Review ~ Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Synopsis:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

Review:

This book is likable for the first half. The second half might just be enough to make you bang your head against a wall, or worse. I fail to see what is beautiful in this disaster of a couple.

It started out fine. I actually liked Abby and Travis for a while. I like it that she’s determined not to be one of Travis’s sexcapades, and that Travis is not determined to make her. They became friends, and there were some sweet moments that made me smile. But then attraction is a bitch. 

Abby started being dense, and despite the obvious signs that Travis was into her, she still didn’t think so. Not even when everyone started telling her. This convinces me that Abby is stupid. Everyone notices Travis’s feelings for her, how can she not know?

I should have stopped reading there, but I wanted to give the book a chance. Surely Abby was just in denial?

When I got to the second half, everything is just annoying. Abby became even stupider, Travis became annoying, America started being childish, and everyone else just became unreasonable. The second half of the book is full of Abby and Travis staying away from each other while telling the other they are still in love. I understand that Abby is trying to make a point, but MY GOSH. The way she does it got on my nerves. I hate reading a book where the characters spend a long period avoiding each other when they’re clearly in love with each other because it feels like such a waste of time. The second half of Beautiful Disaster happened to be one of those books. Ugh.

There are some things I really liked about this book, like Abby’s back story and Shepley and America’s relationship, but sadly it’s not enough to overshadow the parts that I hate. This book is just not for me.

~ Zee

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Review ~ Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake

Synopsis:

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life.

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Review:

Anna Dressed in Blood is a morbidly good read—for the most part.

I usually steer away from books that include ghosts, not because I am easily spooked but because ghosts just don’t appeal to me. Why I took the plunge and read this book, I don’t know. Perhaps it was because I expected some gory things based on the description and title of the book, and I’m a girl who likes gory and morbid things.

I like it that this book is written from Cas’s POV. I didn’t have to read a lot of description about how hot a guy is, or how much a character is drooling all over him. I like hot guys, sure, but only when I’m not being reminded of how hot they are every page. Anyway, being inside Cas’s head is entertaining, but it can be annoying, too. The constant I’m-too-good attitude is sometimes very irritating, but let’s face it: everyone thinks like that once in a while. Even fictional ones, apparently. Cas is pretty cool for the most part, but he lacks certain emotions, especially about Anna.

Anna could have easily been my favorite character. She was portrayed to be this badass girl who kills everyone who dares to step inside her house. For the first half of the book, she’s that girl, but then. . .nah. She had been tamed too soon for my taste. I understand that it has to be that way, that it’s part of the plot, but I was just starting to enjoy the badassery (I strongly suggest this should be a word) of her character, and it was taken away from me too soon. I do liked her story. It was the highlight of the book for me, because it’s the only thing that spurred my emotions.

I like the description of the icky stuff and the way the action was written, but it didn’t give me the creeps that I was expecting (is it because I don’t mind morbid things?). I could have done without the romance, though. The romance between Cas and Anna seems like a sorry attempt of romance to me. I’m a sucker for romance, but this one is just very weird for me. Not because it’s between a living guy and a dead girl, but because it lacks emotions. There are no sparks, no intensity, no out-of-this-world feelings, nothing. Cas sounded robotic when it comes to this part. He’s protective of her, but that’s just about it. He’s a guy, sure, but I believe even guys can think about something sweet and romantic, or Anna should have said something of the like. I’m looking for a. . .deeper emotion between them. I find Carmel and Thomas more romantic, and the crush in there doesn’t even seem mutual, so I think that’s saying something.

I hate it that I only liked the morbid things and action that went down in this book, and not the romance. I want a book with a complete package, but this one didn’t do it for me. Still, if you take out the romance part in the equation, I liked this book. I’m going to read the sequel, and I hope there’ll be an improvement in the romance department if it’s going to be a major part of the book (and it looks like it will be).

~ Zee

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Review ~ Opposition (Lux #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis:

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.

