Review of November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Title: November 9

Author: Colleen Hoover

Synopsis: 
Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist. 
Rating: I will be giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars. I was shocked by this book. I was expecting one thing and I got something completely different. This story is told from two points of views, Fallon and Ben. I was drawn to the characters and the story right away. The author was brilliant with this book and I don’t want to give too much away but there was a lot of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I went into this story with not much as to what the synopsis was or anything about the author. I feel that because of that I was able to really appreciate the story and all it had to offer. I went on a roller coaster of emotions from love, to heartbreak, to the healing process and then all over again. This story was amazing with a great plot that continued to develop, as well as having twists, and turns. The characters were beautiful because of not only the story line but the character development. If you have seen this book on the store shelf and are considering getting it, just do it. You won’t be disappointed. 



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Favorite Books from 2015

Since 2016 is getting closer by the hour, I thought I would write a post about my favorite books that I have read in the year 2015. These books might not have been published in 2015 but they are books that I have read. Now to the books.

Title: Stolen Songbird 
Series: The Malediction Book 1
Author: Danielle L. Jensen 
Publisher: Strange Chemistry 

Synopsis:
For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the mountain. When Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she realises that the trolls are relying on her to break the curse.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind: escape. But the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time…
But the more time she spends with the trolls, the more she understands their plight. There is a rebellion brewing. And she just might be the one the trolls were looking for…

Rating: In my previous review I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.  I truly enjoyed the world of the trolls and Cecile as a main character. Throughout the entire book I remember thinking of how much of a delight she is, that might not be the right word for it but it sounds right in my head. I really valued her heart and the way she made her choices. This one was big for me because in this book the trolls seemed like such terrible beings and she found a way to open her heart to them. Another thing that I also enjoyed was the politics that were within the book. There was so much going on that it really made me want more just so I could understand where Tristan was coming from and why he made some of the choices he made. The world of the trolls is not what I thought it would be and it is not what even Cecile thinks it is. Not everything is as it seems and in the world of the trolls actions speak louder than words. The relationship between Tristan and Cecile is complicated, romantic, but complicated, and did I mention that it is complicated? This book had me crying  towards the end. I even went and got the second book right away. I feel like that should say a lot because I usually ponder the book for a few days and then once I feel ready and have accepted what has happened in the first book, I will then move on to the second book. When it came to this book that didn’t happen. The second book was just as amazing as the first and I truly enjoyed that book Hidden Huntress, just as much as I enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the last book in the series! 


Title: Of Beast and Beauty 
Author: Stacey Jay 
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Synopsis:
In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret…

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.
As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

Rating: In my original review I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars and I stick by that rating. This book was beautiful and I loved every moment. Even though I felt as if my emotions were played with and pulled every which way, I still loved this book and I love the fact that it is based off of Beauty and the Beast which is also my favorite. Out of all the characters in the book my favorite character is Isra. I was so intrigued by how even though she started off with such strong beliefs of what she thought was right and in turn becoming close minded to what anyone else had to say she really opened up and saw the world through new eyes. Even as the book progressed I feel she had a good amount of character development. As for Gem, he broke my heart several times throughout this book. His dynamics with Isra and not only her people but his people  kept me at the edge of my seat while reading this book. I loved this book and the one thing that I am very upset about is that there isn’t a sequel to this amazing book. Everything that you need from this world is all in this one book. I feel that this world is so beautiful and was so gorgeously written that I just need a second or maybe even third book from this series. 



Title: The Paper Magician 
Series: Paper Magician Series Book 1
Author: Charlie N. Holmberg 
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishing Group

Synopsis:
Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic… forever.

Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined — animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.

An Excisioner — a practitioner of dark, flesh magic — invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

Rating: I gave this book a  4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed the word that the author created in this book. This book was a light read, in my opinion, because I honestly read this book in less than 24 hours. I loved the characters in this book, especially the paper magician. I feel like he would understand how I organize my room. Everything has a place but to everyone else it looks like a mess. Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book and I can’t seem to stop saying it, is the world that the characters live in. Magic is such a captivating topic and for me the way the magic was described and how the magic comes to be was very well thought out, simple, but thought out. If you are looking for something that has magic, is a little bit of a historical fiction because of the time and place of the story, and romance then this is the book you should be picking up. I already finished the second book and if you want to see the review for that click here. 

Title: The Kiss of Deception 
Series: The Remnant Chronicles Book 1
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Square Fish 

Synopsis:
A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide. Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.


