Splinered by A.G. Howard

 

From Goodreads:

 Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

My Review:
 This book really surprised me. I will say I am not a huge Alice In Wonderland but wow this was great. Also what a gorgeous cover right?

Things I liked:
1) Alyssa- Dang this character was great. She definitely made this book way better.

2) Jeb- I really just want a whole book based on him because he was my favorite.

3) The world- I am not big on Alice in Wonderland but this book really was loosely based but that made it so much better!!!

Things I was not fond of:
1) If I had to pick one thing the ending was not that strong but I was really okay with it.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
 

Write For Me by Michelle Holt

From Goodreads:

My name is Bently Young. I wouldn’t say I’m an angry person. In fact my life had been like a bubble gum infused sundae topped with happiness sprinkles up until the age of when I could date. And I started to date a lot. Guys were fun at first, a nice dinner, someone to tell me I was pretty and laugh at my sarcastic jokes. But then the little creeps started showing their true colors. And they were not my favorite colors. They were like barf green and overripe fungus tangerine. And it made me angry. 

Swearing off dating all together was too drastic, but I sure wanted to not do it for a while. I had my family and friends to keep me occupied. I didn’t need a man to take me to cheesy restaurants. One could only eat so much free bread and butter. Life could keep zooming along without the necessity of someone with chest hair being around. 

Oh but then I met Josh. If I could have just never known he existed, all would have been fine. Of course, I don’t mean that because if I never knew he was in the world, my own world would have been an awful place. He makes me want to dance under a happiness sprinkle hail storm. Pretty much he is gorgeous and has the insane ability to use his words to make my heart float out of my chest. That made things a lot better when everything else I knew in my life decided to implode. But we weren’t immune to the black hole of horribleness either. 

My Review:

This book was so good. I am not going to lie I was rather surprised by it.

Things I liked:

1) Bently- I liked how she was not the same kind of girl character I read about a lot. She was strong, new what she wanted, and didn't depend on guys for her happiness. She was really a breathe of fresh air.

2) Josh- Oh my gosh what an awesome guy character. He was really everything I like in book guy characters. 

3) The way this was written was so amazing. It made you feel like you were in the characters lives and living it with them. I always appreciate that in a book. 

Things I was not fond of:

1) This took me a bit to get into. I feel like the beginning was kind of slow.

I would recommend this to anyone who is into contemporary. This is definitely a must read. 

My rating:♥♥♥♥

*This was provided to me by the author on a read and review basis*

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

 

From Goodreads:

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees...
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My Review:

This was my first angel book and boy am I glad I started with this one.

Things I Liked:

1) Clara- This girl was just so awesome. She was not whiny like some girls tend to be in YA books and I appreciated that quality about her

2) Christian- I really had some doubts about him because he seemed like a jerk but he really grew on me and I loved him by the end

3) Tucker- I liked him from the beginning.  You will know why if you have read this.

4) Angela-  I loved girl. She made some questionable decisions but I let her slide on those things.

Things I was not fond of:

1) I felt like this book was slow at times and not alot happened. I will be continuing this series because I really enjoyed the characters and the writing.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥ 

Alive by Scott Sigler

From Goodreads:

A young woman awakes trapped in an enclosed space. She has no idea who she is or how she got there. With only her instincts to guide her, she escapes her own confinement—and finds she’s not alone. She frees the others in the room and leads them into a corridor filled with the remains of a war long past. The farther these survivors travel, the worse are the horrors they confront. And as they slowly come to understand what this prison is, they realize that the worst and strangest possibilities they could have imagined don’t even come close to the truth.

My review: 

This is the kind of book you really need to go in blind. I am going to be rather vague in my review since that is what the author requested at the end of the book.

Things I liked:

1) Em- This girl was by far my favorite character. She was strong and brave and just bad ass.

2) I loved how there was struggle and also friendship in the book.

3) This will probably seem weird but I liked the whole not know much about the world or what was going on. It made it a better experience to read I think.

Things I was not fond of:

1) There were somethings that happened that were rather confusing and didn't really make much sense.

2) The ending- I am aware this is suppose to be a trilogy and obviously it would end weird but I just was not happy with it.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

*I received this book from NetGalley on a read and review basis*

Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams

From Goodreads:

A spine-tingling debut about the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse in reverse as a teen struggles to retain hope—and her sanity—while on the run from a cunning and determined killer.

Ruth Carver has always competed like her life depends on it. Ambitious. Tough. Maybe even mean. It’s no wonder people call her Ruthless.

When she wakes up with a concussion in the bed of a moving pickup trick, she realizes she has been entered into a contest she can’t afford to lose.

At a remote, rotting cabin deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ruth’s blindfold comes off and she comes face-to-face with her captor. A man who believes his mission is to punish bad girls like Ruth. A man who has done this six times before.

The other girls were never heard from again, but Ruth won’t go down easy. She escapes into the wilderness, but her hunter is close at her heels. That’s when the real battle begins. That’s when Ruth must decides just how far she’ll go in order to survive.

My Review:

This book is intense. It is dark and action packed.

Things I liked:

1) Ruth- Wow what a strong, brave and all around great character. This poor girl endured some horrible things.

2) I always enjoy flashbacks and of course I enjoyed them in this story as well.

3) Finally an ending I was satisfied with. I have been reading a lot lately and endings have been blah but dang this ending was great.

Things I Was Not Fond Of:

1) The length- Although I really enjoyed this book I still would have loved it if it was longer. I feel like some things were kind of rushed. 

I would recommend this if you like psychological thrillers at all. A quick read but very action packed.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

*I received this on a read an review basis from Edelweiss*

Bookish Academy Tag

Thanks so much to the lovely Erica Gold. Go check out her blog guys. It is amazing and you will love it.

