Reading Teen

I feel like this book was SO CLOSE to being really good.

When I received DEFY in the mail, I was really excited. Fantasy is my absolute favorite genre, and there's just not enough of it out there. Then add in the girl who has to masquerade as a boy storyline, and yeah....it sounded like perfection (The Burning Sky was one of my favorite reads of the year!)

DEFY reminded me of a mix between Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. Immediately I was drawn into the story, and I found myself really enjoying it. The mystery surrounding why Alexa's parents were killed, the uncanny fighting ability that Alexa possessed, the fact that she had to pretend to be a boy to avoid the horrendous breeding houses, were all things that drew me in and made me want to keep reading.

From beginning to end, the mystery, the fight scenes, the storyline, and the characters all had me intrigued. But there was something about this book that consistently drew me out of the story and made it difficult for me to get through.

The Romance.

I can't tell you how bad it was for me. I don't know if others will have the same reaction that I did, but I almost couldn't take it. I swear it was like there were two different people writing this book, one that I loved, and one that almost made my eyes get permanently stuck in the back of my head. I rolled my eyes over this romance more times than I can count. It was just....cheesy. From the descriptions of the cliche gorgeous boys (with the warm brown eyes and the piercing/startlingly blue eyes), to the INTSA-I'M-IN-LOVE-WITH-YOU, to the constant manipulations, and the awkward dialog and declarations, it was just too much. Warm, brown-eyed Rylan was a total If-you-don't-like-me-I'm-going-to-treat-you-like-crap, creep. And Alexa would just apologize over and over...as if she did anything wrong....to try to make him happy. Yuck! Then there's Prince Damian. He wasn't quite as bad, though he did like to use manipulation to make Alexa feel badly for questioning him about anything...ever. Yet, even though she basically knew nothing about him, she just fell all over herself any time he even looked at her.

I feel a rant coming on.

I think this is one of those times that a girl is called "strong" because she can fight, and "act like a boy," but any time she was "acting like a girl," she was portrayed as weak, and that really bothered me. As soon as she was revealed as a girl, she suddenly became all starry-eyed and lived in a constant state of BLUSHING (seriously, I swear she was blushing every other page). She didn't stand up to Rylan or Damian, and she was constantly being manipulated. It just did not sit well with me.

Anyway...overall, I really did like the story. I feel like if this book had just been edited a little more, it could have been really fantastic, but for me, it just missed the mark. Maybe others won't have the same reaction to the romance that I did. Hopefully.

What a phenomenal ending to one of my absolute favorite series ever. Veronica Rossi has done something that so few authors have been able to do. She has created a series that was completely thrilling from beginning to end. There wasn't a single moment while reading these books that I wasn't completely engaged. There were so many times that I wanted to actually yell out loud because it was so exciting. Normally fight scenes are a little removed for me, but Veronica has a way of pulling me in, and making me love every minute.

There were so many things that happened in this book that I loved. Even the moments of heartache and fear. I loved how much she made me FEEL! Perry and Aria have a romance that stays exciting, and that is something that rarely happens in a trilogy. Even through their ups and downs, you could just feel how much they loved each other. My heart broke for them....though I can't tell you why, and I just ache for them.

One of my absolute favorite things about this series, is the friendships that are formed or strengthened. I adore the relationship between Aria and Roar. They love each other so much, and would do anything for each other. This is especially important now, while Roar is grieving the loss of Liv. It's fantastic how Rossi wrote this incredible, platonic relationship! Perry and Roar's relationship is tested, and it was so sad and sweet. While Perry holds his emotions in, Roar (as his name suggests, lets them all out with gusto. Watching them come to terms with the death of Liv, and their relationship with each other practically brought me to tears. Then there's Perry and Talon, his nephew. I adore the way that Perry loves him. Other surprising relationships are formed, and so many stories are expanded, it was all just so incredible.

As much as I loved it, there were parts that I was really sad about. I can't say I'm unhappy with them, because I can't expect everything to end perfectly, or the way I want it. Without suffering, and even death, it wouldn't be realistic at all, but it is still sad. The ending could have been a little more explosive, but that often happens with books that have so much build up. Even with the heartbreak, though, this book was everything I could have hoped for.

I can't wait until the rest of the world has read this book. I will be pushing this series on anyone and everyone that I can. (I love that I can do this with confidence, knowing that the series stays awesome the whole way through!!)

