Book Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Series: Altered (#1)
Genres: Young Adult, SciFi, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance
Published: January 1st, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Review ~

I loved the story in this! In fact, that was the only thing that kept me reading. Oh. Very unpredictable. I didn't know that the person was going to betray them. I didn't know they were going to make it. The only let down was the near death situations, and how they still survived. Also, the main character?
Anna? She annoys me. She's your typical stuck up and nosy teenage girl. I mean leaving them alone and more of a punishment for you than to them? Obviously, you got that right. Like seriously, all you think about is yourself.

The boys are the best characters in the whole book. Sam though, we need to see more of his real side, not the masked side. Not much character development between the boys either. As of the world building, not much either. The plot was the best, earned the book three stars and a half. Anna and the boys dragged it down. Haha. Alright book. Will I read the next one? Yea, if I have time though.

Drama. Yes. The most crucial part of a book. It was solved very quickly. Like, just a page or two of the characters discussing the matter and then they either forgive each other quickly or forget about it for the rest of the book. I also loved the plot(I said that), but like the part..you know, I love how Jennifer Rush includes the brain being altered, "telepathy" and other scientific notes.

One thing that was confusing. Who loved who? I mean, maybe its my fault and I don't mean to be slow, but I wasn't fully into the "romance" of the book, I was into the scifi and mystery/thriller/suspense in it. I don't know, but those aspects were simply amazing and captured all my attention.

Cover Reveals 4.20.14 - 2.26.14

Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: Young Adult, Action, Romance, High Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, 
Series: Throne of Glass (#3)
Expected Publication:  September 2nd, 2014

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien's only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan's Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn.

Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King's Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan's biggest threat - and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love? 

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL <3

About the author:

Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Heir of Fire, Book 3, will be out in September 2014). Starting in Spring 2015, her New Adult Fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, will be published by Bloomsbury as well.

Sarah lives in Southern California, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much coffee, and watches absolutely rubbish TV shows. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the California coastline with her husband.

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Title: Tempting the Bodyguard
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout as J. Lynn
Publisher: Entangled Publication, LLC (Brazen)
Genre: Romance, Adult, Contemporary, Erotica, Chick Lit
Series: Gamble Brothers (#3)
Expected Publication: May 12th, 2014

He can protect her from everyone except himself.

Alana Gore is in danger. A take-no-prisoners publicist, her way with people has made her more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker is an entirely different matter. She needs a bodyguard, and the only man she can ask is not only ridiculously hot, but reputed to have taste for women that goes beyond adventurous.

Chandler Gamble has one rule: don't protect anyone you want to screw. But with Alana, he's caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. On one hand, Alana needs his help. On the other, Chandler wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she's at his complete mercy.

She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose...

About the author:

# 1 New York Times and International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Title: The Storyspinner
Author: Becky Wallace
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: The Keepers' Chronicles (#1)
Expected Publication: 2015

In a world where dukes plot their way to the throne, a Performer's life can get tricky.

All Johanna Von Arlo wants to do is become a Storyspinner. But her options are so limited that she is forced to work for the aggravating and handsome Lord Rafael DeSilva. While in his employ, Johanna is exposed to a dangerous game of thrones, a game where she will discover that the magically inclined Keepers from her stories might be real after all.

The Keepers are searching for an heir to a great power and the key to saving their land. They aren't alone in their hunt. Girls matching the heir's description are turning up dead all over the kingdom. Girls who look exactly like Johanna.

About the author:

In second grade, Becky Wallace had to sit in the corner because she refused to write anything besides princess stories and fairy tales (and because she talked too much). Her time in isolation gave her plenty of opportunities to dream up the fantasy worlds she's been dabbling with ever since. She was lucky enough to find her own, real-life prince charming. They have four munchkins and live in a happy little town outside Houston, Texas.

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Book Review: Unforgiven by Jessica Miller

Series: The Wanderers (#3)
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal
Published: February 14, 2014
Publisher: Createspace
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

All it took was three magical words…

Tristan…is…alive.

Ella knew leaving was wrong. She knew there would be consequences but what was at stake was far more important than anything she could have done if she stayed. She just had to see for herself.
Ella also knows Josie’s time is limited. With the help of her friends, Ella takes off and introduces herself to a foreign land. She hoped to keep her whereabouts a secret but it isn’t long before her father discovers where she is and threatens to take her back kicking and screaming. Things quickly go awry and Ella finds more than what she was looking for in her search for Tristan.
Ella knows eventually she must return home and face the aftermath of her sudden departure. But her head and heart aren’t sure they can handle it.
Will Roman forgive her? Will Gabe and the rest of her friends hate her for abandoning them in their time of need?

Review ~

Well, this was good for the third book of The Wanderers series. I liked it. BUT...the characters..Oh dear. Save me. They all need to mature and grow up. And Tristan changed. I can't really wrap my finger around it, so I can't really rave about him changing, but all I can tell is that I liked Tristan before(a lot), but now I like Roman better than Tristan now and dear, why does it have to be Roman who has to be the one everyone pities? Ella is 19, no? She needs to grow up because she's...immature. I guess. She just needs to make more rational decisions and her friends...


Remember when she ran away to go find Tristan? Just no. No. No. No. No. NO. I mean, she loves him and all that but no matter how much she "feels" it, I don't feel even a twinge of sympathy coming from her for Roman. She led him on and she has to fix it instead of going for the loved one she thought was dead. I mean, yea, Tristan was one she loved a lot, and she has to move on, but I think the person who makes the most sense in this book was Roman.