People I tag are:
1) Carina from My Addiction: Books
2) Cassie from Novels and Necklaces
3) Jazmen from This Girl Reads a lot!



Here we go with the questions:

1) Best Male Actor ( Best Male Protagonist):

For this I chose Joe from You. He definitely is not a likeable character but I really enjoyed his personality for some reason.









2) Best Actress( Best Female Protagonist):

For this one I picked Christine. She was such a great character to read about. I felt the same things she felt at parts of the book.










3) Best Cinematography( Best Plot Twist):

For this one I picked Gone Girl because some of the things that happened in this book really shocked me.










4) Best Costume Design(Best Book Cover):

 This book cover is so amazing. In person it is so much better. I tried to read this book but just could not get into it. I am willing to leave it on my shelf just because it is gorgeous.









5) Best Supporting Actor and Actress( Best Male and Female Sidekick:

 Male: I chose Toraf from Of Poseidon. He was a great sidekick.

Female: I chose Elodie from Hex Hall. 











6) Best Original Screenplay(Best Unique Plot/World):

 I chose this book because it was dystopian but not in a typical way. I loved this world so much.









7) Best Adapted Screenplay(Best Book-Movie Adapation):

 I picked this because I actually watched the movie first then read the book. I enjoyed the book but I really prefer the movie version. I mean hello Richard Gere!!









8) Best Animated Feature(Book That Would Work Well Animated):

 This may be cheating but I really think this would be a great animated because well its halfway there.









9) Best Director(A writer you discovered for the first time): 

 I know this is the one and only book Nicola Yoon has written but I will read any book she writes.









10) Best Visual Effects(Best Novella or Short Book):

This book is rather short but so so funny. I would recommend this if you are a book lover because it is rather entertaining.









11) Best Picture(Best Standalone):

This book was so emotional and I loved it so much. Cannot wait for the movie to come out!!!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

From Goodreads:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

My Review:

Let me start off by saying. I know this is super popular and everyone seems to love it. If you liked this book great but it really was not for me. Take from this review what you will but this is my opinion. Sorry if it offends you.

Things I liked:

1) I liked the mystery of the whole story. You were not told much which made it rather interesting.

2) I liked the writing. I thought it was done well. I had only one issue with it though(see things I was not fond of)

3) Warner- I hate to say this but he was literally the only reason I kept reading. He made the story interesting!

Things I was not fond of:

1) Juliette- I found her to be a rather dull character. She did nothing but complain. I expected more from someone that has such an awesome gift.

2) Adam- Another character who just was boring. He really brought nothing to the story.

3) The strikeouts. I think this annoyed me more then anything. I had to look up why this was going on because it was rather odd. I get why the author did it but to me it was unnecessary. 

4) Nothing really happened in this book. I felt like it was just mundane everyday activities that really did not make me want to continue.

This book really was not for me. I will not be reading the rest of the books because I just did not connect with any of them and by the end did not care what happened. 

My rating: 💜💜

Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt

 

From Goodreads:

Estelle Paradise wakes up in a hospital after being found near dead at the bottom of a ravine with a fragmented memory and a vague sense of loss. Then a terrifying reality sets in: her daughter is missing.

Days earlier, Estelle discovered her baby’s crib empty in their Brooklyn apartment. There was no sign of a break-in, but all traces of seven-month-old Mia had disappeared. Her diapers, her clothes, her bottles—all gone.

Frustrated and unable to explain her daughter’s disappearance, Estelle begins a desperate search. But when the lack of evidence casts doubt on her story, Estelle becomes the number one suspect in the eyes of the police and the media.

As hope of reuniting with Mia becomes all she has left, Estelle will do anything to find answers: What has she done to her baby? And what has someone else done to her? 

My review:

This book was rather addicting!

Things I liked:

1) Estelle- Even though some of the things she did were questionable I still liked her as a character.

2) The mystery aspect of it. I would not say it was as good as Gone Girl but it was good. 

3) The writing. I am pretty sure I read this in one sitting because it was so addicting and written so well.

Things I was not fond of:

1) Some of the book was rather boring and pretty much repetitive.

2) The ending. I mean it kind of wrapped things up nice but I wish there was more.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥    

 *I received this book from Edelweiss on a read and review basis*     

Swerve by Vicki Pettersson

Goodreads Blurb:

It’s high summer in the Mojave Desert, and Kristine Rush and her fiancé, Daniel, are en route from Las Vegas to Lake Arrowhead, California, for the July Fourth holiday weekend. But when Daniel is abducted from a desolate rest stop, Kristine is forced to choose: return home unharmed, but never to see her fiancé again, or plunge forward into the searing desert to find him…where a killer lies in wait.


My Review:
This book really surprised me. At first I was put off by the cover because it is not cute at all. I mean if I seen this in a bookstore I would not be very happy with it.

Things I liked: 
1) Kristine- From the beginning I knew I was going to like her. She endured some crazy stuff but still kept sane through it all.

2) Abby- Kristine's Daughter. I am aware that she is a young girl but I still liked her and just felt bad for her.

3) This book was emotional, action packed, and so intense. I loved that it sucked you in from the beginning. It took no time for the book to get going, which is always nice.

4) I loved the way this book was written. It has an addicting quality about it which is always great in a book! I stayed up til 4am reading this book :)

Things I was not fond of:
1) Daniel- What a horrible guy!

2) The cover- I do not actually like it at all and if I never read the synopsis I would never have wanted to read it.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

I gave this book 5 stars because the things I didn't like about the book I can ignore because it was so good other wise.

*I received this from NetGalley on a read and review basis*