You find this review along with many others on my blog by clicking here .

Okay, I literally just put down this book and felt an immediate and undeniable urge to talk (more like gush) about it. I loved Vanish on so many different levels and for me, it exceeded all of my expectations I had when I left off with Firelight. The one thing in Firelight that always pushed my buttons was that the main character, Jacinda, is a draki (dragon who shape shifts into human form) and we don’t get to learn about her history or learn about other draki. Thankfully Vanish takes care of this issue because the whole novel is based off of the world of the draki (which was so awesome…for everyone except Jacinda).

Stop and think…do you want to know what happens in this book? If not, don’t read ahead. <— Spoiler Alert!

The novel begins with a huge twist as Jacinda’s twin sister Tamra manifests into a draki for the first time. Not only does she finally manifest, but she has the rarest and most coveted power of all the drakis, she’s a shader. Once back in the confines of the draki ‘village’ Jacinda and Tamra are separated as Tamra begins her training. Jacinda’s mother takes a turn for the worst and starts developing a pretty serious problem with alcohol and it’s clear that she is deeply depressed. As the story progresses Jacinda and Cassian form a new, stronger relationship, but Jacinda refuses to forget about Will, the human and draki hunter she falls in love with in Firelight. When Tamra first manifested, Will and all the other hunters were present so Tamra’s power should’ve erased everyone’s memory of that night. At least, that’s what Jacinda thought until Will stumbles upon the draki settlement unannounced and unwelcome. Tamra and the other shaders attempt to erase his memory, thinking he’s just a lost hiker, and send him on his way. Cassian then helps Jacinda sneak out to tell Will to never come back. Of course that doesn’t happen, because Will can remember everything and he vows to run away with her and help her escape. They meet again a few weeks later, only Will doesn’t show up and Jacinda was followed by Cassian’s brat of a sister Miram. Jacinda and Miram are both caught and injured by Will’s family of hunters but Will manages to rescue Jacinda. They plan to run away together when guilt starts to change Jacinda. She decides to go home and face the draki, and they decide to clip her wings. Cassian saves her by forcing Jacinda to bond to him. After the bonding, Jacinda and Cassian have an emotional link to each other, but Jacinda and Tamra decide to escape with Will to rescue Miram and find their mother, who was banished upon Jacinda’s second return. In a crazy turn of events Cassian ends up leaving with Tarma, Jacinda and Will as they begin their journey to rescue Miram.

From start to finish, this book was packed with action and love triangles and emotions like you wouldn’t believe! In Firelight, I was a pretty big supporter of Will, but deep down I knew I could easily be persuaded onto Cassian’s team. Well, Cassian won my heart in Vanish. I’m just so torn! Will is the right choice for Jacinda, but Cassian, in his own way, is just as perfect for her! I’m hoping in the last novel Hidden, Will shows more powers and becomes more of an equal with Jacinda and that Cassian falls in love with…maybe Tamra? Gosh I just don’t know, I’m rooting for Cassian, but I know Will should win Jacinda in the end. It’s just so unfair! I love Cassian as the brooding Prince who actually fell in love with Jacinda, not the fire breathing potential mate. But Will and Jacinda have that ‘I’m all alone in this big world’ complex going on that makes them fit together so well. I don’t know, all I do know is that I’m glad I’m not Sophie Jordan because I have no idea how I would finish this series.

I’m hoping in the next book we see a nicer side to the Tamra-Jacinda relationship. The first two novels they were always bickering or Tamra was angry at Jacinda, which made them both all angsty and it was kind of annoying. I’m really super ecstatic that there was less high school drama in this and more dragon action instead. I am so glad I found this series, the covers are to die for, and I just wish I could find myself a Cassian in real life. *swoon*

If I could I'd rate the book a 2.5 but I rounded up. I'm stuck somewhere in between it was okay, and I liked it, because it WAS okay and I DID like it.

You can find more of my reviews on my blog by clicking here .

I’d like to start off by saying that I believe this is T. S. Debrosse’s debut novel and I won this novel for free at Freado (yay!).

Alright let’s see here…I have mixed feelings about this novel. Because of those feelings, I’m going to categorize my review into things I liked and the things I didn’t like. Please remember that I try to judge books and authors fairly and honestly.

