Teaser Tuesdays: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 
My teaser this week is from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.
"Hello?"  I whispered.  "Are you awake?"
He didn't move.  I put a hand on his arm and shook him gently.  His head lolled to one side. ~page 213 of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.  










I'm really late getting this up but I would still love to know what you are reading!

Book Review: Insanity by Susan Vaught

 

*I received this book for an honest review from NetGalley*

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Never, Kentucky is not your average scenic small town. It is a crossways, a place where the dead and the living can find no peace. Not that Forest, an 18-year-old foster kid who works the graveyard shift at Lincoln Hospital, knew this when she applied for the job. Lincoln is a huge state mental institution, a good place for Forest to make some money to pay for college. But along with hundreds of very unstable patients, it also has underground tunnels, bell towers that ring unexpectedly, and a closet that holds more than just donated clothing....When the dead husband of one of Forest's patients makes an appearance late one night, seemingly accompanied by an agent of the Devil, Forest loses all sense of reality and all sense of time. Terrified, she knows she has a part to play, and when she does so, she finds a heritage that she never expected.

With her deep knowledge of mental illness and mental institutions, Susan Vaught brings readers a fascinating and completely creepy new book intertwining the stories of three young people who find themselves haunted beyond imagining in the depths of Lincoln Hospital.

 

My Thoughts:  I love a creepy ghost story and this one sounded like it would be a perfect read for me.  I really wanted to like this book but it fell very short for me.  I really tried to finish it and got to page 296 and then realized I still had almost 100 pages left (the book is 384 pages) and I couldn't finish it.

 

Insanity starts off promising.  You meet Levi, a young boy, walking home alone at night even though his Grandma has told him not to go out at night because "death was walking on two legs".  The unthinkable happens to Levi and then you get taken to a new chapter with a new character.  From the synopsis, you think Forest is going to be our main character but she only is for a short time.  The next few chapters, you get to know a little about Forest and how she came to work at Lincoln Psychiatric Hospital.  Here's where things started to get a little off for me.  Forest is working a double shift on Halloween night.  The maintenance people have discovered bones in one of the underground tunnels.  Then Forest sees two men running down the vacant hallway...men that are ghosts.  Once she figures out and helps Decker, one of the men, she ends up getting fired from Lincoln and then we are onto a new part of the book.  There is mention that Forest goes to the Bell Tower of the hospital but I can't figure out if she died or is alive and just has this mysterious "Madoc blood".  There are so many questions left and then we go on to a new part of the book.

 

In this new part, we meet Darius.  Apparently, quite a bit of time has gone by since Forest left the hospital and now Darius is working there as a security guard to earn money for college.  We learn that Darius' grandfather kidnapped and killed little kids.  Darius' grandma killed his grandfather way before Darius was born (I think) so he never got to know him but heard stories.  As Darius is working, he hears ice cream truck music, which is how his grandfather lured the kids to him.  Then things get really funny again.  Another boy goes missing, Darius goes into a tunnel under the hospital and sees his grandfather and a witch's tree and then meets up with Forest and Levi to rid the world of his grandfather's spirit.  If it seems like I summarized that really fast it's because that is how the story read.  It was all done really fast and left out so much stuff.  

Now we are onto the next part of the book which is told from Trina's point of view.  Trina is Darius' girlfriend and apparently some kind of witch.  Trina's dad is a preacher who thinks it is his job to kill anyone with Madoc blood.  This part of the book talks about how Trina breaks away from her father and then almost gets slashed by yet another crazy ghost from Lincoln Psychiatric Hospital.  The group, which now includes Forest, Levi, Levi's grandmother, Imogene, Darius, Darius' mom, Jessie (who is Darius' friend) and Trina, her step-mom, Addie and Trina's father, must rid the world of this ghost's evil spirit.  This is where I stopped.  

I thought this book had a lot of potential if the author had stuck with one storyline.  You never really got to know any of the characters so you couldn't really connect with any of them.  There were so many questions that were unanswered and maybe they were answered in the end but I couldn't make it there.  You never really found out what Madoc blood was.  Forest researched it a little and you found out a little history of it but I never fully understood what exactly it was.  I just know it gave people powers.  I can't even really tell you what kind of powers...maybe to see to the other side or to help spirits cross over?  I'm not sure.  You never really knew what happened to Forest.  She went to the "other side" and it appears she came out alive but then she just disappears into the Bell Tower and that's all you really know.  