Anyways, this book had some unpredictable moments and I liked it. Made everything come as a surprise. I also liked the pacing in this book. Not much was thrown at Ella everything as once. And the end of the novel. Woah. Well, you just need to read it to find out. Also, not to be a Disney obsessed or anything, but now, the name Ella just reminds me of Elsa(Frozen).

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  

YA Book Release: TALKER 25 by Joshua McCune

Publisher: Greenwilliow / HarperCollins
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Paranormal, Adventure
Series: TALKER 25 (#1)
Release Date: April 22nd, 2014

It's a high school prank gone horribly wrong-sneaking onto the rez to pose next to a sleeping dragon-and now senior Melissa Callahan has become an unsuspecting pawn in a war between Man and Monster, between family and friends and the dragons she has despised her whole life. Chilling, epic, and wholly original, this debut novel imagines a North America where dragons are kept on reservations, where strict blackout rules are obeyed no matter the cost, where the highly weaponized military operates in chilling secret, and where a gruesome television show called Kissing Dragons unites the population. 

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About the author:

At some point in the exuberance of his youth, his mother nicknamed him "Sunshine." Then he hit third grade, started writing books about WWIII (complete w/ pics). By 5th grade, his wars had expanded to the universe. Mother was worried.
Over the years, he has continued to worry Mother, but at least the writing's improved a skosh (the drawing sure hasn't. Wanna good laugh, invite him to a game of Pictionary).
Joshua lives with his wife in San Antonio, TX. They have a black lab, Anubis, and a ferocious dachshund who sometimes answers to Boots. You can call him Joshua, Josh, J, Bane of Anubis... but please don't call him Sunshine. Makes him squirm.​

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Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass (#2)
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Action, High Fantasy, Adventure, Paranormal, Mystery
Published: August 15th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for. 

Review ~

By the Wyrd! I loved this. I think this was even better than Throne of Glass. Has anyone been on Team Chaol since the beginning? Because I have. And I probably always will be. I just don't know why I don't like Dorian. You know my nickname for him? DURIAN. If you don't know what durian is, I advise you to search it up. Stinky fruit. 

“The rest of the world quieted into nothing. In that moment, after ten long years, Celaena looked at Chaol and realized she was home.” 

Celaena was just AWESOME. She's kick-a** and bad-a**. People were underestimating her because she's a girl. Well they thought wrong. Chaol was just sweet and kind. I hope that Dorian will become a great king. I want the king dead. Crown of Midnight contained more action, betrayal, secrets and trust. I loved the romance and character development between Chaol and Celaena. I totally ship them. CHAOLAENA. And shoot, if you don't end up with him, I will gladly take him.

"And in that world... Celaena swallowed hard. She and Chaol would never be a normal boy and girl, but perhaps in that world they could make a life of their own. She wanted that life, Because even though he'd pretended nothing had happened after the dance they'd shared that night, something had. And maybe it had taken her this long to realize it, but this man ― she wanted that life with him."

MAJOR SPOILERS START HERE

There's one part I would like to talk about. So Crown of Midnight is split into two parts. When I read part two, it was just depressing when reading it. I hated how Celaena acted after the death of her beloved friend, Nehemia. She blamed and wanted to kill Chaol. I mean, I do agree that Chaol should have at least warned the guards about the anonymous threat to Nehemia. Nehemia saw it coming. She basically planned it out. Chaol just thought he was protecting you, while Nehemia had been lying to you about many, many things. "You will always be my enemy." do you know seeing how much Chaol was hurt hurt me. Her saying that kept coming up in his mind, The way she was acting afterwards, I was like, "Get it together, Celaena! Stop!" She was burning everything that he had touched. I mean come on, I'll take whatever he touched then.

“Why are you crying?"
"Because," she whispered, her voice shaking, "you remind me of what the world ought to be. What the world can be.”

One of my favorite parts was when it was the night of Chaol's birthday. Celaena had arranged a dinner in the greenhouse. And it was so sweet! Chaol had said he hadn't had something like that since he was little. I was just like, "Awwww~". And then they have this one discussion (which I'm not gonna say what since she basically tells him what she's been doing in the beginning) and then they make out and then they make love. <3 I love the scenes with Celaena and Chaol.

“And because she was young, and so damn clever and amusing and wonderful, wherever she made her home, there would be some man who would fall in love with her and who would make her his wife, and that would be the worst truth of all. It had snuck up on him, this pain and terror and rage at the thought of anyone else with her. Every look, every word from her... he didn't even know when it had started.”

We learn some things about Celaena towards the end of the book. I knew one of them because I saw a spoiler on Goodreads, you know, just one simple sentence reveals a lot and that was actually the last sentence of Crown of Midnight. And I was like, "Oh my god. All the possibilities." THE ENDING WAS JUST HEART-WRENCHING AND TEAR-JERKING. Oh, the tears came when Chaol made a deal with his father to discuss to the council or whatever to have Celaena shipped to Wendlyn (for a really heart-wrenching reason) and for that he would have to move back to Anielle. And when Celaena was boarding the ship to Wendlyn and Chaol didn't tell her that he would move back to Anielle and said he loves her, I just died. It just hurts thinking about it right now. Seriously.

There's a little something-something with the Wyrd keys and one of the competitors involved in the mystery. I'm not gonna go into that since either you've read it or you haven't yet.

I just recently found out that the third book is called HEIR OF FIRE. You know what that means right? By the Wyrd, we have to wait for 5 more months. Waiting for the cover reveal...