Review: Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner

Book: Their Fractured Light, Amie Kaufman & Meghan Spooner

Series: Starbound #3

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release Date: December 1^st, 2015

A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.

Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.

Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.

When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.

Review: Obsession by Jennifer L Armentrout

Book: Obsession, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: N/A

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Release Date: May 31^st, 2013

This is a stand alone novel that is an adult spin-off of the Lux Series You do not need to read a Lux book to read Obsession and vice versa.

He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter? 

Review: Origin by Jennifer L Armentrout

Book: Origin, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Lux series #4

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Release Date: August ^7th, 2013

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together? 

Top 10 Books of 2015

Hey everyone, I was bored (and procrastinating from studying) so decided to do a top 10 books of 2015 list! I know there's still two weeks of 2015 left but I've read so many books this year I loved I just wanted to share them with you :)

The Nightmare Before Christmas Book Tag!

*I HAD TO CHANGE THE SIZE OF THE FONT AS MY COMPUTER WAS BEING MEAN TO ME, SO I APOLOGISE IF IT'S HARDER TO READ AS A RESULT*

I was nominated by Carrie, one of my favourite bloggers, to take part in her new original tag! I'm so excited to do this. It's based on The Nightmare Before Christmas, one of the most classic Christmas/Halloween-ish movies ever! I am embarrassed to say I don't know this movie really well but I still love the songs in it, they're classic :) So let's go!

Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Book: Winter, Marissa Meyer

Series: Lunar Chronicles series #4

Publisher: Feiwell & Friends

Release Date: November 10^th, 2015

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? 

Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Book: Cress, Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles series #3

Publisher: Feiwell & Friends

Release Date: February 4th, 2014 

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has. 

Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Book: Scarlet, Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles series #2

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Release Date: February 5^th, 2013

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Rating: 5 stars

When I first read this and discovered that it was going to be from Scarlet’s perspective, I first rebelled against it. I don’t care about some girl from France! I want to know what happened to Cinder! But then, after reading about Scarlet’s life, I soon fell in love with her as much as I did with Cinder. She and Cinder are so alike, and yet so different. They both have independent attitudes and fight back when they need to, but Cinder is still more reserved than Scarlet about reigning in her temper; Scarlet wouldn’t think twice about issuing a violent outburst if she felt the situation needed it.

Meyer totally nailed the combination of fairy tales and dystopia. You wouldn’t expect to get much leverage out of a fairy tale like Red Riding Hood, but Meyer did it! She uses all the elements of the tale to wield together some super characters and a terrific story.

Scarlet takes place just after Cinder left off, with Cinder attempting to escape prison and find Dr. Erland so she can learn more about her destiny as the true heir of Luna. But we get introduced to the new character, Scarlet, who is trying to find her missing grandmother, who was abducted. However both their tales intertwine with each other very nicely. There was no repeating of scenes and it was refreshing to see some characters from fresh, unbiased eyes.

We are introduced to a lot of new characters in this book.  As well as Scarlet, we are introduced to Thorne, another escaped convict that accompanies Cinder in her escape as he has a spaceship she can use. He’s arrogant and overconfident and yet you can’t help but love him because he’s such a likable character. Despite his arrogance, he’s a genuinely nice dude and has all good intentions. There’s also Wolf, a man harbouring a secret who helps Scarlet track down her grandmother. Wolf is a very complex character. At first you think he’s the bad guy, but then he wants to help Scarlet, but then makes a few poor choices along the way which make you question his motives. However, the mysteriousness surrounding his character makes him all the more endearing.

Scarlet was a great character. She doesn’t sit back and let life pass her by (like Cinder did); she takes action. When the police gave up their search of her grandmother, Scarlet put on her red hoodie and took the situation in her own hands, doing whatever she had to in order to save her grandmother. She’s imperfectly perfect: she does what she has to yet tends to overreact and lose her temper quite easily.

We learn a lot more about Cinder’s past and what it took to get her to Earth and how she became cyborg. We also learn about the people who helped her escape and we learn just how much is riding on her taking her rightful place as queen.

