Review: The Flood Girls

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Richard Fifield
Pages: 336
Format: ARC - thank you so so much Simon & Schuster Canada! 
My Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (you da best, Goodreads): This snappy, sassy redemption story set in small-town Montana is “a wild and crazy debut novel by a talented young writer” (Jackie Collins), filled with an uproarious and unforgettable cast of characters you won’t want to leave behind.

Welcome to Quinn, Montana, population: 956. A town where nearly all of the volunteer firemen are named Jim, where The Dirty Shame—the only bar in town—refuses to serve mixed drinks (too much work), where the locals hate the newcomers (then again, they hate the locals, too), and where the town softball team has never even come close to having a winning season. Until now.

Rachel Flood has snuck back into town after leaving behind a trail of chaos nine years prior. She’s here to make amends, but nobody wants to hear it, especially her mother, Laverna. But with the help of a local boy named Jake and a little soul-searching, she just might make things right.

In the spirit of Empire Falls and A League of Their Own, with the caustic wit of Where’d You Go, Bernadette thrown in for good measure, Richard Fifield’s hilarious and heartwarming debut will have you laughing through tears.

My Thoughts: I've literally just finished this novel, and I'm a little scatter-brained because it made me feel all the things, so I'm just going to tell you whatever comes to mind. The gist: I freaking loved this book. So much. It was honest and powerful and funny. It was unexpected and relatable and I can't say good enough things about it.  I've decided that going into books blindly is the best way to go. I honestly didn't know much about this book before I dived in - and I'm so glad that I read it this way. It dealt with some pretty big issues (like alcoholism) in such a smart way, and it really illuminated the lives of everyone in Quinn. A super small town, where everyone knows everyone, and Richard Fifield made me feel like I lived there too. I could totally be a fly on the wall of The Dirty Shame - the bar that one of the main characters own.  

The characters were so rich and, I don't want to be cheesy, but three dimensional, that you felt like you literally knew them. I would absolutely love it if the author did little spin offs of other characters that we are briefly introduced to in The Flood Girls. These characters take on everything. They are so realistic and fascinating that you literally cannot put the book down once you've started it - believe me. I neglected my school readings to finish this because I just could not get the story out of my head. 

That ending, by the way? Yeah. It killed me. I'm writing this from beyond the grave. The wi-fi here is surprisingly fantastic.

Final Thoughts: This book is definitely going to be one of my favourite books of the year. It's a small town populated by bad-ass women who continually took me by surprise. I need you to go pick this bad boy up so I can talk about it with someone! 

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Annnnnd, because I read #KickAssWomen, I thought that I should introduce you, Bad-Blood style, to Red Mabel! 

She was one of my favourite characters to read in The Flood Girls! She is definitely bad-ass, and you should get to know her better! Flood girls was a fantastic read, and you should definitely definitely definitely check it out! 

Blog Tour: Madly (Potion, #1) - The Recipe for Samantha Kemi

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Amy Alward
Pages: 384
Format: ARC - available September 29, 2015! 
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10

* I received this from Simon & Schuster CA in exchange for a fair and honest review* 

Summary (I'm mad about you, Goodreads): When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with a love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in love with her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors travelling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn.

Enter Samantha Kemi - an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent. Sam's family were once the most respected alchemists in the kingdom, but they've fallen on hard times, and winning the hunt would save their reputation. But can Sam really compete with the dazzling powers of the ZoroAster megapharma company? Just how close is Sam willing to get to Zain Aster, her dashing former classmate and enemy, in the meantime?

And just to add to the pressure, this quest is ALL OVER social media. And the world news. 

No big deal, then.

My Thoughts: So, I wasn't a hundred percent sure what to expect with this novel. I mean I saw a tagline that said that Madly was The Princess Diaries and The Hunger Games mixed together and talk about intrigue. I'm generally a little scared of fantasy, just because it can go in so many different directions and I never know exactly what I'm going to get with it. But, if Madly is any indication of what to expect in the fantastic-y world, count me in! There was magic and mythical creatures and love and kickass characters (I mean, hello, Samantha Kemi? Can we be best friends please?). It took place in a modern setting - which, hello sorry for another interlude from yours truly, but how cool is that? I never ever read fantasy stories that take place now - and it never felt like it was trying to hard or it was reaching. It was refreshing to read about this kickass girl and these surreal and wonderful (and often, not so wonderful) experiences taking place in a world that I can clearly imagine, because it's my world. There was some romance, but I thought that it was adorable and added to the story. There wasn't any insta-love or anything like that. They genuinely cared about what would happen to the other people, and I was here for it. Basically, without spoiling anything, if you add alchemy, mix in some fantasy, stir in adventure, add a whole heck of a lot of humour, and add a pinch of romance, you've got yourself a recipe for Madly. Maybe that's actually the love potion recipe... 

