emilymahar's Reviews (483)

I was so excited when I first started this book. It had been quite a while since I read a book from this series and I wanted to delve right back into it. For some reason though, the beginning was a little slow for me and took a bit for me to get into. After that, though, I really enjoyed the story.

I liked Clary even better in this one, and I must say that I am liking Simon more too! I was a little annoyed with Jace because he didn't share the dreams that he was having with Clary at first. I felt like they should be able to trust each other not to freak out too much with that kind of thing now. I like the addition of Jordan and I really hope that Maia learns to forgive him for what happened. Izzy and Simon are so cute together still, as are Magnus and Alec. I also liked getting to learn more about Lillith.

The very very end had me going, "Whoah!" I wasn't expecting that at all and I have to know what happens next. Overall, I enjoyed this one but it didn't grab me as much as the other books before this one. I am really looking forward to reading City of Lost Souls!

(Also I loved how Will was talked about in here. I absolutely LOVE him in the Infernal Devices series.)

From the moment I heard about this book I knew that I had to check it out! I really enjoyed this book, and I liked how it was different from the books that I normally read.

The story was filled with lots of family and relationship drama. I liked how there were so many characters because it kept you guessing about what really happened to the characters before Charlie and Alice arrived in Serenity Point. Along with all of the drama Alice is trying to find out the truth about the reason why her step-father's daughter, Camilla's death. When you put everything together you get a great drama! (I could see this becoming a TV show.) The only reason that this was a 4 star book for me was because I had some of the happenings figured out before they actually happened.

Out of the two sisters, Charlie and Alice, I found myself liking Alice and her story better than Charlie. Although Charlie was fun to read about, she was a bit too wild for my liking. I did like their love interests, but again I liked Alice's better. Charlie's was a little complicated but deep down I could tell that he was a decent guy. As of right now.

Overall, I am excited for the next book in the series as it left me wanting to know what happens next in this great drama!

4.5/5 stars

Thanks so much to Penguin and Goodreads for listing the giveaway!

I was so happy when I won the giveaway for this book! I did a happy dance! It deserved all of my excitement, too!

The beginning was a little bit slow, but I really enjoyed reading Rory's witty narration. The first half of the book talks a lot about how she copes with everything that happened during the Ripper case but it gradually works back into the Shades. It got very exciting at that point in the book. I loved how there were some new characters introduced and there are hints of more possible conflicts and mysteries to come in the next book with this addition. Another thing that I really enjoyed were the changes in relationships between some of the characters! One thing that was different in this book from the first was it was much less gory, but a little more eerie. In this book you can expect a little less action, but it doesn't take away from the amazingness of the story.

My favorite characters are probably Boo and Jazzy. Both are wonderful friends to Rory when she needs it most. My favorite leading man would have to be Stephen. I've always liked him more than Jerome! (I keep re-reading one amazing scene with Stephen...) I like him because he's intelligent and guarded but you see him open up a bit in this book and I really liked the vulnerability about him.

Overall, this was such a great book! Ms Johnson does a wonderful job making this world of the Shades seem realistic. She also couldn't have picked a better more eerie setting than London, England and a school like Wexford!

Wow this was a really good book!! A perfect example (at least for me) of not judging a book by its cover. The cover was something that turned me off of the book at first, as I thought that it looked very middle grade. I was very wrong because I enjoyed this book the whole way through!

Although the book wasn't set in a boarding school, I got that sort of vibe from reading this book. I really reading books like that and this was no exception. The main character, Kate was fun to read about. I liked how she never gave up on searching for the true reason of the fire that caused her best friend, Grace's death. Some parts of the book flash back to before Grace died and shows you a little bit about her and Kate's friendship. There is a bit of romance involving the "bad body" Liam. They were a cute couple and I liked how he helps Kate with the mystery towards the end.

There are many secrets being kept by people that you would least expect and alliances that were formed that you will never guess! Everyone seems to have a secret they're hiding. The other characters are very unpredictable and you don't really know who they are until the end.

Overall, the story was a great mystery and some parts were a bit creepy. Although one mystery gets cleared up in the end, I am hoping for learn more about the groups that were created and more about the eerie history of the schools for both the boys and girls.

Black City is one of the best paranormal dystopians that I have read!

Because of the alternating perspectives, right from the beginning you are introduced to the two main characters. Along with the characters you're also introduced to two completely different lives and people. Ash is part Darkling, a creature that humans fear. Nathalie is the daughter of the Emissary, who is very powerful.

Throughout the story you continue to learn more about each of their lives and the government which controls them. I really liked how Ash and Nathalie's relationship doesn't automatically start with them liking each other. It is very gradual. In the beginning the two didn't even like each other. That is the kind of love story I like to read about.

The book focuses much on the, what I would call, "Darkling rights". Many of the humans are for the unity of Darklings and humans. This is the group that is going up against the government. I love how Nathalie is so different from her mother and wants things to change. You can tell that she is a great person and truly wants to help the Darklings. Deep down Ash is also a very sweet guy who loves his family, friends, and Nathalie so much. There is the perfect mix of action, romance, mystery and drama that makes this book so good!

The other characters such as Day and Beetle made the book more fun and less serious. Sebastian was a bit annoying at parts but deep down you can tell that he is truly evil. I actually felt for Nathalie's mom towards the end when she explains some things to Nathalie, but I feel like she's a coward. The characters were very well developed, with lots of backstories and all. I love getting to learn more about the character from the past, and this is just what Ms Richards did!

Overall, I loved how the author combined the paranormal romance with the dystopian so that neither felt like it was overpowering. The idea with the Darklings was unique and I loved it! I am so excited for the next book!!

I was hooked on this book from the beginning!

