Indefinite Hiatus

Due to situations beyond my control, I am unable to keep up with the blog at this time. I will resume my reviews once I get life under control. I apologize for my absence. I hope you all have a terrific holiday season.

CRYSTAL FIRE by Jordan Dane

Rating: F
Release Date: 11/26/13
Synopsis:
Because of what you are, the Believers will hunt you down.

A storm is brewing on the streets of LA, one that has intensified since a tragic and deadly confrontation claimed an innocent life.

While Gabriel Stewart trains his army of teen psychics to stop Alexander Reese--the obsessed leader of the Believers--the fanatical church becomes more bent on the annihilation of all Indigo and Crystal children. They're silencing the voices of the telepathic hive, one soul at a time, with frightening experiments cruelly executed on vulnerable minds.

When the Believers torture a mysterious homeless boy, Oliver Blue, they brainwash him into betraying his own. The boy becomes a deadly pawn to take Gabriel down. As the fires of chaos burn around him, Gabe is running out of time. He'll need to confront his past--and the man who made him--before the hope of peace for the future is silenced forever.

My thoughts on the book:
These covers are so pretty, and the synopses always sound so good. However, the books always disappoint. The lack of character development, the boring writing, and the tedious plot made this book pure torture for me to read. I'm done with this series and this author. I gave it one more try for the simple reason that sometimes first books aren't the best representations of authors' work. In this case, the first book represented the awful writing perfectly. I'm sorry I even requested this one in the first place. 

Rayne is obnoxious and stupid. I really can't stand her character, and she hasn't grown in the least over the past two books. She just gets in the way and does dumb stuff all the time. I really hated reading from her perspective. Gabriel doesn't have much personality, so he bored me to death. I really didn't care what happened to him or the other people as long as the dullness stopped. Lucas is a pansy, in my opinion, and he needs to toughen up. He also annoyed me. Raphael's character changes drastically, and I just didn't buy it. Honestly, I just didn't like any of the characters.

The pacing is slow-as-molasses, and the plot is dull. Things jump around a lot and don't connect well. The writing is pretty awful, and the romances are just ridiculous. The most annoying romance to me is Rayne and Gabriel. Just yuck. Also, the alternating points of view gave me a headache. The voices of the characters were similar enough that I couldn't really tell one from the other. Therefore I had to stop and make a conscious effort to remember whose POV I was reading several times. There were 5+ points of view, and that is just too many. 

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. I did not enjoy it at all, nor did I enjoy the first book in the series. I know a lot of people liked this book, but it's obviously not for me. 

PAWN by Aimee Carter

Rating: A-
Release Date: 11/26/13
Synopsis:
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

My thoughts on the book:
I absolutely adored the Goddess Test series by Aimee Carter, so it comes as no surprise that Pawn did not disappoint. Like with her previous work, Carter created dynamic characters, a suspenseful plot, and plenty of romantic tension. This is one of the few unique Dystopians out there, and I truly enjoyed every page of this novel. If you are looking for something new in the genre, then this book is for you.

Kitty is a likable and strong heroine. She's flawed, and she makes mistakes, but she tries to do what's best. There were a couple of times when I wanted to smack her, but overall, I really liked her character. I couldn't stand her attachment to Benjy, though, because I did not like him in the least. I understood it, but I didn't like it. Benjy doesn't seem to have much of a personality, and I just don't like guys with red hair, in general (long story), so that turned me off from him immediately. I know that Carter is probably trying to create a love interest that doesn't look like all the other love interests, but between his hair and his personality, I just was not impressed at all. In fact, Benjy is the reason I ranked this book as an A- instead of A+. Knox, on the other hand, completely won me over. I absolutely adored him. Celia is interesting, and I hope to learn more about her as the series progresses. Daxton is completely terrifying.

The plot itself is full of suspense. It kept me on the edge of my seat because anyone could die at any minute. Some of the things, such as a ranked society, had been done before, but completely turning Kitty into Lila with technologically advanced plastic surgery is a new concept, as far as I know. The world-building is top notch, and the futuristic America Carter created is horrifying. I would not want to live there. The romantic element is a bit frustrating because I loathe Benjy. There is a sort of love triangle between Kitty and Knox and Benjy guys, though it's complicated and much different than the generic, angsty YA love triangles. Therefore, it didn't annoy me. I'm completely rooting for Knox, though. We'll see what happens. Carter doesn't give any hints to make me think one guy may win over the other at this point. The ending is a cliffhanger, and I'm already counting the days until the release of the sequel. I hate cliffhangers, but this book was so good that it didn't anger me. 

Overall, I'd recommend Pawn to those who are looking for something a little bit different. With top notch characters, terrific world-building, and a suspenseful plot, Dystopian fans are sure to eat this book up.