However, I think that my absolute favourite part of the novel was how wonderfully written it was. All the sudden I was swept up into the world, and seriously devouring the book. Once I was in, I couldn't get out. And once I was in, I didn't want to get out. I'm eagerly awaiting the rest of the series to see what kind of trouble our characters are going to get into!

P.S. Serious cover lust. Hardcore cover lust. Lust that is moving into love territory kind of lust. 

Final Thoughts: This was a light, funny, and fun read. It was the perfect end of summer story, and I'll definitely be finishing off the series!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Recipe for Samantha Kemi 

Making A Main Character by Amy Alward, author of Madly

Inspiration when creating your characters flows down from your everyday life and upbringing, from your old Aunt Mildred to that villain in your childhood novels. When creating my main character for Madly, I pulled and picked and flipped and twisted characteristics that stuck with me over the years, then finally pieced them together to create Samantha Kemi. In this specific book, my inspiration came from all the characters I’ve encountered in my reading. And I remember exactly the wizards and witches and all around kick-butt characters who inspired me:

1. Chrestomanci, from The World of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones

Chrestomanci is employed by the Parliament in The World of Chrestomanci and his job is to make sure magic isn’t being misused in the world. His character seeped into Samantha in the way that he can be random and unpredictable, but also honourable. Samantha’s main goal is to redeem her family’s name and save Princess Evelyn, two very honorable endeavors.

2. Ged from The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

Ged is the main protagonist in A Wizard of Earthsea and can be seen as a very serious and arrogant boy who then matures into an extremely powerful wizard. Now, I wouldn’t say Samantha is arrogant but she definitely has got some cheeky-ness to her! She doesn’t take any crap and is confident in her potion skills. The only person who can ruffle her feathers is Zain and that’s when her cheeky attitude really comes forward!

3. Indiana Jones from Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones is one of the cleverest and quick witted characters I’ve ever seen. But more importantly, he’s human. I wanted to create a supernatural world but with very relatable characters. Like Indy, Samantha makes mistakes and ends up in sticky situations and they both have fears like you and I (can’t forget Indy and the snakes!). Indy and Samantha are really only human at the end of the day.

4. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Katniss is a kick-butt character that I absolutely love and there are qualities in her that I definitely mirrored when creating Sam. The most important characteristic about Katniss is her strive to create her own fate. Even before she volunteers as tribute she is always pushing the boundaries of her district. Samantha is very much like Katniss in this sense, she will not settle for the reputation that her family’s name has developed and will go to great lengths to prove herself and carve her own path.

5. Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling

The characters in the Harry Potter series as a whole have definitely influenced my writing and inspired me as an author. But it is Hermione Granger that specifically inspired elements of Samantha while writing Madly. It is her desire for truth, her ability to learn, and her passion for what she is learning that I infused into Samantha. Just as Sam prefers natural potion ingredients as opposed to synthetic ones, Hermione also hates cutting corners (especially when it comes to studying!).

There you have it! I hope you enjoy reading about Sam as much as I enjoyed creating her and writing Madly! Let me know which characters inspire your writing @amy_alward.

Review: Under Dark Skies by A.J. Scudiere

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: A.J. Scudiere
Pages: 390
Format: eARC
My Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary (thanks Goodreads): In NightShade nothing is as it seems . . . 

Eleri Eames didn’t think she’d ever be allowed to work for the FBI again, so the special FBI division of NightShade seems like an amazing opportunity. But all too soon, her chance to start over starts to disturb her. 

When the FBI offers Donovan a chance to leave his job as a medical examiner and try his hand at something new, he takes a chance on the NightShade division. Somehow, he has to try to escape from his shadows, but can he trust Eleri with the truth? 

