NICOLE'S REVIEW: No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

Title: No Place to Fall

Author: Jaye Robin Brown

Format Acquired: eARC/Hardcover

Publication Date: December 9 2014

Publishing House:  Harper Teen

ISBN: 9780062270993

Source of Copy: Edelweiss/Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary: 

Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, takes care of her baby nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend, Devon's house.

But when Amber learns about an audition at a prestigious arts school, she decides that her dream - to sing on bigger stages - could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon's older brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out. The more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes...and Amber starts to wonders if she's such a good girl after all.

Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family's world - and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between "good" and "bad" there's a whole world of possibilities.

        (Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review: 

Nothing screams good girl like singing church solos, babysitting your nephew and staying out of trouble. At least that's what Amber's definition of good is supposed to be. Good girl Amber also has a dream to sing on bigger stages and become a superstar. When auditions for an art school are dangled in front of her face she grabs at this chance to a new life. But in the span of a few bad decisions, Amber's whole world comes crashing down and she's torn between the good, the bad and everything in between.

I am not a fan of Amber. She's the supposed good girl - singing in church, hanging with friends, doesn't get into any trouble. But then from the get-go she was portrayed as sort of a party girl. She hangs out with hikers in the hopes of getting hot and heavy with one - because no regrets and they're out of town, who's going to spill her secrets right - smoking weed, doing drugs. She came off as a hypocrite and that didn't endear her much to me. The secondary characters weren't any better. 

I did not like the plot. It was confusing and messy and I didn't really feel like the story was going anywhere. Amber also makes a lot of stupid decisions that puts people she cares about into trouble. It's incredibly annoying. I wasn't a fan of all the cheating too. It happened again and again and again which made it incredibly hard to finish the book because it was just so...stupid! Add to that the endless stream of pointless drama and I had to resist banging my head up against a wall. 

Time and time again we hear about how Amber is such an amazing singer and she is always put on the spot. You know, I got it. She's a great singer. So? Doesn't mean I'll like her any more what with the incredibly asinine choices she's made and, because I'm petty, the overalls she always sports. Her signature, psh. Sure.

All in all, No Place to Fall just wasn't for me. The plot is incredibly slow and nothing really happens throughout the whole book. The whole incident that would supposedly change her family's life was rather anticlimactic and boring. The cheating was a definite downer and Amber is a huge hypocrite. 

Rating: 

                     

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Blackbird by Anna Carey

Title: Blackbird

Author: Anna Carey

Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: September 16 2014

Publishing House: HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062299735

Source of Copy:  Edelweiss

Summary: 

A girl wakes up on train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn't remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

        (Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review: 

A girl wakes up with no memory, watching a train hurdle towards her. She's got a tattoo on her wrist, money in her bag and instructions to call an unknown number while dodging the police. All she knows is that she's being hunted and she'll have to find a way to clear the blocks in her memory if she wants to survive.

This book had such an interesting premise so I thought I'd give it a try. Mind you, I wasn't a fan of Carey's previous series but I thought I'd give her another chance. Well, it obviously wasn't for me seeing as I'm giving this book a really low rating.

First of, I wasn't a fan of the second person point of view. And yes, I did check out Carey's reasons for writing in this POV but I'm sorry because it didn't work for me. It felt stilted and unreal. The atmosphere felt flat for me and the action? I was't amused. A lot of scenes seemed way too fortuitous for the protagonist. And the story basically felt way too unreal. How lucky is she that she has built in survival skills. Pick a lock? No problem! Run from the cops? Easy.

The other annoying thing in this book was the romance. What are the chances that the girl bumps into this dude in a grocery and he ends up being her love interest and the dude who shows interest in her because she's different and not like all the rest? I don't get why he wasn't the least bit cautious. I mean yeah, you bump into a girl who's got a nasty cut on her arm and it's natural to worry about her but to the point of actually slipping her your number "in case of emergency"? For all that idiot knew she could have been a serial killer. An escaped convict and a myriad of other nasty things.

All throughout the story there are snippets of memories and I wasn't surprised when it involved a guy too. I bet there's a love triangle in the works. Which is very, very irritating because she's got no memory, she's being hunted and all she can think about is kissing a boy? How about saving herself first, huh? I mean it's gonna be hard to kiss a guy when she's dead. 

