Punk's House of Books

My Rating – 2 3/4 Stars

 

I received a free digital copy of this novel from Netgalley on behalf of Diversion Books in exchange for a fair review

 

Portia Griffin can’t speak. She has never been able to speak though doctors can’t figure out why. She has been able to lead a pretty normal life, despite her disability; she has loving parents and an amazing best friend, Felix (Actually, she’s pretty perfect in every way except the no voice thing). She is completely obsessed with music and Apple (Apple as in Steve Jobs) and Harry Potter.

 

The start of her sophomore year things start to change. There is a strange and painful tightening in her throat, an ache in her back, and sudden mood swings.

 

She also meets Max Hunter, a gorgeous musical prodigy new to her school and of course immediately interested in Portia. He writes her (bad, very bad) songs and they have a bit of an insta-love story (even though she occasionally dreams about murdering him). Poor Felix is friendzoned (in the very sense of the word. He’s a bit of a dick). It’s very clear from their first interaction that he is totally head over heels in love with Portia and her complete blindness to it is downright annoying.

 

Every time she starts to feel one of these attacks coming on, she visits the school nurse Ms. Leucosia, who gives her cryptic messages about how she’ll always be there for Portia whenever she needs her.

 

One day during the bus ride home, Portia is hit with one of these attacks and she is so terrified she hops off the bus and runs to her neighbor and former friend Charlotte’s house. She hears yelling and barges in to find Charlotte’s stepfather beating Charlotte’s mom. Portia suddenly understands why Charlotte became so distant and she is so overcome with emotion she begins to sing.

 

Her voice is the most beautiful sound in the world and also hypnotic, she convinces the step-dad to jump down a well (He survives unfortunately). Portia is so confused by her new voice and the incident at Charlotte’s house that for weeks she hides the fact that she can finally speak.

 

Finally one night at a club where Max is performing, a fight breaks out between Max and Felix and Portia is convinced that the only way to stop the fight is to sing. Everyone is transfixed, except Felix, because he can’t hear her.

 

Ms. Leucosia comes to the rescue and reveals that Portia is a Siren. A mythical being with a beautiful voice and special powers. Leucosia is one of the Sirens from the Odyssey and that her two sisters are evil and are plotting to pull Portia to the dark side. The dark side includes killing men for fun and eating them (which explains the dreams about Max). Portia must decide if she is going to use her powers for good or evil.

 

I wanted to like this book, it has to do with Mythology after all, but it fell flat. Really flat. Mostly because of the poetry and song lyrics. They were terrible. And cheesy. Portia even raps at one point. The overall writing was too…flowery. Portia describes Max’s voice as chocolate wrapped in sandpaper (what?!).

 

I didn’t like Felix, like at all. He was getting mad at Portia for not realizing he loved her, for dating another guy even though he was dating another girl, and for not loving him. He was a douche.

 

Also the insta-live and the triangle bothered me. The random pop culture references seemed strange and forced. What kind of teenage girl uses “stevejobs” as her password? Portia compares herself to Bella. She uses the term “RPatz”. Also Leucosia is supposed to be her mentor and guide her through this transition and she does nothing to actually help Portia. She comes off as useless to me.

 

And authors, can we stop with this – “If we don’t stop now, I won’t be able to stop later.” That translates to “If we don’t stop fooling around before I get too horny, I’m going to rape you later.” It’s not hot, it’s creepy.

 

This book just didn’t do it for me.

Read this review and more at <a href="http://punkshouse.wordpress.com/">Punk's House of Books</a> and <a href="http://ficcentral.com/">FicCentral</a>

My Rating – 4 Stars

 

*I received copy a of this novel free from LibraryThing on behalf of Textbook Publishing*

 

I requested this book at the insistence of my a twitter friend; she assured me that I would love it, and you know what? She’s right.

 

Gaby has been existing, not really living, for the past year. She witnessed her twin brother dying in a very horrific car accident the year before. She barely made it out of the accident alive and lives every day with the guilt being the surviving twin and the grief of losing her brother.

 

Her memory of life before the accident is fuzzy and she has some pretty scary ass nightmares every night that center around fighting monsters and a sexy man she named Matt. Though she doesn’t ever talk about the accident, she has a wonderful and understanding friend in her roommate, Maggie. Her life in Pan Beach, Australia is laid back and exactly what she needs right now.

 

Gaby decides to enter a writing contest on a website with a thousand dollar prize and she uses her disturbing dreams as a plot for a story. Shortly after posting the story online, the man from her dreams appears in the bar she frequents. Only his name is not Matt, it’s Rafa and he claims to be her brother’s best friend. He also calls her Gabe and wonders how Gaby is still alive when he assumed she was dead like her brother.

 

She has no memory of this supposed best friend of her brothers but she feels like she knows him (I mean, she does dream about him every night) and he’s got the pictures to back up his story. So who is this super handsome stranger that talks to her like he knows her but calls her the wrong name?

 

After a random public make-out session with this Rafa person, and a sudden violent attack by people called the Rephaim that claim Gaby is lying about not remembering her life before the accident Gaby begins questioning who she really is. This is where Rafa should come in a explain things but the story comes out in bits and pieces (which actually kind of annoyed me. Gaby would get into trouble or do/say something and Rafa would be like “oh yea you need to know this blah blah blah”)
Someone (thing? Things?) has gone to great trouble to make Gaby forget that she used to be a badass.

 

This book is pretty much nonstop action, which I loved. I didn’t trust a damn person in this book; everyone seems to have their own agenda. Daniel, a leader of the Rephaim is just a dick, and not a fun cocky kind of a dick like Rafa. He’s just an a-hole.

 

I have a love/hate relationship with Rafa. He’s funny, good looking, and obviously cared a lot about Jude and Gabe. But he’s cocky as hell because he knows he’s funny and good looking and a damn good fighter and that annoyed me a bit. I don’t know, the good looking cocky guy just gets old sometimes, ya know? And his constant need to not reveal all the information to Gaby does get old.

 

However Gaby, I really liked her. She’s mouthy and strong and independent and though there is some strong sexual tension between her and Rafa, the center of her thoughts are her brother and keeping her friends safe.

 

The book was good. Interesting plot with a great main character and lots of action. And tons of questions yet to be answered!

