ARC REVIEW: Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett

Title: Rapunzel Untangled
Author: Cindy C. Bennett
Pages: 304
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Expected Publishing Date: February 12, 2013
Format: eBook
Source: Received from Publisher via NetGalley

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Rapunzel is not your average teenager.

For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is.

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.
 

I absolutely adore fairytale retellings, so I jumped at the chance to read and review Rapunzel Untangled.  Writing a retelling has to be a very difficult thing for any writer.  How do you take a story that's been told for years and give it your own unique twist?  It's all been done before!  Well, Cindy Bennett has done an amazing job of giving us a unique and imaginative story while keeping to the basics of the classic fairytale.  This is probably the darkest Rapunzel story I've heard.  Most all have the same basic plot:  Rapunzel is kidnapped as an infant by the witch Gothel and grows up in a tower, trapped there for years.  Sometimes Rapunzel lives as a prisoner, sometimes as a daughter of Gothel.  This story is no different, but that is where the similarities end.  Rapunzel Untangled is modern and fun, but gives us a twist filled with darkness and horror.

Rapunzel is nearly 18 years old, and she has lived in her rooms in the tower of Gothel Mansion all of her life.  She has a serious illness that makes it impossible for her to go outside without getting sick.  Her mother, Gothel, is the only other person she has ever had contact with.  She does all of her schoolwork online, and when she accidentally finds this wondrous site called Facebook she realizes she can use it to connect with other people her own age.  This is how she meets Fane.  At first they only correspond online, but Rapunzel eventually agrees to meet him.  He climbs her tower and the two become close friends.  When Fane convinces Rapunzel to sneak out of her rooms one night, they find stairways that lead nowhere and doors that open up to cement walls.  There's also a creepy room covered with black scorch marks and decorated with 6's.  Soon Rapunzel starts questioning everything she's been told.  Things don't add up.  The more Rapunzel learns the more questions she has, and the answers aren't at all what she wants to hear.

I enjoyed the uniqueness of Rapunzel Untangled.  It was unexpected and refreshing to read a story that's so classic, yet it's turned into something so much more modern and fun.  Rapunzel transforms throughout the book from the quiet girl that obeys every order to a strong woman willing to risk everything just to live a real life.  What we see of Fane is great.  He's funny, and he's completely loyal to Rapunzel.  I'd like to have seen more of his personality.  This would have been a great book to have alternating points of view.  His mind had to have been blown by the circumstances surrounding Rapunzel, but we don't really see that.  I also found the ending bit incomplete.  It would have been nice to see more about Rapunzel's real family.  Without a doubt, Rapunzel Untangled was a great read, and a great fairytale retelling.

 

 

ARC REVIEW: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

 

 

Title: Hopeless

Author: Colleen Hoover
Pages: 391
Publisher: Self-Published
Date Published: December 19, 2012
Format: eBook
Source: Received from Author for Honest Review

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Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

My Thoughts:

 

There is absolutely no way that I will be able to write a review that will do justice to how Hopeless truly made me feel.  I've read dozens of reviews that talked about how they read Hopeless in one sitting, never putting the book down.  It was totally the opposite for me.  The more I read, the more I had to pause.  Not because I didn't want to continue, but because my emotions were going crazy.  Even when I wasn't reading, Hopeless is all I thought about.  It consumed me and left me gasping for air.  It made heart skip a beat, only to send it pounding erratically later.  Emotionally, I simply couldn't keep up.  All of my emotions are still a jumbled up mess.  I wanted to laugh and I wanted to cry.  I needed to scream in fury and frustration, and I needed a hug.  A real hug, the kind where all of your pent up feelings burst free, and you wonder how you can even continue to stand upright. I loved every single word of Hopeless, and I hated every single word. There is nothing about Hopeless that I would change, yet I want to change everything. I know this makes no sense, and until you read Hopeless for yourself you really won't understand. I loved this book completely, but I have never had a fictional story break me so utterly. 

