Touch of Power, by Maria V. Snyder

Avry is a healer, which means that she can heal people with just a touch by taking their sicknesses or injuries into her own body. When a plague spreads throughout the land and there are too many sick people for the healers to save, they are blamed and persecuted. Avry has been on the run for two years and after risking her freedom to save a sick child, the child's parents give her in to the authorities who plan a public execution. The night before her planned death, Avry is rescued/kidnapped by a group of rogues who need her to use her talents to save their friend, the very prince who started the uproar against healers.

This book was absolutely incredible, but it did feel a little bit like I was reading Poison Study all over again. This isn't necessarily the worst thing ever though, because that book was really good. The similarities in the plots and characters were a little too much and even though I enjoyed it, I am hoping that the second book is not also a repeat. However, in this novel's defense, the storyline was amazingly intricate and so detailed that I felt like I was being transported to another world. The way everything can be (or will be) explained with either magic or science in this world is absolutely fascinating so despite the similarities to Poison Study, I was still extremely pleased with this book.

4.7 stars

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

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.

Sweet Peril, by Wendy Higgins (Sweet Evil #2)

After the tragic events of the Summit at the end of Sweet Evil, Anna Whitt knows that the Dukes mean business, and she also knows that they must be stopped once and for all. Together with her father, Belial, the duke of substance abuse (I know, it's a little far-fetched, but just go with it), who is not quite as evil as his fellow dukey counterparts, Anna is trying to recruit other Nephilim to her cause. Throughout Anna's junior and senior years of high school, Belial is doing research on which Neph are likely to betray their fathers, and sending Anna and Kopano, son of the duke of wrath (a lot more typical, thank goodness), to go fetch potential allies to their cause. As Anna and Kope start getting closer, Anna can't stop thinking about Kaiden (stupid name, but again, just go with it), son of the duke of lust, but Kaiden has been impossible to reach since the Summit in New York. Anna has to decide whether to settle with the good guy or hold out for the bad guy with the potential to make her heart explode. Gee, I wonder who she chooses.

Sweet Evil sucked me in with the idea of a good girl stuck on the bad side, but in Sweet Peril that idea seemed kind of old. I found it a lot more cliche and emotional than Sweet Evil, with a little too much complaining about Kaiden, but still very good. I got so annoyed with her pining for Kaiden that at some point I was transferred to Team Kope. Despite my complaints about Anna's lovesickness, the way that all the Neph's emotions were being toyed with and how they all twisted up into a giant spiderweb was very cool. A little overdone, but cool nonetheless. It made certain parts that would have been a lot more boring intriguing.

My last note will seem sort of odd, but I still think it's valid. The dukes are just too nasty. I know they are supposed to be demons/devils/really really bad fallen angels, but the nastiness of the evil ones is so extreme that it takes away any character from them and makes them simply bad things. The supreme level of evilness that they have risen to has taken away any semblance of personality they may have had and makes them characters who can solidly be relied on to be cruel and bad. I would have loved to see a soft side to several of the dukes who have been declared as purely evil, but I doubt that will happen.

4.2 stars

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

Envy, by Elizabeth Miles (Fury #2)

Skyler McVoy is new to Ascension, and she is determined to start over and forget her dark past. Soon enough, Skyler is friends with the beautiful Meg, as well as popular Gabby. However, Skyler isn't okay with just being friends with Gabby-Skyler wants to replace her as the queen bee, and has the help of Meg. Emily Winters, Gabby's best friend, recognizes the signs of the Furies around Skyler, and is determined to stop them once and for all and reclaim all they took from her.

Like Fury, this book was extremely dark, and also like Fury, was a blend of a teen fantasy novel with a psychological thriller. While I normally don't read those sorts of books, and prefer a little more light-heartedness in my books, I couldn't put Envy down. I thought Fury was amazing, but Envy only built on that. I ended up staying up way too late and almost having nightmares, but it was totally worth it.

The ending was absolutely crazy. It was shocking and I LOVED IT. It was the perfect way to reveal crucial information and leave the most amazing cliff-hanger that is leaving me panting for the third book to come out. There was also a lot of death in this novel, and the reality of people dying because of the Furies grounded the story in a way that most other fantasy novels aren't.

5 stars.

Spring is coming, and the ice is slowly melting in Ascension... revealing the secrets buried beneath.

