Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Synopsis:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Review:
Even though I didn't rate Shiver too highly I wanted to find out if the story really held water, so here is my Linger review.

Isabel and Cole stole the show in this sequel and I actually had laugh out loud moments. The relationship between Sam and Grace is more intense particularly as Sam doesn't change for winter but Grace begins to feel the stirrings of her new life. When she gets ill, everything begins to change.

I did like the POV's in this story and was glad Isabel shared some of the limelight. Cole is intriguing and definitely meant for Isabel.

But storywise, still not a great deal going on except for a lot of filler. A little bit too much drag for my liking. That said, it was way better than Shiver IMO.

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Review - Blood Promise (Vampire Academy 4) by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

by Richelle Mead

Synopsis:

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

My Review:

This book wasn't really up to the standard of the last 3. Rose disappears to Siberia to trace Dimitri's family and for my liking spends a little too much time dallying than getting on with what she must. We meet the Alchemist, Sydney, who shows that while she finds dhampirs, moroi and strigoi all unquenchably vile she's willing to accept Rose for what she is.
Rose eventually finds Dimitri but of course he's Strigoi. More time passes as she's kept prisoner by him. All he wants to do is awaken her. All she wants to do is kill him.
For me this is the ultimate in any love story and I can truly understand why Rose doesn't act immediately. She's still drawn to him even though he's the enemy. We see that her understanding of Strigoi changes as she tries to dampen her feelings towards Dimitri but cannot. 
Rose also delves into Lissa's mind and finds her friend has been picking up bad habits from a newbie at school. Lissa is suffering and needs Rose's help. This part of the story spoilt it as I think more should have been focused on Rose.
We're left with another cliff hanger which will lead straight on to book 5. 

Review - Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy 3) by Richelle Mead

4 out of 5

Synopsis:
Is Rose's fate to kill the person she loves most? It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason's death, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can't concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret .... She's in love with Dimitri. And this time, it's way more than a crush. Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever...

My Review:
The darkest book so far. Rose and Dimitri get much closer in this novel. Rose also has Adrian peering into her dreams. She's seeing Mason as a ghost, and she begins to realise what it is to be 'Shadow-kissed'.

Rose begins her field experience and falls short immediately. But she's too scared to tell anyone the reason why because no one will believe her. She visits the Court for Victor Dashkovs trial. The evil villian threats to expose her and Dimitri's secret but he starts baiting her with her shadowkissed past.

Eventually when she returns from the Court she confides in Dimitri after passing out on the flight back. Their relationship climbs to new levels and when Strigoi attack the school she starts to feel more like his equal. Except the worst thing imaginable happens to Dimitri and ultimately she must make a decision. Does she stay at school or do what must be done?

Brilliant story that will test your emotional levels to the max!

Review: Die for Me by Amy Plum

Die for Me by Amy Plum

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Right then...this is a toughy...but only because I've just read about 30 reviews caning the story for being a Twilight rip-off....I mean, honestly? First though here's the...

Synopsis
My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Review:
So, lets begin with the 'Twilight'ism's shall we?
To put it simply, there is no comparison with Twilight. Both books are written in 1st person POV, yes, but the writing style is completely different. Personally I think Twilight could have been written by an 8 year old. The language and use of English was appalling whereas Die for Me was written with depth, insightfulness and charm that is rarely seen these days. Often YA books tend to be too basic in the English but it's about time that authors starting opening teenagers minds to diversify and that's exactly what this book does.

What's lovely is that it's set in Paris - not America. How refreshing! The characters are all fleshed out, and easy to relate to - especially Kate.

The romance was gorgeous, and Vincent definitely gets the heart swooning. Plus all his revenant kinsmen are equally amiable. Charlotte is a delight and Georgia is a great feisty sister who alas gets in with the enemy by mistake.

The descriptions were beautiful and sparkling, with a true sense of Paris that was believeable and the essence behind the story was a new direction that paid off.

I have a couple of gripes though.
1) French people who speak English do not use the word 'gotten'. This is an American word. They would have said 'got'.
2) The word 'normalcy' crops up a few times. To my knowledge this is a newish word that has only been used in our modern lingo for the past few years. I'm pretty sure older people wouldn't use it.
3) Vincent's age. I'm pretty sure that he was nineteen, but then we're told he's eighteen. The way I understand it, its because when he saves someone and dies he then reverts back to his former age. Somewhere along the line this got confusing but I think its just me.
4) Overuse of the 'zombie' concept. Yes, we know they're not zombie's or undead or vampires or werewolves but why not settle on a trope that we get, like unofficial guardian angel (without the angel wings or direct line to god). The zombie comparison almost pulled the story in another direction that I didn't enjoy.

Apart from that, I loved the book. The subject of Revenants is discussed in length and if you have a look at history books there are plenty of examples of strange things happening throughout WW1 and WW2 to dead or dying soldiers that cannot be explained so this is an old concept with a new twist. It's so nice to read something that wasn't stereotypical.

I can't wait for the second book! An amazing read!

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Review - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

3 out of 5

Synopsis:

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding

My Review:

This book makes you realize how much the storyline in the first two depended upon the tension created by the love triangle. In Mockingjay, the author robs her readers of what they crave! By the end, everything is so messed up that Peeta vs. Gale became "OH snap. Who even cares anymore?" I couldn't help but be disappointed--it was so violent, everyone dies (I CANNOT forgive Collins for taking away both Finnick and Prim!!) and even though there is a nicely packaged epilogue, I wanted more...EXPECTED more out of this final installment. 

Bottom line: You have to read it, but don't spend money on it- wait and borrow it from your friend. And then fondly recall the first book.

Review: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Synopsis:

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Review:
I always wonder why authors spend so much time building up a setting and then completely switch to another for a sequel. I was all ready for another year at Hex Hall but, no, we're off to England to Thorne Abbey.

Once I get settled into my new abode (with the help of Sophie, of course) I actually liked it. All the English-isms were a little cliche (not all English people like fish and chips - i don't!) but I expect overseas readers will feel at home with them.

The story carries on a few weeks after the last book ends. But this time Sophie is in so much danger it's untrue. The author steps up the tension and suspense and with a smidgen of romance, Spellbound lives up to the expectations of Hex Hall.

Again, the story is evenly paced, clues drop in nicely every now and again, and I must admit, I thought the Dad was in on it so much to my surprise the twists are even better than the last book.

We have more of a love-triangle going on too as Cal enters the story in small doses, and Archer makes a welcome return.

All in all, I loved it, and couldn't put it down.

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Review - Frostbite (Vampire Academy 2) by Richelle Mead

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead

4 out of 5

Synopsis:-
Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…
It's winter break at St. Vladimir's, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy's crawling with Guardians—including Rose's hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn't bad enough, Rose's tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason's got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks… This year, St. Vlad's annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.
But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

My Review:

Rose Hathaway has great attitude! She starts by winding up her mother and Dimitri Belikov (her mentor) and pushes them both away. She feels rejection from Lissa who is spending more time with boyfriend Christian leaving little left for Rose. And soon she meets Adrian Ivashkov (who we all love!)
The characters start to get wrapped up in their own adventures and sooner or later Rose has to be the voice of reason. We see Rose start to grow up and think rationally (especially when Dimitri is concerned).
A follow up is always harder than the first book but Frostbite covers all the bases. The romance is gorgeous and beautifully written and the story doesn't stop from beginning to end.
Definitely a great read if you like the first VA book.