Origin by Jessica Khoury

Goodreads Blurb

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home—and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.
Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia’s origin—a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.
Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost. This is a supremely compelling debut novel that blends the awakening romance of Matched with the mystery and jungle conspiracy of Lost.

Um wow. Just wow. I’m so impressed by all the Breathless Reads so far and Origin has just made me love them even, more!

Origin is an amazing debut and I really wish that a sequel will be on its way, but sadly…it won’t. But Pia and Eio are definitely some awesome characters and I’m hoping that there’ll be at least a short story for them after the ending of Origin! (Please? Pretty pretty please?)

I loved the world of Origin. Or, rather, the description of it. It’s the real world, but the way that it’s described seems way more enchanting. Maybe it’s because it’s set in the Amazon or maybe it’s just Jessica’s writing. Maybe both. But the world and descriptions are amazing and…magical? Even if it’s a sci-fi book. Origin definitely has some amazing descriptions and scenes that I’d kill to see! Apparently, I’ve had this secret craving to see the Amazon. Huh. Who knew?

The thing about Origin is the development you see throughout the story. Not just character development, but something else. Slowly but surely, you can almost feel Pia’s trust shift from her family of scientists to the wild boy she meets secretly and starts falling for.

But there’s more than just that. Pia herself goes through changes. In the beginning, her dream was always to become the lead scientist in the Immortis team, creating more Immortals, more perfects, like herself. But when things start getting suspicious and the Wickham test (A test designed for each scientists specifically, making sure they’re prepared to become an Immortis scientist) getting more brutal, her hackles are raised and she starts searching for answers herself. Suddenly this protected, whiny (bragging-ish) girl suddenly becomes this independent strong character who I loved reading about.

And speaking of characters, can I use these three sentences on Eio? Eio is extremely sweet and caring and I loved his character! Have native and half…scientist? He’s different and he’s strong, being the perfect match for our Pia. He’s just SQUEE worthy!

There were so many mysteries in Origin, some predictable, others less so. All of them contributed to the plot, though, and I did end up shouting “I knew it!” a lot while reading Origin. Origin is an original story that bakes your heart skip and your jaw drop. It’s a stunning debut (there’s a reason it’s called “Breathless Beauty”!) and I can’t wait to see more from Jessica Khoury! Even if it’s not a sequel. Sighs. But Origin is definitely one you should add to your TBR pile and read ASAP!

Pages: 372

Series: Stand-alone (cries)

Genre: Sci-fi/Romance

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: September 4

Rating: 5 stars

"Afer I shove the chair back in place, I plop down on it and wait for my nerves to stop humming while Alai stretches on the floor below me. That's when I see the hole in the fence."

The Dark Light by Sara Walsh

Goodreads Blurb

Mia is torn between two guys—and two worlds—in this epic, romantic fantasy.Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she’s concerned, that’s about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town.

That is, until Sol arrives. Mia’s not one to fall for just any guy, but she can’t get Sol—or the brilliant tattoo on his back—out of her mind.

Then Mia’s brother goes missing, and Mia’s convinced that Sol knows more than he’s sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol’s not who Mia thought he was—and neither is she.

(You guys, I had reviewer’s block so if I’m redundant, sorry! I’m afraid I may squeal too much if I unleashed my full thoughts. Redundancy is the best I can do!)

Crownsville is a town where strange lights dance across the sky, lights that are enchanting, but usual. In this small town, Mia lives with her little brother, Jay and her Uncle Pete, a guy who’s not that reliable and comes home late at night. Everything’s normal, but kids have been disappearing almost every week near Crownsville. Then, Sol enters the scene. Mysterious and older than he says with a giant tattoo on his back, Mia’s more than suspicious. Then Jay gets kidnapped and Sol is there. But no matter what Sol says, Mia knows that she saw a hooded figure and that the lights are part of it. And that Sol knows more about the kidnappings than he’s letting on. But…exactly what?

ZOMG you guys have absolutely no idea how much I’ve been dying for this book! When I got it in the mail, my mouth literally dropped open and I started squealing. So. Much. I forever love S&S. but honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into. Me? I was thinking “Vamps? Weres? Nah, too cliché. Maybe…another paranormal species that Sara created?” but you guys, you guys, it was way better than all that! I was in another world. (Literally)

The world-building? Absolutely amazing. Creating a new world is never easy, especially when it’s like a parallel universe except with demons, magic, a tyrant, and that “destroy-the-known-world” plan. It seemed creepy, dangerous, and enchanting all at once and I found myself drawn into the world, waiting to see what else was in it, what else I would discover about it. It wasn’t too far-fetched and explanations for things that couldn’t be possible (as in, would be too far-fetched even for books) made sense.  

Mia was, in short, annoying in the beginning. She kept whining on and on about her brother, thinking she could save him, but messing things up in the way. But, like all characters, she ended up growing on me. I have to give it to her though; she was strong and she was stubborn. In the good ways, of course! She just had this quality that made you love her as a character!

