Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield

Goodreads Blurb

"Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness. 
When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England. 
Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion... 
Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

Oh my God. The cover. The synopsis. Is it any wonder I've been dying for this since the reveal? I loved the idea of this, the magic, and historical is one of my favorite genres! Of course I had to read it.
And, you guys, it did not disappoint.

I loved the worldbuilding in this, though I do wish we had dug a little deeper into it. But it was wonderfully thought out and had a haunting atmosphere that made the book so much more enjoyable than it already was! Historical fantasy is always something I find fascinating since you're both creating a world and mixing in historical references and places. Sometimes, the world is horrible--Chantress's was far from terrible!

I loved Lucy. She was a wonderful character who was real enough to believe in--she wasn't selfish and mean or whiny, but she wasn't Miss Perfect, selfless to the core, and that was a relief!
Our minor characters were my favorite though! They each had such quirky traits and individual personalities! They brought the story to life!

There was, honestly, barely any romance except on the last page. And, sadly, only one kissing scene. THIS ROMANTIC NEEDS MORE KISSING! I did love how their relationship was slow, though, and not rushed like how it usually is in YA. I can't wait to see the couple in the sequel!

The plot was, admittedly, a bit slow in the middle. It started out wonderfully, action packed already, but the pacing slowed distinctively after a hundred pages or so. Not to say it wasn't fascinating and entertaining. It was! It just wasnt as action packed as I hoped.

Absolutely enchanting and magical, Chantress is a book that will leave you absolutely speechless and dying until the sequel!

Pages:336
Genre: Historical/Fantasy
Series: Chantress Trilogy #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Rating: 3.5-->4 stars

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

Goodreads Blurb

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.
Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he's also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to revenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.
But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.

The Burning Sky actually took me a while to read. I'd started it in early May and put it down for about 3 months. When I picked it back up, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. So many friends loved it, but I'd hated it. Or, at least, I did at first.
I was this close to DNF'ing The Burning Sky before someone told me that it got better in the second half--and it really did. 

The first half was...pretty dull and pretty annoying. I hated Iolanthe at first. She was whiny and she grated my nerves so many times. I wanted to like her, I did! But I just couldn't bring myself to really care for her at all, even when I passed the halfway mark. She grew on me a big, but I couldn't really care what happened to her throughout the book. She was definitely a bit badass though, and I loved her snarky remarks and willpower.
And Titus. At first he seemed like a pretty flat character, but I absolutely fell in love with him by the end! He's a misunderstood character who pushes everyone away because of both his "destiny" and his royal blood. I loved how strong he was and how dedicated he was to his cause. And, eventually, how dedicated he was to keeping Iolanthe safe.

The writing is a bit off with me. I found it a bit confusing at times and had to reread several parts a few times to grasp their meaning. It was also awkward for me because sometimes I had no idea who's POV I was reading from sometimes and felt a bit estranged from the story with it's 3rd person writing.

The worldbuilding, however, was absolutely gorgeous! It's a complex world, and I always love learning about a fantasy world. How the magic works, what creatures are there, how the government works, everything. And The Burning Sky had a beautiful, developed world with elemental mages, seers, and prophecies of all kind. Magic plays an (obviously) large role, but my favorite bit had to be the Crucible. But, of course, you'd have to read the book to find out what that is!

The plot was, like I said, slow in the beginning and achingly boring. But once you hit the halfway (or 40%?) mark, things quickly speed up until you're just stuck at the edge of your seat, wondering exactly what's happening and what'll happen next. There were no giant twists, but the progression of the story was absolutely breathtaking and page turning.

The romance, while fun with their constant banter an bickering, wasn't really built on anything besides the fact that they shared secrets--and that was only because of a chance of luck. I couldn't help but cheer them on a little, if not only for Titus. I'm going to seriously love seeing their romance develop in the next two books for sure!

If you can sit through the first half, The Burning Sky will take your breath away and astonish you with it's vivid worldbuilding and heartstopping plot. I'd definitely recommend it, especially for those who love a good high fantasy that has a pinch of Tamora Pierce in it!

Pages: 464

Genre: High Fantasy

Series: Elemental Trilogy #1

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: Sep 17, 2013

Rating: 3.5

Mind Games by Kiersten White

Goodreads Blurb

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future. 
Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.
In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

I had absolutely no idea how much I absolutely loved this. Seriously. Look at my tweets.
https://twitter.com/Nikki_Wang/status/345205363882196994
https://twitter.com/Nikki_Wang/status/345204604650283008
https://twitter.com/Nikki_Wang/status/345200520987828227
https://twitter.com/Nikki_Wang/status/345197273782816768
https://twitter.com/Nikki_Wang/status/345190705213362176
And there were a ton more actually. But they're all pretty much the same.

