Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Grade: 3 Butterflies

Series: Ten Tiny Breaths #1

Author: K. A. Tucker

Publisher: Papoti Books

Goodreads Summary

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

I have heard nothing but praise for this book and because of that I was terrified to read this book. It seems that whenever I read a very hyped up book I get severely disappointed. I also don't really like contemporary books in general and I rarely find one that I really love. Needless to say, I was afraid to read this book and in the end I wasn't completely disappointed, but I wasn't blown away. This book was good and enjoyable, but I didn't think it was as amazing as I hoped it would be.

To start off, I really enjoyed the plot. It was fast paced and very addicting! I think I read this book within a day because of how addicting it was! However, I wished this book had more to it. It felt like it could have benefited from another 50 or 100 pages added to it. It just felt too fast and very rushed and that really took away from the book.

The part that I really loved about this book was the emotional aspect that it had. This really surprised me, in a good way, because I just thought that this was a love story and when I started reading this emotional undertone I feel in love with it. I just loved how it added so many layers to the story and really made it this gritting and haunted story. The main character was really emotionally messed up and that added so much to her character and the story. However, this was another aspect of the story that would have benefited from the book having more pages. I just felt that this part of the story was speed through and resolved way too quickly for me to like.

Now I want to talk about the thing I really didn't like about this book and that was the romance. To put it bluntly, I hated the romance in this book. Why I hated it so much was because it was the whole "Strong girl who doesn't need a guy but as soon as she sees the main love interest she falls apart and doesn't know how to act" troupe. As soon as Kacey meets Trent she literally falls apart and gets all awkward because *swoon* his eyes are so pretty. Also, it seemed that their relationship was built on lust and nothing else. It took them forever to even get to know each other and that was after they fell in love. After a while, however, I did start to like the romance, but right when that happened the big reveal was, well, revealed and then I really did not like Trent at all. I understand they were in love, but some of the things he did I don't think I could forgive.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. It was very fast-paced, I really liked the characters, and I really loved the emotional aspect that was in it. However, there was some aspects that I didn't really like, the biggest one was the relationship troupe. I would recommend this book to any lover of contemporary because it was quite enjoyable to read and there is a chance that you will like this romance much  more than I did.

This book got...

3 Butterflies

Basic, nothing special.

Happy Reading

Review: Neverfade by Alexandra Bracken

Grade: 4.5 Butterflies
Series: The Darkest Minds #2
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Goodreads Summary

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself? 

I highly enjoyed reading The Darkest Minds and with the ending it had I was very anxious to read this one and see how it continued. After finishing this one, I had some mixed emotions. I really loved this book; I liked it much better then the Darkest Minds! However, I'm not really liking the way the series is going. Besides that, I didn't have any problems with this book, I loved it.

So, this book starts out 6 months after the events at the end of The Darkest Minds. Ruby has just finished her basic training with the league and she is now being sent out on missions. I don't want to say anymore than that because the plot starts off right away and never really stops. With that being said, I was immediately pulled into this book and was never let go. The plot keeps up a constant pace throughout the whole book, but it wasn't too fast. It let you savor what was happening while at the same time keeping your attention.  I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book and could not stop reading. I read into the night to finish this book.

The characters were amazing! I loved Ruby and Liam and all the new characters introduced in this one! They are all just so well written and had so much depth to them. You also get so connected to them because they are good people, but everyone wants to kill them and because of that you root for them to survive and succeed. You also want them to succeed because failing would mean they die and you don't want them to die.

The thing that I love the most about these books so far is the world. And I mean that in the sense that I love to hate this world. This world is horrible, unfair, and without justice. I love it because it adds so much to the reading experience and the plot.Like I said before, the fact that the world is so horrible makes you like the characters more and you want them to get past all of the hatred and the death.

The other thing that I love about this book and the series is how there really isn't any good guys. So many people claim to "help" the children but they are really in it for themselves and that adds an interesting element to the book and makes the plot even more gripping. It sounds horrible that I like the fact that there aren't any good guys, but I like it because it adds that element into the book but also because it makes you think about right and wrong. It kind of the same thing as the whole world thing, the fact that there isn't anybody in the children's corner makes you root for them more and makes you increasingly angry and I like books that make me feel.

