Lookout!

Be on the lookout for some awesome reviews!!

The above have finally, finally arrived in my mailbox and I am way too excited for a 23 year old woman. Not that I care. Because look at those books! If you're not familiar with these titles, you should definitely check them out because they look and sound amazing! I can not, can not, CAN NOT wait to get started.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Endless Knight by Kresley Cole
A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Pivot Point by Kasie West ~ Review

Title: Pivot Point

Author: Kasie West

Publication Date: February 12, 2013

Pages: 343

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy

Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary: Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

I really loved the way this was written. At first I was a teensy bit confused, but quickly caught on and then I fell. It's an interesting concept, first the story itself. Humans with super powers, a hidden city with spies on the outside. I was really interested in the genetics of it all, but we didn't get much information on that. Perhaps with the second installment, Split Second, newly released we'll get a little more on this.

So let's get to the grit of the story. I'll warn you know, there is a love triangle. BUT! Don't judge too quickly. The guys don't know about the other. Wait, wait, wait! Addie's not a slut. They're not even on the same timespace. (That's the second concept that I find interesting.) Oh, have I piqued your interest? (And yes, it is timespace. Look it up. It's actually pretty interesting.) In one timespace, there's Trevor. He's a norm. No super powers. But he makes up for it with awesome comebacks, cute moments, and a lot of love for the important things in life. By far my favorite. In the other, there's Duke. He's paranormal (or a super, as I'm calling them.) He's also the most gorgeous, popular kid in the secret town of supers. We find out a lot more about Duke, but if I'm completely honest I never really connected to Duke. I didn't like him. Then again, I never disliked him. He was just meh. I'm not sure why that is. I'd like to say it's because my gut knew something off about Duke, but probably because I was too busy swooning over Trevor. For some weird reason, I kept thinking of Tucker from the Unearthly series. Which is good! Tucker is one of the best literary boyfriends!

So I've covered the boys. Now it's the girl's turn. I'll start with Laila because I just love her. She's so spunky and nonchalant. I think her character is great, but there were some hints that speculated not everything is as it seems with her. I'm sure more will be revealed in the sequel. 
Now for our MC, Addie. Addie, Addie, Addie. I don't know. I really wanted to like Addie, but she came off bland for me. I sort of felt as though I was a parasite and Addie was my host. I saw what she saw, heard what she heard, all that garbage. But I never got a personality from her. She never came off the pages, and I wanted it. I wanted to be her friend! But how could I, if I was her? (Okay, back up. I am me, Addie is her.) Sorry, having personality issues. I know when reading, up to a certain extent, we become the characters and go off traipsing for adventure or whatnot, but never to the point where I can literally put myself in the characters place and fill the shell. All characters need personality, some pizzazz that makes them special. It wasn't here with Addie and that made me sad. ):

My last piece on this novel is about the ending. The story is great, it reels you in and sets you off and though the conflict is kind of juvenile, it's still a strong story. However, all good things come to an end. Some sooner than later. It's becomes painfully clear what will happen at the end of this novel. And trust me, it is painful. While I understand that this ending is what has to happen, I think it needn't be so obvious. 

And with that being said, there's the end of my review! So what do you think? Have you read it and agree? Disagree? Let's discuss it!

Have you heard of The Winner's Curse?

If you've been here before then you should have.

The Winner's Curse follows the story of Kestrel and Arin. A soothing for the soul romance between a slave and highborn, what's not to love?

Lucky of you, The Midnight Garden is hosting an excellent giveaway and you should enter!!!

Come on, you know you want to read it.

Fates by Lanie Bross ~ Review

Title: Fates

Author: Lanie Bross

Publication Date: February 11, 2014

Pages: 336

Genre: Young Adult, Mythology, Fantasy

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: What if your destiny was to kill the one you love?

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people’s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she’s falling all over again—this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die.

In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

Can I just say "wow" and that's it? It's been days since I finished this book and I'm still unsure what to say about it. I'm speechless. I was just, just complaining that I haven't read a decent book in I-don't-know-how-long. Then along comes Corinthe and Luc. Two flawed characters that I absolutely adored. Together and separately, they stole my heart after trampling it a few times. But it's okay. -sniffle- I'll be okay.

