Morelli vs. Ranger

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich is her newest novel in the Stephanie Plum series.

Stephanie finds herself with the task to bring in Uncle Sunny, a local wiseguy and very popular, not to mention that he is Morelli's godfather.  He is so well liked that no one wants to help her on her task to bring him in.  In fact, his cronies are making life really tough for her. She is dealing with a lot of flack on the Uncle Sunny case, including being cursed, once again, by Morelli's grandmother Bella.

She has also been recruited by Ranger to help solve some local murders.  Someone is killing old woman and dumping their bodies in a dumpster.  Then there is a giraffe that just happens to wondering around the city.

Stephanie is tried of getting shot, falling down stairs, and other bounty hunter crap.  A broken finger and broken nose later, she is sure of giving up the job.  She just wants to find the granny killer for Ranger before she is done completely.

The Stephanie Plum books are laugh out loud funny.  In fact, I don't even read them in public because I have been known to laugh pretty loud from them.  This book is no exception to that.  Ms. Evanovich is a master of creating hilarious situations with Stephanie, who gets her man more by dumb luck than skill any day of the week.

But twenty books later, and Stephanie still cannot make up her mind between Morelli and Ranger.  I get they are both awesome in their own way, but damn girl pick a man.  Me, personally, I am a Morelli girl, but I have friends that are all about some Ranger.  I have a theory on that.  I have found that women that are single and never been married seem to be Morelli fans, but women who are married or divorced are Ranger fans.  Please weigh in on which Trenton hottie you prefer, and if my theory has any substance to it more than mine own experience.

If you need a good laugh, you should check this book out.

Currently Reading:
Grave Mercy
by Robin LaFevers

Another Reason Not to Trust the Fey

Ritual Magic is the latest book is Eileen Wilks' Lupi series.  It is one of my favorite series with great characters and plots in all the books.  This book includes all my favorites in it at some point.

At Lily's mother's birthday celebration, her mother, Julia, suddenly can't remember anything past her twelfth birthday.  Lily knows there is magic at work her, but it feels different from the magic she is used to dealing with.  When Cullen arrives, he confirms her suspicions that the magic is more of spirit influence that normal magic.

Lily soon learns that her mother was not the only one affected by the memory loss.  Drummond is back, and tells her she is fighting two enemies this time around, Friar with his fey artifact and something new and more dangerous.  She also learns because the magic is more spirit, that her Gift does not protect her from its affects.

She and Rule, with the help of many of their friends, must stop their enemies, both old and new, from tearing apart their world.

I simply adore Rule and Lily's relationship in these books.  Their love is beautiful, and they just seem so right for each other.  I like how they know just how to comfort the other in their time of need.

This a book had some really good plot points in them, but I have to say that I figured out pretty quick who was working with the new enemy in the book.  If you really thought about it, it was obvious.  I did like that this book allowed all my favorites back, and we got to see some of them in a new light, like Benedict and his worry over Nettie.

So there are rumors that this was the last book of the Lupi series.  I cannot confirm that on Ms. Wilks website, in fact it looks like she plans of writing more.  I really hope that this one was not the end because I still have questions and she left some pretty open points like what happened to Friar.  It seems like a bad idea to end the series, and leave the fate of the main antagonist up the air.

Loved Ritual Magic, just hope there are more books.

Currently Reading:
Takedown Twenty
by Janet Evanovich

Thieves and a Hitman

The Dream Thieves is the second book in Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle series.  This book focus more on Ronan, than any of the other characters.  Not that Blue, Gansey, Noah, and Adam aren't there plenty, but this is more about Ronan's story, like The Raven Boys was more of Blue's story.

Ronan has a special talent, which he inherited from his father.  He is able to bring objects out of his dreams.  It is a talent that got his father killed, and now others are looking for him to own this talent.  Ronan learns that he is not the only one that possesses the ability to take from dreams, and the thieving from dreams is throwing off the balance of the ley line that they awoke in The Raven Boys.

Adam is dealing with his on problems. Since his sacrifice at Cabeswater, he is has not been the same.  Everyone can feel it, but they are tiptoeing around him because lately his temper has gotten the best of him.  After he loses his recent memories after an argument with Gansey, Adam must face who has become, and step up to who he is suppose to be.

The mysterious Grey Man willing admits he is a hitman, but avoids his past at all cost.  He is the best at what he does, but this job has him reconsidering his priorities.

Then there is Blue who is dealing with her predicted future and her growing feelings for Gansey.

Maggie Stiefvater has an amazing way with words.  She makes the book flow so beautifully, even when she switches between characters, it does not feel choppy.  She has a way of making her characters feel mystical and attainable all at the same time.

I was fascinated by Ronan in the first book, and was super excited that this book would focus on his story.  I was so glad that it did not disappoint.  Ronan walks that fine line between the need to feel and suicidal. The more I learn about his family, the more I amazed I was that he was even sane, especially when you learn what his mother is/was.

The Grey Man added an interesting new aspect to the story.  Someone I really did not want to like at first, but somehow ended up thinking he was great.  While a hitman, I would not call him evil.  He is more a survivor than anything else.

The ending to this one was dozy!  It leaves me with so many questions, and theories on what will happen in the next two books.  I can't believe I have to wait like a year for the next one.  Reader problems!

Currently Reading:
Ritual Magic
by Eileen Wilks

Queen of Cliffhangers

Origin is the newest in Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series.  If you have not read the series, you need to check this one out.  If you are planning to read the series and have not, skip this review because there will be big spoilers from the previous books.

Origin picks up with Katy waking up in terrible pain after her capture by Daedalus.  She is in a new facility in Nevada, Area 51 anybody.  The "nice" folks of Daedalus are examining and testing Katy to ensure that her transformation to hybrid is stable.  

Daemon is determined to get his Kitten back.  He goes back to Mount Weather to find her.  He makes a deal with Nancy Hustler to do anything she wants as long as he can see Katy first.  

Katy and Daemon soon learn what all Daedalus has planned for them, and what is the outcome if a Luxen and hybrid have a child together.  They have to work their way out of more than one sticky situation, sometimes with the help of others like Luc and Archer.

Daemon and Katy are one of my favorite YA book couples.  I love that in the beginning is was not about love at first site, in fact they did not even really like each other.  For them it was more of getting to know each other that caused them to fall in love.  They have a fantastic banter between them that makes reading them fun and entertaining.

I loved that Origin was from both Katy and Daemon's point of view.  I thought JLA did a great job of giving each character a distinctive voice in their parts.  Even if I had not read who's part the chapter was, I could have picked out which character's POV it was in.

This book had some really great OMG moments in it, but the one where Dawson makes the announcement about Beth, I totally saw coming.

I do, however, object to one line when Katy said that Daemon looked about as cuddly as a pit bull.  I happen to know quite a few very cuddly pit bulls.  Pit bulls are awesome dogs!

I do have a little of a love-hate relationship with JLA's endings.  She is a master of the cliffhanger.  I can't believe I have to wait until next summer to find out what happens next.

Currently Reading
The Dream Thieves
by Maggie Stiefvater

Brazen

Brazen is the newest novella set in Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld universe, and finally Nick Sorrentino gets his own story. Up until now, he has been a great supporting character, especially in the books focusing on Elena and Clay.  Now Nick gets to be the star, and I, for one, was pretty excited about getting to know more about Nick.

Nick has grown up a lot in recent years, taking on more responsibility.  Including mentoring the packs youngest membranes, Reese and Noah, and spearheading the hunt to track down Malcolm Danvers.  He is smart and charming.  He has enlisted the help of a supernatural mercenary group to track down Malcolm's location so the Pack can resolve the matter.

He meets with his contact, Ness, who much to his surprise is a code name for Vanessa.  She is a former FBI, who happens to be a half-demon.  Her clumsy attempts to flirt with Nick at the first meeting starts her out on the wrong foot.

When her agent calls in trouble in Detroit, where she has located Malcolm.  Vanessa and Nick team up to hunt down Malcolm, and discover a mutual attraction to each other.

I really like Nick. Like I said before he is smart and charming, without being cocky.  He is also quite the gentleman.  I liked learning more about Nick, like he is an omega wolf, and his protectiveness of those he loves.

I thought Vanessa has a very realistic personality.  She is confident in abilities, but can admit her flaws.  I love her awkward moment of trying to flirt with Nick, but pretty much sucking at it.  I was laughing when she was tipsy and explaining to Nick her lack of flirting skills.

I thought they were a couple well fit for each other.  I was a little disappointed the way the story ended, and really wished it was longer.  I know that Ms. Armstrong said that Thirteen was her last full length Otherworld book, but I really hope she decides to give Nick and Vanessa a novel.  I think they could go so much further in their story.