Purchase Links:

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Review:

JLA did not disappoint. Opposition is a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, bite-your-nails-in-nervous-anticipation, throw-the-book-clear-across-the-room-in-impatience, read-it-in-one-seating-or-else kind of read. I cannot count the times I’ve wanted to peek in the end of the book just to know what freaking happened, but then the rising action of the book won’t let go of my attention even once.

I am still not fond of Kat and Daemon when they are together in this book, because everytime they have each other within touching distance (which is very often since they are never separated except in the start), the cheesiness is over the roof. I love reading romance, but I always cringe when it becomes overdone. Yeah, go figure. So Kat and Daemon still made me cringe a lot, but in Opposition I felt it less than in the previous two books.

I love the action that went down in this book, though in some parts (especially near the climax) I felt meh because it started becoming too convenient for the main characters. Still, it kept me entertained and happy (on most parts).

What I love the most in this book—and even in the whole series—is the secondary characters. I am a little disappointed that, again, I did not see more of Dee here. She’s a badass character but I feel like she didn’t get the chance to show it off. Luc is my favorite character, and I am so sad to see that he didn’t get the happy ending he wanted. Perhaps his happy ending will be with me. *winks* I also like Archer. He’s a badass in a cool, quiet way. I like it when he and Daemon are in the same room. Oh, how they amuse me.

You know that feeling when you badly want to take a sneak peek but you cannot take your eyes off the page you’re reading? Yeah, that’s what I’m like when I was reading this book. It made me smile, scream in frustration, smile again, and feel somewhat sad when I finally closed the book. I’m done with the Luxen world, and no matter how many times I re-read it, it just won’t be the same.

~ Zee

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Review ~ Lux: Consequences (Opal and Origin) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis:

Opal

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different…and I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Origin

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back. After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? And will they even be together?

Purchase Links:

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Review:

Opal

Sweet baby aliens in the whole Luxen world, this book felt like a rollercoaster of emotions! I cannot decide which are dominating while I was reading, the negative ones or the positive ones. No matter, though, I still like it in the end.

Things get a little more interesting here in Opal, but some decisions they’ve made get a little more stupider, too. Still, I like this because the climax is in line with the rising action. Surprisingly, I did not care that the book is a little predictable. For each telling sign, I actually anticipated what comes next more.

There are times when I’d feel a strong sense of déjà vu from Twilight, and I cannot decide if I love it or not. One thing is for sure: Katy gets a little irritating at most of these déjà vu moments. 

The only thing I hate about this book is their carelessness…AGAIN. I do not understand how they could let themselves be played by the DOD. Seriously, in Onxy I thought they already know that implants are everywhere, and most often than not those implants are not just one person. It’s like they didn’t even acknowledge Katy’s discovery in Onyx about the DOD and for how long they have been watching. I cannot count the times I have wanted to shout at these characters for their carelessness.

The ending—oh, garsh, I thought the ending was going to be the end of my bookworm self. I mean, REALLY? YOU ENDED IT RIGHT THERE, Ms. Armentrout?! That ending chopped my heart in little pieces. WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?

I am so glad Origin is just right here, else there may have been casualties in my haste to get to the next book.

Origin

“I’ll burn the world down to save her.”

*scans the book and sees dual POV* A DAEMON POV! *fan girl dance*

*after reading everything* Oh. Okay. It’s not that special, but it’s good.

My problem with a dual POV story is the sound of the “voices” of the narrators. The tendency is they’ll sound the same, and most often than not the male POV starts sounding like a girl, which is not appealing to me at all. Now, Daemon’s POV doesn’t sound girly, but it didn’t come off as very masculine either. So I’m undecided about how I like his POV.

Origin felt like a whole new world, but at the same time it felt the same. A lot of things have happened, and Origin feels a lot like the “game changer” for the series. Things have become more twisted and a lot of things are being revealed, and all of them made me want to pull my hair out in frustration, annoyance and sometimes impatience.

