Once (Eve #2) by Anna Carey

Once by Anna Carey

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Four/ five stars
I bought Once ages ago but only got around to reading it recently. As some other reviewers have said, this year there has been some issues with sequels. Because of this, I was nervous about reading Once. Fortunately, I was extremely pleased with Once. It was a worthy sequel to the brilliant novel that was Eve.

After discovering the women's only establishment called Califia, Eve is finally safe. Unfortunately, the cost of safety was being forced to leave Caleb. When they split, Eve was well aware of Caleb's health and wellbeing. He was seriously wounded and could potentially die. When Eve hears news of Caleb's whereabouts, she sets out to attempt a runaway from Califia, only to be trapped and captured by the all the King’s horses and all the Kings men King's army and brought to the City of Sand. In the city, horrible family secrets are revealed. But when she discovers Caleb is alive, could Eve use her family's position to help Caleb and assist in a runaway? Will Eve be able to flee? What is the cost of their love?

As I said before, I thought Once was a worthy sequel to Eve. It was fast paced and action packed, not lacking in anything at all. Saying that, I couldn't bring myself to give Once 5 stars because, although I loved it, I didn't think it was quite as perfect and beautiful as Eve. 

Eve went down a bit in badassness in Once. She didn't need to fight and defend her life as much in this one, so I guess the bad ass scale was different. But when the need to be bad ass arose, Eve was definitely up to the challenge. I loved Eve's determination, devotion and passion. She was focused on helping Caleb, no matter what the cost. I admired Eve's character in both the first and second novels. 

I loved Caleb in this one! In Eve, Caleb and Eve were hesitant and in unfamiliar territory with each other, but in Once they were used to each other and comfortable. I loved how Caleb was not afraid to admit he was in love with Eve and how much she meant to him. I also really liked how he didn’t play her off as weak and dependent. He was well aware that Eve could hold her own in a fight and didn’t rely entirely him. Most of all, I enjoyed Caleb’s attitude.

I absolutely loved Once! It was action packed, romantic, heart pounding, and a perfect sequel to Eve. Once was full of secrets and questions that left me on the edge of my seat! After that ending, I am anxiously awaiting the release of Rise, the third and final book in the Eve trilogy!

Dizzy by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry

Dizzy by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Four/ five stars

I decided to buy Dizzy after reading some very good reviews praising the authors for such an awesome book! I love contemporary books and I thought this one was going to be a heart breaking, beautiful, breath taking story. I enjoyed Dizzy, although not as much as I thought I would. There was something about Dizzy that was lacking. Maybe it was the writing, maybe it was the characters or the plot, but whatever it was, affected my rating and thoughts on the book.

The Gibson boys made a pact after they were betrayed and left by their mother and wife: no girls. Girls were bad news. They got into your life, under your skin, and then left you high and dry. That explains why Dylan is so shocked (and pissed) when he finds out his brother, Derrick is getting married. MARRIED! The pact has been broken, but could it be for the better?

Ziah's sister, Lora has lectured Ziah about her motto: school first, career second and boys third. This is why Ziah is completely and utterly in shock when her mum informs her that Lora is, in fact, getting married. She hasn't even finished college for crying out loud! Maybe it's time for Ziah to lecture Lora the her motto. But when Ziah is roped into wedding planning with Lora's fiancées brother, she realises, after a while, that maybe Lora getting married isn't so bad after all.

Dizzy was such a cute contemporary romance novel! It was short and adorable and made me feel all gooey and smiley. I’ve never read a Jolene Perry book before, so I didn’t really know her style, but I enjoyed her chapters. I have read two Nyrae Dawn books before and they were so cute, so I was definitely looking forward to her chapters. Together, Dawn and Perry managed to write a very cute YA romance.

I’m not really sure how I felt about Ziah. She was strong sometimes, yet weak other times. She was honest with herself, and yet she denied her feelings, even to herself. I didn’t understand her! She wanted to be friends, then it was more than friends, then it was nothing at all. Ziah gave up and got embarrassed easily. She was a likable character, I suppose. I can see why people like her, sure, but I can definitely see where people didn’t like her. My opinions on her are kinda in the middle. Another “meh” character, I guess.

Dylan was a douche for the first part of the book, but he got better. He had a lot to deal with, and he didn’t necessarily deal with it well, but he tried. And I admired him for that. He also wasn’t too proud to admit that he liked Ziah, and I liked that. I’m not really sure if I liked Dylan that much, but I still liked him a bit.

Overall I thought Dizzy was a good book, it was just lacking in some unknown department! 

Kiss Me (The Keatyn Chronicles, #2) by Jillian Dodd

Kiss My by Jillian Dodd

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Five/ five stars!

