Waiting on Lady Midnight

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, # 1)

By: Cassandra Clare

Expected Publication: March 8th 2016 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

786 pages

Genre: Young Adult (YA), Fantasy, Paranormal

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

Finally a cover release and a release date! YAY! Although, I have to say that the covers for The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices were much better in my opinion. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Waiting on P.S. I Still Love You

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, # 2)

By: Jenny Han

Expected Publication: April 21st 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

288 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of makes it so amazing.

I really loved To All the Boys I've Loved Before. I can't wait to read this sequel! What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Waiting on The Heart of Betrayal

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, # 2)

By: Mary E Pearson

Expected Publication: July 7th 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

496 pages

Genre: Young Adult (YA), Fantasy

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape . . . and even less of being together.

Desperate to save her life, Lia’s erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komisar that she has a magical gift, and the Komisar's interest in Lia is greater than either Kaden or Lia foresaw.

Meanwhile, the foundations of Lia's deeply-held beliefs are crumbling beneath her. Nothing is straightforward: there's Rafe, who lied to her, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom she always believed to be barbarians but whom she now realizes are people who have been terribly brutalized by the kingdoms of Dalbreck and Morrighan. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her very sense of self, Lia will have to make powerful choices that affect her country, her people . . . and her own destiny.

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

All Things Halloween Review - Mortal Heart

Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassins, # 3)

By: Robin LaFevers

Expected Publication: November 4th 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

480 pages

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!!!)

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

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*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has.

You guys, I am so sad that this series is over. I have absolutely fallen in love with this series and with these characters. I want more. Robin LaFevers has definitely made my list of authors to check out more of her work. Must do so immediately.

Before I discuss the book itself, I’d like to say that while I’m totally not complaining—I’m truly just happy to have been giving the opportunity to read and review Mortal Heart--but the egalley version I had used a special version of Adobe that I could only read on my computer. This super sucked because I had to put it down a lot more than I would have otherwise. I would have been reading it on my phone and kindle at every opportunity, but with the version it was that wasn’t possible. Again….not complaining….just commenting.

Mortal Heart had everything that I fell in love with in Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph plus some. I love the strong females that Robin LaFevers has created. This convent of assassins dedicated to serving Death. They’re all skilled in so many ways and smart to boot. Ismae and Sybella both have dark pasts filled with abuse from various men in their pasts. Annith has a past that includes abuse, but her abuse didn’t come from any man. I loved how real Annith was. Despite how much love she bears for her sisters at the convent, she’s insanely jealous that she hasn’t been called on to serve Mortain by going out on a mission of her own. When the abbess resorts to sending out a much younger novitiate, Annith decides that’s the last straw. She must confront the abbess as to why she has been passed over.

The answer that Annith is given—that she has been called to be the convents new Seeress—doesn’t make any sense to Annith. She hasn’t shown any particular skill in this area. The abbess is hiding something, but Annith just doesn’t know what it is. We know from the previous two books and the interactions that both Ismae and Sybella have had with the abbess that there is definitely something going on that she’s not sharing. There’s some deception involving her. Once we got to Annith’s story, I felt like the big secret wasn’t that much of a secret, but I wasn’t 100% confident in my guess either. I’m always happy when this happens—when the author can give me enough to let me feel like I’m ahead of the crowd, but keep me from being fully confident in my conclusions at the same time.

With each of these stories, I’ve been impressed with the romantic relationship that develops. Each time the romance has been slow building and based on much more than outward appearance. Substance and relationship is built before any major attraction is kindled or acted upon. Annith was “faster” than either Ismae or Sybella though (and yet slower at the same time). I absolutely loved Annith’s relationship. This whole aspect was much more of a mystery than the previous two books and so I won’t even tell you the name of Annith’s significant other just to keep you in suspense. Just know that I LOVED this part.

As I’ve mentioned in both reviews of the previous two books, Robin LaFevers chooses each word specifically. She doesn’t just write and hope everything fits and makes sense. Each word is handpicked—or at least appears that way. This adds an authenticity to the series that puts it on a whole new level than it would have been otherwise. While period language can cause me to stumble over sentences when reading the classics, this just doesn’t happen with her. Her sentences flow in just the perfect way. I love how much actual history she brings in, yet tweaking it to fit her own needs to move the story along.

But perhaps my favorite aspect of this entire series is the relationship that these girls have with their god. While I’m always hesitant when reading books that aren’t about God, I hate when books throw in the fact that a specific character doesn’t believe in God at all. And the relationship that these girls have with the god of Death is so symbolic that I couldn’t help but think Robin LaFevers was writing about the Christian’s relationship with God. My favorite quotes always revolved around each girl’s interaction with Mortain, and I loved the symbolism that I pulled out of this book (whether it was what Robin LaFevers intended or not).

Once again, here are too many of my favorite quotes--I couldn't stop:

-...Mortain is a far more gentle god than most people give him credit for...

-...compassion is as different from pity as as a feast is from crumbs. Compassion says that I, too, have felt this and I offer you the knowledge that it can be endured so that you may draw strength from that knowledge and survive. Whereas pity--pity makes one feel smaller.

-He simply plucked the arrow from his chest, then bowed and thanked her for reminding Him that love never comes without cost.

-Wholly bathed in sin, and still seeking redemption in spite of it. It puts my own smaller sins in perspective and makes me proud to serve a god who is so forgiving.

-"I am just overwhelmed by the immensity of Mortain's grace. That even if we are lost or wandering, He will find us--always, He will find us--and try to bring us home."

-I try every way I know to lever my body against his, to upset his balance or cause him to shift, even a bit. But every time we touch, it feels far too much like a caress. Every time our bodies slam into each other, it feels like an unspoken promise.

-I do not have a specific prayer I wish to recite to Mortain. I never do. It has always been my custom to simply open my heart to Him so He may see and know all I that I am feeling--the good along with the bad, my grand thoughts as well as my small ones. I do that now, and peace washes through me, clearing me of my doubts and renewing my sense of purpose.

-I pray so that I may know my heart.

-It is hard to tell if that is a note of anguish I detect in his voice or if it is merely my own longings reflected back at me.

-...this cold, calculated desire for revenge I hold in my heart feels much more human than divine.

-As I tell my tale, I realize he listens to me in a way that few others do. I can feel him listening, and I fear he hears things I do not even know I am saying.

-"Jealous? Of that old man? Nay, it is just that if anyone is to hunt you, it should be me."

-"I do not want a love if I must bind it to me in such a manner, for does not the very binding of it make it less like love?"

-And most important, I will teach them how to love, for in the end, that has been the greatest weapon of all. It has proven stronger even than Death.

