Upcoming New Releases - Week of Feb. 3rd

Here are the releases for the up coming week of January 27 - February 2, 2014

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Books I'm looking forward to:

• Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Scintillate by Tracey Clark
• Alienated by Melissa Landers
• Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

Can't. Freaking. Wait. For. Ignite Me! Warnerrrr! xD Anyway. I have yet to read the last Morganville book, because, it's the last. I don't know if to be relieved or sad that it's finally over. I pretty much love anything Caine writes so Prince of Shadows should be good. Alienated also sounds very promising. Scintillate is about a girl who can see auras and I've always been fascinated with auras, so I'm hoping it's good. I haven't read the Lunar Chronicles yet. I know! Please don't kill me! xD I'll be trying to rectify that before Cress comes out hopefully.

Early Unraveling of Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Title: Perfect Lies

Series: Mind Games Book Two

Author: Kiersten White

Publication Date: January 30, 2014

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.

The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.

  

***

My Thoughts

A copy was provided through Edelweiss and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

I'm not sure what happened with this book. Maybe it was me? Maybe it was actually the book? I don't know, but I couldn't muster as much enthusiasm for it as I did with Mind Games. I couldn't stand either Fia or Annie in this book.

Let's start with Fia. In Mind Games I was able to deal with her type of crazy because I could connect to her somehow. White made it possible to understand where Fia was coming from,so I was able to go along with it. In Perfect Lies I couldn't be bothered anymore with Fia's constant whining and self pity and her damned dependency of James, a character I never truly liked. If it wasn't her being dependent on Annie then it was James and at least with Annie I could deal with it, because it was her sister, but James -gags-.

If Annie hadn't gone with any character growth like Fia, Perfect Lies would have been a 1 star. At the beginning, Annie was just as dependent of Fia as Fia was of her, and not only that but Annie came across as pathetic. Oh and stupid. (view spoiler) But as I said Annie did grow. She stops depending on everyone and trusting everything they say. She starts questioning (a bit late but she does) and most importantly she starts fighting back, and that right there is what saved this book for me.

My other issue with Perfect Lies was the switching of PoV's. Not because I couldn't tell who was who, that was fairly obvious what with Fia's craziness, but the constant changing on the timeline. I knew when it was supposed to be, but I couldn't actually keep up with it. I got confused a few times on when everything was happening and why and how the two timelines connected to the point where I just gave up and went along with it and never looked back. I don't know if I was the stupid one who couldn't make sense of it or if maybe there were some errors on the ARC I read, but yeah, it was annoying.

The ending is another thing I'm not entirely sure what to make of. I liked Annie's involvement, and I liked what she did. I didn't like how quickly it was resolved and I sure as hell didn't like James still being around, but I guess I can't ask for too much? But Fia's ending was fitting, she needed that.

I guess this is a must if you want to find out what happens to the sisters, but I barely made it the whole way through. The pity parties and the pathetic dependency issues finally got to me. I didn't have high expectations for this one going in, but it managed to surprise me with it's depth on multiple accounts, and I'm glad I got the chance to review it. 


So...

Would I Recommend it?

***

Other books in the Mind Games Duology:

1. Annie and Fia
1. Mind Games
2. Perfect Lies

Unraveling: Under Different Stars by Amy A. Bartol

Title: Under Different Stars

Series: Kricket Book One

Author: Amy A. Bartol

Publication Date: December 15, 2013

All she wants is a home, but can she find one…UNDER DIFFERENT STARS

Kricket Hollowell is normally not one to wish upon stars; she believes they’re rarely in her favor. Well versed at dodging caseworkers from Chicago’s foster care system, the past few years on her own have made Kricket an expert at the art of survival and blending in. With her 18th birthday fast approaching, she dreams of the day when she can stop running and find what her heart needs most: a home.

Trey Allairis hates Earth and doubts that anyone from his world can thrive here. What he’s learning of Kricket and her existence away from her true home only confirms his theory. But, when he and Kricket lie together under the stars of Ethar, counting them all may be easier than letting her go.

Kyon Ensin’s secrets number the stars; he knows more about Kricket’s gifts than anyone and plans to possess her because of them. He also knows she’s more valuable than any fire in the night sky. He’ll move the heavens and align them all in order to make her his own.

When everything in their world can be broken, will Kricket rely upon love to save her under different stars?

 

***

My Thoughts

I picked Under Different Stars up solely because of the book. Yes, I'm a book slut. I TRY to not judge a book by its cover and I'm usually pretty good at it, but this cover was just way too tempting to pass up on. I had also just recently finished These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman so I was on a sci-fi kick and this one fit the bill.

So, because I had picked this up only based on the cover I had mentally prepared myself for some major disappointment, cause that's just usually how these things go. Awesome cover not so awesome content. In this case, the cover reflected the content exquisitely. Having read the blurb (I did actually read it guys! xD), it had made it seem as if there was going to be a love triangle, which I hate, but again that cover! So full steam ahead I went, and gah, I'm so glad I did!!

