Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is. 
An invisible girl is the perfect weapon.

Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years. After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough.  

The main reason I wanted to read Transparent was because it is advertised as "The God Father meets X-men", right away I knew I had too have it. I'm a HUGE X-Men fan and thought maybe it would even be a sister book to Shatter Me... I think this advertisement is a little off.

Transparent follows the story of a girl named Fiona who was born invisible. She, is like many others in the world, were born with powers. This is my first problem with this book. It's never explained how people mutated too get this powers... was it evolution, radiation, something else??? We might never know. Fiona's father is the head of a Mob that sells a drug that is made to enhance your powers. And of course like any crime boss he uses both Fiona's powers and the rest of his family to his advantage. He has Fiona doing everything from spying on his competitors to doing simple pick pocketing. So when the story started out with her sneaking in to listen to a conversation and then going all mission impossible on people I was pretty excited to keep reading... But that experience was short lived.

Fiona and her mother run away to escape the life of crime and to start over again. They move too a small town where her fathers competitor actually lives. I figured that as the story went on Whipple would have it so that Fiona's back story was revealed here and there. It sadly never really happens. She mentions she's done a lot of bad things, but I wanted more of what she had done in the past. The story continues as Fiona and her mother hang out in this town. Her mom slightly works she slightlly goes to school. While at school she is picked on of course for being invisible (lets be real kids would think this was so bad-ass). She becomes friends with other outcast: Seth, Brady, and Bea. All who also have powers of their own. As far as Fiona's personality goes, it is terrible. She was SO annoying. And for a girl whose never seen what she looks like she is so full of herself. She's constantly saying she knows she has a good figure and that she knows she has nice cleavage, etc.... She also brings nothing else to the table. She has no personality, very little intelligence, and can't even offer us a sense of humor.

This brings me to my next issues, the sub characters. Brady is suppose to be a super hottie, but to me doesn't sound hot at all. He does seem sweet but that's it, her bff Bea is LAME! Then there's Seth. Seth the convenient character love interest. It is clear from the get go what Seth's purpose will be... And you might think I'm about to drop a spoiler on you but I'm not, it's obvious the second he is introduced that his power will be able to see her. TRUST ME IT WAS FAR TOO CONVENIENT!!! At first I thought maybe it would be like Adam in Shatter Me and that we would think he was just so convenient then he'd turned out to be something completely else. When it's "revealed" I rolled my eyes so hard they almost fell out my head. The worst part however is when she finds out he can see her she ask him what he looks like and he tells her AND SHE COMPLAINS ABOUT IT!!! The boy gives her sweet compliments and just like the average super B would do she turns them all to negatives!! This is both a real life pet peeve of mine and a book one as well.  JUST TAKE THE COMPLIMENT!!! LIKE SERIOUSLY!!!!!??? WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!!!

(Pretty much how my face actually looked too.) I think that Fiona's over all attitude was just really what turned me off too this story. I would love to go into details about her brothers, because they are a "big part" of the story but I felt they were pointless. Hated them as much as the rest of the family. I would also love to talk about the plot, but I don't feel like there was much of one. The discription of this story had me thinking that this would be a non stop action packed book but nothing happens the entire time. I was never once WOW or shocked by anything that happened.

The concept of Transparent is amazing, original, and a book I was really looking forward too. Sadly it just didn't live up to the hype I built for it in my head. I wish this was a case of "it's not you it's me" but sadly I don't think it was.

3/10 Stars 
-Angela 

(Transparent BookDepo) 

Angela's Fall Favorites

Recently I started doing a post where I do a complete recap of my seasonal favorites. The seasons might be a little slurred, but only because this is new and something I just started mid-year. That and I live in the south and our seasons are all over the place. Just a heads up I plan on missing December and picking this back up in January.

What I really enjoy about doing this post is I don't just talk books, I talk about all my favorite things. Movies, television, events, and more. My last seasonal post only included things from the months June through August... So yes this one is going to be my favorites from September, October, and November.

Top Five Fall Reads:

These are my favorite reading picks of this fall. They're the books I gave the highest ratings on Goodreads and our blog. These will only include fresh reads for me, nothing that I happened to re-read, and are in no order:

1. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas. Celaena has returned to the empire and is seeking vengeance for everything that has been taken from her.
2. Darken the Stars by Amy A. Bartol. Kricket is being held against her will and the man holding her wants to combined forces so they'll be unstoppable.
3. Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren.  A comic book writer and a comic book store owner go from friends to something more.
4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Six misfit criminals are hired to pull of the an impossible heist.
5. November 9 by Colleen Hoover. Ben and Fallon meet on the same date once a year for five years and pick up their relationship right where they left off. But only for one day.

Top Fall Movies: 
As with the other catergories not all of these came out during this time perio.

The Road Within- Vincent (Robert Sheenan), a boy suffering from Tourette's syndrome is sent by his father to a treatment center. He then runs away with two friends (Zoe Kravitz, Dev Patel)  from the center with plans to head for the beach to spread his mothers ashes. The Road Within was a really fun short film. Each character brought something so interesting to the table. For fans of Me Earl and the Dying Girl and Men, Women, & Children.

How I Live Now- Based of the Ya novel by Meg Rosoff. Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) is sent to live with cousins she's never met before in England. While there a war breaks out and the kids decide to stick it out and go on as if the world around them isn't falling apart. While waiting out the war Daisy and her cousin Edmond (George McKay) start a romantic relationship only to be torn apart and sent to different locations. This movie visually is stunning, the cast is perfect, and it ended up being one of my favorite ya movie adaptions I've seen this year.

Mockingjay Part 2- Duh right? You had too have known this would be on my list. I mean its the last freaking Hunger Games! It was done oh so right too. I left the theater 100% satisfied. This was an amazing series, that turned into and amaze set of films. Perfectly casted, and perfectly portrayed. This will probably always be one of the most successful book to films I'll ever see. It's right up there with Harry Potter. Really just can't believe that it's over.

Favorite Fall TV Shows:
These might not all have aired this year, but that doesn't stop them from being my favorites.