*Stalk Me Spoilers*

While I wasn't completely blown away by Stalk Me, I was very excited for the release of Kiss Me! I was not disappointed. Kiss Me was everything and more. Dodd delivered a story full of the perfect amount of romance, boys and mystery. I've already fallen in love with Dodd's That Boy series and am so glad I was able to enjoy Kiss Me.

Keatyn has left her beach lifestyle, friends and family for boarding school… unfortunately, not by choice. She was forced to leave after she was almost kidnapped by her mum's stalker, Vincent. None of Keatyn's old friends know about her whereabouts and probably never will. So what’s the only good side of leaving everything behind? She gets to start fresh. She has a new lifestyle at an elite boarding school, new friends and most importantly new boys! But when keeping the secrets of her former life starts to get harder and harder, how will Keatyn cope? And when there are plenty of boys fighting over her and she doesn't know what to do, will it all become too much? Most importantly, which boy will Keatyn choose!?

I absolutely loved Kiss Me! I thought it was great. Jillian Dodd sure knows how to write hot, swoon-worthy boys! That's write plural, boys. Keatyn sure has a rather large line up of boys to choose from! No shortage for her! Share some, hey?

I liked Keatyn a lot more in Kiss Me. She was somehow more mature and I liked that about her. She wasn't acting like a child and she wasn’t worried about small, silly things. She had experienced a lot of difficult things for a girl her age and she was handling it surprisingly well.

One thing Jillian Dodd is very good at, is writing love triangles. In Kiss Me there are too many boys to count! But it works because Keatyn is working through them one at a time (god that sounds awful). The main boy in Kiss Me was Dawson. Sweet, sexy Dawson! I liked Dawson, I honestly did, but I’m still blinded by my love for Cush and Aiden. Sorry, Dawson, but you just don’t do it for me. I thought Dawson was actually really sweet and nice and sexy, but he wasn’t right for Keatyn. Even Keatyn wasn’t completely sure, and Dawson was aware of that. So, yeah, overall, Dawson was good, just not good enough!

The next important boy in Kiss Me was Aiden. I’m sorry every other boy in the world in Kiss Me, but Aiden is perfect. I am so team Aiden. Sure, he is temperamental but that is Keatyn’s fault! Keatyn was kind of leading him on, then she was all over other boys (that makes her sound like a slut but she’s really not). It was so clear how Aiden feels about Keatyn but she kept turning him down. In Kiss Me, she was purely focused on Dawson. It made me so sad, because it’s obvious how much Aiden and Keatyn both liked each other. I want Aiden to win Keatyn’s heart.

In Stalk Me, I was definitely team Brooklyn. Then, along came Cush and I was team Cush. Then both Brooklyn and Cush were assholes and I was confused. Then I was team Cush again and I totally hated Brooklyn. I would just like to put it out there that Brooklyn is indeed the biggest asshole. The scum of the earth. Dick head. Poo bum. Whatever you want to call him! I did not like Brooklyn at all and he was definitely not right for Keatyn. I understood that they both still wanted to be friends after their… issues, and that was ok. But when Brooklyn got Keatyn all excited in Kiss Me, when he says he wants to meet up, and then did the stupidest thing in the world of stupidest things, I hated him so much. Honestly. Brooklyn, I hope you die a horrible death, you are awful.

Thankfully, after all the dramatics and heartache in this book, there were no real scary Vincent scenes. Thank gosh! I don’t think my heart would have enjoyed that (I might’ve died). There is one scene, though, that had my heart racing and I was on the edge of my seat! It wasn’t that I was scared, it was the anticipation as to what was about to happen. It’s definitely safe to say that I do not miss Vincent one bit.

There was one thing I missed in this book, though, and it was the regular appearances of Keatyn’s family. I loved her cute little sisters and her cool mum and stepdad. It reminded me a little bit of my family, except for the little sisters. Keatyn’s mum, Abby, and stepdad, Tommy, still featured in the book occasionally, which was nice. Also the little sisters featured once and it was so cute! I also really loved Garrett. He should be counted as a part of the family because he really is awesome.

There were only a few things I didn’t like about Kiss Me, but they don’t matter that much because the good definitely out did the bad! I didn’t like the fact that there were so many characters, especially boys. It was sometimes rather confusing, but I guess I got over it after a while. The plot was quite jumpy. In fact, it was a bit of a strange plot. There wasn’t really any basic plot, but I can understand where the books are going, so its lack of actual plot was overlooked. Two other things that really annoyed me: the fact that Keatyn was spoilt rotten and how indecisive Keatyn was! In a fit of rage, Keatyn threw her iPad, and straight away Garrett just tells her he’s sending a new one. Like… she just threw her goddamn IPAD and he didn’t care. I guess money makes people do silly things. Indecisive Keatyn really pissed me off. I mean, I understand things are hard, but just pick a freaking boy for god’s sake!! Keatyn was really confused and her confusion confused me (see? How confusing was that!?)