Rating: I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars. At first I was a little unsure of this book. To be honest the only reason I really picked this book up was because everyone was talking about. It was quick in the beginning with the Princess and her side of the story. Then, to me the story started to get slow and I lost interest here and there. I pushed through the book and I am glad I did. The Princess started off as a spoiled child, in my opinion, however, as the book progressed, I slowly started to see the change in her. I grew to really like her and her growth as a person and as a character in this book. This book even showed that there is a price to war and how kindness can really change someone. I was a little upset with how the book ended. I know the author did this so people would buy her second book and it worked. I did buy her second book, I have it on my TBR shelf but trust me when I say it will be read. If you are someone who is looking for something that has fantasy, romance, adventure, and I would consider this a slight dystopian, then you will definitely like this book.

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses 

Series: Court of Thorns and Roses Series Book 1

Author: Sarah J. Mass 

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Synopsis:  
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Rating: I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars. If I could go above a 5 I would! This is the first book to the trilogy and if you like something that is fantasy and a beautifully retold version of Beauty and the Beast then you will want to pick this book up. The way the author describes not only the magic, the world,  but the characters beautifully. You will not be disappointed in picking this book up. I am so excited that the second book comes out in 2016, I have already pre ordered it.

Well that is my list for my personal favorite books of 2015. Comment below and tell me what your favorite books of this year are.

Review of Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Falling Kingdoms 
Series: Falling Kingdoms Book 1
Author: Morgan Rhodes

Synopsis: 
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed… and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It’s the eve of war…. Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.
Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword….

Rating: I will be giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. I really, really, really, enjoyed this book. This book is a YA Game of Thrones. The characters are wonderful and as the book progresses the character development is amazing. At first I was very unsure if I even wanted to start this book, but after reading the first chapter I knew I needed to finish it. This book took me not even 2 day! That is how good it is. There are three kingdoms in this book and a set of characters from the kingdoms. The reason for my hesitation on this book was due to the cast of characters, they were a little overwhelming at first but then after a little you really can grasp who is who and their stories, though separate, start to weave together. The transitions in this book were great and the different point of views from the characters were well thought out and wonderfully written, each character had their own vivid personality and goals. If you are looking for something on the fantasy side then this is a book you should pick up. 



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Review of a Shade of Blood by Bella Forrest

Title: A Shade of Blood 
Author: Bella Forrest 
Series: A Shade of Vampire Book 2
Publisher: CreateSpace 

Synopsis: 
In A Shade Of Blood, Bella Forrest transports you deeper into a unique, enthralling and beautifully sensitive story. Prepare to be lost in its pages…

When Sofia Claremont was kidnapped to a sunless island, uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet, she believed she’d forever be a captive of its dark ruler, Derek Novak.

Now, after months of surviving an endless night, the morning sun may soon rise again for Sofia. Something has possessed Derek’s heart and he offers her a gift no human slave has ever been given in the history of his cursed island: escape.

High school, prom and a chance to move on with her life now await her.
But will she be able to forget the horrors that steal her sleep away at night? … and the feelings that haunt her for that tormented prince of darkness? 

Rating: I will be giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars. This book picks up right where the first one left off. You get to see Sofia’s life outside of the Shade. This book was at first griping and I was really interested to see what Sofia’s life was like and how things had changed now that she had slight feelings for Derek. However, as the book progressed I became a little disappointed, especially because the first book gave me such high hopes. My biggest pet peeve in this book is Ben. This guy drove me crazy while I was reading this book. I didn’t appreciate how he went from not wanting Sofia and being with different girls to now wanting her. That made me furious. However, the ending was not what I wanted it to be but it did leave a cliff hanger for the next book. Overall this book was ok and I am still unsure if I will be picking up the third book to this series. 


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Review of You Are Mine by Janeal Falor

Title: You Are Mine 
Author: Janeal Falor 
Series: Mine Book 1
Publisher: Chardonian Press 

Synopsis:
Serena knows a few simple things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules, she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the rest of her life—worth less than the shadow she casts.

Then her ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever property, hoping for more could be deadly.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 2 out of 5 stars. After reading what they synopsis had to offer I was very excited to pick this book up. However, as I was reading the book I was starting to get bored with it and forgot what the synopsis said or even why I was reading this book in the first place. I ended up getting frustrated and looked back at the synopsis to try and remind myself why I was reading it. Throughout the entire book I was also getting very upset with the main character Serena. She would gather the courage to take one step forward, she would then reverse and take ten steps back and have to start all over again. Overall, it was an OK book and it was something different for me because I usually do not read books about witches and warlock. This was defiantly not what I expected it to be. 