“It's amazing what the sound of a voice you've been longing to hear can do to your heart. He spoke five words just now, but in the time it took him to speak those five words, my heart was shredded and minced, then placed back inside my chest with the expectation that it should somehow know how to beat again.”

Sky is one of the most amazing characters I've ever met. She is so fragile, and she doesn't even realize it. From the outside looking in you see a sheltered, but normal teen.  She has a somewhat normal family life with her adopted mother, Karen, and her best friend, Six, lives next door.  While she puts up the front of a semblance of normalcy, she admits to having no feelings at all when it comes the boys she's had in her life.  But, all of that changes when she meets Holder.  He is the first guy that has ever given her that sense of butterflies, to make her heart skip a beat.  She finds herself swooning over a guy for the first time, yet there is also something about him that terrifies her.

 

“I can already tell he isn't the kind of guy a girl gets a simple crush on. He's the kind of guy you fall hard for, and the thought of that terrifies me.”

Dean Holder has his own demons. He has a bad boy reputation, but no one knows the real Holder. When he meets Sky he's drawn to her. Everything about Holder screams savior, yet he needs saving himself. Together, Sky and Holder open a floodgate of heart-breaking emotions, and they have no choice but to cling to each other and see it all through to the end. 

“You have to let it go. You can hold on to the hate and the love and even the bitterness, but you have to go of the blame. The blame is what's tearing you down, babe."

The dynamics of the relationship between Sky and Holder are mesmerizing. I love that even in the most messed up of situations Holder can manage to make Sky laugh. The connection between the two of them is so intense. I love the way Holder brings out such raw feelings in Sky. He manages to peel back the protective shell that Sky has around herself. He makes her feel.  

“We won’t go any further than this, I promise. But please don’t ask me to stop where we already are. I need to watch you and I need to hear you because the fact that I know you’re actually feeling this right now is so fucking amazing. You feel incredible and this feels incredible and please. Just… please.”

“And once again in my new world full of heartache and lies, this hopeless boy somehow finds a way to make me smile.”

Hopeless is dark. It's raw and heart-breaking, and it will leave you sobbing.  Just when you think you can't handle any more truth, things get uglier. When you think you have it all figured out...you don't.  But, it's also an amazingly beautiful story about friendship, love and truth and uncovering all of your scars so that you can learn to heal.  When you think it's all about to fall apart, the pieces begin to come together.  I fell completely in love with this book, even while it was breaking my heart into a million pieces.  Hopeless is a story that will forever be etched in my heart. 

 

 

 

   

ARC REVIEW: Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Title:  Confessions of an Angry Girl
Author:  Louise Rozett
Series:  Confessions (#1)
Pages:  304
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Expected Publishing Date:  August 28, 2012
Format:  eBook
Source:  Received from Publisher via NetGalley
Add to Goodreads
Pre-Order:  Amazon or B&N

_______________________________

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some CONFESSIONS to make...

#1: I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?

#2: I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who "might" be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.

#3: High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry-get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.) (Sorry. That was rude.)

_______________________________

Fave Quote:

"Clearly Tracy has been studying Gossip Girl, absorbing lessons in how to treat your friends like crap."

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I thought the blurb for Confessions of an Angry Girl sounded really good, but I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy it because our main character, Rose, is so young.  I worried needlessly though.  I still thought it was really good!  Rose has just started her freshman year of high school after "the worse summer of my life", and she's having a hard time fitting in.  As if high school isn't bad enough she's also dealing with the fact that her father died over the summer while he was working as a contractor in Iraq.  Then she meets Jamie Forta.  She's totally confused by the fact that he seems interested in her, but he's supposedly dating a cheerleader, Regina.  Oh, and Regina is crazy!  Like stay-away-from-my-man-or-I-will-cut-you crazy!

