Book: Protecting Truth by Michelle Warren

Published September 2012 by Kristine Michelle Preast|Pages: 314

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy #2

Genre: YA Paranormal with a dash of time travel

Goodreads|Michelle Warren’s Website

Summary: Seraphina’s keeping a secret from her Wandering team: she’s perfecting her fighting skills. But telling Sam and Bishop the truth would only alert them to her plan: to go back in time, save her mom, and finish what she started. With the help of Turner, Bishop’s handsome twin, she progresses toward her goal but plummets deeper into dangerous territory where the lines of friendship and romance are blurred. One passionate kiss changes everything, leading Sera to unravel a shocking web of family secrets, heartbreaking ulterior motives, and sinister agendas. Love and lies collide in a haunting climax, where the truest souls may not survive.

Protecting Truth was a great book.  I really enjoyed it.  We learn more about Wanderers and their history and that they have a capitol.  We learn there’s an oath they take when they finish their schooling and that there are a ton of perks that come along with that oath.  I really felt like this society of Wanderers existed alongside our world.

I was intrigued by the family secrets that came out in Protecting Truth.  The whole thing with Mona not really being her aunt, and two possible protectors was not expected.  Twins are apparently not a good thing, but it’s not surprising, because then you end up with someone having 2 protectors.  I thought this part was interesting, and you have to wonder how many times it’s happened before.  Especially because it seems like they have a plan in place.  While you don’t really get what the point is, or why there’s a need for a team, I still like the idea of people working together to time travel.  Maybe there is no point, and it just so happens that there are people who have these abilities.

It really is the details that Warren works in that make the series, because there’s so much more to this world than what we see.  With the Underground getting more interesting and taking on the Society Of Wanderers.  I can’t wait to see where things are headed, and what’s really going on.  You know there’s something there, but it really hasn’t come up in the way I was expecting, so it would appear that everything is going to come out in the last book.

I thought the characters were great, and some even surprised me.  There’s part of me that wants to talk about them, but at the same time, I’d be giving away major plot points, and I don’t want to do that either.  Let’s just say that Sera hasn’t even scratched the surface of things that she first learned about in Wander Dust.

Sera’s definitely an interesting character, and I thought her training with Turner, Bishop’s twin, was interesting.  I get why she wants to train, but what’s the point of having a protector if you’re going through additional training?  I didn’t care for the secrets she kept from her team, because they work in teams for a reason (whatever that reason may be).  I get why she kept secrets, but it still sort of irked me.

Final Thoughts:

Protecting Truth is a great follow-up to Wander Dust.  I like all of the details that Warren has, and it really feels like its own world.  There’s so much going on, and I can’t wait to read the next one!  I really liked it, and while I didn’t love it, it was still a fun read.  Protecting Truth gets 4 stars.

Book: Feedback by Robison Wells

Published October 2012 by HarperTeen|Pages: 320

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Variant #2

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Dystopic/Thriller/Mystery

Goodreads|Robison Wells’ Website

Summary: Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs. The worst was over.

Or so he thought.

But now he’s trapped on the other side of the wall, in a different kind of prison. A town filled with familiar faces. People from Maxfield who Benson had seen die. Friends he was afraid he had killed.

They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. And while Benson struggles to figure out who, if anyone, can be trusted, he discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are darker than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop.

I have mixed feelings about Feedback.  After really liking Variant, I knew I wanted to read this one.  It just…didn’t grab my attention the way Variant did.

Feedback lost all the creepiness and mystery that I loved about Variant.  There’s still some mystery and some creepiness, but…I don’t know, it just didn’t seem as there.  I think it’s because we learned more about the people who run the school, and there’s the whole thing with the androids, and you sort of learn more about what’s really going on.  I liked that we learned more about the school. but we never got why they’re running Maxfield and creating androids.

I’m still not sure what to think.  I mean, I liked learning more about Maxfield and everything, but at the same time, the mystery surrounding Maxfield was lost.  Here’s the thing with Feedback that’s sort of frustrating.  Things are resolved enough that there really doesn’t need to be a third book.  But the door is also open for a third book.

Feedback really felt like an afterthought sometimes.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book and all, and I am glad I read it but I think I  would have been just as fine not reading it.

