Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
Series: Hopeless #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication Date: July 9th 2013
Source: Bought

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies… 

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

Colleen Hoover is one of those authors that I've been hearing a lot about over the past year. I've heard so many amazing things about her books and her writing over the past year so I finally decided that it was time to read one of her books. I'm actually kicking myself for not picking up one of her books earlier. Hopeless was such an emotional and beautiful read and I adored everything about it.

Seventeen year old Sky has finally managed to convince her mother to allow her to go to school. She's been home-schooled for as long as she can remember so Sky is excited to finally go to a proper school. And then Sky meets Dean Holder. Holder is the only guy that has ever invoked feelings in Sky that she's never had before. This terrified her but Sky also finds herself drawn to him. What Sky doesn't know is that Holder is hiding something from her, and when the truth is revealed, Sky's life changes forever.

I honestly can't even describe how much I loved this book. I honestly just sat in awe when I'd finished this book. It's one of the most emotional, powerful and beautiful novels I've ever read.

Sky is one of the strongest and toughest characters I've ever came across. She starts off as a normal 17 year old girl at the start of this book who's dealing with normal teenage issues like: starting high school, making friends and falling in love. She's funny, doesn't care what other people think of her and is extremely smart. She doesn't really know much about technology because her mother hasn't allowed her to have a phone or a computer, and they don't even have a TV so there were some pretty hilarious moments surrounding that. But then something happened that caused Sky's life to fall apart. And then Sky became such a strong and brave character. Sky went through a hell of a lot during this book and I really admire her character.

Oh, Holder. As soon as Dean was introduced I just completely fell for him. I know I shouldn't have, but I did. There are a lot of rumors surrounding Holder at the beginning on the book. He's very intense (and maybe a little scary to begin with), but Holder won my heart very quickly. As the book went on and I got to know Holder a lot more, I began to realise that he's one of the sweetest and most adorable guys ever. Holder's keeping a lot of secrets about his past and he's struggling to deal with his emotions and come to terms with what happened.

Holder and Sky had a serious amount of chemistry. From the moment they met in the supermarket car park (even if Holder was a little bit intense and forceful) it was obvious ther he was a spark between them. Every time they were together the air was charged between them. Their scenes together were extremely hot and their 'first kiss'? Holy wow. That is the best 'first kiss' I have ever read about. Ever.

The story line of Hopeless was a lot darker than I was expecting. I was expecting a love story, but for their to be some complications surrounding Holder. Boy, was I wrong. This book was so intense and so freaking emotional. I was on a roller-coaster ride throughout this whole book. I was completely shocked by the twist in this book and some moments actually left me sick to my stomach. But Colleen Hoover delivers these shocking and horrifying blows in such a powerful way. Her writing is the main thing I loved about this book. It flowed perfectly and she managed to draw me in right from the first sentence. I honestly lost count of the amount of times I cried/teared up at this book. It was just amazing.

Overall, Hopeless is definitely one of the best books I've ever read and it's definitely one of my favourite New Adult books ever. Colleen Hoover is such a fantastic author and I'm really looking forward to reading more of her books. She's definitely on my auto-buy list after this book.

Let the Storms Break by Shannon Messenger

Let the Storms Break by Shannon Messenger
Series: Let the Sky Fall #2
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: March 4th 2014
Source: Publisher [Edelweiss]

Vane Weston is haunted. By the searing pull of his bond to Audra. By the lies he’s told to cover for her disappearance. By the treacherous winds that slip into his mind, trying to trap him in his worst nightmares. And as his enemies grow stronger, Vane doesn’t know how much longer he can last on his own.

But Audra’s still running. From her past. From the Gales. Even from Vane, who she doesn’t believe she deserves. And the farther she flees, the more danger she finds. She possesses the secret power her enemy craves, and protecting it might be more than she can handle—especially when she discovers Raiden’s newest weapon.

