Just For Now - Abbi Glines

Title: Just for Now (Sea Breeze, #4)
Author:  Abbi Glines

Release Date: November 8th, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Group: New Adult Literature

Rating:★★★★

 

Set in the steamy coastal Alabama town of Sea Breeze, an interconnected group of older teens hook up, break up... and much, much more. Preston is one bad boy. And Amanda has harboured a crush on him for forever. When she finally makes her move on him, it does not end well. But still, she can't resist him. Especially now that he seems to be pursuing her, too.No one wants wants them to be together. Not Amanda's brother, Marcus, who is on the verge of his marriage to Low, and definitely not any of Preston's buddies. They know way too much about Preston's dark side. Yet the dangerous attraction is there... and neither Preston nor Amanda are going to deny it.

*******************************************************

I have been reading books by Abbi Glines for quite awhile now. The first series that I read by her was the Too Far/Rosemary Beach series. I instantly fell in love with new adult and Abbi Gline's writing/characters and couldn't wait to read more by her. The Sea Breeze series is one of my guilty pleasures. The books are like my own sort of drug. Once I start reading them, I can't seem to stop or put them down. There is always something about each individual story that I tend to enjoy and Just for Now was no different. In fact, this might just be my favorite out of the series so far.

The fourth book in the Sea Breeze story is about Preston Drake (the official bad-boy of the Alabama town) and Amanda Hardy (the younger sister of Marcus and the typical good girl). There was just something about this match that I enjoyed more than the other three in the series. Don't get me wrong, I really loved Cage and Eva but Preston and Amanda was something different. Amanda was relatable and I totally could understand why she kept coming back to him. When you love someone, you want to be with them, no matter how much hurt you have to deal with. I know that from firsthand experience.
While this book is frustrating, mostly from Preston pushing Amanda away, I still learned to enjoy the characters. I was also glad we got to see Jason Stone (the younger brother of Jax). I am really excited to read his story later on. I can't wait to read later books, just so I can see short scenes of Preston and Amanda be all cute and being a couple. I recommend this book if you have read any books by Abbi Glines or are interested in new adult, but please be 17+ before reading this. There is some sexual scenes along with language and don't think it is for young readers.

 

Plot: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Writing:★★★★

Ending: ★★★★★

Cover: ★★★★

 

 

 

 

 

The First Lie: A Lying Game Novella - Sara Shepard (Mini Review)

Title: The First Lie: A Lying Game Novella

Author:  Sara Shepard

Release Date: December 18th, 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Group: Young Adult Literature

Rating:★★★★

 

Featuring Sutton Mercer before her tragic death, this stand-alone digital original novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard is an exciting, must-read companion to the Lying Game series. Back when she was alive, Sutton kept a million secrets. But how she got together with Thayer is her juiciest one of all. . . .

It's the summer before junior year and Sutton Mercer and her friends rule Hollier High. Then Thayer Vega returns home from soccer camp. In two short months he's gone from being her best friend's scrawny younger brother to a hot soccer god with a major ego—and a bone to pick with the Lying Game girls.

To bring him back down to earth, Sutton's friends convince her to string Thayer along so she can publicly reject him. But as she gets to know the real Thayer, Sutton starts to wonder: Is flirting with Thayer still just a game to her? Or is the queen of the Lying Game lying . . . to herself?

************************************************************

I will admit, I am a huge Sara Shepard fan. I honestly will read anything she will publish. She's probably going to make, I don't know, six more Lying Game books and you will see me there reading them all. I was so excited to read this! I read that it was suppose to be about Sutton and Thayer, who I love so much. This short novella takes place before Emma ever entered the picture, so I was excited to see how things will be.

There wasn't anything revealed in this book, but I did really like it. It was nice to see Sutton's point of view for a change and see how she thinks. I really love Sutton and Thayer's relationship. I am so sad that they won't be together in the end. Sutton truly did love Thayer. She wasn't playing him at all. This novella just makes me more anxious and eager to find out what really did happen to Sutton in the actual Lying Game books.

I can't wait to read more Lying Game books by Sara Shepard. I love them, incase you haven't noticed yet! They have become my favorite over Pretty Little Liars anymore. There seems to more mystery and I like the characters better in this world!
 

 Plot: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Writing:★★★★

Ending: ★★★★

Cover: ★★★

What Really Happened in Peru - Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan (Mini Review)

Title: What Really Happened in Peru (The Bane Chronicles, #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Release Date: April 16th, 2013

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Group: Young Adult Literature

Rating:★★★★

 

Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices know that Magnus Bane is banned from Peru—and now they can find out why. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.

There are good reasons Peru is off-limits to Magnus Bane. Follow Magnus’s Peruvian escapades as he drags his fellow warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss into trouble, learns several instruments (which he plays shockingly), dances (which he does shockingly), and disgraces his host nation by doing something unspeakable to the Nazca Lines.