I’m not completely sure what to think of Feedback because Variant worked so well on its own.  In all honesty, Feedback probably wasn’t going to meet the expectations I had going in.  It’s such a strange sequel.  Strange in that it’s a sequel that works well on it’s own.  You could probably read Feedback on it’s own and have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.  It picks up where Variant left off, but both books work so well on their own that it’s weird to think of Feedback as a sequel.

I’m feeling pretty neutral about the characters.  They did what I expected but I also didn’t care about them either way.  Plus, it was hard to picture where everything was.  It’s not that you don’t know where things are or what they look like, but with Feedback, I just couldn’t picture the setting in my head.

Final Thoughts:

I did like Feedback.  I liked learning more about the history of Maxfield Academy, and I wish we knew why someone wanted to replace people with androids.  But Feedback was also frustrating because I would have been just as fine not reading it.  Feedback gets 3 stars.

Book: With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

Published March 2013 by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 384

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #7

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

Summary: What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America?

It’s time to kick some hellion butt…

After not really surviving her junior year (does “undead” count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She’s going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.

But then she meets Wrath and understands that she’s closer to the edge than she’s ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can’t save everyone she loves without risking everything she has…

I am so sad that Soul Screamers is over!  I’ve really come to love this series, and With All My Soul is such a great ending for this series!  I wasn’t expecting to cry…but I did.  That ending really did me in…

Kaylee…I am so glad everything worked out okay.  For a while, I thought that things might end up going horribly wrong, and seeing her experience what she did made me cry.  While I’m not surprised Kaylee sacrificed herself, it was still so dang sad!  With All My Soul being YA, everything works out in the end, and all because of a well-worded negotiation.  Thanks to Ira, of course.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad things worked out because everyone deserved to have some peace from all of those hellions.

I love that Kaylee was willing to make such a big sacrifice in order for things to end.  Seriously.  For a page or two, things seemed so HORRIBLE, but I’m glad that there was a happy ending.  Everyone deserves the happiness that they seem to find, because they’ve had a rough time throughout the series, and it is SO NICE to see them have a more peaceful, normal life.

I’ve grown to love Sabine, and it’s so weird that I started out HATING her…only to love her in the end.  I actually like her with Nash, and I’ve warmed up to them as a couple.

We totally need to talk about Tod and Kaylee, who are so adorable together.  I love that Tod is the one to get Kaylee out of the Netherworld and away from Avari.  You see Kaylee missing out on 4 years of everyone’s life, and how much has changed in the time she was gone.  Especially since they’re unaware of the sacrifice she made, and because they all just…moved on.  Which does make sense, because they weren’t completely aware of everything she did for them, but it was also a little sad, seeing that life for them went on while she was in hell so they could go on with their lives.

It really is bittersweet.  But I can’t imagine a better ending for the series, because it all came together in the end.

I wish we saw Alec one more time, and I am curious about what happened to Thane and the 2 hellions Avari was “working” with.  I mean, we know what happens with Ira and with Avari, but not the others.  I thought Kaylee summoning Ira was interesting, and how nobody seemed to know it was possible.  But the Netherworld is never what it seems, and it would make sense that you could summon a hellion.

Random Thought: I love the title, especially having finished the book (and the series). I love how well it fits with the book.

Final Thoughts:

With All My Soul was such a perfect ending for the series.  Kaylee has changed so much since the beginning of the series- I know this is sappy, but I’m glad I got to go on this journey with her.  With All My Soul gets…5+ stars!

Book: Fall Of Night by Rachel Caine

Published May 2013 by Penguin|Pages: 352

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Morganville Vampires #14

Genre: YA Paranormal- Vampires

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble…

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane.

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires.

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make…

Is it November yet?  Because I totally want it to be November.  It’s going to be quite a wait.  Just when you think things are getting in THE BALLPARK OF NORMAL…you realize you are nowhere near normal.

Claire finally goes off to MIT.  It’s her chance to figure out if Morganville and Shane are really what she wants.  Morganville is never far for Claire, and trouble (naturally) follows her to MIT.  Professor Anderson isn’t what she seems, and we learn that others know of vampires- and that they want vampires either contained or gone.  I have to say, the title of the next book totally makes more sense, and I have never wanted to know what happens next more than I do right now.