Currently Reading:
Origin
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Tis the Season

Christmas Bliss is Mary Kay Andrews' newest holiday novel, and it brings back old favorites, Weezie and Bebe (Savannah Blues, Savannah Breeze, and Blue Christmas).

Weezie is busy getting ready for her Christmas wedding to Daniel. It is especially stressful since Daniel is away in New York City as a guest chef.  At Bebe's instance, Weezie  makes a surprise trip up to see Daniel. She discovers that NYC is wonderful to visit, but home is truly where the heart is.

Bebe is eight months pregnant with her and Harry's child.  She is working at the Breeze Inn desk, when a lady walks in a drops a bomb on her.  She is still legally married to her second husband.  So now not only is she dealing with pregnancy, fixing up a house, but now she must track down her ex and get that divorce he promised her he filled years ago.

I simply love MKA's writing style, a little humor, a little romance, and a lot of southern charm.  Weezie and Bebe are such wonderful characters.  The things that they say and do are things I have been known to say and do.  They are a great picture of a southern woman.

Oh, and the setting in this book is one of my favorites.  Savannah is probably my favorite city.  The charm, the food, and the beauty of the city is captured so well by MKA.  It truly makes me miss living there.  Plus you get the bonus of Christmas time in NYC.

This is a wonderful little book you get you into the holiday spirit.  My only regret is that I missed being able to pick up an autographed copy and meet MKA when she was in Raleigh for a signing (Vet school problems).

Currently Reading:
Brazen
by Kelley Armstrong

More than a Plain Jane

Tempest Reborn is the sixth and final book in Nicole Peeler's Jane True series. If you haven't read the series and plan to,  this review will contain spoilers from previous books.

This book essentially picks up right where Tempest's Fury ends, with Blondie dead and Anyan being taken over by White.  After those events, Jane basically goes into a catatonic state with the help of the Creature.  She comes out of it when she realizes it is up to her to save Anyan and stop Red and White.

First big hurdle is how to kill White but not kill Anyan, which brings into play the Universe and how to keep the balance that Red and White throw off.  Next problem is how to permanently put an end to Red and White so that they cannot cause chaos in the world again.

Jane has her work cut out for her, lucky for her she has a great support group in her friends and family.  Jane learns the meaning of true sacrifice and saving the world is not as easy as it sounds.

I would love to write more about the story, but the book is so fast pace that I am afraid that I would give away too much if I wrote more.  That was nice about this book because Ms. Peeler could have easily made this book drag on.  Not to say there were not parts that didn't drag.  Like some of the battle scenes felt like they dragged and were a bit to rehearsed feeling to them.

Jane does make the final step in her transformation into the Champion in this book.  She truly came into her own power, and is no longer the plain Jane she thought she was from Tempest Rising.  Although, there were a quite a few Jane crying scenes which I though could have been toned down a little.

I did think that Ms. Peeler did wrap up her story well.  She did not leave me with unanswered questions.  Oh, and bonus points for Supernatural, Harry Potter, Star Trek, and True Blood references in the book.

Currently Reading:
Christmas Bliss
by Mary Kay Andrews

Three for the Price of One

Instead of just getting one review today, I have three reviews.  They are all from Nalini Singh's Psy-Changling Series, two novellas, Declaration of Courtship and Texture of Intimacy and one novel Heart of Obsidian.


Declaration of Courtship is the story of Cooper, a SnowDancer leutinant, and Grace, a submissive wolf.  The story takes place between Play of Passion and Kiss of Snow.

Cooper has had the hots for Grace since she arrived to his part of SnowDancer territory.  He has been restraining himself for six months and can wait no longer to make his move.  He knows he has to go slow because she is a true submissive and he doesn't want to scare her.

Grace has fantasy about Cooper, but knows nothing will come of it.  She is caught completely off guard when Cooper declares his intentions for her.

They must work through their place in the pack in order and how to trust each other to make their love work.

What I liked most about this story was the way it explained better the hierarchy in the pack.  I really like Grace will submissive she was still strong.



Texture of Intimacy is the story of Walker and Laura and takes place between Kiss of Snow and Tangle of Need.

Walker Judd is a psy who Silence was never perfect, but he has never felt the way he does now about Laura.

Laura is the SnowDancer healer who gave her heart to Walker long before he was ready to give into his emotions for her.

They must learn how to deal with their new found love.

This one was a really sweet little love story.  I liked seeing how Walker and Laura learned to deal with their feels.  I really liked their relationship with Walker's daughter, Marlee, and his nephew, Toby.  It provided for some really great family moments.



Heart of Obsidian is the newest novel in Psy-Changling series, and in it we finally get the truth about former Psy Councilor Kaleb.  In the few books before this one, Ms. Singh has hinted at Kaleb having a bigger goals than he shows outwardly.

For seven years Kaleb has been searching for the most important person to him.  When he finds her, he is not sure she is entirely sane anymore, but he will make those who took her from him pay for what they did.

Sahara is a member of the NightStar Psy clan who is a designated a backseer, but she is much more than that.  She never really condition to Silence, and as a child befriended the lonely Tk Psy who was abused by his guardian.   For year she locked her mind into a labyrinth so that her captors could not use her.  Now she has been rescued by a dark, dangerous man, but in her heart she knows she can trust him.

I love Kaleb, just going to a head and throw that out there.  He is dark and broody, but would move mountains for the woman he loves.  While his moral compass maybe a bit askew, many times he does the right thing.   Oh and we learn that Kaleb was the Psy child that saved Annie, Stoke of Enticement, when the bullet she as on as a child de-railed.

Sahara love for life is infectious.  I love her philosophy on the right way to use her powers, never do anything you would be ashamed to tell your kids. She really is the light to Kaleb's darkness.

Bonus to this book, we finally learn who The Ghost is.  The plot was great, and the ending will definitely be turning the Psy world on its head.  I can't wait to see where the series continues to go from here.

Currently Reading:
Tempest Reborn
by Nicole Peeler

Serious Book Hangover

As reward for tackling the beast that is the NAVLE (vet board exam), I read Allegiant, the final book in Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy.  This book is definitely an emotional roller coaster.  I actually finished reading it early this afternoon, but waited to write my review because need to really process all the feelings that Ms. Roth gave me with the book.  Honestly, hours later I am still a little in shock but I will soldier on.

Allegiant picks up a little after the end of Insurgent with Tris imprisoned by the Factionless for her actions working with Marcus.  With Tobias's help, she is able to avoid charges of treason, and once free, they work on rebuilding their relationship. The Factionless in charge does not really seem any better than when Jeannine was in charge.  They are trading one tyrant for another.

A rebel movement begins to form called Allegiant, who want to know that is outside the city, and bring down the Factionless.  Tris, Tobias, Cara, Christina, Uriah, and Peter leave the city to discover what is outside.  There they find out that there is a government agency that has been monitoring all along.

The government types explain to them that the human race tried genetic manipulation to weed out the bad traits in people, but that brought on another whole slew of problems which lead to the Purity Wars.  Other cities, like Chicago, were set up in order to make people genetically pure (GP) again.  Chicago has been their greatest success so far.  They look for GP's by seeing if they are Divergents, all others are considered Genetically Damaged (GD).

While the government talks a good game, Tris and Tobias soon discover there is more to them than what they seem, and that they don't really have people's best interest in their goals.

I am going to go ahead and say my biggest problem with the book is the switching between Tris and Tobias's POV.  Not that I have a problem with POV changes in general, but I felt like the writing style between Tris and Tobias was not different enough to make it feel like a different characters perspective. I understand why Ms. Roth did it, because in the end it was necessary. I just wish she had developed a different style for Tobias to make him feel more like is his own character and not just an extension of Tris's character.

She did, however, did an amazing job of resolving the the story, even if she took my heart out and stomped on it in the process.  I thought that Suzanne Collins was the ultimate in breaking my heart after the Hunger Games, but she has nothing on Veronica Roth's ability to devastate you.

One of my favorite things about this book is the way it explores the concept of Nurture verus Nature.  Is it really our genetics that define who we are completely, or do outside things influence us just as much if not more than our genes?

This whole series is a must read.  Plus you don't want to be behind when the Divergent movie comes out in the spring.  Just be ready to be emotionally raw at the end, and keeping a tissue handy wouldn't hurt either.

Currently Reading:
Heart of Obsidian
by Nalini Singh

One Lucky Vampire

One Lucky Vampire is the latest book in  Lynsay Sands' Argeneau series.  The series is about a race made immortal by nanotech that keeps them at their peak health, but the nanos require more blood than the body can provide, so the immortals have to drink blood to supplement the nanos.

Jake Colson is not happy about being a immortal, even if the rest of his family are immortals.  He turned down the chance to turn at eighteen, and was turned against his will at 51 when an attack left him at death's door.  Angry and confused he turns his back on his family and moves to Ottawa to work as a body guard.

