Review: The Graces

The Graces by Laure Eve
The Graces #1
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: September 6th, 2016
Source: Book Expo America
Date Read: 8/23/16 to 8/24/16
352 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰

In The Graces, the first rule of witchcraft states that if you want something badly enough, you can get it . . . no matter who has to pay.

Everyone loves the Graces. Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer Grace are captivating, wealthy, and glamorous. They’ve managed to cast a spell over not just their high school but also their entire town—and they’re rumored to have powerful connections all over the world. If you’re not in love with one of them, you want to be them. Especially River: the loner, new girl at school. She’s different from her peers, who both revere and fear the Grace family. She wants to be a Grace more than anything. And what the Graces don’t know is that River’s presence in town is no accident.

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I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.

Have you ever got to the end of a book, put it down, and giggled at it questioningly, and wondered what the fuck you just read? Because that is me, right now, with The Graces.

Seriously, this very much reminded me of Wink Poppy Midnight, which if you remember, went completely over my head. Now The Graces didn't go over my head, I did get the point. But it was just so...what's the word, farfetched, excessive, I think even melodramatic fits here. Yet even so, I still didn't mind reading it, if that makes any sense. It was a quick read, and even though at times I was like "what", I was thoroughly pulled into the story.

The Graces tells a story of "River", who desperately wants to well, be a witch. Ever since "falling in love" with Fenrin, she's obsessed with being noticed by the Graces. This includes Summer, Thalia, and again, Fenrin. And although she does get in with them, the ways she does so seems slightly, stalkerish. For one, she acts completely unlike herself. Faking her friendship with Summer, pretending to act indifferent when around Fenrin. It's a huge act, and one she surprisingly pulls off.

Well a little. To the reader it's very obvious where her true thoughts lie. And that's where I slowly shy away from liking River. I mean, would you like it if your best friend was actually just trying to get to your brother? Who is only in your friend group because she wants to learn your "witchy ways" rather than actually being with you? Would you be friends with someone who is so obsessed with your family, but acts otherwise? It's a little off putting.

Every couple pages or so, I'm reminded of this fact. And I start to cringe. There really is no room for forgiveness once all of this comes in the open.

Though it turns out, there's more. From what seemed like a normal "end" escalated into a "what the fuck is happening" climax. That is really all I have to say about the end. (Yet even with that I want to read the second book because like...how?)

Look. I'm going to dedicate this next paragraph to ALL SPOILERS. Feel free to highlight at your own risk! Here we go. So first off, kidnapping. Why did it escalate to that? And more importantly. HOW did River manage to bring Wolf back to life? Was he actually human? How did you discover she could do this? It's just so unexplained, and honestly it just happened out of nowhere. The whole ending just happened out of nowhere really.

Overall, I don't regret reading The Graces. It was entertaining enough. But it definitely didn't go the way I thought it would go. And the ending came out of nowhere.

So do I recommend this? Well. I'm not sure.

Review: This Savage Song

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Monsters of Verity #1
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: July 5th, 2016
Source: ALA Midwinter
Date Read: 6/24/16 to 6/30/16
464 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

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I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.

I'm this close to having this review be only three words. Because I am not even sure how to go about reviewing this. I loved this, do I really need to say more? How many synonyms do I need to find to express the amazingness that is this book?

Let me try to sum it up. The city of Verity is divided between two factions, the North and the South, held together by a shaky truce. In control of the North Side is Harker, a man who demands money from families for protection against the monsters, the Corsai, the Malchi, and the Sunai. Managing to bring the Malchi and Corsai under his control, Harker is allowed to make the rules as to who dies and who lives. The Sunai side with Henry Flynn on the South side. Although scarce, they are considered the more powerful of the three, able to feed on the souls of sinners. With them in the South, both sinners and monsters are kept in check.

