Review; Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Synopsis; Life is almost back to normal for Harper Price. The Ephors have been silent after their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago, and her best friend, Bee, has returned after a mysterious disappearance. Now Harper can focus on the important things in life: school, canoodling with David (her nemesis-turned-ward-slash-boyfie), and even competing in the Miss Pine Grove pageant.

Unfortunately, supernatural chores are never done. The Ephors have decided they’d rather train David than kill him. The catch: Harper has to come along for the ride, but she can’t stay David’s Paladin unless she undergoes an ancient trial that will either kill her . . . or make her more powerful than ever. 

My Thoughts:

Miss Mayhem is the sequel to Rebel Belle and what I loved most about the first book was that it was fast paced and fun! I'm happy to say this one maintained that same fast pace and fun quality to it! 

Unfortunately that's about all I can say when I think of this book. It was fun and fast paced, but the world development isn't the greatest, neither is the character development. I was hoping in the second book I'd be able to connect more to Harper, the main character, but unfortunately I still don't connect with her. 

This sequel was kind of centred around just one thing, but I feel like it was so dragged out and so anticlimactic in the end, and it could have been made to be so much more action packed instead of the pointless drama that kept being thrown in throughout the book. 

Overall, this sequel was fast paced and fun just like the first, but it was way too short for anything really interesting or exciting to happen. It was just one of those disappointing second novels in a series, but I'm hoping in the third will make up for this one!

Rating: 3/5 Stars.

Review: The Cage by Megan Shepherd

Synopsis;  The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?

My Thoughts;

I had really high hopes for this book since I loved The Madman's Daughter by Megan but unfortunately it was pretty disappointing for me. The premise sounded really promising but the execution and the characters I wasn't a huge fan of. 

This book could have been suspenseful and mysterious but instead it was kinda irritating and annoying. All the teenagers in this novel did was sit around doing basically nothing. The only character who didn't irritate me was Cora, I actually read her POV and kinda just skimmed everyone else's because I found the others to be very flat and boring. I also didn't mind Mali either, she was actually an interesting character but unfortunately she doesn't get many chapters. 

The Cage had so much potential-the world building wasn't so bad, a little confusing and a few things unanswered but I'm pretty sure this a series so that's not a huge issue but for me the characters in this just made it so boring for me. They were trapped in a cage on a planet that's not earth, and they didn't care? All they did was sit around, fighting and arguing with each other. 

The last 50 pages or so did capture my attention, I must admit. There was a plot twist I didn't really see coming and the book left off in a cliffhanger that does make me intrigued to read the sequel, just to see how it's resolved! 

Overall, this isn't a bad book. The series has promise and potential, and I'm intrigued to read the sequel just because of the way this one ended! 

Rating; 2.5/5 Stars

Review; Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Synopsis: Time is slipping away.... 

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

My Thoughts; 

I enjoyed this book a hell of a lot more than I thought I would! It definitely took me by surprise! I'm still not entirely sure what this book is classified as in genre... it's kind of sci-fi I would say. Regardless, it was fast-paced and had my attention hooked the entire the time!

Talla Holloway was an awesome main character. She was very headstrong and also witty and I loved the humour she and some of the other side characters added to the book! When she was given the opportunity to enter the Brimstone Bleed and possibly win a Cure of any illness for her sick brother, she immediately jumps at the chance to save him. I loved how even when Talla got to the Brimstone Bleed and realizes she has no idea what exactly she signed up for, she stills is determined to win the Cure for her brother. 

I don't want to say too much more about Fire & Flood because I feel like you shouldn't go into this knowing too much. You definitely want to be surprised at some of the things that happen and I don't want to give too much away!

Overall, I really really enjoyed this book, it took me completely by surprise! It was fast-paced, had my attention hooked the entire time, seriously I stayed up until 3am reading this and still woke up wanting to read more. I would definitely recommend to fans of The Hunger Games, but keep in mind while it's the same basic idea as THG, it is pretty different! It's got great characters, an intriguing plotline and tons of surprises with a hint of swoony romance! I loved!

Rating; 4.5/5

Review; Broken Skies by Theresa Kay

Summary; Thirty years ago, civilization collapsed. Few survived.
Ten years ago, the aliens arrived…and stayed.
One year ago, I killed two men and went a little crazy.
Today, the aliens took my brother and I will do anything to get him back.

In seventeen-year-old Jax Mitchell's world, humans are nearly extinct and alien settlers have arrived.

Until recently, the E’rikon have remained segregated in their city and ignored the few humans who have tried to engage them… but now they have taken Jax’s brother. To rescue him, she forms an uneasy alliance with a teenage E’rikon left stranded in the woods. She agrees to guide him to the city if he sneaks her past the human-proof barrier. Too bad it’s not that simple.

Jax, who cannot stand to be touched, finds that she’s drawn to the alien boy with bright green hair and jewel-like scales on his back. And he’s equally affected by her, the courageous redhead with haunted eyes. But she doesn’t know the alien’s true motives and he has no idea that she is much more than she seems.

With the aliens and the humans at odds, the connection forming between the two teens has consequences. What started off as a rescue mission sets a chain of events in motion which threatens not only the remaining humans and the growing alien society, but Earth itself.

