Review: Elixir

Elixir

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Released: November 27, 2012

Published by: Spencer Hill Press

**CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM DEITY**

(Don't say that I didn't warned you)

Description from Goodreads:

Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex. 
Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for. 
Even if it means making war against the gods.

Reading this was like a punch to the gut. Reading it multiple times since the first time is just personal torture. I NEED APOLLYON NOW. Let's review before I go completely crazy. Or even crazier than I already am. 

Plot. I just love Aiden's point of view. I just love Aiden. This novella made me cry. And yell. And basically make my mom decide that she should seriously consider taking me to the loony bin. 

Also, Deacon is awesome as well. The St. Delphi boys are delicious sexy the best brothers ever.

CAN WE PLEASE FIX ALEX!?!?! KATY AND I CAME UP WITH A WONDERFUL PLAN! 

(Which involves Caleb coming back from the dead, Seth dying, and Alex and Aiden riding off happily ever after into the sunset)

Excuse me while I go cry and scream in the corner. 

Alex on the elixir?

Cass demonstrates my feelings beautifully. 

Alex all evil and connected with the stupid idiot? I mean Seth. No. I mean stupid idiot.  

Thank you, Quinn.

Now that my feelings are all miserable and upset, why do I continue reading this?

That's right. Jennifer Armentrout is an AMAZING author and even though she causes me pain, I just love her writing. 

Now how long until Apollyon? This wait is killing Katy and I. We are slowly going crazy together. At least I have my roommate in the mental ward.  

If my totally unstructured and ranting of this book makes you want go buy it, then do it. PLEASE DO IT. You shall not regret it. Well...your heart will because it will be shattered into a million pieces. But you will enjoy every single bit of it. Every. Single. Bit. 

More-like-my-thoughts-than-a-review by Sammi

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Review: Everneath

Everneath 

Brodi Ashton

Released: January 24, 2012

Published by: HarperCollins/ Balzer + Bray

Description from Goodreads:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

Whew. Time for a review. I have been slacking. Stupid senior year. 

Plot. When I first started this, I was like "What the heck am I reading?" It did not take long afterwards for me to become hooked. The whole idea of the Everneath really interested me and it kept me wanting to know more about it. I quickly finished it later. Thank you lovely cliffhanger. I need the second book ASAP. 

Characters. I am surprised that I did not like Nicki that much. She did not flat out bugged me like Nora Grey (Hush, Hush), so I really don't know why I wasn't overly thrilled with her. Jack was pretty cool. I love his dedication to Nicki. But let's talk about the best character: Cole. I just freaking adore that guy. Usually I'm all for the guy that the girl was first with in the whole love triangle situation, but I really wish/hope that Cole ends up with Nicki (Which probably won't happen. That is why fanfiction was invented for a reason!!). They just seem like they would be a great couple, despite the fact that A) he tricked her. B) he feeds off of her emotions. C) he took her away from everything she known/loved. But other than that, he's a great character. Okay. Maybe I just have a weakness towards that name. 

So I am excited to read the next one. I am a major geek for all things Greek/Egyptian/Roman mythology and this is such an amazing and unique twist on the Persephone myth. It wasn't one of my favorite retelling of mythology, but still a really good read regardless. So I recommend anyone who loves mythology as much as I do to read this. 

Review by Sammi

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Review: Angel Burn

Angel Burn

l. a. weatherly

Released: May 24, 2011

Published by: Candlewick

Description from Goodreads:

 

They're out for your soul.
And they don't have heaven in mind...

Willow knows she's different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people's dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. she has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself does. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces and that he's one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil.

 

Um. Wow. I was really surprised by this book. I went in thinking that it will be very similar to Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (Which is amazing. Go read it) and was completely blown away by the whole story.

 

Plot. Love it. I was never bored and I quickly read this from cover to cover. The only thing that really distracted me was the switching POV's. For Willow, it's was first person, which I was okay with because I was able to get into her head. Fine. But for Alex and some other characters, it was in third person that really threw me a curveball. A story with multiple POV's, HOW CAN IT BE!? The only other story I read with multiple POV's was the Beautiful Creatures books and that follows Ethan and the stories of the past. I became used to it by the time I finished, but that is really my only complaint.

 

Characters. I LOVE YOU ALEX. YOU ARE AMAZING AND PERFECT. DON'T CHANGE. Willow, you are truly unique. Love how good you are with mechanics. I am kind of jealous. I don't have a clue with what to do with my poor car, Jace. All of the people with the Angel Burn? You guys need to get a life and stop following those wackos. I worry about you.