Veronica Rossi has made my AUTOMATIC BUY list. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!!

This was definitely my least favorite of the series. The two POV's were too similar (I actually switched to the audiobook to keep them straight, which was PERFECT). Before I switched to audio, I kept having to refer back to the beginning of the chapter to see who was talking. This doesn't happen very often to me when reading dual/multiple POV's. Also, I just didn't connect with this book like I did with Divergent. I think there was too much info (that wasn't that interesting) and not enough action/romance/interesting info. I mean, it was ok....but it wasn't the awesome I'd grown accustomed to. There was still a lot of bickering between Tobias and Tris, which I get, but it's kind of annoying to read.

The second half of the book got much more interesting and intense, however, and I found myself getting sucked back in. It's funny because everyone is upset about the ending, but to me, it fit. I don't think it HAD to happen like that, but I thought it was consistent with the character's established personalities, and frankly, I thought some of the characters were kind of dumb to NOT see it coming.

In the end, I feel kind of detached from it. I still love Divergent, and this didn't change that, but Allegiant, sadly, will not be a favorite. I can't wait to see what Veronica has in store for us next, though!

GUYS! WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME?!?!

I'm pretty sure I had this book at one point and gave it away. Why? Why? Why??? I really didn't know what to expect when I started reading it, and the beginning seemed cute, but simple. But, guys, I couldn't stop! I was up until 3AM reading this book because I made the mistake of starting it in the evening.

For those who don't know, Addie Coleman is a Searcher, which basically means that when she has a decision to make, she can Search both choices to see which ends up the best for her. Each chapter goes back and forth between her choices (whether to live with her mom with the other gifteds, or move with her dad to live in the normal world), where she develops friendships, and romances with the different people she encounters. As we follow her lives, things start to get a little strange, and just when you think you know which path Addie should take, you realize you might have made a terrible decision. I loved everything about this book. Sure, you could probably nit-pick it apart (kind-of similar to time travel books), but if you just go with it, you will find yourself lost in this incredible story. It's funny, sweet, exciting, imaginative, disconcerting, and sometimes heart-breaking, but always completely fantastic.

If you haven't read this one yet, YOU MUST!! And even though it could totally be a stand-alone, the sequel, SPLIT SECOND, is coming out soon (and I hear it's every bit as awesome)!!

Absolutely fantastic! The best book in the series! Not a dull moment, with fighting, heart-break, betrayal, hope, love and incredible romances. I loved every minute!

I really liked this book a lot. It wasn't my favorite (a little too much down time) but I'm so glad I started this series. I wasn't sure if be able to get past Froi's crimes, and I still don't like how intimidating he can be toward women when he doesn't get what he wants, but he's growing......and he's growing on me. Of course this ended in a giant cliffhanger which means I must stop this review now and go buy Book 3.

If you like this series, make sure you read The Thief (and following books) by Meghan Whalen Turner. And the best YA fantasy that I've read, The Demon King series by Cinda Williams Chima.

Reviewed by Andye's mom, Janeth:

I graduated from high school in 1970, over 40 years ago, but when I read some of these YA books the memories of those years seem all too clear. How well I remember the constant desire to "fit in", to be seen as part of the cool crowd, not to do anything that draws ridicule or gossip, to wear the right clothes. It was very hard to figure out who I was or wanted to be while still trying to be acceptable to classmates, teachers, and parents. This is the dilemma for Elise Dembowski. For whatever reason, Elise has no friends and is chronically unpopular. Elise believes that she has talents and abilities but none of them make her appealing to other students in her class. Finally after one more attempt to fit in fails, Elise decides to kill herself. This decision triggers events which open a totally new world for Elise. It is not all positive and she continues to make questionable choices, but at last she finds something that she can do well, take pride in and be accepted by her peers.

I enjoyed this story of discovery for a young woman who was lost in her own life. She learned some hard lessons along the way but she gained wisdom and life experience. She also went from distrusting everyone to realizing that some people actually are nice and helpful.

