Book Review+Q&A: Soren: The Angel & The Prize Fighter

Title: Soren: The Angel and The Prize Fighter

Author: Louise Nicks

Genre: YA paranormal

Book Blurb: 

The world has never been an easy place for impoverished teen Beau Tolson, but from the moment her sick mother is given months to live, Beau’s life takes an extraordinary turn.

In order to buy the only drug that can now keep her beloved mother alive, 16 year old martial arts champion Beau resorts to illegal prize fighting at East London’s most notorious underworld lair.

But that’s only the beginning of her troubles. 

When some of her closest friends start acting weird, and a mystifying new boy turns up outside the school gates, Beau is told a life changing secret... That not only are some of her friends angels, but that she is going to become an angel too.

It isn’t long before she finds herself torn between the divine and this world; between her responsibilities and the colossal destiny that awaits.

Little do any of them know that a sect of ex-angels have also come to Earth, planning on kidnapping Beau for the very same reasons the angels want her: to fulfill a prophecy that involves this world and theirs, and who will rule it all until the end of time.

Review:

Beau is such a kickass character! When I first saw the title, I assumed it was referring to 2 separate characters (one an angel and another one the fighter.) So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the title referred to the main character, Beau.  

this gif basically sums up Beau

Okay, so I'm going to dedicate an entire paragraph because I simply fell in love with Beau's character. First of all, it's refreshing to have a female protagonist in

Book Review: Avalon

Title: Avalon

Author: Mindee Arnett

Genre: YA sci-fi

Book Blurb: 

A ragtag group of teenage mercenaries who crew the spaceship Avalon stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire galaxy in this fascinating and fast-paced sci-fi adventure from author Mindee Arnett.

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

Review:

Killer plot. I think that basically sums up Avalon in two words. That plot was insane. Insanely good. Insanely unique (more on this later.) Insanely fast paced. Insanely spooky (in some places.) Insanely unexpected.  The moment I read the book blurb "A ragtag group of teenage mercenaries who crew the spaceship Avalon stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire galaxy" I basically ran to the library and borrowed it. It's been ages since I've read a hard core takes-place-in-outer-space sci-fi sort of book. (The last one I can remember is the Across the Universe series. Oh wait, jk...I just read Ender Game a few weeks ago.)

Book Review + Q&A: Say That to My Face

Title: Say That To My Face

Author: Bernard Maestas

Genre: YA thriller

Book Blurb: 

Alex is a throwaway teenager in New York, pitfighting for scraps. Ted is a bored suburban high schooler in Illinois making a profit on changing grades and pirating movies.Together they become international mercenaries, battling for their own profit, occasionally stumbling on doing the right thing, and taking sarcastic jabs at each other along the way. 

Using their collective talents, they rob a crooked bank president, rescue the kidnapped daughter of an oil tycoon and hunt high value insurgents in Iraq for the bounties on their head. They train government troops in one African country to crush the tribal government of a neighboring country and then train the tribal militia opponents of the adjacent country. In Russia they hunt down a wanted war criminal on the run from the UN, exposing a human trafficking operation. 

Realizing that they are at their best together, they go into business for themselves, picking the jobs they want, when they want, and reaping all the profits

Reviewer: Aly

Review:

This was definitely a fun read. The quotes that were chosen show that before you ever read the first word of the book! The author also made a lot of intricate descriptions. They always make you feel as if you are there, even if you might not want to(and believe me there was at least one scene that just from the description you would not want to be in). Due to these descriptions, you feel as if you can experience the scene with all of your senses. Even smell. And that was one description I could do without many times.

The metaphors used are simple and easy to understand. It wasn't hard to realize what the author meant when they were using metaphors.

Alex was my favourite character to love and hate at the same time. He's worry and sarcastic(keeps things interesting) but he also seems to have anger issues, be an adrenaline junkie and seems to have a bit of a death wish(the scary, hated part). But the easy banter with Ted seems to balance things out.

Book Review: The Headhunter's Race

Title: The Headhunter's Race

Author: Kimberly Afe

Genre: YA Fantasy/Adventure

Book Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Avene was sentenced to prison at thirteen for a crime she didn't commit. Now she has a chance to win her freedom back – if she enters the Headhunters Race. Second prize isn't so bad either, an upgrade to the Leisure Prison if you make it to the finish line. To win either prize, Avene and the other prisoners must navigate one hundred and fifty miles of dense forest, desert, and worst of all, cannibal territory.

