Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Goodreads Blurb

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

Hysteria was an absolutely amazing read! Before I started this, I was a bit hesitant to read it--it had an excellent premise and all (and I did like Fracture!), but the reviews I saw were...let's just say, less than positive.But after reading it...I just don't understand. But we're all entitled to our opinions, right?

But for me, Hysteria was spectacular! It really did have me at the edge of my seat and I was definitely frantic throughout almost the entire book! A thriller this definitely is. I swear. Whenever the words "Boom. Boom.Boom" appeared on the screen (by the way, I accidentally typed scream there at first. See how creeped out this book made me? I'm such a puss) I swear that was my own heart beating. I couldn't believe some of the developments and if you were there when I was reading...I would apologize for putting  you through my continuous gasps and shouts of "NO!"

Mallory was without a doubt an unreliable character and we all love those. Sometimes I had no idea whether I could trust her since all this evidence was just pointing at her. I was almost a hundred percent sure that she was guilty of these crimes, but I could never be certain. Not to mention it seemed as if she'd been hallucinating quite a bit. Oh the creepiness.
There were a lot of flashbacks that really added to the story, and I almost started liking the flashbacks more than the actual plot! Only for ten pages though, I swear!

So there were a few things I didn't really like, but I didn't hate either.

I couldn't really connect with Mallory as a character, but I definitely didn't find her as annoying as some. She was honestly a bit flat but I did love watching her interactions with other characters and how she reacted to things. She didn't really let anyone under her skin, but I think that as a result, we didn't really get to know her as well as I would've liked either.

The romance was also, in my opinion, rather underdeveloped. Reid just kept believing that Mallory was innocent of the, let's say, disturbing events. I'm not saying she wasn't or was, but I sure as hell wouldn't think her innocent. And he believed her all because of one meeting at a funeral? But that scene was really touching I guess.

Hysteria is a compelling read that I'd recommend to all thriller and possibly a few paranormal fans as well, if you're looking for something new! Hysteria is an eye catching book that has an interesting premise and definitely lives up to the hype! Fans of Megan Miranda's debut, Fracture, will definitely adore this one!

Pages: 336
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Series: Stand alone
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: Feb 5, 2013
Rating: 5 stars

Bruised by Sarah Skilton

Goodreads Blurb

When Imogen, a sixteen-year-old black belt in Tae Kwon Do, freezes during a holdup at a local diner, the gunman is shot and killed by the police, and she blames herself for his death. Before the shooting, she believed that her black belt made her stronger than everyone else -- more responsible, more capable. But now her sense of self has been challenged and she must rebuild her life, a process that includes redefining her relationship with her family and navigating first love with the boy who was at the diner with her during the shootout. With action, romance, and a complex heroine, Bruised introduces a vibrant new voice to the young adult world -- full of dark humor and hard truths.

Oh my GOSH! Abrams publishes some of the best books, EVER.

Bruised definitely surprised me! At first I thought this would mainly be Imogen going through work and school, being comforted by friends, feeling numb, having a steamy romance, but it was so much more to my surprise!

This book, I think, is more about relationships and accepting that no one can change the past. It's about realizing your own strengths and weaknesses, and I don't thin I could describe it any other way! It was definitely a heartfelt novel that tugged at some strings. I didn't cry, but throughout the second half of the book, when things get deeper and darker, the entire time, tears were pushing to get out.

The number one thing about this book are the relationships between Imogen and all these characters. There was Hunter, her mom, her dad, Ricky, Shelly, Hannah, DJ, and so many other secondary characters. I really can't explain it but something about the way that these relationships were...they just managed to get to you! The ones that I felt stood out the most?  Hunter who didn't seem to know why his sister hated him and I did sympathize with him, but Imogen definitely had a reason to be pissed at him; her dad who was trying to do his best, and loved Imogen, who just missed the guy her dad USED to be--before diabetes, before it looked like he gave up; DJ, who left Imogen alone when she needed a friend the most. I can actually relate to this and can definitely say a friend like that? They don't DESERVE to be my friend and I loved Imogen for still fighting to stay strong.

Just wanted to give you a glimpse. :)

Now, the romance aspect of this honestly wasn't important. It was the finding someone who understood that was significant. And I loved Ricky! He was sweet and had his cute flaws (like laughing when he's nervous! Which isn't a flaw, but I still had to mention) and he put up with Imogen. Even when she punched him straight in the face. Ouch. He was honestly the perfect guy for Imogen! Talk about a match made in heaven!
As for Imogen herself, she was definitely one of those lovable flawed characters who still annoyed you sometimes. But hey, my friends annoy me sometimes but I still love em!