Mortal Heart gets 5 stars from me. This may just be my favorite in the series, which is pretty odd for me to enjoy the last book better than the first. It was a brilliant series ender that answered all of my questions while leaving me wanting more too. I sense a book hangover because of this one. Have you read Mortal Heart? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - Blood of My Blood

Blood of My Blood (Jasper Dent, # 3)

By: Barry Lyga

Published: September 9th 2014 by Little, Brown

464 pages

Genre: YA, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Crime

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Jazz Dent has been shot and left to die in New York City. His girlfriend Connie is in the clutches of Jazz's serial killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the floor of Jazz's own home in tiny Lobo's Nod. Somehow, these three must rise above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son?" Who is the true monster?

The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.

In my review of Game (Jasper Dent, # 2), I said that since Game ends in a 3-way cliffhanger I would suggest having Blood of My Blood ready for you to pick up immediately upon finishing Game, but I’ve decided that I want to recant that statement. At this point, I suggest giving yourself a day or two to digest and rest before picking up Blood of My Blood. And I say that because Blood of My Blood is action-packed from start to finish in an great but exhausting way. Blood of My Blood does pick up exactly where Game left off, but so much happens in this book that you might just need a few days to gather yourself before really stepping in the brilliant madness that is Blood of My Blood.

Discussing briefly where Game ended, Jazz has been shot and left for dead by Hat in the storage unit. Connie has been captured by Billy. And Howie pulled a gun on Jasper’s aunt, Samantha, which backfired on him and he was knocked unconscious. It’s almost difficult for me to even discuss those things like that’s where Blood of My Blood began because it feels like six books ago that all of that happened compared to where things ended. I will say that if you felt sorry for Jasper, for his upbringing, for what he’s witnessed, for what he’s experienced, and for what he’s terrified of becoming…up until now…well you have no idea. There is so much I want to say, but all I’ll allow myself to say is that Jasper’s upbringing, his experiences, what he’s been through is so much more evil and twisted and wicked than I even imagined—and growing up witnessing torture and murder over and over again is pretty hard to imagine.

Where I Hunt Killers and Game had frequent appearances of the secondary characters, Blood of My Blood is so much more heavily focused on Jasper, Billy, and Jasper’s mom (who we found out in Game is still alive). The side characters, Connie, Howie, G. William, and Hughes make repeated appearances and even narrate occasionally, but nothing like the previous two books. I missed them, but Blood of My Blood is about Jasper and his family unit above all else. Jasper knows that he’s the only one who can stop his father, because it’s taken the police 20 years and they still haven’t captured Billy Dent, but also because Jasper knows how Billy thinks. And Billy wants Jasper to find him.

My heart broke for Jasper over and over and over again throughout this series, but most frequently throughout this book. Every single time I would think he could handle no more, something else was thrown at him. Something else was worth grieving over. Something else was taken away from him. But at the same time, neither I nor Jasper really had time to process any of it due to the speed and pacing of the events.

I will say that Jasper fits into that category of heroes that have literally been beaten to a pulp, put through the wringer and yet continues to press on above and beyond all natural possibilities. Jasper shouldn’t have been able to stand after everything he’d been through. All of that was a stretch on reality, but the body is capable of extremes beyond what we can imagine when put to the test.

Favorite quotes:

-“Hush, Daddy’s thinkin’.”

-“…I’m the only one who can do what needs to be done.” What needs to be done. Five simple words. Monosyllables. Nothing exceptional or special about them. But when Jazz strung them together, polychromatic spatters erupted behind Connie’s closed eyelids. “You can’t kill him.” She hated herself for saying it. Days ago, before she’d ever met the man, she had fantasized Billy Dent’s death. She lusted for it even more deeply now. But not at the expense of Jazz.

-“Remember what I told you before? If you kill him, he wins.” “And I told you: If I kill him, he’s dead.”

-“…The cops will come to you eventually. It’s better if you can’t tell them anything.” “I wouldn’t squeal on you.” Howie pouted, even though Jazz couldn’t see him. “Yes, you would.” “I totally would,” Howie admitted. “I’m weak. I lack character, Jazz. That’s my problem. That’s always been my problem. I blame my mother. For coddling me.” He thought for a second. “And I guess for carrying the hemophilia gene in the first place, too.”

-“You’ve fulfilled your service. Your utility is at an end. Pawns are always sacrificed before the game’s end. When we next meet, you will witness your last vista, hear your last cry, weep your last tears. You will take your last breath.”…”When you die, […], it will be ugly. I promise you that. And I also promise you that I will be a little sad at that moment. But only a little bit.”

-It was like playing checkers, only to learn that your opponent was playing chess all along.

-What happens to the sidekick when the good guys goes off the rails?

-”There isn’t enough space on your body for the tattoos, man.” Jazz shook his head. “We’re not trading here. This isn’t I do something for you, you do something for me. This is hard-core friendship. Varsity level. This is me asking you to do something for me without getting anything in return. This is friendship, Howie.” … “You just have to ask yourself, Howie: Do you need to be repaid or not?” Every piece of him cried out to say yes, to demand that in return for what he had done and would do that Jazz give up now and live.

Blood of My Blood and the entire Jasper Dent series is brilliant. It’s madness. It’s heartbreaking. It’s stomach churning. It’s not for the faint at heart. And it’s not for those who like happy little books, with pretty little endings. Now, I’m not commenting on the ending at all. Just know that overall, this book and this series has exceeded my expectations in every way. Blood of My Blood gets 5 Stars from me. Have you read Blood of My Blood? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - Game

Game (Jasper Dent, # 2)

By: Barry Lyga

Published: April 16th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

520 pages

Genre: YA, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Crime

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Billy grinned. “Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”

I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jazz, the son of history’s most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent.

In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case. And now, when a determined New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz’s door asking for help, he can’t say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple–and its police force–running scared. So Jazz and his girlfriend, Connie, hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer’s murderous game.

What to say? What to say? If I Hunt Killers is the Dexter of the Jasper Dent series then Game is The Following of the series. We know that I Hunt Killers ended with Japer’s father, Billy, breaking out of prison. We know that he had to have help in his escape. And so we know that Billy possibly has a fan club like Joe Carol from The Following even if Billy’s helpers are not essentially a cult.

Game, itself, felt like a much slower book than I Hunt Killers. With coming in over 500 pages, I’m not really surprised that Game felt like a longer and slower book; however, it was more than just length. The pacing really was much slower. And even when I was completely interesting in figuring out what was going on and knowing what was going to happen next, Game still felt like an easy book to put down.

The characters that I fell in love with so much from I Hunt Killers were present: Jasper, Connie, and Howie essentially. But even Billy is such a charismatic character that while knowing he’s utterly evil, I can’t help but enjoy his presence in the book when he’s actually present, in Jasper’s memories of him, and in the running Billy-commentary that Jasper has going on in his head. Jasper’s so real as a character. He still battles wondering if he’s going to snap and turn into his father at any moment. He’s still haunted by his memories, his past, and his potential. Connie is as supportive as ever—maybe even more so in Game than in I Hunt Killers. I don’t remember any sections of I Hunt Killers being narrated by Connie so that was a nice addition to Game. And I loved her faith in Jasper, her love for him, and her willingness to do just about anything for him—even taking on--or possibly leaving--her family. However, Connie had several parts where I wanted to smack her in the head and tell her that she was being reckless and stupid. Howie wasn’t as present as I wanted him to be, yet there were plenty of parts that had me chuckling to myself. Howie brings the humor to this book and this series. He keeps things from getting too intense with his typical teenage boyness and his struggles with his hemophilia.