Frankly, I'm not sure how I managed to finish this book but I did and I'm patting myself on the back right now because of  the effort. Just so you guys know, I was as confused as the protag for most of the story and until the end I couldn't even begin to picture her in my head - her personality, her character, nothing. So, even if the story might have picked up towards the latter portion of the book, it wasn't enough to redeem the overall. The ending had me wanting to slap someone.

Rating: 

                         

NICOLE'S REVIEW: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Title: The Murder Complex
Author: Lindsay Cummings
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: June 10 2014

Publishing House: Greenwillow Books

ISBN: 9780062220004
Source of Copy: Edelweiss

Summary:

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young's Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is-although he doesn't know it- one of the MC's programmed assassins. Is their meeting coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

Meadow was trained by her father to fight. Why? Because to secure a job for herself so she can feed her family, she'll have to pass a few tests and violence is key to passing. Enter Zephyr, unwitting assassin of The Murder Complex. He and Meadow form a bond but when he is, for lack of a better word, activated and attacks Meadow it puts a strain on their budding relationship and leads to secrets about her family and she realizes just how connected she is to the The Murder Complex.

The book has a really interesting concept, I was undoubtedly excited by the prospect of getting my hands on a copy of this pretty. That'll teach me to get my hopes up. This book was a total bummer because it was confusing. And boring. And I'm sorry but I really couldn't force myself to try to make sense of it.

I didn't like the dual POVs. I mean think about it, some of Zephyr and Meadow's chapters spanned a mere page. One. Page. One page is not enough to get inside a character's head and the constant switching between the two points of view? It made Zephyr and Meadow sound like the same person so much so that I had to keep an eye on the chapter headers. It was a little frustrating.

As for the characters? Boring. I couldn't form a connection with either of them and I think Meadow would be a pretty cool heroine if she were done better. She's a killer, trained since she was a child by her father to survive and fight. She loses that side of her when she falls for Zephyr. Because you know, insta love is definitely a thing in this book. Zephyr on the other hand, is a wimp. I'm not a fan of his, obviously, unless he turns into the mindless killer that he was programmed to be then yes. Go ahead. But here's the thing with Zephyr, I wasn't sure if he knew about himself being an assassin BUT there were scenes where all he wanted was to atone for the blood on his hands. So there's that I suppose. 

I like romance as much as anyone, but too much of it can never be a good thing. In the first place, this book wasn't touted as 'romantic'. It says 'action-packed' and 'blood-soaked' but to have half of the book consumed by this totally unnecessary romance? No. 

Aside from the that, and I never thought I'd say, this but this book had too much action. It got confusing because it's one scene after another of blood and death and running away and where nobody bothers to stop and ask WHY until I was halfway into the book. And that's just the thing! I was halfway into the book and I could not, for the life of me, figure out what was going on. Everything was a jumbled mess and the various revelations were too late or too conveniently dropped onto their laps. Too easy.

All in all, with dull characters, confusing plot and wholly unnecessary romance, I say seek your dystopian fix elsewhere. 

Rating:

                       

NICOLE'S REVIEW: The Taking by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Taking
Author: Kimberly Derting
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: April 29 2014

Publishing House: HarperTeen

ISBN: 9780062293602
Source of Copy: Edelweiss

Summary:

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas 'n' Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of deja vu, she heads home only to discover five years have passed... and yet she hasn't aged a day.

Everything about Kyra's old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn't sure how to move forward unless she uncover the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin's annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they wonder if Kyra's father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others who have been taken... and returned Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

Books with aliens are few and far between (those that actually manage to pique my interest) and decent alien books that I've read? I could count them on one hand. 

The Taking has promise - it has an interesting plot that involves memory gaps and alien abduction and human experimentation plus mention of super powers. Cool, right? It all went downhill when the romance was added and I had to resist banging my head up against the wall or throwing my iPad at someone. 