Anyway, I thought Kiss Me was a lot better than Stalk Me and I absolutely cannot wait for the rest of the series to be released. 

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Four/five stars
This was not my favourite Sarah Dessen book, but it was one of the most memorable. Instead of ending the book with a happily ever after, with the couple is reuniting after some disagreement, Dessen included a major plot twist. I was so pleased with the book. It was deeper than her other summer love type stories. Dreamland dealt with real issues. It was meaningful, unforgettable and beautifully executed in true Sarah Dessen style. I fell in love, once again. 

When Caitlin's life completely changes on her birthday, she feels totally alone. So when Rogerson enters her life with his preppy school ways, drugs and partying just when she needs him things are looking up. But when their relationship starts to go from perfect to complete and utter crap, Caitlin can't find it in her to let him go and leave. So when Rogerson continues to abuse, Caitlin lets it go from bad to worse. 

As I mentioned before, this was not my favourite Sarah Dessen book. Dreamland was very deep, dark and meaningful. It was a far cry from her usual beach, summer fling novels I usually enjoy. But regardless I enjoyed Dreamland. Although Dessen dealt with such a difficult issue, she managed to execute it perfectly. It was done with such poise and knowledge of a wonderful, awarding winning author. Even though it wasn't her usual style, Dessen still managed to captive me right up until the very last page.

Caitlin was a meh character, unfortunately. She couldn't survive well on her own. She stuck around with other people and just let life go on around her. Caitlin made no move to affect her life in anyway, she didn't change it, just lived it. I got mad at her for not standing up for herself against Rogerson. But then I realized it would be very hard. I started to like her a lot more at the end. She grew as a person and I enjoyed reading the change in demeanour. 

I hated Rogerson, right from the beginning. He was arrogant, cocky and a bastard. I did not like him at all.

Not my favourite, but definitely one that will stick with me forever, I loved this Sarah Dessen book. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. It really did have some good messages that many teenagers could learn from. 

My #5

My Top 5 BEST Books of 2012

Hello everyone! I’m on Christmas holidays (6 weeks for summer, here in Australia)! I’ve been away so I haven’t been able to post reviews. I thought, before I start posting to reviews, I’d post my 5 Best Books of 2012 (Released in 2012). Here they are:

#1 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars was an absolutely brilliant novel. It was my first John Green novel and certainly not my last! TFiOS was a punch right in the feels. It had realistic characters and it was blunt almost to the point of being rude, but John Green managed to pull it off (of course). I think everyone should read this book at least once in their life time. 

#2 Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Wow. Slammed was definitely a surprise. My best friend found it whilst scrolling through Goodreads and managed to convince me to buy it. It was my first Kindle book purchase. Slammed captured my heart right from the first page. It was amazing, heartfelt and beautiful. Read this with the second book, Point of Retreat ready and a box of tissues! 

#3 My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

I was so looking forward to this book. It seemed like the perfect summer YA contemporary romance, and it was. I finished this book in… about a day. It got me right in the beginning, and kept me right to the end! I think Huntley Fitzpatrick wrote a brilliant debut novel of first love and new experiences.

#4 The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

This book… this book was incredible. The writing was perfect, the characters were different and wonderful and the plot was epic. Everything about this book screamed perfect. I am so glad I read this book and urge everybody to give it a go, as well.

#5 The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

I started the Vampire Academy this year, around September. It took me a month to read all 6 of them and 2 of the Bloodlines series. I absolutely fell in love with both series’ and was devastated when I finished The Golden Lily. The Golden Lily was amazing! I completely and totally loved it. I was so sad when I finished it though, because uh…cliff hanger (!) and I had finished all the released Vampire Academy/Bloodlines books. That had been my life for a month and it was over and I have to wait until Indigo Spell. Anyway, The Golden Lily was so good, definitely one of the best books I have read in 2012.

Well, there you have it! My top 5 best books of 2012. I hope you liked my list and I hope it inspires you to read some of these books.

Also, Merry Christmas! I hope you all get lots and lots of books! 

A Straight Line to My Heart by Bill Condon

A Straight Line to My Heart by Bill Condon

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Three and a half/five stars

This was a very short but very cute book! It took me a mere couple of hours to finish it. I thought it was going to be a cute, very romantic love story, but it wasn't, not really. There was more to this book than meets the eye, and I was very pleased with it. Also this book was very Australian. The slang! So country town. I could hear the thick Aussie accent that I only hear in Maryborough and Logan. 

Tiff's finished school. Forever. Finally! It's what she's always wanted. But when her dream becomes a reality, what is she going to do with her life? Especially when her one true best friend drops a bombshell that will leave Tiff all alone. And her job is turning out to be a lot tougher than she thought. Then Davey enters her life and maybe, just maybe, he's the solution to her problems.

