Review-The Naturals

If you know anything about me then you know that I'm a fan of all of those crime shows on TV.  CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Criminal Minds, you name it I've probably seen at least one episode.  For years I've been fascinated by the intricate workings of the psychopathic mind so when I heard about a book that revolved around a girl that can profile and then goes to work for the FBI I was hooked.  Recently I had been in a reading slump and I decided to jump ahead a little and start a book that I was almost positive would catch my attention, and I was right.  I was sucked into this story from page one, the research that Barnes must have done had to be extensive and the parts from the killer's POV just filled me with glee.  If there's one thing I love it's reading a book where you get to look into the killer's thought process, and you get to do that numerous times in the book.  The whole plot was a lot like a teenage version of Criminal Minds, although it was kept more PG vs the TV MA because it's for teenagers.  Would I have liked a little more blood?  Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, that would have been nice, but this isn't a slasher novel, it's about science, or well, depending on who you talk to it's science.  And the ending surprised me!  Well, who the killer was surprised me.  Basically I just adored this novel, and I'm really happy to find that it's going to be the first in at LEAST a two book series.  Criminal Minds and Lie to Me fans will eat this book up, along with fans of one of my all-time favorite book series The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.  It has that same spooky feel without the paranormal element to it, which in a way makes it all the more real.  Hopefully book two comes out sooner rather than later because although the ending is tied up there are lose strings floating around that I want to see tied up, and of course there needs to be more killers.  I also hope that the books do well and Barnes will decided/be contracted to write more than two, because I would love to see more of these books out there to enjoy, even it's just me that reads them.

Out November 5, 2013

4.5/5 dust spirits

*Thanks to Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review

Review-Unbreakable

Earlier this year I read a book written by the other co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series and thought it was missing something, maybe a second author in the mix.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect when it came to Garcia's first lone novel, but I found that it did feel a little more together than Stohl's.  This seems to be one of the season's most anticipated books, and it had been compared quite often to the CW's beloved show Supernatural, which I've been a huge fan of for about four years.  When I heard it compared to said show I was super excited to read it, and less than 50 pages in I saw the similarities between the book and the show.  It's basically like a teen version of Supernatural with a female protag and a team instead of just two brothers (although there are two brothers).  The more I kept reading though the more I REALLY saw the similarities.  The two brothers, the methods the team used to fight the ghosts, the ending, all of it just poked at the back of my mind going "you've seen this before".  There might be some explanation for said similarities, I have no idea if there's lore on salt and cold-iron repelling ghosts, and there were differences, but it was just a little too similar for my tastes at some points.  The main character was also slightly aggravating, mainly because she had a photographic memory but kept forgetting basic things like "salt=no ghosts".  You think she might catch on a little faster to things that could get her killed.  I really enjoyed some of the side characters though, and would love to see more of them in the next books.  All of that being said it was a really fast read and it was enjoyable and engaging all the way through.  Fans of Supernatural will undoubtedly want to give this book a shot though, because it will appeal to most of the female fans.  Fans of Anna Dressed in Blood should also enjoy the book, along with Buffy fans, because it has the vibe as well.  The one thing it lacked in comparison to said shows and book was the snark, which does make some sense due to the fact that Garcia wasn't exactly known for all the witty dialogue, and there wasn't really much room for it in the story.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see where Garcia takes the story and am excited to see more of Garcia's writing with Stohl for their new series.

Out October 1, 2013

4.5/5 dust spirits

*Thanks to Little, Brown for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Review-Perfect Ruin

A few years ago I read an ARC of a debut novel that was given to me by a blogger friend, and I found that I enjoyed the book.  I have yet to actually finish said series (The Chemical Garden Trilogy), but when I heard of DeStefano's new book I was intrigued.  It sounded like it would be an utterly unique read, and seeing as I really enjoyed DeStefano's writing style I asked for an ARC, and when one showed up in the mail I was super happy that I would get to read it early.  DeStefano had been sharing small snippets of the book randomly or various social media sites, and each piece I read made me want to dig into my copy sooner and sooner, but I waited because I had other things to read.  When I finally sat down and dove into the world she had created there were a few thoughts in my mind.  The first was "wow, there are passages in this book that are SUPER amazing."  Like, I-could-see-people-tattooing-them-on-their-body-in-curly-script-to-live-with-forever-amazing.  Some of the quotes just spoke to me in a way that made me nod my head and go "I totally get that".  The other thing that popped out at me was the fact that the plot was kinda fuzzy.  Now, in this case when I say fuzzy I don't mean light and fluffy, I mean hazy and maybe not all there.  Sure there was a plot, of course there was a plot, but the POINT of the plot was lost on me at some points.  It was there, and I could kind of see it, but it wasn't really the main focus and some of what was happening really didn't relate to it much, in my opinion.  I think this book is a variation on the dystopian genre in some sense, and to me in a dystopian world there is a very distinct theme, which is "everything isn't really as perfect as it seems" which in a way was in this book, but it was very much pushed to the side for most of the story.  All of that being said I did enjoy the book.  The writing was amazing, the plot idea was unique and fascinating, and it kept me engaged enough to want to know what would happen next.  I'll be looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see where DeStefano takes this story, and I would recommend it to fans of her first series (although this one seems to be quite a bit lighter in some ways), and for those of you who like to think when reading a book, although not necessarily about the book, but about things in real life.

