Illusive (Mini Book Review)

Illusive (Illusive #1)
Emily Lloyd Jones

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published July 15th 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

When the MK virus swept across the planet, a vaccine was created to stop the epidemic, but it came with some unexpected side effects. A small percentage of the population developed superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba has the handy ability to change her appearance at will. She's what's known as an illusionist...She's also a thief.

After a robbery goes awry, Ciere must team up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals on another job that most would consider too reckless. The formula for the vaccine that gave them their abilities was supposedly destroyed years ago. But what if it wasn't?

The lines between good and bad, us and them, and freedom and entrapment are blurred as Ciere and the rest of her crew become embroiled in a deadly race against the government that could cost them their lives.

 

Review:

 

The X-Men meets Ocean's Eleven in this edge-of-your-seat sci-fi adventure about a band of "super" criminals.

Captioned as X-Men meets Ocean's Eleven is SPOT ON! However I would also include Ally Carter's Heist Society series in the mix, as I believe if you loved that series you would love this book.

I discovered and read through this entire book in 24 hours. It was THAT GOOD!

Illusive is a book about a virus that sweeps across America, Scientists do come up with a vaccine for this virus, however, unfortunately, this vaccine has side effects that give some people rather peculiar abilities.

The main character, Ciere Giba, has the ability to illusion herself and her surroundings. (How cool is that!) BUT, (there is always a but in there isn't there) her ability also makes her a target. Both to the government, and other private installations that either want to lock her up, or use her has a weapon.

This (obviously) creates some problems for Ciere.


I would not call this book an amazing work of fiction, I wasn't super invested or emotionally attached to the characters. However, HEISTS AND SUPERPOWERS!!! This book is AWESOME!


Everything works. There wasn't anything in here that just absolutely did not make sense, the characters were well developed, and I had the pleasure of getting to the end of my e-book and finding out there is a sequel! Something that will most likely give me the emotional investment in the characters that I was missing in this first book.

I totally recommend this book!

Joyride (ARC Review)

Joyride
Anna Banks

Hardcover, 288 pages

Expected publication: June 2nd 2015 by Feiwel & Friends

A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.

It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.

Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.

All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.

Review:
I have conflicted feelings on Joyride. Joyride is definitely a diverse book, the main character Carly is Mexican. Her family is definitely a big plot point in this book. And I loved that part of it.
However, this book also lacked some things that I love to see in my books.

Starting with Carly, I really liked her character. She felt real, she was hard working, and she had a great loyalty to her family.
However, her character didn't go through much character development through the book. By the end of the book, it left me wondering, did Carly really change at all?

Moving to the romance, one word, rushed. I know that there is a plot point that makes Arden notice her. But it felt really sudden. Other than that, their romance is kind of cute. Arden obviously cares for her, and it was a nice romance. Just a bit rushed.

The plot is good, it has a great synopsis and some great things that you don't see in books often. And I really liked how those things were brought up. Tough subjects, but important. However, again, I do have a complain with the plot. And that is, some points are seriously unrealistic. Some things work out in Joyride, that probably wouldn't work out that way in real life.
So, after finishing Joyride, I did have conflicting feelings. In some ways, Joyride is an awesome, diverse book. In other ways, I just couldn't believe it, and it had a serious case of insta-love.
Joyride probably won't go on any favorite contemporary lists, but I would recommend this to someone looking for this kind of book. And I did enjoy reading it. I would probably give it a 3/5.

***I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was in no way compensated for this review***

Waiting On Wednesday (The Boy Most Likely To)

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

The Boy Most Likely To

(Companion to My Life Next Door)

Huntley Fitzpatrick

Expected publication: Fall 2015

 

 

 

Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To:
- find the liquor cabinet blindfolded
- need a liver transplant
- drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To:
- well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Lion Heart (Book Review)

Lion Heart (Scarlet #3)
A. C. Gaughen

Expected publication: May 19th 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

 

Check out my review of Lady Thief here.

