Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Pages: 240

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 

Release Date: January 28, 2014

Life. Death. And...Love?
Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.
But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.
Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.
Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

I've been dying for Heartbeat since about June last year. It sounded sweet, it sounded heartbreaking, and I'm always one for a good girl/bad boy romance and contemporary standalone. And I tried to love the book, I really did. But I couldn't get past the hypocrisy and annoying character and thoughtless actions, no matter how much I wanted to love this story.

My main problem with the story was Emma. I just felt like she was so hypocritical when she kept going on and on about how Dan (her stepfather) didn't know what her mom would want while, at the same time, saying how her mother wouldn't have wanted this then going to "Well she can't do/say anything now. She's dead." It just made me want to slap her because how could she not realize how much pain Dan was going through? What made me want to slap her even more was that she hurt Dan as much as she could. Of course she couldn't just ignore him right? She had to give him even more grief about keeping his own son alive. 

I didn't really get her side. I did sort of understand how painful it must've been, but I just didn't understand why the hell she would think her mom would want the baby she sacrificed herself for to die? How could she think her mother would want the child to die and how could she think it was selfish of Dan to want to keep his son, her brother, alive. It made me so angry that she wanted the baby to die (at a certain point) and then suddenly contradict herself. Or at least, that's how it seemed to me.
There were times Emma seemed like an okay character, but that wasn't very often and she really just annoyed me.

The romance was...interesting. So I wasn't quite the biggest fan of it because I felt like it was really rushed--but I do think that for such a short story that it was pretty well paced, though I still wasn't wholly satisfied by it.

Despite all my misgivings though, Heartbeat seems to be a pretty well loved novel and the feel of the novel is actually pretty New Adult, so if you're a fan of NA, I definitely think this could be one of your next favorites!

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Waiting on Wednesday

Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt

When Jonah is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him. 
For Brighton, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance. 
Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.? 
One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.

Did I absolutely love Send Me a Sign and name it one of my Favorites of 2012? YES YES I DID. Does Bright Before Sunrise sound absolutely awesome? YES YES IT DOES. Can  I wait until it releases in like 3 weeks? NO NO I CAN'T. 
I seriously can't wait to read this because, honestly, Tiffany Schmidt is a genius and I really want to cuddle all her characters. And also, I cried in Send Me a Sign. SO OF COURSE I AM SALIVATING FOR THIS RELEASE. GIVE IT TO ME NOW I BID YOU. 

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Author Interview: Sarah Beth Durst

Hey hey! This is actually pretty late because I got these answers a while back, but this was the earliest slot I could find. SO MY APOLOGIES! But something you should know--After reading VESSEL, I fell SO in love with Durst's writing, so I definitely recommend her books! 

Fiction Freak: If you had the choice of being stuck in Vessel or Conjured's world, which would you pick and why?

Sarah Beth Durst: I loved writing about Vessel's world -- it's this beautiful desert with wolves made of sand that hunt inside storms, serpents made of unbreakable glass that fly through the sky, and gods who walk across the sand in human bodies. But Liyana's clan lives a nomadic lifestyle and has to worry about drought and invasion.
I like living in a house.
Also, I like not dying from drought.
Conjured takes place in a world like ours, but Eve isn't from our world. She doesn't know where she is from. Or who she is. All she knows is she's in the witness protection program, she has bizarre powers, and every time she uses her powers, she has terrifying visions of a creepy carnival.
The dangers in Conjured come more from Eve's situation than from the world itself. So I think I'd choose Conjured's world... so long as I'm just a random bystander with zero involvement at all in anything creepy or deadly.  

FF: You're first adult book is coming out in October right? How did you feel transitioning from YA to Adult? And do you think fans of your YA would love THE LOST?

