Category Archives: 2 Flames

Silence
Hush,Hush #3
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Source: Gifted
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (October 4, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-1442426641

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They’ve overcome the secrets riddled in Patch’s dark past…bridged two irreconcilable worlds…faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust…and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they’ve worked for—and their love—forever.

I waited not so patiently for author Becca Fitzpatrick to finally release this book in the series.  She left the readers with such a cliffhanger in the second novel that it was torture having to wait for this one.  I think authors love to torture the readers by making us wait!

I will start off by saying that Hush, Hush was my absolute favorite in this series.  This one titled Silence, was just that.  It left me silent for a few days and afraid to post my review.  While I gobbled up every scene there was with Patch in it, there weren’t many to enjoy.  Patch was very much in the background for this book.  Nora has fallen from such a strong heroine in the first book to such a whiny and at times obsessive character that I want to just stop reading the series.  It has been such a downfall for this character.

The ending was left open for another book in the series, but it didn’t end as well as the others had.  It wasn’t a ‘wow’ ending but it does leave you curious for what is to come with Nora and Patch.  I just couldn’t get into this one as much as I did the first two.  This series seems to be falling apart and crumbling.  I want to see Nora get her kick butt personality back and Patch be the Patch I loved in the first book!

If you are already a huge fan of the series, then this book might appeal to you as a continuation of the story, but probably won’t satisfy your hunger of Patch and Nora of before.

If the library doesn’t have it, don’t worry about reading it!

ZACK
Armed and Dangerous
Author: Cheyenne McCray
Source: Personal Purchase

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; First Edition edition (November 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312386710
ISBN-13: 978-0312386719

Ever since bad boy Zack Hunter left her ten years ago, breaking her heart, Sky MacKenna hasn’t been able to find a man who sets her on fire the way he did. Then he comes striding back into her life–bigger, badder, and sexier than before…. Zack Hunter never thought his job as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent would lead him back to his small hometown, and he never thought he’d set eyes on Sky again. Leaving her behind had been the stupidest thing he had ever done, but this time he isn’t going to let her go. And as soon as Zack lays eyes on Sky, he makes it clear that he intends to make her his all over again. When Sky becomes entangled in the case he’s investigating, Zack can’t help but take the threat personally. As the danger mounts, their passion burns even hotter.

After hearing good things about this series, I admit that my expectations were pretty high.  Unfortunately, after reading this book my expectations were shot down. 


As soon as Zack walks back into Sky’s life, I felt like I was reading about a possessive and overbearing man who thinks he can have whatever he wants.  I got tired of his constant “mine” mentality and the caveman-like attitude Zack had towards Sky.  He walked away from Sky long ago, and then he has the nerve to come back for a job and claim her as his.  I wanted Sky to stand up to him and kick him in his man parts to bring him down a notch.  Yes, he was sexy and built like a dream, but his attitude was possessive.  I can see his point of view on leaving Sky those many years ago, but the fallout from it should have been harder.  He should have had to work harder to get Sky in bed and in back into her heart.


If you are already a fan of this author, then you would more than likely like this book.  The sex was steamy and hot, but the story lacked the emotions and heart that would have balanced it out better.  Not a series I will be continuing right now, but I would give it a try later on.

 
  If the library doesn’t have it, don’t worry about reading it! 2 STARS

THE FALLEN
Book One: The Nine Lives of Chloe King
Author: Liz Braswell
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Young Adult/Teen

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse; Mti Rep edition (June 28, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442441348
ISBN-13: 978-1442441347

Chloe King is a normal girl. She goes to class (most of the time), fights with her mom, and crushes on a boy…or two. But around her sixteenth birthday, Chloe finds that perhaps she isn’t so normal after all. There’s the heightened night vision, the super fast reflexes – oh, and the claws. 

As she discovers who she is – and where she comes from – it is clear she is not alone. And someone is trying to get her. 

Chloe has nine lives. But will nine be enough?

I deliberately waited on starting this series because there was so much hype focused around not only this book, but this show on TV as well.  It seemed like everyone was talking about both the book and the TV series, but as always I was late to the party.

When I first started reading this,  I kept trying to imagine it in my head since I haven’t watched a single episode.  So I started out slow with just the first book in the series instead of devouring it all at once.  I loved the story structure and the writing the author uses in the book.  The characters were fun to read about and Chloe was definitely one to enjoy.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t a great book in my opinion.  Like I said, I was enjoying the story and characters but something just wasn’t clicking with me.  I couldn’t get my enthusiasm up for reading the rest of the books.

While I tried time and again to really try to like the book, it just didn’t happen for me.  Maybe the TV series will be a better suited match for me than the actual book this time around.

 
  If the library doesn’t have it, don’t worry about reading it! 2 STARS

BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (October 25, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599904349
ISBN-13: 978-1599904344

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren–the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn’t seen since childhood–a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

Is it just me or does it seem like there is a downpour of mermaid themed books lately?  Even with the amount of mermaid books on the market right now,  I still wanted to read this book and see what sort of spin this author could bring to the mermaid tale.  While I never read the authors first book Magic Under Glass, I understood that it was a sort of spin off from that one involving certain characters.


Again, since I have never read anything by this author before, I did enjoy this book and the tale of mermaids and sirens.  I didn’t get lost and the author explained everything to the point of being able to imagine myself in the undersea world.  While I enjoyed the first few chapters involving the set up of the plot, it eventually started to flop for me.  I couldn’t connect with the characters and the interaction between everyone was not as established as it should have been.  The main plot is for Esmerine to find her older sister Dosinia, but I never really felt the sisterly bond that should have formed early on to make it a plausible outcome.  


While fans of the mermaid/siren world will more than likely enjoy this book, I am one of the few that would rather not set sail again on this voyage without some further fixes from the author.

YOU AGAINST ME
Author: Jenny Downham
Source: Amazon Vine
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: David Fickling Books (September 13, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385751605
ISBN-13: 978-0385751605

If someone hurts your sister and you’re any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother’s accused of a terrible crime but says he didn’t do it, you defend him, don’t you? 

When Mikey’s sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart. When Ellie’s brother is charged with the offence, her world begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide.This is a brave and unflinching novel from the bestselling author of Before I Die. It’s a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it’s a book about love.

When I first received this book for review, everyone was telling me how wonderful this book was.  I fell hard into the hype of You Against Me, but it didn’t have the same impact to me that it had to others.  While the summary was fascinating and the cover was beautifully done, the story wasn’t something that kept me interested like it should have.


The story is told from alternating points of view between Ellie and Mikey.  While I could understand the pain that each character was feeling, I just couldn’t stay interested in the story enough to care about the romance.  It was bland and stale from my point of view in the feelings department for each other.  I wanted so much more that never seemed to unfold.  


While the story will appeal to others as a wonderful and angst filled read, I just felt it was a mediocre book that could have been so much more.  If you are a fan of the authors previous book, then give this one a try and see for yourself.