Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen (Red Queen #1)
by Victoria Aveyard

Hardcover, 383 pages

Published February 10th 2015 by HarperTeen

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

“Rise, red as the dawn.” 

― Victoria Aveyard, Red Queen

I am going to start off by saying that I am sort of kicking myself for waiting so long to read this. There has been a lot of hype for this book for quite some time now, yet as intrigued as I was, for some reason I never got around to picking it up until now. The question now is, do I think this book lived up to all the hype it has received? 

Yes. But also no. 

Now you're confused I am sure. I say "yes" because I did very much enjoy this book. Parts of it were very unique and I can see why people love it. However, I personally did not LOVE it and had a few problems with it. 

For one thing, for the first two-thirds of the novel, I wasn't really feeling it. What I meant to say is, I was interested, but not too interested. It felt like not much was really going on, or at least, nothing different from any other YA novel that contains a similar plot. I did not really get sucked in until the last third. At this point, I could not put the book down. At last, I was hooked. It is this last third of the book that made me bump my rating up from 3 stars to 4. 

In the world of Red Queen, people either have red blood or silver. Those with silver also possess special abilities that vary. Because of these abilities, they consider themselves superior to those who bleed red. Red bloods are basically their slaves. They do all the work, fight in the long going war that has been raging for years, and get little in return. Then you get introduced the Mare Barrow, who of course is supposed to be special and the savior of all. This plot, while intriguing, is also not vastly different from other YA novels. 

I liked Mare enough. She had her moments were I admired her strength and abilities, but for the most part, she sort of bugged me. For one, there is a love triangle of sorts in this novel, much to my dismay. Though, to be perfectly honest, there were times when I thought there was perhaps a love quadrilateral going on. She's drawn to two brothers and naturally she leans more towards the one I did not really care for and find completely dull. 

The characters are part of the problem I had with this novel. I felt like a lot of them were either rather dull, or I just felt no connection towards them and did not really care much for them. Mare also appeared heartless to me at times. I understand she was in a rather tough situation but at times I lacked sympathy for her because she seemed almost as bad as the bad guys. 

I also felt certain things could have been explained a bit more in the novel. For example, what caused the two different kinds of blood, or why they were even in this long winded war. They mention the war a bit, but I still felt as though I didn't really understand why it was happening, or who the Lakelanders really were. 

There is a lot of betrayal, which was kind of a plus for me because it made me a tad more interesting. It also kind of ticked me off because even though I suspected of the betrayals, I was still a bit shocked and saddened by them. 

I would recommend this book. It wasn't bad. I did enjoy it even though to me personally, it was not all the hype made it out to be. I will probably continue on with the series soon. 

4 out of 5

Saven Disclosure (Saven #2) by Siobhan Davis

Saven Disclosure (Saven #2)

by Siobhan Davis

ebook, 1st Edition

Published April 21st 2016 by Siobhan Davis

THE TRUTH CAN'T HIDE FOREVER 

To protect Logan, I have no choice but to deceive him. 

But I’m not the only one hiding the truth. 

Will our love survive all the secrets and lies? 

Enemy alien ships crowd the skies over Earth while the world waits with bated breath. The Saven have been exposed, and where once they were abhorred, they are now championed as our greatest ally and our only possible savior. 

Logan and Sadie have been separated, and the longer he is gone, the more their love is tested by duty, doubts, and deception. 

Sadie and Jarod have infiltrated the highest levels of government, but they are playing a dangerous game. Surrounded by people with conflicting agendas—hell-bent on using her for their own aim—Sadie is confused when the lines between good and evil are blurred. It’s impossible to tell friend from foe, and no one can be trusted. 

When the full extent of the experiments taking place in Sector Twenty is disclosed, Sadie can no longer sit back and watch as the lower classes face a horrific fate. Racing to save her loved ones and mankind, she risks her own safety and the love she’s waited a lifetime for to do the right thing. 

But no one thought to save her from herself. 

