City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments Book Six; The Shadowhunter Chronicles)

I'm not going to phrase this like I normally do because, really, who needs an introduction to this series? I would suggest that The Shadowhunter Chronicles is basically the greatest thing in literature today. It needs no introduction.

I'll just say that I loved this book. IT WAS PERFECT. Cassandra Clare has done it again, this was an absolutely perfect end to The Mortal Instruments saga of The Shadowhunter Chronicles. Everything I love about CC's work was here, it was fast-paced and exciting and romantic and epic and deep and lush. The worldbuilding, the loves (especially Jace and Clary), the style, it was all as perfect as you would come to expect. Everything, and I mean everything, down to the very epigraphs, was beautiful and epic and glorious and I cannot tell you what this book means to me. I will be rereading this many times as we wait for The Dark Artifices.

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Caution, spoilers.

I have to say, I LOVED this book. I had read one of Kelley Armstrong's other series before, so I was certainly expecting an enjoyable read, but I was completely blown away by this work.

Things I Liked:

• Multiple perspective with Ashyn and Moria. I love dual perspective books in general, but I feel like they worked for this novel in particular because, broadly speaking, a reader can most likely identify with some aspect of at least one sister. Personally, I enjoyed the Ashyn sections more, and I *loved* her character. I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for a heroine who is a developed, strong, powerful character, but who *isn't* necessarily an action heroine throwing her sword around all the time. I really, really *loved* Ashyn. I identified with her, she was so real to me, and I could not stop rooting for her. Moria...Moria was a well-drawn character, but I preferred Ashyn, really. 
• The love interests! I love Ronan! He's wily and rakish, sure, but he was also really sweet with Ashyn, at times, I think, like in the inn, over their meal, he seemed genuinely embarrassed and such. Gavril...I'm usually partial to love/hate romances, but I think Gavril's final scenes in the book really soured me to him. 
• The possibilities! This book was so great in terms of keeping things open for the next installment in the series. Obviously, there's a war on, but think about the little things as well: Will Ronan save his siblings from his life of crime? Will Ashyn contact him? Will Gavril's treachery be revealed to be a misunderstanding or is he actually evil? Will Moria's affections turn to Tyrus? Also, when Ronan told Ashyn he was leaving before they entered the city, I think he was about to reveal something else, first, but then pulled back. I don't think it was his love, since, judging by the kiss, he's not quite so shy about that. I think it was something else, and I'd like to see what it was. The character of Belaset, as well. I think she was given too much time and attention to be merely a device to show Ashyn the way of the world. I think she'll return. 
• World-building! This was AMAZING! I think it was really, really cool to show the creatures (thunder hawk, death worms, etc.) as something not believed even by people in this obviously fantastical world (i.e. having Seekers and Keepers and such), and to see how that develops. Also, in the social relations, like those who are "empire-born" and the people from the North, who decide, by Ashyn's dress, that she is not really from the north, in the inn, I think that all speaks to such a rich, complex world that is going to open up to an even greater depth in the next book. There is just such lush detail (like Ashyn and Moria being disallowed from cutting their hair off because of sorcerers and such), that it really, really makes this world feel real and true and if it genuinely exists, and we are seeing but a window into it. 

Final Thoughts: 

• I just loved everything about this book. The characters were relatable, well-developed, and lovable, the world is lush and fantastical and totally engaging, the style is totally engaging as well, I finished this very quickly. The plot, the pacing, everything is just perfect, I can't wait to read the second installment in this series when it comes out. 

Fragile Spirits by Mary Lindsey

Caution, this may contain spoilers for this book, and the previous book in this series Shattered Souls.

