Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Title: Mortal Heart

Author: Robin LaFevers

Page count: 444 pages

Publishing date: November 4, 2014

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

My rating: 4/5 stars!

Blurb:

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...


Wow, I'm really pleased with this series. LaFevers has hooked me into this story from the very beginning. While I didn't care much for Ismae, I LOVE Sybella and Annith. There's something about them that I just love to death, and I'm so glad that I didn't stop reading this series after My Fair Assassin. 

Annith:

Like her other two sisters in faith, Annith is a faithful servant of Mortain. She loves him wholly and thoroughly despite her inner struggles. She wants nothing more than to please Death, but how can she when she's never been given an assignment? Throughout the book, she struggles with this fear that Death doesn't want her as his servant after all; that he has forsaken her. These doubts form seeds in her mind, tormenting her will. Yet, despite this, she still manages to be a strong woman. I love that about her. Annith is torn between serving Death and the convent and making her own path. She has no clue what she's doing with her life half of the time, but she still trudges on. She doesn't ever give up. She's a persevering young lady. She thinks with her heart, but she also takes logic into account as well. She's calculative, thoughtful, and fierce. Out of the three assassins in this series, Annith is by far my favorite. 

Balthazaar: 

This guy has so much depth to him. He's secretive, aggressive, and can be a jerk. He's not perfect by any means. In fact, you'll either love him or hate him. There's not much of an in-between. I, however, LOVED him. He's brooding. He's hot. He's mysterious. All of these qualities I love/need in a fictional character crush. I found myself grinning like an idiot every time he said/did something that I thought was even remotely sexy. Because, let's be honest, he's a hottie. The good thing is that his character is more than just a pretty face. Everything he says is interesting and sort of a riddle. He makes you think twice about what Annith should do with her life. He makes you wonder if he's really a good guy or a bad one. UGH. He's awesome. 

Abbess:

I hated her in the first two books in this series and, unsurprisingly, I hated her even more. Not sure why, but she reminds me of the wicked stepmother off of Cinderella. She's evil... Okay, so maybe the abbess has a better reason for her actions than the wicked stepmother, but still. I can't get over how heartless she is in the majority of this series, and I can't forgive her just because she has a secret of her own, although it is kind of sad and depressing. STILL, I CAN'T DO IT. MEH. 


I was really surprised at the intricate plot for this book. While the plots in the first two books were interesting enough, this book shot both of those out of the water. The plot itself was so deep, so thought out, that I couldn't see how anything could go wrong. There were amazing plot twists that had me on the edge of my seat (well, bed) for most of those particular scenes. LaFevers did a wonderful job with tying the plot together at the end. Absolutely magnificent. 

The romance:

Sweet baby Jesus, I was swooning over the romance in this book. Balthazaar, the love interest for Annith, is very dark and mysterious. Because I like the brooding guys, Balthazaar fit into my fictional boyfriend list easily. While he might not be the most handsome guy on my list, he sure is swoon worthy. Despite his attempts to leave Annith alone, the reader can practically feel the testosterone in the air. Balthazaar wants Annith. Annith wants Balthazaar. It's only a matter of time before this is going to get hot and heavy, right? Wrong. This romance is actually kind of innocent, to be honest. This sounds weird considering Balthazaar is a paranormal being, but it's true. There's something about their connection that seems pure and unadulterated. I love that aspect even more than I love how Balthazaar's smoldering gazes at Annith. It's something that gives their attraction a more dynamic approach. What makes it even more amazing is that Annith knows he's hiding secrets- she was, too- and they still can't stop thinking about each other. Can Annith trust him, though? And when she finds out his darkest secret, will she be able to overcome it?

Man, that secret... *sighs*


I just really enjoyed Mortal Heart. I was really surprised at how great it was considering the other two, although good, didn't blow my mind. However, this one was really wonderful! +4 stars for the great plot, a swoon-worthy romance, a kick*** main character, lovable secondary characters, and heart-stopping plot twists. -1 star for a few boring or slow paced chapters, especially the first couple chapters in the beginning and a few later on in the story. 

Overall thoughts?

YAY! I'm so glad I read this! Everyone go pick up this series because it's well worth it! I hope you'll enjoy it just as much as I did! 

  

A Town Called Dust by Justin Woolley

Not a fan of the cover. What are your thoughts?