Tiff was a very average Australian country town girl; bored, with nothing to do except watch footy and job hunt. Tiff was passionate and kind. She cared about her "family" and her friends. I liked reading from her very Aussie point of view. It was new and refreshing and I definitely liked her as a character.

Two characters I really loved were Bull and Reggie. They were funny and had such a good dynamic together! I wasn't real sure about Tiff's best friend, Kayla, and still aren't. I didn't t really like her that much. I liked Bull's girlfriend, Zoe. She seemed really nice and she had good intentions towards Tiff, Bull and Reggie. I don't really know much about the love interest, Davey, but he seemed alright too.

The book was very short therefore making it hard to give a proper review about the characters. There was character development, but not enough to say whether or not I liked the character. I liked this book enough, but its length (or lack thereof) didn't allow the story to develop as I would have liked. Also, the book was very Australian and I think that many international people would have had a hard time reading this book. Even I had a hard time reading this and I am a native Australian!

Envy (The Fury Trilogy #2) by Elizabeth Miles

Envy by Elizabeth Miles

★★★★☆

Four and a half/five stars

I loved Envy! It was a very exciting story and there was never a dull moment. A close second to Fury, Envy was a perfect blend of mythology, romance, suspense and action. I loved every second! 

It's almost spring in Ascension, and the Furies are back. After promising to leave her alone, Em thinks she's safe from the Furies, but she's wrong. She can feel them haunting her. She can feel something bad is about to happen. Something big, but she's not sure what. Why won't they just leave her alone?

Skylar has moved to Ascension, Maine from Alabama. She left behind a drunken mother and a permanently ruined family. She's determined not to be a loser, but to be at the top. The most popular, most beautiful, and the one everyone will envy most of all. So when gorgeous Gabby takes Skylar under her wing on her first day, Skylar is thrilled. She is even more delighted when she gets attention from beautiful Meg and her two beautiful cousins. But is popularity all it's cracked up to be? 

I enjoyed Envy a lot, but there was one thing that bothered me... And that was the ending. I was satisfied with Em's part of the story, but not at all with Skylar's. I understand cliffhangers and all, but nothing actually happened with Skylar, not like with Em. I don't know, it just annoyed me. I guess we'll have more Skylar in the next novel, but still. Apart from the ending, I totally loved this book. 

I loved Em in this. She was determined and focused and didn’t let popularity get in her way, which I totally loved. I loved the fact she still managed to find new friends, but kept a relationship with Gabby and co. There's one thing though... JD or Crow?!?!?!

I didn't really like Skylar much. She was a bitch only concerned with herself. She was trying to be like Gabby, but she turned out to be manipulative and evil. Her intentions were all wrong and how she went about getting her way was just downright horrible. I hope Skylar fully gets what she deserves in the next book in the trilogy.

I was excited, yet hesitant about reading this book because it had such high expectations to live up to. Fury was one of the first books I read in 2012 and is still one of the best. I remember being totally captivated by it and completely devouring it in one day. So, thank goodness, Envy didn't disappoint me. I cannot 
wait to see what the Furies have in store for us next.

(Special thanks to my beautiful best friend since birth for buying me this for my birthday. I love you so much!)

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Opal by Jennifer L Armentrout

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Four and a half/five stars

*Do not read this if you haven’t read Obsidian or Onyx! Spoilers*

Oh wow! I absolutely loved Opal. When I found out it was released early, I was ecstatic! I was finally going to read the third book in the Lux series. Then I found out even though some people had the book, I couldn’t buy it. Heart = broken. Then, when I was sitting in science, I released that I did, indeed, haveOpal sitting on my Kindle Cloud Reader. Well, you can just imagine my reaction (think small scream, fangirling, rapid uncontrolled breathing and hysterical giggling). Opal was everything I expected and more. It completely blew me away, especially the end. The end tore me to pieces (unfortunately whilst I was in public).

Katy and Daemon are FINALLY together. Daemon has gone to great lengths to prove his feelings for Katy. And, lucky for him, Katy just can’t deny her own feelings. After the dramatic ending to Onyx, we are slowly introduced to the emotionally unstable yet thoughtful and passionate character that is Daemon’s brother, Dawson. He has finally been freed from “hell”, but at what cost? He’s not the normal Dawson. He is grieving and mourning his one true love, Beth, who is still in the… “hybrid asylum”. Dawson is determined to get Beth back, no matter what. So when Blake (Urgh…) arrives back in town with some rather helpful news, Katy and Daemon are wary, but they’d do anything to help Dawson get Beth back. But is Blake really trying to help them, or does he have ulterior motives. 