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

“In this moment there is no me, no him. Only us. One entity. One heart. One existence.” 
― Siobhan Davis, Saven Disclosure

Wow!

Again I am amazed by Siobhan Davis. I had really enjoyed the first book of the series, but this second book I enjoyed even more! Which, is quite amazing really because normally I prefer the first book in a series over the rest of it.

But before I go too much into the book, can we please take a moment to appreciate that beautiful cover?

Now, moving on...

Saven Disclosure was the perfect second installment to the series. There was never a dull moment, and thanks to Davis' clever use of foreshadowing, the plot always kept you guessing what would happen next.

In this novel, we are reintroduced to characters from the previous novel, as well as introduced to new characters. For one, I especially liked the introduction of the Amaretti, a new alien race. And while on the subject of characters, I must say one of the things I love about Davis' writing is how she develops her characters. To be honest, I was not a huge fan of Sadie during the first book. I had liked her enough, but I found her to be a tad immature and overemotional. However, in this book, we see Sadie undergo a sort of personal growth and move away from being that way. I find that I actually like her a lot more now.

This series has everything, action, love, adventure, intrigue. And the fact that it is more in the science fiction genre is a huge plus for me.

And the ending! I have one word for you: cliffhanger

I look forward to continuing to read more by Davis and would like to thank her for the opportunity to read and review her novels as they have all made it on my top favorite list and I am immensely grateful to be involved in her reading team.

4 out of 5

Glitch by Hugh Howey

Glitch 
by Hugh Howey

Kindle Edition, 15 pages

Published June 16th 2014 by Broad Reach Publishing

When a robot defies his programming, is he broken? Or is he something else? 

A short story of 5,000 words.

Glitch by Hugh Howey was a short story I had seen on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited. At the time, I was pretty busy and had little time to read, so I had been looking for something short and fun that I could read in one sitting. Glitch was just that.

As the story was only about 15 pages, this will obviously be a rather short review. 

It is quite amazing how an author is able to create such a captivating story in only 5,000 words, but Howey manages to do just that. While the concept does sound reminiscient of things such as I-Robot, Glitch is something unique all on its own. The writing is perhaps what sets this story apart from others of its kind. I felt completely immersed in the story, as well as wishing there was more once I reached the end.

I would highly recommend this. Especially for those out there who enjoy a good science fiction story, and of course, robots. At only 15 pages, even if you decide that it is not for you, at most, you have only wasted a few minutes. Check it out!

4 out of 5 

Saven: Deception (Saven #1) by Siobhan Davis

Saven: Deception (Saven #1) 

by Siobhan Davis

Paperback, 426 pages

Published December 23rd 2015 by Siobhan Davis        

THE TRUTH DOESN'T ALWAYS SET YOU FREE

I’ve fallen hard for an alien, but he’s harboring secrets.

Massive secrets that threaten the very essence of humanity.

How can I give him my heart when his race plans on taking my future?

Sadie Owens has been slowly dying inside. Bit by bit, piece by piece, day by day. Trapped in a life she hates, she relies on only one person—herself.

Despised by her family and betrayed by an unscrupulous government, Sadie dreams of a different life. When she is chosen to participate in the government’s new social experiment, she is ecstatic at the prospect of spending six months in Thalassic City, the shiny new city under the sea.

Immediately drawn to Logan Chandler, Sadie is captivated by the beautiful boy with the ocean-blue eyes. Logan seems to embody everything that has been forbidden, but he isn’t all he appears to be.

Confused over Logan’s true intentions and concerned when best friend Jenna starts transforming in front of her eyes, Sadie partners with newcomer Jarod in a bid to uncover the government’s real agenda. The truth is more shocking than anything she could ever have imagined.

When Sadie finally understands why the Saven walk among us, will it be too late to save her heart and the human race?