Emily Winters knows the Furies have roots in Ascension, Maine—but she’s about to discover that they’re deeper than she ever imagined. With the help of her new friend Drea, she vows to dig them out. But it’s hard to focus when she’s desperate to make up with JD, and to figure out why Crow, a mysterious Ascension High dropout, seems to be shadowing her.

Meanwhile, new girl Skylar McVoy is determined to leave her own dark past behind. So she’s thrilled when popular Gabby takes her under her wing, and the stunning and sophisticated Meg offers to give her a major makeover. But everyone knows what happens to the vainest girl of all…

It’s tempting to be naughty. But beware: the Furies are always watching, and their power grows stronger by the day.

Princess of the Silver Woods, by Jessica Day George (Princess #3)

In the final book about the Twelve Dancing Princesses, the main character is the youngest sister, Petunia. Petunia is on her way to visit an old duchess from Russaka (Russia's equivalent in the alternate universe) when her carriage is overtaken by the Wolves of the Westfalin Woods (or something alliterative like that). When Petunia turns out not to be as docile as expected, Oliver, the leader of the wolves, unintentionally kidnaps her. Feeling bad for what he's done, Oliver brings Petunia to her destination, and while there, he discovers that Petunia is in danger. The new King Under Stone is determined to have his twelve brides, and will do anything to get them in his clutches once and for all. Will the sisters' fight against the evil king finally end, almost fifteen years after it started?

The first book in this series, Princess of the Midnight Ball, was about Rose, the oldest of the 12 sisters. The second book, Princess of Glass, was about Poppy, one of the many middle sisters. This is the last book, and it is about Petunia, the youngest of them all. I liked how there was time between the 1st and 2nd, and 2nd and 3rd of the novels because it shows more development in the characters. The 2nd book didn't take place in the Westfalin castle so there was barely any interaction between the sisters, but I liked how in the 3rd book I could compare the sisters as they are now to how they were almost ten years earlier in the 1st book. It was also fun to see a continuation of all the little nuances in each of the sister's characters. Each one had a distinct character trait in the first book (there are too many sisters for each one to have a fully developed character) and they still had in this book, just all grown up. I just realized that what I wrote is a long chain of babbling. I hope it makes sense.

This book got a lot darker than I expected it too, but the ending was adorable. The dark and twisty parts didn't stray too much from the overall cuteness, but it did give the story more validity.

One last thing before I go: I realized while reading this book that the only other books with the names Pansy and Petunia in them are the Harry Potter books. And they weren't exactly pleasant characters there either. Just something to think about :)

4.6 stars.
Before reading the publisher's summary, I want to warn any prospective readers that it contains some information that may be classified as spoilers. (I consider any information not discovered until halfway or through or not blatantly obvious to be a spoiler.)

 
When Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist. Wolves intent on redistributing the wealth of the noble citizens who have entered their territory. But the bandit-wolves prove more rakishly handsome than truly dangerous, and it's not until Petunia reaches her destination that she realizes the kindly grandmother she has been summoned to visit is really an enemy bent on restoring an age-old curse. The stories of Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood get a twist as Petunia and her many sisters take on bandits, grannies, and the new King Under Stone to end their family curse once and for all.

Romeo Redeemed, by Stacey Jay (Juliet Immortal #2)

Romeo has agreed to change sides in the epic battle of Mercenaries vs. Ambassadors and has been tasked, by Juliet's nurse, to get Ariel Dragland, Juliet's host from the previous novel, to fall in love with him. The reason why, he is told, is because Ariel has the potential for great evil and falling in love will prevent it. What Romeo doesn't count on, is falling in love with Ariel himself. However, everything is turned upside down when Mercenaries start getting into Ariel's head and Romeo can't be sure what side anyone is on. Who is good? Who is evil?

This was a great sequel, but what confused me was how I had assumed Juliet had her happy ending after Juliet Immortal. Wasn't the last chapter about her and Ben meeting again in an alternate universe? I remember complaining about how I thought it was a cop-out. I still think it was, but I like how Stacey Jay incorporated her cop-out into the sequel to make it seem like it was intended the entire time. For all I know it might have been intended from the beginning, but in Juliet Immortal it looked like an easy way out.

