the story, even if she doubted herself at times. And Asher, well Asher is just a sweetie-pie. There is no getting around that. That boy can thaw anyone's heart out.
Gathering Frost is an exciting tale that has a ton of twists and turns throughout. Just when you think the story is going in one way, the author veers and shoot you off in another direction. More than once I thought I had the ending figured out, just to completely doubt myself when a crazy twist is thrown my way. I finally gave up trying to guess what was going to happen and just enjoyed the crazy ride that Kaitlyn Davis was taking me on. Gathering Frost was a completely fun filled read. I love the fairy tale fantasy genre and Kaitlyn Davis does a wonderful job. The ending is nuts. I didn't see it coming at all, and I kind of wish we got a little more. It felt a little incomplete. Maybe it will be picked up in the next book, but I am not sure because the next book is going to be a re-telling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast. Whether this story is continued or not, I know that I am excited to read more from Kaitlyn Davis. Gathering Frost is a great read for fans of ya fantasy and fairy tale re-tellings.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Seduce is the first book in a New adult paranormal romance series. The Series is called Succubus Kiss. Seduce transports readers to a world in North Carolina where all sorts of paranormal creatures live and play. It seemed like there were a ton of them in this town, living alongside all the normal humans. In Jennifer Synder's paranormal world all creatures- paranormal and human, have a distinct aura color. The main character, Kenna, who is a Succubus does a pretty good job of linking the auras she sees to what kind of person or creature they are. Human auras reflect the human's personality and paranormal auras are only based on what kind of creature they are. So throughout the story I got a good feel for the various character's auras, but at the end of the book there is a great little chart that plots out the colors and what they mean. If you have a paperback book, flip to the back and check it out before reading. I had fun trying to decide what color would be the strongest in my aura.
Kenna is a succubus with a huge conscience. She thinks of herself as a parasite to the male population. On the spectrum of succibi in this story, that puts her pretty far on the "pure" end. I thought it was funny that she thinks of herself as some big skank but she only kisses the guys to feed. For a Succubus she is tame. I really liked Kenna. I thought she was a good amount of sweet and spunky. Her friends Dex and Sage cracked me up as well. And Randall was very intriguing, but I do wish we got to know him a little better. I wanted to get inside his head a little and see what he was thinking and figure out what it was that drew him to Kenna. Other than the fact that he is hot, hugely important to the vampires and very old, we didn't know too much about him. He does seem like a nice guy though.
Seduce does a great job of describing the world, and setting the stage for a paranormal series that seems will be a hit with me. I do have some questions, like why all these paranormals decided to live in this area? But other than that, I love that the town has different night clubs that are each set and owned by specific paranormal. For example- Love Potion 9 is run by witches, Red River by Vampires and Moonbeam by werewolves. I thought that was cute. All in All Seduce is a solid foundational read for a pretty interesting looking paranormal romance series. One that I will definitely be continuing. I would read the second book right now if I had it.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Seduce is the first book in a New adult paranormal romance series. The Series is called Succubus Kiss. Seduce transports readers to a world in North Carolina where all sorts of paranormal creatures live and play. It seemed like there were a ton of them in this town, living alongside all the normal humans. In Jennifer Synder's paranormal world all creatures- paranormal and human, have a distinct aura color. The main character, Kenna, who is a Succubus does a pretty good job of linking the auras she sees to what kind of person or creature they are. Human auras reflect the human's personality and paranormal auras are only based on what kind of creature they are. So throughout the story I got a good feel for the various character's auras, but at the end of the book there is a great little chart that plots out the colors and what they mean. If you have a paperback book, flip to the back and check it out before reading. I had fun trying to decide what color would be the strongest in my aura.