Seven years later, he is contacted by Marguerite about protecting the niece of her housekeeper, Nicole Philips.  Nicole is a noted portrait artist who happens to be going through a nasty divorce.  Her cousin worries that her soon-to-be ex is trying to kill her for money, so Marguerite has Jake posing as her housekeeper/cook in order to keep an eye on Nicole.

Jake might have gotten more than he bargained for with Nicole. Not only cannot he not read her thoughts, being that she must be his lifemate, but someone is definitely out to kill her.

I have to admit this is not my favorite of the series.  The story really felt rushed, and I didn't get a proper amount of time to fall in love with the characters.  Jake and Nicole felt a little one dimensional, especially after they kissed because from that point the book was mostly consumed by their physical relationship.  Now don't get me wrong, I love a good steamy romance scene, but there has got to be more to the story than that for me to really get behind the book. I am a little disappointed, Ms. Sands usually does a better job of bringing her characters to life than she did in this story.

Currently Reading:
Allegiant
by Veronica Roth

Or Greek and Atlantian Gods

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical of the latest book in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series, Styxx.  In Acheron, Styxx is not portrayed as a likable character, sure he saves Tory for Ash, but his past history with his twin painted him as a self-absorbed prince. As everyone knows, there are two sides to every coin, and Styxx is the other side of Acheron.  Just to give you a hint of how much I liked this book, I was reading late last night when I was called in to do anesthesia on a dog hit by a car, and I did not get back home until 2:00 am.  I was planning on just finishing the chapter I started before I was called, but ended up reading until 4:00 am.  The main reason I quit then was because I could no longer keep my eyes open.

A warning before starting this book, that some of the events of this book are not for the weak of heart or stomach.  Styxx's life was not a pleasant one, and there were some quite disturbing scenes.

Styxx is not the pampered prince that Acheron thinks that he is.  While he is not sold as a sex slave like Acheron, his life is not much easier.  His father can barely stand him, and his mother tries to kill him when he brings her a birthday present one year.  Unlike Acheron, he does not even have the love of his sister, Ryssa.
The voice in his head and the nosebleeds are not really help Styxx's cause at all.  In fact, he is sent to the Temple of Diosysus where he is tortured to remove the "possession," and it is also where he catches Apollo's eye, and that is not a good thing for him.   As he grows older, he catches his Uncle Estes eye, and his drugged and raped by his uncle and his uncle's friends.  Broken and wanting to die, he tries to kill himself, only to discover it impossible.

After his failed suicide attempt, he runs into a beautiful, blind girl in the woods.  In her, he finally finds someone cares for him.  When times are bad, he seeks solace in his Bethany.  It is her memory that gets him through two years of war with Atlantis, where he proves himself strong and a fierce warrior. He never tells her who he really is because he doesn't want her to hate him.

Bethany has her own secrets, like she is a goddess of two pantheons, Atlantean and Egyptian.  Even as an all powerfully goddess, she finds herself falling for Styxx, who she thinks is Hector a merchants son.  When she discover who he is, and that Apollo has marked him, she runs to Egypt.  In her absence,  Styxx is taken by Apollo and turned over to the Atlantean gods.  When Bethany finally comes home, she discovers what has been done to her beloved Styxx and rescues him.

Styxx goes home and is reunited with his Beth.  Just when gets her to agree to marry her, his life is ended on the night Ryssa is killed.  But his peace in death is short lived, as he yanked back to life, and Artemis deposits him on a vanishing island alone without any supply. He only wishes to die, and maybe be reunited with his Beth in death, unfortunately he can't die as long as Acheron lives.

Later he is brought back to the real world, and must learn to make his way in this new strange world.  He is lonely and still heartbroken over Beth, and Acheron still hates him.  When the world is threatened, he and Acheron must learn to trust each other.

This is one of the most heartbreaking books in the whole Dark-Hunter series, and that is saying a lot, because that has been a lot of heartbreak in past books.  Styxx is a kind and humble soul that was continually beaten down by the world around him.  Even with so many against him, Styxx remains dignified and kind to those who need it most.

Styxx and Beth's love story is one of the sweetest ones.  I love that when they part each time that Styxx tells her that he miss her with each heart beat that they are apart.  Their relationship is just beautiful how protective Beth is of Styxx's heart and saddened by the way he has been treated, and how Styxx is worried for her safety when they part each time.

This might be my new favorite book of the series.  Styxx and Bethany are such wonderful characters that if you are a fan of the Dark-Hunters do not miss this one.

Currently Reading: 
One Lucky Vampire
by Lynsay Sands

FBI Yummy

Hotshot is the latest book in Julie Garwood's Buchanan-Renard series.

Finn MacBain saved Peyton Lockhart's life when she was seven years old and fell into her family's swimming pool.  Since then, Finn has go on to earn a couple of Olympic Gold medals for swimming, a law degree from Stanford, and become a top notch FBI agent.  Imagine he shock when he sees Peyton again at his brother's wedding and finds that she is all grow up in all the right ways.

On her birthday every year, Peyton Lockhart sends an email to Finn MacBain, her Hotshot, thanking him for saving her life.  This year she thanks him, and heads off to start her dream job, too bad the job turns into a nightmare with the boss from hell.  After recording her boss' blatant sexual harassment, she head backs home to Texas, where she runs into Finn.

When he notices the bullet holes in her car, he is concerned for her safety, and not to mention he is hot for her body.  After a steamy night together, he heads back to the FBI, and she takes off for Florida with her sister to take over their uncles hotel.  Too bad her troubles follow her there, and Finn comes down to help her sort things out, and along the way just might fall in love with her.

So here is the thing to know about Julie Garwood's Buchanan Renard series, the books are very formulated: hot law enforcement guy rescues cute damsel in distress.  He wants her, protectors her, but denies his feelings for her and wanting to settle down.  While these books will never win the Nobel prize for literature, I still enjoy reading them.  They have just enough suspense in them to keep you intrigued, and some hot romance scenes.  They are a nice break when you have been studying hard for, say like your veterinary boards exams.  Plus, who doesn't love a hottie with a badge.

In this book, I liked the main characters well enough.  After all, I am a former swim team competitor and Olympic junkie, so there is no reason I wouldn't like Finn.  And Peyton being a chef appeals to the foodie in me.  I did feel like a couple of the supporting characters were not entirely necessary, like Lars, Peyton's former co-worker and friend.  I really didn't feel that he added anything to the book.

Then there was Debi, Peyton's self-absorbed cousin who makes trouble for them at the resort.  While she did lead to some funny scenes with Peyton, I felt that the book would have been just fine without her.  Didn't Peyton have enough troubles on her own without tossing in the crazy cousin?

Like I said before, if you want a deep, meaningful book full of social commentary, this is not the book for you.  But if you want a quick suspense-romance read, try this one out.

Currently Reading:
Styxx
by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Hot and Hotter

I know two books in one weekend, craziness.  Especially since I spent way too much time reading yesterday, and not studying for my boards exam.  MacRieve is the newest book in Kresley Cole's  Immortals After Dark series.  In my humble opinion, Kresley Cole is the queen of supernatural romance.  Her Immortals After Dark series has wonderful characters, good storylines, and super steamy romances, and MacRieve is no different.

Uilleam MacRieve had his childhood ruined by another Lorean creature who destroyed his innocence and killed his parents.  Nine hundred years later, he taken by The Order, and his rescue leaves him with nightmares.  When he finds out about an auction of the man responsible for his imprisonment's daughter, he thinks he has found his way to revenge.

Chloe Todd is a fantastic soccer player called the Baby T-rex who has aspiration of playing in the Olympics. She is finally achieving her goals when her world falls apart.  Her father disappears, she is taken by witches who wish to sell her to highest bidder, and she is changing in ways she can't explain.

She is saved by MacRieve when he realizes she is his mate.  He takes he back to his family compound, and Chloe is just beginning to feel like she belongs when she has her triggering event and changes into a Lorean. Too bad she turns into the one thing the MacRieve cannot handle.

MacRieve has to learn to put his past behind him, or he will lose his mate forever.

I have to say out of all of Ms. Cole's characters, MacRieve definitely had one of the saddest past.  I get why he has so much trouble accepting Chloe's change.  That being said, I cannot help to feel a little heartbroken for Chloe when MacRieve goes from the perfect guy to an absolute prick.  To say they have a few issues to work through is an understate.

On and bonus, the next book looks like it is going to be Munro, MacRieve's twin.

Currently Reading:
Hotshot
by Julie Garwood

Magic in the Air

Magic Rises is the sixth book in Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series.  Ilons Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team, and this a team that works really well together.  The main character, Kate, is a badass swordswoman who happens to be able to wield some hefty magic.  The world is a fantastic world in which magic has once again begun to rise.  The world goes through waves of magic and tech.  Oh, and Kate's boyfriend, Curran, just happens to be the Beast Lord of all the shapeshifters in Atlanta.