Throughout the book, Imogen struggles to not only come to terms that the gunman died, but also that she can't remember anything, and seems to think she and Ricky hid under the tables the entire night.
SPOILER.
That's not what happened.
But Imogen is definitely one of those strong heroines in a totally different way. She's out to prove herself and throughout the book, we see little bits and pieces of what made her her, and why she feels this way. The way that this is written is unbelievable because it somehow helps you connect with the plot more.

Like I said up top, this book gets a lot deeper and sadder in the second part of it. Something just sparks this hopelessness and it makes everything so much more raw. The first half isn't bad, but it doesn't seem as serious as the second half. (But when they say dark humor, they mean dark humor.)

Did any of this ramble make sense? Prrrooobbaaabbllyyy not. But here's the entire thing in short:
Read the book, buy the book. It's incredibly well written and I think everyone should read it, or at least understand what Imogen is going through. It's a hearbreaking book that you will absolutely love!

Also, ABRAMS publishes some of my favorite books.
*Just want to clarify that my love of this and for ABRAMS is not because they sent me free copies of books. They seriously publish good stuff. SPLINTERED and THE STORYTELLER, anyone?*

Pages: 288
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Stand alone
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Rating: 4.5--->4 stars

Book Haul +Weekly Recap

Helllllloooo Hello Hello! It's been 3 weeks since I did one of these and I've gotten TONS of books. I was going to do a vlog (Because of all you people who asked...) but decided not to since I ended up reading all the ones I got. Or, well, most of them. Also, there's a lack of pictures because I stupidly shelved them. Instead, you can have a giant list of titles. Fun, isn't it?

Also, packages? Missing again. I SUSPECT THE NEW NEIGHBORS. But that's probably just me.

Review
Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards (from author)
OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu (from S&S)
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (from St. Martin's)
Override by Heather Anistasiu (from St. Martin's)
Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey (Blog Tour from Edelweiss)
How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller (Edelweiss)

Traded
If I Lie by Corey Jackson
Endlessly by Kiersten White
Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Bought
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Revel by Maurissa Guibord

Yeeahhh. Lots! I loved pretty much all of these, but I haven't gotten to Override and didn't like OCD Love Story at all. It had such a great premise though. My favorites out of all of these were Phoenix, How to Lead a Life of Crime, Boundless, and City of a Thousand Dolls. Revel was AMAZING too though!

Dualed by Elsie Chapman
Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans
Waiting on Wednesday
Vortex by Julie Cross
Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Goodreads Blurb

Love or life.

Henry or their child.

The end of her family or the end of the world.

Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

Is it possible to have a book blow away your expectations but be disappointing at the same time? Because The Goddess Inheritance was.

But let's work our way up. Why was it disappointing? Kate, Kate, Kate. She was such an annoying character in Goddess Inheritance. While I can understand her situation, she just wasn't the same fearless heroine we had in the last two books, though that may be because of Milo. But I just couldn't grasp how different and weak she was, how dependent she was, and that irritated me to no end. She was so...ugh. She always thought she could help with something, and ended up messing everything up. She thought she knew everything and then she knew nothing at all. She would be so angry at her friends then it turns out the reasons wasn't plausible. In short she was naive, irritating, useless, and weak. I wanted to throttle her so much. However...

I still loveloveloved how the original Greek gods could be portrayed in these modern people who know the going ons! Carter did a perfect job of transferring old fashioned stuffy gods into still stuffy modern people who represented their...realms? Well. The worldbuilding was wonderful guys! and we finally got to see Olympus and more of the Underworld! As creepy as it seems, I love seeing how an author writes the Underworld/afterlife. They're all completely different and completely filled with imagination! 

Psh, as if this book could be slow in any way! There were barely any breaks between the action scenes or the ginormous twists or the sweet little baby scenes. So I say "as if!" to anyone who even suggests that the plot was disappointing and slow. It really wasn't. It really, really wasn't. I think that's all I can say! But don't worry, it's not done in a way that just throws information at you, promise!

What else, what else? Everything else was just so wonderful already. Except for the romance, which irritated me since this time around, I didn't really feela s if Kate deserved Henry. No, it has nothing to do with Henry himself! Him with the baby was too cute for words!