Thrown together on their first case, Eleri and Donovan must deal with a charismatic cult leader and his true-believers. The cult is mixed up with several decade-old kidnapping cases and the missing daughter of a prominent FBI Agent. As Eleri and Donovan dig deeper, they discover that NightShade’s mysteries aren’t coincidence. 

Their secrets will save them . . . or destroy them.

My Thoughts: First and foremost, I think that my favourite thing about this novel was the writing. It was fan-freaking-tastic. It just drew you in, from the first line to the last, and it was just stunning. Seriously, it kept me awake through the night because I just couldn't put it down (the fact that it was a school night and Kelsey had to deal with me the next day can attest to how much I loved it). The mystery of it was enough to keep me reading, but what really intrigued me was how the author interweaved the paranormal into it. It never felt... cheesy... (I don't know if that's the right word), which is quite a large task when you're talking about witches and werewolves and vampires. (Especially vampires, but that seems like such an obvious dig toward some books that should not be named and I didn't want to go there but I did anyway). And again, I credit that completely to A.J's writing. Another thing that I loved that it never felt like it was just going on and on and on and on (kinda like I am, right now). The pacing was perfect, which is key, especially when a lot of procedural things are going on. Overall, I definitely recommend this book. It's fantastic, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next one! 

Final Thoughts: I don't know how to classify this novel because it had a bit of eeeeeverything, but I do know that you shouldn't let this one pass you by! 

REVIEW: After (After, #1) by Anna Todd

Reviewer: Kristen 
Author: Anna Todd
Pages: 592
Format: Paperback (provided by Simon & Schuster) 
My Rating: 8 out of 10 

Summary (you're golden, Goodreads): Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way. 

But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to. 

But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before. 

He’ll call her beautiful, then insist he isn't the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper. 

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin’s prejudice about nice girls like her? 

Unless…could this be love?

Now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!

There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER ... Life will never be the same. #Hessa
My Thoughts: Just in time for all you enthusiastic Valentine's day folks, I present to you After by Anna Todd! Now, first things first. I need to get this off my chest because of reasons: Please don't not (double negative use, for the win) pick this up because you heard it was One Direction fanfiction, because I won't lie to you, I was all kinds of hesitant. But, like everything, you just have to give it a chance to actually form your own opinions on it. That's my two cents, so let's proceed with the actual book now. 

So, Tessa and Hardin.... Hardin is a little bit much at times. And because of that, I can understand why people are saying that he's a bad person and that the story romanticizes an abuse relationship. What I can't understand, however, is when people like Hardin and Tessa to Christian and Ana (those are the names from FSoG right?). Tessa doesn't take no shit - she's fiesty, she stands up for herself, she gives chances when she believes they are deserved, but if they blow their chance, it's blown. She's not just taking the crap that Hardin throws at her, and I think that that is a major reason why I didn't just write this off as some crappy novel with no redeeming qualities. 

This book is long. Incredibly long. So very long. It's like 3-novels-in-one kind of long. But you know what? It only took me two days to finish this book (and it only took me that long because of that incessant need to sleep). I was so completely swept up into the story - I wanted needed to know what happened to Tessa and Hardin. I needed to know why something was said. I needed to know why. I just could not put it down. 

This story is definitely on par with Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire and Thoughtless by S.C Stephens. If those are your kinda things, I definitely, without a doubt, recommend that you take this baby out for a test ride. I enjoyed it, and I'm actually really excited to read the next in this series. Anna Todd has found herself a new and I hate to admit it but kind of unlikely fan! 

Final Thoughts: If you're in the mood for a steamy, unapologetic romance that I liken to Thoughtless by S.C Stephens, then this book is for you. For all you romantics out there, I cannot recommend this enough! 

Review: Darkness (Florence Waverley #3)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Ciye Cho
Format: ebook, ARC (honest review requested)
Pages: 309
Rating: 7 out of 10

**Spoiler warning: Part of a series. Read the review for Florence here and Luminaire here**

Summary (Thanks Goodreads): A dire prophecy has emerged, and the mer believe that humans and merfolk are in grave danger. Terror is closing in, but only one person holds the key to stopping it: Florence Waverley. However, her mission to save two worlds will lead her far, far out into the Darkness--a shadow-realm full of monsters, magic, and wicked tides that could tear apart bodies. 