What I Liked:

1. Alden and Lenzi! I was incredibly taken aback to open this book up to an unfamiliar character, having expected more of Alden and Lenzi's story, but I was SO excited to see them again, and their scenes were so powerful and so emotional and so heartwrenching, but then so happy, I can't enough and I loved it. 
2. Paul! I really liked Paul as a character and as a person. You don't really read any kind of love story from the guy's perspective, and it was really refreshing, and I feel like Paul was realistic and well-developed, while still being someone you could see yourself crushing on. (And I so did, he was adorable!)
3. Vivienne's characterization. I was really averse to her in the beginning, I couldn't get over how she treated everyone and such, and, having immediately loved Paul, I really felt like she didn't deserve him. However, and I really, really applaud Mary Lindsey for this, as I am generally loathe to change my opinions, the way in which she was written made her character arc so unbelievably believable...like, I'm still in awe of Mary Lindsey's authorial ability to make me love Vivienne, after hating her as strongly as I did. 
4. Supporting characters! It was really awesome to see Race and Maddi again, as well as Lenzi and Alden, and I loved how this book developed their relationship, and I feel like it really speaks to Mary Lindsey's world building skills that I really believed in the fabric of this world between the two novels. Plus, frankly, Race is just such a lovable rake, and I enjoy his scenes and his humor. 
5. Smith! I was so excited to see that he was being drawn as the principal antagonist of this work, as I really wanted more resolution of his character after having finished Shattered Souls. It was very unexpected, the way he was handles, but very satisfying. 
6. The style! This book was engaging, I read it in I think four or five hours, the writing is so accessible, while also being so very rich and vivid. 

What I Didn't Like: 

1. I will always want more Lenzi and Alden. Always. 
2. This was pretty short, about three hundred pages, and I wanted more! I mean, yes, the ending was great, but, you know, you always want more of a good thing. 

Final Thoughts: 

1. This really strikes me as more of a companion novel to Shattered Souls than a straight up sequel, or at least a hybrid of the two, but, either way, my point is that this was worthy of the book that preceded it. 
2. This is my third book by Mary Lindsey, and I always read the summary and think, "Hmmm, interesting, but, you know, I mean, ghosts...meh" because, I mean, ghosts have been done...but they haven't been done like this. I don't know what it is, but Mary Lindsey takes a topic area (like ghosts) that I'm not really interested in, and somehow makes it one of the most intriguing things on my shelf. She's a really great author, and I would highly recommend her works to anyone. 
3. I still prefer Shattered Souls, but this was an incredibly enjoyable read, it really drew me in, and it reminded me of why I love reading. 

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Caution, this may contain spoilers for this book and any others in the series.

Aaaaaaaah! The long awaited conclusion to Veronica Rossi's epic series, the previous two being Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night.

What I Liked LOVED:

1. Veronica freaking Rossi. I've said it before and I'll say it again: no author writing YA fiction today has as engaging a style as Veronica Rossi. I'm not even going to qualify that, it is hands down true. Every word she writes captures my imagination and makes me truly see what she is writing, and I cannot get enough. 
2. Aria and Perry. Ah, they were so good in this! I've loved them as a couple since the beginning, and I was happy to read their relationship throughout this book. I mean, of course, I LOVE dual-perspective novels, always have, so when you get that, then with a couple, then with Perry and Aria, it's awesome. They're the perfect relationship: they're sweet and cute (Night Crawler!), they're touching and romantic (when Loran lets Aria see Perry after Sable has had him with the mallet), and they're epic and tragic and heartfelt and one for the ages (when Perry boards the Dragonwing with Cinder), you know? I just cannot praise their relationship enough, it feels so real and true. 
3. Loran! I have been wondering since the beginning if this Chekhov's gun (or Chekhov's father, as it were) was going to appear, and, lo and behold, Veronica Rossi has done it again, AWESOME! It wasn't sappy or contrived at all, everything just worked. 
4. Deaths! I don't want to spoil you, but Veronica Rossi has done what few other YA authors dare to do: kill characters. Good characters, bad characters (morally, I mean, Veronica Rossi has never produced a badly written character), and some in between, not to mention the nameless extras that didn't make it. I found that she really, really made me believe the deaths, and the characters' (mostly Perry's) reactions to them. It really made my experience of this novel to know that death was so strikingly on the table. 
5. Aria. I feel like her character arc really, really made this novel for me. I have always really admired Aria as fictional character, and also really loved her as a person, and I feel like in Into the Still Blue, she really came into her own. It's hard to describe, but I feel like the new world is going to be built by a new Aria, compared to the Aria we met in Under the Never Sky. 
6. Soren. It's always nice to see a character develop into a human being instead of a fairly flat secondary antagonist. As much as I disliked him in the first book, Veronica Rossi really made me feel for him in this installment. Props. 

