Perfect Ruin

Morgan lives on Interment. It is in the sky, well above the mysterious ground. If you get too close to the edge or try to jump, terrible things happen to you. Like her brother Lex, who is now blind because he jumped. And Alice, who has fits, because she got too close to the edge. Morgan is happy, she is in love with her chosen betrothed, Basil. Her best friend is Pen, who pretends to hate her betrothed Thomas. Her parents love her, even though her mother seems to be using too much medication since Lex's accident. Her father is a patrolman. And then her world is shattered when Daphne Leander is found murdered. Things like this don't happen in their world. Her betrothed Judas is accused of the murder, but Morgan doesn't believe he did it. As she explores his innocence, she finds that all is not what it seems in Interment. Morgan must decide if she can ignore what she has seen and go on with her life, or trust that she can take a giant leap of faith to make things better. This is a strange world that Lauren Destefano has created. It is a little bit of Matched, a little bit of Divergent and a little bit of something new. What if there was a place just out of reach that could fulfill all your curiosity and dreams? Would you take the leap? I enjoyed this book, it was just different enough to be interesting. So if you enjoyed the books I mentioned, then give this one a try. ( or if you've read her other series, The Chemical Gardens) Happy reading my friends!

Altered

I find myself surprised by how much I loved this book. That being said, here's the lowdown. Anna lives in a farmhouse in a small town with her father. Her mother died when she was little and recently she's been helping her father with his work in the basement. His work involves four boys who have been kept in the basement for years. They are a government project and Anna helps keep the data and runs tests for her father. But she finds herself drawn to the boys. She sneaks into the basement to visit them in the middle of the night. There is Cas, the jokester, who loves cookies. Nick, who would just as soon kill her as look at her. Trev, her best friend, who she can talk to about everything. And Sam, the one. The one she loves above all the others. But one day The Branch comes to gather the boys and take them, and Anna can't bear to see them go. Unbeknownst to her, the boys have been planning an escape and they break out of the basement, taking Anna with them, From there it is a constant race to figure out who they are and why the Branch wants them back. Sam has hidden clues in various places, including the tattoo on his back. What Anna finds out changes her world forever, as she finds that one she trusted above all else was a betrayer. I seriously couldn't put this book down. The boys are all so interesting and mysterious. The purpose of the Branch is just enough evil. And Anna can hold her own in a world where even the people you trust can stab you in the back. I will be heading to Barnes and Noble.com immediately following this post to order the sequel. Happy reading my friends!

The Offering

Rylee told me that I would love the end to this trilogy by Kimberly Derting. She even suggested I read while driving yesterday- bad Rylee. But she was certainly right in how great the ending to this series was. Charlie, newly crowned queen of Ludania, is living with the essence of Sabara inside her. Sabara is the evilest queen imaginable, who can jump from royal blood to royal blood. Her equally evil boyfriend Nico is out to help her jump from Charlie to another Queen- Elena. Charlie can't let that happen. She knows what Sabara is capable of and she has to keep her locked inside to keep control. But when Xander is sent on a mission of peace to Elena, things turn bad fast. Charlie concocts a scheme to go to Elena and broker a peace. She takes Eden and Brook with her, but things, of course, don't go as planned. Max, the dreamy prince in love with Charlie, sets out with the troops to save Charlie. Not everyone is going to come back alive. Will Charlie be able to best Sabara and Nico, or will evil win out in the end? And there's the fact that Max keeps proposing to Charlie- will she finally say yes? This is a great trilogy filled with enough action, adventure and romance to keep a reader happy. It was a definite twist to the typical evil queen/good queen fairy tale. There are no damsels in distress in this series, which I LOVE. Girl power!! If this sounds like the book for your, start with The Pledge, you won't be disappointed. Happy reading my friends!

The Bitter Kingdom

I didn't think anyone could give Will Herondale a run for his money at the top of my fictional boy list, but man Hector de Ventierra sure has. And a girl who could match Raisa, Katsa, Fire, etc- well Elisa may just be my new favorite. What an amazing series! In this final book, Elisa must save Hector, unite three kingdoms, take back her crown from treasonous generals, and figure out a way to harness all the power of her Godstone before it is too late. And boy does she. Elisa grows to depend on herself, and finally comes into her own as a queen, woman and wife. She is loyal to her friends, even if some seem untrustworthy. She is comfortable in her own skin and many of us could take a lesson from her. The cast of characters in this trilogy is epic. Storm, the stoic Invierno rebel. Mara, the damaged loyal ladies maid (who is fierce with a bow), Belen, the former traitor, turned loyal protector. Red, the young girl  Elisa saves from slavery, who proves invaluable. Hector *swoon*, the man who will show Elisa what it means to be loved. Father Nicandro, who showed Elisa the way when many others wouldn't. The storyline isn't important to talk about, if you are at book three, you know the situation. But if you haven't started, go back to the beginning and enjoy the ride. It will not let you down. But as you know Joyans are filthy liars, so you'll have to decide it you believe me. This series is a great message to girls everywhere, to believe in yourself. That the only person who has to think you are beautiful is you. That the power of friendship can move mountains. And that the power of a good book can be life changing.  Happy reading my friends!