Things I did not like:
Debut author- At times during the novel I felt like Debrosse was trying to find her writing voice and solidify her writing style. The story felt a little all over the place and the plot at times was unclear. Of course this could have been done on purpose, but I felt this novel lacked a sort of finesse and flow that more experienced authors have.
Detail oriented- This is something that bugs me with all authors, I think I mentioned this in my review of Anne Rice, but it drives me crazy when authors take a long time explain something obscure that isn’t drastically relevant to the plot and then skimming over the good stuff, like a fight scene. Know when to use details and when to let the reader imagine the scene, don’t always spell everything out, but fights and action sequences are hard for a reader to envision when you alone know your characters and who would be where and who would parry and who would strike first and so on.
Plot- I’ve already said that it was a little too all over the place, but that’s not a huge downer for me, it’s just mentionable. I think Debrosse had so many ideas that she just packed them all into this series instead of saving some aspects and using them in her next books.

Things I did like:
It was so different! For me, being a reader of mostly generic young adult fiction, this book was a breath of fresh air! I had no idea who the characters where or what was going on half the time and I loved that! Typically I can acclimate myself pretty well to any YA book becau
se they all have the same general outline or formula, but this was crazy new. The concept behind this piece was incredible and I literally have no idea what will happen next.
The main character, Jeremy. It was amazing to see Debrosse create a protagonist with a chauvinistic, antagonistic attitude, and on top of that, make the reader cheer him on!
The concept. I loved the concept of the different planets and worlds and space travel. I loved the concept of the Haze itself and all the religious aspects mixed in.
I think Debrosse is a promising new author and with time, I’ll grow to love not only her outrageous plots but also her writing style. Would I recommend this book to others? I’m not entirely sure. I’m glad I got the chance to read it, but it’s definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. My advice is to get a little background on the story and then, if you’re interested, read it. Don’t let my review or anyone else’s review stop you. Maybe you’re the one person who falls head over heels in love with Jeremy Chikalto. If you have some spare time on your hands and you want to read a story that is totally out of this world, Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls is the book for you.

I think I might even check out book 2, Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island… =]

You can also find this review along with many others on my blog by clicking here .

Oh my gosh! Melissa De La Cruz is definitely stepping up her game with the end of the series. I mentioned in my previous review that I was a little disappointed with Misguided Angel, but Lost In Time more than makes up for it. This time the story follows Schuyler, Mimi and the back story of Alegra. I would suggest that you read Bloody Valentine before reading Lost In Time if you are interested in more of the story that happens after Misguided Angel and before this novel. I thought Bloody Valentine was way too short and was dying for more story, but Lost In Time elaborates fully on where Blood Valentine leaves off. Some of the mention of witches and some inside jokes between Alegra and Ben are confusing if you haven’t read Bloody Valentine.

But let’s get back to Lost In Time. I don’t know if I was expecting much from this book, after my previous disappointment but boy did it deliver. There were a few minor things that irked me about this book that I haven’t felt in the other books. The first being all the dictionary worthy words that were thrown into this novel. I would consider myself a fairly educated person, going into my third year of college, and even I felt like I needed to have a dictionary by my side for half of the words in this novel. For example, when randomly turning to page 196 (hardcover) I’m bombarded by words like ersatz, troglodyte, and insouciance. I don’t mind having ‘big words’ in novels, or even admitting that I’ve had to look many of them up to fully grasp what the heck Melissa De La Cruz was talking about, but what irks me is that this isn’t a normal occurrence in the Blue Bloods novels. If every novel was loaded with hard to pronounce words and I felt like I was reading a thesaurus, I’d be okay with it, but for them to just show up now was a little annoying, it felt like the novels were at war with each other because her writing style was deviating in some places while in others there was the usual witty teenage banter.

I said two things irked me about this book and the other would be that, although the story was amazing and it was a huge page turner, it all felt rushed. A fight scene started and ended in less than a page and before I could even register my excitement it was over. I felt like Cruz had so much to say and not enough room to say it. However, what she did say plot wise, was brilliant and breath taking! Oh the love triangles, quadrilaterals, and the sacrifices, the heart wrenching moments and the moments of clarity, when all the clues finally fell into place and there was understanding at last. This was a great story with many twists and turns and three different endings I could not have expected or guessed at even if I had tried.