With the Gale Force weakened by recent attacks, and the power of four collapsing, Vane and Audra are forced to make a choice: keep trusting the failing winds, or turn to the people who’ve betrayed them before. But even if they survive the storms sent to destroy them, will they have anything left to hold on to?

Ever since I read Let the Sky Fall last May, I've been desperate to get my hands on the second book. I was lucky enough to be accepted for a review copy on Edelweiss and I was so freaking happy! I had to force myself not to read this book when I got approved way back in October because I wanted to wait until nearer it's release date - and it was definitely difficult! While I didn't find Let the Storms Break as amazing as the first book, it was still a fantastic sequel. 

Let the Sky Fall ended with Audra disappearing and leaving Vane by himself (which did leave me slightly heartbroken). Vane is trying to learn to harness his power because he's the one the Gales are relying on. Audra is off running from everything: her past, the Gales and Vane because of what she's done. Raiden is still out their biding his time waiting for his next chance to strike. 

Again, Let the Storms Break was told by both Audra and Vane. I adored seeing both of their POV's. They were both dealing with their own struggles and coming across their own issues/problems and I lvoed seeing how they dealt with them when they were apart (but I was also hoping they'd be reunited asap!). 

Vane hasn't really changed much from the first book. He's still hilarious, struggling to control his power and a regular teenage guy who has sexy thoughts about his girlfriend at inappropriate times. I did still really love Vane. Even though there were times when he could be a complete ass or had me rolling my eyes, I still really loved him. I enjoyed seeing him trying to come to terms with his future position, and I loved that he never gave into the Gales. He can be a tough and strong character when he wants to be, but he can also be pretty weak.

I adored Audra in this book. She was completely bad ass from start to finish. Audra is such a strong character, but she's struggling to come to terms with her past. She recently learnt the truth about what happened when she was a child and she can't wrap her head around it. She's also struggling with what she did with Vane and how she feels like she doesn't deserve him. Audra is very insecure and has been completely shaken after the revelations in the previous book, but she's still willing to put her life on the line for Vane (which really just shows how much she cares for him and how she truly deserves him). She was just so completely awesome in Let the Storms Break. 

I adored the story line of this book. I loved meeting the new characters that were introduced in this book. As much as I didn't like Solana, I didn't hate her either. I just hated the fact that she was so obsessed with Vane and was trying to do anything she could to make him love her. But other than that, Solana seems like she's going to be a fantastic character. Gus was by far my favourite of the new characters. He's really funny, charming and always managed to give Vane a kick up the arse when he needed it. There was a lot of action and fighting in this book - which was completely expected - and the fighting scenes were awesome. Vane was going all bad ass and creating awesome wind spikes and Audra was even more bad ass and was creating kick ass haboobs (which are wind storms btw). 

The ending was especially exciting and full of action. I loved seeing the Gales using Vane's wind spikes and fighting the living storms, but I wasn't loving was Os was doing. Still not sure if I can trust him or if I like him yet. What I didn't expect though was for my heart to be torn in two. WHY? Why did the ending have to be so cruel and soul destroying? After everything Audra and Vane have been through, why can't they be happy for two seconds without something destroying it? I was slightly broken after that ending and I just need book #3 so bad so that I can find out what happens to Audra and whether Vane will be able to save her.

Overall, Let the Storms Break was a fantastic sequel to Let the Sky Fall. It was full of action and actually helped me understand the wind walkers and their control of the wind a lot more. This has been such a fantastic series so far and I just need book #3 RIGHT NOW.

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White
Series: Mind Games #2
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: February 18th 2014
Source: Publisher [Edelweiss]

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.

The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.

Ever since I read Sister Assassin last year, I've been eagerly awaiting the sequel. Perfect Lies was everything I could have asked for in a sequel. It was full of twists, it was intriguing and the characters kept me guessing right to the end. 

