Book: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Published September 2011|Published by EgmontUSA

E-book|Borrowed from the library|361 pages

Series: Ashes Trilogy #1

Genre: YA: Post-Apocalyptic

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Ilsa J. Bick’s Website

Summary: It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.

Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling post-apocalyptic novel about a world that could become ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

After listening to Drowning Instinct, I knew I had to read Ashes!  Ashes was an interesting but strange book that was hard to put down.

You can’t go wrong with zombie-like people and an EMP that destroyed electronics and killed people.   There are so many unanswered questions, and I really want to know what happens next, especially with that ending!  I’m not surprised that there was a cliffhanger.  Let me tell you, that was one cliffhanger I was not expecting!

I’m really impressed with what Bick did with the zombies and the Zap.  It’s an interesting combination- and one that’s a nice change from the typical zombie story where there’s some illness or something that turns people into zombies.  Plus, the only technology that works seems to be from the good ‘ole days, which means you’d need some serious survival skills.  I really feel like making sure I’m prepared for an earthquake now…

But back to the book.  It’s really creepy in that “this could really happen” kind of way.  Not necessarily the zombie part but the electromagnetic pulse part of it.  Although, if you think about it, something like that would have to have an effect on people.  But I was completely drawn in, and you can’t help but think about what you’d do if you had no way to figure out what was going on.  If people Changed…if people dropped dead…if you had a brain tumor and couldn’t smell but all of a sudden you could smell and you did feel better.

The characters are also great.  Alex is definitely a really tough character, but I couldn’t help but love Tom and Ellie…and I think I may have a soft spot for Ellie’s grandpa…even though he had a really brief appearance.  We meet quite a few interesting characters along the way, and about halfway through, we end up in a town called Rule, where there is a community doing what they can to survive and make it through.

As much as I enjoyed the book overall, I think I enjoyed the part of the novel that takes place in the woods more than when Alex arrives in Rule.  Things are pretty well-paced through the book, and time passes reasonably well, but…I don’t know, Rule just didn’t seem as interesting as the time surviving out in the “wild.”  Maybe we’ll get the back story on Rule, because there is more to Rule than what we get in  Ashes.  It definitely felt like two different books, so while I wasn’t surprised that Alex would find her way to a surviving community, I was surprised at how truly different things were once Alex arrived in Rule.

Final Thoughts:

Ashes was a quick, fun but really creepy read.  I’m amazed at the world Bick created and the characters that populate a world where an EMP destroyed technology and killed and changed people.  I didn’t particularly enjoy Alex’s time in Rule, but I have the feeling there’s a lot going on in Rule that we never saw.  Ashes gets 4 stars.

Book: Renegade by J.A. Souders

Published November 2012|Published by Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC

E-book|Purchased for my Nook|352 pages

Series: Yes, Elysium Chronicles #1

Genre: YA: Dystopic

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|J.A. Souders’ Website

Summary: Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb… and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

Renegade was a pretty interesting read.  You’re reading it, and you’re drawn in by the cover, which is so beautiful, and by the end of it, you’re wondering how a world that seemed so idyllic and amazing was such a strange, messed up world.

I love the details and how imaginative everything is.  The gardens seem beautiful, and at first glance, it seems like an interesting and beautiful place to live.  Evelyn remembering the memories that had bee altered by Mother…I loved how that unfolded and how she slowly started to remember things.  And then the ending happened.  You can be sure I’ll be reading the next one to see what happens and how everything will play out.

I liked Evelyn, Mother was creepy and mysterious and Gavin…I really liked Gavin.  I thought he was really interesting, and things really started to change for Evelyn when he stumbled into Elysium.  Evelyn…poor thing!  She is pretty resiliant, I’ll give her that.  You got glimpses of who she was in between all the brainwashing and I just wanted to know if she would make it through okay.  Which she does, in case anyone was wondering.

As for Mother…goodness!  The lengths she’ll go to in order to get what she wants and to create this society that’s perfect and obeys her every word…it’s horrifying and creepy and you know there’s more to her story than what we got.  Seriously, I LOVE the details and how layered this world is.  I really felt like Souders put a lot of thought into how Elysium formed and thought about all the little details that make it work.

