Captive (Blackcoat Rebellion #2) Book Review

Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)
Aimee Carter

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published November 25th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?



Review:

I liked Pawn, and Captive was a very anticipated book for me. The thing about the Blackcoat Rebellion series is that quite a few parts in it reminds me of other books/series I have read before. And although the idea is unique, I feel as if it gets lost in the dystopian black hole to me.

However, the plot is exciting and fast paced. A thrill of a ride that never stops being thrilling. Fun to read, plot twists that surprised me, I enjoyed the plot of this book.

But Kitty Doe. I mean come on. I wanted to yell at her SO MANY TIMES! She makes stupid mistakes after stupid mistakes the entire book. REALLY. I love characters with flaws, but I don't like my characters where I yell at them over the same things over and over again.
Ok. Done with the rant.

Ignoring my rant above, this is a good sequel. One worth reading.  I am looking forward to reading The Blackcoat Rebellion #3 (Queen) to hopefully see if Kitty shows some character growth. I would give Captive 3/5 stars for being an exciting read. Looking Forward to Queen in 2015!

Discussion Time!!! Is It Just Me?

I have been reading a lot of fantasy/paranormal books lately. Mainly because it was/is my goal to finish The Vampire Academy series and get up to date on the Bloodlines series before The Ruby Circle releases in February, but also because I missed out on a bunch of 2014 Fantasy releases that I am now reading to make up for lost time.

For example, in the last month or so, I have read Mortal Heart by Robin LeFevers, Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, books 4-6 in The Vampire Academy series, books 1-3 in the Bloodlines series, The Hobbit, AND The Winners Curse. I am currently reading Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes, and the next book on my to-read list is Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch.

That is a ton of  fantasy/paranormal books. Normally I try not to do this, why? Because by the end of reading all of these awesome books in all of their very different worlds, the worlds start to mesh together. I don't have this problem with contemporary books for some reason, only Fantasy, Dystopian, and Paranormal. After reading a bunch of the same books in the same genre, I find myself enjoying the books less and less.

Or, to put my emotions in gif form....

 

Yeah. That's pretty accurate. Too many of the same type of books in a short amount of time makes me bored and overwhelmed.


So, my question to you is......Do you find yourself having this same problem? Is it just me? And did this post make any sense at all?

Breaking the Rules Book Review

 

Breaking the Rules (Sequel to Pushing the Limits)
Katie McGarry
Published December 8th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so... different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who’s never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything — except the one thing Echo’s just not ready for.

But when the source of Echo’s constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants — even as foster kid Noah’s search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves.

Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn... seriously epic.  



Review:

There is no end to my love for Katie McGarry's writing. From the very first time I read Pushing the Limits, to Dare You To, and all the way through Crash Into You and Take Me On, I have enjoyed each and every story told. So, when I heard that a sequel to Pushing the Limits was coming out, I was ecstatic! More Noah and Echo is a Christmas present all by itself.

Going into Breaking the Rules I was expecting the best. And when expecting the best, many times you end up being disappointed because the best is not what you get. However, this was not one of those times.

The truth? I had no problems with Breaking the Rules. None at all. After finishing, I looked back and realized I don't have a thing to complain about. The relationship between Noah and Echo was a beautiful continuation, yet also entered into a different part of their lives. You get to see Isaiah and Beth, which satisfied me in itself.

Breaking the Rules concentrates on a road trip Noah and Echo take after graduation from High School and before entering college. So this is an older theme than what was first introduced in Pushing the Limits. But there are no problems with this. I loved seeing the different more mature sides between Noah and Echo.

I lied above, I do have a complaint about this book. The complaint is that it ended, I wish it never had. The beauty that is Katie McGarry's writing is wonderful to read, and the relationship between Noah and Echo is amazing to say the least.

Check out my reviews for previous books in the Pushing the Limits series:

        Crash Into You                                         Take Me On

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday - The Last Time We Say Goodbye

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at 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 Last Time We Say Goodbye

+ Learn how to win a SIGNED copy here!

Expected publication: February 10th 2015 by Harper Teen

 

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series? Did you like it? Are you looking forward to this one?



 

 

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

Hosted by http://www.brokeandbookish.com/

 

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

 

This is a follow up to my Should I Read These Books post, with this book being the remainder that I will try to read this year.

 

(And if you have any more contributions to that post,  I would be excited to hear it!)

 

These are the top ten that I am going to try to get around to in the next few months.....

 

 

Lots of people said that they loved this one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you LOVE any of these?

 

 

Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories Book Review

Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories
Edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones
Written by lots of different authors including Lauren Oliver, Lauren Kate, Aprilynne Pike, Alyson Noel, and Jessica Brody.
Published September 6th 2011 by HarperTeen

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine turned being the "funny guy" into the best defense against the bullies in his class.

Today's top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying—as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators—in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal


Review:

There are a lot of different stories/letters in this book, and I am not going to review each and every one of them.

All I am going to say is......

For you who has been bullied, then it is important for you to read this book. It will give you the knowledge on how to handle bullying and give you the knowledge that others have been through the same thing.

For you who have NOT been bullied, this book will shed light on what some people go through while being bullied and why it is so important to stand up to bullies even if you are not the one being bullied.

And for you who are the bully. You also should read this book. This book will give you the knowledge of how much bullying affects people, and will also give you stories and letters from authors that have bullied/watched as someone was bullied that might be good for you to read.

Everyone needs to read this book to UNDERSTAND. Whether you are the bully, the person who is being bullied, or the person who is standing by and watching it all.

Waiting On Wednesday - All Fall Down

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that I am eagerly anticipating.

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

All Fall Down
Ally Carter

Expected publication: January 27th 2015 by Scholastic

 

 

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her–so there’s no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door who is keeping an eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can’t control Grace–no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do.

Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn’t stop it, Grace isn’t the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world all stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.