World After ARC Review

What did I think...

World After by Susan Ee

 

 

Description:

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

 

 

 

Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Penryn and the End of Days
Published on: November 21st, 2013
Pages: 438 pages
Format: Digital copy (PDF) - Kindle
Source: NetGalley
Average rating: 4.28 stars
My rating: 4.6 stars

I have to admit, I read World After forever ago (like a couple of weeks) and totally spaced on a review for it, but I'll do the best I can.

This is the second time I've read this book. Once last year from the library, and once now, as an ARC. Backwards, I know.

For my characters, I have a serious thing with names. They really have to fit the character. I almost never read books with "Emma's" or "Sarah's" because those names are very common, much like my own name. Of which I shorted to a rebellious and mysterious "Kat". Yes I am kidding. -ish.

 

Back to the conversation at hand. Raphael is a name I never thought I could get with. Good thing he went by Raffe, because it totally worked for me.

 

Raffe totally unbelievably worked for me. He was perfectly written, full of flaws. At the beginning, haughty and condescending, angry and hurting. Then he got caring, Penryn before himself... and it was really beautiful to watch the transition, watch him fall in love with a Daughter of Man, though.

 

Penryn was my favorite kind of character. She was proud, stubborn and strong, and has a bleeding heart. All she wanted was her sister back, and she was willing to do anything, sacrifice everything to get her back, until she realizes the one person she can't sacrifice is the one she needs to... Raffe.

 

Penryn's mother was a joy to read about. She was completely insane and maniacal. She totally is completely duped in the brain, but was still a joy to read, I enjoyed the hell out of reading about her, even if she was completely fucked in the brain.

 

I was completely hooked by the writing, the characters and the plotline... and I can't wait to read The End of Days .... which came out yesterday !!!

XOXO,
Kat

Lion Heart ARC Review

What did I think of...

Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen

Description:

The eagerly-awaited conclusion to the Scarlet trilogy delivers another action-packed
and romance-filled adventure.

 

Scarlet has captured the hearts of readers as well as the heart of Robin Hood, and after ceaseless obstacles and countless threats, readers will finally find out the fate of the Lady Thief.

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?

 

 



Genre: Historical Romance/ Adventure/ Fairy Tale retelling/ YA
Series: Scarlet
Published on: May 19th, 2015
Pages: 348 pages
Format: Digital Copy- Kindle
Source: NetGalley
Average rating: 4.28 stars
My rating: 2 stars

I first read Scarlet about 6 months to a year ago, and immediately fell in love. But, when I started Lady Thief, I was disappointed, and DNF at 70%. It wasn't bad, it just... stalled for me. Then a better book came along, and I switched. It wasn't so much of a "I'm not reading this anymore" as a, "I'll pick it back up later". When I saw Lion Heart was on NetGalley, I was thrilled! Because I was still in love with the heart of the story, the one in Scarlet, and hoped that Lion Heart would have gained some of that spark... but it didn't, and today, I officially marked this, too, a DNF, albeit reluctantly.
Don't mistake me for saying the book wasn't bad, because it wasn't. The story just, couldn't capture my attention, and couldn't hold me down to the pages like so many others- and the first book- have done.

I was SUPER disappointed when, at the beginning, Scarlet turned into a lady. I don't mean that she was treated as such because her secret was out, I mean this as her thoughts and her actions were all defeated and broken, and as such she was treated like such, let others defend her. There's a difference between being weak from imprisonment, and being broken and dispirited.
This ruined the book for me, and I couldn't get past it.

Some of you might get past it, recognize it as the landmark on the journey that it was, but that person was not me.

XOXO,
Kat

Crown of Midnight Review

What did I think...

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

 



Description:  

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.
It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

 



Genre: High fantasy
Series: Throne of Glass
Published on: August 27th, 2013
Pages: 418 pages
Format: ebook- Kindle
Source: Amazon
Average rating: 4.5 stars
My rating: 5 stars

Genre's:

 

 

This is the second time I've read Crown of Midnight, and it was almost as good as the first time, now that that "big twist" has already been revealed. 



In Crown of Midnight, Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan's resident Assassin and King's Champion, is serving the King's wishes, by offing his competition, but in her own way.
After dealing with the evil in the castle with Cain from Throne of Glass, something new and far worse comes to light... the king's plans and Celaena's deepest secrets are revealed... and someone close to her heart leaves Celaena forever, and the True, Darkest part of Celaena Sardothien is revealed. Through saving the kingdom, herself and the people from the King's plans.

 

Celaena Sardothien is probably one of my favorite character's I've ever read. She's so complex in her layers, such a contradiction and made more real in her flaws and emotions than any other I've read. Sarah J. Maas truly knew what she was doing writing Celaena, and must have uncanny knowledge of how people's brain think, what makes humans be humans.

There was the slightest attempt at a love triangle in the first book, Throne of Glass, but here, in Crown of Midnight, and I say slightest because you could tell romance was definitely on the back burner, there. Here, it was a little different (you'll have to read it, hehehe!). Chaol, the rugged, capable Captain of the Guard, of which Celaena feels inexplicit feelings for. Prince Dorian, the Crown Prince, and a Havillard, one of the name Calaena despises most, yet feels drawn to, nonetheless.

