Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Title:  Cress

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher:  Fiewel & Friends 
Publishing Date: February 4th 2014

Pages:  550
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi Adventure/Retelling

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #3
Source: Audio

  

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.

I absolutely adored Cress. This series seems to keep getting better. I didn’t think that was possible, but it is. I enjoyed Cress even more than Cinder or Scarlet, and I loved those books too. The characters were more, the story was more, and the writing was more. It was sensational. The characters are the best, the story is unique, the writing is spectacular, and that is why I rave about these books.

Cress lives in a satellite, for the last nine years. After helping Cinder in the crew, they decided to rescue Cress. Things don't go well, and everyone gets separated. As they try to survive, try to pick up the broken pieces, and try to make it to safety, Queen Levana is making wedding plans with Kai. Cinder must find a way to not get caught, not get killed, find her missing crew, and stop a wedding. 

I absolutely adore Marissa Meyer's writing style. The story is captivating, the characters are well built, tons of memorable and humorous moments. Everything is done to perfection. There are so many wonderful things about this book that I can go on and on about, it will be hard to contain myself from babbling and attempt to make sense.

Cress is so far my favorite of the series. Of course last year, I said that about Scarlet. Like I said they just keep getting better. what I love... so many things... I will start with the characters. There are so many wonderful characters. The favorites returned and we were introduced to two more characters. Cress and Jason.

So Cress is the heart of the group. She is sensitive, a romantic, caring, and just an all around people person. Of course she has been locked up in a satellite for years without any kind of human contact... well except for the the witch. She doesn't do much for human contact. She is excited about everything and she tends to wear her emotions, her heart, and her naivety on her sleeve. I adored her and hope to see so much more of her in the next book.

Jason is a lunar, he is a royal guard. He is stuffy, loyal to his princess, tough, and doesn't ever seem to smile. He was a big part of the story, but the story is never told from his point of view, so I didn't connect with him as well as Cress, but he had some pretty awesome and funny moments.

My favorite character, I need to bring up, is Thorn. He was in Scarlet but he didn't leave me with quite as big of an impression in Scarlet as he did in this book. Probably because Scarlet was about Wolf and Scarlet. This book, Cress, has a big role for Thorn. The story is told many times from his point of view. Let me tell you... charming, arrogant, ridiculous, sexy, and so much more. I fell hard for Thorn. He had me laughing out loud so many times.

Along with those characters we still have tough Cinder, sweet Kai, evil Levana, and of course Wolf. So many wonderful characters jammed into one book. It was crazy.

The story was of course awesome too. We have the continuation of Cinder and her quest to stop the evil Levana and then we have Cress's story. Tower (satellite) hostage, long hair, handsome rescuer... all the basics... then we add in crash landings, desert surviving, computer hacking, butt kicking moments and the old story of Rapunzel becomes a sci fi adventure.

Marrissa Meyer is amazing. The writing was just spectacular. There wasn't a dull moment through out the entire book and it was jammed pack full of laughter, adventure, thrills, and of course romance. I don't think there could be any improvement.

One more thing. I listened to this book on audio and I want to take a moment to rave about the narrator. She did such a superb job. With so many povs being switched back and forth and so many characters, it was amazing they way she read this book. She gave each character life and each with such a unique voice. It was easy to tell who was doing what and when, and boy was I sucked in to their lives. I hope to listen to more from this narrator in the future. 

I will be reading and rereading this book years to come. I wish I could rate it more than a 5, but that is my highest. So its a 5++++

I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my fiancé and our two cats. In addition to my slight obsession with books and writing, I'm big on road-tripping, wine-tasting, and hunting for antiques. I'm represented by Jill Grinberg. CINDER, my debut novel, is a futuristic re-envisioning of Cinderella in which Cinder is a cyborg mechanic. Release date: 3 Jan 2012.

Review: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Title: Her Dark Curiosity
Author: Megan Shepherd
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Publishing Date: January 28th 2014
Pages: 420
Genre: YA Classic Retelling/Gothic Horror
Series: The Madman's Daughter #2
Source: Audio

  

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.
As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.
As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.
With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.
To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

I loved The Madman's Daughter and couldn't wait to read more. This book did not disappoint. I loved it as much as the first. The things that I loved in the first book were still here, in this book. The great characters, the darkness of the story, the complicated relationships, and the thought provoking questions of what right, wrong, and the line between. 