Annie and Fia have been manipulated by the Keane Foundation for years and Annie has finally managed to escape after faking her death. Annie joins a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. Fia is working with James on the inside to bring down James' father. Annie is having visions that leave her confused and unsure who to trust. Fia starts to realise that James is hiding something from her. The sisters can only rely on each other, but that might not be enough.

Fia's habits of repeating words and tapping continued in this book but they actually didn't bother me as much in this one. I got a better understanding of why she continually tapped and I started to feel for her. I actually managed to connect with Fia a lot more in this one. She became more human and just wanted to do everything she could to protect her sister. Fia is a strong and confident character, but she was also scared. She was becoming even more unstable as the book went on because ultimately, I think she knew what she had to do. She's an extremely flawed character, but I grew to love her in this one.

I always really loved Annie. Annie is so excited in this one to be free of the Foundation, but she's worried about Fia. Anna is having confusing visions, and one vision in particular makes her fear for Fia. Annie is strong in her own way, but she's also very gullible. There were moments when I wanted to shake her and try to make her understand what she was completely missing! But I still really loved Annie. She's such a sweet and vulnerable character.

Annie and Cole's relationship was one of my favourite parts of this book. They didn't just fall in love straight away, they actually started off disliking each other. Cole would always say something that had me laughing and left Annie blushing. As soon as they met I wanted something to happen between them and I kept my fingers crossed throughout the whole book. And then when Annie had the vision, I was so hoping that Cole would be that guy. They were just so adorable together.

I never really got Fia and James together. Honestly, I never saw what Fia saw in James. I was always convinced that James was going to betray Fia. Plus, James isn't a very likable character. He always came across as a complete ass, so I could never get behind their relationship.

The story is told from both Annie and Fia's POV's, but is also told from two different times. Annie's is set further back than Fia's but ultimately, they both lead up to the same moment. I never found this confusing or hard to grasp at all. I actually really loved it. Seeing what Annie and Fia were both doing without each other and seeing both of their journeys up to the event at the end was fascinating. This book was full of action and so many twists that it kept me guessing right until the very end. There were so many ways that this book could have ended, but I'm glad it ended the way it did.

Overall, Perfect Lies was a great ending to this duology. I'm extremely satisfied with the way this book ended for both Annie and Fia, but I would really love to see a bit more of Fia. The Mind Games duology has been a great series and I would definitely recommend it.

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi [SPOILER REVIEW]

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #3
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: February 4th 2014
Source: Bought

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. 

But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner.

And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew - about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam - was wrong.

SPOILER REVIEW! PLEASE DON'T READ THIS REVIEW UNLESS YOU HAVE READ IGNITE ME. IT'S FULL OF MAJOR SPOILERS.

As soon as I finished reading Unravel Me, I was desperate to get my hands on Ignite Me. It took a bit longer than I'd hoped to arrive (and arrived on a day I was working) but I still managed to get through it in a few hours and I have to say that I definitely loved this one the most. I know that it was a bit all over the place for most of the book, but Ignite Me had a completely different feel from the first two books and I just adored everything about it.

I had an explosion of feels from the word go. Tahereh Mafi completely outdid herself with this one. I honestly didn't think anything could be better than Unravel Me, but Ignite Me proved me wrong.

Omega Point is gone (blown up by Warner's dad) and Warner has saved Juliet from dying. Warner tells Juliet that everyone in Omega Point that she loved is dead and that the war is over and they lost. Warner reveals that he wants to kill his father as much as Juliet and they should work together. Juliet is determined not to give up on her friends and has Warner take her back to Omega Point where she discovers that a very small group of her friends survived.

Juliet has grown into such a strong character and she gets stronger and stronger throughout the book. She's finally learned to accept herself and has become a powerful and dangerous character. I really admire her determination and her strength. She never gives up and she always tries to look out for her friends. She's just such an amazing character.

Warner isn't as horrible as he comes across. He puts on a front to protect himself from getting close to anyone because he's been hurt in the past and his father brought him up that way. Learning about Warner's past actually brought tears to my eyes. Warner is a very protective, caring, charismatic and sweet character, but he can also be dangerous and sexy. I adored seeing more of Warner using his power and really seeing what he was capable of. My love for Warner grew and grew throughout this book.