In all, this book was not as good as Cinder, but still good and I would definitely recommend it. It’s a great twist on some of your childhood fairy tales and makes it feel like your reading something new all over again, which is refreshing. 

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Book: Cinder, Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles series #1

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Release Date: January 3^rd, 2012

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Rating: 5 stars

This is my third re-read of this book, and it was just as amazing as the first time I read it! I really don’t know why I waited so long to read this book. I'd bought it on my Kindle because I liked the sound of it but never got around to reading it. Maybe it was because I knew it was based on Cinderella so thought it’d be too predictable and boring? I honestly don’t know. I can tell you this: Cinder is NOT predictable and boring; it’s surprising and exciting.

Its set in the future: Asia, now called the Eastern Commonwealth. Beijing has already been destroyed between now and then after two more world wars and is now called New-Beijing. Cinder is a cyborg; half-human, half –robot.

It’s got all the elements that Cinderella possesses: a girl living with her uncaring, heartless guardian/stepmother Adri, who is ashamed of this half robotic creature her husband adopted. Then her husband dies so Cinder is stuck with a guardian who treats her like a slave. She has one cruel stepsister, Pearl; however her other stepsister, Peony, she surprisingly has a very caring and sisterly bond with. It was nice to see Peony stand up to her mother and sister whenever they badmouthed Cinder. It has a handsome and sexy prince known as Prince Kai who is totally smitten with Cinder (who totally doesn’t understand why a prince would be interested in someone as ordinary as her). And we have (I think) a fairy godfather (???) in the form of Dr. Erland, a scientist who understands Cinder better than she does.

In this version, Cinder is a mechanic, living an ordinary life, trying to make a living with her android robot (and only friend) Iko. All the money she makes has to be given to Adri as she is her legal guardian. There is a plague epidemic called Letumosis that has killed almost all of Earth’s population. Scientists still haven’t found a cure for it, and they’ve resorted to using cyborgs (treated as lowly creatures) to use as test subjects. Also, people now live on the moon and are called Lunar. They are ruled by the unfair and unjust Queen Levana, who usurped the throne after killing her sister and niece. Lunars are known for using magic to brainwash people to see what they want and make them do their bidding, and Queen Levana is known for brainwashing Lunars into worshipping her, and she has moved onto her next target – becoming empress of Earth by marrying the Emperor and raging war on the rest of Earth.

Cinder lived every boring day as usual until a very special guest appears at her booth with a broken android – it’s Prince Kai! They immediately have a connection even though Kai has no idea Cinder is a cyborg. That meeting changes Cinder’s life forever. From inviting Cinder to the upcoming ball to nearly kissing her in an elevator, Cinder’s life gets turned upside down in more ways than one.

And it was epic to read! There were so many emotions running high throughout this book, I couldn’t keep track of them all! I loved all the characters, hated the bad guys yet couldn’t help but admire how well they were written. And the symbolism with Cinder’s foot and the glass slipper was brilliant (you’ll know when you read it).

An amazing version of one of my favourite fairytales.

I would definitely recommend reading this. Right now.

Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

Book: Soundless, Richelle Mead

Series: N/A

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: November 10^th, 2015

From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever... 

Rating: 4 stars

I hadn’t read a Richelle Mead book in months, and I’d heard quite varied and interesting things about this book, so I was looking forward to reading more from the author of two of my favourite series. The verdict? Really good! It’s a stand-alone novel, quite short at only 265 pages, about one girl’s quest to save her village’s people from starvation from a ruthless king.

Mead took a really unique twist with this book: all the characters are deaf, and communicate through sign language. When Fei wakes up after a strange and vivid dream and discovers she can now hear, she discovers that she’s now the only one who can escape her small village atop a mountain to climb down and get help, as she’s the only one who can hear falling rocks. I loved the way Mead described sound; you never really think about trying to describe what sound is like to someone who was born deaf, but I thought it was wonderfully done.

I will admit, the story is quite short, and the action is few and far in-between. Despite this, however, I quite enjoyed the story and following Fei’s physical journey down the rocky and treacherous mountain into the townland below, as well as the psychological journey for Fei as she struggles to find hope for a future for her people, as well as adjusting to life with sound and words.

