Embrace, by Jessica Shirvington

This is yet another book where everything changes for our heroine on a magical birthday. In this case it's her seventeenth, and on this incredible day she finds out that she's some sort of half-angel and that her crush is also a half-angel who has been lying to her about it this whole time. Violet is also important in the battle of good vs. evil and although I didn't get that far, she probably ends up saving the day because she's extra special. I would continue with a summary except for the fact that I gave up right after the battle between good and evil was explained and I don't really remember all those details.

I've said before that all the fairy books blend into one another in my head, and though that isn't quite the case with angel books, it is true that there are very few that I have really truly loved (I think the Unearthly series is the only one and I even had problems with that one). I was more excited for this book because it seemed a bit different from the others and that can make an ordinary book extraordinary. Unfortunately for this one, the fact that it was different but still ordinary made it seem even worse.

You may now be wondering what was so horrible about this book, and it was a whole myriad of things. First and foremost, I thought it was written badly. I feel bad saying that because it isn't like I think I'm the most amazing writer, and if I wrote a book it would probably be worse than this one, but what I mean is that if you're publishing a book and putting your name on it, it should at least be written well. And this one wasn't. Another problem I had was that all the mysterious details were revealed within the first couple of pages, and they weren't even revealed well. There was an actual conversation between Violet and two other half-angel dudes who told her almost everything from start to finish, and frankly, it was exhausting and annoying to read. The best books of this type are the ones that reveal the information slowly and give you time to guess what will happen, but this book told you everything before you even realized there were strange things going on. The final big thing that bothered me was Violet's pretentiousness. All of these factors together, plus a few more that I did not mention, left me bored and disappointed and persuaded me to shut this book once and for all while I still had pages and pages remaining.

2.4 stars.
 
It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

The Fall of Five, by Pittacus Lore (Lorien Legacies #4)

My reviews of the previous books:

 I Am Number Four

 The Power of Six

The Rise of Nine

 
I wasn't going to write a review for this book, but I was so upset after finishing it that it didn't leave me much choice. I was convinced that this was the final book in the series and was crazy excited to read it because of that. Don't be mistaken-this series is no where near to being my favorite, just the plot was so interesting that it piqued my curiosity. When I got to the last page, I didn't believe it. Why didn't I believe it? Because there were around 80 PAGES LEFT! The publishers played a nasty trick where they stuck an entire freakin' novella after the end of the book that convinced me there was a ton left to the story when in reality it just had a bad ending.

Even ignoring my anger and disappointment about the non-ending, this book was still disappointing because of its lack of action. Most of the book was spent with the characters waiting around, bonding and learning how to fight. That probably should have been a clue that this book wasn't the last one, but because there were so many pages left I figured the author still had plenty of time to pick up the story. Sadly, no.

2.7 stars 


The Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?

John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.

But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.

The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.

And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late.

The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.

Lorien will rise again.

Dust Girl, by Sarah Zettel

In Kansas during the Dust Bowl, Callie LeRoux is off on an adventure to save her kidnapped mother and long-lost father. She knows her parents are in California so along with Jack, a sweet teenage hobo, she sets off to find her parents and discover the truth about her fairy father and who she really is.

The beginning of the novel was intriguing and got me excited for what was to come. Sadly, the rest of the book did not live up to the beginning. Once Callie and Jack set out, the initial mystery of what was to come was gone and left me trudging through the rest of the book.

I was unsure what to make of this book. On the one hand, it's yet another fairy book, and unlike witches, vampires, and werewolves, I find fairy fantasy extremely tedious and repetitive. Don't get me wrong, the other stuff can be repetitive too, just for some reason I feel like every single fairy book has the same plot. There's usually a girl who is half human and half fairy princess who must set out on an adventure through Fairyland with a cute guy and in the end she learns that fairies can't be trusted. The sad part is, even if a fairy book didn't have that plot, I get so bored with them that it probably wouldn't matter to me. I was hoping that the unique setting (Dust Bowl era) would redeem this one, because I love when fantasy plots are plopped into different time periods (like steampunk), but it only did enough to pull me through to the end.

I wish I could analyze more details of this novel for you, but since I've already forgotten most of it, I am forced to bid you an early adieu.

2.9 stars

 
Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she’s never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in “the golden hills of the west”: California.

Along the way she meets Jack, a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there’s also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very much aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

The Peculiars, by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

I dislike writing reviews on books I didn't like almost as much as actually reading the books. This book was one that I thought I'd enjoy, and I had every intention of finishing it until I realized that I had to drag myself to pick it up and that I had plenty of other books waiting in my bedroom that I was a lot more interested in.