Pages: 384
Series: Goddess Test #3
Genre: Greek Mythology/Romance
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Release Date: February 26
Rating: 3.5 -->4 stars

Vortex by Julie Cross

Goodreads Blurb

Jackson Meyer has thrown himself into his role as an agent for Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all time-travel-related threats. Despite his heartbreak at losing the love of his life, Jackson has proved himself to be an excellent agent. However, after an accidental run in with Holly—the girl he altered history to save—Jackson is once again reminded of what he's lost. And when Eyewall, an opposing division of the CIA, emerges, Jackson and his fellow agents not only find themselves under attack, but Jackson begins to discover that the world around him has changed and someone knows about his erased relationship with Holly, putting both their lives at risk all over again.

Vortex...ummm...well, goodbye my brain. You weren't helpful at all with this book, were you?

Vortex was beyond confusing for me. I totally forgot the happenings of Tempest (which I read around 10 months to a year ago...) so just jumping into this series was definitely surprising since we start exactly where Tempest left off. 

The time traveling rules...wow. My brain is too small to absorb this. I was completely confused and in the dark, reading all this professional sounding things that made absolutely no sense. World A, World B, World C, bouncing of World B, no World C, erasing their relationship, killing off past selves--WHAT?! Oh my God, I have a headache already. But I understood almost nothing in this book and I honestly don't feel as if it was described well for readers to easily understand--unless you're secretly a Tempest agent or you're incredibly, incredibly smart. (But I have to admit, once you understand it a bit, it sounds incredibly legit!)

Not to say that finally seeing the extent of what Jackson can do (or at least, I think extent) was boring! I loved it when he experimented, bringing us to past events that were completely different. I think that they were my favorite parts, but we definitely see the toll it takes in that cliffhanger!

A fun part about this book was the agent training which definitely piqued my interest! Come on, don't you love reading about this stuff? Not to mention that we learn about a few new characters who we officially meet in training! One who, honestly, got on my nerves and just loved to be Jackson at everything. But she definitely stirred things up! 

Even so, Vortex was a highly enjoyable read! There were definitely a ton of twists that made me snap the book shut and scream at the wall (Oh my, that sounds mental, doesn't it.). It was just completely shocking how some of these twists that just completely utterly shocked me. It's been a long time since I've been fully shocked like this! Vortex was action packed on every page and I found myself aching to pick it back up every time I put it down!

Unpredictable and wild, (and, comparing this to the thrilling feelings I remember after reading Tempest--about the only thing I DO remember), Vortex lives up to Tempest and it's hype and it's definitely a thrilling action book that I think both kids and adults (and in between) will enjoy and love! Especially the sci-fi fans that search for these kinds of books!

Pages: 352

Genre: Sci-fi

Series: Tempest #2

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: January 15, 2013

Rating: 3.5--->4

Waiting on Wednesday

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

For Feyre, the downfall of her merchant-class family into poverty wasn’t easy, but after five years, she’s starting to get the hang of things. Hunt, and her family lives; fail to catch anything, and they starve. It doesn’t help that her two older sisters are lazy and ungrateful, or that her father hasn’t bothered to recover from his misfortune, but Feyre is managing.

All that changes when a ferocious beast barges into their cottage, demanding that Feyre come live with him as payment for plucking an ordinary forest rose. Dragged off into the night, the beast brings her to a beautiful manor located in Faerie, the mysterious and deadly lands bordering the mortal world. There, he sheds his animal skin, and reveals himself to be Tamlin, a young, handsome Faerie Lord.

But the estate is overshadowed by a curse: each of its inhabitants wears a mask permanently attached to their face, and Tamlin is no exception. Despite her initial desire to loathe Tamlin and his world, Feyre soon finds herself attracted to the Faerie Lord by more than her curiosity.

Just when Feyre accepts the depth of her feelings for Tamlin, they’re torn apart by forces so dark that there’s little hope of standing against them. But Feyre has endured hardship before, and she refuses to accept that her happiness could be forever stolen from her. Resolving to save her beloved and discover a way to break his curse, Feyre sets out into Faerie, where unknown challenges and dangers await, and where her love and strength will be tested in ways she never imagined.

I've actually been eyeing this for a while and this is what I think--Sarah J. Maas with Beauty and the Beast, Tam Lim, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon? There's only one way this could go and it's absolutely brilliant! Ever since I was what? 7? I've been reading stories that were either not written by the Grimm brothers or were lesser known stories. And out of all the ones I've read, East of the Sun, West of the Moon remains my absolute favorite. So seeing this? Then reading that haunting synopsis? Oh my oh my OH MY! I'm practically desperate for this and I'm ready to build a time machine to 2014! Yeah, you heard me right. That far away. Now you feel my pain.