Misfits Season 1-2. The season part is very important because after season two the show really drops off. This show is so freaking hilarious!!!! It's about several teens who are doing community service when a storm breaks out and people get meta powers from it. Each teen has a different power each of course getting them in and out of trouble. The best part of this show is Robert Sheenan. Good Lord! Every second he is on the screen is amazing and would have me laughing until I cried.

The Flash- I think we all know what this is about. And it happens to be another show were someone is struck by something and forms powers... What can I say; I love meta humans. This wasn't a show I thought I would easily fall into, but before I knew it I was marathoning it on Netflix. Grant Gavin is the perfect Barry Allen. My favorite part is how Arrow is brought into it. Just makes my love for Oliver Queen that much stronger.

Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance. Yeah, I might be one of the last people on earth watching this show, but ask me if I care?! I DON'T. I have watched every season of Survivor and I aint afraid to admit it. This show is just as fun as it was when I watched season one. Team Joe!

The Walking Dead Season 6- Pretty sure this season wont be over by the time I post this... Again don't care. This season has been amazing so far. I've even liked the episodes where they've focused on a single character, and usually I find those so boring. So stoked to see how and where they leave this season off... Who will survive.

Favorite Fall Book Reviewer:

Problems of a Book Nerd. Recently stumbled upon this review and she is freaking adorable. She's currently studying aboard and even manages to work that into her reviews. She's one of the few reviewer I watched who will show you a list of books she's hauled and then within a few weeks will have reviews posted about them. Most will haul books hen well never see them again. She also has a vast taste in books and is constantly recommending things I've never heard of before.

Top Fall Music:

Last time I picked an entire album this time I just have a few songs.

Adele Hello- Who isn't blaring this song right now?! Pretty sure everyone is not just obsessed with this song but with the music video as well. Can someone please tell me what makeup she uses because it is so on point it hurts.

Justin Bieber Sorry- Uh yeah, never thought a Bieber song would make any kind of list of mine, but hey there's a first time for everything. I've honestly really been enjoying the music he's been putting out lately. Also completely in love with the "dance" version music video he has up of this.

Hailee Steinfeld Love Myself- You don't want to like this song... But really can't help it. It's so freaking catchy.

Favorite Event:

This is an easy one.

Yallfest! Leah and I went ham on Yallfest. We managed to see every single author we wanted to, go to every event we wanted to, and get to every giveaway we wanted to. We snagged massive swag and a ton of ARCs. We brought both our husbands along with us so it made getting to everything and the wait in lines so easy! The only thing we were letdown about was that Rick Yancey had to cancel due to being ill. It seems like we can't catch a break when it comes to him. Every time we try to met him something happens. 2016 though we will meet him!

-Angela

Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

"The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn't. Bear with me. It’s all a part of the plan.

Revenge is what I want. I want it for me and I want it for her.
I want it for all six of us." -Goodreads

"Do your worst, for I will do mine"

Yeah Imma say it.... Magic hasn't been this hot since Harry Potter. It also feels like forever since I've really been excited to write a review! Mark your calendars folks! Today Magic hotness was brought back and a full review will be written!

Six of Hearts was a huge surprise to me. When I read the synopsis I remember hollerin' "HA, CHEESE!". I'm happy to announce I was correct! Because SOH is a fine aged cheese, the kind you find in the fancy cheese case in the deli section of at Harris Teeter. So yummy. This book was unique, fun, and wasn't too heavy on the romance. I know that sentence might be hard seeing, being this book revolves around romance... I stick to what I just said though the alluring pull of the plot and the lusty romance are very well balanced. 

This book will have me leaving a lot plot wise to your imagination. Luckily we can talk about characters. Matilda and Jay; oh how I loved these two. Matilda is working as a receptionist for her father's tiny law firm when Jay, an illusionist, comes in seeking him out to be his attorney. He is wanting Matilda father to represent him in suing an entire newspaper company. Matilda is instantly drawn to this strange bad boy... I mean who wouldn't be with his confident mysterious charm (I know I was). These two of course have an instant bond, that only grows more teasingly good when Jay takes residence in Mat's father's house. I want to just do an entire review where I just quote these two, but then that wouldn't really be a review, but I PROMISE it would be amazing. These two are guaranteed to have you grinning and giggling the entire book. Not only are these two so lovey they are both incredibly charming. They both have such unique character traits and talents that give the both such life. It did take me a little longer to get into Matilda's character than it did Jay's. This has more to do with me than it does with her. I usually like male characters first... and with Jay being so cunning, fine, and hilarious there was really no way around it. Also didn't hurt that ya boy is book smart. Kept imagining him with the attitude of Jesse Eisenberg, but with the face of Alex Pettyfer*schwing*.

The side characters in this book too. Be still me heart! Loved them. Jay's best friend Jessie is great. She funny, blunt, and a good time. But Matilda's best friend, Michelle.... Just killed me. Everything she says had me rolling. I knew as soon as she said "TOLO- Tits Out Legs Open" I was completely sold. Then the drunken scene where they dance and talk in British accents, amazing! The plot of Six of Hearts is good, but it has nothing on it's characters.

Six of Hearts' plot will drag you in as soon as you read the prologue. Right away I was pulled in and was  frantically flipping too get to the end. I had to know how things would end. I was also finding myself excited for something other than romance. I was waiting around for the moments when Jay got to preform and for the two of them just to be talking. I usually hone in on the romantic pacing of a book, but when I realized I wasn't I was actually set back. The romance and big secrets are revealed in the perfect manner. The only reason I couldn't give this book a perfect rating is because I knew what was going to happen at the end. I was hoping for something a little more jaw dropping (the ending is in NO way bad!), but found it a little predictable. That being said there was one thing that I didn't see coming that did shock my socks off a little. Oh and in case you were wondering the same thing I did, this does have the same feel as the movie Now You See Me, yeah which means it's great.

I wish I would have read this book during the summer because I think it'd be the perfect beach read. Not only did this book win me over, but the cover did too. At first glance I thought I hate it, but once I got deep into reading I realized how much I love it. If you're just getting into NA books I think this one would be a good fit and the perfect place to start. I really look forward to picking up more books by L.H. Cosway.


