Another winner for Jennifer Lynn Barnes...

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Release Date 01/22/13

Jennifer Lynn Barnes' newest book promised to be good and it was! Science-fiction meets conspiracy in an alternate reality type of setting (think along the lines of X-men).

Our story sets forth the existence of people known as "Nobodies". People who are continually overlooked by society and even their own families. People literally have a difficult time seeing or hearing them. This is the case with our heroine Claire. She has no friends and her parents frequently forget her places. She's just trying to get by. We learn of an organization who hunt and destroy "Nobodies". Their justification being that "Nobodies" are sociopaths/psychopaths incapable of human emotion/sympathies. Thus they present a real danger to society as serial killers etc... The society takes and trains certain "Nobodies" as human weapons to destroy others of their kind with the aid of another group of humans who exhibit heightened senses.

This is where we meet our anti-hero/hero. Nix. He's done some bad things, but he was trained/forced by the society to do so. They've been keeping things from him and it's about to backfire!

Que the action, intrigue and romance. Hang on cause it's a pretty good ride! The ending hints at a sequel, but only time will tell.

***.5 out of 5 stars for some great action, intrigue and some cool powers.

PARENTAL ADVISORY: includes SPOILERS*** Content includes details of torture preformed on children (to force them to use their powers for the secret society), lots of violence including some details of a character's "hits" (per orders) and what some of that characters victims had done to their victims, a scene in which sex is suggested between to teens, but with so little detail as to be uncertain, various characters display powers ranging from heightened senses to the freezing of time.

Ready to be "Wowed"?

Under the Never Sky (Book 1) Released ?/12
Through the Ever Night (Book 2) released 1/8/13
Into the Still Blue (Book 3) release date ?

By Veronica Rossi












   Okay, let me start by saying there are books, and then there are BOOKS! This trilogy is definitely the later! If I didn't need to work or sleep I would have read them faster, they were truly that good. Think "The Hunger Games" epic-ness and you kinda get the gist!
   The two main characters are Aria, a dweller and Peregrine, a outsider. The setting is a world where Aether storms have destroyed much of the inhabitable earth (think lightning storms, but a whole lot worse!). The world is well described and the characters are so well sussed out as to be relate-able and "real".
   It's always fun to watch characters who are completely out of their element. Sink or swim, fight or flight. You definitely can't help rooting for the characters Veronica has written for us! She does a wonderful job of painting characters who, while deeply flawed are also brave and stubborn (in the very best sense of the words). I really enjoyed watching the characters grow over the fist two books and can't wait to find out how the story ends! I hope they get their "happily ever after" moment.
   I think Veronica also did an amazing job tying all the pieces of the story together! So far everything makes sense and there are only a few questions which have yet to be answered, but hey, book three is on the way!
So check out this trilogy. If you are a fan of dystopian/adventure and underdogs and love stories, I think you will agree these are some pretty amazing books!

***** out of 5 stars for great characters (flaws an all), an amazing future world and THE absolute need to read book three!

PARENTAL ADVISORY: includes Spoilers*** Content includes a female character being assaulted by a male character (while not necessarily sexual, there are undertones suggesting that, but another character steps in before we find out how far things could have gone), characters suffer from a syndrome the author calls DLS in which they suffer from psychotic breaks during which time they are extremely violent and irrational, the Croven are characters who are cannibals, two characters sleep together (no explicit details, noted more in passing), various scenes of fighting and violence play out (none overly detailed).

The Legacy Trilogy

Legacy (Book 1) Release date 06/28/11
Allegiance (Book 2) Released 02/28/12
Sacrifice (Book 3) Released 10/23/12
By Cayla Kluver

  Let me just start by saying I LOVED this trilogy! It is a fantasy story about the war between two kingdoms (one ruled by men and the other by women), blood prophecies, honor and love.
  Alera, is the heir to the Hytanican throne, but as a woman she can't rule, so she is married off to the son of the Captain of the Guard. Meanwhile, Narian a Cokyrian, comes into the kingdom providing an alluring and dangerous distraction, but all is not as it seems. Traitors, war and hard choices abound throughout this trilogy. I thought Cayla did an amazing job creating the two kingdoms, pretty vivid descriptions of the landscape and layout of the kingdom, had them almost feeling like characters themselves! The well developed background story that sets the war in motion is also, pretty well tied together.
  The characters are strong and for the most part, very well written. Cayla did an amazing job with the secondary cast of characters as well (from the Captain of the Guard and his son, to Alera's stubborn and loyal guard London) there are plenty of heroes to root for, a juicy love triangle heating things up and an entire kingdom in the balance! I did find Alera slightly annoying throughout a significant portion of "Sacrifice". I felt like she was to reluctant to step up and make the hard choices (and trust me they are hard choices). I felt like it took her a lot longer to grow as a person and leader then in the previous two books. I also felt torn about Narian's character. He was, at the core of his character good, but I felt like his divided loyalties were difficult and frustrating to swallow (but maybe that's just me?). Overall, an exciting and enthralling read. Let's put it this way, I would definitely read it again. So venture into another world, you might enjoy it!