Walking in, I was a bit skeptical since there were more than enough mixed reviews to make me a bit anxious. But I really shouldn't have worried! Mind Games absolutely blew my mind--and that's a complete understatement.

For a Sci-fi/Supernatural book, Mind Games definitely has some of the most broken characters I've met. They were all so fleshed out--though I do wish we met more "students" besides are heartbreaking sisters and Eden (Annie's friend).
Fia was by far my favorite of the two sisters. She was loyal, smart, and she didn't have to depend on her perfect instinct all the time. She knew what she had to do, when she had to do it, and knew what was unreasonable. I loved her stubborn nature, but her bitterness just broke my heart clean in two. She sacrificed so much for Annie and it definitely wasn't without consequences. She was the broken one, the one that needed saving--but how do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?
Annie, while not a bad character, just didn't click with me as well as Fia. She was so much more...rude, I guess, and I don't think she fully understood exactly how much Fia was sacrificing and exactly what she needed.

As for the romance, we don't really focus on it, but I adored James so much. He cared so much about Fia and knew exactly what to do and say to comfort her. He may have been an asshole, but he's a sweet one who has all the traits of an arrogant, swoony, love interest.
There's no romance for Annie yet, but I'm pretty sure Adam is her guy. We don't really learn much about him, but he's a very...interesting character.
Kiersten  White did a brilliant job creating characters who matched our heroines personality perfectly. Fia had someone who she could find comfort in, but could understand her pain, while I feel like Adam's cheery personality would definitely help Annie start accepting the fact that she couldn't protect her sister 24/7 and that her little sister's already so much more grown up than herself.

The plot was wonderfully paced and while, I realized suddenly, nothing much happens, you just can't help but get addicted to the pages, and just keep on reading. There's something about the way White writes that just pulls you straight in until the end--where you're still going to be begging for more. What does happen keeps me on my toes though and it definitely sets up the sequel wonderfully! I can absolutely NOT wait!

I absolutely loved how Kiersten White chose to tell this story too. We alternate between the past and the present so that we get to fall in love with our characters from the beginning as well as understand them a bit more. It really is heartbreaking how they evolved into the people they were now.

My only complaint is that I would've loved more plot and more focus on their gifts and how they got them, but that's really about it--it didn't affect my reading enjoyment at all!

Stunning, beautiful, and absolutely breathtaking, Kiersten White lives up to her expectations with Mind Games! Heartbreaking characters, a kickass plot, and enchanting writing, I'm not quite sure how this book isn't loved by everyone!

Pages: 237
Genre: Sci-fi/Supernatural
Series: Mind Games #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: Feb 19, 2013
Rating: 7/5 Stars

Blog Tour: Poison by Bridget Zinn

I'm thrilled to be part of the blog tour for POISON by Bridget Zinn. I found out about her parting a few months ago and I definitely cried some. She never got to experience the full author experience or meet her fans. So we're going to help her dream come true by telling you about the epicness of POISON. 

Review

Goodreads Blurb

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.
But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.
Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

This book was amazing and definitely different. Even before deciding I wanted to read it, I was told that it was a lighter read and more innocent, even with the potions and witchery and assassination attempts! Of course, I didn't quite believe them. But then, there was a pig. But then, it still wasn't quite enough to convince me. I'm sorry!

Because now, I totally get what they meant. This may be the genre where most books are bloody and deadly, but that definitely wasn't the case with Poison. It was more...deception than war, I guess. Does that make sense? Of course not. It's me we're talking about.

But all you need to know was that this was seriously adorable and amazing. And if that put you off (like it did a bit for me--I'm more of a suspicion and evil kind of girl...that sounded a bit sinister), take a chance! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I just adored this! It's sweet and innocent and SO REFRESHING. No matter how many times I say that, I think that's the most true it's ever been. I've been reading so many dark books, it's a bit of a relief to read something that's just fun!

The characters were wonderfully written as well! I loved Kyra who was such an...interesting character to read about. She was feisty and she was actually pretty indifferent and cold in the beginning story. She was willing to kill her best friend for her kingdom and that was pretty...sacrificial. Fred was seriously my favorite character in this book! He was the fun one who I'd associate with the pig, actually, not the wolf we meet him with. Also, I love their first meeting! Talk about hilarity!

I love the way this story was told! We start after the assassination attempt and as we go on, we read about Kyra's memories, so it was like reading two storylines at once--the time leading up to the assassination attempt, and the escape afterwards. Surprisingly, it wasn't choppy either, like I'd usually expect. The two stories fit together seamlessly and created an immensely enjoyable read!

