Amber to Ashes by Gail McHugh

Amber Moretti is a new college student who unexpectedly falls for two best friends as she struggles to overcome the trauma of her tormented childhood. She didn't know what would happen when Brock Cunningham and Ryder Ashcroft come into her life. The last thing that she thought would be that she would end up falling for both of them. 

What the F did I just read??? No, seriously. What the F did I just read?!

Gonna say right here and now if you don't like love triangles don't go near this book... don't even touch it with a ten foot pole. Because Amber to Ashes is the love triangle of all love triangle books! A2A is like Beautiful Disaster meets... Ugh what's that weird movie with Aaron Johnson in it??? (insert me looking for it on IMDB here)... Oh yeah Savages meets Clipped Wings. This had my mind and feels all over the place.

A2A  is told from 3 POVS. First being Amber's the "sassy spit-fire" whose managed to steal both out leads hearts. How she did it exactly is beyond me.  She was a leading lady that took me most the book too warm up to. She manages to be both like-able and hate-able all at the same time. Then there Ryder Ashcroft. Ryder Ashcroft... seriously even his name sounds like sex. He's the dark-mysterious-cocky-a hole-with a deep core. So clearly he is the one I'm gonna fall for right away?! Last we have Brock... Sadly every time I hear the name Brock all I can think of is the guy from She's All That who does that random dance scenes...

Yeah that guy. So that caused a few minor issues. Brock is the preppy boy-with the good guy persona-that makes all the girl's panties drop. Not mine but apparently the rest of the female race. Both men are complete opposites. One gets to love Amber while the other has to swoon over her. Brock reminded me so much of Maddox from Beautiful Disaster (I hated Mad Dog Maddox), and Ryder reminded me of a "rough" version of Hayden from Clipped Wings (Hayden <333). With all that being said there was still something about all three characters that I felt were lacking in the personality department. Why everyone was falling all over them is a little beyond me. Guess there was just something I was always waiting too get out of them that I sadly never did. Can't exactly point out what though.

As far as A2A's plot goes it's stray cray. Starts off having you thinking it's gonna be all rainbows, melted knees, and sunshine, then WHAM! takes a turn into "WTF" territory (because again it's crazy)... Then goes further off roading into "what is happening", drives right off a cliff and into an ocean of bizzaro, and finishes off with something you know is coming. Not kidding when I say that either. This story heads right where you think it's going to. I think my biggest "issue" with A2A is that it's a book that has EVERYTHING... Which lead me to wonder how much is too much? Then again Gail kind of makes it work. Don't get me wrong this is a cluster of a book mess but pulls ahead with something so addictive. Though some of the terms used to describe some "intimate" moments could be a little out there, the plot still managed to sink its claws into me. I was hooked just a few pages in and had to know what was going to happen next. I spent most the book asking shouting...

I was in one of the worst reading slumps I've ever been in, but A2A brought me out of it. Sometimes I think all you can do to get yourself out of the depth of a slump so deep is to read something so ridiculous, so smutty, so out there that it pushes you back into reading... A2A is that kind of book. This isn't going to be a book that for everyone, heck it might not even be for 90% of people. And yeah it a book I would normally hate but for some out there reason just did it for me.


9.5/10 Stars 
-Angela 
   

Angela's Summer Favorites

I'm going to start doing something a little new and at the "end" of every season I'll be giving a little wrap up on some of my favorite things. The main reason it's a little different is because I'm not just going to be talking about books. De-stress yo chest, and don't worry I'll still talking about books and bookish items. I'll be listing off things like my top summer reads, movies, reviewer, and discussing some of the other things I got into this past season. These are my choices for the months of June, July, and August.

Top Five Summer Reads:
These are my favorite reading picks of the summer and the ones I gave the highest ratings on Goodreads and our blog. These will only include fresh reads for me and nothing that I happened to re-read. (in no order): 

1. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. A young Prince takes a new bride every night and then kills her the following morning. After Shazi's best friend meets the same fate she decides to seek revenge. For fans of Sarah J. Maas and Sabaa Tahir.
2.  Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren. Harlow and Finn hate each other. This probably explains why their Vegas marriage only lasted 12 hours. Even after separating these two constantly find themselves drawn back to one another. For fans of Colleen Hoover and Helena Hunting.
3.  Fractured Suns by Theresa Kay. With time running out Jax must find a way to save both the human race and the alien race she's come to know. For fans of Rick Yancy and Demitria Lunetta.
4.  The Devil's Intern by Donna Hosie. Mitchell Johnson has been living in Hell working as the Devil's intern since being hit by a Greyhouse bus. When he hears about a time traveling device he decides this might be his best chance of getting out of Hell. For fans of Cristin Terrill and Libba Bray.
5.  Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Layla has a lot going on in her life. She has to chose between the sexy prince of the under world Roth and long time best friend gargoyle warden Zayne; all while fighting demons and trying to keep up with school work. For fans of Amy Bartol and Victoria Scott.