I don’t know how else to put my feelings in words, but let me just say that Origin is full of surprises, both good and bad ones. The way it’s written made it easy to sympathize with the characters. This book carries a lot of information that will force your brain into info overload, contains a dose of betrayal from the one person you might never have expected, and an action-packed climax that will leave you grieving unexpectedly.

Hats off for JLA. 

~ Zee

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Review ~ Lux: Beginnings (Obsidian and Onyx) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis:

Obsidian

There’s an alien next door. And with his looming height and eerie green eyes, he’s hot…until he opens his mouth. He’s infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, he marks me. Turns out he has a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal his abilities and the only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Onyx

Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

Purchase Links:

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Review:

Obsidian

I’ve been hesitant to read this book right from the moment I’ve discovered it back in 2013, like Aliens? Really? Nah. That time I haven’t read anything by Jennifer L. Armentrout, so I absolutely have no idea how good she is at this business. When I finally took the plunge and invaded the world of Lux, YES, I TOTALLY REGRETTED WHY I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK SOONER. I know. I’m a walking cliché.

So Obsidian is totally not what I expected, and I liked it more than I’d hoped. You’d think it’ll be too much drama to have a very stubborn heroine and an overly self-confident hero, but it’s actually a very enjoyable read. I didn’t even think of aliens so much, except for the frequent reminders about them. I’ve never thought in my bookworm life that I’ll read a story about aliens, but then I did and even fell in love with it. Go figure.

Katy Swartz is a typical Armentout heroine—sassy, stubborn and I’ll-cut-a-bitch-when-one-gets-in-my-way girl. She’s got a sense of humor, which is a very important trait I’m looking for in a character. She’s got a huge dose of hormones in that little body of hers, or maybe that’s just the effect of being in Daemon’s vicinity. Still, sometimes this girl feels like a walking hormone that will spew off lust auras when it comes to Daemon. Is that an alien effect?

Daemon Black is one heck of an overly confident male specie. He’s almost irritating, except he’s totally adorable because anything arrogant he says is laced with humor that makes him forgivable. He’s the kind of hero that makes you want to know what he’s thinking—the one who makes you want to be inside his head. Plus, he makes everything look hot. Who knew aliens could be so hot?

The structure of Obsidian is light—the you-know-there’s-going-to-be-a-sequel-and-this-is-just-easing-you-to-it-slowly kind of light. It’s the, shall we say, introduction of things. You know there’s going to be bigger things to happen and this book makes you anticipate it so much.

I’m not giving it a perfect rating because I there are some things that I feel lacking. Like Dee. I understand that she needed to spend time with Daemon because of the mess they’ve gotten themselves into, and I understand that this is their story—the two of them—but I would’ve liked to see more of Dee or just more of Katy spending time with her friends. If Daemon is a medicine, I think I’ll overdose because he’s everywhere. I didn’t get a break from him, which made him somewhat easily tired of.

The characters’ chemistry is undeniable, but both are not willing to give in to it or even admit it even to themselves. You can feel the sexual tension between them spiking up in unbelievable measures. Seeing them together everytime is a little too much, even for my romance tastes. I don’t like overly romantic things because then it’s just cheesy.

I think, for a couple of days, I’ll be burrowed deep in this series. It has its claws on me, and there is no way I’ll be getting out of it anytime soon—or maybe never until I’ve known all there is to know. Until I’ve finished the whole series. *winks*

Onyx

So this book did not give me the same high I got from the first book, but I still liked it. Although my feelings are sixty per cent frustrated, twenty per cent annoyed and twenty per cent happy about what was happening.

Sixty per cent frustration went to Katy Swartz. I want to crawl inside the book and get in her face to demand, What happened to your judgment, girlie? It seemed like she’s too dense to read too much into Blake’s business. All the clues were there, but then she passed it as normal since they were the same and all that. Ugh. Since many chapters contain Katy and Blake, my frustration is right with them.

Twenty per cent annoyance goes to all of the characters and the climax. 