And no dystopic novel is complete without a romance!  I’m not sure about Gavin and Evelyn yet, but I’m sort of intrigued with them as a couple because Evelyn’s been raised (and trained/brainwashed) to believe that Surface Dwellers are evil, while he tries to convince her that how she grew up and the world that she lives in is…well…kind of crazy ridiculously weird.  I like them as friends, but I think I need a little more time before I decide if I like them as a couple.

I liked that it was set underwater, which REALLY needs to be used more as a setting!  It worked really well, and something about the book being underwater totally added to the creepy mysterious of the book.

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Renegade.  I didn’t LOVE it, but I found it to be a really fun but creepy read.  The details are great, with a lot of different characters who are interesting and mysterious and likeable.  Renegade gets 4 stars.

Book: Eona by Alison Goodman

Published June 2011|Published by Penguin Group

E-book|Borrowed From The Library|399 pages

Series: Eon #2

Genre: YA Fantasy

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Summary: Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon’s army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona’s power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the self-styled “Emperor” Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power–and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans. . . .

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama and romance, its unforgettable fight scenes, and its surprises, is the conclusion to an epic only Alison Goodman could create.

As much as I liked Eon, I loved Eona!  There are so many twists and turns and I liked that I didn’t know what was going to happen!  Just when I thought things were going one way, something unexpected would happen, and I would totally be caught off guard.

Did things end up how I expected?  Of course they did, but I was really surprised by how they got there.

I was pretty surprised with how I liked Lord Ido more than I expected, Kygo less then I expected and not sure if I liked or disliked Eona.  Dela was a great character that I really liked reading throughout the novel, but for the most part, I was surprised by the characters.

Let’s start with Kygo.  I get his frustration with Eona, but he was just plain wishy-washy.  He’d act all noble one minute, but next thing you know, he’d come out with some plan that Eona wouldn’t know about until he thought it would be a good time to know…or if Ido somehow managed to get him to tell Eona.  Granted, Eona had her own secrets that she shared with Ido or kept to herself, but you also saw how conflicted she was.  With Kygo, I just got the sense he was using her in a slightly better way than Sethon would have used her, and I felt like we only saw one side of Kygo.  His resistance to Ido helping was understandable, but also annoying.  When you have 2 dragoneyes left, and one needs to be trained by the other, it’s usually a good idea to let that happen.  And trusting Eona would be a good idea too…

Ido was really interesting.  He’s still the bad guy- although he seems to have a little bit more good in him than Sethon- but he’s a lot more likeable  than I ever expected.  He and Eona have this really interesting relationship that was set in motion at the end of Eon, and we really see it in Eona…especially with the connection they have because she healed him, which is interesting but also something that no one can explain.  Goodman does a great job at making him more likeable…even when he does what you’d expect from him in the end.

And we can’t forget about Eona!  There were times when I liked her and times when she was so irritating!  I did like that she was conflicted about things but her insistence on constantly being right got a little trying at times.  I totally get why she hid certain things, and in the end, I really do think she did the RIGHT thing.  But she, along with Ido, had a lot of character…and while I don’t usually do the team [insert guy here] thing, I think I kind of like her and Ido together.  Granted, I don’t think either guy is a good fit for her, but Ido is a slightly better fit than Kygo.  At least for me.

A lot of things from Eon made so much more sense in Eona!  I really loved how things were explained, and while a few things were unresolved and that there were no clear answers for some things, I didn’t mind at all, because some things may never be known.  Things did wrap up a little too nicely, but I’m glad things ended the way they did.  I’m kind of surprised there are only two books in this series, but I think it works as 2, because things HAPPENED.  It’s definitely a lot more eventful than Eon.

Final Thoughts:

I loved Eona!  There’s so much going on, and while the characters were irritating at times, they also had a lot more to them.  I loved that the book picked up where the first one left off.  Eona gets 5 stars.

Book: Entangled by Nikki Jefford

Published February 2012|Self-Published  by Nikki Jefford

E-book|From NetGalley|142 pages

Series: Spellbound #1

Genre: YA: Fantasy/Mystery/Paranormal

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Nikki Jefford’s Website

Summary: Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body.

Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend.

The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.

Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death and resurrection and disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.

I liked Entangled a lot more than I expected.  I’m always intrigued with magic and witches and warlocks, and add in a mysterious death and trying to bring back the dead, you have a novel I really want to read.

