Let the Storm Break (Sky Fall #2) by Shannon Messenger: Review

RATING: 5/5

 

Author: Shannon Messenger

Release Date: March 4, 2014

My review of LET THE SKY FALL

Find it on Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY(from Goodreads):

 

Vane Weston is haunted. By the searing pull of his bond to Audra. By the lies he’s told to cover for her disappearance. By the treacherous winds that slip into his mind, trying to trap him in his worst nightmares. And as his enemies grow stronger, Vane doesn’t know how much longer he can last on his own.

But Audra’s still running. From her past. From the Gales. Even from Vane, who she doesn’t believe she deserves. And the farther she flees, the more danger she finds. She possesses the secret power her enemy craves, and protecting it might be more than she can handle—especially when she discovers Raiden’s newest weapon.

With the Gale Force weakened by recent attacks, and the power of four collapsing, Vane and Audra are forced to make a choice: keep trusting the failing winds, or turn to the people who’ve betrayed them before. But even if they survive the storms sent to destroy them, will they have anything left to hold on to?

REVIEW:

With this book being a sequel, I will try to keep my review brief so I avoid spoilers.

So so so much love for these books. Vane is hilarious, and even though Audra annoyed me sometimes, I still think their relationship is the cutest. But that ending though...

I need the third book. Like soon. If not, I will do insane.

CONTENT: Kissing, no sex, innuendoes, mild swearing, and moderate violence.

Incarate by Jodi Meadows: Series review

SERIES RATING: 5/5

 

Author: Jodi Meadows

Find the first book on Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY (Incarnate):

 

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

 

REVIEW:

 

I received the first book, INCARNATE, a few years ago for my birthday, and I proceeded to read it in a day. I loved every minute of it. The way Jodi Meadows weaved together intrigue, romance, and fantasy elements just fascinated me. The concept with the reincarnation was totally unique; I've never, and I don't think I ever will, read anything like this.

 

Then Asunder came out a year later, and it was even better than the first. Although there were a few questionable things in this one, the great characters more than enough made up for it. You could see Ana's growth from book one, and her relationship with Sam and the other characters is great.

 

Now after reading Infinite, I am even more in love than when I first started the series. The trilogy ended wonderfully. A perfect ending to an amazing series.

 

Plus, there's dragons. How can you wrong with a book that has dragons?

 

Anyways, I highly recommend these books to anyone who loves dystopian and fantasy. You will not regret it!

 

CONTENT: Steamy kissing, one sex scene in the third book, but it is mostly implied. There is also some talk of sex. I think there's a little bit of swearing, but it is not bad if there is. As for violence, there's some kind of disturbing things, but none of it is very descriptive.



Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer: Review

RATING: 5/5

 

Author: Marissa Meyer

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Find it one Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY:

 

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

REVIEW:

 I don't think words will do this book justice. So my review will consist of gifs.

 

 

 

Cress was...

 

In short...

With a great cast of characters, magically interwoven fairytales, and a unique storyline, Cress is not a book to miss. I guarantee you will never read anything like it. Any fan of fairytale retellings will love this series!

CONTENT: Kissing, no sex, no swearing I can recall, and some violence, but it's not very gory.



Stacking the Shelves (4)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

 

I had a pretty decent two weeks in books.

 

 

BOUGHT:

 

• Unite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Cress by Marissa Meyer

FROM BETTER WORLD BOOKS:

• Faerie Lord by Herbie Brennan
• Ruler of the Realm by Herbie Brennan
• What We Become by Jesse Karp
• A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

WON:

• The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa (ARC)
• Uninvited by Sophie Jordan (hardcover, signed to me!!!!!)

FROM RANDOMBUZZERS:

• Ender's by Lissa Price (ARC)
• Deceptions Princess by Esther Friesner (ARC)
• Alliance by Mark Frost (ARC)
• Kissing in Italian by Lauren Henderson (ARC)
• Burning by Elana K. Arnold (ARC)
• Revenge of a not so Pretty Girl by Carolita Blythe (ARC)

What did you get this week?



Stacking the Shelves (3)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

 

It has been quite a long time since I have done one of these. About 4 months to be exact. So, bear with me, because this will be a lot.

 

BOUGHT:

 

• Unsouled by Neal Shusterman
• Angelfall  by Susan Ee
• World After  by Susan Ee
• Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
• Champion by Marie Lu
• Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce
• The Collector by Victoria Scott
• The Liberator by Victoria Scott
• These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
• All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa
• Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
• Infinite by Jodi Meadows
• Defiance by CJ Redwine
• Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
• Allegiant by Veronica Roth

GIFTED:

• Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
• Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
• Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

FOR REVIEW:

• The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee (Thanks Random House!)
• Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott (Thanks Scholastic!)