Everything about this book was well developed and thought out and, well executed. It was all absolutely amazing. There were a few things that bugged me though, like the undeveloped stories.(view spoiler) I didn’t necessarily understand the point of that. Well, I did, kinda, but it was undeveloped. Nothing happened after Katy’s big blow out. Other than that, the book was as enjoyable as the first two. 

I loved Katy in Opal; probably not as much as in Obsidian andOnyx, but still. Even though her and Daemon are together, she didn’t let him dominate her and boss her around, like douche Daemon would do. He tried, but she stood her ground, and I was really pleased with that. Her and Daemon were like a team, so she sometimes didn’t really get a say in some things, but it wasn’t too frequent. Another thing I absolutely loved about Kat was that she’s a massive book freak, like a lot of people who are reading her story. I think JLA was really clever including that into her character because a lot more people can relate to her easier. I loved her fangirling over books and blogging and laptops! I was really happy with Katy’s character, again, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

“I had no idea where those calories went. To his ego, maybe?” -Katy

I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I really, really liked Daemon in Opal. Like, a lot. He was caring and kind and thoughtful towards Katy and an almost perfect boyfriend. There were times when, yes, of course I wanted to hit him, but generally he didn’t piss me off too much. Douche Daemon did occasionally come out to play, but Katy stood up to him and majorly hurt his ego. He was overprotective of Katy and very sensitive but sometimes that was good; he was just looking out for his girl. Apparently it will be both Katy and Daemon’s POV in the next book, Origin, and I’m definitely looking forward to that!

“God, I am so going to sneak into your bathroom like the Invisible Man.” -Daemon

I also really enjoyed reading about the Opal part of the book. Like, learning about the stone. Even though in real life, I'm sure opal and onyx don't counteract each other and make aliens stronger, but still. It was very interesting. And very well done. 

I found myself constantly thinking about this book! I actually woke up at 4:15am and read it (I’m reaaallllyyyy sick and my sleep patterns were crazy!). I’m so pleased Opal was released early, it kept me company while I was dying, feverish and between naps. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!!!

“And when you’re dead,” Daemon threw back. “You’ll stop talking when you’re dead.” –Daemon to Blake

Also, the end totally threw me. I was a complete mess. I had to re-read the last couple of pages to understand WTF just happened. God, it wrecked me, honestly. JLA, how could you do this to me?!?!?!

Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Five/five stars!

When I picked this book up at the library, I wasn’t sure what I was thinking. Legend didn’t sound like my type of book and I already had waaaay too many books to read. I am so glad I picked this book up, went “Ah what the hell”, and got it out. I started reading it while waiting for my aunty to finish work, and I was completely hooked. I fell head over heels in love with this masterpiece. The writing, the characters and the plot totally blew me away. No matter what, everyone should read this book. EVERYONE.

June is living in a world full of war, military and plagues resulting in death. She is plain and simply a prodigy being groomed for stardom and success. After unfortunate circumstances, June is led into the hunt for the country’s worst criminal, Day. When their paths cross, is June about to learn that Day isn’t at all like her country suspects him to be?

Legend had fabulous characters and a well written plot. I fell totally and completely in love with this book and cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out!

(Note: Sorry this is a crappy review! I’m not sure how to write a review for this book, it was so amazing and ahh! I’d gush way too much. Also, it’s waaaaaaaay too hot to think at the moment)

Printed Copy of Opal plus Lux Swag!

http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3325727-want-to-read-opal

I entered via http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5230419/ to win a copy of Opal! :D

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Five/five stars!

This is quite possibly one of the best, most confusing, most breathtaking, heartbreaking, beautiful and most amazing books I have ever read in my entire life. I’m close to crying. I am crying. I don’t even know. My emotions are in overdrive. Pretty sure I’m having a breakdown. Yep. This book torn me to shreds, ate me up, then glued me together. It was perfect. I have no idea where I’m going to begin with this review.

Nastya Kashnikov has lost everything. She has so much pent up anger and frustration with the world, she’s given up. She’s stopped caring about everything. Now she just hates; hates on people, herself and the world. She is focused on destroying the life of the man who completely broke her. When she moves from her home town to live with her aunt and hopefully begin a new life without the whispers and the stares, she is surprised when she meets Josh Bennett. Josh Bennett. The one person who pisses her off, confuses her and gets under her skin. She is drawn to him and his “force field”. They are both drawn to each other and their mysteries. Together, with their secrets and mysterious backgrounds, they are a glass case of emotion, just waiting to crack.

The Sea of Tranquility got to me in ways a book had never gotten to me before. I used to read all the time in class on my laptop, before I realised that, shit, I actually needed to listen and learn something. I haven’t read in class for a while, but I needed to when I was reading The Sea of Tranquility. It was haunting me. It was all I could think about. Stuff you science revision, I needed to be pulled into the messed up worlds of both Nastya and Josh.

