This book became available on NetGalley a few weeks ago, and man was I excited! I really loved Firelight, the first book in this series by Sophie Jordan, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened with Jacinda, Will, Cassian and Tamra. 

I think I loved Vanish even more than Firelight. I can't really put my finger on why, but I think it may be because at this point I am already attached to the characters, have come to care about them, and am rooting for them all to have their happy endings. 
 
The writing is just as urgent, and honest, but I really felt Jacinda maturing and growing in this book. The plot is more exciting and more is at stake in Vanish, and I absolutely loved that we got to see more of what life is like with the Pride. I also really liked getting to know Cassian - to me, he is probably the most interesting character.

I hope in the next book we get to find out more about Will's history and what exactly happened to him as a child. We didn't get enough of him in Vanish, and that may be my only complaint. 

If you liked Firelight, you will definitely like Vanish! 

Hello readers! I've been extremely busy for the past few weeks and have tons of reviews that I have to get up, but before I get started on that I just have to share my review of The Bronze Horseman, the first of a trilogy by Paullina Simons, which I just finished last night.

I heard about this book from a friend on the Nest Book Club, my online book forum, and she posted such a glowing review that I knew it had to be something special. 

Well, it is. 

My God. This book completely ripped my heart out. This is a romance unlike any other, beautiful and raw and achingly tender. A story of war and life and brutal, relentless need. About family, and the unbreakable power of love. The writing took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. I want to curl up in a ball and sob until the hurt goes away. I want to hug this book to my chest and memorize the passages and the poetry and never, ever forget the way I felt when I turned the last page. 

I LIVE for books like this. Books that NAIL what life is really about. Books that make you feel grateful for every single breath you take. 

I'm not even playing, you guys. The character development in this book  is unreal - after one book, these characters feel like family to me. The love story will torment you and then make your heart soar; you will want to pull your hair out and then dance around in circles. This book is about life. I don't know if I'm even really expressing what is so wonderful about this book. The writing is just incredible - lyrical and honest. It is heartbreaking and bittersweet. It is a golden summer afternoon and a burning winter chill. War Romance at its absolute best. 

If you can't tell, I highly recommend this book. Please go read it. You will not regret it. 

Okay, first and foremost - COVER GUSH!! Isn't the cover for this book absolutely gorgeous? This is one book that I absolutely had to have in hard cover. The pages are even printed in red ink. If you've noticed, the matching covers for Shiver, in blue, and Linger, in green, also have matching ink. SO pretty and original.

Now, on to the story. There have been really mixed reviews on this book. People seem to either love it or feel like it was lacking something. 

I finished it last night and I can wholeheartedly say that I loved it. The writing was so gorgeous. Seriously, it was just so damned GOOD. The feelings from all of the characters are tangible and raw. I never felt like it was slow, despite the fact that it wasn't fast-paced and there wasn't a lot of action until the last 100 pages or so. Okay, maybe that's not entirely true. I felt like it *could* have been a little shorter, but it didn't bother me so much as to affect how much I loved this book. 

There were so many scenes in Forever that ripped my heart out. I won't say which, so as not to spoil it for those of you who haven't read it. But the emotion in this book is just hardcore. Be prepared to cry. I love the way Maggie really gets deep into what her characters are feeling, and by showing it with their actions and words rather than only by internalization.

Another thing I adored was how much the characters have grown from Shiver to Forever. They all have matured so much - especially Cole. At the Miami book signing, Maggie mentioned that Cole was her favorite character because of his character arc from beginning to end. And it's true. He went from being a total, suicidal douche to a lovable semi-douche who is not quite as afraid of intimacy. How can you not love him? 

I also disagree that this was a more Cole/Isabelle book than a Grace/Sam book. I've seen many reviews that insist on it, but I didn't feel like any more time was spent on one couple than the other. Which was fine with me - I have always thought Sam and Grace's relationship is more beautiful and heartbreaking.  I did enjoy reading about Cole and Isabelle because their characters are so interesting and because Ifreakinglove Cole, but their relationship still felt so unsteady, even at the end of the book, and I felt like it could have gone either way with them. With Grace and Sam, there wasn't a trace of doubt. I've always been a sucker for unconditional love. 