With the help of her friends, Florry must uncover a secret about humans and mer. A long-lost secret that could change her life. And above all else, she must fight hard to light the darkness. Everything depends on her mission: her friends, her world, and the one she loves. 

The past, present, and future are about to collide--but can she stay afloat? One way or another, nothing will be the same when she enters the Darkness...

My Thoughts: So I should start by saying that I really had to reread the rest of the series before I started this novel. It wasn't because the series wasn't good; it had just been so long since reading them that I felt it necessary. If you read the first two when they came out, I'd recommend that you too reread the series so you know whats going on. You don't really have to reread it to follow along though. This novel also had a super hand glossary in the back of the book. 

So, my favourite thing about this novel and this series as a whole is the imagery used. The world sounds to amazing. It's so vivid and bright and colourful. It sounds simply amazing. I can picture it so easily. I'd read another five books in this series just for the world alone.

There is some death in this novel but I think it was needed. I can't stand novels where there is a war but nobody dies. How realistic is that? You should be sad when characters die and characters you like and become attached to should die because it happens in the real world. Authors should not be afraid to kill the characters that they like, that they know the readers will like. The reader just needs to learn to deal with it. It's necessary and it's exciting and it makes the novel more real. Pain can be good, I suppose.

As I began to read this novel (as I looked back on the last two novels from this series), I found that I had been missing the characters. Sometimes they were stupid...most of the beginning of the novel I badly wanted to punch a prince in the face but it's not too far from how the rest of the series went. I forgot how powerful Florence was. I forgot how strong and how brave she was. She is a fighter, even if she doesn't think that all the time. She doesn't realize just how strong fighting for her friends makes her be. I guess, in general, people will do things for their friends that they might not do for themselves. I should admit to you all that I did that funny thing where I ignore the age of the character and mentally make them my own age. It's fine...I don't have a problem...

This novel has less of a plot twist than the past novels in this series. It didn't seem to be as fast paced either. That was fine. This novel was a lot shorter than the other two and that made a big difference in my mind because you didn't need as much to keep the story going. I think that a lot of this novel was leading into a next one. I'd read it. Still, this was the only thing that I really wasn't 100% happy with. I wanted maybe just a little bit more. This may have been because the last two seemed so much longer. It honestly wasn't that big of a deal.

Basically: If you liked the last books in this series, mermaids, the sea, water, colours, or basically anything, you should read this book. Read the whole series. 

Review: The Bane Chronicles

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Cassandra Jean
Format: Paperback ARC
**This book was given to us in exchange for an honest review.**
Pages: 528
Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (via Goodreads): Ever wondered about the enigmatic, mysterious warlock Magnus Bane? The only character to appear in every Shadowhunter book, Magnus has a past even more shrouded in mystery than his present. I’ve teamed up with acclaimed YA writers Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan to create the Bane Chronicles, the back (and front) story of Magnus told in ten linked tales.

Look for short stories like Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale; The Rise and Fall of the Hotel Dumort; Saving Raphael Santiago and What To Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway). Each story will be available as an ebook on a monthly basis starting April 16 with the tale of What Happened In Peru.

Each story will be released monthly online for the next ten months — and then for those who don’t read e-books, the full print collection will be available in bookstores and wherever else books are sold after the Chronicles have been finished. 

My Ponderings: Magnus was my favourite character in the Mortal Instruments series from Cassandra Clare. He was funny and sassy and never said quite what you expected him to say. That was what made him great. There was also an air of mystery about him that was terribly intriguing. I constantly found myself wondering at things he was saying or making reference too. I wanted to know what he'd lived through. I wanted to hear all about his wild adventures. What led him to where he was when we first met him? Apparently it was a great many things. As it well should be since he was so old. He had multiple lifetimes full of experiences to draw on. Each story was unique, fascinating. 

I read this novel so quickly. Kristen and I spent too much time fighting over it. It was well worth the fight. We had both been highly anticipating this novel once we found out that it was coming out. The wait was almost too much until this novel showed up at our doorstep...literally. It was a super easy and interesting read. I got into the story right away. Don't have a lot of time to sit and read? That's fine, this novel is a series of short stories that jump around in time. After all, nobody has the time to read the entire length of Magnus' life, although I'd love to give it a try. I thought that short story form was perfect for this novel. Actually, I can't think of a better way for us to receive this. I wouldn't change that.