Title: A Town Called Dust

Author: Justin Woolley

Page count: ebook, 248 pages.

Publishing date: 2014

Publisher: Momentum

My rating: 1.5/5 stars!

Blurb:

Stranded in the desert, the last of mankind is kept safe by a large border fence ... Until the fence falls. Squid is a young orphan living under the oppressive rule of his uncle in the outskirts of the Territory. Lynn is a headstrong girl with an influential father who has spent her entire life within the walled city of Alice. When the border fence is breached, the Territory is invaded by the largest horde of undead ghouls seen in two hundred years. Squid is soon conscripted into the Diggers—the armed forces of the Territory. And after Lynn finds herself at odds with the Territory's powerful church, she too escapes to join the Diggers. Together Squid and Lynn form an unlikely friendship as they march to battle against the ghouls. Their journey will take them further than they ever imagined, leading them closer to discovering secrets about themselves, their world, and a conspiracy that may spell the end of the Territory as they know it.

When I first downloaded this title from Netgalley, I already had my doubts. While I thought the blurb was okay, I didn't care for the cover at all. I firmly believe that a cover needs to stand out in order for people to pick the book up. If it's an ugly or boring cover, people will pass by it without a second glance, moving toward the book with the interesting and neat cover. This is one of those books that people will pass by without a second glance. I'm sorry to say that, but it's true. 

The truth is, I didn't like this book even when I began to read it. Like I thought, the insides of this book were just as bad as the outside. The pacing was very slow, making the story boring. The first few chapters should have been edited completely or even deleted outright. The first chapter needs to be interesting because it draws the reader into the story. The first chapter in A Town Called Dust wasn't even remotely interesting. I was so bored with the chapter that I felt like it dragged on and on and on. 

I can forgive a boring chapter, even the first one, if the book makes up for it in future chapters. If there's interesting characters, funny one-liners, and an intense plot line, I'll forget all about the first, or few, chapters that dragged. 

But I couldn't do that for this one. Why? This book didn't make up for the slow beginning. Instead, the boring, uninteresting chapters set the pace for the entire book. I was well fed up with this book after halfway through, but I wanted to tough it out and finish it. I put my Kindle down several times while reading this, yawned, and said that I needed to take a nap. This book put me to sleep. 

I still would have been able to give the slow/boring pace and chapters of the book if the characters had been really great. Characters are supposed to liven the story with their personalities, their flaws, their thoughts and emotions. Some will make you laugh. Some will make you cry. Others will just plain piss you off. But the worst kind of characters in a book are the ones that don't make you feel any emotions at all. Those characters happened to be in this book. I wasn't emotionally invested. I didn't care what happened to the characters- if the lived or if they died. Hell, even when I HATE a character, I still have an emotion for them. These characters in A Town Called Dust couldn't bring out a single emotion in me. 

Lynn is supposed to be the hero; a woman disguised as a man so that she can join the military. She's supposed to be lovable. Fierce. Loyal. Wonderful. But I couldn't find those qualities in her. She was bland. Like me, she had no emotions in this book. I'm sure the author wanted her to have feelings, but Lynn came off as a puppet. Nothing more. Squid was the same way- maybe even worse.

Nothing really happened in this book. Nothing of importance, anyways. I was bored through 95% of the book, only being interested for the 5% that included the fight with the ghouls. And that brings me to the reason I gave this 1.5 stars instead of just 1. I gave half a star to my overall rating because I did enjoy the major fight with the ghouls. THAT was interesting and fighting small hordes, or bigger ones, should have been incorporated into the story more than it was. That was the only time that I had a small spark of emotion in this story. That's all. Nothing else made me care. 

Overall thoughts?

A Town Called Dust was a disappointment. The slow pacing, bland characters, and my lack of interest caused me to give this a low rating. + 1/2 of a star to the final fight of with the ghouls, which was the only thing I liked, giving this a total rating of 1.5 stars out of 5. 

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

I'm in love with this cover!

Title: Gates of Thread and Stone

Author: Lori M. Lee

Page count: 336 pages

Publishing year: 2014

Publisher: Skyscape Publishing

My rating: 3/5 stars!

Blurb:

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret- she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her "brother" has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn't know where her ability comes from- or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai's only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper's son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her. Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she's ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power. 