In this book, the Atlanta pack is having a huge problem, more and more of their children are going loup and there is nothing they can do about it but kill the ones that go loup.  There is a solution to this problem, panacea, but the Europeans have it and are not willing to share. So when three European packs offer it in change for Curran being an impartial guard and judge in a dispute over a pregnant shifter, it is something they can't refuse even if they know it is a trap.

The pregnant shifter, Desandra, just happens to be pregnant with twins from two different fathers, plus her own father is possibly the worlds biggest prick.  At first, Desandra plays quite the ditz, but as time goes on she proves herself to be intelligent and cunning. Oh, and when they arrive, they find a couple of surprises including a girl from Curran's past making a play for him, giant flying cats with scales, and the host of the event is an unpleasant surprise.

I loved this book.  I really liked the development of Kate in this book.  She struggles with her heritage, and she is confronted with it in this book, and I feel that she comes out stronger.  The way she cares for Curran, Julie, and the pack shows that she is more than her father.  One more than one occasion, she saves complete strangers because it is the right thing to do, which is the end helps her.  I do find it interesting the way she reacts when she because of Curran.

At the end, we get a glimpse of a possible future for Kate, and a wise shepherd telling Kate that one day she will have to chose and that she has the potential to be great or be horrible.  It will definitely be interesting to see where the series goes from here, and what paths Kate chooses to her future.

Currently Reading: 
MacRieve
by Kresley Cole

An Epilogue for Everyone

After Dead is Charlaine Harris's follow up for all her past characters, even ones that haven't been in the series in several books.

It is interesting to see where all my favorite characters ended up in life.  There were even some characters that I did not even remember from the books.  It is nice to know for sure that Sookie got her happily ever after, and how Eric and Bill ended up doing.  Tell you what, I did not expect Bill to end up where he did, but it was pretty fitting for a undead gentleman like himself.

My biggest diappointment was there was only one sentence about Quinn.  He was one of my favorite all time characters, and besides the one she ends up with, my favorite of Sookie's men.  I felt that he should have gotten more of a story than was in that one line.

If you are a Sookie Stackhouse fan, this is the epilogue to end all epilogues for all your favorites.

Currently Reading: 
Magic Rises
by Ilona Andrews

Bones of the Lost

Bones of the Lost is newest book in Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series.  If you have never read the books and only watch the show, you should know that they are nothing a like.  Pretty much the only thing that is the same is the character is Dr. Temperance Brennan and she is an anthropologist.  That being said, I read the books and watch the show, but I just see them as two separate worlds.  The books, for the most part, are more realistic and Dr. Brennan, or Tempe to her friends, is much more normal than Bones from the show.  She is not a socially awkward genius who has no idea how to relate to normal people.

The books begins with Tempe have quite a bad day.  She is called in for jury duty, which is dismissed from for obvious reasons. She loses her bracelet that her daughter, Katy, gave her, and when she goes back to find it, she locks her keys in the car.  In attempting to get into the car, one of the courthouse cops thinks she is trying to break into the car.  She has the cop call her boss, who sends homicide detective "Skinny" Slidell to pick her up.

Back at the lab, she looks at radiographs of a hit and run victim, which appears not to be accidental.  It is a young girl with no id, and possible Latin American in origin.  On top of that, she is looking at a couple of Peruvian mummy dogs that Customs caught someone smuggling into the country.  Despite Tempe's best efforts, the hit and run cases seems to be going nowhere, so as a favor to her almost ex-husband and to see Katy, who is now in the army, she goes to Afghanistan to exam the bones of two local men that a marine is accused of killing.

When she returns to the states, new leads help to find who the Jane Doe is and who killed her and why.  As Tempe gets  closer to the truth, threats are being made, and not to mention her personal life seems to taken some unusual turns.

In general, I love these books.  I love reading the science behind forensic anthropology.  Tempe can be a little reckless at times, possibly thinking too much with her heart and not enough with her head.  For me, this book had a little bit of a far fetched premise when she tied the Afghanistan and North Carolina cases together.  I do like that now I live in North Carolina, that I understand a little better about the places she mentions in the book.  Of course, not living in Charlotte,  I don't know everywhere she talks about.

There was a disturbing lack of Lieutenant Detective Andrew Ryan in this book.  The one chapter he does make an appearance in is super depressing, and I am really questioning the role he will play in the rest of the series.

This book, for me, showed how prevalent and serious human trafficking has become in our world.  It is something that I knew existed, but never really thought about it because my life is not affected by it.  I did not realize how high the numbers were until this book.  Definitely brought to light more social awareness on the situation for me.

This was not my favorite for the Temperance Brennan books, but it is not a bad read.  In case you are wondering my favorite is a toss up between Grave Secrets and Spider Bones.  On a side note, my dog apparently thought since the word bones was written on the book, that he should try and eat it.  Thankfully, only a small corner was chewed and it did not impede my reading at all.

Currently Reading:
After Dead
by Charlaine Harris

Another Thing Not to Trust

The Rising is the final book in Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising trilogy.  Both this and her Darkest Power trilogy are YA books that take part in the same universe as her Otherworld books.  In fact, a couple of characters from there get a reference, and at least one gets an appearance in the series.

Maya, Daniel, and Corey make into the city in their efforts to escape the Nast and St. Cloud Cabals.  They are trying desperately to figure out how to evade the Cabals and let their families know they're still alive.  First, they try Maya's grandmother, but that does not turn out like planned.  Their next brilliant idea is to go to their own memorial service in hopes of getting one of their parents alone.  Lucky for them, Maya's long lost twin brother shows up and helps out.  Ash is a street smart teen with a major attitude problem.

The group gets split up and Maya ends up in the Nast's hands.  She is taken to a "safe house" where she is reunited with Rafe, Hayley, Sam, Annie, and most importantly her dog, Kenjii.  Oh, and crazy Nicole is also there, and Maya lowers the bomb that Nicole killed Serena.  With Maya's birth father's (Antone) help, Maya, Rafe, and Hayley escape and meet back up with Ash, Daniel, and Corey.  On the advice Antone, they set out in search of the Project Genesis group in order to have leverage to negotiate with the Cabals, which by the way, lead to a happy dance from me on some more Chloe and Derek time.

Maya learns that sometimes you have to dance to the pipers tune to get what you want, and maybe her feelings for Daniel and Rafe are not so clear cut.

I was so excited for this book, and once again Ms. Armstrong did not disappoint, mostly.  There was some talk of the kids contacting Lucas Cortez, who I love in the Otherworld series, but alas it never came to be. I just love the world of supernaturals that Ms. Armstrong has created, and being one kind of supernatural does put you into a category of good or bad, but it is about the individual's choices that make them hero or villain. At times, you really get the sense that the characters easily fall into the scheme of choatic, neutral, and lawful of good and evil.

I love that her characters are strong women that don't need the man to rescue them, and in fact, sometimes they are the ones rescuing the men.  While these women do not need a man to be complete, their partners are excellent matches for them.  Maya is a wonderfully strong girl, who is super loyal to her friends and family, and bonus points for being an animal lover.  She can be rash at times, but she will quickly see reason when someone talks to her about it.

This was a wonderful completion for the both Darkness Rising and the Darkest Powers trilogies.  I thought she wrapped up questions nicely, but did leave it open for more possible books. Fingers crossed, maybe a meeting with these characters and the rest of her Otherworld regulars. Oh, and it teaches us that you can't trust the Cabals either.

Currently Reading:
Bones of the Lost
by Kathy Reichs

Going Viral

 Code by Kathy and Brendan Reichs is the third book in the Virals series.  It continues to follow Tori, Hi, Shelton, and Ben, teens infected by a hybrid parvo virus that gives them some very wolf like abilities. The books starts with a mysterious figure burying a box.  Flash forward as the Virals go on a search of a geocache and find a puzzle box inside which gives them clues to another geocache.

At the second geocache the Virals learn this is not a innocent game.  Someone calling themselves the Gamemaster has rigged a deadly scavenger hunt.  The Virals must solve the clues in order to stop the Gamemaster from killing innocent people.

On top of dealing with the Gamemaster, Chance Claybourne is out of the asylum and back at school, and he is hinting to Tori that he knows her secret.  Plus, Ben has been acting strangely and more moody than ever.

This book is definitely action packed, and will not leave you bored, even if there are a couple of predictable turns during the storyline.  Here is my feeling on Tori, you know those memes with Kirk and Spock that have Spock telling Kirk don't do the thing and Kirk is like I'm doing the thing, that is exactly what Tori is like with everyone.  She is extremely reckless, and at times boarding on having no sense of self-preservation. Hi, Shelton, and even Ben are so much more rational in their decision making, and yet, they seem to constantly go along with her reckless ideas.