Kenna is a succubus with a huge conscience. She thinks of herself as a parasite to the male population. On the spectrum of succibi in this story, that puts her pretty far on the "pure" end. I thought it was funny that she thinks of herself as some big skank but she only kisses the guys to feed. For a Succubus she is tame. I really liked Kenna. I thought she was a good amount of sweet and spunky. Her friends Dex and Sage cracked me up as well. And Randall was very intriguing, but I do wish we got to know him a little better. I wanted to get inside his head a little and see what he was thinking and figure out what it was that drew him to Kenna. Other than the fact that he is hot, hugely important to the vampires and very old, we didn't know too much about him. He does seem like a nice guy though.
Seduce does a great job of describing the world, and setting the stage for a paranormal series that seems will be a hit with me. I do have some questions, like why all these paranormals decided to live in this area? But other than that, I love that the town has different night clubs that are each set and owned by specific paranormal. For example- Love Potion 9 is run by witches, Red River by Vampires and Moonbeam by werewolves. I thought that was cute. All in All Seduce is a solid foundational read for a pretty interesting looking paranormal romance series. One that I will definitely be continuing. I would read the second book right now if I had it.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Heartsick is a new adult suspense, with paranormal twists. Heartsick was different than I thought it would be, but not in a bad way. I thought it was some kind of disease that acted as a love potion of sorts. I know that sounds silly, and I have no idea why I even thought that (other than the title of the book) but I could have sworn that I read that somewhere in the summary when I first got the book. So when I started reading, I was a little surprised at the direction the story was going in. I even stopped and re-read the summary. Then I realized that I totally got this book wrong, but I was still enjoying the plot line, which felt very mysterious. So I just went with it. And I am glad for my original misconception, but I ended up really liking Heartsick.
Luke is the love interest in the story and there promises to be a big secret about him. The reader finds out what that secret is pretty early on in the book, and I was happy to see that Quinn learned his secret before the half way point of the story. I have been starting to get a little fed up with plot lines that have one of the main characters holding on to their secret until 80 or 85% mark of the story and then it causing some big problem right at the end. It was a pleasant surprise that this was not the case in Heartsick.
I loved the mysterious aspect of the "disease". There are many different theories running around town about just what is going on, and it was fun running along side Quinn while she tried to figure it out for herself. Religion does play an aspect into the story. Some of it was a hit with me and some of the religion was a miss. I know this can be a touchy subject for some readers, so I won't go too much into it, but just be warned that there is a religious aspect to the story. But never fear, there are quiet a few other side plots to make the story feel more fleshed out. Like the whole rivalry between the townies of Allen and the Poe University students, and the minor love interest with Rashid. I never really liked Rashid. I don't entirely know why, but every time I saw him I just wanted to swat him away from the pages. I think it was because I liked Luke so much.
I found Heartsick to be a refreshingly different read. The disease captured my attention right from the start, and there were plenty of twists and plot developments to hold the readers interest. The possibility for a second book is there. It was kind of left with an opening, and I am interested to see if anything will happen next.
Luke is the love interest in the story and there promises to be a big secret about him. The reader finds out what that secret is pretty early on in the book, and I was happy to see that Quinn learned his secret before the half way point of the story. I have been starting to get a little fed up with plot lines that have one of the main characters holding on to their secret until 80 or 85% mark of the story and then it causing some big problem right at the end. It was a pleasant surprise that this was not the case in Heartsick.
I loved the mysterious aspect of the "disease". There are many different theories running around town about just what is going on, and it was fun running along side Quinn while she tried to figure it out for herself. Religion does play an aspect into the story. Some of it was a hit with me and some of the religion was a miss. I know this can be a touchy subject for some readers, so I won't go too much into it, but just be warned that there is a religious aspect to the story. But never fear, there are quiet a few other side plots to make the story feel more fleshed out. Like the whole rivalry between the townies of Allen and the Poe University students, and the minor love interest with Rashid. I never really liked Rashid. I don't entirely know why, but every time I saw him I just wanted to swat him away from the pages. I think it was because I liked Luke so much.