If you haven't had a chance to pick any of these up, after this post run straight to your local bookstore and buy them all!  

Top Summer Movies:
We all know I see a lot of movies, and I thought choosing just one or two favorites would be hard. Turns out it wasn't My top movie of the summer are:

1. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl. Me Earl and the Dying Girl is about an unlikely friendship and how it can make the difference in a time of darkness. This movie had everyone in the theater laughing till their sides hurt and then crying their eyes out. This film could easily be the best book adaptation I'll see this year.
2. Dope. Dope is about how stereotypes and racism still effect us even in 2015. This movie smacks you with a huge message, and will leave you with your jaw dropped. The closing scene of this film gave me head to toe goosebumps.  Lindsey and I saw this movie on a whim and were both surprised by how much we liked it and walked out the theater satisfied. 

Even though these films are polar opposites they both have two things in common. First they both gave us a cast of amazing, fresh, and talented new comers. Second I think both these films were way under-hyped. Neither of them getting the spotlight they deserve.

Top Summer TV Shows: 
Okay, so not all of these came out this summer, but these just happened to be the shows I got really into. (in no order)

1.  Arrow. This would probably be my top pick as far as shows went. I didn't think I was going to like it, but was completely wrong!!! I'm obsessed! Even from episode one I was hooked. I spent many a night curled up in a blanket marathoning this guilty pleasure. The story line is crazy insane and with a full rosters of hotties Arrow is a must watch.
2. Game of Thrones Season 5. This might not have been my favorite season so far, but still packed a mighty punch... Oh and way to leave us hanging on everything and everyone! 
3. Switched at Birth. Yup, I got sucked into this show. It's so bad good. I constantly found myself wondering why I was watching it, yet couldn't turn away. 
4. How to Get Away with Murder. Even though I just finished watching season one (perfectly in time for the premiere of season two) I started watching it at the beginning of the summer. All I'm going to say about this amazing show is that Viola Davis is a total Badass.

Top Summer Book Reviewer:
This summer I stumbled upon a Youtube channel that has quickly become one of my favorites. This booktuber is quirky, funny, interesting, and it doesn't hurt that her choices in both clothes and makeup are so on point. *Drum roll please*... Ms Riley Marie.

This little firecracker of a booktuber does everything: hauls, reviews, book tags and more. All her videos leave me in stitches and it always brightens my mornings when I see she's posted a new video. Love seeing this girl share her awkward social book situations and completely relate to her "no book buying bans" that turn into massive book buying hauls. Girl I get it, book buying situations escalate quickly and who can say no to Bookoutlet's crazy amazing sales???!!! No one I want to know! Another reason she's become one of my favorites is because she's also not scared to talk New Adult and even sometimes smutty reads. Riley's love for books can be clearly seen in all her videos and reviews. 

If you love watching booktube videos as much as I do I would high recommend subscribing to her page. 

Top Summer Music: 

This was an easy easy pick... Halsey's Badlands album. I have been playing this on repeat all summer!  Gasoline, Hold Me Down, Colors, and Coming Down are my  jams. There's no doubt you've seen this artist popping up everywhere lately. Recently named on of Elle magazine's 2015 Women of music. This entire album is perfect for early morning runs or as light background music while reading.

Added bonus this cd is like ten dollars at target.
 

Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren

Lola and Oliver's marriage might have only lasted a handful of hours, but even after they ended it their friendship remained. Both are so comfortable around each other and see their friendship being perfect... So why ruin a good thing?

I feel like I say this every time I read one of their books... But this just became my favorite Christina Lauren book. 

Dark Wild Night continues to follow the story of what happens after three friends go to Vegas and end up marrying three men they met while there. This time we follow Lola and Oliver.

I can't even start to express how much I loved these two characters. Lola is completely different from any other female lead they have given us in the past. First off Christina Lauren often write these bubbly strong in your face leading ladies you love, but this time they give us Lola. She is a shy-timid-a tiny bit antisocial writer of a recently opted for film graphic novel. Like serious, how can I not like her!?! She reads and writes badass comics! Speaking of comics it brings us to our lead male... Oliver. The steamy Aussie that owns his own comic book store. Y'all not only is Lola my favorite female, Oliver is my favorite male. He is perfection! He had me realizing that we don't have nearly enough nerdy leading guys in books. The last time I got an adorable nerdy boo was Simon and that was way back when City of Bones came out... LITERARY WORLD WE ARE LACKING IN NERDY MALE LEADS PLEASE CHANGE THIS!!! Because Oliver yall... GOOD GOD, is so yummy. Has me head over heels!