Overall, I enjoy these books.  They don't leave you bored, and will have a few good twist along the way.  I just wish the characters would make better decisions at times.

Currently Reading:
The Rising
by Kelley Armstrong

Saying Good-bye

After thirteen books and several short stories, it is time to say good-bye to Sookie, Sam, Bill, and Eric. Dead Ever After is the last of the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. I believe it is a nice send off for my friends of Bon Temps. Fair warning, if you haven't read up to Deadlocked, there will probably be some spoilers in the review.

This book picks up, pretty much right after Deadlocked ends with Sam being revived by the Sookie with the fairy gift.  That leads to some super awkward moments between Sam and Sookie in the beginning, and basically spells the end of Sookie and Erics relationship.  Eric summons her to him for a public vampire divorce in of King Felipe and his soon-be vampire wife Freya, but Eric stills wants to keep her as his side piece. I had a total you go girl moment when Sookie told him he must be crazy to think she would be the other woman.

As if Sookie is not dealing with a enough, Arlene gets out prison and shows back up at Merlotte's, and is soon found dead in the dumpster behind the bar.  Someone manages to make it look like Sookie is the killer, and she is arrested for her murder.  It seems Sookie's enemies just keep coming, with her arrest and them someone tries to killer her while she is out on bail.

Ms. Harris does a fantastic job of wrapping everything up in the end, but it is a little sad to say good-bye to all these characters that I have followed and loved for so many years.  I am happy to report that some of my favorite characters make reappearances in this book, including Quinn and Diantha.  Best of all, Sookie ends up with who I think is the best match for her.

And I am happy to report the Ms. Harris has written what is basically an epilogue for many of the characters in the books in After Dead, which has definitely made my want to read list.

Currently Reading: 
Code
by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs

Demons and Steampunk

The last installment of Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices, Clockwork Princess, was amazing!  I simply adore Cassandra Clare, and was so glad that she did not disappoint with her newest book.

Clockwork Princess begins with Tessa preparing for her wedding with Jem. Too bad her gown fitting is interrupted by Gabriel Lightwood, who says his father is no longer human.  After the battle with Bendict Lightwood, Will and Tessa discover that Jem has been taking his "medicine" too much and is almost out.  To which they soon find out that, Mortmain has seized the supply of the "medicine," and if they don't find a way to get it or heal Jem, he will die.

Mortmain finds a way to take Tessa from the Institute.  To which she finds out his terrible plan, and why exactly he needs her.  Tessa most learn how to control her power, so that she may save the ones she loves.

So, I did not go into as great as description of the book as I usually do because it would be too easy to give away important stuff, but I will say this, the book will not leave you bored.  First, I have to say I simply love the setting in the Infernal Devices' books, and the steampunk element makes it just awesome.  The characters are just written so wonderfully, and Ms. Clare does a great job in their relationships to each other.  Tessa, Will, and Jem are probably some of my favorite YA characters ever.  I find their love for each other beautiful, and don't we all want friendships like that.  I love how you can see personalities of characters are similar to those of their descendants in The Mortal Instruments series.

One of the most amazing things she does with this book is bringing everything full circle.  I, personally, can't wait to see how the events of this book may influence the last Mortal Instruments book, City of Heavenly Fire due out in May 2014.

If you have not read The Infernal Devices, what are you waiting for? And while you are at it, go ahead and check out Mortal Instruments. Oh, and did I mention, that the cover art for this book is simply fantastic.

Currently Reading:
Dead Ever After
by Charlaine Harris

Heard it All

I have to admit I cheated a little in reading this book as in that I listened to it on audiobook, instead of actually reading it.  Mary Kay Andrews is a fun southern author, whose books are fantastic for listening to on long trips.

Grace Stanton is a livestyle blogger who thinks she has a wonderful marriage until she catches her husband, Ben, cheating on her with her assistant.  In a spectacular exit from her marriage, Grace drives Ben's convertible into their pool, which is one of the best "I am leaving you" scenes ever.

Grace moves back to her mother's, which is an apartment above the bar she owns, The Sandbox.  As Grace tries to put her life back together, she finds that Ben has locked her out of her blog, house, and finances.  To make matters worse, the judge overseeing her case sentences her to counseling before granting her divorce.

The story bounce between Grace's perspective, and Wyatt's.  Wyatt is a soon to be single dad, that runs his family's failing tourist park.  His soon to be ex-wife, left him for the guy down the street, and basically tries to make his life miserable.  After an incident where the ex deliberately provokes him to violence, he too is sentenced to counseling by the judge.

Grace and Wyatt officially meet at the divorce group, along with an interesting group of ladies.  Most of whom were, also, sentenced to attend these sessions by the same judge. After some digging, they discover, that maybe these sessions are not as legal as they sound.

As Grace begins to put her life back together, she learns that maybe her life with Ben was not who she really was, and that a new love is just what she needs.

I simply adore MKA's writing style.  All her characters feel real, and someone I would like if I met them in real life. She makes a nice balance in romance and reality.  Her love scenes don't feel forced, and she leaves the good stuff up to the imagination.  My biggest complaint is that sometimes certain things in the plot become predictable, but in truth that didn't keep me from enjoying her book.

I really enjoyed all characters.  Grace was wonderfully creative, and character actually made me want to do the projects she talked about.  A bonus for Grace is that she rescued a dog in the book.  As a vet student and the owner of two rescue dogs, an author always gets points with me for making their character an animal lover and rescuer.

Who wouldn't like a man like Wyatt? He is a great father to his son, has the rugged outdoorsy thing going for him, and knows how to treat a woman.  If a fictional character can get father of the year, I am pretty sure Wyatt deserves it.  Despite how awful his ex is being to him, he tries to keep their son out it, and never says bad things about her around their son.  I think he is a great match for Grace.

I definitely recommend this book. If you plan on taking a long trip soon, this is a great audiobook to put on.

Currently Reading:
Clockwork Princess
by Cassandra Clare

Cinderella Goes Sci-Fi

Scarlet is the second book in Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles. The series is Ms. Meyer's new take on some classic fairy tales with a science fiction twist to them.  I read the first book, Cinder, because I was a fan of Ms. Meyer's fanfics for Sailor Moon, and the book was fantastic, so naturally I was excited about the next book.

Scarlet continues to follow Cinder after her arrest into the break from prison.  During her prison break, Cinder picks up another prisoner, "Captain" Carswell Thorne, who sees himself as kind of cross between Robin Hood and Casanov. They make their escape from the Commonwealth, and Cinder makes the move to find answer to who she is.

The other story of the book is Scarlet Benoit, whose grandmother is missing and she is determined to find out where she is.  She meets the mysterious Wolf, who knows where her grandmother is.  She enlist his help to rescue her grandmother, but he is more than what he seems.

There are chapters that continue to follow Kai as he deals with his new role as Emperor of the Commonwealth, and Cinder's escape.  Plus the single chapter of Queen Levana, which has me terribly intrigued to know more.

Eventually Cinder and Scarlet's stories collide, and Cinder must decide if she will become the woman she is meant to be.

Ms Meyer does an amazing job of breathing new life into these fairy tales. I love the science fiction and dystopian aspects, and that at the same time remaining true to the essence of the original tales.

That characters are so wonderfully written.  Each has their own struggles that make them seem wonderfully human, even if some of them are not really human.

I am super excited to see where the rest of the series goes, just that I have to wait until February for the next book, Cress. If you liked this books, you can check out the authors fanfics here: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/658410/Alicia-Blade

Currently Reading:
Clockwork Princess
by Cassandra Clare

Censored Post

Happy Banned Book week to everyone!  So here is my two cents on the whole banning of books.  Books are the authors way to express their creativity and ideas, and as a country founded on freedom, we should celebrate that, not discourage it.  If we allow the banning of books, how long until we end up like the world in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. In fact, it is your civic duty to read at least one banned and/or challenged book. And if you don't like the book or find a book offensive, then don't read and don't recommend it to others.

Alright, I am hopping off my soap box now, and on to more important things. Some of my all time favorite books have been on banned list before, including To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. These are must reads, in my opinion.  Plus some of my newer favorites, like The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, have also made banned list.

So readers, if you would be so kind and read a banned book, and leave me a comment on your favorite banned books that would just make my week.

The Journey's End

At last, I have finished the 50 books featured in Epic Reads United States of YA map. It was definitely an interesting journey.  There were some excellent books to be found on the tour, along with some not so awesome books.  There were a few tearjerkers and a few laughs along the way, and all in all I would say that this literary trip was worth every minute.