 

I recommend!

 

This is the second in a series and contains minor spoilers.

 

Well, I liked this book a bit better than the last one, City of Dark Magic. It wasn’t as all over the place with 50 different things going on at once.

 

Sarah has traveled back to Prague to help Pollina. Pols, the 13 year old blind musical prodigy is dying. She has a rare infection that only one person can possibly cure, a Czech doctor named Bettina.

 

She is immediately plunged into mystery involving alchemy (again) and history and drugs and music and science. It starts with a brief meeting with the doctor at a ball in Vienna followed by mysterious text message from Bettina asking Sarah to do something that almost gets her arrested. Followed by another mysterious text message that ends up with Sarah handling a stolen artifact from the British Museum and a drug that makes her orgasm spontaneously (go ahead, laugh. I did)

 

Meanwhile, since him and Sarah broke up, Max has been sleeping with a somewhat famous British historian that, clearly, has bad intentions. Pollina doesn’t like her, which should be a sign not to date a person since Pollina is the smartest, most sensible character in the book.

 

Nico is also searching for a cure but also searching for a cure for his immortality. Someone is beating him to the ingredients (he refers to this person as his Moriarty. As much as I love Nico, he is no Sherlock).

 

During all this, Sarah stills finds the time to bang some guy in a horse stable, because ya know, priorities and all.

 

There are weird breaks into different points of view, which is a bit annoying at times but I guess it gives better insight.

 

You have to suspend your belief a lot with this book. The historical part of it is amazing. That’s really what drew me into the second book. Someday I shall visit Vienna and Prague! But other than that? Meh. I don’t really like Sarah. Some of her choices make no sense to me. She tends to be obnoxious and pretentious yet really stupid at times.

 

Max not really in this one much and when he is it’s usually a sex scene but he’s still kinda lackluster. He doesn’t really have a personality, which is a terrible waste of a character.

 

Pollina, the thirteen year old, is by far the most mature of the bunch. Though I really don’t understand her parents. She’s blind and dying and they don’t live with her? Like…wth? They just leave her in Prague with a nanny and a man they barely know (Max)? That just doesn’t make sense!

 

Alessandro is a doctor, graduated from an American school but can barely speak proper English? I don’t think so.

 

Anyways, the book has some beautiful descriptions and some great imagination. It moves along pretty fast, some decent action. The ending was…really weird.

 

This was an okay book. Not great but decent enough I suppose. If there is another book I’ll probably read it because I’m already two books in.

 

 

At the age of seventeen, citizens of America have to take an aptitude test that determines their rank in life. The system is supposed to be to make things equal, people from a low ranked family have their chance to get a higher mark and live a better life.

 

Kitty fully believes that. She sees the aptitude test as an opportunity that she can rise above her ranks as an Extra in a group home. That she can have a real life with her boyfriend Benjy.

 

Until she bombs her test and gets a III.

 

Being labeled a III ruins any kind of future she had planned with Benjy; she’ll have to move from DC to Denver to work in the sewers. She’ll have to leave everyone she knows.

 

So instead of following the government’s orders, she runs and tries to sell herself into prostitution, so she can stay in the DC area and perhaps save enough to run away with Benjy.

 

However, a mysterious stranger buys her for an outrageous amount. When she meets this stranger, it turns out to be Prime Minister Daxton Hart and he offers her what she thinks is the greatest deal ever, move up in ranks and never want for anything. She thinks it is to be his mistress, but boy was she wrong.

 

Her new job is to become Lila Hart, the sweetheart of the Hart family and the face of the rebellion, which may or may not be the reason they need a replacement Lila in the first place. The Harts didn’t get the chance to control Lila the way they wanted and now they have the chance to end the rebellion against them, by controlling Kitty.

 

But the Harts are also fighting against each other and while one side tries to control Kitty by threatening Benjy, the other sides tries to get her on their side by promising to protect him. She doesn’t know who the trust, almost everyone has an ulterior motive and there are so many secrets Kitty can barely keep them all straight. All she cares about is keeping Benjy safe and she’ll do whatever it takes.

 

I blew through this book in a day, I couldn’t put it down. I was a fan of Ms. Carter after the Goddess Inheritance Trilogy and I’ve been waiting for this book and I am glad to say I wasn’t disappointed.

 

It is action packed with a new twist and turn and secret on almost every chapter. It can be a bit much, one secret reveal after another, by the end of the book you feel like you have still don’t have all the answers and you have no idea who you can really trust.

There are a lot of characters to keep straight and sometimes it gets confusing on who is who and what side they are actually on.

 

There is a hint of a love triangle. Benjy, the boy Kitty loves and would do anything to protect and Knox, Lila’s fiancé that Kitty has to marry to keep up appearances. Honestly, though I did like Benjy, he is a bit bland and I’m almost rooting for Kitty to end up with Knox.

 

I am so curious about so many things. The aptitude testing, how Kitty received the score that she did, what part Benjy will play in all this (his smarts have to come to some use!), what’s going on with Daxton?!

 

I think this is a great first book to a new series and I need the next one out now!

 

Minor Spoilers for the series and the book below.

 

This series is amazing. Do I really need to say more than that?

 

If you aren’t reading this series, why?!

 

WHY NOT?!

 

Okokok, sorry. I’ll actual review the book instead of trying to bully you into reading.
The book begins pretty much immediately after Angelfall ends. Pen, her mom, and her sister are taken in by the Resistance camp. She has Raffe’s sword, (which omg, the name she gives it, LOVE).

 

Pen is still trying to deal with her sister’s changes. She flits between thinking of Paige as her baby sister or as a monster. Her mom is still batshit crazy but also crazy perceptive (seriously though Pen is one badass chick, I don’t think she would have gotten so far without her mom’s ideas).

 

TweedleDum and TweedleDee make brief (but noteworthy and hilarious) appearances. Raffe’s not featured much, which is sad but understandable considering he thinks Pen is dead.

 

Pen still has his sword, which is pissed off that it is separated from its master and getting stuck in unworthy fights with a puny human. Yes, I’m talking about the sword. Yes, the sword has emotions. It also teaches her sorta how to fight and gives her glimpses of Raffe’s past.