Now, the one thing I didn't like about this book was how it ended because I don't like where the plot is going. This is one of the rare instances where I agree with a villain; not his methods, but his opinion  on a certain thing. Anyone who has read this will probably understand which villain I am referring to and to what I am referring to. I won't say anymore about it because I don't want to spoil anything, but basically it feels like they are giving up the fight and are basically saying everyone was right about them. I just don't like that and I hope that in the next book something will change about this and it won't continue on this course.

This was a great book and while I thought the Darkest Minds was really good I thought this book was amazing! This book had everything; a great, gripping plot that had you on the edge of your seat, characters that are wonderfully written, a world that is horrible but gives so much to the plot, and writing that is beautiful. I loved this book!

This book got...

4.5 Butterflies

Beautiful, this is a great book. 

Happy reading!

Review: Defy by Sara B. Larson

  
Grade: 3 Butterflies
Series: Defy #1
Author: Sara B. Larson
Publisher: Scholastic Press

Goodreads Summary

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

I love fantasy, absolutely love it. It is my favorite genre and when I saw the premise of this book my attention was instantly grabbed. It took me a while to get to this book, but I was happy with reading it. Overall this was a solid book. It was an enjoyable read, the plot was fast paced and enjoyable, I never lost interest in reading, and the world was really interesting. However, I think this book would have benefited from more; more pages, more character depth, and more world.

To start off, the plot was fast paced and interesting. I speed through this book and never lost interest in it. I liked where the plot went and enjoyed reading it! It was good! However, I believe this book would have benefited if another 50 pages were added. I just felt that the book speed through scenes that could have been longer.

Also, added to that, I believe that if more pages were added then the characters would have benefited. The characters were enjoyable and I liked them (except the Alex). However, they lacked depth. They had some depth, like the prince and Alex, however, they could have much more. Also, I just I didn't feel connected to them. Throughout the whole book I was never on the edge of my seat in worry over the characters and that really bothered me. Books are so much better to me when I am emotionally connected to the characters.

Another thing I didn't feel connected to was the romance in this book. I liked Alex and the Prince together. However their relationship moved really fast, too fast. I didn't get to savor the romance. And while their relationship did have some depth to it I was never connected or invested in it. It just moved too fast for me to appreciate it. That didn't affect my reading experience during this book but the second one seems to hinge heavily on the romance. So, during the next book this might become a problem.

I feel like thus far all I have been doing is bashing this book, but I really did like it. It did have its flaws, but I still really enjoyed reading it. I liked the fantasy world, the plot was good, and the characters were decent. I would recommend it to any fantasy lover and I will be continuing the series because I've seen some good reviews for the second book.

This book got.....

3 butterflies

Basic; Enjoyable

Happy reading!

Series Review: If I Stay series by Gayle Forman

Grade:

If I Stay| 4 Butterflies

Where She Went| 4.5 Butterflies

Series| 4.25

Book 1- If I Stay

Review

Goodreads Summary

 On a day that started like any other,

Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.

Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.

Warning: There will be spoilers in book two's summary. There isn't any in the review, but there are some in this summary.

Book 2 - Where She Went

Review

Goodreads Summary

It's been three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life.

And three years he's spent wondering why.

When their paths cross again in New York City, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night.

Adam finally has the opportunity to ask Mia the questions that have been haunting him. But will a few hours in this magical city be enough to lay their past to rest, for good - or can you really have a second chance at first love?

Book 1---

If I Stay was a beautiful story of grief, hope, death, and love. It was just so captivating that I finished it in a day and a half. I just got so invested with Mia's life and her choice. I was terrified to keep reading because I was afraid of her decision. I don't think I could come back from that. If my whole family died in one blow I don't think I would be able to function. I cried a few times when reading this book, because it was just all so tragic. So, I was so afraid that Mia wasn't that strong, because you have to be a freaking strong person to came back from that.

Gayle Forman knows how to make a reader feel connected with her characters. I was just so invested in Mia's story. I couldn't put it down because I wanted to read more about Mia, her life, her family, and Adam. I just got so invested and I feel in love with these characters!

