The Cage by Megan Shepherd

Goodreads Blurb:

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

Things I liked:

1) Cora- She did have few flaws but still I found her to be the character that I most related to. She was more level headed then the other characters I think.

2) The writing of this was really mysterious. There were a few shocking factors in this book that I really didn't expect.

3) I liked getting to know the other characters as well. They all had very different stories and you could tell who was who(even if you didn't read the name on the top).

Things I was not fond of:

1) I didn't like how Cora kept obsessing over Cassian. I understand why she did it but still it really bothered me.

2) The ending- This didn't bother me quite as much since the second book I already have but if I didn't I would have been extra upset.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Goodreads Blurb:

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one. 

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will. 

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Things I liked:

1) Elisa-  I related a lot to her in the beginning. She was sarcastic, strong, and for the most part did what she thought was right.

2) Alejandro- He definitely was not not a character that you were suppose to like by the end of the book but I still really enjoyed him. 

3) This book started off slow but then it just became so interesting that you just really wanted to know what was happening or was going to happen.

Things I was not fond of:

1) I did not like how Elisa kept comparing herself to her sister with everything she did in this book. It made me sad every time that she felt as though her sister would have done things better. 

2) The use of the word fat in this book was just so excessive and unnecessary. I really didn't get why the author thought that was a good idea to do. 

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson

Blurb from Goodreads:

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.



Things I liked:

1) Lia- She is the main reason I really liked this book. She was one of those strong female characters who is not a cliche character at all. She knew what she wanted and how to get it. Yes she did make some questionable decisions but I feel like most people would in her situation.

2) The writing of this was so addictive. I like how you really didn't know which was which when you were reading. I rooted for both guys of course until I found out who was who.

3) Pauline- What a great friend. Definitely someone you need when you get into this situation.

Things I Was Not Fond Of:

1) I really was not fond of the ending but it wasn't so bad since the story does continue. Immediately after I started reading the second one. The ending made me sad but still I needed to know more.


My rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥

Unforgivable by Amy Reed (Unforgivable #2)

Goodreads Blurb:

Marcus knows pain. The kind that swallows you like a black hole. His brother committed suicide, his mother left him, and his dad mostly ignores him. Relief only seems to come from drugs, alcohol, and secret acts of self-destruction.

Until he met Evie. Together, they lived in the moment. They fell in love—hard—creating their own beautiful world. But they each had their own secrets, their own pain, hovering like a thick fog, suffocating them in a world too small to share.

Unforgivable takes off where Invincible left us—with Evie drowning in San Francisco Bay. Marcus finds her just in time, but her survival is not the happy ending he was hoping for. Forbidden from seeing Evie by her parents and unable to reach her, Marcus learns of a pain that might break him completely. 

Things I liked:

1) I liked learning about Marcus' side of the story. I just really loved knowing his thoughts 

2) Even though Evie was barely in this book I liked knowing how she recovered and what she was doing also.

3) The ending, although it broke my heart I knew it was coming and kind of had to happen.

4) Evie's sister- She was a character that was in this book more and I really enjoyed her in it. 

Things I was not fond of:

1) Evie's parents-  These two are so ridiculous and just stupid in my opinion. They just didn't make a lot of sense about what they were doing.

My rating: 💜💜💜💜💜

*This book was provided for free by Edelweiss on a read and review basis*

Outliers by Kimberly McCreight

Goodreads Blurb:

It all starts with a text: Please, Wylie, I need your help. Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie’s in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself.

This time it’s different, though. Instead of telling Wylie where she is, Cassie sends cryptic clues. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie sent him to help. Trusting the guy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn’t feel right, but Wylie has no choice but to ignore her gut instinct and go with him.

But figuring out where Cassie is goes from difficult to dangerous, fast. As Wylie and Jasper head farther and farther north into the dense woods of Maine, Wylie struggles to control her growing sense that something is really wrong. What isn’t Cassie telling them? And could finding her be only the beginning?

Things I liked:

1) This book I found to be rather addicting. I could not put this down and wanted to know what was going to happen. 

2) Wylie- I really enjoyed her as a character, she was not your normal YA girl.

3)  I really enjoyed the suspense of this book, it was not at all boring and just kept you on your toes.

Things I was not fond of:

1) I was not the biggest fan of Cassie. I just felt like the way things happened with her were weird and sometimes just made no sense. 

2) The ending- I know I have an issue with endings a lot but this one was just rushed really to me. I wanted more of a twist I guess.

My rating: 💜💜💜💜

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

Down With The Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn

Blurb from Goodreads:

There's a reason they say "be careful what you wish for." Just ask the girl who wished to be thinner and ended up smaller than Thumbelina, or the boy who asked for "balls of steel" and got them-literally. And never wish for your party to go on forever. Not unless you want your guests to be struck down by debilitating pain if they try to leave.