Adam is just a big whiny baby! He really frustrated me in this book and I wanted to punch him in the face on more than one occasion because he was being such a jackass. He was so aggressive, angry and completely out of line. I did understand why he was acting the way he was, but that doesn't mean I had to like it. He's was out of order. That being said, I do still like Adam. He changed a lot during this book as well and finally came to terms with everything that had happened.

Kenji is just my favourite character ever. His interactions with Juliet/Adam/Warner were just amazing. Kenji and Juliet have such a great relationship. They're so close and Kenji knows how to get Juliet to show her potential. He's such a sarcastic, hilarious and amazing character.

The plot of Ignite Me wasn't as faced paced as the previous two books since most of this book was spent planning to kill Warner (and Adam's) dad, but I never got bored. I adored seeing everyone working in Warner's gym and seeing them all train. I loved seeing Warner and Juliet using their powers and also seeing the other characters use their powers. I adored Warner's interactions with James. They were so adorable and they melted my heart. I enjoyed seeing what happened when it was finally revealed that Adam and Warner are brothers. It completely changed everything and I'm pretty sure they'd be able to work everything out since they're brothers (and also because of James).

The scenes between Juliet and Warner were so freaking hot. Holy shit, Tahereh Mafi! You sure know how to write chemistry! I may have actually had to fan myself during a few of these scenes because... wow. 

The ending had me on the edge of my seat. I really NEEDED my ending. I needed Warner and Juliet to end up together and I was scared because of the way some endings have gone (I'm looking at you Allegiant) that I might not get my ending. It was just such a fantastic and perfect ending. I'm so glad that Juliet ended up with Warner because he was definitely the perfect choice for her. She just needed the time to get to know the real Warner.

Overall, Ignite Me was a perfect ending to the Shatter Me Trilogy. I honestly couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending and I just want to thank Tahereh Mafi for writing such an amazing series full of fantastic characters and some of the best/most heart-wrenching twists ever. Even though I haven't been invested in this series for long, I still can't believe that it's over! I JUST WANT MORE. I don't want it to be over. I need more Juliet & Warner, more Kenji, more James and more Adam! I guess I'll just have to read this amazing series over and over again, which is actually a really great thing.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #2
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: February 5th 2013
Source: Bought

tick
tick
tick
tick
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it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped from The Reestablishment. Now she's free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch. Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible. Haunted by her past and terrified of her future, Juliette knows that she will have to make some life-changing choices. Choices that may involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

As soon as I started reading Unravel Me, I knew I was going to love it even more than Shatter Me. I'd heard so many amazing things about this book (especially about Chapter 62) so I was dying to dive into this world again.

Straight away I was drawn in. I loved learning about Juliet and Adam's lives at Omega Point and learning what had happened in the couple of months that they'd been there. There were quite a few new characters introduced in this book so I was pretty excited to learn more about them and find out more about their powers.

Juliet starts off feeling sorry for herself in this book. She was pretty weak at the start and basically let people walk all over her because she was terrified of what she could do. But Juliet grew a lot throughout this book and I loved seeing her coming to terms with her power and finally recognizing it as a part of her. She grew into such a strong, powerful and dangerous character. I adored seeing her learning to control her power and also uncovering what else she can do (because that was freaking awesome!). Juliet is just one of the most amazing characters ever and I really, really love her.

Oh, Adam. What happened to you? In Shatter Me you were this sweet, reliable and kind character that I completely fell for. You were amazing and adorable, but you weren't in Unravel Me. Don't get me wrong, Adam had his moments in this book when he was sweet, but mostly I wanted to punch him. He was being so whiny and moany, and acting like a complete bitch for most of the book. It was so frustrating! Adam just wasn't understanding that Juliet was trying to protect him! He kept trying to push her which caused people to get hurt and I just stopped loving him in this one.