The one big problem I had with this book, and series, was the flashbacks. Gayle Forman had a good concept with the flashbacks going, but I don't think it was well delivered. Some of the flashbacks were necessary in my mind because they added depth to the characters and told us more about Mia and her family. However, there were just to many of them. About 50 percent of these flashbacks could have been cut because they added no value to the book and where placed at such random spots that I got really confused in some parts. So, if Gayle Forman just didn't use so much flashbacks this would have easily been a 5 Butterfly book.

Book 2 --- 

This book starts 3 years after the events in If I Stay and its from Adam's POV. Adam is in a really bad place, even though he got, mostly, what he ever wanted. He was in self-distract mode and it was so hard to see him like that because I got so invested in him as a character during the first one. I wanted him to have a happy life, not a painful one.

This book was just so full of the emotions. I loved it!! I felt that it was a really great ender to this series. If you loved or even liked If I Stay you will love this book. It answers all of your questions you have in the beginning of the book, were of course you are suppose to piece together the painful truth of what happened between Mia and Adam. It was so great to understand why Mia did certain things. It was also great to see Adam grow, or rather move on, throughout this book.

This book is not without its faults. While I loved it and thought it was a really good conclusion for this story, I still thought it had so many dang flashbacks! The flashbacks in this one mostly have a good purpose; they are there to tell the readers what happened between Mia and Adam three years ago. However, there where also a lot of flashbacks that I felt could have been cut out. There were just to many. A chapter would end and you would want to continue the story, but the next chapter is a flashback and that would mess with the flow of the book. If she just put all of the flashbacks about what happened between Mia and Adam at the beginning and left the last half, or at least the last quarter, free of flashbacks it would have been so much better. 

-Overall-  
The only major problems I had with these books were the amount of flashbacks that the author used. Some I felt were necessary, but most others weren't and they messed up with the flow of the books and left me frustrated. So, if you like flashbacks, or at least want to tolerate them, then I would highly recommend these books. They are full of emotions; hope, pain, grief, and love and I got so invested in these character's story. 

Recommended if you like, the Leaving Paradise series, contemporaries, and the Pushing the Limits series.

So, what did you think of this series?

Happy reading

Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Grade: 4 Butterflies
Series: The Darkest Minds #1
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Hyperion

Goodreads Summary

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

This book series is really big right now and it seems everyone who has read it has loved it to infinity and beyond. However, It took me a long while to gather up the courage to read this one because the premise sounded interesting, but often when I read really hyped up books I get really disappointed. That is why I was putting off reading this and now that I've read it I wish I read it sooner. This book was really great and I wasn't disappointed at all! The characters were great and relateable, the growth of these characters throughout the book was beautifully done, the world was very interesting, and the plot kept you on your toes the whole time.

This book starts out with our main character Ruby in what is basically a concentration camp and she's been in it for (I think) 6 years. She like many other children were affect by this disease that went through America. This disease only affected children and any child that didn't die from it got these powers, some could move objects, some could control fire, ect.  The government were afraid of these children so they gathered up most of them and brought them to these camps were they are basically prisoners. It is a lot more complicated then that because the government says these camps are to "cure" these children so most of the population doesn't know how horrible these camps are and some parents didn't allow the government to take their children but the government did anyway.

So one of the first things I noticed about this book was the fact that the world isn't black and white. Not everyone "fighting" for the children are good, not every child is good, and some people do horrible things just to survive. There isn't a clear line of whose bad and whose good, all there is is the fact that most of the children aren't horrible, merciless human beings the government thinks they are. I love this fact because it makes you think about it and makes you support these kids even more since it seems no one is really advocating for these children.

The characters were beautifully written! They had flaws and sometimes they acted without thinking and they felt human and real. They had depth to them and they seemed like a real life person. The character development was also incredible! I didn't realize this until the end when I noticed how different Ruby was. If you compared Ruby from the beginning to this book to Ruby at the end they are almost completely different. And the fact that I didn't noticed that until the end is a testament to how subtly and fabulously it was done.

