Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Goodreads Blurb

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").
But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

(EDIT: I WROTE THIS 5 MONTHS AGO SO THIS WONT BE VERY GOOD AT ALL.) Meant to Be was such a fun and hilarious read! Perfect for the beach, and perfect for summer! I had moments of “LOL” and “OMG” just because it felt like the appropriate thing to say out loud! Unlike usual contemporaries, Meant to Be follows a girl, Julia (a.k.a. Booklicker. *gasp* OFFENSIVE Lol…see what this makes me do? I LOVE IT!) whose COVINCED her Meant to Be (MTB) is Mark, her “childhood (literally) sweetheart” even though he’s completely changed. But, of course, Julia thinks that he’ll still remember her and fall for her. PLEASE. When her class goes on a trip to London, she finds herself paired with Jason Lippincott, her mortal enemy. But almost as soon as they arrive, Jason already lures her to a party, something she DEFINITELY isn’t used to! The morning after, she has a bad hangover, can’t remember what happened, but gets a text from a mysterious person named “Chris”. Who is he? Julia can’t remember, but with the help of Jason, she just might. And who knows? Along the way…she may just find another MTB.

First off, let me say I LOVED this book! It was adorable and sweet, but there were touches of seriousness that struck a chord. Unlike other contemporaries, it didn’t deal with the serious stuff which, although I love to read, can make me a little depressed. So reading a bubbly book filled with romance and London was a wonderful novel!

Let me just say that all the cliques and populars really were familiar even if I’m in Jr. High. The catty, jealous…(To friends: You NEVER saw this. You never even heard of Fiction Freak. Good? Great!) Well, let’s just say that the way Lauren wrote the high school life was definitely on track. Speaking of writing, I loved the way Lauren Morrill wrote, making only what? Ten days? A week? Seem like forever, so that over the short course of the trip, two people could fall in love. It honestly was NOT insta-love to me. The romance just seemed to build up slowly and slowly until it all bloomed. It was just BEAUTIFUL!

The plot, as many have said, was incredibly predictable, but unlike most, I had fun with that!  I loved anticipating what I knew would happen and I loved squealing when it did. Honestly, my only complaint was Julia’s character. She kept thinking that she was so smart and that anyone else wasn’t. That and she kept saying “Mark’s my MTB. He’ll love me. I know it.” or something like that. Honestly, it struck a nerve and I really wanted to strangle her. Jason was right there and she just kept calling Mark her MTB. Argh.

Pages: 256

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Delacorte

Release: November 13

Rating: 7 stars

"He pauses for a split second and shoots me a glance over his shoulder. 'There’s a lot you don’t know about me.' He says, and then he’s gone."

Blog Tour: Dear Teen Me

So as part of the Dear Teen Me blog tour, where authors write letters to their teen selves, I decided to ask my friends (Teens, of course!) what they thought about DTM when I lent it to them. I'll only be posting their first initial for safety reasons.

Dear Teen Me is one of the best non-fiction books I have read. It's humorous and serious, dealing with real life situations. These true stories deal with abuse, eating disorders, first kisses, and true friendship. This book is full of real advice and lets you know that you're not alone, someone has gone through what you're going through.

-R

I'm not usually into non-fiction books, but Dear Teen Me was an exception. It was emotional and deep and I wanted to know more. It must've took a lot of courage for authors to share their experiences and it's heartwarming to know that people aren't alone in these situations.

-F

This is a seriously hopeful book. I wasn't born when these things happen, but the fact that these things happened then and now shows that we definitely have to stand up to these things and appreciate what we have. Some letters made me cry, some made me laugh and I loved each of them! Non fic isn't usually my thing, but this? This was great. Thanks to Nikki for lending this to me!

-M

MY REVIEW-

This was definitely a deep and emotional book and y'all know that nonfiction isn't my thing (or my friends' apparently!) obvious by my blog name! But I have to agree with my friends. This was definitely emotional and heartbreaking, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud. It's gratifying to know that there are people who've gone through some of the things we have, whether they're serious situations or innocent. I loved delving deeper into my favorite authors' lives, even if that does sound weird! If you're fans of any of these authors, if you love non fiction, if you just want a break from your norm, definitely pick this up!

Goodreads Link

Every Day by David Levithan

Goodreads Blurb

In his New York Times bestselling novel, David Levithan introduces readers to what Entertainment Weekly calls a "wise, wildly unique" love story about A, a teen who wakes up every morning in a different body, living a different life.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. 

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan, bestselling co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

I had so many high hopes for Every Day! Almost everyone was recommending it, and if they hadn't read it, it was definitely high on their TBR! So, suffice to say, I was ready to be positively blown away!

Sadly, Every Day fell a little (just a little!) flat for me. 

(Just throwing this in, I won't be talking characters much, considering...well there are a lot of characters.)

So writing. The writing was, in one word, gorgeous. The way that things are explained makes you think about all these things you never considered before? Seriously amazing. And you can tell at a glance how deep this book is. It's emotional in a way that can't be found in other books: when you don't who you are, who are you really? What makes you you? I doubt many people consider that, but Every Day asks you that exact question. And honestly, who really knows? 