“A craving to crawl out of my skin hits me like a bullet to the chest. It’s not a new sentiment. It’s an urge I feel at least once every hour. A potent desire to be anyone but myself. To live any life but this one.”
― Siobhan Davis, Saven: Deception

First, I would like to take a moment to appreciate that cover, because it is gorgeous! I have been a big fan of Siobhan Davis ever since I was lucky enough to get my hands on her first book True Calling. The True Calling series instantly became one of my all time favorites. So naturally, when given the opportunity to read the first book of a her new series, I simply could not refuse.

Obviously, I had rather high expectations for this new series. Saven: Deception did not disappoint. I am a lover of all things science fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed the world that Siobhan Davis created in this novel. Davis' world building was something I always admired in the True Calling series and with Saven, she continued to work her magic.

Taking place in a dystopian world, there are the cliche elements found in every dystopian novel. However, Davis is able to put her own spin and twist, making the plot unique and unlike other novels of the same genre. 

It is hard for me to really talk about the book without giving too much away. Just know, that I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves science fiction, fantasy, and/or dystopias. I felt that the beginning was just a tad slow for me, but the pace immediately picked up the more I read. I also loved that romance was not the center of the story. It is there of course, but there is so much more going on. 

Saven: Deception is a fantastic start into what I am sure will be an amazing series. It really is a page turner.

4 out of 5 stars

Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows

 
Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows

Paperback, First Edition, 374 pages

Published January 2nd 2013 by Katherine Tegen

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

“Who am I?" My first spoken words.
"No one," she said. "Nosoul.”
― Jodi Meadows, Incarnate

Let's be honest, that cover is gorgeous. I cannot deny that I was first drawn to this book because of how beautiful I found it. But hey, that is not a bad thing. The cover was attention grabbing; it made me want to pick the book up and see if the words inside were just as amazing as the cover on the outside. And let me tell you, they were.

I was hooked, almost instantly, from the first few pages. 

We have dystopian world where in the country of Range, souls have been reincarnating over and over. The people of Range have known each other for thousands of years and remember everyone and all their hundreds of lives. Then one day, someone dies, and instead of their soul being reborn, it is gone. No one knows what caused this soul to disappear. But in its place, a new soul was born. This new soul is our main protagonist, Ana. Unfortunately for Ana, most of the people of Range blame her existence for the loss of the other soul. Including her own mother, Li, who kicks her out of the house.

Out in the real world for the first time, lacking the skills and knowledge that everyone else in Range possess, Ana makes it her mission to get to Heart as she believes it is there she will discover the truth behind her existence. As Ana's story unfolds, we are introduced to a dangerous world of slyph, dragons, and people who want Ana dead. 

Jodi Meadows has a real talent when it comes to creating strong characters that you cannot help but get attached to. Ana is a strong character, even though at times she seems to be dependent on others, such as Sam. But when you think about it, she knows nothing really of the world and everyone else has had thousands of years to figure things out, so her dependency is understandable. And she grows as a character as the book and series progresses. Sam, you just can't help but love. From the very beginning, he is very accepting of Ana, even though she's the "no soul". Li, well, she is pretty awful and I can't stand her; that's all I have to say about her. 

The romance is perhaps the one thing that bothered me. But even then, it was not that big a deal honestly. The romance was kind of insta-lovey, which is pretty typical of the YA genre. Normally, this irks me quite a bit, but I enjoyed everything else about the book so much that I was able to overlook the insta-love just this once.
 
The world building in this book was brilliant, as was the writing style. I just could not pull myself away from the story being told and found myself desperate to get my hands on the rest of the triology (which I did, immediately!). The whole concept of reincarnation is fascinating and Meadows truly took a unique and captivating twist on this concept. Incarnate was action packed, unique and a fantastic read. I highly recommend it!

4 out of 5

 

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Published February 25th 2014

One kiss could be the last. 

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses. 

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever. 

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul. 

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne… it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

“There’s sweetness in evil,” he said. “And remember, looks can be deceiving.”