The last memory she had was of the fight with her father, stepping out of the car after a temper tantrum and the light. The bright light. Then nothing. Kyra lost five years of her life to who knows what and coming home and finding out that everything's changed? Not the easiest thing to deal with. Her father and mother are separated, Austin's gone off with her best friend and Tyler, Austin's younger brother, is pretty hot and she's got the tingles for him. But when strange things start to happen, Kyra has no choice but to give her father's crazy theory about alien abduction some credit. Especially when strange people appear on her doorstop overly interested by her five year disappearance.

See, the plot's not that bad. It just got overshadowed by the romance. Meaning to say that the story was focused more on the romance with a little alien stuff thrown in. Maybe a little grand theft auto and some blood. But let's talk about the romance since it is, obviously, my biggest peeve about this book.

You see, before Kyra was abducted, there was Austin. Austin was her childhood best friend, he's hot, he's handsome, he's everything Kyra wants and she is determined to never be separated from him. Who cares about all those wonderful opportunities at the big league universities if she's got this hot boyfriend right? Oh Kyra, you fool. That's the argument Kyra and her dad were having before she got abducted. So we've established that Austin is perfect, okay? Moving on.

When Kyra gets back after five years, Austin went off with her best friend to university and it was pretty obvious how heartbroken and angry she was. I was irritated because Austin seemed like a good guy and then, after five years, he's turned into this massive jerk? Apologizing to Kyra for his own sake? I don't know. I mean a lot can change in five years but from the very start Austin was never a jerk, so why now? It just didn't sit so well with me.

Now, as mentioned Austin has a little brother named Tyler. He was twelve when Kyra got taken but now he's seventeen and apparently he's also fair game. He's been in love with Kyra since forever too. What is so great about Kyra? I don't get it. The Taking is all about Kyra and her relationship with this guy. Things moved too fast and she easily dismissed her problems because some boy drew her stuff using chalk on pavement. He's hot, looks like Austin, so why not right?

Aside from too much romance, I didn't like how everything was so easy for Kyra. Chased by bad guys? Not to worry some, random alien guy who's been tracking you for months steps in to save the day. Not to mention the fact that she has powers that the other hybrids don't which makes her even more special.

Kyra is not special. She's just a lovelorn teenager who's more obsessed with her boyfriend than she is with her safety and the safety of those she loves. I'm sorry, this book is a disappointment. Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series sees more alien action than this. 

Rating:

                     

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Talker 25 by Joshua McCune

Title: Talker 25
Author: Joshua McCune
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: April 22 2014

Publishing House: Greenwillow

ISBN: 9780062121912
Source of Copy: Edelweiss

Summary:

It's a high school prank gone horribly wrong - sneaking onto the rez to pose next to a sleeping dragon - and now senior Melissa Callahan has become an unsuspecting pawn in a war between Man and Monster, between family and friends and the dragons she has despised her whole life. Chilling, epic, and wholly original, this debut novel imagines a North America where dragons are kept on reservations, where strict blackout rules are obeyed no matter the cost, where the highly weaponized military operates in chilling secret, and where a gruesome television show called Kissing Dragons unites the population. Joshua McCune's debut novel offers action, adventure, fantasy, and a reimagining of popular dragon lore.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

I really wanted to like this book because dragons, right? But try as I might I just couldn't get into it. I wasn't happy that it's been compared to Ann Aguirre's Outpost because that book is amazing. This just falls flat.

After sneaking into the dragon sanctuary and inadvertently catching the military's attention, Melissa finds herself an unwitting participant in the war between humans and dragons. This book is basically a war between humans and dragons. That is about as much as I could glean from it because it's all about who's on which side and a whole lot of dragon torture which is not amusing. 

The characters in Talker 25 are poorly crafted. Melissa is a crass, judgmental, insensitive and spiteful girl and I don't like her attitude at all. She flips off her dad, shames her brother in public and calls her friend a slut behind her back. From the very beginning, I knew she was going to be an issue. Add to that list the fact that she instantly swoons over a hot guy? I don't know why the dragons even bothered with her since apparently she's useless.

James, the hot guy, is as annoying as Melissa. Love at first sight? Yeah. I have nothing against that but the way it was executed here was just terrible. The romance served no purpose in the story and it just added fuel to the fire. He's a really terrible insurgent who throws temper tantrums and compromises the safety of his group by running off to mope when he's all sad and depressed. Not cool, James.