Warner on the other hand was a character I started off hating, but I was head over heels in love with him by the end. I've never did a complete 180 with a love triangle ever, but Warner is just so amazing so it was hard not to move to Team Warner. After some events happened, we got to learn a lot more about Warner and understand him. He's just so misunderstood, and he's had a tough life. He puts on this hard front to stop himself from getting hurt, but he's really a big softie! 

Kenji is one of my favourite characters ever. He's hilarious, sarcastic and just so damn amazing. He's always pushing Juliet to realise her potential and he really helps her a lot. He's such an amazing friend and he always manages to lighten any situation. 

The story line of Unravel Me was definitely a lot more exciting than book one. It was more fast-paced, there was a lot more action and overall, it was just more enjoyable. I powered through this one because I seriously just couldn't put it down. I adored learning about Warner and his family and seeing Juliet using her power and learning more about her power was awesome. I also really enjoyed finding out what was going on with Adam as well. Adam was keeping something from Juliet so I enjoyed uncovering what was going on (also, the basement scene was one of my favourite bits because Juliet is a badass). That twist though. That twist has to be one of the best twists ever (possibly the best). I'm pretty sure I remember reading about it ages ago, but I'd forgotten all about it so it was a massive shock. I had no idea what to do with that information! My mind was blown because it was so amazing and screwed up!  

And then we have Chapter 62. Chapter 62 was when my heart finally decided it was on Team Warner and my head followed. Holy shit, guys. That chapter had my heart racing and had me in tears. The chemistry, the emotions, everything about that chapter was just perfection. But it did tear my heart out as well.

The ending was a HOLY SHIT ending. It was fast-paced, full of twists and shocks that kept me on my toes and also killed me. My head was basically exploding from all of the twists that had already happened, and then that happened! My heart broke and I just sobbed. But then something happened that made my heart melt, but it was still broken because of what had happened earlier so I was just a complete mess at the end of this book. As soon as I'd finished I was constantly checking my emails to if Ignite Me had been dispatched because I needed it so bad!

Overall, Unravel Me was a spectacular sequel to Shatter Me. It was full of action, twists, surprises, Juliet being awesome and Warner so of course it was going to be amazing. If you haven't started the Shatter Me series yet, I honestly can't recommend it enough. Even if you didn't enjoy Shatter Me, I'd still tell you to read Unravel Me because it was on a completely different level from the first book. It was just amazing.

Erased by Jennifer Rush

Erased by Jennifer Rush
Series: Altered #2
Publisher: 
Publication Date: January 30th 2014
Source: Bought

They thought they had escaped. They were wrong.

After fleeing the Branch with Sam, Cas, and Nick, Anna is trying to make sense of the memories resurfacing from her old life. At the same time, she's learning how to survive in hiding, following Sam's rules: Don't draw attention to yourself. Always carry a weapon. Know your surroundings. Watch your back.

Then a figure from Anna's childhood reappears. Is it a Branch setup, or could it be the reunion Anna has hoped for? Uncertain of where her loyalties lie, Anna must fight to learn the truth -- before she is betrayed again. Ultimately, the answers hinge on one question: What was the real reason her memories were erased? Jennifer Rush delivers a thrilling sequel to Altered in a novel packed with mysteries, lies, and surprises that are sure to keep readers guessing until the last page is turned.

Oh, where do I start with this book. First, I loved it. Second, I finished it in under 2 hours. And Third, I LOVED IT. Seriously, the only thing going on in my head while I'm trying to write this review is OMG. THIS BOOK! Even though Erased is a lot shorter than Altered, I actually enjoyed this one a lot more. 

Erased picks up where Altered left off: Sam, Nick, Cas and Anna are on the run from The Branch and are trying to piece together their pasts.