Let’s start with…characters!  Charlene and Graylee seem to be polar opposites. There’s a lot of potential for the two of them, but I just felt like I didn’t get to know them very well or get a good sense of their personalities, other than Charlene being the popular, evil one and Graylee being the nice but not too popular, good one.  I’m hoping we see more of who they really are in the books to come.  As for the other characters, Raj and Adrian were definitely interesting, and I really liked them as characters.  As for their mom, she was just…frustrating.  Like, she didn’t seem to care that Charlene destroyed Graylee’s things or that Charlene blocked Graylee’s magic for years.

The Magic: I was intrigued by the magic, and how modern it felt.  There are no wands or brooms in sight as far as magic is concerned, but there does appear to be a code of ethics, which fit but was also intriguing.  I really wish we had more details about the magic and the magical community.

The Plot: I was intrigued by Charlene and Graylee residing in the same body…but with the girls switching places every 24 hours.  It’s a really weird Freaky Friday kind of moment, and you’d think there would be some sort of melt-down on Graylee’s part when realizing that she’s in her twin’s body.  I kind of wish there was some sort of reaction on Graylee’s part- and even on their mom’s part, who pretty much leaves them to figure out how to take care of it themselves.  I get their mom gave up her magic, but still…I feel like there’s something that their mom could have done to help them.  Things seemed to drag on at times, and other times, things felt rushed.

The Ending: It was abrupt, and things seemed to wrap up a little too well.  But it’s also the point when I started liking Entangled.  Up until the ending, I wasn’t sure if I liked Entangled or not.  But…I am really curious as to how things are going to work out.

Final Thoughts:

While I enjoyed Entangled, I still have mixed feelings.  I just really wanted more world-building and details about the magic, and seeing Graylee and Charlene have distinct personalities that were more than good but not popular and evil popular girl.  Still, I really like the premise, and I want to know the answers to all of my unresolved questions!  Entangled gets 3 stars.

Book: And All The Stars by Andrea K Höst

Published October 2012|Self-Published by Andrea Höst

E-book|From NetGalley|296 pages

Series: None

Genre: YA: Science Fiction

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Andrea Höst’s Website

Summary: Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.

Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings.

None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind.

Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.

I loved And All The Stars!  I was intrigued by the summary, and it’s so much more than what I was expecting.  I am so glad I got a copy through NetGalley!

I thought the idea of aliens coming down, building the spires and people who are dyed blue and dyed green and the people who are left alone or are too scared to leave their homes to be really interesting.  You’re immediately thrown into this world where the En-Mott have a master plan, and you’re literally watching everything unfold, but not completely understanding why they’re here and what they’re really up to.

And All The Stars was so hard to put down, and I loved how I wanted to keep reading so I could know what happened!  It really is an interesting take on alien invasions, and I was taken by surprise so many times!  And All The Stars was not predictable AT ALL, which was another great thing about reading it.

There’s just something about reading the apocalypse AS it happens, instead of after it happens.  It really is refreshing to see what’s going on in real time, and there’s also something about a group of people banding together, establishing new relationships and having to trust strangers while trying to survive something completely unknown and catastrophic.

I LOVED a lot of the details.  You have some people who are dyed blue and are always really hungry, and they don’t get along with the people who are dyed green.  I loved the idea of the Spires that appeared at several places all over the world and the different cycles.  Sometimes we don’t get all of the details, and while that would normally bother me, it DIDN’T in And All The Stars.  It just worked really well, and I liked how I didn’t completely know what was going on.

The characters were great, and I loved Maddie.  All of the characters were great, and one thing I really loved was that they were all drawn together because of what was going on and remained optimistic.  At a time when a lot of people would have remained divided, they banded together to figure out their abilities and save the world before it’s too late.  I like that there’s optimism and hope in a world where people were slowly becoming divided.  I loved that they all had something to contribute and that they worked well together.  You really did get a sense that they were in it together, and everyone was equally important.  It’s a nice change from a lot of other books where everything falls to one or two people.  Maddie was a great narrator, and I’m so glad we got to see things through her eyes.  She’s such a creative person, and I loved how artistic she was, always drawing and sketching.

So, a couple more things!  We have an epilogue, which I liked.  You see how things are changing and getting better.  I still have a lot of unanswered questions, and it’s kind of fun to think about what will happen next.  But there’s a part of me that wants a sequel so I can revisit Australia and spend more time with these characters and see the aftermath of what’s happened.

And Australia as the setting was also cool and unexpected.  I would never think of setting an alien invasion/apocalypse in Australia but it was another thing that worked well.  I can’t really explain why I liked it being set in Australia, I just know I liked it!

