Shadow Falls Series

Author: C.C. Hunter
Series: Shadow Falls
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Adventure
Release Date: March 29, 2011 (First book was released) - April 23, 2013 (Last book was released)

Summary: One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren't just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn't belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn't complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn't be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Review: Sorry it's been a while since I last reviewed! I wanted to review this series as a whole instead of book by book. (I only included a summary of the first book, but here are links for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th books if you are interested!) Overall I rated this series a three star for me. I honestly was expecting to like them more than I actually did. I loved the first book in the series Born at Midnight. It was funny, intense, and had some great world-building. After finishing the first book I was more than ready for Awake at Dawn. However, after getting approximately half way through things started to take a slight turn. I began to get annoyed with Kylie. I felt that the whole book (and rest of the series) was basically her saying "Leave me alone all you freaking hot boys that I would love to make-out with (and will voice in my head multiple times) but won't! I just need to figure out who I am!!" I mean, WHO DOES THIS?! You have not one, but TWO incredibly gorgeous, sensitive, amazing guys that would do absolutely anything for you and you say NO?! GRRR!!

The rest of the series proved difficult for me to get through. It was a strange thing though, because even though I didn't necessarily enjoy reading these books, I couldn't not finish the series! I mean, I had to finish them for obvious reasons such as: 1) I wanted to see who she ends up with, Derek or Lucas, and 2) I had to figure out who she really was. But it was more than just those things! It was like it was my duty to finish this series whether I wanted to or not!! Speaking of figuring out what Kylie is. I did feel that there was a lot, and I mean A LOT of build up as to just what Kylie is (I mean, we don't actually figure out until the end, and I mean the end of the third book and then you don't really get that many more details until the 5th book). And when I finally found out I was somewhere along the lines of:

*wait . . . wha??*

On a lighter note! I really enjoyed Della and Miranda! I felt that they gave the series a nice comedic quality, and were the greatest roommates/friends Kylie could have asked for. I also loved Holiday and Burnett! I'll leave it at that so I don't spoil anything. I definitely feel that if I would have read this series sooner to when it was released, I would have enjoyed a lot more! (Meaning that I've just read a lot more well-written novels within the past year or so that overshadowed this particular series.) 

A decent read and one I would recommend to those who enjoyed the Strange Angels series by Lily St. Crow.

Gates of Thread and Stone

Author: Lori M. Lee
Series: Gates of Thread and Stone #1
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance, Dystopian
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Summary: In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.
In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her. Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.
Review: *le sigh* So good. So good. This book had me crying, laughing, and pretending to act out Kai's fight scenes!! I wanted to read it as fast as I possibly could because I was dying to know what would happen next, but at the same time I wanted to read as slowly as I could so that I could savor all the sweet and totally bad-A moments that went down. Loved loved loved. Totally perf!
In all reality, this book could be a runner up for one of my favorite books of 2015 . . . seriously though. It had everything! And when I say 'everything', I mean 'EVERYTHING'! Gates of Thread and Stone was like the best freaking ice cream sundae ever! We had our 4 major flavors: fantasy, romance, sci-fi, dystopian. With our toppings of a little steam-punk feel, a pinch of Greek mythology, and just a sprinkle of mystery. Yeah, basically everything!

And oh! OH!! That ending!! I was all:

With a little of this:

But then I read the last chapter and I was all:

Ah, seriously. This book is simply fantastic. Go and read it. Right now. Seriously though. It's a good one!

On a side note: The second book in this series (The Infinite) is expected to be published on March 10, 2015.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: September 27, 2011

Summary: Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal other wordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Review: . . . WOAH!! Daughter of Smoke and Bone was incredible! I cannot believe that it has taken me so long to discover this book and all of the wonderfulness that it contains. From page one I was drawn in by Taylor's impeccable writing style as well as world-building. She weaved the details of Karou's world in just right. I never felt weighted down because of an abundance of detail at any certain point. I knew it was only going to get better . . . I just didn't realize how much better! The beginning is the very very tip of the iceberg. An insanely breath-taking, heart-stopping iceberg that is! As soon as I started to relax and feel more comfortable with Karou's world, Taylor would highlight another detail that would leave me at the edge of my seat.

Don't be fooled! Daughter of Smoke and Bone has been so meticulously and tenderly compiled that you absolutely won't be able to skip ahead and/or skim or you may miss out on some incredible scenes. OH MY!! And when I found out what they do with the teeth! I was all:

This novel has everything! Romance, adventure, mystery, and a jaw-dropping ending that left me in desperate need of Days of Blood and Starlight to try and tame my hunger!