First, the characters, especially the Daemon, knew they were being watched by the DOD, but they seemed to not take that into consideration before they do something. They knew someone was watching, but they still appeared to be too careless. The aliens didn’t want the DOD knowing about Kat being aware that they’re aliens, but they’re showing off their abilities nonstop around her. They didn’t want the DOD to know about her mutation, but they didn’t give enough warning about her practicing out in the open. Ugh.

Second, the climax. It’s not much of a climax for me. It’s too simple, too dull to be called a climax considering the intense rising action. It’s like the two elements have switched places.

The last twenty per cent goes to happiness about what’s happening. Katy is finally spending a lot of time with other friends, and with Blake her Daemon time has lessened, too. It’s not that I don’t want some Daemon-Katy time—I do—but lessening it has also lessened the cheesy factor and the overly romantic feels. Lessening it added to my anticipation of their time together. Did I say that right? I hope I did.

I like this book, but I’m not very fond of many occurrences.

PS—Yes, a PS in a review. LOL. I really want to see Katy’s blog and I FRICKING WANT TO WATCH THE VLOG WITH DAEMON IN IT!

~ Zee

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Review ~ The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Synopsis:

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. 

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Purchase Links:

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Book Depository

Review:

I am not one to cuss too often, but while reading this book I’ve strung about a million curse words in my head which means I really liked this book (go figure). There’s something in the way Marie Lu writes that hooks my attention. She doesn’t write overly romantic scenes and she’s fricking good at fight scenes—the perfect combination I’m looking for in YA books.

The Young Elites is a dark story with twisted characters. As what my friend would say, it’s very hard to find someone to cheer on. I do not know why I really liked this book because I am not normally into dark reads and twisted characters. I must say Marie Lu is a really good writer. There’s not much romance in here, but the few romantic scenes made my toes curl in my feet. Marie Lu might not be comfortable in writing romance scenes, but when she does, she does it very intensely.

I like the world building. I’m never going to get tired of Renaissance-Italy-like setting, and this one is beautifully written. The details are good and I can see it clearly in my head as if I’m remembering it, not imagining it. The only thing I got confused about is the blood fever—where did it come from? That wasn’t quite clear in the book.

Adelina Amouteru is my kind of heroine. Some might not think she’s not a villain, but I say she is. Or rather, she will be. The Young Elites feels like the making of a villain, because I got the impression that this is just showing her story, how she became a very twisted person. It shows what makes a person a villain. There are times when she sounds very flat, emotionless, and I can’t decide what I feel about it.

Enzo Valenciano is a very driven character. You do not want to mess with him. He’s very harsh, but I love this guy. You don’t get a lot of emotions from him but I love him. I have no idea why. Perhaps it’s because of his driven nature, making him a great leader. Perhaps it’s because of the charms that he seems to have no idea he possesses. Perhaps it’s because of his loyalty to his friends (though he wouldn’t call them friends aloud). Perhaps it’s because he a no-nonsense kind of guy. Perhaps it’s because his intense personality. Perhaps it’s all of the above. So when Marie Lu decided to put him in a very dire predicament I almost threw my book across the room. I CANNOT accept it.

Teren Santoro. Oh, boy. At first I thought he’s the most sane character in here, seeming to have clear intentions and goals: to punish all malfettos in the name of the king. But then we get his POV and boy, oh boy, he’s even more twisted than the most twisted in the history of twisted characters. So many times I want to shake this boy so hard it’ll rattle his teeth and ask What is wrong with you? Please tell me what’s wrong with him.

Raffaele is my favorite character in this book. He’s a gentle soul, and he seems to be the most cheerful person—and nothing is cheerful in this book, so I think that’s saying something.

So what did I get in this dark story with very twisted characters? I got to see a story of pain, betrayal, and the story behind what makes a villain. Intense, dark, extreme and creepy, I had no choice but to turn page after page until there’s no more and all that’s left is the anticipation for the next book.

~ Zee

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