People may not like the fact that the story is a simple and predictable one, as well as the fact that it’s a stand-alone. I do appreciate the fact that Mead went out of her comfort zone with writing about Chinese folklore, as well as writing about a community that cannot hear. We don’t have enough of that in Young Adult fiction, and I think Mead did a great job with it. Maybe it will encourage other writers to expand their horizons to create such obstacles for their characters.

The lost star is for the predictability and shortness of the book. It’s very easy to read and could be done in a day easily. I still enjoyed the story and would recommend it to those who enjoy Mead’s work, and Chinese folklore.

Review: The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Book: The Boy Most Likely To, Huntley Fitzpatrick

Series: N/A

Publisher: Dial Books

Release Date: August18^th, 2015

A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han 

Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I loved My Life Next Door, it's one of my favourite contemporary reads. So when I discovered the author was writing a sequel from Tim's POV - Tim, the alcoholic, sarcastic, dick-you-can't-help-but love - I was SOOO excited.


His was the happy ending I wanted more than anything, the character I believed DESERVED a happy ending more than anything. And maybe the fact that there was a long wait between MLND and this book, and I had the hype built up in my head of what I wanted to happen, what I hoped would happen, I'd practically 
written the book myself.

The result?


Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the story... it just didn't pique me like My Life Next Door did. While Alice and Tim had some lovely moments, it wasn't as romantic as Sam and Jase. Instead of a light, summer read with romance, I got a complicated story full of complications, heartache, and a romance that was barely there.


It just wasn't the romance I wanted for Tim and Alice. There was more of a focus of Tim's growth as a man due to unforeseen circumstances rather than Tim and Alice's relationship growing together. 


We knew Tim was a bit of a mess, and he used humour as a defence mechanism to hide his true feelings, but deep down you knew he meant well but things never seemed to be going his way.Alice is his opposite - a control freak, who has to control everyone and everything. However, she can't control Tim, and her growing feelings for him, and they scare the hell out of her. I will admit the few genuinely sweet and moments between these two were swoon-worthy.


However, there seems to be a lot going on, between all of Tim's family problems, and Alice trying to keep her family together. It was hard to get attached to one subplot before another one would be thrown at us.
However, the theme of family in this book is still huge, and we of course get more of the Garrett children, and they were by far my favourite part of the book. George never failed to amuse me and make me want to cuddle him. 


However, they too were overshadowed by the amount going on in this book.

Maybe I expected too much of this book; I mean the author was trying to go in a different direction as Tim's voice is very different to Samantha's. I'm still glad I read it and My Life Next Door will stay on my shelf as one of my favourite contemporary reads. Tim's story deserves to be told, and read, just as much as Sam's.

Review: Forever With You by Jennifer L Armentrout

Book: Forever With Me, Jennifer L Armentrout

Series:  Wait For You #5

Publisher: Mass Market

Release Date: September 29^th, 2015

In the irresistibly sexy series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, two free spirits find their lives changed by a one-night stand…

Some things you just believe in, even if you've never experienced them. For Stephanie, that list includes love. It's out there. Somewhere. Eventually. Meanwhile she's got her job at the mixed martial arts training center and hot flings with gorgeous, temporary guys like Nick. Then a secret brings them closer, opening Steph's eyes to a future she never knew she wanted—until tragedy rips it away.

Nick's self-assured surface shields a past no one needs to know about. His mind-blowing connection with Steph changes all that. As fast as he's knocking down the walls that have kept him commitment-free, she's building them up again, determined to keep the hurt—and Nick—out. But he can't walk away. Not when she's the only one who's ever made him wish for forever . . .

Rating: 5 stars

*Just a disclaimer, don’t read this book halfway and then read the summary, because there is a spoiler. I made that mistake and so I knew the ending.*

I flew through this book. Like, I had it finished within a day because it was such a powerfully emotional book dealing with very tough themes.

This book deals with Nick and Steph, two characters we’d met in the previous books. We knew a bit about Nick as he worked the bar with Roxy and Calla, but all we knew was that he was very mysterious with a lot of secrets. Steph had gone to college with both Calla and Teresa, and was known because she had slept with the previous books’ love interests. What Nick and Steph both had in common was they were both on the one-night-stand-train with no hurry to get off.