Lena always knew she was different, and not only from a gut feeling but from actual physical proof: she has abnormally large hands and feet. Her father disappeared years before and there were rumors that he was a goblin from the mysterious land of Scree. When Lena turns 18 and receives money her father left for her, she decides to journey to Scree to discover the truth (or something like that). She ends up in a small town on the coast and meets a bunch of not so interesting people and stays there for as long as I had the book open.

I was excited when I started the book because unlike many others with similar plots, this one actually moved at the beginning. The problem wasn't the beginning though. Because the momentum started so early in the novel, I expected the entire book to run at a high pace but was dismayed to discover that most of the rest of the book was dreadfully dull. At some point I flipped to the end to see if that interested me at all but even though the ending did look interesting, I realized that the author's writing style didn't appeal to me and despite the intriguing ending, I did not get the extra push from it that I needed in order to finish the book.

One major contributor to the intense boringness (is that a word?) of this book was the author's attention to detail. As an extremely curious person, I sometimes get annoyed by lack of detail and explanation but McQuerry explained way more than necessary and provided enough details that not only could I imagine Lena's world, I was also bored by it.

2.0 stars

On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena’s father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.

Spellbound, by Cara Lynn Shultz

I almost always finish the books I read. Only when I absolutely cannot stand a book do I put it down in the middle, because even if I don't like what's going on, I don't want to stop without a sense of completion. Unfortunately, this book was so bad that I didn't even go past the third chapter. When I realized how corny, cliche, and superficial it was getting then I flipped to the end to see if maybe it's not worth putting it down. Nope, it was worth it.

The main reason why I hated this book was not the totally cliche story. Don't get me wrong-it was cliche, but I've read so many YA fantasy books at this point that I rarely find one that isn't cliche, and sometimes good prose or interesting characters can make up for that. This story was a typical one of a girl with a tragic past in a new school where she falls for the cool guy and there's some secret magical background connecting them. I was able to predict everything-exactly where all the blow-ups would happen, who she would be friends with and everyone's fate, but I didn't care enough to stick around to see if any of it actually happened.

What really upset me was how nasty the main character was. Emma mentions how she's gone through a lot, and how she doesn't want people at her new school to judge her but she doesn't hesitate in judging them. When the mean blonde girl was rude to her she answered with an excessive amount of unnecessary comebacks. It was slightly overkill. The girl gave her one small insult and she responded back with some nasty and insensitive words. Strangely enough, what pushed me over the edge was when she met Angelique. She took one look at her and decided she'd like her. I am extremely superficial, but even I don't look at someone's outfit and decide that I'm going to be her friend.

2.0 stars. Don't read this. Just don't.

  What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?
Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to— Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.
But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives— visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax, by Trinity Faegen

I felt like clapping when I closed this book just because it was the corniest thing I have ever read. The title should have been warning enough, but I still had some hope that this book wouldn't be so bad. I regret that hope. Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, which means she is destined for Heaven and will never be tempted by evil. Jax is one of the sons of one of the big guys down under, and as such he is doomed to walk the earth forever and ever until he finds true love in an Anabo. And if he were to die before that happened, he would be on an express train to Hell. So when Jax finds Sasha, he is extremely excited and is eager to get her to fall in love with him so he can redeem himself. However, the path to true love has many roadblocks, and they must survive being hunted by Jax's evil older brother Eryx who is willing to use evil teenagers and international espionage to find and kill Sasha.

The plot itself was corny, but it wasn't what destroyed this book. What made this absolutely unbearable was how fast everything moved. If part of the book had been days and days of Jax and Sasha getting to know each other it would have felt more natural. Instead, the two fell in love at first sight and told each other their deepest darkest secrets within five minutes of meeting. I expected a long drawn-out courtship with Jax's big secret getting revealed at the end and Sasha getting furious at him and then a big battle where they reunite because they truly love each other. After Jax told Sasha his deepest darkest secrets I lost patience and skipped to the end to read the last chapter. Unsurprisingly, I was able to understand exactly what was happening in the last chapter without reading a giant chunk of the book. In conclusion, this entire book would have been a waste of my time and I am very glad I lost patience.

2.0 stars. 


Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger--she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx's biggest threat. 

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant--God's promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he's finally found the girl he's been searching for: Sasha. 

With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

The Secret Lives of Dresses, by Erin McKean

Dora is living life without any direction, majoring in the extremely general "liberal arts" and not really finding much inspiration in school or her work in a coffee shop. When her grandmother who raised her suffers a stroke, Dora runs home to be by her side, leaving behind school, work, and her flirty boss who she has a crush on. At home Dora takes over the running of her grandmother's vintage clothing store and discovers stories her grandmother would give to customers about the dresses they were buying. During this tragic time Dora learns new things about herself, her grandmother, and her long dead parents that she never knew before. Throughout everything Dora is faced with the choice of her lifetime: leave school and run her grandmother's shop (and spend time with the cute contractor) or go back to school (and her crush) and get her degree.