With that being said, for some reason it took me quite a while to get connected to this story and the characters. At the start I didn't really feel a connection to any of the characters, I admired them (especially Ruby) but I didn't have an attachment to them. However, as the book wore on the more and more I did get connected and attached. By the end of the book I was crying for the characters (You know which one) because I didn't want them to die and to keep on being in pain. Gah!! Feelings!

The plot in this book coincided with my connection with the characters. At first I wasn't invested in the plot, even though it kept up a good pace. I wasn't at the edge of my seat, I didn't stay up late reading it. However, the more I read and got connected to the characters the more invested I was in this story and, again, by the end I couldn't stop reading it!

Now that I've ranted about how much I enjoyed this book I need to explain why this book is only getting 4 Butterflies. Toward the end of this book I was in love, with the characters, the writing, the plot, almost everything. However, after finishing this book I realized I wasn't blown away by it. My thoughts didn't obsesses over it after finishing it, I didn't immediately go buy the sequel. I thought it was great and highly enjoyed reading it but I didn't love it.

Even with that being said I would highly recommend this book. It was great first book with fantastic characters and a fast paced, keep-you-on-your-toes plot, and a very unique and interesting world.

This book got...

 4 Butterflies

Beloved; it a really good book!

Happy Reading

Review: The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Grade: 4 Butterflies
Series: Fire and Thorns #3 (Final)
Author: Rae Carson
Author: Rae Carson
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Warning: The rest of this post does have SPOILERS for the first two books in this series. Do Not read any father unless you want to be spoiled.

Goodreads Summary

The champion must not waver.
The champion must not fear.
The gate of darkness closes.

Elisa is a fugitive.

Her enemies have stolen the man she loves, and they await her at the gate of darkness. Her country is on the brink of civil war, with her own soldiers ordered to kill her on sight.

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucero-Elisa né Riqueza de Vega, bearer of the Godstone, will lead her three loyal companions deep into the enemy's kingdom, a land of ice and snow and brutal magic, to rescue Hector and win back her throne. Her power grows with every step, and the shocking secrets she will uncover on this, her final journey, could change the course of history.

But that is not all. She has a larger destiny. She must become the champion the world has been waiting for.

Even of those who hate her most.

So me and the Fire and Thorns series have a solid relationship. I've never disliked any of the books, but I was never blown away by them. They were enjoyable and I liked them. I went into this last one expecting an enjoyable book and a good conclusion to the series and that is exactly what I got from this book. It was enjoyable all the way through and it tied up the series nicely.

 This book starts a few weeks after the events at the end Crown of Embers. Elisa and her gang are going after Hector. What I thought was really well done in this book was the recapping that it had for the events of the last book. I went into this one remembering very little of what happened in the end of CoE but subtly throughout the beginning of this book the author recapped what happened. It was subtle enough so it wouldn't bother you if you remembered but enough so you could remember. I would have liked if she didn't spread the recapping out has much as she did, but in the end that didn't bother me all that much.

The plot in this book was very enjoyable; it kept me interested throughout the whole book. I thought it was a very good plot for an ending of a series; it tied up all the loose ends well. However, while I really enjoyed what happened in the plot, I didn't appreciate how it was led out. There were many things happening in this book along with many aspects. There was the civil war, Hector, the Invorians in general, and her Godstone/destiny and how the author chose to write all these aspects was a little disappointing to me. Instead of writing them into one interconnecting plot that was complex and intricate the author wrote each aspect one by one. First she dealt with the Hector aspect and and then the rest one by one. This not only disappointed me (because it would have been epic if it was all intertwined), but it made the pacing feel choppy and the book to feel more as a collection of novellas instead of one book. Each aspect itself were called a book (book 1, book 2, ect...) and they felt like actual books with rising action, a climax, and falling action. This really ruined the reading experience for me.

The characters in this book were really great! I liked them all and the new characters that were introduced in this one, Hector was the best though. However, I didn't feel connected to them at all. They were just characters to me, I didn't feel very invested in their stories. Although I didn't take any stars away for this, because this has been an ongoing problem throughout this series.