Final Thoughts:

And All The Stars is a breath of fresh air!  I haven’t come across anything like it, and it was such a fun book to read.  It’s an interesting mix of watching things unfold while not getting all of the details, but it works really well, because Maddie doesn’t know all of the details, and her perspective is pretty limited.  And All The Stars gets 5 stars!

Book: Where She Went by Gayle Foreman

Published April 2011|Published by Penguin Group

E-book|Borrowed from the library|168 pages

Series: If I Stay #2

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Gayle Forman’s Website

Summary: The highly anticipated sequel to the “New York Times” bestselling and critically acclaimed “If I Stay” 

Picking up several years after the dramatic conclusion of “If I Stay,” “Where She Went” continues the story of Adam and Mia, from Adam’s point of view. Ever since Mia’s decision to stay – but not with him – Adam’s career has been on a wonderful trajectory. His album, borne from the anguish and pain of their breakup, has made him a bona fide star. And Mia herself has become a top-rate cellist, playing in some of the finest venues in the world. When their respective paths put them both in New York City at the same time, the result is a single night in which the two reunite – with wholly satisfying results.

After listening to If I Stay, I knew I had to read Where She Went to see what happened to Mia.  And while I really liked If I Stay, I just LOVED Where She Went.

Where She Went takes place 3 years after If I Stay.  We see what life is like for both Adam and Mia, but Where She Went is seen through Adam’s eyes and we learn what happened after Mia decided to stay.

I just…I loved that we learn about Mia’s recovery through Adam’s memories.  Life has taken them in very different directions, and at the start of the novel, they are no longer a couple.  In fact, they broke up several years earlier, and that’s another thing we learn as the story progresses- why they broke up…and the happy ending for them…because they end up getting back together!

It’s such an emotional book- in some ways, it’s just as emotional as If I Stay, because you see the aftermath of Mia’s decision and Adam’s promise.  And in some ways, it’s even more emotional because you see how much things have changed.  Just thinking about Where She Went is making me all teary-eyed!

I’m kind of feeling like nothing I say can describe how heart-breaking but completely amazing this book is.  Where She Went has some similarities to If I Stay, and it’s pretty much in the way both stories are told.  You see Adam reflecting on the last few years, and past and present are woven together really well, in the same way you see Mia reflect on memories of her family and struggling with the decision to live or die.

It’s so hard to believe that Where She Went takes place over 2 or 3 days, because so much happens.  But it didn’t feel like everything was crammed together- everything just worked so well and unfolded so naturally.  I really do love how we learn things in bits and pieces.

And I SO COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY LOVED all of the songs at the beginning of each chapter.  They’re from the fictional Shooting Stars album and they…I can’t even begin to describe how much I FELT just reading them.  I so wish they were real songs…and knowing me, I’d be a complete mess if I listened to them.

It’s so weird that I got a lot more emotional reading Where She Went.  I mean, it’s pretty much about an angsty musician, and you’d think the one where a girl is in a coma and loses her parents and brother would have me crying throughout the book.  That’s what you’d think, right?  And yet Where She Went…there’s just something about the pain Adam’s in- the despair, the sadness, the anger- you feel it all, and you just can’t help but FEEL for him.

I totally wanted to dislike Mia in Where She Went.  Y0u see how confused Adam is, and that he has no clue as to why Mia broke up with up him, or what’s going on with her.  It all makes sense in the end, and while I understand why she acted the way she did, I just didn’t like her as much as I thought I would.  Don’t get me wrong, I like her, and find her interesting, but there’s something so much more interesting about Adam’s story.

Final Thoughts:

Is it obvious that I loved Where She Went?  Because I do!  It’s a little weird to me that I loved Where She Went SO MUCH MORE than If I Stay, but I really did like it a lot more.  If I were to do a favorite books of the year list right now, Where She Went would most certainly end up on that list.  It’s an emotional roller-coaster, and I just love that we see past and present and how the characters got to where they are.  And the songs really added to Adam’s story and made it more heart-breakingly real.  Where She Went gets 5 stars.

Book Review: Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Published January 2012|Published by HarperCollins|448 pages

E-book|Purchased from the Nook store

Series: Unearthly #3

Genre: YA/Paranormal- Angels

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Cynthia Hand’s Website

Summary: The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Yet through the dizzying high of first love to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she could no longer deny was that she was never meant to have a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seemed like the best option, so she’s headed back to California—and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must choose her fate once and for all.