Why?  Because Claire and crew arrive back to Morganville to find that the human population of Morganville have taken control of the town with the help of The Daylight Foundation.  I have the feeling we’re going to learn more about them in the next one, and I was totally taken off guard by a super-secret group that hates vampires.  I WAS TOTALLY NOT EXPECTING THAT.

Like…are the vampires going to be destroyed or used as lab rats or something equally horrible?  Because Michael’s not that bad.  And Amelie and Myrnin have their moments.  Even Oliver doesn’t seem that bad sometimes.

(Super glad Oliver made an appearance because I thought we’d never see or hear from him again.  It was totally silly to think he’d completely disappear).

I sort of get why the Daylight Foundation wants to be rid of vampires, but…I’m very fond of the vampires in Morganville.  I don’t want bad things to happen to them!  I want things to work out and for everyone to have their happily ever after!

I’m going back to Claire at MIT.  I liked her at MIT and seeing her be all paranoid because she’s so used to things being weird and needing to constantly look over her shoulder.  I liked that Shane followed her to MIT because he was worried about her.  I especially loved Claire not taking long to realize that Morganville is where she wants to be, because Morganville is home.

Claire’s project at MIT: I really shouldn’t be surprised that it gets used for…something it wasn’t intended to do.  And yet I found myself surprised.  Mostly because I wasn’t expecting things to go the way they did.  Things (sort of) work out, and I get Claire’s guilt over what happened.

What amazes me is that I’m still surprised after 14 books.  Caine always manages to keep things fresh and interesting- all while being really consistent.  I like that I don’t completely know what to expect.

Final Thoughts:

Fall Of Night might just possibly be my favorite book.  If not my absolute favorite, then it’s definitely up near the top.  I wasn’t expecting The Daylight Foundation and I certainly wasn’t expecting them to help the human segment of the Morganville population to take back the town.  It’s definitely action-packed, and hard to put down.  Fall Of Night gets 5 stars.

Book: Lovely, Dark And Deep by Amy McNamara

Published October 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers|Pages: 352

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|Amy McNamara’s Website

Summary: A resonant debut novel about retreating from the world after losing everything—and the connections that force you to rejoin it.

Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods of Maine. Somewhere she can be alone.

Then she meets Cal Owen. Dealing with his own troubles, Cal’s hiding out too. When the chemistry between them threatens to pull Wren from her hard-won isolation, Wren has to choose: risk opening her broken heart to the world again, or join the ghosts who haunt her.

Holy cow!  So…Lovely, Dark, And Deep…how I loved thee.  I am impressed.  Very impressed.  Lovely, Dark And Deep was so beautiful that I WAS STILL CRYING 5 MINUTES AFTER FINISHING IT.  Me crying is sort of rare, but even more rare is me crying for a few minutes after finishing it.

McNamara doesn’t waste a single word, and it felt like every word meant something and was carefully thought it.  It was very poetic, and I wasn’t surprised when I learned that McNamara has written poetry, because that really comes through.

I thought Wren was an interesting character.  She was really easy to really to, and was a pretty sympathetic character.  Her relationship with her dad, her mom, and her former best friend were all really different, but I loved her relationship with her dad, with Mary, and with Cal.  Her dad’s pretty awesome, and was much more willing to let Wren deal with things in her own way.  It’s too bad Mary was only there for part of the book, because she balanced out Wren in a lot of ways.

Her mom and her best friend.  Good God, they were irritating.  They pretty much thought Wren was selfish because she put off going to college and moved in with her dad and isolated herself from people.  It really seemed like Wren wasn’t grieving the way they wanted her to.  Which is a little sad because everyone grieves differently, and Wren went through a lot.  I mean, she went to a party, broke up with her boyfriend, who was drunk at the time because she was pregnant, had a car accident, and lost both him and her child.  And she had to deal with people wondering how she made it out okay, while he ended up dead…and them not knowing she was pregnant and miscarried.

Lovely, Dark And Deep was so heartbreakingly real and honest, and it’s such an emotional read.  Wren just wants to be in a place where she can JUST BE and grieve in her own way.  It may look like she’s running, but I saw a girl who needs a chance to breathe and let go and process things in her own way.  Was Wren selfish?  Maybe, but grief…it can make you do strange things.

