Random Musings of: the Iron Fey

So I'm just randomly thinking how almost every Fiction Freak has that one series/book that we're addicted to. For some people it's Twilight (Ugh, shoot me. No offense to those who like it though, it's just my opinion), for some it's the Soul Screamers series. Others, it's the Hunger Games, Harry Potter. Mine? THE IRON FEY SERIES!!!!! WHOOO!!!!  If there's anything that has to do with the Iron Fey, I usually know it. Basically, I'm the Iron Fey Stalker. Yeah...I've read every character interview, every author interview, hell, I've read every REVIEW of the book! And I start to thinking why I love this book.

I mean, some of my friends thinks it's OK, but I'm addicted to it. Why? I have no clue. It just pulls me in, it makes me feel as if there really is something out there like the Iron Fey. It's about the ultimate sacrifice throught the entire book, a forbidden love with the complete opposite, and a love triangle with your best friend. I know that there are SUPPOSEDLY a lot of books like that, but this one just seems...different.

Random Musings: OVER

Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Goodreads Blurb

Gabby lived under the radar until her makeover. Way under. but when she started her senior year as a blonder, better-dressed version of herself, she struck gold: Billy Nash believed she was a the flawless girl she was pretending to be. The next eight months with Billy were bliss...Until the night Gabby woke up on the ground next to the remains of his BMW without a single memory of how she got there.
And Billy's nowhere to be found.
All Gabby wants is to make everything perfect again. But getting her life back isn't difficult, it's impossible. Because nothing is the same, and Gabby's beginning to realize she's missed more than a few danger signs along the way.
It's time for Gabby to face the truth, even if it means everything changes.
Especially if it means everything changes.

So because I'm new to the whole blogging/book reviewing business, I don't receive ARC's. I just have to deal with whatever books I buy from Amazon or Barnes and Nobles, or library books. But, thanks to a certain giveaway on Goodreads, I finally managed to get my hands on Where it Began, which comes out in March. You have NO idea how much I was screaming when I found out...this was basically my face:

O.O

Yeah, basically. Anyways...this book is so similar to Stolen in so many ways, but so different in so many other ways. It warmed my heart. It broke my heart. It made me cry and made me smile. Gabby's the kind of girl who just wants the perfect, the safe, life to live. And so she becomes the picture of perfect and catches the eyes of Billy Nash. Or does she? Because when things are getting tough, when she can't remember anything about the accident that crashed Billy's car and took her memories, he's not there. And he only communicates with her through Instant Messaging. And in public? He's once again the boyfriend of the slu* of the school. But it's just an act, right? To protect her. That's what it is.

As much as I could connect with Gabby, I really didn't like her. She was blind in some situations, desperate in others, hostile when she shouldn't be, and consenting when she should've fought back. These were the things that stuck out, the things that I didn't like much. The things the irritate me. But then, how would you react if what happened to her happened to you? So I can't very well judge Gabby (especially since we were seeing things in her POV).

I can't say I was all-knowing when it came to the ending of the book, but I did suspect a few things. What actually happened though, shocked me out of my mind. It made me think. What happened in that book should never happen to anyone, but that stuff happens almost everyday without us knowing. It makes me think that sometimes the "perfect" life is the "fake" life, that there's not one single person who is perfect in all ways. But that's my philosophical side talking.

To be honest, it wasn't the summary that got my attention. It was the cover. I know, I know, we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but who hasn't? I entered the giveaway, not really expecting to win. But I DID!!! And I am so grateful that I did. So if you see this book in the bookstore and you don't think it sounds that great, read the first few pages, then judge. The blurbs don't always give you the full blow of a book.

Pages: 384
Series: Stand-alone Book
Genre: Realistic/Mystery-ish/Romance-ish

Rating: 5 stars

"Whoever I am, I'm pretty sure I'm not her"

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Goodreads Blurb

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

So I am participating in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge hosted by fiktshun.com! Click here to go to the page. The funny thing is, this review was already half done! Anyways, on with the review.

This paranormal romance book is completely original and extremely addicting. Kaylee, who we should know is a banshee, at least, I hope we all know. If not, I'm sorry for ruining that for you. Anyways, Kaylee has no idea what or who she is until suddenly she almost screams in the middle of a bar. Almost. That's when Nash, popular boy, comes in to save the day. Mysteriously, with his changing eyes, he helps her swallow the urge to scream. Very intimate moment if you know what I mean. ;D

So since Fictionworld has been consumed with vampires, demons, and angels, it's nice to see a change of creatures. It's amazing that no one has thought of it before, but I can't think of a better way to write about them than Rachel Vincent who has made me change my mind about my favorite Supernatural creature. I absolutely loved Emma and Tod! Emma was the sweet friend who often was the other part of Kaylee and Tod was...well, he was Tod!

I loved how one thing led to the next...then the next...then the next. Chain reaction. I LOVE IT! The description of the Netherworld made me actually creeped out even though it shouldn't since it wasn't that scary, but thinking that...ugh. Never mind. Read it, and you'll see what I mean. Or is that just me?

With a spin on the bean sidhe legend, Miss Vincent makes us truly realize that sometimes the strangest things can make sense. The betrayal, the sudden romance, the witty comments make me absolutely fall in love with this series and I can't wait for book #6!

Pages: 258
Series: Soul Screamers #1
Genre: Paranormal/Romance

Rating: 4 stars

"He took both of my hands, twisting to face me more fully on the flattened box beneath us, and again the colors in his irises seemed to pulse with my heartbeat."

Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

Goodreads Blurb

Heaven Help Her.

Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.

The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times-bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test.

As the sequel toNew York Time's Bestseller, Halo, this book exceed ed all expectations. At only 18, Alexandra has blown away all readers around the world with Halo and continues to do that with Hades, and later on in Heaven, the third (and maybe final) book in the halo series.