With a mechanical collar timed to strangle the prisoners if they're not back in nine days, Avene allies herself with seventeen-year-old McCoy, another prisoner that insists on helping her at every turn and a boy she's trying hard not to fall for. Together they battle nature, other prisoners, and the timed death collars to win the coveted prize. But when Avene is tested with one deadly conflict after another, she realizes there is more at stake than winning her freedom – first she has to survive.

Review:

This book was a decent, quick read, clocking in at slightly over 150 pages. For some reason, I had really high expectations for The Headhunter's Race, mostly because the synopsis sounded wicked good and right up my alley. 

Book Review: The Runaway King

Title: The Runaway King

Author: Jennifer A Nielsen

Genre: Fantasy

Book Blurb:

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?

Review:

And my reading-awesome-books streak continues! *Does victory dance*

Jennifer Nielsen wows me again with the second installment of the Ascendence Trilogy. Usually, the second book in a trilogy is usually the worst book (I sometimes feel like authors just throw them in to bridge the gap between the beginning and the conclusion, and are therefore, not really needed.) This is not the case with The Runaway King. I loved this book just as much as I did with The False Prince.

Jaron continues to live up to my expectations in terms of sassitude (sass + attitude) and honorable moral values. He easily makes it onto my top ten fave character list.  Jaron also continues to leave me in awe with his clever reasoning and planning (though I will admit he does have more than his fair share of luck--both good and bad.)  You also beging to see some feelings develop between Imogen and Jaron, but the romance isn't overwhelming, so thank goodness for that! Though Nielsen does kinda pull the star-crossed lover trick out of her hat in The Runaway King, regarding the Jaron, Imogen and Amarinda love triangle situation. 

Book Review: The Drowned Cities

Title: The Drowned Cities

Author: Paolo Bacigalupi

Genre: YA dystopian

Review:

I absolutely adored Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker, a novel that is on my top 20 favorite books of all time (speaking of which, I need to make time to reread that book!) I was expecting a good read from The Drowned Cities, nothing spectacular, but still a worthwhile read. Well, I got much more than I bargained for. I loved The Drowned Cities and it has secured a place on my bookshelf. Although this novel is listed as the sequel to Ship Breaker, this book actually works as a stand alone novel as well.

I feel like The Drowned Cities was written with a naturalistic/naturalism theme in mind. Naturalism is basically a movement in which humans are stripped down to their most basic form and nature is depicted as neither good nor evil.  The world simply is the world. So basically naturalism deals a lot with survival of the fittest, man vs. nature and all that stuff with no sugar coating.  And let me assure you, there was no sugar coating in The Drowned Cities. The author didn't try to beat around the bush with the cruelty featured in this dystopian, futuristic world. The violence and graphic descriptions weren't gratuitous, but they weren't rainbows and ponies either.

Book Review: Happy That's Not True

Title: Happy That It's Not True

Author: Carlos Aleman

Genre: Fiction

Review:

This book was achingly sad...yet beautifully written. Told from the point of view from several characters, Carlos Aleman brings to life the story of a dysfunctional family. Although not very long in length (220 pages on my Nook), the novel covers the span of many years, and follows the path of various family members as they grow up from kids to adults.

Let me put this right up front: if you're looking for a happy read, don't look here. Life is harsh. Life isn't fair. Life can be sad. And Happy That It's Not True highlights all of that. Married to a Octavio, an active soldier, Adriana is the young mother of Cara and Alex. However, as Octavio isn't home often, Adriana can't help but feel she doesn't get to see her husband enough and soon their marriage becomes a wreck. As a result, they file a divorce and Adriana marries Luciano despite the fact Adriana knows she will always love Octavio in her heart.

Book Review + Free Books: Lust, Money & Murder

Title: Lust, Money & Murder (books 1-3)

Author: Mike Wells

Genre:  Thriller:

Review:

This book kicks off with a breakneck pace and never slows down...I finished this book wayyy faster than I expected (which is a good thing--it means I got sucked into the story.)  The whole premise is interesting and the main character definitely has a complicated history.

I think this review would be best understood if I gave some background info about Elaine, the main character of this series.  Elaine was born into a poor family with an unfeeling mother and a loving father.  His father loved Elaine more than anything else in the world and would do anything for her.  This included stealing to provide money to send Elaine to a good private school.  At that time, Elaine didn't know about her father's crimes, but as she grew older, she did become suspicious about how he was paying for her tuition.  Nevertheless, she attends the school and applies for a modeling job to earn some extra cash.  Unfortunately, the modeling agency she applied to was a scammed and when Elaine realizes this, she demands a refund. The agency obliges, to her surprise, and gives her $2000. Overjoyed, Elaine presents the money to her father who tries to deposit it in the bank...only to find out that the money was counterfeit.  Although Elaine's father wasn't charged for counterfeiting money, the police dug around and discovered him to be guilty of multiple thefts; he is then thrown into jail.  A few days later, he committed suicide.  Elaine vows to get revenge by joining the secret service as someone who specializes in busting counterfeiting businesses.

