Talon by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ember and Dante are a rare sent of dragon twins. They are hatchlings who are being assimilated to live among the humans. Garrett is a member of the Order of St. George, whose mission it is to hunt and kill all dragons. They meet and have instantaneous forbidden attraction.
Ember doesn't realize she is being trained to be part of the Talon elite group of assassins called Vipers. Once she finds out she begins to question all she knows. Luckily, there is a rogue dragon, Riley, who has been hanging around. Once she finds out Talon's plans for her, she runs to Riley. Riley tries to convince her to run away and become Rogue, and help save other hatchlings from the evil Talon.

I read Firelight by Sophie Jordan a few years ago and was hoping the stories would be different. I guess there is not much you can do with dragons who can become human except have them question their existence and get involved in a love triangle.

While I like the concept of dragons as main characters, I do not think I will be reading the rest of this series.


View all my reviews

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a pretty amazing book! I hardly ever do 5 stars! It is so unique!

Lira is a monstrous siren who has been collecting the heart of the prince for her birthday for the past 17 years. Elian is a prince who would rather be on the sea; he has sworn to kill the siren he calls The Prince's Bane, who killed his best friend.

Lira's cruel, power hungry mother, the Sea Queen, expects all the ocean creatures to bend to her will. Lira tries to make her proud, but fails. The Sea Queen punishes her by turning her human and ordering her to get the Prince's heart.

Elian does not want to be King, he just wants to stay on the sea. He finds Lira in her human form and "saves" her. He hears of a way that he can kill the Pirate's Bane once and for all, and set out on a journey to a different land with Lira attaching herself to the group hoping to solve some problems of her own.

This story is very unique. The storyline flows smoothly, although I found myself reading faster because I wanted to see what was going to happen! The chapters are told from different POV, sometimes Lira and sometime Elian. What I found very intriguing about the writing was that when you started the chapter, you weren't sure whose POV it was, but it didn't matter! It fit either character. The character development was very well done and very believable. I loved how snarky they were with each other.

The writing of this story was amazing! I am looking forward to reading more from Ms. Christo!


View all my reviews

Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. I loved it!

In the near future, Cassie (nicknamed Lola) is competing to be part of a top secret mission. She has to compete with other young adults to travel to a distant planet. She has always been the top in everything she does, and finds it much harder than she could have ever imagined.

All of the characters are well developed and intriguing. Even the ones I didn't like! The story flows very well. The ending was very much a surprise! It was very unexpected and a little unrealistic, but this is a science fiction novel!

I higly recommend this book and cannot wait for the sequel!!!


View all my reviews

The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stephen's mother is in a mental institution and he and his dad have to move back to his dad's old town. They move in with a grandmother, who is rude, uncaring and unforgiving. Seventeen year old Stephen meets the mysterious twins, Devon and Cara on his first night in town. He becomes in enthralled with Cara's beauty and the fact that she likes him back only adds to his "love at first sight". Devon is just as enthralling to Stephen at first. He has that mysterious cool, and he invites Stephen to become a part of his mysterious group of friends. They hang out at the cemetery which they call "The Playground".
There is an old urban legend in Spencer, that a human scarifice to some nightmarish creatures will change the bad luck that has afflicted the town.

This book reminded me a little of The Lost Boys with Devon and his mysterious friends. The story was very quick to read and flowed. It was also a little scary and creepy! (which I love!) I would have like a little more detail on the supernatural side. If you are looking for a quick read that will keep you awake at night, I recommend this book for you.


View all my reviews

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel a little guilty giving this book only 2 stars. I think if I had read it BEFORE I read Holding Up the Universe, I would have rated it higher.

Theodore Finch is obsessed with death, although he has never officially tried to kill himself. Violet has recently lost her sister in an accident from which Violet survived. They meet up in the bell tower at school. Everyone knows that Finch has always been a little different, so even though Finch talks Violet off the ledge, everyone assumes she was the one that talked Finch off the ledge. So begins a friendship. Violet and Theodore work together on a project where they have to explore and get to know Indiana. During their excursions, they get to know each other and grow close.

I felt like the characters were too perfect visions of their mental issues. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it almost seems like they are both textbook cases of what there issues are. While the story does deal with mental issues, I don't think the characters are believable. The dscriptions of the activites they do were great, but I don't feel like the story flowed.

If you want to read a 5 star Jennifer Niven book, read Holding Up the Universe.


View all my reviews

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Will's brother Shawn was shot and killed yesterday. Today Shawn needs to follow "the rules" and do not cry, don't snitch, and do get revenge. He finds Shawn's gun in his drawer and sets out to do what is expected. But what if he's wrong? During the elevator ride, Will encounters some things that make him question the rules. What if the rules are wrong?
This heartfelt book is beautifully written in verse. The story flows and pulls you in until the very end. The characters are well developed. Not only will fans of Jason Reynolds enjoy this book, but any Young adult book fan will thoroughly enjoy this heartbreaking yet engaging story.


View all my reviews

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First off, I want to say that I love this cover!
Marguerite's father has recently been killed by someone she used to trust. Her parents have invented a device called Firebird, that is used for interdimensional travel. Marguerite and her parent's trusted assistant, Theo, use the Firebird to try and hunt down the person they think killed her father. The Firebird allows them to inhabit the body of themselves in that dimension. They interact with many different versions of people around them. The story is full of twists, turns, suspense, and surprise.


View all my reviews