 

There is more to Paige’s changes than just the ability to walk and the scary ass teeth. This leads them in a bit of a difficult situation with the Resistance. (lol difficult situation. That’s mild) And once again Paige is gone and it’s Pen’s job to find her. Though this time Paige isn’t the disabled little defenseless seven year old. Maybe Pen needs Paige’s help.

 

During her quest to find Paige, she discovers some of the angel’s evil master plan, sees some more of the horrors they are committing, plans an escape for some prisoners, and is just generally a pain in the angels’ sides.

 

There were some minor flaws, the book has the same general theme as the first; Paige is missing and Pen has to find her, and the video was too convenient, and there wasn’t enough Raffe! But overall, damn this book is still action packed and violent and gritty and with the same dark humor.

 

I still flew through it, unable to contain myself! I think one of my favorite parts of the book is Pen is faced with danger and she is trying to be strong and take care of her family but she just wants one tiny moment to be a seventeen year old girl and wonder about the boy (devastatingly handsome angel) that she kissed. Because it doesn’t have to be either/or with female protagonists, she can be badass and a little mushy and still be awesome. I love Pen for that reason (and Susan Ee for creating her!)

 

Anyways, I highly recommend this series.

The Fiery Heart

 

Official Stuff –

 

Author – Richelle Mead

 

Pages – 438

 

Publisher – Razorbill

 

Series – Bloodlines

 

Summary –

 

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

 

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

 

My Rating – 4 ½ Stars

 

Minor Spoilers for the series and the book below.

 

Guys.

 

Guys.

 

This is a giant book of Sydrian feels.

 

Fiery Heart starts off shortly after the events of Indigo Spell. Our favorite Alchemist has decided to throw all her beliefs out the window and not only became a practicing witch but has taken up a romantic relationship with Adrian.

 

This poses a huge problem because her sister, Zoe, has been sent to Amberwood Prep to start her Alchemist training and Zoe is dead set on impressing Daddy Sage.

 

To make matters worse (yea they can get worse) the Sage parents are getting a divorce and fighting for custody of Zoe and each parent wants Sydney to testify for their side, which puts more stress on Sydney. She wants Zoe to see the error of their dad and the Alchemist’s ways. That Moroi and dhampirs are just like humans.

 

While a lot of the book is Sydney and Adrian sneaking around and showing their love for each other (in some very physical ways *wink wink*) some important things happen. Adrian starts to lose it, like really lose it. Spirit seems to be taking its toll on Adrian. The book gets into Adrian’s depression and how much using Spirit affects him. With his POV we get to see that he is more than just a sarcastic drunk playboy. He loves Sydney wholeheartedly and you can see how much being loved back means to him. I mean, his aunt was murdered, his dad doesn’t like him, his mom is in jail, Rose kinda used him and dumped him; my poor Adrian just needs some love!

 

Also there seems to be a development in the Moroi’s ability to possibly fight off Strigoi (oh and Adrian helps. He’s a big help, actually. So proud!). And Sydney also makes her own discoveries involving a certain blue tattoo as she continues her magical pursuits.

 

There weren't many appearances by Eddie, Jill and the others but Rose, Lissa, Dimitri and even Christian are in the book.

 

And then there is the ending, which I wish people would stop comparing to Shadow Kiss because it was really predictable. It's not bad, not at all, in fact I liked it because it showed how strong Sydney is and that she really has changed her beliefs (there is one part where she really sticks it to her dad and I was like GO SYDNEY!). It is a cliffy ending though and I can’t wait until Silver Shadow.

 

I liked this book. I loved watching Sydney and Adrian’s relationship develop. I wish there had been more about Jill, Eddie and the rest of the gang, I get why they weren't exactly central to the plot and I did enjoy the little glimpses we got into their lives (especially a certain something towards the end).

 

I didn’t exactly like how dabbling was handled, like at all. It’s essentially rape and I wish it hadn’t been mentioned at all. We already know Adrian has a questionable past; do

we have to make it worse? It left kind of a bad taste in my mouth.

 

Besides that, I loved this book and I can’t wait for the next one (even though the cover of Silver Shadow looks terrible)!

My Rating – 4 Stars

 

I am a big fan of the Chemical Garden Trilogy so I was very excited to see the author was starting another series and I’m glad to find out my excitement wasn’t misplaced.

 

Internment is a floating city in the sky. No one really knows why it was ripped from the ground (at least everyone says they don’t know) but they believe it was because the Sky God chose their city. It’s a small city, with a King and a pretty well functioning government. Only so many people can live on Internment at a time so life and death is regulated through the government and people are betrothed to each other when they are born. There is little crime and well everyone seems happy.

 

Well almost everyone (dun dun duuunnnn).

 

Internment has what they call Jumpers; people that try to jump off the edge of the floating city. When a person tries to jump, they are thrown back by the powerful winds that circle the city. A lot don’t survive, and if they do, there is usually something mentally and/or physically wrong with them.

 

Morgan Stockhour is the sister of a Jumper. She doesn’t want to be like her brother, Lex, though she fears she may be. She wonders about the ground far below them. Wonders why they are forbidden from it. She has doubts. She knows the label that being related to a Jumper puts on her family and she keeps her wondering to herself.

Morgan is quite naïve though I sometimes wonder if it’s by choice. She understands her father’s absence, her mother’s depression, and her sister-in-law’s sadness. She has a wonderfully eccentric best friend, Pen, that has an amazing level of faith. And her betrothed Basil the perfect fiancé, he is protective without being overbearing, he knows about Morgan’s daydreaming and her doubts and her wondering and loves her still and will stick by her not matter what.

 

Really, the side characters are quite developed and I love them.

 

So life on Internment is fairly picturesque (at least on the surface) until the unthinkable happens. A young girl is murdered (pretty brutally) and her betrothed, Judas, is accused. By chance, Morgan runs into Judas after he escapes from jail and her gut feeling is that he did not kill the girl.

 

Though the King assures the citizens of Internment the murderer has been caught, Morgan knows different. Which makes her see there are a lot of things about her floating city that are not quite right and soon everything begins to unravel.

I very much enjoyed this book.

 

Morgan is a little too sweet but I wonder if that’s for the benefit of everyone else. Her family is changed by her brother jumping and a loss her sister in law, Alice had to suffer. There is a bit of a cloud of sadness that surrounds them.