August is one of those Sunai, a monster that represents justice. Since monsters come from the shadows of living sinners, they must be killed. Under the "protection" of Henry Flynn, he is sent out to kill them with his music. His Sunai brother, Leo, convinces him to spy on Harker's daughter, Kate, over on the North Side at Colton Academy. Problem is, he has to pretend to be human or else risk getting caught.

Those two little paragraphs above does no justice at all. There are many, many details missing. Ones that make this whole story much more complex than it seems. So much thought was put into this, and I just absorbed it all.

I loved August. He is a monster, but he is also a human.

I loved Kate, who only wanted her father's respect.

I loved when the two were together. I wanted Kate to finally figure out who, or what, he was. I couldn't wait to see how everything would turn out when both August and Kate had to escape from the Malchi chasing them.

I wanted to know more, about everything. What is the Phenomenon that caused the monsters to form from human shadows? What is it like outside of Verity City? And since most of the novel focuses on  the North side, what is it like in the South? Seriously, when is the next book coming out?

This Savage Song was just much more unique than I could have ever imagined. With monsters, with music, with all around death, this book is beyond astounding. There is really no other way to put it. 

Review: Riders

Riders by Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: February 16th, 2016
Source: Shannon's Overflowing Bookshelf
Date Read: 11/21/15 to 11/22/15
384 pages

Rating: ✰✰1/2

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?

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I think it is safe to say that this was on a lot of readers' most anticipated for 2016, am I right? Although I wasn't super interested, I still couldn't resist not reading it once I saw it on Shannon's bookshelf. You know, when I visited. And stole all her books. No regrets.

Except, maybe I do regret reading this, just a little. To be honest, I thought this would take a completely different route plot-wise. When I was younger, I was totally into the whole "government takes control and kidnaps you because you have powers" phase when I was younger (Yes I was very specific back in the day), so no surprise, I wanted to read Riders. But, it just didn't go the way I wanted to. And along with that, there were a couple of flaws I just could not overlook.

So let's see, horsemen. Gideon is our hot-headed main character, and surprise, he's the personification of War? Oh sorry, legendary horseman. And then there is also Famine, Death, and Conquest. And then there is this mysterious girl that brings them all together because she knows something they don't. And all four of them have to basically save the world from, demons?

Should I just list these all out? Gah.

First off, there was just a lot to pack into one book. Sure, I may have gotten to know Gideon, seeing that he is our main character after all, but there is also this huge road trip that involves getting all the other characters together. And the book just skipped over the characterization of both Jode and Marcus, because they were the last to be "collected". And there just wasn't enough "book"-time for them.

Second, I have never read Under A Never Sky, and I have been told it is a lot better, but the writing style in this is all telling. And yes, I get it, Gideon is retelling his story to the authorities, but could it have been told better? And not just all tell tell tell? And don't even get me started on this love interest, what's-her-name, oh it's Daryn. She's trying to be all mysterious and keeping secrets so the demons (??) don't figure it out, but there was definitely a better way around the whole mind-reading trick the demons do. Like, lying? Lying is great! But just being non-communicative and leaving everyone in the dark? That never works. Which I assume is the point for their to be a plot, I suppose.

Oh, and I WANTED A GIRL HORSEMAN. HORSEWOMAN. Did they all have to be guys? DID THEY? Was this based off of something? Maybe I am just being ignorant. Then again, this is fiction. And I deserve a horsewoman.

Lastly (I promise), the ending involved all the characters brushing off everything that happened. [spoilers, highlight to read] All the authorities believed them in the end, so easily, GIDEON HAD HIS HAND CUT OFF, and he was like "oh there goes my hand!". And then Sebastian disappears into some sort of creepy portal, and everyone's like, "let's enlist for the army!" [spoiler]. And I'm just sitting here like, "Did you NOT PROCESS EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED? Gah.

To sum it up, the more I thought about Riders, the less I liked it. My rating dropped from a 3.5 to a 2.5 the more I discussed it with others. I feel bad, I really do, but again, maybe this is just a me thing.

