Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’d Recommend To People New To YA

Posted in Books, Top 10 Tuesday by

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish. Every week, bloggers from all over are invited to share their own Top Ten List based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Tuesday Graphic

Top Ten Books I’d Recommend To People New To YA

I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while, so this is the perfect time to actually do it.  One day, I might even get around to putting together an expanded list, but for now, this is definitely a good start.  It’s no secret I love YA, and so it seemed like a good chance to talk about some of the great YA books out there.  I’ve decided to leave off some of the more obvious choices in favor of some books that are equally as awesome as the Harry Potter and The Fault In Our Stars of the world.

Contemporary:

  1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  I love Laurie Halse Anderson so much, and if I have to recommend just one book by her, Speak is it.  She has a way of making you relate to the characters, even when what they were experiencing is so completely different than anything you’ve been through.
  2. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  I can’t recommend this book enough, and it’s a haunting look at a school shooting and its aftermath.

Paranormal:

  1. The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa: I love her take on fairies, and how some fairies have come out of technology.
  2. Wings by Aprilynne Pike.  This is another book that has a great take on fairies.  These fairies are more plant-like, and are grouped according to seasons.  And they even bloom once a year!
  3. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.  I love that Paranormalcy has a lot of different elements of a lot of paranormal books out there.  And Evie is just hilarious.

Dystopic & Science Fiction:

  1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  I LOVE this trilogy and I really wish it got the attention some of the other dystopic trilogies got. I liked how Tally managed to overcome every surgery performed on her.
  2. The Adoration Of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson.  I liked that it’s about the ethics of science and medicine and when things go a bit too far.  There are two very different sides, and I like that Pearson doesn’t take a side.

Fantasy:

  1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore.  I really liked this world, and how people with really special abilities were shunned and exploited and feared.
  2. Crewel by Gennifer Albin.  I love that there is a group of women who can weave time, and I love that it’s a fantasy novel with some elements that seem science-fictiony.

Historical Fiction:

  1. Witch Child by Celia Rees.  Witch Child is pretty awesome, and I like how it’s told in diary format.  I also liked her escape to America to escape accusations of being a witch.  Plus, it’s hard (for me) to find historical fiction at the upper end of YA, so this is a great choice.
  2. Gilt by Katherine Longshore.  I love that this book focuses on Katherine Howard (better known as Henry VIII’s 5th wife) and her circle of friends.  This is a great addition to YA historical fiction.

Gilmore Girls 3×6: Take The Deviled Eggs…

Posted in Season Three, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Take The Deviled Eggs…originally aired November 5, 2002.  This episode was written by Daniel Palladino and was directed by Jamie Babbit.

This episode opens with Lorelei wanting to call the catalog companies they currently get catalogs from, and get rid of the duplicate catalogs they’re getting.  Lorelei ends up abandoning the project.

So.  We have a town meeting, which are some of my favorite scenes in the series.  Taylor is mad about birds taking care of business all over town, and wants to do something about it.  The town meeting keeps getting interrupted by the man who’s taking Patty out on a date.  And the town loner has put in a request for a protest, which is denied by Taylor before he ends the meeting.

Jess has a car, and Luke wants to know how Jess is going to pay for insurance and repairs and maintenance.  And he’s curious about where Jess got the money.  Luke talks to Gypsy about the car, and if it was legit, which it was.  We find out Jess has a part-time job at Wal-Mart, which is how he got the money for the car.

We also find out that Rory and Chris have been talking when Rory gets an invitation to Sherry’s baby shower.  Rory apologizes, especially since Lorelei thinks it is weird that Rory never told her.  Well, until now.  The reverend and the rabbi (who use the same building for their services) have agreed to let the town loner stage his protest there, which doesn’t go over well with Taylor.

Rory gets baby blanket, and we learn that Lane’s mom still hasn’t given her the “where babies come from” talk.  Lane sees Jess’ car, and it does not go over well with her.  Rory thinks it’s nothing to be upset over, and yet she also seems annoyed that Jess has a car.