The characters were everything in this novel. They made the story. The secrets they were keeping were even kept from the reader. Nastya was an emotionally unstable, very fragile girl who was seeking – no – hunting for revenge. She was focused on how messed up her life was. She was blinded by hate and raging emotions and what she had lost. What that bastard had taken from her. Really, she was a very likable, realistic character and I loved being inside her crazy mind.

Josh Bennett. Everyone he has ever loved is dead. He just wants to be left alone in his frantic world; focused on building things. When Nastya appears in his life, he isn’t sure what to do. Tell her to piss off, or enjoy her company? He loves her and he hates her. She gets under his skin like no one else. He kind of enjoys it. I actually really loved Josh. He was an amazing character that I fell completely head over heels in love with.

The Sea of Tranquility was a slow building, exciting, suspenseful, dramatic, heartfelt read. My mind was racing all throughout the book. I loved this book so much and would recommend it to anyone (especially someone who feels like a good cry). 

Back To You by Annie Brewer

Back To You by Annie Brewer

★ ★☆☆☆

Two/five stars

I had such high expectations for this book. I’m friends with Annie on Goodreads and her reviews and updates always make me laugh, so I really wanted to like Back To You and give it an awesome, massive review. Unfortunately, I did not like this book, but it was ok. I really hate to say it, but it was almost cringe-worthy.

Just before I start, I just want to say that I don’t want to be mean! I’m just being honest. Constructive criticism, perhaps? I’m not being mean!

Ok, so I’ll start with the grammar and the writing. The writing was cringe worthy. It was forced and awkward. The dialogue was even worse! I was cringing! The writing started out fine, then the dialogue came in between Abby and Sarah and from then on, it just went downhill in my opinion. The other thing that annoyed me was the lack of contractions. Contractions are allowed. Do you know how frustrating it is to constantly read “I will”, “I do not”, “I have not”? Please, please, please use contractions! It was so annoying. Other than that, the writing wasn’t that bad, just really annoying.

Abby was alright. She wasn’t anything special, nor was she completely horrible. She was meh. She didn’t do anything for me. She was a weird character, very moody and indecisive. Her moods were really strange, like… she could get really angry over something small, but could be completely calm over something massive. *SPOILER* Like her best friend, Brooke and her boyfriend, Brady.

Brady. One word: asshat. I just… I didn’t like him, at all, right from the beginning, until the end.

Sarah was bipolar. I don’t mean to be rude or offensive when I say that, but seriously, she was crazy. Her moods were insane. One moment she was a loving younger sister…

She was a crazy bitch.

Sarah’s moods were giving me headaches! Honestly. She was jumping from one mood to the next instantaneously, without any warning what so ever. In the end she turned out to be alright, but really truly deep down, she was nuts.

Now… the love interest, Lucas. He was certainly interesting. Didn’t approve of Abby cheating on Brady, but didn’t really make any moves to stop her coming onto him. Lucas didn’t do much for me. He didn’t make me lust after him or anything. He was definitely a “meh” character.

Last but not least in the character department was Abby and Sarah’s mum. She was… weird; a very, very laid back mum, indeed. She was strict on some things, but also very lenient on others. She clearly had a favourite child too, and that was Abby. I have a pretty awesome mum, who I’m super comfortable with and would tell absolutely everything to, but Abby’s mum’s character was a little overboard.

There wasn’t really much of a plot. Okay, maybe I lie, there was one, but it was boring and not at all exciting. There weren’t any “Oh-my-god-edge-of-my-seat” moments or really depressing moments. The whole “plot” was “bleh”. (To put it in music terms, it had an unmoving, occasionally jumping melodic contour).

Okay. One thing that super-duper really annoyed me about this book was the singing. WHAT SINGING?! Abby is in the school choir and her dream is to be in Broadway musicals, but there was hardly anything about her singing. She wasn’t completely devoted to it and it didn’t consume her time. I’m in the Conservatorium of Music and I devote half of my time practicing violin and my life doesn’t even depend on it! Abby barely did anything singing wise. She skipped choir. I don’t even skip practice. Singing is Abby’s career choice and she hardly does anything about it in the book. Violin isn’t even my career choice (mostly) and my life revolves around it! And I’m 14! Sorry about the comparisons, but this “singing career” of Abby’s really annoyed the crap out of me.

The romance was also an issue with me. I wouldn’t even call it a “romance”. It was forced and ugly. I don’t know how Lucas did it; dating an already taken girl. That’s just messy. The relationship between the two was forced and moved very quickly. I understand that they had already dated and that they’d know each other for years and been through heaps together, but a relationship is different to a friendship, especially now that they are older. There are more things to… consider.

Overall, the book was alright. It was confusing and jumpy. It was definitely clear it was Brewer’s first book. I’ve asked for an ARC of Brewer’s second book, Choices, which I’m positive, will be so much better!