Also, where was the backstory? I don't understand how the dragons found their way to our world and apparently they don't know how that happened either. REALLY. Is this some sort of a cop-out? The dragons had no idea how they found humans? They were just dropped there? Out of the blue? They can't see the color black? What. Is. That. Where was the world-building? Someone please explain.

And the humans! Attack first negotiate later? I get that fear makes people act rashly, but having the government lash out at dragons when they haven't initiated anything? That deserves a massive face palm. And the torture scenes in this book were horrible and annoying because they were just cruel for the sake of being cruel. It's just unnecessary and unexplained hatred everywhere.

I also didn't get the role of the dragon fanatics or rebels because the dragons seemed to do okay on their own. And here comes these people who want to help them? By riding on their backs and talking to them in their heads. Ugh, if I were one of those dragons I wouldn't even bother.

Basically Talker 25 is about about dragons and dragon fanatics fighting the government and they all hate each other and try to one up the other. They also do reconditioning on humans and use them on their TV show. It's doesn't help that you've got a bratty heroine narrating the story and I wouldn't trust her with my life. If you want a dragon book I'd point you towards Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. 

Rating:

                        

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain

Title: The Shadow Prince
Author: Bree Despain
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: March 11, 2014

Publishing House: Egmont USA

ISBN: 9781606842478
Source of Copy: Edelweiss

Summary:

Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills Hugh - a haven for the rich and famous - Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.

Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High's prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father's mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn't the only student in Olympus who doesn't quite belong.

Haden and Daphne - destined for each other - know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails. As war between the gods brews, the teenagers' lives collide. But Daphne won't be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended - he's fallen in love. Now to save themeselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.

(Image, summary and information courtesy of Goodreads)

Review:

All her life, Daphne Raines was safely ensconced by her overprotective mother, so when her estranged rockstar father rolls into her tiny Utah town, she jumps at the opportunity to expand her horizons. 

Haden Lord is the chosen one sent to Earth to restore the chaos in his world. Others before him have failed, but Haden is determined to find the right girl who can save them, if only to show his father up. When he meets Daphne Raines however, his determination wavers. Because if it turns out that Daphne can't save them, she'll be lost to him forever.

I almost always end up confusing this book with Kate Evangelista's Til Death (which I reviewed here). They're quite similar in a lot of ways, except Evangelista's novel carried more snark and interesting bits as opposed to this one. The Shadow Prince is by no means a thin book, so I found The Shadow Prince to be an exceptionally loooooooong novel (500+ pages aside), if only because I didn't care for any of the characters, nor did I care for the plot, ditto the romance which played a hugely annoying part. Haden is all skulk and gloom so it's not really surprising that Daphne just wants to stay away from him and his inopportune knack of showing up at the wrong places at the wrong times. Daphne is just plain forgettable. Is it also weird that I didn't particularly like the mythological names of the setting? It just felt a bit cheesy and overdone to me, as it kept on reminding me that yo, this is a mythology-inspired book, in case you forgot.

I sloughed through The Shadow Prince to see if it would get better, and it did... marginally. The ending was a bit better than I expected, but as I've just confirmed, mythology-inspired books just aren't for me, and The Shadow Prince did not dissuade me from this. 

"So why bother reading this in the first place?!" you might argue. Well, I was really curious, and I wanted to know if this was the book that could nudge me into the way of mythology.

If you're not much into mythology (like me, as it turns out), then you won't bother with this one. But if you're into mythology... I wouldn't say I'd recommend it either. The Shadow Prince carried far too many sulky teenagers and ho-hum scenes than I'd like in my books.

Rating:

        

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Pulse by Patrick Carman

Title: Pulse
Author: Patrick Carman
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: February 26 2013

Publishing House: Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN: 9780062085764
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:


In the year 2051, who has a pulse?

With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a "pulse", and Dylan has the talent, too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters who are so powerful they can flatten their enemies by uprooting streetlights, throwing boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with her unusual talent, the mind - and the heart - can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she'll have to harness the power of both.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

You know how this book promised riveting action scenes as stated on the flap of the book jacket? Yeah. That's probably what drew me in along with the promise of telekinesis and flying boulders and general chaos all around. I mean, bad guys that can throw people and objects around like a rag doll? Count me in yo.