There may be minor spoilers for Scarlet and Lady Thief below.

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?





Review:
Scarlet and Lady Thief are two of my favorite historical fiction YA books ever!
So, Lion Heart as the final book in this trilogy, had HUGE shoes to fill.
And this ended up being one of the best endings to a trilogy that I have ever read.
I actually think that Lion Heart is my favorite book in the series
(a very rare thing for last books in a series)

Characters:
Scarlet is awesome (as usual) her character continues to be incredibly strong and I
absolutely love reading about her!
One complaint I do have with this book is that I wish that we could see Robin more,
but that definitely didn't ruin the book! (Just a wish of mine)
Other than Scarlet, Lion Heart shines through the secondary characters!
Allan's character is pure perfection! He is awesome, I loved his character in every way!
And Kate? Although she is barely mentioned in Lion Heart, I LOVE her character! She is amazing,
and I would read an entire book just about her! (*Pretty please?*)
Awesome romance, amazing main character, wonderful secondary characters...
No complaints at all with the building or portrayal of the characters!

The Plot:
I would recommend a re-read of Scarlet and Lady Thief before reading Lion Heart.
I believe that it would enhance your reading experience greatly, because I was a little
lost for the first few chapters.
Other than that, the plot  was just like the characters! Awesome!
There was a lot of crying involed in reading this book. SO AMAZING! Only when you read it will you understand.
Again, I do have a small complaint, I do of wish that there was one more chapter as an epilogue for Robin and Scarlet....
because I felt like their story had something missing in the end, maybe another chapter would have wrapped things up better
for me.

This is the kind of book that you read all the way through in one day, finish it, and then want to read all over again.
It was THAT good. Pure perfection in every way.
I don't give 5/5 stars out very often. But honestly, by the time I finished Lion Heart and was thinking about what rating it should get,
I couldn't think of anything else to give it. There was practically nothing lacking!
An awesome main character, a love interest that is perfect, brilliant secondary characters, terrible villains, and an awesome plot.
It was also really hard to say goodbye to these characters. I first read Scarlet a little while after release date in 2012.
After Scarlet, I waited the TWO WHOLE YEARS for Lady Thief, and read Scarlet again in anticipation.
I am planning on re-reading this entire series probably later this yet, when I can have all three books in hardcopy form.
So, yes, I recommend Scarlet, Lady Thief, and especially Lion Heart. READ THIS SERIES.

April Reading Wrap Up

April Reading Wrap Up

 

 

Favorite New-To-Me Book(s) I Read In April:

I don't think I have a "favorite" book or books of the month. I enjoyed all of my re-reads, and I really enjoyed both Lola and the Boy Next Door and The Start of Me and You!

 

 

 

Complete List of New-To-Me Books I Read This Month:

    
  

 

List of Re-Reads I Read This Month:

   

 

Novellas Read:

Happy Again was AMAZING!

Currently Reading:

 

 

Reading In 2015:

 

January: 30 Books. 1 Novella.

February: 17 Books. 1 Novella.

March: 21 Books.
April: 12 Books. 1 Novella

2015 Reading Goal: 83/150 Books Completed.

 

The Letter Writer (Book Review)

The Letter Writer
Ann Rinaldi

Published November 1st 2008 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Eleven-year-old Harriet Whitehead is an outsider in her own family. She feels accepted and important only when she is entrusted to write letters for her blind stepmother. Then Nat Turner, a slave preacher, arrives on her family’s plantation and Harriet befriends him, entranced by his gentle manner and eloquent sermons about an all-forgiving God. When Nat asks Harriet for a map of the county to help him spread the word, she draws it for him—wanting to be part of something important. But the map turns out to be the missing piece that sets Nat’s secret plan in motion and makes Harriet an unwitting accomplice to the bloodiest slave uprising in U.S. history.Award-winning historical novelist Ann Rinaldi has created a bold portrait of an ordinary young girl thrust in to a situation beyond her control.


