Mystic City (Mystic City, #1) by Theo Lawrence

Description:


A magical city divided. A political rebelli on ignited. A love that was meant to last forever.


Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.  (Goodreads)


My Thoughts:


I got Mystic City from NetGalley, Random House Children's Books.  When I requested this book I didn't know what to expect, I liked the description but I haven't read any reviews on this book.  So I thought I give it a chance. 


Aria, a rich girl from the prominent Aries family, wakes up with her memories gone.  She can't remember what happened to her.  All she knows that she overdosed on Stik and that she's engaged to Thomas.  A boy from another prominent Aries family, who up till now were an enemy. 


Aria was kind, smart. compassionate and likable character.  I wished that she was more actively involved in trying to figure out what happened to her memories rather then to rely on what others tell her.  There were a lot of clues around her that pointed that something was not right.  But really can't blame Aria for trusting her family. 


Hunter another likable character, he is mystic, kind, smart, caring and brave.  I liked Hunter and Aria together, they complimented each other.  I was rooting for Aria to remember Hunter so that they can be together.  Even though the author really does not tell you who Hunter was to Aria at the beginning of the book, it is not hard to figure it out.  Mystery part of the book was not that well done because it was very easy to figure out what was going on.  For example, who Hunter was, or about Elisa, or Stik incident and Thomas. 


Overall this was a good read, it had decent writing, engaging dialog, interesting storyline and world.  I really liked the authors idea of the world where Aria and Hunter live.  But I do wish that the author took more time to explain the history and politics of the place. 


I give this book 3/5 STARS - Happy Reading!!!


Mystic City Series:


1.  Mystic City
2.  Untitled - Coming Soon 2013

Sweetly (Fairytale Retellings, #2) by Jackson Pearce

Description:


As a child, Gretchen's twin sister was taken by a witch in the woods. Ever since, Gretchen and her brother, Ansel, have felt the long branches of the witch's forest threatening to make them disappear, too.


Years later, when their stepmother casts Gretchen and Ansel out, they find themselves in sleepy Live Oak, South Carolina. They're invited to stay with Sophia Kelly, a beautiful candy maker who molds sugary magic: coveted treats that create confidence, bravery, and passion.


Life seems idyllic and Gretchen and Ansel gradually forget their haunted past -- until Gretchen meets handsome local outcast Samuel. He tells her the witch isn't gone -- it's lurking in the forest, preying on girls every year after Live Oak's infamous chocolate festival, and looking to make Gretchen its next victim. Gretchen is determined to stop running and start fighting back. Yet the further she investigates the mystery of what the witch is and how it chooses its victims, the more she wonders who the real monster is.


Gretchen is certain of only one thing: a monster is coming, and it will never go away hungry (Goodreads). 


My Thoughts:


Sweetly was another excellent read; I think that my luck is turning, two five stars YA books in a row.  It's been a while since that happened. 


Gretchen and Ansel, this was a very interesting retelling oh Hansel and Gretel.  I just loved this story, it kept me entertained throughout the entire book.  I loved the characters, both main and supporting characters.  I loved how Gretchen and Ansel grow as characters in this book, they are intriguing and smart. 


From the very beginning of the story I liked Sophia but the more I got to know her I started to like less and less.  But even at the end when everything was over and done I still could not help but like Sophia on some level and feel sorry for her. 


I loved Gretchen and how she grows as a characters as the story moves along.  I loved the romance between her and Samuel.  I liked Ansel, but as a readers we do not get to know Ansel as well as we do Gretchen.  The story is told from Gretchen's POV. 


Overall this was an excellent read.  This is the first book about retelling of Hansel and Gretel story that I've read.  It was well written and it was concise.  There was a lot of character development and the story line was interesting and moved at a good pace.  There was a lot of mystery, romance, friendship and some magic.  I loved the fact that author does not concentrate on romance but rather on the retelling of the fairytale.  I said this many times before, too many YA authors concentrate on romance which takes away from the story that they intended to tell in the first place. 


I give this books 5/5 STARS - Happy Reading!!!


Fairytale Retellings Series:

1.  Red Sisters
2.  Sweetly
3.  Fathomless - Release on September 4, 2012

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Description:


Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.


So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.


And she, for whatever reason, spares his life (Goodreads). 


