Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar

Goodreads Blurb

He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life.
Margo McKenna has a plan for just about everything, from landing the lead in her high school play to getting into a good college. So when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the chance to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Why should she put her life into someone else's hands?
But Oliver is more than just a genie -- he's also a sophomore at Margo's high school, and he's on the run from a murderer. As he and Margo grow closer, she discovers that it will take more than three wishes to save him.
A whole lot more.

Going into this, I had a lot of iffy feelings. I mean, genies? It sounded very...fluff like. And the cover didn't exactly make me scream want. Yeah, I'm a horrible person, judging a book by its cover. I'M SORRY. But I did end up loving it! Maybe not as much as I'd hoped, but it was still pretty good.

While adorable, the romance felt a bit...quick. Okay, not a bit. Margo kisses Oliver maybe after their fifth conversation, and was really only spurred on by the fact that he granted her wish. Not to mention Margo knew almost nothing about this guy except that he was a genie, and fell so quickly. Also, Oliver literally fell in love at first sight. After getting that initial bump, though, I loved the romance, which was so sweet (though it did have some quirks, and a few uncommon love quarrels!)

The plot was less exciting than I was hoping for. Oliver keeps hinting that  the assassin will show up soon, but he stays just one day, just two days, just five days more, before he hides from this killer. I have no words for the stupidity of that. When we do meet the killer, the plot wasn't really as exciting as I'd hoped. Sure, there were a few thrilling scenes, but they were few. There were no plot twists that really shocked me and the ending was fairly predictable, and it was...easy. There was almost no hesitation and that was...like I said, too easy.

I adored the originality of this book though. Ribar creates her own unique lore that I loved reading about and it was definitely one of the most fascinating kind of world building (fiction building?) I've seen! It was definitely different from djinn books I've read. Totally different from genies by the way. At least, the lore was.
But it was well built so that (good) genies could grant the wish that people MEANT instead of loopholing like the fey we know so well. If you read those.

I loved Oliver. He may have molded himself to Margo's image, but still. He was sweet and endearing, a little cocky at times, and an all around perfect love interest! Though there is this one part where we find out he's bi and Margo seems totally at ease. Go Margo! Though its sort of unlikely.
Margo was a bit petty at first, but slowly became a relatable character that was fun to read about! Her snark gave a humorous touch to the book, which I loved. She seemed a little flat to me, but it wasn't really that big a deal as it usually is, which was weird...

Pages: 314
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Series: Art of Wishing #1
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 21, 2013
Rating: 3.5--->4 stars

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst

Goodreads Blurb

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.
Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.
Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.
The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

Oh wow. I got this spectacular book from Shreya at Chocolate Coated Reviews since she is so nice that she sends me any books I want--as long as she rated them 3 stars or less, of course! I'm not that mean.

I'm so glad she decided to give this up. I've absolutely loved this book since page one, when we first meet Liyana, a character I Thoroughly loved! She was a fun character at times, but at her core she was a down-to-earth type with a practicality that shocked me sometimes (okay, most times.) But she was undeniably a strong character who went through a lot of things to get where she ended up. She lost her family and support in one night, discovered it wasn't her fault the next, and over the next few days (weeks?) found a forbidden love, made unlikely friends, discovered that maybe she didn't want to die after all, and lost and gained everything. But did she even falter? Nope. She was who she was and surged ahead to fix everything wrong.

Korbyn was by far my favorite character. He was hilarious at times, but you could tell he had his own dark side. He was definitely out of his comfort zone as a leader, but he took the role steadily and did whatever he could.He was...interesting we'll say, and there were so many layers to him it surprised me to no end.

The romance was...interesting. Needless to say, I was rooting for Korbyn and Liyana (don't you just love their names together? I love their names together) throughout the entire book. And then we get, randomly, we get another surprising (really, really surprising.) love interest. Near the end of the book. I can't quite say how it plays out, but it was both what I expected and what I didn't...I can't explain it any better without ruining it! But let's just say...I was pleased at one thing about the romantic end and not so much about something else. Confusing? Well, read it to see what I mean. You'll see...you'll see...