This book just really seemed to jump around a lot and never really fully developed one story or character.  It seemed like it was a bunch of different story outlines thrown together.  I never really felt like I was getting involved in any of the stories or the characters lives.  I didn't really find it all that creepy after the first couple chapters either.  It just seemed like a lot of the same dead spirits doing the same bad deeds that needed the same crossing over and it all happened so quickly that there was no time to build the suspense.  

So, sadly, I was disappointed in this one but that isn't to say you might not like it!  If it sounds like one you would enjoy, pick it up and let me know if you liked it!

WWW Wednesdays: February 5, 2014

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by MizB at  Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What I am currently reading:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I'm really enjoying this one.  It's a little strange so far but I like it!

 

What I am recently finished reading:

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

This was a hard book to read.  It dealt with a lot of hard issues but was worth the read!

 

What I am reading next:

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

I read the third in this series first so decided to go back and start at the beginning because the third one was so good!

What is your WWW Wednesday??

 

Book Review: Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

**I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

 

My Thoughts:  Laurel's sister has died, her mom has moved away and now she is starting high school at a new school.  She wants to go to a school where no one knows who her sister, May, was and what happened.  

 

Her English teacher gives the class an assignment to write a letter to a dead person.  What starts out as a simple assignment turns into a whole notebook of letters to numerous dead people.  Laurel pours out her heart to these people and tells them what she can tell no one else.

 

This book was a little difficult for me to get into.  I felt that it was a little slow and at times it just really dragged on.  The writing was beautiful though and I loved how Laurel wrote to famous celebrities that just happened to be dead.  

 

Laurel was a broken character.  She thought her sister lived a perfect life and it tore her apart when she realized that May was hurting and acting out in a not so perfect way.  Laurel really wanted to keep her sister on that pedestal.  Laurel had to work through a lot of emotions and struggles but watching her do that and grow was really amazing.

 

I loved Laurel's friends in this story.  They all had problems that were hard to deal with such as abuse, mental illness and abandonment or loss of parents.  Tristan and Kristen were great supporters and I liked how Kristen was really into getting good grades and going to college.  

 

This book definitely was not a happy, go lucky book but it was very much worth the read.  It dealt with some very tough subjects and I think it would be a good book for many to read!  

 

 

 

 

Teaser Tuesday: Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira.

"I think he does this for the same reason Hannah doesn't turn in her work when her teachers say she is smart.  I think a lot of people want to be someone, but we are scared that if we try, we won't be as good as everyone thinks we should be."  ~page 141 of Love Letters to the Dead  (an ARC).

 

Book Review: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

My Thoughts:  I just finished Shadow and Bone and was extremely happy that I had Siege and Storm ready to read.  I jumped eagerly into it and devoured the story and now I have to wait four long months for Ruin and Rising.  Four.  Long.  Months!  This will be torture!

We left Mal and Alina escaping on a whaler boat at the end of Shadow and Bone.  Siege and Storm picks up shortly after the have left the boat (with a "Before" chapter explaining, briefly, their time on the boat) and have hidden out in a small village.  They are just normal people living at a boarding house and working in the factories.  This book starts off with a bang as Alina feels something is off one day as her and Mal return home from their jobs.  Sadly, her feelings were correct and Mal and Alina were caught by the Darkling.  Now they have to fight for their way to safety and try to defeat the Darkling again while trying to save Ravka.

I was a little annoyed with Alina several times throughout this book but at the same time, I still loved her.  She definitely figured out how to embrace her power (maybe a little too much?) and proved that she wasn't the meek little orphan she had been.  However, there were times (I can't really describe when because I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet) that I thought Alina should just suck it up and let Mal know what was going on.  Maybe he could have helped her figure it out.  I also thought she was a little too obsessive about the Firebird at times.  I couldn't decide if she was turning "dark" or really trying to do the best for Ravka.

I liked Mal more in this book than I did the first one.  He obviously does not belong at the Little Palace and while he makes it known to Alina that he is unhappy, he deals with it the best he can.  It might not be the best way to have dealt with it but he tried.  I absolutely did not blame him for the way he treated Alina sometimes.  I was just as frustrated with her!  Mal proved to be loyal but he didn't take crap from Alina.  