My Thoughts:


I have seen this book around blogs for some time now but I never bothered to read the reviews.  To tell you the truth I thoughts that this was a book about zombies and I'm not big on zombies.  But on my recent trip to the library I saw that they had this book in their collection I thought what the hell, I'll give it a try.  Well, I have to say I was surprised by this and how much I enjoyed reading it.  I have to say it is one of the better Ya books that I have read in the last several months. 


Cas Lowood, a teenage boy who lives with his mother who is a witch.  Cas is also special he is a ghost hunter.  Cas and his mother move into a new town after Cas receives a hint about Anna from a town resident.  Cas moves into town and he thinks that this will be like any other ghost hunting job, but he quickly learns that it is not.  There is more going on and he has to figure out what. 


I liked Cas even though I though him to be a just tad bit arrogant at time, but not very often.  He is smart, caring, loner and a good person.  I also liked Anna, I felt sorry for her and what kind of life she had and how it all too quickly taken away from her. 


The storyline was exciting and interesting, there was never a dull moment.  Main and supporting characters were well developed and entertaining.  I loved the fact that the main focus of the story was not romance, but rather it cam in second.  It's not that I don't like or enjoy romance, but sometimes i just don't want the romance to be a focal point of every YA book.  The author manages to stike a right balance between storyline that we are promised in the description and the romance. 


Overall this was excellent book, among the best YAs this year, at least for me.  I loved every page and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book, Girl of Nightmares.  It was  very well writen, engaging dialog and entertaining story.  Right amount of romance and lots of ghost type things.  If you have not read Anna Dressed in Blood then you are missing out on a great story. 


I give this book 5/5 STARS - Happy Reading!!!


Anna Series:


1.  Anna Dressed in Blood
2.  Girl of Nightmares

Endure (Need, #4) by Carrie Jones‏

Description:

 

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers. (Goodreads).

 

My Thoughts:

 

Finally I have finished Endure, it took me three weeks to read. I have not been a big fan of this series but I have read all the books. I received this book as a gift from a friend and let’s just say I was not that happy about the gift, but good thing I have a good poker face. I am glad to see the end of this series, I do not know why I bothered to read all four books in the series, since I did not enjoy any of them. 

 

Zara and her friend are trying to stop the apocalypse, I have to say that it was a sorry excuse for an apocalypse. This series was somewhat based on Norse mythology but the author only mentions a Norse god here and there and few places that are associated with Norse mythology. And viola we have a story line that is based on Norse mythology. There were so many possibilities that the author could have done with this story, but I feel like the author was lazy to put effort and write a good story that originally had a lot of potential. I do not want to gang up on this author alone, a lot of YA authors are guilty of this. There is a lack in world build-up and development.

 

I do not like Zara and any of the characters in this series. Actually I liked Astley but I think that he is the only one. The premises behind these characters was interesting in the beginning but when the characters are static and remain same throughout all four books them it becomes boring and annoying. Dialog was poor and I felt at times like it was written for ten year olds rather than older teens.  In the first half of the book, Zara and her friends kept say number of times “I can’t believe this is happening” or something along those lines. Then in the second half of the book Zara kept thinking to herself “ How can I stop the apocalypse if I don’t have any magic”. It’s alright if you say it once but if you start saying it more than three times, IT’s ANNOYING. It ‘s annoying because the whole novel lacks good dialog.

 

So needless to say I did not like this book; I have to say that with each books in series I liked less and less. I did not like the ending or how easy it was to stop an apocalypse. Another thing that I disliked about this book was the little blurb at the beginning of each chapter that tells the reader what is going on in Bedford. 

 

In my opinion this was a very poorly done series, it lacked character growth and development; world build-up was poor and barely scratched the surface. Writing was poor and choppy. I think I have read to many bad YA books in the last year and I refuse to give favourable reviews just because everyone else liked these books. I’ve already said this , I need a break from YA books. I think I am going to read something different intended for adults. Anyways, I hope you readers out there are having more luck with this series than I have. Like they say, to each it’s own.

 

One a positive note I enjoyed the covers, I liked it from the very beginning even though they are basically same cover for all four books. Only difference is that different parts of Zara’s face are showing on each cover.

 

I give this book 1/5 STARS – Happy Reading!!!

 

 

Need Series:

 

 

1.  Need

2.  Captivate

3.  Entice

4.  Endure

Pushing Limits by Katie McGarry‏

Description:
 

SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER...AND YET SO RIGHT.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smokinghot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again (Goodreads).
 