I don’t know how I’ve gotten this far in my review and haven’t really talked about Cal!  I’m not completely sure about his relationship with Wren, but I’m glad he and Wren have each other, because they both really need someone.  They both needed a friend, and they definitely found more than that in each other.  I really am glad they found each other, because with everything they were going through, they needed to have that one person to help pull them out of it.

There’s just something so quiet and reflective about Lovely, Dark And Deep.  As strange as this may seem, it was a nice way to break up a lot of the lighter stuff I’ve been reading…and even stranger is that this book is exactly what I’ve needed.

Final Thoughts:

Words cannot express how I feel about Lovely, Dark And Deep.  I just feel so strongly about it that…5 stars doesn’t seem like a high enough rating.  It’s so FREAKING BEAUTIFUL, and every minute I cried was totally worth it.  I’m totally adding a new rating to the blog: Lovely, Dark And Deep gets 5+ stars!

Book: Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Published June 2012 by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 304

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #6

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

Summary: I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.The good news? He didn’t get it.

The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school….

Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent “recovering,” she’s back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend.

But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won’t keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn’t just gambling with her own life….

The more I read this series, the more I love it!  Where else are you going to get a story about a girl who’s now trying to struggle to fit in with her human friends.

I think my favorite part was seeing Kaylee adjust to life in the human world.  She really has to concentrate on staying visible in school, and I liked that she’d randomly start disappearing in the middle of class.  While Kaylee doesn’t always want to go to her dad when stuff happens, in the end, she does end up telling him, which I really like.  I mean, a lot of times, parents are totally absent, and I like that Kaylee seems to have the good sense to go to him when things get weird…well, weirder than normal, anyway.

I kind of wish we saw a little bit of her training, because I’m super-curious about her training actually entails.  Especially when you learn that Kaylee, her boss and a necromancer are the only people left in her department.  Add in Avari being able to cross over to the human world while borrowing the soul and body of people.  Especially if it’s someone Kaylee knows…because Avari is one twisted hellion.

Kaylee and Tod are so adorable together, and they make a great couple.  It’s nice seeing them together.  The stakes are getting higher with each book, and while the ending wasn’t what I was expecting, I can’t say it was all that surprising.  I’m almost nervous to see who’s going to be next- hopefully, no one, but I doubt everyone will survive.  If they do, I’ll be surprised.

At this point, Before I Wake is tied with If I Die for my favorite book in the series!  Seriously, Kaylee coming to terms with being dead, and the guilt she feels over a certain event in the book, and trying to hold onto her humanity…I loved that part of it.  I’m sort of amazed at how different Kaylee is now, and how much she’s changed since the beginning of the series.  Her struggle with her immortality was great to see.

Final Thoughts:

I totally can’t wait to read the next (and last) book.  I can’t wait to see where Vincent takes things after the events in Before I Wake, because things have gotten a lot more interesting.  Before I Wake was completely awesome, and gets 5 stars!

Book: Windfall by Rachel Caine

Published November 2005 by Penguin Group|Pages: 352

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Weather Wardens #4

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Less than a year ago, Joanne Baldwin was an agent for one of the most powerful organizations in the world, entrusted with the safety of millions of lives on a daily basis. Now she’s a scantily clad “weather girl” for a Ft. Lauderdale television station.

After losing her job as a Weather Warden (those with the ability to manipulate the weather and avowed to protect humankind), Joanne is finding life in the “real world” not as enticing as she once thought. Her job as a cheesecake weather girl is humiliating, especially with a lecherous head meteorologist (deliciously named Marvelous Marvin McLarty) who delights in devising new ways to embarrass her on camera. But with her supernatural Djinn lover slowly dying and a recently divorced, shopping-addicted sister camping out on her sofa, Joanne’s problems couldn’t possibly get worse — or could they? Throw in a highly suspicious detective bent on arresting Joanne on murder charges, a Djinn civil war, and a monster of an approaching hurricane –and suddenly Marvelous Marvin’s antics don’t seem so bad!

Holy cow!  Windfall is totally my favorite book in the series right now, because once the book starts, it doesn’t stop, and you’re left wanting to read the next book to see what happens!

The connection between her current boss, Marvelous Marvin and Bad Bob from Ill Wind, was surprising…but not too surprising either.