The Darkling, while a bad, bad man, was still seductive and I still found myself liking him (for a bad guy).  He still knows what to say to get you to fall for him but his little "friends" made him seem a lot more unlikeable.  I struggled with him because I know he's bad and I don't want to like him but I feel for him a little bit.  

Sturmhond was awesome and by far my favorite character.  Again, I don't want to say too much in case there is anyone out there who hasn't read this book but I did not predict who he was and loved that twist in the story.  I think he truly has Ravka's best interest at heart and I didn't feel like he was using Alina.  I liked their relationship throughout the book and I am anxiously awaiting for the next book to see what happened to him.

Rarely can I honestly say that I enjoyed the sequel more than I enjoyed the first book but in this case, I did.  I thought Shadow and Bone was amazing but Siege and Storm kept me captivated and amazed me even more.  I am very anxiously awaiting the third and final in this series to see how Alina's story ends.  Did I mention I was going to have to wait FOUR long months??  

 

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

    I am joining the 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge hosted by Evie at Bookish.  It's one month into the year but better late than never, right?   I have SO many books on my TBR pile that I thought this year I am actually going to cut back on my ARCs and do a little more of my TBRs.  I am actually going to be very ambitious and sign up at the "Could This Be Love?" level, which is to read 41-50 TBRs.  So, here is a preliminary list of the books I plan to read:   1.  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 2. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo 3.  Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 4.  Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender 5.  The Pledge by Kimberly Derting 6.  Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout 7.  The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd 8.  The Coldest Girl in Cold Town by Holly Black 9.  The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges 10.  Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins 11. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 12.  Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally  13.  Sixth Covenant by Brock and Bodie Thoene  14.  Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout  15.  The Elite by Kiera Cass  16.  Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout  17.  Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout   18.  Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs
Hopefully I can bring my TBR pile down a little!  Wish me luck!

Book Review: The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe

**I received this book from NetGalley for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  So many secrets for such a small island. From the moment Anne Merchant arrives at Cania Christy, a boarding school for the world’s wealthiest teens, the hushed truths of this strange, unfamiliar land begin calling to her—sometimes as lulling drumbeats in the night, sometimes as piercing shrieks.

One by one, unanswered questions rise. No one will tell her why a line is painted across the island or why she is forbidden to cross it. Her every move—even her performance at the school dance—is graded as part of a competition to become valedictorian, a title that brings rewards no one will talk about. And Anne discovers that the parents of her peers surrender million-dollar possessions to enroll their kids in Cania Christy, leaving her to wonder what her lowly funeral director father could have paid to get her in… and why.

As a beautiful senior struggles to help Anne make sense of this cloak-and-dagger world without breaking the rules that bind him, she must summon the courage to face the impossible truth—and change it—before she and everyone she loves is destroyed by it.

My Thoughts:  Anne is 16 years old and has just been sent to Wormwood Island to attend an elite prep school.  She has no idea how her father, who is a mortician, is paying for the exclusive school but is happy to be able to have the chance to start over after her mom passed away two years ago.

Once at Cania Christy, Anne finds out that it's not at all what she expects.  It doesn't take Anne long to figure out that everyone is in the race for the Big V (to become Valedictorian) and will stop at nothing to get this accomplishment.  Anne also finds out that she will be assigned a Guardian and will have to come up with a PT, a statement that students have to live their life by.  Anne's Guardian turns out to be the creepy Teddy who, along with the headmaster, Villicus, will make your skin crawl!

Anne quickly realizes that their is a price more than just money to get your child into Cania Christy and that all is not what it appears.  With hints from her neighbor, Ben, she digs deeper into the background of this mysterious school.  What she finds out is almost more than she can believe.

I have to say, I did not expect the twist in the middle/end of this book.  I think I finally understood the secret of Cania Christy only pages before Anne did.  I am not sure if I was just slow getting it but whatever, I loved that I didn't get it until a few pages before the main character got it.  I'm not big on predictable books.  However, with that being said, I also felt that the book could have ended well before it did.  In fact, I actually thought I was almost done with the story when I figured out the twist and then realized I still had about 150 more pages to go.  

I got annoyed with Anne and her relationship with Pilot, Molly and Ben.  I felt that, with all the warnings about staying away from the villagers, Anne was a little too relaxed about hiding her relationship with Molly.  I was very irritated on the night of the dance with how Anne was with Molly, knowing full well that Teddy was in the house.   

