The Elector Primo of the Republic has died, with his son assuming power over what’s left of the USA’s West Coast as it teeters on full-blown chaos. June and Day join up with Patriot rebels so they can rescue Day’s brother and head east for the Colonies. In order to help, though, the rebels want June and Day to kill the new Elector, who may pose an even greater threat than his father.
I know I'm not the only one dying to read the sequel to Legend. When I read Legend in January, I immediately loved it. I can't wait to see what Marie Lu has in store for us in Prodigy.
Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.
As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.
The Body Finder was the most original book that I’d read in a long while. But it took me awhile to pick up Desires of the Dead, because it wasn’t in stock in any of my local bookstores. I finally bought this on Kindle and finished it the day before I was to go to the Dark Days Tour which featured Kimberly Derting, Jill Hathaway (author of Slide), and Dan Hathaway (author of Partials and John Cleaver series.) I read this book very quickly; I simply could not get enough. I am finding myself addicted to this darker YA with serial killers and dead bodies. It’s a nice change for me to get away from Paranormal Romance. This could, technically be classified as such, but I find that these books focus much more on the mystery and suspense than the romance. The plot of the book was very entertaining. Kimberly Derting kept me guessing until the end, something that is hard to do. Although, my original prediction was correct, I contradicted it many times throughout the book. My favorite chapters were the ones that veered away from Violet’s perspective, and focused in on the bad guys. I was astonished when I put together that the titles of these chapters in this book were the Seven Deadly Sins. These chapters make the books for me. The character development was awesome. I could see how both Violet and the mystery bad guy changed. Violet’s feelings and instincts were very different at the end of the book that they were at the beginning. But seeing the bad guy's thoughts change so drastically change was amazing, and added so much to the book. The romance part of Desires of the Dead was excruciating. Jay and Violet’s relationship is so painful to read about at some points. They have such a rough time. I appreciate the fact that they were best friends for years before they got together, it makes their love seem more realistic. But when they fought my heart ached. I wanted them to work out so badly. Reading Desires of the Dead was so much fun for me. I didn’t automatically know what would happen, and I love to be surprised. I am giving this book 4/5 stars.
The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting
Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye....
I read this book right after I finished Desires. I’m glad I did, because I had needed a little refresh to remember what happened in The Body Finder before I read Book 2. One thing that I love about this book--and the entire series--was that I was enthralled from the first sentence. Kimberly Derting really knows how to hook a reader in, and she doesn’t disappoint.
What really made this book stick out from the others was the fear factor. It was a whole other level of creepy, and I loved that. The connection between the color of the cover and one of the elements in the story gives me the heebie-jeebies. It’s the coolest.
What I also love about all the books is the minor characters. Although they don’t really change, they each have their own distinct personalities. They aren’t empty names.
I love the plot of this book. It was so unpredictable, except for some reason, I knew that one of the characters was just no good. And I was surprisingly right.
Violet was a badass like usual. And her relationship with Jay was as electric and strained as it was in the last book.
This book is a recent release so I don’t want to spoil anything, but I thought it was the best Body Finder book yet. I give it 5/5 stars. It was amazing!
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
I was very intrigued by the book trailer, which is in part how I discovered this book.
I was so excited to read this book. Blogger friends were gushing about it, and this sounded like a fun read. On Goodreads, it has been negatively compared to “The Bachelor.” But it is so much more that. Yes, the premise sounds like the TV show. But although the book was centered around the competition, I felt that the entire book was about trust and friendship and loyalty.
I absolutely adored this book. The plot was well thought out. It wasn’t too predictable, and there were some great twists. There were some thoughtful moments and I appreciated the darker current lurking under the lighter tone. I liked this book, because it was a nice change from the paranormal or sci-fi characters I normally read about. And it wasn’t strictly dystopian. It wasn’t a hard book to get through, and I really enjoyed reading it. I spent most of the night reading, and I was up until 5 am because I could not put it down. My favorite part of the book were the characters.
America was a strong female character, although there were points when she completely failed to see the obvious. She was stubborn girl, struggling to forget the boy who broke her heart. But she still loves Aspen, and doesn’t want to marry the Prince. Instead, they become friends, and confidantes. I love how much her character develops in the course of 327 pages. I can’t elaborate for fear of spoilers, but the changes were tremendous. Also, on a side note, I love that she’s a redhead. I am biased, being a redhead, but I would love to see more strong redheaded females in YA.
In fact, all of the main and side characters were very well developed. I understood each character’s motive.
While I’m on characters, let’s discuss the two beaus of the book. The first love interest we meet is Aspen Leger. Aspen is a Six, a member of the serving caste. He’s America’s boyfriend in the beginning of the book. He was a likable character, hardworking and handsome, but then he breaks America’s heart, saying they could never work out. But America only wants him. And he doesn’t even try to make it work. When America gets chose for the Selection, she feels even worse, because Aspen is the one who helped her decision to enter. And at her departure, she sees Aspen with his arm around another girl. So much for a happily ever after.