Just when you think things can’t get any worse…they do!  At this point, things are going to get really interesting because the Wardens are now at war with the Dijinn.  Based on what I’ve read in the Outcast Season- which is a spin-off of this one- it would seem that we are now starting the events that will lead up to that series.

I just love Joanne, who is such fun and spunky and generally awesome.  Her as a weather girl was really amusing, but seeing her trying to live a normal life was both amusing and interesting.  Trouble seems to follow her everywhere, and with her not being a warden and her powers being almost completely gone because of David as an Ifrit…well, let’s just say things get super interesting in Windfall.  With the Wardens wondering if she’s behind bizarre weather patterns in Florida and people out to get her, Joanne having seriously depleted powers…Joanne really can’t catch a break.  Then again, if she did,

It’s definitely  action-packed, with Joanne nearly dying several times throughout the book.  We also meet her sister, and it wasn’t a surprise that she met the guy Quinn was working for.  I wasn’t expecting it, but I really shouldn’t have been surprised by that particular revelation.

Seeing Joanne’s relationship with David was interesting, and it’s really going to be different in the books to come.  And it’s all because of the end of the book!  I’m also curious to see how things play out with the Wardens, the Ma’at and with Lewis.  Especially Lewis.  I feel like Windfall is the turning point, but I’ll have to finish to rest of the series to know for sure.

Final Thoughts:

I totally loved Windfall and I’m absolutely positive we’re at the point where the other books will be REALLY hard to put down.  Things are changing, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out.  Windfall is a fun, action-packed read.  Windfall gets 5 stars.

Book: That Time I Joined The Circus by J.J. Howard

Published April 2013 by Scholastic|Pages: 273

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|J.J. Howard’s Website

A Note: That Time I Joined The Circus was an e-book from netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review

Summary: Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.

A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake–and facing a terrible tragedy–Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi’s mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.

When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn’t there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus’s fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.

But then Lexi’s ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it’s Lexi’s own future that’s thrown into question.

With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.

I am so glad I read That Time I Joined The Circus!  I think it might be one of my favorites that I’ve read this year.

It took a little time to get into it, because it was hinted that Lexi was doing something horrible the night her father died, but we eventually learn what happened that night, and all the details that led up to that night.  But in the end, I loved how the story unfolded and how we slowly learn all the details of that night.

I thought the role music has was pretty good, and while it had a big role, there were times when I felt like she wasn’t as music-obsessed as I was expecting her to be.  I did like that each chapter had lyrics from different songs, and that every single chapter went along with said lyrics.

We totally have to talk about the setting, because the circus is the main setting of the book!  Where The Night Circus was magical, and Water For Elephants was a little bit dark, That Time I Joined The Circus was fun and sweet and light-hearted.  I just loved the circus and how we saw the midway and the crew and the main act.  Circus Europa had a lot of charm.

There were some serious moments, because Lexi ends up at the circus trying to find her mother after her father died.  I felt like Lexi searching for her mother randomly disappeared once Lexi realized her mother wasn’t at the circus.  I thought that was interesting because Lexi has  no way to find her mother.  She does find her mother in the end, but I didn’t particularly care about the relationship she had with her mother.  Mostly because her mother was absent for a lot of the book, and so it was hard to care.  I also felt that way about her relationship with her dad, who we only saw in a handful of flashbacks.

What I did like was her guilt over being with Eli when she got the call about her dad.  I found it really easy to relate to, and I’d probably feel the same way if I were in her position.  I didn’t find her relationship with Eli too believable, because I never really felt like her feelings for him were really strong.  It definitely seemed like they were there, but it was hard to like her with him when I liked her with Nick so much better.

The circus is such a great backdrop for Lexi’s journey of figuring out she is and dealing with feeling abandoned by her two (ex) best friends, her mother who left when she was a child, and by her father.  I loved seeing her make friends at the circus, where people were not who they initially seemed to be.  Her time at the circus led her to a performing arts college, and I loved seeing how much her time in the circus changed her.

Final Thoughts:

I SO COMPLETELY LOVED That Time I Joined The Circus.  While the flashbacks didn’t completely work for me at first, by the end I was completely in love with the characters and the circus.  The title and the cover go so well with the story, and it’s better than I ever could have imagined.  That Time I Joined The Circus gets 5 stars.