Ariel is the most disturbed character I have ever read about. Her anger and insanity is not "cute" or "imbalanced"-it's freaking nuts!!!!!! Sorry Romeo, you may have been on the side of evil for centuries, but you really should run far far away from this nutjob. Her insanities aren't a part of her that you should love, they're a part of her you should be very very scared of. This girl would totally murder you in your sleep if you asked a random girl on the street for the time! While I did like the happy ending, Ariel's insanity was a little too much for me.

5 stars.

 Seductive companion to the popular Juliet Immortal, in which former lovers—Romeo and Juliet—meet, not as true lovers, but truly as enemies.

Cursed to live out eternity in his rotted corpse, Romeo, known for his ruthless, cutthroat ways, is given the chance to redeem himself by traveling back in time to save the life of Ariel Dragland. Unbeknownst to her, Ariel is important to both the evil Mercenaries and the love-promoting Ambassadors and holds the fate of the world in her hands. Romeo must win her heart and make her believe in love, turning her away from her darker potential before his work is discovered by the Mercenaries. While his seduction begins as yet another lie, it soon becomes his only truth. Romeo vows to protect Ariel from harm, and do whatever it takes to win her heart and soul. But when Ariel is led to believe his love is a deception, she becomes vulnerable to Mercenary manipulation, and her own inner darkness may ultimately rip them apart.

Princess of Glass, by Jessica Day George (Princess #2)

Princess Poppy, one of the middle daughters from Princess of the Midnight Ball, has been sent to Briton (I think that's what the country's name was) as part of a princess exchange program. Everything is going great for Poppy-she and her cousin have become very good friends, there's a handsome prince looking her way, and no one is forcing her to dance. However, things start to go awry when a mysterious beauty, who is really the maid Eleanora, shows up to a ball and no one can stop talking about her the next day. All the men are in love with her and all the women either hate her or want to be her. Poppy is one of the only ones who hasn't fallen under her spell, and she is determined to save her friends from the love spell, and Eleanora from her magical benefactress who is not quite as sweet as she claims she is.

This is one of the cutest books I have ever read, yet despite the undeniable adorableness, I didn't get annoyed by the naivete and immaturity. Sometimes in books like this you have evil people who all of a sudden aren't evil and are begging for forgiveness, but it actually made sense in Princess of Glass. What did bug me was the fake Europe, especially because I couldn't figure out what country Westfalin was supposed to represent. Maybe one of the tiny ones that no one cares about?

I definitely recommend this book to any princess-lovers (like me), no matter what age. The cuteness can be a little overdone, but it only makes the book more enjoyable.

5 stars.

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances--and potential marriages. It's got the makings of a fairy tale--until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.


Is it just me, or is that dress salivatingly gorgeous?

Sweet Venom, by Tera Lynn Childs (Medusa Girls #1)

On a night out with her brother and his new (hot) friend, Grace starts seeing monsters everywhere. Then a girl who looks just like her heaves her over her shoulder and out of the club. Gretchen was shocked to find someone else who could see the monsters, and even more shocked to find her long lost sister. After joining forces, the two sisters find out that they weren't twins-they were triplets. However, Greer loves her life and has no interest in joining the monster-fighting gang with her sisters. Monsters are starting to appear in multitudes in San Francisco and the sisters need to do something about it-but will Greer step up?

My summary is nothing like the publisher's. From their summary I expected the triplets to find each other in the first 3 chapters and move on from there, but it took half the book for Grace and Gretchen to meet and Greer didn't make her entrance until almost 3/4 way through. Instead of being about descendents of Medusa fighting monsters, this book was about three sisters finding each other and living their normal lives. The events in Sweet Venom could have happened in a third of the space and words, but if I like the next book, then I'll acknowledge Sweet Venom as a good introduction.

I'm a huge fan of the Percy Jackson books, but I have one friend who refused to read them because she claimed that they would totally contradict Greek mythology. I have to say, I totally disagree with her about Rick Riordan's books because if anything, I think they extend Greek mythology into our century. However, I think what she said about those books can be perfectly applied here. Not only was there a whole thing about Medusa being good and Athena being bad, but they didn't even give the Medusa girls snake hair!! This story would have been much better had there still been long lost triplets with magical monster fighting powers, without any mention of Greek mythology.

What annoyed me about the girls was how they each took their stereotypes to the extreme. Grace was sweet and bubbly the entire time, Gretchen was strong and hard with a little bit of softie for Grace, and Greer was the snooty rich girl. They had nothing else to them and it got very irritating.

