Book Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Standalone
Genres: Young Adult, New Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary
Published: April 10, 2014 by Disney Hyperion
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

This is a gorgeous book. It's too good. Like seriously. Everything abut this was good. I think this novel ought to be her best work so far that I've read. I love the mystery aspect in it, very beautifully written. There was a hint of horror in it, but that's to be expected as it was a thriller and suspense novel. It was also fun to read it because of 'Mean Girls'. I've watched that movie a thousand times and this is the first time I've used it to read a novel.

"The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level..." That sentence from the summary of my copy just sparked a 'mean girl' fangirl in me and I started reading her old friends as Regina, Gretchen and Karen. Oooohhh, it was such a fun read to be able to read it like that.

I also loved the family interactions in this novel. Like we even got to know more about their parents and the actual reasons to actual problems. The only thing I didn't like was the conflict at the end. I felt like it could've been better written and more detailed, but that aside, everything was amazing. Her brother was also a protective one, which is so cute. The amnesia part was very well written and I loved how there wasn't so much of a sarcastic aspect in this novel because she is actually logical at time. Sometimes, the characters are too sarcastic in other books that I can't stand them, but this novel lets me take a nice break from it, but at the same time enjoy some funny comments.

To be honest, I'm very surprised that Armentrout actually fit all the answers to the questions in our head by the end of the story. It's a pretty short thriller novel if I were to say so myself, especially when our main character has amnesia and she was to find everything out. Ahhh, this just gives you the feels and it's too good to not read. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone if you've yet to read it!

Book Review: Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Lux (#4)
Genres: Young Adult, SciFi, Paranormal. Fantasy, Romance
Published: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

If you guys followed me before on my old blog(which I doubt), I'm guessing you remember this?

" Wow. Amazing book. Not on my #1 favorites, though I would give it a 5/5 notes rating."

Right. When I did that review, I guess that was what I was feeling because I had typed it down, but this book...I'm going to have to change my mind. It's the best out of the series. It isn't my least favorite, and it still deserves a 5 star rating. Very good Ms. Armentrout! This is the only book where I've reread a dozen times (even more) without getting bored. It's just the feeling you get when you're reading this!

Jennifer's writing style is amazing, she puts in every little detail and no matter how sad, or happy the scene/moment is, she manages to make it seem so real. It feels like I'm living in this book, and that I'm Katy, which to me, happens very rarely. Usually, it just feels like I'm watching third PoV. Katy and Daemon are my OTP and a couple that I ship very dearly! Kaemon? LOL. Or... Daty? LOL. Okay. Stop playing Jessica.

The new characters in this book are total hotness too. I mean, do perfect guys exist? Yea. Sure. But not yet. . .for me. But in books, totally! I also love the dual PoV in this book1 The only thing killing me is the cliffhangers in some PoVs because...seriously? You get me right? The feeling you get when you read a cliffhanger and then you have to wait for the next book, or read through the next PoV? Omg. I wish I had a Daemon. GAHHH. It's frustrating reading this and not having a Daemon, but everytime I read, I KNOW I have a smile or a frown on my face. It's that emotional.

Jennifer L. Armentrout has surprised me thus far, with me giving 5 star ratings to the whole Lux series, I'm excited to see how far the next book will go. Will I give it a 1 star? or a 5 star? This series is just THE BOMB of YA genre of the 21st Century!

Book Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Series: The Maze Runner (#1)
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy
Published: October 6th, 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Oh..Wow. One word. Superduperamazing. The plot was splendid and unique, the world building was fine. The characters though, was another aspect. Plain and simple, nothing unique.

Usually in my reviews, I don't type out what this book is about, but really, I just want to explain it..The whole summary from goodreads. So, Thomas, is a boy. A teen, if I were to be more precise. He wakes up in a box and has amnesia...only remembering his name. The box opens and he's now surrounded by strangers. More boys he doesn't know. They drag him out of them box, and he lands in a place the boys call, "The Glade". The Glade is a room, I guess that's the best I could describe it, but outside the barriers(the stone walls) is a maze. One that changes it's routes every so often. And everyone is trying to escape.