Let's talk about Kricket. I think I have a girl crush on her. She is just that awesome. She is the love child of a Romeo/Juliet pairing back in Ethar, her home planet. Her mom was an Alameeda Priestess, one of the most powerful ones, while her dad was an important Cavar (military dude) back in Rafe. Priestesses in Alameeda have powers, telepathy, telekineses, precognition, truthsayer, etc. Kricket is on Earth hiding from DSS and unknowingly hiding from Ethar as well. Trey (from Rafe) and Kyon (from Alameeda) are both sent to retrieve Kricket from Earth, both for their own different reasons. Kricket evades them for a few days, but eventually gets taken back to Ethar by Trey. Kricket's survival in this new world is what follows and it's one hell of a story.

Kricket is incredibly smart, she is brave, strong, and independent (totally polar xD)and no hunky guy from Ethar is going to change that. She is a survivor, but she is also just a 17-going-on-18-year old girl in an entirely new world. During her journey to Rafe, she starts learning about Ethar. Their customs, politics, traditions and language. Once she gets to Rafe and is thrust in the middle of a surging war she starts handling and manipulating those around her that would like nothing else but to control her, and she just does it so damn well! For once the heroine isn't just some ditzy girl who has to rely on every outside help, random coincidences and can't see things that are right in front of her. It was such a nice change of pace.

While there isn't actually a love triangle there are about like three main guys going after her? But she only reciprocates the feelings to one of them, thank god. I did find it a bit annoying that there were so many guys just tripping over themselves for her. I mean yeah Kricket is freaking awesome, but it just seemed a tad over the top at times? Specially cause it wasn't just three guys, those are just the main ones, it was like ALL the important political figures in Rafe (the city not a multiple personality guy >P). Thankfully Kricket only has eyes for one of them, which I was eternally grateful for. Although the 'I love you's' seemed to come a bit too quickly the romance itself was well done in my opinion. The timeline itself may have been off, but the pacing of it was spot on.

The world-building was great. We learn about Ethar right alongside Kricket and there was never a sense of info-dumping anywhere. We get some background of how things were in Ethar before Black Math (kinda like the Black Plague only worse) and how because of it Ethar gets split into five houses. We learn each of their allies, their political systems, beliefs, etc, and while there was quite a bit of info to go with everything it never bogged down the flow of the story, it just enriched it, as it should. By the end of the book I was fluent in their curse words and slang xD.

As for the plot, it starts off as a simple integration into this new world and trying to possess Kricket to empower their house in a fast developing war. There were mentions of a prophecy tied to this war, but there are just wasn't enough information to get a grasp on what's really going on, but I'm excited to find out and accompany Kricket in her journey.



So...

Would I Recommend it?

Unraveling: Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

Title: Evertrue

Series: Everneath Book Three

Author: Brodi Ashton

Publication Date: January 21, 2014

Now that Nikki has rescued Jack, all she wants is to be with him and graduate high school. But Cole tricked Nikki into feeding off him, and she’s begun the process of turning into an Everliving herself... which means she must feed on a Forfeit soon — or die.

Terrified for her survival, Nikki and Jack begin a desperate attempt to reverse the process using any means possible. Even Cole, who they expected to fight them at every turn, has become an unlikely ally — but how long can it last? Nikki needs to feed on Cole to survive, Cole needs Nikki to gain the throne in the Everneath, Jack needs Nikki because she is everything to him — and together, they must travel back to the Underworld to undo Nikki’s fate and make her mortal once more. But Cole isn’t the only one with plans for Nikki: the Queen has not forgotten Nikki’s treachery, and she wants her destroyed for good. Will Nikki be forced to spend eternity in the Underworld, or does she have what it takes to bring down the Everneath once and for all?

  

***

My Thoughts

Warning: Rant up ahead

Biggest freaking book disappointment EVER. I'm so pissed I'm incoherent.

1. Nikki is the stupidest MC I have ever had the displeasure of coming across. And the most selfish. (view spoiler)
2. Ashton did a cop out with Cole in every single way. Way to ruin such an excellent character. (view spoiler)
3. Can someone please kill Jack. He is the definition of 'roid rage + dumb jock. All two of his brain cells are too busy getting angry at the drop of a hat to form any kind of worthwhile thought. Even Cole, changed as he was, was still 10x smarter than Jack any day. I just can not stand him.
4. The amount of lovey dovey crap between Nikki and Jack was vomit inducing. It was one of the worst depictions of love I have read about in the YA genre (I'm sure there are probably worst, but I haven't read them). It was such an unhealthy obsession. Cole isn't that much better, but he wasn't quite as bad as those two. It was just sick to watch.(view spoiler)
5. The sheer amount of stupidity in this book was so astounding I'm speechless.


That is all.

Would I Recommend it?

***

Other books in the Everneath Trilogy:

1. Everneath
1. Neverfall
2. Everbound
3. Evertrue

Upcoming New Releases - Week of Jan. 27th

Here are the releases for the up coming week of January 27 - February 2, 2014

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Books I'm looking forward to:

• Firstborn by Lorie Ann Grover
• Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
• Minders by Michelle Jaffe

Cruel Beauty, Into the Still Blue, The Uninvited and Perfect Lies I have already read as arcs. Reviews for Into the Still Blue and The Uninvited are already up if you want to check those out, and the reviews for Cruel Beauty and Perfect Lies will be up next week :) Firstborn sounds really awesome, and I hope it actually is. Minders I've see it has some mixed review of so I'll hold off on that one for a while.