 

I loved Pen with all her secrets and her unbreakable faith, and her strange relationship with her betrothed, Thomas (she loves him. She does!) Basil is definitely getting put on the book boyfriend list; because he clearly loves Morgan even if she is strange and being her fiancé turns out to be a bit dangerous (Please don’t break them up Ms. DeStefano! PLEASE)

 

There were a lot of question raised and just enough were answered to not frustrate you but enough were left unanswered to make you not want to wait for the second book.

Also there is a cliffy ending but not an evil one.

 

The descriptions are beautiful; I can see Internment in my head and if there wasn’t some shady business going down, I’d certainly love to live there!

 

I highly recommend this book.

P.S. I know the Prince and Princess were described a certain way but this is totally how I pictured them based on how they talked and acted. Anyone else agree? (They are Desna and Eska from Legend of Korra)

 

 

My Rating – 3 Stars

 

*This review is for the final book in the Divergent Series. It WILL contain

spoilers. Proceed with caution.*

 

* BEWARE: THERE BE SPOILERS HERE*

 

Okay, so. It’s been a few weeks. My heart still hurts but I’m finally done processing.
My opinions on this book are split and I don’t want my review to be overshadowed by the ending that tore my heart into a millions pieces and then spit on them. So I am going to break the review into little bits and pieces because I can’t review the book as a whole. I just can’t!

 

The book begins with Tris and company locked up after Evelyn and the factionless have taken over control of the city. Evelyn wants to kill Tris (doesn’t everyone?) for being a traitor.

 

Though Evelyn wants Tobias to break up with Tris, he comes to warn her. Evelyn is going to put her under a truth serum and Tris has to come up with a convincing lie so she can beat it and survive. And she does of course, or we wouldn’t have a 526 page book.

 

After Tris is freed and there is some cute Fourtris stuff where they promise not to lie to each other anymore, the word is spread of an underground resistance group called the Allegiant has formed. They want to go back to the way things where and stay true to the original point of the city.

 

The Allegiant wants Tris in. They want her to leave the city and see what’s beyond the fence. So she gathers up her group and they escape the city, only to find out it’s not exactly like the Edith Prior video said.

 

There is civilization, sort of. They learn that they are an experiment of the government. They are the descendants of genetically damaged people. Long before their city was formed the government isolated genes that made people evil and good and tried to create a perfect race of people. And as we all know from previous books and scifi movies, government experiments always fail and wars happen and the genetically damaged fought against the genetically pure.

 

And that’s about all that happens until the end.

 

The middle of the book is a whole lot of nothin’.

 

So here’s what I didn’t like:

 

Tobias and Tris have zero chemistry in this book, except for the beginning and close to the end right before the big bad thing happens that makes my heart hurt. All they do is fight. Tris is trying to prove she’s right and Tobias is trying to prove he’s right and while they don’t lie to each other anymore they just bicker. By the middle of the book, I was actually hoping they would break up and that was what the terrible ending was.

 

Tobias has no voice and when he does, it’s incredibly whiny. His POV sounds almost exactly like Tris’ (there were several times where I had to flip back to remind myself which POV I was reading) except when he’s moaning about something which is almost always. This is not the voice of Four: Dauntless legend. This is not the voice of the badass character as he was portrayed in the first two books. A lot of terrible things have happened to Tobias and yes I get that, but he’s just so insecure.

 

When he finds out he’s not actually Divergent (genetically pure) and he’s “genetically damaged” he gets angry and stomps off like a child, even though he didn’t even know what genetically damaged meant until this group of perfect strangers told him. Oh no I’m not exactly like Tris, I’m “genetically damaged” even though I have no real understanding of what that means. He only grasps on to the damaged part and thinks something is wrong with him. I thought Tobias was much smarter than that.

 

On the outside world, GDs are treated differently and more like a lower class of people but Tobias has no knowledge of that. Most people didn’t even know he was supposedly Divergent, they thought he was awesome because he was a badass that only had four fears. So it kind of annoyed me that he got so upset over something he had no knowledge of.

 

And the whole Nita and Tobias plot was pointless and stupid. I feel like the only purpose it served was to kill Uriah and make Tobias feel even worse.

 

I hated the experiment/genetically damaged/genetically pure plot. The whole city was an experiment and this government agency watched over it and it just felt like a big letdown. All these people were dying inside the city and the government agency just sits around and watches. A lot of it didn’t make any logical sense and there were a lot of loose ends. They had the science to isolate genes but not the science to fix them?

 

The Edith Prior thing is not explained enough for me, she’s barely mentioned at all so that pretty much makes the last half of the second book pointless.

 

Uriah’s death. Talk about pointless. The only purpose his death served was to make Four feel bad and emotionally screw him over.

 

Tris’ death. Really. REALLY? Who kills the protagonist of their series?! Yes, I understood the ending (omg mini rant – I very literally despise that “you don’t like it because you must not have understood it” argument. No. NO.). Yes, I read Roth’s blog post about the ending. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. It’s her series, she is free to do what she wants but I don’t agree that was the only way it could have ended. It didn’t have to end with Tris and Four married and children and living happily ever after. It could have just ended with them alive and together.

 

But here is the main reason I didn’t like it. Because it royally screws Tobias over. Can the poor guy get any happiness? Does he have to be so emotionally damaged? As we see from his POV, he may be a badass but inside he’s just a lost little boy that wants someone to love him and not leave him. It takes over two years for him to be ready enough to have a funeral for Tris. Though I was feeling a little TobiasxChristina vibe, I doubt he will ever love someone like he loved Tris. My poor, poor Tobias.

 

Did Caleb learn ANYTHING?!

 

Things I liked:

 

I liked the beginning of the book. I had high hopes going in. It felt very much like the other two books. It didn't start going downhill (for me anyway) until they left the city. 

 

Tobias. Yes he was a whiny little lost boy but I can’t hate him! I wanted to snuggle him. Especially at the end when it becomes painfully clear just how much he loves Tris. And that he noticed her when he was still in Abnegation.

 

The FourTris cuteness at the beginning and towards the end.

 

Tris’ death. Whaaa? I know what you’re thinking, “Umm, I thought you didn’t like it?” Well I don’t. But it’s a testament to Roth’s writing and creation of Tris that I can feel so distraught over a character’s death. I actually felt like I lost a friend.