I really enjoyed this quick and easy read.  Rose is an easy character to love.  While you feel sympathy for her and the situation she has been put into, you also want to see her move on.  She's sad, she's angry, she misses her dad and watching her brother move on hurts.  She can't seem to relate to her friends anymore.  I'm not sure what to think of Jamie.  While I like him, he also tends to come off as weak.  It's obvious that he likes Rose, but he lets a lot of things get in his way...namely, Regina.  Speaking of which, she is one scary b****!  I love a good rivalry, and Regina is perfect!  She's beautiful, a cheerleader and she has her claws dug deeply in Jamie.  I would NOT want her angry with me.  Rose finds this out the hard way.  Confessions of an Angry Girl was an extremely enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to the next book, Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend.

ARC REVIEW: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits
Author:  Katie McGarry
Pages:  384
Series:  Bared to You (Companion Novel)
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Date Published:  July 31, 2012
Format:  eBook
Source:  Received from publisher via NetGalley
Buy It:  Amazon or B&N

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

______________________________

Fave Quote:

"The worst type of crying wasn't the kind everyone could see -- the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes.  No, the worst kind happened when your sould wept and no matter what you did, there was no way to comfort it.  A section withered and became a scar on the part of your soul that survived.  For people like me and Echo, our souls contained more scar tissue than life."

 ______________________________

Pushing the Limits is definitely going at the top of my favorite reads of the year!  This book was gritty and dark and absolutely amazing.  It's told in alternating points of view, which I tend to enjoy.  I like that I got to know who Echo and Noah really are.  

Both Echo and Noah have been through terrible ordeals in their pasts.  First Echo's brother is killed overseas, and then something happens that leaves her covered in scars and other than the fact that her mom had something to do with it, she can't remember what caused them.  Her father is overbearing and a control freak and she hates her stepmother.  Noah's parents died in a house fire and since then he's been passed from one foster family to another.  He's a dark bad boy that's always getting high and using girls.  All Noah cares about is turning eighteen so that he can get his younger brothers out of the foster system.  When their counselor/therapist, Mrs. Collins, asks Echo to tutor Noah they become an unlikely pair in a mutual attempt to steal information from their case files.  Echo wants to know what happened to her the night she got her scars, and Noah wants to know where his brothers are.

This is an emotionally raw story.  There is so much pain shared between these two, and even with the supporting characters.  Both Echo and Noah are strong characters even though they've been through so much turmoil in their lives.  Even when they break down it's a part of the healing they need to go through to move on with their lives.  The romance in Pushing the Limits is very genuine.  This is no love-at-first-sight-fall-madly-and-deeply kind of romance.  The attraction between Noah and Echo is sweet, but it's better because it's more than physical.  It's also about the way they support and care for each other when they reach the bottom.  It's tough, it's emotional and it's real.  I absolutely adored Mrs. Collins.  She is a great supporting character that gives the story a level of comedy while also moving the main characters forward in healing.  It's immediately obvious that she really cares about Echo and Noah in a way neither of them have ever had with other therapists.  I love that each and every character has major growth throughout the story.  None of them are without flaws and emotional scars, but they are all working to push themselves to be someone better.  Pushing the Limits was a beautifully written, dark and emotional read, and I loved every minute of it.

4 Stars * * * *

ARC REVIEW & AUTHOR Q&A: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Title: Wake
Author:  Amanda Hocking
Series:  Watersong (#1)
Pages:  320
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Date Published:  August 7, 2012
Format:  Paperback ARC
Source:  Received from author for review
Buy It:  Amazon or B&N

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

_____________________________________

"Lexi put her arm around her, and something about the touch made the hair on the back of Gemma's neck stand up.  Instinctively Gemma pulled away from her, but then Lexi began singing again, and Gemma melted in her arm."
_____________________________________

This is the first siren story I've read, and I enjoyed it so much!  It has a good dose of romance, family drama, and it's super spooky.  Wake follows Gemma and Harper, two sisters with very different personalities.  Gemma, the younger of the two, is a free spirit.  She loves swimming, especially at night, and she tends to be bit self absorbed.  Harper, on the other hand, is extremely level-headed and responsible.  She tends to be more of a parental figure than a sister.  One night Gemma is out swimming when she runs into Penn, Lexi and Thea, three girls that are new in town.  They are beautiful, captivating and strangely scary.  She can't put her finger on it, but Gemma knows they can't be trusted. After her late night meeting with them everything starts to change.