There were so many times when Anne was with Pilot (her one "friend" at Cania Christy) that I thought she was just ridiculously stupid and/or naive!  I could see Pilot's every intention and could not believe that Anne could not see through that.  Maybe she was just desperate to have a friend at the school but she made me want to scream!  

Certain times I thought that Anne was really smart and strong and then I would turn the page and want to smack her upside the head.  Again, her reckless behavior with Molly was disappointing, to say the least.  I did love how she put Teddy in his place several times though.  She wouldn't take any garbage from him and I truly appreciated that.  

I loved the creepiness of this story and I was really glad it had nothing to do with vampires, werewolves, fairies or zombies.  It was just a bit refreshing, in that sense.  The cliffhanger at the end definitely has me wanting to read the next in the series, despite the issues I had with this book.  I would recommend checking this book out and seeing what you think!

 

Book Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

My Thoughts:  I took my time getting to this book because of all the hype when it came out.  I didn't want to be disappointed.  So I finally picked it up and guess what?  I was not disappointed in any way at all!  I finished this book within a day and a half.  For some, that might not seem like a big deal but I have three kids that I homeschool and my oldest is in 5th grade.  Have any of you done 5th grade math lately?  It's ridiculous...so, for me to finish it that quickly means that I put off the housework and maybe even some of the schooling (my kids were thrilled) and I stayed up late to read it because I simply couldn't put it down!

Ravka has been torn in two by the shadow fold, a dark void filled with horrible monsters called Volcra.  The shadow fold was made by a Darkling gone bad.  Alina and Mal are in the army that is getting ready to cross the shadow fold.  Alina and Mal have been friends since they were in the same orphanage together in their youth.  Once the army is in the shadow fold, they are attacked by the vicious Volcra and Alina uses a power she never knew she had to save Mal from them.  

Now known to be a Grisha, Alina is sent to the Darkling.  Alina is whisked away from everything she has ever known...Mal, the army, her work as a map maker, and sent to the Palace to practice her powers.  While she meets new friends and enemies, she constantly thinks of Mal and misses him.  However, despite the letters she sends him, Mal doesn't seem to care.  Alina decides to put Mal out of her mind and once she does that, her power blooms.  Everything is going great until Mal shows up at the Palace and from there, Alina's world is turned upside down again.

I liked Alina even though she wasn't that strong at first.  She continues to grow and strengthen throughout the story and that is what I really enjoyed.  I loved that she didn't whine a lot or feel sorry for herself too much.  She overcame emotions and problems and she showed the Darkling what she was made of!

I liked that there wasn't a big love triangle between Mal and the Darkling.  I knew there was something up with the Darkling from the beginning but even I started to fall for him.  He said all the right things to Alina and really made you believe what he said. 

The ending completely surprised me too and I love an ending that I don't predict.  Honestly, I was so involved in the story that I didn't even really have time to predict an ending, which is even better, in my opinion!  
 
This book was certainly not at all what I was expecting!  It grabbed my attention from the first page and I couldn't stop reading it.  I loved every bit of it!

Book Review: How to Love by Katie Cotugno

 

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

My Thoughts:  I did not finish this book but it wasn't because I didn't like it.  In fact, I absolutely LOVED this book (as far as I got anyways) and wanted so badly to finish it but I am right in the middle of a move and had to send it on so I will review the first half of the book for you!

Reena is in love with her childhood friend Sawyer.  Her best friend, Allie, and her have dreamed about what it would be like to date Sawyer.  Then one summer, Allie ends up dating Sawyer and the friendship between Reena and Allie becomes strained.  Now suddenly, Reena just wants to focus on school and graduate a year early so she can go to college and travel.  

Then one night changes everything.  After a devastating tragedy, Sawyer and Reena become closer.  Sawyer is a little more rebellious than Reena thought but she is drawn into his world.  When he suddenly up and disappears and she finds out she's pregnant, she knows her dreams of leaving town have dried up.  

After almost three years have gone by, Reena has moved on with her life.  She has a beautiful little girl, Hannah, a job at the restaurant her family owns with Sawyer's family and a boyfriend.  She is going to a community college and she's happy for the most part.  Then Sawyer shows back up and she now has to deal with her life being turned upside down yet again.  

Reena was an amazing character!  I connected with her immediately and loved how strong and determined she was.  She seemed to be a good mom and had her priorities in check.  She was a very likeable character and so very easy to relate too!