The relationship between these two is next level lovey. I love that it's usually the girl having to work around the guys hectic work schedule in books like these, but in this one they flipped it and strayed away from a pattern that would be easy to fall into. They have a leading lady who is owning her job and her success and a man who is fully ready to support. Plus they highlighted something so very important, feminism. Yeah you read that right! They manage to bring up feminism in a new adult romance book, and they do it flawlessly! Lola stances on how people interview her had me wanting to jump straight into this book and high-five the shit out of her! Bold move CL, very bold move; loved it. Oh and major props on the massive amount of comic book references! They had me so giddy about all the little bits they added in. Everything from the Sex Criminals reference to the hilarious DareDevil movie joke completely sealed the deal. They also continue to break the norm by giving us a leading man who isn't an A-hole turns nice guy. Yeah, I love those stories as much as the next, but it's great when the nice guy doesn't finish last. Oh and I know that most of the secondary characters are ones we've seen before but I can't post this review and not talk about Not-Joe. He has to be one of my all time favorite side characters. Every scene he is had me dying!!!! Every bizarre comment that leaves is mouth kills and brings the best comic relief.

This story is such a feel good read and keeps that feeling the whole time. All the sexual tension will have you frantically flipping through pages to find out what will happen next. From page one you'll be cheering for these two love birds and their unique flirty friendship too turn into something more. I loved that this book took a different direction plot wise than the two previous ones. It wasn't about waiting for a plot twist bomb to drop, it was all about the building of a relationship. All about taking a friendship to the next level. I know how much people love the Beautiful Bastard Series but in my opinion the Wild Season Series surpasses it. It has such a hilarious concept and then these two back it up. These two writers get romance and have yet to let me down.

I loved this friends to lovers second chance romance story. This is a summer must read.

10/10 Stars
-Angela 
 

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Madeline is suffer from a rare disease. Forced to stay indoors everyday she has come to terms with how her life will be. Until one day she hears a moving truck next door and see a boy and his family moving in. 

"Maybe we can't predict everything, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly... It's almost certainly going to be a disaster."

Can we first just talk about this cover??? Amazing right?! Stunning. It fits the story so well.

Everything Everything is a novel about a girl named Madeline who is suffering from SCID... or as I knew it "bubble boy syndrome". Madeline has spent the last 18 years trapped inside her house. The only people she comes in contact with are her nurse Carla and her mother. That is until Olly moves in next door. Madeline is a very sweet lead. Also loved how diverse she is. She is a combination of Asian and African American, this set her apart from other YA characters right off the bat and was a huge plus for me. The other thing is her kind heart. I've read characters before who are caring, kind, and sweet but something about how Yoon presents Maddy's traits made it something special. She is a lead that you will easily be able to fall for. She was a lead that I thought I would mainly just sympathy for, but Yoon has this way of just making you more hopefully for her than anything else.

Then we have Olly the adorable boy next door. He is another character that you will have no trouble liking. I did want a little more out of him, but overall happy with what he gives us. My favorite part of the whole book is with him and his mother bundt cake... So cute I found myself blushing the whole scene. Olly is charming, funny, and I think he seems his age. You might be a little confused about what I just said so I'll sum it up real quick... You know how in other "sick lit" such a TFIOS a lot of people's issues with Hazel and Gus is that they speak so mature for their age and it's off putting for a few. Some get that it's because they are dealing with a more adult issue of realizing that they are going to die way before their time but some still think they seem a little too mature... So if you didn't like TFIOS for that reason Everything Everything might be more up your alley. Both Olly and Maddy feel, talk, and act more their age. Their relationship can be summed up in one word: Sweet. It's so so sweet. The fact that neither of them is put of by the others life situations is so endearing. You will be cheering for these two and without a doubt you'll want to see them end up together with a happy ever after.

Everything Everything's plot is pretty steady through out. But not gonna lie, the plot was actually my "biggest" issue with this novel. The story is predictable. There was never a time when I didn't know what was going to happen next. As soon as Olly is introduced I was like "well... I know exactly where this story is headed". Sure enough I was waiting around for some kind of big surprise twist that I never ended up getting. So why the higher rating? Well because all of the adorable and perfectly placed extras. Yoon gives of these cute little sidenotes, little letters, poems and more. They're just wonderful and wiped away any "errors" I might have felt the plot had. And even with me saying that the book was predictable I really did enough the story.

"Spoiler alert: Love is worth everything. Everything."

I am not a contemporary fan... in fact it is my least favorite genre so liking this book was kind of a big deal for me. Everything Everything is the prefect quick sweet summer read. Very happy to see this become a movie.

7.5/10 Stars 
-Angela 

The Scorch Trials Movie Review

We have a lot to talk about when it comes to The Scorch Trials movie. I think we both can agree on three things. First that we were both very excited to see this movie because of all three books it was our favorite. Second that we were both very nervous about how this was going to play out on the big screen. Third that when the movie ended we were both very surprised about how we felt about it. Of course we went on a date last night to see the early screening of it. 

This review might be a ramble jamble insanely unorganized review but whatever that is kind of our thing... So here we go.

