Review #213: The Kill Order- James Dashner

Title: The Kill order
Author: James Dashner
Pages: 327
Rating: 2/5 Stars
Summary: The prequel to the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series.

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.Review: When I saw that James Dashner had written a prequel to the Maze Runner series I was ecstatic because I loved the series. Unfortunately, the Kill Order was terrible and a waste of time. The only parts that I liked and really had anything to do with The Maze Runner were the prologue and the epilogue. The book would have been better just as a stand alone and not having anything to do with The Maze Runner. But even that would not have saved this book. I was in a reading slump because of it. It took me forever to finish and every time I had to set it down, I had to fight myself to even pick it back up again. 
I would not recommend this book to anyone. This makes me very weary to pick up Dashner's new book the Eye of minds. Hopefully it is better. If you loved The Maze Runner series do not pick this book up, the series will be ruined.

About this author

James is the author of THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy and THE 13TH REALITY series. He also published a series (beginning with A DOOR IN THE WOODS) with a small publisher several years ago. He lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains.

Review #212: Witchstruck- Victoria Lamb

Title: Witchstruck
Author: Victoria Lamb
Pages: 320
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Summary: If she sink, she be no witch and shall be drowned. 

If she float, she be a witch and must be hanged.

Meg Lytton has always known she is different—that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne.

With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice.

The Secret Circle meets The Other Boleyn Girl in Witchstruck, the first book of the magical Tudor Witch trilogy.Review: I fell in love with this cover, causing me to buy this book. Unfortunately I wasn't really impressed by it. I think the synopsis sounded intriguing but the story just didn't live up to it. Personally I just found the story to be boring until about 80-90% in. Then there was a smidge of excitement and then the book ended. It just wasn't what I thought it would be. I didn't really like the characters, they had no depth, they were just there to fill up space. I'm not really sure if I would recommend this book to anyone.

About this author

Victoria Lamb lives in a farmhouse on the wild fringes of Bodmin Moor with her husband, five kids, two cats and a crazed Irish Red Setter. She is addicted to social media, and on dark nights has been known to sneak out and howl at the moon.

Chat with Victoria on Twitter about books and nonsense. @VictoriaLamb1

Review #211: Cum Laude- Cecily von Ziegesar

Title: Cum Luade
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Pages: 272
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Summary: They're here for a higher education . . . and you won't believe how far they'll go.

Dexter College is a small liberal arts college in the quiet town of Home, Maine. But it won't stay quiet for long with this group of freshmen. There's Shipley--blonde and beautiful, the object of envy and more than a little lust. Determined to assert herself and to shed her good-girl image, she buys cigarettes and condoms, because that's what every self-respecting college girl does. Her edgy roommate, Eliza, came to Dexter to get noticed, and she has the attitude and the mouth to prove it. Then there's Tom. Handsome, privileged, used to getting his own way, he's a jock-turned-artist who thinks his paintings will change the world. Sensitive Nick, Tom's wake-and-bake pot-smoking roommate, wants to follow in the footsteps of his boarding-school hero. And then there are brother and sister Adam and Tragedy Gatz. The freckle-faced farm boy lives at home with his parents and his little sister, who does all she can to stop him from being a wuss.

As Shipley, Eliza, Tom, Nick, and Adam find out, that first year of college is more than credits and cramming. Between the lust and the love, the secrecy and the scandal, they'll all receive an unexpected education. It's a time of shifting alliances, unrequited crushes, and coming of age. Find Yourself is Dexter's motto. And they are determined to do just that.

Review: I have had this book sitting on my shelf for awhile and Bout of books 9.0 was the perfect excuse to pick it up and finally read it. Cum Laude wasn't the best book I have read but it wasn't the worst. It just followed around a bunch of college kids as they partied, drank and did drugs. Is that how university/ college is in the states? Haha. That's not how my college experience was at all. I wasn't connected to the characters or the story. 

This was just an easy, no- Brainer book. I think I would recommend this book to someone who didn't want to think what they were reading and just wants to veg out.