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Review of Neverland by Anna Katmore

Title: Neverland
Author: Anna Katmore
Series: The Adventures in Neverland Book 1

Synopsis: 
“Any last words?”
“Go to hell, you freaking…filthy…godforsaken…”
Our noses almost touch as he dips his head and brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Angel, the word you’re looking for is pirate.”


Strange things are happening in Neverland…

Although Angelina McFarland loves reading fairytales, she never dreamed of falling right into one herself. Literally! But who is this flying boy who saved her? And why doesn’t he want to grow up?

Desperately trying to find a way off this cursed island, Angelina runs into a ruthless pirate. Hook captures her and keeps her trapped on his ship, the Jolly Roger, to lure the flying boy out of his hiding. 
But is Hook really the heartless man she heard about? The more time Angel spends with him, the more she starts to wonder. Her growing feelings for him are as intense as shocking, and soon she can’t stop thinking about how soft his lips felt on hers when he kissed her under the stars. 

As time passes, an old train ticket to London is all she has left to remind her of her former life and why she can’t give up trying to find a way home.

Or is staying in Neverland forever the better choice after all?

Grab a happy thought and follow Angel on an adventure that will keep you breathless and smiling long after you read the last page…

Rating: I will be giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars. This book really transported me to Neverland and showed me a different side to the Peter Pan story that I grew up with. If you are looking to get a deeper understanding of how Neverland came to be and the people who occupy this world then I would suggest picking this book up. I truly enjoyed the attention to detail that the author had and the adventure that this book had to offer. Overall, this was a fantastic and action packed story. I must warn you though, there is a major cliff hanger so be prepared to have the other book ready if you are buying it in paperback. 


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Review of a Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

Title: A Shade of Vampire 
Author: Bella Forrest 
Series: A Shade of Vampire Book 1 
Publisher: CreateSpace 

Synopsis: 
On the evening of Sofia Claremont’s seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? …or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. A new vampire series that I have taken interest in has finally come! This is saying a lot considering the last vampire series that I actually wanted to read was Twilight and before you say anything, yes, I loved that series. If you are a fan of Twilight I feel like this is a series that you could gravitate towards. I was a little uncertain about this when I first heard about this book but when I picked it up as soon as you flip through a page or so you will see why it is worth the read. 

Review of Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Title: Walk on Earth a Stranger 
Author: Rae Carson 
Series: The Gold Seer Book 1 
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Synopsis: 
Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading this and I was so glad to have a main character like Lee. This book wraps its readers in the time of the Gold Rush- era that happened many years ago, but when I was reading it felt so realistic. Between the hardships that Lee faced with her family as well as her internal struggle with her best friend, what really pulled me in with this book was the friendships that were formed during Lee’s journey to California as well as the hardships that she went through to reach her destination. If you are looking for something with a little American History but something that will also make you stop and appreciate the friendships that you have then I would highly recommend this book to you. The struggles are real and the challenges that are faced throughout make a reader stop and appreciate the pioneers during this time for the risks that they took to better themselves. 

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Review Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

Title: Of Beast and Beauty 
Author: Stacey Jay 
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Synopsis:
In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret…

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.
As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars. This book really was a roller coaster of emotions. Throughout the book you are placed in several different characters points of views. My personal favorite character was Isra. I was so intrigued by how even though she started off with such strong beliefs of what she thought was right and in turn becoming close minded to what anyone else has to say she really opened up and throughout the book you see her blossom into a beautiful person. As for Gem, he broke my heart several times throughout this book. His dynamics with Isra and her people as well as his kept me at the edge of my seat while reading this book. If you are looking for a book that will keep you guessing what will happen next then this is the book for you. I was swept away in this book and if you like something that has fantasy, romance, magic, and is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast then this is the book for you. 





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Review of The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Pledge
Series: The Pledge Book 1
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Synopsis:
In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime. 

Rating: I will be giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars. At first I was really into this book. It seemed very simple yet complex all at the same time. I have never heard of a book that had its social classes divided by language. It was very interesting. Then as the book continued I was getting a little bored with it. I ended up stopping the book for a little bit and then I later picked it back up. Due to the idea of the book I was determined to finish it. Even though this book has the label of dystopian, I personally would not call it that just due to the fact that it reminded me of Snow White with the evil queen and the prince. This is just how I viewed it due to reading Snow White and the Huntsman. This book did not leave the reader with a cliff hanger as most books in a trilogy do, however it did close somethings up but left a few loose ends so the readers would be interested in the second book. 

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