What I Didn't Like: 

1. Write more books, Veronica Rossi! We need more! Don't leave us devoid of your engaging characters, epic stories, and general awesomeness!

Final Thoughts:

• Epic. It was epic. The Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi is epic. Truly, as someone who has read epics, I mean that in every sense of the word. As an English major, as a YA lit fan, as a teenage/twenty-something girl, as a human being, this is epic. 
• I read Under the Never Sky when it first came out; I was in high school, and I remember raving about it to my friends in the locker room before gym class. I am so happy to have had the experience to read these books as they were released. 
• Just get this book. Get it and read it and love it, because it awesome and epic and you will love it. (That is the least contrived thing I've ever said)

Unthinkable by Nancy Werlin

Caution, this review may contain spoilers for this book and any others in its series.

As you know, this is the third book I've recently read by Nancy Werlin, the previous two being Impossible and Extraordinary.  I definitely liked this more than Impossible, and I believe I even liked it more than Extraordinary.

What I Liked:

• Faerie! There was a lot of time spent in their realm, and lots of instances of faerie lore were present! I loved that!
• Ryland as a cat! Ryland was adorable as a cat. I was kind of iffy about him after Extraordinary, since he kind of came off like a bad guy there, but I really felt for him here. He made me laugh, and, personally, the jealousy of his sister really endeared him to me. 
• Fenella telling Walker that Ryland was a manticore...that actually made me laugh. I didn't laugh out loud and any other instance in all of these books, but I did for this.
• Fenella in the modern era. Usually people from the past in the modern era frustrate me, as I don't believe they can truly imagine the scope of the modern world, and it just gets me. However,  I really like the way Nancy Werlin chose to portray Fenella, as a quick learner with some previous background information who grasped the mechanics of the future world. 
• The tree fey. I love trees. I really, really love the idea of trees being sentient and communicated and naming people as part of them. That gets me. 
• Padraig's back story. I do this all the time, and I know it's wrong, but I felt for him. Yes, he's a kidnapper and sadistic and cruel; however, when Fenella learned that his mother abandoned him, and he was only seventeen or eighteen, and everyone scorned him, and someone said he had a lonely life...I felt bad for him. It just breaks my heart. I have NO idea why I feel visceral pity for him, I just do. I don't know why, I just have the urge to comfort people who feel abandoned and unloved and lash out against others because of their pain; I also believe that I could fix them with my love. I've always done this; I wanted Christine to be with the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, I read so much Dramione fanfiction, I always, always, ship Mina and Dracula instead of Mina and Jonathon...I'm one of those women who believe that they can fix tortured bad boys' with their love. Well, not really, not in real life, but it's my favorite kind of fictional story. Plus, you know, I'm glad he wasn't a one dimensional villain, there are enough of those around.
• Walker...I'm not sure how I feel about Fenella and Walker, but he's gentle with animals, warm, sweet, loving, forgiving and considers himself one with the trees...what more do you want in a man? (Besides the whole tortured soul thing, of course.)

What I Didn't Like: 

• Fenella's life choices. Come on girl, really? Kethalia warned you that the tasks would be painful, and you just rush into them? Not really a smart move. 

Final Thoughts:

• I enjoyed this book, but I don't think I will be rereading it. 
• I'm not certain what I will be reading next, though I have quite the stack. 

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

Caution, this review may contain spoilers for this books and any others in its series.

As you know, this is the companion novel to the book I previously reviewed, Impossible, and to the one I'm going to read next, Unthinkable, all by Nancy Werlin. You might remember that, while I enjoyed the author's style very much, Impossible wasn't really what I personally was looking for at the time I read it. However, Extraordinary was, well, extraordinary, if you'll pardon the pun.