I think Forever is my favorite of the series. I highly recommend this beautifully written series!

Hey all! I'm taking a break from posting reviews to bring you this totally frivolous, photo-filled update of our last book club meeting. 

My book club, Fiction Addiction, picked Anna and the French Kiss as its Young Adult book selection for the month of July. Since it was Young Adult month, I, of course, volunteered to host and lead discussion. It was a great meeting! We enjoyed lots of yummy French treats and there was lots of scintillating discussion, as well as confessions from our not-so-innocent teenage years.

Those of you who haven't yet read Anna and the French Kiss  - get thee to a book store! It is absolutely one of my favorite Contemporary YA reads in the past year. Fun, quirky characters, a gorgeous setting, great writing and a certain adorable male lead (St. Clair! St. Clair!) all give this book that oomph that makes it undeniably enjoyable. I haven't recommended this book to anyone who hasn't liked it. 

 I figured I'd post pictures of our themed meeting for my bookish friends! Enjoy :) 

I finished the Iron Fey series last week, and was expecting to have to wait to read the next installment in this series until late October this year - so imagine my giddiness when this book popped up on NetGalley late last week! Of course, I immediately requested it. I was ecstatic. 

I started it as soon as I got it. Immediately I could tell that I was going to love reading from Ash's perspective. He has always been such a broody character, that I couldn't wait to read what really goes on inside his head. Plus, his interactions with Puck are nothing short of delightful. I found myself laughing out loud at Puck's goofy confidence and Ash's sarcastic one liners. Their friendship is one of my favorite parts of the series. And Grim is haughtier and snarkier than ever in The Iron Knight. As you might have been able to tell from the synopsis, Meghan is not as present in this book as she has been in the past few, since it revolves around Ash's quest, which I will try not to spoil for those of you who haven't read it yet :) But, I didn't miss her. You'll understand why when you read it. 

The action starts right away, and I was completely drawn and invested in the story from the first few chapters. Ash's devotion to his cause is heart wrenching and beautiful. I wish more people were so loyal. Kagawa writes his emotions with such honesty and care, and I came to love his relationship with Meghan much, much more in this book, when I realized just how much it would cost him. 

Faery is darker, more dangerous and more vividly wild in The Iron Knight than ever before. Kagawa's story twists and turns all the way through, and you'll never stop being surprised. I had NO idea where she was going most of the time. It was a ride through a world unlike any I've ever seen before, and a really, really good time. 

The ending was perfect.

You will laugh, cry and be amazed at the power of love. In other words, fans of the Iron Fey series definitely won't be disappointed! 

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I read about this series on Goodreads. A few of my friends have read and raved about these books so I thought I'd give them a shot. I really like the story behind the books - I've never read anything like it before. The world building is great, and I like the conflict between the old Faeries and the Iron Faeries - the idea of modern technology destroying emotional/faith based thinking and old creatures that thrive off the feelings of humans isn't new to me - in fact, it feels really similar to the ideas behind Neil Gaiman's American Gods, except written for young adults and infused with teen romance. 

The writing in The Iron King, the first book feels a little flat. There wasn't anything spectacular or exciting about the syntax or prose. It was little better in the second, The Iron Daughter, and MUCH better in the third, The Iron Queen. One of the reasons why the characterization wasn't all there for me in books one and two is that I didn't think that Meghan's internalization felt very genuine - it annoyed me that she was painted as only a hot-blooded teenager without any real complexity or depth. She does have a few redeeming qualities, like her stubborn need to protect everyone around her and she does always try to do the right thing - and those shone through in the third book, which is why I think I liked that one so much. In The Iron Queen, Meghan grows immensely, and the pacing and plot are incredibly fast paced and exciting. I gave that one a full five stars, despite a few overly cheesy lines that I decided to overlook because I enjoyed the story so much. 