 

Okay, this review is turning into a novel so I’ll end with this. I felt that compared to the other books in the series, this one was sub par. I felt the explanation of everything was very lackluster.

 

I didn’t hate the book; I don’t hate the series now because of how it ended. I love the series. I love Tris and Tobias and Christina and everyone else. But I wasn’t so impressed by the last book.

The House of Hades

 

Official Summary –

 

Author – Rick Riordan

 

Pages – 583

 

Publisher – Hyperion

 

Series – Heroes of Olympus

 

Summary –

 

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

 

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

 

My Rating – 5 Stars

 

*Warning. This book is the 4th in the series. This review contains spoilers

about previous books in the series. Proceed with caution.*

 

Okay guys, I’m going to be honest with you…this won’t be much of a review. More like a full on gushing session about how much I love these books and how I wish I was a 16 year old girl again so that I could have a crush on Percy without it being weird.

 

When we last left our band of heroes, Percy and Annabeth had just fallen in a pit that leads to the Tartarus. You know, the place monsters go to regenerate after they die. Sounds like fun for two demigods that have killed tons of monsters, right? Haha...yea…

 

They have to travel through the Tartarus to close the Doors of Death, and slow down the regeneration process for monsters. This adventure (um if you can call it an “adventure”) forces Percy and Annabeth to face old enemies and, especially Percy, to think about some wrongs they may have committed inadvertently while they were trying to save the world. They rely on some unlikely friends, including a saber-toothed skeleton kitten to help them survive the Tartarus and all its evilness. Percy and Annabeth are so cute, even faced with death and sorrow and madness. They are ultimately tested in the Tartarus, Percy has no water to fight with and Annabeth has no real knowledge of the Tartarus and what it can do, so her cleverness has its limits.

 

Meanwhile, Leo, Frank, Piper, Hazel, Jason, Nico, and Coach Hedge are charged with the quest to find the House of Hades and close the Doors of Death from the mortal world. While also battling sorceresses and vengeful minor gods and goddesses and dwarfs.

 

Though each of our heroes has a voice and some strong character development, I think Frank and Hazel are the “winners” in this book. They came into powers they were unaware of. They both realized the magnitude of what they can do and took charge, proving to themselves and to others (and in Frank’s case, his Father) that they deserve to be on this quest just as much as anyone.

 

That being said, Piper kinda became a HBIC, though her voice in this book was smaller than the last one. Her charmspeak reached a new level of awesome and she happened to pick up some sword fighting lessons.

 

Jason (I like Jason but I often think of him as Percy-lite) discovers himself and owns up to mistakes (Reyna) and begins to try to correct them.

 

Leo, I like Leo. Leo’s tinkering gets him into trouble but it also saves everyone’s lives on a few occasions and maybe he finally gets a love interest. (And by maybe, I mean he better because I liked where that twist was going.)

 

Nico, oh poor little Nico. Life has not been kind to him and it doesn’t seem like it ever

will. His twist was a bit shocking (until you actually think about it and then you go “huh, yea I see it”.) though it doesn’t give me hope that he will survive the next and final (noo!!!) book. I don’t see how he’s going to get a happily ever after.

 

There’s also the pesky matter of the Roman Camp wanting to destroy Camp Half-Blood. Reyna (Reyna! Mr. Riordan, please let that girl catch a break!) makes a small appearance (I think she may have a bigger role in the next book *fingers crossed*) Rachel Dare and Grover also make a brief appearance so I’m hoping they are in the next book.

 

So, overall, I loved this installment of the series. It had everything a girl could want, Percy and kickass girls coming into their own. Lots of strong character development and overcoming doubts. Tons of action and thankfully NOT an evil cliffhanger like the ending of Mark of Athena. If you aren’t reading this series already get to it.

 

Cities at Sea

 

Official Stuff –

 

Author – Martin Simons

 

Pages – 228

 

Publisher – Martin Simons

 

Summary –

 

A thousand years hence, all the major cities of the world are at sea, floating on huge rafts, using ocean currents to navigate. Sal, a young girl on the Sydney raft, training as a navigator, visits Shanghai which is the largest raft city of all, on holiday. She hopes to find the famous genetic scientist, Jezzy, who will modify her body to give her gills. She wants to be like a mermaid, free to live in the sea with the fish. She does meet the old woman but when she leaves her laboratory is arrested as a deserter and mutineer. She is flown back to her home raft for trial. After a tribunal she is released after all to join Jezzy and like many others, is modified as she desired. There is a strong public reaction against Jezzy’s operations. In fear of being marooned to die on land, Jezzy and her young changelings break away their section of the Shanghai raft away drift off independently. Sal finds a lover and gives birth, but a violent storm damages the raft severely and they struggle to avoid sinking. They can survive only by beaching themselves. Sal, the young navigator, plays an important role in achieving this. The remnants of a land based tribe are encountered but more dangers must be faced from marauding gangs of pirates. The rafters make plans for rebuilding their city and returning to the sea.

 

My Rating – 2 Stars

 

*I received a digital copy of this novel free from Netgalley on behalf of Martin Simons*

 

I hate reviews like this.

 

Ok here it goes…

 

The world has flooded and not much actual land remains. The cities of the world exist on giant floating rafts that house millions of people. Everyone looks to same (beautiful and brown skinned) and speaks roughly the same language. There is no crime and very little sickness. People are free and encouraged to have sex with everyone because there is no chance of getting pregnant until the government says you can.

 

Sal lives on the Sydney raft and has always wanted to swim with the fishes. After doing some random scientific research she’s comes across Jezzy’s experiments that can turn people into creatures that can live on both land and in water. Sal is very much interested and when she makes this known to her superiors, she is very publicly arrested and questioned for her decisions.

 

Once released she ultimate decides to go with Jezzy to become a fish-lady-mermaid-thing (Called Sea Sprites). As Sal begins her transformation, the news of her arrest and decision spreads across the raft cities and thousands of young people are interested and it also kicks up some very heated debates on if Jezzy’s experiments are

morally wrong.

 

The lab soon becomes overrun with new applicants and Sal and other “originals” must take a leadership role.

 

There is also a plan to split up the Shanghai raft into three smaller rafts because the city has grown too big. Once that happens, a new Captain takes control and wants Jezzy replaced and her fish children experiments to be ended.

