September Girls by Bennett Madison

Goodreads Blurb

When Sam's dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn  to him. 
Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here.

Oh, it's case of the deceiving cover again. I mean, the cover was absolutely gorgeous and the synopsis was definitely intriguing! But the actual story was, I found, very different from what I expected. 

So the first thing was the writing. It was a bit awkward sometimes and the cussing was...extreme. Every few sentences and almost every paragraph had a cuss word and it got super old super fast. The way it was written was also a bit awkward and while there was an air of mystery surrounding the story, it was also a bit obvious and a bit boring.

Also, *spoiler* the way to break the curse was also pretty messed up.

The plot also left a lot to be desired for. It didn't have any twists whatsoever and was actually pretty boring most of the time. It was nice to read, I guess. But what really disappointed me was that we never found out exactly what the girls were, and their parents...didn't make a whole lot of sense. We never went in depth with their situation, and since the book really sort of revolved around that, the story lacked. Also, very repetitive and there were a ton of things just suddenly popped out at you that made no sense whatsoever.

I was also a bit confused as to how DeeDee was really that different. The only reason she was "different" was because she'd rather read than party, but for all he knew, she was the only one he stumbled in on. It was coincidence after coincidence and it got super frustrating seeing DeeDee actually act like all the other Girls. 

Sam was also pretty shallow--and oh my gosh the number of times I wanted to punch him are innumerable. 

What I did like? The switching POVs. We got few glimpses into the supernatural world through this other POV which I can't reveal, and those were, by far, my favorite chapters. I did like Kristle though, despite her faults, and found her a strangely refreshing blunt kind of character, even if I did want to strangle her sometimes. (No, all the time)

Characters. Flat, obnoxious, disgusting, sex-crazed, etc.

The book sort of not really redeemed itself in the fact that it had a sort of impact on me and hit me as one of those raw kind of books. Maybe not beautiful, and maybe not gritty, but somewhere in-between. It's one of those books that you can sort of understand, not on a fictional level, but in the message the author was trying to send. But oh, it was so not worth the read. 

But, ermm, if I may offer a sort of snarky version of this review? (I restrained. I'm sorry. But)

Okay, I really wanted to punch all the characters so many times for being idiotic, drug addicts, and so demeaning, especially the guys. It made me want to throw a brick at something, preferably something glass. So the way it was written was sometime pretty, and it did give a raw message, but still. The characters? The plot? Eh. Also, hello? Can we please get some closure? I possibly hate this, and sort of like it because of the rawness. I think. My feelings are mixed. So mixed. But seriously. Lots of drinking, mostly sex, lots of objectifying, and a lot a lot a lot of anti-feminism/females-are-only-good-for-certain-ahem-things.

Pages: 256

Genre: Supernatural

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 21, 2013

Rating: Uh. No.

Book Haul + Weekly Recap

SO I DID ANOTHER VLOG. I hope you don't throw tomatoes like it!

Oh wow. Awkward. I know. You should start bringing out the tomatoes now.

RECEIVED
Our Song by Jordana Fraiberg
Hysteria by Megan Miranda
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris
Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
Nantucket Blue by Leila Howard
Gated by Amy Christine Parker
Beautiful and Cursed by Page Morgan
Spirit and Dust by Rosemary-Clement Moore
Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab
Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield
Coda by Emma Treyvane
The Program by Suzanne Young
Golden by Jessi Kirby
Parallel by Lauren Miller
The Ward by Jordana Frankel
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Ink by Amanda Sun
Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Weekly Recap
Chosen at Nightfall by CC Hunter
Reboot by Amy Tintera
Waiting on Wednesday
The Rules by Stacey Kade
The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Goodreads Blurb

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.
Literally.
Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.
Then Eli’s dream comes true.
Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Haha, remember how excited I was for this? So much that I sent in an ARC request the DAY the cover was released? And then I put Nightmare Affair TWICE without knowing? Yeah.

The Nightmare Affair definitely lived up to my expectations!

I loved Dusty! She was such a smart alack and I loved her recklessness! Most of the time! As fiery as her red hair, Dusty was definitely one of those headstrong characters you just had to love--those she does act impulsively often. But she definitely made up for it with her wisecrack jokes that made me LOL (no seriously.)

But, my favorite character by far, was Selene. And no, not just because I ALWAYS wanted to change my name to that. She was a Siren who was against the "objectification of sirens as sex objects" which was so AMAZING. I loved her! Seriously. 

The romance was seriously amazing. It wasn't slow at all and you could just feel it coming! Not to mention, Eli was perfect for a YA love interest! Though he did have his moments. You know when you want to shove two people who you KNOW like each other, but won't admit it, together? Yeah. It definitely made things interesting though! And made for some hilarious moments.

The plot was a bit predictable though, and I desperately wanted to point out the obvious to Dusty. She seemed to have a habit of trusting the wrong people. Although, admittedly, I wasn't even close to discovering who the biggest antagonist was. I was too caught up in...other things.

The first half of Nightmare Affair was a bit slower than I'd expected, but still enjoyable! We learn about the world of the paranormal and it was so much better than typical werewolves and vampires, faeries, and the regular ones. Mindee Arnett manages to mention Sirens, Psychics, Wizards, Hags, Faeries, Mermaids, Demons, and more! I loved the world she created with the world split into 3 different magickinds based on how they get their power--it was fascinating to learn! The author manages to twist the usual typical paranormal school/camp and turn it into something original which, by the way, is super hard to do considering all those books! Not to mention--hello? Nightmares?

Absolutely, I'd recommend this for fans of the Shadow Falls and the Hex Hall Series! The Nightmare Affair is a perfect read for readers who are looking for an original paranormal mystery and it definitely has me waiting for the next one! (I promise that's not just because of Eli and Dusty though.)