Juliet has left the island and has been living in London, with a guardian, and secretly working on a cure for herself. She maintains her life with friends and tries to stay out of trouble. That is until the day that murders start to happen all around her, and they all have something in common. When she discovers the truth, it becomes very complicated. She finds herself in the middle of a mans torn world, one where he lives both as a monster and a man. 

First thing, I love that this book is loosely based off of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the author fit it right into the world of  Dr. Moreau's daughter. The two stories were seamlessly put together and it just felt that the worlds belonged together from the very beginning. I am very excited, the next book will be about Dr. Frankenstein. Three dark, science fiction, monster mania, put together. Awesome. I am so happy to have discovered this series and I just can't get enough of it. For so long we have had fairy tale retellings and other classic retellings, the romances mainly, but never the dark. Those are my favorite classics. Its just wonderful I tell you. 

So yes, the writing was amazing, amazing in the first book and it continued in the second book and has spectacular story lines. That isn't where the goodness stops. I absolutely adore Juliet. I think she is a very wonderful character. She is quirky, a bit nuts, determined, and she makes quite a large character. I really can't think of anything negative about Juliet. I think she was just the right character for such a strange, dark, crazy scientist story. She has quite a bit of the madness from her father, but with morals to guide her. She knows she is staggering the line of  fascination and obsession, crazy and madness. She is determined not to cross that line but she knows that she must continue her search for a cure. Not only for her but also for the monster she cares for. 

I also really liked Juliet's friend Lucy. She made such a huge impression on me. Most of the time when secrets come out, friends seem to disappear.Not Lucy. She was determined not to be scared away. That wasn't the best thing about her though. I loved that she never doubted Juliet's words, she trusted her and she was very loyal to her. She would do whatever needed to help Juliet and I do believe she would follow Juliet to the ends of the world. She was by far one of my favorite supporting characters. 

These weren't the only characters, there were more, they were all wonderful or evil  to the extremes. There is so much darkness in this book and the dark side of the characters really delivered. I love it when evil is evil. This book had evil characters that were just evil. But there were also characters that toggled between evil and good, and then there were just good characters, like Lucy. It was a very well balanced book. 

The story was well thought out and well planned. Everything seemed to fall into place at the right time and everything just always made sense. I had so many ah-ha moments it was pretty ridiculous. The mystery wasn't really a mystery to me. I mean at first, I was a bit stumped, but it didn't take me long to have that ah-ha moment. The book was also full of many heart tug of wars. I felt for Juliet and the choices she had to make. They were never right or wrong, it was always a bigger picture, and sometimes the choices just sucked. 

The only issue I had, and it wasn't a major issue, was the pacing. The beginning seemed a tad bit slow for me, but once it picked up it stayed at a very steady pace. I think I remember the beginning of The Madman's Daughter being a bit slow at the beginning too. It's not enough to deter from the book, or take away from my love of the book. I think there is so much depth to the story and the characters, it takes a bit to build. It makes the slowness worth it. 

I really can't wait to continue the story. As I mentioned earlier, the next one features Dr. Frankenstein, and I am so totally excited. 

It was so ridiculous. I loved it.. I devoured  it. I am itching for more.  

Megan Shepherd was "born" into the book world, growing up in her parents' independent bookstore in Western North Carolina. She is the author of THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER trilogy (Balzer+Bray/2013), and THE CAGE trilogy (Balzer+Bray/2015). When Megan is not writing, she can usually be found horseback riding, day dreaming at coffee shops, or hiking in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. She is represented by Josh Adams at Adams Literary.

Review: Erased by Jennifer Rush

Title: Erased

Author:  Jennifer Rush

Publisher:  Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publishing Date: January 7th 2014

Pages: 288
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi Thriller

Series: Altered #2
Source: Hardcover

   

                                                                                             They thought they had escaped. They were wrong.After fleeing the Branch with Sam, Cas, and Nick, Anna is trying to make sense of the memories resurfacing from her old life. At the same time, she's learning how to survive in hiding, following Sam's rules: Don't draw attention to yourself. Always carry a weapon. Know your surroundings. Watch your back.Then a figure from Anna's childhood reappears. Is it a Branch setup, or could it be the reunion Anna has hoped for? Uncertain of where her loyalties lie, Anna must fight to learn the truth -- before she is betrayed again. Ultimately, the answers hinge on one question: What was the real reason her memories were erased?Jennifer Rush delivers a thrilling sequel to Altered in a novel packed with mysteries, lies, and surprises that are sure to keep readers guessing until the last page is turned.