ReadingTeen.net

I am a lover of short stories. I love how much suspense a skilled author can pack into so few pages. I myself have written several short stories, and I have a lot of fun doing it. So to me, there's something extremely attractive about a book of horror short stories. And sure enough, I had started this book the minute that I received it in the mail.
Here's the thing about these stories: About half of them are completely action-packed, while the other half is... well, not. But this is in no way a bad thing; the stories that aren't action-ish are the ones that are incredibly smart, and really get you thinking. And I think I prefer those over the monster-hunting-people-down stories. The stories that subtly send a chill up your spine, leaving more of the horror to speculation rather than spelling it out murder by gruesome murder. The stories that keep me awake at night the most are the ones that aren't straight forward, but the ones that hint at something awful, leaving my imagination to do the rest of the work. So if you're looking for a book with monsters-hunting-people-down stories, this is a great book for you to read. But if you're like me and you prefer the thought-provoking stories that just beg you to think about think about them late at night, this is a fantastic book for you to read. I'm going to be recommending this book to any of my friends who enjoy a bit of horror. It was a quick, but great read.

-Austin
ReadingTeen.net

Naked. Naked Naked Naked. Ironically, what comes to mind first when I think of this book is that two of the main characters seemed to be naked all the time. At least, when they weren’t dragons. And it wasn’t like they were having sex, either. They just happened to get used to be naked, because switching back-and-forth between humans, smoke, and an awesome powerful dragon body doesn’t bode well for wearing clothing.

I don’t blame them. I like being naked too.

Of course, the plot of The Deepest Night has nothing to do with nakedness, and although there is a lot of wonderful romance, the story isn’t about sex (though we do have plenty of sexual tension). I just feel like I needed at least one paragraph in my review to note that there is a lot of nakedness in this book.

On the other hand, unlike the last book, this book is all about being dragons, rather than the discovery that the characters are indeed fantastical creatures.

One of the things I loved about The Deepest Night is that there was much more of a plot and active storyline. I absolutely adored the first book in these series, The Sweetest Dark. It was strange, unique, and it made me melt into a spectacular fantasy, in which I had no clue what was unfolding. It wasn’t until weeks later that I realized nothing actually happened in it. I mean, there was some random action at the end, but it was really a story of a girl’s discovery of herself.

This book on the other hand, had all the wonderful qualities of the first book- the amazing poetic writing, the mystery, the strange “callings” they all feel from the sky and stones. And of course, the main character, the delightful, broken, and loved Lora is still just as awesome (and snarky) as she was in the last book. Armond and Jessie are also still in this novel, but one of them is drastically different than in the last book, having since been transformed.

But, back to the plot- it was quite obvious from the beginning, with all the pieces falling together that this book was about a literal journey. Hence, in addition to all of the great things about the last book, there was also a lot more action as they traveled through a war-zone.

There was one or two things about this book which I thought were a little weird- the appearance of another girl which was never accounted for and the newest entry of Armond’s brother, who kinda made me a little uncomfortable. Maybe he is actually a great guy and all, but since I don’t know him yet - I guess we’ll have to wait until the third book to find out!

Taking place again during world war two, in England and Europe, if you love romance, fantasy, and just strange creativity, this book is beyond excellent. It is like a spectacular dream you want to disappear into, which somehow still actually makes sense. So go ahead and fall into this Deepest Night!

-Elisa
ReadingTeen.net

At a Glance:
Just Like Fate so good! Even though sometimes it was a tear jerker, I loved it! I really enjoyed how every other chapter was about what happens in one of the two pathways that Caroline chose for her fate. And in each life she falls in love with a guy. It's just brilliant. Which path is the better choice? Such a fun read.


Romance:
I loved the romance in this book, because she has two different lives with two different guys. Sometimes she would choose the wrong guy, but she would always end up with the perfect decision for her. Haha, my mom tore out a page with some adult content, so I have no idea what that was.


Heroine:
Caroline Cabot is a seventeen year old girl stuck on which fate to choose for her life. She was very witty and fun. She was never really annoying, just that sometimes, she would choose a very wrong pathway for her life.


Hero or Zero?
Joel Ryder = Zero: Definitely not my favorite character in this book. Sometimes he just really annoying. Sometimes I would like him, and then sometimes I would just hate him.

Christopher Drew = Hero: on the other hand... Is amazing. I would say that he is my absolute favorite character out of the whole book. He is just romantic, sweet, kind, very protective over Caroline, the most quirkiest guy and the entire story.


Favorite Supporting Character:
I really loved Simone. She was very funny, quirky, and always had Caroline's back throughout the whole book. She really just lit the entire book up.


Something I loved:
I liked the whole book altogether. I really loved the romance, the way the book was written, and I really love her Chapter Go life. Wait, when you read the book, you will totally agree with me.


