Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

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Through the Ever Night
Series: Under the Never Sky #2
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: Young Adult 

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

It’s been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don’t take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe’s precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

AMAZING!

That one word above is my reaction after finishing the last page of Through the Ever Night.  Is it any surprise?  This author rocks my socks off with her writing.  Not only has her writing grown by leaps and bounds, but the characters come alive in your head like a movie.

The characters in this book were also amazing.  I think Roar might have even tied with Perry in this one for my favorites. Not everything that happens is what the readers want, but in the end we grow to respect what we do get.  Action is another focus in this book. While some authors go overboard on the action, I have to say that it was balanced really well with the romantic tension between Perry and Aria. The conflict will also leave the reader shocked.  Who will Aria choose to hold her trust when it is most needed?  That my friends is the question you will have answered when you read this book.

I really don’t know how to share my feelings on this book any better than what I stated above.  I don’t want to share too much of the plot because of spoilers.  So I am going to leave you with the following:

Friendship, love, angst and full of drama — the perfect combination!

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Review: Nailed by Jennifer Laurens

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Nailed
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Genre: Young Adult

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

One girl. Two guys. Who says three’s a crowd? When Mandy takes an unusual summer job-in construction-she has to prove she’s just one of the guys. But she gets more than she bargains for being the only girl on the job. The mixture of hot guys, sunscreen, raw wood and testosterone proves to be an elixir she can’t protect her heart from. Brooding Boston and flirty AJ find themselves looking at Mandy as more than just a girl who holds a hammer. Mandy soon finds herself not only lost in a whirlwind of a male-dominated world, but also the center of an inadvertently “constructed” love triangle. Mandy must choose between two guys who want her heart. But what’s a girl to do when she wants them both?

MY THOUGHTS

Usually I am a big fan of author Jennifer Laurens.  I had been wanting to read this one for a while now and never really got around to it.  When it was offered up free on Amazon for the Kindle, I snatched it up and it got shuffled in my list.  Finally, I was sorting through them and came across it and decided to dive in.

I am a sucker for a love triangle.  I guess this would be considered New Adult in the genre realm now as Mandy is 19, just out of high school and working with her brother.  All of the main characters are around the same age except for A.J. who happens to be 27.  Mandy finds herself falling for A.J. and Charlie, AKA Boston, while having to work on a house building project headed by her brother Marc.

First, that cover I think is the reason I forgot about it.  It just doesn’t scream ‘read me’, although I did notice on Amazon that the print version has a different cover.  Second, A.J reminded me of a creepy guy who preys on young girls.  He calls Mandy ‘baby doll’ almost every time he addresses her and is constantly giving her a full teeth smile.  Then we have Larry, the fourth guy in the crew, who is basically a man slut. He is a player to the extreme level.  Marc, Mandy’s brother, should never be in charge of anything because he can’t even keep his mind out of the gutter while his sister is standing right there.  Then we have Charlie, who Mandy nicknames Boston. I never could really grow to like him.  He came across stuck up and standoffish.  Lastly we have Mandy.  She was just as boring and dull as Boston so I could see the appeal of the author using them together as part of the triangle.  She was indecisive, snobby, and has no clue whatsoever. After all those characters we have a best friend for Mandy who is basically just there to buy his romance books in the bookstore and to fill page time.

Definitely not one of the authors better books and one I would not read again.

MY RATING

       
I did not like this book at all!

Review: Fall To Pieces by Vahini Naidoo

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Fall to Pieces
Author: Vahini Naidoo
ISBN: 9780761462170

SUMMARY
(From Goodeads)

When your best friend dies, you’re supposed to know what happened. You’re supposed to know why.

But Ella has no idea what happened the night Amy jumped to her death. She has no idea why Amy would want to die.

Ella’s other friends, Mark and Petal, are hiding something. Ella thinks they know exactly what happened that terrible night. But they’re not talking. Instead, Ella, Mark, and Petal play Pick Me Ups—a game in which they jump from dangerous heights. And every time Ella falls, she begins to remember pieces of that night. . . 

It’s still not enough. So Ella brings a mysterious new guy into the group, hoping he will help shake things up and unearth the truth. But Ella’s “Explosive Boy” has secrets of his own.