My Thoughts:
 

Possible spoilers… just saying J
 

I’ve seen a lot of glowing reviews of this book around blogosphere and Goodreads. This is one of the reasons why I requested this book from NetGalley for review, I wanted to see for myself. I have to say that it took me a while to read this book. I just could not sit down and read more than twenty to thirty pages at a time. I am not sure why! I did not dislike the book or think that it was bad. Because it is not, actually it pretty good, but there were number of small things that bothered me about this book that prevented me from giving it 4 or 5 stars. I wish that the author did more research into clinical psychology and social work. There were number of things that the author could have done with these topics had the research been more in depth. I say this as someone who works in both of these fields. 
 

At first when I started to read I really enjoyed it. But hundred pages as I started to get to know the characters a bit better I started to get annoyed with both Echo and Noah. I also realised that all the emotional distress that Echo and Noah were feeling was bit forced and kind of fake. Yes all the things that the two were feeling, they are valid and worthy of those emotions. But as a reader I could not connect with the characters and their situation. There was something missing for me. I could not connect with them and rather than feeling sorry for them, I felt annoyed. 
 

Noah, a foster kid, since his parents died he has been separated from his two younger brothers, who are also in foster care. He is trying to get his brothers and get custody of them when he graduated highschool. Noah’s line of thinking baffles me, how is he just out of highschool (or soon will be) going to support two younger brothers. He barely has a job, a part time minimum wage job is not enough to support three people. But he is determined to have the custody, personally I do not think that he has thought this through. Noah apparently had a lot of bad experience in foster homes so he is assuming that the current family is doing the same to his brothers. Noah is sarcastic, cynical, bitter, angry, but under all that anger and cynicism he is a good guy. He emotionally distances himself from people; I think he is just scared of getting hurt. 
 

Echo, used to be popular girl who dated a jock. Now she is just another emotionally messed up teenagers, who lost her brother and can not remember all the details about her mother. Echo is smart, pretty, kind, and emotionally distressed. She is trying to remember what happened to her and her mother, but there is a block that he brain put up to protect Echo from herself and what she might find.

As much as Echo wants to remember what happened she is also scared of what she might find. One thing that I was bothered by is Echo and her reaction to what her mother did. Echo remembers what her mother tried to do, but her reaction to the situation is surprising. The way Echo talks about it it’s like it’s no big deal. It happens every day. 
   

So did I love this book? I would have to say no I did not. Did I think that this book was good? I think I have to say yes, it is better than a quite a few books that I have read in the last few months. DO I think that this is one of the best books this year in YA fiction? No, sorry. 
  

Few things that bothered me about this book is that I could not connect with the characters no matter how much I tried. There was something about Noah and Echo that did not sit right with me as a reader. I almost felt like they were faking it. Romantic relationship between Echo and Noah felt too adult like, their romance felt more like cheesy adult romance novel rather than a cheesy teen romance. Also sexual references, come on I know that Noah has been with number of girls and that he has some experience but not that much experience that he is going to rock Echo’s world. I kind of found that funny. 
 

Overall this was good read, it was entertaining but I found it to be anticlimactic. We do not learn anything at the end that we already did not know from the first half of the book. Out of 400 pages at least 300 pages were about romance, and the other 100 deals with emotional distress and social issues. I think that I would have liked this book much better if the author went easy on romance and focused more on Echo’s and Noah’s problems. 
 

I give this books 3/5 STARS…Happy Reading!!!

My Weekly Book Treasures, #4

My Weekly Book Treasures, #3

 

From NetGalley:

 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

 

From library:

 

 

The Name of the Wind by Partick Rothfuss

 

Bought:

 

 

Unclean Spirits By M. L. N. Handover

 

Free:

 

 

 

Cold Kiss by Amy Garnay

This ebook is available for free on Sony ereader store on KOBO (available for free to Canadian residents). 

Goliath (Leviathan #3) by Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson (Illustrator)

Description:

Alek and Deryn are on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek’s throne as prince of Austria, and finally fall in love. The first two objectives are complicated by the fact that their ship, the Leviathan, continues to detour farther away from the heart of the war (and crown). And the love thing would be a lot easier if Alek knew Deryn was a girl. (She has to pose as a boy in order to serve in the British Air Service.) And if they weren’t technically enemies.

The tension thickens as the Leviathan steams toward New York City with a homicidal lunatic on board: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is as it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy (Goodreads). 