Overall thoughts:
When I first heard the plot of the book I was excited to read it. How could I not love a book about vintage dresses? The answer: very easily. Although I loved the story, the prose was absolutely horrible in my opinion. Yes, it told the story, but the sweetness of the story could not overwhelm the bad writing. There was too much detail in the story and though detail can be good-it bored me to death. Extra detail must either be useful information that comes into place later, words to make the story flow, or entertaining. The details here were none of the above. It would be like telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood and describing the exact path she took through the forest complete with directions and tree species. Some of these extra details were negligible and easily ignored but what really bothered me were the tangents the author would go on that would last pages and pages. I agree that the background story is important, but sometimes it would be in the middle of a scene and by the time we were back in the present I had totally forgotten what was going on. (The tangents I'm referring to are not the secret lives.) The reason why I gave this book such a high rating was because I did love the story itself, outside of the words.

Characters:
I couldn't even find one character that I liked. Every single person was completely one-sided. Dora was unsure, Gary was flirty and self-centered, Dora's aunt and cousin were vapid, Maux was outgoing and slightly nuts in a cute way, Mimi was the perfect grandmother, and Con was the perfect man. Every single person had only one side to them, even though the story did provide space for them to extend their personalities. There were times of happiness and sadness, but each character was exactly the same in every situation.

Narration:
When the story is being told from the first-person, it should not feel like the third person. Elements of personality should shine through and taint the rest of the story. However, because Dora has no personality and no opinions other than "vintage dresses rock!" it did not come across as first-person. Also-in a book about vintage dresses I expect some salivating descriptions, but was disappointed by how boring they were. And now I will finish this review because I have a sudden craving for Modcloth.

2.6 stars. The story would make an amazing movie but the book just didn't cut it for me.


Dora has always taken the path of least resistance. She went to the college that offered her a scholarship, is majoring in "vagueness studies," and wears whatever shows the least dirt. She falls into a job at the college coffee shop, and a crush on her flirty boss, Gary.

Just when she's about to test Gary's feelings, Mimi, the grandmother who raised her, suffers a stroke. Dora rushes back home to Forsyth, NC, and finds herself running her grandmother's vintage clothing store. The store has always been a fixture in Dora's life; though she grew up more of a jeans-and-sweatshirt kind of girl, before she even knew how to write, Mimi taught her that a vintage 1920s dress could lift a woman's spirit.

While working there, Dora befriends Mimi's adorable contractor, Conrad. Is he after Dora, or is working from a different blueprint? And why did Mimi start writing down--and giving away--stories of the dresses in her shop?

When Mimi dies, Dora can't get out of town fast enough and cedes control of the store to her money-hungry aunt who wants to turn it into a t-shirt shop for tourists. But ultimately, she returns to Forsyth, willing to battle whatever may stand in the way of her staying there. Dora can trade her boring clothes for vintage glamour, but can she trade her boring life for one she actually wants?

The Iron Witch, by Karen Mahoney

Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.


When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.


When Donna was little, her father died and her mom lost her sanity while protecting their daughter. Donna's arms are covered in iron tattoos that were put there to heal her after the attack. Now, teenage Donna must come fact to face with the same dark fairies that killed her father all those years ago when they start reappearing and eventually kidnap her best and only friend, Navin. Donna is a social outcast because of her weird arms and Navin is the only person her own age who doesn't know her secret who stood by her. Helping her rescue Navin is a hot new guy, Xan, whose got some fairy blood in him and would like to discover more about himself and his past. I think you can figure out the rest of the story from those totally unoriginal details I have provided.

I thought the whole thing was pretty cliche and pathetic. There are so many fairy books out there and I felt like this one didn't stand out. It was completely average. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but I wouldn't stop anyone from reading it. It wasn't horrible-just not as good as many other books I could have read in its place. It is very possible that this all stems from the fact that it is meant for younger readers, but even books meant for kids or younger teenagers can be appreciated by adults if they're good.

One would think that in a book where the characters know there are dark evil fairies running around wouldn't be that trusting. One would be wrong. Donna and Xan reveal their secrets to each other after knowing each other for around five minutes which is pretty quick, especially when you consider that it took her years to confess the truth to Navin. I don't care how good-looking he is-when you have a giant secret like that you don't give it away that easily! Donna acted like a know-it-all brat the whole book and her naivete was anything but charming.

Halfway through the book I looked up and realized nothing had happened yet. The action didn't start until the last couple of pages. The beginning contained some minor incidents, drama, and romance, but I wanted more action and fairies. I understand the need for an introduction-the reader needs to know what's going on-but I felt like I was being introduced to the story and the characters for most of the book.