I know not everyone has the time or patience to make it through all 50 books, so I am going to give my top 5 not to be missed books, and a few honorable mentions.

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth- It is the hands down winner for my favorite book.  Plus you know you need to read the book before the movie comes out in the spring.

2. Deadline by Chris Cutcher- Fantastic characters and story, but have your tissue handy because you are going to need it.

3. The Diviners by Libba Bray- The roaring 20s in New York city, a serial killer on the lose, and a girl that is more that what she seems makes for a great read.

4. The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen- A book that everyone can relate to on some level, because who has not had to deal with grief and loss.

5. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout- Wonderful characters and interesting story that keeps you wanting to read the rest of the series.

Honorable Mentions:

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore- Because who doesn't like a little bit of Southern Gothic feel in their readings

Arise by Tara Hudson- Probably the only reason this didn't make the top 5 is because it the second book in the series, but I recommend go ahead and reading both.

YA Book Tour- Hawaii

At last we have come to the end of United States of YA book with Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury representing Hawaii.

Tomikazu, or Tomi, is the son of Japanese immigrants living in Hawaii in 1941. His father has a boat he works as a fisherman on, and his mother cleans the house of a wealthy haole (white person).  His grandfather also lives with them, and is proud of his Japanese heritage and customs.  He also has a younger sister, Kimi.

Tomi is a pretty typical young teenage boy for the time.  He and his friend love baseball. His best friend, Billy (a haole) is an amazing pitcher, and helps their team the Rats do pretty well.  Tomi's life changes drastically on the morning on December 7th.  While he and Billy are out practicing baseball they hear the explosions and soon see the Japanese planes flying overhead. His father is taken prisoner when he returns on his fishing boat, and the haole family tells his mother they no longer need to clean their home.  Tomi learns what is really means to be family, and sees the best and worst of human nature.

This books is a fantastic look at life in Hawaii just before and after the Pearl Harbor bombing.  It presents an excellent picture of how fear can motivate people to do terrible things, and how kindness can be found even in the darkest of times.

Tomi is a wonderful character.  Fiercely loyal to both his friends and family.  He shows interesting growth as he learns to take to heart the lessons of his father about how to behave, even when people push him to his breaking point.

 While Tomi is the main character, Billy will also make quite the impression on you.  He is dedicated to being the best he can be at pitching.  He is kind and loyal.  Probably my favorite scenes in the book involved him, one on Tomi's father's boat, and one where he met Mari.  Both of those were touching, and beautifully written.

I definitely recommend this book, not only for the setting, but for the history we see in everyday living form.

With that our journey is at an end.  I hope to get the final YA map up tomorrow, and give the list of my top 5, not to be missed books.  For now, I will get back to my regularly schedule reading program. Catching up on the series that I have been reading and new books have come out since starting the tour, plus finishing some of the series that I started on the tour.  Eventually, I plan to get around the Epic Reads YA of Europe tour, but for now I reading what I want.

Currently Reading:
Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer

YA Book Tour- Alaska

It has taken me a little longer to read this than I initially expected, because my first clinical rotation was quite the hard one.  I sent most of  my down time studying instead of reading, but I was able to really tackle the book this weekend.  I suppose the amount of post will depend on what rotation I have, so just keep an eye out for new stuff.  Now without further ado, we are rolling on with the YA book tour and taking our second to last stop in Alaska with Jean Craighead George's Julie of the Wolves.

Miyax, or Julie her gussak (white) name, has run away from her new husband and trying to make it to San Francisco where her pen pal lives. On her journey, she becomes lost without food, and begins to rely on a wolf pack to help her on her way. As she becomes accepted as part of the pack, Miyax finds herself becoming more self sufficient and falling back more to he old ways of her people.

For me, the book at a little bit of a strange flow.  It basically started in the middle with Miyax already left her town to runaway from her husband. It does not go back and explain the events leading up to her leaving until about third of the way into the book.  That being said, it does not make it feel too disjointed or make me feel lost for the first part of the book.  I did not, however, like that the book was not really divided into chapters, just the three parts.  That really makes it hard to find a good place for stopping.

Miyax is an interesting character.  At first, it seems like she can't wait to be in the whiteman's world, but as the book progresses she really is finds her identity and wants to preserve her heritage.  She is very smart and quickly adapts to the changes in her life.

But in all honesty, the best part of this book was the picture painted of the Alaskan tundra. The author really does a great job of describing the landscape and the animals who inhabit it. This book is worth the read just for the amazing setting.

With that there is only one book left on the United States of YA book tour.

Currently Reading: 
Under the Blood-Red Sun
by Graham Salisbury

YA Book Tour- Vermont

Finally, I was able get a copy of Vermont's book Jip: His Story by Katherine Paterson.

Jip lives at the town poor farm and has been told as long as he can remember that he was found on the road after he fell off the wagon. His life begins to change when the lunatic, Put, comes to the farm.  He starts to learn his own value, and that combined with his start at the school with the new teacher.

A stranger, also, comes to town and starts asking questions about Jip.  With Teacher and her Quaker friends help, Jip learns his real origins.

I had high expectations for this book because Katherine Paterson is the author of one of my childhood favorite books,  Bridge to Terabithia.  I am happy to report that Ms. Paterson did not disappoint with this book.  She has a masterful way of describing characters and unfolding their personality.

Jip is a caring boy, who quite the way with animals.  He works hard and in dealing with the stranger in town, you learn he is an excellent judge of character.  I loved following him through his journey, and discovering where he comes from along with him.

The book is a quick read. While it is short, the book is no way feels like it left anything out.

Currently Reading:
Julie of the Wolves
by Jean Craighead George

YA Book Tour- Arizona

Keeping on with the book tour with the next stop being Arizona and A.S. King's Everybody Sees the Ants.

Lucky Linderman's life is not an easy one.  His dad seems unsure how to be a dad since he never knew his because he never came back from the Vietnam war, classified as POW/MIA.  His mother just seems to agree with any of his dad's plans.  Plus, he has been bullied by Nader McMillian since he was seven.

He has had a particularly rough freshmen year of high school, and his dad only seems to be getting more distance. He describes his dad as a turtle because he hides in his "shell" rather than confront problems.  His mother is a squid, because she swims laps to escape problems.  Lucky, himself, escapes in his dreams to the jungles of Vietnam to rescue his grandfather.

After a particularly bad run-in with Nader, Lucky's mother packs their backs and head to her brothers house in Arizona, and leaves his dad to do something about the situation.  Here Lucky learns that he is important and that you are what you make of yourself, not what others make you feel.

The story itself can be a little disjointed at times, jumping between the present, Lucky's dreams, and Lucky's freshmen year of high school.  That being said, overall it is a good story, and relays a good message.

I find Lucky super relatable, because I was a victim of bullying in middle school.  It is hard road to travel, especially when the people around you who are suppose to stop that don't seem to be doing anything about it.  Lucky really grows as a character and by the end he is someone who is not afraid to stand up for himself.

I think is a must read for anyone who has experienced or is experiencing bullying.

Also another resource in the fight to stop bullying: http://www.stopbullying.gov/

Currently Reading:
Jip: His Story
by Katherine Paterson

YA Book Tour- Oklahoma

I know it has been a little longer than usual since my last post.  Finals and moving to Raleigh, NC kept me busy, but I am back now and carrying on with the United States of YA book tour.  Up next on the tour is Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp representing Oklahoma.

Hampton Green is a part of the the Kennisaw Knights defense and he is very good at his position.  He has a rare gift to be able to see the field and know analyze the plays in the blink of the eye.  Off the field, things aren't always as easy for him.  He is crushing on Sara, who, according to best friend Blaine, is not the type a girl a star football player should be dating.  Blaine is a hot shot running back, who has lost some of his step on the field due to a knee injury, but is still cocky as ever off the field.  Hampton's mom has been flitting from guy to guy since his dad walked out on them. As his team quest for the fifth straight perfect season, Hampton learns what kind of man he wants to be.

I am a big fan of football movies, and hard to believe that this is my first football book.  As it goes, it is this was a good start.  The book was an excellent combination of Friday Night Lights and Varsity Blues.  The book balanced perfectly the action on the field and the day to day life of Hampton.

Hampton is an incredible player, but, unlike his best friend, he does not let it go to his head.  He still loves the game and has fun playing.  He is humble and he is smarter than most people give him credit for because he is quiet and not quick with his words.  He makes the journey into quite a distinguished young man.

Blaine, Hampton's best friend, is cocky and has a giant chip on his shoulder.  He comes off as tool most of the book.  He expects complete loyalty from his friends, and becomes really upset when they question his actions.  He is lucky to have a friend like Hampton, who can see the deeper problems he is having and willing to help him out.

Sara is a great compliment to Hampton's character. She sees the person behind the player.  She is smart and helps Hampton to become a better person.