 

Did I mention I'm totally Team Chaol... with Dorian as the best friend.

 

I've never read a series quite like Throne of Glass, and now that I'm reading it for a second time, I agree even more adamantly.

 

This is how serious I am: I would trade Throne of Glass/Crown of Midnight/Heir of Fire for a Kristen Ashley book, any day.

Yes. I said it. I know. I might cry, too. Because I never thought the day would come.

 

 

Highly recommended!

 

XOXO,

Kat

 

 

Stone Cold Touch Review

What did I think of....

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Description:

Every touch has its price

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…  

Genre: Paranormal romance
Published on: October 21st, 2014
Pages: 464 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
Average rating: 4.5 stars 
My rating: 4.2 stars

Genres:

 

 I've read White Hot Kiss, the first installment, twice now. Once by itself about a year ago, and it was good, and a second time a couple of days ago... right before I read this one, Stone Cold Touch. They made each other so much better... and now I can't wait until the next book comes out.

 

After the huge twist at the end of White Hot Kiss, which left me dead, I was unsure how I felt about starting Stone Cold Touch, but never fear, it was fabulous.

 

Even though Stone Cold Touch was totally a bridge book, I still really enjoyed it, and thought it better than the first, White Hot Kiss.

 

You may have also noticed the difference between the two covers...

 

Featuring: Roth               Featuring: Zayn

 

You may have also noticed, that the cover where Roth and Layla are kissing, it's white hot, and the cover with Zayn and Layla, he's trying to kiss her and she's turning away, and it's stone cold. Mmm-hmm. That being said....

 

Stone Cold Touch was totally Zayn's book. Roth had a much more minimal (yet constant) presence, and I missed his outrageous flirting. Zayn wasn't nearly as present in White Hot Kiss as he was in Stone Cold Touch, and served as a constant source of hurdling.

 

Is that a word? What I mean is that I kept wanting to tell him get out of the way! I need Roth! I need Roth! As you can see, I'm a total team Roth, but if you're not... you're going to lose.

That being said... here are the positive comparisons so you can form your own opinion.

 

 

 VS

 

GO ROTH (and Bambi)!!

 



Layla Shaw has always been different, even by supernatural standards. Living with Warden's, the "protectors" of sorts for humankind against demons, she's always felt like an outsider, even though she's more powerful and paranormal than they are. Layla is half-Warden, half-demon, two polar opposites. Each side, demon and warden alike, are caught in a vicious war against each other, caught up in their prejudiced hatred... and poor Layla is caught in the middle.

Living with the Warden's, Layla has always attempted to suppress her demonic side, added with the guilt she feels from her fellow Wardens. But when Layla turns seventeen, her world becomes pretty topsy-turvy. (yes, exactly like the song).

When the Crown Prince of Hell, or Roth, shows up, he causes her to question everything she thought was true, to accept herself (both sides) and to realize that a little bit of evil is necessary.

Roth is back...

Layla's has finally been given a tantalizing taste of what always has been forbidden, but when it backfires big time, there is only one person who's always had her back, even when it seems unlikely. But when a threat on Layla's life comes from someone she's always thought of as family, Layla, Bambi, Caymen and Roth fight to save the city... and Layla's future.

 

 

 

Roth is an Upper Level demon, and unfortunately, he's here on a job. The Boss from downstairs has given him orders, and Roth is here for a reason, a reason not to solve the problem, but take care of it... or her. Problem is, he's fallen on the job and he's risking Hell's wrath to stay fallen.

 

Layla is not like the usual LJA heroine. She has no self-esteem, is very introverted, and craves attention, but is still super sassy, super cheeky in her own way. Being suppressed her whole life, it was cool to watch her bloom in personality. She also has some super powers, soul-stealing kisses (literally), and others that are spoilers so I will not mention them. However, in Stone Cold Touch, she starts to overcome this a bit; recognizing her individual rights, her worth and realizes that sometimes, a little bit of evil is necessary and sometimes just what the doctor prescribes.

 

Zayn is Layla's best friend, and her safety cocoon. Not only that, but she crushes on him hard, and he is essentially the only person to ever accept her. But, after a tantalizing taste of something that can never happen, Layla starts to realize that she's not fighting for Zayn because she loves him... but fighting because she doesn't want to lose her rock, the only person she could ever depend on, and the only person who ever truly accepted her. But that acceptance might just be her downfall...

 

Stone Cold Touch, was a stunningly well crafted story with expertly laid clues that the truth isn't laid until the very end... You know what they say about hindsight, 20/20.

 

XOXO,

Kat

White Hot Kiss Review

What did I think of...

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

 

 

Description:
One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne… it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

This is the second time I've read White Hot Kiss, and I it was definitely better than the first time, both because I read it, and then read the second book Stone Cold Touch for the first time after that.

 



Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published on: February 25th, 2014
Pages: 400 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: The Library
My rating: 4 pages

Genre's:

 

 

 

When I saw that Stone Cold Touch was out on Barnes and Noble's shelves, I had to have it.