3.6 stars. Maybe the sequel will redeem it?

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction, edited by Carrie Ryan

The ideas connecting all the stories in this book was fascinating. Each author took the topic of prophecy and prediction and interpreted it completely differently. It was cool to read all the different takes and twists on this one topic, especially because none of them were as generic as I expected.

Gentlemen Send Phantoms, by Laini Taylor: I loved this story so much that it inspired me to read Laini Taylor's novels. It was light and sweet with hints of fantasy but with the uncertainty if whether what you're reading is fantasy at all.

Burned Bright, by Diana Peterfreund: Diana Peterfreund is one of my favorite authors and I found out about her when I read her short story in "Zombies and Unicorns". This story was absolutely fascinating. The twist at the end reminded me of the O'Henry stories I had to read in 8th grade, the ones with the shocking endings. After reading the last line of this story my jaw dropped and it took about five minutes for me to get it shut. It was totally unlike the killer unicorn or the Secret Society Girl books, which was quite unexpected and shows great talent on the author's part that she could write in such different styles.

The Angriest Man, by Lisa McMann: This story kind of scared me. I'm not sure how literally I was supposed to take it but I'm not much of a fan of symbolism so if there was any, I didn't get it. This take on prediction was one of self-fulfilled prophecy and for some reason I just thought of the movie "Megamind" in that everyone expects the main character to be bad. Don't be mistaken though-this story is NOTHING like Megamind.

Out of the Blue, by Meg Cabot: Cute, but typical Meg Cabot. One of my favorite stories in the book.

One True Love, by Malinda Lo: The only way I can describe this story is lesbian Oedipus Rex. But I think that was the point of the story.

This is a Mortal Wound, by Michael Grant: Very very interesting but I couldn't figure out how this story connected with prophecy and prediction.

Misery, by Heather Brewer: Fascinating and introspective. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I did appreciate it.

The Mind is a Powerful Thing, by Matt de la Pena: Another story of self-fulfilled prophecy, just this time with a paranoid girl who thinks the world is out to get her.

The Chosen One, by Saundra Mitchell: Sweet and strong. A more classic take on the whole prophecy idea, but the main character was full of spunk.

Improbable Futures, by Kami Garcia: Not a particularly unique story, but definitely good. I wasn't a huge fan of Beautiful Creatures so I wasn't looking forward to reading this story or the next one, but this story was a lot darker than I realized. This story is about a fake fortune teller who realizes that everything she is predicting starts coming true.

Death for the Deathless, by Margaret Stohl: This story was the first that had a prediction loop which makes you question what comes first. I liked a few of the other stories, but this one was definitely my number one favorite. I was shocked when I looked at the author's name and realized that I thought her other books were stupid.

Fate, by Simone Elkeles: This story had no fantasy involved but was just a short contemporary romance. Another goodie.

The Killing Garden, by Carrie Ryan: This story was nasty. The concept was messed up and made me cringe multiple times. I felt bad for the main character for not realizing the truth behind her father's words until the end, but the end of the story was okay.

Homecoming, by Richelle Mead: To anyone who hasn't read the Vampire Academy books, this story will seem out of place and won't be fully understood. To anyone who has, it's nice to read about Dimitri's reunion with his family.

3.6 stars.

 Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate? It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction's brightest stars.

Boundless, by Cynthia Hand (Unearthly #3)

(Here are links to my reviews of books 1 and 2 in this series if you haven't read them yet: Unearthly and Hallowed)


In the final part of Clara's tale, she finds herself at Stanford with Christian and Angela. She is still heartbroken about leaving behind Tucker, her first love, but knows she has to get over him and move on with her life (which Christian is more than willing to help her with). However, Clara doesn't get much time to be a typical college student, because there is unrest in the battle between good and evil and Clara is right in the center of it. And the fact that a depressed fallen angel in love with her dead mom is following her around is not exactly helpful.