These are things Lennie only learns when it's too late-after she brings some of her uncles' moonshine to a party and toasts to dozens of wishes, including a big wish of her own: to bring back her best friend, Dylan, who was abducted and murdered six months ago.

Lennie didn't mean to cause so much chaos. She always thought her uncles' moonshine toast was just a tradition. And when they talked about carrying on their "important family legacy," she thought they meant good old-fashioned bootlegging.

Things I liked:

1) Lennie-  I like how naive she was about what she could do. Also she was really relatable in my opinion.

2) The Uncles- They were rather interesting to say the least. I felt like they were so weird but for some odd reason I really liked them a lot.

3) I found this book to be rather funny. Not sure if that was a good thing but I was okay with it. 

Things I was not fond of:
1) Although I really like the premise of this book it was rather unrealistic and most of the time really just made no sense.

2) The ending I was not fond of. This is what stopped me from giving this book a 5 stars.


My rating: 💜💜💜💜

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

In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Goodreads Blurb:

What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.

Leonora, known to some as Lee and others as Nora, is a reclusive crime writer, unwilling to leave her “nest” of an apartment unless it is absolutely necessary. When a friend she hasn’t seen or spoken to in years unexpectedly invites Nora (Lee?) to a weekend away in an eerie glass house deep in the English countryside, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. Forty-eight hours later, she wakes up in a hospital bed injured but alive, with the knowledge that someone is dead. Wondering not “what happened?” but “what have I done?”, Nora (Lee?) tries to piece together the events of the past weekend. Working to uncover secrets, reveal motives, and find answers, Nora (Lee?) must revisit parts of herself that she would much rather leave buried where they belong: in the past.

Things I liked:

1) Lenora- I did feel as though she was really naive about some things but I still thought she was a great character and the book would not have been the same without her.

2) The writing of this book was done so well. I felt as though it was really suspenseful and sometimes gave me chills.

3)  I liked the way the book was split up in what was happening and then what already happened and you were just left wondering what was going on.

Things I was not fond of:

1) Another rushed ending that really didn't get explained well. 

2) I thought some of the characters were lacking in personality and just were really there for no reason.

My rating: 💜💜💜💜

The Fever by Megan Abbott

Blurb from Goodreads:

The Nash family is close-knit. Tom is a popular teacher, father of two teens: Eli, a hockey star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student. Their seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when Deenie's best friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in class. Rumors of a hazardous outbreak spread through the family, school and community.

As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families and the town's fragile idea of security.

Things I liked:

1) I really liked the writing of this book. It was heartfelt and sometimes humorous.

2) I also liked the family and friendship dynamic that each one of these characters had.

Things I was not fond of:

1) I went into this book thinking that it was going to be something scary and epic and that it was not. 

2) A lot of this book was just mundane day to day life. I didn't really think it picked up until the last half of the book. 

My rating: 💜💜💜

Harmony House by Nic Sheff

Blurb from Goodreads:

Jen Noonan’s father thinks a move to Harmony House is the key to salvation, but to everyone who has lived there before, it is a portal to pure horror.

After Jen’s alcoholic mother’s death, her father cracked. He dragged Jen to this dilapidated old manor on the shore of New Jersey to “start their new lives”—but Harmony House is more than just a creepy old estate. It’s got a chilling past—and the more Jen discovers its secrets, the more the house awakens. Strange visions follow Jen wherever she goes, and her father’s already-fragile sanity disintegrates before her eyes. As the forces in the house join together to terrorize Jen, she must find a way to escape the past she didn’t know was haunting her—and the mysterious and terrible power she didn’t realize she had.

Things I liked:

1) Jen- Sometimes she really made no sense to me but I liked her as an overall character and really connected with her.

2) The writing for this book was done so well. This is not the first book like this I have read but I still found this one to be unique and written great. Will be picking up more from this author in the future.

3) Jen's Dad- I really found him to be kind of odd but it really made his character better for me. If he was a normal dad I don't think I would have liked him as much.

Things I was not found of:

1) The ending really was not my favorite. That was probably why I didn't give it 5 stars.

2) I was expecting more of a creepiness to this book that it did not have. It was no where near scary like I felt like it should have been.

My rating: 💜💜💜💜

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

I'm Back

Due to some unforeseen life things I had to put this blog on the back burner. I recently moved and got a new job. With this move I haven't really been feeling like reading hence why this blog has been kind of inactive. I'm hoping that I will get back into the swing of things and read more in the new year. I feel like I've had enough of a break. I am currently reading something so will have a review up for that and another book that I read back in October.