As far as plot goes, I felt like Game was pretty brilliant. In some aspects, I had certain things figured out WAY in advance, but other things took me a while to piece together. I felt both really smart for figuring some pieces out and really stupid for missing some things that now feel more obvious. I think that might have been exactly the way Barry Lyga planned this book. You don’t want to completely frustrate the reader, but there has to be something they don’t get at the same time because being too predictable is the worst. I highly enjoyed the plot for Game and how it appears to play into the overall plot of the series. Yet as I mentioned earlier, the pacing was a bit slow.

I feel like it’s worth noting because apparently some readers HATE this, but Game ends in like a three-way cliffhanger. The reader is uncertain of every single character and what’s going to happen next with our favorite ones. But I’ve already started Blood of My Blood and it picks up immediately where Game leaves off so no worries there. I would just suggest perhaps making sure you have Blood of My Blood available to dive right in as soon as you finish Game.

My favorite quotes:

-“…I never met Mrs. Dent, but I know she must have been a good person because I’m pretty sure Billy Dent didn’t raise Jasper to rescue helpless hemophiliacs from bullies.”

-“Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been thinkin’ that someday you’re gonna crack and end up like your daddy. And you’ve been looking for proof that you won’t. What you don’t realize is this: The lookin’ is the proof.”

-He figured he cut a pretty dashing figure in his jeans and heavy shirt. And gloves. And hat. Not like a page out of a catalog or anything, but it showed how he thought ahead. He was prepared. Women dug guys who were prepared.

-“Howie, you’re the same age as my nephew.”
”Actually, I’m six weeks older.”
She shook her head. “It’s not going to happen.”
”You say that now.”
”I do.”
”We’re both two lonely people,” Howie said seductively, “trapped in a world created by Billy Dent.”
Samantha howled with laughter. Howie figured that wasn’t a good sign.

-“Dude! You hit on my aunt!”
”That depends on how you define ‘hit on.’”
”You totally hit on my aunt.”
”Was that wrong? Was I not supposed to do that?”
”You should think about what you just said. Think about it, Howie.”
”I’m just not seeing where I went wrong. For an older woman, she’s got a nice body, and she must moisturize like a mofo because her skin is—“

-“Watch it. That’s the mother of my illegitimate children you’re talking about.”

Also, I feel like it should be noted that I normally hate dialect, but I rarely even noticed it in either I Hunt Killers or Game. As a matter of fact, Barry Lyga did dialogue so well that I actually enjoyed it. It wasn’t always present. It wasn’t over the top. And I don’t know any other writer who could use “they’d’ve” and get away with it. But Mr. Lyga pulled it off.

Despite the pacing, I feel like Game has the makings of a brilliant book in a brilliant series. Even though I feel certain Game will probably be my least favorite in the series, Game gets 4 Stars from me easily. I can’t wait to see how things wrap up with Blood of My Blood. Have you read Game? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - I Hunt Killers

I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent, # 1)

By: Barry Lyga

Published: April 3rd 2012 by Little, Brown and Company

359 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Horror

Source: Borrowed from my local library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

Fans of Dexter...I Hunt Killers is the book for you. Husband and I haven’t quite finished watching Dexter (at the time of writing this review, by the time this review goes live we will have finished it), but we’re about a season and a half out from finishing. Because we’re in the middle of the show, I couldn’t help but spot similarities of I Hunt Killers with Dexter. While Dexter’s father wasn’t a serial killer but a cop, he still taught Dexter how to evade getting caught. Jasper’s father was also teaching his son how to be a killer and how not to get caught. But while Dexter’s father taught him how to evade capture by thinking how the cops think, Jasper’s father did it by taking him along on his kills. From the way Jasper remembers it, his father seems to have turned every situation into a teaching experience. And so even though Billy Dent isn’t a model father, he had the teaching part down pat.

Because Jazz knows how a serial killer thinks, it was easy for him to spot how a recent murder in his small town of Lobo’s Nod fit the bill for a serial killer and that there would in fact be more murders. Local sheriff, G. William, has taken a personal interest in Jazz’s life. Despite that, G. William finds it difficult to believe Jazz’s serial killer theory. This causes Jazz to branch out and do his own investigation. Eventually G. William sees Jazz’s point of view and enlists Jasper’s particular knowledge of his father’s murders to help solve the case.

More than the story itself, I Hunt Killers is character driven. Jasper is understandably affected by everything he experienced and witnessed at the hands of his father. He’s paranoid about what the town thinks of him which is also understandable. Anyone would fear being thought of as a killer when their father turned out to be one of the world’s worst and taught you everything you know at the same time. Jasper subconsciously seeks to find the killer in this instance in hopes of proving his own innocence. Jasper’s character was so psychologically well-thought out by Barry Lyga. Every action he takes, every thought he has serves a psychological purpose. Jazz is a complex and brilliant character.

But Jazz would be nothing without his sidekicks. His best friend, Howie, is a hoot. Howie is a Type A Hemophiliac. This is a genetic deficiency involving the blood’s clotting factor which increases bleeding. Because of this, Howie is well…fragile. He’s prone to injury, and normal injuries can prove to be much more serious for him than most. Howie is Jazz’s go-to partner for any illegal investigating and such. Howie always has Jazz’s back and they’ve been friends since before everyone found out about Jasper’s father. Howie stuck by Jazz during the transformation period from popular to pariah. Howie was a great character and an awesome best friend. Plus he actually caused me to laugh out loud at one point which is always a bonus for me.

We can’t forget about Connie—Jazz’s girlfriend. Connie and Jazz form a bi-racial couple, and I loved the added tidbit that Connie’s father wasn’t happy about the pair. Connie wasn’t as supportive of Jazz’s extracurricular investigations, but I didn’t mind that because she came from a place of being genuinely concerned about Jazz. Connie has Jazz’s best interest at heart. She wants him to be safe. There was a period when Jazz talks about Connie being a “safe” choice for him to date. I went through a period of time wondering if the fact that Connie was a “safe” choice meant that Jasper didn’t really have true feelings for her, but that wasn’t the case at all. All in all, I loved Jasper and Connie’s relationship. Have no fear though, this relationship, while present, doesn’t overtake or overshadow the story at all.

I’m not sure that there were any too big surprises or plot twists. There was one thing that I didn’t predict, but I wasn’t blown away or shocked by it as I might have been. Yet, I Hunt Killers leaned towards being one of those books where I didn’t feel the desire to figure everything out because the process of experiencing this book was just so stinking enjoyable.

