The endings of book 1 and book 2 kill me! They both get me so pumped full of adrenaline. Fans of Defy will really enjoy Shift. It is about all the same characters but this time, it's Sophia's story. I really liked Sophia from book one but my all time favorite are still Tate and Zachariah. Luckily there is still plenty about them in this story. I caught myself savoring their parts. But Sophia is a great character as well and I really enjoyed seeing her story unfold. She is just a little insecure but so beautiful, inside and out. Plus I love that she can shift into different animals. I loved seeing her get more comfortable with her ability and really more comfortable with herself in general. It can't be easy to be so different physically from everyone else in the community. especially when everyone else stays young,(which still kind of freaks me out) she will always look different. she looks more human and she is considered beautiful by almost all standards.

To me, the real star of the story was the mystery. It's not like the typical who dun it, but someone is taking females and the whole thing just seems like the tip of a much bigger iceberg. One thaT I cannot wait to learn more about! once I hit the half way point of this book I could not put the book down at all. Raine thomas has created such an incredible world. One that has spanned two different series of books. I really need to read the daughters series, because I would really like to see even more of this interesting world that Raine created.

If you like fantasy and adventure books this is the perfect series for you. It will keep you on the edge of you seat. I can't wait to see who you guys like more? Sophia or Tate? And holy cow of crazy endings! it was so intense! If you are not a fan of cliffhangers, be forewarned. There is a big one here. I will def be tuning in for book 3. I need to know what happens next!

Collide seemed like a different kind of apocolypse book to me. For most of the story, the main characters are down in a bunker trying to figure out their next move. There are all sorts of new creatures in the story- Lighters, Keepers, and specials. We really don't know too much about the specials yet but they do start to unfold more as the story goes on. Each keeper watches over a special, who is human. There are a bunch of people that this story follows but the main group is Danny, a special, Merrick, his keeper and Sherry, danny's sister.

Merrick is adorable. I especially liked seeing him exhibit more human traits, like jealousy and how protective he was of Danny and Sherry. Sherry seems meek as a mouse at first glance but I loved seeing her stand up for herself. She really seems to be growing as a person as the book goes on, which is great.

The writing is great, and the character are all varied and developed. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you involved in the story. My only complaint is that the story seems a bit slow. It seemed to unfold in real time, which meant that it seemed a little mundane in parts, which everyone just sitting around for hours trying to figure out what to do. I would have liked the pace to pick up a little bit, but I have a feeling that with everything that is probably going to start happening soon, there will be tons of action to get things moving.

I loved learning about the lighters and the keepers, and I am interested to see what the rest of the world is like, while everyone has been hiding out. I wish they had a tv so that they could see what was going on or get some sort of update. Overall, this is a really interesting series. It is different than all the other books I have read. It is kind of alienesque and apocolypse-y. It seems like it really could be the end of the world, but also that it is gearing up for some epic fight scenes. The specials and the keepers are not going to go down without a fight. I can't wait to see what is going to happen next.

Breaking Lauren doesn't hold anything back. It is raw and gritty and I loved that about it. I fell in love with Danny and I felt for him so many times throughout the book. I liked Lauren too but I wanted to shake her a few times. Danny is this misunderstood badboy, but what I liked the most about him was that he was honest with himself. He had no illusions of what he was and what he wasn't. However, he did make some real efforts towards growth throughout the story. I was so proud of him. He did seem to like Lauren pretty instantly, but it didn't bother me because it wasn't like typical insta love- they had a whole set of obstacles to overcome and we still don't know where they stand.

Danny was so protective of Lauren, which is something he is not used to. I found it so endearing. It is a large part of the reason that I loved Danny so much. I hope to see a little bit more growth in Lauren in the next book, because you can tell that she likes Danny too. They share these adorable moments, moments I can't wait to see more of in the next book, but then she pushes him away because she doesn't think she wants him for whatever reason or excuse she has handy.