The comics were pretty great too. I thought they were funny and beautiful and a perfect way to break up the novel. I usually don't like this kind of thing because I'm 20 years old and 20 year olds probably shouldn't be reading picture books. In this case (which didn't make the novel a picture book but only added a much needed division between stories), I loved it.

Don't like one of the story lines? Don't worry. They're short stories and will be over soon enough. It should be noted that I didn't have this problem and Kristen didn't seem to either.

Miss another favourite character? Maybe they will make an appearance...

Basically: I loved this novel. I would read it again and again in a heart beat. I loved that it was funny and serious and you get to see many sides of Magnus. It was wonderful that you see him help so many people. It also provides wonderful back story for the other series by Cassandra Clare. It's like a bunch of well-written fanfictions that know the characters perfectly. I would recommend buying this novel. Today. Because it came out this morning. Do it. Some history with Cassandra Clare's novel necessary.

Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Jenny Han
Format: ARC (in exchange for an honest review)
Pages: 288
Rating: 7 out of 10 (yes, we give a lot of 7's...deal with it)

Summary (I've loved no website like Goodreads): To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

My Thoughts: I was so excited to get this novel. I started reading it as soon as I could and it was worth it. It, even though there were quite a few sad moments, is a pretty feel good novel. Even when everything is going to hell, the author managed to bring bright moments and great laughs. At first, I thought that the author was just going off on tangents but really those so called tangents brought the story together. It was really great to get little flashes of back story that explained why the main character, Lara Jean, felt the way she did. I didn't think I would enjoy this but I really did. I don't usually but I'm glad the author did it.

I would like to say that if this happened to me, I would die. I would actually die. I'm not exaggerating here. If letters I wrote to boys I loved were sent, my life would end. I wouldn't even have to like kill myself because I would just drop dead of embarrassment. I felt sooooooooooo bad for Lara Jean! It was made even worse by how she found out. I couldn't handle it.

I really, really, really love the sisters' father. I want a character like him in every novel. He was so adorable and did just about everything for his daughters. He was just the right amount of awkward to be entertaining but he clearly cared. I think this is the first novel I've read that has only a single father. It definitely is the only novel I've read with a single father and only daughters. I enjoyed reading about the dynamic. He was like a real father too. I love when characters are real.

The dynamic (I didn't start this paragraph with an "I", I'm so proud of me!! I am aware that the world does not revolve around me even though you are perpetuating that idea by reading a review about what I think about a novel that I read on my own time. I know it's not all about me.) between the sisters is great. I don't have sisters and my relationship with my brother is nothing like the Song girl's relationship. I loved reading about these girls, as different as they are. Even though she is a pain, I think my favourite character is Kitty. She was hilarious.

I expected more from Gen though if what happened to Lara Jean happened to me I would have quit life for sure.

I was not at all surprised by who sent the letters. I suppose that knowing that we find out about who sent the letters is a spoiler...sorry about that but, in the end, it isn't a main part of the novel so don't hate me. Anyway, I figured it out a long time before we were told so that was a bit of a let down. Though, yes, I understand that it really isn't that important who sent the letters.

I was not excited about the ending though. I knew the ending was coming but I didn't like how she ended the story. It could have been so much more. I wish it would have had more of a conclusion that just the letter she wrote. I mean, let's actually wrap it up...please. I think the novel could have had another 50 pages to wrap this novel up. 

I didn't find any annoying mistakes and I was reading the uncorrected proof, so yay for that. I thought that the author wrote clearly and was entertaining. I would totally buy other books by this author!

(See, after that comment about all my paragraphs starting with "I" I had to make it a thing. Look what my life is coming to. Thanks for reading my self-absorbed review. Did I mention that I really liked this novel?)

Final Wisdom: It was totally worth the read! I loved the relationship Lara Jean had with the other characters, even when they were bad relationships. I would totally recommend this novel to those that like complicated love stories and girls that figure out life. It was a good book.