I Hunt Killers is just about as well done as a book can be. It’s YA so there’s nothing too graphic. There is mention of some intense subjects considering we’re talking serial killers here and serial killers don’t really have personal boundaries. There’s a little bit of romance, a little bit of mystery, a little bit of humor, and a lot of psychology. I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it. Fans of the TV shows Dexter, The Following, and even the short-lived Cult will probably enjoy I Hunt Killers. Ultimately, I’m giving this one 4.5 Stars. Have you read I Hunt Killers? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - The Evolution of Mara Dyer

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 2)

By: Michelle Hodkin

Published: October 23rd 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (first published March 1st 2012)

544 pages

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal,

Source: Personal Library (Christmas present, thank you Mom!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know.

Goodreads description--Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.
She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.
They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.
She’s wrong. In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

First off...the covers for this series are brilliant. I love, love, love, love, love them!

So I really loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer right? But there was this one part at the end that totally just threw me out of whack and kind of tainted the whole experience for me. Well I guess if you're reading this then hopefully you should have read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, if not, I'm about to discuss the ending, so stop reading please. :) Thanks. Basically Mara flips right? And she finds herself about to purposefully inflict pain (aka death) and Noah's all like "Mara, if you do this, you won't be the girl I fell in love with anymore." And yet she chooses to proceed anyway. And so it ends where I'm not happy or proud of Mara, I don't know if she and Noah will survive this event, and well that just wasn't the cliffhanger ending I was hoping for. So truth be told, that ending had me not the least bit excited to pick up The Evolution of Mara Dyer. But guys, all of that fear and dread was unnecessary. The Evolution of Mara Dyer was great.

Michelle Hodkin does a great job in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer making you, the reader, uncertain as to whether Mara is actually crazy or not. She's an unreliable narrator. You want to believe that she's sane and all of these crazy and supernatural things are happening to her, but you're just not sure for a large portion of the book. And I wasn't sure this was even possible, but Michelle Hodkin finds a way to make me still question Mara's sanity in The Evolution of Mara Dyer too. I suppose as long as Mara is never fully convinced that she's sane the reader will question it too. But Michelle Hodkin did a great job in this aspect.

I feel so bad for Mara. She's up against some huge odds. She's got a lot of whacky, supernatural things happening to her and around her. And because of the traumatic events of her past, her parents, the authorities, basically everyone but herself and Noah have the perfect out--she's crazy, right? They don't have to listen to her. She can't warn them. And if she tries, she just sounds more crazy than they already think she is. It's a recipe for the perfect storm.

Luckily Mara does have Noah. I was so worried that their relationship would be down the tube with Mara's decision from the end of book 1, but Noah isn't willing to give up so easily. He's going through the same thing Mara is but without the added pressure of a couple of deaths on his head. He's her biggest source of strength and I love how fiercely he loves her despite the moments when he might want to strangle her. I loved how their relationship isn't where it once was. They are indeed on rocky soil, but it's not exactly for the reasons that I was fearful of in the beginning.

As I said in my review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, it was so refreshing to see an entire, intact family unit. Mara's parents are both present and both working to do whatever they can to help Mara with the limited information they have. I love both of Mara's brothers. Joseph and Daniel, but Daniel is by far my favorite sibling character that I've ever read. He's always got Mara's back, but yet he doesn't fully believe her either. When Daniel goes to family day at Mara's outpatient counselling facility, I fell in love with Daniel just a little bit more. You can tell he's fully supportive of Mara, and he put all of himself seriously into the family assignment he was given. I just can't rave about him enough.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer was a mysterious book. I didn't always know which way was up, but I think that's exactly how you're supposed to feel while reading it. I address Michelle Hodkin's writing style when I wrote my review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and I found myself feeling the same way in The Evolution of Mara Dyer as well. While her writing isn't as lyrical or poetic as Lauren Oliver, Maggie Stiefvater or even Tahereh Mafi, Michelle Hodkin has a depth to her prose that makes her sentences flow from one to the next just beautifully. Since I have physical copies of this series, there was no highlight or note taking, BUT I've started taking pictures with my phone to catalog the passages I want to keep. And I took about 15 pictures.

My favorite quotes:

-I was drawing on construction paper with crayons. It wasn't my proudest moment.

-"I want to kiss you," I whispered instead.
He angled his face closer, lower down to mine. But not to my mouth. To my ear. "I'll allow it."

-Noah wrapped around me as he unwrapped me with his mouth. Our mouths were fluent in the language of each other and we moved with one mind and shared the same breath.

-"There will be a moment when there's nothing you want more than us. Together. When you're free of every fear and there is nothing in our way,"...

(continuing this through the end of the page, but I'll leave that to your imagination)

-She isn't the only one changing. Every day she shapes me into something else. ...I twine myself around her like moss on a limb; our heartbeats synchronized and we become one twisted, codependent thing. She brings me to heal with one look and I hear an aching violin, a cello's low swell. It hums beneath my skin; I want nothing more than to devour her, yet I do nothing but clench my jaw, press my lips to her neck, and savour the tremor in her chord. After a while, it softens at the edges as she slips into sleep. Her sound is a siren's song, calling me to the rocks.

-"Get a meadow"...

One of my favorite quotes I can't share. :( But it has something to do with some weirdness being afoot.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer is intense. It's mysterious. It's emotional. And I loved every page of it. The Evolution of Mara Dyer gets 4.5 Stars. I can't recommend this series enough. Have you read The Evolution of Mara Dyer? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - Illusions of Fate

Illusions of Fate

By: Kiersten White

Published: September 9th 2014 by HarperTeen

288 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray.

I went into Illusions of Fate with relatively low expectations. I don’t really have a reason why I had low expectations, but I just wasn’t expecting much from this book. Illusions of Fate is my first Kiersten White read even though I’ve owned Paranormalcy for quite some time. First let me say that having read this book, I think the cover is so fitting. The tea cup and the black birds. Plus I like the fact that the cover model is shadowed. In Illusions of Fate Jessamin is described as being darker skinned than most of the people around her because she comes from a different country (an island country), but I wasn’t sure how dark skinned Jessamin is. So just having the cover model shadowed a bit gave me the same kind of impression as the book did.

I don’t know where the book description of “Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare” came from for this book. Illusions of Fate has a historical fiction feel so maybe that’s where the Downton Abbey comparison came from, but I’m not sure. When I heard Downton Abbey I was thinking the serving class having their own dramas underneath the first class and their dramas. While there was some class distinction, Illusions of Fate doesn’t remind me of Downton Abbey…at all. I think that comparison makes no sense. As for Cassandra Clare…I don’t know. Maybe that’s more accurate, but only slightly. There’s supernatural. There’s magic. But there isn’t demons or vampires or angels. The writing styles didn't even feel similar to me either. In Illusions of Fate there’s familiars and spells and curses. But again, I don’t think “Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare” is an accurate description…at all.