Lorelei drops Rory off, and somehow manages to find herself at the baby shower, instead of shopping. Sherry’s friend Maureen organized the shower, and Chris’ place has had a makeover, including the alphabetizing of the famous C.D. collection.  As it turns out, Lorelei is the only mother there, since no one else has time for guys…or just a lack of free time in general.  Sherry asks for some book recommendations from when Lorelei was pregnant, but as Lorelei was pregnant at 16, she doesn’t have any.  Sherry wants to know where Lorelei got her parenting information, since it didn’t come from parenting books.

Sherry, apparently, isn’t a baby person, and has scheduled a c-section because work is crazy for Sherry.  Lorelei excuses herself, and Sherry thanks her for talking to Chris, who’s amazing and super-involved.  She wasn’t sure if she was going to keep the baby or go it alone, since she and Chris had a rocky stretch.  She’s thankful for whatever Lorelei said, because he came back to her and GiGi (short for Georgia, their daughter’s name).  And Sherry definitely feels like she and Lorelei were in the same position.

Lorelei ends up in the bathroom, needing a break, and Rory follows her to make sure she’s okay. Lorelei is not happy, and thinks Sherry is copying her as far as names go.  You know, 2 syllables, two of the same letter.  On the way home, Lorelei is still thinking about the baby shower, and Rory suggests they devil egg Jess’ car.

The next day, there’s the town loner protest.  Unfortunately, the banner drops and they can’t figure out what the town loner is yelling, so they try to figure out what he’s protesting.  Due to the smell of the deviled eggs, every one leaves the town square.

Thoughts:

I’m going to start off with Jess having a car.  I don’t get why Rory seems annoyed Jess has a car, because previously, she was very insistent that Jess was not completely to blame for the accident. Although, it could be because she’s just annoyed with Jess in general right now.

So, the baby shower.  Sherry is definitely the type to read a ton of parenting books, and I can’t say that her scheduling a c-section is a surprise, it does seem to fit with her character.  But the whole “where did you learn about how to parent a child if you didn’t read parenting books” thing was sort of irritating.  Yes, it’s Sherry, but Sherry and Lorelei were pregnant at very different times in their lives, and Lorelei was pregnant way before Sherry, so that might have something to do with it.

Her talk with Lorelei…I don’t even know where to start.  I have the feeling that Sherry doesn’t know Chris and Lorelei were together during her rocky stretch with Chris.  Yes, Chris went back to her, but there’s something grating about the way she went on and about being thankful for what Lorelei did. Why would she assume it’s because of Lorelei?  For all she knows, Chris might want to the chance to be a parent to GiGi, since he never really had that chance with Rory.

And comparing her situation to Lorelei’s?  I’m not really getting the comparison, other than the potential for single parenthood and the whole unplanned pregnancy thing.  Am I missing something, or is Sherry just really weird?

Favorite Line:

Andrew, during the town meeting: “I’d rather have bird crap fall on my head.”

Pop Culture:

Boo Radley, Haight-Ashbury, drinking the Kool-Aid

Episode Rating:

Sherry really is a strange person and she seems to be in her own world, and a bit-of-touch with,..well…the rest of the world.  Still, this was a really good episode, and it seemed to bring up some really interesting things for Lorelei.  This episode gets 4 mugs of coffee.

Audio Book Review: The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich

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The Rise And Fall Of The Third ReichBook: The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich by William Shirer|Narrated by Grover Gardner

Originally Published in 1960, Audiobook Published July 2010 by Blackstone Audio|Run Time: 57 hours, 13 minutes

Where I Got It: audible.com

Series: None

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction/History- World War 2/Holocaust

You can find The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich on goodreads

Goodreads Summary: With a new afterword by the author, this unabridged edition tells the complete story of Hitler’s empire. Famed foreign correspondent and historian Shirer spent five and a half years sifting through the vast paperwork behind Hitler’s drive to conquer the world to bring this definitive record of one of the most frightening chapters in the history of mankind.

