Title: The Darkest Part of the Forest
Author:Holly Black
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Fantasy, Faeries
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Publisher: Little Brown for Young Readers
Source: eARC received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?



Holly Black is the queen of the Fae, she has been writing in this genre for as long as I can remember and she does it very well. The Fae are a very interesting topics for YA books, and one that had become more popular over the past few years. I think the reason there are so many books dedicated to this topic is because so many different versions of the same people can be told. It will always be different and yet the readers will always flock to it. But sadly for me, this book felt flat.

I am usually really interested in weird books that have to do with Fae because it usually makes for good mystery, but this time it was just too out there for me. I felt myself growing more and more distant from the main character and I couldn't connect with them on any level. Were there times where I did? Sure, but they were few and far between and not enough for me to hold stake in what happened to them in the end. Mt lack of connection to the main characters and the town itself made it very hard for me to keep reading this book. I read what was happening but for me it didn't mean much. I wish I had connected more because I know that if I had the mystery element and the actions of the characters would have had a completely different impact on the story for me.

Now the one thing that I really liked about this book was the way it was written. It was so different from many other YA books that I had read last year and it made the element of the Fae seem that much more real within its pages. The writing was strong yet whimsical and that made for a very different reading experience for me. I fell in love with Holly's writing in this book because it held up to another standard. It was more advanced than many books and the way the writing matched the story perfectly was brilliant. It was as if I was reading a folk tale being told by an elder. That was my favorite part of this book. No one but Holly Black could have written this kind of book, and although it was not one of my favorites, I still will read any of her book because she sure does know how to write fantasy.

Title: Mary: The Summoning
Author: Hillary Monahan
Series: Bloody Mary #1
Genre: YA Horror
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
Release Date: September 2nd 201
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: eARC copy received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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There is a right way and a wrong way to summon her.

Jess had done the research. Success requires precision: a dark room, a mirror, a candle, salt, and four teenage girls. Each of them--Jess, Shauna, Kitty, and Anna--must link hands, follow the rules . . . and never let go.

A thrilling fear spins around the room the first time Jess calls her name: "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. BLOODY MARY." A ripple of terror follows when a shadowy silhouette emerges through the fog, a specter trapped behind the mirror.

Once is not enough, though--at least not for Jess. Mary is called again. And again. But when their summoning circle is broken, Bloody Mary slips through the glass with a taste for revenge on her lips. As the girls struggle to escape Mary's wrath, loyalties are questioned, friendships are torn apart, and lives are forever altered.

A haunting trail of clues leads Shauna on a desperate search to uncover the legacy of Mary Worth. What she finds will change everything, but will it be enough to stop Mary--and Jess--before it's too late?



I love horror books, especially in the YA genre. The funny thing is I HATE horror movies, so when I come across one in print form I always seem to gravitate towards it because I am in need of a good scare. Mary: The Summoning was a book that was on my radar because it has to do with the Bloody Mary myth that we all grew up, and yes I have tried it, and no nothing happened :)

I will admit that this this book was not the best horror book i have ever read, and yes I had a few issues with the overall book, but let me tell you think. This book is grade A creepy. I mean there were some parts that I read where I cringed because it was just so disgusting. I loved the fact that the myth surrounded a group of friends and because of what was happening t them it became a strain on their friendship. I think I liked that the most was how real the friendship seemed and how the arguments and strains seemed so real.The only aspect of the friendship that I didn't like was the fact that there was one friend that seemed to not care as much as the others and cared  more about herself than her friends and I wasn't a fa of that characters and therefore didn't connect with her at all.

I will say that Shauna, our narrator was a great one. I really enjoyed her take on the whole situation and I loved seeing how much she cared for others, which was a great and refreshing thing to read. There were times when I couldn't really relate to her on the level i wanted that meant that at times I didn't connect with the story overall. But I will say that the horror aspect of this book was bang on. I loved everything to do with Bloody Mary and what happened to those girls when they called upon her. I just know that after reading this book I will no longer be going into bathrooms and chanting her name.

Title: Salt and Storm
Author: Kendall Kulper
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Historical Paranormal
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: September 1st 2014
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

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A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.
Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.
Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.


I love historical fiction, especially when it is meshed with the paranormal. So when I saw that this book was not only set in the past but also had to do with witches I knew I needed to read it and this book did not disappoint. It had everything you could ever want, a great mystery, suspense, a great stetting full of intrigue and some great magic.

