2013 Challenge Update

Hello everyone! So I realised that I hadn't actually done an update on the challenges I'm taking part in, so I've decided to just do it once every 2 months! :)

So this year I'm taking part in 3 challenges.

1. Goodreads Challenge

This year I set my reading goal to 100 books and so far I've read 20! Which I'm really happy with :)

2. Dystopia Reading Challenge

This challenge is being hosted by Ula over at Blog of Erised and I set my challenge to 19+ books and so far I've read 7! Which means that I'm now a Rebel! (7 to 12 books)

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Black City by Elizabeth Richards

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Legend by Marie Lu

Persistence of Vision by Liesel K Hill

Partials by Dan Wells

3. Paranormal Reading Challenge

This challenge is being hosted by Megan Likes Books and Auntie Spinelli Reads, and every month there is a different paranormal creatures that you have to read a book about. So far, I've read 2 books for this challenge.

January - Vampires

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

February - Angels/Nephilium

Ethereal by Addison Moore

Review: Partials by Dan Wells

Partials (Partials #1)
by Dan Wells

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.



Wow. Wow, wow, wow. What an amazing book.
I actually wasn't planning on reading it this month, but I finished all the books that I had planned to read and I was so desperate to read it that I just had to pick it up.
Well's created a brilliant world in this book and I was so interested in learning what happened to the human race and why they were in this situation. I was also extremely interested in learning about the Partials (engineered soldiers) since they were the ones that caused it all (or were they?). For me, there were not boring parts in this story whatsoever. It was action packed and there was always something going on with the government or the voice.

Kira was an enjoyable character. I did find it hard to connect with her and I only really started connecting with her about 3/4 of the way into the book. I did admire her strength though. To be able to work in the hospital where every single child born dies and still be able to function properly is amazing. I also admire her courage and her willingness to do everything she can to help save the human race. She was just a brilliant character.

I wasn't a big fan of Marcus in this book. I found him to be extremely dominating and he was positive that he knew what was best for Kira and that he had control over her decision. Most of the time I was wishing that she would punch him in the face. He did start to grow on me towards the end, but I'm still not a big fan of him.

But Samm on the other hand, I really wanted to get to know him. He was intriguing and friendly and I actually started thinking that maybe him and Kira would get together. And then he ruined my opinion of him, but then saved it again. So I'll just have to wait and see what he's like in the second book and then I can decide whether I like him or not.

There was a MASSIVE twist about 3/4 of the way into the book and I never saw it coming! I was shocked and suprised and I was desperate to know more! How did it happen? Why did this happen? Who did it? I'm really hoping all of these questions are answered in the next book because I really want to know!

There was also a slight cliffhanger at the end when Kira discovers something about her past and who she is and it left me shocked as well. I had a slight incling about one of the things, but I was still extremely shocked.

I really really enjoyed this book which is why I gave it:

I'm really hoping that the second book will explore the characters more and that I'll get a better understanding of them. I'm also hoping that it'll answer all of these questions that I have now! I'm reading Fragments just now and so far it's been really good!
I definitely recommend giving Partials a read, I really enjoyed it!

REVIEW: Persistence of Vision by Liesel K Hill

Persistence of Vision (Interchron #1)
by Liesel K Hill

In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...

When Liesel contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in reading her book for her blog tour I was so excited! And I'm definitely glad that I agreed to take part in her blog tour because I got to read her amazing book!

This book was just... awesome. It was so different to all the other dystopians out there which is what made it stand out. For me, this is probably the best dystopian I've ever read. There are so many original and fantastic ideas in this book that I was hooked from the very start.

Maggie was a superb main character. She was strong, tough and just such a kind hearted character that I found it extremely easy to connect with her right away. That might also have been due to the fact that Maggie was "kidnapped" and had lost 12 hours of her life and I was desperate to know what happened!

The marks that Maggie and Jonah (Maggie's brother) had on their bodies when they were found were extremely intriguing, and I'm still anxious to know about Jonah's!