Jessamin as a character was pretty relatable. She’s from Melei which is an island known by the Albien’s as being fairly primitive. So she’s looked down upon by her peers. She came to Albien as a student. And her classmates don’t associate with her because she’s looked upon as being less. She works in a hotel kitchen run by her cousin so the guests look down upon her too. But she catches the eye of a nobleman, Finn, and he sees past her social class and race. Unfortunately because Finn has notice Jessamin, so has Finn’s enemies. Finn himself was easy to get caught up in. Although, I had a hard time picturing him as being only nineteen years old. He describes himself as the “oldest nineteen-year-old alive.” Yet I still had a hard time reconciling nineteen with his character. I think even his early twenties would have made more sense. He felt older, and since his age only came into play when Jessamin asked him how old he was, this could have been a detail easily changed.

Jessamin and Finn’s relationship built slowly. They had an initial attraction and maybe Finn’s shadow self was a bit hasty, but it took longer for Jessamin to come around. In this aspect, she felt a little dense considering how clever she’s repeatedly described to be. I worried for a bit if we’d have to deal with a love triangle, but that was never really a problem.

My only real problem with Illusions of Fate centered around the ending. It wasn’t that it was a bad ending, but it felt a bit rushed. Some of the facts that came out toward the end of the book had me wondering if Illusions of Fate was going to turn into a series. I thought there would be no way to wrap up all of the loose ends with the amount of time left. Eventually I discovered that all of the ends were tied, but I would say most of them were hastily tied. And the resolution felt too easy. It didn’t bother me too much, but I would have been okay with a little more length added to this book in order to make the ending a bit more solid.

Favorite quotes:

-What nonsense is my heart pattering out?

-It makes a soul lonely when even your tongue has no home.

-“I have had a series of misfortunes since we met…”

-In place of comforting news about my marriageability and future grandchildren, please know I have adopted a bird.

-I’ve been making choices, but I haven’t been deliberate or thoughtful about them.

-“You forgot ‘dashingly handsome.’ Dear friend is nice but hardly covers the extent of my qualities.” Eleanor looks up from her own letter writing. “How did she describe me? Because I have always preferred my eyes to be referred to as the ‘color of a storm-tossed sea.’ If either of you were wondering.” “You did not fare much better. In fact, I think I am ahead. I am a ’dear friend,’ and you are merely ‘recently ill.’”

And though not part of the actual book itself, Kiersten White says in the Acknowledgements “First, always, thanks go to Noah. My shadow may stay put, but my heart couldn’t help but jump to you.” I just love reading acknowledgements. Does anyone else read those besides me?

My first Kiesten White experience went off better than I expected. I wanted to know more by the end of the first chapter and was officially hooked by about the 30% mark. Even though the ending was slightly too quickly and too easily resolved, I enjoyed this experience. And I’m giving Illusions of Fate 4 Stars. Have you read Illusions of Fate? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - The Fall

The Fall

By: Bethany Griffin

Expected Publication: October 7th 2014 by Greenwillow Books

400 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Gothic, Retelling

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Madeline Usher is doomed.

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.

The Fall, as the description says, is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I’m not very familiar with that specific Poe story. The only Poe works I’ve read are The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart. So I didn’t know much going into The Fall. However, I think that was a good thing because The Fall was unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

The Fall jumps around in chronology but is narrated by Madeline Usher with occasionally a few journal excerpts from a prior ancestor, Lisbeth Usher. The jumps in chronology help to keep the reader a little confused about what is really going on in this house and family. Essentially what we have is a cursed family. The entire Usher line is cursed, but there does seem to be a particular affliction for the female members of the line. Madeline has always been able to “hear” the house. She knows that it has its own consciousness. Madeline’s twin brother, Roderick, is terribly afraid of the house as a child, but he has never been as attuned to it as Madeline. When Roderick is sent away to school, he steadily leans on logic and distances himself from the house and the terrors he faced while living there. Because Madeline is so attuned to the house—as a matter of fact, she is the house’s favorite—Roderick in turn distances himself from Madeline as well. He refuses to believe. Madeline starts out believing that he house is protecting her, but over the years she learns to see the house for what it really is and it’s true intentions. It thrives on chaos, confusion, fear, and grief.

I felt so bad for Madeline. Her mother favors Roderick, but her father has a particular fondness for her—when he’s lucid. Eventually both parents die, Roderick lives at school and his visits become less and less frequent and the duration of each visit becomes shorter and shorter. The servants seem to think the curse is related to Madeline herself rather than the house. And the two doctors and the doctor’s apprentice who also live in the House of Usher offer no comfort or support. They poke and prod her with needles, studying her Usher blood, and chronicling her behavior. But she’s so utterly alone. And not just alone, but constantly living in fear.

Bethany Griffin’s writing style fit this story just perfectly. It wasn’t a style that blew me away with its beauty, but it was free-flowing, smooth, and fitting. Her writing had the appropriate amount of creepy, thrill, and mystery in keeping with an Edgar Allen Poe retelling for sure. I don’t know that The Fall could have been better or more suitably written.

My favorite quotes:

-Except, in this house, the secrets hide behind secrets, and tight places like this hole in the earth make my stomach clench with fear.

-The house rewards cruelty. It loves darkness and despair and death. And I am its favorite.

-He’s horrified by this place, by the things he cannot explain. And yet he leaves me here. At this thought, he turns, his eyes wide and surprised. He’s sensed my resentment, through the bond we share, but he won’t acknowledge it. He can’t, not when he’s already thinking of leaving.

-I blink over and over, holding back tears. My fingers come away from my cheek stained with blood. The house hurt me. My legs give out, and I collapse to the floor in a heap of skirts and anxiety. The planks of the floor grow unnaturally warm. I place my hands in my lap. I should have listened to Mother. The house was not trying to hurt me. No. It’s so big, it lacks finesse. It wants me to stay close, so it can protect me. I sit completely still, showing the house that I do not plan to leave it, not now, not ever. The blade of the ax quivers back and forth. I do not move. I sit, watching the ax. Letting the house know that I trust it.

-“The house is seductive,” Father says. “It reads our deepest desires.” But if that’s true, then why was Roderick sent away? Father laughs softly, still mixing the paint. “It doesn’t always give us our desires, Madeline,” he says, as though I asked the question aloud. Did I?

-He has been waiting; I’ve seen it in his demeanor. I understand waiting. But what he’s been waiting for isn’t me. He’s falling in love with the house. “I wish you’d come before,” I say. When I still trusted the house. Because I can never trust it now, and while he’s in its thrall, I can never trust him.

-There is safety in being cursed.

-”The house is speaking to you, isn’t it?” he asks. “Saying that it loves you most of all.” Is there jealousy in his voice?

-“The spirit of the house—the consciousness of it—gets inside our heads. It sees through our eyes and feels what we feel, especially moments of extreme emotion, moments of passion. Or grief. It loves grief.”