When a girl and guy are best friends in a novel (and both are straight) it is practically a given that at least one of them must have romantic feelings for the other. I always thought that was typical and overused, but I actually missed it in The Iron Witch. While it can be annoying in books that are already stuffed with drama, I felt like a love triangle would have really added to the overall story. Just imagine Donna enlisting her crush's help to rescue her other maybe-crush. The emotional turmoil would have been tortuously amazing to read.

2.7

Alice on Board, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Alice #24)

 In her last adventure before starting college, Alice takes to the open sea for the summer—and nothing can stop the tides of change.Everything Alice has ever known is about to change—from where she sleeps at night to how close her closest friends will be. So Alice is meeting that seasick feeling head-on by setting sail as staff on a Chesapeake Bay cruise ship. And like any last great adventure before starting college, Alice knows she’ll need sunblock, an open mind, and…oh yeah, all her best girlfriends. It’s the perfect summer job.

     Perfect, that is, when things are going perfectly. But when they’re not, Alice has to figure out how to weather unexpected storms of all sorts. Which could be perfect after all—perfect training for her next big adventure—college.

Alice McKinley has finally graduated high school and is spending the summer before college working on a cruise ship with her best friends. She has some tiny adventures, one or two big adventures, and misses Patrick the whole time. The end.

I used to love the Alice books, primarily because of how relateable Alice was. I felt it in this book but instead of enjoying this one I thought it was kind of annoying. Alice felt more like a walking PSA than a teenage girl and her feelings were too defined to seem real. She didn't go through any of that confusing emotional stuff she went through in past books but no one is that clear when it comes to emotions. I will say that the book did flow like life usually goes-lots of little memorable instances with one or two arcs that last for a while but on the whole, unexciting.

For anyone like me who followed Alice all the way to this book I will tell you now: nothing important happens. Don't waste your time on this book unless you have nothing better to do with your time. Please believe me-I read reviews saying exactly this and didn't trust them and look where that got me. I'm excited for the last book and to see what happens to Alice but I'm not excited enough to give this book a good rating. All relationships, friendships, and lives are exactly the same as they were at the end of the previous book, so chill out and read something else.

For anyone who hasn't realized it yet, Alice is going to end up with Patrick. I wasn't sure if Naylor would go the obvious route with Patrick or if she would have Alice be with someone we don't know but this book confirmed (for me) that it would be Patrick. A tiny part of me thought maybe Mitch (new guy in this book) but since Alice is going to college and Mitch is going home I highly doubt that will happen. (Little secret-I actually want her to be with Paul, her brother's roommate, and there were even some hints at the end that that would happen, but I can't see the author getting past the age difference.)

2.4 stars. I'm really sorry Alice, but all good things must come to an end.

Crave, by Melissa Darnell (The Clann #1)

Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.


For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

In a world of witches and vampires that she has yet to know about, Savannah is stuck in the middle of the two groups. She also has a giant crush on Tristan, a member of the Clann, who have made it very clear they don't like Savannah and have no qualms about making her life miserable. However, her masochistic longing for the one guy she can't have isn't unrequited, as Tristan finds Savannah irresistible after she comes back to school after being sick. Savannah and Tristan know they must avoid each other, but they can't. Will these star-crossed lovers give in to temptation or will they respect their families' wishes?

Based on the cover and the summary I expected a grittier story than what was inside the book. Where I felt there should have been more angst and darkness were Savannah's childish (and self-centered) thoughts and the school dance team. Savannah acted really petty, especially considering her new situation. I get that it can be terrifying to learn you aren't fully human and that witches and vampires exist, but she could have handled it with a lot more aplomb. Yeah, she's only 15 for most of the book, but you'd think her unique situation would cause her to grow up a bit faster.

I know that this is supposed to be a Romeo and Juliet type tale but I couldn't help but find the whole thing immature. I felt like if you give Sav and Tristan another two months together they'd break up and that the attraction is based in the knowledge that they can't be together. And as much as they proclaim their love there is also evidence that it is all caused by the magic inside them. Savannah is told that members of the Clann will be more attractive to her because of her transformation, and even though she had a crush on Tristan before, I think it was more of an infatuation that would have gone away eventually. And Tristan is only motivated to act on his attraction to Sav because he's jealous of all the other male attention she's getting. For him in particular I feel the whole thing was just an act of defiance against his parents.

Maybe, just maybe, had I read this book five years ago I would have liked it. That's a giant maybe. I would not recommend this to anyone who wants to read a book with some actual brainpower put into it, but its ditziness and bubbliness would probably be enough for younger readers.

2.7 stars.