There isn't a single character in this book that I didn't love (besides the evil ones because they're evil - obviously). Anna still remains one of my favourite female characters. She's so strong and feisty. She's so protective of the boys and would do anything for them. The main thing I admire about her though is her determination. Anna will go to any lengths to find out what happened to her parents and her sister since she has no memory of that night. She's willing to do anything for answers. Sam was just as amazing as ever. He's the rock of the group - the one that keeps them together and in-line - I doubt they'd be able to function without him. He's stable, reliable, protective and extremely caring. I have to admit that I did question Sam throughout the book, but I'm sure I was meant to. Cas is my favourite of the boys because he's just so freaking hilarious. Cas had me cracking up so many times throughout this book. He's sarcastic, light-hearted and such a sweet guy. He just makes my heart melt. Nick was my least favourite of the guys until I read Erased. I learnt a lot about Nick during this book. He was still his usual moody, snarky and short-tempered self, but we got to see another side of Nick and learn more about his past which made my heart melt.

I had serious Nick/Anna feels during this book. I know we were learning a lot about both of these characters and seeing them actually develop a friendly relationship, but guys, THEIR CHEMISTRY. Please tell me I wasn't imagining it because I was totally rooting for Nick & Anna. I love Sam & Anna because they're so adorable together, but Nick & Anna had serious chemistry (well, I thought they did). I did really love seeing the development of Nick & Anna's relationship though and seeing them bond. It was lovely.

So like I said, the gang are on the run from The Branch and are trying to piece together their pasts. All 4 of them are experiencing flashbacks and are trying to understand what they mean. Anna is having flashbacks of the night her parents were killed and is trying to piece together what actually happened. A surprise appearance of a character from their past throws them all and they start to discover that they've been lied to. Trev makes a few re-appearances and how I've missed Trev! He's changed a lot since the first book, but I still love Trev.

There was a hell of a lot of action, plotting tons of twist and reveals and I was just completely hooked. I seriously could not put this book down. My mind was overloading with the amount of twists but they were just so damn amazing and awesome! I did have tears in my eyes a couple of times and I think I even cried a little bit at one point. So yeah, this book was just brilliant.

The ending was really sweet and hilarious. I was laughing and really happy that they could finally move on and leave their pasts behind them.

Overall, Erased was a incredible follow up to Altered that I completely loved. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more Nick & Cas (I know I'm getting more Nick, but I want more Cas too!) because I just adore all of these characters and I NEED MORE! Seriously guys, if you haven't started this series yet then what are you waiting for? It's a series that I highly recommend!

Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton

Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton
Series: Some Quiet Place #1
Publisher: Flux
Publication Date: July 8th 2013
Source: Gift

I can’t feel sadness, anger, or fear. I can’t feel anything. I’ve grown talented at pretending.

Elizabeth Caldwell doesn’t feel emotions... she sees them in human form. Longing hovers around the shy, adoring boy at school. Courage materializes beside her dying friend. Fury and Resentment visit her abusive home. They've all given up on Elizabeth because she doesn’t succumb to their touch. All, that is, except beautiful Fear, who sometimes torments her and other times plays her compassionate savior. He’s obsessed with finding the answer to one question: What happened to Elizabeth to make her this way?

They both sense that the key to Elizabeth’s condition is somehow connected to the paintings of her dreams, which show visions of death and grief that raise more questions than answers. But as a shadowy menace begins to stalk her, Elizabeth’s very survival depends on discovering the truth about herself. When it matters most, she may not be able to rely on Fear to save her.

Some Quiet Place was a book I'd been extremely curious about for a while. I mean, the main characters sees emotions as people, so why would I not want to read this awesome sounding book that has one of the prettiest covers ever? My wonderful boyfriend bought me this book for Christmas and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from reading it for long, and I was right. As soon as I started this book I was completely drawn in. Kelsey Sutton created such a unique and extremely intriguing story that I just couldn't put this book down.