9/10 Stars 
-Angela 

The Fall Up by Aly Martinez

As a celebrity she is constantly being watched. A life she once loved has become so chaotic she has lost her way. That is until a tattooed stranger strikes up a simple conversation with her. 

"I could live with that-as long as she lived too."

Not gonna lie, The Fall Up was 100% a good ole fashion cover buy... I mean seriously look at it! It's flawless! As soon as I saw this I knew I had to have it. But, I couldn't find it. After Aly told me where and when I could buy it (apparently I was a few days early on the release date) I ordered it. Really glad I did. TFU  doesn't just have a beautiful cover it has a beautiful message.

TFU starts off with two strangers standing on the Golden Gate Bridge. After seeing each other several nights in a row, one of them finally decides to speak to the other... He basically tells her she shouldn't jump and she say whatever his reason for thinking the same probably isn't enough to do it either. He assumes she's up on that bridge because of an abusive relationship and she isn't quit sure why he is there. After both spend time talking and keeping one another from making a terrible decision they continue to visit the bridge night after night.

After that the two can't stay stop thinking of one another. Levee is always showing up in a wig and sunglasses so she can hide her true identity. After a few run ins Sam reveals his name and Levee reveals who she is as well. The chemistry between these two is my favorite part of this story. Absolutely love these two as a couple. Their banter and the fact that they are complete opposites had me sold on their love story. Both are such strong-willed characters while both managing to show us true vulnerability. Levee was a character I thought would for sure go in one direction and then surprised me by going a different. As much as I loved her character I loved Sam's 20 times more. What a likable and swoon-worthy character. I have absolutely no complaints about him. He had this light air about him while still managing to be comical and intelligent. Levee is a leading lady you'll love and Sam is a male who will for sure make it onto your fictional book boyfriend list. Seriously just love him! He'll make you wiggle your eyebrows and weak in the knees.

From the moment I started reading this book I was hooked. The plot and story-line had the perfect balance of hilarious banter, sweet romance, deep emotion, and a unique story concept. I was crazy about this novel's pacing, it was just perfect.  This was a book that constantly had something going on but never managed to feel forced. TFU  starts strong and continues that way through out. Again, the best part of this story (besides the chemistry) is it's underlying message. Clearly this book revolves around suicide, and that can often be presented or come off as "tacky". This wasn't a problem in this book. After I finished reading and the actual weight of everything settled in I was completely content that the romance and love-story never overshadowed what this book was trying to get across. Anything that anyone could considered "flawed" about this story would easily be wiped away by this.

The Fall Up was a beautiful novel that surprised me.

10/10 Stars 
-Angela 

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 

Fractured Suns by Theresa Kay

While Jax and Lir fight separate battles, their missions have more in common than they realize. It’s a race against time to stop men driven only by greed and power. But the people they trust the most might be the very people working against them—and "family" doesn't mean what it used to. Will they recognize their friends from their enemies in time to save the people they love or will they lose each other in the process? 

Just gonna go ahead and get this out of the way... Fractured Suns does not suffer from second book syndrome... it was AMAZING!!!!  

The Broken Skies Series is a true hidden gem! This is a series that is WAY under-hyped! Theresa Kay makes writing look easy. Fractured Suns is the second book in the Broken Skies Series and again doesn't disappoint. When Theresa contacted us again to review her second novel I have "give me hands" flying all over the place! I knew I needed it but had no clue how much I was going too get out of it. Fractured Suns picks right up where Broken Skies ended. I'm going too keep this review 100% spoiler free because if you cant tell by now I'm very pro team-read this series.

We have Jax our leading lady. She continues to be a strong willed, stubborn, powerhouse of a heroine. She is such a strongly written female character and in this book we continued to get so much out of her. With her new found strength and power she really becomes a force to be reckoned with. Then we have Lir, who really steps up his game in this book. He is strong, supportive, swoon worthy, amazing male character. Since this book is written in dual POV (100% A POSITIVE THING FOR THIS NOVEL) we get so much more out of both these characters and it made their stories intertwine so seamlessly and it really pulls this novel together. Their relationship is just such a joy to read and get to experience. Though their relationship, of course, is a fictional one it feels so real. They are still new to it and are learning that trust and communication is the key to getting past anything. These two together have me head over heels with being head over heels in love. They have sky rocketed and easily have become one of my favorite book couples. I can't wait to see where they're relationship heads in book three. Especially with how the story is left off.

We also have a lot more secondary characters in this book. Sadly, I wont get to mention all because some are new players. We do however get a lot more Rym time! Which made this girl a happy camper. LOVE HIM!!! and his horrible comic timing. We also get a lot more Jace and Flint. These two characters were ones I knew would be important, but going into this book had no true sense on how much we were going to get out of them. Their characters took this book to a whole new level! (I wish yall could see my face right now.... It's.... Ugh... My mouths open my hands are fan-girl flapping around... I'm struggling to form actual words!) These two... Just wow. These characters are what would have made this novel a "make-or-break" for me. They made this novel.

The best part of Fractured Suns in my opinion is it's pace. You're never overwhelmed by one certain aspect. It has the perfect mixture of action packed scenes, romance, character development, and set this series. Even the scenes that are not fast paced action moments are still filled with amazing Easter eggs and little hidden treasures. Wait, did I say the pace was my favorite part?... I might have lied, the plot twist was my favorite part. Trust me when I say you think you'll have the "big reveal" figured out.... BUT YOU ARE WRONG!!!!!!!! You might be right about a few things that will happen, but you still wont be ready for what happens. I thought I knew exactly where this book was headed... but when the actual twist happens... I seriously jumped off the sofa, started throwing pillows around, pulling my hair, and then balled my eyes out. I'll never again make the mistake of turning my back to you Theresa, because it's clear you're not above shoving a knife into it and then twisting!
 

What an amazingly perfect, gripping, and heart breaking twist... No, not just twist, but story. This series needs to be on shelves everywhere and moved to the top of your TBR list. Theresa was clearly born to write. She is a writer I could easily see slip into other genres like New Adult and Contemporary and again make it look like she has been doing it forever  

This is a knock out novel and series that continues too surprise me. Fractured Suns will have you paying for the whole seat... but you're only going to use the edge of it.