So, I finally finished The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich!  After almost 7 months…I managed to get through, and I have never been more relieved to finish a book.

Here’s the thing: I don’t feel completely confident in my ability to review this book, because it’s taken me so long to finish, and at this point…well…this sums up how I feel about everything in this book…

This is totally what happened with this book!

I mean, if I ever read or see anything involving Nazi Germany, and things seem vaguely familiar, it’s probably because of this book! Here is what stuck out to me, though.

One: I think I vaguely knew that the Nazi’s kept crazy meticulous records, but it wasn’t until I listened to this book that I realized how detailed their records and documents were.  I mean, seriously.  I’m impressed by the amount of time Shirer spent looking through so many of these records.

Two: While I couldn’t tell you specific things about what happened, I can tell you that it was really easy to see how Hitler came into power, and how he managed to take over Germany.  He just happened to come along at the right time…as weird as that may seem, that’s my recollection.

Three: Shirer was in Germany, working as a journalist during the 1930’s, and he has a really interesting perspective.  I do remember that he does distinguish between his personal experiences, and the documents he looked at, so he does admit to his own biases.

Four: This book was surprisingly easy to listen to, and while there’s a lot of detail- I mean, it is 57 hours, after all- it’s really readable. Still, I found that I could only listen to it for 30 minutes to an hour at any given time.  If I could go back re-read it, I think I’d go with the print version, because it’s a lot to take in and remember.  It’s detailed while not being boring or tedious.  And Grover Gardner did really well as a narrator.  I would definitely listen to other books he’s narrated, because he just has a voice for non-fiction and history.

Final Thoughts:

I really liked The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich.  Well, as much as one can like a book about Nazi Germany, and how they came into power.  It’s a great book if you want to know more about the Nazi’s and the political decisions Hitler made.  It’s easy to read, which is sort of impressive, given that there’s a lot of information to take in.  I am wishing I had gone with the print version instead of the audiobook, but either way, it’s definitely worth reading.  The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich gets 4 stars.

Book Review: Spy Glass

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Spy Glass CoverBook: Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Published September 2010 by Harlequin|400 pages

Where I Got It: Nook Store

Series: Glass #3

Genre: YA Fantasy

You can find Spy Glass on goodreads|You can find Maria V. Snyder on Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: After siphoning her own blood magic in the showdown at Hubal, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. She can no longer create glass magic. More, she’s immune to the effects of magic. Opal is now an outsider looking in, spying through the glass on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in the world. 

Until spying through the glass becomes her new power. Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that someone has stolen some of her blood–and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or learn if they’re lost forever…

As much as I really liked Spy Glass, I think it’s my least favorite book in the series.  Opal’s powers are gone, and she now has to adjust to life without them.  There is a way for her to regain her powers, through some of her blood that’s been stolen.  And blood magic.  

Damn blood magic.  There really is no escaping it, is there?

She does go off on her own to figure things out, and with the help of Valek- plus a few others- she gets her blood back in a totally interesting way.  I was not expecting that at all.  I liked that Opal learned who she could trust, and that she has a really good friend in Valek.  I really liked seeing him without Yelena (although I like them together too) because I feel like we get a slightly different side of him.  

I was quite surprised by the romance.  Not completely surprised, because it really was headed towards a Devlen/Opal relationship, and not the Kade/Opal relationship.  Even though Kade and Opal wouldn’t have worked as a couple in the long-run, part of me still likes them as a couple a lot more than Devlen and Opal.  

I really liked Spy Glass, but I can’t, for the life of me, pinpoint why I’m not completely in love with it.  Maybe it’s because I love how Opal uses magic so much that her without it was hard to get used to.  It’s a really good end to the series, but I just had a harder time getting into it, and for reasons unknown to me, I just didn’t like Opal as much in this one.  

To be honest, I really liked it, and I have no clue why…I just do.  