The only thing that I didn't love was that there were some random things that popped up. Why did Arlo do what he did? What did he get out of it? It's like he had 2 plans and they really just cancelled each other out...but I can't explain this without ruining it! And the Gypsy caravan just popping out of nowhere was a bit startling too, and a bit too convenient really.

Pages: 288
Genre: High Fantasy
Series: Stand alone
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Rating: 4 stars

First

SO. I HAVE DECIDED TO TALK ABOUT MY FIRST AUTHOR SIGNING/EVENT. Also known as possibly the most embarrassing thing EVER. 

I was in NYC (WHY didn't I meet my bloggy friends before this? NOOOO. I HAD TO FRIEND THEM AFTER) and I'd heard about a Teen Author Carnival in a library that was hosting the authors of some of my most anticipated titles. OF COURSE I WENT.

It was so incredibly embarrassing.

I was late to the first talk because of subway troubles (they're so incredibly,incredibly confusing) and the second one was SO FUN. I GOT BOOKS. But after...well. So I'm pretty sure I embarrassed myself in front of a few authors (Fiona Paul, Gennifer Albin, Tiffany Schmidt, K.M. Walton, Lauren Morrill) and thank God they don't remember the awkward girl who just stood in the corner, making shifty eyes. Well maybe they do. I wanted the OH SO PRETTY SWAG. But I wasn't sure if we could just...you know, TAKE it. So I asked. It was awkward. You had to be there. I then went up to Fiona and asked when ARCs would be sent to bloggers. SO SHE GAVE ME HER ARC. I SQUEALED SO MUCH. And thus embarrassed myself. *cough* Im going red from typing this.

Author

Bridget grew up in Wisconsin. She went to the county fair where she met the love of her life, Barrett Dowell. They got married right before she went in for exploratory surgery which revealed she had colon cancer. They christened that summer the "summer of love" and the two celebrated with several 
more weddings. Bridget continued to read and write until the day she died. Her last tweet was "Sunshine and a brand new book. Perfect."

Bridget wanted to make people laugh and hoped readers would enjoy spending time with the characters she created. As a librarian/writer she loved books with strong young women with aspirations. She also felt teens needed more humorous reads. She really wanted to write a book with pockets of warmth and happiness and hoped that her readers' copies would show the watermarks of many bath time reads.

Other stops

Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter

Goodreads Blurb

At a camp filled with vampires, werewolves, and fairies, Kylie Galen has always struggled to figure out what she is. Now she finally knows the truth—but she's left with more questions than answers. She doesn’t have a clue what her heritage means or how to harness her newfound powers. All she knows is that she needs to sort out her feelings for Derek, the sexy half-Fae who just confessed his love, and Lucas, her werewolf boyfriend who seems more committed to his pack than to their relationship. All the while, Kylie's dealing with a group of underground rogues who want her dead and a mysterious grandfather who makes it clear he doesn’t trust the FRU . . . or Shadow Falls. Soon Kylie will have to choose: Will she stay with the new family she’s formed at Shadow Falls, or will she leave with her grandfather and embrace her destiny?

Kylie knows what she is now, but not what it means. She’s a chameleon? She’s a lizard? She has no idea what’s going on now and has more questions than answers. And to add to that, why did that ghost have Holly’s face? Holly isn’t dead yet…but does that just mean that she will? (ok, so there’s a spoiler in my review which means if you don’t want to know this tiny spoiler, avoid all paragraphs with a *) Not to mention that even though Kylie’s finally chosen Lucas, she can’t deny her feelings for Derek or that Lucas is hot one second, cold the next. What’s a not-so-human girl to do?

*I think this was definitely my favorite book out of all of them. It was different in the way that it wasn’t action-y and was more a mystery. This was basically the book where most of our questions were answered while at the same time, Kylie and the rest of the gang were trying to figure out who killed Holiday’s twin sister. And jeez! They went one some awesome traces/leads and I loved guessing who killed her, why, and everything else. As morbid as it sounds, this was definitely my kind of book!

What I didn’t like? I didn’t get why Kylie didn’t tell Holiday about the ghost with her face. It just seemed weird. I mean, sure it would’ve scared her but Holiday had the right to know plus it would’ve been easier and faster to figure out why the ghost had her face if Holiday had known. It just really annoyed me to hell and back. But hey, that only lasted 1/3 of the book!

While Kylie was a little annoying when it came to romance in the beginning you’ll eventually forgive her when it’s clear she’s literally torn apart between her feelings for Derek and the ones she has for Lucas. I mean, they’re both awesome guys and honestly? While I’m Team Lucas, I did fall for Derek. He’s the complete opposite of Lucas and I was just as torn as Kylie was. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW SWOON WORTHY THESE TWO GUYS ARE?

