The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: November 5th 2013
Source: Netgalley

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

The Naturals was one of those books that I was so excited for this year, so when I saw it on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to get it and I'm so happy that I got approved for this one. The Naturals didn't let me down. This book was packed with twist that I didn't see coming and kept me up late at night because I was just so desperate to find out what was going to happen next. I seriously couldn't put this book down.

I adored the concept behind this book. Teenagers with powers that help solve crimes? Yes, please! I loved finding out what each of them could do and finding out more about them through Cassie.

Cassie is a natural at reading people and is recruited by the FBI for her talent. I really liked Cassie's character. She was still dealing with the loss of her mother and she can't get over it because she has no idea what happened to her. Cassie is a Profiler and she can tell you a lot about a person just by observing them and their surroundings. I loved getting to see Cassie use her powers, it was fascinating! Cassie is an extremely brave character and is determined to do anything she can to help.

Dean was definitely my favourite of the boys. He was mysterious and brooding, and he was hiding something. Something that he didn't want people to find out because they would judge him. I really felt for Dean. He keeps himself closed off to prevent anyone from hurting him. Dean was also a Profiler and he helped Cassie a lot when she was struggling.

Michael was cocky and he could read emotions (which he used to make people uncomfortable and to get his way). Michael really pissed me off and I just wish he would have backed off and left Cassie alone instead of trying to win her over! He annoyed me so much.

Lia was an interesting character. She was basically a human lie detector, but she was also a very skiller liar herself. She was extremely useful when it came to finding out whether suspects were lying or not, but she also used her power to make people feel uncomfortable. She's protective of Dean and would do anything to stop him getting hurt.

Sloane was an interesting character too. She was basically a walking encyclopedia. She was constantly blurting out facts and statistics, and I loved her. She's so smart!

The one thing I was slightly disappointed with was that we only learnt about Dean and Cassie's backgrounds. I really wanted to know what made the other 3 characters join this group and find out more about them.

I actually really enjoyed the fact that there were snippets from the killers POV. It was interesting and creepy. I kept getting freaked out reading it, but I wanted to know what the killer was going to do next so I couldn't stop!

The whole serial killer storyline was fascinating! I loved seeing everything unravel and trying to figure out who it was. Seeing all of the teens working on the case was brilliant too. I loved seeing them working together and trying to figure out what happened. I totally never guessed who it was though! It was such a shock at the end! I really enjoyed finding out what the killers motive was and why they were doing it.

I'm not too sure what to make of the ending. It was kind of a cliffhanger, but it also wasn't. There's a lot of stuff that I still want/need answers to, so personally, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's going to be a sequel because I WANT ONE!

Overall, this was such a thrilling novel. I was freaked out most of the way through this book but I just couldn't put it down! The Naturals is a book I definitely recommend and I'll be getting my hands on a finished copy when it's released!

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

House of Hades by Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus #3
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: October 8th 2013
Source: Bought

The House of Hades is the fourth book in the bestselling Heroes of Olympus series, set in the action-packed world of Percy Jackson.

The stakes have never been higher. If Percy Jackson and Annabeth fail in their quest, there'll be hell on Earth. Literally.

Wandering the deadly realm of Tartarus, every step leads them further into danger. And, if by some miracle they do make it to the Doors of Death, there's a legion of bloodthirsty monsters waiting for them.

Meanwhile, Hazel and the crew of the Argo II have a choice: to stop a war or save their friends. Whichever road they take one thing is certain - in the Underworld, evil is inescapable.

As soon as House of Hades arrived, I dove straight into it. It took me longer than I would have liked to finish it (that was due to decorating and work), but I loved every single second of this book. 

I absolutely adored that we got to hear from all of the demigods in this one! Percabeth, Leo, Nico and Hazel are my favourite though. I love everyone, but those 4 are my favourites. 

My main interest in this book was Percy and Annabeth's journey through Tartarus to the Doors of Death. There were so many monsters down there that I was on edge throughout their whole journey. Percy and Annabeth are so strong, but if they didn't have each other in Tartarus, I doubt they would have made it out alive. They both rely on each other so much while their down there and it just made their relationship even stronger than it was before. 

Leo has always been a favourite of mine since the first book in this series. He's just so funny! I love that Leo had a much bigger part in this one. Leo's jealousy disappeared in this one because of something that happened to him and I really hope that he'll be able to go back in the next book because he deserves to be happy!