First TST had a lot, A LOT of changes from the book. We knew going into it that this was going to be happening. The fact that things would be changed was never hidden from us. There were clear and present changes in: How they spent their time in the WICKED compound, some of the events that played out while there, where they end up after the compound, what happens when they are in the scorch, what happens when they meet up with the rebels, what the infected look like, characters deaths, characters relationships, and pretty much the entire ending. These are only some of the changes as well. However, don't let that get you down, these changes were good ones! Some of the scenes in the book can be a little confusing, but it was all adapted so well for the big screen.  Plus there are still a lot of things that were present from the book as well. TST movie also goes a lot darker than the book and a lot of other YA adaptions. Almost receiving an R rating. The language is more "mature" along with stepping up the amount of violence and gore.

We know that a lot of people were worried about the cranks and what they would end up being like. It has been a good minute since either of us have read the books, but if we're not mistaken we believe in the book they were more human with a side of wonky infected brain.We remember them walking a more normal pace and being able to speak. In the movie they took it in a World War Z direction and were straight up one step away from The Walking Dead. WE LOVED THIS. It had us so stressed out and waiting on the edge of our seats for when they would come out. They were so scary! There is one scene in particular when Brenda and Thomas go down into the tunnels.... Even in the book it sounded scary, but the movie takes it to another level. There are a lot of moments were you don't know WTF is going on and then these crazy things just pop out from no where. Good thing Dylan O'Brien was there to protect us.

The cast was a surprise too. It turned out to be super star packed. We have of course one of the stars from Teen Wolf play Thomas (Dylan O'Brien). Who was originally a worry for a lot of people because everyone seemed to think he looked "too MTV" (why is this a bad thing again?). He continues to make a Thomas. The other crazy actors we got were: Clary from the soon to be Shadow
Hunters TV show, the Los Pollos guy from Breaking Bad, a girl who looks like Zoey Kravitz (she's apparently a British model?), Little finger from GOT (and yes he's as big a dick in this as he is in that), and that's not our only GOT star, we got Jojen Reed (he is so adorable it hurts). No wait there's more... We get this guy from Arrest Development (the second you see him you'll say "how the F do I know this guy") and then to round it all we get the motha effin sniper from Saving Private Ryan. Seriously it's one scene after another of "wait a second... is that Los Pollos the freaking chicken meth dealer from Breaking Bad.... Yes Yes it is.... OMG SAVING PRIVATE RYAN!" We were freaking dying with laughter when we finally figured out who half the people were and why they looked so familiar. Each character brings SO much to the table and does a killer job with their role.

It's been awhile since We've had this much fun watching a movie. Think a lot of extreme and professional movie critics have been way too harsh on this film. We both really enjoyed it. There's a lot more holes filled in in this one than the first, there's a butt ton more action, and the changes made increased the story-line. Let's be real though, it is pretty dang hard to translate something from print to screen. Especially when it comes to a YA dystopian fantasy where you have crazy scenes from James Dashner's head. Like when they first enter the Scorch and the one kid's head gets popped off by some lead balloon thing... How the F were they going to translate that to the big screen? The director and screenwriters did a great job deciding what was important and what could be changed to be a little easier for a movie. Overall, it was fantastic. Fast paced, gripping, and a ton of fun. The Scorch Trials in our opinion was better than the first. Yes, again there are a lot of changes. Yes, this plot is again super fast paced. Yes, a lot of information is thrown at you. No, this movie might not be for everyone. But the both of us as fans of the series really enjoyed this adaptation and left the theater both happy and satisfied. To us the opinion of fellow book readers, no matter if they loved or hated the books, matters more to us than movie critics opinions.

We've said this before and we'll say it again; we had the pleasure of meeting James Dashner at an event last year. Since it was an event were only a limited number of people could attend we got to actually spend time with him and talk. We have met a lot of authors and he is hands-down still one of our favorites. He took so much time talking, signing everything you brought, answering questions, and has such a bright personality. He was everything you hope an author will be when you meet them. Trust us when we say that not all authors who we've met having the same success he is, are as pleasent to be around *Cough Veronica Roth Cough*. The fact that he fangirled with us about Dylan O'Brien also had us sold. He has us very excited to see what they do with The Death Cure.

-8.5/10 Stars
A&L

The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

We are so excited to do this tag! We were tagged a few times on instagram so we thought it would make for a better post. Please don't hate us or get offended if we don't like a book or series that you loved... Agree to disagree right??

A popular book series that you didn't like?
Angela: Daughter of Smoke and Bones by Laini Taylor. The writing is beautiful... but still a no for me. My second choice would be Beautitful Disaster by Jamie McGuire.... No! Just no! Hate this book.
Leah: It isn't a series yet, but I did not like The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. I couldn't get into it at all and didn't like any of the character. This drops me down into the 1% of readers everywhere, but I'm okay with that. Oh, and pretty much anything by Lauren Oliver.

A series everyone hates that you love?
Angela: The After Series by Anna Todd. HATE ALL YOU WANT! I really am past the point of caring.
Leah: OMG so many. I love loving series that other people hate! It just fuels my love more! The biggest and most obvious, though, is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Haters going to hate, but don't act like y'all haven't read all the books or watched all the movies.

A love triangle where you didn't end up liking who the lead ended up with?