The writing in this book was above anything I ever expected. It was phenomenal, it sucked you in right from the beginning and it made you feel like you were there, in that time period with these characters. The author made everything about this book genuine and real. I loved the setting and the fact that although I knew nothing about that time period, I still felt very connected not only with the main characters but also all the characters that interacted with them. it was great to read.

The only aspect of the book that i didn't particularly like was the love story. I wasn't totally convinced of it throughout the book and I questioned some of the characters decisions when it came to their feelings. But as the story when on it grew on me a bit, but not enough for me to care about their relationship and where it went in the end.

The end. I loved the end the most out of the entire book. I say this because i thought it was extremely realistic not only to the characters but to the story itself. It was extremely sad and I felt for all the characters involved but I loved that we got a lot of answers and we saw a lot of character growth from not only our main character but all the secondary characters as well.

Overall Salt and Storm was one of the most unique historical paranormal books I have read i years and I will say that for those who are on the fence about picking it...do it, because you do not find books like this very often. Ones that create an amazing world around you while you read and pull you in and refuse to let you go. This book was an amazing read and I recommend to anyone and everyone.

Title: Blind Spot for Boys
Author: Justina Chen
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: August 12th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

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Shana has always had a blind spot for boys. Can she trust the one who's right in front of her?

Sixteen-year-old Shana Wilde is officially on a Boy Moratorium. After a devastating breakup, she decides it's time to end the plague of Mr. Wrong, Wrong, and More Wrong.

Enter Quattro, the undeniably cute lacrosse player who slams into Shana one morning in Seattle. Sparks don't just fly; they ignite. And so does Shana's interest. Right as she's about to rethink her ban on boys, she receives crushing news: Her dad is going blind. Quattro is quickly forgotten, and Shana and her parents vow to make the most of the time her father has left to see. So they travel to Machu Picchu, and as they begin their trek, they run into none other than Quattro himself. But even as the trip unites them, Quattro pulls away mysteriously... Love and loss, humor and heartbreak collide in this new novel from acclaimed author Justina Chen.
 

As you all are well aware of, I am a sucker for contemporary YA, I love it and will always gravitate towards it when I am in a slump. So when I got the chance to review Blind Spot for Boys I was so excited because I was in need of a fun, flirty beach read. But sadly that is not what I got.

Let's start with the positive shall we? I loved the setting of this book. It is set in Machu Pichu which was amazing and I loved reading about the country and what it was like to hike and discovery the scenery around the characters. I liked that the focus of the book was on Shana and her family. I thought that was very different than some other reads in the same genre. But sadly that is where my likes end.

I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters in this book. I felt very disconnected from them and the story itself. I was looking forward to a book about a family struggling with Shana's dad's illness but what I got was more of a book about Shana's struggles through Machu Pechu. I wanted more family dynamic and I wanted more emotion so that when something happens, my emotions are with the character, and for me that never happened. I also thought that there were two many secondary characters. I felt overwhelmed by their numbers and most of the time gt confused as to who was who. I also felt that they were very 2 dimensional at times and did nothing to propel the story forward.

Now, with the title of this book being Blind Spot for Boys, you expect there to be a boy, and there is. But for me their relationship was too slow building and I felt to tension between them and no chemistry whatsoever. I wanted more from them and I wanted there to be more conflict and more romance. I just wanted more in general. It was very lack luster for me. Actually to be perfectly honest I felt like the ending itself was lackluster. I felt like I didn't get what I wanted. I got no resolution and really o closure. It just ended and I was sitting there and questioning what this book was about and what I had I had just read. In the end, this book was really disappointing for me and I wish it had had more substance for me really enjoy it.

Title: Just Call My Name
Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
Series: I'll Be There #2
Genre: YA Contemporary, Thriller
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: August 5th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

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The happily-ever-after of Holly Goldberg Sloan's acclaimed debut, I'll Be There, is turned on its head in this riveting, emotional sequel about friends, enemies, and how those roles can shift in a matter of moments.

Emily Bell has it all. She's in love with a boy named Sam Border, and his little brother has become part of her family. This summer is destined to be the best time of their lives--until a charismatic new girl in town sets her sights on Sam. Now Emily finds herself questioning the loyalty of the person she thought she could trust most.

But the biggest threat to her happiness is someone she never saw coming. Sam's criminally insane father, whom everyone thought they'd finally left behind, is planning a jailbreak. And he knows exactly where to find Emily and his sons when he escapes...and takes his revenge.