10/10 Stars 
-Angela 

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each day only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when Shahrzad volunteers to marry the Caliph.

The Wrath and the Dawn is every recently amazing YA book thrown into one read. Red Queen meets An Ember in the Ashes meets A Court of Thorns and Roses. The main difference it has between those books is the amount of action. The Wrath definitely set aside action packed scenes for a slower more lyrical literature depth.

Sharhrzad (Shazi) is out to seek revenge for the murder of her best friend and decides too volunteer to be the next wife of the Caliph of Khorasan. The Caliph is known for being ruthless, heartless, and cruel. But the thing he is most known for is the fact that every day he takes a different wife and every following dawn he kills her. Shazi doesn’t care why the king does this she only cares about righting what has been wrong and insuring that this fate doesn’t come to another girl.  Since this is told from a 3rd person point of view us as reading know that there is clearly more to the story than meets the eye. As Shazi gets to know Khalid (The Caliph) she learns he is not what she thought he was. She beings to become conflicted between doing what she set out to do and listening to her heart. Things only get more complicated when Shazi pre suicide mission boyfriend, Tariq, sets out to get her back.


I'm usually am not the biggest fan of the 3rd person pov but in this case I found myself falling in love with it. That was not the only thing I fell for, the characters won me over. Shazi is our leading lady and the character I connected most with. Having to see her go back and forth on what she should do had me struggling along with her. She is a fierce lead and her silver tongued attitude is a forced to be reckoned with. Her take no crap ways and honesty will win you over. Khalid is our leading male and I can’t express enough how much I loved his character. He isn’t a man of many words, and the ones he uses he chooses wisely, time and time again had me swooning. Though I connected more with Shazi without a doubt Khalid was my favorite character. He has definitely made his way onto my list of fictional book boyfriends. I loved the mystery surrounding him, his intelligence, and his ability to read people. This is also the only negative feedback I have on the book. The romance, though amazing, I wanted more of it. I wanted more “screen time” with Shazi and Khalid. The moments we get with them are so perfect that it made me want this book to be longer. I think it says a lot if your only real complaint is that something was so good you wanted more of it. This is a very very minor issue in the grand scheme of things.  Both Shazi and Khalid are complex and well built characters. The fact that we are given so much back story and tells from their childhoods also gave these characters something that a lot of other books miss. Tariq is the only character I felt I didn’t really connect with or understand in this book. though I see his value and what he brings to the table I just think Khalid won me over and had it so I wasn't even glancing Tariq way.

“Love is a force unto itself, sayyidi. For love, people consider the unthinkable...and often achieve the impossible. I would not sneer at its power.”  

As I stated above The Wrath is a book that can be compare to others that have been released lately but it has something so different to it. Though most of it's action packed scenes are left towards till the end of the story, Renee's writing had it so I was still on the edge of my seat either way. She manages keeps a steady pace throughout the whole novel. Renee's writing is so beautiful and gripping. The brilliance behind how she survives through the night is what got me so hooked right away and every wonderful sentence after kept me there. This novel brought a whole new meaning to stories having power. Waiting so long to give us the true answer to the riddle yet giving us little bits and pieces really worked so well for this book. The action scenes in this book are perfectly placed along with their delivery.

The Wrath and the Dawn surpassed any expectation I had for this book. It brings something so new and diverse to this genre. The perfect start to a series. It’s a fresh retelling with and amazing band of characters, perfect amount of romance, and the perfect mystery surrounding it. Finding out this is the first book and that there will be a sequel has me beyond giddy! 

10/10 Stars
-Angela

Ugly People Beautiful Hearts by Marlen Komar

I was contacted by Marlen and asked to review her poetry book Ugly People Beautiful Hearts. I love poetry and when I was asked I realized that this is the first time someone has asked me to review a poetry book of theirs before. After reading UPBH  I'm glad that this was the first one.

I'm going to start off with the most obvious thing about it... The cover; it's amazing! So once I got a glance at it I knew I needed to take some time out of my hectic reading schedule to squeeze this in. The wonderful thing about this book was that it was the perfect break between the longer novels I've been reading lately. This book was the perfect light between read. And don't think that just because I said it's a light between read that it wont make you feel. Marlen's poems are lovely and are ones you can tell she puts every piece of herself into. UGBH  shows you the stages of falling both in and out of love, and all the stages in between. The highs and lows and all those moments where there's not just one perfect word yet invented to describe them.

There were so many lyrical and deep messages for you discover in each poem. I think a lot of people have this preconceived idea that all poetry has to be written in one way. That it must flow a current way and rhythm a current way. I like that Marlen breaks away from the typical. I did personally like the shorter length poetry over the longer ones, because I feel more when an author can say so much by using so little words.

My personal favorite was Come, Quick 

"You know that moment right after the day fades but right before the moon takes over? That half of a half of a quarter of a moment where the earth is suspended in a blank space? Where the silence is so quiet that it hums?

That's where I wait for you." 

It reminded me of Peter Pan meets Like Crazy. 

I think if you can take away one thing from poetry, even if it was just one single poem that moves you than the poet did their job. I believe that Ugly People Beautiful Hearts is a book that everyone can and will take something away from it.

8/10 Stars
-Angela 

Velvet by Temple West

After losing both her parents before the age seventeen, aspiring Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down. Things only get weirder when she is saved from a storm from her hot supernatural neighbor.

I will start right away by saying two things: one I didn’t read anything about this book before purchasing it, just simply cover lusted and bought it and two: you should know from the get go that this is Twilight meets The Lux Series with a touch of White Hot Kiss. I’m not a hater of Twilight but neither am I a fan, but I am a lover of Lux…. This put me in a weird predicament when it came to Velvet. For all the reasons I loved Lux were the reasons I loved this book. It was a sweet romance, with great banter between our leads, and a story line I found additively well written.  For all the reason I hated Twilight were the same reasons I disliked parts of Velvet. Until the twist happened towards the middle I was almost positive was re-reading Twilight. Once that twist happened, one I didn’t see coming, I changed my mind. The first half of this book just had some many similarities between those two books that I was thankful the last half mixed it up for us.