Angela: The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.... This opinion really isn't an unpopular one. I love well written love triangles but this... Just no.
Leah: This is a hard one. I am going to go with the freshest book in my brain at the moment and say The Jewel series. Sure, it isn't over yet so we don't know exactly how the big thing will end but we have a pretty good feeling that Violet will keep on keepin' on with Ash. *barf* Oh! Another one is (an I know this is widely unpopular) is Clary and Jace. I just shipped Simon and Clary so hard!
 

  
Popular book genre that you rarely reach for?

Angela: YA contemporary. I usually find myself dragging through these. Plus most I find predictable and boring.
Leah: I'm not a big NA fan. I prefer YA contemporary romance where it is all sunshine and teenage drama or fantasy/high fantasy where I can be transported into another world completely. I like a good scandy scene as much as the next girl, but NA can just be TOO much scandy for me. It's like where the plot? Oh we don't need one HERE'S MORE WIENER!

A popular character you don't like?
Angela: Gansey from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. The first book was fine but by book two I was over every character in this series.
Leah: Another hard one! Blue from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. Actually, I hated the book completely, so I hated all the characters in it equally. I really, REALLY don't understand why this series is so popular.

A popular series you have no interest in reading?
Angela: Anna and the French Kiss. Really don't think I'll ever pick up a Stephanie Perkins book. They seem so cheesy, and not the good kind of cheese.
Leah: The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Ok, pretty much anything by Scott Westerfeld.

 Movie adaptations that were better than the books?
 Angela: I have two choices-Love, Rosie. I really enjoyed the book, but the movie surpasses it by a long shot. It was just amazing. The other choices is Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. The book came nowhere close to the amazingness the movie had. Balled my eyes out.
Leah: Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. The book fell very much into the "meh" category, but the movie was absolutely of the charts. I laughed until I was crying and then I cried until I just couldn't. It was fantastic.

  
Book tropes you're tired of seeing?
Angela: When there are two best friends in a series and one is in love with the other but it'll clearly never happen. Like why can't someone write two best friends that can be the opposite sex (hey even same sex) and they just always be friends. No seriously, they don't have to fall in love.
Leah: Main characters that are completely oblivious to major things happening around them. Let's take my beloved Twilight for example. How long did it take Bella to figure out the truth about Edward and Jacob? Get it together, girlfriend.

Fictional Book Boyfriends Pt 10

Labor Day is upon us and with "Summer coming to an end"... but just like the south this post is still hot! Below we give you a list of our "dream cast" for the leading men in the books we've been reading lately. This list is also often referred to as an IfList or Fictional Book Boyfriends. This is also the first time we've picked someone for a graphic novel... Clearly we're doing big things.

To see our previous picks just click here and to see the reviews for the books themselves just click their titles. If the book doesn't have a current review posted there should be one up shortly.

  Y: The Last Man by Brain Vaughan 
Everything with a Y chromosome dies from an unexplained plague
 leaving only one man and his pet monkey left alive.

Alex Koch as Yorick Brown
Suddenly having to re-populate the world is looking real good.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher 
Stranger kidnaps girl in a busy airport then forces her to live with him in the desert.

Xavier Samuel as Ty 
Let's just say he wouldn't have to kidnap to get us to go with him..
Willingly would be an understatement... and well pack smores.

Amber to Ashes by Gail McHugh 
Girl goes off to college to leave broken past behind and ends up falling for two best friends.

Devin Paisley as Brock Cunningham
 Whoosh... need a moment to cool down... scroll down please

Ryley Lanteigne as Ryder Ashcroft
We would love too be the ham in this man sandwich.

Diamonds by K. A. Linde 
High-school student starts steamy love affair with wealthy mystery man. 

Micah Truitt as Jude
Sign us up for having dirty secrets if this face is involved. 

BOUND BY PROPHECY COVER REVEAL!

   

Release Date: November 12th

Pre-order on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/26jybt

Pre-order on B&N: http://smarturl.it/pmop5c

Pre-order on iBooks: http://smarturl.it/3yso88

Pre-order on Kobo: http://smarturl.it/5k5f40

Add on Goodreads

Amelia Bradbury is finally free from Queen Julia and Cresthaven, but she isn’t safe yet. The Keeper power runs rampant inside her and it will take an ultimate act of selflessness to contain the darkness that threatens Amelia’s sanity and the future of the Immortal race. Aidan Montgomery refuses to give up on Amelia. Once she’s rescued from the Keeper’s hold, he intends to prove his love is more than a side effect of the prophecy, even if doing so leads him away from his pack and on a journey that will irrevocably change them both. When the past and the present collide and the shocking origin of the Immortals is revealed, Amelia and Aidan are forced back to Cresthaven to end a war that never should have started.  

Have you read the first book in the Bound Series? Bound by Duty is FREE!