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Spy Glass but can’t pinpoint the reasons why I like it.  However, Opal without her magic for a good chunk of the book was a little strange.  I just couldn’t get into it the way I got into the first two books.  Spy Glass gets 4 stars.

A Spoiler-ific Book Review: Allegiant

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Allegiant CoverBook: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Published October 2013 by HarperCollins|544 pages

Where I Got It: Nook Store

Series: Divergent #3

Genre: YA Dystopic

You can find Allegiant on goodreads|You can find Veronica Roth on Twitter, tumblr and her website

Goodreads Summary: One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?

What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?

What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

I definitely want to start off this review by saying that there are major spoilers for Allegiant, so if you don’t want to know what happens, you’ll want to avoid this post until you read it.

So…Allegiant.  I honestly don’t even know where to begin with Allegiant.  It’s definitely my favorite book of the trilogy for so many different reasons.

One reason why I love Allegiant is that Divergent and Insurgent make a hell of a lot more sense having read Allegiant.  They made sense before Allegiant, but Allegiant is the book where we learn so much more about the world Tris is living in.  You really see the big picture after finishing Allegiant.  You find out what being Divergent really means, and that people who are Divergent have healed genes, because genetic manipulation went very, very wrong, and a large portion of society is considered genetically damaged.  So there are all sorts of experiments, some of which involve cities, and figuring out what is the best way for the Divergent population to grow, since those are the genes that are healed enough to pass on.

I found all of that really interesting, and it wasn’t until I read Allegiant a second time that I realized that it reminded me of eugenics. It definitely has that feel to it, and if you’re the type to dig a little deeper and look at things a little more closely, you could totally have a field day with everything that we learn in this book.  There’s so much I really needed to read it a second time just to process it all.

Tris and Four take turns narrating Allegiant, which worked really well!  You see how they see things so differently, and how the things they learn affect them in so many different ways.  And when it happens, you can’t help but feel for Four.

And by it, I mean the death of Tris.  I totally get the major reaction so many people are having.  I’m sad and angry…and pretty much was FEELING ALL OF THE FEELS.  Seriously.  I started crying, and I could not stop.  After a moment of just staring at my Nook in shock and confusion, of course.

For me, while sad and upset and all that, I also…I’m not sure how to put this exactly, but I think I’ve accepted her death.  I mean, she does survive the death serum only to get shot, and while that’s a little strange, Tris has put herself into quite a few life-or-death situations that is was bound to catch up with her in the end.  And given that she wants to live up the example set by her parents and is pretty selfless, even though she feels like she isn’t, I do find that it makes sense for her as a character.  I don’t like that she survives death survive to get shot, but…I don’t know that what comes after would have had the same emotional impact.

And what happens after, with Four’s reaction?  SO.  FREAKING.  HEARTBREAKING.  His reaction to her death was heartbreaking and sadly, it took her dying to realize that there are different ways of being brave, which (sometimes) is moving forward and just putting one foot in front of the other.

Actually, I think I was more upset by Uriah dying than Tris dying.  Mind you, what happened to Tris was really sad, but something about what happened to Uriah was so heartbreaking.  Heartbreaking is a good word for the ending, I think.  Uriah and Four…it really was emotional to see where their stories went.

Final Thoughts:

Four narrating after the death of Tris was so heartbreaking, and while I’m still trying to sort out how I feel about the way she died, I also thought her death fit.  Allegiant gets 5 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish. Every week, bloggers from all over are invited to share their own Top Ten List based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Tuesday Graphic

Top Ten Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

Since I’m a mostly e-book/audiobook person, I don’t pay attention to covers most of the time.  When I add them to my reviews? That’s probably the only time I look at the cover, but I always manage to find a few that I wish were really different.  Here are my picks for covers that need to be redesigned.