I have to say, I am not the biggest fan of the cover. I don't hate it, but it just doesn't do anything for me. If you share my opinion, don't let that stop you from reading the book! The writing is fantastic and the characters are amazing. I connected with Danny, and I want things to work out for him so bad!

Breaking Lauren is great for fans of realistic contemporaries. This is not one of those books where everything is light and fluffy and everyone is smiling the whole time. This book deals with issues of fighting and alcoholism, and it handles them so well. I was so drawn into the story that once I started the book I simply could not put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen so bad. The ending was intense, and I am super curious to see what is going to happen next. I hope it is at least a wake up call for Lauren. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the Lauren series. I just know I am going to love it!

I said it before, and I will say it again. 2012 is the year of great contemporaries! Chasing McCree is such a cute story. If you are looking for something to make you smile, this is it. This is my second JC Isabella book, and I really liked both of them! I am so happy to have found another great contemporary author.

Chase is just a good ole boy. He has great manners and is sweet and loyal. He is just really genuine. And right away I was smitten. What I loved most about Chasing McCree is that it is such a nice and sweet love story between a boy and a girl. It is not angsty, there is no love triangle. It is just Chase and Briar's story. And I loved that about it.

I really liked that so much of the story takes place at the ranch. It made me want to take a trip into the country. And Briar is such a good sport with everything. And so mature for her age. You won't be able to help falling in love with them and the setting. I do wish that the story was a little bit longer and fleshed out in areas, but the pacing and length didn't really take away from the story- I just liked it so much I wanted more.

There is also a little bit of mystery rolled into the story, which was a nice bonus. If you are in the mood for a cute, sweet romance that is nice and fluffy- I would definitely try Chasing McCree. I think you will really enjoy it.

This book is great for fans of fantasy that really like to explore new worlds. The world that Carlyle Labuschagne created is complex and really interesting. I wanted to learn even more about it than we did. I can't wait to explore her world more in the next book in the Broken series. The Broken Destiny is kind of futuristic, kind of dysotpian, and kind of coming of age. It is the story of Ava, a young girl who is different than everyone else. The story really is all about her growth.

Ava starts out as a victim almost. She stated that she had been raped, although she never really goes into the details or background of it, and she is attacked and captured multiple times throughout the story. She didn't really fight back at all at first, but by the end of the book she showed so much growth! I really grew attached to her by the end of the book. The boys in this book confused and infuriated me at times. I couldn't really get a read on either of them. I would have liked to really gotten to know them a little bit better and seen their interactions with Ava more. Sometimes one of them would say something that would really catch my attention, and then it was never brought up or explained again. The romance kind of took the background here. I didn't feel like Ava had much of a real connection with either guy to be honest. I hope to get to know more about Troy. I feel like he was absent from so much of this book, even when he was there. I love a good sci-fi, which this totally is but I would like a little more romance thrown in for good measure :)

The world building and plot are the real stars of The Broken Destiny. I loved how complex and interwoven everything was in the story. I would have liked a little bit more setup on the lay of the land, or lands. Just some back ground on what the different types of people were, the chosen one, the broken- that kind of thing. You can figure it all out yourself, as all the details are woven into the story but it does get a little confusing at times without knowing this stuff when you start reading the book. For example, at least twice when Ava was attacked she woke up in a different place days later. The plot kind of just jumped with no warning at all, so it left me a bit disoriented. I understand that we were seeing it all from Ava's perspective, and she was confused and disoriented about where she was and what time had passed, and from that aspect I loved it. But I was still a little confused while I was reading.

I loved the idea of the prophesy and I can't wait to uncover more of these secrets that the council are hiding from everyone. I loved all the twists and turns and each time a new secret got uncovered or a new piece of information was learned, I got a little more excited. If you are a fan of Sci-fi, fantasy or dystopian, I would check out The Broken Destiny.

This book sounds so glamourous and kind of mysterious with the whole "stalk me" thing. Plus I have seen so many awesome reviews of it. I was pretty excited to read it. But it just didn't meet my expectations. I didn't hate the book. I actually liked the plot line and I was very much interested in seeing where it went and I am still interested in seeing what is going to happen next but the characters really detracted from the book for me.