Jennifer L. Armentrout is very popular in the bookworld. Most of my friends on GoodReads, and a lot of the BookTubers I watch as well, all rave about her books. I had previously read one of her books a couple years ago and I enjoyed it but for some reason never read anything else by her. So I decided it was high time I read another book by Armentrout and therefore, I gave into the hype.

While White Hot Kiss has similar elements to every other paranormal romance out there, Armentrout still found a way to make the story unique. Layla, our protagonist, is half demon and half Warden, which is a creature similar to gargoyles. It was this Warden aspect that I found unique because I have never read anything about gargoyles/gargoyle-like creatures. It was definitely something different and caught my attention immediately. 

Layla does not have much to do with her demon half. She has been raised by a group of Wardens from a young age. However, even though the Wardens took her in, they are still wary of Layla. Demons and Wardens are natural enemies so a lot of the Wardens find it hard to look past her demon blood, despite the fact that Layla herself hates that part of her. Zayne, the son of the head Warden who raised Layla, is the only one who seems to truly care for her and see her for who she is, not what is in her blood. Naturally, Layla would have a crush on him. However, there are more complications than just the fact that Zayne is kind of her brother, in the sense that they grew up together.

Being part demon means that Layla inherited some demon abilities; Layla cannot kiss anyone because by doing so, she would suck out their soul and they would die. So, Wardens have souls therefore Layla cannot really do much about this crush. But that's okay because hey, introduce Roth and what is sure to be the inevitable love triangle found in most YA novels.

Roth is a demon, an upper level one at that. And of course, he dark, sexy, and mysterious. Also, he's a demon and does not have a soul so if Layla really wants to kiss someone, he's pretty much her only option. When it comes to love triangles, I am not a big fan. But I feel like there is only one way to go in this case, but I've only read book one so who knows what crazy stuff happens later on.

I am going to have to admit here that I seem to be part of the minority; everyone swoons over the characters' sexiness and the cover and I am sitting here like, I don't care if they're hot, and then I feel weird like there's something wrong with me xD The point of saying this is that I am bad and sometimes judge books by their covers. A large majority of the time, if I see a book with a steamy cover like this one, I do not pick it up. This is because in the past, I gave books with similar covers a chance because the plot sounded amazing. However, I was usually disappointed as the whole book revolved around a romance, and a bad one at that, and failed to live up to everything else it promised. I was too intrigued by this book to just cast it aside though and gave it a chance which I am glad I did because this book, unlike others, lived up to everything it promised. 

Anyway, even though I did not go absolutely gaga over the book and did not drool over the gorgeous characters, I did very much enjoy it. It was different and had me hooked. I definitely do not regret giving into the hype and plan on reading book two very soon. 

4 out of 5

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True Calling (True Calling #1) by Siobhan Davis

True Calling by Siobhan Davis
Paperback, 400 pages
Published October 2014

TRUE CALLING NOW FREE TO DOWNLOAD FROM ALL MAJOR ONLINE RETAILERS.

TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS. ONE SHARED DREAM.

Planet Novo, nestled in space twelve hundred miles above the surface of the Earth, is the new home of 17-year-old Cadet Ariana Skyee. Confused by the government-sanctioned memory erase and distressed at her impending forced marriage and motherhood, Ariana’s plans for the future are thrown into complete disarray.

As the traumatic events within her family life enfold, Ariana grows increasingly alarmed at the authorities apparent pre-occupation with her and feels progressively more isolated and alone.

Her growing feelings for fellow Cadet Cal Remus intensify as the recently announced pageant, ‘The Calling’, gets underway. Struggling to comprehend the continuous, inexplicable dreams of the mysterious Zane, discovering the past helps shape her future, with devastating personal consequences.

Firstly, the cover is captivating. I absolutely love it!

Now onto the actual book.

True Calling is a science fiction dystopian novel that has a little bit of everything. Action, romance, mystery. I found it to be a real page turner myself, knocking out 75% of the book in one sitting, completing it in 2 days.