PostApoc

Reviewer: Kristen 
Author: Liz Worth 
Pages: 184
Format: Paperback (sent my JKSCommuncations) 
My Rating: 10 out of 10

------ This was sent to us by the publisher for a fair and honest review ----- 

Summary (thanks GR): Sole survivor of a suicide pact, Ang has fallen into an underground music scene obsessed with the idea of the end of the world. But when the end finally does come, Ang and her friends don't find the liberation they expected. Instead, those still alive are starving, strung out and struggling to survive in a world that no longer makes sense. As Ang navigates the world's final days, her emotional and physical instability mix with growing uncertainty and she begins to distrust her perception in a place where nothing can ever be trusted for what it seems to be. Bleak and haunting, "PostApoc" blends poetry and punk rock, surrealism and stark imagery to tell the story of a girl wavering at the edge of her sanity.

My Thoughts: Holy crap. Where do I even start with this one? The cover? The writing? The story? All of the above might be too daunting a task to do at once, so I'll start with the cover. Oh. My. God. How creepy/haunting/beautiful is that cover?! Seriously though, it's perfect for the story. It sets the mood perfectly. And that title? That title is perfect, it has so many different meanings and connections within the story. I don't want to spoil anything, so you're just going to have to read it yourself! (Trust me, you should be doing that anyways.) The writing is definitely, without a doubt, hands down my favourite part of the story. It's written beautifully. There are no words to describe how beautiful the prose in this story is. There were times where I would just re-read certain parts because of how beautifully it was written. It definitely inspired me to get writing, and it takes quite the novel to make me wanna do that lately. The story was so unique and so engrossing. It was dark and beautiful and twisted and I've already re-read it just so I could really appreciate it. I loved this novel, and I promise you, you will too. 

Final Thoughts: Go, go go! 
P.S for the playlist click HERE

THIS WILL BE RELEASED OCTOBER 15th, DON'T MISS OUT! 

Sutton Place

Reviewer: Kristen 
Author: Louise Gaylord 
Pages: 261
Format: Hardback (sent to me by JKS Communications!)
My Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary (thanks Goodreads): Just When Things Seem to be Going So Well a horrific incident from Julia Fairchild’s past —one she thought had been buried long ago —comes 
charging back into her life. Then a promising romantic weekend goes bad, which makes staying at Sutton Place more than Julia can handle. So she flees her home, her family…her life. But apparently, she can’t go far enough.The Fairchilds were a happy family of wealthy New York stock, with two loving daughters. Until the secrets started to surface.The first secret was revealed when Julia was told the truth about her father. Her reaction to the 
revelation sent her spinning out of control.The second secret concerned the parentage of Julia’s sister, Ariel. How Ariel responded to the revelation astounded the rest of the family. Now Julia is building a superb reputation at one of New York’s finest hospitals. The future looks bright until a romantic weekend turns into a disaster. Fleeing home and family, she moves to New Mexico and starts to pull her life together.

Just when it looks like things are heading toward happily-ever-after, events in New York draw Julia
back to Sutton Place, where she learns of Ariel’s secret life and finds herself facing her worst 
nightmare.
My Thoughts: Holy twists and holy turns. Not once could I figure out what Louise Gaylord was going to do to the characters. Speaking of characters, all of them are so great. I loved all the characters, and the characters who weren't so nice, I loved to hate. It was hard to trust even my favourite characters. There were secrets everyone, and everyone had them. There isn't much I can say about the secrets and lies without spoiling it. What I can say is that all their lies make for one, huge tangled mess.  I loved everything about this novel. It was fast paced, the characters felt like people I could know, and the plot kept me reading. I literally couldn't put it down. I had only planned to read for a few minutes before I had to go to a stupid baby shower, but I ended up taking it with me. And I may or may not have read under the table the entire time. I just HAD to know what was going on, and what was going to happen and figure out the next lie! The reactions everyone had and the betrayal they felt was so real you forgot characters were fictional. This is the first Louise Gaylord novel that I've had the pleasure of reading, but it certainly won't be the last. 

Final Thoughts: I absolutely loved this. It's the perfect mystery! 

Perfect Ruin

Reviewer: Kelsey

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Format: ARC Paperback (Publisher requested review)

Pages: 358

Rating: 7 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads is my life): On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 15-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

My Thoughts: I was pretty pumped to be able to read this novel. I’ve read novels by this author before and I enjoyed them so much that I felt the need to buy the rest of the series while I was on vacation. I think that this author has an incredible imagination and is a great storyteller. She can get you into a story. Also, I love that she uses “English Major Words” or for our American friends maybe we can call them SAT words? I love learning new words and I could with this novel; not that I was forced to look any up, context is so helpful.

