Mirk and Midnight by Jane Nickerson

Pages: 384

Genre: Gothic Literature/Retelling

Series: Strands #2
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Release Date: Mar 11, 2014

Seventeen-year-old Violet Dancey has been left at home in Mississippi with a laudanum-addicted stepmother and love-crazed stepsister while her father fights in the war—a war that has already claimed her twin brother. When she comes across a severely injured Union soldier lying in an abandoned lodge deep in the woods, things begin to change. Thomas is the enemy—one of the men who might have killed her own brother—and yet she's drawn to him. But Violet isn't Thomas's only visitor; someone has been tending to his wounds—keeping him alive—and it becomes chillingly clear that this care hasn't been out of compassion. Against the dangers of war and ominous powers of voodoo, Violet must fight to protect her home and the people she loves.

While I hadn't read Strands of Bronze and Gold prior to this, the synopsis had me wanting and, I mean, it was a companion novel. So I could read it right? And who can pass up a Tam Lin retelling, anyways?

This story takes place during the Civil War, something that fascinated me, especially since it was a retelling of Tam Lin, a story of fairies and magic--what place did the Civil War have in this?
As it turns out, the main plot for most of the story didn't really have much to do with Tam Lin (or Thomas, in this case) as I'd expected. The retelling bit of the book was in maybe the last quarter of the book and we don't even really meet Thomas until halfway into the book. But that didn't really matter to me, by the time I was in that deep.

The story, even without meeting Thomas yet, is exciting or, at the very least, intriguing. It was slow at times and it definitely resembled a plain old historical fiction at times, but it was so much more than that. While I do wish it was more like the last bit of the book, I have to admit, the story was still interesting especially with Violet's rather...well, with all the changes that Violet's family is going through. Sunny and Emily were such contrasting characters and it was interesting to see their personalities start to grow a bit more complex, especially Sunny's. My favorite characters have to be, by far, Miss Ruby (Oliver?), Laney, and Seeley. Nickerson has a knack for secondary characters and I couldn't help but just grow attached to all of them!

The romance was quick and a bit insta lovey, I suppose, but it just seemed to fit the story and made me love it even more. The story really focused on Violet's independence as a woman in this time and how she dealt with all the terrible and wonderful things that were happening in her life at the same time. And I loved that.

There were definitely a few creep factors in this, especially with the voodoo mentioned in it. I definitely wish that there were more scenes like the last, but nevertheless, it was enjoyable and pretty spectacular, for lack of a better word!

The Mirk and Midnight Hour was a completely fascinating read that brought out the Gothic in Gothic Literature and I couldn't help but fall in love with the solemn atmosphere and the supernatural/voodoo forces that pushed the plot on. The historical feel just brought the story alive and the story stands out as something I'd call darkly enticing and hopelessly enchanting. 

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Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Pages: 368

Genre: Gothic Literature/Sci-fi

Series: Madman's Daughter #2

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: Jan 28, 2014

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

After the rather terrible (read: heartbreaking) ending in The Madman's Daughter, I was unbelievably anxious to read Her Dark Curiosity so I was ecstatic when I managed to get my grubby hands on an ARC! And then I started reading. And I was a bit disappointed.

My main issue was Juliet herself. She seemed absolutely ridiculous throughout the story and seemed...well, mad. And I suppose that may have been the point, but I just felt like it made her an annoying character rather than an interesting one. She kept repeating over and over and over that she wasn't like her father, would never be like her father, and then immediately turn and do something that's so obviously cruel and terrible, just like her father. (Spoiler at the end of the review) That and she made some obviously-not-right choices that made me twitch in agitation.

More than that, the romance. Unfortunately, our love triangle isn't completely finished (or, it is in the way that Juliet has chosen who she loved. But that doesn't stop a certain someone from pursuing her or her from kissing and other activities with said someone.) I hated how Juliet just seemed to go back and forth, despite her claim of love for Montgomery, and how she justified Edward's actions. Sure, he didn't deserve to die, but she didn't seem to think that much about the harm he's done besides one or two pages.

