The Bursting Bookshelf

I'll be honest with you guys, the reason I bought this book was because it was three dollars at my favorite book store. I was also a little curious after seeing one episode of the TV show (would highly recommend you don't waste your time with the TV show) whether I would enjoy the book more. 

Dakota Halifax loves to be in love. In fact, as one of Las Vegas’s premier wedding planners, she’s built a whole career around romance. Which is why her own wedding has to be nothing short of perfect. And then her fiancé jilts her. While she’s waiting in her wedding dress. On a cruise ship already out at sea.

Once back on dry land, Dakota tries to pour her heart into her business and weekly wedding advice column, Get Ready to Wed. But how can the heartbroken celebrate others’ true love? When she reconnects with her childhood best friend, surprisingly sexy and all-grown-up casino bouncer Brendan West, Dakota wonders if maybe she can fall back in love with being in love.

But then her ex reappears, begging for another chance, and suddenly Dakota questions if she’ll ever understand love. Can someone once-burned and twice-shy ever find her way down the aisle again?

Review:
I'll admit, I bought this book mostly because it was 99 cents on the iBooks store and I liked the cover. Ever since I started reading on my iPad, I have been a sucker for the sale section of the store. I can't even count the number of impulse buys I've made that are collecting digital dust because I bought-and-forgot. The reason this one really stood out to me is because it sounded like a modern spin on The Wedding Planner (a classic J-Lo rom-com movie).

From a plot point of view, this book was basically what you would expect by reading the back cover. Girl gets left at the alter, girl meets (or in this case, is reintroduced to) cute new potential beau, girl's ex realizes his mistake, girl has a tough choice between the two guys, everyone lives happily ever after. It's a story that's been told a million times before, but this iteration is just cute enough to keep a reader from thinking too hard about how many versions of this story they've read. There are a few small twists, but it's a pretty straightforward, predictable read.

Dakota was a fun character to read about. It was easy and fun to see her journey after being jilted. Reading about her reevaluating her life and choices actually seemed realistic and fresh. It was nice to read about a capable woman who didn't fly to extremes when her life got turned upside down. Grant (the ex) was infuriating in all of the best ways. He was fun to hate and had a few manipulative tricks up his sleeve that kept him from being too much of a stereotype. Finally, there was Brendan. He was a tad bit two dimensional and predictable, but he was fun to read about and was a good competitor to go against Brendan. I found him to be the breath of fresh air in this book: he said what Dakota needed to hear and said everything I was thinking about how awful and manipulative Grant was.

Was this a fun read? Yes! I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a cute new romance book on the fly. It's got heart, it's got fun characters, and it has little moments that will make your heart swell. Just Jilted is a good example of a diamond in the overwhelming sea of eBooks that are constantly on sale on the iBooks store, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a summery fun-while-it-lasts read.

Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets: Secrets from her boyfriend: I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is. Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company's elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her...

Review:
Sophie Kinsella is a massive name in the romantic comedy book genre: she's sold millions of books and her lighthearted novels make for great beach reads or eBook impulse buys. I'm a sucker for a good love story, so I decided to give Sophie Kinsella's books a second shot after I didn't really enjoy the first one I read (review here).

The main appeal for this book was a unique premise and the clout the author's name carries. Can You Keep a Secret follows Emma as she strives to prove herself at a career she is pursuing to prove that she is not an embarrassment to her family. During a flight on a business trip, her plan hits incredible turbulence prompting her to spill all (yes, literally all of them) secrets to the stranger sitting next to her. In a twist, the stranger turns out to be a big-wig at the company she works for and shenanigans ensue.

Was the story line a tad bit predictable? Yes, absolutely. There was no real twists or turns, everything was pretty straight forward. You could see the ending coming a mile away, as is the case with most books of this genre. Was the ride still fun? Yes. This book is a fun, park-your-brain type of book that might not be memorable, but it's nice while it lasts.

One thing that has been consistent in the two Sophie Kinsella books I've read is how terrible the lead character's friends/family/boyfriends are. One of Emma's roommates only qualities is that she's selfish. Her cousin is the stereotypical mean step-sister who has everything going for her and who Emma is constantly compared to. She's oddly malicious towards Emma, despite Emma being a lighthearted seemingly kind person.