While we think we know these characters, Jen has, as usual, worked her magic and created a depth to these characters we thought we understood.

Steph is fresh out of college, and has a lot of plans with her life. She’s got a new job, and plans on working her way up the corporal ladder as she gains experience. She has a lot she wants to do with her life – travel the world and hopefully find someone who loves her as much as her parents loved each other. However, she believes that unless she meets someone who is “the one”, then what’s the point in relationships? It’s better to have no strings attached than getting your heart broken.

Nick is the mysterious bartender we’d already met in Stay With Me and Fall With Me, the one I knew had a lot more going on than he was showing. I knew Jen had a lot of plans with him, and we get to see a totally different side to him in this book. We understand why he’s so distant and why he only has one-night-stands; his almost “fear” of relationships is explained and you feel so much closer to his character because of it.

After meeting each other, Steph and Nick’s lives are irreparably changed. Their lives start heading in a direction neither expected, but was actually needed. Their situation is totally unforeseeable, and I was so surprised at the turn Jen made. It was a very unusual and uncommon route to take, but I think Jen handled it incredibly well and very realistically. For Steph, this turn is scary that rocks her world and all the plans she made. But after coming to terms with it, she and Nick start a wonderful journey while they attempt to walk down the twisty road together. I loved how they leaned on each other and how supportive Nick was for Steph. Their relationship blossomed slowly, with them learning about each other throughout the book and becoming closer because of it. Neither of them is any good at relationships, so Steph often has moments of self-doubt where she wonders if she and Nick would even be together if they weren’t forced. There were moments of stupidity where she drove Nick away because of these doubts, but she quickly realised her errors, and she never drove Nick that far away. He always came back.

The ending was still emotionally charged and so, so rough. This is the first book I’ve read that covers topics like this, a topic that is rough around the edges that has different reactions. While the ending had a light at the end of the tunnel for our characters, no one walked away unhurt.

Jen wrote a topic that is very realistic and can be quite relatable for a lot of women today. It’s not given that much attention as it’s a very tough thing to talk about. No one can stay strong after something like this happens, and as Jesse J says, “It’s okay not to be okay.” While it’s a topic I can’t relate to personally, I’m glad Jen wrote it and that it’s out there for others to read about. This will be a tough read for anyone who has gone through what our characters have experienced, and I hope that it helps them get through any lingering hurt they’re still facing.

This book, and Be With Me, are my two favourites in this series. They both deal with incredibly hard situations, but our main characters persevere regardless, and you can’t help but admire their strength. Jen has added a great addition to this series, and I can’t wait to meet two new characters that I know I’ll love just as much in her next instalment.

Thursday Quotables #14: Dream of You

Welcome to Thursday Quotables! This feature is the place where you highlight a great quote, line or passage you've discovered in a book you're currently reading. Whether it's something heart-warming, heart-breaking, funny or inspiring, Thursday Quotables is where my favourite line(s) of the week will be, and I invite you to join in! It's hosted by Lisa at BookShelf Fantasies, so be sure to check her out :)

I've only just started the book I'm reading, so I'm going to post a quote from a novella I recently finished, called Dream of You by Jennifer L Armentrout. It's a novella set in between her Wait For You series - in between Fall With Me and Forever With You. It's a lovely, steamy romance between Abby, an unapologetic bookworm and Colton, a tough as nails cop. As usual, Jen wrote a wonderful romance that I devoured.

I'm going to start with a quote about Abby's love of books:

"I love books,' I say simply. 'There's nothing more powerful than the written word. It can transfer you to a place that exists right now that you'll never get to visit or it can take you to a world that doesn't. It can show you things you'll never experience otherwise in your life, and books... most importantly, they can take you out of your own world, and sometimes you need that."

I love finding quotes about why one loves reading as they always speak to me on a very personal level. This one is no exception.

And a great quote about happily ever afters:

"I like to believe - I need to believe - that happily ever after exists in real life too."