 The story begins with an introduction to Corinthe, a wild-haired beauty who is, well, downright strange. She's a Fate, an immortal being who makes sure a person's fate is carried out accordingly. If you're thinking about the Greeks, get that thought out of your mind. Corinthe is not the angry, menacing bitch of a Fate. She's curious, hopeful, and loyal to a fault.

We're then acquainted with Lucas (or Luc, as he's referred to in most of the book). With his mother gone and his father drunk pretty much all the time, Luc is the only one looking after his little sister. And trying to live his own life and make it in the world. But circumstances involving both of the siblings change everything about Luc and his perception of the world.

While the story started off slow, it still was beautiful to read. Corinthe is an interestng character, and I enjoyed her POV immensely. (Yes, there is shifting POV's and it works!) Then, of course, when things started rolling, they really started to snowball. I couldn't put this down. In my car, at work, even my classes held little importance. Fates has easily become one of my favorites, and I can't wait to own a proper copy when it comes out. This is one title that must be on my bookshelf.

The story itself is fun and magnetic. Mrs. Bross' imagination and imagery really brought this to life and I am so glad I read it. Characters, plot, writing. It was all good, great, out of this world even. This is an author to look out for people!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Motley Monday V

A little bit of Erica by my side… Oh wait. That said Motley, not Mambo. My bad.

And hey, if I can look past the fact that not one of you guys have left a single comment, then I'm sure you can look past the fact that technically it's Tuesday and not Monday per se. (Actually if we're on hotel time, then I have hours before Tuesday. Just keeping things in perspective.)

Well lets get on with it, shall we?

First up we have

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Expected publication: February 4, 2014

That's today tomorrow people!!! Be excited because this series is really, super good!

Here's the summary:

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Oh yea, it's Rapunzel who's running the show this time. And since Tangled, Punzie's been my favorite princess, second only to Belle that is. Now to get Rapunzel on Once Upon A Time.. Hm…..

Next is…

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Expected publication: May 6, 2014

I like that cover, that is a nice cover. Let me get you the summary:

Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence.

Merpeople. Check. Betrothal. Check. Dark premonitions. Check, check. I am seriously shaking with anticipation!

Following up we have….

Now That You're Here by Amy K Nichols

Expected publication:December 9, 2014

Pay attention to that date people. That is yours truly, my birthday! Dah da da dahhh!

Summary, go!

NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE is a he-said/she-said sci-fi thriller told in the alternating voices of Danny, a street-smart graffiti artist who is jolted into a parallel world, and Eevee, the quietly alluring science geek he kissed once in his world, and finds himself falling for in this one. Together, they must figure out what caused Danny’s jump, before another jolt in the space-time continuum separates them forever.

Now I am not a fan of that cover. I think it could be better. But the synopsis here really draws me in, and there's so little of it!

Moving right along, I've got ...

Summoned by Rainy Kaye

Expected publication: March 28, 2014

Summary time my darlings!

Twenty-three year old Dimitri has to do what he is told—literally. Controlled by a paranormal bond, he is forced to use his wits to fulfill unlimited deadly wishes made by multimillionaire Karl Walker.

Dimitri has no idea how his family line became trapped in the genie bond. He just knows resisting has never ended well. When he meets Syd—assertive, sexy, intelligent Syd—he becomes determined to make her his own. Except Karl has ensured Dimitri can’t tell anyone about the bond, and Syd isn’t the type to tolerate secrets.

Then Karl starts sending him away on back-to-back wishes. Unable to balance love and lies, Dimitri sets out to uncover Karl’s ultimate plan and put it to an end. But doing so forces him to confront the one wish he never saw coming—the wish that will destroy him.

Again, this is another one of those books where the cover jus doesn't interest me. But the summary? Uhm, yes please! Hunky genies are the best kind of hunky. ;) You know what I'm saying.

For our last motley, I present to you….

This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Ready

Expected publication: April 1, 2014     This better not be an April Fool's joke…. Ha ha. NO.

If you haven't read the Shade series by Jeri, what are you doing with your life? Go read it now!