I liked Keatyn. She is cute and spunky. And I wanted to like her even more but she just came off as immature and spoiled to me. Which would not have bugged me if she had learned some lessons or matured or something, but she just kept doing the same things over and over again. Like bouncing back and forth, and back and forth from guy to guy. Like lashing out and being a mean girl. (though she did get points with me when she admitted that she was being a mean girl and that she didn't like it) I think Keatyn has a lot of growing up to do in the next book. And if she actually does grow up, I will be her biggest fan! Because she actually a cool girl if she could just mature a bit.

But I don't know how she is ever going to mature seeing that everyone she surrounds herself with is even more immature than she is. I thought for sure that I would love Cush. And I did, for about half of the book. Then he acted like a complete idiot! And he didn't even talk and talk to her or anything. He just fell out of touch for months and then showed up out of the blue. Then I thought, ok Brooklyn is the one. Then he acted like a total jerk. Multiple times. I just didn't like or really approve of the way the guys acted. Now, I will give them this. It was pretty realistic for how teenage guys would act, but I don't know why Keatyn would keep going back to them if they treated her this way. I was kind of disappointed with the guys in this book. And I am such a character driven reader, that it really bummed me out while I was reading.

The plot of Stalk Me did keep my interest though. I enjoyed it. I was right about who the stalker was pretty early on, but that didn't bug me at all. I actually really want to know what is going to happen in the next book, which is strange for me because I didn't really love the characters. But I am just holding out hope that some real growing up is going to happen. That was really my only problem with the book. I couldn't decide who it would be perfectly geared towards. Because it is actually mature YA due to the content but the characters are 16 so it is a little too young to be new adult. But I would tend to shy away from the new adult crowd because of the maturity levels of the characters. I think this book would be good for people around 16 that are looking for a more mature (content wise) read, but still a fun and fast paced story.

2.5 stars

Brightest Kind of Darkness is soo good! Seriously, I loved this book. The premise is fresh and such a cool idea! Plus it is more complex than it initially seemed. I still have no idea what is going on with Ethan. You get answers in layers, and I want more, more, more. All I know is that I LOVED him. I just started reading book 2, Lucid because I need to know what is going to happen next.

Nara dreams her whole next day. How different and awesome/scary is that? I can't decide for the life of me if I would love or hate this gift. I think I would like it, no matter how creepy it might be, because I always like knowing things over not knowing. I applaud her willpower too. She normally always stays out of things. Meaning, she lets life take its natural course. But then one day, she steps in to save some lives and that is when the book takes off from. It is action right from page 1. I was so engrossed in the story the whole time. Ethan is so freakin' perfect for Nara it is crazy. I love seeing the two of them interact.

The writing is excellent, the plot is so intriguing, and the characters are awesome! I had to think long and hard before even coming up with anything critical to say about Brightest Kind of Darkness because I really enjoyed the book. I got sucked in right from the start and I just kept reading until I was done. But I did finally come up with something- Lainey. She was so quick to give up and turn her back on her best friend. She eventually came around and realized how uncool and rude she was, but it still bugged me to see Nara isolated like that.

I can't wait to get back to Lucid and see what is going on with Ethan, Nara and the whole gang. I have a feeling that way more is going on with Ethan than even he knows about. If you are looking for a mysterious paranormal, the Brightest Kind of Darkness series is one that I would wholeheartedly recommend for you to check out! I have fallen in love with it.

This is a really cool sci-fi dystopian. I love the world that Trisha Leigh created. And by love I mean that I am totally terrified of it but the academic in me is totally fascinated by the idea. I think that anyone that likes science fiction, fantasy, or dystopian needs to get their hands on this series, asap.

Althea is the main character here and she is just the perfect mix, of spunky, smart, and relatable. I fell in love with her. She is someone that I would always want on my side. She is a real fighter, and so very loyal. I can't even imagine the kind of life she has to live. It must be so hard knowing you are different and never really being able to have true friends or to put down real roots anywhere. I loved how the idea of seasons was interwoven throughout the book. It is such a cool plot idea, and it worked perfectly for the story, I thought.