 

Jezzy and her staff anticipated this, and began plans to separate the lab and have it be its own raft city. This works…sorta. The lab city is considerably smaller than the regular raft cities and is unable to handle large storms; the raft is damaged and Sal and her crew must figure out a way to keep the sea sprites alive and Jezzy’s dream going.

 

So. The premise of this book was really cool. The raft cities and how they function to the prospect of a genetically altered species that can live on land and water. This story is kinda the Little Mermaid in reverse.

 

However the execution was...well…lacking.

 

The writing is very simplistic, almost childish. Everyone talks like this! All the time! And they say hehe and haha! And they just randomly have sex! But nothing is ever described, the sex is put like this “They joined sexually. They took interest in each other sexually. There was touching.” Actually there is more mention about how everyone is expected to bang like bunnies than actual plot development.

 

And living on the raft boats there are no issues, no problems, its perfect Utopia. Though she’s arrested, things go her way. The transformation goes perfectly for Sal. Her pregnancy goes perfectly. She finds love even though committed relationships are not the norm in their society.

 

The first half of the book was heavy on the dialogue and the second half was almost no dialogue and more or less an instruction manual on how to fix a sinking ship. The whole book from beginning to end is described in the summary. (Though I don’t remember any pirates) The ending of the book is also in the summary as it ends with them beaching themselves.

 

There is no character development; no character has a backstory or defining characteristics. There were a lot of typos and grammar mistakes in my version.

 

Overall I didn’t like this book. It was pretty disappointing, but as always, feel free to read and form your own opinion. I’d like to hear your thoughts if you do like the book!

My Rating - 4 Stars

*I received a digital copy of this novel free from Netgalley on behalf of Atria Books*

No matter what you may claim, we all love to follow the lives of celebs. We love to see some succeed and others to fail. Sometimes we are such fans we get actually emotional when something happens to one of them (Um, still not over the death of Heath Ledger or Kurt Cobain). Sometimes we revel in their failure or what we assume is failure. We judge them, most of the time probably really unfairly. We don’t actually know what goes on behind closed doors. We only see what their people let through or what the paps accidentally uncover (generally only one side of a story or what they twist
into a story).

Logan Wade has a famous cousin, Kelsey. As kids they were inseparable but after an accident that Logan can’t quite remember but landed her in the hospital, Kelsey’s family left and she turned into a star.

About 15 years later, Kelsey is one of the biggest music stars in the world (Think Britney Spears). Logan lives in NYC with a lazy roommate, a job that sounded better on paper and occasionally has a “boyfriend”. Kelsey’s current assistant, Delia (another cousin) calls Logan out of the blue and invites her to LA. Logan accepts eager to get away from the city after a crappy birthday celebration.

Logan is almost immediately thrust into the weirdness of celebrity. Kelsey’s parents, Andy and Michelle are strange. Kelsey has someone watching her 24/7. The house is huge. There’s a personal chief. Logan finds out that she’s really only there to soften to blow of the new that Kelsey’s long-time ex (Think Justin Timberlake) is getting engaged.

Kelsey sneaks out of the house to go to a club (even though she’s 24 years old) and takes Logan with her. There, they meet Aaron (Think Kevin Federline) and Finn. Finn is an assistant to a celebrity that’s very Matthew McConaughey (and hilarious) and he’s a pretty good love interest for Logan. He grounds her a bit.

Anyway, a fight between Delia and Andy ends up with Delia quitting and Logan becoming Kelsey’s new assistant. She’s immediately thrust into the life of a celeb on a European tour. She has to manage bookings and tour buses and interview schedules and a 200+ staff of dancers and crew and style people.

Logan tries really hard but she messes up quite a bit. She does everything possible to make Kelsey safe and happy.

Andy is an abusive, extremely condescending control freak and just a huge asshole. He runs Kelsey into the ground pushing her and pushing her. Michelle is clearly desperately trying to recapture her youth through Kelsey and she designs all of Kesley’s costumes (the ones that make her look like a baby doll hooker). Kelsey wants Logan to not think of her as a job and be her friend but also has her doing everything and anything.

The story is quite similar to Britney Spears’ rise and very dramatic, very public downfall (minus the head shaving). Kelsey marries the backup singer with no job after a short engagement. Though, I have to say Aaron seems like much less of a creepy douche nozzle than K Fed. She divorces said unemployed singer after a short marriage. She has fake friends, parents that push her to the brink, a record label that pushes her almost as much. She has a baby that she can’t take care of (according to the media). Her life completely falls apart and Logan is expected to correct it all, which puts a huge damper on her relationship with Finn.

I devoured this book, seriously. Was part of it my need to see what it’s like in a celeb’s life (even a fake celeb)? Possibly. It brought home the fact that we never really know what’s causing that celeb to act out or turn to drugs or do something incredibly stupid.

I wish there could have been more of a wrap up for the characters but I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick entertaining beach read kind of book. I recommend!

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My Rating – 4 ½ Stars

This review contains spoilers about the entire series. If you do not want to be spoiled, please skip
this review, run immediately to your nearest book store /amazon/whatever and read the bastards and read them fast, k?

When we last left Elisa, she destroyed the zafira (a mystical power source for sorcerers), had her right to the throne threatened, learned her country is on the brink of a civil war, dismissed her life-long nurse maid, and watched the man she loves kidnapped before her eyes.

Just another day for Elisa.

She is running with her companions to fight for Hector. (HECTOOORRRR) To save him. (Not that he necessarily needs “saving” considering he’s one badass mofo but yea know. She lurvves him).
She must hide her identity in her own country, since her husband died; her right to the throne has been put into question by those that seek power.

She travels with Belen, Mara (I love the story between Belen and Mara) and Storm and she picks up an extra traveler along the way. Since visiting the zafira, her Godstone has become more active and her powers grow daily. She can summon things she never could before. With Storm, whom has become a loyal companion, she practices with her Godstone as they race across the desert and the mountains to save Hector, and her country.

It’s coming at her from all sides, her own countrymen are against her and so are the Inviernos. Elisa must figure out how to make peace with ancient enemies and in her own country. I must say, she does so wonderfully.

