Title: Midnight Thief
Author: Livia Blackburne
Series: The Midnight Thief #1
Genre: YA Fantasy Adventure
Format: Hardcover, 376 pages
Release Date: July 8th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: eARC copy received by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

In her arresting debut novel, Livia Blackburne creates a captivating world where intrigue prowls around every corner—and danger is a way of life.
 


When I picked up this book I felt hooked right away. The world was extremely well done and I loved getting immersed in it, and finding out how the characters would live in such a world. The writing in this book was phenomenal, I loved everything about the way the author described this world. She created a world that took me by surprise and I loved it until the very end. Another aspect of this book that I loved was the main character. Kyra was strong, fierce and extremely loyal and I loved that the author created her as our main character because she was such a great person to read. although she was not perfect, I mean really what character is, I loved watching her navigate her mistakes and figure out what works for her and stand up for what she believed it.

I did however, find that the first half of the book was better than the latter half. I found the tone of the second half was very different from the beginning. I found myself disconnected from the characters in the second half and I really don't know why. I just wasn't as into the story as i wanted to be. But I will say that the dual POVs were a great way for me to get to now all sides of the story and for me to get an overall perspective on the story and I really liked that. It also allowed for a male perspective to the story and I loved that, it added something very different to the story.

As for the end, I was a little unsatisfied because I think I was expecting something very different. There was a reveal at the end that left me a bit confused and I think it clashed with my expectations of what would happen in this story. I can't really say anything else because I will ruin the end. Overall this book was a very interesting read with great world building and great characters that helped move the story along. But sadly I was also disappointed in the latter half of the book and how it ended. But this book would be perfect for anyone who loves Fantasy and/or adventure books!

Title: Far From You
Author: Tess Sharpe
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary, Mystery
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: April 8th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: ARC received by publisher in exchange for honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads








Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she's fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that'll take years to kick.

The second time, she's seventeen, and it's no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina's murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina's brother won't speak to her, her parents fear she'll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina's murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared.


I love a good mystery novel and I will say that finding one in YA is especially hard because it is normally combined with another genre and therefore it is not as authentic. But when I started reading Far From You I knew that it was going be a straight up Contemporary Mystery.

Far From You follows Sophie a recovering drug addict who witnessed her friends murder. She know that the killer is still out there and the only problem is, everyone thinks it was her fault and no one is looking for the killer. What I think I loved the most about this book was the way it was written. We not only get to see Sophie in the present, dealing with her grief and the fact that her whole family still thinks she is addicted to drugs, but also in the past when she is navigating her friendship with Mina and the line between obsession and actual love.

Another thing that I thought this book did really well was navigate Sophie and her realization that she liked girls, it was not a subject that took over the entire book and most of the time I forgot about it while reading but then there were times where I felt everything Sophie felt, all the frustration, confusion and heartbreak. I loved reading her journey to self discovery, and I loved reading Mina and Sophie's relationship and how it evolved over the course of their young lives.

The mystery aspect of the novel was my absolute favorite part. We not only got Mina's murder to solver but we also have the story of another girl that had gone missing a few years before. Mina started to investigate her disappearance of that young girl and got herself into trouble, and Sophie knew that this story was what got her killed and now she only had to prove it. I loved that I did not expect the end and the reveal of who killed Mina, it was very well hidden, but I bet that if I read it again I would see subtle clues, but I loved it none the less!

Sophie was a great narrator for this story because even though she was intensely flawed, she was incredibly relateable and likable, therefore a very reliable narrator. I loved her voice and the fact that she wanted to taken seriously even after her drug problem.  And what I loved the most about Sophie was that her addiction did not define her throughout the book, she was strong, lovable and a great character to read. I loved her story and I cannot wait to read anything else by Tess Sharpe!

Title: These Broken Stars
Author: Meagan Spooner & Amie Kaufman
Series: Starbound #1
Format: Hardcover, 374 pages
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for honest review

Purchace
Amazon | Chapters | TBD | Goodreads





It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.


I honestly loved this book the moment I saw the cover. I mean COMMON! it is gorgeous and would make and YA fan want to read it ASAP. But then I read the synopsis and knew that I would love this book just as much as I did the cover.

I am Happy to say that this book lived up to EVERY expectation i had going in. It is an epic fantasy adventure that had mystery, danger, adventure and of course, Romance. But I think what I loved the most was that the romance propelled the story forward but was not the center of everything. There were other factors that drew the characters away from their feelings and into the amazing mystery. 

Both characters, Lila and Tarver were amazing narrators. They each had their own motivations and their own secrets. Tarver was ashamed of his low status, and Lila was ashamed of the image she always had to keep up, when in reality she was the exact opposite. They felt like real people, people that I could get to know, and i loved that they still felt so real, when this book is very Sci-Fi oriented. That is something i love.

There was only one thing I did not like about this book and that was the "twist" at the end. If you read the book I would love to hear if you agree, and you should probably know what I mean when I say "twist." I just felt like it came out of left field and left me feeling a little disconnected with both Tarver and Lila. I felt like after it happened they were not the same characters from the same story. I dont know why I felt that way, but I did, and i honestly wish that that part had not happened.

Overall this book was amazing. The writing, by both authors was outstanding and I seriously cannot wait to read the sequel that will come out next year.

This is a brand new segment I am starting where I feature a book a day, in the month of December, that I am looking forward to in 2014. It can be any book from any genre, from any author or publisher!

This is a great way for me to help you make you TBR pile bigger! And to share the books I cannot wait to read! Hope you enjoy!