Did I get what I was promised? Nope. Not at all. This was a total downer, my friends.

Let's start with the characters - Faith, the protagonist, is an airhead. She's bratty and I don't like her and I really wouldn't trust her to be able to save a life, much less the whole world. She falls instantly in love with this jerk named Wade. At least the book admits its love at first sight, quote "They were having a moment, both of them instantly attracted to each other."  On page 21. I don't exactly hate love at first sight in books because sometimes its actually kind of cute, but this? Just no.

And aside from Wade there's also Dylan who I wanted to like but he just had to go and do the watching-people-sleep thing which is unbearably creepy. I get that he was watching over her but come on Dylan, stop being such a creeper. 

What I also didn't like about Faith was how she treated Hawk, one of the guys at her new school. I mean he's a little forward but she's never actually talked with the guy and she's already pegged him as the crown prince of dorks. He's a geek and a great hacker for one but there's no need to call him a stalker just because he wanted to strike up conversation. (Why are you so full of yourself, Faith? You're nothing special. Not to me.) And you know how they became friends? I don't, but I'm betting it involved him buying her clothes.

Obviously I'm not a fan of the relationships in this book, they're all so messed up I can't even. If I could, I'd slap Faith because I don't get why she's so special. I can't wrap my head around why people fawn over her.

I also don't understand why it took so long for Faith's powers to manifest and until they did, it was a boring trek through Faith's everyday life of hanging with her friend, boys and clothes and Dylan and Wade plus a not on her table with the words YOU MOVED ME which I still don't understand and won't even try to.

Now let's move on to that thing where I was promised "riveting action scenes". It wasn't until the second half of the book where all the action started happening and it was very, very boring. Come on guys, tossing around cars with the power of your mind should be fun. And the world building? Poor. The education system is a strange, if everyone's using tablets to study why even bother going to school? It isn't like as if the teachers there actually administer tests or anything.

I guess my favorite parts in the book were when Faith got hurt and things weren't going her way. Like that part when she and Dylan were training and he tossed things at her face and she got hit. That was a definite highlight of this book. I hope she gets hurt more often.

With its poor world building, slow pace and unlikable characters, you can bet that I won't even bother with the second book. You guys are better off looking for your fix of dystopian books elsewhere.

Rating:

                          

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier

Title: Black Dog
Author: Rachel Neumeier
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: February 6 2014

Publishing House: Strange Chemistry

ISBN: 1908844841
Source of Copy: Requested from Publisher via NetGalley

Summary:

Natividad is Pure, one of the rare girls born able to wield magic. Pure magic can protect humans against supernatural evils they only half-acknowledge - the blood kin or the black dogs. In rare cases - like Natividad's father and older brother - Pure magic can help black dogs find the strength to control their dark powers.

But before Natividad's mother can finish her magic and their enemies find them. Their entire village in the remote hills of Mexico is slaughtered by black dogs. Their parents die protecting them. Natividad and her brother's must flee across a strange country to the only possible shelter: the infamous black dogs of Dimilioc, who have sworn to protect the Pure.

In the snowy forests of Vermont they are discovered by Ezekiel Korte, despite his youth the strongest dog at Dimilioc and the appointed pack executioner. Intrigued by Natividad he takes them to Dimilioc instead of killing them.

Now they must pass the tests of the Dimilioc Master. Alejandro must prove he can learn loyalty and control even without his sister's Pure magic. Natividad's twin Miguel must prove that an ordinary human can be more than a burden to be protected. And even at Dimilioc a Pure girl like Natividad cannot remain unclaimed to cause fighting and distraction. If she is to stay she must choose a black dog mate.

But first they must survive the looming battle.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review:

I was hoping to like Black Dog, I really was. But it's not exactly easy to get into a story that's slow and really, really confusing.

Before Natividad's parents died, they forced Natividad and her siblings to run to the Dimilioc black dogs to find refuge. When they do, it's not an easy thing to gain acceptance into the pack, what with her parents' killers right behind them and a forced mating between Natividad and a black dog of her choosing - when she comes of age. But the mating can wait they'll have to deal with the black dogs determined to kill them first.