The book is full of action and though a lot of the story is traveling, there is never a dull moment. Elisa is very different from the young, shy girl that was basically sold off for political gain in the first book. She has grown tremendously throughout this series and she is has become a wise Queen and a formidable opponent. She simply cannot be stopped. She won’t allow it. She dives headfirst when she needs to, hangs back when she needs to, and realizes her own mistakes and owns up to them.

And then there’s Hector. *swoon* We get a bit of his point of view, not much just a few chapters now and then but damn son. I LOVE HIM. I WANT MY OWN HECTOR. He is no helpless kidnap victim and though he’s been beaten, frozen, and half-starved his thoughts are of Elisa and her safety. Or if she actually loves him. He plots his own escape if Elisa cannot reach him, or simply doesn’t want to rescue him.

Belen, Mara, and Storm of amazing supporting characters and I couldn’t imagine Elisa traveling with anyone else. Their personalities compliment Elisa’s perfectly and she learns a lot from them. I particularly loved Storm’s character development, but I won’t say anything, don’t want to spoil!

This was an amazing series with a strong female lead. There is action and love and death and magic. Elisa really comes into her own through the series and I feel like she’s an excellent female character for young girls to read.

So if I loved hit book/series so much why did I not give if 5 raving stars? Well…I felt like there were some questions raised in this book that were left unanswered and they didn’t need to be. Like there was a lot of discussion about the actual history between Joyans and Inviernos that was never answered and I would have also liked to read more of an ending for the supporting characters. I know the author is publishing some novellas about the series so *fingers crossed* we get a proper ending for the other characters.

Other than that, I absolutely loved this whole series and recommend to all!

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My Rating – 4 Stars

*I received a digital copy of this novel free from Netgalley on behalf of Atria Books*

Jamie just graduated from Vassar, several thousand dollars in debt (thanks student loans!) with no job prospects (thanks government!). She luckily landed an internship at the White House, which will at least look good on her resume.

She’s not well liked by her fellow interns, and her best friend is across the country. She’s lonely. She has no real plan besides possibly moving back home to live with mom and dad.

During a government furlough, the interns are forced to work double time and closer to the President. During a routine run to have paperwork dropped off, Jaime accidentally runs into the President while he’s having a panic attack. Having experienced panic attacks herself, she knows how to calm him down, so she does what any nice American citizen would do, and she helps him.

And he kisses her as a thank you.

Which leads to (I’m sure you can guess what it leads to, y’all are smart) an AFFAIR. The President is THE PRESIDENT. Can you turn him down? Not like Jamie wants to exactly, because she just wants someone to love her.

Jamie has a dysfunctional family. Her dad is an alcoholic; her sister is kinda mean and an alcoholic. Her mother is just...there. She grew up feeling kind of unloved and like she was second fiddle to her dad and sister’s issues. That’s not really an excuse for having an affair with a married man but it’s her reasoning.

Anyways, her first mistake is having an affair with a married President. Her second is telling so many people about it. (She tells three, THREE!). Also, he promises her a job but not really and she gets screwed and placed in another unpaid internship because The President’s adviser has gotten suspicious and wants her out of the White House.

They never actually have sex but engage in sex acts (and there are a couple Monica Lewinsky-ish things that happen with a coat and a shaving brush. If you don’t know who that is, google her).

Eventually it all comes crashing down around her during the Presidents trial about him another woman. Her “friends” basically set her up or abandoned her. And I don’t think I’m spoiling here because exactly how do you think a book about an affair with a married President is going to end?

I actually really liked this book. I hate cheating, I hate when cheating is justified in a book, and I really hate when the other woman knows about the wife. But there are no excuses in this book. There are very serious consequences for everyone’s actions.

Jaime is a very unsure, naïve girl. She just wants someone to pay attention to her and love her. Granted, she chose the wrong person but we all make mistakes, right? She actually fantasizes about becoming the FLOTUS but doesn’t really wish the President’s wife out of the picture because she would hate to see her hurt. Jaime thinks about how what they’ve done will affect the children. Once you figure out her back story you can kind of see why she would both make such a terrible decision involving a married man. She comes to something of a realization.

And of course Jaime also gets totally effed over; by the President, her supposed friends, the media, ex-boyfriends. So does anyone that’s ever had any connection to her.

Jaime pays for her mistake with her future; such is life for a woman though. The President still gets to be President and Jaime gets labeled a whore. That is commented on.

I really enjoyed this book. I recommend! (Unless cheating is a GGGRRRR thing for you that sends you into a rage. Then maybe skip it.)

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My Rating – 3 Stars

*I recieved a digital copy of this novel from Netgalley on behalf of Strange Chemistry*

Another mythology adaptation. Sigh. My kryptonite.

Anyways….

Apparently five years ago humans learned that the gods of all religions are real. They were woken up and now they live among the humans. They live somewhat peacefully with the puny humans. Why? Because the Society of the Sun closed off the god’s access to the afterlife, meaning they can’t come back if killed. And the Society showed off their power by killing an Egyptian god (omg I’ve forgotten which one already).

Kyra has an absent mother and father. Her mother is an oracle who lives on the street and squats with other “unofficial” oracles. She thinks her father is a simple scholar for the society, who would rather spend time studying than with her.

Her father has stolen an important relic and the Society wants it back. The gods want it back too, which has put Kyra in danger. She suddenly has a very important grandfather she never knew about, gods are angry with her, a mythological monster as a guard, and an Oz (a.k.a. a new cute boy interest).

The survival of the entire world may in fact rest on Kyra’s shoulders. Scary.

So the problem with this book was it was just so bland. Kyra doesn’t stand out. None of her friends really stand out. Oz doesn’t even stand out that much. Even though you are in Kyra’s head for most of the book (though there are parts where you go into another character’s POV and I honestly, didn’t like it. Because it was random.) I found that she was just not that interesting of a character. The author tries to paint her as a rebellious teenager, but the worst she really does is spend the night at her friend’s house (she thinks without her dad’s knowledge) or occasionally sneaks out of the house.

Through most of the book, I felt like I was missing something and it was a huge distraction because I kept going back to reread things. The waking of the gods thing was barely explained and it kinda felt like I was coming into the second book of a series. That should have been the book, the Society waking the gods and the immediate aftermath because it seems really important to the story.
The dialogue seemed a bit off, I’m not sure if it was because I had an ARC that wasn’t the final version or what but sometimes there was a response or a comment to something and it made no sense. The banter wasn’t funny either, it felt really forced.