Free on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Q9EGRo

Free on B&N: http://bit.ly/1XGAAp2

Free on iBooks: http://apple.co/1JOoJL5

Free on Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Uo2Tcx

Amelia grew up in a world of half-truths. She knows she's an Elder, but has no idea what that means. Her father reminds her daily that she must maintain control, but he refuses to explain why. Even worse, she's betrothed to the prince of the Immortals and doesn't even know his name. Finally breaking free to live a few normal years at a community college, the last thing Amelia expects is to find her best friend in a cheeky southern girl, or fall for a self-assured human who sees her for who she is, not what she will become. As she learns more about herself, Amelia realizes the line between love and duty is a thin one. As her power continues to increase exponentially and her questions are slowly answered, Amelia must make the ultimate choice. The question is, will her head win the battle, or her heart?  

About Stormy Smith

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A word nerd from the very beginning, Stormy Smith has always had her nose in a book or a pen in her hand. From a journalism degree to a public relations career, manipulating words has always been her forte. She never expected her love of stories to translate into writing them, but one day the words were there and couldn’t be stopped.

Stormy lives in Iowa’s capital with her husband and two crazy cats. When she isn’t working on, or thinking about, her books, Stormy’s favorite places include bar patios, live music shows, her yoga mat or anywhere she can relax with her husband or girlfriends.

Darken the Stars by Amy A. Bartol

As the war for Ethar continues, everyone see Kricket as a pawn. She isn't as weak as her enemies might think. Seeing into the future might benefit her, but it might also make it harder for her to make the choices necessary. Darken the Stars is the third book in the Kricket Series.

"Deep down, however, I fear that I've come to love a lie." 

Thanks Amy, for confusing the crap out of me... my heart doesn't know what direction it wants to go in. This book messed with my head for multiple different reasons.

When I finished Sea of Stars I was 100% team Trey. Now that I have finished Darken the Stars I'm so torn between Trey and Kyon... Actually I might not be?!? Ugh I truly don't know where to start! Trey, Kyon, Kricket... I'm a glass case of emotions! Much like I did with my Queen of Shadows review I'm going to do a lot more talking about characters than I am about plot.

I'm not going to lie to you or beat around the bush with this.... We get a lot less Trey in this book than I was ever expecting... and at first this had me super peeved. I was mad that all our free time wasn't again filled with stolen moments and forbidden romance. Needless to say I was a little bit huffy the first few chapters in.  That was until it dawned on me that if Amy gave me all the things I "wanted" then it was would be book two repeated and that what I really wanted was something different and new for this series. I got it too.

Trey was just Trey in this book. As much as I still wanted more of him I was again still thankful for what we got instead. He's still seems just as sexy and strong as ever... but he is still the same Trey. The man that thinks he has to stand in front of Kricket instead of besides her as equals. Darken the Stars is more about Kyon and Kricket's story. Yes, you heard right; WE GET A LOT OF KYON!!! Never thought I'd be excited to say that. I'll get to that in a minute though... Kricket is still the whip smart fire cracker that we got in the first two books, but in this one shes a little more vulnerable and dare I say more like-able. Don't get me wrong, I liked her in the previous books, but I liked getting so see the raw more emotional side of her. We get to see more into her thought process and how seeing into the future really effects her. I like her wits over fist persona and her strong will to fight for what she wants. Not what the world needs but for what she needs. Some might think that comment sounds rather selfish for a leading lady, but in my eyes it's refreshing. Then there's Kyon. Everyone from here to Mars knows I love the villains. I always swoon over the bad boy... and what's better than your average bad boy? The bad boy who knows he's bad and doesn't care to be anything else! He owns it. Kyon has the same thing going for him that Warner from The Shatter Me Trilogy has. At first ya boy is beyond creepy and clingy and you're biggest worry is when and where he is going to make a skin suit out of Kricket. As time goes on though you start to see why he is the way he is. That he might be the "villain" but that he gives something to Kricket that no one else has. I also want to mention how I loved how he wants to teach Kricket things. He want to confide in her, and also sees her as an equal. He was the biggest surprise in this book for me. He becomes charming, jokey, romantic, fierce, he's always man-handling someone, he doesn't wear a shirt often.... and holy hot half-breed I just want to lick his face... and that seafood dinner scene... Whoosh, sorry. Excuse me. Got caught I up in the moment.

"Courage is a value that you hold dear. You live for danger... I can't avoid danger. There's a difference... No. You slap danger in the face and wait for it to react."

Darken the Stars plot does take a slower pace than the two previous. The first two are all about action packed Wtf moments and chase scenes while this one is more about answering the unanswered questions we had from the others. It's about giving us more of a world history and character development. Also I don't know if I'm the only one whose going to think this, but whatever, I think the plot for DTS is a lot darker as well which I found to be a plus... I don't even want to get into how my number one biggest fears is present in this book. When that bomb gets dropped I almost threw up from being terrified. I'm not even going to mention what it is because I do feel like it's a little bit of a spoiler, but if you know me at all, then you'll already know what it is... because again it's number one on my list of biggest fears. Just shuttering thinking about it again. DTS is more a book that is set into place to set things up for the further installments in the series. The pace really doesn't pick up till closer to the end and takes several turns that I didn't except... And that ending! I just have no idea where this book is headed, what will come in the future, and this has me both stressed and very excited.