However, at the beginning as I read, the plot felt very reminiscent of, well nearly every dystopian novel I ever read. What immediately was brought to my mind was The Hunger Games. But don't let that deter you because the book does have its unique points. Let's face it, it is really hard, in my personal experience, to find books in this particular genre that are truly original. Everything seems to have been written already over and over to the point of exhaustion. So with that in mind, I am not too critical of the book having similarities with others because it is bound to happen with pretty much any book.

The reason this book gets 4 stars and not 5 is partly due to the fact that I felt as if the author spent a lot of time telling rather than showing. The first bit of the book was just explanations of everything, the world they live in, the old world they left behind, how things at Novo work. I felt like we could have learned much more about the world of Novo if there had been less telling, more description and showing. I think that would have helped make the world building even more interesting.

There was some predictable developments but there was also ones that caught me off guard, which is always good. I liked the characters though I am never quite sure how I feel about Cal. At first, he seemed kind of arrogant, but then I started to believe he may actually have true feelings for Ari. However, I can't help but have this nagging feeling in my gut that something huge is going to go down in that relationship and by huge, I mean bad. Something awful. But, I'm no psychic, I could be totally wrong. And Zane, can't forget him. I don't want to spoil anything about his role but I do feel so extremely bad for him.

I really enjoyed how the story was told from both Ariana's and Zane's perspectives and that their views were divided into parts rather than alternating constantly in chapters. It made the story easier to follow this way and everything just flowed really well.

The whole concept of The Calling, the population regrowth plan is outrageous and honestly, I would feel the same way Ariana did. It does not seem very fair and there are other ways they could have gone about increasing the population. Thankfully though, this is just a story and not real life. The romance took up a lot of the plot which I was both okay and not so okay with. I would have liked to know more about Novo itself and all the secret plans going on, but I am also a sucker for romance so it wasn't such a major deal for me. However, I have grown to strongly dislike love triangles because they sort of kill me inside, having to choose between two people, and gosh darn it there's kind of one in this novel xD

Overall, despite how the book shared similarities with other novels in its genre, I really enjoyed it. I could not put the book down, refused to do anything else but read it; always a good sign, right? I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

4 out of 5 

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Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Published 2007
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting French families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard-their secret hiding place-and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Sixty Years Later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.

“How was it possible that entire lives could change, could be destroyed, and that streets and buildings remained the same, she wondered.”  

There are so many thoughts going through my mind upon finishing this novel. It was so heartbreaking, which I knew it would be going into the novel. I loved how the stories of Sarah and Julia intertwined.

The chapters alternate between the war era and sixty years later. We watch as Julia, a journalist, tries to find out more about what happened during the 1942 round-up of Jewish people in France. Readers also get to see the roundup as it is happening through the eyes of young Sarah. I much preferred Sarah’s story, even though I feel a tad awful saying that considering it was so horrific.

It is just so horrible to think about what the Jews, and others who were targeted during the Holocaust, went through. But events such as the Holocaust must not be forgotten. Even though this is not a real personal account of someone’s experience in the Holocaust, while reading this novel, you tend to forget that. Yes, Sarah is not real, but it feels like she is. Of the millions who died so tragically and those who managed to survive, one can imagine there were people who really went through something similar to what this fictional little girl had. And that’s what makes this story so heartbreaking, that real people suffered this way.

Julia’s story was just okay. I found myself wanting to get through her chapters just so I can go back to Sarah and read her parts. However, I felt extremely bad for her because, quite frankly, her husband was a complete arse. There were so many times I wished for evil things to happen to that man…I really cannot go into why I dislike this man, Bertrand, so much without giving a lot away but just trust me on this, if you read the book I am sure you will not be a huge fan of him either. I also was not sure I liked how the novel ended. I feel like it seemed maybe a bit rushed, like there were things left unexplained or unsaid.

Overall, this book is heartbreaking, there’s no denying that. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I really would have loved more Sarah and less Julia.

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