Sol definitely fit the whole mysterious-hot-love-interest persona perfectly! He was definitely protective of Mia and had his share of secrets. I loved him and I think he was definitely a fit for Mia! He’s quiet and careful, but at the same time, risks so much. Eep! Squeal time. Haha, I think I’m gathering too many book boyfriends!

As for plot, some things you could definitely predict, but about 80% of the story surprised and shocked me! It was unpredictable and full of action. I loved it and it kept me on my toes throughout the entire book. What would happen next? What secrets would be uncovered? You had no idea until it actually happened and I’m pretty sure the entire house heard my squeals of surprise! Plot twists were definitely full in number here.

Walsh deftly weaves an incredible story full of twists and action in an unpredictable world. The Dark Light is a page-turner for sure and you’ll love everything: romance, characters, plot, world. Intriguing and magical, the synopsis doesn’t do it justice! There’s way more underneath the cover and I loved it all! Definitely pick this one up soon!

Pages: 496

Series: Standalone

Genre: Paranormal/Romance

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: August 28, 2012

Rating: 4.5 ---> 5 stars

"In the second I broke from the trees, the light reversed its course. It expanded rapidly, up and out. Like a gateway to Heaven, it was brighter than anything I'd seen. (...) A few feet more and he'd walk right off the edge of the Ridge and plunge into the river below."

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Goodreads Blurb

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.
Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.
The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.
Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

(Possibly the most non-professional review in the last 4 months. Before that, all reviews were bad. )

I HAVE. SUCH. MIXED. FEELINGS. ABOUT THIS BOOK.

Jane definitely one of my favorite characters. She seemed to think she was better than everyone; the kids in her group home because she was smarter and got into the Birch Grove Academy, but better than the Birch Grove girls because she clawed her way from the bottom. In fact, even one of the secondary characters stated “…acting like you don’t think you’re better than them, when you do because you did it on your own.”. She annoyed me so much and seemed shallow and pathetic. She was attracted to Lucky because he was handsome and rich and tutored him to be nearer to him and get money. Really? And this was when she literally just met him. Meanwhile, she immediately hated Jack, Lucky’s brother which annoyed me furthermore because hey, I’m definitely a fan of him! But the pathetic part? Even after everything Lucky had done, she was still obsessed with him, still longing for him and I wanted to rip her throat out.  So. Badly. AND she was so, so blind about who she liked, and what made her “alive”. Sigh. And, just throwing this out there—who gets in a car with someone you met once in a store?

On the other hand, the writing was absolutely lovely and smooth. It flowed well and told the story beautifully. I was instantly captivated by the prologue and the mysterious things happening at Birch Grove sealed the deal. Secrets were everywhere and while I predicted one (Well, sort of. Let’s just say that no one sparkles.) the rest blew me away!

Throughout the entire book. I fell asleep thinking about what would happen next in this book and I was not disappointed.

As for world building, it was definitely a bit…mixed. And as a sort of spoiler, science (mutations.) and supernatural (Lady of the Wood) were swirled in Dark Companion. I loved that while Jane uncovered each secret, other things were happening, things that didn’t seem very important then, but were suddenly essential clues to the ending. This book, admittedly, doesn’t have many plot twists, but it’s paced quickly and the few it had definitely shocked me! Dark companion isn’t all fight-action-y, but it has this subtle-action. Is it bad to compare it to politics bookified? Because it was definitely like that, in my crazy logical way.

In a few words, Marta Acosta can weave a scene, a world, a feeling, missing nothing. Main character aside, Dark Companion was an amazing gothic romance perfect for late-night reading  daytime dreaming! Definitely pick this one up soon! It’ll stun your socks off for sure!

Pages: 368

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Gothic Literature/Romance/Supernatural

Publisher: Tor

Release Date: July 3

Rating: 3.5--->4 stars

“It's a mystery to me why extraordinary young women insist that they're normal.”

Blog Tour: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Hey! As part of the blog tour, I'm THRILLED to say I'll be
interviewing the *coughs* sexy *coughs* Kaidan and Anna, the heroine of Sweet Evil!

1) So what were your first thoughts when you a) first saw each other

and b) first introduced?

K: I thought she was a cute assassin who’d been sent to kill me.

A: (laughing) Shut up. You did not.

K: Alright then, but I didn’t trust you. I didn’t know what game you

were playing with your colors

showing, pretending you didn’t know anything.

A: Yeah, that whole meeting was weird. I thought you were a cocky jerk

with no emotions.

K: Ha! Not far off.

2) Kaidan, have you ever felt bad about what you and your friends do to humans?

K: From time to time. But mostly I don’t let myself think about it. I

think it’s the same for the others

as well.

3) What do you think is in your near-future? In romance and other.

K: (chuckles and mumbles) I can barely keep up with what’s happening

this moment.

