Monday 31 March 2014

Cover Reveal: Lux:Consequences

Hey guys. Welcome back to the second part of the Lux cover reveals. Today is the reveal for the second bind-up Lux:Consequences which includes the third and forth books, Opal and Origin. Which happen to be my favourite two of the series so far.
Today is also a little surprise with the cover reveal. Turns out when you set the two books together they make a pretty picture. So here we go!
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Lux:Consequences


Opal
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing alien hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.


Origin
Daemon will do anything to get Katy back. After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? And will they even be together?




# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Twitter    Facebook    Website


Best Series Blog Hop(Giveaway)

Thanks to Cuddlebuggery for hosting this hop!

The Best Series Blog Hop is for us bloggers to get you excited for our favourite YA series. So of course I had to get involved in this. Not only are the lovely Cuddlebuggery ladies hosting it but I'm about to get my wonderful readers excited about a YA series I absolutely adore.
There was no lists or thinking involved. As soon as I decided to participate, there was only one series I wanted to talk about.

The Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer
*clicking on pictures will lead to Goodreads book page*


Guys, this series! This series! I love it so much because it has all the things. 
Kemmerer hasn't written just another YA book about some hot boys with paranormal powers. This is wholly original. 
The books primarily focus of the four orphaned Merrick brothers. They can each control a different element; earth, air, fire and water. After the tragic death of their parents they were outcast from the elemental community. Now all they have is each other and are just trying to keep out of trouble.
Kemmerer makes it very difficult to remember that three of these brothers are teenagers and that I should not be having these thoughts. So I find it helpful to imagine them as the Hemsworth brothers. Makes it less dirty.

You're welcome


The books don't only focus on the brothers. You get dual POVs with some very kick-ass ladies. In fact the first chapter of Storm has Becca saving Chris' s ass from being handed to him by a few guys. 
And in Spirit we shift even more so from the Merricks with Hunter taking the helm. He has the cutest dog ever, Casper, who totally steals the show. 
Now even with all these shifting POVs you never lose sight of the other characters. They're still fully involved in the story.

Among all this epic elemental action Kemmerer still delves into some harder topics such as rape, sexuality and bullying. She really, really knows how to hit you right in the feels. Hell I even wanted to give a few characters hugs that I was totally hating on. She's not afraid to go there(Secret was a freakin' killer). And she does it all like she writes in her sleep. Not an ounce of insensitivity. 

The biggest "thing" Kemmerer does give us...

"No, not your biceps, Theo."

...is the characters and writing. Michael the oldest brother is raising his younger brothers which could get totally cliche. But it doesn't. Gabriel, Chris and Nick might tease him or get mad at him sometimes for being their "father" and sure it's a role he had to take on. But all of them still act like brothers. I love the relationships between them all. And actually that can be said for all the main relationships in this series. Romantic, friendship or family. They're all complex and developed. No insta-love. 
And the dialogue guys, it is so so witty and age appropriate. Nothing fake. They swear, fight, tease. Just talk and act like teenagers do. 
I could literally flip to any page and find something to highlight. Mostly because it's hilarious. I'm LOL'ing just thinking about my favourite bits.
“If you want me to fix your homework, you need to leave me alone.” Then he spotted her. “You’re back.”
“Yeah.” She glanced between him and Gabriel. “You do his homework?”
“Just the math. It’s a miracle he can count to ten.”
“I can count to one.” Gabriel gave him the finger.” 

It's pretty clear that I could write a billion more reasons why I love The Elemental series(obviously half of those reasons would have to do with the Merrick brothers in one way or another). But what would really prove me right(and lets face it, I'm always right) is picking up these books and experiencing their epicness first hand. And when you've finished the four out now and well impatiently waiting on Sacrifice you can feel free to tweet me saying how you've made me your God. For totally legit reasons, obviously.
The most important thing I want you to take away from my fangirling and it's very important, is I saw Gabriel first. 

