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samantha_randolph's Reviews (1.59k)
"Brynn used to have a great life, full of friends, pottery, and a boyfriend she can't get enough of. But once tragedy strikes, that is all gone. She loses her mother, finds out her boyfriend lies all too well, and discovers that her best friends don't want anything to do with her now. Feeling alone and empty, Brynn tries to pick up the pieces of herself and finds out she might not be as alone as she thought." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43741
4.5/5 rounded up; "Josephine Hemlock is one of the last two witches of her line, the other being her grandmother. For generations, a Curse has killed off many of her family, including her mother, as well as other witches. Her grandmother does everything she can to protect her, but when the Curse starts reappearing, drastic measures will have to be taken or else the Hemlock line will be gone forever." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43768
"Emrys isn't too excited about her new assignment to guard the crown prince, Richard, but as a Faery sworn to Queen Mab, she knows it is her duty. As she watches over him, something ignites between them that Emrys was not prepared for. When a threat from her world wants to obliterate the entire royal line, Emrys has to decide how far she will go to protect the person she has grown to love." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43818
"When it comes to spirits, twins Moria and Ashyn know their place as one pair of the empire's Keepers and Seekers. When Ashyn makes her first trip into the Forest of the Dead as the only Seeker, the trip goes terribly wrong and an evil is unleashed on the village. When chaos erupts, the twins are separated, and they begin a journey to find each other and stop the evil shadows." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43825
"Ileni was once the most powerful sorceress in the Renegai, but now her powers are fading. The Elders decide to send her to teach a group of assassins magic since the previous two instructors mysteriously died. As Ileni tries to uncover what happened and instruct the dangerous group of killers, she must also try not to fall for one of them named Sorin. As allegiances are tested and loyalties vowed to the death, Ileni must decide what path she will take when either could be her death." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43830
"Phoebe Hillier never really wanted to marry her betrothed, but that does't stop her from being mad when he calls off the engagement, claiming he has money troubles and must leave the country. When the prime minister of historical England is assassinated the next day, Phoebe suspects there was more going on that what her ex-finance told her. The Duke of Wittaker, James, is also out to discover what really happened with the prime minister, and when he and Phoebe cross paths, they know they have a better chance of solving the mystery together...that is, if they don't fall in love first." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43835
3.5/5 rounded up; "Tenley still has screaming nightmares about the accident that took all her loved ones away. In an effort to move on, she decides to get a tattoo done by sexy Hayden Stryker. Hayden has a past as well that continues to haunt him, but seeing Tenley makes him feel hope again. Together, they fall hard for each other, but nothing can separate them from their own darkness." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43846
4.5/5
Short and Sweet:
The 5th Wave is kind of...brilliant. Well plotted, engaging characters, and a beautiful cover/page design to top it off. I think I 98% love it, and I definitely want to read the sequel.
To Elaborate...
Cassie has survived the first 4 waves the alien invaders have launched on Earth. But surviving isn't always the ideal outcome in a world were few live and trust is nearly a prehistoric concept. However, Cassie made a promise to find her little brother, so she is constantly on the move to get to him and not die along the way. When she is injured and a boy named Evan Walker helps her get better, all of Cassie's plans will change, and she will have to prepare for what's coming next: the 5th wave.
After reading The 5th Wave, it's really hard to express what I felt about it. Did I like it? Yes, very much. Did I love it? Well...I nearly did. The action and plot in this story are incredible, and it's been a long time since I've read a book that made me feel so incredibly pulled into the world it's set in. This book would actually get my top vote for books I want to see made into movies, because the descriptions and just general feel of the setting is so good. Yancey is an extremely talented writer as far as the story arc goes, and his ability to give all of his characters (it flips between narrations of a few characters, not just Cassie) a unique voice is outstanding. Their layers as characters are just beautiful, especially Cassie's, and I love the ways they are connected. Cassie and Evan also have some great swoony moments.
I think what held me back from loving this completely is that I wanted to know more about the aliens. The reader gets some good information about them, especially towards the second half of the book, but I reallyyyy wanted to know more about them and their background. This is the first in a series, and I'm completely sure there is more to come and more mysteries to be discovered in the sequel. I'm not even sure I would really label this as any sort of fault in the book, just something that I personally wanted to see more of.
If you like action-packed alien stories (maybe like Melissa West's Gravity and Hover books), then I would definitely recommend it. I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel and hoping to get more alien knowledge. Also, if you see this book somewhere, just stroke the cover. It feels so neat!
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/05/throwback-thursday-review-5th-wave-by.html
Short and Sweet:
The 5th Wave is kind of...brilliant. Well plotted, engaging characters, and a beautiful cover/page design to top it off. I think I 98% love it, and I definitely want to read the sequel.
To Elaborate...
Cassie has survived the first 4 waves the alien invaders have launched on Earth. But surviving isn't always the ideal outcome in a world were few live and trust is nearly a prehistoric concept. However, Cassie made a promise to find her little brother, so she is constantly on the move to get to him and not die along the way. When she is injured and a boy named Evan Walker helps her get better, all of Cassie's plans will change, and she will have to prepare for what's coming next: the 5th wave.
