Review of the Selection by Kiera Cass

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection Book 1
Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis: 
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. 


Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I loved this book! I feel like no matter what people post or what the reviews say, I loved this book. It is in the dystopian genre, romance, forbidden love, social class, and did I mention a prince. As soon as I picked the book up I could not put it down. America is such a delight as the main character and her dynamics with Maxon and Aspen warm my heart. If you liked the book Matched, The Winner’s Curse, or the Book of Ivy then you need to pick this book up. 

Review of Dissolution by Lee S. Hawke

Title: Dissolution
Author: Lee S. Hawke
Publisher: Blind Mirror Publishing

Synopsis: 
What would you sell yourself for?

Madeline knows. She’s spent the last eighteen years impatiently waiting for her Auctioning so she can sell herself to MERCE Solutions Limited for a hundred thousand credits. But when the Auctioneer fails to call her and two suits show up at her doorstep, Madeline discovers there are far worse bargains to be made.So when your loved ones are in danger, there’s a bounty on your head and your entire city might turn out to be a lie… what would you sell yourself for?

Rating:  I want to take a moment to thank Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours for sending me a copy of this book to review. I will be giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I wanted to love this book so much. I mean it sounds like Divergent and Hunger Games put together and those books were amazing. This book is like Divergent because it has Corporations that are like the factions only in this book you are auctioned off to the Corporations instead being able to choose for yourself. It has shades of the Hunger Games because of the survival aspect. This book had my name written all over it, but in the end, it was not what I expected. The idea for this book was such a good one and very realistic. This book was a quick read  with only 168 pages. I wish it was longer because there are some parts of the book that went too quickly, in some cases I got lost and ended up having to reread them just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I feel like if you have read this book you will understand what I mean. Overall, it did the job that a dystopian is suppose to do, I just wish this book would have been longer and clearer with certain scenes in the book. If you are looking for a book that is like Divergent then I definitely think you should pick this book up. 

Review of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Synopsis: 
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park.

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan…

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words… And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?


Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. This is saying a lot about a contemporary. If you follow my blog, you know I am not the biggest reader in contemporary fiction, especially when it comes to young adult contemporary fiction. I feel it is just the same story over and over again, however, with this book, it brought me back to my first year of college and all the anxiety that comes with it. The main character in this book Cath was a very relatable and I truly enjoyed reading her growth not only as a college student with everyday life going on but as a writer. If you are about to go into college or you are like me who is about to finish and you want to relive your freshman year then I definitely think you should pick this book up. I am not going to say any spoilers but I am so upset that this book had to end. 

Review of Soundless by Richelle Mead

Title: Soundless
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill

Synopsis: 
From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore. 

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. 

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.
But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever…

Rating: I will be giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I am very torn on this book. There were things that I truly enjoyed and things that I was a little disappointed on. The idea of this book is amazing, the author does an amazing job with the creation of this world as well as the descriptions with communication since there is no sound in the village. The word choices that the author used to describe paintings and the world around the main character were so thought out and helped create such a vivid image of this world. I was, however, a little disappointed with this book. When I saw that this book contained Chinese folklore I was really looking forward to this book having so much of the Chinese culture and traditions are woven within this book but there were only a few things here and there. This was such a great opportunity for this author to shine, even though this is a stand-alone novel it had such potential to be amazing and it fell short. 

Review of Circles The Trilogy by Veronica O’Leary

Title: Circles 
Author: Veronica O’Leary 
Series: Damaged Goods Book 1
Publisher: Trafford Publishing

Synopsis: 
This romantic saga plays a symphony in your heart with notes of depth and inspiration. Just when you have become fully committed to the unusual and obsessive love shared by Princeton and Tallulah, you will have to hold on tight as you will be shocked by the disturbing chain of events that close this chapter of their life.


Rating: I just wanted to take a moment to thank the author, Veronica O’Leary, for sending me a copy of this book to review. Now as for the review, overall, I truly enjoyed this book and I will be giving it a 4 out of 5 stars. This book is a story about Princeton and Tallulah as well as their circle of friends. The author tells this story from different points of view, which I was a little hesitant going in but the way the author writes made things easy to follow as well as wanting you to continue to turn the page. Princeton and Tallulah were too perfect to the point you knew something was going to go wrong or something big was going to happen. With that in mind and the fact that this book was so enticing I was able to read this book fairly quickly. The best part about the book, in my personal opinion, was the fact that what changes the lives of this couple was nothing that I expected. 