On the topic of Emma - she seems to be the same character as Poppy (from I've Got Your Number), but with more career problems. She makes seemingly criminally poor choices that always make the situation she's in ten times harder to get out of than if she had just been honest from the start. Emma gains your sympathy as she deals with her demeaning coworkers and her cousin who seems bent on replacing her in Emma's own family, but she lost my sympathy when she doesn't ever stand up for herself. Her lack of a backbone really drove me nuts: she put up with her cousin, she put up with her coworkers, she even put up with the man she's dating not telling her anything. 

I would recommend this book to someone who looking for a light read with a heavy dose of secondhand embarrassment. If watching characters digging themselves further and further into a hole is your cup of tea, you'll enjoy this book. If you begrudge characters who actively make the poorest choice in every situation to the point that they seem to enjoy the consequences of their actions, I would give this one a pass.

I've lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!! :)

A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she's lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be!


Except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?

Review:
Ever have one of those days that you just need a cute book to unwind after a long day? If you're at all a fan of rom-com books, you've definitely heard of Sophie Kinsella. If you're looking for a super fast, light, beach read, this is your book.

This book follows Poppy as she stumbles through her engagement to Magnus: her appealing, if not boring, fiance. After she loses her engagement ring (firmly cementing her as a ditsy and sometimes nitwit to the point of being obnoxious), she finds a cell phone in the trash. Turns out the owner is a mysterious business man, Sam, whom she ends up striking a deal with: Poppy keeps the phone as long as she helps out Sam with his emails.

As you can imagine, the texts these two exchange inevitably lead to a cute will-they-won't they. Their journey from tense strangers to tentative friends is adorable, and I really enjoyed watching them both develop into that relationship. Their dynamic together is nothing special: pick any other rom-com book from the 2000s and you will get the same cutesy dynamic between the two leads.

Let's talk about Poppy. She's a career woman desperate to get married. All she seems to care about is getting hitched to Magnus and making literally every situation she encounters ten times harder for herself. She loses her ring, and instead of being honest about it, she takes a long and convoluted path of deception. After realizing how poorly matched her and her fiance are, she decides to go through with the wedding anyways despite ample warning signs. Every time I found myself rooting for Poppy, she would do something aggressively stupid and I would find myself getting a bout of secondhand embarrassment. I know she was meant to be flawed, but all I saw was a character who was not believable and very hard to root for.

Other characters in the book were not very well fleshed out. Poppy's coworkers were inconsistent and ill defined. Poppy insisted that they were her closest friends, but one showed up for all of five minutes, and the other was actively trying to seduce Magnus (the bland fiance). Honestly, the book would have been better without these two characters. All they made me do was question why a person would ever consider them friends.

So, would I reread this book? Absolutely not. I've had my fill of meddling Mary Sue characters. Would I recommend it? If you can catch this book at a used bookstore or on sale in the iBooks/Kindle/Google Play store, go for it. Otherwise, you're best to pass this book up in favor of a more interested rom-com read.

Have you ever read a book just for the hype? I'll admit, I was hardcore jumping on the bandwagon when I decided to read this book. Was the hype worth it? Absolutely.

In Ready Player One's version of the 2040's, people no longer interact in person: life happens in the OASIS. Enter Wade Watts: a teenager who has lived his entire life online. He lives in the stacks of trailers outside of Oklahoma City with his aunt and her sketchy boyfriend, attending school online and trying to explore the online world with his exceptionally limited funds. Wade is part of the hordes of users on the OASIS trying to solve a seemingly unsolvable puzzle with the highest of stakes: ownership of the OASIS. When Wade is the first player to make progress in solving the high stakes puzzle, we see him pushed into the spotlight and the danger that accompanies it.

Because everything is online, Wade doesn't know or understand the true value of real-life, in person interactions. Throughout this book we see him stumble through relationships with his friends, family, people of power, and the girl he's admired for years. I love how this book tackled the social anxiety of removing oneself from their 'safety blanket'. We got to see Wade in the real world: where he couldn't micromanage his appearance and environment and the vulnerability and discomfort that exposed him to. The author didn't sugar coat how challenging being in the real world was for Wade, he was clearly vastly more comfortable in the game where he was idolized and a celebrity.