A definite "must-read" in my opinion!

Ignite

Author: Sara B. Larson
Series: Defy #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: December 30, 2014

Summary: Alexa remains by the newly crowned King Damian’s side as his guard, ever committed to helping him rebuild Antion and reclaim the hope of Antion's people, despite continuing to harbor a secret love for him. However, when another threat to Damian and his kingdom emerges, and blame is cast on their newly forged allies from Blevon, Alexa knows things are not what they seem. With the fate of her nation hanging in the balance once again, will Alexa be able to protect her king and uncover the true enemy -- before it's too late?

Review: Well . . . this one was definitely better than its predecessor, but not by much. I had a very love/hate relationship. If you haven't read my review of Defy, I suggest you do so before reading the rest of this one.

So, even though I was pretty neutral when it came to my like/dislike of Defy, I decided to still give Ignite a chance because you never know! The second book in a series could turn out totally AWESOME and kick the first book into the ground!

Like so:

But . . . um . . . well . . . that didn't necessarily play out in real life as I had envisioned in my mind. I did like the overall story in Ignite better, but that ending . . . I couldn't handle it. It's another cliffhanger #shocker and I honestly felt that it didn't need to be. The bad guys were totally defeated!! And . . . well, I'll leave it at that as to not spoil it for any of you future readers! Anyway, Larson made sure that one of our very own was CAPTURED leaving the perfect segue for another book. Two books was more than enough!! Larson, why must you torment me so!?

Okay, don't get me wrong, this was still quite the book. It had romance, epic battles, and a pretty wicked cat fight! (Like to girls fighting . . . not actual cats . . . although that would have made for a pretty interesting conversation . . .)

The writing was better than the first installment in the Defy Trilogy (?), although not quite up to par with the other things that I've been reading lately. I will say that after reading Ignite, I did feel the need/want to go and re-read Defy because of where the story headed.

Ignite is an extremely quick, decent read. (I pounded it out in a few short hours.) I'd totally recommend giving this series a try! It wasn't one of my personal favorites, but I don't regret reading it!

Defy

Author: Sara B. Larson
Series: Defy #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Summary: Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?
Review: Where do I start?!?! Okay, so I ended up having a major love/hate relationship with this book. When I first read the synopsis it reminded me a little bit of Throne of Glass (which I absolutely adored btw). Needless to say, I was more than excited. So I went to the library and put it on hold and waited....and waited.....and waited.

Finally sick of waiting I went to the local bookstore and they had a SIGNED copy of the book on their bargain table.. SAY WHA?! Immediately grabbing it and hugging it to my chest I mentally shouted praises for this small miracle.

I get home and crack it open. Immediately drawn in. Alexa, to me, was such a strong and fairly well-written (if stupid sometimes) main character. She was tough, intellectual, and at times, witty. Overall, her characteristics were extremely similar to those of Celaena in Throne of Glass. From there, I started seeing more and more similarities between Defy and Throne of Glass. 1) A main character who unusually excels in fighting 2) Rylan: a captain of the guard who is in love with her 3) Damian: a prince who is also in love with her (Can we say LOVE TRIANGLE!!!)   4) An evil king... the list goes on. Much to my dismay, the book started going downhill a couple chapters in because there were so many similarities between the two books. I constantly felt that Alexa was making a stupid decision by not actually choosing between Rylan and Damian and just hovering somewhere in no man's land between them. #frustrating

Let's talk about that ending shall we?!  I liked it, but hated it because . . .!! I won't elaborate anymore because I don't want to spoil it . . .but GAH!! *HUGE SIGH* Overall, I didn't love the book, but I didn't hate it. Since I loved Throne of Glass so much and this book was so similar I often found myself having a hard time appreciating what I was reading, but I also felt slightly disappointed with where the story ended up going and also that it was lacking a uniqueness I so desperately craved. If you have read and enjoyed Defy I strongly suggest looking into Throne of Glass or vice versa.

Unhinged

Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Retelling
Release Date: January 7, 2014

Summary: Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn't show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs. As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind. If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Review: THAT ENDING!! I HAVE ALL THE FEELS!!!

I actually liked this one better than the first one. I can't seem to figure out exactly why either . . . Maybe because I started growing attached to Morpheus/M/Mort? Maybe it's because Alyssa's mom is back from the psych ward? Maybe it's because Alyssa does some kick-a** stuff in this one? Possibly the sexual tension between Morpheus and Alyssa continuously throughout the novel? Maybe it's just a collection of all of these things rolled into one . . . yeah, that sounds about right! But seriously, this was simply splendid.