Definitely a good book both in characters and in football action.

Currently Reading:
Everybody Sees the Ants
by A.S. King

YA Book Tour- Utah

Getting super close to the end of the YA book tour, and next up is Utah with Brodi Ashton's Everneath.

The underworld is really the Everneath, and it is where the Everliving go to Feed.  The Everliving have discovered the secret to living forever and to keep themselves alive they must Feed off a Forfeit.

Nikki Beckett has just woken from the 100 years of feeding from the Everliving Cole.  Somehow she has survived intact and returns to the life she left behind.  In the world, time passes differently than the Everneath and six months have passed since Nikki left.  She returns to the world of the living to make amends for living and say good-bye properly before the Tunnels take her.  Most importantly to see Jack again, the one thing that kept her going during the Feeding.  Too bad that Cole follows her back and is constantly trying to convince her to return with him just to complicate her life more.

I thought the story was an incredible new look at some of the great stories of mythology including Hades and Persephone and Eurydice and Orpheus.  The author does an excellent job of balancing the present with Nikki's past how it lead to her decision to follow Cole.

I love the progression of Nikki from the broken girl when she returns from the Everneath to the strong young woman trying to fight fate.  Jack is a fantastic character.  He is loyal, and at times you can really feel the heartbreak he suffered when Nikki disappeared.  What girl would not want a Jack like that.  Cole, on the other hand, is very shady.  It is awful to see how he manipulated Nikki to follow him to the Everneath, and he continues try to do so once she returns.  Although, he definitely gets more than he bargains for with Nikki and her strong will and his feelings for her.

Warning, the ending is a dozy, and leaves you wanting to start the next book.  I am very excited to see where the story goes in the next book.

Currently Reading:
Knights of the Hill Country
by Time Tharp

Map Update

With the book I am currently reading, Everneath by Brodi Ashton, I officially am on book 45 out of 50.  I should be done with the United States of YA books by the end of August.  At the end will post the final map, and list my top five books that are not to be missed.  So keep checking back for the last of the tour reviews.

YA Book Tour- Wyoming

Next stop on the United States of YA book tour is the state of Wyoming with Cynthia Hand's Unearthly.

Clara Gardner is an angel-blood.  Her mother is half angel and she and her brother are a quarter angel.  Every angel-blood has a purpose that they are given, and Clara has gotten her purpose.  Her purpose causes her family to leave their life in California and move to Wyoming.  She knows she has to save this boy from a fire, but when and how are still foggy.

As Clara navigates her way around a new school and deals with her new powers, she learns more about angels, both good and bad, and other angel-bloods.  She finds more than she expects in Wyoming, including a little romance.

I have to be honest, I was really worried about this books plot.  The synopsis made it sound awfully close to Lauren Kate's Fallen and Jocelyn Davies' A Beautiful Dark.  Even the cover seems uninspiring.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, and it was better than I expected.  Ms. Hand takes what could be an overdone concept and makes it new and gives it her own spin.  I like that Clara knows exactly what she is from the beginning and there is not a tedious drag in plot while she figures out what is causing these strange powers.

I like that she places Clara in a new situation where we get to see a little of her vulnerability, and she is not this instantly beautiful and popular girl. Find Clara struggle to be as focused as she can on her purpose to please her mother and to be the normal girl she longs to be makes her seem very human.  She, also, has a serious struggle with her feelings between Christian and Tucker.

Personally, I think that Tucker is a better choice.  I like that he is down to earth and so personable.  Christian, on the other hand, like Wendy says is god that you can admire from afar but never really know.

After the ending, which has a big surprise that I did not see coming, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Currently Reading:
Everneath
by Brodi Ashton

YA Book Tour- Washington

Next stop on the tour is Washington with Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Arnold Spirit or Junior as he is called by his family is a Spokane Indian living on the reservation.  He started out with a rough lot health-wise, being born with hydrocephalus (water baby), seizures, bad eyesight, and some teeth issues.  His family, like many families on the rez, is dirt poor.

When Junior starts high school at the rez school, and sees that they are still using the same book that his mother used, he gets understandably mad. After throwing the book and hitting his teacher, he is suspended and his teacher comes to have a talk to him in which he tells him, he deserves better than the rez education can provide.  At this point, Junior decides to get the most out of his education, he needs to transfer to the "white" school off the rez.

Junior's decision prompts many of the Indians on the reservation to consider him a trader.  Believing that he trying to become white. Junior makes his way through the rough waters of being the new and different kid at school and having your people dislike you, and all the while he is really learning to experience life.

This book is an inspiration to everyone because it is truly about making the best out of life.  If anyone has reasons to be angry with the world, it is Junior.  He has had horrible health issue, his family is super poor, his dad is a drunk, and many of his loved ones died in unfortunate incidents.  Junior is, in fact, quite the opposite of angry.  He finds good in many things, and tries to be a better person in general. He works hard at everything he does from school to his drawings. I think that if more people would even attempt to be more like Junior this world would be a better place.

Currently Reading:
Unearthly
by Cynthia Hand

YA Book Tour- Montana

Next stop in the YA book tour is Montana with Emily M. Danforth's The Miseducation of Cameron Post.  Warning this book will make me bust out my soap box on equal rights for gays and lesbians.

Cameron Post is just beginning her adolescents when her parents are killed in a terrible car accident.  The accidents, also, happens the day after Cameron kiss a girl.  Cameron's guardianship is taken over by her old fashion Grandmother and her ultra-religious Aunt Ruth.

As Cameron continues to grow, she knows that she is a lesbian.  She has a summer fling with another girls whom she swims against, but it is when she meets Coley Taylor that she discovers how deep her feelings for another person can be.  Unfortunately for Cameron, her aunt finds out about her feelings and decides she needs to be "fixed" shipping her off to Promise, a christian center to cure her of her homosexual desires.

This book was wonderfully written with fantastic and complex characters.  I feel empathy for Cameron as she struggles to keep her sexual orientation hidden knowing that her small town and her aunt would not be accepting of it, and yet, she is not truly trying to deny who she is. I mean, come on, high school is a struggle when you are straight girl, I can't even imagine how hard it is when you are a lesbian in a small town in the early 90's.

Cameron is such a wonderful character, and so well written.  She is true to herself, even when she is sent to that horrible christian reform place.  I think she says it best when she said she never thought of herself as a homosexual, but just was herself. My heartbreaks for her when Coley betrays her trust, and when her aunt can't love her for the way she is. And lets face it, the problem that Cameron really needs to deal with is not that she is lesbian, but that she is a kleptomaniac.

Coley and Aunt Ruth, oh where to begin.  Aunt Ruth comes in after Cameron's traumatic loss of her parents and starts making big decisions for her without even seeming to care for what is going on with Cameron.  She never for a second stops to think that maybe she is the one that is wrong, and there is nothing wrong with Cameron. Coley, who encourages Cameron's feelings, just takes her heart out and stomps on it.  Coley is in deep denial about herself while we are it.

Promise is what makes me most sad, partly because I know there are really place out there like it. (About to hop on my soap box.)  Being gay or lesbian is not a disease, it is just the way some people are.  It does make them wrong or a perversion. There is no need to cure what is not a disease. The "incident" with one of the students at Promise just goes to show that these places are doing way more harm than good.

This really is a wonderful book, with a great theme of being true to yourself even when the world seems set against you.

Currently Reading:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie

YA Book Tour- South Dakota

Rolling on to the Black Hills of South Dakota for the next stop on the tour with Will Hobbs' Go Big or Go Home.

The big meteor shower gives Brady quite the surprise as a meteorite crash through the roof of his house into his bedroom.  Brady names the meteorite Fred, and naturally calls his best friend and cousin Quinn to spill the news.

Quinn comes down the next day, and him and Brady get up to their usual summer activities of biking, fishing, and exploring.  They, also, visit the local museum where the expert learns more about Fred. Brady soon learns that he is getting more out Fred than expected, and this little meteorite is causing a strange change in him.

Mr. Hobbs does an excellent job of describing the scenery of the Black Hills.  He really does transport the reader there at times.  That being said, while the book was entertaining enough, but there definitely was not any surprise twist or shocking moments in it.

I was not impressed with the author's characters.  They seemed very flat.  So they liked to do fun and extreme outdoors things, but they need more dimensions to really bring them to life. I just felt that he really could explored his characters a little more and made the book better.

Currently Reading:
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
by Emily M. Danforth

YA Book Tour- North Dakota

Next stop on the YA book tour is North Dakota with Gary Paulsen's The Beet Fields.

A sixteen year old boy with a less than ideal home life, both parents are alcoholics.  Runs away to find a better life. He begins his new life working the beet fields of North Dakota with the migrant Mexican workers. He moves on to different things, and eventually ends up working at a traveling carnival.