I absolutely loved Marcus! I was rooting for him and Maggie from the moment they met properly and I just really wanted them to get together! Marcus was sweet, powerful and protective of Maggie and I just really really loved him!

The whole concept of this story with people in the future being combined into a collective (which basically means that their brains are all worked together and that they are controlled) was brilliant. It was so interesting to hear about how they took over the world and how they actually live. Everything that I wanted to know about the collective was explained and I never found any of it confusing. I think Liesel did a fantastic job of explaining it all.

I also loved how this book incorporated time travel into the dystopian world and also how each person had a kind of power that can be used when they draw energy from their surroundings. It just added something that made this book even more amazing than it already was.

There were a few unexpected surprises and twists that I honestly didn't see coming. There was one where I was like "OMG! I DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING! AH!" I think I just sat and stared at my kindle screen when this twist happened and I was trying to figure out why! But I had to make myself continue reading the book instead of speculating because the book was going to give me all of the answers.

The ending was really sad, but it had to happen. I'm glad that Maggie finally got to understand what happened before and that she managed to remember.

Seriously, this book was just AWESOME which is why it deserves:

I can't wait to see where the story line goes in the second book, and I JUST REALLY WANT TO READ IT!
But yeah, I definitely recommend checking out this book because it was just so different from anything I've read and it was brilliant!

REVIEW: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1)
by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her? 
Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

So this book was awesome! This is the very first book I've ever read that was about spies and I absolutely loved it! I'd been hearing so many amazing things about this book and a lot of people were telling me that it was amazing and that I should read it, and I'm glad I did.

The book follows Cammie, Liz and Bex who all attened The Gallagher Girls Academy (which is marketed as a posh school, but is really an all-girls spy school).

Cammie was a brilliant main character. I love how even though she's a spy, she goes through all the troubles that normal teenage girls do which made her an extremely likable and relatable character. She was funny, awkward and intelligent, and I just absolutely loved her.

Bex and Liz were brilliant characters as well. They were amazing best friends and really understanding. They helped Cammie a lot through this book. I also liked seeing how Cammie would do anything to protect her best friends and that showed how close they all are.

Cammie, Liz and Bex are then thrown together with Macie - the new girl.

At first, I really didn't like Macie. She was kind of bitchy and I was hoping that she would give up with GGA and go back to regular school. But throughout the book, she really started to grow on me. She started showing a nicer side and she was helping the girls and by the end of the book, I really liked her. She became and important ally for Cammie (I wouldn't call them friends just yet).

And then we meet Josh when Cammie is out on a mission.

Josh was a really great character. He was just a normal boy and he's everything that Cammie wants and needs. We got to see a different side of Cammie when she was with Josh - she was just a normal girl and I really enjoyed seeing her like that.

The whole story line was exciting, with the different classes at the GGA and I was really interested in learning about them. The missions they went on were exciting to read about and I really enjoyed the end mission which was a test for one of their classes. It was exciting and there was also an unexpected twist that I didn't see coming and it just made it even more amazing!

I gave this book:

I definitely recommend this book, it was exciting and funny and I really really enjoyed it. I can't wait to read the second one!

Book & Movie REVIEW: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

*REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1)
by Isaac Marion

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse. Just dreams. 

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a burst of vibrant color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that R lives in. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.


Book Review
I really really enjoyed this book! This was one of the very few zombie books I've read and so far, it's been the best. The whole concept of this book was amazing and something I had never thought of, so I was extremely excited to read this book. I was slightly let down by the book, but I still really enjoyed it.

R was an amazing main character. He was so torn between what he had to do to survive and what was the right thing, which is extremely odd for a zombie to be thinking since everything I've ever read about zombies says that they are dead and they don't think. So instantly I was drawn in by this massive difference. R's inner dialogue was really interesting. I enjoyed getting to know him and some of his inner dialogue was hilarious. He was an extremely intelligent person and I felt so much sympathy for R because he couldn't express himself properly. I grew attached to R very quickly and I was hoping that he would be able to overcome this disease thing and be who he really is.