 I absolutely adored the first book in this series and the love didn't stop there. This book carried much of the same entertaining adventure as Altered. The same wonderful characters were present and the all the wit and fun were involved too. I loved it beginning to end. 

Sam, Cas, Nick, and Anna are still on the run, living like fugitives and training in any spare moment they have. They stay in one place as long as they can, moving when ever needed. Anna, Nick, and Sam are struggling with recovering memories that tie all their pasts together. They are unsure what is true and what is misinterpereted. Some come as memories, some come as dreams. Anna is convinced to figure it all, which is made a tad bit easier when she learns someone who claims to be her sister is trying to track her down. From the moment Anna is told this information, everything becomes hetic, crazy, and a big mess. 

I absolutely loved this book. Once again, I started the read and just couldn't pull away. Action and suspense from the very first page. Same awesome pacing. It was quite a thrilling ride. All the goodness from the first book was in this book, but with more, more intensity, more story, more character building, just more. 

The story continues and I didn't know where it would lead. I knew it would deal with the boys and Anna's past, but the way it was all weaved together to paint a much bigger picture was pretty cool. I was able to learn so much more about the experiements, the company that Anna and the boys worked for, and more about the all of their pasts. Well except for Cas' past. Which was a real bummer. I would have loved to know more about Cas. But we do get more of Anna's, Sam's, and Nick's past. I felt that I was able to really connect to the characters more this book. 

I liked Anna in the first book, and I did like her in this book too, but I wanted to slap her just a little bit this time. Things got a little cloudy for her and I felt strongly about who to trust. Her decisions didn't always match up with mine and it caused her a bunch more trouble then she would have had to go though. She really should have listened to me. I didn't agree with many of her choices, but I understood them and where she was coming from. Anna wanted to find out what happened to her family, to her, what her memories meant, who she really was, the parts that were not on paper. It made sense, but sometimes things are best left untouched. I also liked her relationship with Sam. It was sweet and fiery. My only complaint. I didn't get to see enough of their relationship, between the running and the hiding, there wasn't much time for romance. What I did gt to see I liked, they were good together. I also liked the relationship she tried to keep going with her father, the one that raised her, used her, and saved her in the last book. Even though he wasn't her biological father and didn't make the best choices for her growing up, she loved him. 

My favorite character was still Cas. I love his humor, he teasing, and his caring. He will always be my favorite but like the Anna's relationship with Sam, I didn't get to see enough of Cas to really say much about him. I just love him. Sam was Sam, didn't get to much of Sam either, but I did get to see his caring for his family, his leadership, and he goodness. What surprised me most, is how much I fell for Nick in this book. It seemed he and Anna were the focal in this story. There is no romance there, no love triangle, but there is a bond that forms between them and I was able to really see Nick for who he was and connect to him. I adored him. 

Nick was a bit of a jerk at times, he was mixed up, and bit troubled, but underneath it all he has heart. He was sarcastic, endearing, and grumpy, in every breath he showed all of these characteristics. He was the hero of the day more than once and I just fell for him. I learned much of his past which explains so much of his disposition and his pull to the others. Loved him. 

They story was full of action, betrayal, secrets, and relationships. Just like the first. So much of the same yet more. 

I loved it, I am not sure if there is more coming, but I hope so. I will read as much as Jennifer Rush will give me. 

Jennifer Rush lives in a little town on the shoreline of Lake Michigan with her husband and two children. She grew up wanting to be an Egyptologist, but realized she hated the desert and declared herself a writer instead. She won her first writing award in the fourth grade (a Mickey Mouse pencil was the prize) and has been crafting stories ever since. In her free time, she likes to read, Photoshop, and consume large amounts of caffeine.