But despite all that, Her Dark Curiosity was a fascinating read, most especially because of Shepherd's talent with atmosphere and Gothic lit. And a 1800-1900s London? It's the perfect place to set a story of madness, murder, and mayhem! The drizzly ghostly city was creepy with everything that was going on and you have to hand it to Shepherd--she's a genius with her words, if not her characters.

The plot was absolutely spectacular with twists sprinkled throughout the story (the first less than 70 pages in!) and I found myself gaping at the book sometimes, just eager to discover what would happen next. And, like always, Megan Shepherd manages to leave us with a cliffhanger and clamoring for the third book, even if our character isn't how we hoped!

Gothic literature is one of my favorite kinds of stories, and the dark and haunting setting and atmosphere was beyond impressive and I had chills throughout most of the book, especially with murderers and secret, dark science cults.

***SPOILER: She freaking creates her own "creature" and unleashes it on her enemies, scientists, and murders every one of them in cold blood. Then hunts down the survivor and kills him. And she thinks that's justified?

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Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Pages: 384

Genre: High Fantasy/Gothic

Series: Splintered #2

Publisher: Amulet 

Release Date: Jan 7, 2014

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.
That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.
As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.
If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head. 

After naming Splintered my favorite book of 2012, is it surprising that I've been dying for Unhinged ever since I heard it was a duology (and now a trilogy! Eep!)? No. No it isn't. So when I managed to get my hands on an early ARC, I was beyond thrilled. Because...MORPHEUS!

And Unhinged did not disappoint at all. Because with a guy like Morpheus on the cover, who can't love this book?
So I guess we should talk about love interests, since I've mentioned Morpheus a few times already. Of course I'm Team Moth so I'm both giddy and heartbroken at how Unhinged turned out. Morpheus definitely shows up in his old self again and I both wanted to strangle him (with all the love in the world of course) and cuddle him until Sisters One and Two pried me away from him. He's as arrogant as always, with that manipulative personality that's pure Netherling, and a sexy smirk that just makes you swoon. While he did have his weak points, he proved himself time and time again throughout the book. (And went to unbelievably great lengths for Alyssa. Alyssa, if you don't want him, can I?)
And...yes. Jeb's here too. Not that I like to admit it. I will admit, though, that he was...sweet...and kind...but he didn't really seem to pop up as much as Morpheus thanks to a mysterious art collector by the name of Ivy Raven. So his and Alyssa's relationship? A bit on the rocks...until the end.
The love triangle is sort of my favorite, since we're actually not quite sure who she'll end up with. It's really rare when that happens, but Howard manages to pull it off brilliantly. Like everything else of course!

Alyssa, our heroine, is definitely different from so many other typical YA heroines. She has her flaws (like not listening to Morpheus and not wanting to save her own kingdom--but both are decently understandable!), but she's kickass, fierce, and loyal to the end. The fact that we see her grow more into her Netherling nature made me love her all the more (because like Morpheus says--he and Wonderland are a package deal!) and when she unleashed her powers was definitely when I loved her most! Also--her gothic style. Love!

The worldbuilding. There must be some Wonderland blood in A.G. Howard for her to create such amazing creatures (read: creepy creatures) that still manage to tie in with the story. I seriously loved how she would use nonsensical words from Alice in Wonderland and twist them into magnificent and horrible creatures that roamed Wonderland. And we didn't even really visit the world! We see glimpses of the Wonderland that enraptured us in Splintered, but instead of bringing us to Wonderland...well, she sort of brings Wonderland to us.
We're introduced to a whole slew of new creatures that absolutely terrified me (I've never been afraid of wood until now) like "mome raths", toys and creatures back from AnyElsewhere (Exactly what is AnyElsewhere you ask? Read the book and discover the creepy.), and a stalkery clown doll. Literally. It follows her everywhere with a creepy blood red smile on its lips.

The plot. Oh my God. There are no ends to the twists and turns and the absolutely horrifying, heart breaking, gut wrenching things that happen to everyone around Alyssa. Unhinged is fast paced and it's a race against, not time (because there's never enough of that anyways) but a Queen hell bent on revenge. What can be more action packed?
And the ending. No. I can't. My mind can not comprehend it at all. Just...you'll see.