I really enjoyed the two leads in this book. Caitlin at first wasn’t my favorite; but by the end grew on me. I really loved her personality and how she’s kind of “whatever” about everything. The big thing that kept me from liking her at first was that she was so ungrateful for so long. I get the whole angry at the world thing, because I’ve been in her shoes before, but I still couldn’t connect to how hateful she was being.  I was beyond ecstatic when she stopped being such a brat.  As far as Adrian went, I have absolutely zero complaints about him. I loved everything about his character. Everything from his looks to personality worked for me. He was what set this book apart from the others. I like my mystery men sweet, sarcastic, and caring; trust me when I say he hits all those nails right on the head. At one point I had a hard time reading because my eyes had literally turned into hearts. Hands-down one of the best fictional guys I've read in awhile.

The scenes that he weren’t in had me praying there would be some kind of excuse for him to come into the picture. The relationship between these two was also grand. Seriously so freaking sweet!!!! Definitely swoon-worthy. However I did hear that this book was supposed to be super steamy, and I will say I was a tiny bit let down when it wasn’t. I wanted more hot and heavy moments. The sweet moments we got however were great.

The best part about Velvet was that it was a light read with great writing. The writing never seems forced or too youthful. The storyline though a little predictable, was still fast and fun. I also really enjoyed the new spin on Vampires. The best part about this book was that it had more of a contemporary feel to it than it did super-natural. I’m not a big contemporary reads person, but I really enjoyed that that’s what it felt like.It made me feel like I was getting something I usually miss from contemporary reads.

Overall I was really happy about this read. It's some good time chick-lit with a light heartedness that I think most will enjoy.  It may look like a winter read but I think it fit perfectly into my summer.It's hard to believe that this is Temple's debut novel. I look forward to book two and reading whatever she puts out in the future.

8/10 Stars
-Angela 

Angela's May Wrap-Up

Angelfall- Susan Ee
World After- Susan Ee
End of Days- Susan Ee 
3:AM Kisses- Addison Moore
Sweet Submission- Roxy Sloane
Silence- Natasha Preston
Sweet Filthy Boy- Christina Lauren 
Clockwork Angel- Cassandra Clare
Anomaly-Tonya Kuper
A Court of Thorns and Roses- Sara J. Maas
The Heir- Kiera Cass
An Ember in the Ashes- Sabaa Tahir
Fangirl- Rainbow Rowell
Never Never pt 2- Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher 
After- Anna Todd
Ugly People Beautiful Hearts- Marlen Komar
Black Iris- Leah Reader

I know I'm posting this early, but it's only because Leah and I will be in New York the rest of this month for BookCon... And were only kind of freaking out about it... OK WE ARE REALLY FREAKING OUT ABOUT IT!!!! So excited!! Anyways, I didn't plan on reading very much this month but somehow managed to knock out 17 books. This put me at 102 out of my 185 goal this year... Which is freaking insane!

As far as May went, well I think it went alright. My favorites for May are: Angelfall, Sweet Filthy Boy, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Never Never pt 2. I know Angelfall is a little older series wise, but I was waiting for all three books to be released so I could marathon the whole series, and marathon I did. I freaking loved this series. The whole concept of Angels coming down to earth and being villains was amazing.  If you know me then you know this next one was no surprise; Christina Lauren's Sweet Filthy Boy. Those two have definitely become two of my favorite writers. SFB is my favorite book of theirs to date and kind of sad I didn't read it sooner. How could this list be complete without a Sara J Maas book?? It couldn't, ACOTR was a new release this month and I loved it. It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but don't let that fool you, it is stunning. And last we have Never Never pt 2. Short stories aren't really my thing, but this series of novellas has me hooked! I need answers like yesterday. Those were without a doubt my favorites in May. I was surprised by two books, Ember in the Ashes and After. I thought for sure Ember would have been in my favorites, and yes I liked it a lot but then again it didn't blow we out the water like I hoped. After was a book I thought I was going to hate then ended up getting super hooked to.

When it comes to the books I thought were the biggest let downs, well I only have 3. Black Iris, The Heir, and 3AM Kisses. These three are the epitome of a book letdowns. I waited so long to get my hands on Black Iris, and was floored when it turned out to be a cluster f of badness. Leah Reader's Unteachable was one of my favorite books last year, so I was hoping for the same with Black Iris. 3AM Kisses, well lets just say it's one of the lamest things I've ever come in contact with. Spent most of my time trying to hold back my metaphorical vomit while reading it. The Heir, was another one of those books that I was really looking forward too, then got a hold of it and found myself asking "what was the point in this book?". Was so excited to fall back into the world of the selection and was highly disappointed.

That's all for now. See some of you in BookCon and the rest in June. 

-Angela

Kaleidoscope Hearts by Claire Contreras

He was her older brothers best friend and she was never suppose to be his. They thought they could get it out of their systems... One did and one left.

This second chance romance really did it for me... I'll say that right off the bat. 

Elle and Oliver have known each other forever. Oliver is Elle's brother Vic's best friend (that's a mouth full). This means by bro code they can't date. This issue never kept them from secret met ups. Oliver however decided that relationship aren't for him. So Elle goes her way Oliver goes his.

Elle of course is our leading lady. She ends up engaged to an older successful artist, who teaches her how to master her art. Together they open a studio. Once her fiance dies her world is thrown upside down (not a spoiler Fyi says it in like the first few pages). Elle sells their house and moves in with her brother Vic. Oliver our main man left Elle shattered after keeping their relationship a secret for years. He decided that he would focus on med school and just keep up with his womanizing ways. Both characters were realistically written. They were both characters that stood well on their own and together. As much as I liked Oliver, I liked Elle more. Even though sometimes she made me mad with her choices I really liked her character overall. She was silly, fun, and selfless. Oliver, who earlier on I didn't think I would like I ended up loving. His back story was sweet and his reasons were the same. His character development really did it for me. It's odd that every book I've read lately has been involving art/artist. Again though, it was another book that prefect wove in this aspect.

