Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover


Publishers: Simon and Schuster UK
Published Date: January 5th 2012

From: Bought

My rating: 5 out of 5
Synopsis:
Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope. Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope. Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart

Review:
The First 20%
The first time I read this book I was so invested in it the first 20% became 50% before I knew it. Similar with the second time of reading. The story binds you in immediately and once you're in there's no going back!

The Main Characters
Layken moves from Texas to Michigan because of her father's death and mother's need for a job. Layken comes across as a young character that has seen too much of life already. She's experienced the death of her father, had to look after her brother but after six months she's still dealing with his loss. When Will comes along to meet her on her first day they instantly connect. I wouldn't say it was insta-love but they both share something.

When their friendship breaks down she does show off her naivety, we see that even though she's 18 years old her actions are of a hurt, peed off teenager. However, after a few more downers she springs back up and takes everything life throws at her like a trooper. She's resigned to accept that the one thing she wants in life, she can never have.

Will is a sound, solid, mature 21 year old. He's had to grow up unbelievably fast after the death of his parents, especially caring from his 9 year old brother. But everything comes to a standstill when he sees Layken drive up in the hired U-Haul. However, life doesn't play fair and both Will and Layken have huge hurdles to overcome. They work against each other initially but towards the end, when they are lowest of the low, they come together again and help everyone else around them.

The Story
The story was great. What I LOVED was the slam poetry. These moments in the book were very special, such moving words and feelings that youngsters shouldn't have to experience at their age, but each one does. The trials and hardships that Layken and Will face are huge but the person I really loved the most in this story was Eddie. Everyone should have an Eddie as a friend!!

The End?
Sad but resolute. Quietly happy.

Overall
I read this book about 3 months ago but didn't review it. The first time I felt like my heart was being torn out with a fork, and I bawled my eyes out. This time, even though I knew what would happen, a huge amount of sadness hit me but I was strangely calmly happy with the outcome.

-CBx
You can reach Colleen Hoover here:
 Facebook: Page
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Review: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter


The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Publishers: Harlequin Teen
Published Date: February 26th 2013
From: NetGalley
My rating: 3 out of 5
Synopsis:

Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity


Review:
I championed and loved the Goddess Series, and devoured all the in-between books also.

This book completes the series with a full on battle right at the end. Some of our favourite characters make it through, some do not.

I was a little disappointed with this book. I thought the storyline wasn't as strong as previous books. Henry just seemed to arrive on a cloud and attempt to rescue Kate as if it was just another day. He had 9 months to do it, why wait until that moment?

Kate and Henry have settled into marriage like any married couple, was I the only one who was expecting a few more fireworks into the blend? They just became ...average. Nothing sparkled, nothing jumped in me when they came into the story together.

Cronos is obviously the main enemy. Kate has an affiliation with him still, he in turn spent time looking after Kate's child, Milo, however I think because of this he wasn't as fearsome an enemy as he'd appeared to be in previous books. Again, we have Hera/Calliope as Queen Bitch. She's throwing all the daggers in Kate's direction again. All of the main characters change roles. We don't know who is on who's side.

Ultimately, this is a good book to finish the series. I wasn't overwhelmed with this one. The strength of the story seemed to fall short a little. But I'm glad it finished how it did.
-CBx
You can reach Aimee Carter here:
 Facebook: Page
Goddess Interrupted ReviewGoddess Test Review
Available from Amazon:

    
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Review: Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Publishers: Harlequin Teen
Published Date: May 22nd 2012
From: NetGalley
My rating: 2.5 out of 5
Synopsis:

I don't do dangerous.  

Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back.

Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me....


Review:
The First 20%
The first 30% were somewhat interesting - minus Sam constantly drooling over Bishop. We learn most of the story in this section.

The Main Characters
Samantha and Carly have been best friends since Kindergarten. A fact that is told to us no less than 3 times. I got it the first time! Once Sam meets Bishop they have this instant 'got to touch/want to touch/shouldn't touch' thing going on. It got a little sickening after a while that she couldn't think straight or coherently in his presence. For someone who claims later in the book to not really want a romance she certainly acts against her character. I thought her 'quirky' comments were a little forced sometimes and didn't get the impression of a 'natural' person underneath. When the Source suddenly declares that she is in fact Sam's Aunt I was surprised (when I shouldn't have been) that out of the blue Sam has all these fears and doubts about Bishop's quest, and decides to believe this 'so called' Aunt. There is a small back up story about her parents but it all seemed a little vague and flaky.