Sometimes it feels like life in books will never happen in real life. We'll never go on an amazing adventure, and fairy tales never come true. But, like Abby, I need to believe that they exist.  

Have you read this book? What quotes grasped your heartstrings this week? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins

Book: Sweet Temptation, Wendy Higgins

Series: The Sweet Trilogy #4

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: September 8^th, 2015

Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it. 

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve. 

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

Rating: 5 stars

Oh wow, my heart has broken out of my chest. There’s too much love in my heart for Kaidan Rowe and this series for me to contain. I loved the Sweet Trilogy and was so happy when Wendy decided to make a fourth book from Kai’s POV. I was expecting it to be hot, steamy, romantic and intense but… just wow. While the first three books were full of Southern Charm from our darling Anna, this book is full of British profanity from our favourite British boy. And I couldn’t ask for anything more.

It tells the story from the first three books of this series in this one book and I wasn’t sure how Wendy was going to do that without the book being way too long or forgetting important parts, but I think she did an amazing job! We got the most important scenes between Anna and Kai, and we saw Kai without Anna and see first-hand how he deals with his father and the beast within him who is always searching for lust.

This book borders on New Adult while still being mostly Young Adult because Kai does swear quite a lot (while Anna never would) and we see him work and deal with his lust quite explicitly. It’s not completely NA though, for me it’s just the perfect amount. I would still caution young readers to be warned, however. It’s hard to review the story of this book without spoiling the three books, so I’ll just focus on how well Wendy put three stories into one.

There does seem to be some rushed parts and many conversations are brushed over, but not so much that you would get lost in what’s happening. You still see the blossoming love between Anna and Kai, the development of both characters because of their love for each other, and the main concept of the series.

 I feel so much closer to Kai because of this book. I understand him way more, and see just how hard things were for him being the father of a demon like Pharzuph. It was heart-breaking to read sometimes, and other times I wanted to slap him because he was such an idiot. However, throughout it was Kai was able to redeem himself and see a life outside of working for his father.

I would definitely recommend reading this AFTER the Sweet Trilogy as it spoils everything from those three books and you don’t get as much information or close ups with the other characters. This book is to show Kai’s development. It’s still an excellent addition to the series and I'm so glad Wendy decided to write it. She has brought us back to her world brilliantly.

Review: A Mad Zombie Party by Gena Showalter

Book: A Mad Zombie Party, Gena Showalter

Series: White Rabbit Chronicles #4

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: September 29^th, 2015

The enemy has risen from the grave. Together we slayers must stand, or one by one we will fall.

Ali Bell's crew of zombie slayers thought they'd won the war against Anima Industries, the evil company responsible for capturing and experimenting on zombies in an effort to discover the secret to immortality. In the last epic clash, the slayers lost many of their crew and closest friends. But Frosty, the ice man himself, has not recovered from one casualty in particular — the love of his life, Kat Parker.

On the path to self-annihilation, Frosty receives a message from beyond — Kat's spirit returns, insisting he partner with rogue slayer Camilla Marks. Frosty will do anything for Kat. Except that. Camilla's betrayal caused Kat's death.

But when Anima rises from the grave stronger than ever, Frosty, Camilla and all the slayers will have to work together to survive. And one broken slayer will learn that sometimes the line between hate and attraction is blurred... and the road to redemption may mean letting go of the past and grabbing hold of the future. 

Rating: 5 stars

*spoilers for Queen of Zombie Hearts in this review, beware*

The Alice in Zombieland books was one of those rare book series that I hadn’t heard anything about, good or bad, but took me completely by surprise as it was so intoxicating and un-put-down-able. It was originally a trilogy, but I was so happy when the author announced she was going to write a fourth book because I missed these characters so. And A Mad Zombie Party fits in so perfectly with the rest of the series, even though it’s a different POV, and is the perfect finale to the already perfect series.

It was addicting from beginning to end. I’d read the first half in a day but forced myself to slow down so I could savour its awesomeness. Showalter surpassed herself again with this wonderful addition. I have to start reading her other series!