Out October 1, 2013

4/5 dust spirits

*Thanks to Simon and Schuster for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

Dangerous Girls Blog Tour - Review + Giveaway

I'm super thrilled to be part of this blog tour today, it's really an honor to be able to read and review a book with the sole purpose of helping get the word out, because as a blogger that's what I want for books, is for them to get noticed and read.

The blurb;

Paradise quickly gets gruesome in this thrilling page-turner with a plot that’s ripped from the headlines and a twist that defies the imagination.

It’s Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives.

But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. As Anna sets out to find her friend’s killer, she discovers harsh revelations about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

Awaiting the judge’s decree, it becomes clear to Anna that everyone around her thinks she is not only guilty, but also dangerous. And when the whole story comes out, reality is more shocking than anyone ever imagined...

Check it out on

Amazon || B&N || Book Depo || Goodreads

The author;

Abby McDonald grew up in Sussex, England and studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics at Oxford University. She began writing at college, and graduated to work as a music journalist and entertainment critic; drawing on her loves of pop culture, film and feminism, and interviewing acts as diverse as LeAnn Rimes, The Kings of Leon, and Marilyn Manson. She is now a full-time novelist and screen-writer.

She is the author of five young adult novels: ‘Sophomore Switch’; ‘Boys, Bears & a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots’; ‘The Anti-Prom’; ‘Getting Over Garrett Delaney’; and ‘Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood’. Her work has received starred reviews, been translated into four different languages, won national awards, and been optioned for TV and movies. In 2013, she will publish her first YA thriller, ‘Dangerous Girls’, as Abigail Haas.

Abby also writes for adults. ‘The Popularity Rules’ and ”The Liberation of Alice Love’ were published in 2011 by Sourcebooks (US).

After spells in Montreal and London, Abby recently moved to Los Angeles, where she is enjoying blue skies, drive-thru everything, and an abundance of frozen yoghurt.

Find her on

twitter || facebook || her website

My review;

I hadn't really heard much about this book until right before it came out, and when I heard it was along the lines of the Amanda Knox trial I was skeptical, because I really wanted to stay out of all of that, because it wasn't my life.  There are times when I read a book and I think to myself "I could totally do this" or "wow, this character is SO whiny, I mean really THIS is their life and they're complaining" but then there are books where I'm like "yeah, I could NEVER handle that" (think The Hunger Games), and for me this was one of the later books.  It's based off of several real events that have happened within the last decade, and for me that's what makes it so scary.  Maybe not scary in a 'boogeyman might jump out from behind the door and kill you with an ax scary' but it's scary in the sense of 'this could happen to me' way, which sometimes makes it all the more real and all the more terrifying.  Some might find the way the story was told, a then-and-now time line, slightly jarring, but I think in this case it worked really well.  The fact that we didn't just get to see what happened after the murder, but how the friendship between the victim and the supposed killer began and evolved, helped the story along greatly and was a great stylistic choice.  The emotion in the novel was great, it kept me wanting to just tear through the novel, and I did, page by page, trying to piece together the puzzle and figure out how everything was going to turn out in the end.  For some reason this book really spoke to me, and not just in a "I have a strange love of novels with murder in them" way, but in a way that just kind of poked at my chest and brain and went "listen to me, pay attention to me, you can't stop reading me!"  That probably sounds super weird, but that's basically how I would describe my experience reading this book.  I would have loved to see Abigail tour for this book, because this just seems like the kind of thing that everyone should read, not just for entertainment but because it's POWERFUL and teaches a lesson.  I'll leave the less that it teaches you for you to decide, because I think everyone might take away something that's a little different.  Although I'm unable to put my finger on exactly why I feel that this novel is important, I feel that it is incredibly important, and that the world might be a better place if everyone read it.  For me this is a book to recommend to everyone, although I do need to caution you that there is sex, drinking, drugs, death, and language in the book so it's not suitable for children under the age of, I would say 15.