Yep. That's The Maze Runner to you. I just wanted to give you a brief explanation of what The Maze Runner truly is. Not a confusing story. Well, it is. The mystery is well kept and something I would never tire of. I wanted answers, but the only way to get them was to read through the characters' points of views. So, you just kind of have to bear with it and go along with their mysterious lives. Now the characters on the other hand are simply the downside of the book. Makes the book less worth. They're all similar with their amnesia and the way they landed in The Glade. They only remember their names and their only goal is to escape. Very....un-unique. Boring. Plain. Not the type of characters I was expecting in a spectacular book like this.

The Plot...Oh my gosh. Fangirl. Sooo good! Haven't read a book like this in soo long, one that captured my attention every moment of my life. For some reason, it didn't really bother me not getting any answers..y'know? I'm not sure if everyone feels like they need to have answers, but I felt like I could get along with the book just fine with the few answers Dashner has given us. The world building was also fine and on point. It had the grievers and the maze and overall, everything in general. I really have nothing to say about this book, for it has few faults and many...cool scenes. Um..Emotions that I was feeling? I never really felt sad when we lost a character, so I would've liked it more if Thomas interacted more with the other characters before Dashner killed them off so that I could..you know..have emotions when someone dies.

Book Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Lux (#3)
Genres: Young Adult, SciFi, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Published: December 1st, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Review ~
This book was a killer book. Purely amazing. There are many important factors authors need to consider when writing a book, and so far, Jennifer L. Armentrout has exceeded my expectations for both Obsidian and Onyx...and Opal two. World Building, Characters, Plot/Climax, emotion and premise. Ms. Armentrout has hit all of the factors that I look for in a book. The premise was amazing, not too slow, not too fast(is that possible?). The world building in this book was amazing too. It's simply a new world where the characters are amazingly written and it's.. just new. You know the feeling you get when you get "deja vu" and it sort of gets boring because you can predict what'll happen next? Well, this book ruled that out. I didn't know what was going to happen or which character was going to appear next, this just kept the suspense and story going unpredictably.

The amazing cliffhanger at the end...is something I look forward to in a book too. It's obviously sad and you're just anticipating what will happen in the next book and you can't wait to get your grabby fingers on the new book that will explain everything that has just happened. Drama Time? It was cool. Drama kept the story going, the jealousy and anger towards different people was funny to read too. The solutions weren't solved in one page, but kept the mystery going throughout the whole book.

The characters have their own personality, which is common to most characters in books, but they're unique in a way. This unique trait that you don't know just keeps you reading and the fact that you want to find out what's that unique thing about the character makes you more excited. Turns the book into a thriller. Hahah!

The story/plot was very interesting too. And Kat and Daemon was still the kick-ass couple you've always wanted to have in your life/wanted to experience it. They're both amazingly written and it's something you rarely see in a different book!

Book Review: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Lux (#2)
Genres: Young Adult, SciFi, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Published: August 14, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies….

Review ~

But like, What? Ms. Armentrout comes again with another amazing novel! Oh my gosh....It's amazing. Yea, sure, I will admit this is my least favorite out of the four so far, I mean, maybe Opposition could be my least favorite,who knows? Well, usually the last book is usually a fail, so I'm excited, but scared for the last book that Jennifer Armentrout has written.

“I always liked you. From the moment you first flipped me off.”

Kat's the same. By same, I mean the most amazing type of "same" a character could ever be! Also, there's this question that's probably bugging a few of you readers: Is this better than Obsidian? To be honest, I don't think so. I loved Obsidian, it was just the start of everything where we meet the Blacks, Thompsons and Swartz. It's just the instigator. But, I did love Onyx nonetheless. I've read the other books already(Opal and Origin), and I have to say that this is my least favorite. I don't know why. It didn't seem as action packed as Origin(obviously not), but unlike Opal, it didn't leave that huge cliffhanger that makes you want more and it didn't have the mysterious character that appears sometime in Onyx leads to the cliffhanger.