My Thoughts:

This is the end of this wonderful series and I am very sad to see it end. I fell in love with this series from page one of book one and it continued to amaze me through the whole series. I just loved everything about this series, it was one of the best series that I have  had read this year. 

Alek and Deryn are back on the Leviathan and are faced with new problems and challenges. The war is still bruin in Europe between Clankers and Darwinists. Alek is trying to stop the war and he joins forces with some new characters that appear in this book. Nikola Tesla makes an appearance, brilliant but yet crazy scientist who thinks that he can stop the war with his “new” weapon that is capable of destroying cities across great distances. 

Also Deryn has found himself in a tight spot, now more people know about his/her secret. Alek knows that  Deryn/Dylan is a girl and few other characters along with the nosy reporter. Deryn is scared, what will happen when her captain and crewmates find out. 

I just loved Alek and Deryn, they are such lovable characters, they have grown so much throughout this series. They are brave, kind, caring, funny, and independent. They have faced some tight situations and they have managed to save the day each time. I loved Deryn’s rashness on one hand but on other I wanted her to think bit more about the situations she was in. Alek is more naïve and trusting of people, which sometimes gets him in situations that he could have avoided. 

Writing was excellent, entertaining and engaging. There was never a dull moment. There were no awkward sentence structures that require you to read a sentence twice or three times in order to figure out what the author was trying to say. You can tell that the author did a lot of research about this time period and knows his historical facts. Even though the author uses a historical fact and gives it a twist you can still pinpoint this in the real life timeline. 

Overall this was excellent read and I am sorry to see this series end. Even though I am sorry to see it end I do not think that I would want it to be longer. If you have not read this series then you are missing on a great great series, I can not state enough how good this series was. 

I give this books 5/5 STARS – Happy Reading!!!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Rob Inglis (Narrator)

Description:

Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole by a wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of a large and very dangerous dragon. Maps. Line drawings (Goodreads).


My Thoughts:

I finished listening to The Hobbit few days ago; I have decided to reread this book recently because the movie is coming out this Winter.  I borrowed the audio version from the library and listened to it.  I have to say that I actually enjoyed the narrator's voice and the way he read the story to his audience.  I have not listened to too many audio books, I tend to stay away because I do not like the way narrator narrated the story.  Or I simply do not like their voice.  Not everyone can be a narrator. 
The best ever I have listened to so far was Neil Gaiman narrating The Graveyard Book.  Mr. Gaiman had a nice deep voice and it suited the story perfectly. 

I love The Hobbit, it is such entertaining story, it keeps you entertained from the beginning to the end.  Bilbo Baggins is funny, clever, and kind.  The story takes Bilbo and the dwarfs on an adventure, he gets to see the giants, elves, dragon, goblins and many other interesting things. 

I loved the writing and how the story line moved along.  There is a lot of scenery in this book that the author takes time to describe, J R R Tolkien is known for this, beautiful scenery description, some poetry.  I have read The Hobbit several times over the years and I loved it each time, it one of those books that you never gt bored of. 

Overall this was a excellent read for me and I can not wait to watch the movie.  If you have not see the preview for The Hobbit you can do it HERE.  If you still have not read The Hobbit or any of the LOTR trilogy and you are thinking of doing so, than The Hobbit is a great place to start.  It has everything, adventure, monsters, dragons, elves, humour and friendship. 

I give this audio book 5/5 STARS - Happy Reading!!!

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan‏

Description:

On remote Rollrock Island, men go to sea to make their livings—and to catch their wives.

The witch Misskaella knows the way of drawing a girl from the heart of a seal, of luring the beauty out of the beast. And for a price a man may buy himself a lovely sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. And he will tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment.

Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire, despair, and transformation. With devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals characters capable of unspeakable cruelty, but also unspoken love.(Goodreads).

My Thoughts:

I requested this book from NetGalley for a review, I was drawn in by the title. But when I read the description I knew that I wanted to read this book. I loved every page of this book, author’s writing is effortless and just plain good. 

The Brides of Rollrock Island was broken into seven different stories, told from seven different POV. This book evokes number of different emotions, sadness, disappointment, gladness, and some happiness. All seven stories told from different POV, but they were all tightly interlocked, woven together quite nicely. Even though these seven stories are interwoven together they could be stand alone stories as well. 

Margo Lanagan does an excellent job in writing this book. Writing was flawless and effortless. Author had me mesmerised with the story from beginning to the end. It took me a while to read this book but only because I did not want to rush through and miss something. I want to congratulate the author for managing to write something very original and tasteful. 