The story's plot circles around how hard it is to get over your first and only true love. And I for one am a sucker second chance love. The plot isn't rushed and though Contreras has it written that it could have been broken up into several books, I like that she choose not too. I loved how the novel goes from Elle's point of view in the present to Oliver's point of view being in the past. This had it so the story came perfectly together, and solved any unanswered questions. The reason I didn't give this book a higher rating was only because at a few points I did feel like it got a little repetitive. There was one or two times were I was like "ok come on I know where this is headed we've heard this song and dance already". Other than that I really enjoyed this Chick-lit of a read. 

Kaleidoscope Hearts was a sweet fun you know what you're getting into read and I really enjoyed it. 

8/10 Stars 
-Angela 
 

(Kaleidoscope Heart Audio Clip)
(Kaleidoscope BookDepo)

Angela's February Wrap-up

I'm writing this post super early (Feb. 21st), but by the time it reaches y'all it will be the end of the month. I know I wasn't too active on here this month, and that I saved most of my reviews till this last week and that's because I'm currently in the process of moving and sadly wont be able to be back on here till first week-ish of march. SO I preset everything to post while I'm off. I don't even know if I'll be able to read for the next week or so. (moment of silence for my time lost please.) Anyways, on to the good stuff. The whole month of February I dedicated too two things: doing some re-reads and focusing on books people recommended me. If you follow me on goodreads or have seen some of my latest reviews I explained that I went on and asked friends for their favorite books/books that brought them to tears and got tons of responses back. Then I did a big haul, did my re-reading while waiting on said haul, then went recommendation reading crazy. With February being such a short month I wanted to push really hard to read a bunch during it. Especially since I knew I wasn't going to have any time at the end of the month. So I was hoping to get to 30 books, but sadly fell a few short. Reading a total of 23 books... So close, yet so far away. Sigh.

As usual all you have to do is click the titles and it'll take you straight to the reviews.

Ten Tiny Breaths- K. A. Tucker
Let the Sky Fall- Shannon Messenger
This Song Will Save Your Life- Lelia Sales
Maybe Not- Colleen Hoover
Point of Retreat- Colleen Hoover 
Friend-Zoned- Belle Aurora 
Hexed- Michelle Krys
The 5th Wave- Rick Yancey (Re-Read)
The Infinite Sea- Rick Yancey (Re-Read)
Shatter Me- Tahereh Mafi (Re-Read)
Unravel Me- Tahereh Mafi (Re-Read)
Ignite Me- Tahereh Mafi (Re-Read)
I'll Give You the Sun- Jandy Nelson
Bad Romeo- Leisa Rayven
Snare- Clarissa Wild 
The Red Queen- Victoria Aveyard
Invaded- Melissa Landers
Me Before You- Jojo Moyes
Hardline- Michelle Wilds
Hardpressed- Michelle Wilds
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe- Benjamin Sáenz
Insurgent- Veronica Roth (Re-Read)
Royal Saga- Geneva Lee 

Of course as far as my favorites this month went, you should be able to tell that anything someone re-reads means that they probably love(d) it. I was so happy that I got to squeeze in both The Shatter Me series and The 5th Wave series. I loved them the first time around but re-reading them made me fall in love all over again (maybe even harder)... I'm basically begging for next year to get here so we can go see The 5th Wave movie already! I actually got to re-read The 5th Wave and The Infinite Sea with my husband and after he finished both of them he said he officially understands "fan-girling" because he loved them both so much. Oh, and with that being said did y'all see that we might finally have a name for book three!?!?! Rumor is it's going to be The Last Star, goosebumps right! (edit it was 100% confirmed this is going to be the name! Now please give us the cover already!) I also got to re -read Insurgent. I really want to right a full review for this book, but I'm going to wait until next month when Leah and I go and see the movie. I had a lot odd questions after seeing so many trailers for the upcoming film. I just knew I had to re-visit it... and I'm so glad I did. I didn't realize how much I had forgotten, and I don't think I'll be mad about what they are clearly already changing. (Well see for sure in March)

As far as my other favorites went that weren't re-reads, hands-down they had to be, Maybe Not, Point of Retreat, Me Before You, and The Red Queen. Of course my favorite list has to include at least one Hoover book, and Point of Retreat definitely didn't let me down. Then there's Me Before You which was the perfect love story, and The Red Queen which was a new release in February. One made me cry my eyes out while the other had me on the edge of my seat. Which one of the four would I pick as my Feb Fave..?? Easy, Maybe Not. Even as a novella it easily took the top spot! Having everything I loved in a book thrown into less that 150 pages. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard while reading a book before. Maybe Someday is one of my all time favorite books, but I still enjoyed Maybe Not just as much, if not more.

When it came to let downs February was full of them... Ten Tiny Breaths, Bad Romeo, Snare, and Invaded all made my list. Ten Tiny Breaths and Bad Romeo both had these amazing covers with story that didn't stand up. They both had the potential to be great but missed the mark and fell flat. Invaded wasn't a terrible book but as a follow up to Alienated it didn't come close to the same amazing-ness the first book had. Nothing happened till almost the very end, but at that point I was just to bored to really enjoy what was happening. My biggest let down however was Snare. IT MIGHT JUST BE THE WORST BOOK I'VE EVER READ!!! No, I think it is the worst book I've ever read. It was disgusting, weird, had one WTF thing after another, made no sense, and was just over-all terrible. I have no earthly clue how anyone could give this a five star rating, but tons of people have (to each their own... I guess). I'll more than likely post a ranting review on this book next month... Even though I'm trying to scrub it from my memory. Ugh, seriously though Snare was so... I don't know it really makes my skin hurt even thinking about it... Anyways.

There you have it my best and worst reads for this month. See y'all in March.

XOXO
-Angela

Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

When Cassie Taylor met Ethan Holt at acting school, sparks flew. She was the good girl actress. He was the bad boy about campus. But one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Cassie and Ethan's romance seemed destined. Until he broke her heart and betrayed her trust. Now the A-list heartthrobber is back in her life and turning her world around. 