I'm not an 80s kid, but I'll be damned if this book didn't make me feel nostalgic for that era/ make me want to track down the nearest arcade to me. Ernest Cline's world building was spectacular: it took a while for the OASIS to be fully fleshed out, but once it was, I couldn't put the book down. The amount of detail was astounding, everything from the hardware that runs the game to the layout of the game to the pseudo-politics and mannerisms of different classes of players was described. By the end, I felt like an expert on all things 1980s.

This is a perfect book to get someone into the sci-fi genre. Ready Player One also has the added bonus of not being some grandiose series starter- it's a genre defying stand alone novel. Having a perfectly delivered sci-fi tale in a single book is a rare find, one I would highly recommend to anyone looking for their next read.

Fan the flames: A teen goddess fires up her search for love and family in this sequel to Wildefire.Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.

     This sequel to the edgy and action-packed Wildefire continues a fiery drama on an immortal scale.

Review:
I was lucky enough to receive Wildefire for review last year, and I absolutely loved it. Ever since then I've been dying to read the sequel and thanks to the amazing Simon and Schuster Canada, I got a copy for review a short while ago. As soon as I got it, I read it right away, loving every minute of it. After loving the first book so much, I knew there was a great chance that the book might not live up to the legacy of the first, but luckily, it very much surpassed it.

Ashline was just as kick butt as she was in the first book, but this time she had almost an entirely new cast of characters, away from her school and many of the original characters. I thought that with the loss of the old characters that it would take a long time to get into this book with all of the new introductions that would have to be done, but they were flown into the plot well, taking no more time than necessary. My favorite new character was Wes, he was entertaining and well developed, with an interesting history with Ash. The other new characters were just as great and well developed, enhancing the already fantastic cast of characters the series has. The story picks up right where the last book left off, giving relief after the killer cliffhanger of book one. Karsten truly has mastered storytelling, doing so in an intelligent and funny way.

I give Embers and Echoes a 5/5 for being a great sequel that's left me wanting the next book now. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first book and that wants a great book with a strong female protagonist. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, it should be an amazing conclusion to the series.

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

Review:
This one has been tempting me since I first saw it's cover a while back. I hadn't heard too much about it review-wise, but I decided to dive in regardless. Unfortunately, I probably should have read more reviews before going into this book, the heads up would have been nice. I really felt that the quality didn't stand up to what I would have hoped it would be. The story was bland and predictable without many twists or exciting events. The story wasn't bad, but it was fairly boring in ways that could have been fixed fairly easily. Vincent was rather boring and a tad bit creepy, he was just not developed at all. Kate was a stereotypical protagonist, making few mistakes and finding her Romeo before the halfway point in the book. The relationship between Kate and Vincent was too much of an instant love for my taste. Their relationship was too 'magical' for me, they were just too perfect for each other for never having met before this book. The secondary characters were even less developed than the main characters and the villain wasn't anything to be afraid of.

The writing was a big reason why I couldn't bring myself to enjoy this book more. It was very cookie cutter and lacking of any specific style to it, it wasn't highly descriptive or eye catching in any way. Because of that, the characters seemed to not be as developed as they should have been. I hate making comparisons in my reviews, but this book is really comparable to Twilight in the sense that it is very simplistic. I'd only recommend this book to someone who's looking for a very fluffy book containing a paranormal element. I give Die for Me by Amy Plum a 2/5. I don't think I'll be continuing this series unless I can find it at the library at some point.

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.

What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.

From debut novelist Sangu Mandanna comes the dazzling story of a girl who was always told what she had to be—until she found the strength to decide for herself.

Review:
I first saw this book when I was browsing the Harper Collins Catalogs, looking for new books to add to my ever growing collection. The cover is simply gorgeous and the summary set it apart from anything else I had heard of in a long time. I went in with very high hopes for the book and they were met with an amazingly deep book, something I wasn't expecting.