What I Liked:

• Faeries! YES!!!! I was a bit nervous, since, like I said, I found there to be way less fae-related stuff in Impossible than I though there would be. This book seriously delivered in that respect. There were bargains being struck, faeries of all sorts being depicted, notations being made of the significance of dancing with the faeries, etc. etc. AND I LOVED IT! I love traditional folk faeries so very very much, and it is always wonderful to see them included in YA fiction, especially when it is clear that the author has done their research, which is completely the case with Nancy Werlin. (The edition I have, published by SPEAK in 2010, even has a cool flower/clover type design on the pages in which the faerie queen is speaking. I thought that was a really nice touch.)
• Literary references. At one point, Phoebe mentions Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, which made me so exceedingly happy. On the one hand, I am an English major, so those two works are pretty close to my heart (the latter infinitely more so than the former). On the other, I find it so odd that book heroines live in a vacuum, sometimes. I live my life according to the principles of my fictional favorites all of the time, I draw inspiration from them, I try to anticipate what may happen from what I have learned about human behavior from them. So, when I see a heroine like Phoebe (or like Katy, from the Lux series) reference other literary characters, it just warms the cockles of my heart. 
• Subtle characterization. Phoebe and Ryland, together, man. Nancy Werlin is just so incredibly deft at letting the relationship between two characters open up before you. The same with Mallory and Mrs. Tolliver. There was never one moment where I realized Ryland was simply using Phoebe or that Mallory really cared about Mrs. Tolliver, it just gradually grew and grew until I couldn't imagine having ever not know it. It was amazing. Seriously, Nancy Werlin is an author to watch; something about her style just really fits with my psyche or something...it's hard to explain. 
• Ambiguity. As Phoebe went deeper and deeper into Faerie and learned everything about Mayer and all that, I really did find myself hoping that the fae world would be okay. I really, really liked that she didn't play it as solidly the faeries' fault or wholly Mayer's fault. That was a nice twist. 
• History. I'd heard of the Rothschild family before this, but I didn't know too much about them, however, I always love when an author references traditional history in their fantasy work. 

What I Didn't Like:

• Lack of romance. Obviously, there was Ryland, who was bad news, but then the relationship with Benjamin was simply characterized as in the cards, not really fully realized. I need my romance. Then again, I didn't care for Zach and Lucy of Impossible, so maybe Nancy Werlin's style of romance simply isn't really my cup of tea, generally. (Again, not a criticism, you might love it.)

Final Thoughts:

• The next book returns to the Scarborough girls, so I'm not uber-psyched, but I'm hoping I will love it as much as I did this one. 
• I highly recommend this book, it was an engaging, quick read, and faeries!

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Caution, this may contain spoilers.

So, Impossible by Nancy Werlin. I saw the book Unthinkable in the bookstore, and it looked so intriguing, and I really wanted that, but I read it was part of a series, and so I read this first. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't really what I was expecting.

What I Didn't Like:

• (Major spoiler ahead.) Rape and teenage pregnancy. These are not things I like to see in my YA novels. I hate reading about things like that, serious, "issue" type things. It's why I avoid contemporary novels, because I assume they'll all be like Go Ask Alice or something. I just don't enjoy this type of reading. I like to identify with my heroines at the beginning, and have the person they are by the end be someone I can emulate. This is not the case with Lucy. 
• Lack of folklore. The inclusion of a seventeenth century ballad about elves at the beginning got me all excited. I was expected a level of "faerie" presence on par with Ballad and Lament by Maggie Stiefvater, and I did NOT get that. The "elfin knight" from the ballad, Padraig Seeley, has very little back story, and seems to function as a dark shadow in the back of the character's minds, as opposed to having a solid story arc. Little mention of the extent of his powers or motivations are present. He's just "the evil guy". Other than his character, there are no other aspects of the fae world in this book. (I've purchased the major works of Katherine Briggs, renowned folklorist, literally wrote the book on faeries etc. etc., so I kind of look out for those sorts of things.)
• Unrealistic attitudes. I'm sorry, I really am, but I cannot wrap my head around a twentysomething guy wanting to marry a girl who is pregnant with another man's child. Maybe I'm cynical, but I just can't see that happening. (Frankly, no one should have to take on all of someone else's baggage like that.) And he proposed to her out of the blue, and everyone's all happy about the baby...hello! High school, college, career? You know, the life you're supposed to be living? Both of their lives (all, really, considering the implications for the parents) have been derailed and their all sunshine and rainbows about it? I can't buy that.
• Pacing. The end felt rushed to me. A bit anti-climatic as well, when Padraig just sort of whooshes away. I wanted a little more about that. 