Sawyer was the boy you wanted to hate but really can't.  I didn't get to read far enough to find out what his deal was with his disappearing act but he seemed to be interested in his daughter.  

I loved how the story alternated between "before" and "after".  It was easy to follow but kept it interesting.  I really wish I could have finished this book as I was so involved in Reena's life and wanting to know what made Sawyer leave and how it ended.  I will definitely be buying this book as soon as it is released to find out!

Book Review: Dead Girl's Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

 

**Received from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Rachel died at two a.m . . . Three hours after Skyler kissed me for the first time. Forty-five minutes after she sent me her last text.
Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead. The police blame a growing gang problem in their small town, but Jaycee is sure it has to do with that night at the old house. Rachel’s text is the first clue—starting Jaycee on a search that leads to a shocking secret. Rachel’s death was no random crime, and Jaycee must figure out who to trust before she can expose the truth.
In the follow-up to her powerful debut, Jennifer Shaw Wolf keeps readers on their toes in another dark, romantic story of murder and secrets.

My Thoughts:  This was a great story and full of surprises.  It was fast paced and kept my interest and had just the right amount of spooky moments!  

Jaycee was best friends with Rachel for most of her life.  But suddenly Rachel goes down another path and shuts Jaycee out.  Jaycee is with a boy, experiencing her first kiss, when Rachel texts her and tells her she's in trouble.  Jaycee ignores the text and the next day, Rachel is dead.  

The police claim that it is a gang related crime but Jaycee isn't too sure.  When she finds out Rachel left her some clues in the event of her death, Jaycee starts digging.  Unfortunately for Jaycee, all that digging gets her in trouble and now she is the target.  

I liked Jaycee a lot.  Sometimes she seemed a little dumb and slightly annoying but for the most part, I enjoyed her character.  She really did love Rachel like a sister and would go to any lengths to find out what really happened to her. 

Personally, I thought Skylar, Evan and Eric Cross were pretty creepy but that could just be me.  They all ran hot and cold and you could never really get a good read on them.  You definitely got to understand Skyler and his situation a little better towards the middle of the story when you find out his family dynamics.  

I loved Eduardo and his attitude.  He watched out for Jaycee and was loyal to Rachel.  He stuck around through some hard times to make sure that Jaycee was okay and to help her try to figure out what really happened.  He was definitely sulky though.  

The mystery had me a little stumped until the end so that was a pleasant surprise.  I would think I figured out who did it but then there would be a twist or two and it would throw my whole theory out the window.  In the end, I was surprised by who did it but when I thought back to this person's actions throughout the book, I saw all the little clues.   I also liked how this book dealt with something I don't read about very often (gangs and gang violence).  Definitely a change from vampires and werewolves!  If you like murder mysteries with some romance thrown in, this is the book for you!

Book Review: Frigid by J. Lynn

 

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

My Thoughts:  Sydney and Kyler have been best friends since elementary school.  Sydney has had feelings for Kyler for awhile but doesn't want to ruin the friendship so she hasn't told Kyler. She sits by and watches him take girl after girl home.  Sydney has only had one relationship and it ended on a bad note.  

Sydney and Kyler head up to Kyler's cabin for Christmas Break.  The plan is to meet some of their other friends up there and celebrate their last year of college.  Sydney and Kyler make it up there but get hit by a massive snow storm and their friends don't make it.  Sydney and Kyler are now stranded and alone and to make matters worse, someone is stalking the two and making things even more interesting.

I really liked Sydney and could really relate to her and her feelings.  My husband and I were friends for a long time before we actually got together and I know the fear of losing your friend over a relationship.  I felt her heartbreak every time she watched Kyler flirt with another girl.  I loved when Sydney found her "lady balls" and I really liked how feisty she could be.   I also understood her constant worrying and over analyzing everything because I totally do that too!  

Kyler was sweet and even though he was a player, you understood why. He was very protective of Sydney and he honestly cared for her.  I loved how he respected Sydney and didn't treat her like all the other girls.  She meant something special to him and he treated her that way.  He was sweet and I really liked his character.  

This story is told in alternating POVs and I really enjoyed that as well.  Getting into Kyler's head made the story interesting and a whole lot easier to understand Kyler.  It definitely would not have been as good without Kyler's point of view.

This was an incredibly fast paced read!  The "mystery" was somewhat predictable (I had it figured out almost immediately) but it was still a fun book and will not disappoint!