I felt so bad for A. He jumped from life to life to life, every morning. He didn't have a say in anything. He didn't have a life of his own. No friends, no family, no mom or dad to love him. He's never had a connection of any kind, until Rhiannon. And it was just...sad. Never having a tomorrow to look forward to. Being aloof, acting out someone else's actions--never getting to be him/herself. 
And that was another thing. We never find out if A is female or male. And while that was kind of weird, I think most of us consider him as a guy since our love interest is a girl. And A just seemed...more masculine (From now on, though, I'm calling him/her it.) Which was why it was a bit weird when he was a girl. 

The world building, while great in the way that the way A explained his life, its thoughts as a kid and everything, I wanted to find out more about its parents, its...kind? Its power, why it could do what it could do. Apparently, Every Day is a stand alone, but it didn't fee like it. There were so many questions left unanswered and I just wanted them answered!

Now, what disturbed me was how how obsessed A seemed with Rhiannon. I mean, I get that it was in love...but people in love don't, I hope, do what it did. And always being with Rhiannon, despite its usual routine? A was violating the body of whoever A was in and I was more on Rhiannon's side about that. It (NOT THE PERSON NOW) wasn't right. 

So while the premise and writing were wonderful, there were a few disturbing things that were there and loose ends that should've been swept away. But Every Day was beautiful and stunning in other ways. The ending was touching and sad, making me want to rip my hair out. Every Day is one that will ask you questions that you can't answer, have no answer for, and you'll probably love it just because of that.

Pages: 336
Series: Stand alone
Genre: Fantasy(?)/Romance
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Rating: 3.5 stars. (Solidly 3.5. It wasn't higher than a 4, but higher than a 3.)

Book Haul + Weekly Recap

Weeelll...it's official--the post office lost my package from a bloggy friend. With three books in it. That I was anxiously awaiting. I am not happy with them.

Dualed by Elsie Chapman
Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell
Chasing the Skip by Janci Patterson
Eve and dam by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant

Publisher

Traded











Swag

SO I got Midnight City, finished it, and TOTALLY LOVED IT! My review is going to be up soon, I promise! I can't wait for you guys to squeal along with me! I wasn't expecting Chasing the Skip, and I'm not quite sure whether this was for review or a giveaway? I never got an email and if it was for review, it's awfully late...heh. I'm happy either way though!

THANK YOU to Nicole at Paperback Princess for trading with me! DUALED PEOPLE. ITS DUALED. And I feel so bad! I've been stuffed with review books and couldn't read the book I'm trading her1 Don't worry, I'm more than half done of this skinny book! But EEP. DUALED.

And err...this was a surprise. I'm not...quite...sure why I got it...I don't remember entering anything, but OMG ITS SWAG. I LOVE SWAG. And I'm planning on preordering Hysteria, so WOOOTTTT!!!

Weekly Recap

Review: Rua by Miranda Kavi

Review: Ironskin by Tina Conolly

Waiting on Wednesday

Review: Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Amy McNamara

Review: Echo by Alyson Noel

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

Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

Goodreads Blurb

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

So when you read the synopsis, what's the first thing that pops into your mind? If you're an Iron Fey fan like me, the THE IRON FEY.  And it does sound like it, doesn't it? A lost brother, manipulative fey, fey who consider her a threat, a fey love interest who may or may not be helping her...yeah,. the Iron Fey definitely popped into my head. I was worried that I would be comparing this to my absolute favorite series, and while I did, Treachery is completely different, I'm glad to say! It had it's own story that had no relation, so no worries to any giant fans like me!

The world-building. Was. Amazing. Ruth Frances Long wrote Treachery beautifully and the descriptions were...surreal. The title, I can safely say, fits this book to the core. There were so many stunning creatures and fey, but all of them dangerous in their own way. It was wonderful to discover all these fey lurking in the book, waiting to be discovered and waiting for their secrets to be revealed. I mean, all fey readers, we know how dangerous it can be, and just how beautiful it can be. And Treachery is no exception. But the difference is that, instead of simply Oberon, Titania, and Mab ruling over courts, we're introduced to the May Queen, Jacks, and so much more faery lore then I know, which was wonderful since I was starting to predict a lot of happenings in faery books.

Character wise, I was a little iffy with Jenny. She was so...naive to the world and honestly, you can't blame her. She was thrust into this world, but like I said, I'm a giant faery fan so I always think that everyone should know the dangers of the world, but obviously they don't. So while giant faery fans may find Jenny irritating a bit, she'll get better later as she slowly learns the cautions. To any non-giant fan, you'll love Jenny from page 1! She's stubborn in that good way, she's passionate, kind, smart, all those things you love in a good character! Jenny was a lovable heroine who would rarely give up, unless she was completely crushed (I'm thinking of a certain time here...)