Review: Neverwas by by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, and Larkin Reed

Title: Neverwas

Author: Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, and Larkin Reed
Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publishing Date: January 7th 2014

Pages: 320

Genre: YA Gothic/Alternate Universe

Series: The Amber House Trilogy

Source: Audio

  

"I was sixteen the second time I had my first kiss...."

At the end of AMBER HOUSE, Sarah made a choice that transformed everything--and now she must choose it all again.

Things are very different--better--for Sarah and her family: her Aunt Maggie grew up; her parents are happily married; her grandmother died after a long, productive and respected life. But other things are different too, and not for the better.

After growing up in the free country of the Pacific Northwest, Sarah Parsons has settled in at Amber House, the stately Maryland home that's been in her family for generations. But the world surrounding the House feels deeply wrong to Sarah. It's a place where the colonists lost the 1776 Insurrection, where the American Confederation of States still struggles with segregation, and where Sarah is haunted by echoes of a better world that she knows never existed.

Her friend Jackson shares these visions of a different world--and together, they manage both to remember the way things ought to be, and to plan a daring mission that will reset the universe once again. Sarah must figure out what has changed, and why, and how she can fix it--how she can find her way to another otherwhen.

 I was so excited to finally get this book. I absolutely loved the first one and was hoping I would not be disappointed by the second book. I was not. This was one was even more for me, more intense, more creepy, more haunting, more exciting, more everything.

 

Amber Housed ended on a pretty darn good note. It felt pretty wrapped up and things looked as if they were going to go well for Sarah and her family. She made a big change that effected her family, for the better. What Sarah didn't know is that there was another change made at the same time that pretty much changed history, for the worse. Her family is in a great place, everything is good, and everyone is happy. Sarah starts to have visions again, its the first time all over again. This time she doesn't only see visions of past lives in the house, but visions of her past that she doesn't remember at all. Visions and dreams later, she realizes something is wrong. Things are wrong. She must figure out why and fix it. 

I am even more in love with this trilogy after reading the second book. I will admit that most times I have a harder time with the second book, falling into the second book trap. This one did not get trapped. The story continues but doesn't. I love the fact that its an alternate present and I was able to watch Sarah figure it out all over again. This time with a bit more help from her other self along with all the other echoes in the house. Is the same story but not. Sarah has to figure out the echoes all again, but there is a new turn in the story, something major was changed in the past and Sarah has to figure that out too, and fix it. The mystery of when, what, and how kept me interested from beginning to end. I thought it was fascinating to see all the little things and major things changed because of a few things changed by Sarah. 

Another part of the story I loved was watching all the characters unfold again. Each character was reborn in a way. Each different because the circumstances in their life were changed. Sammy was pretty much the same but Sarah was different, Jackson was a bit different but still strong, loyal, and honest. Richard was much more lovable, I actually loved him in this book. He was much kinder and very sweet.  Sarah's parents were actually parents and Sarah's Aunt Maggie was alive. Every thing was better with the characters, the world however was so wrong. 

I think the world was the best part of this book. Everything was so wrong, I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to know every detail of the new world even though it was scary. Nazi's, segregation, it's like everything was going backwards instead of forward. 

The writing I also loved. The story had a real classic feel, beautiful, dark, haunting. Completely Gothic. I knew it was present time and certain things made it feel modern, but the tone and the setting felt so vintage. 

The pacing was just a tad off for me at the beginning, but I think to get to a place where everything was explained and figured out, it had to start off a little slow. Once it was all set up and ready to rock, it rocked. 

I loved everything about this book. I loved the first book, but I thought this one was much better. It had so much more detail, feeling, and depth. Can't wait to see where the next book takes me. 

Looking like it will be one of my favorite reads of the year...I know its early but I loved it that much.

Kelly Moore is a New York Times best-selling author, former litigator, and single mother of three. Her latest project, the young adult Amber House Trilogy, is co-written with her two daughters and based loosely upon her own family history. The first book in the series was nominated for the 2014 Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award for its realistic portrayal of characters with autism.
For more information about the Amber House Trilogy, please check out the authors' official blog athttp://www.amberhouseblog.com/.