I absolutely loved Boundless!  I was so looking forward to it, and yet sad to see it go, but it was also worth the wait to see what happened to the characters I’ve come to love.

So, Clara goes off to Stanford with Angela and Christian, still heart-broken over Tucker but determined to protect him.  It seemed like Clara and Christian would end up together, so anyone who’s Team Christian will be disappointed…and those who love Tucker and Clara (myself included as far as Team Tucker goes) will be very, very happy.  But before that happiness, there were some tears that were preceded by me wanting to know WTF just happened!  I’m really glad I didn’t read that particular part of the book in public…because I’m pretty sure people would have thought I was insane.

We finally learn Angela’s purpose, which is to tell her former boyfriend, Phen, that the 7th is ours…meaning her child is the 7th Triplare belongs to the good guys.  7 is pretty important because there are only 7 on earth at any given time, meaning 3 are on the side of black wings and the other 3 aren’t…meaning Angela’s son is super-important!  And we learn that Clara’s purpose- for the entire series- was to come to Wyoming so she could meet Angela and save her son from the clutches of the Black Wings.  Looking back, it was never about her ending up with Christian, but with her meeting Angela.  And it’s honestly cool that the entire series has built up to her real purpose, instead of a different one each book- we just thought it was incomplete or a different purpose each one because we didn’t know how things were going to turn out!

There was an epic battle, and as was expected, it turned out fairly well for Clara, Angela and Christian.  Okay, so maybe Angela ended up in hell, and Christian and Clara had to go save her (with the help of Sam) and maybe Jeffrey ended up in hell too, with Clara needing to save him too.  That was a pretty intriguing part of the book, because it mirrored Palo Alto.  It felt much more like an alternate reality than anything else, but still intriguing all the same.

So…there was definitely a point where I was all “OH MY GOD, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN, PLEASE TELL THAT’S NOT REALLY JUST WHAT HAPPENED, PLEASE LET EVERYTHING BE OKAY, YOU NOT JUST JUST DO THAT TO ME!”  And then there were sad tears, and then I was all, “OH THANK GOD EVERYTHING WORKED OUT,” which was followed by happy tears.  So Kleenex is a must if you haven’t read Boundless yet, because you’ll need it!

And because I have this need to go back to Tucker and Clara…I am so, so happy they ended up together!  They seriously belong together.  There was quite a bit of squeeing when they got back together!

It really is good I didn’t finish this book in public…but acting like a total fangirl can be so much fun!

What else am I missing?  Oh, this was such a great ending to this trilogy, and I really can’t imagine a better way to end it.  Everything really fell into place in Boundless.  Angela and Jeffrey did get some rolling of the eyes (and their fair share of my shaking my head at them) and while Jeffrey’s thing was never completely resolved, Angela’s storyline made a lot of sense, especially because it’s so connected to Clara’s story.

Final Thoughts:

It really should be obvious that I LOVED Boundless.  Do I wish there was a bit more resolution to Jeffrey’s storyline?  Yes, but overall, this was such a great ending to the series.  I wasn’t disappointed at all, and be sure to have some Kleenex handy if you just happen to read it.  Like, I just couldn’t put it down, because I read it in a day…that is how much I loved it.  Boundless gets 5 stars.

Book: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Published May 2012|Published by HarperTeen

E-book|Purchased from the Nook Store|305 pages

Series? Yes, Starcrossed #2

Genre: YA/Paranormal- Greek Mythology

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Josephine Angelini’s Website

Goodreads Summary: 

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only Scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies’ cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen’s sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling STARCROSSED delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds expectation.

Dreamless was such an interesting, enjoyable read!  After reading Starcrossed, I knew I had to continue the story, and I’m really looking forward to the final book, Goddess, which comes out this year. So, Dreamless.  I started it, and had completely forgotten what happened in Starcrossed, so I decided I should probably re-read it.  I did, and started on this one…and we really do see the aftermath of Starcrossed.