“I could always give you a teaser. You bookish people love teasers, don't you?”

The beginning, well I can say it wasn't slow! Especially during the middle - end. It was so intriguing. Yes, yes, yes. Jennifer Armentrout has officially made it on my favorite YA author list! It's just amazing, she knows when to write when Katy is serious, sarcastic or sad. I mean, throughout the whole book, you see all the elements of Katy's attitude in this book, I don't think she's changed a lot from Obsidian, but the minor changes make a huge difference when you're reading this.

Book Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Lux Series (#1)
Genres: Young Adult, SciFi, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Published: November 23, 2011
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

Review ~
Are you guys wondering how good this book is? It's simply fantastic and amazing. Love it, love it, love it! Jennifer L. Armentrout is so good at writing, the queen of romance she is. She knows how much sexual tension to write and give us a tease or a scare. Simply Beautiful.

“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.”

Right, Do I need to mention the fact that Daemon is perfect? Like seriously? He's A+ material. Did I just say that?.... Awkward. Anyways, this is a story told from Katy's perspective, meaning, we get to read and experience everything she is feeling. She loves reading(Omgosh!) and she's also a book blogger(that's cool). Yea, sure, she's feisty at times, but I love that about her, she's a loyal friend and someone who won't back down just because she's scared or intimidated.

"I won't hurt you, Kat." His tone was softer, but still laced with fury as he tried to control me without doing any real damage. "I could never hurt you."

Pause. When Katy first meets Daemon(vice-versa), was it insta-love? No. It's not like Shiver. But with Daemon's good looks, how can Katy resist such a person? I mean, she didn't love him yet, she just thought he was hot. The writing style is amazing, Jennifer Armentrout knows just the right amount of details to write to make us feel antsy in our pants. You can visualize the scenes well, especially when Daemon is half-naked. Sorry, had to point that out.

“If she was mine, I'd cherish every inch of her. And I wanted to. Now”

Also, everyone says(well, maybe not everyone, but many/few...whatever)that this is like Twilight. Do I agree? No. Not a single tiny bit. I mean, except for the truck accident/car accident thingy, that's practically the only thing I remember that both have in common. But aliens and vampires? Aliens for the win! And yea, twilight vampire sparkle, but these aliens, they light up like a dang disco ball. So all you Twilight haters, there's not many similarities between the two books, the writing style is very different! And to all you Twilight lovers, read it and you'll get a totally different experience than from reading Twilight.

Book Review: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Series: Vampire Academy (#3)
Published: November 13, 2008
Publisher: Razorbill
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all... might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line - and choose between the two people she loves most.

Review ~

I had started reading this right after I had finished Frostbite, and man, I was amazed. I'm currently wondering whether or not the whole series would be as amazing as the previous two novels. I'm just "Wowed"...I can't get enough of Richelle Mead's writing. It has the power to do amazing things.

"People who are crazy rarely question whether they're crazy," he said wisely.

Oh my god, like seriously. The writing is easy to follow and read. The action and attacks are interesting to read. Oh dear...the attacks, especially, are the parts I loved to read. I mean, they're training to become a guardian and they have a "field" test for about 6 weeks, I believe, and wow. I'm surprised that Mead uses the guardians and Strigoi, just makes everything 10x more interesting! Especially the fake fight with Dimitri. Hearts~ <3

Also, the characters, they developed, not much, but you could see the change in them. Very intriguing to read about Lissa and Rose and the fact that they started getting into "spirit", that was interesting. Again, like I've said in the previous two reviews, Rose is still the Kick Ass Heroine that I look forward to seeing develop more and more throughout the whole series. She's someone who'll be there for you...er...Lissa, whenever she/you need her, and she'll never ditch you, no matter what! I love that about her so much.