I have mixed feelings about this. While the premises of the story is really cool, I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. When I saw the cover, I thought, "Ahhhh, this looks awesome!" And then I read the blurb, and thought, "Omg, this is going to be epic!" Really, I did. I was excited and everything. I picked it up from my local library and held it to my chest as if it were a baby. 

This is why I'm kind of disappointed. I wanted to give this 5 stars and put it on my favorites list on Goodreads. I really, really, really did. It had the opportunity to be amazing, but it fell short. Why, you ask? Because something was just off about it. It wasn't horrible at all. In fact, it was actually pretty good. But there was something about it, when reflecting on it, that just didn't do it for me. It could be the way the plot was handled or slow parts in the story, but I'm just going to go with both. 

If not read carefully, this book can be confusing. I got confused many, many times. Okay, maybe I'm just a ditz or whatever, but please tell me that readers felt the same! I understood everything up until the last few chapters of the book. And then I was like, "What the hell-o is going on!?" I was totally confused. I didn't have a clue what was happening. At all. It occurs to me that maybe the author was trying to throw in a plot twist, but all the twisting that happened was my brain twisting into a knot because it was so confused. LOL. 

This leads me in to the plot. While I like the idea of this story, it wasn't well executed. Things were utterly boring at times. I could have dealt without the first couple of chapters. I was starting to think that this was going to be a complete bore when suddenly, out of nowhere, things started happening. Yay, right? But, no, don't get happy because things only get awesome for a bit before it gets boring again. It's like someone giving you candy and letting you put it in your mouth before punching you in the face and taking it away forever. You can still taste the candy on your tongue, but it's gone forever. Depressing, right?

The characters:

Kai: I really enjoyed her. She's got some spunk to her. She's tough. She's fierce. She's loyal. Great qualities, right? I like that she's flawed as well because I firmly believe the main character cannot be perfect. It's impossible. The only thing I didn't like about her was how she would be doing something important (or even in imminent danger) and be thinking about Avan. 

"His shoulders curved around me, legs cradling mine as his arm draped over my waist. I felt light-headed and a little flushed, my skin tingling everywhere we touched. I didn't mind the hard ground. Or that we were both dirty and sweaty and covered in bruises."

Get a grip, girl. 


Avan: I'm assuming Avan is supposed to be the knight-in-shining-armor. He's handsome, sweet, daring, and can even brood at times. He's imperfectly perfect. He's portrayed like he's the perfect guy for a good chunk of the book. Sure, he has a temper, but who doesn't, right? I don't know. I feel 50/50 about him. I like him at times and then others I just don't really care about him. Though I will say that I felt bad for him at the end. So maybe I do like him, at least enough to care. 

Reev: I like Reev. He's strong, capable, and very caring. He's protective like all big brothers are. Although we don't see much of him in this book, I still thought he was a strong character. I can see why Kai went after him. If he'd been a major jerk, I wouldn't have cared two craps about him. I'm glad that he was the nice guy that Kai claimed he was. 

G-10/Mason: LOOOVEEEE HIM. He's the best ever. 

Everyone else: Here's where things get confusing. The reader gets introduced to so many different characters in the last few chapters that it gets confusing. One minute there's the characters we've grown to know and then all of a sudden here comes ten new characters all at once. It's not cute. I didn't like it AT ALL. I would have liked to see the characters spaced out some- not popping up all at once. A NOTE: one character introduced at the end has MY NAME. Yes, people, my name! If you know me or you've talked to me before, you know that my name is Kalla. I've struggled with the endless depression of never finding my name on a souvenir keychain and now a character has my name? You can imagine my surprise! It made me smile. And I took a picture of it. Duh. 

I really don't have much else to say about this title. I did enjoy the "threading time" power that Kai has, but sadly it wasn't in the book that much. Because the time weaving is in the cover AND the blurb, I thought it weird that it wasn't in the actual story that much. I would have liked to see more. 

Romance? Romance, anyone? Well, there's not much. It took a back seat to the plot, I guess. There were hints for romance everywhere; pent up emotions, electrifying stares, hand touches, etc. But none of it really amounted to much. I would have rather it be a strong friendship or a strong romance. Not in between. Not a fan. 


Overall thoughts?