“We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next.”

I really liked Julie's character as well. She was amazingly strong after everything she'd been through and I really admired that (I probably would have freaked if a zombie tried to take me away with them!). She was really tough. She was also and extremely likable character and I had a bond with her too. I like how Julie managed to ignore what R was like on the outside and see him for what he really was on the inside. I was rooting for these two the minute R set eyes on her.

M and Nora were brilliant characters as well. I love how M and R managed to have a close friendship even though they were zombies, they weren't giving up on being human. Nora was a hilarious character and I loved the parts of the book she was in.

Perry was a great character as well. Even though he was dead, I liked how we still got to hear about him and learn about his past and what kind of person he was.

The story line was great. Most of the book was fast paced and enjoyable, but there were moments where the plot line would slow down, or it wasn't moving fast enough for me. There were also some really awkward and weird scenes that I wished weren't in it (like the weird zombie sex scenes - were they really needed?)

R and Julie's relationship was one that gave me hope. If Julie can ignore the fact that R is a zombie and treat him like a normal human being, maybe all humans would learn to accept the zombies (after they had changed, of course). But, R and Julie were just so perfect for each other.

I was slightly confused by the ending, however. I wasn't too sure what actually happened to R [spoiler - did he become human or not? It wasn't explained very well]

Overall, I really enjoyed this book which is why I gave it:

I definitely recommend picking up this book. The whole concept behind the story is brilliant and I really enjoyed it.

Movie Review

OMG! Seriously, this never ever ever happens, but I thought that the movie was SO much better than the book.

I was hooked from the very first couple of lines, and I was laughing most of the way through the movie. They managed to bring the characters to life and make the story so much more interesting.

'What am I doing with my life? I'm so pale, I should get out more. I should eat better'

Nicholas Hoult was the perfect R. He was brilliant at being an awkward zombie, and he was so believable as this character. He played R brilliantly and managed to get across everything that R was and what he really wanted to be/do. Plus he was pretty hot... for a zombie.
Teresa Palmer is an amazing actress! She was brilliant at playing Julie, she was everything I imagined her to be and I can't fault her at all.
Marcus and Nora were brilliant in the film as well, I grew more of an attachment to them in the movie (especially Nora, she was badass!).
I was slightly gutted that there wasn't a lot of Perry's story, but what do you expect? Some things had to be cut out and maybe they thought that it wasn't a major part of what they wanted the movie to be. One thing I'm glad that was cut out was the weird zombie sex (totally un-needed)
There wasn't a dull moment in the movie, I was hooked from the very start and I loved every single minute of it.
The story line made so much more sense in the movie and the ending was just brilliant. I seriously wish that the book ending had been like that, it would have been so much more amazing!
There was A LOT more action in the movie and there were more appearances from the boneys, which I really enjoyed, and the humas realised that the boneys were their real enemy, not the zombie/humans. 

The massive fight scene at the end was amazing! I loved how everything came together at the end!
But that scene with Julie and R in the water, I almost died! [spoiler - I thought they had killed R!].And then the ending with Julie and R was so sweet, and I just loved the whole film
I seriously recommend going to see this film, even if you haven't read the book because it's just so awesome that I think everyone should definitely see it!

Beautiful Creatures Movie Review

So you may (or may not) have noticed that the review I posted for Beautiful Creatures last night is now gone. I have a very good reason for this.

Last night when I was writing my review, I was still slightly angry after seeing the movie and most of the things I wrote were negative. This morning, however, when I woke up, I read over my review and realised that I hadn't put enough emphasis on the amazing parts of the movie. I also sat and thought about the movie a lot this morning, and once I got over my initial reaction towards the movie I realised that I did enjoy it. So I thought I would re-do my review because I have a lot more to say about it today.

Like any book to movie adaptation, there are amazing parts, parts that were missed out, parts that were slightly changed and parts that were completely changed. And this movie was no exception.