What's truly the best thing about this series is how the worldbuilding is so uniquely magnificent and so hauntingly gothic, you can't help but fall in love with it (or the guys.) The worldbuilding just hooks you in, the characters enrapture you, and then you just fall in love with the entire thing.
My two words to sum up the review? Read it. 

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The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray

Goodreads Blurb

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.
At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.
The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.
If they play it right, then they'll be safe.
But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

Woah, guys, woah. I'm definitely impressed with The Dollhouse Asylum and my mind is kind of blown.

The Dollhouse Asylum got off to a pretty rocky start because Cheyenne just irritated me so much. She created all these excuses for Teo when everyone kept telling her, warning her, about him. She was so lovesick and naive I wanted to slap her out of her love induced stupor, but I have to hand it to Mary Gray--she sure knew how to write a character infatuated. Thankfully Cheyenne wised up pretty early on though. She drove the story on and was clever enough to dissuade Teo from...well you'll see. She grew on me as a character, though she was still moldable and pretty easily distracted.

Teo was definitely my favorite character, as psycho as he is. He's a complex character with layers upon layers, and it was fascinating watching him come undone. He loved in a sick and creepy way, but he didn't know any different. He did what he did for Cheyenne and it was a sort of a twisted sweetness. And in the end...well he broke my heart and I sort of cried for him. In the end, he just wanted to love and be loved by Cheyenne, build a perfect world for her--with his own dark desires mixed in.

I didn't really understand Cleo's part in all this though. Her personality, the "slut" of the story, didn't really drive the plot on in any way, except to be that typical mean girl with the gorgeous face. She made Cheyenne jealous when she flirted with Marc...but that was about it.
And speaking of Marc, the romance between him and Cheyenne was a bit ridiculous and I feel like the story would've been so much better if they'd stayed friends without the underdeveloped chemistry between them.

But the plot was...wow. My favorite part of the entire book, it was unexpected, shocking, and wonderfully horrible. The story just hooks you in and traps you in it's web of deaths, realizations, and revelations. It was fast paced and didn't let you breathe at all until the book finished and, like I said, I sort of teared up at the end. Stop looking at me like that! I honestly didn't expect it at all and it hurts every time I think about it.

While a bit awkward in the beginning, The Dollhouse Asylum gets better and better until it's full-blown amazing and a book I have to recommend for fans of psychological thrillers, dystopians, and basically anything that'll break your brain. It's one you should definitely read and one I can't stop recommending!

Pages: 296

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: Oct 22, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Mini Freak Out: Ashes on the Waves by Mary Lindsey

Mini FREAK OUT!

Goodreads Blurb

Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.
With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make awager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.

There is, by the way, cussing.
For those of you who don't know, Mini Freak Outs are where while reading, I scribble down my reactions and post them along with a 2-3 paragraph review.