This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, What Really Happened in Peru, is written by Sarah Rees Brennan and Cassandra Clare.
************************************************************

I was so excited when Cassandra Clare announced The Bane Chronicles! Magnus Bane is one of my favorite characters in both the Mortal Instruments but also in the Infernal Devices series, so I was excited to read more adventures about him and to learn some about his past. What Really Happened in Peru is a very fun and quick read. We learn four little adventures stories over a period of time that happened to Magnus all while in Peru. We also meet two friends of Magnus', Catarina and Ragnor. I espec...moreI was so excited when Cassandra Clare announced The Bane Chronicles! Magnus Bane is one of my favorite characters in both the Mortal Instruments but also in the Infernal Devices series, so I was excited to read more adventures about him and to learn some about his past. What Really Happened in Peru is a very fun and quick read. We learn four little adventures stories over a period of time that happened to Magnus all while in Peru. We also meet two friends of Magnus', Catarina and Ragnor. I especially enjoyed Ragnor, he was very amusing to read from and the banter between him and Magnus was great! Cassandra Clare's writing is as good as ever. I can't wait to read more from the Bane Chronicles and I am especially excited for a certain one coming up that is about James Herondale and I believe there is even going to be one about Edmund Herondale as well. I can't wait to see what adventure Magnus will be going on next! If you are a fan of the Mortal Instrument series and the Infernal Devices series, then I highly suggest you pick this up for a quick light read! It is totally worth the money!   Plot: ★★★★ Characters: ★★★★★ Writing:★★★★★ Ending: ★★★★ Cover: ★★★★★

Born Wicked - Jessica Spotswood

Title: Born Wicked

Author: Jessica Spotswood

Release Date: February 7th, 2012, Hardcover

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Group: Young Adult Literature

Rating:★★★★

 

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

************************************************************

Born Wicked was definitely not what I was expecting. I wish there would have been more spells and witchcraft involved. While there is some, I just wish there was more and a more backstory of the witches history. I am hoping that it is told more in the second book. The main character Cate was a lot of fun to read from, but I felt she was too boring and uptight. I understand that she was trying to help her sisters but I wish she would have been more fun. There is a small love triangle in this book but a lot of the romance is surrounded by Finn, who is their gardener. I, of course, was hoping for the other guy but that doesn't look like it is going to happen. For some reason that always happen to me. I tend to like the guy who doesn't have a chance.

The government is something I also couldn't understand. The book starts right out talking about the Brotherhood. Am I the only one who is very confused about this? What even is the Brotherhood? I know that it this group of men who fight against witches and taking them to asylums. I just wish there would have been more of a backstory on that also. I also have some problems with the Sisterhood, but I am more intrigued if anything. I can't wait for the next book to read more about them. It should be interesting!

There is a plot twist in this book that revolves around the three sisters and I just couldn't be happier about it! I really enjoyed that. I can't wait to see how it will play out in the next book. This was a good first start to the series, but I can tell as the series progresses with more books it will start to become better and more world building. I hope we find out more about her mother and her godmother. There is a big mystery revolving around them and I hope it we find out more information about it.

Overall, this book left me wanting more as you can tell. I enjoy the characters and the storylines but want more of a backstory told on the characters. I also hope there is more of a love triangle and have it not all focused on Finn. Maybe I will grow to like him the next book, but I honestly couldn't see the appeal. I'm just weird like that I guess.

 

Plot: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★

Writing:★★★★

Ending: ★★★★

Cover: ★★★★★

Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Chaos

Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Release Date: October 18th, 2011, Hardcover

Publisher: Little Brown and Compnay

Group: Young Adult Literature

Rating:★★★★

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

************************************************************

Beautiful Chaos continues the story of Ethan, Lena, Link, Ridley and the rest of the gang. I was really excited to start this book after reading the huge cliff-hanger ending in Beautiful Darkness. I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with these books. I just absolutely adored the first book in the series, but it seems like the rest of the books have just been okay. I will admit that Beautiful Chaos was better than Beautiful Darkness in my opinion.

The beginning of Beautiful Chaos was really good, it was when I got to the middle that I started to have some problems. It started to become a little boring for me. I had a really hard time getting into the story about his Great Aunts and when their house got destroyed. I just didn't seem to care about them, which is bad I know, but I was honestly way too interested in the Ridley and Link story. I wish we could have got more scenes with them together.

I love all the characters so much, but was disappointed that Liv wasn't in the first 100 pages. She happens to be my favorite character besides Ridley. However I feel like the story made up for it with Ridley being in it so much. It was just absolutely hilarious reading about her while she was High School. I also really liked how Lena wasn't so annoying in this book. I could actually tolerate her this time. I also really enjoyed how we got to have some flashbacks in this one! This time they are about Lena's parents: Sarafine and John. I feel really sorry for Sarafine in this book. We get to see her when she was a teen like Lena and how she got treated awful by her family. I thought John was sweet but there was no hope for Sarafine I feel.