In each new experience he learns different life lessons about kindness, family, the ways of the world, and lust.

This book starts out with possible one of the most skin crawling scenes.  The boy's mother gets into bed with him and basically attempts to have sex with him.  After that, it is no wonder he left.

The book never names the main character.  The entire boy he is just called the boy, while every other character gets a name.  It hard to establish a bond with a character with no name, especially because it is not even written in first person.  The way the story is written and how it keeps calling him the boy makes the book feel like an anthropologist's observations on his life.  The book kind of ends very abruptly, and I wonder just a little whatever happened to the boy.

In other news, I officially only have 10 books left to read on the United States of YA book tour.  I will probably post the updated map sometime tomorrow.

Currently Reading:
Go Big or Go Home
by Will Hobbs

YA Book Tour- Colorado

Next stop on the United States of YA book tour is Colorado with Jocelyn Davies' A Beautiful Dark.

Skye Parker's seventeenth birthday party is a blast, quite literally.  The boilers explodes, but beyond that she has her first encounter with the new boys in town, Asher and Devin, cousins that are polar opposites.  As Skye becomes more deeply involved with Asher and Devin, she learns that she is more than the average human.

Asher and Devin are on opposites of the powers who control earth.  Devin is part of the Order, who believes very strongly in fate, and will do anything to guide humans to their intended fate.  Asher is part of the Rebellion, who believes that human should have the free will to chose their own path in life without interference from others. And both sides want Skye to join them, because of her heritage each believes she is the piece they need to tip the balance in their favor.

The book was kind of hard to get into at first for me, which is weird because it seems like it right in line with my favorite genres.  I struggled to figure out why I was having trouble getting absorbed in the book, and then it hit me.  I have read this story before, okay not this book exactly, but this book was so extremely close to Lauren Kate's Fallen that it felt like deja vu, and not in relieving your favorite book kind of way.  Even the girl on the cover looks a little like the girl on the cover of the Fallen books.

The main character Skye, did nothing for me.  Honestly she is kind of boring.  She has always been the good little orphan girl, straight A student, and ski team star, which makes a little to perfect for my liking.  At times she is quite the emotional flat line that it is hard to connect with her. And Asher and Devin really did nothing for me either.  Both, from the beginning, just seemed like they were seeing who could play Skye the best to win her to their side.  Super annoying when the author is trying to be deep with them, but nothing feels genuine with either of them. Honestly the character that could have saved this book was Skye's bestie, Cassie.  She is vibrant and full of personality, and unfortunately, a super under utilized character.

The book was so uninspiring to me, that even though it ended in a cliff hanger, I do not feel the need to read the next book.  I just don't know if I could take anymore of the characters and book deja vu.

Currently Reading:
The Beet Fields
by Gary Paulsen

YA Book Tour- Nebraska

Rolling on in the United States of YA book tour and Nebraska is the next up with Cat Patrick's Revived.

Daisy died when she was four years old in a bus accident, along with 21 other children.  None of which stayed dead, instead they became part of test drug, Revive, program.  Daisy is now fifteen and has died and been brought back five times. After the latest death has her and her handlers, Mason and Cassie, relocating to Nebraska.

Daisy's first day at her new school she meets Audrey, who is bright and bubbly and very much a kindred with Daisy. For the first time in her life Daisy has a real friend at school, not to mention Audrey's hottie brother, Matt.  Daisy feels a real connection to the siblings, but keeping her secret is hard especially as she learns more about her new friend, and that maybe that not everything is what is seems in the Revive program.

I have to admit I was a little skeptical about this book when I first read the description.  It seemed like it might be a too much like Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.  I am glad to report that the book put that fear to rest.  Other than the fact she keeps be revived, there is nothing strange about Daisy.  She is really a normal teenager who just happens to died a few times.

I like Daisy.  She is independent with her own unique sense of style.  She really sees Mason as a father, and I really enjoyed see the dynamics of their relationship. At first, she is very blaise about death, but when she has to face it for real she struggles with concept of death of a loved one.  I find that so very human in her, something that we all encounter at some point in life.

The story was wonderful with a few surprising plot twist.  Ms. Patrick did a wonderful job of ending the story and tying up the lose ends just right.  Kudos to her for not drawing it out at the end, which could have gone horribly wrong. Oh, and how fantastic is that cover, really brings out the visual of piercing the veil between life and death and fits the story so well.

Currently Reading:
A Beautiful Dark
by Jocelyn Davies

YA Book Tour- Nevada

Next up on the YA book tour of the United States is Ellen Hopkins' Crank for Nevada. Fair warning this is another one that deals with drug addiction.

Kristina is a good girl, who as a bad girl inside of her who she calls Bree.  One summer, after eight years of total absence in her life, she goes to visit her father.  He is possibly the poster boy for dead beat dad.  At her father's she meets Adam/Buddy who is her first boyfriend, and the boy along with her father that introduces her to the monster or crank.

When she goes back home, the monster follows her.  She gets deeper into her addiction, even experimenting with new drugs and different ways to have the monster.

This book is definitely not my style.  First off, it is not a subject matter I can relate to at all.  Then there is the fact I feel no emotional connection with the characters.  One of its biggest drawbacks for me is the style it was written in.  It is not novel really, but a collection of poems that tell a story.  Someone of those poems have a very strange layout to them.  I don't know if this is because I read it on my Kindle or not, but some the text got really small and hard to see.

Kristina/Bree says she is not schizophrenic in the beginning, but at times it sure seems like she is.  She has a lot in common the main character from Beneath a Meth Moon because both seem like very weak willed girls. Both let a boy they like get them hooked on drugs.  Kristina really gets on my nerves in her concept of love.  She knows a boy all of like 3 days and has decided she is love with him, and then is shocked when it doesn't last.

If you want to skip a book in the tour, this is one that you probably won't miss.

Currently Reading:
Revived
by Cat Patrick

YA Book Tour- Oregon

Next up on the tour is Oregon with Gayle Forman's If I Stay.  Fair warning, this one is a tear jerker, so have your tissues handy.

Mia is seventeen, and quite the accomplished cellist already.  She has a wonderful family that she is very close to, and  a boyfriend she adores.  Then tragedy strikes Mia's life.

A rare snow cancels school for the day, and Mia and her family go for a drive to her grandparents.  The next thing Mia knows is that their car is a tangled mess and both of her parents are dead.  As she walks around the crash sites, she finds her own body, not dead but badly injured.  As she is sent the hospital and then life flighted to Portland, she continues to have a consciousness separate from her broken body.

The books flashes between Mia's memories of her life and what she witness going on at the hospital.  I think that this book has a fantastic concept.  I love the idea that a coma patient knows what is happening around them, and in the end it is them who decides whether or not to wake up.

I love Mia's character.  She just loves so deeply, her family, her music, her friend, and her boyfriend.  It is wonderful how well Mia's character is developed, and how easy it is to become emotionally attached to her. I totally get her struggle, whether to move on and join her family in the afterlife, or stay for who she has left behind.

Just a fantastic book all around, and I cannot wait to read the follow up Where She Went.

Currently Reading:
Crank
by Ellen Hopkins

YA Book Tour- Iowa

Rolling on with the United States of YA book tour, and the next stop is Iowa with Mike Mullin's Ashfall.

Alex was your typical teenage boy.  More interested in his video games than hanging out with his family.  He rebels just enough that he does not have to go with parents and sister to his uncle's place in Illinois. Super excited about having the weekend alone, too bad the world goes to hell.

The super volcano under Yellowstone erupts, sending ash blanketing places thousands of miles away.  There is no electricity, no running water, and food supplies are quickly running out.  Alex decides the best plan is to make his way to his uncle's to find his family.

Along the way Alex meets Darla, who saves his life more than once.  She is a self-sufficient farm girl with a knack for all things mechanical.

I do quite enjoy a good post apocalyptic novel, and this one was an excellent.  Part of what made it so great was that while not probable, it is possible for the super volcano under Yellowstone erupt. It is fascinating to watch the break down of society, and how everyone copes with it.  The novel beautifully expresses how disasters bring the best and the worst in people.

Alex was wonderfully brave and kind.  He has no idea if his family is alive or not, but he knows he has to find out.  More than once you see his kindness when he meets others less fortunate than him alone his journey.

Overall, I liked Darla, but there was a part in the middle where she was really annoying me.  When she first meets Alex, she is constantly telling him what a dummy he is because he doesn't know the basics of farming.  I was like give the kid a break, he is from the city.  But when something horrible happens, she pretty much shuts down for several days.  It was up to Alex to keep her going then, and that is where I really thought that the author showed Alex as the strong character.

If you are like me and love a good post apocalyptic novel, this one is a must.

Currently Reading:
If I Stay
by Gayle Forman