I absolutely adore Nico! Everytime someone in this book called Nico a weirdo or something like that I got slightly angry. Nico is struggling with his own problems and we find out something about Nico that made my jaw drop and made me wonder why I'd never noticed it before! I felt so bad for him after that. 

Hazel is such an amazing character as well. She learns from Hecate that she's going to have to face someone at the end of their journey to help save Percy and Annabeth, and that she's the only one that can stop them. Hazel must learn to use her new powers before it's too late.

I really like Jason, Piper and Frank too, but I just don't like them as much as the others. Frank went through an amazing transformation in this one though.

The storyline in this one was amazing! The Argo II was constantly under attack from Gaia's monsters trying to prevent them from completing their quest; Percy and Annabeth were trying to avoid being caught in Tartarus and trying to find a way to survive and the demigods meet some new Gods and creatures along the way. There was just so much going on in this book! And there's a lot more that I haven't mentioned because I don't want to spoil it for anyone!

The ending was brilliant (and thankfully there wasn't another soul destroying cliffhanger). I can't wait for the fifth and final book - The Blood of Olympus - to come out. I'm really excited for it, but I'm sad that it's going to be the last book. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Percy!

Overall, this was a fantastic sequel to The Mark of Athena. It was packed full of action, twists and had me on edge the whole way through the book. Seriously, if you haven't read this series or the Percy Jackson series yet, you definitely should! They're amazing!

A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison

A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison
Series: The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey #2
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: July 5th 2012
Source: Library

Performing Arts college, here I come again! Hold on to your tights!! Because I'm holding on to mine, I can tell you.

Tallulah Casey is back and ready to Irish-comedy-dance her way through another term at Dother Hall, but now that she's been officially admitted to the performing arts program, that won't cut it anymore. Especially if she's going to help raise enough money to keep the school from closing at the end of the year.

There are also some . . . distractions to worry about: The boys of Woolfe Academy are lingering about. And they are still boys, so they are still confusing.

Will Tallulah be able to test out her new snogging skills and ace her performance in this term's project, A Midsummer Night's Dream? Only time and more Irish comedy dancing will tell.

I'm absolutely adoring the Tallulah Casey series! Although it doesn't live up to the Georgia Nicholson series, it's still a hilarious and bonkers series. I just couldn't wait to get my hands on this book after reading the first one. I couldn't wait to see what was in store for Tallulah and her friends next! 

This one was just as hilarious as the first book. Dother Hall is struggling to stay open due to money problems, so the students are given a task to find a way to raise money. The students were also rehearsing for their production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. 

The book had me laughing so hard. I seriously still can't believe that Dother Hall is a performing arts college! The teachers are bonkers! They don't seem to teach anything that's useful but I suppose that's what makes this book hilarious.

Tallulah was just as bonkers as she was in the first one. After spending time with her cousin Georgia, she's learnt some new things and I just adored hearing some of Georgia's 'wisdom'. 

I adored all of the other characters in this book. Ruby is still my favourite, but Honey, Flossie, Vaisey and Jo are brilliant as well.

I have to say, Cain did start to grow on me in this one. He's still a prat, but he's alright. Alex is still my favourite though, but he's unattainable right now. Charlie is brilliant and reminds me slightly of Dave the Laugh. Hopefully he and Tallulah can be friends. 

The storyline of this one was even more ridiculous and hilarious that the first one. Cain really knows how to anger a village. I just loved everything about this book.

Overall, A Midsummer Tights Dream was a hilarious and entertaining read and I'm excited to see what's going to happen next!

Adorkable by Sarra Manning

Adorkable by Sarra Manning
Publisher: Atom
Publication Date: May 24th 2013
Source: Library

Welcome to the dorkside. It's going to be a bumpy ride...

Jeane Smith's a blogger, a dreamer, a dare-to-dreamer, a jumble sale queen, CEO of her own lifestyle brand and has half a million followers on twitter.

Michael Lee's a star of school, stage and playing field. A golden boy in a Jack Wills hoodie.

They have nothing in common but a pair of cheating exes. So why can't they stop snogging?

Adorkable is a book I'd been eyeing for quite some time and wondering whether I should pick it up or not. After reading Debby from Snuggly Oranges review, I knew I just had to get my hands on this book asap so I reserved a copy at my library.

I'm so glad I finally got around to reading this book! It was such a cute read! I got sucked into the story and I didn't want to put it down. 