Book Review: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

My Thoughts:  I've heard this is the last book in the series.  If it is, I'm a little disappointed because it left so many loose ends.  Seriously, I have a ton of questions that were not even close to being answered.

Violet is a senior this year but instead of concentrating on fun stuff like prom, graduation, parties, etc., she is concentrating on ignoring her imprint and trying to get over being kidnapped in the previous book.   Then Violet finds a family dead in their home and her world is thrown upside down again.  Especially when she notices that one of the bodies does not have an imprint.  When one of her classmates is accused of the murder, Violet is determined to find out what happened.

Along with the murder of the family, Violet has been given her grandma's journals.  Her grandma had the same "gift" as Violet and begins to write about a group that called themselves the Circle of Seven.  It's a group very much like the one Violet is in with Rafe and Sara.  

Between figuring out what the connection is between the Circle of Seven and her own little group and trying to find a murderer, Violet's senior year is unlike any other.  

Okay, I realize that if Violet wasn't so stubborn and determined, this would probably be a really boring (and short) book but through the whole book I was rolling my eyes at her stupidity and all the risks she took.  She not only put herself in danger but others as well.  It drove me crazy.  I also think Violet is a little whiny.  She is constantly keeping secrets and then getting upset because no one "understands" her or what she is going through.  She really just annoys me.

Jay is the same as he has been in the other books.  It was actually boring for me.  He is loyal and will protect Violet to the end but the whole romance for me was boring and predictable.  

I really like Violet's team.  Rafe and Sara and Gemma, even Dr. Lee.  They add some mystery and interest to the book.  Dr. Lee was especially interesting in this book and I'm a little irritated that there were so many unanswered questions regarding him and the group. Then, Gemma just kind of disappears from the book.  It was disappointing to me as she was one of my favorite characters.

So, all in all, this was an okay book.  It wasn't great but it wasn't bad and if you have read the others in the series, you should obviously read this one too.   I just don't think it tied up all the loose ends and I still have a lot of questions.  

Book Review: Teardrop by Lauren Kate

 

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.

My Thoughts:  I have never read anything by Lauren Kate (even though I own the whole Fallen series) so I wasn't sure what to expect with this book.  I thought the book started out a little slow but it did pick up and kept my interest the rest of the time.

Eureka's mother was killed by a rogue wave, leaving Eureka to live with her dad and step-mom.  Eureka is dealing with survivor's guilt and has quite a difficult time with her mom's death.  She has alienated herself from everyone at school except her two best friends, Brooks and Cat.  She quit the cross-country team and is now forced to see a psychiatrist that her step-mom has picked out for her.  

Eureka meets Ander when he rear-ends her at stop sign.  Eureka has never seen Ander before but he tells her he is on the rival school's cross country team.  It doesn't take Eureka long to find out that Ander is not being completely honest with her.  Ander shows up unexpectedly most of the time and isn't able to be found the other times.  

While at the reading of her mother's will, Eureka is given three very interesting objects.  She is given a locket her mother always wore but that didn't open, a box with a rock called a "Thunderstone" wrapped in gauze in it and a book written in a strange language.  She takes the book to a pyschic who is the only person who can translate the book.  The psychic gives Eureka some information and warns her to not tell anyone about the book.  When something tragic happens to the psychic and her best friend, Brooks, starts behaving strangely, Eureka feels more alone than ever.   

I felt for Eureka because I cannot imagine losing my mom the way she did.   I cannot imagine not being able to cry and I can't imagine the will power one must have to keep from crying at a funeral or when feeling so alone.  There were a couple of times when I thought Eureka was a little...dumb or naive but I liked her character for the most part.  

Brooks was a very interesting character.  I wasn't sure what was going on with him at first but did figure it out before the end of the book.  There isn't a lot I can say about him without giving a lot away so I will just say he was a very interesting character and definitely has me wondering what will happen in the following books.

I did not like Eureka's dad at all.  I thought he was weak and I hated how he wouldn't really stand up for her with his new wife.  He just seemed to be in a rut of work and sleep until the end of the book.  I thought the step-mom was rather mean and lacked some serious understanding.  I didn't like her at all either.  

I enjoyed this book and the story of Atlantis.  It was a pretty quick read for me and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.  

 

Teaser Tuesday: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!

 

"She tried to imagine Rafe going to the graveyard at night and digging up a body - Caine's body.

