Book Review: Amelia Anne Is Dead And Gone by Kat Rosenfield

SYNOPSIS:
An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent. Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.
Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.


MY REVIEW:
Oh. Man. This book. I am really starting to like coming-of-age stories. I really enjoyed the writing in this book. It was very unusual yet understanding. I totally liked the MC, Becca, from the beginning. I liked how she wanted to get away from her small town where everyone gossips and everyone knows everyone. I can kind of relate to that! I didn't like her boyfriend from the beginning. He was a total asshole and if that was me, I would have never forgiven him for doing something that shitty to me. I liked how Rosenfield had a totally separate part for just Amelia alone. It really showed the reader how Amelia came to be where she was found. A couple of the parts were rather scary to me! I didn't think the book would have that kind of effect on me, but it did. And at the end when Becca found the silver cigarette case in James' glove box! Oh my gosh. Biggest plot twist of my life! I totally expected Craig or one of the men they already arrested to kill her. But nope, it wasn't them. And I felt really bad for Becca when she went to Craig's funeral and said she was sorry to his father and he turned his head. I mean, I felt bad for Craig too, but she kind of made them beat him up. I didn't expect him to die... I liked the book overall but some of the parts I was a little confused at and there were parts that I didn't know where she was or if she was telling the whole thing in flashback. That made me not understand some of the story. I gave this book a 4/5 stars and I hope to read more Kat Rosenfield in the future!

Book Review: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

SYNOPSIS:
One kiss could be the last.
Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.
Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.
Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.
But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.


MY REVIEW:
J. Lynn never fails to impress me! I loved this book! This is one of my new favorites of the year. I cant wait to continue the series. I liked the main character, Layla, and how she didn't take anyone's crap. Her and Zayne's relationship was excellent. I love how they had that brother/sister connection (even though she had a crush on him...) and how he treated her like somebody important and not just the half demon she was. That's why, when she started hanging out with Roth, I didn't like how she kept it from Zayne. I feel like she should have told him. I get that she didn't know whether to trust him or not, but he wasn't the one she needed to stay away from. And speaking of Roth, OH MY GOSH. He is freaking fantastic. He reminded me of Daemon from J. Lynn's Lux series. That's one of the parts I didn't like. I felt it was a lot like Obsidian and I just wish it was more original. And, I felt that Layla and Roth's connection was moving WAYYY too fast. Like, way fast. Let me just tell you about Roth's tattoos... HOW FREAKING COOL. They move off his skin. I want one! I also didn't understand some of the back story of the demons and Wardens. It was a little confusing. But that ending! I almost cried. I miss Roth so much. But hes most likely alive and will come back...at least I hope. Layla was so sad. I was too! I overall gave this book a 4/5 stars! 

Book Review: My Life In Black And White by Natsaha Friend

SYNOPSIS:
What if you lost the thing that made you who you are?
Lexi has always been stunning. Her butter-colored hair and perfect features have helped her attract friends, a boyfriend, and the attention of a modeling scout. But everything changes the night Lexi's face goes through a windshield. Now she's not sure what's worse: the scars she'll have to live with forever, or what she saw going on between her best friend and her boyfriend right before the accident. With the help of her trombone-playing, defiantly uncool older sister and a guy at school recovering from his own recent trauma, Lexi learns she's much more than just a pretty face.

MY REVIEW:
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time to be read and no wonder I was putting it off. This book made me so mad. So, from reading the synopsis, you would think because something terrible happened to her you would have sympathy for her. NOPE. I had sympathy for her the first 10 pages after the accident. After that, she wanted everyone to feel bad for her and gather around and have a pity party. Ehhh, and that's where the story lost me. Lexi was totally mean to her sister and I am so glad Ruthie told her off! That was probably the best part of the book. I was cheering Ruthie on! I also didn't understand how Theo actually liked her. Oh, and ALL her friends were totally bitches. This book just made me so mad throughout the whole thing. I would have given only 1 star, I gave it two out of five stars because Ruthie gets one all by herself. She didn't put up with anyone's shit. I feel like I relate to her... Anyway, yeah, I didn't like the overall plot to the book, the characters or the dialogue. I also felt the ending was really rushed, so you didn't get a full depth explanation of how things happened. Bleh, I wouldn't recommend this book. Obviously only to people who are looking for someone who are selfish and stuck up.