Prince Maxon is not perfect. He is endearingly flawed, and he has although he is normally clam and can take a lot of criticism, his temper sometimes shows through. But he is extremely sweet, caring, and understanding. When America tells him she can’t love him when she still loves Aspen, he doesn’t force her to do something she’s not ready for. He is willing to let her stay in the competition to help her family, who needs the money, and in return she’ll help him from the inside. When she tells Maxon about the problems with the caste system and hunger, he sets up a program to give meals to those who can’t afford food. He listens to her when she needs to tell someone of her heartbreak. Maxon does everything he can for America, and trusts her with completely. He shows his trust by answering her questions about the rebel attacks, and telling her closely guarded secrets. Maxon is not a shallow Prince looking for someone to make him look good. He is looking for a girl who can help him with state issues, but also love him and guide him. He doesn’t want just a pretty face, he wants a wife whom he can trust. And that’s what makes him so amazing.
This book had all the elements of a good novel in my eyes, interesting plot, character development, and a good pace. I really enjoyed reading The Selection, and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for Book 2.
I give this book 4 stars, and I definitely recommend picking up a copy.
Thanks to Monica at Cover Analysis for recommending this book to me. You rock!
I recently joined the hordes of fans addicted to Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series. So I was delighted to hear that 1) there will be a book released containing three Iron Fey short stories, and 2) there will be another book, a story about Meghan's brother Ethan, thirteen years after Iron Knight left off. The first book is...
The Iron Legends
Let's talk about this cover, starting with the Pros.
1. I love the vines that you see for each novel in the series at the sides of the page. I love that for each book, they're different.
2. My favorite parts of all the covers are the little tag lines. They give you a hint of what's to come, and I love reading them after I finish the book, when everything clicks.
3. I have to say it. I love the dress and earrings Meghan is wearing.
And I only have one Con:
They're not the same people as on the other covers. I am neurotic, and I like my covers to match. But honestly, I'm not buying the book for the cover.
The next reveal is...
The Lost Prince
I've got no Cons for this one, guys. I love everything about it, from the cool designs that seem to cover Ethan's chest, to the chilling swirl of the R. But the creepy looking eyes really makes my heart stop. And look! It says "Book 1" above the title. Which means there will be more that one book! Also, did you notice how swoon-worthy Ethan is?
...
I am going to stop before I embarrass my self any further. I owe you guys a bunch of reviews, some of which I will be posting later this evening.
Summary: In this dramatic conclusion to the Shade trilogy, Aura and Zachary’s relationship sizzles as the secrets of the Shift are revealed.
Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past.
As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves...even if that means betraying her own heart.
Published: May 1, 2012
Series: Shade #3
Pages: 416
I was lucky to receive one of 20 ARCs of Shine, the final book in the Shade trilogy. I've read the two previous novels in the series, and absolutely loved them. So I was practically jumping up and down when my ARC came in the mail. I started reading Shine a day after it came in to my mailbox and finished it late that night. I tore through the book, reading it whenever I had a spare moment. I could not put it down.
The plot of the story is intense and complex. There was never a dull moment. Shine's plot grew more an more complicated with each plot turn (and there were a LOT of them.)
This series is amazing, so unlike any other YA out there. And Shine is no exception. To say that it's a page-turner would be an understatement, I literally had to be forced to stop reading. The tension and chemistry between Aura and Zachary is palpable as always, and OMG when I got to that scene (yes, that one) I probably squealed. Which is a first, I'm not normally a squealer when I'm reading. I also must say kudos to Jeri Smith-Ready. The amount of research that must have gone into writing Shine? I don't know how she did it, the incredible patience she must possess to get through it all. But in the end, her hard work is what made the book so magical. As a side note, I loved all of the music references in the book. Music is very important to me, so I was delighted to find that music is still prominent in the last book. Shine perfectly wraps up an amazing series and provides the answers to all major questions. So much happens in Shine, many times throughout my reading I exclaimed aloud "Holy crap! Did that actually happen?" The action in this book is amazing. Life and death situations are addictive for me. So I was very pleased on that front. Also, it's well known among my friends that I LOVE Zachary Moore. I love kilts. He's still so swoon-worthy and broody in Shine. And I can't wait to find out exactly what happens in Shattered, a story from his perspective that will be released this summer. I also love Matin so hard. Just putting that out there. Shine is also very, very agonizing. I just wanted to skip to the end to find out what happened. And when I got there...okay I hate to say I didn't like the ending. It's not as if I didn't like it, it just didn't trigger any emotions for me. I didn't connect with it as much as I did with the rest of the book. In addition I felt like the rest of the series was so different from other in it's genre. And the ending was a bit predictable, and was something I'd expect from another book. And also the timeline is really funky. It was a bit hard for me to follow, but it made sense. Altogether, I freaking loved Shine. It was breathtaking, and mind-blowing, and fuckin' mystical. (Sorry for the swear, I had to guys.) It was the little details that made it so amazing. I'd probably give it a 4.3 out of 5 stars. Which is still really good. You should pre-order it now. Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, where ever. Oh and if you pre-order from Constellation Books, you get a signed copy. Plus, it's shipped a whole week early! And if you show your pre-order receipt to the folks at Kilt and Keeley, they'll send you an exclusive TeamKilt trading card. Which is awesome. You should go do that, like now. See you soon! Oh and I also made a video review of Shine, if you want to see it, ask in comments and I'll post the link. -Jill *EDITED TO ADD: In the past, Constellation has received books 5-10 days before the release. There is no promise of Shine to be shipped a week early. They will however go out as soon as they're received (and signed, but they'll go out that night!)*