I'm always hesitant to pick up the second book in a trilogy, especially if the first one leaves off in a place that I'm content with being left. Unhinged was exactly what I wanted for a sequel. The story, although carrying over some aspects from Splintered, was completely unique and something of its own. The adventure never stopped! I love how Howard has taken small, seemingly unimportant things from Carroll's original novel, Alice in Wonderland, and made them into some of the most important things in her novels.

In my review of Splintered, I said I wasn't quite sure if I was for team Morpheus/Alyssa. Well, that's changed! I'd be more than happy for those two . . . I actually think I like them better together than Jeb and Alyssa. Jeb in this book was . . . annoying. After finishing it and finding out everything I was a little more lenient with his actions, but up until that point, I was frustrated with him.

The ending was, again, fantastic, and I'm more than ready to read Ensnared!!! 

Splintered

Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Retelling
Release Date: January 1, 2013

Summary: This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now. When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Review: WARNING: REVIEW MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS 

This book was....wow, extremely fascinating and intriguing while still being annoyingly hard for me to completely wrap my head around. This may be due to the fact that I have never really understood and appreciated Carroll's original Alice in Wonderland.

The (very simplified version) novel is about a girl, Alyssa, whose mother is currently in a psych ward for talking to bugs and flowers and after an accident in which she cut Alyssa's hands with pruning shears trying to kill a bug. We come to find out that Alyssa is a descendant of the original Alice from which Lewis Carroll drew his inspiration for Alice in Wonderland. Because of Alice's original adventures in wonderland, a curse has been placed on her and her future family. In order to break said curse Alyssa must find and venture into Wonderland to undo the tragedies that Alice unfortunately brought upon not only Wonderland, but her family as well. Along with her childhood friend, Jeb, they venture into Wonderland and try to turn back Alice's mistakes.

I enjoyed this book because it was a completely different take on the Alice in Wonderland (the Disney movie version) I had come to know. It had a very dark, gothic, Tim Burton-esc twist to it that seemed to suit the story just right. Alyssa's character was, in a way, haunting, but I also loved her quick and witty remarks to the supporting characters. She was also full of life and that gave the book a good feel throughout. Thumbs up for that one Howard! 

Jeb, Jeb, Jeb. I knew from the beginning I would like him! The ending totally broke my heart (BUT IN A GOOD WAY!!) He was always there for Alyssa throughout their crazy, hectic journey to Wonderland and a constant rock for Alyssa. I loved how things ended up.

Morpheus was, well, Morpheus. In relationship to the the original Alice in Wonderland, Morpheus would be the Mad Hatter! He was dark, handsome, totally twisted, and mysterious... I liked and yet disliked that he seems to have the hots for Alyssa. I'm not totally against the idea but not totally for it either.

This was an amazing read although I needed to take breaks throughout to really grasp what was happening, especially when I got to the last 50-75 pages and everything that can/could happen did!! This is one that will not disappoint!!

ALSO: 

It's a great time to start this series if you haven't already because the 3rd and final book in the trilogy, Ensnared, just came out a couple days ago so you can read the whole series without having to wait for an immensely long time in between book releases!

Dead of Winter (Including a recap from Poison Princess and Endless Knight)

Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Arcana Chronicles #3
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance
Release Date: January 6, 2015

Summary: Heartbreaking decisions: Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her, until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, The Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death's uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts and stolen glances from a former love. Uncertain victory: Despite leaving a part of her heart behind with Death, Evie sets out into a frozen and perilous post-apocalyptic wasteland to meet up with her allies and launch an attack on The Lovers and the vast army they command. Such formidable enemies require a battle plan, and the only way to kill them once and for all may mean Evie, Jack, and Death allying. Evie doesn't know what will prove more impossible: surviving slavers, plague, Bagmen and other Arcana or convincing Jack and Death to work together. Two heroes returned: There's a thin line between love and hate, and Evie just doesn't know where she stands with either Jack or Death. Will this unlikely trio be able to defeat The Lovers without killing one another first?

Review: First off, let me state that I personally do not feel that this should be classified as a 'Young-Adult' book. Reasons behind that are a) language and b) some pretty sexually explicit content. 