After reading The 5th Wave, it's really hard to express what I felt about it. Did I like it? Yes, very much. Did I love it? Well...I nearly did. The action and plot in this story are incredible, and it's been a long time since I've read a book that made me feel so incredibly pulled into the world it's set in. This book would actually get my top vote for books I want to see made into movies, because the descriptions and just general feel of the setting is so good. Yancey is an extremely talented writer as far as the story arc goes, and his ability to give all of his characters (it flips between narrations of a few characters, not just Cassie) a unique voice is outstanding. Their layers as characters are just beautiful, especially Cassie's, and I love the ways they are connected. Cassie and Evan also have some great swoony moments.
I think what held me back from loving this completely is that I wanted to know more about the aliens. The reader gets some good information about them, especially towards the second half of the book, but I reallyyyy wanted to know more about them and their background. This is the first in a series, and I'm completely sure there is more to come and more mysteries to be discovered in the sequel. I'm not even sure I would really label this as any sort of fault in the book, just something that I personally wanted to see more of.
If you like action-packed alien stories (maybe like Melissa West's Gravity and Hover books), then I would definitely recommend it. I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel and hoping to get more alien knowledge. Also, if you see this book somewhere, just stroke the cover. It feels so neat!
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/05/throwback-thursday-review-5th-wave-by.html
"When Brooke Starr's family is murdered, she decides to abandon her future with Julliard playing piano and heads to Alaska to escape it all. When she arrives, she slowly finds out that no distance from the crime scene can make her forget. When Chance Taylor saves her from a suicide attempt, he can't deny the pull he feels toward her, a pull he's never felt before. Together, they try to battle Brooke's demons, but the past will not let her go without a fight." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43867
Short and Sweet:
Action-packed with a sexy love interest, Hexed is a fantastic story of witches and sorcery! Extra love for the wonderfully articulated grief that Indigo experiences as a character and also for the pretty cover!
To Elaborate...
Indigo has bigger concerns than her mom's freakish occult shop, like why her best friend, Bianca, is being so mean since Devon came into the picture. But after Indigo witnesses a death, 'freaky occult' stuff starts to feel a lot more real, especially when two strange men steal a sacred book from the shop and tattooed and cocky, Bishop, tells her she's a witch. Now, Indigo has to figure out what exactly being a witch entails and how to avoid the strange, book-stealing men at all costs before her family gets hurt.
There are so many things I like about Hexed: the wonderful character development in Indigo, the love interest in Bishop, the witchy powers, Bishop, the fast plot, and Bishop. But really, Bishop is such an engaging love interest with a sharp tongue that makes for phenomenal dialogue. Top that off with some swoony swoon scenes, and he might be one of my favorite book boyfriends (for now).
Beyond the swoons, Indigo's journey is extremely well paced. She goes through so much as a character and her growth flows beautifully. Something happens that really sets her back emotionally for a while and I loved how realistic her grief was. I definitely liked her character before then, but when that hit, she reached a whole new level of relatability. Another great highlight to Indigo's character is how she stays true to herself. She certainly messes up here and there, but she has a certain loyalty to herself even when she's uncomfortable that is very refreshing.
As much as I enjoyed this book (and highly recommend it), I did feel that the high focus on the witch/sorcerer battle left some areas of the story a bit neglected. For example, the secondary characters, particularly Paige and Bianca, are set up so nicely to go into some awesome depth (in terms of their relation to Indigo as well as their own personalities), but once the witch action started picking up, I felt like they fell off. Since this is the first in a series, this could definitely be resolved in a later book, but it was still sad not seeing it in this one.
Overall, Hexed is a great read, perfect for witch fans! I can't wait for the sequel!
Originally posted on I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-hexed-by-michelle-krys.html#disqus_thread
Action-packed with a sexy love interest, Hexed is a fantastic story of witches and sorcery! Extra love for the wonderfully articulated grief that Indigo experiences as a character and also for the pretty cover!
To Elaborate...
Indigo has bigger concerns than her mom's freakish occult shop, like why her best friend, Bianca, is being so mean since Devon came into the picture. But after Indigo witnesses a death, 'freaky occult' stuff starts to feel a lot more real, especially when two strange men steal a sacred book from the shop and tattooed and cocky, Bishop, tells her she's a witch. Now, Indigo has to figure out what exactly being a witch entails and how to avoid the strange, book-stealing men at all costs before her family gets hurt.
There are so many things I like about Hexed: the wonderful character development in Indigo, the love interest in Bishop, the witchy powers, Bishop, the fast plot, and Bishop. But really, Bishop is such an engaging love interest with a sharp tongue that makes for phenomenal dialogue. Top that off with some swoony swoon scenes, and he might be one of my favorite book boyfriends (for now).
Beyond the swoons, Indigo's journey is extremely well paced. She goes through so much as a character and her growth flows beautifully. Something happens that really sets her back emotionally for a while and I loved how realistic her grief was. I definitely liked her character before then, but when that hit, she reached a whole new level of relatability. Another great highlight to Indigo's character is how she stays true to herself. She certainly messes up here and there, but she has a certain loyalty to herself even when she's uncomfortable that is very refreshing.
As much as I enjoyed this book (and highly recommend it), I did feel that the high focus on the witch/sorcerer battle left some areas of the story a bit neglected. For example, the secondary characters, particularly Paige and Bianca, are set up so nicely to go into some awesome depth (in terms of their relation to Indigo as well as their own personalities), but once the witch action started picking up, I felt like they fell off. Since this is the first in a series, this could definitely be resolved in a later book, but it was still sad not seeing it in this one.
Overall, Hexed is a great read, perfect for witch fans! I can't wait for the sequel!
Originally posted on I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-hexed-by-michelle-krys.html#disqus_thread