Review of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander Book 1
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company 

Synopsis: 
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. This book has put me through so much emotionally that I truly have no idea where to begin. This book has everything from time travel, battles, Scottish history, to romance. The main character Claire is so well developed and the situations that she is put in are challenging, both physically and mentally, that it makes you not want to put the book down. I was a little hesitant in picking this book up, especially because of the time travel aspect. I was afraid it would ruin the book for me, but it just added another layer of depth to this already amazing book. If you are looking for something that has a good deal of history in it, a tiny bit of time travel, adventure, action, and romance then you will want to pick this book up.

Review of Assassin’s Heart by Sarah Ahiers

Title: Assassin’s Heart
Author: Sarah Ahiers
Series: Assassin’s Heart Book 1
Publisher: Harper Teen 

Synopsis: 
In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this book and right away I was transported into this interesting world, there are nine different families and they are assassins who kill people for their goddess. Being an assassin is part of their religious duty, and they are feared and respected by the people in their kingdom. There were so many different twists and turns that I truly didn’t expect to happen or even think about so I was very excited about that. The character development was a big deal for me because there was a certain foundation for Lea but at the same time, you see her character grow and develop. This to me really made the book and even though there was a lot of adventure and thrills, the fact that the author set such a good foundation for Lea and everything happened for a reason to her grow was what really made this book so good for me personally. If you like books with fantasy, adventure, and romance then you should pick this book up. 

Review of The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

Title: The Book of Ivy 
Author: Amy Engel
Series: The Book of Ivy Book 1
Publisher: Entangled Teen 

Synopsis: 
After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual. 

This year, it is my turn. 

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power. 

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

Rating: I will be giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars. This book was good, but it was not my favorite. I feel that this book, in a way, let me down. After all the hype that I have heard from this book and all the people praising this book, I held this book to such high expectations to then having it not meet them. The book seemed so interesting to me, especially because this is a dystopian book and the synopsis was so gripping, but when it came to the delivery of this book it fell short. The character development on Ivy’s part, to me, was not as well developed as I would have liked since she struggled for a little bit and then came to this resolution all of a sudden. If you liked the book Matched then I feel you will definitely enjoy this book. 

Review of The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Title: The Queen of the Tearling 
Author: Erika Johansen 
Publisher: Harper 

Synopsis: 
An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom’s haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea’s forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea’s nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen’s Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen’s vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen’s Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as “the Fetch.”

Kelsea’s quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea’s journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her.

Rating: 

I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. Overall, this was a great book between the character development and the world that the author has created. With that being said, I did have a hard time at first with this book. To me, it started off slow and then it would pick up to then slowing down again. There were more than one perspective with this book and I feel that might have been why I had such a hard time, seeing as I am not a huge fan of third person. The book did, however, get my attention and I truly enjoyed the character development, especially on Kelsea’s end. There was a slight cliff hanger and I am currently debating if I will be picking up the second book. If you are a fan of history, fantasy, dystopian, adventure, and a story of coming of age, something like The Gates of Thread and Stone or The Kiss of Deception, then I would recommend this book for you. 

Review of Cascade by Lisa Tawn Bergen

Title: Cascade
Series: River of Time Book 2
Author: Lisa Tawn Bergen

Synopsis: Mom touched my underdress—a gown made six hundred years before—and her eyes widened as she rubbed the raw silk between thumb and forefinger. She turned and touched Lia’s gown. “Where did you get these clothes?”

Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, weeks have passed and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while the Florentines will go to great lengths to see them dead.

But Marcello patiently awaits, and Gabi must decide if she’s willing to leave her family behind for good in order to give her heart to him forever.

Rating: 
I will be giving this book a three out of five stars. This book picks up right where the first one stopped. I was a little upset with where the first book ended but I made sure I was able to get my hands on the second one in no time. The dynamics between Gabi and Marcello are continued and now Lia might have the chance to find happiness in medieval Italy. Between the history and the action that is in this book, you will not be disappointed if you pick this book up.