4.5/5 dust spirits 

The giveaway;

3 winners will each get a signed finished copy of DANGEROUS GIRLS

Open to US only | Must be 13+ to enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review

Review-Where the Stars Still Shine

Way back before this book even had a publishing deal I read a copy of it because I basically bugged Trish until she let me.  Back then I loved it so much, but I decided I should probably read a draft that had been edited and tweaked and what not for when it went on sale, so I didn't review it and waited until Trish traded an ARC of hers for some bracelets I made that go with the book.  If you've been with me for at least a year you know that I just adored Trish's debut novel Something Like Normal, so getting a chance to read her second book crazy early was beyond amazing for me.  Again, Trish writes with wit and feeling in such a way that I can't NOT love all of her characters, even if some of them drive me a little nuts.  There's a fine line between a character who makes you scream sometimes but you love them to death versus one who makes you scream and you want to slap.  Callie is that character.  Now you may be like "wait, what?  I don't want to read a book with a character that will make me scream" and usually I would say "very true" but in this instance I say "bah" because a HUGE part of the story is HER DEVELOPMENT, which brings her from why-the-hell-did-you-do-that character to just-let-me-give-you-big-hugs-and-squishes character.  Trust me on this.  Also, the BOY! WOW is this boy hot. I mean, Travis was nice but this guy, WOO, where's the fan!?  He is for SURE one of my favorite book guys.  The Greek culture in the book is super cool; although there are words that I'm sure I butchered because lord knows I don't speak Greek.  Since the moment I read this book last year to when I just finished it there's really nothing that I don't love about this book.  You guys, I was on the verge of tears when I was reading this, and I've read it twice before!  That's how good it is!  There's also the little note that my name is in the back in the acknowledgements, which is SUPER AMAZING I MEAN OH MY GOD, but that doesn't affect how I feel about the book, because I loved it back before it even had this title (previously it was titled All That Was Lost).  If you're not so sure go out and buy yourself a copy, because dude, if you like contemporary novels that have some substance to them this is a book you will no doubt love (and just think how pretty this cover will look on your shelf even if something nuts happens and you don't like it!!!).  And if you haven't read Trish's first book you now have no excuse because it will be out in paperback when this book hits the shelves!  Also, do you even have to ask about how much I want to read her third book? 

Out September 24, 2013

5/5 dust spirits

Please note that there is sex, swear words, death, drugs, and abuse in this book so it's not for a young audience.

*Thanks to Trish and Bloomsbury for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

In Which I Give You an Update

As of Monday September 23 at 10:00 am I will be a community college student.  For the past...three years that I've been running this blog I've been in high school, and amazingly enough I've been able to post pretty regularly.  Because this is my first year in college I'm not really sure what to expect I can't promise that my posts will be frequent, and same thing goes for my reviews.  Hopefully everything will continue on as normal, but I can't be sure (although finals week will almost for sure be silent).  When I have spare time I'll read, and when I finish a book I'll post a review same as always.  I have quite a few signings lined up that I want to go to so hopefully that will happen as well.  Regardless I'll make sure to post a contest every now because you guys have stuck through a lot of things with me!  Thanks so much and I hope to continue on at the rate I've been going in terms of reading and reviewing, and I promise to have more contests!

Review-Steelheart

Earlier this year I read Brandon Sanderson's first novel, Elantris, for a class in my senior year of high school, and while it was okay I wasn't super amazed.  I wasn't entirely sure about this book, but it had some good critic and author reviews, so I decided to give it a shot.  Right off the bat I just really enjoyed this book, which surprised me a little bit.  Sure, it took longer than usual for me to read a book it's size but that might be because it was large, and by that I mean it's a pretty tall book, so there are more words on the page than your average book.  I consider myself a fan of action movies, which in turn means that I enjoy action books, but most books that have been called "action-packed" or anything similar just don't really work as books in my mind.  They're decent books, and when I read them I would think they would make amazing movies, but fall a little short because there isn't that famous actor surrounded by hot women and explosions.  This book surprised me because I think it worked quite well as a book and if it were ever made into a movie, if done right, could be a major blockbuster.  One of the things I loved the most about this book was the idea that in a world where ordinary people suddenly developed superpowers EVERYONE who developed said powers turned evil.  The world was taken over by the kind of villains you would see in a comic book, but there was no one to fight them but ordinary people.  As you can imagine that didn't go over very well, so they just fell into being ruled by those with the power.  In that case it makes it a rather dystopian-ish world, although that's not really the genre I would put it in.  Yes, the world as we know it ended, but that was because of ordinary people with extraordinary powers, it wasn't through any natural or nuclear disaster.  The other thing I loved was the fact that the main character was a male.  That might make sense seeing as the author is a guy, but there are a lot of male writers that write female protagonists so to see one write a male protagonist was pretty great.  The twists and turns were enjoyable and there were even some of them that I wasn't expecting until right before they were revealed.  Personally I feel that this book is better suited towards the male population or the females that tend towards action and not romance, but it will really depend on your individual preferences.  If you are at all interested in super heroes I would suggest that you take a look at this book, and maybe read the prologue before buying it.  Because if the prologue doesn't grab you I guarantee that the rest of the book won't hold a ton of interest for you.  Personally I can't wait to see what the second book holds, and I hope to read his other novel for teens, although that may not happen anytime soon.

Out September 24, 2013

4.5/5 dust spirits

*Thanks to Random House for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.