Rules and Regulations

  • Starts March 31st, 2014 at 12:01AM(EST). Ends on April 6th, 2014 at 11:59PM(EST).
  • To enter please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
  • This contest is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to your country. Meaning TBD is responsible for shipping and This is the Story of My(Reading) Life is not responsible for lost or damaged items.
  • You must be at least 18 years old or 13+ with parental permission to enter. I will be asking for your mailing address for shipping purposes.
  • Entrants found using more than one Twitter account to enter will be disqualified. 
  • When the winner is chosen they will be announced in the Rafflecopter widget below, via Twitter(if applicable) and emailed. Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is randomly chosen.
  • Please note that This is the Story of My(Reading) Life reserves the right to disqualify any entries found to be gaming the system. Entries will be check and verified. 


Sunday 30 March 2014

Showcase Sunday #29

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme held by Books, Biscuits and Tea. It allows fellow bloggers to show off any books or bookish things they've compiled over the week.

Hey guys. Sorry it was a slow week here. But it was a weird week for me. And I honestly just didn't feel like posting anything. I guess I kind of just needed a break. But next week will be different, I've got things to post. And there might be a giveaway going up tomorrow. Maybe you should look out for it and spread the word. Just in case.
Annnnddd it's also my birthday on Tuesday. Which is kind of scary because I'm a year away from a very terrifying looking number. Lol.
Anyhow, BOOKS! I had a Chapters gift card to use, so I easily spent that. Plus Kindle had some really decent books this week on their daily deals as well as I found some freebies.
Annnndddd I went to Chapters last night and they had a book out a few days early. Not just any book. My most anticipated 2014 release(by a new author). Eeeeeee!!!

Purchased
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Tape by Steven Camden
Outpost(Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre
Dorothy Must Die(Dorothy Must Die #1) by Danielle Paige


E-books Purchased
Born of Illusion(Born of Illusion #1) by Teri Brown
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Talented(Talented #1) by Sophie Davis (free for Kindle)
Doon(Doon #1) by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon
Shattered Promises(Shattered Promises #1) by Jessica Sorensen (free for Kindle)

For Review

Countdown City(Last Policeman #2) by Ben H. Winters
*Thanks to Quirk Books

Won
Rain(Paper Gods #2) by Amanda Sun


As always, let me know how your week was. Get anything good? Link me up to your weekly haul.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Publication Date:
March 18th, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 384
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5/5
Add to Goodreads

Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble - she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope…. Maybe someday… Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal…
Contains exclusive content: Songs from Griffin Peterson

This was just such a unique reading experience. I'm a massive fan of Hoover. So of course I was beyond excited for her new book. Than I find out that the book comes with exclusive songs written for specific scenes in the book. And guys, it is imperative that you listen to the songs as you're reading the lyrics. Not only are the songs beautiful, but it just makes your reading experience more emotional and kind of personal. I literally felt like I was sitting on the bed with Ridge and Sydney as they wrote and performed the song. And that last song(I don't want to spoil anything), guys, my heart. If my robot heart feels the feels than you know the author did their job.

There is a lot more to Maybe Someday than the book blurb gives you. I obviously can't really go into specifics without spoiling the story. But it's not just about a heartbroken girl who's just trying to find herself.
Sydney thinks she's living the ideal life, finishing off her schooling in musical education and in love with her boyfriend of two years. She spends every night out on her balcony listening to the guy across from her play some of the most beautiful music. She's obsessed. She even starts to make up her own lyrics to the songs.
Ridge, the guy playing the music, he's having a nasty case of writer's block. He's been noticing the girl across the way every night coming out to listen to him, but than he also starts to notice she's singing along. He wants to know the lyrics she's come up with. So they start texting, she sends him the lyrics(after a bit of convincing on Ridge's part). He's absolutely thrown by how fantastic the lyrics are and wants to use them for this song for his band. So they decide to meet up at what she thinks is going to be her surprise birthday party. But Ridge has been noticing some sketchy stuff going on between Sydney's roomie and boyfriend. And he doesn't know if he should tell her that her boyfriend is cheating on her or not. They obviously don't know each other, so how do you start a conversation like that? But he does the right thing and tells Sydney. And this is where her world falls apart. With nowhere to go Ridge offers her a place to stay(with him). This is where the story really takes off. You learn something about Ridge and my emotions take over.