Also, thank you to Holly @ The Fox's Hideaway for discussing this with me back in December, because she helped me actually remember the story and what happened, what I did not like. She's a trooper. She will have her own review of Riders posted on her own blog, at some point today!

Review: Steam Blog Tour + Giveaway

Steam by Stacey Rourke
The Legends Saga #3
Publisher: Anchor Group
Release Date: September 10th, 2014
Source: Xpresso Blog Tour
Date Read: 9/14/15 to 9/16/15
209 Pages
Rating: ✰✰✰✰

Time passes, sins forgotten.
The bodies of the victims long since rotten.

Trapped within the essence of the Headless Horseman by the guilt of slaughtering her best friend, Ireland Crane follows the father of science fiction, HG Wells, in search of freedom from the curse that binds her. Instead, she discovers even he has a hidden agenda. A dark, relentless passion to be reunited with the woman he loves has driven him to manipulate time and a murderous Horseman.

Yet heed my warning, as the Raven flies,
The Hessian will come … and you will die.

All that prevents Ireland from abandoning Wells’ twisted pursuit, or introducing him to her sword, are the undead witches haunting her. Begging for freedom from a vile succubus, the ghoulish coven leads Ireland and her crew on a journey through Salem’s sordid past. There, they learn there is more to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s history than a scarlet letter, and the secret they’ve uncovered seeks to destroy them all.

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RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel
Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013

Stacey Rourke is the author of the award winning YA Gryphon Series, the chillingly suspenseful Legends Saga, and the romantic comedy Adapted for Film. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head.

Author Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

It's not a huge surprised that I signed up for the Legends Saga blog tour, seeing as I have read her first book, and fell in love with it, so obviously I'm going to finish up the series.

In the first two books, we were introduced to a number of characters. The first focused on Ireland Crane, who has the Hessian, or the Headless Horseman, inside of her. She views it as a curse, since she can't exactly control the crazy, bloodthirsty Hessian that's inside her just waiting to take over her body. In the second book, we're also introduced to Ridley, who is connected to Edgar Allen Poe. When he isn't around Ireland, he ends up seeing these weird visions.

There's also Rip and Noah and then H. G. Wells appears, promising Ireland answers to all her questions. But really? There's definitely more to what he appears to be. And plus, a couple new characters, Peyton and Malachi, join the group.

I'm going to be honest and say I kind of got lost at the beginning, and I do wish that there was some summary or flashback to what happened in the previous book (seeing as I read it a year ago). But the more I read, the more I was drawn into the story. Especially since it went into the Salem Witch Trials, and with this character, Preen, who actually did end up being a part of a Wiccan group. And then I really wasn't expecting what happened to her in the end.

One of the only gripes I had with the novel, and maybe the entire series itself, was that I was often times confused at what was going on with the Sleepy Hollow group POV. Like in Steam, the story jumps from being in a club, to a train, and this quick transitions weren't clearly written out. Also, I didn't understand the use of Peyton.

Overall, I still really liked the series, and I'm glad I stuck out with it as it was published. Though I'm assuming that this is the last installment in this trilogy, and I actually don't know if this is true? (What does the term "Saga" actually mean?) Either way, that ending pretty much killed me, and I was left wondering what could happened after the epilogue. And what that epilogue means in general. But yes, I'm so glad I was given this opportunity to read this series! 

Oh look! A giveaway

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Review: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: May 8th, 2012
Format: Paperback
Date Read: 8/2/15 to 8/7/15
343 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he's doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.

Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.

With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

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I read a review of this a LONG time ago from a blog that I now don't remember. But anyways, I remember being intrigued by the premise, because NECROMANCERS, and then I saw it at the library and thought "Hey why not!". Let's just say that that was the best decision I have ever made at the library. Which is why when I saw it on BookOutlet, I went grabby hands, and long story short I hope my wallet forgives me one day.