The thing I loved the best in this book was the world and magical aspect. I just love this fantasy world so much!! I love the cultures, the societies, the political intrigue. I also love the magical element this book and I really, really loved how the religious aspect was toned down in this book. I didn't like the religious aspect that was in the other books and I am so glad it was toned down a bit in this one.

This review seems to be getting more and more negative as it goes on, but I did enjoy this book. I thought it was solid ending to this series and really enjoyed reading it, even with the choppy pacing. I liked what happened in the plot, not so much how it was set out, but I enjoyed reading about the events that occurred.

This Book got..

 4 Butterflies

Beloved, This is a really good book.

Recommended if you like: Fantasy, Magical abilities, and Court intrigue 

Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Ruthkoski

Grade: 4.5 Butterflies
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Author: Marie Ruthkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus Girour

Goodreads Summary

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

There was a lot of buzz surrounding this book when it came out. The buzz was filled with mixed things, some people loved this book while others were very disappointed in it. I, personally, loved this book. I thought it was beautifully written, I connected so much with the characters, and I loved the plot!! However, I can see how people could get disappointed in this.

This book is set in a fantasy land were the Valorian, who are warlike people, have taken over the land of the Herrani's and have enslaved them. It is set in the time were the Herrani's are gearing up a revolution to break free from the Valorians. The two main characters are Kestrel, the daughter to a Valorian general, and Arin, a Herrani slave with a very interesting past. One of the things I loved about this book was the world. I really loved learning about this world! It had its parallels in our world, it reminded me of the Roman Empire with its architecture and society, but it also had its own feel to it. I also loved reading about the history of the Valorians and the Herranies. You could tell that the author really thought about the world and history a lot and that makes fantasy books so much better.

The writing in this book was just outstanding! It was beautiful and in some places downright poetic. I just loved this woman's writing! And she could writing some characters too. All of the characters in this book were so fleshed out and had so much depth! She also put in great characters arcs for both of the main characters and I loved seeing them grow!

What really made this book for me was the theme that the author did a great job weaving into this story. The author put the theme that there are never clear lines on who is bad and who is good. Just because your race of people enslaved doesn't mean you had anything to do with it, doesn't mean you deserve the same fate the slaves got. And just because you got enslaved by a race of people doesn't mean you have the right to murder everyone. I just loved how she blurred the lines between right and wrong and how that wreaked havoc on Kestrel's judgement and consequence.

I also loved the romance in this book. It was so well done!! The author gradually built on their relationship so they slowly fell for one another and that made it feel so realistic! Added to the fact that the romance was actually done right was the that Kestrel and Arin just worked together. They just fit each other and that made it so much harder to not get obsessed when I read this and I did get obsessed while reading this. I just loved reading their relationship developed and savored every scene that did just that.

This book was great in my eyes.The plot never lost my interest, the characters were great, and the love story was amazing. However, I can understand why some people would get disappointed. This book's plot is very politically based. The Herrani revolution is coming up and Kestrel has to chose which side she is on. However, even though the plot is politically driven, it is not politically focused. This book was more about the love affair between Kestrel and Arin and how the situation between their two races affect their relationship instead of the opposite. If you go into this thinking you'll get this great book about political intrigue and revolutions you'll be half right, since those factors are in this book, but Kestrel and Arin's relationship takes center stage. I wasn't bothered by this because I love love stories and their relationship was just so well done, but if you read this book because you want a political intrigue story you will be greatly disappointed with how little that aspect is highlighted.

Overall I loved this book! It was perfectly written and kept my attention the whole way! I loved the characters and got so invested in their stories and I fell in love with Kestrel's and Arin's relationship and love story! And with that ending I can not wait to get my hands on the sequel!! I would recommend to anyone who likes Fantasy and love stories, but to avoid being disappointed do not go into this one expecting a huge story of political intrigue.

This book got...

4.5 Butterflies

Beautiful, this is a great book. 

Recommended if you like:

Fantasy, Love stories, and The Kiss of Deception. 

Happy Reading

Review: Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Grade: 4.5 Butterflies
Series: Lux #5 (Conclusion)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: Paperback, 534 pages (in actuality it's 352 since the paperback also has Shadows in it)

This has major spoilers for the first four books, Obsidian, Onyx, Opal, & Origin. Don't read any farther if you haven't read the first four books in this series.