I found Heartsick to be a refreshingly different read. The disease captured my attention right from the start, and there were plenty of twists and plot developments to hold the readers interest. The possibility for a second book is there. It was kind of left with an opening, and I am interested to see if anything will happen next.
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Note: I will try my best, but there will probably be some spoilers from the first book. If you are new to the series, check out my review of House Immortal HERE.
Infinity Bell is the second book in the Urban Fantasy Series, House Immortal. The First book, House Immortal, was one of my favorite books of 2014, so I beyond excited to get my hands on the second book. And even more excited when I opened up to the first page of the ARC and saw that I was quoted from my review of the first book. (that was a major sqeeing moment...I'm not going to lie.) I need to go out and buy a couple finished copies to spotlight on my bookshelf now. But not just because I was quoted in the book, because Infinity Bell is ever bit as amazing as the first book! I freakin' love this series.
Infinity Bell picks up right where the first book left off, and man oh man did I forget what a humdinger House Immortal left us off at. Abraham was all shot up with Shelly Dust, which is super lethal to the galvanized. Matilde and the whole gang are back and are on the run from other houses. I loved how action packed Infinity Bell was. Devon Monk does such an amazing job with the details of the world, that picking up Infinity Bell was like seamlessly stepping back into this fantastical world and being greeted by all of your old friends. And trust me when I say that Devon Monk wastes no time dumping her characters right into the fray. The events of Infinity Bell take place over such a short period of time that the book read like real time. I really like this writing style when it is well done and Devon Monk is one of the best.
This series kicks ass. There is no other way to put it. All fans of Urban Fantasy need to read the House Immortal series. And if you don't like Urban Fantasy, this will be the series to convert you into a mega fan. I absolutely love the concept of the galvanized, and I am kind of obsessed with everything that comes out of the Case family's homestead. I want to get my hands on some of that soil. I love the mixture of action/adventure, suspense, dashes of romance, and mystery that make up this series. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Note: I will try my best, but there will probably be some spoilers from the first book. If you are new to the series, check out my review of The Collectors' Society HERE. These books need to be read in order.
The Hidden Library is the second book in the New Adult Fantasy Series, The Collectors' Society. And I have to first mention how much I love these covers. I think they are beyond beautiful. Ok, on to the review. The First book, The Collectors' Society, was one of my favorite books of 2014, so I beyond excited to get my hands on the second book. And even more excited when I opened the book on my kindle and saw that I was quoted from my review of the first book. (This has to be the most epic week on the blog EVER! I believe that there are 3 five star reviews in one week and I am quoted in 2 books. Neither of those things have happened before!) This is an amazing follow up to the first book. I have no idea how Heather Lyons manages to do it, but this book really has it all. The characters are even more complex and rich, the storyline keeps getting better and better and the writing is thoughtful, funny, and so very emotional.
The Hidden Library picks up right where the first book left off, but this time we get to see so much more of Finn's point of view! I loved it. The writing switches off between Alice and Finn every couple of chapters, and everything was very labeled and the POV shifts flowed along with the storyline very well. For the first 20% of the book I was a smidge worried that The Hidden Library was going to be a slower read than the first book, but I was completely wrong. The story zips along. Not only do Finn and Alice have their hands full with villains, but they also go into many more timelines than they did in the first book. I loved that because I got to travel to more book worlds, which was one of the things that drew me towards this series in the first place. 
Heather Lyons writing is something to talk about. This lady knows how to write. I love how she doesn't just use twists and turns for shock value, she uses them to layer on complexity and detail into her story. Not to mention she can make you feel like you are on an emotional rollercoaster ride. She will have you grieving on one page and laughing on the next. Every single sentence and character of hers evokes emotion. I can't emphasize how much I love that about this series. Her writing is masterful, and the Collectors' Society is a series that I can't get enough of. I need the next book right now. I want to go back to wonderland. :) This is not a series for fantasy lovers or new adult lovers. This is a series for all book lovers.