My Thoughts; 

Broken Skies is about a girl named Jax, a fiery red-head who lives with her twin brother Jace at a camp after an event that killed 90% of the worlds population. Girls are shipped off to breeding camps since after this event it's been hard for women to conceive, and aliens have dropped down to visit. And try to take over the world. And also steal Jax's twin, Jace.  

Jax, our main character, I really enjoyed reading from her point of view. She was sarcastic, fiery but also vulnerable and caring. I loved the relationship she had with her twin, and I loved that Theresa would add in special moments of Jax and Jace, so even though Jace wasn't physically there, you still felt that connection to their relationship. Lir, the love interest and also alien who helps Jax get into his city where they're holding her twin, I also loved. I had my moments with him, where I thought he was being a total idiot, but overall I loved him and he was sometimes just so sweet. The relationship between Lir and Jax was so entertaining and fun, I really enjoyed it! 

The plot was very fast paced, which I enjoyed! The book in general was fast paced, and so entertaining I read it in no time! I just kept wanting to know more, read more about Lir and Jax! I love alien books and this one is no different!

I would recommend this to fans of Twilight and The Lux series! It was entertaining, funny, fast paced and had a great romance! I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, Fractured Suns!

Review: The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

Summary; Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

My Thoughts; 

I'm still not completely sure how I feel about this book. At times, I felt like I was really enjoying it and really getting into it but then other times I would feel like I'm not liking at all where the story is going. 

This is a fantasy, set in the world of the Indigo Kingdom. It felt like a fantasy world with a twist of superhero/vigilante type vibe going on. It was very interesting and very different, definitely a surprise! In the Indigo Kingdom magic is banned and illegal because it creates a wraith and is quickly destroying all the kingdoms. 

Black Knife was a very interesting character, very mysterious and I loved the vigilante part from him. Unfortunately I figured out the plot twist of who he was pretty early on. I liked Wilhelmina's character as well, although I didn't connect to her very much. I liked that she was brave and determined to do whatever she could to get her kingdom and people back. I wasn't a huge fan of many of the secondary characters; Patrick had seemed sketchy and pushy from the beginning and Melanie, Wil's best friend, also seemed sketchy and very suspicious. 

Overall, I'd say if you're a fan of fantasy and strong female characters, I think you'd enjoy this! The pacing isn't fast but it's got a very compelling plot and a mysterious superhero/vigilante! 

Review; An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Summary; Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
 
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
 
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
 
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
 
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. 

My Thoughts;

This book was pretty badass. Also, that cover? Totally gorgeous! So in love with it! There was a ton of hype surrounding this book before it had even been released, just from people who had received ARC copies so I was so stoked when I won a giveaway for an ARC copy, thank you Chapters Indigo for the giveaway!

Like I said, this book was pretty badass! It's told in a world inspired by ancient Rome called the Empire. The world is pretty brutal and harsh. Laia as a slave, she was subjected to so many harsh and cruel things, I really felt for her but I loved that it didn't break her, it only made her stronger and more determined to find her brother and get him out of wherever the hell he is. 

This book is told in dual perspectives, so we get to see the story told through both Laia and Elias! I really loved that we got to see this world from two sides, Elias as a solider to the Empire and Laia, a slave to the Empire, but both against it. I can't even say whose POV I enjoyed more because I really liked reading both! 

I absolutely loved Sabaa Tahir's writing. It was very beautiful and captivating. I wouldn't say this book was very fast paced, but the writing is just so beautiful it makes you want to read slower so you can fully immerse yourself into it and take it all in. The world she created was so fascinating and her writing just made it all the more real to me. 

One of the issues I had with this book was the complicated romance. I wasn't a huge fan of this love-square. I really don't like how many YA novels have love-triangles and the fact that this book had a love-square was slightly disappointing. I probably would have even been able to get past it if the romance hadn't been so overpowering. Plus, the kind of love-triangle in here is one of my absolute least favourites and it was the most overpowering so I really couldn't get past it and be fine with it. 

Overall Rating; 4.5/5

Review: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Summary; Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

My Thoughts;

So, The Murder Complex is Lindsay Cummings debut novel and it's had a lot of talk surrounding it, both bad and good. I went into this only having a very very vague idea of what it was about and it was completely different from what I expected, though not in a bad way! The Murder Complex is a pretty dark read, which you can probably gather just from the title. This book is pretty bloody and gory, so be aware of that. It's a pretty dark dystopian but personally I enjoy those best!

This book is told in dual POV's, between Meadow, who's the daughter of a fisherman with two siblings to care and watch out for, and Zephyr who's a Ward, which is what they call orphans. Meadow was very tough and kickass, I liked that she was a fierce female main character! I liked that we got to see both these characters backgrounds through the dual perspectives but at the same time I feel like the POV changes and short chapters hindered me from fully connecting to the characters. I ended up connecting with Zephyr sort of towards the end, but I didn't really connect with Meadow which was one of my main issues with the book, along with the romance. I felt the romance was too rushed and happened way too fast for me to even connect with their relationship.

I really loved how action-packed this book is and how many surprises there were! Also so many plot twists and heart racing moments! There was always something going on and it kept me intrigued and kept me wanting to keep turning the page!

Overall Rating; 4/5