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! 

Life of a Blogger [25]

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature that I found through the amazing Rebecca at Vicariously! ,  hosted by the lovely Novel Heartbeat. Each week a subject will be chosen and we get to talk about it. The topics will be non-bookish so that you can get to know each other on a more personal level! Make sure to add your link on the linky list! 

This week's topic is: Nature

I like taking pictures of nature:

I however, don't really enjoy spending that much time out there in it. I don't like the cold. I don't like unbearable heat. I do enjoy camping but it's best in the fall. I could spend hours outside taking pictures though. I don't really have a whole lot to say about nature, apparently. What's your favourite thing about nature?


- Kelsey

Life of a Blogger [24]

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature that I found through the amazing Rebecca at Vicariously! ,  hosted by the lovely Novel Heartbeat. Each week a subject will be chosen and we get to talk about it. The topics will be non-bookish so that you can get to know each other on a more personal level! Make sure to add your link on the linky list! 

This week's topic is: Favourite Quotes

Life is either a darling adventure or nothing at all - Hellen Keller
Everything you can imagine is real - Pablo Picasso
Human beings are lazy by nature, so if you keep going and everyone quits because their lazy, you'll win by defualt - Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland
- Kelsey

Top Ten Tuesday [26]

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

March 10: Ten Books For Readers Who Like _________

Kelsey: Maybe Someday (Basically, romance)

1. Maybe Not (Novella) by Colleen Hoover -- Duh

2. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill 

3. Wait for You (and series) by J. Lynn

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

5. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

6. Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5) by Colleen Hoover

7. Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

8. Tangled by Emma Chase (this one may not quite fit in if you are under like 16 but then again neither would Maybe Not or Wait for You.)

9. The Unidentified Redhead by Alice Clayton (see above side-note...)

10. Losing It by Cora Carmack

This list suddenly became very full of sex. Deal with it, people.

Life of a Blogger [23]

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature that I found through the amazing Rebecca at Vicariously! ,  hosted by the lovely Novel Heartbeat. Each week a subject will be chosen and we get to talk about it. The topics will be non-bookish so that you can get to know each other on a more personal level! Make sure to add your link on the linky list! 

This week's topic is: Freebie! 

You know what's fantastic? Potatoes. Potatoes are great. They are the most perfect food. They are a vegetable even though they remain unhealthy for you. The produce wonderful foods. Like chips. Or mash potatoes. Or FRENCH FRIES! I'm sorry but they are perfect and your arguments are invalid.

Also, since this is an open forum...I have no shelf space. I have literally run out of space in my bedroom. Hell, there is no room left in my entire house. I could open my own branch of the local library! I have books on shelves IN MY CLOSETS! The shelves above my bed are going to fall and I'm going to be crushed to death in my sleep. This is a very serious problem that I am facing currently.
- Kelsey

Top Ten Tuesday [25]

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

March 3: Top Ten Books You Would Classify As ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS from the past 3 years (you can extend it to 5 if you need to).

Kelsey:

I feel the need to complain about the fact that I need to find 10 of these. It's hardly favourite books of all time if I need multiple of them. Plus, I don't remember what was read in the last five years. This is haaaaaard. I'm just going to make it all up!

1. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

2. Splintered by A.G. Howard

3. Partials by Dan Wells

4. The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

5. Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStafano

6. Origin by Jessica Khoury

7. Wait for You by Jennifer Armentrout

8. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

9. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

10. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

...Okay, I suppose I whined for nothing. I'm like 89% sure that those were all read in the last three years. They were definitely all read in the last five years.

Review: Ensnared (Splintered #3)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: A. G. Howard
Format: Hardcover (somehow managed to get it three days before release?)
Pages: 384
Rating: 7 out of 10

**Spoiler Alert: This is the third in a series. You can find Splintered Here**

Summary (Thanks Goodreads): After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

So: I'm finding myself wishing I had made notes for this book while reading. I am so disorganized. Blah!

Okay...I was super excited for this novel. Like, I found it on the shelf before it was supposed to come out and I attacked it and hugged it and bought it and was prepared to fight if one of the works told me that it was a mistake that it was already on the shelf. I would have taken that poor sucker out man.

I suppose that it was worth the hug, but it would not have been worth an assault charge. The novel was less out a let down then Ruins was but it didn't go exactly where I thought it was going to. 

Yes, I loved the world that Howard painted, as always. The mystery and beauty and pure craziness of the world was what got me into this series in the first place. Howard writes so well that I would jump on any other novels that she might write in the future. There is just something about how the world is spun so that its fascinating and dangerous but so that you still want it.

However, I was a little... I don't know. I guess I didn't mind it too much but it seemed like a little bit of a cop-out. All this build up. Who is it going to be and it ends up just being. All that build up was a little bit for nothing. Still, I have the urge to strangle Morpheus. I have never loved and hated a character so much at once. I guess that was the point of him since Alyssa felt the same way about him. That right there is some pretty freaking awesome character writing, let me tell you. Sadly, the manipulation of Alyssa continues and even with her explaining it all away, I hate him for it.

This series though, people...

Basically: I loved this entire series and wish I could have a really in depth discussion about it with someone but I refuse to give any spoilers. I think that if you like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or books that are a little strange and heavy in the fantasy, this book is for you. Push through the pure weirdness of Splintered. It was rough in the very beginning but you get into it pretty quick and I couldn't put any of them down. I bet you will like it.