Had i known that this was a sequel to a previous book, I probably would have waited to read it once i read the first book. The reason I say that is because I think i missed a lot of the character development for the two main characters. The author did a great job of making me understand what happened in the first book, and what that meant to the characters in the story. but I do think that I would have connected to them more if i had their whole story and not just this one.

This book is all about characters, and there are a few to choose from. The one I disliked the most was probably Destiny because I felt like she was a shell. To me she didn't have that much substance as a character and she was only there to advance the plot and make for a conflict between Sam and Emily. I thought the conflict between these three characters was very thin and really had no resolution in the end. At least not enough for me. My favorite character in this book would probably be Sams father. I loved his chapters because seeing inside his head and how he saw things was quite interesting. I also loved how he bent the truth in his own mind to justify what he had done to his sons.

The end of the book was the best part in my mind because there was so much action involving all the characters and I loved how we finally gt to see another side if Destiny at that point. A little too late for me, but it was still nice to see. Although there was the subject of the love triangle that never really git address or resolved, I liked the way the book ended. There was a HEA for every character and they all seemed genuinely happy, which was nice to read.

Title: The Young World
Author: Chris Weitz
Series:  The Young World Trilogy #!
Genre: YA Dystopian
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: July 29th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: eARC received by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population, the young survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. Jefferson, the reluctant leader of the Washington Square tribe, and Donna, the girl he's secretly in love with, have carved out a precarious existence among the chaos. But when another tribe member discovers a clue that may hold the cure to the Sickness, five teens set out on a life-altering road trip to save humankind.

The tribe exchanges gunfire with enemy gangs, escapes cults and militias, braves the wilds of the subway and Central Park...and discovers truths they could never have imagined.



I always try to be diplomatic when I write reviews. I do not like to rant about a book because I feel sympathy for the time and effort that went into the making of a book. But sometimes you read a book that elicits so much negative emotion from you that you have no choice but to make the whole review negative. And I am sad to say that The Young World was one of worst books I have read in a very long time.

I will start with the characters. There were 2 POVs in this book, one was Donna and the other was Jefferson. I will start with Donna first. She was written the way a grown man THINKS a young teenage girl would talk. I have never heard the words like and um written that many times while one person is talking. I got so frustrated with her character and the way she was written and that I usually skimmed her parts because I was so annoyed. Jefferson was not much better. Although he sounded like a normal human being with brain cells when he talked, he still was one of the most boring character I have ever read. I didn't feel much emotion from him while reading. We know that he was in love with Donna for most of the book, yet we never really felt it from him. He just told us, which was not the best reading experience. Another aspect of Jefferson's character that I felt was wrong was the fact that although he loved Donna and said he would wait for her, he went and slept with another girl just for the hell of it. I felt like this was so out of character for him.

The story. I felt like it was done many many times over, and honestly done way better. All the adults disappeared and the kids are in charge? yup been there done that. The world was not very well done and I honestly skimmed the last 50% of the book because I was either bored or couldn't care less about the characters and what they were going through. Also, there was a big reveal at the end, and although that was my motivation for reading until the end, I felt gypped. I got no real answers and I left with more questions than what I started.

The Young World was high on my TBR list because I thought it would bring something new and exciting to a genre that's been done over and over again, But sadly it was lackluster at best and I was not a fan.

Title: Wildflower
Author: Alecia Whitaker
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: July 1st 2014
Publisher: Poppy
Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

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The best songs come from broken hearts.

Sixteen-year-old Bird Barrett has grown up on the road, singing backup in her family's bluegrass band, and playing everywhere from Nashville, Tennesee to Nowhere, Oklahoma. One fateful night, Bird fills in for her dad by singing lead, and a scout in the audience offers her a spotlight all her own.

Soon Bird is caught up in a whirlwind of songwriting meetings, recording sessions, and music video shoots. Her first single hits the top twenty, and suddenly fans and paparazzi are around every corner. She's even caught the eye of her longtime crush, fellow roving musician Adam Dean. With Bird's star on the rise, though, tradition and ambition collide. Can Bird break out while staying true to her roots?

In a world of glamour and gold records, a young country music star finds her voice.