So like I said, our main character Elizabeth sees emotions as people. But, Elizabeth doesn't actually feel any emotions. I thought I would struggle to connect with Elizabeth due to her being detached, and I did slightly to begin with, but it was hard not to connect with Elizabeth. There's so much she doesn't know and so much she doesn't understand. Elizabeth's family aren't the best. Her dad is an abusive drunk and her mother doesn't believe that Elizabeth is her child. So on top of not being able to feel emotions, she lives with a family that doesn't love her. So of course I started to feel sorry for her. But Elizabeth was an intriguing and mysterious character. I loved unravelling the mystery surrounding her and finding out what her paintings meant.

So we got to see a lot of emotions in human form like: Courage, Denial, Anger and Joy, but my favourite by far had to be Fear. Fear is a determined character. He's always springing things on Elizabeth and trying to provoke some emotion from her. The fact that she can't feel any emotions baffles Fear and he does everything he can to find the reason why. He's a hilarious and charming character who constantly had me laughing my head off and swooning over him.

The storyline was slightly confusing at first and there were times when I completely lost the plot, but I quickly managed to pick everything back up (by re-reading the previous pages because I don't think I paid enough attention) and then I was hooked again. We were uncovering things about Elizabeth's family life; discovering secrets that had been hidden (and that were still trying to be hidden); finding out snippets about Elizabeth's past and also learning very slowly why Elizabeth couldn't feel emotions. I really loved unravelling this story and trying to work out what the hell was actually going on. It was a lot of fun and there were a lot of surprises along the way.

The ending was definitely a great ending and I definitely never saw that coming at all. I am, however, slightly disappointed that the next book - Where Silence Gathers - isn't a follow on of Elizabeth & Fear's story. I'd love to read about their lives after everything that happened, but I am still excited to read about the new characters. Perhaps there'll be an appearance from Elizabeth & Fear? Maybe? Please let there be!

Overall, Some Quiet Place definitely lived up to everything I expected it to be. It was intriguing, mysterious and such a unique idea that I just completely fell in love with it. Some Quiet Place is a book I definitely recommend!

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
Series: The Madman's Daughter #2
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: January 28th 2014
Source: Publisher [Edelweiss]

To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

Before I'd even started reading Her Dark Curiosity, I started seeing a lot of negative reviews around. After every review I read, I began looking forward to this book less and less but I was still really curious to find out what was going to happen that I just had to read it. I think going into this book with low expectations actually allowed me to enjoy this book a lot me. For me, it definitely wasn't a strong as The Madman's Daughter, parts of the story were ridiculous but this book still managed to grab me.

Her Dark Curiosity picks up months after Juliet escaped from her fathers island. She has been taken in by someone from her past and is trying to re-build her life. Juliet is trying to work on a serum to cure her illness, because her father's serum will only prevent it from taking over for so long and she just wants to have a normal life. And then the murders start. Someone is killing people Juliet knows and leaving strange and familiar clawlike slashes. Juliet starts to worry that one of her fathers creations followed her to London, and she knows exactly who it is.

Her Dark Curiosity had me going back and forth between ratings when I'd finished. I found the first half to be a bit bland and boring, not much was happening and I was slowly losing interest. But then the second half kicked in and everything got exciting very quickly. 

Juliet completely lost me in this one. I really liked her character in The Madman's Daughter, but after most of the decisions she made in this one, I'm not her biggest fan anymore. She was kind of flat in this one and her stupidity made me want to shake some sense into her countless times! I actually felt kind of disturbed by some of her decisions. She completely missed some extremely obvious clues that I'd figured out chapters ago and I couldn't believe she missed them! I still like Juliet, but definitely not as much as I did in the first book.

The romance in this book was... weird and creepy and very, very strange. I'm still not a fan of the love triangle in this series, mainly because I love Montgomery and everyone else can just GTF. But, oh how I wanted to slap Juliet for some of the decisions she made regarding the romance (especially that scene in her apartment with a certain character because WTF JULIET? REALLY?). I only really cared about the scenes involving Juliet and Montgomery. I didn't enjoy the other ones.