Sorry Annie, I really wish I enjoyed this so much more, but it just didn’t work with me. I hope I love the rest of your books so much more!

Girl of Nightmares (Anna #2) by Kendare Blake

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 

Three and a half/ five stars

*Not a proper review because I’m not really sure what to say*

Hmm, I don’t know if it was me or the book, but we just didn’t click. It took me like 21 days to finish this book, which is forever in my reading time. I really wanted to like it, but something stopped me. I was getting confused easily and I was having trouble following the plot. The writing was as beautiful as ever, though. Maybe if I just sat down and read the book in a couple of sittings, I’d like it a lot better. The rating probably would’ve been a bit lower if it wasn’t for the awesome last 50-100 pages. They were totally kickass!

Always You by Kirsty Moseley

Always You by Kirsty Moseley

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Four/five stars

Always You was a quick, cute read. I read it on Wattpad, so before the book was published, which means there were some errors, but surprisingly not that many! I was impressed with this book, considering I had such high expectations for it after reading The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window (which was incredibly awesome and cute!). Always You was an enjoyable read, that had me laughing and crying.

Riley and Clay have been best friend forever. Although they are neighbours, Riley goes to a different school, until her mother and stepfather change their minds and move her to the local public school, which is where, incidentally, Clay goes too. The two have always had a close relationship; sleepovers a couple of times a week, no secrets, etc. But after Riley comes back from a long holiday, she feels a shift in their relationship. They are still as close as ever, but why is she feeling all fluttery around Clay? And why, oh why, does she feel like she wants and needs more from their relationship?

This book was cute, if cheesy. It was occasionally dramatic and melodramatic, but it was cute. The relationship between Riley and Clay was cute, although after *spoiler* they got together, their relationship progressed rather quickly. The couple dealt with drama after drama but I was definitely happy with how the book ended! *Spoiler* HAPPILY EVER AFTER YAAAY! 

I liked Riley. She was very nice and sweet and loving. With each and every drama that head her way, she dealt with it accordingly, in a responsible and mature way, which was refreshing.

Clay was alright. He was lovely to Riley, but I had a few problems with him. The fact that he slept with a thousand girls because he never thought he would be with Riley. I hate that trend in YA romance at the moment. Guys, the girls you like aren’t going to notice you or pursue you because you are a man-whole and you are constantly with a new chick each week. Us chicks will believe we are a piece of trash that you can easily throw away. Uh, hello? Not good for our self-esteem! So, Clay if you put a little bit more effect into showing Riley you like her instead of shying away and screwing heaps of other girls, you could’ve gotten Riley earlier. And also, Clay kind of had some anger/possessive issues. He wasn’t too bad, but I was still wary of it.

The book had plenty of unexpected twists and turns! Which were all very dramatic. It was definitely a page turner!

I actually really liked this book. It was so so so cute and sweet! I cried at the end because it was so beautiful and so cute!

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Entangled by Cat Clarke

★ ★★☆☆

Three/five stars

I didn’t understand half of this book, especially the end. Not saying I didn’t enjoy it, because I did, mostly. It was just… very difficult to follow and rather confusing. I loved the fact that it was set in England! I love anything to do with England. Entangled was a good book, just not the book for me.

Grace’s life is falling apart. She’s got alcohol and is going to finally end all of the pain and the suffering, when she meets a boy. No, not the usual type of boy, who saves her and they fall in love, just a boy. A boy who is there, but not really. A boy who listens to Grace’s ramblings.  A boy who Grace vomits on. A boy who kidnaps Grace. He is a mystery and Grace just can’t seem to figure him out. She has a thousand questions running through her mind, but no answers. Why? How? Can Grace find a way to get out of this awful mess?

I liked Entangled. I really did. I liked the idea. I enjoyed the beginning, but somewhere between the middle and the end, the book just lost me. It became predictable and weird, and it confused me. I really tried to understand it and love it, but I just couldn’t. There was hope for the book, then the end happened. I had no idea what was going on. The thought going through my head was “what just happened”. The end lost me and lost the book stars.

I didn’t really like any of the characters. They were all meh. Grace was a bit of a bitch and whined heaps. Sal was alright, not a very good best friend. Nat was meh; didn’t like him much.

This book had so much potential, but it just lost me. Really wish I enjoyed it a lot more. 

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boy by Maggie Stiefvater

★ ★★★☆

Four and a half/five stars

The Raven Boys follows the separate, yet interconnecting stories of Blue, Gansey, Adam, Ronan, Noah.