I'm sure no one has missed me but thought I'd let y'all know where I have been and that I am still hoping to continue reviewing books :).

Consent by Nancy Ohlin

From Goodreads:

Bea has a secret.

Actually, she has more than one. There’s her dream for the future that she can’t tell anyone—not her father and not even her best friend, Plum.

And now there’s Dane Rossi. Dane is hot, he shares Bea’s love of piano, and he believes in her.

He’s also Bea’s teacher.

When their passion for music crosses into passion for each other, Bea finds herself falling completely for Dane. She’s never felt so wanted, so understood, so known to her core. But the risk of discovery carries unexpected surprises that could shake Bea entirely. Bea must piece together what is and isn’t true about Dane, herself, and the most intense relationship she’s ever experienced in this absorbing novel from Nancy Ohlin, the author of Beauty.

My Review:
I feel like this book will be really controversial. Some people will love it others will absolutely hate it. Whichever one you happen to be I think everyone can take a little something from this book.

Things I liked:
1) Bea- I really liked her. She made some bad decisions and I really hoped she came to her senses at times but she really didn't. Clearly I looked over that though.

2) Mr. Rossi- I know he was suppose to be like a villian I guess but I really liked him. I don't agree what he did but still really enjoyed him.

3) The writing was so fast paced and great!


Things I was not fond of:
1) I feel like the ending just ended to abruptly. The book overall was to short so the ending felt rushed to me. I wish we had at least like 25-50 more pages so it could have ended stronger.


My rating: ♥♥♥♥

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

If You're Lucky By Yvonne Prinz

From Goodreads: 

Is Georgia’s mind playing tricks on her, or is the entire town walking into the arms of a killer who has everyone but her fooled?
 
When seventeen-year-old Georgia’s brother drowns while surfing halfway around the world in Australia, she refuses to believe Lucky’s death was just bad luck. Lucky was smart. He wouldn’t have surfed in waters more dangerous than he could handle. Then a stranger named Fin arrives in False Bay, claiming to have been Lucky’s best friend. Soon Fin is working for Lucky’s father, charming Lucky’s mother, dating his girlfriend. Georgia begins to wonder: did Fin murder Lucky in order to take over his whole life?  

Determined to clear the fog from her mind in order to uncover the truth about Lucky’s death, Georgia secretly stops taking the medication that keeps away the voices in her head. Georgia is certain she’s getting closer and closer to the truth about Fin, but as she does, her mental state becomes more and more precarious, and no one seems to trust what she’s saying.

As the chilling narrative unfolds, the reader must decide whether Georgia’s descent into madness is causing her to see things that don’t exist–or to see a deadly truth that no one else can.  

My review: 

Things I liked: 

1) This book sucked me in from the beginning. I literally started in one day and finished it the same. I felt like the story was told in such an addicting way that I had to know what was going to happen. 

2) Georgia-I really loved her character. She was not your ordinary feel sorry for me kind of character. She had her weaknesses but I still felt as though after all she has been through she has stayed so strong and grounded.

3) Sonia-I liked her character enough. She was not the brightest one out of the bunch but I think she really had good intentions and was trying so hard to move on.

4) Lucky and Georgia's parent's-I don't think I can say enough about how much I loved them. They just had such a tragic event happen. They grieved and moved on. They weren't the type to just forget they had another child.

Things I was not fond of: 
1) Finn-This guy was my least favorite. I sensed something wrong with him the moment he showed up. He was just very unlikable not to mention so weird!

2) The ending-I felt like there was a lot of build up to what the mystery was but it just didn't deliver that much. Yes I like it and it was a great read but I really wanted to be surprised at the end and I really was not since it was predictable.

Would I recommend this book? Yes I would. It was a great addicting read that made you think.

My rating: 💜💜💜💜

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

A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern

 

From Goodreads: 

 

Emily has always been the kind of girl who tries to do the right thing—until one night when she does the worst thing possible. She sees Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being attacked. Inexplicably, she does nothing at all.

Belinda, however, manages to save herself. When their high school finds out what happened, Emily and Lucas, a football player who was also there that night, are required to perform community service at a center for disabled people. Soon, Lucas and Emily begin to feel like maybe they're starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing if they could do that night all over again. But can they do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt the most?

My Review: 
This book really makes you think about choices you make. Such a good read!

Things I liked: 
1) Emily- Even though she made some not so great decisions she still became a favorite of mine with time.

2) Lucas- Oh what a sweet heart. I loved him so much!!

3) Belinda- She was my favorite POV to read from because it was cute to see how she sees the world. 

4) The writing was so good. I liked that it was so realistic and really something that could happen in every day life. 


Things I was not fond of: 
1) The only thing I really had a problem with in this book was that it was slow in some parts. I wish it kind of had more going on.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

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