And there may be some secrets that Ella doesn’t want to face. The truth—the real truth—about Amy’s death might just be more than she can handle.

MY THOUGHTS

Four friends suddenly become three.  Ella, Mark, Petal, and Amy suddenly become Ella, Mark and Petal after Amy dies.  Ella is having a hard time remembering what happened.When Mark creates a game called Pick Me Ups, Ella starts getting flashbacks of the night Amy died.  Instead of an adrenaline rush, she is getting glimpses into the secrets that are locked within her head.  Then Ella brings Tristan into the fold but he has secrets of his own.

This was a book that led me into the trap of ‘just one more chapter’ before setting it down.  I wanted to know what would happen next and I wanted to learn more about the way Amy died.  I thought the book did great in the time line and gave the reader just enough with each chapter to make you want to keep reading.  So the pace was done okay.  The characters were okay, but they all stood out about the same for me for some reason.  While I enjoyed the book, it was just a mediocre read for me.  I will also mention that the language is high in profanity in case this is a no-no in books that you want to read.  Be warned.  To me it wasn’t a big issue, but to others it can be.  I also just couldn’t connect with the characters in the way the author was wanting.

Not bad for a quick read, but one that does need to be warned of the profanity mentioned above.  Don’t go into it blind.  Like I said earlier, just an okay read for me and one I won’t be thinking about afterwards for long.

MY RATING

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

Review: The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski

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The Shadow Society
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Genre: Young Adult
ISBN:  9780374349059

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But Conn’s interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

MY THOUGHTS

Borderline love/hate with this story is the only way I can explain my feelings on this book.  Its dark and different than what I am used to reading which was refreshing in the way that I got to step out of my box with it.

The characters were the main thing for me that kept me from rating it higher.  I think the main problem I had was that some characters were not needed to make this story great while others weren’t used enough.  Another problem is the cliched new boy who is dark yet sexy.  The plot was interesting enough that I didn’t need some of the problems of love triangles and cliches to lure me in.

Like other reviewers have said about this read — you will either love it or hate it.  Some will think it had the perfect balance and others will say it lacked in balance.  I, felt that it was walking a fine line between being great or it being bad.  This is the type of read that you will more than likely have to choose for yourself in forming an opinion.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Review: The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale

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The Bully Book
Author: Eric Kahn Gale
ISBN: 9780062125118
Publisher: HarperCollins

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

The rules governing middle school are often a mystery, but for Eric Haskins, they’re a mystery he needs to solve, and fast. He’s a normal, average kid, until sixth grade starts. For some inexplicable reason, the class bully and his pack make Eric the Grunt. Even his best friend since first grade turns on him. Eric can’t figure out why he’s the Grunt until he hears about the Bully Book, a cryptic guide that teaches you how to “make trouble without getting in trouble, rule the school and be the man” and how to select the Grunt-the kid who will become the lowest of the low. 

Eric Haskins may be this year’s Grunt for now, but he’s determined not to stay at the bottom of the social ladder forever. Hilarious and compelling, The Bully Book is a must-read for every tween, tween parent, librarian and educator!

MY THOUGHTS

Have you ever wondered why someone gets chosen to be picked on in school?  What is going on through the minds of the bully and the one being picked on?  While this may not be what actually goes on and it may not be the way one is chosen to be picked on, it does give you a greater understanding on why it can happen.

I used to be picked on all through school.  Now that I am older and have children of my own, I constantly worry about them being bullied.  As a parent you want to protect your child.  As a child you just want to be accepted and have friends.  What do you do when those so called friends turn on you and decide to target you as their next scapegoat?  The Bully Book gives you an inside perspective of both the child being chosen as the target and the child that is doing the actual bullying.

While the over all tone of this book focuses on the horrible act of bullying within the schools, it does have some lighthearted moments as well.  As a tween book, it still kept this adult reader interested and compelled to finish the story.  I needed to know what would happen and the outcome.

This is a great read for younger readers no matter if you are boy or girl.  It can be shocking, enduring and eye opening.  While the adult might be as interested in it, I could see the younger generation reading it.

MY RATING
Okay book, but it left me wanting more!