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: 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!