I've been a fan of Amanda's since she self-published her first series, My Blood Approves.  She has a very unique writing style that seems to draw you into the story.  I was so excited to read Wake because I knew that a story about sirens, something so magical, was exactly the kind of thing Amanda could put her own spin on and make it wonderful.  Wake is an extremely compelling story.  It grabbed me from the very first page.  Gemma and Harper have a somewhat strained relationship, but it's obvious that they love each other.  They have a great dad that manages to be there for them even though he's basically a single father.  Their mother was injured in a car wreck, and she lives in an assisted living home.  Although she's got a lot of mental issues she still comes across as a caring and loving mother.  I have a feeling that there may be more to her that we haven't seen yet.  Gemma's love interest, Alex, happens to be the boy next door.  He's always just been a friend, but things have started to change between them.  I didn't really connect with Alex very well, and I would have liked to have seen more of him.  I think his real personality will come out in the next book because he now as an important job to do.  Harper's love interest, Daniel, is definitely my favorite character.  He lives on his boat in the harbor and leads a pretty quite life.  At first Harper doesn't like him, and she's really rude to him.  I love how he takes it all in stride and never lets it get to him.  He's constantly throwing out witty comments, which I love.  And then we have Penn, Lexi and Thea.  Oh my goodness are these girls creepy!  Every time they speak the people around them hang on every word.  But Gemma and Harper seem to sense that they are evil.  When they came to town there were four of them.  Now there are only three and they want Gemma to join them.  How creepy is that!?  My only complaint with them is that I never really got a grasp on who was who.  They didn't seem to have very unique personalities.  I suppose this could be part of the mythology of the sirens always functioning as a group.  They don't really have unique personalities.

I really enjoyed Wake, and I love that I'm now addicted to a new series that is so different and magical.  I'm excited to see where The Watersong Series takes us.  I'm sure it will be an adventure!

4 Stars * * * *
   

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Q & A with Amanda Hocking

Thank you so much to the readers that participated in our Q&A!  We got some really great questions.  A big Congratulations to Amy @ Read to My Heart's Content!!  She is the winner of the ARC copy of Wake.


Out of all the characters you have wrote so far, who was the hardest to write and who was easier? Did you have a favorite?  ~Amy @ Read to My Heart's Content
Lazlo was the hardest to write, because he was a soft male lead. He was more of a damsel in distress than Remy, so it was a little hard to make sure he didn't come across as weak or un-sexy.

You're book is about mermaids/sirens. What made you write about them? Did you have a fascination with them when you were younger? Or was it just a dream?  ~TayteH
I was really into mythology growing up, so I think that played a part in it. I think Eric helped plant the seeds for the idea, because he really loves mermaids, and lady villains.

When did you realize that you wanted to write? How did you get the idea for this book?  ~Maria Stanica
I always knew that I wanted to write, since I was a kid. Even when I had other interests, I still wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be a paleontologist/writer, and a lawyer/writer.

When you were younger (teenager or kid), did you want to become a writer? Like when teachers asked you what you wanted to be, did you say "An author."? ~Cierra P
Yes. I always wanted to be an author. When I was a kid, I would sometimes say other things, like a farmer, (or a paleontologist or a lawyer), but I would always say I wanted to be an author.

If stranded on a deserted island, what 3 things would you NEED to survive? food and water don't count :) ~madnzanymomma
My cell phone, a Gilligans Island-style cell phone charger, and a jet ski.