But if you don't feel like it just now, you can check out the summary:

Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties in to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

Man, David's parents have got the ultimate April Fool's prank. But what I'm really hoping is Jeri can convince me to like the name Bailey. I was funny about it when introduced to the name in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Maybe Mrs. Smith-Ready can turn things around for Bethany and me. (But guys, I'm being really serious. Check out Shade if you haven't already!!!)

And so that concludes this blog post of Motley Monday. As always let me know your thoughts and expected reads! Thank you for visiting. Have a good Monday! Ehehe...

Darkest Fear by Cate Tiernan ~ Review

Title: Darkest Fear (Birthright #1)

Author: Cate Tiernan

Publication Date: January 7, 2014

Pages: 368

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy

Rating: 3 stars

Summary: Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but a freak knowing that it’s in her genes to turn into a jaguar?

Now eighteen, Vivi’s ready to break away from the traditions of her heritage. But all of that changes with the shocking, devastating deaths of her parents and the mysteries left behind. Vivi discovers family she never even knew she had, and a life open with possibility. New friends, new loyalties, and even romance all lay ahead—but so do dangers unlike anything Vivi ever could have imagined.

You know what you guys? I liked sharing my internal thought process so much, I'm going to do it again. So here's what went through my brain as I was reading:

-this is going nowhere!
-[chandler's voice] Can you BE anymore annoying. The whole damn book: omg my parents are dead, i was a horrible daughter, i hate being a haguari, my life sucks, wow he's so hot
-You, Vivi, are a Mary Sue, hate to break it to you... No, i'm not
-why you so duummmmmmb

Yeah. So let's break this up a bit and I'll try to explain. 

But first! Let me get the good stuff out of the way! I did enjoy a few things not mentioned up there. Mainly because they were after the fact, when I could calm down and think rationally after flipping the last page. After all, I did give this 3 stars. There's gotta be something redeemable about it. Right?
You're right, but there isn't much. But just enough to inch my rating up.

One thing I really, really enjoyed was the writing style. While I was not completely sucked in, I was halfway there. Things like characterization, plot holes, and other things kept taking me away from the story BUT the writing was fun and gorgeous. I will definitely be looking at some of Cate's other works just for that reason alone.

One other redeemable thing was one little part in the story: the undeniably hot kisses in the rain scene. OMG, was my heart pounding! Does Cate write adult novels? I need to read one of those. That scene was very there in my mind. Just wow, mmph. 

Okay, I've fantasized long enough.

Now I will get to the bad. Man, do I hate yet love this part.

I feel like I've been in a rut of bad, muddy books. I need a good book and soon!

Moving on! So back to my internal dialogue, we'll start with the first one: this is going nowhere! No, really, nothing of importance that moves the plot along happens. I mean, of course you have your catalyst, the event that sets everything in motion (parents die - not a spoiler, it's in the summary!) But really no advances are made after this. No reasonings as to why anything that was going on had a point. Not. one. thing. And how frustrating is it to read over 300 pages and not get ONE answer?! As frustrating as trying to peel an onion without shedding a tear. I think that may be my biggest complaint of the whole thing.

Vivi is also suffering from Mary-Sue-woe-is-me syndrome. Not only are we getting nowhere is this novel but the whole way we have to go over the same pity story again and again. We get it, your parents die and it is devastating. But agonizing over every tiny decision with the exact same thoughts is not only demeaning the process of grief but boring. Vivi is pretty boring herself. She's just blah. I mean, I can't remember one single detail about her. Except she's a whiner. That stands out loud and clear.

Wait! I'm remembering something. Oh yeah, Vivi is also dumb. I mean her parents are killed, we established this. And then, inexplicably she's surprised when she is then attacked? Are you fucking kidding me right now? Where's that face. Hold on.

There you go. That's how I felt. I mean, if my parents were killed right in front of me by long lost relatives or whatever then you can bet your ass I'd batten down the hatches. Or skip town. Lets just say I'd try to be somewhat intelligent about the whole thing. Or paranoid. Whichever works.

I think I summed up my feelings on Darkest Fear pretty well. What are your thoughts?