JACK. JACK. JACK. I LOVE JACK. but then, I love most love interests, hee hee. But Jack was just so sweet! He never realized how in love he was with Jenny and when he did...the things he said...it almost made me cry, it was so sweet! He was always thinking how he didn't deserve anything, to be recognized, to be known, and I just wanted to SQUASH HIM IN A HUG. He was so sacrificial and he was willing to give up more than everything just for Jenny. Thank God she didn't take that lightly!

The romance was as sweet as Jack! Jenny and Jack sitting in a tree...or rather, Jenny and Jack running from the trees. Somehow, along this quest, Jack got his queen (metaphorically...) and Jenny fell in love and...well, did she get her HEA? Maybe. But the romance wasn't insta-love, which was the one thing I wanted to say about it!

The plot was as amazing as the rest of the book! While it started out a little slow in the beginning (besides that prologue. Wow!) it quickly sped up so that eventually you'd be flipping through the pages, frantically wondering what would happen next. As the plot unfolded, you could feel the tension thickening until the ending where it basically...exploded, for lack of a better word! The ending was just wow. Let's just say nothing was thrown in just for the sake of it.

The Treachery of Beautiful Things will capture your interest from page 1 and string you along throughout the book. It's as devious and manipulative as the fey themselves and it may sound familiar, but Treachery  is original and fresh, a definite twist on fey lore. This is definitely one to buy if you're a fan of faeries or fantasy! 

Pages: 384

Series: Stand alone

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Publisher: Dial

Release Date: August 16, 2012

Rating: 4.5--->5

Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks

Goodreads Blurb

Time is running out & the Dark that's been chasing Syd for many lifetimes has finally caught up with her.

Sydney Roberdeau lost her parents as a young girl. Waiting for her life to start and the freedom that will come with her eighteenth birthday, Syd spends much of her time haunting the local cemetery. It is there, stretched out among the dead, that she feels most alive, most at home. Until one rainy night when Beau, Sarah and T.J. crash her ghostly sanctuary, appearing out of nowhere, turning her already inside-out world one degree past upside down.

Syd must now revisit past lives, dressing in the bodies of her previous selves & bone dressing. Her only chance to outrun the evil breathing down her neck is to face her own worst nightmares and her strongest desires. But if she can't stay out of trouble in this life, how can she possibly fix mistakes from past lives? And just how many lives has she lived, loved and lost? What is Syd exactly, and what will she risk for the life of a man she doesn't remember, the man she spent a lifetime with, the man she loves? Everything including her very own life?

Bone Dressing, the first in a series of seven books, will carry Syd and Beau on an adventure that transcends life itself.

Okay, when a bloggy friend of mine recommends a book, I WILL read it! So when Shreya (Chocolate Coated Reviews) recommended this, I absolutely HAD to read it! The premise sounds interesting and dark and the cover had that creepy vibe to it...
but sadly, Bone Dressing just wasn't for me.

I'm not sure why, but I've actually been in a reading slump, so that may have something to do with this, but the things that I had a problem with was mainly the writing part. There were so many metaphors and while I'm not saying that's necessarily BAD, the metaphors were played on for an entire paragraph and after a while, it kind of got irritating. There were also a lot of description that was just too much sometimes and too little in other cases. It was kind of choppy in a few places, but that can be forgiven! Near the end, I also got a bit confused as to where the plot was going, but then again, that COULD be my fault lol.

Another thing was actually the romance. It was pretty insta-lovey in the beginning (even SYD realizes it!) and that kind of bothered me since they met in a graveyard, and not 4 chapters in she was confessing love.And that...that just really didn't seem right at the time. Later though? Sort of. i'm still trying to figure out that Jesse/Beau part!

What I DID love though, was Syd's sarcasm and how much voice there was! Syd was just a laugh out loud kind of character who just infected you with her emotions, positive or negative. And she was so, so, SO snarky and sarcastic! I absolutely loved it! She had these perfect responses and was so tough! she rarely backed down from anything and while her stubborness was a bit annoying at first, it quickly became endearing and something we'd fall in love with. 

The world-building...wasn't very thorough either. I had no idea where these powers came from, the history behind it, what Sarah an Beau really did, and how they knew about their destiny. It was just a lot of things thrown in in my opinion, so I think that the world-building could use a little work and have more xplanation as to why Syd could do this, why Beau knew that, why Sarah was SO DANG SMART.

Plot wise...I actually enjoyed it, but there was really no sign of the antagonist until the last 100 pages or so, and it felt like the book should've been a bit longer. But considering there are 7 books in this series, I can't really blame her! I just would've liked it to have a bit more current action and a lot less remembering-the-past. 

So while there were many great reviews for this, Bone Dressing just wasn't my type of book and I think I'll give it another chance one day, but we'll see. While the book had a lot of things going for it, I think it just needed an editor and would've been a great book that would've blown me away! But currently, I just didn't like it very much, I'm afraid.

Pages: 360
Series: Bone Dressing #1
Genre: Dark YA/Romance
Publisher: Savaage Enterprises
Release Date: April 20, 2011
Rating: 1.5 ---->  stars