Anyways, if you've read Written in Red by Anne Bishop, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is kind of similar in setting, but with a male main character, Sam. Sam is a high school dropout, and works at the local burger joint. He knows nothing about necromancers or witches or werewolves and hybrids until he's accused of being a necromancer out of nowhere. His life turns around for the worse when his friend, Bridget, is killed but brought back to life (as a head) by a powerful necromancer who only wants to harness Sam's power for his own. Basically shit goes down and it's a lot of fun to see it all happen.

Necromancers, Witches, Werewolves All Under Our Noses

Who knew that The Rolling Stones, The Queen, and Jimmy Carter could potentially be undead, risen by necromancers because their deaths could be an inconvenience? Well apparently things like this happen in the world, and no one knows about it except for the supernatural. Personally, I love plots like this, which is why I picked up this book in the first place. 

Fortunately, the story isn't just a major info dump, because you're going along with the main character, Sam, to figure out what the heck is going on. Being incredibly lost and confused on just about everything, his discoveries come over time in a show not tell fashion. Along with that, we also get the POV of Brid, a were-hound who's being held against her will by Douglas. Her snark along with Sam's is what makes this book so entertaining.

Did I Mention The Snark?

On almost every page? Man this book was just so fun to read because there were lines like this:

I shook my head. "You don't have Hitler in your basement or anything, do you? Tabloids are always claiming he's still alive. Him and Elvis. Because I can't condone that sort of thing. The Hitler thing, not Elvis. I've got nothing against the King."

Or this:

"On top of all that, you're naked. And while I'm going to hate myself for this later, could you put on some clothes? At least just for a little while, so I can think. Then you can go right back to being naked. All the time. With my full blessing."

I really just couldn't stop reading because of how, despite the situation (which wasn't that bad), fun the writing was. I fell in love with Sam's snark, especially when he was around Douglas, even though he was incredibly scared of him.

This is just a great start to the series, and for once, I am sad to say that there is only one sequel rather than the trilogy that I am so used to seeing. I am going to be pissed if I find out that this series is unfinished for some reason, though I highly doubt that. I just need all my answers, and more Sam and Brid, and just more of this amazing dialogue. So if you're really into paranormal fantasy, then this is the book for you. TRUST MEEEEE.

Review: Hourglass

Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Hourglass #1
Publisher: Egmont USA
Release Date: June 14th, 2011
Source: Library
Date Read: 5/1/15 to 5/4/15
390 pages

Rating: ✰✰✰ 

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should've happened?

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I read this in order to clean out my Goodreads TBR, it's kind of a challenge I set myself in order to not lose myself in all the new releases, you know? Unfortunately, it did NOT turn out to be as good as my 18 year old self wanted it to be (that was 3 years ago, by the way).

In summary, Emerson can see ghosts of the past, but they're not really ghosts, but rather just rips into time. Basically she's seeing the past (kind of). Everyone thinks she's crazy, so she didn't tell anyone about it. Her brother, her caretaker, decides to hire this "therapist" because she's been having so many problems regarding this lately. And this therapist, Michael, shows her that she's not the only one with special abilities. 

After that, a bunch of things happen, and it kind of drags on. Suddenly, lots of people have these abilities, (even her best friend apparently). It's also like X-Men, but just toned down a lot. And of course time travel is involved, and you know how I scrutinize books with time traveling.

Surprisingly, the time travel didn't bother me, but rather it was the romance instead. I wasn't down with Michael the therapist going on dates with Emerson, who's 17. I couldn't stop imagining to be like 30 years old, because NO WAY is he only a sophomore in college. I mean sure he's not a REAL therapist, but it threw me WAY off in the beginning. And yeah, that's why I'm not really on board with the whole relationship. 

In the end, I kind of just skimmed the rest because I was BORED. I just didn't think this needed to be 400 pages! It was so very long, and I couldn't keep myself focused. This was just a meh book, and I couldn't get myself to care about it, even with all the "action" in the end. I'm not going to be continuing with the series. Oh well.