Pages: 367

Genre: Paranormal

Series: Arkwell Academy #1

Publisher: Tor Teen

Release Date: MArch 5, 2013

Rating: 3.5--->4 stars

The Rules by Stacey Kade

The Rules was really a great read and, if it'd been a contemporary, would've received a full five stars, but as a sci-fi, it lacked a bit. We never saw much of Ariane's alien side or much of her powers, except for a few occasions. It didn't really play a major role until maybe the last part of the book, though, and that was a bit disappointing. We also never really understood much about her...condition, which was also one of the setbacks. I do think that the book set up the sequel nicely for a hardcore sci-fi novel though! So I'm definitely anxious for book 2!

This book, at first, really sounded like a giant revenge plot going on. It was definitely interesting, but another thing that made it seem more contemporary than sci-fi...so there was that.

Ariane was definitely a great character! She was an easy character to understand and I loved reading from her POV. There's no count for how many times sympathy welled up in me for her. Always having to hide, always having to be careful. And having such a bee (I ban myself from cussing) as a best friend. She was definitely a strong and fiery character who hated standing back. She was stubborn and always believed in doing what she was right, and was so adamant in doing the right thing, even when it just stabbed her back.

Our love interest was also pretty cute! I'm always one for character changes and Zane seemed to have gone through a pretty rough one when his mom left. Suddenly he's not as cruel or ignorant as his friends and he really did see Ariane. Their romance was absolutely adorable and sometimes I just wanted to scream and tell him what Ariane was hiding. He was worried without being completely overbearing which is something I've realized happens a lot in these kind of books! He pried away her slowly built up wall and it was wonderful seeing them fall in love! 

The plot was definitely unpredictable. I was surprised time and time again and, while it didn't help with the sci-fi, I do love a good revenge plot! The ending chapters were some of my favorite though! For reasons I can not say. But they were super good and I loved the plot! It definitely kept me on my toes! 

The Rules was an amazing book and one I wouldn't mind recommending over and over! There's definitely a great set up for the sequel and I can't wait to get my hands on it! 

Pages: 416

Genre: Sci-fi

Series: Project Paper Doll #1

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: April 23, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Waiting on Wednesday

Winterspell by Claire Legrand

To find her abducted father and keep her sister safe from the lecherous politicians of 1899 New York City, 17-year-old Clara Stole must journey to the wintry kingdom of Cane. There, Anise, queen of the faeries, has ousted the royal family in favor of her own totalitarian, anti-human regime. Clara's only companion is 18-year-old Nicholas, Cane's rightful prince, whom she freed from a curse that left him trapped in disfiguring faery magic -- but time is running out, for both Nicholas and Clara's family. A deadly secret threatens to destroy Clara and Nicholas even as it binds them irrevocably together. And the land of Cane is anything but sweet.

Full of seductive faeries, dangerous magic, bloody swordfights, and forbidden romance, WINTERSPELL is a retelling of the classic ballet The Nutcracker, as you've never seen it before.

 I've heard a LOT about how awesome Claire Legrand's debut MG, Cavendish Home For Boys and Girls, but I'm honestly not a big MG fan...BUT NOW THERE'S A YA BY HER AND IT HAS FAERIES AND MAGIC AND ROMANCE AND *GASPS* SWORD FIGHTS. This will be epic. We all know I'm a giant fan of faeries and, oh my, I see there's an evil Queen. THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE. (Did you catch that?!)

Reboot by Amy Tintera

Goodreads Blurb

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).
Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.
The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

I've been absolutely aching over this title and I was beyond excited to get this from Edelweiss! Kickass assassin heroines and a dystopian society? Oh my gosh, yes. And Reboot didn't really disappoint!

The world first line immediately grabs your attention and the first chapter just hooks you right in. It was impressive and I loved seeing how the society worked and what it was like for Reboots. It was strange though, that they were supposed to be less human which I take to mean more emotionless, but they definitely felt annoyance and hatred and all. Though if we're just calling them monsters, then that was definitely a sort of accurate description. I sort of wish we'd learned more about the virus though!

I loved Wren's character. She was so kickbutt and independent and I loved that! I enjoyed seeing her character evolve and have her gain some more emotion along the way, though it was a bit annoying having this amazing, strong character become a lovesick one within pages. Thankfully, she got back on her feet after a few chapters!

Callum was an interesting character who, at first irritated me. I get that killing humans didn't seem right to him, but he had to have understood that it was either his (and Wren's) life or the criminal's. I did eventually warm up to him, but it definitely took a while. Though it was definitely amusing reading his little quips!

For a book like this, it's no surprise that the action was completely unbelievable. It was quick paced and left you absolutely breathless! There weren't many twists, but for a book like this, it honestly didn't need any! I loved seeing their *spoiler* escape and how resourceful they could be. The action scenes were vivid and absolutely grasping!

The only thing I didn't like at all, was the romance. Like I said, Wren was such a strong character, but fell so quickly. It was pretty much insta love. She couldn't get him out of her mind, and he was suddenly everywhere. Then she breaks her routine and trains him instead of her usual higher numbers. It was irritating and it may have something to do with why Callum annoyed me at first. 

This was definitely a thrilling read that captured my attention immediately. It was fun and definitely one I'd recommend! The ending leaves you aching for more, though it doesn't immediately cut you off. It shows us what humanity is and that we can believe any lies if given just a small amount of proof. It has a faint underlying sense of emotion and, mixing that with the thrill and the anticipation of the plot, this book is definitely a great debut that dystopian fans should prepare themselves for! 

Pages: 352
Genre: Dystopian/Sci-fi
Series: Reboot #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Rating: 4 stars