Echo by Alyson Noel

Goodreads Blurb

Daire Santos just saved her grandmother's life—and her soul. But at a cost. The Richters, a dark family of sorcerers, have been let loose in the Lowerworld, and Daire and her boyfriend, Dace, must once again work together to find them before they upset the balance between good and evil, and destroy not only their small town in New Mexico, but the entire world.
 
As Daire and Dace's relationship deepens, Dace’s evil brother Cade grows stronger than ever, building his power and forcing Daire to confront the horrifying prophecy that has brought them all together. One that will leave Daire no choice but to claim her true destiny as Seeker, but only by making an unthinkable sacrifice for the greater good of all.

I'm pretty sure I'm one of the only few, but Echo definitely seemed to suffer Second Book Syndrome. Not in action or world-building, but in the characters and romance. And while everything besides those were wonderful, characters and the romance are big things for me, so it affected my opinion greatly.

The characters...they were so much more self-centered than in Fated. Dace was more egoistical, Daire decided she was Miss-Know-it-All (at least in the beginning) and we got introduced to new characters. At least two more! And while I love meeting new characters...one (Axel) was mainly introduced near the end so I was confused, one (Phyre) was apparently very important, but we literally find out near the end of the book how important. Or, rather, the book tells us. We already know how important when she was first introduced. And then some minor characters who you'll have to read to find out about!

Dace...wasn't as...sweet, per say. Sure he was adorable in some moments, but it's like he didn't really care as much about defeating the antagonist as he was about their romance and how he looked in Daire's eyes. When he (slight spoiler) failed to kill Cade, he was so ashamed because Daire was there so he went back AGAIN after being almost killed. Ugh. And Daire just annoyed me in this book, but it was how she acted overall, so I can't quite put my finger on what annoyed me. 

The romance was so completely, utterly sappy. And I'm not a fan of those at all. I like my romance dark, forbidden, etc. But definitely not sappy. And while the romance had forbidden down, it was just so...like I said in my review of Fated, it was a bit too innocent for my tastes. And Dace and Daire...
Ex: "Content to just stand there and fill my eyes with the glorious sight of her." 
Not my type of romance, I'm sad to say.

Now, the plot was just stunning! There were definitely twists I didn't expect, some completely out of the blue, but others just purely shocked me. Seriously. Alyson Noel may not have the best characters, but she knows how to spin a story! The pacing wasn't slow and I found myself flipping through it, despite character and romance issues! It continues Daire's story beautifully, alternating between Daire's and Dace's POV.

Short paragraph part: Love the world-building and descriptions! Seriously I wish I could live in the Enchanted Spring...when it's actually Enchanted and not tainted by the Richters.

Overall, I'd recommend reading a few chapters of Fated before you buy and if you liked that, buy Fated! and if you like Fated, buy Echo (obviously). It was a fun read that, while I didn't absolutely love, I did enjoy while reading. It's one of those in-the-moment books where it's good when you read it, but not as good when  you analyze it or overthink it!

Pages: 400
Series: Soul Seekers #2
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Rating: 2.5 ---> 2 stars

Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Amy McNamara

Goodreads Blurb

A resonant debut novel about retreating from the world after losing everything—and the connections that force you to rAnd I loveejoin it.Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods of Maine. Somehwere she can be alone.
Then she meets Cal Owen. Dealing with his own troubles, Cal’s hiding out too. When the chemistry between them threatens to pull Wren from her hard-won isolation, Wren has to choose: risk opening her broken heart to the world again, or join the ghosts who haunt her.

Wow. Just absolutely wowness. Lovely, Dark, and Deep is actually the perfect words to describe it--minus the deep and adding emotional. This is definitely an amazing book to debut with and that cover is just plain gorgeous in my opinion! Seriously. WHAT is with all these beautiful covers, and premises that I just can't resist? 

The writing was so, so, SO stunning. I think it's because McNara decided to use present tense, unlike most books which use past. Personally, I love it when people use present terms. "The snow falls softly" sounds more...poetic, I guess than "The snow fell softly". And I just love how the words seem to flow more like that. So seeing that this was in present tense? Well my expectations went a bit higher and I was a bit worried that it wouldn't quite reach my expectations.

I loved the characters. they weren't necessarily far from perfect, but they had feelings that you could fell with them. They had the reactions some of us would have. Wren was such a real character, you guys. She went through so much, and even though she could be considered " self-centered", everyone has to admit, we'd probably do the same or at least something similar. And that's what I loved! the author captured these emotions, these actions, so perfectly, in my opinion. And that was...that was wonderful, for lack of a better word.