1: Chills. I have chills.
5: Oh my God what is this.
17: Liam is sort of adorable. I LOVE HIM ALREADY
39: I want to be all IN YOUR FACE to Miss Ronan right now
40: I sort of don't know WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED but kudos to Anna for not freaking out
44: I LOVE ANNA SO MUCH RIGHT NOW OMG. SHE ISTHE BEST
59: Oh my GAWD. FINALLY
65:OMG IF THIS THING HAS SELKIES IN IT I'M GOING TO PEE MY PANTS WITH EXCITEMENT
67: YES.
77: I love their relationship!!!
90: I think my heart hurts.
98: Giggles. I have giggles. OH LIAM. *giggles*.
100: CREEPINESS
107: OMG SOMETHING'S HAPPENING I JUST KNOW IT
110: Oh my freaking GAWD what the hell just happened?! READING THIS AT 1 AM WAS A BAD BAD IDEA
119: Would I have Anna's reaction or would I be freaked out by a dozen paintings of me?
121: WOAH WOAH WTH. OH GOD
127: THANK YOU, PA. I AM UNBELIEVABLY RELIEVED
133: LIAM YOU STUPID STUPID BOY. DON'T BE SO SUPERSTITIOUS AND DO YOU REALLY THINK ANNA OF ALL PEOPLE WOULD LISTEN TO YOU.
139: EFF OFF NICK. NO. I AM DUBBING YOU DICK. FUCK OFF DICK. OR I SWEAR TO THE GODS IN THIS BOOK I WILL MURDER YOU MYSELF.
149: Anna you are simply the best.
153: Anna rocks.i
156: This book is killing me. In a good way.
167: I am getting increasingly worried. Oh God.
172: LIES. SHUT UP YOU NA FIR GHORM
173: Oh CRAPTASTIC SHIZZLER TWIZZLERS
177: I DENY THAT STATEMENT YOU BLUE SKINNED FISHBALL
182: Oh my God
193: THEY ARE ADORABLE
198: BECAUSE THEY ARE YOU NINCOMPOOP
209: I LIKE YOU BEAN SIDHES
216: I AM CREEPED OUT
220: CRAP. I FEEL SUSPICIOUS.
225: CRAP. OMG. SHIT. OH CRAP. OMG. YGYSEDYUHOKPL WHAT IS SHE COUNTING...
227: She knows...everything.
229-231: Oh effing crap.  THIS BOOK JUST. OH GOD
241: SCREW THIS TOWN AND 98% OF ITS PEOPLE
245: Oh screw you effing blue fishball. DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY BABIES. *cuddles Anna and Liam*
253: Crap. Sticks.
262: I love you Francine, but I feel bad for Muireann
268: LIES ALL OF IT. I CALL BS
292: I love them. Have I mentioned that?
297: Poor Anna, so confuzzled!
300:  I HATE YOU
316: Blue fish balls? DIE YOU EFFING BASTARDS
325: I. Am. Dying.
344: Oh my fucking God
350-351: What the fucking hell just HAPPENED OH MY GOD. CHILLS.
360: J,GRSRSYVIL,L,LK,PKHYSEAWARDYVPMPKBJUGCRYTREATYVIH UNNIPNPNOVUGXGFX
363: THAT BITCH
373: WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH. IS SHE....OR IS SHE...WHAT?! I die. I'm dead. Just. Don't talk to me. 

To sum this book up in two words, Ashes on the Waves was most definitely hauntingly unique. The Gothic atmosphere just leaves you utterly speechless and the love story leaves you simply breathless. I absolutely fell in love with the couple and with the world Lindsey has created with selkies (some of my favorite mythical creatures!), Na Fir Ghorm, Bean Sidhes, and more! I loved the Celtic lore mixed in with the Gothic feel, creating a truly original world with all the dark and twisted that an Edgar Allen Poe retelling needs.

You can call it insta-love, but this is, in the end, a tragic love story--more so than Romeo and Juliet for sure! It's beautiful and mournful and absolutely heartbreaking. The ending was as tragic as one would expect. Not the glowing HEA I was desperately hoping for, but perfect for the story and perfect for a Poe poem. My only complaint was that it was a bit predictable to me, but the romance was absolutely brilliant.

Pages: 387

Genre: Gothic/Romance

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: June 27, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Blog Tour: The Twisted Tragedy of miss Natalie Stewart

Goodreads Blurb

For Natalie Stewart, a normal life has never seemed so far away. Her only solace, Lord Jonathan Denbury, is wanted for murder. To clear his name, Denbury must return to England and assume the role of his demon doppelganger. But Natalie begins to doubt his true motives, especially as a new gentleman begins whispering in her ear. Natalie and Denbury may be able to visit each other in their dreams, but they can't escape the darkening shadows. Amid spontaneous explosions, friends turned enemies and dangerous secrets revealed, there's still a demon who has Natalie's scent, and someone is trying to resurrect the ultimate evil.

I'm an official fan of Gothic literature now! I absolutely adored Darker Still (borrowed from a friend who doesn't appreciate it as much apparently!) So getting on this blog tour? Definitely some exciting stuff for me! I had insanely high hopes and i'm glad to say that Twisted Tragedy (What can I say? The title is incredibly long) met them all the way!