WON:

• The Elite by Kierra Cass (hardcover)
• The Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and MEgan Spooner (ARC)
• The Princess in the Opal Mask by Jenny Lundquist (paperback)
• Teardrop by Lauren Kate (ARC)
• Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (ARC)

Ok, I think that is everything. What did you get this past week?





Fire & Flood (Fire & Flood #1) by Victoria Scott: Early review

RATING: 5/5

 

Author: Victoria Scott

Release date: February 25, 2014

Find it on Goodreads here!

SUMMARY(from Goodreads):

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

Disclaimer: I received a copy for early review. Thanks Scholastic!!

 
REVIEW:

 

Victoria Scott, you are a genius. A freaking genius.

When I first read the description, I immediately thought "Hunger Games". Which is true, there are a lot of similarities between the games, and there only being one victor.

But that is where the similarities stop. The contenders are allowed a companion in the game, called a Pandora (aka, the most awesome creatures ever invented). These Pandoras are genetically enhanced animals with super awesome powers; such as breathing fire, healing, etc. T absolutely made the whole book for me. It was so cool to see their powers unfold, and Tella's Pandora was absolutely adorable.

I want one. Very bad.

The characters were absolutely fabulous. Tella was a strong, flawed main character, who is very funny and awkward at the same time. I loved Harper, Caroline, Ransom, Levi, and Guy. Especially Guy.

Victoria Scott said once that she imagined Guy as Tyler Hoechlin, better known as Derek Hale from Teen Wolf.

And I could not agree more.

Yep. Couldn't agree more.

Uh...where was I? Oh, yeah, the book.

The story was crafted really well, and the writing was absolutely flawless. It also sticks with you for a very long time. I finished it 4 days ago, and I am still thinking about it.

Now I just want more. But the sequel probably won't be out for another year, and I will just have to wait in agony until it comes out. 

But, Scott's other book, THE COLLECTOR, is already out along with its sequel. Needless to say, I bought it as soon as I finished FIRE & FLOOD.

All in all, FIRE & FLOOD was a fabulous book. I loved every minute of it! And it comes out in February. That's really soon! Go preorder it. Right now. You will not regret it!

CONTENT: Kissing, moderate to heavy swearing, and some very disturbing and gory violence.



End of Year Book Survey 2013

This survey was created by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner to highlight the best books read in the year.

 

So let's get to it!

 

1. Best book you read in 2013? (If you have to cheat, you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist).

Dystopian: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken:

 

Fantasy: Tie between the Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas.

 

 

Science Fiction: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

 

 

Paranormal: Pivot Point by Kasie West

 

 

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

 

Definitely Icons by Margaret Stohl.

 

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

 

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

 

 

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommend to people the most in 2013?

 

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

 

 

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

 

Angelfall by Susan Ee

 

 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

 

Cristin Terrill with All Our Yesterdays

 

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

 

 

9. Book you read in 2013 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

 

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

 

10. Best cover of a book you read in 2013?

 

 

So creepalicious! I love it so much!

 

11. Most memorable character in 2013?

Roar from Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi. I love him so much!

 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

 

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

 

Unsouled by Neal Shusterman

 

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2013 to read?

 

Angelfall by Susan Ee

 

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2013?

 

Both are from The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

 

 

 

(Cr: Tumblr)

 

16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2013?

 

Shortest: The Great Gatsby, 180 pages

Longest: The Host by Stephanie Meyer, 619 pages

 

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

 

 

That scene in Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken.... with Liam and Ruby...at the gas station...

 

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013? (be it romantic, friendship, etc.)

 

Romance: Day and June from Champion by Mare Lu

Friendship: Addie and Layla from Pivot Point by Kasie West

 

19. Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author you've read previously?

 

 Champion by Marie Lu

 

 

20. Best book in 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else?

 

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

 

 

21. Genre you read the most from in 2013?

 

Definitely fantasy

 

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

 

Guy from Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott-who I imagine as Tyler Hoechlin. *swoon*

 

 

23. Best 2013 debut novel you read?

 

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

 

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

 

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa. I love the world of the Fey so much!

 

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

 

Reboot by Amy Tintera. The dialogue between Callum and Wren was fantastic!

 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

 

The Darkest Minds and Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken both made me bawl. Also, I cried at the end of Clockwork Princess.

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

In the After by Dimitria Lunetta. This book deserves more hype!