Something(s) I hated:
I really didn't like Joel Ryder, his character is just a jerk. He was a womanizer, player... it got kinda a bad.


Cliffhanger?
Yes and no. It's really one of those books where you really don't know if there is going to be a sequel... But I really hope there will be... so the answer is yes, there is a small cliffhanger.


Would I recommend it?
Yes, I would recommend it to anyone that loves romance. I am definitely telling all my friends to read it, even my mother Amy.


Did my friends like it?
Yes, my friend Natalie loved it! She says its in her top favorites.

-Anna
ReadingTeen.net

Lina Vilkas lived quite happily with her father, mother and 10 year old brother, Jonas, in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania. It was June 1941 and Lina was looking forward to attending a summer art program where she would study with some of the greatest artists in Europe. Then on the evening of June 14, Soviet police entered the Vilkas home and gave them 20 minutes to gather belongings and leave their comfortable home. They were eventually put into train cars that took them to Siberia. Many of the people who were crammed into those cars didn't survive. Those who did were imprisoned for as many as 15 years.

This story takes us along on Lina's journey to Siberia. It is a journey filled with confusion, fear, anger, deplorable living conditions, and death. However, the underlying foundation of their lives is built on love and hope. These two pillars of faith keep the reader holding on throughout the book. The story is beautiful and horrifying all at the same time. It takes place at a time in history that most eyes of the world were focused on Hitler and his actions in Germany. The people of 3 small Baltic countries were, for the most part, ignored as the Soviet Union overtook them. I was unfamiliar with this part of the history of World War II and found it deeply tragic and moving. This is not an easy book to read because it doesn't spare us from the horror of life for the prisoners. However, it is also not an easy book to put down once you start it. I read it in less than 24 hours and resented anything that interfered. Books of this kind are so important to help generations to come understand what happened and prevent it from ever happening again. Congratulations Ms. Sepetys on writing a wonderful book.

-Janeth
ReadingTeen.net

At a Glance:
Okay, so I have a confession to make. This might make me a fiend in the world of YA, but here it is.
I don't like steampunk.
Yep. I know. It's awful. I don't know what it is, but the genre has just never appealed to me. Even when they turned the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender (one of my favorite shows of all time) into a steampunk-ish place in the new series, I hated it. So, judging this book by its cover, it would seem pretty steampunk. But here's the thing: it still sounded pretty good to me. So, despite inhibitions towards all things steampunk, I decided to give The Rithmatist a shot. And I am so, so glad that I did.

Cover:
As stated above, my first thoughts of The Rithmatist (judging by its cover) were that it must a very steampunk-type book. I mean, gears and a clock are all you need to see before making that assumption. But... this cover is still pretty darn cool. A+ work, cover artist.


Action:
After reading the prologue of this book, I was expecting to see quite a bit of action. However, this was not meant to be. Though the action scenes were fairly few, the book made up for this in other areas: a fantastic narrative, an intelligent mystery plot, and delightfully created characters.


Romance:
Though the romance in this book didn't pan out quite as far as I thought it could have, it was still there. It was more of a shy-love-type-thing; two characters who like each other, and kind of know that the other likes them, but are both unwilling to do anything about it. The relationship between these two characters was an extremely essential piece of the plot, so I'm not disappointed in how it turned out. But, I think it might have made for a fuller plot if Mr. Sanderson had done more with this romance.


Hero:
Joel was a very likable character. Being very intelligent, he was the one sneaking about and finding clues to the mystery in a very Harry Potter-ish way. He did not lack humor, which I find to be very important for any lead character in a novel, and the way his character expanded with the plot was just fantastic.


Favorite Supporting Character:
My favorite supporting character was Professor Fitch. An old, wise teacher of Rithmatics, he was just pretty awesome all around. Especially in the action scenes later on in the book.


Something I loved:
I loved the originality in the entire book. The art of Rithmatics was extremely well explained, which helped a lot, and the entire thing was pretty awesome. At the beginning of each chapter, there are diagrams dipicting different forms and skills that Rithmatists use, and that alone was one of the more enjoyable aspects of the books.


Cliffhanger?
I didn't really feel like this was a cliffhanger, but the ending did set up very nicely for the sequel.


Would I recommend it?
Most definitely. This book is fantastic for about just about anybody 7th grade and up. Even if you don't like steampunk.


Will I buy/keep it?
This book will be displayed proudly on my bookshelf for long to come.