I loved the characters in this book, Miskaella Prout evoked both sadness and disappointment in me. Sadness for how she was treated her whole life by the people on the island and sadness for what she does to the island families and seal women. I felt disappointed in the men of the island, but it’s as if they were under some kind of spell as soon as they saw seal women. I love that the focal point of the story was the character dynamics; characters were multidimensional and just beautifully put together.

 

I loved the mythology of these seal women, who are beautiful and raised from the sea and tied to the men of the island. Not really tied to the men of the island, but more so they have no other choice but stay on the island with the men and always long for the sea. The ending was sad and haunting. 

I want to recommend this book to all readers out there, but I am not sure if this book is for everyone. I want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book. I think that I will get this book for myself either paper copy or eBook, because I think that this book is deserving of rereading. 

I give this book 5/5 STARS – Happy Reading!!!

A Temptation Of Angels by Michelle Zink‏

Description:

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

I have seen this book around the blogosphere quite number of times, but I never paid much attention to it really. So when I got the chance to read this book I said to myself might as well read it since its free. And if you are wondering where I got it for free, well it’s from the library.

I have to say I somewhat enjoyed reading this book, it was a very fast read for me. It seemed that I was half way through the book before I even knew it. Story line was alright, but not original. When I say not original, we just have another twist on angels and your typical YA book. I mean the title itself gives it away. But regardless of my originality criticism, I wanted to finish this book and see where it goes. 
 

Characters were alright and but not very interesting or entertaining for that matter. I liked Helen for the most part but I found that she was very defensive. As soon as Darius or Griffin said that she could not go out and fight ( or other things) she would get defensive and say well I am going or doing it. It’s like she needed to prove that she could do everything they could regardless whether she could or not, it was bit annoying. I think that the author was trying to achieve a strong female character but managed to make it an annoying female character. I also liked Darius better then Griffin, he was more entertaining because he was so moody and cranky all the time. 

Romance between Helen and Griffin was just too easy for me which caused to lack that initial tension, attraction and romance. I mean they do not even really talk to each other about anything other than angel business. Actually when I started to read my initial thought was that it would be Helen and Darius together as a couple. I thought that they had a better chemistry going on. Also I did roll my eyes when I realised that this will be another love triangle, Helen and Griffin, Helen and Raum. I really could not understand the romantic attraction between Helen and Raum, why would she even go there. Come on, this guy might not have killed your parents with his own hands, but he was a participant. I mean was she so desperate that she falls in love with a guy who had caused the death of her parent, not by accident mind you. BUT ON PURPOSE. I kind of found that off putting. 

Another thing that I was bothered by was that the author or someone else (can not remember where I read it now) describes this book as “Victorian/Steampunk” type of novel. I am sorry to say that there is nothing Victorian or Steampunk about this novel. There are few references to coaches and Victorian type clothing, which you really can not tell that’s its Victorian from this book actually, because there are not enough details. Just because someone wears a long bulky gown it does not make it Victorian. Actually author never bothers to set the stage, so you never get the feel of Victorian society or Victorian time period .  At first I thought that the book was set in present day, until the author mentioned gowns or coach. Also, there was nothing Steampunk about this novel, as far as my understanding of Steampunk subgenre goes. Just because you have a character that wear “Victorian” clothing and has some fighting skills, it does not make it a Victorian/Steampunk.

Let talk about the cover, also not original. I have seen this cover on another book, Secrets after Dark.  Come on people at least try to have an original cover, rather than use same cover for another book. I really dislike that, it’s cheating. I do not blame the author for this, I am not sure if author even has any say over it. 

 Overall this was alright book. On some level I did enjoy reading it but I had to get past the “Victorian/Steampunk” part and some annoying habits Helen had. One question I had at the end of this book, is there a sequel? According to Goodreads there is only this book for now. But I have to say that the book ended with the possibility for a sequel or a series. 

I give this book 2/5 STARS – Happy Reading!

My Weekly Book Treasures, #4

Bought:

Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz

Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Library:

Sweetly by jackson Pearce

Dormia by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendra Blake

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Won:

Until next Time (The Angel Chronicles) by Amy Lingor

Satanic Verses by Salman Rashdie 

Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky

Severed Threads by Kaylin McFarren

Behemoth (Leviathan, #2) by Scott Westerfeld

Description:

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead (Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Book two in Leviathan series; I been wanting to read this book for some time now, but each time I went to library it was checked out. Also I kept forgetting to put in on hold to make my life easier. Oh well, I lucked out about a week ago on my trip to the library, book was in and I grabbed it right away. I actually started to read this book in the library and I got through first two chapters.