A: (glances at Kai and blushes) I really don’t know. Romance...it’s

sort of off the radar right now.

4) What has been the weirdest moment in your life? As in,

can't-believe-that-just-happened

weird?

K: Well, there was this one time when I was snogging this bird and she

made me stop. That was

bloody strange.

A: (blushing fiercely) For me the strangest moment was when I

discovered I could smell

pheromones. Actually, it’s still weird to me...don’t look at me like

that, Kaidan.

5) A friend wants to know (and I'm curious myself), you have a lot

of...talents right, Kaidan?

K: *grins* That’s what I’m told.

Well exactly how many accents/languages can you do?

A: (giggling) He’s terrible at accents.

K: Okay, fine. Accents aren’t my thing. But I speak three languages:

English, Spanish, and

French.

6) Anna, how does it feel, being tugged in both ways?

A: I don’t mind being tugged in the angelic direction—it keeps me safe

and keeps my mind open to

how others feel. But when I’m tugged toward the darkness I feel like

I’m losing myself, and the

only way the panic will end is if I give in. It’s scary and exciting

all at once. I hate it.

7) Ok, so say some author (hypothetically, let’s say her name was

Wendy Higgins) decided to       

write about your story (in Anna's POV!) so far, would you read it? Why/why not?

(Anna and Kai look at each other)

A: That’d be weird, but I’d totally read it.

K: I would as well. Just to see what Anna’s thinking.

A: No fair.

K: *laughs*

8) Anna do you ever regret meeting Kaidan and discovering your heritage?

A: Sometimes. The whole “ignorance is bliss” thing, you know? But once

you have the truth, it’s not

really something you’d ever want to give back. The truth is always

worth knowing, as long as

you’re willing to face it and do what’s necessary with it.

9) If there was one thing, just one, you could change about

yourself what would it be?

K: I’d be taller.

A: You’re already, like, six feet.

K: I know. But I could stand to be taller.

A: Hm. Well, I would choose to have tougher skin—not to let everything

affect me so strongly,

emotionally.

10) Worst thing you've ever done. Which is going to be pretty bad isn't it?

K: No comment.

A: Er...I told a lie about Kaidan once. It was stupid. And then there

was the hotel room...but

anyway. What’s the next question?

11) Anything else to say to your fans and soon to be fans?

A: Don’t let Kai fool you—he’s not as bad as he seems.

K: Don’t let ANNA fool you—she’s much worse than she seems!

(Anna smacks his arm and rolls her eyes, blushing again.)

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you guys again!

A: Thanks for having us!

K: Yes, cheerio and all that.

BAHAHAHAHAHA. I couldn't stop laughing (or giggling) over these! And hey, you all want to read that hypothetical book that's hypothetically titled Sweet Evil, right?

 Sweet Evil Blurb
Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Short Author Bio

After earning a bachelors in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until becoming a mommy. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.

She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, daughter, and son. Sweet Evil is her debut novel.

Contact
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Kaidan's Twitter

 

Waiting on Wednesday

Ashes on The Waves by Mary Lindsey

Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.

With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make a wager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.

Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem Annabel Lee, Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Goodreads Blurb

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

The thing about Beautiful Disaster is that it had so many...unrealistic things going on, so I know I shouldn't like it, but on the other hand, there's a lot of stuff going on that makes me love it. It's that drama-filled book that honestly seems as if it would be better as a script for a movie, rather than a book. But it was so fun to read through and you know how in certain books/movies your chest feels all achy? I can name 3 parts where that happened to me! But eep! this was one disturbing book sometimes.

Honestly, the relationship was so...wrong. Completely messed up. They were best friends. Then they made a bet which Abby lost, so she stayed at Travis's apartment for a month. At the end of the month, they do it. Then she leaves in the middle of the night. Then he's pissed. then (I think. I kind of got a bit disturbed) they get together. Then they're the talk of the school and a guy hits on Abby. And Travis literally hits the guy in the face. Hmmm...and after that, it gets more dramatic and more twisty. And a bit more messed up. But it was sweet and the times they broke up (...mainly because of Abby now that I think of it.) was so extremely sad.

Travis is extremely violent and possessive, but there's something abou thim which makes you love him. (No matter how many people he punches...) Abby was actually really annoying sometimes, but I, for some strange reason, was always on her side when she and Travis broke up. Meh.

And even though this is Contemporary, there is no way any of this would actually happen. It's something that you'd wish could happen, but know it can't. But I really wish it could! It's one of those books which mainly teens will enjoy, adults not so much. You read it and if you don't overthink it, you'll love it for sure! But once you start wondering the whys and hows...it turns out not to be so good after all.

Pages: 361

Series: Beauitful Disaster #1

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: August 14

Rating: 2.5 stars---> 2

“To douchebags!" he said, gesturing to Brad. "And to girls that break your heart," he bowed his head to me. His eyes lost focus. "And to the absolute fucking horror of losing your best friend because you were stupid enough to fall in love with her.”