What I Did Like:

• I like that Pierre, their dog, immediately disliked Padraig. Always a good idea to avoid people the dog doesn't like in a supernatural environment. Also, that his last name was "Seeley," which looks a lot like "Seelie" and "Unseelie" (the two different fae "courts," which I'm sure you can look up)...that immediately let me know he was the "knight" from the ballad. I like things like that, little clues. 

Final Thoughts:

• I've purchased the other two companion books to this one, Extraordinary and Unthinkable, already. If I hadn't, I probably would not buy them after having read this one. 
• I suggest you give this a try, as it wasn't so much the book was bad as it was not what I expected and not something I would have picked up had I known what it was really about. 
• I'm trying to read the next one with an open mind, as I really, really wanted to like this series. 

Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Caution, this review may contain spoilers for this book and any previous installments in this series. Particularly heavy spoilers in this review. What has been read cannot be unread. You have been warned.

As I'm sure you are aware, this is the fourth book in the Lux series, and the most recent one (as of January 2014). I was really nervous about this book, as I strongly dislike it when the leading lady and her love interest are forcibly kept apart (since Katy's situation at the end of Opal) and I'm also not keen on the captured-by-enemies-and-tortured scenario either. However, those bits didn't last very long, and, I have to say, I enjoyed this book the most out of the four in this series so far.

What I Liked:

• Dual POV. This literally saved the beginning of the novel. I honestly cannot get through the separation of the couple in most of my books. Having Daemon's POV literally allowed me to read this book. I always looked forward to his chapters at the end of the book more than any other part, so having his perspective in such large quantities was awesome. 
• Blake's death. He had it coming. The scene where he shoves Katy in the bathtub and soaks her to be a dick? Oh, he had it coming. No moral conundrum whatsoever over Blake's death. 
• JLA's willingness to hand out the death card. I really liked when Dawson killed Matthew. It was swift, it was immediate, and it was not lingered upon. And, I mean, Paris, Andrew, Ash...this isn't like some YA novels, where only the bad guys die, and they die off-screen, and the character mopes about it for the rest of the book. I feel like JLA was really brave with this, and it made the final confrontation scene in Vegas so much more palpable and heart-pounding for me, since death really was on the table for significant characters. 
• The back story on Daedalus. I adore world-building, and JLA does it so well. Everything about the origins, and, okay, I'm not going to like, the fact that male Luxen and female hybrids can make origin babies...I want to see mini-Daemons. I just do. I said it, and I will not take it back. 
• Daemon's description of Katy when he first saw her inside Daedalus. That melted my heart. That is why I read YA fiction. It's like JLA has a magnifying glass into my soul or something. What I wouldn't give to have a guy think something like that while looking at me. I'd implode on the spot, so it's good I don't, haha. 
• DB. The little alien plushie thing Daemon bought Katy and how cute he thought she looked with it also melted my heart. I was pretty much a puddle of heart goop during this whole book. It was just so sweet and vulnerable a thing amidst the chaos, and I loved it so much.  
• Going to the chapel, and we're gonna get maaa-aaa-rrr-ied! (That's a song, btw.) I genuinely teared up when Daemon thought about proposing and then did it. Words cannot express how much my heart melted with joy and love and asdfghjkl at that moment. I honestly cried. It was so sweet and so perfect and so wonderful and nothing, nothing, so great has ever been done in the world of YA fiction. Seriously, JLA has broken a frontier, blazed a trail, whatever. It was just the most romantic scene I've ever read in my whole (very long) reading life. I'm still tearing up right freaking now. Having both of their perspectives, and just the love, the feelings, the romance...it was so poignant and touching and it never, ever came close to melodramatic or sappy or anything negative. Gaah!
• Daemon and Katy. They were beyond belief in this book. Their love scenes, their relationship, their marriage, their thoughts on each other. God almighty, it was perfect. Truly. This is the kind of love people dream about. Everything I ever want in a YA relationship was right here. 
• Dawson and Beth. They're so sweet. They just are so adorable! Awwww!
• The ending. I feel like this was an excellently executed ending. There was enough resolution, and Katy and Daemon were in a good place, but there were also lots of open ends, like Dawson and Beth's baby, and the whole cavalcade of random Luxen...so excited for the next one!