I will be very honest about this book. I am on the fence on whether I enjoyed it or not. I read it very quickly, just over 3 hours, but I still can't really decide how I feel about it. So I guess I will start with things that I liked about the book. The music. This was the best part for me. seeing the behind the scenes of how an artist is discovered ad the process to making them into a star. I also loved that the main character, Bird (I really did not like this name, was very distracting for me), write her won songs and was very close with her family. The family aspect of this book was great to read. The dynamic between parents and siblings seemed very real, especially since Bird was the only one getting recognized for her music and no one else. I found that part to be great to read.

Now. as for the aspect I did not like that much. Bird herself at times was hard to read because I found her to be very naive and infuriating to read at times. I know she is a teenager and from a small town therefore she might not know some things, but seriously? Sometimes I thought it was a little over the top. Her obsession or crush on fellow musician Adam Dean was a bit too much for me. It got to a point where I wanted to scream at her to just tell him how you feel! Just talk to him! Because their relationship, if you could even call it that was very young and to be honest the end result of their attraction was very frustrating for me as a reader. They just ended it without really talking to each other and I wanted more. So much more. And speaking of frustrating, the end. There was little to no closure for me. It just ends without us seeing the end result of all of Bird's hard work. What happened to the album, was it a success, how did the family react? All of these things were left in teh air and it left me feeling less than satisfied.

Overall this book was entertaining and illuminating as to the process of becoming a music star. But in the end I did not connect very well with any of the character and i felt like there were some parts that were severely underdeveloped and could have used more exploring. I was very underwhelmed by this read.

Title: Allies & Assassins
Author: Justin Somper
Series: Enemies of the Prince #1
Genre: YA Histocial Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 496 pages
Release Date: May 27th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC received by Publisher in exchange for an honest review

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Prince Anders, the ruler of Archenfield, has been murdered, leaving his younger brother, Jared, to ascend the throne. Sixteen-year-old Jared feels unprepared to rule the kingdom and its powerful and dangerous court, yet he knows he can rely on the twelve officers of the court to advise him. He also knows he can just as easily be at their mercy-especially when it appears that one of them may be responsible for his brother's death. Unable to trust anyone, Jared takes it upon himself to hunt down his brother's killer-but the killer may be hunting him, as well. Murder, betrayal, and intrigue abound in Justin Somper's thrilling YA series debut. Exploring the political machinations of the medieval court and the lives that hang in the balance, Allies & Assassins is a gripping tale of a teen torn between duty and revenge.


Historical Fiction is a genre I love but rarely read because it is never written to the level that I think it should be written. But when you add in fantasy then things get interesting, the story can change on a whim, and history no longer applies. That is what I loved about Allies and Assassins, it was set in the past but added fantasy elements which made the story that much more interesting. Just think Game of Thrones for younger adults (without the sex).

In Allies and Assassins we are introduced to MANY characters ans when I say many, I mean more than 5, and they are all apart of Archenfield, a kingdom that has just had its second assassination of one of their Princes. This assassination is the focal point of the story and that mystery of who killed the Prince is what keeps you reading. Because you think you know who did but, let me tell you that you have no idea! Every character that you meet in this book has a purpose and I loved that so much because I hate reading books where characters are just there a filler or plot devices. There is none of that here. Every character has a purpose and every character pretty much is a suspect from the first page, which made reading this book so awesome. I loved that you did not know who to trust. It was such a great mystery.

The world building in this book was great, I did feel like there were too many descriptions and that the book could have been shorter because it is over 400 pages, and for young adults that can be very long. As I was reading I felt a part of his world, I felt like I knew the castle and its surrounding areas, and the characters that inhabit each part. I loved that I got lost in the characters and their interactions because that is the best part for me. Reading characters and how they interact is what gets me to love a book, and the dialogue in this book is amazing. I also appreciated that there was no love story inserted for ANY of the characters, although some are mentioned in the past tense, there are none that we read, and i found that to be very refreshing.

Allies and Assassins is a great book for boys that love Game of Thrones or anything to do with historical fantasy. Girls will also love this story because the mystery element is quite amazing, I mean I did not figure out who the killer was at all! I had to wait until the reveal and let me tell you that it makes soo much sense once it was explained. I loved the reveal. If you love this kind of historical fantasy then pick up this book because it will not disappoint.

Title: Odin's Ravens
Author: K.L Armstrong and M.A Marr
Series: The Blackwell Pages #2
Genre: MG Adventure, Greek Mythology
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Release Date: May 13th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC received from Publisher in exchange for an honest review

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Seven kids, Thor's hammer, and a whole lot of Valkyries are the only things standing against the end of the world.