**************SPOILERS AHEAD******************

I liked Christian from the beginning and was really hoping that Clara would choose him in the end. Tucker is great and all and I understand why she chose him, but even in the first book, I liked Christian better. His ending was kind of sad, but it is nice to know that he has a successful career and a family, even if that family is his sister and her kid. It was also sweet that Angela and Christian were related and didn't know it. I had wondered since Unearthly why there were absolutely no sparks between the two, but now it all makes sense. I have to say though, I thought that ending was a cop-out. Tucker becoming a prophet-really? To me it seemed like the author stuck in a new concept last minute just to make a happy ending because she realized Clara couldn't end up with Christian as was originally planned. Nevertheless, this book was a satisfying ending and I recommend this series to anyone who hasn't read it. Even though you know the ending now if you've read this review.

4.6 stars. 


The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

The Indigo Spell, by Richelle Mead (Bloodlines #3)

 After the events (specifically one event) at the end of The Golden Lily, Sydney the alchemist is confused more than ever before. However, she has no time to reflect and contemplate what happened because now she is on a search for Marcus Finch, the alchemist who defected and knows deep dark secrets about the organization. And as if that wasn't enough, there's also a serial-killing witch on the loose and there is a very good chance she will set her sights on Sydney.

I was very very very excited to read The Indigo Spell and it did not disappoint. I loved how the ending was so satisfying even though there is obviously going to be another book (or two). Like the others, this book followed the big plot/little plot format. There was the major overarching plot which involved Sydney looking for Marcus, discovering secrets about being an alchemist, and rethinking her once cemented opinions on all vampires. However, there's also a small plot which has a lot of significance in the book as well. I suppose that's necessary in a series as long as this one though because otherwise the entire overarching plot would have been squished into one novel.

5 stars. How can a girl resist Adrian?

Links to my other Bloodlines posts: Bloodlines and The Golden Lily

 
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

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 Splendor Falls, by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Sylvie is yet another misunderstood girl with parental issues who is shipped off to a random relative after an one-time-only act of rebellion. After breaking her leg while on stage, Sylvie must quit her promising career as a ballerina and after taking Vicadin with alcohol at her mom's wedding, she is sent down south to her late dad's cousin who is taking care of the family estate. Upon arriving in Alabama (I think), Sylvie discovers that she is something like royalty in the tiny town her aunt lives in. And of course, this story would not be complete without a prince charming and a prince not-as-charming vying for her heart. Her two pursuers are Rhys, the dark and mysterious foreigner who knows way more than he is letting on, and Shaun, the town's golden boy who can do no wrong in anybody's (except Rhys') eyes. As if a new home and two guys aren't enough, Sylvie starts getting the feeling there is something more going on on her family's estate, something with roots deep in her family's history.

Despite the previous paragraph, it should be known that although this book does follow many cliches, it also manages to separate itself from them. I don't know how and I can only pinpoint one or two reasons why that is, but while reading The Splendor Falls I didn't feel any deja vu which means it wasn't too typical. However, I could not give this book a perfect rating because of how long it was. In a book 500 pages long you expect something to happen every couple of pages, but those somethings were so boring that I felt like I was reading what her day to day life was and although it was written well, it was still not very interesting. There were little parts that kept me going, but there were many many times I was ready to give up. I was thankful when I finished the book because that meant that I could finally stop reading it and I would no longer have to convince myself to hold on.

For once there was a main character with a sharp tongue. I loved how Sylvie would react to Addie's insults-she was hurt but she hit Addie with an even sharper comeback. It was incredibly refreshing to have a heroine with both a backbone and a heart. It was also nice how she didn't complain through the whole book and only mentioned her hurt leg when relevant. Sylvie lost everything she ever wanted for herself when she fell and I was nervous that this would be an entire novel full of complaints but thankfully it wasn't.

The supernatural elements of this book were extremely vague for most of it, which almost made me believe at times that Sylvie was actually nuts. Then I remembered that is this is a YA fantasy novel and not a YA dark and twisty and suicidal novel.

One more clarification before I go: the love triangle in this book was perfect, mainly because it wasn't really a love triangle. (In case you couldn't tell, I don't really like love triangles.) Sylvie knows who she wants and makes it very clear who she is interested in so mentioning it in the summary is kind of misleading. And if you were wondering about the title, it's a reference to one line in the book which I forgot already. As for the purple rose, your guess is as good as mine.

4.3 stars.

Can love last beyond the grave?

Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but Sylvie’s pain runs deeper. What broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage—a union that’s only driven an even deeper wedge into their already tenuous relationship.

Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment and shipping her to Alabama is her mother’s solution for Sylvie’s unhappiness. Her father’s cousin is restoring a family home in a town rich with her family’s history. And that’s where things start to get shady. As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, seems to be perfect in every way. But Rhys—a handsome, mysterious foreign guest of her cousin’s—has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand.

Then she starts seeing things. Sylvie’s lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?

Beauty and the Werewolf, by Mercedes Lackey (Five Hundred Kingdoms #6)

Bella is smart, responsible, and resigned to the fact that she will end up a spinster. She has a plan-learn her herbs and stuff and open an apothecary shop. Then one day on her way to Granny's, Bella is bitten by a wolf. After getting home she is carted away by royal guards to the local Duke's manor and told that the wolf who bit her was in fact a werewolf-the duke to be exact. In order to make sure that Bella doesn't turn lupine and get loose she is required to remain at the duke's castle until they are sure she is safe and fully human. While staying there Bella gets close to the duke and his mysterious gamekeeper, and tries to solve the mystery of how the duke turned werewolf in the first place.

Overall Thoughts:
I love the concept of the Five Hundred Kingdoms novels but haven't loved all the books themselves. The story in Beauty and the Werewolf was cute, and I thought combining Little Red Riding Hood with Beauty and the Beast was clever, but I found the plot kind of messy. At any point I was either really bored with what was going on and completely lost patience with the tedious details, or jumping out of my seat with excitement, desperate to see what happens next. There was no middle ground which could have very easily dissuaded me had I not enjoyed some of the previous Five Hundred Kingdom novels. I also felt like Beauty and the Werewolf would have made a better novella or short story than full blown few hundred page novel. There were many unnecessary details that could have been left out, and I also felt that Bella's adventures with Eric were completely pointless. They accomplished very little storytelling and what they added in detail and collection of information wasn't as valuable as the patience they took away.

Characters:
Bella is similar to all the other heroines in the previous Five Hundred Kingdom novels in that she is smart and a little too sensible. But while I didn't mind that in the other books and actually enjoyed having a heroine with a brain, something about Bella struck me as stuck-up. It seemed as though she judged people and if she decided they weren't smart enough or up to her standards she would write them off as stupid or vapid and act as if she was better than them. What was especially hypocritical was that she would complain and comment about her stepfamily and their friends insisting on living up to certain social expectations while she herself is inflicting her own standards on everyone she meets. Speaking of Bella's family-where were they? They were mentioned so much in the beginning and they were introduced in a way that made me think they'd be prominent characters all the way through but instead they disappeared after a few pages and only made occasional appearances in Bella's thoughts. Either they should have been mentioned more throughout the story or they should have been mentioned minimally in the beginning. Their characters were too developed to act as a real foil to Bella.

3.7 stars.

The magic continues in "New York Times" bestselling author Mercedes Lackey's enchanting new story from the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. A beauty must battle some beasts before she rescues her prince.

The eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella—Isabella Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant—vows to escape the usual pitfalls.

Anxious to avoid the traditional path, Bella dons a red cloak and ventures into the forbidden forest to consult with "Granny," the local wisewoman. But on the way home she's attacked by a wolf—who turns out to be a cursed nobleman. Secluded in his castle, Bella is torn between her family and this strange man who creates marvelous inventions and makes her laugh—when he isn't howling at the moon.

Bella knows all too well that breaking spells is never easy. But a determined beauty, a wizard (after all, he's only an occasional werewolf) and a little Godmotherly interference might just be able to bring about a happy ending.

The Sleeping Beauty, by Mercedes Lackey (Five Hundred Kingdoms #5)

To read my review of The Snow Queen (Five Hundred Kingdoms #4), click here.

Rosamund is a princess in the center of several fairy tales, and she is determined to make the most of them. She is kidnapped, put in a coma, woken up, and orphaned, and Rosamund is determined to control her own destiny. When Rosamund and her fairy godmother/evil stepmother, Lily, feel the Tradition closing in, this unlikely duo teams up to make sure Rosamund and her kingdom get their happy endings.

Thoughts immediately after reading:
OMG BEST 500 KINGDOMS BOOK EVER!!!!!! After thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized that I had this reaction after reading most of the others, so what I'm telling you is that this book is amazing and didn't ruin the books that came before it.