Jeane was such an amazing character. She was feisty, had an unusual style and was kind of up herself, but I just loved her. Even though she was pretentious, she was also a very likeable character. She was a blogger so I could relate to the slight insanity of always having to write a new post, but Jeane's blog was her life. She'd built a career around Adorkable and she was so mature for her age (well, most of the time). She had me laughing and smiling throughout this book and I just adored her.

Michael was a character that I started off hating but very quickly grew to love. Michael is the most popular guy in school and he really doesn't like Jeane. He's constantly bitching about her and just generally being an ass, but when he and Jeane are threw together and their relationship starts to develop, I started to really like Michael. He was a sweet and caring character. He's so lovely and he had me swooning throughout most of this book.

Jeane and Michael's relationship was an interesting one. They were together but hated each other which made for an extremely interesting relationship. I just adored seeing those two together and seeing their relationship gradually develop throughout the novel.

The storyline was a lot of fun too. I loved seeing how Jeane had built her company and what she does with it; I loved discovering Jeane and what 'Adorkable' meant to her; I enjoyed learning about Michael and I really loved seeing Jeane develop throughout the book. Jeane changed a lot from the character she was at the start of the book and it was great to see that. I also really loved how Jeane encouraged Michael to live his own life and stop letting his parents constantly monitor him. 

Overall, this was such an amazing contemporary. Definitely one of the best I've read this year. If you haven't read this book yet, I seriously recommend that you do!

Blog Tour: Panic by J A Huss

Panic by J A Huss
Series: Rook and Ronin #3
Publisher: Science Future Press
Publication Date: October 24th 2013
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Buy this book: Amazon UK; Amazon; B&N; Kobo

Rook is chasing her dream—film school and a chance at a life beyond the one she left behind six months ago. But before she can become the girl she wants to be, she must deal with the girl she left behind.

Ronin is also chasing his dream—a family of his own and a life away from erotic modeling. And he too, has a past he’s trying to forget. A past that makes Rook question everything about their life together.

Lies, secrets, and shocking truths will rock the foundation Rook and Ronin have built. Can they put the past behind them and move forward together? Or is this just another too good to be true relationship that will crash and burn in the end?

The Rook and Ronin series has been one of the best New Adult series I've read this year. It's full of hot and steamy scenes, but it also full of a lot of secrets, danger, twists and turns that you never see coming. I never saw anything that happened in Panic coming. My jaw dropped on countless occasions and I was on edge all the way through this book.

Discovering more about Rook's past is what I loved most about this book. I loved that we got to understand her more and found out everything she was trying to hide. Rook's past was even more disturbing and horrific than I'd thought. Everything that Jon put her through was horrific and disgusting. He took advantage of a young naive girl who had no where else to go and it made me sick when I found out what he'd done to her. Rook's life is so messed up because of him. He put her through some traumatic events that I don't think she'll ever be able to recover from.

I've always loved Ronin, but I did start to doubt him in this one. After everything that was said about him and that we were learning about him, I was actually starting to wonder whether we'd seen the real Ronin or not. But you could tell that Ronin's feelings towards Rook were genuine and he just wants to protect her. He was lying to her in and I wish he'd just told her the truth instead of trying to hide it. But I'll always love Ronin. He's so sweet and protective.

Uncovering what Ronin, Ford and Spencer did was interesting as well. I enjoyed seeing what they were part of and what they've done. Some of it was shocking but they were only doing what they thought was for the best. 

Fucking Ford was always trying to worm his way into Rook's life and I just wanted to punch him throughout this whole book. I can't believe what he kept trying to do! I hated him so damn much!

The whole story surrounding Jon and what he did was fascinating. It was so much bigger than I'd ever imagined! The big reveal at the end was brilliant and I was so happy that everyone got what was coming to them because they deserved it after all the horrible stuff they did.

I was so happy to see Rook and Ronin together at the end and I just know they have a long future ahead of them, and I hope that they'll finally be able to get on with their lives without anymore complications.

Overall, this was such a fantastic end to the Rook and Ronin series. It was full of action, suspense and so many damn surprises that I never saw coming! I absolutely love this series and I definitely recommend it if you're a fan of New Adult novels.

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About the Author
Links: Website; Goodreads; Facebook; Twitter

J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #3
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: October 22nd 2013
Source: Bought

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

As you may have noticed, I’ve decided to put my rating at the top of my review this time. This is so that people who haven’t read Allegiant yet will be able to see what I gave it without being spoiled. My review will contain spoilers but I’m going to give a very quick and short opinion on the book with no spoilers before my full review starts.