Review: Messenger of Fear

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: September 23rd, 2014
Source: Library
Date Read: 3/27/15 to 3/27/15
272 pages
Rating: ✰✰✰1/2

I remembered my name – Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself.

And then the games began.

The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear.

But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out . .

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Ahhh, I'm a little bummed out at how this turned out. Picking up Messenger of Fear, something I have been anticipating since, oh, last year, I expected a more complex plot with mysterious characters and fabulous world-building. And although I got the mysterious aspect of it all, nothing else came close. 

This is what I was expecting:

What I got instead:

Mara wakes up in this strange place, believing that she's dead. But she remembers nothing else other than her name. Then, she comes across the Messenger, who refuses to reveal to her exactly what is going on. Only that 1) He punishes the people who are guilty of something but aren't caught, and 2) there's something significant about the suicide of Samantha Early. 

So cool, we meet a bunch of cool characters. Mara, who's apparently the apprentice, the Messenger, who makes the guilty play a game of life and death, and then Oriax and Daniel, who I wish I knew who they were really. The reason why this novel didn't turn out as expected was because it only followed the flashback of Samantha and how she came to commit suicide. There wasn't anything about how the Messenger came to be, or who Oriax and Daniel were, and why and how they can do such things. I would forgive the book if it was a series, BUT NO, this is a standalone. I'm pretty sure.

Though with that said, I did not see that twist at the end. I mean I should've, but I didn't. 

So as I said, I had no idea that the emphasis would be on bullying, which I never really like to read about because it pains me. But it did have a very good message, kind of. I mean in the way that bullying isn't something that should be tolerated because it can push someone to suicide. Which is sad. And it needs to stop. But when it comes to this book, I wasn't expecting so much on Samantha Early. I just wanted more on everyone else.

This was a very fast read that although I enjoyed, didn't meet all my expectations. Honestly I was expecting something similar to A Darker Shade of Magic, but we can't all get what we want. This is a hard book to rate, because it's well written yet lacking in some aspects, but it's not necessarily bad either. I definitely suggest reading this and forming your own opinion. (I actually was persuaded by Cait to read this, who gave it 5 stars.)

Review: Written in Red

Written in Red by Anne Bishop
The Others #1
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Release Date: April 5th, 2013
Source: Library
Date Read: 2/28/15 to 3/6/15
433 pages
Rating: ✰✰✰✰

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

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Where has this book been all my life? WHERE? Of course I love Written in Red now, but I know if I was still a young teenager, I would've adored it. Like more so than now. I would have definitely let go all the minor things here and there.

Where to start. Oh right, I have to thank everyone that pushed me to read this series, Paula, Faye, where would I be without you guys? I will gladly join the waiting club for the next book, even though I haven't read the second or third one yet. (Ok maybe not gladly, but you know what I mean).

Before I get into the plot and characters, I think it's important to discuss me, well mostly my reading tastes. As I said before, I loved paranormal YA when I was younger. I was obsessed with The Mediator series by Meg Cabot. I loved plots where the main character had some sort of power while everyone else didn't. Although my tastes have matured a bit, Written in Red still hit all of my favorite tropes. 

Our main character, Meg Corbyn, is a blood prophet in that she can predict the future when she's cut. As she runs away from her owner, she stumbles upon The Courtyard, which is run by THE OTHERS (Thee Odders *cue Lost theme* hahahah). Since the Others, the terra idigne, are considered superior to humans because they can shift to their animal skin, The Courtyard does not follow human law. This is why Meg seeks employment there, because she at least knows that no one can touch her on their property.

And thennnnnnn she meets Simon! The wolf terra indigne. And then everything is great. I love where this slow burn romance is going, even though nothing has happened yet in this book. I'm just glad that it's NOT a fast developing relationship. The Courtyard, and everything relating to The Others, is very well developed and executed. The most surprising part was that I had no trouble with all the characters, probably because it had to do with animals (and everyone knows I love animals).

