It is probably safe to say that I have been waiting for Isla and the Happily Ever After for a long time…I believe that my goodreads shelf says I added it to my to read list two years ago. All I have to say is it WAS TOTALLY WORTH THE WAIT!!! Yes, I was shouting that…If I could, there would be rooftops involved. I loved this book and if you have enjoyed the other books in this series and I am pretty sure you will be fangirling alongside me once you get an opportunity to read this book. Perkins writes lovely characters (always) that I want to be friends with, give hugs to, and just really hang out with – Isla and Josh are no different. I didn't spoil anything but just in case you don't want to see the whole review, I have tagged it.

Spoiler

Isla has had a crush on Josh Wasserstein for three years and every time she sees him, she feels like she makes a complete fool of herself. Home on summer break, Isla happens to run into Josh at a coffee shop after she has gotten her wisdom teeth pulled and is on pain killers and just when she thinks she has a chance, he vanishes and Isla doesn’t see him again until they are both back at school for the fall semester of their senior year. Once Isla realizes that Josh has feelings for her (and vice versa) and they begin to open up to each other, the story really picks up. I loved seeing the two get beyond the crush stuff and move into a real relationship – don’t get me wrong, I loved the crush stuff but I really loved the other stuff too. Along with a real relationship though, they have to figure out how to deal with real challenges like what to do after graduation, figuring out how to deal with the aftermath of a (possibly) poor decision…you know, life stuff.

Characters are what typically pull me into a story and Perkins has done a great job with Isla and Josh. As usual, there are a number of secondary characters here that are great too…including cameos of some favorites in Anna, Etienne, Lola, and Cricket. Kurt was probably the most visible as he is the closest person to Isla (outside of her sisters) and the person she relies on most while at school.

What I really liked about Isla is that she really sees Josh has taken the time to observe and understand what is important to him. She knows he is smart and sees the mask he puts on when interacting with others. Isla is also loyal which comes out in her friendship with Kurt. I loved that she was willing to say goodbye to someone just because they weren’t supportive of Kurt and his challenges. It says a lot about who she is and what she values.

Along with all that, this book was packed full of swoons and I have to say….Josh is my favorite of all of Perkins’ lead boys. He is funny, smart, sensitive, and I adore him. I can’t give everything away but I will share one of my favorite quotes.

“I love you!” I say.
“I love you, too.” Josh laughs in surprise. “Thanks for the enthusiasm.”
“I didn’t get to say it last time.”
“Ah, well. From now on” --and I hear his smile grow into a dimple-bearing grin--”let’s start with it.”



And that is only one example of the reasons he is so great. I really have nothing more to say about this other than trust me…if you liked St. Claire, you better get ready for Josh.

I feel like I really shouldn’t say much more (so I won't) as I don’t want to ruin any part of this book for anyone. Trust me when I say that Perkins brings you back to Paris with these two and I really never wanted this book to end. I loved how she tied Anna and St. Claire back into the story and I have to admit…there are quite a few stickies in my book after reading this one. It has also made me think I need to do a re-read of Anna and Lola before I say goodbye (for now) to the series. If you like a story filled with funny stuff, serious stuff, and a lot of swoons, definitely check this out when you can!

Ok...my first thought was..aliens. am i really going to like this? In short, I couldn't put it down.

Katy is a strong character and doesn't just cave to Daemon. I love that about her character and I am interested to see where the next book leads. Daemon...what can I say - love him. It was great to read the additional chapters from his perspective to truly understand the battle he was having internally between his feelings for Katy vs. his love for his family.

Great story and solid characters....recommend this book.

review to come

I really liked this...until the end.

Penryn is trying to protect her sister and mother and get them away from their condo when the worst thing possible happens - they walk into a group of angels attacking another....or the angels fall into the area where they are. Either way, this puts Penryn in the situation where she has to work closely with Raffe, the angel that was being attacked, to find her sister, who was taken when one of the other angels flew off.

I liked Penryn - I thought she was tough and didn't do something stupid to move the story along. All of her decisions, right or wrong, were based on her wanting to help/protect.

Raffe was an interesting character. He was somewhat cocky and very sure of himself but we were given glimpses of his feelings and what he was struggling with. He was the biggest supporter of eliminating the nephilim and here he was having feelings for a "daughter of man."

There were a number of things that I wish were gone into with more details...or even just a little bit more.
1. What was up with Penryn's mom...was she really crazy? I don't think so but didn't get enough information.
2. What was Raffe's story? I wanted to know more about him and his story.
3. Paige - WTH...seriously need to know more about this situation.

I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. I hit the acknowledgments page and thought I missed something. I will absolutely continue reading these books but if you don't like a lot of unanswered questions, hold off until the rest come out.

This is all I can provide right now....




Ok – anyone who knows me knows of my love for the Something Strange and Deadly series. Ever since I finished book two, I have been patiently waiting for the final book of the series and imagine my extreme reaction when my lovely friend @book_junkee says “Hey, I just happen to have a copy…do you want to read it?” (I am paraphrasing here but it went something like that.) Anyway….OF COURSE I wanted to read it and dropped everything the second it came in the mail. Sadly, I have to give it back so….I do have to write my review. I will leave you with my images and spoiler tag the rest of it as it doesn’t come out until July and I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone. Please know that if you do unhide this review, you might read something that gives something away. Consider yourself warned.