While slightly disappointing, I did find this title enjoyable. It wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be. I got confused at some parts. There were some boring parts that almost made me want to put down the book. The ending felt really rushed. And it seemed kind of weird; out of place. Still, I enjoyed most of the characters and the OVERALL plot; not the confusing parts. Still, a 3/5 rating is good. Like I said, I didn't hate it. 

The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

Title: The Six Rules of Maybe
Author: Deb Caletti
Page count: 321 pages
Publishing year: 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
My rating: 2/5 stars!








I'm really sad that I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. I was really interested in the plot- the blurb sucked me in, as well as the cover. Yet, something was missing from this title. It could be the lack of personality from the characters or the not-so-developed plot line. Whatever it was, I had to give this two stars. While I didn't necessarily hate this, I definitely didn't like it. 

"Scarlet, an introverted high school junior surrounded by outcasts who find her a good listener, learns to break old patterns and reach for ope when her pregnant sister moves home with her new husband, with whom Scarlet feels an instant connection."

'Instant connection' should have been a red flag for me, but I ignored it. I wanted this book to be good. Really, I did. I was rooting for Deb Caletti to shock me with her awesomeness. In fact, I was waiting on it. I ignored the fairly low average rating for this title on Goodreads. I ignored the bad reviews. Like I said, I wanted this book to amazing. 

It didn't happen. This book had a sad case of an unrealistic insta-love, a triangle that wasn't strong at all, and characters that lacked personality- three things that I hate in a young adult novel. While I can possibly handle one of them, I can't handle all three in one book. I'm not a superhuman. It's just not happening. 

The romance:

• SCARLET & HAYDEN:

"Hayden would appear in my doorway. He'd look straight at me. He'd say something simple, but charged. Let's get out of here. I'd grab a few things, follow him out to his truck. The fantasy got a little hazy after that, except f0r a long highway and the feel of his jeans under my hands."

Scarlet has crossed into a new, dark territory. Hayden is married to Scarlet's older sister, Juliet, and is going to be a father. But Scarlet doesn't see any of that for what it really is; she is obsessed in love with Hayden. She's determined to show Hayden that Juliet isn't who he thinks she is- that Scarlet can be everything he needs. She can save him. She can love him like no other, if only he would see this.

"I lifted my cheek from his chest. I was so close to him. He was smiling, and then he wasn't. His eyes had a seriousness I had never seen before. I could smell the tang of his sweat. I looked into his face and he looked into mine. He swallowed hard." 

They're terrible wonderful for each other, she thinks. Once he sees that she's the woman he needs in his life, he'll fall for her. He'll fall out of love with Juliet and fall madly in love with her. He'll do it. Right? Ugh. *rolls eyes*

• JULIET & HAYDEN:

"Maybe he thought that working hard was honorable somehow, an honorable thing, but I saw something different. I saw him making himself small for her. Making himself less than and lower than and below. He said he didn't want to be a liar to make someone love him, but he was being a liar by doing those things, by trying o hard to get her to love him. Working hard with someone else- it was a sign of serious trouble ahead, bumps and heartache and things going unexpected directions; doom, even."

Juliet and Hayden's relationship is an up-and-down roller coaster. One minute everything is good between the two and the next it seems like they'll never be able to work it out. Juliet spends her time guarding her emotions and pushing people away. Hayden wants to be the guy that helps her open up, to give in to love. Between the two, a lot of fighting ensues. To be honest, I felt like this was a volatile relationship and should have been ended immediately. It wasn't healthy for either of them, especially when you bring a pregnancy into the mix. 

"When we gathered in the kitchen that early evening for our own various reasons, and when her voice sounded like bells-sweet and unreal- there was no question in my mind that whatever commitment she had promised Hayden the night before was about to be snatched back and destroyed. She was holding the bomb in one hand and the matches in the other, I knew."

My point exactly. 

The characters:

Scarlet: Scarlet is the MC, of course, and so the reader will get to know a lot of her thoughts and feelings. And what were these thoughts and feelings exactly? Oh, pining and pining over a married man! Nothing else really mattered to her. Oh, sure, the author made Scarlet help people out to make the reader think she is just the sweetest thing as can be. Yeah, I didn't fall for it. I could see past all of the superficial helping of others and saw the very core of her. She was an obsessive weirdo. Not only that, but she's terribly annoying. She whines and whines and whines until there's nothing else left for her to do. Forget the fact that she can change things in her life! She can stand up to her two-faced mother and her slutty sister, but does she? Not really. Oh, sure, she says she's going to, but she never does. All talk, no action.