The first thing I noticed about this movie was how amazing Alden Ehrenreich was at portraying Ethan Wate. Seriously, he completely blew me away. He captured everything that made Ethan who he is and he was just perfect.

Alice Englert was spectacular as well. She was the perfect Lena. People can moan about her all they want - 'she doesn't have black hair!' - go see the movie and you'll realise that the hair doesn't matter. What matters is the acting, and Alice was magnificent. She left me speechless most of the time because her portrayal of Lena was just exactly what I had imagined.

Link was a brilliant character as well. Thomas Mann did a great job at playing Link, but I do wish that Link had been in the movie a lot more than he was. I was quite disappointed with the lack of Link and Ethan's relationship because that was one of the most important parts of the book and a part that I really loved. So I was slightly let down by the lack of Link.

I don't think I have the words to describe how much I loved Emmy Rossum's portrayal of Ridley. Ridley was the character I was most looking forward to seeing and I wasn't let down. The minute she entered the movie she started causing chaos and destruction and I just loved her. Moan about her hair all you want, but you cannot deny that Ridley was bad-ass in the movie. The only thing that I was slightly annoyed about was the lack of the cherry lollipops  I think there was one scene where she has it for like a couple of seconds and that was it. It was what made Ridley who she was, but I think it might have been taken out because they went a different way with Rid, so I can forgive them for that.

I don't have a lot to say about Macon except for - HOW AWESOME IS JEREMY IRONS? 

He was just the most amazing Macon, EVER.

And then we have Amma/Marion. I didn't like this combination at all. We completely lost the Amma from the books, with her crosswords, her baking and I just wish that Amma had been what she was like in the book. The other thing we lost with this combination, was Ethan's connection to his mother through Marion and the library and I felt that it was such an important part of the books that they should have kept the characters seperate.

Sarafine was as crazy and awful as she was in the book. Emma Thomson did a great job as Sarafine/Mrs Lincoln. Mrs Lincoln is one of those characters who comes across as evil because she is so driven by her beliefs that she discriminates against a lot of people, so Sarafine possessing her was just perfect. She was over the top as Sarafine and to be honest, I really enjoyed it. She was a great character as well.

So now we're onto the storyline.

So there were some spectacular scenes in the movie that I absolutely loved, like 'The Window Scene'. I always loved that scene in the book, so seeing it in the movie was breathtaking. The way that Savannah and Emily were taunting Lena was horrible, but it was needed to have this scene be as amazing as it was. This scene gave me shivers and I just absolutely loved it.

The other scene that i really enjoyed was Ridley's claiming. Seeing her turn from this young, innocent girl into a dark caster was brilliant. And then seeing her use her siren powers gave me chills.

And then we had the dining room scene. This was my favourite scene in the whole movie. The face off between Ridley and Lena was beautiful. It showed Ridley's feelings about Lena and revealed a lot of secrets that had been kept from Lena. We also got to see more of Ridley and Lena's powers and their fight was spectacular. 

There were a lot of cute scenes between Lena and Ethan and I loved their interactions. They were such a sweet couple and I just wanted everything to work out for them (even though I already knew what happens - or so I thought). They were such a solid couple and they had so much on screen chemistry that they were so believable.

The snow scene with Ethan and Lena was so adorable. They're just such an amazing couple! AND THEN THEY RUINED IT! 

The ending was the only part of this movie that I honestly didn't like. I mean WHAT THEY HELL WAS THAT?! SERIOUSLY, COME ON!

Ok, so I'm going to tell you exactly what happened, so if you want to know, highlight the text below. But be warned - it may be a MASSIVE spoiler if you haven't read the book, and it's a slight spoiler if you haven't seen the movie (It's basically what happens at the end of the book, but much different).