How did you come up with ideas for your books? Is there any mainstream authors that you pulled inspiration from and made you want to be a writer? Did you put any thoughts or feelings or anything from your life growing up into your characters? ~Jolene and Family
My ideas come from everywhere, I literally take some inspiration from everything. I think the authors that most inspired and influenced my writing would be Judy Blume and Stephen King, but when I'm writing I'm not thinking "Well, how would Judy Blume say this?" I think that there's definitely some inspiration from my own life, but no direct situations, characters, or feelings are based on me or anyone in my life.

Which book so far has been your favorite to write and why? Thanks! ~Danielle B
So far, my favorite book to write has been Lullaby, which is the third book in the Watersong series. And before that, it was Torn from the Trylle Trilogy.

If you could take a week vacation with any of your book characters, who would you chose and why? :D ~Karen
Probably Bobby from My Blood Approves and Marcy from Watersong. That would be the best vacation ever.

Where does the inspiration for you stories come from? When you get an idea do you do an outline or do you just write? Out of all the dreamy boys you have invented who do you think is the most swoon worthy? ~Bridget Howard
I do always outline before I write a book, I take notes, character outlines, chapter outlines, just so I know where everything will be before I start writing. I think the most swoon-worthy guy I've written, for me at least, would be Loki from the Trylle books or Daniel from Watersong.

If you could hop into the life of any book character for a day, who would if be and why? Thank you for the giveaway! ~Gabby
Batman. Because he's Batman.

Who is your favorite muppet? ~Claudia Carozza
Beaker or Gonzo

What's your favorite book that you've read this year? ~ryllina
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

What was the first novel you completed and was it published? ~Kirsti
The first novel I completed was called "Dreams I Can't Remember," and no it was not published, because it is terrible.

Are any of your characters based on your real life friends/family members? ~jayandmelb
No. I think some characters might take some inspiration from different people, but none of them are solely based on anyone.

Did you always want to be an author? When did you first know? ~Erika
As soon as I learned what an author was, that's what I wanted to be.

Amanda, You're achieved so much success already. Are there any major milestones you're still looking forward to with your writing career that you're aiming for? ~Heather
The biggest thing I look forward to in my career, is to hopefully keep writing and entertaining readers...that's not really a milestone, but it's my favorite part.

ARC REVIEW: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

Title: The Goddess Legacy
Author:  Aimee Carter
Series:  Goddess Test (#2.5)
Pages:  304
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Date Published:  July 31, 2012
Format:  eBook
Source:  Received From Publisher for Honest Review

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimee Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.

Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness....

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal....

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another....

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others-but never knew true loss before....

Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope.

____________________

The Goddess Queen
This story begins just after the war with the Titans.  Every story about Greek Mythology that I've ever read has lead you to believe that Zeus is the ultimate player.  He's drunk on power, self-centered, arrogant and unfaithful.  In The Goddess Test things are skewed quite a bit and it's easy to blame Hera (Calliope) for all of the problems, but The Goddess Queen shows us why she is so angry.  Hera was just as drunk on power and arrogant as Zeus was, but as a woman she was placed under Zeus' power.  This makes her bitter and hateful, and Zeus plays on that weakness.  After everything Zeus has done to her it's no wonder she finally snapped.  I really enjoyed this story and getting to see into Hera's personality a little more.  4 Stars * * * *

"Because you had the misfortune of being made in our mother's image, and our mother chose to defer to our father.  Because that is the example the Titans set for not only us, but for the world, and we must maintain some order.  You will be a queen if you wish Hera, but only second to one of us."

____________________

The Lovestruck Goddess
The story of Aphrodite (Ava) was pretty much what I expected.  She's the Goddess of Love, and not only is that a blessing, it's also a curse.  Anyone that loves her she can't help but return the love.  That makes fidelity a little tough for her.  She has two brothers, Ares and Hephaestus, that are both in love with her.  Ares is all fire and passion, Hephaestus is a solid foundation.  Aphrodite has to decide who will be her husband.  The story was good, but I think I'm stuck on the fidelity issue. 3 Stars * * *

"Your love - it's the kind of love that feeds and grows, the kind that's steady no matter what.  It's warm, it's inviting, it's accepting, and that's the love I want.  That's the love I need."