About this author

Cecily grew up in Manhattan and went to an all-girl's school on the Upper East Side.
She resides in Brooklyn with her husband Richard, the Deputy Director of the Public Art Fund, their children, Agnes and Oscar, and their two Cornish Rex cats. Von Ziegesar also owns an Appaloosa horse, Golden Rain. She is dreams of having a 'ranch full of cattle' when retired.

Review #210: The Fault in Our Stars- John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Pages: 313
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Summary: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
Review: I was very hesitant to read this book after I had read Looking For Alaska and not liking it, but I'm very glad I picked up The Fault in Our Stars, it blew my mind. I could feel every emotion that he characters felt. I ugly cried numerous times. I was actually a bit shocked with what happened, it was quite the twist. I definitely wasn't expecting it until it happened. I don't really even know how to review this book. It was so beautiful, moving and eye opening. I loved being along for the ride. 
I love both of these characters. They were so strong, brave and filled with love. This was such an emotional roller coaster to be on. I want to know what happens now. Much like the characters in the book, I am seeking an answer I might never receive, I can assume, but I want to know what John Green thinks will happen now.
I would recommend this novel to everybody and anybody. Even if you don't read, you need to pick up this masterpiece and read it ASAP!!

P.S. I can't wait for the movie. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

About this author

John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New York Times bestseller and won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best YA Mystery. In January 2012, his most recent novel, The Fault in Our Stars, was met with wide critical acclaim, unprecedented in Green's career. The praise included rave reviews in Time Magazine and The New York Times, on NPR, and from award-winning author Markus Zusak. The book also topped the New York Times Children's Paperback Bestseller list for several weeks. Green has also coauthored a book with David Levithan called Will Grayson, Will Grayson, published in 2010. The film rights for all his books, with the exception of Will Grayson Will Grayson, have been optioned to major Hollywood Studios.

In 2007, John and his brother Hank were the hosts of a popular internet blog, "Brotherhood 2.0," where they discussed their lives, books and current events every day for a year except for weekends and holidays. They still keep a video blog, now called "The Vlog Brothers," which can be found on the Nerdfighters website, or a direct link here.

Review #209: Family Pieces- Misa Rush

Title: Family Pieces
Author: Misa Rush
Pages: 266
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary: What do you do when your once charmed life falls to pieces? Karsen Woods's life seems charmed from her handsome boyfriend to her picture-perfect midwestern roots. Away at college, even the necklace she wears serves as a constant connection home - a family tradition created when her grandfather handmade each immediate relative an interlinking charm. Each piece crafted in the shape of a puzzle piece, each one interlinking perfectly together. But when the unexpected death of her mother turns her world upside down, she discovers there is a missing piece of her treasured family tradition and her life as she once knew it may never be the same. Addison Reynolds resides in her posh Manhattan condominium and wraps her personal identity around running Urbane, the magazine empire built by her father. In a moment of haste, Addison divulges her deepest secret to her closest friend Emily - a secret she never intended to disclose. Could one choice, one secret, bond two unlikely women forever?
Review: I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review,
I really enjoyed reading Family Pieces, it was a very cute and light read. It's one of those books that just makes you smile, despite shedding a few tears as well. I really loved the plot of this story, I loved how the puzzle piece necklaces linked the family together and how there was a fun and mysterious twist on this not so unique story. This novel was turley a coming of age read.
I really enjoyed all of these characters, well except for Shady McDouche pants. I found all of the characters to genuinely be nice people. I liked all of the emotions that he characters went through: grief, denial, happiness, sadness and everything else in- between.
This was a great, fluffy contemporary that was a fast and easy read. If you are looking for a coming of age story then look no further. For a debut novel, Family Pieces was very well written. I will be sure to look for more books to come by Misa Rush.

About this author

Mommy, wife and self-proclaimed shoe addict.
Misa Rush earned an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and a BS from Eastern Michigan University. After building a successful insurance business, she decided to pursue her first novel. She resides in Gilbert, Arizona with her husband and two children where, depending on the time of day, she's either out developing her new real estate business, marketing books, carpooling kids, or trying to fit in a meeting before checking in at her children's sporting activities where she takes her job as #1 fan very seriously.