Now that that is out of the way!! Let's recap and review!! In Poison Princess,  a flash happens around the world and anyone outside was immediately turned to ash/dust. Evie and her mother are some of the few human survivors. Miraculously, Evie happens upon Jackson Deveaux, a fellow high school student that has had his eye on Evie for quite some time. Despite their hatred towards one another they decide to combine forces and search for Evie's grandmother so that Evie can learn to be an true 'Arcana'. The first book is then about Evie and Jack; their fight for survival and growing attraction towards each other. Moving on to book two, Endless Knight.  Continuing their search for Evie's grandmother proves quite difficult after what concluded in Poison Princess. Not only is Jack now extremely distant to Evie, but she is hearing Death, a fellow Arcana, in her head, trying to persuade her to ally herself with him. Through unfortunate circumstances, Evie finds herself in Death's hands, but after some time starts growing attracted towards him. *Note that Endless Knight also has a very explicit sexual scene* .  At the end of Endless Knight Evie finds out that The Lovers (Arcana twins noted for their extreme acts of torture) have captured Jack. Whether Death likes it or not, Evie knows that she must find a way to get away from him and save Jack. With a cliffhanger ending that made me want to scream I had to test my patience and wait a little under a year for Dead of Winter to finally debut itself! 

Looking like this the whole time:

  . . . and this: 

 with a little some of this in the last few days before it released:

After what felt like forever, I finally managed to get my grubby mits on a copy of Dead of Winter and completely devoured it. Cole has created an amazingly creepy, fantastic, and utterly fascinating world of Arcana. Dead of Winter starts up only a few moments after Endless Knight ends and the plot continued smoothly throughout the novel. The pace was decent for a good majority of the novel, with a few minor exceptions. My one problem, as stated above, was mainly how explicit the sexual content was since this book is classified as 'Young-Adult' or directed towards teens. This was the main reason behind my 3 star review. Besides that, Cole definitely hit a home run with Dead of Winter. BUT ALAS!!! With those endings!!! I'm going crazy!!!

Trial by Fire

Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Worldwalker Trilogy #1
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Summary: This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear. Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe. What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

Review: Where in the world do I start?! (hahaha, that's incredibly funny because this book deals with more that one world . . .) Well, this was a freaking fantastic, original, kick-butt, witchy story! I've read one other novel by Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed) but never got around to finishing out that series. Anyway! While cruising the internet (which I do frequently) I happened upon Trial by Fire. Needless to say, the cover completely grasped my immediate attention as well as knowing it was by Angelini. So what do I do?! Put it on hold at the local library and then sit and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . .

AH!! It decided to finally show up and I completely devoured it. I'm talking like finishing this is one sitting, devouring. I haven't read that many books dealing with witches, but I'm completely intrigued with them. And the fact that Angelini chose the whole Salem witches to go off of made my day. The story was completely unique and all it's own! I did get slightly confused when Lily actually switched worlds/dimensions/whatever you want to call it, but once she was actually in the dystopian, with a slightly steam-punk feel, version of Salem, everything went smoothly. 

So, since this is a romance I obviously have to talk about that a little! (DUH). The love interest is . . . wait for it . . . ROWAN!! Okay, so he was totally rude and horrible to Lily when she first arrived in the New Salem but it was all for a good reason!! The only problem I had with Rowan was that he and the old Lillian had totally had a thing and, simply put, that definitely was getting under my skin.

Lily was an okay main character. For the first couple chapters (while she was still in her world) I hated that she was plagued by basically every allergy known to man kind. However, after getting transported to the New Salem, I feel like she found herself (with the help from Rowan and some magic) and enjoyed her much more after that. Oh!! And some of the jokes and puns in this book had me all like: 

A solid 4 star in my book!

The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #2
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Mystery
Release Date: October 23, 2012

Summary: Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past. She can’t. She used to think her problems were all in her head. They aren’t. She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. She’s wrong. In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Review: Initially, I was extremely excited to read this book. If you've read the first one, it's pretty clear as to why.

That cliffhanger at the end of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer had me like:

BUT!! The third book hadn't come out yet, so I waited a couple weeks until it debuted itself before getting this book. The beginning starts up basically right where book one ends. After the initial shock of that cliffhanger wore off, the book took a slight nose-dive and the story line progressed pretty. darn. slow, for the next hundred pages or so. I didn't really enjoy this because I felt that the story was beginning to focus more on what goes down (activities and such) at mental health care centers, rather than the overall mystery of what was happening with Mara herself.

For a majority of the book I looked somewhat like this:

UNTIL!!! The story finally decided to go somewhere. #shocker I actually started enjoying it and decided that I may have a chance at 1) finishing the book, and 2) enjoying it more that I originally thought. Overall I'd definitely say that although the story moved along  . . . terribly ssslllloooowwww for a majority, I would consider reading it again. And Hodkin, again with the ending!!! 

I have a feeling The Retribution of Mara Dyer is going to be AWESOME!