Cal, was, on the other hand, not perfect, per say, but very very close. He did react like some people would too, but...he's like, a mix of all the kind reactions. Nothing he did was ever really mean or even slightly annoying. He was just a character you had to fall in love with, sweet and so understanding, so I guess I can't complain there!

The romance was something I was iffy about. For someone who was heartbroken about her old-ex-now-dead-boyfriend, she fell in love pretty quickly. I guess I would've liked the romance to slow down a bit instead of going as quickly as it did. I expected Wren to feel denial at her feelings, honestly, so when she didn't...well, it surprised me for sure. I'm still deciding if that was a good or bad surprise.

The plot the plot the plot the plot. Lovelovelovelovelove. It wasn't like, full of twists or anything, but it told the story of a broken girl who was looking for her place in the world again. Seriously. What's not to love? The plot was just so emotional and while I didn't cry, Lovely, Dark, and Deep definitely pulled a few heartstrings. It was just...too good for words honestly. It's something you have to read to get!

The best thing was that it didn't have a happy ending after all, no matter what I thought. There's nothing perfect about the world, and there was nothing perfect about how this book ended. Am i allowed to use the word real again? No? How about believable? This story was so believable in so many ways, good and bad. I would've liked a happy ending (I'm a sucker for HEA's) but the way it ended...well, it was infinitely better. LOVE

Pages: 352

Series: Stand alone

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: October 16, 2012

Rating: 7 stars

Waiting on Wednesday

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Marina has everything. She’s got money, popularity, and a bright future. Plus, she’s best friends with the boy next door, who happens to be a gorgeous prodigy from one of America’s most famous families.

Em has nothing. Imprisoned in a small white cell in the heart of a secret military base, all she has is the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

But Marina and Em have one big thing in common: they’re the same person.

Now Em must travel back four years in time in order to avert the terrible future from which she’s fled, and there’s only one way to do it. She must kill the person who invented the time machine in the first place: someone from her past. A person she loved.

But Marina won’t let them go without a fight.

How absolutely amazing does this sound? Pretty amazing right? I'm super curious as to what the cover will look like and TIME TRAVEL. AND KILLING THE PERSON SHE LOVES. And the different names? I'm just super curious about that too. Almost everything about this book makes me want to buy it! I already have it on my Xmas wishlist! ;D 

Ironskin by Tina Conolly

Goodreads Blurb

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. 
It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin. 
When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help. 
Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey. 
Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

This was definitely a twist on the classic story of Jane Eyre mixed with just a bit of Beauty and the Beast, and I did love that, but Ironskin seemed very...alternative, I guess you could say. At one moment, the dialogue would sound old-fashioned as it should, and other times it seemed to have a bit of modern slang and that got old real fast. And while it is classified as steampunk (and it is, it's just that there aren't any cool machines or anything 100% steampunk-y), it seemed to be more...well, a bit more paranormal-ish because of the fey.

I actually really liked the world building, despite its non-steampunkness since I'm not a very big fan, honestly. And a VERY big fan of the fey. So the world was definitely perfect for me. The fey are, obviously, evil, but in Ironskin, the Great War (from what I gather, a war between the fey and humans) has ended and the fey haven't been seen in 5 years. But that doesn't me that they aren't still there, waiting and lurking. And they've got a few more tricks up their sleeve...

As for plot, I seriously loved the plot. For me, it wasn't really too fast or too slow and I LOVED Dorie. Even if she was a brat. But I admit, there was a "big twist" that I could predict at least 10 chapters earlier, but the  biggest twist? I was sooo not expecting that. And the twist after that? I WASN'T EXPECTING THAT EITHER. And the rest was...definitely surprising to me.Once in a while there's a twist that I knew I should've expected, but just didn't because...well, it's a twist. There's no way to expect it, and there was definitely one of those in Ironskin

The romance was...iffy, mainly good for me. While it was sweet and a bit Frankenstein (which is good!) it did seem...sudden. When Jane realized she liked loved Mr. Rochart, he was suddenly all the more interested like he knew what she felt, which he couldn't...wait...no. Wait...well, you'll have to read it. I'm not sure if he could or couldn't! But I did mostly like the romance, I guess. The ending was definitely satisfying, both plot-wise and romance-wise, so I can't wait to see what happens in book 2 and whether their feelings will develop more!