I found Maybe Someday a little more profound than Hoover's other books. She explores the dynamics of relationships and love in a really thought provoking way. Sydney's just had her heart broken and she's wondering how she can ever trust anybody(she just lost her boyfriend and best friend) again. Than Ridge enters her life and they connect on a whole new level. The music brings them together at first. They spend a lot of time together writing and composing songs. It's a very intimate experience. So of course attraction starts to grow. But you see Ridge has a serious girlfriend. She doesn't live close by, so she's not in the picture a lot to begin with. And this is where I think Hoover did a fantastic job and made this story more than just about cheating and betrayal. She made it about how something so innocent as love can take on a million different meanings in totally different situations and relationships. And about all the different dynamics of a relationship. How you can love different people so differently. Or how loving two people can still feel so right. Of course in the end there is ultimately that one person that is a better match for you. But it doesn't mean you can't love both of them.

Hoover even explores the possibility of soul mates. Everyone has their own opinion on the topic. But what if you were with who you thought you were meant to be with and than you meet somebody else that just totally throws what you thought was right out the window. Ridge and Sydney's connection is instant. They may never really act on it because obviously Ridge is in relationship. But the emotions and feelings definitely escalate as the weeks go on.  The thing is that they could be themselves around each other. Their true selves. Ridge told Sydney things he's never told anyone before. It was obvious that Sydney was putting on a bit of different persona with her ex-boyfriend. She was being who she thought she should be to him. And the same was for Ridge. You could tell as the story went on that yes he obviously loves Maggie(his girlfriend) a lot, but he was also acting a certain way. A way he thought she needed him to act. Eventually all the acting is going to take its toll, whether on the person, the relationship or both.

As characters, I loved both Ridge and Sydney. They were both strong and selfless people in different ways. I also love how committed Ridge was to Maggie. Ridge and Sydney were just very good people. And you were routing for them, even though it was a tricky situation.
I also loved Warren. Ridge's best friend and roommate. He was kind of the comic relief. But also this very inappropriate yet intelligent guy. I need a book for him. Please make it so, Hoover!

There's so much I still want to say about Maybe Someday, but it would be spoilers. So I think I'm going to put some more thoughts down below. So this is your warning, read at your own risk.:)

Needless to say, I loved this book. Hoover is one of my favourite authors. She never disappoints. And I'd love to discuss this book more. So if you've read it feel free to tweet me and we'll get a discussion going.

Happy reading!

Brittany









**SPOILERS. CONTINUE AT OWN RISK. SPOILERS**
*highlight text below to read spoilers**

 So when we find out Ridge is deaf it was a total :O moment. And I had this thought that no, Hoover better not screw this up. I should know never to doubt her. There is no way that this book would have been anywhere as fantastic as it was if Ridge could hear. Ridge was such an independent person. And in no way did Hoover ever show his "disability" as a handicap. It was the total opposite. And I don' think this book would have hit as hard emotionally or as deeply with me if he could hear. And also just the way he sees and feels music was inspiring. 

I also really loved Maggie. The shit life has thrown at her is terrible. But in no way did that slow her down. She had such a positive, live life to the fullest attitude. Such a strong and independent girl. It was obvious she took care of herself. She didn't need saving. I know Ridge just wanted to protect her from the world, but she didn't need it. She could rule the world if she wanted to. 

The only little bit that I felt could have had a little more depth to it was the whole Ridge/Maggie break-up. I felt that the talk was a bit of a cop out so that the Ridge/Sydney relationship could take-off. There should have been more fight in that conversation. Not necessarily yelling, just fight on Ridge's part. He kind of just took everything Maggie said as true. And it was all true. But he cried and now on to Sydney. Don't get me wrong, I wanted Sydney and Ridge to get together(and I wish we had more of their relationship). But he was trying to be Maggie's protector for five years and after one conversation he just took it as that; Maggie didn't need him. There should have been more to their ending. Maggie was right on why they can't work and aren't good for each other. There just should have been more to say.