I have to say book two does not disappoint, it gets better. Alec and Deryn are on yet another adventure, this one takes them to Constantinople aka Istanbul. This book had my attention from the first sentence and that is usually very rear for me, it usually takes a chapter or two. Anyway, Alec had to escape the Laviathan or become a prisoner, he and few of his men manage to escape. Alec and Deryn separate for a bit here, but its not long before Deryn is sent on a mission which will take him (her) closer to Alec.

There are new characters in play in this book, Lilith ( I think that was her name) and her father Zaven, also Nene who is Lilith's grandmother. Ottoman empire is under the control of Germans (Clankers) and Alec joins the revolution that is taking place in Ottoman empire. I really liked the chemistry between Alec, Deryn and Lilith, they fit together very well.  

Deryn and Alec are both rash and tend to act without thinking which makes you want to shake them and yell at them to think before they act. But regardless of their tendency for recklessness, they are lovable characters and I loved every page of this book.   I love Deryn, I love her persistence and intelligence.  She has managed to keep her secret throughout yet another adventure, for the most part. 

Book was very well written, there is a lot of character growth and development. World was well developed and described; there is a lot of history in this book too.  I especially like how the author uses the history to his advantage.  There is a lot of true facts but the author gives them a good twist. 

Overall this was am excellent read and I can not wait to read Goliath, the conclusion of this series.  Book was well written, great characters, great storyline and a lot of adventures.  The book keeps you entertained to the very last page.  If you have not read this series yet, you should it is very good. 

I give this book 5/5 STARS - Happy Reading!!!

Laviathan Series:

1.  Leviathan
2.  Behemoth
3.  Goliath

My Weekly Book Treasures, #3

Bounght:

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Spellbinder by helen Stringer

Library:

Behemoth (The Leviathan trilogy, #2) by Scott Westerfeld

Goliath (The Leviathan trilogy, #2) by Scott Westerfeld

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

ATemptation of Angels by michelle Zink

Fatefull by claudia Gray



NetGalley:

The Blood Keeper by Tessa Graton

The Lost Prince by Julia Kagawa

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire



Rapture (Fallen, #4) by Lauren Kate

Description:

The sky is dark with wings....

Like sand through an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the angels fell to earth.

Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this — live only to lose Luce again and again. Yet together they face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies...and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed.

And suddenly Luce knows what must happen. For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her — and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now is the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win? (Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

So finally this is the end of Fallen series, I am both glad and sad to see this series end.  When I bought this book I was excited to read it, but I put it off for some reason.  So I finished reading this book today and I am not sure how I feel about the ending of the series overall. 

Luce and Daniel are approaching their end and running out of time to stop Lucifer from erasing past. 
As I was reading and more then half way throughout the book I realised that Lace does noting in this book.  She follows other angels around, she does have few minor scenes where she actually does something by herself because Daniel can not do it.  Rest of the fighting and searching was done by angels and others.  Luce is more of a follower then go getter in this book, which is too bad.  Also she is still whinny but not as bad as in previous books. 

I was bit disappointed with the relationship between Luce and Daniel.  There was nothing going on there, other then the two of them trying to stop Lucifer.  There was no tension or romance really.  The most romantic thing going on is how Luce refers to Daniel as her love when she remembers her past.  But they barely kiss at all.  The only physical contact they have with each other is Daniel caring Luce around while they fly from place to place. 

There was few surprises about Luce's and Daniel's past that I did not expect.  Still I am not sure about the ending, but I can not say much because I do not want to ruin it for those who have not read this book yet.  I guess my problem with the ending was that I did not love or hate it but rather I was indifferent to it.  I was hopping for more or for different ending. 

Overall this was alright read for me.  Book was well written and I enjoyed the characters for the most part.  However as already mentioned above, I was indifferent to the ending, I expected more and something different.  I am glad that Luce and Daniel got their happy ending though (depends on how you look at it). 

I give this book 3/5 STARS - Happy Reading!!!


Fallen Series:

1. Fallen
2. Torment
3. Passion
3.5 Fallen in Love
4. Rapture