When thirteen-year-old Matt Thorsen, a modern day descendant of the Norse god Thor, was chosen to represent Thor in an epic battle to prevent the apocalypse he thought he knew how things would play out. Gather the descendants standing in for gods like Loki and Odin, defeat a giant serpent, and save the world. No problem, right?

But the descendants' journey grinds to a halt when their friend and descendant Baldwin is poisoned and killed and Matt, Fen, and Laurie must travel to the Underworld in the hopes of saving him. But that's only their first stop on their journey to reunite the challengers, find Thor's hammer, and stop the apocalypse--a journey filled with enough tooth-and-nail battles and larger-than-life monsters to make Matt a legend in his own right.

Authors K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr return to Blackwell in the epic sequel to Loki's Wolves with more explosive action, adventure and larger-than-life Norse legends.


Greek mythology is a topic I cannot shy away from when it hear it is in a novel, so I will always pick up a book based on that topic. And when I read Loki's Wolves lst year I knew I was in for something special. That book was one of my favorites of 2013, so when I saw that Odin's Raven's was coming out I knew I had to review it. And it did not disappoint.

I love when sequels start off right from the end of the first book and that is exactly what happened with this book. We are continuing the story of Laurie, Matt and Fen on their search to stop the apocalypse from destroying the world. I love these characters so much because they feel real and down to earth. We have Matt who sees himself as the hero and feels the pressures that go along with it. We also have Laurie and Fen, cousins but they feel more like brother and sister. I love Laurie because she is such a sweet girl and she wants everyone to get along, but also has the voice of reason. Fen is a firecracker. He is unpredictable and I loved reading his character because he is so different from the other characters in the book and you really have no idea what he will do next because throughout the series we know that he resents Matt for being the leader and that cause a lot of tension, which makes for great conflict.

I also loved that the authors summarized the first book throughout the book. We are not info dumped on which can become a problem with sequels but in this book i felt like the authors were just letting us remember slowly because I read this book a year ago therefore I probably do not remember all the details. I did feel, at times, that this book felt like a bridge book, which technically it is. A lot of things happen in this book and I loved all of the new characters we meet and the reveals we get to witness (OMG!) but there was something about this book that screamed middle book. And I think it is because we are on a journey to get to the Thor's Serpent fight, and we all know that that happens in the next book. But that feeling did not deter my love for this book and this series at all.

Overall Odin's Ravens was a great sequel that messes with your mind and makes you realize that not everything is as it seems. The ending of this book is a kind of cliffhanger but not as intense. I loved that it makes you want to read the next book without you being angry at the ending. I seriously cannot wait for the next book to come out because I want to see what happens to these characters that I have grown to love!

Title: Torn Away
Author: Jennifer Brown
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Release Date: May 6th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: eARC provided for Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review

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Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives -- but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.

In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she's never considered before -- one in which her mother wasn't perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.


There are book that you read one in a while that change you, that make you question things around you and make you feel emotions you never thought you could feel for fictional characters. Torn Away was one of those books for me. This book was perfection for many reasons, but the biggest reason was the emotions I felt while I was reading it.

Torn Away follows teenager Jersey Cameron whose life falls apart when a tornado rips through her neighborhood and devastates her family.  Her mother and younger sister do not survive and therefore she is shipped off to her biological dads house, which turns her life upside down.

This book broke my heart from the very first page. I felt for Jersey from the moment I met her. She was so likable and relateable because before the tornado she had teh same feelings as any other teenager on the planet. She was annoyed by her younger sister so much so that she constantly yelled at her to go away, and she resented her mother for always thinking about her sister irst and her second. These are all things that we all feel at one time or another. But when she loses those two people she is now reminded of what she had and the fact that she will never see those people ever again. It was heartbreaking to read.

What also made me emotional was her stepfather, who survived as well but was so devastated by the loss of his wife and child that he could not stand to be around Jersey anymore so he sent her away to her fathers house, who she hasn't seen in years, without giving jersey I chance to say goodbye to those she lost. I felt devastated for her. I honestly do not think I have felt this strongly about a character of a book, ever. I anted to jump into those pages and rescue her because it seemed like no one else would. But what really got my emotions going was when she arrived at her fathers house and she is treated like the scum of the earth. Every person in that house was mean and vindictive and I wanted to hurt every single one of them.