SBD: The reason that I wrote The Lost as an adult novel is that The Lost centers on the theme of loss, and I wanted a heroine who had experienced some loss and was at a place in her life where her life felt empty and adrift. I do think readers who enjoy my YA books will also enjoy The Lost.
But I'm actually not so much transitioning to adult as doing both at once! Moving forward, I plan to write two books a year: one for adults and one for teens. My next YA (Mind Over Magic) will be coming out in fall 2014 from Bloomsbury/Walker.
Also, there has actually been a change to the pub date for The Lost. The publication schedule for the trilogy was recently re-worked such that the three books could come out in more rapid succession. The Lost, The Missing, and The Found are now scheduled to be released in June 2014, December 2014, and April 2015. More about this here: http://sarahbethdurst.blogspot.com/2013/08/big-changes-afoot-for-lost-trilogy.html

FF: You've mainly written standalones--why is that?

SBD: I love both standalones and series. With series, you don't have to say goodbye to the characters and world that you've grown to love, which is great. With standalones, you can have a complete experience in a single serving.
As to why I've mainly written standalones... It's merely due to the size of the stories that I've wanted to tell so far. I remember when I was in high school, I had a teacher who would assign essays and reports without giving any length requirement. When asked, she'd always say, "It should be as long as it takes." At the time, I found this immensely frustrating. But now... I get it. Every story has a certain natural length.

FF: What are some of your favorite lines from CONJURED?

SBD: "Lie. Lie to everyone until you know the truth."
"Don't be afraid, Eve. Not of this. You can be afraid of spiders or snakes or airplane crashes or a zombie apocalypse... but don't be afraid of yourself."
"Eve raised her hand toward the birds on the wall. 'Fly,' she whispered. The birds detached from the wallpaper."
"Her fingers wrap around my wrist, and she smiles at me. Then she plunges the sewing needle into my arm."

FF: If you shared some special ability with one of your characters, what character and ability would it be?  

SBD: I love all of Eve's abilities (and they include pretty much anything and everything -- shapeshifting, flight, fire-starting, telekinesis), but I wouldn't want any of them because the price is too high.

FF: What was the most fascinating piece of research you've found so far for your books?

SBD: When I was researching Ice (which is basically "Beauty and the Beast" meets Arctic adventure), I learned that if you cry at the top of the world, your eyelashes could freeze and break off. I love that detail.

FF: do you think your stories have grown from ICE to CONJURED?

SBD: Great question! And I have no idea. But I can tell you that I've become a much more efficient writer. In case there are any aspiring writers reading this... here's something that no one ever told me when I started writing: it gets easier! Never easy, but easier. Once you figure out your writing process, you're able to avoid a lot of the detours and pitfalls that slow things down.

FF: If you matched up each of your YA books' settings to a real place, what would they be?

SBD: A lot of my novels are set in real places... plus magic!
Into the Wild and its sequel Out of the Wild are about fairy tale characters living in secret in the real world... specifically in my childhood hometown of Northboro, Massachusetts, which is in the center of the state (about fifteen minutes outside of Worcester and forty-five minutes from Boston).
For Ice, I mapped out every step of Cassie's journey on a map of the real Arctic. There are GPS readings at the start of each chapter... at least until she goes east of the sun and west of the moon.
Enchanted Ivy is about getting into college... with talking gargoyles and stone dragons and were-tigers. It's set at Princeton University, and I took about 800 photos to get the location right.
Vessel is set in a harsh desert land with wolves made of sand that hunt inside storms and sky serpents made of unbreakable glass... It's a mix of several deserts, including the Sahara and the Gobi.
Conjured takes place in the Boston area, and I put Eve's house in Somerville, near where I lived for a number of years.
I guess this is my way of showing my love for a place... even if I often end up destroying it!

FF: Has a character or plot twist ever surprised you? Or are all your books planned ahead of time?

SBD: I always outline.
And then I re-outline when that outline doesn't work.
And then I re-outline again and again, as often as needed.
Sometimes to stay true to the characters, you need change the story.
For example, when I was writing Enchanted Ivy, I needed my heroine to leave a certain room and go walk through a gate into an alternate world... but she wouldn't leave the room! I wrote the scene a dozen different ways, and none of them worked. So I finally put another character in a coma, and that ended the conversation. :)

Conjured Synopsis

Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember. 

At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.

