BOOK REVIEW: Three by Kristen Simmons

TITLE:  Three
AUTHOR: Kristen Simmons
FIRST PUBLISHED: February 11th, 2014
GENRE: YA, Distopian
SERIES: Article 5, Book 3.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Ember Miller and Chase Jennings are ready to stop running. After weeks spent in hiding as two of the Bureau of Reformation’s most wanted criminals, they have finally arrived at the safe house, where they hope to live a safe and quiet existence.

And all that’s left is smoking ruins.

Devastated by the demolition of their last hope, Ember and Chase follow the only thing left to them—tracks leading away from the wreckage. The only sign that there may have been survivors.

With their high profile, they know they can’t stay out in the open for long. They take shelter in the wilderness and amidst the ruins of abandoned cities as they follow the tracks down the coast, eventually finding refugees from the destroyed safe house. Among them is someone from Chase’s past—someone he never thought he’d see again.

Banding together, they search for a place to hide, aiming for a settlement a few of them have heard about…a settlement that is rumored to house the nebulous organization known as Three. The very group that has provided Ember with a tiny ray of hope ever since she was first forced on the run.

Three is responsible for the huge network of underground safe houses and resistance groups across the country. And they may offer Ember her only chance at telling the world her story.

At fighting back.

BOOK REVIEW: Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff

TITLE:  Boy Nobody
AUTHOR: Allen Zadoff
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 23rd, 2013
GENRE: YA, Action, Mistery
SERIES: Boy Nobody, Book 1.
RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Who is Boy Nobody?

The perennial new kid at school:
New town, new name... new mission.

The perfect assassin:
Kill your target and move on.
No fear. No sympathy. No remorse.

But this time is different. The stakes are deadlier. The memories are surfacing. And Boy Nobody is about to find out who he really is.

BOOK REVIEW: The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness

TITLE:  The Ask and The Answer
AUTHOR: Patrick Ness
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 5th 2009
GENRE: YA, Dystopian
SERIES: The Chaos Walking Trilogy, Book 2.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

We were in the square, in the square where I'd run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her - But there weren't no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men...

Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...

BOOK REVIEW: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

TITLE:  The Knife Of Never Letting Go
AUTHOR: Patrick Ness
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 5th 2008
GENRE: YA, Dystopian
SERIES: The Chaos Walking Trilogy
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

BOOK REVIEW: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither
Author: Lauren DeStefano
First Published: March 22 2011
Genre: YA, Dystopian, 
Pages: 358
Rating: 5 out of 5

What if you knew exactly when you’d die? By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males born with a lifespan of 25 years, and females a lifespan of 20 years--leaving the world in a state of panic. Geneticists seek a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Yet her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement; her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next; and Rhine has no way to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive.
Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Book Review: Slated by Teri Terry

Title: Slated
Author: Teri Terry
First Published: May 3rd  2012

Genre: YA, Dystopian, Mistery
Pages: 448
Rating: 4 out of 5

Kyla’s memory has been erased,her personality wiped blank,her memories lost for ever.
She’s been Slated.
The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

BOOK REVIEW: Vortex by Julie Cross

Title: Vortex (Tempest #2)
Author: Julie Cross
First Published: January 3rd  2013

Genre: YA, Time travel
Pages: 426
Rating: 5 out of 5

Jackson Meyer has thrown himself into his role as an agent for Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all time-travel-related threats. Despite his heartbreak at losing the love of his life, Jackson has proved himself to be an excellent agent. However, allthat changes when Holly—the girl he altered history to save—re-enters his life. And when Eyewall, an opposing division of the CIA, emerges, Jackson and his fellow agents find themselves under attack and on the run.

Book Review: Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Title: Breaking Point (Article 5 #2)
Author: Kristen SimmonsFirst Published: February 12th 2013

Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 398
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.
Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….
Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.
Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.
With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?

 At a Glance:

I am so glad I read this book!! Ever since I read Artcle 5 last year, I was eager to know what happens next. You know, Artcle 5 was one of the best books I read last year, and I definitely was excited for the sequel. I put my expectations very high, and expected a lot! Thank god I got everything I wanted! This book was excellent! It had action, it had a little bit romance and it SURE had some unexpected twists! Like the end, let's say. I loved it!

Romance:
I liked the romance. I think it flowed slowly but not borring. I loved the romance between Ember and Chase in Article 5, I loved it in Breaking Point too! There was one moment when I thought a love triangle was on the sight... Thanks Kristen for not being like almost every single YA author now. 

Action:

A LOT. I mean A LOT A LOT. That's why I loved this book so much. It was full of action scenes, and full of unexpected moments. 