And I love a good love triangle as much as the next girl, but this one feels really manipulative (then again, when doesn't a love triangle feel manipulative?). It's been seen and done before. But -- then again, I love both Ash and Puck and I'm kind of rooting for both of them. So while I knew it was a ploy, it was still fun to read.

There are some really vibrant, awesome characters that I love. Grim? Is fantastic. Leanansidhe. Ironhorse. PUCK. All well written and so much fun. Their dialogue is great. 


I think if you make it through the first book and like it, that the second and third are only going to get better. I'd recommend it to people who liked the Twilight series, The Mortal Instruments series and other YA Paranormal Romance. 

I received an ARC of this book from Harper Collins. 

I've gone through a string of YA paranormal books recently, and not all of them have been worth my time. However, this one was actually much better than I expected it to be. Don't you just love it when that happens? I was expecting fun, YA fluff; decent writing; love triangles -- you know, the usual stuff. It was definitely fun, YA fluff, but good caliber. 

So yeah, I was pleasantly surprised. The writing is pretty good - nice pacing, characters that are vibrant and fun, a plot that hasn't been done a thousand times before. And I really enjoyed the story. I've always been a fan of Greek mythology, and this book interweaves bits and pieces of different myths in an interesting, original way. As the title suggests, the conflict in this book is your typical starcrossed lovers deal - and what I liked most about this book was that the relationship seemed to evolve more naturally than most teenage love affairs that seem to spontaneously manifest without rhyme or reason. The characters actually had time to get to know each other, and even their fighting seemed realistic. And Lucas is definitely swoonworthy! Love. 

A fair warning: the ending is a huge cliffhanger. It drove me a little crazy, actually - I absolutely hate it when you, the reader, know a vital piece of information, while the characters are totally in the dark. Don't you just hate that? If only they had that one tiny piece of the puzzle, everything would be solved. That aside, this book was a great time and I'll definitely be picking up the next book in this series when it comes out. 

If you have been following my blog for a while, you'll know just how excited I was about the follow up to Feed by Mira Grant, which I read in January of this year. I loved Feed SO. MUCH. and I have been waiting on pins and needles for Deadline to finally be released. I recommend it to so many people as "not just another zombie book" and Deadline definitely fits that description as well. 

I wasn't disappointed. Deadline was *almost* as wonderful as Feed. Don't get me wrong, I really, really loved it, but it just didn't match my experience with Feed, where I was literally sobbing at the end of the book. I don't want you to think that this book didn't have heart - it had plenty of really emotional moments and the relationships between the characters are just as important in this book, but I guess I didn't feel AS invested. I think that might have something to do with the fact that Shaun, our narrator, is just a little bit off his rocker in this book - and I think I have trouble trusting narrators that are self-diagnosed nut jobs. 

 The writing was just as great and natural as in Feed, though I was just a little annoyed by the repeated use of the word "deadpan". Another small thing that bothered me and stopped me from giving this book five stars - the relationship between Shaun and Georgia - as touching as it is that they are SO close, I can't help but be a little skeeved at how obsessed Shaun is with his sister. It's not too distracting, but I do think it was a little much. 

The ending - OMG. I still can't believe it. The best part of the book. 

Shaun's voice was unique and refreshingly honest, and the urgency in this book is, I think, even greater than in Feed. I absolutely had to know what was going on! There are quite a few "OMG" and "OMG ZOMBIES" moments in this book and the last few chapters are definitely a wild ride - I can't wait for the third installment of this series. I highly recommend.

Hey readers! I don't participate in many memes but I liked this one, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1.) Hogwarts. Because it's Hogwarts, duh. 
2.) Scotland, from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. 
3.) The Academy, from Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles
4.) Ireland, from Karen Marie Moning's Fever series
5.) Paris, from Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss
6.) Rome, from Dan Browns' Angels & Demons
7.) Stormhold, from Neil Gaiman's Stardust
8.) Rivendell, from Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings trilogy
9.) New Orleans, from Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire
10.) Winterfell, from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series