Author Info

Sarah Beth Durst is the author of seven fantasy novels for teens. Her latest, Conjured, came out in September 2013 from Bloomsbury/Walker. Prior to that, she released Vessel, Drink Slay Love, Enchanted Ivy, and Ice from Simon & Schuster, as well as Into the Wild and its sequel Out of the Wild from Penguin. Her first book for adults, The Lost, comes out in June 2014 from Harlequin/Mira. She was awarded the 2013 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature and has been a finalist for SFWA's Andre Norton Award three times. Sarah lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband and children. 

Find her: 

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Pages: 232

Genre: Action thriller

Series: Mind Games #2

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: Feb 18, 2014

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.
The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.
But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.

After reading Mind Games, I was bordering on desperate to read the sequel--with an ending like that, who wouldn't be? So when I was approved for it on Edelweiss (screw my eBook ban) I pretty much dropped everything and READ.
And oh my God. Perfect Lies was amazing. While it did have a bit of Sequel Syndrome, it nevertheless had that perfect Kiersten snark and style that made me fall in love with the story and our characters all over again!

And so, let's start this off with our lovely sisters will we?
Fia's story absolutely broke my heart at times, her voice so completely bitter and raw. Kiersten White does a brilliant job making Fia sound a bit crazy, a bit murderous, dangerous, and desperate, while still making us love her. Fia's a broken character that touched my heart, though I did sometimes want to slap her for being so dependent on James, who I started to...well, not trust. At all. But her brokenness and her inability to trust anyone made me hurt for her. (On another note, despite it all, Fia managed to maintain her wicked and dry humor, but for some reason that just made me hurt more.)
Like Fia seemed to be the main character the book was centered around, I felt like Annie was the star of the show in Perfect Lies. We learn more about our blind Seer and I sympathized with her so much, her ache for her sister, her longing to be stronger, and her wish for a future that wasn't so bleak. All Annie seemed to want was for her and Fia to make it out alive...whatever "it" was.

Their relationship, while we didn't get to see much of them together, was absolutely beautiful. They did whatever they could, destroyed whoever was in their way, just to protect each other and it's one of the best things about the book--the way White can flawlessly create a sister bond between these two characters. Without even letting them be together for more than a few pages!

For the romance, let's talk about Fia and James for a bit. I really really really (like, really) loved their relationship at first, how they acted around each other, but the more we got into the story...well, the less I trusted him. I wasn't so sure of his motives anymore, or his dedication to Fia. Where did his loyalties lie? Who would he die for? I don't think we ever did find out. 
Like I said, Alice takes the spotlight, and that means she finally finds a romance too! I really loved who she ended up with, even if it was a bit rushed, but their romance was so sweet in one of those hate/love ways.

The plot was just as amazing as Mind Games. It's completely thrilling and unbelievably shocking and, with Annie and Fia, I honestly had no clue what the hell would happen next! It's a roller coaster of twists and turns that I never saw coming and that left me hanging for more! I feel like the ending is absolutely perfect, but honestly--I so wish there was a book three!

There's really no end to how amazing Kiersten White's books can be! I've loved every single one so far, and I can't wait for her next one! Perfect Lies is a perfect companion to Mind Games, and I recommend the series to anyone who's loved her stuff before! (But I do recommend reading these two books back to back because of Reasons.)

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A Random Update

OKAY SO NO WEEKLY RECAP THIS WEEK BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH I GOT BOOKS LAST WEEK, I DECIDED TO DO A MONTHLY BOOK HAUL AND JUST DO A VIDEO. 

But guys I am so obsessed with KDramas. Not even Kdramas, just Heartstrings because that drama is so damn painful. 

I also officially have crushes on several KPop stars. My friends got me hooked on this I claim them as fault. 

I mean look at them. 

Jung Yong Hwa is my #1 favorite because REASONS. (AKA He's in Heartstrings.)

Yes I did make a collage. In my defense, one of my friends (the one who got me hooked made one too. It's the next one.) 

This is Kim Jong Hyun, my friend's object of obsession (and creeper tendencies.) Yeah he's cute too. 

OH DID YOU THINK I WAS KIDDING. NO SHE MADE ONE TOO. 

And here is Lee Hong Ki. 

Okay so I'm a little obsessed, STOP JUDGING ME ALREADY WILL YOU.

