Bookworm Blogger #YA

Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Review:

This book has been on my TBR pile for ages. Finally, I wanted to read something different, and what could be more different than a ghost story with a twist.

Sadly I was left a little bit underwhelmed. I liked the premise of the story, a girl ghost saves a boy from drowning and thanks to his Seer skills he's now able to see and feel her.

The story is a narrative and deals with all sorts of complications. Amelia can't remember her last name, her family, where she lives etc. But most pointedly how did she die? And how can she and Joshua begin their relationship, complications notwithstanding.

I felt the flow of the story too slow in places. A few repeated emphasis' that could have been left out and a whole lot of extra filler which made the book stagnant. I actually wanted to reach the end just so that I could finish it.

The story itself started well and had me gripped to find out what was going on but by the middle of the book I got the impression that there wasn't much more story to tell. The evil bad ghost was even a little too - lame? And the ending was tied up nicely but not with a ghostly haunted feel to it, more of a fizzled out firecracker.

This isn't meant harshly in any way towards the book. It IS a sweet love story which I found refreshing and unique to the YA genre. I just wanted a little more action.

View all my reviews

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

THANK YOU TO NET GALLEY AND HARPERCOLLINS FOR ALLOWING ME TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Move over Suzanne Collins, there's a new Kiddie in town. Her name's Veronica Rossi and her book 'Under a Never Sky' will take you on a spellbinding journey which you'll never forget.

Synopsis:
Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Review:
This coming of age story is told from two POV's - Aria and Peregrine (Perry). What's interesting from the beginning is depth of the characters. Aria is a weaker individual who's lived in a pseudo world where she doesn't feel pain, suffering or anything really real. Perry on the other hand carries the full weight of life outside Reverie, he's an Outsider, and brother to the leader of the tribe, the Tides. Perry is strong, powerful, determined and compassionate towards his nephew.

But events unfold that will change the lives of both our main characters. A journey is travelled and growth is inevitable whether its bad or good. The weak become strong, and the stronger become...worldly.

'Under the Never Sky' is a such a wonderful treat for any age, not just Young Adults. The story will have you dipping and diving, praying and hoping. You heart will stop beating at least six times and as you reach the conclusion you realise that you can't wait to read the next installment.

Rossi's powerful writing will set alight any dystopian fantasy lovers...here's hoping they love violets too...

-Charlotte Black
bwormblogger.blogspot.com

View all my reviews

Review: Spirits Of Glory by Emily Devenport

Spirits Of Glory by Emily Devenport

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review: Author's request

How lovely to read about a girl who isn't tall, beautiful, and stunning in every which way. Far from it, Amber (Hawkeye) is a cripple though she does describe herself as 'a prettiness that surprised her'. She's clever and smart but unique.

Synopsis:
One morning the people of the North woke up and the people of the South were gone. That s the first thing every child learns on the colony world of Jigsaw. But for one girl, knowing about The Disappearance is not enough. Hawkeye wants to know why.

That's why she spent half her life researching The Disappearance. And that's also why eight Neighbors show up on her doorstep, demanding that she accompany them into the Forbidden Cities ruled by the Southern gods to speak with the Spirits of Glory. Everyone thinks Hawkeye is an expert on Neighbors, these almost-humans who move, talk, and think as if they were born inside one of the Time Fractures. But she can't imagine what they want to ask the ghosts of their ancestors, or why they need her to go along. The Southern gods caused every human inhabitant of the Southern cities to disappear overnight :&emdash; what else might they do?

But the Northern gods say Hawkeye should go and her curiosity won't let her refuse, even though she's going into more danger than she can imagine. Pain and puzzlement wait along the broken interstate, along with scavengers who want to kill them all. Hawkeye's questions only generate more questions as they move farther and farther into the South, right into the heart of the Disappearance, until Hawkeye's questions have all been answered.
Even the ones she was afraid to ask.

Review:
The first thing I'll say is that if you don't like Sci-Fi then this book isn't for you. Personally I LOVE Sci-Fi and this author's attention to detail is so far advanced that many inferior writers can never match it.

The blend of sentences and words wisping around to create this magical word of Jigsaw is very unique, almost akin to classic Sci-Fi more than modern but among those words and sentences is a story that will grab you in so you don't want to let go.

While I read it chapter by chapter I formed various ideas in my head as to what would happen at the end of the journey, and what twist Devenport would spring on us but I was wrong in each idea.

The characters are all crisp and well formed. I particularly liked the assistance animals and how much they helped Hawkeye, with the soft touch of her reading them 1001 Arabian Nights to go to sleep.

There isn't much dialogue in the story, and only a hint of romance near the end although Bertie does play a prominent part in Hawkeye's perception of things. But this is about the growth of one girl and how her world changes on her last journey.

A thoroughly wonderful read, I beg anyone to read it and enjoy.

View all my reviews

Review: Exiled by RaShelle Workman

Exiled by RaShelle Workman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Stubborn, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus of Kelari wants one thing, to become immortal, that is, until someone exiles her to Earth, kills her irrihunter and takes her family.

Now she wants revenge.

First she’s got to get home. But before she can return to Kelari, the Gods have commanded her to help an arrogant boy named Michael find his soul mate. Only she doesn't know the first thing about love.

Rather quickly, her inexperience with human emotion is obscured by other matters—alien-controlled psychotic teens that are out to kill her, and a government group that is set on capturing and dissecting her.

Worst of all, Venus will suffer a painful death-by-poisoning, thanks to Earth’s atmosphere, if she remains on the planet longer than one week. Still, Venus is a Princess and she's got a plan. Surely, with her help, Michael will fall in love with a human.