Did I love the worldbuilding? HECK YES! I'm a recent fan of high fantasy, if you didn't know. As in, I mainly stuck to paranormal. I think Throne of Glass broke that for me...but the world in Vessel was definitely well developed with it's own legends, creations, traditions, and more. I was overwhelmed by each element that came into play while discovering more about this world. Sand wolves, sky serpents, vessels, and more. To say I was sad to let this world go is a definite understatement and I desperately wish there was a sequel, but nope. Though if there ever turns out to be a short story, I'll probably be on it like a sand worm to water!

The thing about Vessel is it can seem a bit repetitive to some people, but I didn't find it that way at all! To me, Vessel was just an amazing high fantasy book that I absolutely loved to no end! It was suspenseful and shocking and the way things happened...it was unbelievable! So I don't know if this is just shock at how it ended, but I'm giving Vessel my 10 star sticker!

Pages: 424
Genre: High Fantasy
Series: Stand alone
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Release Date: September 11, 2012
Rating: 10/5 stars

Tiger's Destiny by Collen Houck

Goodreads Blurb

With three of the goddess Durga's quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger's curse. But the trio's greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.  It's a race against time--and the evil sorcerer Lokesh--in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the bestselling Tiger's Curse series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tigers' true destinies once and for all.

Let me start this off with the question that’s been  bugging me since I finished: How. Is. There. A. Fifth. Book?!  I mean, the ending of Tiger’s Destiny pretty much wrapped things up…but I guess we’ll see, right? I’m totally curious. Anyways.

Kelsey annoyed me. I mean, she was not the best MC in the other books, but in Tiger’s Destiny…who cries over killing a tree? And I mean sobbing. And her indecision between Ren and Kishan irritated me as well. I mean, I get that she’s afraid of being with Ren (read it and find out why.), but really? I felt so bad for Kishan throughout the entire book. Even though Kelsey was serious with Kishan, it felt more like she was stringing him along rather than treating him like a boyfriend…I guess the ending didn’t shock me as much as I thought. But…those were only a few moments. She wasn’t as bad most of the time.

Anamika (you’ll find out who that is later!) was another character who just irritated me. She was nothing like you’d expect and, quite frankly, she seemed…bitter. Not like the _____ we know. And that…well that just made it harder to believe that what happened, happened.

The twist was, in all honesty, too sudden. There were very few hints in the last three books that it would happen. And when I reread a few sections of the other books, things didn’t add up. I can’t list examples since it would be a dead giveaway but…the ways that certain characters acted didn’t fit. They really didn’t. But it made me cry (you guys know I’m an emotional reader, but I am so not the only one.) and it was…heartbreaking. I really hate the 5 sacrifices.

Plot wise…it was amazing. Each book has its own element, right? Tiger’s Destiny deals with the remaining two, fire and space/time, which makes Destiny possibly the one book with the most twists and the most surprising details. I guess you could really split Tiger’s Destiny into two separate books, but it wouldn’t be nearly as exciting. I love the way things happened in quick succession, although I admit, sometimes it happened too quickly.

The romance. Oh my God. (Not sure if that’s a good OMG or a bad one.) the romance is a smexy one, but God! I hated Kelsey’s indecision. Like I said, it seemed she was stringing Kishan along, and also Ren. She was technically with Kishan, but didn’t feel much for him. She loved Ren, but wouldn’t be with him. She was naïve, thinking she was protecting them both, when she was basically killing them inside. It was horrible and I still have no idea how Colleen Houck could’ve dragged out the romance, although I admit, it did add some tension to the story.

This fourth installment wrapped things up nicely, so I am a anxious to see how Tiger’s Dream will turn out, and what the story line will be. Almost as amazing as the last three in this epic saga, Tiger’s Destiny clearly showcases Colleen Houck’s classic writing style that has stunned hundreds of fans. If you haven’t started the Tiger’s Saga yet? Start it soon.

Pages: 464

Series: Tiger's Saga #4

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Publisher: Splinter

Release Date: September 4

Rating: 3.5 --->4 stars

"Please don't die," I whispered."