Hopefully, this won’t become a love triangle. At one point during the novel it felt like that was where we were headed but a part of the novel changed that for me, I’m just holding out hope for the second one. I don’t want a love triangle because I hate them but also, in this case, I love Basil. I think he’s great. It’s a little odd that they actually cared about each other. In other novels where they are forced to be with people, the main character ends up hating that person. Matched may be an exception. If your experience with this type of plot line is different than mine, I need to point out how weird and stupid that is. I wouldn’t love someone that I was told to love. I would question every interaction with them and wonder why I do what I do. Do I actually love them or have I been convinced that I have to love them and therefore act differently. Yes, these are the things that I think about in my spare time.

There are essay excerpts at the beginning of each chapter and, while they make little sense at the beginning of the novel, as the story goes on they explain a lot about the world in which Morgan lives as well as some of the character’s motivations.

I really feel bad for Lex. I hope that the next novel explains why people get hurt when they jump. I think I might have missed that explanation. It all seemed a little confused for me. It was almost like a full explanation was avoided. I can understand why, it would give the author a lot more work but I would like some answers just the same. Plus, I need a real not mythological or guess reason for why they are in the sky. Yes, I want the author to come out and flat out say where we are and why. I hate guessing AND unanswered questions. I guess I’ll just have to read the whole series.

The concept for this novel was very interesting though I think it needs to be a bit more developed. It was a good length and a fairly quick read but it wasn’t speedy. Now, I’m being confusing. How do I explain this? It didn’t feel like a quick read until I looked back and saw how fast I finished it. Close to the end still feels like the middle. It may have been that I confused the climax a bit. There are two highish points in this novel. Upon completing it, I realized that the very end is actually the climax and leads up to another novel but while at the first high point, I thought it would be the most important part. I’m going to explain this away as just being the first in the series and needing to set everything up. I hope that’s just it.

The characters in this were great. I want a Basil, Lex was a typical older brother (at least in my world anyway), and Pen was a great best friend. Each had faults, like they would if they were real people. I like characters that could be real people. Beware though, this author has never been afraid to kill off character. It’s one of the things I love about her!

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed this novel and love this author. In the future, I will continue to read her works. I am also looking forward to reading the rest of this series to get the answers I’m looking for. I’m just really sad that I’m going to have to wait for the next book! If you enjoyed Matched, Delirium, or The Chemical Garden Series than as soon as this book is released, you should go buy it.

A Triumph for Sakura

Reviewer: Kristen 
Author: Jason Ridler
Pages: 334
Format: eBook (sent by author)
My Rating: 9 out of 10


Summary (via Goodreads): Famed fight coach Ned Bangs was down and out, until he saw Sakura fight four deadbloods like a champ. The catch? Unlike Ned, she was human. 

Under Ned’s guidance, Sakura fights from the street to the big time, gather fame and enemies as they reach the arena of Cascadia. Can they both survive when her courage fans the flames of a human revolution against their vampire overlords? 

What cost will they both pay for a Triumph for Sakura.

My Thoughts: What do you get when you add an old fighting coach and a dirt poor a bit more than semi-decent at fighting street urchin? Oh, and don't forget the dash of vampire. You get what I thought would be a disaster. But, my thinking was oh so wrong. With any other author, I think it would be a disaster. However, Jason Ridler writes so brilliantly and elegantly that getting pulled into this world is easy. I couldn't put it down, and really didn't want it to end. Another positive? It was so refreshingly unique. This wasn't your usual take on vampires. It was probably the most realistic book involving vampires that I've ever read or ever will read. I want to take a minute to talk about how amazing all the characters were described. I pictured them down to a T, including smell, which was occasionally revolting at times. I loved the characters and how they developed. I also loved how strong of a lead Sakura was. This book is going to be hard to forget and nearly impossible for me to get out of my head. Trust me, I finished it a few days ago and still haven't been able to get it off my mind. This book has something for everyone, and I do mean everyone. Pick it up and don't let this pass you by! 

Final Thoughts: My fingers are crossed for a sequel!

Thank you, Jason Ridler, for sending me a copy of your novel!