 Sigh. There's going to be no other way for me to get over this book hangover that Darken the Stars has given me than watch really low rated movies on Netflix and binge on Ben and Jerry's. Goodbye cruel world.

10/10 Stars
-Angela 

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Celaena Sardothien is coming for everything they said she couldn't have. Everything she loves and has was taken from her. But she's has returned to the empire for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront her past

"Do you think monsters are born or made?"

I just... I just... I can't... I just don't know what to say. Game of Thrones meets Batman. That's what the Throne of Glass series is... and yes it's as epic as that sounds. Sarah J. does it again. Another stunning, jaw dropping book. This review is going to be so hard to write. I want to gush. I want to scream. I want to rage about this book, but can't because *sigh* spoilers. As much as I want to spoil this for you I just can't be that kind of monster. I will still write my feelings about it and highlight a few moments I loved, but I just wanted to give warning this review WONT have spoilers in it... I will say that if you haven't taken the time to read this series you're a fool and I have no idea what you're doing with your life, besides living it wrong! Go pick it up the first three books then come back and read this review.

Queen of Shadows picks up right where Heir of Fire left off; pulling us behind a car by our heartstrings. There are a lot of characters introduced and finally produced in this book that I unfortunately wont be able to touch base on in this review. Just understand that the smallest player can end up playing the biggest part. Anyways, I'll just jump right into our main players. First off lets talk about Dorian. God, I love him in this book (If you've read QOS you probably read that sentence and thought I was insane but I don't care). I absolutely loved reading from his point of view. The complete change from light to dark had me drawn in. He became such a stellar character in this novel. He is a true wild card at this point in time. Then there's Choal. I know people love Choal. That in the previous books everyone has been "team Choal this" "team Choal that", however if you know or have read any of my review for this series then you know I have not been team Choal---or even team Dorian. Choal does give us a ton of character development and growth in this book, and I love his character but he's still not my man. Then we have a "newer" player, Aedion... Love him. His sass, his loyalty, his personality shine so bright in this book. I just couldn't get enough of him. And the growing bromance between him and Rowan had me dying. This leads me too the two people I've been dying ta get ta....

Yes, Rowan and Celaena. I know that Celaena officially goes by Aelin in this book, but I'm going to warn you now that I will probably always call her Celaena or "C". These two... THESE TWO KILL ME!!!!!! I haven't shipped a ship this hard in the longest and it has me all sorts of giddy. Again if you've read my review in the past then you know whose team I've always been on... Team Rowan. From the moment this man was introduced it was signed, sealed, delivered. I LOVE HIM!!!! Good gods I love him. Though we got a good deal of him in HOF it isn't even half of what we get out of him in this book. We get to see into his brain. We get to see how he is feeling, he's stages of thinking, and his feeling towards Celaena in a way we haven't been able to in the past. It has be swooning all over the place. Everything he does and says will win you over. He was already on my favorite fictional guys list but lets just say after reading this he has defeintely moved up on the list. I can't wait to see where their bond takes them. It's refreshing to have a character in this series that generally understands her struggles and the weight that has been put on her shoulders. Lastly we have Celaena. I have said it on many many occasions that Celaena is my all time favorite female character. Queen of Shadows just further justified this for me. She is one cunning, whip smart, silver tongued, bad-ass bitch. QOS by far gives the best description I've ever heard of her...

"A storm given flesh." 

That sentence is so spot on it isn't even real. In QOS ya girl is taking no prisoners. No seriously, If  Celaena was in a GOT house she would be a freaking Lannister... and yall know why... Because a Sardothien always pays her debts.

I can't even count how many times I screamed "OH MY GOD" over something she did. At one point in time this was my goodreads status update... "Seriously????!!? Did C just drop the mic??? UH YEAH SHE DID!! Seriously just screamed "oooooooooooh damn" and scared the crap out of my dog. She just such a badass"... Everything she does is so calculated that when you finally see all the pieces come together you'll be exploding. Your brain will have to take several cold showers to get over the mind rape she will do to you. If there was something you wanted from C that you didn't get in the past you'll get it in this one. She gives you a side of her we haven't seen. This raw real emotion that takes her character to a whole new level. Celaena's character in this novel had me bowing down to the real Queen that is Sarah J Maas. *Insert slow clap*. Bravo! Thank you for making a character that is the epitome of strong leading female. Yes Celanea might go a little stray cray here and there, but God... She might want a man but she doesn't need one. She can do bad all by herself. Sarah continued to show that you can be tough but still love the things you want. You can wield a sword but still love dresses. That you can be all these strong willed tough as nails things, but still love deep. There's no other word to describe Celanea's character besides amazing. As for the characters I couldn't mention, they truly hold their own in this book. One surprise after another. There is one certain witch in particular that I can't wait to see in the next book.