-There is no point loving the one who is cursed, is there?

-I have what I wanted. It is bitter.

The Fall was definitely a creepy read in keeping with what I know of Edgar Allen Poe. Since I’m not familiar with Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, I can’t tell you how accurate or true of a retelling The Fall is, but I can tell you that I enjoyed it immensely. It felt like the perfect Halloween type of read, perfect for this time of year. I struggled a bit with the ending. I don’t know how true to the original ending The Fall is, but it left me wondering what the point of the story was—other than just a super weird and interesting story. I’m still giving The Fall 4 stars. Have you read The Fall? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - Strange and Ever After

Strange and Ever After (Something Strange and Deadly, # 3)

By: Susan Dennard

Published: July 22nd 2014 by HarperTeen

400 pages

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Zombie, Horror, Paranormal, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.

*Sigh* I hate when someone I like and respect loves a book or a series, and I find that I just don’t connect with it for whatever reason. That seems like it’s been happening to me more frequently. Maybe I’m more exposed to book friends than ever before. Maybe it’s because of a starred rating system and just discussing books with my friends before blogging didn’t involve giving a book a rating. And maybe it’s because my tastes are changing. For whatever reason I just hate when it happens. I also hate when I love a book that one of my reading friends doesn’t. But as much as it sucks. It happens. I didn’t hate this series, but I didn’t love it either. And I find myself feeling relieved that it’s over.

I think the biggest reason why I struggled with this book was because I had a hard time connecting to the characters. Jie jumped to conclusions about Eleanor and her bond with Oliver simply because Oliver is a demon. Allison was never really likable in the past, even if she was making an effort now. Joseph was just as bad as Jie about his assumptions and prejudice against magic and Eleanor’s use of it. Daniel, Eleanor, and Oliver were each so all over the place all the time that I wasn’t ever sure what to expect from any of them. Eleanor & Daniel fight like no one’s business. They make assumptions. They judge each other. They both snap and pop off. And Eleanor and Oliver are the same way. Eleanor herself would be up one minute and down the next. And it wasn’t always a result of her use of magic that affected her like that.

And so yeah, maybe that’s a better explanation. I didn’t feel like anything was consistent. One minute Joseph was saying Eleanor’s use of magic was evil and the next minute he’s nodding his approval. One minute Oliver is in love with Elijah. The next minute he seems to be in love with Eleanor. One minute Allison is a friend to the Spirit-Hunters, and the next minute she’s been exacting her plan of revenge since the very beginning. One minute Oliver is scolding Eleanor for becoming more and more like Elijah (corrupt), and the next minute everything is hunky-dory and she’s saving the world with her magic with his help and guidance. One minute Daniel and Eleanor are madly in love. The next minute she’s pushing him away or he’s pushing her away. Or they’re both pushing at each other. Typically the reader needs to connect with the main character on some level and I just couldn’t. She was mean, snappish, a jerk, volatile, partially corrupted, an addict. Yet I’m supposed to see her as a hero?

I find that it’s extremely rare for me to jump ship on who I want the main character to end up with. This process was such a slow transformation for me throughout the series that I almost didn’t notice it was happening until I was an out and out turncoat. But I saw the pieces of this part of the story coming from a mile away at the same time. Strange and Ever After ended the Something Strange and Deadly series in exactly the way I would have hoped for it to end. But I still didn’t find myself connected.

Here…I’ll give you some examples of the places I was huffing and puffing in frustration or show what I’m talking about:

-”You are as volatile as Daniel is.” “Temperamental, perhaps,” Oliver admitted, swinging his gaze to me. “But only when you have earned it. Daniel is cruel whenever his feelings are hurt.”

-”Use me, Eleanor.” Oliver leaned toward me. “Betray me so that for that brief moment while my magic keeps you warm, you can pretend your life is not broken. Why, I bet if you try hard enough, you could even pretend your mother is still alive.” His words crashed into me. I rocked back on my heels, and all my guilt for mistreating him vanished. “Heal me,” I said. “Heal my woulds now, Oliver. Sum veritas.” …”You will push everyone away,” he growled beneath his breath. “Just like he did, you will lose us all.” … I stepped toward him. “I am not Elijah.” “Yet you are becoming him.”

-The further I sank into it, the less I had to feel. The less I had to think. Yet I could not seem to make the heady contentment come. It wasn’t muffling my troubles as it usually did. The magic was fading too fast—so quickly, in fact, that I feared there was a hole in my chest through which it leaked.

-”You cannot stay with us, Allison. You must return to Philadelphia. There’s no place for you here.” “No place for me here,” she said sharply. “Of course there isn’t. You are Eleanor Fitt. You do not want me now, just as you never wanted my company before.”

Eleanor who refuses to answer to the name “Miss Fitt” has told someone else that she doesn’t belong.

-It isn’t your fault, I told myself. It is Oliver who pushes your friends away.

-Perhaps Oliver was right: perhaps I did push my friends away—but it was not only me. They pushed back. From all directions, everyone wanted something from me. Oliver wanted his freedom, Allison wanted companionship, and Daniel wanted my heart. Jospeh was the only person on this ship who seemed to understand that all that mattered right now was Jie and Marcus. But even Joseph wanted me to stay away from necromancy—even Joseph made stupid demands regarding friendship and power that I could not meet. … But at least with no one telling me what to do, I would be left with the lone person who could kill Marcus and get this job done. Me.

-”My loss is part of me, El. I cope with it as best I can. But you?” His gaze roamed over my face. “You fight to keep what you cannot have back.”

-”What is the line, El? From A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Something about a spaniel…” “’I am your spaniel,’” I said hollowly, watching him cross the cabin. “’And the more you beat me, I will fawn on you.’” He snapped his fingers. “That’s the one. Except…” He pulled the door lightly open and glanced back at me with a pained smile. “I am not a spaniel, and the more you beat me, I will run.”

-”It amazes me how easily you forget all the darkness surrounding you, El. How blind you are to your own corruption.”

-”Remember this, El: not everyone who you invite in will wish to be there.”

For one reason or other, the only character I really ended up liking was Oliver and even that was tenuous.

As I guess you can see, I had some struggles and frustrations with Strange and Ever After and with the Something Strange and Deadly series altogether. I can’t say that I would really recommend this series to other readers. It wasn’t awful, but I just didn’t have much of a connection to it either. In the end, I’m giving Strange and Ever After 3 Stars. Have you read Strange and Ever After? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - A Darkness Strange and Lovely

A Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly, # 2)

By: Susan Dennard

Published: July 23rd 2013 by HarperTeen

406 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Zombies, Paranormal

Source: Won in a giveaway

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Darkness has come to the City of Light...

With her brother dead and her mother on the verge of insanity, Eleanor Fitt is utterly alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor begins to hear the vicious barking of hounds and see images of haunting yellow eyes, she fears the worst—that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are coming for her.