Crown of Embers

On this Valentine's Day, I send a valentine to Hector, head of the Queen's Guard, loyal and faithful defender of the realm and true love of Queen Elisa. This second book by Rae Carson, finds Elisa trying to rule her country after the death of her husband, Kind Alejandro. There are plots to kill her coming from every direction and the people she can trust seems to shrink every day. To add to that, she finds herself falling in love with Hector, which as you know, can lead nowhere as she must marry for the sake of her country. To add insult to injury, her guardian, Ximena, wants Hector to marry her sister Alodia. Elisa must go on a mission to find the source of her Godstone's power, and if she succeeds, she will become the most powerful ruler in the land. The journey is fraught with danger. She travels with a former traitor, an enemy, and Hector. They must escape one ambush after the next. When she finds the source, it will claim more than she is willing to give. She will be betrayed by one she trusts. She will find a friend in one she doesn't. She will be forced to become the Queen her friends know she can be if she wants to save the one she loves and her country. I'm so glad I didn't find this series until all three books were already out. I would not have been patient enough to wait. As it is, I have already started the last book and am eager to find a comfy place to sit and enjoy it on this four day weekend. I love how strong Elisa is becoming and of course, Hector is a fine addition to my fictional boy list. He can hang out with Chaol from Throne of Glass. Elisa can hang out with Raisa, and I get to hang out with all of them. Happy reading my valentines!

World After

Akiva, Daniel, Patch, and Raffe- heavy sigh. What is it about a bad boy angel that gets the heart racing? In this sequel to Angelfall, we find our heroine Penryn recently back from near dead and on her way to a Resistance camp with her insane mother and newly turned monster sister Paige. Penryn is crushed by the condition her sister is in and the loss of Raffe, as he thinks she is dead. Penryn doesn't have a moment to rest though, as the Angels are about to unleash the Apocalypse on San Francisco and all she has on her side is Raffe's sword, her amazing self defense skills, and a moral obligation to save the world. Penryn goes from one horrendous situation to the next, all the while trying to get to Raffe to let him know she is actually alive. Raffe, on the other hand, is out to get Beliel, who has stolen his beautiful white wings and replaced Raffe's with Demon wings. See, Raffe, is actually Raphael, the Archangel, and he is kinda mad. To add to the horror, the Angel Uriel is creating a subspecies of Locust out of humans. Penryn must escape from Alcatraz, the locust breeding ground, find her sister and stay alive long enough to try and stop the Apocalypse. Sound complicated? It' s not. I must say I read a lot of gruesome books, but something about these scorpion/locust creatures has really creeped me out. I couldn't put down this action packed sequel, although it took WAY too long for Raffe to show up. I do enjoy Penryn's plucky spirit and never give up or in attitude. She is no damsel in distress and often finds adults looking to her for answers or escape. Even Raffe's sword comes to respect her. (don't ask!) Love, love. love this series and while Raffe is no Patch, he is certainly worthy of the number 2 spot, especially if he gets his beautiful wings back. Does Penryn succeed? Like I would tell you, even if it didn't end in yet another cliffhanger. Happy reading my friends!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

There's something about a girl who overcomes self doubt and can handle herself in a male dominated world. Elisa is no different. She is a teenager given in marriage to a handsome king. He is in need of her father's troops to fend off attack from a warring country. Elisa is overweight and unsure of herself. She really wants Alejandro to love her, but she doesn't even know where to begin. One night she is kidnapped and dragged across the desert by her lady's maid and her brother as she is the chosen one. She possesses the Godstone in her naval and it is the source of great power. Only one bearer is chosen every hundred years. Everyone wants to get their hands on her. But the more time she spends with her kidnappers, the more she realizes they aren't the enemy and she uses her keen intelligence to begin a revolution of her own. Her new friends Cosme and Humberto show her that she can be more than she ever dreamed of. Loved even. But tragedy seems to follow them and when she finds herself reunited with her husband, her feelings aren't what they once were. She needs to be the Queen her country expects in order to save them all. With a great cast of characters, this was one quick read for me. I loved it!! Elisa shows that looks can be deceiving and that you shouldn't underestimate someone because of their outward appearance. And I love Hector, just sayin'. I sense a romance coming in future books, which thankfully are already out and sitting in my classroom waiting for me to grab them in the morning. If you love The Demon King series, any of Kristen Cashore's books or The Crown of Midnight Series, you will fall in love with this one too! Elisa fits right in with the heroines of those novels. She's one tough cookie, who actually enjoys a cookie every now and then! Happy reading my friends!

The Trap

Ah, there is nothing like finishing a series. That being said, the final book in Andrew Fukuda's vampire series didn't disappoint. Gene and Sissy find themselves faced with the task of saving the human race from the Duskers who are out to eat each and every Heper they can find. You see, Gene and Sissy are the Origin- their blood together will cure the vampires of their disease and turn them human again. When they find themselves in the middle of the Ruler's palace, in the middle of a city filled with millions of Duskers, they must figure out a way to keep themselves alive long enough to save everyone left. But everything is working against them, including Ashley June, who is alive and well and a Dusker. She just wants to tell Gene the truth about himself and get him to join her. Gene is torn between his feelings for Sissy and his long term friendship/romance with Ashley June. Left with the decision to turn or die, Gene turns both he and Sissy into Duskers to save them. What happens next turns the whole story on end. What if you weren't the cure, but the disease? Yikes. Didn't see that coming. Gene and Sissy must decide who they are and how they will live. Not easy choices when your options are limited. This series has always taken a different view of vampires- they are not cuddly, sparkly things falling in love with mere mortals. They are blood hungry, devoury, mean spirited animals. It is a faced paced adventure that makes you wonder how our intrepid heroes will get out of one disaster after another. The ending is unexpected and refreshing- not your usual happily ever after. So, from sunny SoCal, I say happy reading my friends!