The characters in this book were extremely well crafted, they were deep with tons of background stories and well thought through. Eva's character was amazing. She gave me a ton to think about throughout the course of the entire book. Her life wasn't her own, her existence was dependent on Amarra, she could end her or completely change her life with a simple decision. When her life does get altered in a matter of days, Eva takes it in stride, not throwing a massive tantrum but still remaining appropriately upset about her life being turned upside down. Ray was interesting and well developed, really great with Eva and was able to make decisions for himself and not just to appease others. The rest of the characters were just as well developed, which was a very impressive feat considering just how many characters there were in the book. The story was also well developed, it went by with speed but it didn't feel too hasty. The writing was some of the best I've read in ages, it was highly descriptive with a great narrative voice.

I give The Lost Girl a 5/5 for being a thought provoking book that I simply adored. I'd recommend this book to teens looking for a paranormal read with a resoundingly deep message behind it. I know I'll be reading whatever else Sangu writes next.

Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

Review:
When I heard there was a prequel to the Nightshade series coming out. I jumped at the opportunity to read it in advance. I haven't read the Nightshade series yet, but I thought the prequel would be a perfect place to start. I went in with very high expectations because of all the hype around the Nightshade series and I am happy to say that I really did end up falling for this book.

The characters were all crafted excellently, though in the beginning their relationships were a tad bit confusing. Ember was great, she was strong and didn't depend on men and she wasn't totally dependent on her family. She wasn't afraid to made the decision she knew she wanted instead of what someone else wanted. She did gradually fall for Barrow, the love interest of the book. In future books, I hope that Barrrow will be built upon character-wise, he felt fairly underdeveloped for such a main character. The secondary characters weren't all that developed, I hope to see more of them in the next book. The writing was truly stellar, I've never read anything by Andrea before, but I want to read the other Nightshade books right away. She clearly has a lot of experience in writing, she plotted it brilliantly and kept me wanting to find out what was in store for the characters.

A strong protagonist, a ton of action and luscious romance, what more can you ask for? I give Rift a 4/5 for being a great start to the Nightshade prequel series. I'd recommend it to fans of the Nightshade series and to anyone who wants to start in on the series, but doesn't know where to start or who want a great paranormal series.

This stunning debut novel—drawn from the author's own life experience—tells the moving story of a family of eleven in the American Midwest, bound together and torn apart by their faith 

The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church (no drinking, no dancing, no TV) in modern-day Michigan. A normal family in many ways, the Rovaniemis struggle with sibling rivalry, parental expectations, and forming their own unique identities in such a large family. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments and a haunting question emerges: Do we believe for ourselves, or for each other? Each chapter is told from the distinctive point of view of a different Rovaniemi, drawing a nuanced, kaleidoscopic portrait of this unconventional family. The children who reject the church learn that freedom comes at the almost unbearable price of their close family ties, and those who stay struggle daily with the challenges of resisting the temptations of modern culture. With precision and potent detail, We Sinners follows each character on their journey of doubt, self-knowledge, acceptance, and, ultimately, survival.

Review:
When I got the offer to receive this book for review, I was hesitant at first. I don't often read adult books, even with that aside, the topic matter of this book is also not what I normally read. With all of that in mind, I was fairly cautious going into it, but I was thoroughly surprised by how much I enjoyed We Sinners. The book was highly captivating and interesting, locking my interest from the first page with a beautiful story and a very talented author.

The orange of the cover is very bright and unique in the universe of covers. The only imagery on the cover is the eleven silhouettes of all the members of the Rovaniemi family, placed behind the text for a subtle effect with a significance that can only be understood by those who have read the book, to everyone else, it just looks like a jumble of silhouettes. The font for the title is the main focus of the cover, it runs over top of the shapes of the Rovaniemis and draws the eye to it right away. I really like the cover, it's nothing too flashy, but it still connects to the story within.

The main cast of the novel was the Rovaniemi family of eleven. They were a very traditionally religious family: no television, dancing or drinking. They attended church on a regular basis without ever missing a single day, most of their socialization was with families who were also in the church and it was expected that the nine children of the family would remain with the church for their entire life. Needless to say, there were several of the children who were questioning their faith both in school and after they finished. These struggles were very, very interesting to read about and they made up the majority of the book. There was only one character that I didn't enjoy as much as the rest: Brita. She didn't consider other lifestyles and was fairly judgmental towards her siblings that made decisions that differed from hers. The rest of the characters were well developed and believable and much more enjoyable to read about. 