Not amused

On the downside, I'm not sure how I feel about how everyone loves Meg and how she gets out of bad situations easily. This is weird for me to admit, because I often hate characters that create problems for themselves by being reckless or being naive. Yet, I actually expected Meg to mess up much more than she did, or get into more trouble for crossing the line. But this rarely happened. Either I'm too used to what should happen in YA, or I think that Meg's naivety should've warranted for more mess ups.

Overall, I WILL CONTINUE THE SERIES. In this case, I think the pros outweigh the cons, and I am very happy that this book satisfied by teenage self!

Nessie Reviews ☆ Peeps

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
Peeps #1
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: February 3rd, 2005
Source: Library
Date Read: 2/8/14 to 2/24/14
312 Pages
Rating: ✰✰✰✰

Last year as college freshman, narrator Cal was infected by exotic goth Morgan with a parasite that caused following girlfriends to become vampire-like ghouls he calls parasite-positives "Peeps". A carrier without symptoms, he hunts his progeny for the centuries old bureaucratic Night Watch. But victims are showing more sanity, pretty human Lacey is pushing his buttons, and her apartment building basement houses fierce hordes of ravening rats, red-eyed cats, and monstrous worms that threaten all. Morgan has the secret to a centuries-old conspiracy and upcoming battle to save the human race.

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You know how back in the days before science when strange things happened humans would make up elaborate stories to explain it? Droughts happened because the gods were upset, a child was born blind because of the father's sins, epilepsy was obviously just someone being possessed. Now imagine that is the same thing that happened with vampires. Vampires never really existed...well they do, but instead of being some mystical creature they're just normal humans who are showing symptoms of a sickness. Welcome to the world of Peeps.

No not those peeps

In this book, vampirism is a result of infection from a parasite and those who are infected are referred to as parasite-positive, or, for the sake of brevity, as  peeps. And this parasite is spread by the exchanging of bodily fluids. Yes, so vampirism is basically an STD. 

The story revolves around Cal Thompson, a 19 year-old Texas native who, on his first night in New York City, had a one-night stand that left him with a new parasite friend. However, he's special in that he's a carrier. A carrier is someone who is infected with the parasite and gets all the cool super cool side-effects, but doesn't become a brainless bloodsucker hiding from the light. He works for the City Nightwatch, which is a secret branch of the NYC government that deals with keeping the parasite under control, and learning more about it. 

As a newly infected carrier, Cal's first missions involve hunting down the girls he has unknowingly infected within the past year. The book begins with him tracking and capturing his ex-girlfriend Sarah. After successfully dealing with her, he decides to try and hunt down the woman who infected him in the first place. While doing this he teams up with Lace, a journalism students who he's forced to reveal his secret to, and discovers that his strain of the parasite is much bigger than he could have ever imagined.

Outside of the unique explanation, there were two main things that I really liked about Westerfeld's take on vampirism. The first is how he touches on having the parasite is isolating. Since the parasite wants to spread to new hosts, people infected with it are extremely, extremely horny, but on the flip side, they know that they can't act on those urges. Cal often expresses his frustration at not even being able to get close to another girl, or kiss another human being again, which makes me feel for the kid a bit.

The other was the concept of the anathema. When someone becomes infected with the parasite they begin to detest and fear the things they loved most or were exposed to a lot when they were human. This explains why people often thought that vampires were weak against crosses. Because during the last bad outbreak of the parasite, humans were in a very religious environment,  constantly with crosses and religious imagery. So when those humans became peeps they would flee from the sight of crosses, not because cross itself held come magical power, but because it reminded them too much of their human life. 

Finally, every even numbered chapter gives you a brief biology lesson on a different parasite. They seem a bit pointless at first, even though they are quite entertaining. But as the book continues you begin to understand why they are there. Even though we thing parasites are just complete nuisances and should be all eradicated, these even numbered chapters help you understand just how essential they are for the world and can even be helpful at times. And this takes on a deeper significance with some of the things that happen in the last third of the book.