She squeezed her eyes shut, wondering whatever had possessed him to do such a think, to take such a risk." ~Page 190 of Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

Book Review: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

 

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

My Thoughts:  I love Greek mythology so I was really excited when I saw that Ms. Blake was writing a book about it.  I absolutely loved Anna Dressed in Black so was pretty confident that I would also enjoy this book.

Athena and Hermes are dying...only they aren't suppose to die.  They are Gods.  Gods don't die.  Hermes is wasting away from the inside out and Athena is sprouting feathers in her lungs.  They decide that they need to figure out what is going on.  After finding Demeter and getting some very random hints from her, they are on a quest to find the Prophetess, Cassandra.

Cassandra is your average teenage girl...well, except she is psychic.  Other than that, she leads a fairly normal life with her brother, Henry, her boyfriend, Aiden and her best friend, Andie.  Her visions start to change though and become more vivid and a lot stranger than before.  Soon, Cassandra realizes that she is in the middle of a war between Gods and she is the one that they are all seeking.  

The chapters switch back and forth between Athena and Cassandra, which I really liked.  It kept it interesting but not confusing to me at all.  Athena is a really strong character (duh, she is a God) and I really liked her.  I also liked Hermes a lot.  He was loyal to Athena even when he was scared.

Cassandra was also a great character but I definitely liked her better after she "awakened".  She was much stronger.  I thought Aiden was a little dumb at times.  Trying to run from Gods seemed impossible so not sure why they would even try.  

The ending surprised me a little and although I was sad, I thought it was a good way to end the book.  I was enthralled with this book from the first page and hated to have to put it down at all.  It was a fast read and will definitely keep you interested the entire time, especially if you like Greek mythology!

Book Review: Black Spring by Alison Croggon

 

*Received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review*

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, BLACK SPRING reimagines the passionate story in a fantasy 19th century society sustained by wizardry and the vengeance code of vendetta.

Anna spent her childhood with Damek and her volatile foster sister Lina, daughter of the Lord of the village. Lina has magical powers, and in this brutal patriarchal society women with magical powers are put to death as babies. Lina’s father, however, refuses to kill her but when vendetta explodes in their village and Lina’s father dies, their lives are changed forever. Their new guardian Masko sends Anna away and reduces Lina to the status of a servant. Damek—mad with love for Lina—attempts to murder Masko, then vanishes for several years. Anna comes home five years later to find Lina about to marry a pleasant young farmer, and witnesses Damek’s vengeful return and its catastrophic consequences.

Passionate, atmospheric and haunting, BLACK SPRING will stay with readers long after they turn the final page.

My Thoughts:  I read Wuthering Heights in high school and I fell in love with the story.  I was a little worried about reading this book but it has been a really long time since high school and I've forgotten some of the story so I thought it would be okay.

The book started out a little slow for me with the story of Hammel (a.k.a. Mr. Lockwood).  Hammel was leaving the city for the North to put some distance between himself and a lady.  After arriving, he decides to meet the man who is letting him stay at the Red House, despite his housekeeper's warnings.  Halfway to the Master's house, a storm develops and Hammel has to stay the night with the miserable man he finds at the manse.  Hammel meets Damek (Heathcliff) and his young wife, who is quite angry and who is treated very poorly.  After Damek tells his manservant to put Hammel in a room, Hammel spends a very uneasy night and in the morning, he is greeted by the face of a woman with violet eyes in the mirror.  After telling Damek what he sees, Damek goes a little crazy and Hammel quickly leaves.

Once back at the Red House, Hammel gets ill from being out in the storm and the dog bite that he received at Damek's house and has to be nursed back to health by Anna (Nelly).  Anna tells him the story of herself, Damek and a young woman named Lina (Catherine).  You see, Lina and Anna were milk sisters and although Lina had royal blood, she treated Anna like a sister for the first years of their lives.  After Lina's father brings Damek home, Lina instead turns to Damek as her best friend.  After Lina's father dies in an unfortunate accident, the King gives the estate over to a disgusting pig of a man, Masko.  Masko abuses Lina and Damek and Anna both leave.  Anna is summoned back to be Lina's housemaid when Lina is engaged and is shocked by Lina's fragile appearance.  Lina marries and becomes pregnant and then Damek returns.  From there, everything goes downhill.