There were an abundance of points of view utilized in the telling of the story. In each of the eleven chapters a different point of view was used (except for the one or two characters that were repeated). Having so many points of view was a bit confusing to start with, but I was able to fall into the rhythm of the book fairly quickly after the first few chapters. Each point of view showed a different outlook on the religion, some of the characters knew they wanted out of the church, some were wavering, and some  were going to stay no matter what. The best part of the book was that the author didn't show a strong opinion for quitting or staying with the church, she showed justified reasons for both options and left it up to the reader to decide their feelings on the matter.

The plot takes place over a long period of time, following the children through school and into adulthood. This large spread of time allowed for the change in perspectives that the characters underwent to be featured as they matured. I give We Sinners a 4/5. I'd recommend it to mature teens and adults because it is mature subjects covered in the story. If you're looking for a book that covers religious issues from a unique set of perspectives that is delivered with grace and courage.

Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.

Review:
A close friend of mine told me to read this book a few months ago, but I was adamant at first. Eventually, I broke down and bought it, reading it soon after. I didn't love it as much as I would have liked to, but it was definitely a remarkable novel. The book doesn't have any extra fluff, hence the short page count, but don't be mistaken, every word on everyone of those pages counted. There wasn't a word wasted, they all had purpose in the main plot or one of the many subplots. The book was truly about Charlie's high school experience, there was a hint of romance, but that wasn't the prime focus of the book. Character-wise, I loved almost all of them, but in nearly all of them there were small characteristics I didn't enjoy. Charlie was a bit too innocent for my taste, but he was an incredible story teller, and he was easy to relate to in a lot of ways. Most people can relate to being a wallflower, to standing on the sidelines and watching the world without participating. Sam was a great character as well, but I didn't like how she clung to certain relationships when there were better options available. Secondary characters were abundant in this book, the cast was quite large, but all of them were fairly well developed with details about their lives included throughout the subplots.

The writing of this book is simply extraordinary. It's written in letters to an unknown person from Charlie, the protagonist.They're gritty, real and not idealized in the slightest. It's easy to believe that these could be the real tales of an actual high school student because the events are captured in their entirety without any censoring. I'd recommend this book to people who want to see the movie (out this month) or to someone looking for a very gritty, realistic take on YA contemporary book. I give Perks a 4/5 for being a solid staple in the realm of YA for over a decade.

A kingdom on the brink of war. 
A king on the fringes of insanity.
A family running for their lives.

Ash and Fin’s only desire is to be together and dive into their happily ever after, though their conflicting worlds work to pull them apart. Neither is ready to convert to the other’s life: become a human or a mer. Little do they know that somewhere in Natatoria a secret holds the fine fabric of everyone’s lives together. If the truth is discovered, Ash and Fin will no longer have the luxury of waiting. They’ll be forced to choose. But will it be for loyalty or love? Or will someone else make the choice for them if they can’t decide?

Enter the watery world of treachery, greed, and the binding mer kiss as the story continues with Evergreen, book two of Mer Tales.

Review:
I was completely thrilled and grateful when I got the news that I had been invited to be a part of the blog tour for Evergreen (for those of you who are new, or just don't remember, I participated in the tour for Everblue and the Onyx Talisman as well). I loved the first book of the series and I couldn't wait to dive straight into this one. When I did, I found myself not loving it quite as much as I loved the first one.

As always, the cover is simply gorgeous, following the tradition about Brenda's covers. I really love the cover model's eyes in this picture, the way they are so vibrant and well made up. Also visible is a headdress of sorts, beautifully setting off the lack of other jewellery with the exception of the ring. The makers of this cover didn't just pay attention to the bigger details, though. They also put in small ones like the reflection of the trees in the water. I hope on the next cover that we'll get to see Fin instead of Ash, but as long as it follows the beauty of the first two, I'll be a happy book blogger.