Overall, this is a pretty cool book and you should check it out. 

Vanessa is Val's bestest buddy, and she will be guest posting throughout because she loves to read and write. She loves video games, reading comic books, working out LIKE A BEAST and photography. You can also find her at her own blog, Musings of an Aspiring Writer.

ARC Review: Suspicion

Suspicion by Alexandra Monir
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: December 9th, 2014
Source: Netgalley
Date Read: 1/9/15 to 1/9/15
368 Pages
Rating: ✰✰1/2

A modern-day twist on the classic thriller, Rebecca, with a dash of the supernatural, a powerful romance, and a deadly family mystery.

“There’s something hidden in the maze.”

Seventeen-year-old Imogen Rockford has never forgotten the last words her father said to her, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family’s English country manor.

For seven years, images of her parents’ death have haunted Imogen’s dreams. In an effort to escape the past, she leaves Rockford Manor and moves to New York City with her new guardians. But some attachments prove impossible to shake—including her love for her handsome neighbor Sebastian Stanhope.

Then a life-altering letter arrives that forces Imogen to return to the manor in England, where she quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind Rockford’s aristocratic exterior. At their center is Imogen herself—and Sebastian, the boy she never stopped loving.

Combining spine-tingling mystery, romance, and unforgettable characters, Suspicion is an action-packed thrill ride.

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I received Suspicion from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Suspicion was, well, it was pretty bland for me. I understood the motivations of the characters and the mystery surrounding the whole Rockford Manor, but I honestly could not bring myself to care about any of it.

Suspicion starts with the Imogen Rockford, and her past with her parents. Although she moved to New York City, every summer her family visits the Rockford Manor because 1) it's theirs and 2) they're important or something. I'm not familiar with the roles of Dukes and Duchesses and the whole social hierarchy. All I know is that they are important.

Long story short, tragedy happens, Imogen is left without a family, and she moves back to New York City to live with her family's best friends/neighbors instead. Seven years passes, and she finds out that BAM, both her grandfather and cousin died so now she's the Duke and she's inherited the entire manor. So now she goes back to FIGURE OUT ALL THE MYSTERIES.

Imogen is nice enough, but I'm not exactly sure where her elemental powers come into play. Like why are they there in the first place? And then, her childhood, "romantic interest" is just "eh". First off, he was with her cousin, and second, does he even have a personality? For me, I use the five-finger rule, in other words, if a character does not have at least five characteristic traits by the end of the book, then they aren't well-developed. For Sebastian, his looks were mentioned a lot, and that was pretty much it. Oh and I guess he is good at polo. Ok then.

Have I mentioned that this is also a mystery? Ok. I thought the way everything played it was pretty clever, but unbelievable. I also didn't like how Imogen automatically assumed things without taking the time to investigate on her own. WOULD NANCY DREW DO THAT? No (I have been playing too many Nancy Drew games)

So yeah, Suspicion reminded me of a poorly made Nancy Drew game (especially with that "wrapping it up conclusion" epilogue at the end). Everything was also just telling rather than showing, which is what I think really brought the novel down with me. 

Review: Crane

Crane by Stacey Rourke
The Legends Saga #1
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Release Date: May 26th, 2014
Source: e-book
Date Read: 8/27/14 to 9/2/14
298 Pages
Rating: ✰✰✰✰

The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.

Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.

What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?

Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.

But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides?

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WHY is this not more popular????

But seriously, I never thought it would live up to its cover. I have been deceived before, BUT NOT THIS TIME. No, Crane is a surprisingly, well-written, new adult paranormal story without a huge emphasis on the romance. It's actually more about the suspenseful plot.

Yes finally.

Just hear me out. To anyone who doesn't know where to start with New Adult, this is for you.