Heroine:

Ember was a great heroine. She is not my favorite YA heroine ever, but I liked her. I liked that she didn't rely on Chase's protection, and I liked that she did what she wanted to do. She was tough, fierce and strong. The holy trinity of great heroines!

Hero:

Chase was a descent hero. I liked that he protected Ember in most of the cases. The one thing I didn't like about him is that he was very fast when It came to thinking about some things. He started few fights without thinking about them. 

Things I liked:

Ember's flashbacks to the past.
The action scenes!
Rebecca's case.

Things I disliked:

I can't think of a thing that I didn't like that much in Breaking Point. Maaaybe the beginning I didn't like that much, because It was rather slow, but apart from there weren't things that I disliked.

Would I recommend it?
YES OF COURSE. This is a must read for all the Article 5 fans! And I think that the dystopian book lovers would love this one. It is a great addition to the dystopian genre.

                                    4.5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Title: Girl of Nightmares
Author: Kendare Blake
First Published: August 7th 2012

Genre: YA, Horror, Ghost Story
Pages: 332
Rating: 4 out of 5



It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. 

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.


Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.


Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Book Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
First Published: August 24th 2010

Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 390
Rating: 5 out of 5

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

 At a Glance:
I read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire back to back last year. I really loved them! I always wanted to read Mockingjay, but I got the chance to read it this year. I'm so glad I read it! Few friends told me that the book is a dissapointment, and that it's not as good as the first two. I don't know what they were talking about! Mockingjay was magnificent! I loved it!

Romance:
There isn't a lot of romance in Mockingjay. I mean, almost not at all. 

Action:
A LOT OF ACTION!!!!! Every single chapter was filled with action! It made the plot go so fast! 

Heroine:
Katniss Everdeen is my favorite character of all times! I mean, she is so strong, confident and yet, she is herself! In these three books she goes in soo many emotional rides, I feel sorry for her. Those two deaths at the end almost broke my heart!

Hero:
Peeta, Finnick and Gale... All great heros! They did all to protect Katniss, their loved one. Though, Suzanne Collins decided that three heros is a lot, so decided to break out hearts and kill one of them. 

Things I liked:
I liked that it was full of action. I liked District 13. I liked the epilogue. 

Things I disliked:
Sometimes I thought that the writing style was like... to much. Like, sometimes I'd forget what Katniss was trying to say or think when she started that thought. 

Would I recommend it?
YES FOR SURE. This book is a total must read. Like it's preceders, it's an action paced, full of greatness novel. It will make you think about yourself and the world around you.

5 out of 5 stars

*Thanks again to Mrs Michelle for sending me this book. You are so good and so nice! I have only good words to say for you. Thanks!

Book Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
First Published: April 24th 2012

Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 327
Rating: 4 out of 5

Thirty-five beautiful girls. Thirty-five beautiful rivals…
It’s the chance of a lifetime and 17-year-old America Singer should feel lucky. She has been chosen for The Selection, a reality TV lottery in which the special few compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon's love.
Swept up in a world of elaborate gowns, glittering jewels and decadent feasts, America is living a new and glamorous life. And the prince takes a special interest in her, much to the outrage of the others.
Rivalry within The Selection is fierce and not all of the girls are prepared to play by the rules. But what they don’t know is that America has a secret — one which could throw the whole competition… and change her life forever.

Book Review: Lullaby by Amanda Hocking

Title: Lullaby
Author: Amanda Hocking
First Published: November 27th 2012

Genre: YA, Sirens, Greek Mythology
Pages: 290
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Harper only wanted a safe, normal life. But when her younger sister Gemma runs off with a dangerous clique of beautiful girls, Penn, Thea, and Lexi, everything changes. Vowing to get her sister back no matter what the cost, Harper must face dangers unlike any she's ever experienced. Fortunately, she has Daniel by her side, a gorgeous guy who's devoted to helping her find her sister—and who's immune to the girls' dark powers. 
While Harper searches for her sister, Gemma struggles to adjust to her new life.  Gemma's powers are growing by the day, and the longer she lives with her new "sisters," the harder it is to resist entering their magical world.  It's a realm both dark and beautiful, and where she's plagued by strange hungers and unspeakable needs.  Just as she's drifting far away from her old life,  Harper and Daniel find her...but no one can deny how much she's changed.  All she wants is to return to her family and the mortal world, but how can she do that when she's become something else entirely—and will they still love her once they learn the truth?

Book Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Title: Requiem
Author: Lauren Oliver
First Published: March 5th 2013

Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 400
Rating: 5 out of 5

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.
After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

JULIE KAGAWA MONTH: The Immortal Rules

JULIE KAGAWA MONTH: Book Reviews, Interviews, Giveaways and more...