Redesigned Covers

  1. Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen.  Overall, it’s just a bit too dark, and it needs a little bit of contrast in terms of colors.
  2. Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield.  Because I’m not quite sure what’s going on in the cover.  It feels a little too cluttered to me.
  3. Cobweb Bride by Vera Nazarian.  I like  the book but the statue looking female needs to go.  Seriously.  That’s the only thing wrong with the cover.
  4. Every Day by David Levithan.  That random white strip towards the left needs to go away.  It makes me feel like something when wrong when the cover was being worked and they forgot to fix it.
  5. Seduction by M.J. Rose.  I don’t like the colors.  Also, I don’t like that you don’t see her eyes.  Half-faces are kind of annoying.
  6. Insomnia by J.R. Johansson.  The stuff on the guys face?  Kind of random.  Seriously, what is that?
  7. If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch.  Um, the girl is really creepy, especially the way she’s staring right at you with big eyes. This is one case where I’m glad I don’t have to look at that cover.
  8. Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman.  One, the colors NEED to be different.  And: I know what this scene is supposed to be, but it needs to be different.  It’s just not how I pictured it to look.
  9. Contagious by Emily Goodwin.  I don’t particularly like her pose.  And more importantly, I would change her outfit…mostly because that seems like a really bad outfit to wear during the Zombie Apocalypse.
  10. Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.  I LOVE Anna And The French Kiss.  But why is Etienne not on the cover? Because I would totally put him on the cover.  I don’t get why we only see his arm.

Gilmore Girls 3×5: Eight O’Clock At The Oasis

Posted in Season Three, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Eight O’Clock At The Oasis originally aired October 22, 2002.  This episode was written by Justin Tanner and was directed by Joe Ann Fogle.

Gilmore Girls Season 3 Graphic

We start off this episode with Lorelei telling Rory a joke on their way to the diner.  A family has taken over the diner, which seems to be a weekly thing, and it definitely annoys Luke.

From there, Lorelei goes to an auction that some committee or group or something is hosting, and naturally, Emily is a part of it. Michel goes with her, and meets a guy named Payton at the auction. She has to ask Emily to get his number, which is hard for Lorelei, but seems to make Emily happy. They make plans for a couple dates- dinner, and a David Bowie concert the next week. The first date doesn’t go well, so Lorelei decides to not go to the concert with Payton.

This doesn’t go over well for Emily, who accuses Lorelei of never giving someone a second chance, and being judgmental.  Lorelei says that they just weren’t compatible.  Lorelei later gets a call from Richard, who is playing golf with Payton’s dad, and he’ll assist the damage of what Lorelei’s done, since Payton’s mother could take it the wrong way.  Lorelei doesn’t think there’s anything weird about not going on a second date with Payton, but it’s a very big deal to Emily and Richard since it could affect Emily’s relationship with Payton’s mother.  Lorelei eventually apologizes to Emily for not thinking about how a date or two with Payton would affect Emily if it didn’t work out, and eventually agrees to go to the concert with Payton.

That’s the major goings on of the episode, but we meet Dwight, who is new to Stars Hollow.  Lorelei agrees to water his lawn while out of town, and Rory helps out once, only to have trouble turning the water off.  She pages Dean, who doesn’t answer, and so she goes looking for Luke or someone else to help her…only to run into Jess, who does help her.  They do talk but it’s a little awkward, and Dean finally answers her page, so Jess turns the water back on.

Thoughts:

So, Lorelei dating a guy Emily knows…definitely the more interesting part of the episode.  I kind of get where Lorelei is coming from, in regards to wondering why Payton’s mom would care if they didn’t go to the concert.  People decide to not go on second dates all the time, and I think Emily’s comment of Lorelei not giving people a second chance a little uncalled for.  I think this is a case where Payton and Lorelei just aren’t going to be a thing.

But Emily lives in a very different world than Lorelei, and while it doesn’t make to Lorelei (or Richard), Emily does live in a world where not going on a second date with someone can have disastrous effects.  I do like that Lorelei apologizes for not thinking about how the lack of a second date would affect Emily.