Goodreads summary

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

It is no secret that the Lux series has been one of my all time favorite on-going series since the first book released. I have loved every book so far in the series. I have eagerly devoured each book, reading long into the night to see what happens to my beloved characters. I have accepted the flaws and loved the good parts. So, I was both devastated and eager for the last book to release. I was also very nervous for it's release, I really wanted the final book to be epic. It was, it really was!

This book starts out two days after the event of Origin and goes from there. This book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions (yes someone dies) and plot twists with really fast pace. I was kept on the edge of my set from begining to end! What I really loved about this plot was that it felt like an adventure book. The plot never stayed in one direction for very long. The characters would be in one setting doing one thing and then BAM! Something happens that changes the course of the book, but the plot would still keep it's underlying focus. This makes the plot sound really jumbled up, but it wasn't. The author wrote it in such a way that it felt like a rollercoaster. The plot was zumming forward, taking twists and turns, but the cars never change rollercoasters or anything; you are still on the same ride.

The characters were, as usual, great!! I love Katy, Daemon, Dee, Luc, and Archer. They were just as likable as in the other books; they were very realistic, and I loved them so much!! On that note, the romance was amazing! Jennifer L. Armentrout knows how to write a romance, sexy and/or cute. Katy and Daemon are just so cute together! When they are together you can practically see their chemistry and how much they love each other. There was this one scene with Daemon holding Katy and just reflecting on how he will always fight for her and I was struck with how real their love feels to me. I can't convince myself that their love isn't real.

Now on to the things that I wish were better. The first was the dual POV. Katy and Daemon's POVs had slight differences to them, but not enough to know who's POV it is just by reading a few sentences. This was a little disappointing, but I"ve been thinking about this and I think it's because of how alike Daemon and Katy were. They are both sassy and sarcastic, which are two aspects that really shine in dual POVs. So I don't think the author had that much wiggle room to really distinguish between POV without changing, even slightly, a character, which would have annoyed me even more.

The biggest problem that is really just a minor one, is how short this book was. This is me both not wanting the series to end and me wanting more to this plot. Jennifer L. Armentrout could have added another 100 pages and it would have made it all the better!! I just felt that this book went to fast, it was set in a week or so time span, especially for such a series situation. -Slight Spoiler Section-I wish the 'war' part lasted longer and there were more fights. This invasion was set up to be such a series thing, and at first the author showed us the death and pain the Lux created, but then glossed over it. I just wish a 100 pages, or even 50, were added before the Arum part so this invasion/war felt more like a war. I'm not saying the Lux's defeat felt easy, it just was to soon for that defeat. -End-

This was a great conclusion to this lovable series! I am so sad to see this series go and to finish this review, because if I finish this review I will be accepting that one of my favorite series it over. The open end gives me hope that She'll make a spin off series 15 years later in the world, but I am still sad. I am going to miss reading about Katy and Daemon's life and seeing their relationship grow. I'm going to miss reading about the Luxan and the Arum. I'm going to miss being in this world.

This book got...

4.5 Butterflies

Beautiful, this is a great book. 

Happy Reading

Review: Just One Night by Gayle Forman

Grade: 4.5 Butterflies

Series: Just One Day #2.5

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Speak

Pages: E-book 40 pages

Goodreads Summary

After spending one life-changing day in Paris with laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter, sheltered American good girl Allyson “Lulu” Healey discovered her new lover had disappeared without a trace. Just One Day followed Allyson’s quest to reunite with Willem; Just One Year chronicled the pair’s year apart from Willem’s perspective. Now, back together at last, this delectable e-novella reveals the couple’s final chapter.

This was such an outstanding conclusion to this beautiful story! This was a little short, but it conveyed all that it needed to and it gave the readers closure for the story. It was just as beautifully written as the first two books were and it was just so great to read what happens after Willem opens the door!