What I think i loved the most about this book was the end. There was no ribbon tying everything up, there was no forgiveness to those that treated Jersey so poorly but there was a glimmer of hope, and honestly for a book like Torn away that is all you can really expect because it feels real. You do not get over a death in 300 pages. It just doesn't happen that fast and I loved that Jersey found some sort of peace in her life and was starting new. It was great to read.

Title: The Geography of You and Me
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: April 15th 2014
Publisher: Poppy
Source: eARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review


Purchase
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Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.


I read my first Jennifer E. Smith book last year and I loved it because the romance was flirty and fun, and the writing was very much in the same boat as the romance. I loved that the overall story was not too serious and that I could smile through the entire book. So when I saw that she was writing another book I knew I wanted to read it. Sadly the more I read into this book the more I didn't like it.

When I write review, especially negative ones I do not like to trash a book, I do not think its right in terms of being a professional Blogger. I know how much time and effort goes into a book in every aspect from the author to the publisher and I will never bash a book. but that being said, I do have the right to dislike a book and explain why.

That being said, I will start off by highlighting what I did like about the book. I really enjoyed the voice in this book. I loved that it was told in two POVs, one male and one female that way we get more than one perspective on the same story. I also liked that is was different than many other YA novels out there because the main characters spend most of the time apart from each other. That was very refreshing for me. But sadly that is where my likes end.

I wanted so much more than what I got, I wanted these characters to have more chemistry, to have a better relationship, I wanted to have more details. The whole concept of this story was that these characters meet on an elevator when the city of New York is under a blackout. Then they move away from each other and say they will keep in touch. One my email and the other by postcard. But we never really saw any correspondence. They hardly talked and when they did it only said "wish you were here." I wanted way more than that to believe that these teenagers actually started to like each other.

I very mush disliked the secondary characters, they did not seems to move the plot forward at all, they each found new loves, but for some reason I could care less about them, they had no impact on the story itself. I felt like they were there to just show that the characters moved on, I never really believed in these characters. And to be honest I wanted more of a traditional love story. I kept waiting and waiting for these characters to get together and every time I was disappointed.


Overall I wanted way more than I got from this book. I was hoping for something more traditional in the love department, but I will say that this book has not deterred me from reading more from Jennifer E. Smith, she will always be my go to author for great flirty romances.

Title: The Ring and the Crown
Author: Melissa De La Cruz
Series: The Ring and the Crown #1
Genre: YA, Fantasy, History, Magic
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: April 1st 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: ARC received by Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads





Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.


When I read a historical fantasy there are always certain things that I want to see, and those are great world building and great characters that not only you can relate to, but also ones that make you believe in what you are reading.

The Ring and the Crown had amazing world building, I loved that it was set in a historical time period but had elements of magic. I do really wish that there was more magic evolved in the story because while reading, those were my favorite parts. I loved that Merlin was a part of this story, although I really wish he had played a larger role overall. Sometimes I felt like he was only in the background and had no real stake in the overall story.

I have always loved stories that involve perspectives from more than one character because I love seeing the same story from the eyes of others because you get different perspectives on the same situation and usually that makes the story better. Unfortunately there were way too many characters in this book, at times I wish there was a character tree or something for reference so that I could keep track of who was related to who and who was marrying who. That would have been extremely helpful at times because I was confused for most of the book.

I also found that because there were so many characters that had their own narrative, I wasn't able to get to know each character to the degree that I am used to. I felt like I was just going with the flow and I did not have a stake in what happened to them. If one of them dies I wasn't sad, I really had no motion because I wasn't attached the character like i should have been. There were many love stories in this book, and my favorite part of reading a great love story is the lead up, because it is there that you get the tension and romance. But in this book there was no lead up at all, much of the romance and lead up were done off page and I really did not like that because I had no stake in who was with who and what happened to who. There was one particular part of the book that had me really upset, one of the female characters was having an affair with one of the boys, as a reader I could tell that he wasn't as into her as she was with him, and that was not only frustrating but seemed unnecessary. But the issue I had was there was a scene where the girl was with this boy and they were in the bedroom, he then gave her a tea of some sort and after a bit she could no longer move, and it was at this point that he decided to take advantage of her. And the part that really bothered me was that she was okay with it because she was in love with him. He pretty much raped her and it was as if it didn't happen at all. That was what really bother me.

Overall this book had many problems for me, I was expecting a lot more than what I received. I wanted to feel more for the characters and I wanted more magic overall.

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!