Book Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

SYNOPSIS:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. 
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. 
Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

MY REVIEW:
You know how I said in my Angelfall review that I don't go into hyped-up books with high expectations? Yeah, well my mistake was going into this book like that. I didn't enjoy this book at all. I thought our MC Celaena was going to be a total bad ass. WRONG. After years of working at a salt mine, wouldn't thoroughly hate the person who put you there? I definitely wouldn't be going along with the required life style. She is trying on dresses, doing her hair and reading. I pretty sure I laughed and thought to myself "WTF is she doing?" throughout the whole book. I also didn't like the ancient faerie part of it. I don't really see how that went along with the huge battle for champion. They don't even work together! The book was just too long and annoying as hell. I was only going to give it one star, but I ended up giving a whole star to Chaol. He was the only person I liked in this whole book. He was the only character I looked forward to reading about. Now, HE was a BAD ASS! I just felt that this book was all over and events didn't really connect with each other. Gosh, this book was dumb. I laughed at the writing style and laughed at the dialogue. I will definitely NOT be continuing with this series. (2/5 stars)

Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

SYNOPSIS:
It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.
Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.
Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.
Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Recommended for ages 16 and up.


MY REVIEW:
THIS BOOK IS FUCKING FANTASTIC. I didn't want to have high hopes going into this because well, I never have high hopes considering I don't want to assume its good. But oh my goodness. This book. I hadn't read a fantasy/dystopian in a long time so I was totally ready for this book. It was action packed by like the fifth page! I couldn't stop reading it. I loved the main character, Penryn. She was a total bad ass. She fought hard for her sister and didn't take any shit from anybody. Especially the other main character, Raffe. They are the best killing partners EVER. If I were to fight with one of them, that would be fantastic. And their sexual tension, let me tell you... Okay, I wont because I don't want to spoil you but A++.  And, I usually don't go for angel books, but this one hit the mark. The ending was fantastic and I need the second one ASAP. I recommend for anyone who loves fantasy or dystopian and kick ass characters!

Book Review: The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

SYNOPSIS:
E. Lockhart’s spot-on dialogue and descriptions of painfully but hilariously relatable situations make this young adult novel an addictive read.
Fifteen-year-old Ruby has had a rough ten days. During that time she:
* lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list)
* lost her best friend (Kim)
* lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket)
* did something suspicious with a boy (#10)
* did something advanced with a boy (#15)
* had an argument with a boy (#14)
* had a panic attack
* lost a lacrosse game (she's the goalie)
* failed a math test (she'll make it up)
* hurt Meghan's feelings (even though they aren't really friends)
* became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)
* had graffiti written about her in the girls' bathroom (who knows what was in the boys'!?!)
But don't worry. Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.

MY REVIEW:
I went into this book thinking it was going to  be totally middle grade because I don't even know why. I just thought it would be a little young for me...but that was not the case! I liked this book. I liked Ruby as a character and was constantly laughing at her little side notes. I liked the whole concept of this book and was glad she learned something with each guy she went through. (That totally makes her sound slutty, but shes really not...) I also liked the therapist too. Oh, and Angelo, Gideon and Noel. Yeah, they are probably the only people I liked in this book. Every other guy was a total asshole and her parents drove me freaking insane! I hated the parts with her mom and her dad was annoying AF! Seeming as I only gave it 3/5 stars, there was more that I disliked than liked in this book. I think the big reason I disliked this book was because of her "best friends". They were honestly pieces of shit (Along with all the boys I didn't like). One basically stole her boyfriend, one talked shit about her and one totally ditched her.  I felt the ending was summarized way too fast. I actually wanted her to end up with Gideon or one of the nice guys and that  didn't happen. (Oh well.) I liked this book from a younger reader's stand point like middle school but I just think I'm a little old to be reading this stuff! I do want to continue on with the series though, just for Ruby! 

February Wrap Up and March TBR! 2014

This month, I got a decent amount of reading done. It wasn't as much as January or what I would have liked to have done, but it was okay. I completed a total of six books and started a few other. There are reviews for all the books I read on my page under reviews!

This Girl by Colleen Hoover --> 4/5 stars

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell--> 4/5 stars

Styrofoam Throne by David Bone --> 1/5 star

Just One Day by Gayle Forman--> 2.5/5 stars

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen--> 3/5 stars

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry-> 10 million/5 stars

As you can see, I read a couple good books and a couple bad books. I also started a couple books I hope to finish in March. That's pretty much my TBR right now, I might read a couple more on my shelf, but Id like to get these ones done first. 

Adventure of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (For school... :p)

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

The Truth About Guys by Chad Eastham
Divergent by Veronica Roth (Considering the movie is coming out this month!) 

Enjoy your reading month!