The storyline did take a while to grab my attention, but when it did, boy was I hooked! I was desperate to find out more about The Kings Club, The Professor and Elizabeth and find out what the hell was going on in this book! I did really love Lucy's involvement in this one. Lucy is a really great and strong character and she definitely added a lot to the story. There were still a hell of a lot of twist and surprises in this book that I didn't expect (and a few that I guessed), and the creep factor was still there.

The ending is left open for the next book - WHICH IS BASED ON FRANKENSTEIN! I kind of cheered when I read the last couple of lines because I'm really looking forward to seeing Shepherd's twist on the Frankenstein story! 

Overall, I enjoyed Her Dark Curiosity, but it definitely wasn't as good as the first book. I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to happen in the next (and last book) in this series and I'm excited about the Frankenstein twist.

Rule by Jay Crownover

Rule by Jay Crownover
Series: Marked Men #1
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 7th 2013
Source: Bought

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight--A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want--and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

Ever since I started reading New Adult last year, I've had my eye on this series. So when I got into a bit of a slump in the middle of January, I just decided to finally pick up Rule. I'm so glad I did because I completely fell in love with this book. It just had that pull for me and I honestly didn't even want to put this book down to go to sleep (but I had to since I could barely read a word on my kindle after a while).

Rule focuses on our two main characters: Shaw Landon and Rule Archer. Shaw and Rule are complete opposites. Shaw comes for a rich family, and it's a straight-A goody-two shoes. Rule is everything she isn't, but that didn't stop Shaw from falling for him the moment she met him. Rule has no idea of Shaw's feelings and would never even consider her since she was his dead twin brothers girlfriend. But, on Shaw's birthday after way too many cocktails,  it leads to a night neither Shaw nor Rule can forget. Shaw and Rule must figure out how to be together without destroying each other.

I adored both of the main characters in this book and there were a lot of secondary characters that I loved also (and that I'll get to know more in the rest of the series). 

Shaw comes from a rich family and is pressured by her parents to be perfect and do everything she can to make them happy. Shaw's family has never cared about her and all they want is for her to give off the right image for their family. Shaw is an extremely intelligent character. She's caring, feisty, strong and very determined. But she's also slightly broken because all she's ever wanted is for her parents to love her, but they never have. Shaw is completely in love with Rule and it's so obvious right from the start. I really felt for her because Rule had no idea how she felt and she had to see him with tons of different girls. It must have killed her. 

Rule is a serial shagger - and that's no exaggeration. Anything with boobs and pretty face gets to come home with Rule at night. He's covered in tattoo's and piercings, is a complete bad boy and has a terrible attitude most of the time - but it's hard not to love Rule. Rule is hurting because his parents (mainly his mother) blame him for his brother's death. Rule has been dealing with their criticisms and their anger towards him for years which has made him put up a front to stop people getting close to him. I really did feel for Rule and I honestly couldn't believe his parents were blaming him for Remy's death when it was just a terrible accident.

Shaw and Rule burned so bright when they were together. That one drunken night led to a lot of feelings being revealed and the start of something awesome. Shaw and Rule had their ups and downs, but they were perfect for each other. They went through a hell of a lot in this book, but they both came out stronger at the end. 

Other than dealing with romance, this book also dealt with family issues, grief and death. I loved that this wasn't just a straight forward romance book and I enjoyed what all of the added issues brought to the story and how they changed the characters. Even though it was tough to watch Rule go through all of that with his family, it was also great seeing how everything changed throughout the book. We also had stalker ex's and controlling parents. That part of the storyline was interesting, and also completely shocking, but it was needed and I did enjoy seeing how everything turned out.

Nash, Cora, Rome and Ayden were my favourite secondary characters and I'm super excited to see them all again in their own stories!

Overall, Rule is such a fantastic book. It's a great love story, but it's also full of deeper storylines and amazing characters. Rule is definitely one I recommend to everything who is a fan of New Adult - you won't be disappointed.