So the ending was completely different from the book and I hated it. In the book, Lena's claiming is hijacked by Sarafine, Hunting and then that whole thing with Larkin actually being a dark caster. And then Sarafine stabs Ethan and Lena uses the spell in the Book of Moons to bring back Ethan, and ends up killing her Uncle Macon instead. So yeah, none of this happens in the movie. In the movie, Link and Ethan are in the re-enactment of the civil was and they are the only two people in Greenbrier. Link is under Ridley's spell and loads a real bullet into his gun. Ethan decides that he and Link should just shoot each other so that they can go home and watch a movie (Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention that Lena wiped Ethan's memory and he has no memory of their relationship whatsoever!). So when Link shoots Ethan, he actually shoots him. Lena feels it right away and runs away from her claiming party thing to find Ethan. So when Lena arrives, she's distraught because Ethan is dying and she gets angry at Link. And then Sarafine and Ridley show up. They planned this all along to make Lena turn dark. Lena goes crazy and starts a massive storm that looks like it killed a hell of a lot of people and was quite a big over-reaction. She also makes her claiming moon disappear (or maybe she claimed herself, I'm not too sure what actually happened at that part - it wasn't really explained). So then Ridley begs Lena to let her go, she says that Sarafine tricked her into believing that Lena was going to go dark no matter what. She also played the sympathy card saying that when she knew she was being claimed dark, she ran away to protect Lena. Lena allows Ridley to go. And then, from what I saw, I think Lena killed Sarafine, which should not have happened! She's in the rest of the books! So unless they find some explanation for how Sarafine manages to come back, they've completely ruined it!
And then the whole thing with Ethan dying was absolute crap! It wasn't even Ethan! Ethan Wate was at home... sleeping! YES, SLEEPING! HE WASN'T EVEN THERE!

The Ethan that got shot was actually Macon disguised as Ethan. And the Macon you saw was actually Larkin disguised as Macon. It was just, terrible. The ending in the book was way more moving than that ending. I didn't have any tears and I wasn't shocked when it happened like I was in the book and I just felt that they completely ruined the ending! The ending in the book was spectacular and this ending was just, meh. It could have been so much better, and I really wish that they had stuck to the book with this scene.

So yeah, I didn't like the ending at all (and wow, that's one looong spoiler!).

And then the very end when Ethan gets out the car and shouts 'LENA!', I was like NO! NO! THAT IS NOT HOW THIS HAPPENS!

But overall, when I think about it, I did really enjoy the movie and I'm definitely glad I went to see it. The acting was superb and yeah, I loved it (apart from THAT ENDING. I will never get over that ending.)

I definitely recommend going to see this movie, but keep an open mind (unlike me) because the movie is so different from the book, but it's amazing in it's own way.

Have you seen Beautiful Creatures yet? If you have, what did you think?

If not, will you be going to see it at some point?

REVIEW: Sister Assassin by Kiersten White

*REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Sister Assassin (Mind Games #1)
by Kiersten White
Release Date: February 19th

She never chose her deadly gift but now she’s forced to use it. How far would you go to protect the only family you have left?

Annie is beset by fleeting strange visions and a guilty conscience. Blind and orphaned, she struggles to care for her feisty younger sister Fia, but things look up when both sisters are offered a place at Kessler School for Exceptional Girls.

Born with flawless intuition, Fia immediately knows that something’s wrong, but bites her tongue… until it’s too late. For Fia is the perfect weapon to carry out criminal plans and there are those at Kessler who will do anything to ensure her co-operation.

With Annie trapped in Kessler’s sinister clutches, instincts keep Fia from killing an innocent guy and everything unravels. Is manipulative James the key to the sisters’ freedom or an even darker prison? And how can Fia atone for the blood on her hands?


I got a copy of this from Netgalley and I was so excited! This book was on my most anticipated books of 2013 list, so I definitely had to read this ASAP. I'm definitely glad that I got this. It was n't as good as I was expecting, but it was still really enjoyable. The story line was interesting and very intriguing. I thought it was very unique and I enjoyed reading it.