I liked Lucas pretty much right away. I remember thinking a bunch of times throughout the book, "Lucas, I like you so much I really hope you don't disappoint me." Because such a huge theme of the book was the paranoid atmosphere and the trust no one motto for Althea. But Lucas didn't disappoint, he really seems like a great guy.

Whispers in Autumn is the start to an awesome series! I can just tell. I know I have heard of a few other YA books out last year and this one that surrounded around some form of control over the people so they are fake happy/complacent. But I Whispers in Autumn is really well done, and I didn't feel like the plot was overdone. It was done in a very new way. The writing is excellent, and the story just draws you in until you can't stop reading. I can't wait for the second book!

This is such a great, solid series. Whispers in Autumn and Winter Omens are just good writing- plain and simple. They have everything that makes up great books. Realistic, relatable characters, great writing, a kick ass plot, and just this something extra that draws you in and keeps you happily reading. I read these books back to back so I know it is going to be tough for me to wait for the next one to be released. (sigh...)

Althea if at all possible, is even more alone at the start of this book than the start of the last one. I felt so bad for her. But at least she found Wolf. I love that she has a dog companion with her, because I am such a huge dog person. And Wolf is such a great dog, I smiled every scene Wolf was in.

Lucas wasn't in this book too much and that made me sad. I knew he would be scarce the second the book started out in winter, but he does make an appearance later on. This is really Thea's story and she is such a great staring character. I got to see her really be a true survivor in Winter Omens, and I am so ready to cheer her on in the next book. Thea is pretty darn awesome.

We did get to know Pax as a new character though, and I have to say I loved that he used the seasons as nicknames. I thought that was adorable. I was all set to hate Pax just on principal but he did find a way to worm into my heart. I have no idea what I am going to do about these guys in the next book but it is something that I don't even want to think about because I like them each a lot.

Winter Omens is an awesome follow up to the first book in the Last Year series, Whispers in Autumn. This series is addictive, and I just can't get enough from this terrifying world. I just NEED to know what is going to happen. Do yourself a favor, and read this series. Please.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Fall for You. But I am going to let you in on a little secret- I didn't used to be the biggest fan about series that each book focused on a different character. I loved Lizzie and Dante from book 1 and I wanted to see more of them. I knew book 2 was going to be about Ellie, so I thought I would give it a shot because she seems so sweet. So Into You completely changed my opinion of series that do this! I loved So Into You! Ellie is cute, super sweet and a people pleaser to the core. She reminded me of myself in high school- pretty much the same as my high school self actually.

So Into You is totally Ellie's story, which means that there was not as much focus on romance as there was in the first book. This is more about Ellie coming into herself as her own person. The whole gang is there along with a few new characters, and the book is so readable. I love Cecilia Gray's writing. Lizzie and Dante do make a few appearances and I felt like Lizzie was an overall better friend in this book. There was less mean girl stuff going on, and that made me super happy. everyone is finally getting alone, for the most part, and they seem like a great group of friends. I would have liked to see a little bit more of Tran in this book though. I am such a sucker for a little drama and jealousy in my tv shows and books, but there were only tiny glimpses of it. I thought they could have been played out a little bit more, but that is really only a little detail and it is the only critical thing I could come up with for this book- other than the inherent lack of Dante since it wasn't his story. (haha I am never going to get enough Dante)

If you like Jane Austen books, you HAVE to check out the Jane Austen Academy books. They are cute, fun and really fantastic reads. I love that the plot line of the school and the changes that are going on with the management of it was an overarching storyline between both of the books. I hope that continues. I can't wait to see what is up with the third book. I am now super excited to get to know all of the characters a little better. I thought for sure it was going to be Emma's story next, (maybe with a certain senior boy. Wink. Wink) but it is going to be a relatively new character. I can't wait to see what I think of her. I am loving this series.