BOOK REVIEW: Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Name: Rebel Belle
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Number of Pages: 345
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Date Published: April 8th 2014
Source: Bought
Rate: 3.5/5

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.
[GOODREADS] [AMAZON] [B&N]

BOOK REVIEW: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (#1)

Name: Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Number of Pages: 479
Publisher: Simon & Schuster. Margaret K. McElderry
Date Published: August 31st, 2010
Source: Bought
Rate: 3.5-4/5

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...



[GOODREADS][AMAZON][B&N][BOOK DEPOSITORY]

REVIEW: The Infinate Sea by Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave #2)

Name: The Infinite Sea (5th Wave #2)
Author: Rick Yancey
Number of Pages: 320
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Date Published: September 16th 2014
Source: Gift
Rate: 3.5/5

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

[GOODREADS][B&N][AMAZON][BOOK DEPOSITORY]

REVIEW: Elusion by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam

Name: Elusion (Elusion #1)
Author: Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam
Number of Pages: 400
Date Published: March 18th, 2014
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Source: Bought
Rate: 3.5/5

Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.

A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions.
 [GOODREADS] [AMAZON] [BARNES AND NOBLE]

BOOK REVIEW: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Name: Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1)
Author: Isaac Marion
Number of Pages: 241
Publisher: Atria
Date Published: April 26th, 2011
Source: Bought
Rate: 3.5/5

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse. Just dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a burst of vibrant color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that R lives in. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world...

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead and the blurry line in between.
[Goodreads] [Amazon] 

BOOK REVIEW: Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

Name: Wild Orchid: A Retelling of "The Ballad of Mulan" (Once Upon a Time Fairy Tales)
Author: Cameron Dokey
Number of Pages: 224
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Dated Published: February 10th, 2009
Source: Review (Bought)
Rate: 3.5/5

Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight. Tomboyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call.

But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?

BOOK REVIEW: Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle

Name: Brightest Kind of Darkness (#1)
Author: Patrice Michelle
Number of Pages: 357
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: December 24th, 2011
Source: Review (Bought)
Rate: 3.5/4

Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.
[Summary taken from GoodReads]

BOOK REVIEW: Inheritance (Inheritance Cyle #4) by Christopher Paolini

Name: Inheritance (Inheritance #4)
Author: Christopher Paolini
Number of Pages: 849
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date Published: November 8th, 2011
Source: Review (Bought)
Rate: 3.5/5

It began with Eragon... It ends with Inheritance.

Not so very long ago, Eragon — Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider — was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the spellbinding conclusion to Christopher Paolini's worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.
 [Summary taken from GoodReads]

BOOK REVIEW: Brisignr (Inheritance Cylce #3) by Christopher Paolini

Name: Brisingr (Inheritance #3)
Author: Christopher Paolini
Number of Pages: 759
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date Published: September 20th, 2008
Source: Review (Bought)
Rate: 3.5/5

Oaths sworn... loyalties tested... forces collide.

It's been only months since Eragon first uttered "brisingr", an ancient language term for fire. Since then, he's not only learned to create magic with words — he's been challenged to his very core. Following the colossal battle against the Empires warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon's oath to his cousin, Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength — as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices — choices that will take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?
[Summary taken from GoodReads]

BOOK REVIEW: Love is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Name: Love is the Drug
Author: Alaya Dawn Johnson
Number of Pages: 352
Publisher: Levine Books
Expected Publish Date: September 30th, 2014
Source: I was given a copy of this book for an honest reviews. NetGalley/Publisher (ARC)
Rate: 3.5/5

From the author of THE SUMMER PRINCE, a novel that's John Grisham's THE PELICAN BRIEF meets Michael Crichton's THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN set at an elite Washington D.C. prep school.

Emily Bird was raised not to ask questions. She has perfect hair, the perfect boyfriend, and a perfect Ivy-League future. But a chance meeting with Roosevelt David, a homeland security agent, at a party for Washington DC's elite leads to Bird waking up in a hospital, days later, with no memory of the end of the night.

Meanwhile, the world has fallen apart: A deadly flu virus is sweeping the nation, forcing quarantines, curfews, even martial law. And Roosevelt is certain that Bird knows something. Something about the virus--something about her parents' top secret scientific work--something she shouldn't know.

The only one Bird can trust is Coffee, a quiet, outsider genius who deals drugs to their classmates and is a firm believer in conspiracy theories. And he believes in Bird. But as Bird and Coffee dig deeper into what really happened that night, Bird finds that she might know more than she remembers. And what she knows could unleash the biggest government scandal in US history.
[Summary taken from GoodReads]

BOOK REVIEW Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Name: Wake Unto Me
Author: Lisa Cach
Number of Pages: 304
Publisher: Speak
Date Published: March 31st, 2011
Source: Review (Bought)
Rate: 3.5/5


A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt -- not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.

There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.

And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.
[ Summary taken from GoodReads ]

BOOK REVIEW: Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Name: Hollowland (The Hollows #1)
Author: Amanda Hocking
Number of Pages: 312
Publisher: Amanda Hocking
Date Published: October 6h, 2010
Source: Review (Bought/Online)
Rate: 3.5/5

Hollowland - the first book in the young adult dystopian series The Hollows... "This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door." Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.
[ Summary taken from GoodReads ]

BOOK REVIEW: Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

Name: Fire Study (Study #3)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Number of Pages: 441
Publisher: Mira
Date Published: March 1st, 2008
Source: Given for Review
Rate: 3.5/5

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before...

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.
[ Summary taken from GoodReads ]