 

Angels. It was really weird reading about angels being the bad guys. I have always viewed them as the good beings, the ones that will save us all, yatta yatta. This was nice to get another perspective on them. I just watched my first Doctor Who episode with the Weeping Angels and I will never look at statues of angels the same way again. So yeah. Angels can be bad also I guess. Dean and Sam, turns out you were right all along.

 

My one and only question:

 

If Willow and Alex are on the run from pretty much all of the wackos living in the U.S. why didn't they just, I don't know, dye Willow's hair a different color? It would have made much more sense than just hiding it under a hat. But that is just my thought.

 

So this was a pretty good read. If you are a fan of angels, try this one, because it offers a different perspective on them that I found pretty interesting. It is a really good book and I need to get my hands on the second one, even though Buffy has already spoiled half of the book for me.

 

Review by Sammi

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And now...Buffy's review on Angel Burn (which I am copying from her Goodreads account and she does not even know it...)

 

I will also apologize in advance for Buffy's vulgarity. I am working on filtering her mouth with her. (Love you lots, Buffy!)

 



I liked the concept of this book and how different Willow was without it seeming cheesy. Her relationship with her mother is so sweet but Aunt Jo I just wanted to slap the shit out of. Like jezum lady get emotional. I loved Willow's best friend! You go girly fight the power with the epicness of twitter.
Alex. Oh Alex. Did anyone else hear the song "So Seductive" when he did anything? Nope. Just me? Okay *in my head* SO SEDUCTIVE! Like I said before the concept was all dark and twisty, I loved that! I was thinking going into this book that its was going to be all "angel's are good" and happy shit. But that you open the book and get bitched slapped with an epic love story/ war.
One thing that I didn't like so much was how quickly Alex and Willow fell in love. It just seemed rushed. But the cabin scenes were lovely ;) I really do like Alex and Willow together. But this book would have been so much more wondefluff if Alex had been half angel, and Willow the bad ass in the Porsche saving his ass at the Church of Wackadoos.

 

Thank you Buffy for that lovely review. 

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Michelle Hodkin

Released: September 27, 2011

Published by: Simon and Schuster

Description from Goodreads:

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

So...Happy belated New Years! With all of my mid-terms finally finished and over with (AP Euro, you are the bane of my existence) I can finally get back to the poor blog I have been neglecting. I read this a looonnnggg time ago, like last year long time ago. BUT I LOVE IT. 

Plot. Love. Never bored and was instantly hooked. This was one book that kept me constantly guessing and I was going nuts trying to figure out what the heck was going on with Mara. I really need to buy the second one ASAP. 

Characters. Well, hello Noah! He has become one of my top ten favorite fictional, sarcastic British guys, directly behind Mr. William Herondale! Love him sososososososo much. I really want to give Mara a hug. Poor girl! She is just so awesome and I love her! She is one of the rare heroines that did not drive me absolutely crazy. I did not yell at her once. 

The Cover. I'm just going to say that I LOVE the cover. It was the only reason why I gave the book a chance. I'm really glad I loved the book. But at my lunch table, we had the cover controversy, which leads me to suspect that my friends are positively nuts. 

COURTNEY: What the heck are you reading now?

ME: Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. It is fabulous.

JONNA: What is going on with the cover?

COURTNEY: He's groping her. 

ME: NO HE IS NOT! Read the book, then you will get the cover. 

EMMA: Sam, he is groping her. I'm sorry.

ME: Shut up guys. I never asked for your opinion.  

(I will always stick up for the cover. Plus, her dress is really cute.)

The majority of the peeps on Goodreads love the cover too. My friends are just odd (Though I love you guys!)

My thoughts on the ending:

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!?!?!?! HOW COULD MARA!?!?!?! UGH. 

So if you want a truly unique read, I recommend this one. It is amazing and will have you instantly hooked, trying to figure out what the heck is going on with Mara. I highly recommend it and if you won't read it because of the cover, or whatever, than I must question your sanity like I did with my friends. I am going to force them to read it because I know they will love it. 

Review by Sammi

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Review: Roar and Liv

Roar and Liv

Veronica Rossi

Released: October 30, 2012

Published by: Harper Collins
ebook

 

 

Description from Goodreads:

 

Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry's sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv's unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv's union. Normally, Roar couldn't care less about Vale's opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale's leadership is more vital—and more brutal—than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever.

 

Well. Ummm. Yeah. Reading this was like a punch right in the feels. Oh my God I loved it. I wish it would just go on forever and ever. I really hope Roar and Liv can be together. I might cry if they are not.

 

I love seeing Perry from Roar's perspective. You really did not see how badly the treatment of Vale and his father left a mark on Perry until you read this. Before you just got Aria's point of view and a little of his. But Roar is like a true brother to him, so it was nice getting his thoughts.