This was written in so many POV's. The perspective of the story changed about every other paragraph and it was in third person POV. This annoyed me a little at first, I just wanted a clear story with all the answers I needed with only Allyson's and Willem's POV. However, as I got into this story I really appreciated this. I feel that since it was written in this format it gave a big-picture type of tone to this conclusion. It showed us what Willem and Allyson were thinking, but also what Kate, Dee, Broodje, and a bunch of other people were thinking. This showed the reader the impact Willem and Allyson's story had on other people instead of just themselves. I think that really gave a luster to this conclusion.

Also, this format never got to for away from Allyson's and Willem's POV. When something happened and the readers wanted to know what Allyon and Willem were thinking it would show us. The writer knew that while giving us all these other people POVs would give it this great tone she shouldn't stray from Allyson and Willem. She gave us their POVs then any other person and the last five or so pages were just from their POV.

This was such a great conclusion to this outstanding story! It gave the readers closure for the story while still leaving it open enough to give the impression of continuing on. It was just so well written and a great novella! The format is weird at first, but it really adds to the overall effectiveness of this novella.

This book got...

4.5 Butterflies

Beautiful, this is a great book. 

Happy reading

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Grade: 4 Butterflies
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Goodreads Summary

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

So, I've heard nothing but praise for this book. Everyone, it seemed, loves this book. I was always very curious about this book, but me and contemporaries have a very tipsy and unbalanced relationship and I really wasn't in the mood to be disappointed by a book.  However, a few days ago I bought this one on impulse and started it right as soon as I got home. I am so glad that I did! This book was such a great read and it leaves you with a bubbly and giddy feeling. This was just a great book!

This book is about Cath and her coming out of her shell and greeting life. Cath is a very shy and nerdy girl (book nerds unite!!), she is so shy she sometimes gets panic attacks. Cath and her twin sister Wren are just going off to collage and Wren basically abandons her so she could expand her wings so to speak. One of the main reasons that I loved this book was that it wasn't this coming of age story where the main character thinks about her life and what she wants from it and hates herself and doesn't like her life or herself. This book does have some of those aspects, but they were balanced with other aspects. It wasn't just one serious thought train of the MCs life, it was about Cath's life in her freshman year in collage and she is adjusting and she does have great character development, but it felt natural and normal. It didn't feel like anything monumental was happening, it just felt like she was living her life and she gradually grew throughout, which made the book so much more realistic and relateable!! What I am trying to say is that it wasn't all seriousness, most of the book was dripping with cuteness even while it dealt with serious aspects of Cath's life.

The flow of the book was just so naturally and never felt forced or choppy. The author did a really good job balancing the growth of the characters, Cath's life, Cath's love life, and her relationship with Levi, balancing cuteness and seriousness. Speaking of their relationship, this romance was the cutest thing ever!! It doesn't really come into play until the second half, but their relationship before they got romantic was cute and their relationship after they got romantic was cuter, it was all just so cute!! And very well done. Their relationship was beautifully written that  it felt like a real life relationship and Cath and Levi seemed so right for each other.

I just really loved this book! I really loved that even though it wasn't just a huge block of seriousness it still had it's drama and character development. I really like the mom aspect it had and the fight between Wren and Cath. It was very well done and added to the plot without dominating the plot.

However, there was one thing that I didn't like about this book. It felt incomplete. I wish there was 20 or so more pages because the ending felt choppy and didn't feel like an ending. While Cath's character development felt like it finished and her relationship with her and Levi was on a good track the rest of it was kind of unexplained. We didn't get a resolution between the mom thing, we don't know if she finished Carry On, we don't know how they made it through the summer. I wish there were more pages that told us these things because it just didn't feel like an ending. Heck the book ended with a Simon Snow exert instead of a scene of Cath and Levi or just a normal scene in its own world.

Even with the unfinished feeling to the ending I really loved this book. In my mind this was a contemporary done right! It was the perfect balance between seriousness and cuteness, drama and normality, it was just written so well!! I loved the characters, the plot, the drama, the romance, almost everything but the ending. I would recommend to anyone who even slightly likes contemporaries, heck if you don't like contemporary I would still recommend this book.

This book got...

 4 Butterflies

Beloved, This is a really good book!

Recommended if you like:
Gayle Forman books, contemporaries, love stories, and coming to age stories. 

Happy reading