___________________

Goddess of the Underworld
The Goddess Test series takes everything you've learned about Hades and Persephone and spins it out of control.  Instead of Persephone being the kidnapped by Hades and dragged to the Underworld to be his bride for all eternity where she pines for her dear mother you find out that Hades actually does love Persephone and their marriage is actually arranged by her mother.  But none of those changes to the story change the fact that Persephone is in a situation not of her own choosing, and she hates the life she was forced into.  Goddess of the Underworld is Persephone's story of why she made the decisions she did.  I found this story to be a bit boring, but I did enjoy hearing Persephone's side of the story.  She's not as heartless and cruel as she seems to be in Goddess Test and Goddess Interrupted, but she still comes off as a spoiled brat that cares only about herself.    3 Stars * * *

"This was my life from here on out -- a slave not only to a husband that I didn't love, but to a realm I hated with every breath in my body.  Everyone would have a happy ending except me."

___________________

God of Thieves
James (Hermes) is one of my favorite characters in the Goddess Test series so I expected to really like his story.  It starts out pretty slow and I was worried, but it eventually picks up the pace and becomes an enjoyable story.  Hermes is an outcast in his family, and in an effort to gain their approval he sets out to discover why gods and goddesses are fading.  Along the way he meets a group of children that are bandits, thieving just to stay alive.  He believes that Tuck, the leader of this group, holds the answers he's looking for, but first he has to gain her trust.  When he reveals himself to her as the god, Hermes, she has no idea who he is.  God of Thieves is a good story and helps explain how Hermes becomes James.  4 Stars * * * *

"I'm a god," I said.  No need to dance around it.  "One of the twelve Olympians.  Well, er, fifteen now.  Bit of a long story."  [...] "I don't understand," she whispered.  "There's only one god."

___________________

God of Darkness
This was my whole reason for wanting to read this book, and God of Darkness didn't disappoint.  This is Henry's story of trying to find a new queen.  He initially tells the council that he wants to fade, but they beg him to give them 100 years to try to find an acceptable girl to be his new queen.  He's not happy with the plan, but he agrees.  We get to see him care for and lose girl after girl as they prepare for the tests.  When Diana has a baby to be his new queen he refuses to meet the child.  He can't grow to care for someone he never meets.  When James convinces him to at least visit the surface to see Kate he realizes that maybe he does have a future after all.  5 Stars * * * * *

"She may have been seven, but there was something eternal about her gaze.  As if she could see all his thoughts, his hopes, his fears, his pain in one look.  As if she understood every moment he'd existed. [...] In her, he saw possibility.  In her, he saw his future.  And when she was ready for it, he would be, too."

ARC: One Moment

One Moment by Kristina McBride



Release Date:  June 26, 2012
Publisher:  EgmontUSA
Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life. Now it’s the one she’d do anything to forget.

Maggie Reynolds remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party the night before. She remembers climbing the trail hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below—dead?

As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?

The latest novel from the author of The Tension of Opposites, One Moment is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.

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It's Memorial Day weekend and Maggie, Joey, Pete, Shannon, Tanna and Adam are spending the day at the gorge.  Maggie and Joey are getting ready to jump from the cliff, but in the moment just before they jump something happens.  Moments later Maggie is at the top confused, and Joey is at the bottom dead.  Maggie can't remember anything.  As she and her friends try to cope with the loss of Joey, each in their own way, Maggie struggles to remember the details that are so crucial to understanding what happened.  As bits and pieces start to return to her she begins to think that maybe she made herself forget because the truth is too difficult to bear.