To escape and search out the Spirit-Hunters, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. Though friendly, Oliver entices Eleanor with necromancy and black magic, yet as long as she can resist his powerful temptation, she'll be fine. But when she arrives in Paris, she finds that the Dead have taken over the city...and there's a whole new evil lurking. With the body count rising, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will go against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for.

In Paris, there's a price for this darkness strange and lovely...and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.

In this spellbinding sequel to Something Strange and Deadly, Susan Dennard delivers a thrilling mix of intrigue, romance, and revenge, all set against the wonderfully enchanting backdrop of nineteenth-century Paris.

I started off A Darkness Strange and Lovely feeling really bad for Eleanor. Her only friends have moved to Paris, France. Her brother is dead and his body is possessed by a dead necromancer. Her friend Clarence died at her brother’s hands. She is alienated from all of her old friends from prior to meeting the Spirit Hunters. And her mother has pretty much lost all the marbles she had left and gone insane. Eleanor is broke and having to sell off her family’s possessions one at a time—furniture, dresses, everything. Daniel told her before leaving for Paris that he wasn’t in love with her. Oh and she had her hand amputated. Needless to say, things just aren’t going well for her at all.

When Marcus (the dead necromancer possessing her brother’s body) threatens Eleanor again, she knows that she can’t take him on alone. She needs the help of the Spirit Hunters and so she takes what little money she has left and buys herself a ticket on a ship to France. During the process, we learn that Eleanor is being pursued by the guardians that keep watch over the veil between the Spirit realm and the physical realm. In an act of desperation Eleanor ends up binding herself to being of dark magic—Oliver. The description kind of led me to believe that Eleanor might start to develop feelings for Oliver which would put us into that lovely relationship shape that everyone complains about (love triangle). But that’s not really the case so no worries if that’s one of the things holding you back from starting this book. Oliver and Eleanor do develop a bond and a friendship of sorts, but it isn’t romantic.

Because Oliver is a being of dark magic, Eleanor keeps getting pulled into her own bits of necromancy. She begins to taste of the darkness that is both strange and lovely and thus begins down a dangerous slope that could get out of control at any moment. She feels the draw to use more and more magic despite the consequences. Eventually she arrives in Paris, but she decides to keep her relationship with Oliver and her dabbles with black magic a secret from the Spirit Hunters because she knows they would not approve. But things aren’t always in black and white.

Of course, the Spirit Hunters HAVE to find out that Eleanor has been keeping secrets and lying to them. And she begins to alienate the only friends she has left. Still, I felt bad for Eleanor. She’s been through so much, and her friends don’t take much time to listen to her. But yet, I saw her making stupid decision after stupid decision.

The main villain of this book wasn’t much of a secret. As a matter of fact, almost everything that happened felt obvious to me which was a bit of a drag. I like being able to predict what’s going to happen…sometimes. But not all the time. And I LOVE when a book can surprise me. By the time I ended A Darkness Strange and Lovely I felt kind of “meh” over the whole thing. However, given a day of separation from it I found myself craving to go ahead and pick up Strange and Ever After so I could see how it would all end. As frustrated as I was with Eleanor’s choices and the predictability, something was pulling me back to this series.

I have to say that I’m getting a little bored with the typical trilogy arc and I sometimes feel like I should just skip book 2 altogether. Book 1 is the build up, and Something Strange and Deadly was definitely better to me than A Darkness Strange and Lovely. Book 2 is the lull—the filler—the bridge from book 1 to book 3. And well book 3 is where the overall arc gets the ultimate climax and resolution. So yeah…A Darkness Strange and Lovely definitely fell into this pattern. But here’s to hoping for that big climax and resolution in book 3, Strange and Ever After.

I had some frustrations with A Darkness Strange and Lovely, but I also find myself getting drawn back into the series since finishing this book. I can’t say I loved it, but I liked it enough to be glad that I read it. A Darkness Strange and Lovely gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read A Darkness Strange and Lovely? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

The Fine Art of Pretending - Review

The Fine Art of Pretending (The Fine Art of Pretending, # 1)

By: Rachel Harris

Expected Publication: September 30th 2014 by Spencer Hill Contemporary

256 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

The Fine Art of Pretending looked like a cute and harmless read. The Fine Art of Pretending is pretty much exactly what it’s advertised to be. I mean...makeover, finding yourself, pretend relationships, and more than best friends stories aren’t new. These ideas have been around for a while. And even though they’re mostly predictable, I find myself enjoying them almost each and every time. And with reading the description, that’s not too far off. I do think in high school—and maybe even after—guys can tell fairly quickly which girls aren’t going to be satisfied with quick and casual and which ones are looking for the long-haul, long-term relationships.

I can totally understand wanting to do the makeover and go from tomboy to feminine. I can see wanting guys to see you as a potential girlfriend in comparison to a friend-friend. I can even understand making a run at becoming more popular. I completely sympathize with trying to find yourself. Feeling like you’ve not been the best version of yourself that you can be. And shoot I understand not even knowing what version of yourself you’ve been and what version you want to be. But what I do not understand is wanting to be casual. I do not now nor have I ever understood casual relationships that you can take or leave. What’s the point? I don’t know. Maybe that’s just because I’ve always been a Commitment myself. But I felt like Aly was moving backwards as a character instead of forward for a large portion of the book. Granted, she eventually moves forward, but only after a trip around the world to get there.

Aly herself reminded me of myself in high school. Athletic. A tomboy. More comfortable in tennis shoes, t-shirts, jogging pants, and a ponytail than high heels, tight shirts, skirts, and hair in my her face. She’s friends with Gabie who’s on the dance team, but yet she seemed to have an edge to her. And then there’s Kara who is the typical girly-girl. I liked that Aly was friends with these girls and not just surrounded by boys. Yet, one of Aly’s best friends is Brandon. They’ve grown up together. They’ve been there for each other during some major life events. And Aly even crushed on Brandon several years back, but he just wanted to be friends.

I liked Brandon a lot, but I struggled with him too. On the one hand, it took Aly’s makeover and crazy plan for him to see her. But when he did see her, he couldn’t unsee her. Brandon like a typical high school and college aged male from YA/NA likes his relationships to remain casual. He has a reputation of not exactly being boyfriend material, and that’s because he doesn’t want to be boyfriend material. His excuse of seeing his mother heartbroken after his father’s death felt far-fetched to me. And flawed. He could have a friendship with Aly where he might even acknowledge that he loves her on the friend level, but he couldn’t have a relationship with anyone because relationships end? Yeah. I’m not buying it. If Rachel Harris had stuck to his desire not to ruin his friendship with Aly, I would have bought that more. And all it took was literally a sentence from his mom to change his perspective on that whole deal.