The one element in this book that wasn't in the original was the wizards and witches.  Wizards have much control over the villages and are greatly feared.  Witches are usually killed.  Lina has the violet eyes of a witch and must be careful.  There is also the "vendetta" which was particularly  disturbing to me.  Vendetta is this:  if someone in the village gets killed, that person's first male relation must then kill his murder.  There is a 40 day grace period between the time the person is killed and the time that the male relation can kill the murderer.  Then that person's first male relation must avenge the death and so on.  This can effectively kill off entire villages.  The people must also pay a "blood tax" on each person that kills.  The people in the villages never knew when or where it would happen but always feared it.  

I really enjoyed this story.  It was very close to what I remember of Wuthering Heights.  It was a dark read and a little slow at the beginning but once I got into Anna's story, I couldn't put the book down.  I enjoyed this retelling of an amazing classic!

 

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Pods by Michelle K. Pickett

**I received this book from Spencer Hill Press for an honest review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

My Thoughts:  This book scared me to death!  Seriously, it did.  The first reason is because I could totally see this happening.  I mean, whether the government releases it or it's some virus that we have never seen, it could totally happen.  The second reason is because I have kids.  Unlike Eva's parents, I have more than one child...I have three.  Now, if you haven't read the book, you won't know why this scared me so I'll tell you.  There are only so many spaces in the Pods for the uninfected to live in.  Therefore, there was a "raffle" and if your social security number was picked, you got to live! I spent the first few chapters thinking "what if this happened and if it did, what if only ONE of my kids got chosen?"  As a parent, how would you deal with that?  Luckily for Eva and her parents, she was an only child.

Eva comes home from school one day to find her parents watching the news.  They immediately turn it off and don't let her see anything because they don't want to worry her.  However, they forgot how rapidly news, especially "end of the world" news travels.  She finds out during school the next day that a virus is very quickly spreading through the world and killing everyone who comes in contact with it.  The government has no cure for it.  They don't even know how it is spreading.  The government decides that they are going to take the "important" people and then some lucky "regular" people underground to live in Pods until the virus is gone.  A raffle is planned for one evening and happens behind closed doors.  Eva is one of the lucky "winners" but her parents are not.

Going into the Pods reminds me a little of the T.V. shows Big Brother or The Real World.  Ten strangers are put into each sub-pod and must learn to live together for the next year.  No one comes in and no one goes out.  Eva is put into a Pod and gets to know her new roommates quickly.  Of course, when you are young (and they were all young) and stuck in a small area together for a long period of time, you are bound to have some romances.  Eva meets David and even though they fought it for awhile (how awkward would a break up be in the Pods??), they end up getting together.  

Everything is going along somewhat smoothly until they are told they are being released.  No one knows yet what is up above but they are told they will be going into "villages" which end up being more like compounds.  David and Eva are separated.  After some time, Eva finds out that there were survivors of the virus.  Some of the survivors are okay but others have a mutated form of the virus that has basically made them into zombies.  Everyone is safe as long as they are in the compounds but of course, that doesn't happen.  

Now outside the compound, but with David again, Eva must fight for her life.  David and Eva are part of a group of "outsiders" that are trying to make it to California.  They are fighting the "zombies" the whole way and lose some friends.  When they find the entrance to the now abandoned Pods, Eva and David show their group and everything goes smoothly until the infected find them again.  Now they must decide whether they stay in the Pods or try to make it to California.  

I liked Eva and David.  They were great characters and very strong but very stubborn.  I liked how Eva chose to fight with the men instead of cower in the circle but I really thought there should have been more of Eva teaching the other girls how to fight not just yelling at them to fight.  There were A LOT of romantic scenes in this book.  Enough that even I wanted to yell at Eva and David to get a room already.  Let me tell you, that must have been some love too because at one point, Eva mentions she hasn't showered in over two weeks, hasn't brushed her teeth in just as long and yet her and David are making out hot and heavy.  All I could think of was morning breath and slimy teeth...yuck!  

I really enjoyed the other characters like Tiffany, George, Jessica and Devlin.  I am hoping to get to hear more about them in the next book.  You know where George is and you know how Tiffany is doing at the end of this book but this book leaves you wondering what happened to the other Pod members and Jessica and Devlin.  

This book will definitely keep you on your toes.  It is filled with action and excitement and you never really know what is going to happen.  There were times when I held my breath right along with Eva while I read through the intense moments.  Make sure you have time to read because once you start this one you will NOT want to put it down until you have finished it!

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