Monday 24 March 2014

Cover Reveal: Lux: Beginnings

Hey guys. I wanted to take part in this cover reveal because I'm not only a huge fan of Jennifer Armentrout but also her Lux series. The fifth and final book will be released this summer. Which I'm impatiently waiting for. And if you haven't started the series, this spring will be the perfect time as they are releasing two bind-ups of the first four books.
Today the reveal will be for the first bind-up, Lux:Beginnings consisting of Obsidian and Onyx.
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Lux:Beginnings


Obsidian
There's an alien next door. And with his looming height and eerie green eyes, he's hot...until he opens his mouth. He's infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, he lights me up with a big fat bulls-eye. Turns out he has a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal his abilities and the only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.



Onyx
Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro alien connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

Goodreads       Amazon     Barnes and Noble



# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.


Check back next Monday for the cover reveal of Lux:Consequences the second bind-up for Opal and Origin.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy reading!

Brittany

Sunday 23 March 2014

Showcase Sunday #28

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme held by Books, Biscuits and Tea. It allows fellow bloggers to show off any books or bookish things they've compiled over the week.


Did you guys see Divergent?! Holy crap is it amazing! I am beyond impressed. Soooo close to the book. And everyone is fantastic as their character. But Theo James. He stole the show. Besides being hot, he is Tobias. He brought Tobias right off the pages of the book! I was telling people that it was better than The Hunger Games but not quite as phenomenal as Catching Fire. But I think I've changed my mind. I say it again and I definitely think it's my favourite book to movie adaptation now. And it's made me even more excited for Insurgent. Which is my favourite of the three, so I cannot wait!
I bought a few books this week but I was also surprised by some awesome gifts too. A few of them were an early birthday gift. And well I'll explain the other down below.

Purchased
Fragments(Partials Sequence #2) by Dan Wells
Tin Star(Tin Star #1) by Cecil Castellucci
Nil by Lynne Matson
An Echo in the Bone(Outlander #7) by Diana Gabaldon

Gifted
Ever After High:The Storybook of Legends(Ever After High #1) by Shannon Hale
The Merchant of Death(Pendragon #1) by D.J. MacHale
Zita the Spacegirl(Zita the Spacegirl #1) by Ben Hatke
Legends of Zita the Spacegirl(Zita the Spacegirl #2) by Ben Hatke
Because she is beyond awesome, Samantha from The Secret Life of a Bookworm sent my a surprise package. Like I told her, I wasn't expecting anything. But this is fantastic. She sent me Black City because she read it last year and loved it. So I will definitely be getting to it next month. And she also sent me the Noughts and Crosses box set. I had mentioned once how I had my eye on it for a while. And she remembered. It also one of her favourite series, so that makes me even more excited to start it. Which will probably happen this week. Thanks again, Sam! I'm so excited to read all the things! :D <3 <3

What did you guys get this week? Let me know below or link up your weekly haul.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Friday 21 March 2014

Miniviews # 6: White Hot Kiss & My Life Next Door

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: February 1st, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 400
Series: The Dark Elements
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5/5
And once again JLA has managed to make me fall in love as she continues to feed my addiction. This book doesn't mess around. It has all the things! In normal JLA Paranormal style, it's a sexy action-packed book with snarky and hot characters. Our MC Layla is half gargoyle half demon, so that makes her one of a kind and pretty lonely. A few years ago she is "adopted" by a powerful gargoyle family. Where she finds her first friend in Zayne. He's pretty protective of Layla and is constantly telling her she's good. That she's a gargoyle. But her demon side is constantly reminding her that it's there too. So as much as Layla tries, she's still confused and pretty much on her own. She knows her gargoyle "family" hasn't told her anywhere close to enough about her past. So when Roth, a demon, suddenly comes into her life secrets start to be revealed about just how powerful Layla is. Now Roth, well he's just hot. JLA definitely knows how to write the hot jerky bad boy that make you swoon. Hard. And so far Roth takes the cake for the most swoon-worthy of them. You just gotta meet him to get the full effect. He's just snarky and indifferent. And he made me mark the hell out of my book with his one-liners(I'll post a picture below). I'll give you a little something, he has a few tattoos, one of them being a snake that comes alive and eats people. The snakes name is Bambi. And it just gets better from there. Layla's and Roth's chemistry is fantastic! And sure there might have been a smidge of instant-love(never said, but implied). But who the hell cares? Their relationship is solid!
That ending yo, it was a shocker. And like all the mean authors these days, I was left hanging and have to wait months for the sequel. This is definitely my fave JLA YA book. But it's in good competition.
Those aren't all just Roth, but 75% of them are his.