This book was absolutely amazing.  It's undeniably sad, but at it's core it's the story of the strength of friendship during one of the worst situations a teenager can go through.  The bond between these six friends started as far back as Kindergarten, and now they are upcoming Seniors.  They do everything together; their lives completely intertwined.  Maggie and Joey went from friends to dating almost two years ago.  When he dies it shatters her whole world.  As her memories start to return to her she starts to understand that sometimes you don't really know the people you love the most, and that some bonds aren't as strong as you think they are.

Kristina McBride did a great job of making me feel like I was there in the story.  You can feel the pain that these friends feel as they deal with Joey's death.  As they remember all the good times with him I cried with them.  You can feel the heartbreak as Maggie begins to learn the truth, and my heart broke for her.  And you can feel that part of yourself that is so emotional from this story begin to heal as each of the friends begins to find their way through the darkness.  This is an intense read, but well worth the emotions.  The only negative thing I can possibly say is that I would have liked an epilogue.  I would really like to know where they are a year later.

5 Stars * * * * *

ARC: The Loners (Quarantine #1)

The Loners (Quarantine #1) by Lex Thomas



It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High—until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning.

A year later, McKinley has descended into chaos. All the students are infected with a virus that makes them deadly to adults. The school is under military quarantine. The teachers are gone. Violent gangs have formed based on high school social cliques. Without a gang, you’re as good as dead. And David has no gang. It’s just him and his little brother, Will, against the whole school.

In this frighteningly dark and captivating novel, Lex Thomas locks readers inside a school where kids don’t fight to be popular, they fight to stay alive.

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David couldn't be dreading the first day of his senior year more.  At a party the night before he finds out  that his girlfriend has been cheating on him with Sam, who took over as the quarterback of the football after David quit the team the year before when his mom died.  David decides he's tired of moping around and tells his friends he wants back on the team.  But, as he's leaving the party he gets into a fight with Sam, and the team turn their backs on him.  Serious social suicide. 

But, David has no idea just how terrible his first day is going to become.  An explosion destroys the East Wing of the school and the teachers start simultaneously dying a horrific death.  The military sweeps in and welds the doors and windows closed and they tell the kids that they've been infected with a virus that will kill adults and children.  The only ones that can survive being exposed to it are pubescent teens.  Over the next year chaos ensues.  They develop a sort of society with twisted versions of high school cliques.  The military drops food and other necessities and it's a battle of the strongest to fight for what they need to survive.  Unfortunately, because of David's fight with Sam, he and his brother, Will, end up with no clique to help protect them, which makes surviving that much more difficult.

While I really enjoyed this book there were quite a lot of things that irked me.  For one, no one really talks about the people on the outside.  Where are the parents?  The kids don't act like they even wonder if their parents survived.  There were many times when I just stopped and thought, "Say what!?"  The whole scientific aspect of the story is extremely far fetched.  I found David to be a strong and loyal person, while Will acts like a spoiled brat one minute and a stand in hero the next.  And Lucy, while I really want to like her, she comes off as loyal yet meek one minute, and then cowardice and disloyal when things get rough.  And that's not even touching on her relationships with David and Will.  (I really dislike love triangles with siblings!)  The characters personalities are very inconsistent.  Well, all except Sam, our bad guy...he's just plain evil.

This book is filled with action and adventure and you're hooked from the beginning.  Loyalties are tested.  Death and betrayal run rampant, and the kids find out just what they're willing to do in order to survive.  The Loners leaves us with a cliff hanger of an ending so good that I can't stop thinking about it and my mind keeps wandering from one scenario to another.  It seems that while this wasn't the best book I've ever read, it was good enough to have me itching to get my hands on book #2. 

The Loners will be released on July 10, 2012.

To find it at Amazon click HERE.

To find it at B&N click HERE.

3 Stars * * *

* I recieved this ARC from the publisher via netgalley.
*While tagged as YA, this book is violent and gruesome and includes strong language and sexual situations.