Like all busy moms, she often does too much, schedules more on top of that, and stays up well past a respectable bedtime to sit before the seductive glow of her computer screen, typing out the stories in her head and strategizing ways to get everything done.

FAMILY PIECES ebook has been downloaded over 30,000 times to date.

Cover Reveal: My Soul For You- Airicka Phoenix

Title: My Soul For you

Author: Airicka Phoenix

Publisher: Fire & Ice Publishing

Release Day: March 7, 2014

Genre: New Adult Contemporary, Thriller with strong elements of Romance

Warnings: Language and sexual content

Formats: eBook & Paperback

Other Novels: http://www.amazon.com/Airicka-Phoenix/e/B00906AGHM

Buying Locations: To Come Soon

Author Bio:

Best-Selling author Airicka Phoenix lives in rainy British Columbia with her beautiful family. When she's not pounding away at the keyboard, she can be found reading, shining her collection of daggers or chilling with her kids. 

She is the author of the Touch Saga, The Sons of Judgment Saga, The Lost Girl Series, and Games of Fire.

Airicka also writes adult paranormal & contemporary romance under her alter ego, Morgana Phoenix. Her first novel, Capture Me, will be out 2014.

For more about Airicka, visit her website at: http://airickaphoenix.com/Author/

Stalker Links:

Author Website: http://airickaphoenix.com/Author/

Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Airicka-Phoenix/252135634831614

Touch Series Page: https://www.facebook.com/TouchSeriesByAirickaPhoenix?ref=hl

Design Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Airickas-Mystical-Creations/462373910480084Morgana Phoenix Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Morgana-Phoenix/148839731972606

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AirickaPhoenix  

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AirickaPhoenix

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Airicka-Phoenix/e/B00906AGHM

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/airicka-phoenix/40/432/74

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/Search?query=Airicka%20Phoenix&fcsearchfield=Author

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/airickaphoenix/

Barns & Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/airicka-phoenix

Trilogy Review #207-209: The Divergent Series- Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Pages: 487
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series--dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.Review: There has been so much hype about this book from everyone and I wanted to read it before the movie comes out, so I finally picked it up. I wasn't disappointed with the story, it just didn't blow my mind like I was expecting. I'm not sure what about the story didn't grab me, but I found myself to be easily distracted by other things and I had no issue putting the book down. If I wouldn't have been able to put it down it would have gotten that five star rating. I did like the world that Veronica Roth created, and all of its twists and secrets. 
I liked Tria, I feel like even though she was supposed to conform to her faction, she kept her rebelliousness and curiosity. She didn't let her faction define her. I loved hearing everything that was going on inside her head and whether she did what she was thinking.
This was a great dystopian read and I would recommend it to all dystopian lovers.

Title: Insurgent
Pages: 525
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary: Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.

The thrillingly dark sequel to No. 1 New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT.

I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.Review: This book started off right where book one ended. I have to be brutally honest, I didn't like Tris in this instalment. I feel like all the awesome, brave and independence that was built up in book one was lost in this book. Tris was a whiny baby. I kind of wanted to punch her in the throat. And the story just kept on trucking, so yeah, not really much more to say.
I would recommend this book to dystopian lovers, only because book one was good so you have to continue the series and skipping a book wouldn't make sense.

Title: Allegiant
Pages: 526
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary: The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.Review: Again, this book starts where the last ended. And again it was a "meh" read. Nothing really blew my mind, it was just a story. But unlike so many other people the ending didn't bother me. I feel like the only reason poet plié rated this instalment low was because of the ending. But realistically, how else could this book have ended? Not everything is sunshine and rainbows. I didn't connect with these characters and I didn't really care that we lost some of them. I almost felt like it was about time haha.
I would still recommend people to read this book because you can't only read the first two. Despite me not really liking this series, I am curious to see what Veronica Roth will write next.

About this author

Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and INSURGENT (May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, ALLEGIANT, will come out on October 22, 2013. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)