In other news, if you've made it this far, I'm in a bookish/blogging slump and if I could I'd totally take a blogging hiatus except if I did I'd have to do it in October or November. Yeah. I'm probably going to be booked until then because it is ridiculous how ahead I am on blogging (Plus we can't forget about GYDO now can we? Or moving to WP where my blog is going to be shut down for a week.)

ANYWAYS YEAH. Just wanted to say that stuff. And show y'all my new obsession. Slight (read: NOT SLIGHT AT ALL) obsession.

BOOKCEPTION

BOOKCEPTION. THE NOVEL. 

This is not a review because I did not read the entire thing. I read about 35%. I didn't DNF it because it was horrible. You'll see. I just wanted to share my reaction to this book. Also, this was before the official synopsis came out. So.

(CLICK TO EMBIGGEN ALL GRAPHICS)

Guys. I have no words. White Space was confusing in a way that you could still sort of understand, but just confused you when you read it and still confuses you. That makes no sense does it. Or does it? 

^That's basically what the book was like. 

Did I like it? Did I not? I have no idea. It was just...it was just. I have no clue how Ilsa J. Bick managed to write such a complicated thing, but guys, it must've taken her ages to plot. And worldbuild. And everything else. 

If there was one word to describe this book, it would be BOOKCEPTION. Because. It really was bookception. I even made a schmancy graphic of the first 35% of the book for you. Yes. Only the first 35%. 

(Click to enlarge)

Yeah. Basically. At least, that's how I read it. Maybe I read something wrong...? Maybe I didn't. But that. That is basically the general idea of the entire story. It was definitely interesting. And confusing. So...what?

I have no idea whether I would recommend this or not. Because I just can't even. I mean, it was definitely interesting, but my brain hurt a bit, but at the same time I wanted to know what the hell was going on. 

I never did find out because like I said. I lost the ability to think. So I decided to not finish it. 

HOWEVER. White Space was pretty creepy. So horror fans, you guys will love this. I think a few hardcore sci-fi may too. People who are easily confused and lose their will quickly? I'd skip this one. 

But dear God it was fascinating. 

Pages: 560

Genre: I don't even know

Series: Dark Passages #1

Publisher: Egmont USA

Release Date: Feb 11, 2013

Rating: EVERYTHING

I'm so disgruntled, I'm using my old format.

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Alienated by Melissa Landers

Pages: 344
Genre: Sci-fi
Series: Alienated #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: Feb 4, 2013

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

This is officially the first alien book I've read that I liked. At first, I was a bit wary because, honestly, I haven't had the best luck with these. But Alienated was WONDERFUL. Absolutely, wonderfully, amazing.

I loved, especially, the sci-fi part. The worldbuilding for L'eihr was fascinating and I loved learning about this planet. While we didn't get to see it, we did learn a lot about it, and I was scrambling for every morsel. (Did you know their plants don't have photosynthesis? Instead, they draw nutrients from the air, making the plants grey-ish instead of bright green. FASCINATING ISN'T IT.) Everything was so well thought out and it wasn't as cheesy or as geeky as some. Not that I have a problem with geekery, but it tends to lean towards the unbelievable, while Alienated presented a very believable world. I also loved the words and the names that were only slightly different! Love for the world. So much love.

In the beginning, I was a bit irritated by Cara. She was such an opportunist and I didn't really like her attitude. After the first impression, though, I fell in love with her character. She was a loyal person who stood for what she believed was right and wouldn't abandon Aelyx and believed in him till the very end. And that definitely took some guts, considering everything.

Aelyx was such a swoony character! He was so stoic throughout most of the book, but reading things from his POV definitely shed some light on his feelings. I loved how slowly he evolved from a held off kind of character to such a...well, human, one. Seeing him interact with Cara was adorable. Plus, hilarious. For example, his "compliment": "Hips of that width are likely to pass live offspring without complications." BAHAHAHA. THE TEARS. THE LAUGHTER. It was hilarious. So, so, so hilarious.

The romance. Ummm, wow. I've never seen a couple so reluctant to fall in love! (I think) They fell in love so slowly it was barely noticeable sometimes, but the tension between them was just so adorable. They were so easy with each other, at least for an alien-human pairing. They had so many hilarious moments that I reread over and over, laughing again and again. And then the kissing scene. Oh my gosh. Cara may not have gotten cardiac arrest, but I definitely did. 