Characters? This is going to be long…

You guys, my favorite character absolutely has to be Della! She’s so snarky and fun that you just have to love her! If possible, she’s more snarky in this book than in any other! And she was an amazing friend besides, no matter WHAT she says/acts like. Miranda was too! And I loved how she kept squealing about Perry after they (finally) got together! It was too cute!

I’m not even going to mention the boys. That would take too much squealing. Sigh. I’m totally crushing on too many book boyfriends.

Kylie is definitely a great MC. She wasn’t as stupid as some other characters; she figured (most of) the things out and I loved that she would give the benefit of a doubt and that she always, always, understood. Err…well, most of the time!

OMG. You guys! The ending. The ending! AGH! Can I choke someone? You could hear my jaw drop half way around the world. I was not expecting that at all and loved that this book could surprise me right when I had things figured out! I can honestly say that I’ve never been more surprised! And I’ve never read a more cliffhang-y cliffhanger.

As stunning as the first three, C.C. Hunter writes an amazing fourth installment that will answer some questions, but raise even more. A thrillingly satisfying read, Whispers at Moonrise will keep you guessing until the last page, leaving you shocked and aching for Chosen at Nightfall!

Pages: 400

Series: Shadow Falls #4

Genre: Paranormal/Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's

Release Date: October 2

Rating: 5 stars

Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Goodreads Blurb

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have been cursed with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.
Now sixteen, Ruby has spent nearly half her life desperately trying to hide the fact that she’s outwitted the camp’s sorting system—that she isn’t powerless, or safe. She’s one of the dangerous ones… and everyone knows what happens to them.
When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of teens who escaped their own camp, pursued along the way by terrifying bounty hunters. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close to him. Not after what happened to her parents.
When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Before the end, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

In a future world, a disease kills most of the ten-thirteen year olds, leaving only a few handfuls left, but not even their lives are untouched. Assuming Psi powers beyond their control, each child is brought to a concentration camps. Each child is grouped into colors: green, orange, blue, yellow, and red. Red, orange, and yellow: the dangerous ones. Ruby, our protagonist, pretends to be a green, a smart and timid one, when in reality, she’s an orange. But she couldn’t keep it up forever, and soon enough the day comes when she’s apparently discovered and she flees with an undercover agent of the League along with another orange. But even there, she discovers something horrible and runs once again this time meeting up with Chubs, Liam, and Suzume, a green, blue, and yellow respectively. Ruby finds out about East River, a safe haven for all kids affected by Psi. As they search for the East River, they grow closer and closer, especially Ruby and Liam, but Ruby can’t allow herself to bring the burden of her powers onto another. Especially when they have yet to discover that she’s an orange. But once they get to East River, they’ll discover secrets and betrayals hidden at the core with no way of escape. Until it’s too late.

The Good

I loved the characters and world building! Ruby was strong and selfless (a little too much sometimes…if you read the end, you’ll know what I mean.) and she was willing to fight for her freedom even when everything seemed lost. She somehow managed that even when she was broken and half dead already. She never allowed herself to really love Liam and even then, she kept him at a safe distance so that he would be safe and happy.

All the characters had their own complexities and pasts that made you understand why they were the way they were. Alexandra did an amazing job with writing the characters and their thoughts, pasts, and their reasons why they did something so that we understood everything and everyone.

The world building was awesome and I’m now thoroughly scared of America. The way that Alexandra Bracken wrote about the camps made me shudder so many times. It was just so creeptastic reading about them with all the cruelty and desperation that seemed to surround the atmosphere of the book. I. Absolutely. Loved it! The imagery was stunning and descriptions vivid so it just made the setting all the more brutal.

The Bad

I felt sometimes that at 10 years old, Ruby knew too much for someone her age and she was maybe too quiet? She just seemed way too mature for someone who was just experiencing pain. So much that I even got confused about her age at one point!

Another thing that made no sense: Why would the government basically put kids with powers in (basically) prison camps? It’s risky because of their powers. Didn’t they think that if all the kids rebelled they could kill everyone? Why not put those gifts to use? I just didn’t get it.

The romance! The romance was incredibly, incredibly, slow in the beginning (which is actually understandable) but at a certain point, all of a sudden, they were kissing all the time and pining for each other. It was quick sharp pivot and confused the heck out of me!

Overall:

The Darkest Minds was a stunning read that captivated me from start to finish! Sure, there were a few things that did irritate me, but all in all The Darkest Minds was a great read and I can’t wait for book 2! Because there BETTER be a book 2 after that cliffhanger!

Pages: 496

Series: Stand-alone (possible series)

Genre: Dystopia/Romance

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: December 18

Rating: 4 stars

 

"Blood was alive and warm on my face, dripping from my chin. The woman's eyes widened as my hand closed over her exposed throat, slamming her back against Betty's door. When her gaze met mine, I knew I had her."