Now let’s talk characters. I keep doting on Mimi in these last few reviews and with good reason! This character has become so dynamic and is playing such a huge role in these novels. She makes the ultimate sacrifice for love, making the reader feel such compassion for her and then she betrays you and then she finds grace and humanity and becomes a totally sweet badass again! I hate to say it, but I feel stronger towards Mimi now than I do for Schuyler. Schuyler is becoming the weaker woman in the story, the one people feel the need to protect. I hope in the final novel she finds her strength and comes into her true self so I can cheer more loudly for her instead of Mimi. I feel so guilty, going over to the dark side with Mimi and Kingsley, and even Jack would be included in that category since he is technically a Dark Angel. Schuyler really needs to start stepping it up if she wants my praise, and Oliver too. Good for him for running towards a fight, but come on man, find something to live for! He’s always been a dependable character and helped Schuyler but he’s always just been in the background. I think now is his time to really shine.

As for the Alegra, Ben, Charles situation, I found that I liked Ben alot more in Blood Valentine than I did with the way he was portrayed here. I found myself more inclined to side with Charles (whom I haven’t liked at all from the very beginning) which is weird for me. I loved getting to know more of Alegra’s back story and find it so typical that right when probably the biggest secret of all is about to be revealed (even though I’m pretty sure I know what it is) the book ends!

I hate to do this because I wanted to wait until I had read every book in the series, but Lost In Time, so far, was my favorite of the Blue Bloods series. The Van Alen Legacy comes in a close second. All I can hope for is that in the final book Melissa De La Cruz will take her time and put more details into the fight scenes [SPOILER(she did a great job describing the last fight in the book between Mimi and Jack though)]. I can’t wait for the last book to come out, but I guess I’ll be waiting for a long time since it isn’t due to be released until January (LAME!). In the meantime though I’ll be enjoying Wolf Pack, the story of Bliss who is off hunting the hell hounds. That should be interesting because it will be directly related to the ending of the Blue Bloods Series.

If all my reviews haven’t gotten you excited enough for this series, or if you aren’t excited about the final book maybe this will help.

Quoted directly from the last page of Lost In Time, promoting The Gates of Paradise:

Watch out for the explosive finale in the Blue Bloods series. All your questions answered…All the mysteries explained…Friends reunited…Hearts broken…Will bliss return with the Hellhounds? Will Schuyler save the Blue Bloods? Who will live? Who will die? Find out in the seventh and final novel in the epic saga.

You can also see this review and many others on my blog by clicking here .
Misguided Angel is the fifth book in the Blue Bloods Series and it is one of the shorter novels. However, I think it might be my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong, it fits into the blue bloods story line and plot elegantly and efficiently, but as a personal preference I just wasn’t feeling it (the first or the second time around).

The novel picks up where the last one left off, beginning with Schuyler and Jack being part of the European coven. The book is separated (for the most part) into three sections from different character’s points of view. The first part is told by Schuyler, the next by Mimi, and the last section by a semi new character Deming. I’ve mentioned before that Schuyler is my favorite character, so perhaps part of the reason I’m not a huge fan of this book is because she plays such a minor role in it.

I also felt like this novel was a minor stepping stone for the plot that is going to heat up in the next two novels. I thought this one was more of a filler novel, getting the reader enough information to be entertained and preparing the reader for the more important issues that are coming next in the last books.

I’m not going to do a summary of this novel simply because there isn’t that much to tell, and all I’d be doing is revealing major spoilers. The whole point of this novel was to get one main fact across. That being said, I still enjoyed this book. It was nice to see Mimi continue to evolve and play new roles in the vampire community. We’re also introduced to a new character, Deming who is a Truth Seeker and a Venator from China. I really loved her character and hope that Melissa De La Cruz continues to conduct parts of the next novel from Deming’s perspective.

The plot is really well developed in this novel and very detailed oriented, which gives the novel that feeling of filler information and preparatory story telling. Overall it is nice to see each of the characters continue to grow and develop and to ultimately change. I started out hating Mimi Force, but now I’m beginning to understand her and sympathize with her. I think Melissa got her point across in this novel and it achieved its goal and purpose. Was it my favorite, no, but it was a quick and easy read with an enjoyable plot.