There were plenty of engaging parts that I absolutely devoured, but there were a few boring parts where we went through a ton of unneeded description in some parts, and there were a few filler chapters I ended up skipping. But, thankfully, all together that was only about 20 pages spread across all 336 pages! 

Here's another thing--the synopsis is a bit misleading, but that in no way means that this book wasn't engaging! It makes you thing "A love triangle? Really?" But no. There was no love triangle! We meet Denbury's friend, Nathaniel Veil, and he only shows up, flirting and a possible romantic interest, for about seven pages, then he's gone. And honestly, I loved it that way. Twisted Tragedy would've been too cliche if that'd happened! And since Jonathon is the only love interest, let's talk about him a little...
Lord Denbury really is just as swoony as he was in book 1! He's just as supportive to Natalie and he's just as protective and has all the traits we look for in a YA love interest: Caring, protective, sweet, a bit of a dark side, etc. You just have to love him. Definitely one of my favorite book boyfriends!

Natalie is a great character. She's sharp and she's not one of those girls who're easily unnerved. She can figure out a lot of secrets and I loved her personality! She was a bit quirky and fun and she was definitely one of those sympathetic characters. She wasn't a strong heroine in the way that she wasn't scared by anything--she was. But she was facing a demon who had almost killed her. So she was one of those likeable characters, who didn't necessarily have to be strong to be amazing and still seem not as weak as others would be.

I loved the plot. Especially with Maggie thrown in the picture! Maggie is...deluded, we'll say, that she rescued Jonathon and that she's his. Of course, you'll find out why later, but it was just interesting to see how Maggie interacted with him and Natalie. Maggie, despite her cattiness, was definitely one of my favorite antagonists! But besides Maggie, the plot was definitely indescribable, really. It had twists, it had so many secrets just waiting to be revealed, and then of course, the demon. Natalie is waking up from premonition-dreams and she has runes carved onto her skin while dreaming. Creepy, no? Just goes to show how wonderfully creepy a book can be!

Overall, The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart was engaging and was the perfect sequel to Darker Still, one of my favorite books of 2011. It was new, demonic, and full of things you never expect! Read it, enjoy it, then come back here and tell me how much you loved it! I promise I'll squee with you! And trust me. You will squee.

Pages: 336
Series: Magic Most Foul #2
Genre: Gothic Literature/Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: Nov 1, 2012
Rating: 4 stars

Author Bio
Author, actress and playwright Leanna Renee Hieber grew up in rural Ohio inventing ghost stories. She graduated with a BFA in Theatre and a focus in the Victorian Era from Miami University. She began her theatrical career with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and began adapting works of 19th Century literature for the stage. Her one-act plays such asFavorite Lady have been published, awarded and produced around the country. Her novella Dark Nest won the 2009 Prism Award for excellence in the genre of Futuristic, Fantasy, or Paranormal Romance. 

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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

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Goodreads Blurb

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.
Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.
The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.
Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

(Possibly the most non-professional review in the last 4 months. Before that, all reviews were bad. )

I HAVE. SUCH. MIXED. FEELINGS. ABOUT THIS BOOK.

Jane definitely one of my favorite characters. She seemed to think she was better than everyone; the kids in her group home because she was smarter and got into the Birch Grove Academy, but better than the Birch Grove girls because she clawed her way from the bottom. In fact, even one of the secondary characters stated “…acting like you don’t think you’re better than them, when you do because you did it on your own.”. She annoyed me so much and seemed shallow and pathetic. She was attracted to Lucky because he was handsome and rich and tutored him to be nearer to him and get money. Really? And this was when she literally just met him. Meanwhile, she immediately hated Jack, Lucky’s brother which annoyed me furthermore because hey, I’m definitely a fan of him! But the pathetic part? Even after everything Lucky had done, she was still obsessed with him, still longing for him and I wanted to rip her throat out.  So. Badly. AND she was so, so blind about who she liked, and what made her “alive”. Sigh. And, just throwing this out there—who gets in a car with someone you met once in a store?

