Rush (The Game #1) by Eve Silver: Review

 

RATING: 5/5 stars!

 

Author: Eve Slver

Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books

Source: Bought

Release date: June 11th, 2013

Find it on Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

 



So what's the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

Miki Jones's carefully controlled life spins into chaos after she's run down in the street, left broken and bloody. She wakes up fully healed in a place called the lobby - pulled from her life, through tiime and space into some kind of game in which she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures.

There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Every moment of the game is kill or be killed, and Miki has only the questionable guidance of Jackson Tate, the team's alluring and secretive leader. He evades her questions, holds himself aloof from the others, and claims it's every player for himself. But when he puts himself at risk to watch Miki's back, he leaves her both frustrated and fascinated. Jackson says the game isn't really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival. And the survival of every other person on the planet. She laughs. He doesn't. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

REVIEW:

RUSH was an absolute thrill ride. Eve Silver does not waste any time. By page 20 she throws the reader in the middle of battle, and I honestly had no idea what was going for a while. But it was so interesting that I didn't really mind. I've read lots of alien books, but I've never read anything quite like this. The concept of the game was so cool, and I loved learning about it.

The characters were pretty awesome too. Miki was kick-butt, Luka was my absolute favorite, but, honestly, I really didn't like Jackson all that much. He was such an arrogant jerk all the time, and I just didn't see the appeal. I felt like Luka was a much better choice ;)

Overall, RUSH is a must-read for sci-fi fans!

CONTENT: Kissing, moderate swearing (a**hole is the worst), and lots of violence.

Top Ten Books That I Plan to Have in my Beach Bag

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

This week I'm talking about the top ten books that I plan to have in my beach bag!

 

1. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

 

Her books are so adorable.

 

2. Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

 

Still have not read this one...

 

3. End of Days by Susan Ee

 

IT"S FINALLY OUT!!!

 

4. Talon by Julie Kagawa

 

Haven't read this one yet, either...

 

5. Son of a Mermaid by Katie O'Sullivan

 

Mermaid books are the best summer reads.

 

6. Just For Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

 

Another mermaid book

 

7. Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

 

Yet another mermaid book.

 

8. Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

 

MERMAIDS

 

9. Waterfell by Amalie Howard

 

Is this too many mermaid books?

 

10. Everblue by Brenda Pandos

 

Nah. There is no such thing as too many mermaid books.

 

What books are on your top ten??

Waiting on Wednesday (21): Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

 

This week's "waiting on" is....

 

Ice Like Fire

by Sara Raasch!

Expected publication date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

SPOILERS FOR BOOK ONE. HIGHLIGHT TO VIEW.

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.



I loved SNOW LIKE ASHES; I'm so pumped for this one!

 

What is your "waiting on"?

Defiance, Deception, and Deliverance by CJ Redwine: Trilogy review

RATING: 5/5 stars!

 

Author: CJ Redwine

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Defiance, Deception, and Deliverance on Goodreads!

 

SUMMARY of DEFIANCE (from Goodreads):

 

Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce.

While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.

When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

 

REVIEW:

 

Sometimes, when you read a series, the books go downhill after the first book. The story goes nowhere, the characters become annoying, and everything just gets bad.

 

 

When I read and absolutely adored DEFIANCE, I was scared that this same thing was going to happen with the next two books.

 

I should not have worried though. Deception was such a good addition to the trilogy. It was not just a filler novel; the story progressed, and there was also some awesome character development. But I still had that fear that the final book would totally suck, like some final books (*cough* ALLEGIANT *cough*) have in the past.

 

But DELIVERANCE completely and totally shattered any expectations that I had. It was SO GOOD. The character development was on point, and the way the story progressed was fantastic. The ending was absolutely perfect; I loved every minute of this novel!

 

In short, the DEFIANCE trilogy is not one to miss! I highly recommend it!!

 

CONTENT: Kissing, talk of sex, and in the third book there is a possible implied sex scene, but there are hardly any details at all. Swearing is extremely minimal, but there is an extreme amount of violence, a lot of it descriptive. 

OMEGA CITY by Diana Peterfreund: Out now!

Coming this April 28th, Diana’s first book for readers eight and up is a thrilling adventure story, perfect for people who like their books with a side of rocketships and hidden treasure. Find out what secrets are hidden beneath the Maryland countryside in…

Omega City

Gillian Seagret doesn’t listen to people who say her father’s a crackpot. His conspiracy theories about the lost technology of Cold War-era rocket scientist Dr. Aloysius Underberg may have cost him his job and forced the family to move to a cottage in the sticks, but Gillian knows he’s right, and plans to prove it.