And pagers!  Wow.  This kind of dates the show a little, doesn’t it?  But it’s like a look back in time, so it’s all good.

Favorite Lines/Scenes:

Nothing jumped out at me in this episode.

Pop Culture:

David Bowie

Episode Rating:

I liked this episode.  It didn’t make me go “oh my god, that was completely awesome, and I totally love it” but it also didn’t give me the urge to throw something at the t.v. because I’m full of rage.  It is a pretty solid episode, so it gets 3 mugs of coffee.

ARC Book Review: Cursed

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Cursed CoverBook: Cursed by Lizzie Ford

Expected Publication is November 17, 2013 by Evatopia|Expected Number Of Pages: 246

Where I Got It: Netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: Voodoo Nights #1

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find Cursed on Goodreads|You can find Lizzie Ford on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: The Red Man is coming…

Five years after her sister disappeared, seventeen-year-old Adrienne finds the strength to return to her father’s home in New Orleans. But soon after she arrives, the mark of a curse appears on her, leaving her worried. Will she be the next victim of a four-hundred-year old family curse…the next to be claimed by a serial killer roaming the back alleys of the city?

The day before his senior year begins, Jayden is given a skeleton key passed down through his family for generations — a gruesome reminder of how his ancestors betrayed their own people and sold them into slavery. He doesn’t believe in the curse the key allegedly bears and puts it away with the intention of forgetting about its message. Until he meets Adrienne, a girl he’s compelled to for more reasons than her beauty. 

He’s not the only one who notices her. A man in a skeleton mask and a voodoo gang member are also drawn to Adrienne. One is determined to protect her. The other intends to mislead her. Haunted by the mythical Red Man, all are connected to the ancient curse.

Can they overcome their misgivings about one another and prevent the dark prophecy looming over them? Or will they be lured away from each other by evil’s siren song?

I definitely liked Cursed, and I liked the idea of a curse that hovers over two different families because of things that happened hundreds of years earlier.  I also really liked the role that voodoo played, especially because it’s something I haven’t seen a lot of in paranormal books.

I liked the connections between Adrienne’s family and Jayden’s family, and how connected they are, and how things could be very different because of trying to break the curse.  So, the origin story for curse was interesting, but it seemed more complicated than it could have been.  I’m not sure if it’s something I need to go back and read again, or if it wasn’t explained as well as it could have been.

I also liked how there were a variety of people who did and did not believe in voodoo.  It definitely makes it interesting to see how things are going to work out when one person is very much believing that the curse doesn’t really exist.  There is a lot going on, in terms of voodoo and what we learn about it.  It is quite a bit of info to take in, but Ford also does do a great job at not overwhelming you with the particulars of how voodoo works in this particular world.  I also liked how the prophecy was worked in, and I can’t wait to see how everything will all play out, given how things went in Cursed.

I’m a little bit iffy about the ending.  It feels a little incomplete to me, and while I get that it’s the first book in the series, it was also a little too abrupt for my liking.  Still, I’m definitely interested in where things are going, and if the curse will broken, and all sorts of other things that I don’t want to spoil for anyone.

Final Thoughts:

I liked Cursed, and the idea of a 400-year-old curse is a really interesting one!  While the ending was a little too abrupt for me, I’m still interested in where things are headed.  Cursed gets 3 stars.

Book Review: Fallen Too Far

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Fallen Too Far CoverBook: Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines

Self-Published December 2012|Pages: 445

Where I Got It: Nook store Series: Too Far #1/Rosemary Beach #1

Genre: New Adult Romance/Contemporary

You can find Fallen Too Far on Goodreads|You can find Abbi Glines on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter. 

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother. 