-Austin
ReadingTeen.net

I absolutely love these books by Trinity Faegen. She is great at telling a romance love story with an alpha-dog male as a lead role. This is the third book in the series. The Mephisto brothers are the sons of Mephistopheles who is known in German folklore as a demon or the devil. In this series their father is the gatekeeper of Hell. The only way for the Mephisto brothers to enter Heaven and be redeemed is if they find their one true love, and actually fall in love with her. Trinity is picking off Mephisto brother after brother in each book, writing about how they find their one true love (Anabo). Eryx (evil brother) is still out to make their lives miserable and take their Anabo for himself. Satan actually has a good deed moment, it was a little unnerving. I've never experienced a "go Satan" moment before. In The Mephisto Mark, Phoenix is the one to find his Anabo, and it's about time.

This series is very good. Give the first two a try, I cannot seem to find where to purchase this book exactly, I will post a link as soon as I can find one. The Mephisto Covenant (Book 1) and The Mephisto Kiss (book 2) are available for purchase through Amazon.

-Amy
ReadingTeen.net

There are few sequels that completely satisfy me as a continuation of a book I love. I am very glad to say that False Sight fits that statement perfectly, at least in my mind. To me, this installment of a completely epic trilogy was every great thing about the first book and more. Exciting action, suspenseful suspense, and amazing plot twists. Oh boy, Mr. Krokos is a fan of the plot twists. Not a single one is predictable though; with each turn in this story, you will be shocked. You will be on the edge of your seat. You will be incredibly entertained.
This is turning out to be a series on my favorite's shelf. I flew through these first two books in a matter of days, and I am very impatient to get my hands on that third book.
Mr. Krokos, you have brought my hopes up greatly for the final book in this series. I have complete faith that you will make it just as incredibly awesome as the first two.

-Austin
ReadingTeen.net

The Bourne Identity is one of my favorite movies ever. Sure, super-spy with amnesia sounds a bit cliche, but there's just something about that kind of plot that is just so gosh darn cool. So of course, I just couldn't resist reading False Memory.
I was ecstatic to find that it wasn't just some cliche plot. Yeah, it started out sounding a bit familiar, but the further I delved into this book, more originality and complete awesomeness was found. The pacing was fantastic. There was not a single moment in this book in which I was not entirely engrossed. Krokos has a serious gift for his narrative. Every action scene (There are many, I assure you) is explained in such satisfying detail, each fight sequence so intricate that you will never want to put this book down, even after you've finished it.
With some more mature content in this book, I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who isn't at least an older teen. However, if you're comfortable with this material, you are in for one heck of a ride.

-Austin
ReadingTeen.net

First off I would like to give my biggest thanks to Feiwl & Friends for sending me this book.

I believe this is one of the best books in the history of books, for me it's Harry Potter, then it's Cinder/Scarlet/Cress. It's just a perfect bled of action, romance, and suspense that when you start it you can't put it down. It took me about four hours to read this five hundred fifty page book.

To me all of the characters just seem to be like pieces of a puzzle how they all fit into a perfect place among the others.

Getting down to it now.

Quick Overview

Well in this book Cress is a girl who is a Lunar Shell, rescued from death to work as a hacker to track down Cinder and her crew. But when Cinder contacted her (in book one) she realizes that she doesn't want Queen Levana to take over Earth. So instead she helps the crew from her satellite tower. When she finally contacts them for help everything goes awry. Now they're all split up, Scarlet has been captured, Throne and Cress are on her falling satellite, then Cinder is left with an injured wolf on a stolen ship on her way to find Dr. Erland. You follow three different stories and around seven different views, not all of them consistent.

Favorite Characters

Captain Carswell Thorne. He is funny, Charming, and just awesome. He is the flirt of the team that every book just has to have. It was like the author read my mind, he did almost everything I wanted him to in Cress and it was awesome.

Romance

Well there is the obvious couple Wolf and Scarlet. Then there is the fighting romance between Kai and Cinder. Then there is a new couple in this book, but I won't tell. I think the blend of people and romance is just perfect and I love it and so does every other person I know who has read these books.

Action

The action is something that really is suspenseful. Like it comes in the blink of an eye and leaves as quick as that. But in the brief moment so much happens that you freak out.

If you haven't started reading this series, DO IT NOW!! If you have, you will love where this book takes you next!

Thanks,
Reagan