What I did like about the book was the mythology. None of the huge, well known gods were mentioned, (except Set) but there was a lot of talk about lesser known ones and even Loki was mentioned! (Though, clearly not the Tom Hiddleston/comic book Loki that the world is currently in love with). Everyone uses Zeus and Osiris, it was a nice change to have something a little different.

Also, there are no absent parents! Well, there are (Kyra’s parents however that is explained and part of the plot) but her friends parents are there, and they are supportive and when the kids tell them “hey, we need your help” they actually help! That was such a nice change in a YA supernatural type book. Parents that love their children and are actually in their children’s lives.

The relationship between Oz and Kyra was barely there, which was good. It was good because they weren’t falling all over each other in a completely unrealistic way and Kyra was focused on the task at hand, rather than trying to get some guy to kiss her.

It was an okay book. Not that impressed by it but also not completely disappointed. I haven’t found any information to indicate that it’s the first in a series but the way it ends makes me believe there will be more (To be honest, if there aren’t more books and it just ends like that, my rating is going to drop).

When I read a so/so book that is the first in the series, I always hold out hope for the second so I’d be willing to read a sequel to this book.

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My Rating – 3 Stars

Well, as you can see from the summary; Todd cheats and Jodi kills him. I have not read Gone Girl (not yet anyways. It’s on my kindle!) but so far I’m getting the impression that it’s not anything like Gone Girl.

This book is definitely not a thriller. It tells you in the beginning (and in the summary) that Jodi kills Todd. There is no mysterious lead up. You know what’s going to happen. You don’t know when, and you do get a little frustrated waiting for it to happen.

Todd and Jodi are not married, contrary to the title and the summary and much of the narration and dialogue in the book. They are common law married (which most states don’t recognize) and have been together for 20+ years. They have built a life together and most everyone knows Jodi as Todd’s wife.
Todd cheats all the time; with random women, friends’ wives and hookers. Basically whatever he can get his Mr. Winkie into. Jodi is (disturbingly) okay with this because at the end of the day, he comes home to her.

Jodi is a psychologist (and a TERRIBLE one. She calls one of her clients “Miss Piggy” and refuses certain patients that are too much trouble) who only works part time and because of that, is pretty dependent on Todd and his income.

Well Mr. Cheater has taken up with his best friend’s daughter, a girl half his age and he knocked her up. This begins a whole chain of events, from Todd leaving to marry this home wrecker (oh and she is the very definition of a home wrecker), to serving Jodi with an eviction notice. Now Jodi is in danger of losing everything and instead of, oh I don’t know, working on plan to find a place to live and how she’s going to afford it; she becomes a hermit, plots to have him killed, and goes a tad crazy.

The book is less about the mystery and thrill and more about the psychology of two people whose lives are falling apart. It’s told in alternating points of view, switching between Todd and Jodi. There is quite a bit of back story, explaining a lot about why they are the way they are. However both of them are rather unlikable in my opinion.

Todd is a cheater and a liar. He thinks it’s in a man’s nature to cheat. He thinks that he can have his girlfriend and Jodi at the same time (even after he leaves Jodi) because he “loves” them both. Todd is very selfish and often realizes how good he had it with Jodi but never goes back to her.

Jodi is just…strange. Most of the book she annoyed me; she refused to marry Todd when they were younger (even though he asked multiple times) but still thinks that Todd is required to support her after he leaves. She’s cold, personality wise. There was hinting at a childhood trauma but it felt unnecessary because it was more about her relationship with her brother.

But I liked the book. I didn’t love the book, but I did enjoy it. It was a quick read for me because I was interested in how the characters got from point A to point B even though you already know how it ends (or do you????), but it can be very dry and a tad slow.

I recommend if you like this type of book but if you need something that’s a real mystery, then you might be a bit bored.

You can read this review and more at Punk's House of Books

My Rating – 3 Stars

*I received a digital copy of this novel from the author*

Maya is stuck in small town hell. Forced to move from Virginia to Vermont after the unexpected death of her father, Maya just wants to be invisible and let senior year pass by so she can get the EFF out of Shine.

If only it was that simple.

She catches the attention of Tristan, a popular boy from a well-known family. He rushes this shy girl into introductions for half the town and she gets the feeling that something is odd about the town of Shine.

After being pressured into attending a party, she meets Shea, Tristan’s older brother and he’s gorgeous of course. And he tells Tristan he’s not ready to meet Maya yet, he actually throws a bit of a temper tantrum about it, and again Maya wonders what the hell is wrong with this town.

But the next day, there is Shea waiting for her after school; ready to teach her about the town and the people in it.

During her time with Shea, she learns all about her family secrets and also about her powers. And apparently the whole town of Shine has similar powers. Including Shea, and he’s also supposed to be something like her mate. While Maya feels a strong attraction to him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction to her is real or out of duty. Maya tangles with a jealous ex-girlfriend, meets family she never knew she had, and battles with an Ex-Shine resident turned evil.

Maya is very important to the town of Shine. It’s possible she might be a Peacemaker, someone with great abilities that only comes once every few generations. Maya is the one thing that may keep evil forces out of Shine.

I liked this book. It moved at a very fast pace, never a dull moment. There were a few plot holes and I’m still not quite sure what the powers are and what they are used for. Though Shea was the typical YA book male hottie, it was nice that Maya wasn’t falling all over herself to be with him. She is very attracted to him, but questions the realness of his affections.

Tristan and Shea try to avoid answering a lot of Maya’s questions, which gets a bit annoying because it happens quite often. Maya wonders something, they avoid answering and the truth comes out anyways.

Fallon (the ex-girlfriend) was standard bullying bitchy “how can he be with you when he has me” type character that so often appears in YA books.

The mother daughter relationship seems very strained and odd in the beginning but once more things are explained it’s easier to understand.

A few of the gripes I have with the book could have been easily fixed with a better editor but overall, I was entertained. It was a quick, easy read that kept me interested enough to want to stick around for a sequel.

Read the Guest Post by the Author, Eva Gerald, and other reviews at Punk's House of Books