You can check out the full review on my blog by clickcing here .

I don’t want to get ahead of myself when I say that this is my favorite Blue Bloods novel, because I can’t accurately make that distinction until all of the novels are released and read. So far though, yes this is my favorite novel.This was the longest novel to date and it was jam packed with action, adventure, and great plot lines. Cruz refined the novel a bit by making each chapter a different character and putting their name at the top of each new chapter, taking away the confusion from the last few novels. She expertly created three different character stories that inevitably ended up clashing together into one in the last few chapters.

I loved this novel because of all the action and I loved watching the characters develop and to be able to actually connect with characters other than Schuyler. Mimi and Bliss now seem more accessible and they’re easier to relate to, whereas before Mimi was just some snobby rich girl who I voted against. Now we’ve seen her weakness and her capacity to actually act and think like a human and it is slightly endearing. Romance is blossoming all around as well as the air of suspense. More and more mysteries are being solved which then leads to more mysteries, always leaving the reader wanting to know more, wanting to understand and to know how this is going to play out in the end.

This is not my full review, just a few excerpts with no spoilers.

You can also find my review on my blog by clicking here .
I believe that this is the shortest of all of the Blue Bloods novels, only 264 pages (hardback), but that’s not to say it wasn’t the most enjoyable. This, for me, is where the story and the action really picks up, even if that it only occurs in the last twenty or so pages. The beginning and middle sections of this book are designed to provide the reader with information and clues. It isn’t until reading the book a second or third time however that one realizes that all the confusing information actually serves a purpose and is in fact clues to uncovering who the Silver Blood is and what’s really going on.

This book is a bit more difficult to form a solid synopsis, because each chapter and sometimes every other paragraph focuses on a different character. I’ve read some reviews where readers heartily disliked the setup but for me, if you are good with remembering what happened to who, it’s not an difficult read by any means.

Major spoilers ahead, like way major.

The story begins by elaborating on Schuyler’s new life living with the Force’s. There is an air of mystery when Schuyler meets Oliver in a closet between classes and it is assumed he is the same boy she plans on sneaking out to meet later that night. However instead of finding Oliver in her secret apartment she finds Dylan, deranged and trying to kill her. She subdues him enough and Bliss takes Dylan away. In the meantime Mimi and Jack Force are having dinner and going over Bonding plans (aka their marriage). Mimi doesn’t trust Jack, even though he refuses to talk or look at Schuyler at school or in their home, so she follows him after dinner. They end up at the same apartment Schuyler was just at so Mimi confirms that Jack and Schuyler are having a secret affair. Lawrence, now Regis or head of the Blue Bloods, makes a last minute trip to Rio to investigate Corcovado, the sight where Leviathan, the second most powerful Silver Blood (second only to Lucifer), was encased in the ground. He brings with him Kingsley Martin, the reformed Silver Blood who betrayed Mimi Force and almost had her killed. Mimi continues planning the Bonding while Jack and Schuyler continue seeing each other in secret until one day Mimi tells Oliver where she can find them. Oliver, Schuyler’s human conduit and familiar, is heart broken by her betrayal, but follows her to Rio when she learns from the Elders that her Grandfather is in trouble. Once in Rio Silver Bloods attack and kill all of the Elders, Jordan, Bliss’s younger sister attempts to kill her and is taken away, and then Bliss learns that she is the one who has been acting under the orders of the Silver Bloods. Bliss attacked Aggie, Schuyler, Cordelia, Dylan, and all of the Elders and other members of the Conclave. Lucifer himself is controlling her body and her actions and she is trapped with countless other souls inside her body... (Read More)

You can read this review on my blog by clicking here .
Fun fact of the day! Masquerade (paperback) has approximately 300 pages. I read the book in 5 hours, which means I read on average a page a minute! Cool huh?

Anyways, Masquerade is the second installment of the Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz. This was my second or third time reading the book and the shocking parts where no longer shocking, but I’ll try and do this review as objectively as possible, noting that I have read it before, but also what a new reader would expect.