Review:

The Letter Writer is a fast read which gives a brief, but interesting take on the Nat Turner revolution. With the main character being eleven year old Harriet Whitehead, daughter of a wealthy land owner.

Harriet is a young main character, and much of her narration portrays that. Her character is interesting, but definitely reaches its climax later in the book, so don't expect much from Harriet in the beginning.

The things that stand out the most in Ann Rinaldi's books is the plot. I love how she teaches you simple history along with interesting characters and plots. The Letter Writer is no exception to this rule, absolutely captivating plot. The Letter Writer is also very short and easy to read in one sitting.

I am a big fan of Ann Rinaldi's and have been for years. The Letter Writer is not one of my favorites of hers, but is not at the bottom of the list either. A good standalone, an interesting main character (though young), and a short easy to read book. A short review for a short book, The Letter Writer is a must read for anyone who loves Young Adult Historical Fiction.

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Book Review)

Lola and the Boy Next Door
Stephanie Perkins
Published July 9th 2013 by Speak (first published September 28th 2011)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door






Review:
First of all, I am SO glad that they changed the covers on these books (I included the original cover at the bottom of this review). The girl on the original cover is something similar to how I imagined Lola, but the guy doesn't remind me of Cricket at all!
Second, I didn't like Anna and the French Kiss. At all. I had some major issues with the main characters and the plot in general, but thankfully I didn't completely write off the possibility of continuing the series. I actually ended up leaving it to my blog readers, and Lola and the Boy Next Door won by popular vote.

The Characters:
Lola was an awesome main character. I loved how unique she was and how she wasn't afraid to wear her own designs as eccentric as they were. But at the same time, Lola felt completely real.  She had problems, she had insecurities, and she made some bad decisions.
At one point in this book I was actually screaming in my head at Lola because of something one of the characters said to Lola's best friend, (and if you have read the book you probably remember the scene) I WAS FURIOUS WITH THAT PERSON THAT WAS SAYING THOSE THINGS!
And Cricket? Who knew that I would like a character named CRICKET so much. I have absolutely no idea how Stephanie Perkins came up with that name, but honestly it worked with the novel. Cricket Bell and Lola have a long backstory that involved Lola at one point getting emotionally hurt by him. So when he pops back into her life, of course she doesn't immediately trust him. <b>he had to earn her trust</b>. I loved it! I loved watching Cricket and Lola fix their broken relationship and turn it into something beautiful.
I loved how unique and quirky all the characters were. From Lola to Cricket and down to the minor characters they were all completely unique people!

The Plot:
The plot in this one didn't stand out to me as much as the characters. I liked how Calliope was a figure skater (I would love to read a book about her!) The romance between the different characters all felt real and it went at a believable pace. And I could not put this one down (although I had to at some points.)

From beginning to end, Lola and the Boy Next Door captivated me with its unique characters and its fun plot. You don't need to read Anna and the French Kiss to read this one, and I still would not recommend Anna and the French Kiss. But I am really glad that I decided to give Lola and the Boy Next Door a try and I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a cute contemporary read.

Bookish Pet Peeves

Bookish Pet Peeves. That point in the book where I groan and go "really?"

 

Abbreviations used in a characters mind or speech that is NOT a text message.

I never use abbreviations in my speech, and I actually rarely use them in text messages, so when a character is using abbreviations and I have to stop reading the book to go look them up. IT BUGS ME BIG TIME! Last one I had to do this with was TGIF (Thank God It's Friday). The abbreviation was on page 3 of the book I was reading, and having to stop at page 3 to look something up does not make a happy reading experience for me.

 

 

Characters names that I cannot pronounce.

This bugs me to no end! I cannot stand reading a book and having no clue at all how to pronounce the names, which usually ends with me coming up with a ridiculous nickname to use just so I can read the book without going crazy.