The plot was definitely a high point for me as well. So many things happened that made my head spin. The HALO (Human Against L'eihr Occupation) members were so cruel and just horrible to Cara, Aelyx, and anyone associated to them. The entire town ignored her family, shunned them, and did everything they could to make their lives a living hell. It was terrible and I wanted to cuddle our characters. They were so strong throughout the ordeal and I just can't stop loving them enough for staying loyal, especially Cara. 

Alienated is an original, one of a kind book that was an amazing read! I loved it and I can not wait for the sequel! I definitely recommend it to all sci-fi fans and to those that want a...different sort of Romeo and Juliet. Except, without the dying. Maybe.

Get it, read it, love it! 

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Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Pages: 400

Genre: Dystopian/Post-apocalyptic

Series: Under the Never Sky #3

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: Jan 28, 2014

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.
The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.
Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.
Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

M'kay, this is a pretty hard review to write, as all sequels are for me, but oh gosh. This just...

I was torn between being excited for this book and absolutely wary. The wrap up of a series has to be absolutely perfect for me, or it just sort of ruins the rest of the books for me and with Under the Never Sky being one of my favorite series...well.
But honestly, I had nothing to worry about. I absolutely loved Into the Still Blue and I just...I loved the wrap up of this trilogy! Aaahhh!

Seeing all the characters together after all the chapters they were separated in was heartwarming and wonderful, but that feeling doesn't last long. Book three was the most action packed of the series, and throughout the story our characters are either hurt, lost, or betrayed, and it was just heartbreaking. All the open plot holes are finally wrapped up with a neat little bow and I honestly think Veronica Rossi did an absolute fantastic job with it! Even with two books with as many twists as characters, Into the Still Blue still managed to shock me with a new and surprising turn that I should've expected but just didn't.
The only thing I do wish was that the ending had been a little less rushed. Almost done with only about 20-40 pages left, I was worried how the ending would play out, and while I found it satisfying, it was...sudden.

I honestly don't think I need to say anything about our wonderful cast of characters, except that a new major player is added, and that Roar's attitude was heartbreaking in the least.
Speaking of Roar, his and Aria's friendship was...beautiful. They depended on each other to keep each other sane and they had a special sort of bond that I loved, especially since it wasn't romantic in any way, shape or form. They had a familial air around each other and their light teasing provided a bit of comic relief when needed.
Perry and Aria's romance wasn't that focused on, but their stolen moments in between the ongoing war was sweet and just made me fall all over again with the both of them!

Into the Still Blue is an amazing wrap up of a brilliant series, and I have to say, I had a few heart attacks throughout the story. Definitely a way to end the series with a bang!

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Waiting on Wednesday

Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel

Witches must choose the path they will follow, and Darlena Agara is no exception. She’s been putting it off long enough, and in her case, ignoring it has not made it go away. In a moment of frustration, Darlena chooses to follow Red Magic, figuring she had outsmarted the powers that be, since there’s no such thing as Red Magic. But alas, Darlena’s wrong (again) and she becomes a newly declared Red Witch.

Her friends are shocked and her parents horrified by the choice Darlena has made. As a Red Witch, she now governs one third of the world’s chaos. She is the walking personification of pandemonium, turmoil, and bedlam, just as the patrons of Red Magic would have it to be.
But Darlena believes there must be more to Red Magic than chaos and destruction, and she sets out on a journey to achieve balance. Only doing so puts her at odds with the dark goddess Hecate, who simply will not allow Darlena to quit. She encourages Darlena to embrace who and what she is and to leave good magic to the good witches. If only Darlena could, life would be simple, and she would not be the Daughter of Chaos.

This sounds SO COOL and I'm going to ADORE this witch worldbuilding, I just know it! But how amazing is it that our character is Chaos and that she chose that unwittingly? Seriously, these 2014 debuts are blowing my mind and I can't wait to get my little grabby hands on this one! AND THAT COVER. 