 

I love Liv. I hope she appears in Through the Ever Night. I hope they find her and that she is alright. When she left Roar I started to tear up. Gah. Why did she have to leave him!?!

 

Also, I read the first two chapters of Through the Ever Night. Why do I do this to myself? I WANT THAT BOOK NOW. At least the wait is not terribly long. I'm so glad I did not read this until I got my Nook on Christmas. This is going to be a long week and a half, give or take.

 

So if you love Under the Never Sky as much as I do, READ THIS. It will not disappoint. It will leave you wanting more and more and more. So buy it. Read it. Love it.

 

And yes, I am demanding you to do it.

 

Review by Calypso

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Review: Forgotten Lyrics

 

Forgotten Lyrics

Amanda Hocking

Released: October 30, 2012

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin

ebook

 

 

Description from Goodreads:

 

Aggie is a mythological creature on a secret mission.  Lydia is a young woman from a magical family with no real powers of her own. And Daniel is a high school boy who’s made it his duty to protect his deeply troubled older brother.  Then one fateful night, their lives collide in a terrifying accident that changes them all forever. And beneath the surface, the ripple effects of the accident will have more impact than anyone could ever guess...changing not only their future, but the fate of an entire town.

Wow. This was really short and sweet. I finally got Simon, my Nook, for Christmas and ever since then I have been buying all the novellas that go with my favorite books. I had this read within an hour. It was short.

 

But I did like it. You finally are able to see what really happened to Daniel. But it leaves me with a lot of questions. Who is Lydia? Will she show up again later in the books? And Aggie? Why did she go to Capri in the first place? It does a good job explaining the accident that left the scars on Daniel, but it did open some questions for me. Maybe it was just me who was wondering about these somewhat minor questions, but whatever. It also did give us insight on what happened to Aggie and why the sirens were looking for Gemma.

My biggest question is: Is this the reason why Daniel is not affected by the sirens?

Hmmmmmm.....I hope Lydia and Delia return.

 

I read this after I read Lullaby so I knew a few things. Reading this just made me realize how much I really want Tidal to come out. It's released sometime next year. I'm not entirely sure when, but I know it is going to be a long wait. *Sigh*

 

So you can be totally okay not reading this book and just sticking to the main ones. But if you love Watersong books as much as I do, then this would be something to curve your appetite until the next one comes out.

 

Review by Caly

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Review: Lullaby

Lullaby
Amanda Hocking
Released: November 27, 2012
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin

 

 

Description from Goodreads:

Harper only wanted a safe, normal life. But when her younger sister Gemma runs off with a dangerous clique of beautiful girls, Penn, Thea, and Lexi, everything changes. Vowing to get her sister back no matter what the cost, Harper must face dangers unlike any she's ever experienced. Fortunately, she has Daniel by her side, a gorgeous guy who's devoted to helping her find her sister—and who's immune to the girls' dark powers. 

While Harper searches for her sister, Gemma struggles to adjust to her new life.  Gemma's powers are growing by the day, and the longer she lives with her new "sisters," the harder it is to resist entering their magical world.  It's a realm both dark and beautiful, and where she's plagued by strange hungers and unspeakable needs.  Just as she's drifting far away from her old life,  Harper and Daniel find her...but no one can deny how much she's changed.  All she wants is to return to her family and the mortal world, but how can she do that when she's become something else entirely—and will they still love her once they learn the truth?
 

Ummm...Where do I start with this book?

 

First of all, LOVE IT. I thought the first one was good, but oh my God, this one was ten times better. I had it read within two days, much to the annoyance of my teachers. Perfect pacing. Amazing chemistry between the characters. Beautiful writing style. There is not much to complain about with this book.

 

Again, I will comment on Harper, my favorite character in the whole book. She is so like me it's scary and I felt like pushing her against Daniel every freaking time. Seriously. That took WAY longer than it needed to, Harper. Forget Gemma. Go with Daniel. Really. Go. And I love her loyalty to her sister. I keep asking myself: Would I have the courage to go find my little sister after a bunch of murdering mythological creatures basically kidnapped her and turned her into one? Well...Probably not. Sorry Emmy. 

 

Raise your hand if you agree that Penn needs to go. Also Lexi. Thea is fine. It's just those two that really piss me off. Gah. Just leave Gemma alone. Why do they have such an evil agenda? Ugh. I hope they die in the end. Really do.

 

But yeah, you should really read these books. These are my favorite books from Amanda Hocking and the whole siren concept is really good. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.

 

Review by Caly

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