Annie was my favourite of the sisters. She was caring and sweet, and she just had such a great vibe about her that I could totally connect with her. 
I never really connected with Fia. Maybe it's because I found her annoying and the fact that she was always depressed. Although I couldn't connect with her, I did feel sorry for her because of the situation she's in and everything she has to do/has done.

I'm still on the fence about James. I'm not sure whether he's going to do Fia any good, or whether he's just going to drag her down with him. I still think Fia would be better off with [spoiler - highlight] Adam.

Finding out what the school used to be like, and then seeing what Keane has done to it was terrible. I can't believe what's he's done and I would really like to see him get what's coming to him (fingers crossed).

Fia's habit of repeating words two or three times started to get on my nerves. I don't need to hear say 'crazy crazy crazy', 'crazy' would do just find. There's no need to repeat it! She does it a lot and, I have to say, Fia is the only thing that really annoyed me about this book. She was constantly getting on my nerves, but I'm hoping that in the second book I'll start to like her more.

I enjoyed that this book was told from Annie & Fia's perspective. There were a lot of flashback scenes and scenes in the present that I started to get slightly confused, but I really liked reading the flashbacks. They gave me a better understanding of the characters.

There was a shock ending and now I really really want the second book to find out what happens! I didn't see it coming at all which was why it was so fantastic.

I gave this book:

I did really enjoy this book, but I wasn't a massive fan of Fia. I'll definitely be buying a physical copy of this book sometime this year (I BOUGHT IT! :D)because I really enjoyed it and I know I'll re-read it at some point. I definitely recommend reading this book. It was enjoyable and the story line was fantastic!

REVIEW: Ethereal by Addison Moore

*REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Ethereal (Celestra #1)
by Addison Moore

Sixteen-year-old, Skyla Messenger is a dead girl walking. 

When her newly remarried mother moves the family to Paragon Island, to a house that is rumored to be haunted, Skyla finds refuge in Logan Oliver, a boy who shares her unique ability to read minds.

Skyla discovers Logan holds the answers to the questions she’s been looking for, but Logan’s reluctance to give her the knowledge she desires leaves her believing Logan has a few secrets of his own. 

Skyla’s bloodlines may just be connected to the most powerful angelic beings that roam the earth, and the more she knows, the more danger she seems to be in. 

Suddenly an entire faction of earthbound angels wants her dead, at least she still has Logan, or does she?


Well, for me, this book was pretty boring. Everything was happening in such a short space of time that mostly I had no idea what was even going on. The story line was extremely fast paced and I felt myself getting confused about what was actually happening because there was much going on. 
Parts of the story where Logan would tell Skyla about her powers didn't have enough detail for me. Sometimes it would just be like 'Oh, yeah, you do this/do that' and it would just skim over how she managed to get these powers or how the powers worked and I just didn't fully understand it.

And then we have the characters.
Skyla was really annoying. She was always acting out and most of the time, everything was about her. She couldn't be happy for her mother and she had to always bring up her dad at every opportunity she got. By the end of the book, I was glad that I wouldn't have to hear her moan about everything. I was getting sick of her.
Logan & Gage. Ok, yeah, they seemed hot. But they didn't have a lot of character development. I never grew an attachment to either of these characters and I honestly didn't care for them.
Briella was annoying as well. Her and Skyla were BFF's two seconds after they had met, which I found very unbelievable as well. I couldn't stand her character either. She seemed very superficial and fake to me.
Chloe I probably would have liked, but unfortunately, she's dead. But she seemed like a character that I would be able to connect with, but she wasn't in this book a lot.

Skyla and Logan's relationship was the most unbelievable thing I have ever read. Seriously, she meets this guy, then two days later she's telling him she loves him and basically having sex with him on a pool table. NO. This was a MAJOR case of insta-love and I found myself rolling my eyes at the two of them when they were together. Plus, Logan was a terrible boyfriend.
And then, Skyla decided to get with Gage to annoy Logan. Ok, can you just make up your mind? I hate it when there's that kind of relationship in a story. There's no need to get with another guy to make your boyfriend jealous, because then you're CHEATING ON HIM! And that's the other reason why I really didn't like Skyla.