Bishop is supposed to be the swoony-worthy romantic interest. Honestly he just came over as a little annoying. His dialogue with Kraven was a little weak. Nothing original in their brotherly hatred of each other. One line near the end opens up the reason why they dislike one another but again it was vague. Bishop suffers through most of the book with the 'crazy's' thanks to an angel on the opening end that made him 'Fallen' and gave him a soul. And I swear the amount of  'shadows' that pass before or behind his eyes - he should be wearing sunshades permanently.

The Story
If I'm honest I think the story could have been crammed into three chapters max. The story hinges on Samantha and her quest to get her soul back. Bishop searches for the Source. But the Source was a little lame. One woman who was always in the same place, easy to be found, if Bishop had looked more closely. And the Source is also Samantha's Aunt.
I got bored of the same conversations that went round and around the characters in big circles. I also got tired of Sam narrating the same things again and again, and then again in later chapters. Editing maybe?
If you check my 'Angel' category, you'll see that I've read quite a few of the leading Angel books. This didn't really come close.

The End?
The ending is satisfactorily plot-finishing. However it does lead into a neat storyline for the next book.

Overall
I downloaded this book about a year ago on NetGalley but didn't get round to reading it. When the next book Wicked Kiss was available I figured I'd better read the first one. I was a little disappointed with the storyline, I thought it weak in places. Too much emphasis on the 'chemistry' between the two main characters which dragged on. I wanted to like this one but it just didn't gel with me. I hate writing bad reviews, it makes me feel guilty, but I must be honest...

Despite all the negative I will be reading the next book for story continuation...

-CBx
 


You can reach Michelle Rowen here:
Web   Twitter  Facebook  Goodreads

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Latest Blogs from our Favourite YA Authors - 28th December 2012






Here's a weekly round up of blogs from our favourite YA authors:
x


Is there an author you'd like to see updates from?
Just let us know and we'll add them to our list!
-CB xx
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Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Publishers: Razorbill
Published Date:  January 11th 2011
From: Bought
My rating: 5 out of 5
Synopsis:
A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming

Review:
The First 20%
I've had this book in my TBR pile for so long! I found the story quite difficult to understand from the first few pages. Not the going onto the spaceship and being frozen but the backstory. The Why. Told from two point of views-Amy and Elder-we get to know about Godspeed, it's purpose, and the lies that Elder is being told. He figures out a vital clue right near the beginning just in time to set his-and our-minds working through the truth and lies. The biggest question is who unfroze Amy, and why?

The Main Characters
Amy is quite a young character, a little naive. Born on Earth she comes from a life that we all know. Boyfriend, best friend, school etc. But Godspeed is so far away from anything she's known and right from the start she's confused. Her friendship with Elder isn't an easy one. Her friendship with Harley is better, and its through Harley that we grasp the finer points of life on Godspeed. Once Amy understands the environment and why the workers are they way they are, because of the drugs, she begins to take a stance. But the thing that drives Amy is that soon, one day, she'll be able to unfreeze her parents. She misses them so much, which is one thing that Elder can't understand.

Elder. Well, the whole concept of Elder/Eldest was completely creepy. But in no part of the story did I feel like I couldn't relate to Elder. I felt so sorry for him. He had a good childhood, of sorts, but where we arrive in the story is vital to him. He isn't supposed to question anything, but he finds himself questioning everything. And when he finds Amy all reason falls away. For someone so young, he was a great inspirational character. Only he's still the youngest person on the ship.

Harley really appealed to me. He's happy but then shows a really sad side. He'd amazed at the smallest things. I wondered what Harley would be like without the drugs but he really kept Amy together when she was falling apart. 

The Story
So, most of the occupants of Godspeed are given drugs to keep them compliant. I figured this out before it came up. The constant drug taking was something that didn't sit well, and in the end this factors into the downfall of Godspeed. Eldest has been leading the people for so long, but he hasn't been telling anyone the truth. He constantly lies to everyone, keeps them in order, allows a Season to interfere with his final plan, and constantly tries to bring Elder to heal. He's the ultimate dictator. Amy and Elder, with the help of Harley discover so many secrets that soon they're both on Eldest's list of people he wants to pop off. The creativity behind the story is awe-inspiring. It isn't so much the story itself but the processes that the author has put in place to help us understand life on a busted spaceship. The self-sufficiency, the history of the Plague, the creepy Elder/Eldest thing and the creation of the drugs. All these tiny threads weave a great story together.

