Cinder by Marissa Meyer Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.12 of 5 stars My Rating: 4 of 5 stars Page Count: 390 Synopsis: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. I avoided this book like the plague. For some reason I just could not bring myself to read this whenever I got the chance. But, my secret santa gifted me a copy so I decided to finally get over my reservations about reading it and ended up finishing it in a day XD I overly enjoyed Cinder! It was a unique mix of a fairy tale retelling and a dystopian fantasy. Meyer took the story of Cinderella and put her own unique twist on it. I think that she did a magnificent job in including small aspects of the original story while still managing to keep the plot of the story uniquely her own. Some of it was predictable and I didn't have a hard time figuring out some of the mysteries that came a long with Cinder's past. I would have liked a little more nail biting suspense to go along with Cinder finding out all of the answers to her questions, but all in all it was a great and easy read! Meyer kept me thoroughly entranced. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.31 of 5 stars My Rating: 3 of 5 stars Page Count: 452 Synopsis: Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. I was super excited to start this one since I loved Cinder, however I was slightly disappointed with it. I never really liked the story of Little Red Riding Hood to begin with but I figured that since it would be paired with the story of Cinderella and since Meyer executed the first one so well, that it would be just as good. There were just things that annoyed me a little too much for my liking. There's the fact that Cinder just seemed selfish and cold. Her personality was giving and human in the first one, but with Meyer trying to make the two stories connect, her personality was jepordized. I get that some things had to be done in order to mesh the two stories, but I would have liked it more if Meyer had done it a little more smoothly. Thorne kind of grew on me throughout the book, but I have to consider what my buddy read partner was saying about his motives for helping them changing. I'll definitely have to keep my eye on him when I get around to reading Cress ^^ Scarlet and Wolf...Scarlet was one badass character. I think she was the one that really made the book for me. She was strong and independent and just didn't accept anything unless she did it herself. I like that in an MC because then you don't always have those damel's in distress ones. Those annoy the hell out of me. Like come on can a lady not save herself for once? And Wolf...he was your typical brooding mystery guy which I didn't mind. I wasn't really expecting the real him to be what was revealed but it did make sense. So even though I didn't fully enjoy this installment, I am definitely looking forward to Cress! |
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Frostfire by Amanda Hocking
Release Date: January 6th, 2015 Continuation of series, standalone, spin-off series or new series? Spin-off series Link to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18105451-frostfire?ac=1 Goodreads Synopsis: Bryn Aven is an outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes. Set apart by her heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who's determined to become a respected part of her world. She has just one goal: become a member of the elite King’s Guard to protect the royal family. She's not going to let anything stand in her way, not even a forbidden romance with her boss Ridley Dresden. But all her plans for the future are put on hold when Konstantin– a fallen hero she once loved – begins kidnapping changelings. Bryn is sent in to help stop him, but will she lose her heart in the process? How Excited are we? Sydney: 7/10 Anna: 8/10 Tia: 8/10 Jaclyn: 7/10 Commentary Sydney: So in all honesty I hadn’t even heard of this book coming out until Tia and Anna told me about it. But after doing some research, I found out that Frostfire is the first book in a new spin-off series. I never read the Trylle trilogy, but based on what Anna and Tia say about it, I can tell its really good, which means this one is gonna be good too! The only reason why I’m not too excited about this is because I never read the Trylle trilogy, which means this is a whole new story and world for me. But I’m sure that once I read the trilogy, I will be just as excited to pick this book up as well! Anna: I read the entire Trylle trilogy in 2014 and absolutely adored it. I can’t wait to get my hands on this book. I don’t remember Bryn from the Trylle trilogy, but I’m just excited to get book into the world. This spin-off series sounds so amazing. The plot of this book sounds so different than the Trylle books and I’m so excited to read about this forbidden love triangle thing. I can’t wait to see what Amanda Hocking has in store for us in this book! Tia: I've read the Trylle trilogy more times than I can count. I don't remember when I actually read it the first time, but I fell in love with it! And when I found out about this spin off series I just knew I had to get my hands on it. Like Anna, I don't remember a Bryn from the trilogy, but I'm excited to learn more about the Kainin Trylle tribe! Amanda Hocking didn't disappoint me with the Trylle trilogy so I can't wait to see what she has in store for this one :D Jaclyn: Similar to Sydney, I had never heard of this book until recently from Anna & Tia. I’ve also never read the Trylle trilogy, so my excitement about this one was mixed. It’s hard to get psyched about a new story from a world I’m not familiar with, but after reading the synopsis I’m actually really excited to add this to my TBR! I’m a sucker for a good love triangle and a strong female character and it seems like Frostfire won’t disappoint. I’m definitely going to read the Trylle trilogy before I pick this one up after reading how much Anna & Tia loved it! I’m excited to see what this new world has in store for me :) Are you all excited for Frostfire? Comment below your excitement for Frostfire! Happy Reading! Tia, Sydney, Jaclyn and Anna White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Edition: Paperback Pages: 392 Series or Standone: Series, The Dark Elements #1 Published: February 25th, 2014 Publisher: Harlequin Teen Link To Goodreads: http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/whitehotkiss.jpg Goodreads Synopsis: “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, 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.” Plot: 4.5/5 Stars I really enjoyed the plot. I loved how it was not clear about what side was good. There were so many twists and turns throughout the novel. People’s intentions were always confusing. It was hard to tell if they meant good or bad. (You should click the link. It's a Gif but I can't put it on here because I haven't figured it out yet.) http://data1.whicdn.com/images/36172128/large.gif The whole thing with gargoyles and demons was interesting. I had never read a book with gargoyles. It was cool seeing how they transformed and what they would look like. Characters: 5/5 Stars Layla, our main character, is half gargoyle and half demon. It was interesting seeing how that worked out. She tracks for the Wardens, but it’s dangerous. I liked how brave she was, but that she could be scared also. Zayne is a gargoyle. Layla lives with his family, the Warden. Zayne is her best friend in the book and I enjoyed reading about their relationship. I thought the conflict later in the book was well done with Zayne’s reaction. Roth is a demon. I don’t think I can say too much about him because spoilers. Let’s just say he was a great character, who I am excited to read more about. Do I have a ship yet? I can’t decide. Any quotes? Nope. None that I remember. Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars About the Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She has written the Covenant series, the Lux series, The Dark Elements trilogy, A Wicked Saga, Don’t Look Back (standalone) and the Titan series. She has also written under her pen name, J. Lynn, for more adult books. All her Young Adult books are upper young adult. She currently resides in West Virgina, writing, reading and watching zombie movies. “We read to escape. We read to go on adventures. We read to make friends.” - Anna from Unquenchable Reads Happy Reading! Anna |