Like I said, the story line just confused the hell out of me. To be honest, I don't even remember half of the stuff that happened because I was so confused! The plot wasn't really that great and I was trying to get through it as quickly as I could because I wanted to get it finished so that I could start another book!

I gave this book:

I doubt I'll be reading the rest of the books in this series. I just really didn't enjoy the first one.

REVIEW: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

*REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Mystic City (Mystic City #1)
by Theo Lawrence

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.  


I finished this book 10 minutes ago, and I'm lost for words. This book was just... breathtaking. Trying to form words to write this review is extremely difficult, because I feel that everything I write doesn't do this book justice, but I'm going to have to try.

Aria was an extraordinary character. Right from the start I felt sorry for her, because I knew she'd been through something horrendous. Losing her memory, and forgetting her love is just awful. But Aria is stronger that she seems and throughout the book, I started to grow a strong bond with her. I was desperate to find out how Aria had lost her memories, and how important the memories she lost were (very important, as it turns out). She was such and influential character, and she is definitely my favourite female character ever now. 

Right from the start, I thought there was something off about Thomas. He was too distant, and the fact that her parents were trying to keep her away from him as much as possible made me suspicious. Thomas seemed like a kind, gentle character, and I was hoping that he would grow on me (since he and Aria were engaged and in love) and that I would get to see a lot more of Thomas. Which, unfortunately, I did.

And then we have Hunter. Oh, Hunter. From the very first scene we meet him (when we don't know his name), I knew he was going to be important in this story. He and Aria had a connection from the very first chapter. I found myself wanting to see a lot more of Hunter. Hunter was a beautiful character. He had such an amazing personality, and he had a power about him that just made him even more attractive. He was sweet, kind and just one of the most beautiful people ever (and not just physically). Hunter is also a rebel Mystic who hasn't had his powers drained.

This book captured my attention from the second I started reading this book. I was sucked in by the fascinating story line of Aria's memory loss, and I was desperate to know more about it. And then, there were more stories that started to capture my attention, like the mysterious boy on the balcony, the world that Aria lives in and, of course, the Mystics. The Mystics were the most intriguing part of this story line. I wanted to know more about their powers, and why they were being forced into hiding/forced to have their powers removed. 

The government in this world was disgusting. They drain Mystics powers because they deem the Mystics to be 'dangerous'. They are tortured and almost killed through the draining process, and it was awful to read about it. The  government of this world are despicable human beings and I would have loved to have seen them all burn to the ground. What they were doing was awful and I found myself rooting for Violet Brooks (the mystic election candidate). I wanted Mystics to have the same rights as humans. Plus, lets face it, the Mystics are so much cooler and have awesome powers.

This book was full of action from the very start. There was a massive fight scene at the end that involved the Mystics, and it was just spectacular. Being able to see and imagine some of the powers that were being used was amazing. This book was beautifully written and I fell in love with it.

There were parts of the book that I found predictable, but they didn't spoil the book for me at all. I got excited when I thought I'd uncovered something in the story, and then when I found out I was right, I was jumping for joy most of the time.

The ending of this book was sensational, but it was also kind of sad. I really felt for Hunter at the end, but I'm glad everything worked out the way it was supposed to and everyone knows the truth now.

Writing this review without spoiling it was extremely difficult, I'd got to write something and then realise that a tiny part of it would spoil a hell of a lot of the book, so I hope I've managed to not spoil the story for you, but make you really want to read it.
I gave this book:

I haven't read a book as extraordinary as this in quite some time. I seriously recommend that you read this book if you haven't already. It's only February, but I know that this book will be on my top books of 2013 list. Maybe the second book Renegade Heart will be as well, since it comes out in July!! I'm so excited for the next book! I hope it'll be just as amazing as this one.