Juliet: I think I disliked her even more than I did Scarlet. If Scarlet is borderline stalker, Juliet is borderline STD-walking-around. I really can't believe that she could be so immature. She was always talking about Scarlet being the younger sister, but Juliet acts like a baby! Here she was with a loyal husband and a baby on the way and she's out semi-stalking another guy! The stalking must run in the family. I was thoroughly embarrassed for Hayden. 

Hayden: He was probably the only character I enjoyed in this title. While he's not perfect in any means, at least he's not crazy. Between the two sisters, there's no more room for craziness. Anyways, he's got a level head on his shoulders even if he does let himself get treated like a doormat for most of the book. I felt sorry for him. I wanted him to drop Juliet, leave, and get custody of his child. Clearly Juliet has no motherly instincts. She's too busy stalking another man (who is a dirt bag, by the way). I felt like leaving would be the best thing he could do. 

Scarlet's mom: I'm not sure if her name was ever mentioned. (It probably was but I wasn't interested enough to care.) All I have to say about her was she was just as immature as her daughters. And she's a terrible parent. She gives Juliet all the attention in the world. "Ohhh, Juliet, you're pregnant and married? Why didn't you tell us?" Five minutes later. "Well I JUST LOVE YOU SWEETIE. It's going to be okay." *rubs tummy* If that were my daughter who had shown up newly married and pregnant, I would be pissed. But, obviously, Juliet is just imperfectly perfect! Never mind Scarlet, who needs her mother at this point in her life. Scarlet can do everything on her own, or so her mother thinks. Might as well just forget about Scarlet and center your attention on Juliet, the raving, attention whore. 

Ugh. 

I don't have much else to say about this. The secondary characters weren't important at all. They didn't matter. They had no personality whatsoever. Their existence was to fill gaps in the plot. 

And the plot? Besides the tale of two psycho sisters, one who falls in love with the other's husband and one who can't seem to keep her legs together, there isn't a plot. I didn't enjoy the happily ever after in the last chapter. It seemed fake, forced, and unrealistic when set beside the other events in the book. I think the author just threw everything together and forgot how crazy her characters were. 

The writing style and Hayden are the only reasons I'm not giving this one star. While the author might need to work on characters and story plots, she is an amazing writer. The dialogue flowed nicely. There were some quotes from the book that I did love. Some of them were so deep, so truthful, so real that my eyes teared up. If only the rest of the story could have been like that. 

Overall thoughts?

This had the potential to be good. Despite wanting so badly to enjoy it, I didn't. The characters really ruined that for me. I couldn't deal with all of the stalking and obsessiveness in this book. It was not cool and, to be frank, creepy. +1 star for the amazing writing style and Hayden. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you really enjoy Caletti's work. Maybe you'll be able to love this even if I didn't. 

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

What are your thoughts on the cover?

Title: What I Thought Was True

Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick

Page count: 409 pages

Publishing year: 2014

Publisher: Penguin Group

My rating: 4/5 stars!

I had high expectations going into this book. I loved My Life Next Door and was really excited to see that Huntley Fitzpatrick had wrote a new book. While the plots of both books are completely different from one another, there was still a similar feel to each. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed What I Thought Was True just as much as I did with My Life Next Door. 

"17-year-old Gwen Castle is a working-class girl determined to escape her small island town, but when rich kid Cass Somers, with whom she has a complicated romantic history, shows up, she's forced to reassess her feelings about her loving, complex family, her lifelong best friends, her wealthy employer, the place she lives, and the boy she can't admit she loves."

Gwen hasn't had it easy. With her parents split up and her younger brother's medical problems racking up the bills, Gwen has worked for the better part of her life. While she does love her family, she can't help but yearn to live her island and experience new things. Not only this, but Gwen wants nothing more than to leave behind her complicated past- and that includes Cass. 

The characters: 

Gwen: I really enjoyed Gwen as the protagonist of this story. She's sweet, daring, and very loyal. Yet, at the same time, she has her own insecurities. She doesn't have a clue how she's going to be able to make her own life outside of her island hometown. Her reputation haunts her every waking moment, and, even if she she does act like it doesn't bother her, it does. She's real. She's human. Fitzpatrick didn't try to make her out as the perfect girl and for that I'm glad. Gwen is just a normal girl with normal problems. I could relate to her character, and I think that others could relate as well.