And, like the impulse buyer I am, I bought it.

Afterwards, I realized I had to reread White Hot Kiss first, because I remembered nothing.

 

Layla Shaw has always been different, even by supernatural standards. Living with Warden's, the "protectors" of sorts for humankind against demons, she's always felt like an outsider, even though she's more powerful and paranormal than they are. Layla is half-Warden, half-demon, two polar opposites. Each side, demon and warden alike, are caught in a vicious war against each other, caught up in their prejudiced hatred... and poor Layla is caught in the middle.

Living with the Warden's, Layla has always attempted to suppress her demonic side, added with the guilt she feels from her fellow Wardens.

However, not all Wardens think she should be allowed to live... and on her seventeenth birthday, things start to happen.

When the Crown Prince of Hell, or Roth, shows up, he causes her to question everything she thought was true, to accept herself (both sides) and to realize that a little bit of evil is necessary.

 

Roth is an Upper Level demon, and unfortunately, he's here on a job. The Boss from downstairs has given him orders, and Roth is here for a reason. But, he's fallen on the job. Fallen in love, that is. With Layla. But there are just too many barriers to overcome, and in the biggest plot twist in JLA history, it all goes out in a ball of flame.

 

Layla is not like the usual LJA heroine. She has no self-esteem, is very introverted, and craves attention, but is still super sassy, super cheeky in her own way. Being suppressed her whole life, it was cool to watch her bloom in personality. She also has some super powers, soul-stealing kisses (literally), and others that are spoilers so I will not mention them.

 

Roth is my guy right now. He's hot, arrogant, and he can be super sweet and loving. And, better yet, as a full-demon, he doesn't have a soul.

Yes.

He doesn't have a soul for Layla to steal. So not only is he perfection, but he also opens some serious doors for her... BOYS. Er, BOY. Singular.

 

 

Zayn is Layla's best friend, and her safety cocoon. Not only that, but she crushes on him hard, and he is essentially the only person to ever accept her. But, nothing can ever happen between them, because of her inability to kiss... and the fact that she doesn't trust herself.

 

Yes, there is a love-triangle. Those of you who know me, know that love-triangle's are a pet peeve of mine. Usually, because it is the result of a character deluding themselves, scared of the unknown and safe in the familiar. This is what this particular love-triangle is, too, but its execution was actually pretty well done.

Even though Zayn was like this giant obstruction, hindering the Layla/Roth relationship, it was still a good read.

 

 

VS.

 



 

 

So, yes. I am a total Team Roth fan!!

Highly recommended!

 

 

 

XOXO,

Kat

 

 

 

Throne of Glass Review

What did you think...

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

 

 

 

Description: In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.  

If I had to recommend one young adult series/book to a person, hands down I'd (most likely) recommend this book, Throne of Glass.

Main Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published on: May 7th, 2013
Pages: 404
Format: ebook- Kindle
Source: Amazon
My rating: 6 stars

 

Genres:
 

 

 

 

This is my second time reading it, and Throne of Glass still blows me away. The characters, the plotline, the writing... it's all amazing.

 

Celaena Sardothien is an assassin, known as Adarlan's Assassin, the most notorious assassin around (who is but a seventeen year old, lethal weapon). Betrayed by someone she know, Celaena was sent to Endovier, a death camp, where the average time people survive is two months. A year later, Celaena is still chugging along when the Crown Prince and his Captain of the Guard give her a proposition she can't refuse, a chance at her freedom. She shall compete in a competition to become the King's Champion. She will win (of that, there is no doubt) and after four years championing (is that even a word?) for the King, she will be given her freedom. Celaena agrees, and embarks on a perilous journey.

Celaena is a master at keeping secrets, ones that she even keeps from herself. Secrets she wants never to think of again. Her home, her parents, and her true self.  She tries everything she can to lock those memories away, but some memories won't stay hidden. There is evil in the castle, and it's up the Adarlan's Assassin to do the good thing... and rid of it.

 

Celaena is probably one of my favorite character's I've ever read. She's so complex in her layers, such a contradiction and made more real in her flaws and emotions than any other I've read. Sarah J. Maas truly knew what she was doing writing Celaena, and must have uncanny knowledge of how people's brain think, what makes humans be humans.

 

There was the slightest attempt at a love triangle here, and I say slightest because you could tell romance was definitely on the back burner, here. Chaol, the rugged, capable Captain of the Guard, of which Celaena feels inexplicit feelings for. Prince Dorian, the crown Prince, and a Havillard, one of the name Calaena despises most, yet feels drawn to, nonetheless.

 

I've never read a book quite like Throne of Glass, and now that I've read it a second time, but a year after the first time, I agree even more adamantly.

 

This is how serious I am: I would trade Throne of Glass for a Kristen Ashley book, any day.

Yes. I said it. I know. I might cry, too. Because I never thought the day would come.

 

Truly, if you don't read this book and enjoy it... well, I suppose you know what I'm going to say, now, don't you ;)

 

 

 

XOXO,

Kat