The more I think about Bad Romeo the lower I want to rate it... I normally go into a review knowing what star rating I'm going to give it, but in Bad Romeo's case  I'm just going to wait till I'm completely done with the review before I decide anything.

With a cover like this I had high hopes for the book. I found Bad Romeo entertaining enough that I wanted to finish it, BUT there are also A LOT of things about it I hated.

The story follows two main characters Cassie Taylor and Ethan Holt. My main problem with the stories starts right there... With Cassie. At the start of this story she is a strong sassy leading lady, but as the novel continues, in both present and past tense, she became BEYOND annoying. When she is originally introduced I loved her. She seemed like she could hold her own against the leading tough guy Ethan. Cassie ending up spending 90% of the book begging (yes begging) for him to give her the D. 

She was so whiny and childish. Yes, some of her sexual commentary was funny and did give me a good LOL now and again but after 300 pages of her groveling for him to have sex with her I was just over it. I like up front ladies but it was just too much. Now on to Ethan. I liked present day Ethan a million times more than past Ethan. If you read this book you would probably think my reasoning for it is because present Ethan is swoon worthy and sweet... but you'd be wrong. It would be because he no longer went on and on about how much of an asshole he was. He spent WAY, WAY too much time talking about how he was a dick. WE GET IT YOU'RE SUCH A TOUGH GUY WITH A HORRIBLE PAST. (Just like every other Ya hottie.) Bad boy-don't want a girl friend-attitude was cute maybe the first 5 times you said it. Once again his character got really old fast! Present Ethan though; I'd take him any day of the week. I did really enjoy his characters verbiage and the way he brought about banter. The main and one of the only things I liked about the characters is that their relationship is more "realistic" because it's not rushed. They spent years building what they have (good or bad) as the book follows their 6 year journey.

"Think about it, Taylor," he says as he leans forward. "If Romeo thought he loved Rosaline and she broke his heart, why wouldn't he be terrified of Juliet, considering his connection to her is a hundred times stronger?" I raise my eyebrows. "Maybe he's brave enough to think it's worth the risk."

As far as the plot went, it was a little weak. The time-line does bounce between present day, six years earlier, and a few dairy entries. I found for the most part that the diaries entries were a little pointless. I got why they were there, I just didn't think they severed a real purpose. The back and forth between past and present never seemed to bother me however. The main point to the story is that Ethan apparently did Cassie wrong. Not just once, but twice. So in present time he is fighting to win her back. This is another issue I had with the book. It is only slightly suggested what the first thing he did to her was... the second item isn't even blinked at in this book. I like as much as the next book reader to use my imagination and draw my own conclusions now and again, but sometimes I just want you to flat out tell me what happened. I wouldn't of minded waiting for book two too get the second answer BUT for the love of mike just flat out tell me what he did too her, don't just blush at it then move on. The story was dragged out for way too long. This book is just over 400 pages and it could have been around 250-300.

As far as positive feedback, the things I did like about this book were: some of the phrases Leisa used to describe scenes and situations, the few actual romantic moments, the way the title was brought into play, and the steamy scenes were well written.

"When he looks at me with eyes full of agony and saltwater, I feel like I'm drowning" 

Like seriously, you can't just write short, sweet little phrases like that, but then give us very little of anything else. Other than the handful of nice items I liked, I overall wanted more out of this story. I was promised a romantic tale of star-crossed love lost, but what I got was a short stop ending with not even half answered questions.

Will I be continuing this series? Maybe. I mean I would like to know what happens in the long run... But then again I might just google it.

4/10 Stars 
-Angela 

(Bad Romeo Book Depo) 

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkosi

"I leap without feet to land, my cloth head is filled with sand. I have no wings, yet try to fly... what am I?"...

The second and dramatic second book two of The Winner's Curse series perhaps mmmmm.....

I was very, very lucky to get an Arc of The Winner's Crime. This book is set to come out March, 2015. With the approach of this books release date coming up fast I figured I would re-post this review since 1) I got this ARC forever ago and 2) because I originally posted it right when our blog started.

I know that when it comes to reading books I only care about one true thing, and that is how the book ends. I REPEAT: IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT ENDING! Doesn't matter if it's the first book or last book in a series. If you don't bring a strong ending then don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya... The thing Marie Rutkoski doesn't disappoint on is book endings. The Winner's Crime is no different.

TWC starts off where the first book left off. Krestle is still set to marry the Valoria's crown prince in an ever so awk marriage arrangement. She's still struggling between what is right and what is wrong; who to trust and where her true alliance lies. (Even I still don't know whose side I'm on). Marie Rutkoski isn't just skilled at book ending she's amazing at dropping oh so subtle hints that are usually closely followed by "WTF" moments. This book is sprinkled like a cupcake with surprises that I can't wait for you all to get a taste of.

This book is however very much a second book in a trilogy. It has moments that are a little slower. As usual you know that they are there to lay so much ground work for what will be coming in the next book. The thing I love about this story is Krestle isn't at all your usual suspect as far as ya fem heroines go. She isn't a dagger slinging, muscle having, archery shooting wild women. What she has though is something I think we often overlook in stories, and that is brains. Krestle is oozing with smarts. She has a silver tongue and a quick wit that often lets her see things other over look. This make her even more like-able, believable, and more dangerous than most would think. Arin is still a strong, smart, and very like-able leading male in this novel. And yeah he is still as mysterious and grey eyed as in book one (swoon! grey eyes <3333). He also may or may not have several sneaky tricks up his borrowed shirt sleeves.

Something I absolutely loved about this whole novel is the brief and amazing moment Rutkoski has between Krestle and the father she fears she will never be able to impress. The moment is beautiful and is written to perfection. The thing I really craved was more Arin and Krestle moments. This one didn't have as many as I hope for BUT I'm hoping it's because book three will be overflowing with steamy star-crossed lover-ness and I can be super giddy and heart eyed  that whole book. I just want to shake them both and scream "come on and get together already and make beautiful piano playing babies!". Still the main thing I have to say about this book is THE ENDING THE ENDING THE ENDING!!! IT IS PERFECT, and is worth some of the more book building moments, and slower paced scenes. I have NO doubt that the ending of this series will knock my socks off. Add this series to you TBR list.