Spoiler

So…Eleanor is with the Spirit Hunters and knows she will need to face Marcus to defeat him. In addition to that challenge, she needs to figure out how to control her powers. She still thinks her magic is something that will help her and the Spirit Hunters tend to disagree. They continue to butt heads because of her use of the magic and of course, Oliver’s presence.

A lot happens in this final book…so much, I don’t know if I can talk about it all. Jie is taken by Marcus, the group heads to Egypt to prevent Marcus from raising the Black Pullet, and Eleanor and Daniel’s relationship definitely takes a step in the right direction (in my opinion). Although I will talk about some things here, I refuse to give anything away.

Eleanor is still a great character. Like anyone, she has her good qualities and her bad qualities but I think what I really like about her is that she isn’t afraid to face anything head on – regardless of whether she is afraid of it or not and she is smart. Don’t get me wrong, there are times where if I were her friend I would have asked her what the heck she was doing but in the whole scheme of things, she still came through. There is definitely some growth with her as well. She faces some tough decisions. She also grows into her magic and finally figures out her relationships with everyone around her.

Oliver….Ollie….he continues to push Eleanor to help him and then release him. Despite this, and whether he likes it or not, he continues to develop a friendship with Eleanor. He is there for her through everything and not just because she commands it. He absolutely changes through this book and I loved seeing the growth of his character and that is all I can say about him. Just so you can see how, I will leave you with this image of him.

I looked up to Oliver with a smile. “You survived, “ I said.
He stepped to me and brushed a light, almost casual kiss over my forehead. “As did you.”

Now…Daniel. You know how much I love him right? If not, please see my other reviews. I had a lot of stickies in this book and about 95% of them are parts related to Daniel….and I’m not ashamed. There is soooo much I love about him. He is willing to do whatever it takes to protect those he loves – especially Jie, Joseph, and Eleanor. When he and Eleanor are finally up front about their feelings and what they want, it all starts to come together. With Marcus still out there, Daniel knows things are dangerous for everyone. Because of that, he wants to be honest and up front with Eleanor. When she finally comes to her senses…it was the BEST! Despite the fact that this is a galley and may not even have all the same content as the final copy, I will still include some swoon from Daniel.

”We don’t need music.” Narrowing the space between us, he slid one arm tentatively around my waist. When I didn’t pull away, he grew braver and tugged me close. Then his left hand gently clasped my right. “The last time we danced,” he said, “at that ball in Paris, you were bewitched. I want you to have a new memory of dancin’ with me.” He eased into a slow one-two-three, one-two-three. “And” – he briefly touched his forehead to mine – “I want to have a new memory too.”

Ok, ok…I don’t think I really gave anything away but hopefully this review also doesn't come across as too vague. Just trust me when I say, if you have not started this series you should probably do that now. This one has everything – zombies, swoony boys, action, demons….I could go on and on here. You can bet that no matter what Susan Dennard writes next, it will be on my to read shelf immediately and I applaud her on a wonderful close to this series. There were so many feels and I’m not ashamed to admit it…a few tears but I loved it and wish I could continue reading about these characters and their stories. I will leave you with this as I feel it sums everything up perfectly for me.

Review to come.

Feral by Holly Schindler was an interesting read. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure where this one was going to go but the first few chapters really grabbed my attention and from there I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The book starts out from the point of view of Serena who happens to be dead. We don’t really find anything out other than the fact that her killer is dragging her out to the woods behind the school. One of the things I liked about this story was that perspective – especially this chapter.

Flowing into chapter two, we find out more about Claire Cain who is the main character. After she has survived an attack, Claire’s father is offered a sabbatical in Peculiar, Missouri and Claire jumps at the chance to get out of Chicago and away from her friend who she feels is treating her differently since the attack. Immediately when they get to Peculiar, Claire realizes something isn’t right and she is pulled into the mystery of what happened to Serena.

Claire was an interesting character. I thought Schindler did a great job showing the reader the impact the attack had on her and how it changed her and her relationships with those around her. She put up a good front but there were times that I just wanted her to tell her dad she needed help or she was still afraid. I have a feeling he knew something was up but he never pushed her and that was another frustration.

As Claire digs into the mystery of what happened to Serena, we learn more about her as well as the other people in town. As things progress, Claire begins to focus on the feral cats in town and I have to say, this is the part that seemed a bit odd to me. Perhaps I didn’t “get it” but it seemed to drag the story out and I’m not really sure what Schindler was trying to do. I’m pretty sure the cat plot line could be lifted out and the story would still be solid. Admittedly, I was able to push through these sections and get to the heart of the story which I actually enjoyed.

Additionally, since Claire wasn’t willing to talk to her father, I wanted her to be able to lean on Rich. There were a number of times where her inner dialogue was prompting her to just open up to him and tell him what was going on and I really wanted her to do it. I understand that she has some trust issues and a lot of fear yet about what happened but she definitely needed someone to rely on and I got the sense that he wanted to help her out. He seemed like a solid character from the brief glimpses we got into who he is and his background.

There were a few twists and turns in this story and although I figured out who did it about half way through, it wasn’t clear what really happened and why until the very end. If you are looking for a mystery that includes some pretty creepy writing and points of view (these were some of my favorite parts of this book) you should check this one out when you can.

Thank you to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for the review copy.

Review to come.