I’m not going to make a character chart for this book because only one new character was introduced (his character profile will be provided at the end of my review). If you’re confused or have questions about the characters, please check out my review of Blue Bloods before moving on.

Spoilers begin now.

The book begins with Schuyler on the hunt for her Grandfather in Venice. After a long and wild goose chase she eventually finds him, but he says he can’t help her. She returns to NY empty handed and slightly discouraged. Meanwhile, preparations for the annual 400 Ball (a vampire exclusive event) are underway and Mimi Force decides to hold an even more exclusive after party. Bliss Llewellyn is having even more dangerous black outs and was rescued by a mysterious stranger (whom she thinks is Dylan) from the bottom of a lake. Schuyler attends the ball in a dress her mother, Alegra, had worn and is easily the most beautiful girl in attendance, making even the illustrious Mimi Force jealous... (Read More)

You can check out my full review of the book on my website by clicking here

Is it queer to say that the book ended differently than I remember…since this was maybe my fifth time reading Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz? I guess the reason being is that all the books just kinda mingle together now and I forget where one stopped and the next one began.

Since this was a reread I’m going to do my best to avoid adding spoilers from the rest of the series, but if I unintentionally slip up…my apologies. There were DEFINITELY be spoilers about this book though, Blue Bloods, because how can I give a review without spoilers?!

Melissa De La Cruz reinvented the vampire in a extremely unique way. (Vampire tangent begins now) I like to categorize my authors and their vampires, so I’ll being with

Anne Rice- The original idea of a vampire, going along with the likes of Dracula except less ask to enter more breaking and entering.
Stephenie Meyer- Pretty similar to Rice’s idea of immortality, with the obvious exception of the sparkling in the sun.
P.C & Kristin Cast- Really interesting new take on vampires, however still similar to the basic live forever idea. They created a goddess type worship, being marked as a fledgling vampire, either growing into a vampire or dying as a teenager.
Melissa De La Cruz- Not your traditional live forever vampires. These vampires take human ‘shells’ and expire from one lifetime to another and are reborn, but their soul and their memories live forever.

Read more

***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
You can also find this review on my blog
I think it’s pretty safe for me to say that I’ve never read a book quite like Across The Universe, which makes me happy that I’m actually accomplishing my goal of broadening my interest of genres this summer.

Across The Universe is a story about living on a space ship in hopes of creating a better life on a new planet Earth. However, Amy (the main character) and her parents will be frozen for 300 years before they reach this new Earth. During those 300 years the space ship is populated by roughly three thousand people, who over many generations have become monoethnic and behave as if they are empty shells of the real people who once inhabited the real Earth. There is a strange leadership system in place, and more secrets are contained in this ship than there are people to keep them. Perhaps the biggest secret is Amy and her frozen companions, until suddenly someone is unfreezing her and killing the rest. When Amy wakes up she meets Elder who is was chosen or destined to be the future generations leader, and together they uncover all the secrets of the ship they live on known as Godspeed.

I’ve never read or seen any of the Star Wars books or movies (please don’t hate me, it’s on my to do list I promise), but Star Wars seems like the closest story I could relate to Across The Universe. The whole “Luke I am your Father” concept of secrets and denial in space is vaguely mirrored in this novel, however I can assure you from what knowledge I do have of Star Wars that the two stories are completely separate...(read more)

Read the full review on my blog: Firelight by Sophie Jordan
SPOILER ALERT
I really enjoyed the story presented and it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Firelight has more of a teenage, high school drama, slightly supernatural feel, in comparison to the full on dragon action I was expecting. Of course the action heats up in the last few pages and then, without even cooling down the book just ends. I don’t know why this keeps shocking me, flipping page after page of a book and then finally flipping to a page without writing, signaling the end. Regardless of what I thought Firelight would be I still finished the book being really happy about it and wishing I had already bought Vanished (the sequel) so that I wouldn’t have to wait to see how the story continues.

The story begins with a girl living among her pride of dragons, and then her mother forcing Jacinda to leave with her twin sister Tamra to the desert, where her inner dragon will hopefully shrivel up and die in the heat and water less climate. This plan was working until Jacinda meets Will at her new high school, Will who is the same boy and hunter who let her escape the last time they met in the forest and the reason she was forced to leave her pride...(read more)