I am a sucker for the HEA and really enjoyed this book. Probably closer to a 4.5 star for me.

The characters in a book are what typically do it for me - if they are interesting and I want to know more about them, I tend to enjoy the story. This one is no different. I don't think there was one character here that I didn't like. Adam, Dell and Brady...yikes. If I need to move to find guys like this, just tell me where to go. All have their issues but they all care for and love each other. Also, who can pass up a guy who cares for animals?? Lilah was the right mix of tough and not so tough. She too had her baggage but she was a believable character.

I have a number of raving reviews in my update feed on the other Shalvis books and I have to say, my friends are right. Great story, great characters - go read it.

I really enjoyed this book. True rating is 4.5 stars.

The plot if this story is great. Society is split into two factions - victorians and punks and to keep things interesting, Habel decided to add some zombies to the mix. Not all zombies are bad and that includes some of the major characters. No plot giveaways here.

I love the characters in this story. All of them and that never really happens. Nora is strong and follows through with what is important to her. At first I wasn't sure about Pamela but she grew on me. Bram was strong, protective, open and honest. I also appreciated that both he and Nora were realists. They both understood the hurdles and challenges they would face if everyone survived.

I will admit that at first I was annoyed with all of the switching pov's as I wanted to focus on Nora and Bram but that too grew on me as it was important to see the different perspectives. I really enjoyed seeing the shift in how Nora perceived Bram and the other zombies. The shift was subtle andI loved Bram's response/reaction to the change.

I am (eagerly) looking forward to the next book.

3.5 stars on this one.

There was a lot going on in this book with the main story being Bitterblue trying to figure out who to trust. We get to see the characters Po, Katsa and Giddon again along with some new characters in Saf and Teddy.

Throughout the story Bitterblue struggles with being queen. In her trips outside the castle at night she runs into Saf and Teddy and begins to learn more and more about the Truthseekers. It is also very clear that Bitterblue feels separated from everyone by the fact that she is queen and doesn't really have a family (outside of her relatives). I liked how the relationship between Giddon and Bitterblue developed. It was also nice to read more about Po and Katsa. I was sad to see their story end in Graceling so it was an added bonus that they were brought back.

There was mystery and intrigue along with a story of how Bitterblue grows into her role and who she is.

This was an interesting book. The action starts immediately and we are taken into the life of Trigg and his younger sister Ren. They have an abusive father and when they decide to stand up for themselves, things end up going wrong. Ren and Trigg are sentenced by the NAO to spend time in township 101. The justice and prison system has taken a harder stance on all types of crime and although there is a clear benefit to the greater public, there are definite issues that result in the townships.

There are a number of solid characters in this book. Trigg, Ren, Riker, Pintar, Bobby Joe, and Ace...each one had an important role to play and helped to move the story along. Despite not getting to learn a lot about each of these people outside of 101, we still learn some of their backstories where it is important.

Overall I thought this was a good story and the plot kept the story moving along. There was a lot of action and the characters were strong. Both of these things are important. Additionally - this was a quick read.

Where to start with this one. I really liked this book and it grabbed me from the very beginning.

The premise is an interesting one, everyone is born with an alt and at anytime between the ages 10-20, they can be activated. This means each has 31 days to hunt down and kill the other. If both are still alive after the 31 days, they are both destroyed. The theory is that the strong ones will survive to protect everyone if ever needed. Ok - this is bad enough but they never know when the activation will happen.

West is a tough character. I won't lie - she made me angry at times but she is definitely tough. She just seemed to forget who she was for a little while. In all of her efforts to distance herself from Chord, she stopped believing that she was the one who should complete. It didn't help that something happens to throw her off kilter but eventually she does get it together and realizes that if she wants to be with Chord, she needs to be the one to survive. I appreciated that she was able to do it mostly on her own though. Yes, she did take the things Chord would leave for her (money and cell) but she didn't need to rely on them to survive. She was resourceful and (usually) pretty smart.

Chord...the glimpses we see of him is as someone who has always wanted to support and protect West. It was more than the promise he made to Luc that prompted him to continue to watch over and help out West while she was activated. It took her a little while to figure it out (I don't think she really believed he loved her until he actually said it...if she even hoped, she would always credit what he was doing to the promise made to Luc) but she did.

This book starts with the action immediately and doesn't really ever stop. There is also a lot of emotion in this book - anger, sadness, love, relief.

If you like dystopian books, go read this the first chance you get. It was a book I couldn't put down and I am looking forward to the next one as I am curious to see where Chapman takes it.

I would up this rating to a 2.5 if I could.

This was a quick read, had an interesting premise and uses Greek mythology to move the story along. Evangeline is a descendant of Pandora and completely unaware of it. On her 16th birthday, things start to get weird. Evangeline is no longer awkward, in fact, the opposite is becoming the case. People are noticing there is something different about her. A lot happens in the span of that day...I won't give away any of the story but the timing seemed rushed.

There was a lot of action in this book but I don't feel like we got enough of the characters. I wanted to like them but just didn't get the chance to do so. I think the most developed character was Malledy and I had a hard time deciding if I felt sorry for him or if I hated him. Overall I would have liked to get more of the relationships between Evangeline, Melia, and Raphe. I am someone who really needs to get into the characters and I didn't feel like I was able to in this book.

I would say that overall I thought this was ok.

I don't know why I still don't have a review on this....

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was interesting in parts and in others it really dragged. I will say that the reviews that say this is a ya version of The DaVinci Code are fairly accurate.

The story revolves around Nora who is somewhat underwhelming as a character. A tragedy causes her to make some major changes in her life. Because of those changes, she meets Chris and Adriane who become her closest friends. When Chris goes to college, his roommate Max enters the picture as well. I won't go into the entire background of what leads into the heart of the story as there is a lot going on in this book. In short, Nora, Chris and Max are assisting with a research/translation project for a history professor and while doing so, uncover a mystery around the Lumen Dei.

The story has mystery, murder, religious cults/sects, and quite a bit of deception. I did enjoy the story but felt some pieces were a bit out there...namely, the fact that seniors in high school are able to go overseas as part of a school trip and essentially just walk away from the group they are supposed to be with. I will say I enjoyed the part where the author channels a scene from Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark...

Spoiler

let's just say there is mention of face melting and I immediately thought of that scene in the movie.

Overall I would probably rate this a 2.5 if I were able to. Anyone reading this should know there is a lot of background and reading of letters early on....the action doesn't really start until about 1/4 of the way into the book. If you power through that, don't give up.