The one thing that stood out to me was its originality! A curse that makes others feel an emotion? Where socialites are shrinking back from fey-tainted people, but scrambling to get fey-tech at the same time? A love interest who's a father in YA? I doubt anyone's really done that successfully (in YA at least!)but it all seemed to flow naturally, still being Young Adult. I especially loved the parts that mentioned the curses. They were all different and I wanted to learn more about them immediately and I still want to learn more! The more you dive deeper, the more you want to learn. And I doubt there's a book that deals with these elements and is as engaging as Ironskin was!

If you're looking for a steampunk, this isn't the book for you. If you're reading this because it's a retelling of Jane Eyre, don't pick this up! Now, if it sounds interesting then DEFINITELY PICK THIS UP! It was definitely an enchanting story and the world is as stunning as the plot. Original and outstanding, this is definitely a debut that'll make a bang in the YA world!

Pages: 304

Series: Ironskin #1

Genre: Steampunk/Romance/Retelling

Publisher: Tor 

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Rating: 3.5--->4

Rua by Miranda Kavi

Goodreads Blurb

A girl with an unknown destiny. 
A boy from a hidden world. 
When Celeste starts at a new school in a small, Kansas town, she hears whispering voices, has vivid nightmares, and swarms of blackbirds follow her every move. She is oddly drawn to aloof Rylan, the other new student who has his own secrets. 
The exact moment she turns seventeen, she wakes to a bedroom full of strange creatures, purple light emanating from her hands, and Rylan breaking in through her bedroom window.
He knows what she is . . .

So here's another one of those indie books that was recommended to me! (By Lisseth at Read-a-holicz this time) And then, of course, majoy cover love! I love the purple and the designs and how wonderfully it portrays the book! 

Something I've noticed in indie books is that...well, I'll write a Random Musings post for that! Expect it sometime in Nov!

Anyways, what I did like: Plot and creep factor!

What I didn't like: The romance.

What was iffy: Characters and world building.

The characters were definitely amusing and I loved each their personalities! Especially Tink's. He was just hilarious and I loved how supportive he was, but it irritated me how quickly he became friends with Celeste. Within a day he was already doing all this stuff for her, protecting her and it was just...oh so very unrealistic. And then there was also that stereotypical vibe each character gave off. I mean, they each had different awesome personalities...but they acted like stereotypes. Tink was gay and he was so extremely girly and was literally acting like a girl in a guy's body. And then Rylan had that whole mysterious/know-it-all love interest who was instantly attracted to Celeste...and it...wasn't...good.

The world-building, while it dived more in depth in world-building than most indie books I've read, it still didn't explain WHERE it came from. Why are there only five Tuatha? Why did they have a nature connection? Why only one? But there were a few explanations; just not enough to completely satisfy my curiosity. But the world was definitely interesting and had a lot of potential! I just wish we could've dived deeper into it rather than grazing the surface.

The romance was very insta-lovey and that annoyed me to no end. Rylan wanted to kiss her "ever since he laid eyes on her" and Celeste was attracted (VERY attracted) to Rylan within the first day. And it was just...really really annoying for a girl who likes slow and steady. So...romance...not for me. 

Now the PLOT was amazing! At least,  near the end it was. There were a few plot twists, but nothing very major or anything that completely shocked me. In the beginning there were so many creepy things that happened and I absolutely loved that! The Sidhe in Rua aren't exactly...fae/fey...more...Otherwordly. You'll see what I mean! But the plot was really the only thing I actually liked, I'm sad to say. 

Pages: 265

Series: Stand alone

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Publisher: Indie published

Release Date: August 28, 2012

Rating: 2.5--->2 stars

Book Haul + Weekly Recap

So I'm expecting 4 packages which haven't come yet, so I'm anxiously awaiting them. Like, ANXIOUSLY. But I did get some awesome stuff this week!

I have pictures of some and none for the other stuff. ANYWAYS

Given

Giveaway










So, Montana from Book Belles sent me Rockohlic and Amber House! Amber House was from ARCycling and Rockoholic was a just-because present, I guess! )Well, she also got an extra copy lol!) I ALSO got two finished copies of Touching the Surface for review and from Kim Sabatini, TONS of swag to...GIVEAWAY! So expect that soon!
I won a Touching the Surface shirt from a giveaway on Kimberly Sabatini's blog so WOOT! TONS of Touching the Surface stuff! 

Weekly Recap
Blog Tour: Time Between Us (character guest post)
Blog Tour: Crewel (letter to the author)
Some Updates
Joint Review: Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater
Review: Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks
Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long