Introduction to Julie Kagawa Month
Review of The Iron King
Review of The Iron Daughter

What Have Readers Said About Julie?

Review of The Iron Queen

Giveaway
Review of The Iron Knight

Interview 

Welcome to another post of the Julie Kagawa Month.

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.

 The Immortal Rules has to be one of the best vampire books ever! I mean, I don't read vampire books alot, but I read synopsis of other vampire books. They all sound ilke Twilight rip-offs. This one stayed true to the original vampires (not-sparkling one) yet it had one of the most original concepts ever!

Allie would have to be one of the best characters ever! She was so fierce, strong, so brave and funny at times!
A real kick ass heroine! Like all of Julie Kagawa characters she was well developed, with a good background history and she looked very real. 

When we got introduced to Kanin, her creator, mentor and teacher, I though that he'd be Allie's love interest. I was wrong. Zeke got introduced and he just.. blew my mind. I think he has to be my favorite male characters of all Julie Kagawa books! 

Allie and Zeke's relationship developed very well. It wasn't insta-love (thank God). Like Meghan and Ash's romance, this one too developed gradually and surely. It wasn't the main focus of the book, which I love the most!

So, Julie Kagawa does it again. She's written an unbelievably divine book, with so many emotions in it! It's a book you don't want to miss. It's fresh, full of action with a little bit of romance.

5/5

JULIE KAGAWA MONTH: The Iron Knight

JULIE KAGAWA MONTH: Book Reviews, Interviews, Giveaways and more...

Introduction to Julie Kagawa Month
Review of The Iron King
Review of The Iron Daughter

What Have Readers Said about Julie

Review of The Iron Queen

GIVEAWAY

Welcome to another post of the Julie Kagawa Month.

                                                                        Today, it is time for me to review The Iron Knight

"My name--my True Name--is Ashallayn' darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl..."To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.
Then Meghan Chase--a half human, half fey slip of a girl--smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.
With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end--a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.
To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

WOW Just WOW Where do I even start?

Much like Meghan, Ash's voice is strong throughout the narration. Thank God Ash and Puck's feud was over! It seems like it existed only when Meghan was around. It was so interesting to unravel their past and to hear a completely different story of them. That helped me love them even more than I did before.

 As proved in the previous three books, Kagawa’s story building is flawless. Through her narration, she made every single aspect of her settings come alive. As before, Kagawa’s Fairy World was as much interesting as it was frightening. She literally takes her readers to the End of the World and back all they while keeping them on the edge of their seats. 

I think this one was the most interesting of the series. When Ash goes to the End of the World, he must pass a series of extremely hard tests to reach his goal. These chapters were the most interesting and the most fun to read.Julie Kagawa took the storyline to every place I didn’t expect and the some…and it was wonderfull!! As before, her writing kept me reading until I found myself at the end. Though it was sad to see such a great story at an end…I must say that I leave it with a smile on my face and the intentions to re-read it countless times in the future to come. Still, I’m excited to see what Puck’s story will be.

Pick this up, and if you haven’t read the rest, don’t even hesitate in doing so.

5 stars

JULIE KAGAWA MONTH: The Iron Queen

JULIE KAGAWA MONTH: Book Reviews, Interviews, Giveaways and more...

Introduction to Julie Kagawa Month
Review of The Iron King
Review of The Iron Daughter

What Have Readers Said About Julie?

Welcome to another post of the Julie Kagawa Month.
Today, it is time for me to review The Iron Queen.

My name is Meghan Chase.
I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.

WOW. Just wow. Julie Kagawa did it again!

I loved everything about this book. Unpredictability. Romance. Adventure. You name it! I have never read a book that has made me as deeply emotionally attached as I am with the Iron Queen.

Just when you thought you had gotten to know all the characters well, you learn even more about them. I've really enjoyed watching them grow over this series, especially Meghan. With so many responsibilities on her shoulders, she proves to be a strong and determined heroine. We get to see her relationship with Ash grow and flourish. We see how loyal and brave she is, and how she becomes a great leader. 

 First of all, Julie Kagawa’s writing has improved with each book. I found everything to flow smoothly, dialogue sounded natural and her descriptions were amazing!

Second of all, The world building is unreal. Unreal! Nevernever was so vivid in my mind, the way she described both the characters and the setting were beautiful.

And the ending, OH MY. The ending was..... heartbreaking, touching, to die for.  

It almost made me cry! And I never cry.

Mrs. Kagawa... I love your series. They are awesome books.

To others, I HIGHLY recommend you reading this series. NOW. Yes, right now. Go get the books, and I'll be waiting to read your reviews to see what you think. :)

5/5 stars.