Ash and Fin were the two characters whose points of view were used to narrate the novel. I tended to enjoy Ash's side of the story more simply because it seemed like more of the action happened to her instead of him. Both characters were relatively the same as they were in the first book, though both seemed to get a tad bit more distant from their families. Relationship-wise there wasn't a whole lot of growth between Ash and Fin, but that was to be expected with the long distance nature that their relationship retained throughout the majority of the book. One fact I'd like to highlight is the fact that their romance is of the instant variety, though it is a well justified sort of instant love that I didn't end up minding. The lesser characters were great to read, too, but some of them were able to elicit stronger reactions from me than others (namely, Colin).

My biggest concern with this book was the writing. Though Brenda's writing is usually stellar, this time it just didn't quite keep up to her standards. That being said, it wasn't a terribly written book, but just not a particularly greatly written one. The story continued right from where Everblue left off without any stop or break before getting into the action. So far in this series, the story has been well balanced between the two books without creating a stereotypical sequel. Though I'm not usually a fan of books containing the instant love I mentioned above, this one seemed to pull it off with more grace than most books are able to. Whether that can be attributed to the story or the characters, I'm not sure, but I did enjoy it nonetheless. I can't wait to read the next book in the series to find out how the story of the star crossed ends and how the series wraps itself up.

I'd recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a book featuring a different paranormal creature or who have read and enjoyed any of Brenda's other works. I will be continuing this series when the next book comes out, but until then I give Evergreen a 3.5/5 for, unfortunately, not quite living up to it's predecessor.

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Review:
As everyone in the book blogging community knows, this is a book with a pretty cover and not a lot of substance with a lot of drama surrounding it. Author vs. blogger drama aside, I went into this book prior to hearing about the conflict about it and having just read the summary and seen the cover. As you can clearly see, the cover is gorgeous and the summary sounds interesting enough, likening it to both The Hunger Games and the Bachelor. In hindsight, that should have set off warning lights as the Hunger Games is one my favorite  books and the Bachelor is, well, the Bachelor. The writing was where most of the faults in this book, it just lacked any sort of finesse. It was very ordinary, boring writing that didn't aid in keeping my interest in the slightest. The story was predictable and dull, just a typical teenage fodder book featuring a lot of angst over nothing in particular. I didn't understand why America was so against being a part of the competition, why she put up such a fight over everything. She was just too whiny for my tastes, she never stopped and looked at what she was gaining from the situation versus what she was uncomfortable about. Not many of the other were fully developed and explored, they seemed like they were there just to fill the background.

The end wasn't very eye catching, in my opinion. It was really predictable and set up what was going to happen for the next book fairly obviously. It's this predictability that really sealed this book's fate as mediocre at best. Almost the entire time I was able to accurately guess what was going to happen, really taking away from any suspense or gripping factors of the book. I'll probably finish this series off, but probably from the library instead of buying them. I give The Selection a 2/5. That score is without considering all the drama around this book.

HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

Review:
I know I'm a few months late in reading this book, I had seen the cover and decided to give it a pass. That is, until I happened across signed copies available at a nearby Chapters. When I actually started it, I really fell in love with the story and, eventually, it's cover. The cover is very different, it features a very, very pale cover model with one blue eye and one grey one. I think it's the oddness of the cover that is what will set it apart from others on the shelf; it's bright against the legions of dark covers. I wouldn't say there was too much hype for the book, but I wouldn't say it was quite as good as the hype said. The story was quite good, a little tedious at times, but overall it was good. The story followed the main character during a time period where she rented her body to a complete stranger, not being conscious while the other person was occupying her. The worst part of the plot was the fact that not all the characters were used to their full potential; some of them were, but most were not. The ones that were were amazing; they grabbed my emotions and hauled them throughout the entire ride of the plot.

The ending was one that left the reader with the option of not reading the sequel or continuing on with the series when the next book is released. Writing-wise, the book was stellar. The style carried out by the author  was amazing; it was descriptive and just the right amount of grittiness to give the book the perfect dystopian feel. I know I'll be continuing on with the series, but the option of stopping was nice to see, though I doubt many people will stop with Starters (pun intended). I'd recommend this book to someone looking for a unique take on the dystopian genre or to someone hoping for a good book. I give Starters a 4/5.