Another slight peeve of mine is name dropping. I feel like name dropping in books automatically dates the book. Brands come and go. And when they’re included in a book to make the character feel “in” with the current brands, then as soon as those brands are no longer popular then the book is outdated. The beginning of the book features an entire list of these, but just to name a few: BMW, Cartier, Charlotte Russe, Chuck Taylor, Clinique, Forever 21, Juicy Couture, and so on and so on.

The Fine Art of Pretending was one of those quick and easy stories that might give you some frustration but pays off in the end by being exactly what you expected it to be. Truthfully, there were times when I was more interested in Gabie and Carlos than I was in Aly and Brandon, and I hope that’s what the companion novel is going to be about. The Fine Art of Pretending gets 3 Stars from me. It was good. It was frustrating. Have you read The Fine Art of Pretending? What did you think? Let me know!

V is for Virgin - Review

V is for Virgin (V is for Virgin, # 1)

By: Kelly Oram

Published: December 11th 2012 by Bluefields (first published December 5th 2012)

360 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my sister-in-law, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When Val Jensen gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.

After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.

As if becoming nationally recognized as “Virgin Val” isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.

How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?

My sister-in-law recommended V is for Virgin to me because she loved the message of this book. And I knew that if she was so enthused about it then it would be one that I needed to pick up. She ended up loaning it to my sister before I got a chance to read it and my sister read 75% of it in one day. Another sign that this would be a book that I would enjoy. And well…it was. When I finally got my hands on V is for Virgin I devoured it. I feel like there is absolutely so much good about V is for Virgin that I’m not sure I can cover it all in my review.

1. This book is about NOT having sex. So frequently in YA, and especially NA or adult books, sex is almost the focus. But I absolutely LOVED that this is a book about a character making the decision NOT to have sex before marriage and sticking with it. People claim that not having sex before marriage is old school. It’s out of style. It doesn’t matter anymore. Just as long as it’s safe sex. But no. That’s just not the case. I applaud and rejoice in a book that is solely focused around this topic. Yet V is for Virgin does give a realistic approach to this topic as well. It’s not easy for Valerie to walk this path, and I loved seeing how true this aspect was.

2. Valerie is the exact type of female character I like to read about. While she isn’t fighting evil, undead vampires like my other favorite leading female character (Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy), Valerie is kicking butt and taking names in other ways. Valerie gets dumped for telling her boyfriend at the time that she has no plans to sleep with him. Her plan is to wait until marriage. So kudos to her number 1 for sticking to her guns enough to tell him about it. Then despite the lies he spreads about her at school, and his rebound in her face with another girl, she stands up and tells the entire lunchroom where she stands. After relentless bullying, being made fun of, and ostracized, she still stands strong. Although being pursued persistently by a young rock star who wants to change her mind on these views, she still stands her ground. Because of the attention of said rock star, Valerie is thrown into the public eye globally. But she doesn’t shrink. She doesn’t go into victim mode. She doesn’t rage against the unjustice of it all. No she stands up and takes the harassment from all sides like a champ, and she turns it all around and directs it into a worthy cause for all the people who didn’t feel strong enough to stand up for themselves. I just pray that if I have any daughters (sons too, but especially daughters), they learn to respect themselves as much as Valerie.

3. Even though Valerie’s motives aren’t religiously driven, the characters in this book who are religious aren’t painted as nuts. There are two characters in this book that are religious, Isaac and Robin. Both of these characters were great friends to Valerie. They supported her and supported her cause. Yet both were likeable characters that you didn’t immediately feel were quacks because of their religion or beliefs. Even though this wasn’t the focus of this book.

4. Valerie isn’t swayed from her quest for any reason. Even though she has a rock star throwing himself at her, and purposefully trying to break her resolve to remain a virgin, Valarie knew who she was. She knew what she wanted. And although her path was never easy, I respected the crap out of her for the entire journey. There will always be people who seek to sway you from your mission just for the sake of being able to do so. But Valerie wasn’t having it. She knew that doing so would make her hate herself and Kyle for persuading her off course.

5. This book felt real. I feel like I kind of already said this. I mean obviously some aspects are exaggerated, but the teenage reaction to a peer choosing not to have sex felt very real. Kyle felt very real. Even though the story felt unrealistic (the rock star pursuing the normal teenage girl), it felt extremely authentic at the same time. The human experience connected me almost immediately.

6. Great characters. I connected with every single character in this story. I understood them. I felt like I knew these people. I grew up with them. I was hit on by them. I didn’t even think about dating some of them. Was friends with a few of them. Not so much with a few others. I loved Cara at first. I still connected with her throughout the story, but at the same time, I equally hated and loved seeing her friendship with Valerie drift apart with Cara’s new relationship and Valerie’s mission. Robin, Isaac, Stephanie, Kyle, Shane, even Olivia. Great characters.

I don’t know that I really have anything bad to say about V is for Virgin at all.

Favorite quotes (too many...sorry, but I couldn't stop):

-He was practically irresistible. His only flaw was that he knew it.

-Someone had to stand up for these poor girls, and for anyone who was afraid to say no to sex. Afraid of being mocked. Afraid of being dumped. If that person had to be me, then so be it.

-We shouldn’t have to be ashamed or afraid to say no to sex. Becoming sexually active is a huge decision. It’s not one we should let the world or even our own boyfriends make for us.

-“But you didn’t jump. You fought your way back through the crowd to higher ground. You forced people to see it your way—to respect you.”

-“No, I’m sure it’s true, but making things cool is one thing. You’re the kind of person who can make things important.”

-“She’s not a machine, Olivia,” Isaac snapped. Olivia shrugged unsympathetically. “She made herself a role model. Her actions have consequences now.”

-“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I’m so proud of you. We just need different things.”

-“…I want sex to be more than that. My body—my virginity—is a part of me that no one in the world besides me knows. It’s something that once I give it away, I can never take it back. I’m not just going to hand it over to someone for a few moments of physical pleasure. I want the person I finally share all of myself with to be someone I trust completely. Someone who understands me, and loves me, and who I love just as much.” “Yeah, but why marriage? You don’t think you can find someone who loves you without being married to them?” “I think that if I truly found someone that loved me like that, he’d be willing to marry me. He’d be willing to wait for me. If whoever he is isn’t willing to commit his life to me, then he doesn’t deserve to share that experience with me.”

-“I want my virginity to mean something to both me and the man I spend my life with. Think about it. How would it make you feel if I decided to let you be the one person that knows me so intimately? How would it make you feel to know that no one else was allowed to touch me? That no one else ever had? Just you.” …“That’s why I’m waiting. Would you really begrudge me wanting to have that kind of connection with someone?”

-“Is sex really that vital? Am I really not worth waiting for?”

-“I know exactly who I am, and yet I don’t know myself at all. It makes no sense.”

V is for Virgin gets 4.5 Stars from me. I can’t quite give it the perfect 5 Star raiting, but it’s so close. One of my favorite reads this year. And one book that I think every young female needs to read. Have you read V is for Virgin? What did you think? Let me know!