Torment (Fallen) by Lauren Kate

Torment is the second novel in the Fallen Series by Lauren Kate. I loved Fallen but I'm disappointed with the mediocracy in Torment.

The characters "lose" themselves and a character is added that doesn't fit into the Daniel-Cam-Luce love triangle.

The change of scenery is quite boring and ordinary. There was something beautiful about the Gothic school that added to the story and characters.

You're left with a lot of questions - The book is disappointing but it's still good and I will read the next one.


Grade: B-

Synopsis [B&N]

Hell on earth.

That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.
It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.
What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Birthmarked is a page turner! The characters are well developed and plot keeps you turning the pages.

It takes place way in the future. This futuristic place is believable there is nothing over the top. The story is complex, beautiful and captivating.

O' Brien has created a story that will rival the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. You will be left anxiously awaiting the sequel.

This is one book you won't mind keeping for your personal library.

Grade: A


Synopsis
Publishers Weekly
In her first YA novel, O'Brien creates a dystopian future in which to explore complex issues of morality and survival. In a world rocked by climate change, the Enclave is a much-needed bastion of civilization, and many of those who live outside its walls serve it in one fashion or another. As a midwife apprenticed to her mother, 16-year-old Gaia Stone is expected, like any other midwife, to bring the first three babies she delivers each month to the Enclave to satisfy its demands for new citizens. When her parents are taken for questioning by the Enclave, Gaia takes over for her mother, even though she's not entirely comfortable following orders unquestioningly anymore. Her quest to track down and save her parents leads her into the Enclave itself, where she befriends the handsome Captain Grey, a man with his own secrets, and discovers the unsettling truths behind the Enclave's need for children. Though predictable in places and unconvincing in others, this science fiction adventure is a brisk and sometimes provocative read, thanks to solid pacing, a resourceful heroine, and a few surprise twists. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)

The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand

The Castaways is well written and the characters are well developed but it drags and the story becomes a bit stagnate, which is why it took me nearly a week to finish.

I enjoyed reading it but had to take many breaks from it. There is a lot going on and there are so many characters that you simply have to walk away from it at moments because it becomes less of a pleasure to read.

I also did not feel a connection to the characters but enjoyed that the were flawed. The book wasn't all that believable... I simply can't imagine 4 couples being so entwined in one anthers lives and having such a strong bond.

The story is told from the point of view of all the characters so you get a better insight into them and who they are...

Borrow this book or check it out from the library.

Grade: C


Synopsis [B&N]
Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Fall is as equally impressive as The Strain (book 1). The virus has spread rapidly and chaos in rampant, not just in the City of New York but all over the world, spreading and deadly.

The characters are created with much thought and care. They are crafted in ways that makes them painfully real.

The book has a slow to build yet it remains entertaining and the explosion at the end makes reading the slower parts.

This series is highly addictive, vivid and written in such a way that you are left asking....is this plausible?

Grade: A


Synopsis

From the authors of the instant New York Times bestseller The Strain comes the next volume in one of the most imaginative and frightening thriller series in many, many years Last week they invaded Manhattan. This week they will destroy the world.

The vampiric virus unleashed in The Strain has taken over New York City. It is spreading and soon will envelop the globe. Amid the chaos, Eph Goodweather—head of the Centers for Disease Control's team—leads a band out to stop these bloodthirsty monsters. But it may be too late.

Ignited by the Master's horrific plan, a war erupts between Old and New World vampires, each vying for control. At the center of the conflict lies a book, an ancient text that contains the vampires' entire history . . . and their darkest secrets. Whoever finds the book can control the outcome of the war and, ultimately, the fate of us all. And it is between these warring forces that humans—powerless and vulnerable—find themselves no longer the consumers but the consumed. Though Eph understands the vampiric plague better than anyone, even he cannot protect those he loves. His ex-wife, Kelly, has been transformed into a bloodcrazed creature of the night, and now she stalks the city looking for her chance to reclaim her Dear One: Zack, Eph's young son.

With the future of humankind in the balance, Eph and his team, guided by the brilliant former professor and Holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian and exterminator Vasiliy Fet and joined by a crew of ragtag gangsters, must combat a terror whose ultimate plan is more terrible than anyone has imagined—a fate worse than annihilation.

Hourglass (Evernight) by Claudia Gray

Hourglass is the third book in the Evernight series and it is just as exciting and entertaining as the previous two books.

The main characters, Bianca and Lucas are move in love than ever and find themselves in the most dire predicament.

There are several twists in this book that will keep you on edge. The cliffhanger ending will leave you more than eager for the final installment in this fantastic series.

Expect the unexpected!

Grade: A


Synopsis

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny.

Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything . . . but can it survive what's to come?

Meridian by Amber Kizer

Meridian is a gripping novel! The main character, Meridian is a sweet teen heroine. The plot is not only interesting but also very imaginative.

The book is more plot driven than character driver. Meridian switches back and forth from being smart to naive, which is a common trait among teens which makes her a believable character.

There is some degree of predictability and I expect that in the sequel the main character well be move developed.

Overall an enjoyable read.

Grade: B-


Synopsis

Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.

Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.

Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy -- is well written and entertaining. The main characters are well developed and have excellent chemistry.

This book is exciting, romantic,original and fun. It is also set up to be a trilogy. The plot is completely unique, I have yet to read anything similar to it.

The first person narration is fantastic. The scenes are described perfectly without to much detail which can be overwhelming.

Other than the quickly tied up ending in which everything is resolved rather quickly this book is worth reading.

Grade: A

Synopsis [B&N]

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

The Ivy is full of cliche characters. The writing is just average. The storyline is rather simple and the characters are not likable. There is a pretty high degree of predictability. The characters and situations are not good enough to keep you full interested. There are small aspects of the book that I did enjoy but not enough to own the book. I will read the sequel in hopes that the characters and storyline is improved because I really want to like this series. 

Grade: C 

 Synopsis [B&N] Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do? Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with— Gregory the guy she loves to hate Evan the guy she'd love to forget Clint the guy she'd love to love and Matt the guy she really should love —all vying for her attention. But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams. Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

My only regret with this book is that I waited way too long to read it. I kept shoving it under my pile of books to read and reading other book instead. Big mistake!


It was nothing like I expected - I love Showalter's writing style and ability to transform the characters into something relateable and enjoyable.

There are A LOT of characters but Showalter does an amazing job at keeping them straight and not cause confusion.

This novel is engaging and thrilling from the first page to the very last. I am excited to read the sequel and won't be waiting around to read it once I get it in my hands.


Grade: A


Synopsis [B&N]

There's something about the new guy at Crossroads High…

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends.

Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time travel.

One can raise the dead.

One can possess another human.

One can tell the future.

Everyone thinks he's crazy, which is why he's spent his entire life shuffled between mental institutions and juvie. All of that is about to change, however. For months Aden has been having visions of a beautiful girl—a girl who carries centuries-old secrets. A girl who will either save him or destroy him.

Together they'll enter a dark world of intrigue and danger…but not everyone will come out alive.