Cass: I had mixed feelings with him at the beginning of the book. He seemed very guarded and mysterious through a good chunk of the first few chapters, and I couldn't really get a handle on his personality. Of course, there's a reason for that. I will say that once I began to see his personality more, I started to like him better. Eventually, toward the middle of the book, I fell in love with his character. He's so dynamic. He's got so many different interesting layers to him and that's more than I can say for other love interests in the young adult contemporary genre. He's kind, sweet, and patient, but at the same time he can be rash, impulsive, and hard-headed. Like Gwen, he's not perfect. He's just a teenage guy who is learning how to be himself despite what others want for him. 

Nic: He was probably my favorite character in this book. Gwen and Nic are cousins and live in the same house together, so the reader sees a lot of Nic. He's a go-getter. He's really determined to get what he wants, and I love that about him. He can be quite compassionate and sweet to Gwen; often times seeming more as a brother than a cousin to her. 

Emory: I loved Emory. He might have problems, but he's one of the best characters in the book. The author never explains what Emory has, but the reader does know that he isn't Autistic. He has something else wrong with him. Despite his illness, he's so kind and sweet to everyone. Maybe it's because of his sickness, but he seems so innocent. Being eight years old might have something to do with that as well. Either way, he's such a sweetheart. 

Everyone else: There was Gwen's parents and her grandfather, but I don't feel like I need to mention them. They were only side characters to fill up space and to relieve the reader of asking, "Where are the characters' parents at?" That's all. Gwen's best friend, Viv, also played a minor part in the story line, although she was mentioned quite a bit as she was Nic's girlfriend. There was Gwen's employer also, but I don't think she was a major character in the story, either, despite the summary of the novel above. 

The romance:

I won't say much about the romance as it could give away major spoilers, but I will say this: the romance in this book is realistic. This isn't about rainbows and unicorns and happily-ever-afters. The love centered in this book happens between teenage girls and boys around the world. I even experienced something similar. While I do like the over-the-top, swooning, steaming romance scenes in other novels, I enjoyed this type of romance as well. It's an awkward kind of love, full of doubts and first times, full of insecurities and confusion. It was something different- something real- and I think that's a great thing for a contemporary novel. 

The writing style:

I had a few concerns regarding the style of writing. While I enjoyed the writing overall, I did feel like the dialogue between characters was rather forced and didn't seem realistic. As I read, I found myself stumbling over what the characters were saying because it was so odd and out of place. Periods didn't seem to go in the right place. It made the writing feel off to me. Other than that, I enjoyed Fitzpatrick's style. Since I'm on the writing style, I figure I'll just go ahead and mention that I didn't see any grammatical mistakes. All seemed well on that end. 

Overall thoughts?

I enjoyed this story immensely. The plot was interesting and realistic and never got boring. The characters were all intricate and flawed (which I loved), and I loved reading about their stories. My only negative remarks are the forced dialogue between characters and the not-so-sudden plot twist at the end. I saw it coming having read only 1/4 of the book. Otherwise, I thought this was a lovely read. Recommended for anyone who enjoys young adult contemporary romance!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling

The fourth installment in the popular Harry
Potter series by J.K Rowling.

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Author: J.K Rowling

Page number(s): 734 pages

Publish date: Sept. 28, 2002

Publisher: Scholastic

My rating: 5/5 stars!

This is by far my favorite out of the series. While the other three books before this one lacked something, this one does not. 

I probably don't even need to write a review considering nearly everyone has read/knows about the Harry Potter series. It's popular worldwide. If someone hasn't heard about Harry Potter, they've been living in a remote cave somewhere. 

I will say this: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is not boring whatsoever. While the other books were slightly boring at times, this one made up for the others. In this book we've got Harry's studies, the Triwizard Tournament, the Yule ball, and a major fight with a certain somebody that leads to a Hogwarts student death.  While there were some slow areas, it was NEVER so boring that I wanted to stop reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if it was a little on the long side. 