My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publication Date: June 14th, 2012
Publisher: Dial Books
Pages: 394
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5/5
This one I've been wanting to read forever. But for some reason or another, it just kept getting pushed back. There's so much love for My Life Next Door that I just needed to know why. So finally I just picked it up and said screw everything else. And God, I loved it! It's definitely a summer romance read. There's an extremely cute romance. That unlike a lot of YA contemporary books happens almost right away. And reading along I thought that's all the book was going to be BUT I was wrong. There's definitely hints at some darker themes coming my way. And man was I shocked when that plot twist happens in the last third of the book.
So Samantha seems to have it all, private school, rich princess on the outside but that's of course far from the truth. Her sister and she have been raised by their mom. And well their mom is a piece of work. She is all about appearances. And Sam must fit that perfect persona. Sam definitely doesn't come across as a princess. She's a little quirky. But really she's obviously a confused teenager. She wants to please her mom but it's also her life. And she does not want the things her mom expects of her. I do wish she would have stuck up for herself with her mom. Her mom just walks all over her for most of the book.
Sam does spend a lot of her time watching her next door neighbors, the Garrett's. The Garrett's have a lot of kids(think Cheaper by the Dozen-ish). And when they moved in beside Sam's family years ago her mom was disgusted. But Sam finds them fascinating. They're a wonderful, loving family. One night when she's sitting on her roof watching the older kids goofing around, she suddenly gets a surprise when, Jase, one the boys the same age as her makes his way up to sit with her. It's the first contact she's really had with the family, and well it just progresses from there. Sam and Jase become a couple(a very cute couple) and she starts to spend all her free time with him and the rest of the family. She even helps by babysitting the younger ones.
And Jase. Jase. God, he's adorable. I just wanted to eat him right up. He's so good to and for Sam.
So the last half of the book did turn me into The Hulk. I was angry at a lot of characters. Just seeing red angry. First off, Sam's BFF Nan is a bitch. And says some very nasty things to her. There's also this guy Clay, who is Sam's mom's boyfriend(that's the short version of who he is to the story). And as soon as we meet him near the beginning of the book he was giving me bad vibes. And when that awful plot twist happens he just does some shitty things. As well as influencing Sam's mom to do these shitty things. So prepare for anger.
I also want to mention Tim, Nan's twin brother. He's messed up. Into drugs and alcohol. Can't keep a job. But with some help from Sam, Jase, and his Jase's dad, he really starts to get on the right path. And becomes the voice of reason towards a lot of situations. There's no doubt he's a very intelligent guy. And the fact that he's getting his own book makes me beyond excited.
I'm so happy to finally have experienced this book. I definitely understand why it gets the love it does. And I will definitely pick up anything else Fitzpatrick publishes.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Top 5 Wednesday: Sequels

Top 5 Wednesday is a meme started by Lainey at Ginger Reads Lainey. Find the list of all the #T5WFamily here.

This weeks topic is:

Top 5 Sequels!

These won't be any surprise. But it's more that I loved and first book and I can't believe the second book was that much better. These five books are ridiculous. I might spend time hugging them on a daily basis. Maybe...