Reading speed:
Slow. I tend to speed through the books I really enjoy but I couldn't speed through this one. I don't know what it was about this, but the words needed a little more processing time. Despite this, I had a hard time putting this book down, which was why it took me over a week to finish.

Characters:
This is going to sound really petty, but my main comments on the characters in this novel are on their names. Siegfried, Leopold, and Desmond are a little too....I don't know the right word but they aren't names I particularly like. None of those names excite anything but snickers in me for some odd reason. Siegfried and Leopold are very old-fashioned and although the book takes place in a time of knights and princesses, it does have a modern feel to it and those names just didn't belong. I did love the name Sable, but sable is a carnivorous weasel and is supposed to have a negative connotation.

My Favorite Character:
Luna the unicorn! Or as I think of her, the Lunicorn! I love her cuteness and awesomeness and I want a unicorn. I also want to be a godmother. Basically, I want to live in the 500 Kingdoms.

Supernatural elements:
For anyone who hasn't caught on yet, the 500 Kingdoms books take place in a world where fairy tales repeatedly come to life, just not necessarily with happy endings. There are no vampires or werewolves, but there are princesses and unicorns which are way better.

Romance:
The romance in this book was scattered but satisfying. It wasn't the focus of the book but it did add a little flair. What was fun about the romance in this book was the doubt over who Rosamund would end up with. Sorry, that was incorrect-it was completely obvious who she would end up with, but I pretended like I didn't know and enjoyed every second of them falling for each other.

Ending:
Don't worry-no spoilers here. All I'm going to say is that it was a cute and satisfying ending and everyone got their just desserts.

Unsolved mysteries:
What was up with that bird? I was disappointed when no information was given about her except that she's a "wise beast." She played such an important role that a name or an explanation would have been fitting. Since she didn't have either she felt more like a crystal ball than a character.

5 stars

 
Heavy is the head--and the eyelids--of the princess who wears the crown...In Rosamund's realm, happiness hinges on a few simple beliefs:For every princess there's a prince.

The king has ultimate power.

Stepmothers should never be trusted.

And bad things come to those who break with Tradition....

But when Rosa is pursued by a murderous huntsman and then captured by dwarves, her beliefs go up in smoke. Determined to escape and save her kingdom from imminent invasion, she agrees to become the guinea pig in one of her stepmother's risky incantations--thus falling into a deep, deep sleep.

When awakened by a touchy-feely stranger, Rosa must choose between Tradition and her future...between a host of eligible princes and a handsome, fair-haired outsider. And learn the difference between being a princess and ruling as a queen.

The moral of the story? Sometimes a princess has to create her own happy endings....

Juliet Immortal, by Stacey Jay

The story of Romeo and Juliet was not one of tragic young love, but rather one of murder and betrayal. In order to become immortal, Romeo Montague killed his beloved Juliet. Romeo was promised eternal life lived in the bodies of others while spreading evil around the world and getting other young lovers to do as he did, but he never expected that Juliet would be given eternal life as well and that the two would become sworn enemies. The culmination of hundreds of years of fighting has arrived and Juliet finds herself in the body of a quiet and damaged teenager named Ariel. Juliet knows her mission and is determined to complete it and destroy Romeo once and for all, but everything changes once she meets Ben. Stuck in a body not her own, Juliet is faced with choices no girl would ever dream of making.

I was very excited to find this book because clever retellings and modern takes of classic tales appeal to me more than totally original books because they don't hide their origins. There's no such thing as a book that is completely from the author's mind and in retellings the author is telling you before you even pick up the book that the story inside is based on another. This challenges the author to come up with plot twists that both keep the story in line with the original while changing it entirely. Juliet Immortal was not quite a retelling but more of a story based on the characters Shakespeare introduced us to. Juliet makes it clear that Shakespeare's play was based on hers and Romeo's story but less about the lovers dying for immortality and more about the lovers dying for the sake of love (which in itself is stupid but I probably shouldn't go there now).

This book was really good, but at some point I was wondering how the author would resolve the many different problems with one solution. There was no visible solution in place so I wasn't surprised when the author invented new laws in her universe to give everyone who deserved it a happy ending. It was somewhat of a cop-out though and it required lots of imagination (and rereading if you want to understand it). When I closed Juliet Immortal after the last page I was thoroughly satisfied and confused, which is a very interesting blend of emotions to have after finishing a book.

4.8 stars.

 
The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

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

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.