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Pages: 384

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-fi

Series: Uninvited #1

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: Jan 28, 2014

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.
Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

I loved the Firelight trilogy, so hearing about Sophie Jordan's new series, and about serial killers with a sci-fi twist? Oh my gosh, yes! And it didn't disappoint.

The thing Uninvited, I think, is that if you'd replaced the HTS with something like LGBT or color, and taken away the dystopian bits, Uninvited would've been a completely real contemporary. The way that Jordan writes the prejudice in the story is heartbreaking and feels real. It's "punish and ask questions later" and it just got to me, how they treated those with HTS genes with fear and suspicion and hate--sound familiar?

Either way, I loved seeing Davy grow as a character. In the beginning, she's sheltered, protected, and it doesn't feel like a dystopian story at all--until Davy is told she has the HTS gene. That's when things slowly start to spiral down for her (but up for us, because the story just turned even more amazing.) She's not a decidedly strong character in the typical sense, but she had a strong will and she wasn't one of those characters that just automatically learned to be the best. She was...well, not relatable, but she was a character I could sympathize and love with all her flaws.

Obviously, a book like Uninvited is going to be action packed, and it, while it wasn't all fights and rebellion, was just as captivating. I was absolutely caught up in Davy's story as she became accustomed to HTS life and how things were at her...reformation camp? Uninvited was filled with twists and fighting, though I do wish Davy herself had beaten someone in a fistfight. The story is thrilling and completely enraptured me from start to finish--which made me anxious for the sequel. Seriously--need.

Romance is a background element in the story, but I absolutely adored it. Sean seems, at first, like the brooding bad boy in the story, and maybe he was, but I loved him nevertheless. Their relationship, at first, seems a bit insta-lovey (or insta-likey?) since Sean seems to take just a sudden liking to Davy and, while that irritated me at first, it grew on me as Sean and Davy stayed friends through most of the story. Although, c'mon, there's always some romance, and by the end, they did kiss (and thank God! I was getting tired of mentally pushing their faces together, no matter how much I liked their platonic relationship.)

As for the sci-fi aspect, it was pretty light, and I do wish that they'd talked more about how the kill gene was discovered, how they find it in genes, etc, but it didn't really bother me when I was reading and didn't take away from the fun of the book!

Uninvited is an amazing read that I'll definitely recommend, especially to people who are looking for a book light on dystopian and sci-fi or any fans of Firelight (though Uninvited, in my opinion, is a much better read, if not just as heart pounding!)

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Control by Lydia Kang

Pages: 400

Genre: Sci-fi

Series: Control # 

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Release Date: Dec 26, 2014

When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.

I discovered Control way, way before the cover was released (the first one? The first cover that showed up on Goodreads was actually this white background with red blood cells, I remember!), when it had a completely different synopsis on Goodreads, and when there were only a few adds. I pretty much immediately needed it and once I got my hands on a copy, I dropped everything and started reading.

Control is a rather fascinating book. It feels like it doesn’t happen too much in the future, but enough so that there’s a lot of new technology and secret scientific projects at work (although who knows, those may be going on today!)

The biggest thing about this book is how much of the plot relies on the science of the characters’…abilities? Genes? A lot of it is explained to the reader and I’m thoroughly impressed with the level of research and gene/DNA knowledge in the story—having a brainy main character can be hard, especially in sci-fi, but Lydia Kang does a masterful job pulling it off enough so that, while I didn’t get lost in the explanation, it sounded legit and completely real. If, you know, it was genetically possible.

The characters were amazing, though maybe a bit cliché.

Zelia was a wonderful main character who was smart when it came to lab work, but was a bit less so when it came to real life application, but more on that later! I loved how grounded she was, how much passion she had for experimenting, and how absolutely loyal she was. Zelia didn’t get overly emotional at the worst times like some characters, and she tended to look everything straight on, winning me over with her logic and passion.

There was Dyl, the prettier, younger sister, and I sort of hated her. Dyl was naïve, impulsive, and seemed completely reckless to me, although we didn’t get to see her often throughout the story. (Also, I hated how she started drooling over a boy immediately after finding out her dad was dead. What?)