This excludes books that have those handy dandy pronunciation guides at the front or back of the book such as the Throne of Glass series.

 

 

"Genre Changers" that come at the end of a long series.

One series in particular did this to me recently, and it was awful. I spent 875 pages of the first two books thinking that it was one way, just to have the authors decide in the third book that they would COMPLETELY change the GENRE of the book.

I don't mind if there is a genre changer at the end of the first book in a series, but if the change waits until the last book it ruins the entire series for me.

 

 

 

 

 

So, those are a few of my pet peeves when reading. Do any of these particularly bug you? What are your pet peeves?

March Reading Wrap Up

March Reading Wrap-Up

This month was a pretty good reading month for me! I surpassed my goal of reading 10-15 books, and I read 4/5 books that I had on my specific March TBR!

 

Favorite New-To-Me Book(s) I Read In March:

Lion Heart was amazing! Loved every single page! Check for a full review closer to the May 19th release date!

 

 

Complete List of New-To-Me Books I Read This Month:

   

   

   

   

 

List of Re-Reads I Read This Month:

   

(The Penguin classic is Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte)

Novellas Read:

None this month!

Currently Reading:

I haven't finished a book in about 4 days, but I have started 3 books!

Crash Into You and Scarlet are re-reads, with The Start Of Me and You being one of my most anticipated!

 

Reading In 2015:

 

January: 30 Books. 1 Novella.

February: 17 Books. 1 Novella.

March: 21 Books.

2015 Reading Goal: 70/150 Books Completed.

 

The Orphan Queen (Book Review)

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)
Jodi Meadows

Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Published March 10th 2015 by Katherine Tegen Books

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others



Review:


I don't read too much YA Fantasy, I like it, I just don't read a lot of it. I find too much YA Fantasy to be overwhelming. However, seeing the cover and reading the synopsis for this one, I thought it sounded like something I would love!  (That cover is absolutely gorgeous!)

And that is how it got on my mental list of most anticipated reads of 2015, and how I finished it 2 days after publication. (Even though I tried to read really slow because I had been warned about a cliffhanger and I was dreading it)

I admit, I couldn't get through a single chapter of The Orphan Queen without picturing this:



The Characters:

Wilhelmina. Her character reminded me a lot of Celaena from Throne of Glass. It also helps that they both have names that I have NO idea how to pronounce (sorry Sarah J Maas and Jodi Meadows for butchering your characters names!)I am just going to call Wilhelmina Wil from now on for the sake of my own sanity.

Wil was a pretty awesome character. She doesn't carry those weapons for looks everyone. And she forged documents in this book multiple times. Finally, she is a SPY!

BOOKS ABOUT GIRLS LIKE WIL ARE MY FAVORITES!
Just saying.

And even better than Wil, Black Knife + Wil. They both were awesome characters. Loved every scene.

The characters were all great, I could feel as if every character mentioned had this incredible backstory that just needed to come out (so I will most definitely be reading the novellas that are going to be released!)

The Plot:


In showing my best reaction to the plot in general, I take you back to this:



This GIF pretty much sums up my reaction to the entire plot. I really enjoyed it, it moved fast paced enough for me to stay interested, and I didn't read anything that particularly bugged me. Fantasy is kind of a funny thing for me, it can't be too, too deep in the world building for me to stay interested, and I have to see some strong characters. Usually when I read a Fantasy I go through it really slow and it doesn't keep me on the edge of my seat too much. But The Orphan Queen was a different story entirely. It kept me interested and on the edge of my seat till the very end! LOVED how fast paced it was!

The Orphan Queen was really good. It would definitely be near the top of my list if anyone ever asked for a YA Fantasy recommendation, I really liked the characters, and the plot entertained me.  This happens to be my first Jodi Meadows book, but I am very interested in checking out her other books now that I see how great The Orphan Queen is.

All I can say is, I need The Mirror King now.

Pretty please???