I know I talked a lot about the characters and not so much about the plot. Again that is only because we are now four books deep people. QOS is the perfect balance of action packed scenes, romance, fighting, plotting, and build up. This is basically me the whole time... Page 1-170 I thank Maas for giving me everything back. Page 181 I die. Page 295 I freak the f out! Page 319 I cry my eyes out. Paged 320 I curl up in a ball and die again. 370 I realize that if my heart wasn't stolen by C before it's was officially taken. Page 400-656 I don't breathe and can't feel my body. I cry. I swoon. I die again and didn't even know that was physically possible. Swoon some more. Then do my final freak out. This is all without even mentioning the crazy plot twists that happen. They sneak up on you and tear your heart and eyes both out. Sometimes at the same time. And that ending, though a lot of lose ends are taken care of it still has me so conflicted. I just don't know where this story is headed. My heart is telling me it going to go one place while my head tells me to expect another. 

The whole ending plays out just like a movie. So vivid you can see and feel the whole thing. Just phenomenal. Queen of Shadows was well worth the wait and hanging around till the next book comes out might just do me in. Don't even get me start on how we still get at least two more books! Sarah J. Maas continues to surprise me with a series I never even thought I would like, but has turned out to be one of my favorites. 

All in all Queen of Shadows is about finding your place in the world. Consuming what you must and then fighting for what you love. That you yourself can be your best friend or your worst enemy. That it isn't about how heavy the weight is but about how long you hold it. That you get to choose your future. That your past might have built you but that it doesn't have to define you. That one person can truly rattle the stars.

10/10 Stars
-Angela 

Angela's August Wrap-Up

Warm Bodies- Isaac Marion

No Country for Old Men- Cormac McCarthy
Every Last Breath- Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Heart of Betrayal- Mary E. Pearson
Saga Volume 1- Brain K. Vaughan
Saga Volume 2- Brain K. Vaughan
Saga Volume 3- Brain K. Vaughan
Saga Volume 4- Brian Vaughan 
Y: The Last Man Volume 1- Brain K. Vaughan
Torn Hearts- Claire Contreras
Black Out- Robinson Wells
You- Caroline Kepnes
Diamonds- K.A. Linde
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone- J K Rowling (re-read)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- J K Rowling (re-read)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- Jk Rowling  (re-read)
Stolen- Lucy Christopher
The Statistically Probability of Love at First Sight- Jennifer E. Smith
Twilight- Stephanie Meyer (re-read)
New Moon- Stephanie Meyer (re-read)
Heir of Fire- Sarah J. Maas (re-read)

Though I might have hit double digits for reading in August if you can't tell there seems too be a small reoccurring theme... A lot of the books I read this month were re-reads, books to film, and/or graphic novels. Basically August was a struggle reading wise. I couldn't seem to focus or get into anything really deep. Honestly, I did fall really deep into watching Pretty Little Liars on NetFlix... However, this doesn't mean the things I read were as weak as I was.

Of course my favorites this month clearly include any book I re-read. How could I read the Harry Potter Series and Heir of Fire and not love them??? Yeah, it would be impossible. I figured I knock of Heir of Fire with Queen of Shadows coming out today, and of course I still loved it, still cried, and still fell apart reliving it. My pre-order can't come in soon enough. But enough talk of re-reads. My favorites this month that I haven't read previously are: Every Last Breath, Saga 1-4, Y: The Last Man, and Torn Hearts. ELB is the third and final book in The Dark Elements trilogy by Jennifer Armentrout and it was my favorite of all three books. Such a great conclusion to a wonderful, fun, and sexy series. Jlaw gives us a gripping story with a love triangle done right. Torn Hearts the novella by Claire Contreras was a big surprise. I believe they are calling this a "first read" because it will slowly be released over a period of time then become a full novel. I flipping loved this. The characters were fun and it was a book that I didn't think I was going to enjoy... but whoosh I am so excited to get my hands on the full length novel. Next are the two graphic novels I read. Saga was a complete mind blowing experience, and if you're looking for something different look no further. Y took the "plague" idea and gave it a new refreshing spin. I would recommend either series to comic lovers who haven't yet snagged these up.

You, Stolen, and Diamonds might not be my favorites this month but all three were so unique, different, thrilling, and creepy. I can't not mention them. You by Caroline Kepnes is an adult fiction novel where a man starts stalking a women after she comes into the book store he works for. Stolen by Lucy Christopher is about a young female who is kidnapped while at an airport and forced to live with a stranger in the desert. She slow develops what would appear to be Stockholm syndrome. And Diamonds by K.A Linde is the sexy NA book that I both loved and hated, didn't want to continue, but yet couldn't put down. A 17 year old girl starts a relationship with a wealthy strange and shiz hits the fan.

For the books that I didn't fancy this month I have only one. Black Out by Robinson Wells. 
I tried so hard to get into this book but just couldn't. It had so much potential but it never sank it's teeth into me... Therefore I ended up DNFing it a little over half way through with much disappointment. Nothing is better than when you buy a book for it's cover then it knocks it out of the park... Sadly Black Out struck out.

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