On the other hand, the writing was absolutely lovely and smooth. It flowed well and told the story beautifully. I was instantly captivated by the prologue and the mysterious things happening at Birch Grove sealed the deal. Secrets were everywhere and while I predicted one (Well, sort of. Let’s just say that no one sparkles.) the rest blew me away!

Throughout the entire book. I fell asleep thinking about what would happen next in this book and I was not disappointed.

As for world building, it was definitely a bit…mixed. And as a sort of spoiler, science (mutations.) and supernatural (Lady of the Wood) were swirled in Dark Companion. I loved that while Jane uncovered each secret, other things were happening, things that didn’t seem very important then, but were suddenly essential clues to the ending. This book, admittedly, doesn’t have many plot twists, but it’s paced quickly and the few it had definitely shocked me! Dark companion isn’t all fight-action-y, but it has this subtle-action. Is it bad to compare it to politics bookified? Because it was definitely like that, in my crazy logical way.

In a few words, Marta Acosta can weave a scene, a world, a feeling, missing nothing. Main character aside, Dark Companion was an amazing gothic romance perfect for late-night reading  daytime dreaming! Definitely pick this one up soon! It’ll stun your socks off for sure!

Pages: 368

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Gothic Literature/Romance/Supernatural

Publisher: Tor

Release Date: July 3

Rating: 3.5--->4 stars

“It's a mystery to me why extraordinary young women insist that they're normal.”

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Breenan

Goodreads Blurb

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Some authors can think of a completely new and original book even when you think every idea has been exhausted and reused too many times. Sarah Rees Breenan is definitely one of those authors.

I’m going to be using a different kind of “review format” instead of my usual, non-planned ramblings.

Character Rundown: I disliked Kami. Immensely. It seemed she only cared about news. Articles. Information. As if the event, the person, the creature, didn’t matter at all. As if they were just meaningless things. It was seriously so annoying that it got to the point where I wanted to rip her head off. Ugh.  And when some things just seemed so obvious, or at least a bit suspicious, she literally blew it all off and didn’t think to ask about it. Of course, she kind of had to believe it…but read it and see what I mean. I have to admit, though, it was entertaining to see things from her point of view because of her witty and sarcastic remarks which definitely made me laugh more than they should. Other times, she just makes me laugh unintentionally. For example: “Well. Yes. Someone’s trying to kill me. But you don’t have to make such a big deal about it.”  She did grow on me half way in like all characters do, though. I guess when you spend a while in someone’s head, you kind of have to end up liking them. Wow, this is actually a long paragraph.

Jared and Angela were definitely my absolute favorites in this book. Angela was just hilarious to read about and Jared was the same: hilarious. And I loved the connection he had with Kami. It was beautiful and the friend connection Jared and Kami had initially made made me like him even more.

The story: The plot was actually pretty good, although it did have some predictable twists. The magic and so-called “soulmates” had a definite twist on it, giving you an actual explanation instead of just putting it out there. The antagonists were people you could clearly identify, people who were the obvious suspects and that made you all the more frustrated (in a good way). There were a few giant turn of events that I could not predict and to say I was shocked would be an understatement.

The romance: It wasn’t Bam! I’m attracted to you, but I can’t. One week later: let’s get together! To hell what others say. Ugh. I’m so happy this wasn’t like that. Think “slow and steady” instead. Which definitely made everything way better because of all the instaromance stories going around. There was a sort of love triangle with the Lynburn cousins, Jared and Ash, and I think it’s safe to say I’m Team Jared.

The ending: The ending wasn’t how I hoped it would be and was incredibly disappointing, but the 50 pages before the plummet definitely made up for it.

All in all: This is actually one of my firsts gothic novels and I’m happy start off with this one! This is one novel you should definitely read. If you get through the first 50 pages, Kami’s reporter attitude gradually decreases (thankfully), so after that checkpoint, there’s not much to complain about!

Pages: 370
Series: Lynburn Legacy #1
Genre: Gothic Literature/Paranormal/Romance
Rating: 4 stars

"'I have a system where when I stop, I lean casually against something,' Jared told her. 'It makes people think I’m a bad boy. Or possibly that I have a bad back.'"