The characters, particularly Harry, Ron, and Hermione, were more mature and seemed to be able to handle obstacles without falling apart. Hermione has come a long way in my eyes as I used to think she was annoying and wished that she weren't in the series. Now, however, I think that Hermione is a very important character and I'm glad that she's in the books. I've also become really fond of Ron which is surprising because I didn't like him at all in the previous novels. I've gotten used to his personality and really like it. He's very sarcastic and funny, which I love. He's the perfect best friend for Harry. Harry himself is an amazing character and not just because he's the main protagonist. He's matured so much since the beginning of the books, and that makes me happy. 

What I loved about this book: the tournament. This was always my favorite in the movie, and I had a feeling it would be the same in the book. I was right. The tournament gets rid of any slow parts that would have been in this novel without it. It's really a great element to add to the plot, especially with how it all ties in at the end of the book. 

And the ending? I wanted to cry over the death of our fellow Hogwarts student. I won't give any names just in case you haven't read the books or watched the movies, but it's such a sad scene in both. I feel like, because of the ending, this book is the beginning into the increasingly darker themes in the later books. This is the turning point of Harry's battle with Lord Voldemort, and I think that is portrayed very well. 

Overall thoughts? This book is the best installment in the series so far. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the crazy plot twists that allow the ending to be so dramatic and so heartbreaking. 

Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich

Love this cover!

3/5 stars.

Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich brings something entirely different to the dystopian playing field. While it does have some of the same qualities that other novels do in the genre, Rite of Rejection has its own unique personality. 

The main character, Becca, is getting ready to become a part of society. All she has to do is go to the Acceptance and pass and then she'll be on her way to a new life. But her world crashes when she is Rejected. Taken away from her family and everything that she's ever known, Becca is thrown into the PIT, the place her country keeps its 'dangerous' citizens. 

Desperate to find a new life with what she's been given, she joins a group of PIT people. Now, somehow, Becca can start her life over. But everything changes when she finds out the secret the group is hiding: they have a plan to escape the PIT. Torn between right and wrong, a man who claims her and a man who is claimed, and her own feelings, Becca's life is about to be ripped in half once more... because someone is going to betray them all. 

I liked the premise of this story. It's different. Unique. I've been eager to read a unique dystopian-themed book for quite a while now and this book didn't disappoint. I like the idea of the PIT- while it's scary and creepy, it's also really interesting at the same time. 

I even liked Becca as a character (for the most part). However, there were times when she got on my nerves. I couldn't understand why she did some of the things she did, and I couldn't really relate with her. Still, she was a stronger main character than some of the others from previous series. 

As for why I gave this three stars, it's simple. The romance is what made this fall down in rankings. The romance was not believable. There was instant love. In no way is instant love relatable or even remotely interesting. Not only that, but there was also a love triangle. I am so sick of love triangles in young adult novels, and I was hoping that this book would be different. Sadly, it was not. Negovetich fell into the love triangle category along with everyone else. 

Still, because of the unique plot, I gave this three stars. I only wished that the romance could have been more realistic and not so fairytale-like. My overall thoughts? If you enjoy dystopian with love triangles, this book might be for you. 

Remember When by T. Torrest

Remember When is about a girl named Layla who just started her senior year. Everything is going well. She's got her best friend and her close knit friends that she loves to hang out with. And although her mother isn't around, she's got a father who cares for her. Layla thinks that her life couldn't get any better. And then Trip comes into the picture. Recently moved into the area, Trip is the mysterious guy that Layla can't help but fall for. And when Trip and Layla become very close friends, how will Layla be able to hide the fact that she's desperately in love with him?


I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked Layla as the main character. She's down to earth. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was in high school. Overall, I liked her personality, and I think that she added onto the greatness of the book. Trip, being the hunk of the book, really adds the swoon-worthy romance. He's gorgeous. He's sarcastic, funny, and realistic. Without Trip, this book wouldn't have been as great as it really was. 

The relationship that transpires between Layla and Trip is extraordinary and isn't seen too much these days. Instead of focusing on the attraction that they share with one another, they remain friends. They get to know everything about each other. In turn, that allows them to connect on a much deeper level as friends and as potential love interests for each other. 

Overall thoughts? 4/5 stars! I loved the characters, the friendships, and the romance. The ending, although really bittersweet, was really good when it comes to tying the contents of the book together. I look forward to reading the second book in the series!

If you'd like to read my full review on Goodreads, please click here.