I am going to mention a big spoiler next, so don't continue reading if you don't want to know. This has to be my most favorite thing that has ever happened in this series. John Breed and Liv hookup and became a thing. Yes, yes I know. Nobody could have saw this coming. John Breed is actually a good guy, and while Liv stays with him; he starts to fall for her. Just oh my gosh. I am praying that in Beautiful Redemption that there will be loads more of this. Please Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl; I am begging you. I know that since the book comes out next week that there isn't much you can do now, but maybe like an ebook or something in one of their point of views? I need more of them in my life.

So overall, I really enjoyed this but had some problems with it as the same time with the pacing and some of the storylines. I feel like it could have been a lot shorter. The ending of this book will leave you so confused and have you going like what????!!! I can't wait to purchase Beautiful Redemption next week! I'm glad that I waited to read this so the story can be fresh for the last book in the series. I am just so curious to see how this all will end.

 

Plot: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Writing:★★★★★

Ending: ★★★★

Cover: ★★★★★

Sweet Evil - Wendy Higgins

Title: Sweet Evil

Author: Wendy Higgins

Release Date: May 1st, 2012, Paperback

Publisher: HarperTeen

Group: Young Adult Literature

Rating:★★★★

 

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences? This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

************************************************************

Thank goodness I read Sweet Evil when I did. I was in a really bad reading slump at the time and didn't feel like reading at all since a lot of books that I have been reading hadn't amazed me. Then I decided to pick up Sweet Evil since it was on my 2012 debut author challenge. I had seen this book before but I hadn't heard a lot of buzzed around it. This book is so under hyped. I don't understand why this book isn't insanely popular. This isn't your typical young adult book about angels. Wendy Higgins creates this unique and interesting spin on the topic that I just couldn't stop reading about. Yes, this story is about angels but it is done in such a way that it doesn't seem like you have ever read about them before.

It has been a long time since I have loved a couple as much as I love Anna and Kaidan. They have so much chemistry with each other that it can be frustrating at times, but it's the good type of frustrating. The thing that makes this whole relationship crazy is that Kaidan is the son of the Duke of Lust which means that Kaidan's job is to take girls virginity. Anna is the daughter of the Duke of Addiction which also means that she has a pull towards drugs. They are completely unpredictable when they are together, which is one of the things that I loved so much about them. You had no idea what was going to happen and whether something huge was about to take place.

Anna is such a likable character to read from. That is the most important thing for me in a story, I have to like the main character or else I am just not going to like the book. Anna is half angel and half demon. It is like a good vs. evil going on right inside of you. I really hope that we get to learn more about her mother in the future books. Her father does seem like a good guy, but there is just something about him that I don't trust. I don't know if anybody else felt that way about him, but I feel like he isn't being completely honest. Anna goes through a lot of changes and self-discovery but she never forgets who she is and that was one of the things I liked about her so much.

Hopefully I gave this book a decent review and made you want to pick it up. I recommend it so much. Just be prepared to have your heart break with the relationship of Anna and Kiadan and one of the biggest cliff-hanger endings ever.

 

Plot: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Writing:★★★★★

Ending: ★★★★

Cover: ★★★★★

Social Suicide - Gemma Halliday

Title: Social Suicide

Author: Gemma Halliday

Release Date: April 24th, 2012, Paperback

Publisher: HarperTeen

Group: Young Adult Literature

Rating:★★★★

 

Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the "Herbert Hoover High Homepage" would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper's brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story, things went . . . a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the homecoming queen-hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH's resident body finder, I'm stuck trying to prove that Sydney's death wasn't suicide.

I'm starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos...

************************************************************

Reading Social Suicide is like eating your favorite dessert. You just can't stop. I was so addicted to this book while reading it. I kept thinking about the characters and what I thought really happened with the murder that Hadley was investigating. The only thing that comes to mind when I think of these books is how fun they are. Sometimes it is nice to step away from the depressing deep books that just make you have so many feelings, which happens to me from time to time because I tend to become attached to characters. I did become attach to these characters but it is a different relationship. I feel so happy and there is the biggest smile on my face whenever I think about the gang in Social Suicide.

Social Suicide takes place right were Deadly Cool left off at. We have Hartley working for the school newspaper. There is a lot more funny jokes and intense scenes with Hadley and Chase. I just want them together so much! There is also her best friend Sam that comes up with a new slang word in this book: "Twittercide - the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of tweeting." I can't even tell you how many times I laughed out loud when Sam and Hartley would you the term twittercide. It is just so funny and clever.

Overall, if you haven't read these books yet I highly recommend. They are light and fun and will for sure make you laugh. I also love the titles to these books, "Deadly Cool" "Social Suicide". I can't help but wonder if there is going to be another book. Social Suicide did leave off on a minor cliff-hanger sort of. I would love for there to be another book!

 

Plot: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Writing:★★★★

Ending: ★★★★

Cover: ★★★★★