5. Prodigy(Legend #2) by Marie Lu

4. Scarlet(The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

3. Crown of Midnight(Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

2. Insurgent(Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

1. catching Fire(The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

So what about guys? Best sequels you've read. Let me down below or link up your post.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme held by The Broke and the Bookish

This weeks topic is:

Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR!
This list has turned out to be mostly upcoming spring releases. It's nearly impossible for me to set some kind of TBR because I have no idea what I'll be in the mood for. But I have pre-orders that I'm extremely excited for plus some arc's to get reviewed. So let's just stick with those.

10. Sea of Shadows(Age of Legends #1) by Kelley Armstrong

9. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

8. Take Me On(Pushing the Limits #4) by Katie McGarry

7. Rebel Belle(Rebel Belle #1) by Rachel Hawkins

6. The Taking(The Taking #1) by Kimberly Derting

5. Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

4. The Warrior(Dante Walker #3) by Victoria Scott

3. City of Heavenly Fire(The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare

2. Plus One by Elizabeth Fama

1. Dorothy Must Die(Dorothy Must Die #1) by Danielle Paige

What are you guys looking forward to reading this spring? Let me know or link up your TTT.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Monday 17 March 2014

Review: Fire & Flood(Fire & Flood #1) by Victoria Scott

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Publication Date: February 25th, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 304
Series: Fire & Flood
Source: Won-ARC
Rating: 4/5
Add to Goodreads

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

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?



I read Scott's Dante Walker series earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised. What I loved most was her characters and that was definitely my favourite bits of Fire & Flood too. Her characters are very real and their voices/dialogue aren't fake. It's very age appropriate as well as personality appropriate.
Like with Tella, our MC, she's a bit of a princess. Kind of expects a certain lifestyle. But she would do anything for her dying brother. So when this random device shows up offering a chance to win a cure for her brother, she's on it. No question. I really did like Tella for that. She has no idea what she's getting into but she kind of just goes with it. She also knows that there's no way she can survive this by herself. She is not strong enough but she's not stupid. She is flawed though and just because she's made a choice to save her brother it doesn't automatically change her to an invincible, kick-ass heroine. She's scared and wondering if she'll even survive to have a chance at saving her brother. So this gives her the ability to grow and to adapt(as much as she can) to her environment. I felt like Scott accomplished that with Tella. She started to show changes when she started to realize what was important to get through this game and save her brother.

 So this is where we start to get into this weird ass game. It's like a toss-up between Survivor and The Hunger Games. And I really can't say much about the point of the games because 1.spoiler and 2. I'm still a little confused. There was a bit of info. dumping at the very end of the book. So you do spend the whole time kind of confused as to the whole point of the games. I don't like being confused. But since Tella spends all this time wondering what the hell the point of the games is as well, at least it's not fault on the author for confusing me. It's on purpose.
Anyhow, the book pretty much gets right into the action and the games. So you've got over a hundred contestants dropped into the first round of the games. Which is a jungle. They're told they have two weeks to make it the center of the jungle where the base camp is. The first contestant there wins a prize. So off their sent to survive with nothing but this egg. And this egg is pretty damn cool. It turns out be like a Pokemon type hybrid creature called a Pandora. What these normal looking creatures(Tella's is a fox) can do just adds to epicness of the games and action.

Tella does eventually start to make friends and enemies. Odd sort of people and their Pandora's. And like I mentioned before, I think this is really where Scott excels; her characters. I think I'm a pretty character driven reader. So that's kind of the make or break for me. One of these friends, Guy, does become the love interest(it's pretty obvious from the beginning). Their relationship does start out pretty skeptical. And Guy is a very secretive guy. I did feel like it was a bit of insta-love. But this book isn't heavy on the romance and I did really like Guy. So the insta-love didn't bother me.

So shit goes down. People die. People betray "friends". Pandora's fight. Like I said, all pretty epic. And the book even continues on to the second round of the games. Which is in a whole different environment. With a whole bunch of new and brutal tasks and the harsh new landscape creates a different set of problems.

After the ending and finally getting some clarification of why these games take place I'm definitely pretty excited to get my hands on the sequel. I'm sure those game keepers are going to be seeing some rebellion come their way.

Happy reading!

Brittany