Tucker Reed is co-author of the Amber House Trilogy. The first critically-acclaimed novel in the series,Amber House, was published in October 2012 by Arthur A. Levine Books. Reed has been recognized on the national level for her essays and short stories. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree, studying theatre and film, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Larkin Reed is co-author of the Amber House Trilogy. The first critically-acclaimed novel in the series,Amber House, was published in October 2012 by Arthur A. Levine Books. Reed is also a student filmmaker, photographer, and screenwriter.

Review: The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Title: The Runaway King 

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Publisher:  Scholastic Press
Publishing Date: March 1st 2013

Pages: 331
Genre:  MG/YA High Fantasy 

Series: The Ascendance Trilogy #2
Source: Audio

  

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!
Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?
The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

This book was just as good as the first one, it rocked, it did not disappoint! I absolutely adored the first book in this series when I read it last year. I am not sure what took me so long to get to the second book, but I finally did and wowzers. This book pulls out all the stops on romance, action, mystery, suspense, humor, and everything in between. Loved it. 

OK I will keep this really short because there are so many twists and turns in this book, I would probably accidentally give something away. So Prince Jaron is now King of Carthya; however there are quite a few that don't agree with this turn of events. I mean where has he been for all these years, he is still a kid, he knows nothing of this country or the crown, oh and it seems someone wants to kill him. Well it seems more than one wants to kill him. SO Jaron must run... yes run. But don't be dismayed, he has a plan. It would be nice for Jaron to tell me, the reader, of his plans before they unfold so I don't have to hold my breath throughout the entire book, OK sorry off topic. Anyways yes, he runs, has a plan, gets in trouble, is crushed by betrayal, has lots of feelings to sort through, has to fight, has to lie, has to be awesome. So that sums it up pretty well.

My thoughts are pretty much THIS BOOK ROCKED, but I should probably elaborate. The story continues pretty much right at the end of the first book. Things seem to still be in chaos but Jaron always figures it out. There is so much good and awesome in this book. I love this story, the writing is magnificent, the pacing is fabulous, the characters are wondrous, and its just full of awesomeness. Its hard for me to really write a review for this book, I can't settle down long enough to put words to my thoughts, but I will try. 

I actually love high fantasy but I am really picky over my high fantasy. I can easily get bored or distracted by the detail of the stories in high fantasy. There are a few that put me in a state of shock, and this series is one of those. The writing is done so well that I get so much of the story and character building that I just fall right into the setting and tone. I forget what I am reading and I can't seem to tear myself away for any length of time. I can't decide what I love more, the actual story or the characters.

The story is great as is. Its a classic story with a prince, betrayal, a love that can't be, and great friendship and loyalty. Oh and bravery too. It really is classic but it doesn't feel classic. I think this is where the sensational writing comes in and paints a full picture for me. There is so much good and a really great balance between action and emotion. SO many times I think a book has pretty terrific action or all consuming emotion, but its hard to get both to be wonderful within the story. This author did an amazing job. The fight scenes were great, the humor was so much fun, and the emotions were just a roller coaster of a ride.

The characters are for sure a great addition to this story and do make the story even more smashing. Jaron is by far one of my all time favorite heroes. He is rough but sophisticated. He is smart but reckless. He is wonderful. He loves those around him fiercely and is very protective of his loved ones and his country. He does not take his duty lightly and he doesn't run. He actually runs into everything head first but it still seems well thought out. He is a walking contradiction.

Jaron isn't the only stupendous character in the cast. Imogen rocks, she is faithful and loyal beyond understanding. Sweet, loving, nurturing, intelligent, yup she has it all. Then there is Fink, a small boy that annoyed me at first but ended up stealing my heart. Of course there is the evil too, all of the enemies are just enemies. Sly, unpredictable, and slimy.

Another great thing... the pacing. The book is full of surprises, twists, turns, hold on wait a minute moments. This keeps the book story very interesting and keeps the pages flying. Never a dull moment, only nail biting, gasping, hand flying to mouth moments. The book really did go to quickly and I can't wait til the next one comes out. Which will be very very soon!

Astonishing, incredible, fantastic read! 

 

Jennifer lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a naughty puppy. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. She is a former speech teacher, theater director, and enjoyed a brief but disastrous career as a door-to-door pollster. In her spare time, Jennifer tends to panic, wondering what she has forgotten to do that has allowed her any spare time.