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

I really enjoyed Fallen Too Far!  There were parts that made me so mad, especially in terms of the secrets kept, and there are definitely a character or two that I could not stand!  But…i think they were supposed to be that way…

Fallen Too Far is definitely addicting, and I loved the tension between Rush and Blaire.  I definitely felt for Blaire, who’s trying to fit into a world where there are rumors circulating about her, and secrets that no one wants to tell her.  At one point, I sort of managed to figure out what the secret was, but couldn’t completely pinpoint it until it actually happened.  I didn’t care if the secret was a little predictable, because I just wanted to know what it was after it being mentioned so much.  I also don’t blame Blaire for reacting the way she did, because I’d probably react the same way.  Well, not completely, but to a certain extent, I probably would.

Actually, if I paid a little more attention, I probably could have figured it out completely.  And no one wanting to tell her, because it wasn’t their secret to tell made me so angry, because they all had an idea, but it was infuriating that they didn’t tell her what rumors were out there.

Anyway: I’m not sure how I feel about Blaire and Rush.  They are definitely very different, and yet…they can’t stay away from each other. There is a certain something about them, but I don’t have strong feelings about them either way.  I’m hoping that they’ll grow on me in the next book.

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Fallen Too Far, and I’m officially an Abbi Glines fan after reading Fallen Too Far!  Rush and Blair didn’t quite click for me, and no one talking about secrets was a little irritating, but overall, things are complicated but complications are why this book was addicting!  Fallen Too Far gets 4 stars.

Book Review: The Exodus Towers

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The Exodus Towers CoverBook: The Exodus Towers by Jason Hough Published August 2013 by Del Rey|Pages: 544

Where I Got It: I own the paperback!

Series: Dire Earth Cycle #2

Genre: Adult Science Fiction

You can find The Exodus Towers on Goodreads|You can find Jason on goodreads,  facebook, twitter and his website

Goodreads Summary: The Exodus Towers features all the high-octane action and richly imagined characters of The Darwin Elevator—but the stakes have never been higher.

The sudden appearance of a second space elevator in Brazil only deepens the mystery about the aliens who provided it: the Builders. Scavenger crew captain Skyler Luiken and brilliant scientist Dr. Tania Sharma have formed a colony around the new Elevator’s base, utilizing mobile towers to protect humans from the Builders’ plague. But they are soon under attack from a roving band of plague-immune soldiers. Cut off from the colony, Skyler must wage a one-man war against the new threat as well as murderous subhumans and thugs from Darwin—all while trying to solve the puzzle of the Builders’ master plan . . . before it’s too late for the last vestiges of humanity.

I definitely want to acknowledge that I know Jason, and he’s a pretty awesome guy, so I’m at least a little biased.  But I genuinely loved The Exodus Towers!

Certain things definitely were not what they seemed, especially with the Builders and all of the events that they had planned.  And the structures that appeared…they are definitely different, but they’re also kind of cool.  The differences between Belem and Darwin caught my interest, and I liked seeing how things were different for both groups.  And how certain people from Darwin caught up with Belem.

The cool thing about Belem is that part of the gang finds a new group of people who managed to survive just as long as the settlement in Brazil.  It’s good to meet some new survivors and how their story intertwines with those from Darwin.  I liked seeing the different perspectives, because you really get to know the characters better and you get a little more into their head.

Middle books always make me a little nervous, because I never know what to expect, but I am so glad that The Exodus Towers that exceeded the really high expectations The Darwin Elevator set.  We see more of the Jacobites, who were introduced in The Darwin Elevator, and they are much more important than I could have imagined.  I can’t wait to see how their story plays out.  I’m really glad that this book isn’t a bridge between the first and third book.

There’s a lot of action, and Jason does a great job with keep you wondering what’s going to happen next.  Like, we have yet to see the Builders, and I’m hoping they make an appearance in The Plague Forge because i really need to know what they’re up to!  We’ve seen SUBS and their technology, but I’d really like to know what their plan is.

Final Thoughts: I’m definitely excited about The Plague Forge, mostly because I want answers!  I love the mystery of the Builders, and how there are more immunes than anyone expected.  And I loved seeing the characters deal with new (and more pressing) challenges.  The Exodus Towers get 5 stars.