The End?
Obviously there's another book after so it can't possibly be the end! However we do resolve a lot of issues in the final few pages.

Overall
I'm a sci-fi fan so this book initially appealed to me. I would say its for a younger Young Adult audience than Mature Teen. But, overall I would definitely recommend it!

-CBx
 

You can reach Beth Revis here:
Web   Twitter  Facebook  Goodreads

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Review: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay












The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Publishers: Atria Books
Published Date: November 13th 2012
From: NET GALLEY
My rating: 4 out of 5
Synopsis:
I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

Review:
The First 20%
From the initial first few pages you get the gist that Nastya's hiding a huge secret. I found it a little difficult to relate to the characters or even find some semblance to piece them together. It actually took me until the teacher announced it in class to realise that Nastya doesn't talk. The narrative is very clever and is told from two point of views, Nastya and Josh's, and at first Josh came over as being a random character with only a few references to the girl who dresses like a russian whore. The incident with the shoe in the pavement was when the threads started coming together.

The Main Characters
Nastya isn't a likeable character in the beginning because she doesn't like herself. She's a complete loner, only wears black, slutty clothes at school and hides away when she's at home. She bakes cakes and biscuits alot and runs around her neighbourhood at nighttime. Gradually we're given sneak-peeks of who she is as a person and you start to grasp that her secret, the reason she puts up such a barrier against the world, is going to be awful. Her relationship with Josh comes along so randomly when she turns up at his house one night. She doesn't talk so can't answer any of his questions. As her barriers fall thanks to good friend Drew I wanted to constantly give her a big hug. In the end, after her self-destructive mechanism she is an absolute heroine in the truest sense.

Josh is someone that we all knew at school. In my head he was such a big, assuming, but quiet character. He didn't take any crap off anyone, he didn't mix well with others for the sake of it either. He was like a thirty-something in a teenagers body. His past constantly drives him and he's so afraid underneath his armour.

Drew, again, is someone we all know. A typical man-whore. Parties, drinks, then sleeps with any girl. Except when you get to know him you realise that its all just a lie. And there's a reason why he keeps his persona so open and out there. There's nothing like being spurned by love. Drew warms to Nastya, even though she gives him no reason to. He tries his moves and fails. But then he's so invested in trying to crack her that he and Josh form a united front and agree to help her.

The Story
The narratives keep the story flowing well. As Nastya becomes bolder around Josh and Drew her ability to keep up her pretence fades and she does become a nicer person. We're drip fed little morsels of Nastya's tragedy. Josh confesses much of his history all at once. But in hindsight it does open the book up once you know why one of them is so screwed up. Josh and Nastya try so hard to not have any physical relationship and when they succumb it ends up ten times worse between them. In fact it backfires completely. But most of the book you just feel so sorry for them and the shitty life hand they've been dealt.

The End?
Of course it has to get worse before it gets better, and it gets a lot worse for Nastya when she finally faces the murderer. I think the story reached its pinnacle but what I loved was Josh and Drew at this point. Their unreserved feelings for Nastya were so heart-warming. And in the final conclusion it ends where it should. A happy place.

Overall
To begin with I thought I wouldn't get on with it. This book is not a happy one. There aren't too many laughs or funny moments. And the premise is actually very dark right from the first page. Two screwed up teenagers who try to get along with life, and no hope of seeing a way out of the dark. The relationships flowed naturally, nothing forced. The family element was pretty special. But they coped so well in the end. It made me glad that they were glad!! Yes, this is a very good story, stick with it!

-CBx
 

You can reach Katja Millay here:
 Twitter  Facebook  Goodreads

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That Long?

My last post on here was in October. I'm so ashamed I let it go so long. My mother had a stroke in June and since then my priority has been her. I'm an only child and my father passed away a couple of years ago. I've still be reading, I've got through SOOO many books, but blogging hasn't been possible and I really missed it.
My mum is doing tons better, she has regular carers and I've moved back with my husband. Hopefully mum will make a good recovery, all the doctors say so.
So, Everyone I'm back now! Merry Christmas and here's to a great 2013!
Missed you, Charlotte Black xxx
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