Natividad is boring. It's so hard to write about a character that's boring because while I don't loathe her, I don't like her either. She just fades into the woodwork, you know? Like she isn't even there. I don't even get why she's so special. I mean, she's a Pure. And so? Ezekiel is the black dog who's sniffing around Natividad's heels. I so wanted him to be interesting, but he just wasn't. He's domineering and possessive - not unlike the other alpha males of YA - and he's already claimed Natividad as his and they've barely spoken to each other. Instant love? not really because despite Ezekiel's attraction, I'm not exactly sure where Natividad stands.

Another thing I was surprised about was the dual POVs. I wasn't expecting that. They switch between Alejandro - Natividad's older, black dog brother - and Natividad. Alejandro's parts are somehow repetitive and I had to stop myself from skimming through them because what if I end up missing some important detail, right? Ugh. No. They were full of Alejandro trying to control his powers, hating on Ezekiel, worrying about his siblings and basically second guessing all his decisions. 

And you know what hurts? How slow the story was. At one point I felt like it was an endless trek through tons of decision making, arguments, dominance challenges and posturing. The plot wasn't very engaging despite this being a new twist on the old werewolves and witches tale. There was little to no back story too, there was mention of vampires if I'm not mistaken but their role in everything is vague at best. 

I hate that feeling when I finish a book and feel the need to ask what in the world just happened there. That's exactly how I felt when I finished this book, like nothing was actually resolved. Kind of sad if you think about it. 

Rating:

 

                          

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Enders by Lissa Price

Title: Enders
Author: Lissa Price
Format Acquired: eBook

Publication Date: January 7 2014

Publishing House: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 97803857425498
Source of Copy: NetGalley

Summary:

With the Prime Destinations body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn't want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save Callie's life - but it could also save Callie's life - but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena's memories, too ...and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

This book is a mess. I was never really that big of a fan of Starters but I thought it was okay. Kind of a sketchy ending but yeah, I told myself I'd pick up the next book. And I did. I. Did.

Do I regret it? YES. Enders basically starts off where Starters ended - Callie and Michael and Tyler together; Blake was being controlled by the Old Man, which if you think about it is so freaking creepy. Callie just wants her family to be safe but that's not exactly possible despite the destruction of Prime Destinations because the Old Man is still out there. He's capable of accessing that chip in her brain and Callie's in deep trouble because the Old Man wants that chip and will do whatever it takes to hunt her down.

Callie was a huge problem for me. She's annoying. She's whiny. Get with the program girl, the moment you signed yourself off to Prime Destinations you knew things were going to be very different. What's the point of crying over what you lost? I wasn't overly fond of the way everyone wanted Callie. She's nothing special. Just a girl with a chip which just so happened to malfunction or evolve, really. A whiny, selfish incompetent little girl. Granted that what happened to her chip was interesting but...Callie. Yeah. How is it possible to like a character who says "I don't talk to liars, you lying liar." Couldn't she have come up with something smarter? Such eloquence, Callie.

And can we just talk about Callie's boys? And the romance too, since they are intertwined. I don't get what those boys see in her, I really don't. And the romance was a little too forced. I mean the story would have progressed fine without it and would probably have been better so the focus would be on the actual story instead of Callie whining about Blake and what-ifs.

The story. Here's the thing - Enders is confusing as hell. The so called twists to the plotline had me rolling my eyes. And while there're more action scenes in this book I could have done without them because they were poorly crafted. I still don't get why all the Middles are dead. I mean yes they were killed in the Spore Wars but...how and why exactly? Why target Middles? Well, it was probably used to explain away the absence of the adults which is pretty convenient. Yeah.

If you're looking for dystopian, sci-fi books you're better off looking elsewhere to get your sci-fi fix, like Insignia by S.J. Kincaid perhaps. I'm sorry Enders, one rainbow for you.