Grace, Gretchen and Greer are triplets, but they just found out. They have the ability to see monsters from Greek mythology that normal humans can't. It's their job to send them back to the world from which they came.

I really liked the concept for the story! It was something a little different than I've read before. Also, I love that it incorporated Greek mythology in it because I feel like I haven't read enough of it in YA lit. This was also a quick read, and was super fast paced!

Out of the three sisters I liked Gretchen. She's the most BA and I liked how she had a really hard outer shell, but inside she's just another teenage girl. Nick is her love interest, but there is something strange about him. I think that he's adorable, but I'm interested in finding out more about him. Grace is a girl that flies under the radar. I found it a bit odd how she accepted the fact that she could see monsters and that she had two other sisters so easily. That was a bit unrealistic, but entertaining none the less. Is it just me or does anyone else like Thane? I think that he is really... wow. Also, he has secrets I'm itching to learn about! Milo (Grace's love interest and Thane's friend) is really cool, and I'd say he's charming. I found myself liking him, but not loving him. Then there's Greer. I wasn't a fan of hers at first, but she's growing on me. As she was introduced later in the book I'm hoping I'll warm up to her in the second. Her boyfriend Kyle is interesting. He is one of those guys with the look and nothing upstairs. I don't like those kinds of guys. One character I was hoping to see more of was Ursula, Gretchen's protector. She was one of those characters that I just couldn't help but want to learn about.

Overall, I liked Sweet Venom! It was entertaining and exciting! Greek mythology fans will enjoy this one a lot!

Lullaby was just as good as Wake, if not better! Amanda Hocking is an amazing author, and I loved getting to read another book from her so soon!

In the beginning I wasn't liking Gemma very much because she was acting a little winey, but then if I think about it, I probably would be too if I just got turned into a siren. As the story progressed I couldn't put this book down! There was so much happening back home with Harper, Daniel and Alex AND with Gemma and Penn, Lexi, and Thea. Both perspectives were so entertaining to read about. The end left me so ready for Tidal - meaning right now! All I can say is: Gemma, NOOO! Oh my gosh did you just do that do you know what you just did?? (Those that have read the book already will understand my feelings...)

Since this is the second book in a series I'm just going to talk about one character that I felt changed a little. Thea. I actually kind of like her now. She was honest and comforting to Gemma when she needed it, and her ideas about feeding let you see that she didn't choose this life for herself either. Now that I know more about her I feel like she's a really strong character.

Overall, a great sequel! This series is so entertaining!

I adored this book!

When I first read the synopsis for this book I became so excited! It has everything in it to make me happy. London, cute British boy, and travel!

Being that this takes place over a 24-hour period makes this just a tad bit unrealistic in the real world. But, with that being said, the author made this feel like it could actually happen. I loved how the characters were just normal people dealing with things that many people deal with. Family trouble, death, etc.

There was the perfect mix of humor and romance. Both Hadley and Oliver were witty and outright adorable. I had a smile on my face during many parts. I did cry during this book, too. (I'm not sure if that's due to the late hour that I was up reading this, but...)

Overall, I think that this was done perfectly. I enjoyed every page of this book! I'd recommend this to anyone that likes contemporary, and even those that don't. I'm not a huge fan of that genre myself, but I obviously fell in love with this book! A new favorite!

3.5/5 stars

I read this book in such a short amount of time! It was a super quick, fun read! I did enjoy the book, but it was a little lacking in the story department. There wasn't much of a story other than the main character's obsession with fitting in with the Billings Girls. I was a bit confused why Reed wanted to be friends with them so badly, as the Billings Girls were nothing but mean to her. Yet, the whole book strives on Reed wanting to be their friends.

The characters in the book didn't blow me away, but they made for a good, entertaining story. Reed was a little bit annoying. The other characters were mysterious which made me want to read more to find out more about the individual characters. In the end, I was let down. I learned nothing about the characters motives or many secrets about them at all. Maybe there'll be some answers in the next book?

Overall, I did enjoy this book, but it wasn't anything outstanding. It was a really light read, definitely nothing very deep. I will continue on with the series because I'm looking forward to seeing what happens after the ending. Although there wasn't a cliff hanger, it left me intrigued about the future of Reed and the Billings Girls.

Not as awesome as I was hoping, but I still liked it.

I was really excited to finally read this book. Every since I first heard about it I knew that it would be something that I would be interested in. But, it seemed to fall just a tad bit short.

The idea of only a few humans living in a world of vampires was intriguing. Normally in the YA genre it is the other way around. Also, being that this is a dystopian book, I was interested in seeing how the author meshed the two together. Again, I really liked the ideas, but some of it was a little unrealistic. Having to act like a vampire for 18 years (or however old Gene was, I forgot), would be impossible. I know, I know, this is fiction and everything about this book is really unrealistic, but if Gene really were a human he wouldn't be able to go the day without showing emotions in reaction to something. Also, I wanted to learn more about the world that they were living in. I also wanted to learn more government secrets (book 2?)! Those are just some minor things. I don't want it to seem like those two problems made me hate the book.

I felt like this book was focused a lot on the characters, all of which I liked for different reasons. Gene was a good main character, and I liked the male perspective. I didn't like Ashley June very much until the very end of the book (people that have read this will know why). The hepers were a great group to read about. I liked their stories and learning a little about their background. I really liked how Sissy, was the leader of all of the male hepers. Girl power! :) The other hunters did remind me of the different characters from the Quarter Quell in the Hunger Games, but I didn't mind the similarities between them. Another Hunger Games similarity was the whole "Hunt" itself, but I still liked searching for the differences between them.

Overall, I found it entertaining and I really liked reading it. The writing got better and better up to the end. And well, that ending! I can't wait to read The Prey!