8.5/10 Stars
-Angela

(The Winner's Crime BookDepo)

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I had this book on my TBR since early last year when the cover was first released. As the hype around it kept growing, I got really worried that it wasn't going to live up to it all. When release day finally came and I got my hands on My Precious, I took a deep breath and said a silent prayer to the baby book angels that Red Queen is as good as I hoped. Thankfully whatever higher power that gave the world Theo James also heard my prayers because Red Queen WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN I COULD HAVE ANTICIPATED.

The first 50-60 pages or so is basically all world building. We meet a bunch of the main characters, we learn about their world, the hierarchy, some of the big problems that are going on, and we also meet some characters that aren't super important then but you can kind of guess that they're going to come in later on in the book (The Guard, random Silvers that are mentioned, Mare's family, Kilorn, random Reds that are mentioned, etc). I appreciated the fact that the author took a good chunk of the first part of the book to go into so much detail because otherwise I would have been really confused once the plot started picking up. Once things get going, they start going fast. Things start happening left and right and you're like WTF is this going to go?!?! There are so many sub-plots going on in the background with minor characters on top of what is happening with Mare, the main character. All I will say is that if you are reading and aren't
really feeling the world building, just hold out until Mare gets to the Queenstrial.

The main character, Mare, is a great leading lady. She is realistic and relatable because she makes a lot of mistakes.... a lot. She doesn't think things through before she talks or makes decisions so she ends up getting herself in some tough pickles. I will say she really is selfless and tries to do the best she can for those she cares about. Yeah, she doesn't go about it the best way sometimes, but you really got to give it to her for trying.

I LOVE the love triangle! I mean, I guess you could call it a love square, but I don't want to give away any spoilers by going into too much detail. I know a lot of people don't like love triangles in YA, but personally I love them. ESPECIALLY THIS ONE BECAUSE BOTH OF THE GUYS ARE SUPER AMAZING. I kept going back and forth between who I liked more and wanted her to be with, but unfortunately the book decided for me. Which leads me to the ending....

The ending is so crazy. Seriously y'all, I felt like I was shot through the heart with betrayal. You can kind of figure out what is basically going to happen, but it is like you are watching it happen in slow motion and can't do anything to stop it. You're just sitting on the side lines screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" while the train wreck happens. I loved the epilogue because it gave me some closure and really set it up for book two. I have no idea where book two will take things so I am super excited and nervous for it to come out.

I feel like the author took all of my favorite YA books and took elements from them all and made Red Queen. Parts of it reminded me of The Selection, Pawn, The Hunger Games, Legend, The Jewel, and Kiss of Deception. I can easily say that this is one of my favorite YA books, and I have a feeling that this series will become one of my favorites. It is one of the best YA books I have read in a good while and really brings me back to my roots as far as why I love YA so much. There is so much action and secrets and conspiracies that you don't even miss the fact that it isn't heavy on the romance (which is why I turn to NA books when I want steamy mcsteamy!!). I thought it was perfect, though I do hope there is a little more romance in book two.

Red Queen is a must read for everyone. This is already one of the biggest book releases this year, and I think it is easily going to be one of the top books of the year. From what I've read elsewhere, it is already been opted for a movie, so I have a feeling the popularity is going to EXPLODE. Definitely jump on the wagon and go out and buy this book. I promise you won't regret it!

5/5 stars

THE RETURN BY JENNIFER ARMENTROUT RELEASE DAY!

We would like to wish Jennifer Armentrout a HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to The Return!! Since you all know we love JLA more than air, we are more than happy to give you guys a sneak peek on The Return plus tons of other info! We pre-ordered our signed copies months ago AND CANNOT WAIT TO GET THEM! This book is going to be awesome.

 THE RETURN Excerpt: 

 I was a half-blood, but I was also the Apollyon, a child of a pure and a half, a union that had been forbidden for thousands of years because an Apollyon was more powerful than any pure or half could ever hope to be.

And I always got to the traitors’ hideouts before they did, so the Sentinels were usually left with the cleanup, which I was sure absolutely thrilled them.

The first to enter was a female half-blood dressed just as I was. Her black hair was pulled back in a neat little knot at the top of her head. She was older, probably in her mid-thirties. It was pretty rare for a Sentinel to live that long. Her dark skin paled as she stopped just inside the entrance. She clenched titanium daggers in her hands like she expected something vicious to pop out from under the bloody mess.

The female Sentinel tipped her chin up, and the overhead light sliced across her broad cheekbones. She bore a jagged scar under her right eye, the skin lighter in tone. She saw me and froze.

My smile widened.

Behind her, another Sentinel rushed in, almost mowing her over. He saw me and whispered, “Seth.”

He’d said my name like I was the monster under his bed, and I sort of liked that. Then another Sentinel and another rolled in. The fifth took one look at my interior design work and keeled over. Slamming his hands on his knees, he hurled up his dinner.

Nice.

Our society existed completely unknown to the average mortal and had operated under what was known as the Breed Order for thousands of years. The Order had been dismantled, which meant halfs were no longer forced to choose between becoming Sentinels—hunting down violent creatures, protecting pures, enforcing laws, and otherwise usually dying pretty damn quickly on the job—or servants, which was a job that really wasn’t a job, but more like slavery. Since then, many pampered pures had signed on to be Sentinels, making up for the loss of the halfs who’d pretty much said “screw this shit, I’m out.”

This wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

For example, the dumbass puking all over my blood-covered floor was a pure. When he straightened, his face a greenish hue, he backed away, shaking his head. “I can’t,” he gasped out. “I can’t do this.”

Then he turned and hauled ass out the doors.
I sighed. This was why we couldn’t have nice things. 

THE RETURN Buy Links:
Amazon 
Barnes and Noble 
iBooks
Booksamillion

THE RETURN Synopsis: 

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off...

It's been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they've given him have been violent and bloody--which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He's got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy's deal might be, but it's a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

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About Jennifer L. Armentrout: 

 # 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J.
Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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