Cy was the resident bad boy with a sweet side and I absolutely loved him. He was just as passionate about his work as Zelia and they made an amazing team. He was as loyal as Zelia and a bit arrogant besides. I suppose he is the typical bad boy of a story, but I couldn’t help but fall in love with him, especially when he was with Ana.

The romance was absolutely swoon worthy and I was practically at the point where I wanted to smash Zelia and Cy’s faces together and force them to kiss, before they kissed. Their relationship was a slow buildup that I loved reading (talk about sexual tension!) and watching their animosity turned into romance was absolutely thrilling! And the things Cy did for Zelia were just so adorable and sweet.

The twists, the shocking revelations, the secrets! There were so many in Control, it’s a bit hard to keep track of, but each of them just shocked me to the core. I loved the pacing of the book, especially near the end when everything pretty much exploded! (And holy crap that ending.)

The only thing I was bothered by was that, in the beginning, Zelia trusted Micah even though it was evident that he was the enemy and she trusted him more than she trusted her new family, who had only tried to help and protect her.  It made our heroine seem impulsive and naïve and it bugged me throughout the entire story that she trusted him. Eventually, we learn the truth, but she still trusted him to keep his promise? Even though he’d broken his promises a thousand times before?

Control was a thrilling start to a new series with a heart racing plot and a killer ending. Lydia Kang’s debut is a sci-fi that’ll capture your attention and make you fall in love with most of the characters while breaking your heart a little bit throughout the story.  Betrayals, mutations, secret organizations, familial love, and a hot love interest? What more can you ask for?

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Defy by Sara B. Larson

Pages: 336

Genre: High Fantasy

Series: Defy #1

Publisher: Scholastic

Release Date: Jan 7, 2014

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Defy! Defy, Defy, Defy. I don't really know what to write for the introduction, so can I just get on with the review? Yeah? Yeah.

I'm an absolute giant fan of High Fantasy novels, especially those that have something to do with court betrayals, political reasoning, and princes. (Let's be honest, mainly the princes.) so I was so happy that, while the kingdom was in a jungle (and how often do we see that?) there was still a bit of politics involved with all the happenings and I'd be lying if I said I didn't love that. I sound like a boring person, don't I?
Wait until I tell you about the kidnappings and the killing side of politics.

Defy is filled with kickass plot twists--some that killed me and some that made me want to strangle someone, because seriously? Seriously? Plot twists are in abundance here, especially towards the end. I'm not kidding, every few pages or so. But even in the first half of Defy, the pages were filled with fights, attacks, and a lot of secrets were revealed and while some were totally obvious, some shocked me and put me in a coma. (Metaphorically, of course.)
This book is filled with action and the story is fast paced with not much room to breathe. Because we had the ass kicking, the fights, the magic, and then...we had the sexual tension. And testosterone. Lots of testosterone.

Which leads me to the romance of course. But let's start of with our love interests.
Damian, the dark and uncouth prince. Yeah I'm on his team. How can I resist? Damian's the one with secrets and the one who has a duty to his country. Meaning that Alexa and his romance isn't going to be as simple as one would think with a prince and a guard-who-everyone-thought-was-a-boy-but-wasn't. Meaning that their romance is a whole lot of complicated.  But you have to love Damian anyways with his snark and his iciness that seems to wear off around Alexa.
Rylan was...not my favorite. He definitely didn't compare about Damian at least! I actually felt like he wasn't really needed as a love interest. As a best friend, sure, but the romance? I just felt like he never got to see the real Alexa before pronouncing his love. After all, she'd been pretending to be the most anti her for all the years he'd known her.
But really, I felt like both romances were pretty rushed and the words that came out of their mouths were a bit cheesy, and I wasn't a big fan of the love triangle. I do wish there was a bit of a Mulan moment where one of the love interests had a "fuck, am I gay?" moment, though.

However, our main character? Talk about badass! Alexa's the best fighter in a group of guys, and that has to say something. She puts duty first and she knows where her loyalties lie firmly. You can't help but love her for her fierceness and her scarily good skills with a blade. She's that kind of heroine that just surprises you. And who doesn't love that?

So yeah, I would recommend Defy. As Belle once said, "Far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!" That pretty much sums up Defy.

Take it from Beauty. 

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