In the first book, Bethany Church, an angel, falls in love with Xavier which isn't good to put it bluntly. Jake Thorn, a Prince or Hell, arrives and tries to woo Bethany into his arms and instead gets banished by her brother Gabriel. Ms. Adornetto could've done so many things in Hades, so many different roads to take this story, but this was one I didn't expect. not until I read the blurb that is.

Different from so many paranormal stories, Bethany and her siblings, Ivy abd Gabriel, aren't fallen angels, or Nephilim, but angels straight from up above. This fact itself makes it original (I used to think that angels with halos and giant wings were pretty stupid. Now? Tch. AS IF!) , but Hades makes this tale a legend in the book world. An angel kidnapped by a lovesick demon, and brought to hell. WHO has ever done that before? It's deliciously original.

I loved Bethany. She was weaker than Kaniss, Juliette, Meghan, Nora, all of them. But really, you have to expect that. She's an angel. She isn't that used to the "evils of the world" that we see every day. But the fact that she was one step away from killing herself for just one glimpse of Xavier really did piss me off. I'm all for romance. But desperation for one look? No. Just no.

I loved the description of Hell because it's so much more complex (wait...don't smite me God!) and interesting than a giant lake of lave like so many people imagine. Everyone loves a little flash from the past, so when a certain ghost shows up and gives us a new insight of life, we're all happy!

Alexandra Adornetto somehow adds moral with a romantic fantasy at a young age and inspires so many o fus young writers that we can get published too!

Pages: 424

Series: Halo series #2

Genre: Romance/Fantasy

Rating: 4 stars

"You make me feel things, Beth. That´s why you have to stay. Hell´s whole lot brighter with you in it."

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Goodreads Blurb

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

This story, called the "New Hunger Games", is absolutely amazing. Never once has a heroine been so deadly without meaning. Juliette, a scared, vulnerable, yet deadly girl who has been dragged from her family without her consent at the will of her parents, of all people. What she did was hard on her too. And yet she's thrown into a prison for something she regrets doing every day. She vehemently refuses to touch anyone for fear of doing what she did so long ago. I loved her.

Ms. Mafi writes in a way that makes you aching for more addicted to the story, she also lets you actually feel Juliette's conflict in herself. Like writing a journal, the book has some words crossed out to add more of a...pull you could say. It made me shake my head thinking "She's trying to ignore all this." But I could see why she would feel that way. She's scared. She's not exactly weak, just scared. Scared of hurting someone she loves. Scared of hurting anyone, really. So when she finds out that there's one person she can touch without hurting, she's wary. Why can she touch that person and no one else? I'm sure that question ran through many readers' heads when they found out.

For a while, the action got a bit slow, but what happened next made up for it. Who would've guessed the ending? I'm sure some people have, but I was expecting something completely different. Not that it matters *hastily waves you off* Anyways, this has to be one of the most depressing and wonderful dystoian romances ever! Next to Delirium, Across the Universe, and Wither of course. *winks* I honestly think that this will turn into a Bestseller if you just give it some time. It certainly has the potential, and when the sequel comes out, people are bound to notice it! And then there'll be me, the little helper to push it along.

This should have been in the beginning of this rather short review, but I'll just put it here: This story is about a girl who faces impossiblilities, who suffers under guilt and fear. It has romance, but it certainly doesn't revolve around the blossoming love like some. It's about standing up to be who she wants, not being called a monster, facing the world when all odds are against her.

Pages: 338
Series: Shatter Me #1
Genre: Dystopian/Romance

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

“The world is flat. I know because I was tossed right off the edge and I've been trying to hold on for seventeen years. I've been trying to climb back up for seventeen years but it's nearly impossible to beat gravity when no one is willing to give you a hand. ”

Juliet Immortal by Stacy Jay

Goodreads Blurb

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

So many of us readers have read, or at least heard about, the tragic love story Romeo and Juliet. And if you haven't heard about the original play, then at least you know Gnomeo and Juliet, right? Anyways, I absolutely love retellings, or anything that twists a classic piece. If you look at my bookshelf, you'll find many retellings of faery tales!

At first, I have to admit, I was afraid this might ruin my image of Romeo as the most romantic lover, and thank goodness it didn't! Romeo still loved Juliet, just in a sick, twisted sort of way. But besides that fear, I was hooked once I read the blurb above. This story gives you a view of things that you'd have never expected, and if you're a Shakespere fan, I can almost promise that you'll abandon your hopes of finding your own Romeo and look for your own...wait, sorry, almost let out a spoiler! I'm sure you'll want to know though, but nah, you'll just have to read it.

One of my favorite parts of this, is the ending. Usually, I hate finishing a book because the ending always...I don't know, ruins things I guess. But this one I loved. It's so unexpected, so deliciously shocking, and so obvious! I can't believe I missed it, but when I look back, there were so many hints that I didn't catch! The turn of events had me jumping saying "nononononononononono!!!!!!!!!!" And...it still happened. I'mnot happy about that.

What ticked me off,  (come on, you should be used to these by now) was that the results of what happened weren't very...realistic. I keep thinking of what could've happened in this...alternative ending, and I keep liking that ending more and more. What happened wouldn't have happened in "reality"! You don't always get second chances. Another thing was that over and over, Juliet kep thinking, "I can't do this! He's supposed to love someone else! And I can't fall in love!" Which really just got annoying every time she thought it.

But all in all, it was a good book, so...yeah. oh, and watch out for book #2, Romeo Redeemed! I sure will!

Pages:307

Series: Juliet Immortal #1

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Rating: 3 stars

"And I know he is mine. For now, for the rest of our lives, no matter what comes next."