The author does an excellent job describing Elaine's relationship with her father.  Even though his father broke several laws, I couldn't help but have a soft spot for him. The relationship Elaine had with other characters were also well written, but the best was definitely the father-daughter bond.

The plot definitely kept me on my toes the whole time. There were many twists in turn that I didn't see coming (more on this later.)  The author provided minimal detail; just enough to give readers a sense of the setting, but not enough to slow down the story. While I can say I definitely grew fond of Elaine and her determination, I can't say I grew attached to any other characters (but that's okay because Elaine is the main character after all!)

Alright, the only real gripe I had with Lust, Money & Murder is the number of plot twists involved.  Yes, I like plot twists; 1-3 plot twists is good. Any more than that feels like there is too much...which was kind of the case here. Elaine meets several other characters during her career working as an agent...and it seems like every single one of them betrayed her. Starting from the modeling agent scam, it seems as if Elaine can't find a trustworthy person. 

Aside from that though, this was definitely a good reader.  Pretty, kick ass character + tons of action = hardcore thriller. There's no "flowery" writing (meaning no unnecessary words, which I really appreciated.)  I also loved how the series ended in kind of a complete circle :-) If you like books by Lee Child, definitely check out Mike Wells' books!

Rating:

Click here for the free audio book version on Amazon or iTunes.

Book Review: Eleanor and Park

Title: Eleanor and Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: YA fiction

Review:

Wow....I was not expecting the ending of Eleanor and Park.  In a lot of ways, this novel reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars (another book I highly recommend--they're making a movie for it! Yipee!) The characters were so carefully crafted and argh....why does the book have to end on a bitter note??

First of all, let me say this right off the bat: Eleanor and Park were definitely some of the most unique characters I have ever read about.  Eleanor's life isn't easy. Her mother married an abusive stepfather who also seems to hate Eleanor with a burning passion.  Park's family seems like the "perfect" American family, but he can't help but feel that his father is somehow disappointed in him. Nevertheless, Park gets by pretty well in school.  He's usually left on his own; he doesn't bother other kids and other kids don't bother him.

Book Review: Clockwork Angel

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Steampunk <3

Review:

Isn't the cover gorgeous? The fact that this is a steampunk novel makes it *that* much better :-)  This is actually my second time reading this book.  The first time I read it was about 1 year ago (or maybe 1.5 years?)  Anyways, I decided to refresh my memory a bit by rereading Clockwork Angel so that I could give it an accurate review.

Book Review: Dark Flame Rising

Title: Dark Flame Rising

Author: J. A. Pedersen

Genre: YA fantasy

Review:

Dark Flame Rising, written by J A Pedersen, is kind of like a modern fantasy book (urban fantasy?)  Keegan, the main character of the book, is quite the computer whiz so she's naturally surprised to find out her parents practiced the art of the Wisdom--a form of magic that involves working with the energy of the universe.  Keegan's parents died in a fire when she was young, so she has been raised by her grandmother (who happens to practice the art of fortune telling to make a living).  Throughout her entire life, she has moved around countless times--she stopped questioning her grandmother why they did so after not receiving any answers.  Oh, and one more thing about Keegan--she doesn't believe in magic. She's a sciencey kind of person.

Blog Tour: The Lycan Hunter

Title: The Lycan Hunter

Author: Kelsey Jordan

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Book Description: 

Kyran of the Blue Ridge Pack has spent most of his life searching for an end to the Forever War. Finding a Hunter among their greatly diminished ranks who was willing to forgo their "shoot first" mentality was harder than it seemed. Then fate–or the gods–gifted him with Alexis James, a petite Hunter with a nasty habit for killing his kind and a need for his surgical skills.

Alexis only has two wishes in life: make it through her next assignment, or die a relatively quick death. With a heart hardened by miserable circumstances and painful memories, her view of kindness and common decency was marred by scars of swift retribution. So when the blue-eyed Lycan saw fit to save her life, she wondered: At what cost?

After eight thousand years of war, the end is becoming a reality, but is the possibility of peace worth Kyran's soul and possibly Alexis' life?

Interview with Kelsey Jordan!