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NICOLE'S REVIEW: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Title: Firelight
Author: Sophie Jordan
Format Acquired: Paperback

Publication Date: September 7 2010

Publishing House: Harper Teen

ISBN: 9780061938054
Source of Copy: National Bookstore

Summary:

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special evena mong he draki - descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda's rebelliousness forces her family to fle einto the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The on thing that revives it is the gorgeous, elusive Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can't resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she's risking not only her life but the draki's most closely guarded secret.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

It's not right really, for a dragon shifter to fall in love with a hunter. But I suppose there's nothing more tempting than something forbidden. 

Jacinda is a fire-breathing dragon, rare for her kind. This automatically makes her mate to her tribe's leader's son and, seeing as how she's a precious commodity, has a lot of restrictions placed upon her. She basically feels trapped and when she's caught doing something she shouldn't have her mother makes it a point to uproot her from her life among the tribe and situates them among humans. It's not exactly easy for Jacinda but what can she do, right?

I don't know about you guys but it's kind of far fetched that fire-breathing dragons are few and far-between. And what's even harder to believe is that they're actually hunted to almost extinction. Say what? 

Also, what are the chances that when Jacinda's family move to a new town, they move into a town occupied by hunters? And the boy who hunted her down some time ago is, get this, studying in the same school she is? Yeeeeeeah. It was annoying but I found strength to let it go. That is until they meet each other and proceed to fall in love. Cue the sappy romantic interludes which aren't very sappy and border on annoying.

What pains me the most about this book are the characters. I ended up hating all of them and I don't know how I was able to finish the book. Jacinda's a lovesick dragon in love with Will. Her sister's a grade A little hussy and her mother? She's got that whole "mother knows best" domineering attitude and makes it a point to actually FORCE her daughter to let go of her dragon. She's basically asking her daughter to kill a part of herself. Mother did it so why can't she? 

The story isn't any better. Jacinda has to hide from the hunters while simultaneously date one, hide from her sworn mate, defy her mother's wishes and get into a whole lot of trouble which could have been avoided if dragons weren't portrayed as living their pathetic lives out in the middle of nowhere cowering in fear of the hunters.  

It totally destroys the image I have of dragons in my head and I rather like that image thank you very much. I actually have all three books right now but I'm making it a point to stuff them in the back of a cabinet because I don't think I'm capable of finishing the series. If you're looking for a book with dragons this one isn't for you, you're better of looking elsewhere like say... Seraphina perhaps. 

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NICOLE'S REVIEW: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Title: Born Wicked
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: February 7 2012

Publishing House: Putnam Juvenile

ISBN: 9780399257452
Source of Copy: National Bookstore

Summary:

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship - or an early grave. 

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with six months to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word...especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood - not even from each other.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

It seems like I've been churning out low ratings the past few weeks. Sorry guys, this is another one that I have to give one rainbow to.

Cate Cahill and her sisters are witches but everyone just thinks they're eccentric. It's a good thing when all she wants is to hide the fact that she's a witch from just about...everyone. But chancing upon her mother's diary and the prophecy revealed to her, she's afraid that now there's no chance of keeping her secret secret anymore, not when she and her sisters have been prophesied about since a trio of witch sisters are so rare and all that.

I wanted to like Born Wicked, but one reason I couldn't get into the story were the characters. I couldn't form a connection with Cate and any of her sisters. They were boring. And despite its premise, the book focuses a whole lot on the romance. Where's the magic? The witchery? Cate's sisters weren't very interesting either. Tess, being the youngest and Maura being the middle child. Tess is a talented witch, she came into her powers early and I liked her best of the three sisters. Maura on the other hand irritated me to no end, she's rebellious and constantly dreaming of freedom and I do understand her reasons but she doesn't have to be such a turd to her sister. She's selfish and irritating and I wish she'd, for once, think about the consequences of her actions.

Cate also has two boys to choose from, Paul and Finn, although it's pretty obvious which one she's gonna choose. The romance took up most of the story and I found myself skimming through pages - which I hate doing - because really, their courtship and their interactions were bland at best. Even that closet scene couldn't do anything for me.

What's sad about this is that I was actually okay with the world building and the mood and the writing but the lack of interesting situations that push the story forward just makes it hard to read. The lack of focus on their magic also had me deducting points. Now for those of you who're looking for historical romance with a hint of the paranormal, then maybe you'll enjoy this one better than I did. I, for one, am going to forego this series.

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