The island is completely weird, people are out to get Helen, and she and Lucas need to avoid each other, because it’s too hard for them to be near each other and it t doesn’t work out too well.  What they don’t know- but the reader does- is that they really aren’t related.  But with the introduction of Orion, we see what I’m absolutely sure will become a love triangle, especially whenever Helen and Lucas find out that they aren’t related and that Helen’s mom lied to everyone about that.  Then again, their inability to do math just adds drama and conflict to their relationship.  We don’t see much of her mom, and I’m really curious as to what’s going on with her, because I JUST KNOW there’s something fishy.  And since we don’t find out what it is in this book, it’s sure to come out in the next one.

Mythology time!  Angelini has built on the Greek mythology and added to it!  Helen’s wandering the Underworld, manages to free the Furies with Orion’s help, and also manages to free the gods in this super-secret master plan to get them out of their prison.  There’s a lot of chaos and destruction, but things sort of work out okay.  Key words being sort of, because it feels like the calm before the storm.

I really need to brush up on my Greek mythology, and I like that Automedon had an evil minion in Zach, who manages to figure out that the reason why Automedon was never killed in battle because no one thought to shoot him in the ankle.  I should have been able to figure that one out, but it was still a nice surprise, and a twist I wasn’t expecting.  She really does make Greek mythology really interesting and really cool.

Helen going into the Underworld was a bit boring because it was pretty much the same thing over and over.  She does keep trying (because she’s the only one who can) and Lucas does help her, even though he resorts to nefarious means to do so.  Well, sort of nefarious.  Either way, he does help her.

I’m going back to Orion for a second.  I just…I don’t think I like him with Helen.  Especially with the math that everyone should be able to figure out but aren’t.  I’m glad he could help Helen, because she really needed it and he was able to descend into the Underworld with her.  But really, she and Lucas belong together.  The whole Helen Of Troy thing hasn’t really been played up as much as I expected, so either Angelini has decided to not go in the direction…or we’ll see in the next one.  I’m betting on seeing it in the next one, but it probably won’t be on the level I’m hoping for.

Final Thoughts:

Dreamless is more action-packed than Starcrossed and it was a fun read.  I’m impressed with how Angelini puts her own twist on Greek mythology.  There are some things that are a little too weird (i.e. no one being able to do math) and things that we’re not getting the whole story on (like…what Daphne’s really up to).  But overall, Dreamless is such a good continuation of the story that I can’t wait to read the next book!  Dreamless gets 4 stars.

Book: Breaing Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Published April 2012|Published by Bloomsbury

E-book|Purchased from the Nook store|270 pages

Series? No

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Jennifer Shaw Wolf’s Website

Goodreads Summary: Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
 
When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

Breaking Beautiful…what to say about Breaking Beautiful?  I liked Breaking Beautiful and how she doesn’t remember what happened the night of the accident.  I thought the cover was beautiful and it’s really interesting- plus, it does go well the book!

Allie was interesting, and you can see how much her relationship with Blake affected her.  You can still see how much of a hold he has on her, because even though he’s now dead, she still doesn’t talk about the abuse.  I liked seeing her remember what happened the night of the accident and how she remembered Trip.  Wolf does a great job at weaving the past and present and I didn’t sense any predictability…until the end, of course.  The ending was an odd mix of abruptness and predictability, and didn’t quite fit with the rest of the book.

I have mixed feelings about her relationship with Blake.  She’s still dealing with her own issues, and while I can understand her going right to Blake, the thing I don’t get is why he has such strong feelings for her, even though she’s ignored him for several years.  Her parents seemed pretty distant- and not just because of the way Trip was isolating Allie.  Her father I can understand, seeing as how he was in the military, but her mother seemed really distant and too interested in making sure Allie and Trip were together, and that Allie stayed true to Trip’s memory after the accident.

One thing I thought was really weird was how the investigation was dropped and then opened up again.  Like all options weren’t explored the first time around, which you’d think the police would do.  Maybe it’s because she didn’t remember what happened, but we don’t really get a lot on that initial investigation.  And Trip’s dad had a little too much pull.  Why wait to have the case opened up again, when he could have pressured the police to keep it open?

I was slightly surprised by how well Shaw dealt with the abuse.  I thought it was done really well, and while Allie’s relationship with Blake leaned towards the predictable, Lifetime movie/Nicholas Sparks book end of things, it was still handled better than I expected (even if I do have mixed feelings about it).  I liked that we slowly learned about their relationship as the book progressed and that we see their relationship after Trip died.

Final Thoughts:

I liked Breaking Beautiful.  There were things that didn’t quite make sense, but there were also things I really liked.  Breaking Beautiful gets 3 stars.