For the most part, I found Allegiant enjoyable. For me, it didn’t live up to Divergent or Insurgent, but it was still enjoyable. The pacing of this story was slightly slow but there was enough going on to keep me interested. The storyline definitely wasn’t as interesting as the first two books. There was definitely a lot of info dumping in this book and there was a lot to wrap my head around. The ending left me in shock and I had no idea what to do when I was finished. What happened was extremely unexpected and to be honest, I don't like how this book ended.

I debated for almost a day on what rating to give this book. It's been constantly changing and I think I'm finally happy with what I've given it. Overall, I did enjoy this book but I hated the ending. It took me a while to come to terms with everything that had happened (I'm still not fully over it and I don't think I ever will be) and the rating I've gave this book is the highest I can go. Mainly because I didn't feel this book was as good as the first two and because I didn't like how the book ended.

SPOILERS START HERE. PLEASE DON'T READ ON UNLESS YOU'VE READ ALLEGIANT. I APOLOGISE FOR THE AMOUNT OF SWEARING.

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Teardrop by Lauren Kate
Series: Teardrop #1
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: October 22nd 2013
Source: Netgalley [Publisher]

Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.

I can't even express how excited I was to get this from Netgalley! If I'd hadn't been in the middle of reading The House of Hades, I would have started reading this straight away! Teardrop is one of those books that I've been eagerly anticipating, and it didn't disappoint. It was full of mystery, suspense and I was hooked from start to finish.

So our main character Eureka has been through something tragic. Her mother drowned in a freak accident and Eureka wishes she was dead too. Her and her mother were very close and Eureka feels like she has nothing to live for without her. She's struggling and finding it difficult to adjust to her new life living with her father and his new wife. I felt so much sympathy for Eureka. She's not dealing very well with her mother's death and the fact that her step-mother is forcing her to do things she doesn't want to. She doesn't feel like she can tell her father how she feels without being judged or without being put on 24/7 supervision. She's trying her hardest to get on with her life, but what happened isn't something you ever forget about. But I did admire Eureka. After she received her mother's artifacts, it gave her something to live for, something to unravel. And then Eureka started to discover more about herself.

I was extremely cautious of Brooks. At the start he just seemed like a normal guy who really liked his best friend. But after that day at the beach he changed. He became more confrontational and aggressive. I couldn't work out why he'd had such a sudden change, but I just knew that it wasn't good. I was very wary of him after that. And then we found out what happened to Brooks and I just felt so bad for him. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's something that can be done to save him.

I was also very cautious of Ander. He was basically stalking Eureka so I had every right to be cautious of him. He was mysterious and strange, and I had no idea what to make of him. I did like discovering about Ander and what his role in everything was. He helped Eureka understand what was happening and how she was involved in everything. It was extremely interesting to find out his story.

The romance was the only thing I didn't like about this book. Eureka/Brooks got off on the wrong foot because of that thing that happened on the beach that lead Brooks to become and arrogant ass. Eureka/Ander was extremely rushed. Seriously, I'm pretty sure she fell in love with him the second she laid eyes on him. And then she became obsessed with him. There's kind of an explanation towards the end of the book as to why they were so attracted to each other instantly, but I just don't like them as a couple yet. Maybe they'll grow on me in the next book after they've spent some time together.

Lauren Kate's take on the Atlantis myth is what really interested me in this book and I thought her spin on it was fantastic. I was so engrossed in this story and dying to find out what was going on! Why wasn't Eureka supposed to cry? Why is there a mysterious boy stalking Eureka who knows everything about her? What does the stone that Diana left Eureka do? There was definitely a lot of mystery and a lot of questions in this book. Everything that I wanted to know at the start was answered at the end. I adored uncovering the story in the book Diana left Eureka and putting together what it had to do with Eureka. It was exciting and thrilling, and I flew through the last 50% of this book because I just had to know what was going to happen.

The ending was packed full of action and twists and I loved it! There were parts that left me shocked and sickened because some of the characters in this book would go to any lengths to do what they thought was right. But it was such a thrilling ending!

Overall, this was such a fantastic book! It was an interesting take on the Atlantis myth and was full of mystery, suspense and was just brilliant. I definitely recommend picking up this book!