When she discovers a missing page from Dr. Unerberg’s diary in her father’s mess of an office, she thinks she’s found a big piece of the puzzle–a space-themed riddle promising to lead to Dr. Underberg’s greatest invention. Enlisting the help of her skeptical younger brother, Eric, her best friend, Savannah, and Howard, their NASA-obsessed schoolmate, Gillian sets off into the ruins of a vast doomsday bunker, deep within the earth.

But they aren’t alone inside its dark and flooded halls. Now Gillian and her friends must race to explore OMEGA CITY and find the answers they need. For while Gillian wants to save her dad’s reputation by bringing Dr. Underberg’s secrets to light, there are others who will stop at nothing to make sure they stay buried…forever. 

GoodReads | IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple iBooks

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

• “With seamless writing, a thrilling plot, lots of engaging science puzzles, and remarkable characterization, Peterfreund's exciting tale keeps the adventure solidly in the foreground. Young readers looking for a page turning quest should get into this planned series on the ground floor." — Booklist *Starred* Review 
  
  "Peterfreund's focus on character development is complemented by the equal attention she gives to the vast underground city itself. Gillian’s instincts to protect her friends and clear her historian father’s tarnished name are admirable, but Peterfreund gives every character the opportunity to grow, revealing themselves for who they really are."— Publishers Weekly
  
  “With nonstop action, sly humor, and nothing short of the end of the world at stake, Omega City is the alpha book in a new series that mashes up mystery, scifi, and action/adventure into a thrilling novel you’ll want to devour in one sitting. I did, and I can’t wait to read what comes next!” — Peter Lerangis, New York Times Bestselling author of the Seven Wonders series
  
  “Peterfreund’s boundless imagination takes on a new and exciting adventure!” – Jessica Day George, New York Times Bestselling author of Tuesdays at the Castle”
  
  “Diana Peterfreund takes us to an underground city that’s utterly mind-blowing, yet disturbingly possible. A knockout of a story that will have readers cheering straight through to the final, shocking, twist.” — #1 New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman

Diana Peterfreund has published ten novels for adults, teens, and kids, including the four-book Secret Society Girl series (Bantam Dell), the “killer unicorn novels” Rampantand Ascendant (Harper Teen), For Darkness Shows the Stars (a post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’sPersuasion), and Across a Star-Swept Sea (inspired by the classic series The Scarlet Pimpernel). Her newest novel, OMEGA CITY, is a contemporary adventure novel for younger readers set in a secret bunker city somewhere under modern Maryland.

Her works have been named to the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age list, the Capitol Choices (metro DC-area) reading list, and the Texas Lonestar List, as well as having been named to Amazon’s Best Books of the Year. In addition, she’s written several critically acclaimed short stories and a variety of non-fiction essays about  popular children’s literature.  Diana lives outside Washington D.C., with her family.

Website    Facebook     Twitter

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer: Review

RATING: 5/5 stars!!

 

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Source: Bought

Publication date: January 27, 2015

Find it on Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY(from Goodreads):

 

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

REVIEW:

Ever since I read CINDER, I have always hated Levana with a burning passion. Because of this, I was extremely hesitant to start this book. It's from Levana's point of view, and I wasn't too sure if I was really going to like it or not.

I should not have been worried; I freaking loved this book. It gave so much background on Levana and how she became so cruel and hideous. Getting to learn about her past was great; and even though I still don't care for her, this book changed the way I view her and how she rules.

In short, this book is a must-read for fans of the Lunar Chronicles series!!

CONTENT: kissing, talk of sex, and a few implied sex scenes. No swearing, and minimal but semi-graphic violence.

Waiting on Wednesday (21): Winter by Marissa Meyer

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

 

This week's "waiting on" is...

 

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

 

Expected publication date: November 10th, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

Here is the stunning conclusion to the national bestselling Lunar Chronicles, inspired by Snow White.

When Princess Winter was thirteen, the rumor around the Lunar court was that her glamour would soon be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. In a fit of jealousy, Levana disfigured Winter. Four years later, Winter has sworn off the use of her glamour altogether. Despite her scars, Winter’s natural beauty, her grace, and her gentleness are winning admiration from the Lunar people that no amount of mind-control could achieve.

Winter despises her stepmother, but has never dreamed of standing up to her. That is, until she realizes that she may be the only one with the power to confront the queen.

Can Cinder, Prince Kai, Scarlet, Wolf, Cress, Thorne, Princess Winter, and the palace guard Jacin find their happily ever afters? Fans will LOVE this amazing conclusion to the series.

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite series ever! I can't wait to get my hands on this book!

 

What is your waiting on?