Pre-order Pawn

Feature and Follow #40

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Please state in the post if you're a new follower or old follower. If you don't tell me that you are following, then I don't know that you are. Therefore, I'll not follow you back. I would like to follow each and every one of you back, so it is important that you clearly state that you are following me and not just stopping by. When someone says, "just saying hi!" or "just hopping through!" then I have no idea if you are following or not. That means that I may or may not return the visit, depending on how much time I have. The people who state they are following me will definitely get a visit and follow back. Also be sure to leave a link back to your blog, otherwise I won't know where to go to follow you! Thank you.

Since I don't do vlogs (no one wants to see me without make up and at a bad camera angle with awful lighting), I'm skipping this week's question. Sorry, haha. 

PUSHED by Corrine Jackson

Rating: A-
Release Date: 11/26/13
Synopsis:
She didn’t know how far she’d go—until she was pushed.

Remy O’Malley was just learning to harness her uncanny healing power when she discovered the other,darker half of her bloodline. Now she lives trapped between two worlds, uneasy among her fellow
Healers—and relentlessly hunted by the Protectors.

Forced to conceal her dual identity, and the presence of her Protector boyfriend Asher Blackwell, Remy encounters a shadow community of Healers who will put her loyalties to the test.

Pushed to the limit, with the lives of those she loves most on the line, Remy must decide whether to choose sides in a centuries-old war—or make the ultimate sacrifice and go to a place from which she may never return…

My thoughts on the book:
Pushed is a fantastic sequel to Touched. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I wasn't absolutely in love with it. However, this time around, Jackson won me over. I fell in love with the setting, the characters, and the plot. I can't wait to see what Jackson has in store for her characters next. They grew so much in this installment, and the plot was fast paced and intense. This is turning out to be one of my favorite YA series, and I'm glad that Kensington gave me the opportunity to try it out. 

Remy grew so much in this installment. She was kind of weak, in my opinion, in the first book. She was still super desperate to be loved, a lot like her mother, but she also recognized her faults and worked to fix them. She became a very strong force to be reckoned with by the end of this novel. Asher also grew, and I enjoyed his relationship with Remy. The character I loved reading about the most, however, was Gabe. We really got to know him better this time around, and I found that I really like him a lot! I can't wait to see more of him in the next book. Jackson also introduced some new characters that surprised me. Remy's grandfather was a big part of this novel, and it took me awhile to figure out how I felt about him. I really liked Erin and hope we get to see her again in the next book. Alcais has the potential to become a really, really bad enemy.

The plot itself had so many twists and turns that I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. It was action packed and full of suspense. I couldn't put this book down. Poor Remy couldn't catch a break. Unlike many second books, Pushed was no filler story. It stood on its own with a perfectly paced and tightly plotted narrative. There's a bit of a love triangle, which I didn't like - this is why the book got an A- instead of A+. It seemed a bit natural, but it didn't have to happen. There were ways around it. However, once I see what Jackson has in store for us next, I may agree with it more. The ending was a cliffhanger, which I hate, but it left me dying to read the next installment. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and series to anyone who is looking for a different kind of YA paranormal read. It's extremely entertaining and has some depth and darkness to it. Give this series a chance. You won't be sorry. For those who already read and enjoyed the first book, Pushed will not disappoint. 

Pre-order Pushed!

Spotlight: DEAD DREAMS by Emma Right Excerpt

Young Adult-Psychological Thriller-Mystery

Re-release date: October 2013
Series: Dead Dreams #1
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old Brie O’Mara has so much going for her: a loving family in the sidelines, an heiress for a roommate, and dreams that might just come true. Big dreams--of going to acting school, finishing college and making a name for herself. She is about to be the envy of everyone she knew. What more could she hope for? Except her dreams are about to lead her down the road to nightmares. Nightmares that could turn into a deadly reality.

About the Author

-----------------------------

Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast. Besides running a busy home, and looking after too many pets, she also enjoys reading aloud to her children and often has her nose in a book. Right was a copywriter for a major advertising agency during her B.C. years. B.C.meaning “Before Children,” which may as well have been in the B.C.era, as she always says.

www.emmaright.com | twitter.com/emmbeliever


Click "read more" to read an excerpt from the book!!

Feature and Follow #39

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Please state in the post if you're a new follower or old follower. If you don't tell me that you are following, then I don't know that you are. Therefore, I'll not follow you back. I would like to follow each and every one of you back, so it is important that you clearly state that you are following me and not just stopping by. When someone says, "just saying hi!" or "just hopping through!" then I have no idea if you are following or not. That means that I may or may not return the visit, depending on how much time I have. The people who state they are following me will definitely get a visit and follow back. Also be sure to leave a link back to your blog, otherwise I won't know where to go to follow you! Thank you.

Q: What book are you embarrassed to admit you LOVED? (try to think beyond Twilight).

A: I'm generally not embarrassed to admit that I love anything. I can't think of a single book that I'm embarrassed to like. I didn't like Twilight, so I can't even pick that one. I guess the Hush, Hush series because I'm generally not one for all encompassing love, no matter what, but I actually enjoyed that story.

What about you? What book are you embarrassed to like?