**** out of 5 stars for well written characters (some of whom I LOVED), a well developed plot, forbidden love and heroic people making hard choices for a better world.

PARENTAL ADVISORY: includes SPOILERS*** Content includes a character with magical powers he uses to enslave and torture people, mass murder and kidnapping of infants and others, various forms of torture are used on people as punishment (though not graphically so, are described). As a married women, Alera belongs to her husband and in her kingdom he has the right to her, fortunately for her, he respects her boundaries (he kisses her and fondles her on one occasion, before she asks him to stop, which he does). Another character's husband beats her (spoken of in passing rather than detailed), a couple has sex (not graphically described). Various characters posses magical powers they use to fight/heal others.

Giveaway mania!

The sisters are at it again! Another great giveaway! Taherah Mafi's "Unravel Me" the sequel to her dystopian debut "Shatter Me", about a young women in a militaristic society who's literal touch causes death. They want her to be there secret weapon, but she is so much more! 

I like how Taherah writes as if Juliette is translating what others really mean or over-writing her own thoughts (if you check out the sample read on amazon.com, you will see what I mean)! Oh, yeah! Did I mention a certain rebel with a cause, a male, irresistible, untouchable rebel? Or is he? Read it to find out and go to http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com to enter to win your own copy. Release date is 2/05/13.

Cinderella gets an upgrade

Marissa Meyer's new series about a cyborg girl, is a Cinderella story for the new century. "Cinder" book #1 of "The Lunar Chronicles" is equal parts action, intrigue, and dystopian/sci-fi. Add just a hint of budding romance and some space travel and you get the idea! A super cool upgrade on Cinderella!

Reading Teen's blogspot is hosting a giveaway of book one "Cinder". http://www.readingteen.net. Check out the cover, it sure got my attention! I am looking forward to the rest of this series! Book #2 "Scarlet" is on sale 2/5/13.

Another sweet giveaway from "Reading Teen"

Hey! Check out the oh, so sweet giveaway on Reading Teen blogspot for Veronica Rossi's "Ever Night" books! Prize pack includes

• Signed copies of "Under the Never Sky" and "Through the Ever Night"
• More...

So head over and enter for your chance to win! http://www.readingteen.net

Another twist from Amanda Hocking

  Wake (A Watersong Novel) by Amanda Hocking  

                             Release Date 8/07/12

Amanda Hocking's new series of books is another twist on a mythic creature, a.k.a. the Siren. The series opener, "Wake" was a slow, but interesting start. If any of you have read and liked Amanda's (originally self published "Trylle" trilogy, a twist on Trolls) I think you will enjoy her newest series. I like the fact that Amanda always creates strong secondary and supporting characters. The two main characters in this book are sisters Gemma (our main character, a feisty young woman in love with water) and her older sister Harper (a slightly overbearing, pseudo mother figure). Supporting characters include Alex (a hot, but sweet boy/friend next door), Daniel (a mysterious young man who lives on a boat) and a dangerous and beautiful trio of girls (Penn, Lexi and Thea). 

The book spends about half its' length developing our characters and their relationships, all the while hinting at the mystery which the last half of the book dives into. I did find it to be slightly plodding in the beginning (not un-interesting, just slow with lots of time spent setting up the secondary and supporting characters). As always a cliffhanger ending had me eager for the next book, which fortunately for me (and you, if you decide to read this series) has already been released. "Lullaby" (released 11/27/12 will be followed up by "Tidal" on 6/04/13 with a possible fourth installment "Elegy" 8/06/13 (Amazon has yet to release details for "Elegy" and whether or not it is in fact a part of the "Watersong" series). 

Overall, I really enjoyed Amanda's take on the Siren mythology! I like how she tied it in to some Greek mythology. I thought Gemma in particular, is a character with room to grow (as I found her at times, rather immature) and I look forward to seeing that. I am also curious to learn more about Daniel who is quite a mysterious character and who comes to the rescue several times (I think that there is more to him, then meets the eye). As far as characters you LOVE to hate, Penn, Lexi and Thea are right up there. So, dark in a word, alluring in another. Dive in, you just might like it! 

***.5 out of 5 stars for interesting characters, cool mythology, and an ending that makes me want to come back for more.

PARENTAL ADVISORY: includes SPOILERS*** Content includes mention of a rape (no details), characters "cursed" by a goddess, descriptions (brief, not overly detailed) of evisceration's and decomposing corpses and a somewhat intense make-out scene between two teens, as well as mentions of various characters (male and female) in various states of undress (not unduly graphic, detailed or particularly sexual). Also, a character unwittingly drinks blood.