Blue meets the foursome that is Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah by chance. They wouldn’t mean anything to her unless she hadn’t had a psychic encounter involving one of the boys the earlier. Blue is very involved in the land of all things psychic and spirit thanks to her clairvoyant family. When Blue is properly introduced into the crazy and wonderful land of Gansey and friends, she is invited to embark on a spiritual “trip”. Surprisingly enough for Blue and luckily enough for the boys, Blue turns out to be a big help for them and their spiritual needs. Even luckier, Blue agrees to help them  with their spiritual “trip”.

I can’t really write a proper review for this book because really it was just wonderful. Perfect.

Stiefvater’s writing, first and third person, could make any grown man cry. It is so beautiful.

I loved all the characters in the book. They were all so different and unusual.

This book was so perfect, but I gave it 4.5 stars because there were some parts that totally confused me. But apart from that, The Raven Boys was absolutely beautiful. 

Stalk Me (Keatyn Chronicles #1) by Jillian Dodd

Stalk Me by Jillian Dodd

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Four/five stars

I tried to love this book, to the point of 5 stars, I really did, but there was just something about it that annoyed me. I've read That Boy and That Wedding, and I loved them. I love Jillian Dodd's unique writing style. In the That Boy series, she made me fall in love with the characters and fall into their world. But something in Stalk Me prevented me for doing that; though I'm not really sure what it was. I really do wish that I liked this book a whole lot more, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless and will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Keatyn is not your average girl. She is the daughter of Abby Johnson, famous and most recognized actress. Her father died when she was nine, but her stepfather treated her like his own. She grew up on movie sets with her mother and stepfather and has travelled the world. Keatyn's upbringing has always included her mother, her stepfather, her step-sisters, cleaners, nanny’s and her mother’s entourage of make-up artists, hairstylists and wardrobe designers and, unfortunately creepy stalkers looking for a chance with her mum. After years and years of traveling, all Keatyn wants to do is live in a nice permanent house and go to high school. She has written the perfect script for her high school dream; she will be popular, good-looking and the best dressed, obviously. But when her high school experience isn't all it was made out to be and everything, including her friends and boyfriend feels like a sham, how will Keatyn escape the lie? And will it all be too much? How could she possible escape this mess?

I did like this book, but I don't know... Something wasn't right. I liked the story line, it was well thought out, clever and interesting. I think it was just the lifestyle; various love triangles and the characters that annoyed me.

Keatyn was alright. She was kind of annoying, spoilt, pathetic and overly dramatic. Her constant use of OHMIGAWD annoyed me so much. Who even says that? Let alone spells in like that. "Oh my god" every now and then, would have been better. It was obvious Keatyn's family had money. She has a house in France and the world’s biggest closet (full of some fabulous sounding clothes!). Keatyn wasn't spoilt as such, but she did have a lot of stuff and a lot of freedom. It kind of annoyed me how much freedom she had. Like, her parents didn’t even care that she got home at like four in the morning after a party. I understand trust, but her parents should have been more careful because they, being famous actors, understand the risks. Keatyn was kind of weak. Her supposed “best friends” of hers, were the biggest bitches I have even had the displeasure of reading about. Why, oh why, did she put up with them!? They were horrible to her. I couldn’t deal with that at all, no way in hell. Towards the end, she got a little bit stronger and kinda left behind the “bitchyness”. Anyway, Keatyn was alright. I grew to like her a lot more towards the end. Throughout the book she did sometimes seem really stupid, but sometimes she was smart.

Ok… the boys in the book. There were plenty! Cush is the first boy in Keatyn’s life that we were introduced to. He is a total player, but is a good friend to Keatyn and Sander, her boyfriend’s, best friend. Secondly, we were introduced to Keatyn’s boyfriend, Sander. I didn’t really like Sander, he seemed kinda… distant? He wasn’t a very good boyfriend. I had my suspicions about him, and in the end I was right! Then there was Brooklyn. Keatyn has loved him since she first laid eyes on him when she was 15. He has a good body, taught Keatyn to surf, is her surfing buddy, a good friend and he calls her Keats, what else could she want? Honestly? I didn’t like Brooklyn at all. He was the biggest douche. Just, urgh. After being introduced to Brooklyn, we were finally introduced to mysterious Vincent. Urgh, I don’t even know where to start with Vincent. I didn’t like him, at all. Straight from the beginning, I knew he was going to be weird. Keatyn was smart, though, and… not suspicious, as such, but wary. Of all the boys in the story, Cush was definitely my favourite. At first he came off a bit arrogant and a dick, but he was really sweet and I loved him! I felt sorry for him at the end though. *sad face*

As I’m writing this review and my best friend is reading the book, I’m realising how much I actually liked this book. There were some really… awful parts of the book that left me head desking, but other than that, I actually really enjoyed it. I love Jillian Dodd’s writing and I am definitely glad I read this book and will absolutely be reading the rest of the Keatyn Chronicles!

(Note: While writing this review, I changed my rating from 3/3.5 stars to 4 stars)