Crane starts out with our two main characters from two different time periods, Ichabod and Ireland. At the beginning, I did get slightly confused because I thought Ireland referred to the place, but this is not the case (lol). But in both of these time periods, we encounter the problem OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN! (Just kidding that's not the name, but there are murders)

So on both sides of the timeline, Ireland and Ichabod are dealing with murders in Sleepy Hollow. And as time passes, everything becomes really eerie, and curses and magic becomes involve. It comes to the point that one of Ichabod's friends, Rip, is put under a spell to help him travel through time into the future to warn Ireland of the curse.

Have I mentioned that I really liked how good and well-written this was? Lemme do it again.

First off, Ireland as a main (main main) character is gold. She constantly speaks her mind, and is a smart-mouth. As a 25ish year old, she fits her age perfectly. Basically she has her own awesome personality, and I've read a lot of books where the MC was just "meh".

And then Rip is this 50 or 60 year old OUT OF HIS TIME, and is helping Ireland with the whole curse situation. He kind of knows what's up, but not really. It's really funny to see him stumble around and get used to the current time period.

And no, before you ask, he is not the romantic interest. It's A HOTTER GUY DON'T WORRY. And he's adorable.

And along with this, I really liked the whole plot and how it was executed. Normally something like this wouldn't interest me, but the way it was written and how awesome the characters were really pulled me into the story. AND THERE WAS MURDER. MYSTERY. And all that jazz!

To be honest, I do have to say that at some times, I was very confused at what was going on, especially at the end. And also, I do want more! Luckily I am signed up for the second book, which I currently have, so that's a plus!

Overall, I enjoyed Crane immensely, and I'm excited to go onto the next book!

DNF Review: The Winter People

The Winter People by Rebekah L. Purdy
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Release Date: September 2nd, 2014
Source: e-book
Date Read: 8/14/14 to 8/25/14 (DNF)
320 Pages

Rating: --

An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
 


Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

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I'm just going to say this right off the bat; I honestly did not like this book. It was torture to get through half of it, and by 60%, I had enough. 

This is my first DNF review, so I have no idea how I will go about this. It'll most likely just be a rant of what made me stop reading.

Basically, this beautiful cover is a lie. It's misleading, and I have yet again fallen into the trap of requesting just based on cover. I know, I know, but hey! That blurb was really interesting too. And I was really excited to read this ARC, truth be told.

The story centers around a high school, Salome, who is deathly afraid of winter because she constantly hears voices. It also doesn't help that she almost drowned in a frozen lake when she was much, much younger. Though the truth is, which no one is willing to tell her for some unknown reason, is that her family line is cursed. By someone, or something.

I will try to keep this short. I promise.

There are two things about this book that wanted me to tear my hair out.

1. Everyone refuses to tell Salome about the curse. This means her grandmother, her mother, and her "boyfriends", who are probably not human. And the worse part is, they all make her believe that she is crazy. They make her see a psychiatrist, and they make her take drugs for it.

• AND NOT ONLY THAT. We later find out that the curse is responsible for the DEATHS OF OTHER 18 YEAR OLDS. Oh but no, no one will tell her this will happen. So she goes off wandering ON HER OWN into places she's not supposed to go into.
• THIS ISN'T EVEN HER FAULT, surprisingly. SHE NEVER KNEW

2. Her "boyfriends" are basically all the same person. I literally could not tell them apart. And apparently they all have beef with each other, and are all pinning or "protecting" Salome, but yet again, don't tell her what's going on. Or when it happens right in front of their eyes, they just come up with an excuse, and tell her she's mistaken.

This is why I did not finish the book. Even though I was already at 60%. I just couldn't go through with it because I was tired of seeing this poor girl being told over and over again that she's seeing and hearing things.

And the guys are annoying. And I don't care about them.

So that's enough from me. If I were to rate this book it would probably be a 1 star, but I'm leaving it N/A on my blog for now. 

Sorry about my rant! On another note, I hope you've been having an awesome day! Haha!