But time is running out and Michael is falling for the wrong girl—her.

Review:

I'm sooo disappointed. I've been waiting to read this book for so long but....

The writing was okay. In parts the dialogue was terrible. The teenage lingo-speak dialogue was cringe-worthy. The stereotypical high school elements were nauseating.

The only solid character in the whole book was Zaren. Solid, through and through. All the rest including Venus were so opaque it wasn't funny.

The story was so confusing and preposterious (especially near the end) that it made a good idea too complicated to read easily, I had to keep checking back to try and understand the story. Plus, large parts of 'tell' and no 'show'.

The romance was icky,and Venus was jumping off the walls every time Michael or Zaren were nearby.

Thoroughly disappointed and I love YA sci-fi. If you want to read a good book try Keira's Moon by Lizzy Ford or Elemental: The First by Alexandra May. So much better.

View all my reviews

Review: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever

Review:
I just finished it this morning! This means I read all three books in two days, and I even read this book while I was cooking and during the adverts of my TV shows!

So far, this is the best book of the series. If Crescendo didn’t hit you like Hush, Hush then this is definitely worth it.The story is amazing and brings together all the little hangy bits that have been left so far.

Nora grew up, plain and simple. During her months away and subsequent amnesia she lost all her fears and I think this alone perfected her character to be who we all wanted her to be. Strong, independent, opinionated (more than usual) and, most importantly, rational. Gone are all the uppity, selfish moments. She finally comes into her own and accepts what is happening around her. This is made even more difficult for her because she has to learn everyone’s secrets all over again.

Patch was amazing. I loved the chemistry so much more with these two. Becca really went to town on the tension this time and towards the end I was really hoping for… but anyway!

I truly felt like I could associate with Nora finally. She hates all the right people and accepts all the right people. She re-forms her friendship with Scott without worrying what Patch will think. She makes Patch understand it’s platonic and everything works out between them.

The ending was a surprise (again!) but I’m so glad it turned this way.

Yay for Nora and Patch!!!!

Visit Becca's website here for more Hush, Hush news!

View all my reviews

Review: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn’t been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperately searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts

Review:

When a book makes you really mad its because you really get involved with the storyline, or you really hate the story – full stop.

In this case, I really loved the storyline. I got SO mad at Nora countless times and finally saw the petulant teenager coming out that we weren’t exposed to so much in the first book.

Don't get me wrong. I love Nora. I wanted to find out how she would grow as a character and what would happen with Patch. Boy, was I in for a surprise?

Firstly we experience Nora’s emotional tantrums with Patch when he won’t tell her what his involvement is with Marcie. And for a fallen angel who’s …. years old, why exactly should he tell her? This makes her mad on numerous occasions, so much so that she asks him to quit being her guardian angel. Of course, we all know that no matter what happens, Patch will always have her back but it’s an exciting journey that we travel along with Nora’s POV. She also has her mind taken off Patch when Scott turns up. I was half expecting him to be gay, especially when he arrived at the dinner with a muscle ‘gym’ t-shirt and pink cap! I think the book description is misleading because I felt that Nora, in no way, fell for Scott!

So on to Patch. I didn’t like him much in the first book but the more I got into the story the more I liked him. As written earlier he’s old, so dealing with petty teenage emotions must have been a drain on him and no wonder he turned away. Except he turned to Marcie and although we see the story through Nora’s eyes, between the lines we can tell that Patch is only looking after Marcie and nothing is really emotionally going on. I liked Patch more when right at the last minute (and in only a handful of words) we realise that Patch saved Nora in the end.

Rixon really surprised me. I really wanted a strong settled relationship to happen with Vee and although it seemed headed in that direction the ending shot down and overturned everything I’d accepted to be true which just goes to show what exceptional storytelling the author gave us.

All in all, I was hoping to head in one direction but the truth is although I wanted to find out more regarding Nora’s father it wasn’t my hope that it would be the major storyline. Having said that, it all hangs in the balance now for a perfect book 3.

Visit Becca's website here for more Hush, Hush news!

View all my reviews

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a tough review for me as I'm currently sitting on the fence about a few issues with this book. Firstly, here's the ...

Synopsis
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review:
So. Firstly I liked Nora. She's a well grounded, inquisitive sixteen year old. Her friend Vee is a little OTT with all the sexual innuendo. Certainly if she was my friend I'd be telling her to shut up and accept me as I am. Vee Sky acts a little bit manipulative on occassions which I didn't think a best friend would really do. She certainly didn't treat Nora's opinion with grace.

Patch, as a leading male, is who I'm on the fence about. I've read a few reviews and LOTS of reviews gush about him. But I think he's a little bit too manipulative also. For most of the book I couldn't work out (through the authors descriptive writing) whether he was a good guy or bad guy. The switching of minds and opinions really through me. Even at the end I wasn't sure what EXACTLY was going on. So it troubles me that Nora could fall for a guy who chased her around a car in the car park, and then was rough with her at the motel. That kind of roughness doesn't sit well with me, nor should it have a place in a Young Adult book unless it holds a deeper warning for teenagers.

There were lots of religious references which didn't really come to much. But the actual Prologue and development of the story didn't really materialise until the end which I think could have been utilised more during the filler part of the story.

I'm giving this book a 4 but I think it's really a 3.5. There were a few unanswered questions that have been left hanging and I'm fine with that. But what really let this book down was the ending. To gloss over the whole 'what happened' when she finds herself back in her bedroom took away the whole flow of what could have been a gripping finale. Shame.

I'm reading Crescendo now. Review will be soon!