"I want you to have a wonderful life, but I can't expect a perfect one. No one can. But what I think is interesting here is how you respond and cope when you have to reconcile these contradictory pieces of your life - when having one thing means you can't have another."

This book was also very unpredictable. Aside from the fact about Rose taking away Lissa's bad spirit influence(that was easy to put together in your mind once you have the pieces, so it was obvious). Anyways, apart from that, I loved the surprise and suspense writing, it was simply pure and amazing. Yes, the ending...sad and heartbreaking, and because I've heard after the 3rd book, things start going downhill and I'm hoping it doesn't. I'm enjoying this series too much for it to stop being this good!

Also, I loved the action in this book. It's one of the factors that really build this story and make it seem alive and real. And Moroi fighting against Strigoi is unheard of, but Mead writes it so it's something you always hear, but it's still impossible. Do you get that? I don't really understand what I just said, but wow, Mead never fails to impress me while writing she's writing, what I say is her best factors, suspense and action scenes.

"No shit," he said. "Didn't know I had that much power." He peered around, body rigid and tense, "Are there more?"

Again, this immediately went to my "Best Loved" shelf on goodreads. So far, I just love this series, it's one of my top favorites! Dimitri... Everyone loves Adrian from the Bloodlines series, but seriously? I've read the Bloodlines series, and I'm totally, STILL rooting, and forever will be rooting for Dimitri Belikov. The most amazing guy out of every fictional book I've ever read(except for Daemon Black..they're tied for my #1 spot!)

Book Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Series: Vampire Academy (#1)
Published: March 10, 2008
Publisher: Razorbill
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Supernatural/Paranormal
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

Review ~

Omg, you don't know how it feels to read this. The way Richelle Mead writes is just amazing. I love it and I can't get enough of it. I think, but I don't hope, that this is going to be the best book in this series.

Everyone has light around them, except for you. You have shadows. You take them from Lissa.

Ah. Yes. Do you remember Rose? The main character of Vampire Academy? She's still a kick-ass heroine. She does make irrational decisions in this book, but you can watch her develop and grow. It's very interesting to read about her life, from her point of view, and when she gets jealous? She doesn't show it, she wasn't annoying, as any other jealous girl would be. And Lissa and Christian? Oh, their relationship. I love it. Christian is just good for Lissa and Lissa is good for Christian. Yea, some people may not ship them, but I ship them 100%. Like seriously? They're adorable together, well... maybe I shouldn't say "adorable", but, they're just fit for each other.

Something that sucked was that I could predict the near death of someone towards the end of the book. Very obvious after he barged in trying to protect the one he loved. Aside from that, I couldn't predict much, everything was basically unpredictable. Also, we meet Adrian in this book. For the love of candy, I am in love with him. I'm pretty sure if they get in a relationship, it won't last, because she has Dimitri...And, seriously? NO LOVE TRIANGLES PLEASE. 

“By the way, my name's Rose Hathaway. I'm seventeen years old, training to protect and kill vampires, in love with a completely unsuitable guy, and have a best friend whose weird magic could drive her crazy.
Hey, no one said high school was easy.”

Remember? We meet Janine Hathaway, and if it isn't already obvious enough from Janine's last name, she's Rose's mother. Yea, their relationship isn't all that friendly, nor is it really cold. It's just, they're strangers who love to fight. Remember? Rose's mother/Janine and Rose gets into physical fights and verbal arguments a lot. The way Mead writes this part is very....emotional. I really felt a pain in my chest even though I've never experienced my mother hating me/leaving me. And then, when her mother pulls Rose into her arms, I cried of joy. It's very emotional, you experience feelings you've never experienced in reading this book.

“You can't force love, I realized. It's there or it isn't. If it's not there, you've got to be able to admit it. If it is there, you've got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love.”

This, again, went immediately to my "Best Loved" shelf. I just love it so much! The feelings you get when reading this novel is simply fantastic! Obviously, going to read the next book, Shadow Kiss, soon!