Anyway *clears throat* I digress. The first three books focused on Ali and Cole and their hot and steamy romance as we had Frosty all loved up and happy with Kat. However, by the third book’s end something horrifically sad had occurred to Frosty’s and Kat’s happily ever after. In this book we see Frosty still lost inside himself as he tries to live life after death, which in his eyes, seems impossible. What’s the point of living if his Kitty Kat isn’t by his side?

I almost cried during his chapters at the start. Showalter wrote his grief so perfectly for his character. Even though I wanted to shake him at times, it was also such a “Frosty” thing to do that I couldn’t be mad at the author for writing him that way.

And being in Frosty’s head was wonderful! We always knew he was a tough, sexy, strong and caring guy from the other books, but getting inside his head, we see even more just what makes this guy tick and I fell in love. Sorry Cole, you’ve been pushed back!

We also get the POV of Milla. At the start you have to hate her because she betrayed our characters in Queen of Zombie Hearts to protect her brother. But she became one of my favourite heroines after this book. While Ali will always be top contender (we did have three books with her, after all), I adored Milla’s strength. She’d been through so much tough shit in her life but she never ever gave up. Ever. She was willing to do whatever it took to protect those she loves because she’s suffered terrible heartache in life and she’s not about to let it keep happening.

She was feeling immense guilt over her actions in Queen of Zombie Hearts, but she knows she can’t change the past and has to learn to live with it. However, that means she’ll do whatever she can to help the people she betrayed, including staying by Frosty’s side 24/7 to save him from a terrible fate. Which is exactly what Kat asks her to do in this book. Even though Frosty hates Milla for her involvement in Kat’s death, he’ll do whatever she says because he loves her so much.

I didn’t know how Showalter was going to make us love Milla and Frosty together after seeing his epic love for Kat, but she did it. Being around each other 24/7 allowed them to really bond and get to know each other, and it wasn’t rushed at all, and being inside both their heads really allowed us to really understand them. It was wonderfully paced and well-written and you can’t help but love those two by the book’s end.

"The boy I was craved Kat. The man I am craves Milla."

The secondary characters are also really prominent, which was awesome. Ali’s hilarious commentary continued to put a smile on my face and her and Cole’s love still had me gushing. They’re all only teenagers, but they’re a family; loyal to each other to the very end, no matter what. I loved how they welcomed Milla into their group because of her bond with Frosty, too. I love them all so much and won’t ever forget them.

This is definitely the final book in the series as Showalter tidies up the book with an epilogue in a series of letters which shows our characters in ten years’ time. It was a perfect ending and a beautiful goodbye. It put this huge smile on my face when I finally closed the book.

This book is an excellent addition to one of my favourite series and I urge anyone who hasn’t read it to pick it up, and anyone who hasn’t read the series to pick up Alice in Zombieland yesterday.

Thursday Quotables #13: A Mad Zombie Party

Welcome to Thursday Quotables! This feature is the place where you highlight a great quote, line or passage you've discovered in a book you're currently reading. Whether it's something heart-warming, heart-breaking, funny or inspiring, Thursday Quotables is where my favourite line(s) of the week will be, and I invite you to join in! It's hosted by Lisa at BookShelf Fantasies, so be sure to check her out :)

The book I'm reading this week is A Mad Zombie Party by Gena Showalter. It's the final in a four-book series about a group of bad-ass teenagers who hunt and destroy zombies, with some HAWT and steamy romance thrown in. Just as amazing as the other three books in the series, I'm so sad it's over! *sob sob*

First, a quote I really like about scars, which is something I've always felt self-conscious about:

"Scars speak for you. They say you're strong, and you've survived something that might have killed others."

I love this because it makes me feel good and confident about scars when before all I wanted was for them to disappear.

And a great quote about peace:

"And the peace! The most magnificent peace. I lose myself in a place where time no longer exists and nothing is impossible. I can do anything I imagine. I can fight and win any war. Nothing frightens me, because I know I'm here for a reason; and I'm not alone. I have friends in high places. Friends here. Friends up there. Victory is mine."

I love this because I think if anyone repeats this to themselves when they're feeling low, you can achieve and do anything you want. 

Have you read this book? What quotes grasped your heartstrings this week? Let me know in the comments below!