What I Didn't Like: 

• Again, not a criticism, but I wanted more on Archer. I feel like his relationship with Luc is deeper than we know, and I want his perspective on the outside world and if anything is really going on with Dee. 

Final Thoughts:

• I really feel like Origin is my favorite book in the series so far! 
• Daemon and Katy are officially my favorite couple in YA fiction. They are the best written, the most romantic, and the one that evokes the most feeling from me. 
• I CANNOT wait for the next installments in this series, Opposition, which is apparently also the last. 
• AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Seriously, I was so into this book in the last hundred or so pages... this reminds me why I love reading so much!

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Caution, this review may contain spoilers for this book and any previous books in the series.

This is a sequel in the series, so I don't feel the need to tell you to read this or tell you what it is about, as, by the third book, I'm sure you know. I powered through this in a little less than two days (like,  two calendar days, not two solid days' worth of reading time), and I really enjoyed reading this book. I have lots of thoughts, and they're kind of jumbled, but that's basically why I write this blog, to sort out my feels over books!

What I Liked:

• The developing relationship between Daemon and Dawson. When we first saw him in Opal, I had fears that this was going to end up like The Vampire Diaries, i.e. brother fighting with brother over girl. However, Katy really seemed to enhance their relationship as opposed to put them at odds. (Props to Jennifer L. Armentrout, hereafter abbreviated JLA, for that breath of fresh air in YA fiction.) I also found their marathons of ghost hunting programming incredibly heartwarming, as well as Dawson's feelings over Beth and how he expressed them to Daemon. It fuzzies all around. 
• Dee's righteous anger with Katy in the beginning. I was still annoyed with Katy, so I was very pleased that Dee still blamed her, and the whole thing wasn't swept under the rug. 
• That said, I also enjoyed the girly shopping trip. I'm conflicted, because I'm still simmering with frustration for Katy's poor decision making, but I also liked the forgiveness themed scenes. I don't know how I feel here, other than that JLA has written a very nuanced relationship between Dee and Katy. 
• The almost sex scene after their plan was foiled by the onyx. That was nicely written. I much prefer it when books leave some to the imagination, and sort of dance around the obvious and vulgar. I want my love scenes to be about a magical connection, not bodily fluids. It was sweet and heartwarming, and I just got all warm and fuzzy. 
• In that vein, I also really, really adored their actual sex scene. It was basically what I look for in my love scenes; the connection between Katy and Daemon was depicted really vividly, and it made me smile, you know? I just liked it a lot, and I think that JLA has a real talent for writing these scenes in such a way as to remain true to the characters, yet still emphasize the change that Katy feels she has undergone. 
• Likewise, Daemon's after-prom surprise for Katy (Are you sensing a pattern here?). Also well-written, also charming, and also why I prefer fiction to reality every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
• The surprising/shocking appearances of Carissa and Will. I remember thinking something was up when Carissa got the flu, but I didn't remember it at the forefront of my mind for the whole rest of the book, and I certainly didn't expect her to be unstable or anything that actually went down, so, props again to JLA for the shocker. I certainly did expect Will to return, but I definitely didn't expect him when he did show up. I thought the cliffhanger was going to be Will showing up and shooting/killing someone after the successful mission, and we'd have to wait to see if they pulled through when the next book came out, so I was surprised there, too. I think I was just off my game in terms of suspicion with this book. 

What I Didn't Like:

• Katy. This isn't really a critique of the book, as, like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I was very frustrated with Katy during this installment. She continually argues with Daemon about how strong and competent she is when a) she trusted Blake and got Adam killed last book and b) she trusted Blake and got herself captured and their only piece of opal stolen this book. I just think she's not as good at being an alien super spy as she thinks she is, so it really annoys me when she gets on her high horse and claims that. Also, she just doesn't learn. She lies to Daemon about Blake (again), by not telling Daemon about his feelings for her and the fact that he is sleeping in her bed, and, lo and behold, Blake's not to be trusted (again), and the sh*t has hit the fan because of him and Katy's trust in him (AGAIN). 
• Blake. Someone could have killed Blake so many times. (I'm fairly ruthless when it comes to fictional deaths, btw)

Final Thoughts:

• The Daemon and Katy in this book was out of this world, it really was. I did miss the chapter from Daemon's perspective in the back of this book, but the scenes in the text really made up for it. Once Katy quit being difficult, they were sweet and charming and fun and everything a YA romance should have. 
• I enjoyed the arcs of secondary characters like Dee, Ash, Andrew, etc. It's easy to lose sight of people like that when something like Mouth Weather happens, but JLA did a wonderful job fitting those sorts of things in with the rest of the plot. 
• I highly recommend this installment in the Lux series to anyone! I've got Origin on my end table right now, and I'm so excited for it!

Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Caution, you may see spoilers below for this book and all previous books in the series.

Second books in series are usually the bane of my existence. You know the standard YA trilogy formula, where the girl loses her guy at the end of the first novel, and the second one is all about her misery and potentially introducing the other boy in their love triangle and you're just so frustrated because you know no girl in the fictional world ever ends up with second-book guy. However, Onyx is the exception, and I enjoyed it very thoroughly.

What I Liked:

• The Daemon/Katy in this installment. When Daemon celebrated Thanksgiving with Katy...I died, it was so sweet. Also, when he asked her if he could stay over...gah, I just love when Daemon nuzzles Katy while he's still asleep. (Don't act like you don't think the same!)
• The development of Blake's character and Katy's relationship with him. I typed in my draft, after the scene with the three of them after Blake took out the Arum in the diner, "I really suspect Blake, I just do." First off, we know that Katy has to end up with Daemon, so the love triangle boy, if you will, has to be nixed somehow, so I was already prepared to dislike Blake. However, I really, really loved Jennifer Armentrout's characterization of him; it was such that I had my suspicions of him, but I didn't quite have him figured out. For example, when he drove her away and was really rude at the restaurant, we all pretty much knew he was bad news, but I totally expected them to pull up next to a member of the DOD right then and there, and him having her fight an Arum was not what I expected. 
• Will. Will totally blew me away. I didn't have the slightest suspicion of Will whatsoever, right up until the bowl of potatoes that Katy knocks over and thinks she sees him watching her. I certainly didn't like him, but I kind of viewed him like Ash, an annoyance to Katy, but not a major problem. I really like that I was able to be suspicious of Blake and then have the satisfaction of seeing precisely how he was a bad guy, yet there was also the character of Will that really blindsided me.
• Daemon! I just loved Daemon in this. I hate to admit it, but I am one of those girls that thinks jealousy and being angry because he's hurt are the most attractive things ever. (I would never do this to a guy in real life, of course, supposing one noticed me, but it's nice in fiction.) Also, his love for Katy despite her total lack of judgment was just so noble. Oh, and the last section, their declaration of love from his perspective: I could not stop grinning. I look forward to his perspective the most, and this addition did not disappoint. I really, really applaud Jennifer Armentrout for portraying Daemon's feelings (in his words, being a "pansy") without seeming out of character with his general attitude. 

What I Didn't Like:

• Katy. This isn't a criticism of the book itself, this is more something I'm frustrated with in the characters in an in-universe way. I'm still kind of annoyed with Katy's poor judgment in this installment. Like I said, Blake threw up red flags for me, but, okay, Katy's trusting, but she doesn't say anything even after he takes her to see the Arum? And after she realizes he's with the DOD? Ugh. I could have smacked her. I still want to. I'm just not over that yet. Especially the way she said she did it was so she could be equal to Daemon and help and everything, and all she's managed to do was ruin everything. I'm interested to see how Dee handles Adam's death in terms of Katy's culpability, because I sure won't be forgiving her. 
• I'm also frustrated with the number of bad guys that are now just running around. Will and Blake, most obviously...but also that Nancy woman, and who knows which side Bethany is on. I mean, obviously there's a sequel, but I generally get annoyed when character's leave an enemy live for moral reasons. You know they're going to somehow play a future part. 

Final Thoughts:

• The Daemon was just out of this world in Onyx. Seriously, it was actually hot. Like, in real life. I cannot adequately tell you how desirable Daemon was in this book. 
• This definitely avoided the usual dragging of the second book in a series, but I think I preferred Katy in Obsidian, though, like I said, Daemon was incomparable in this one. 
• I'm looking forward to Opal and I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! (It's like 8 minutes left right now.)

Angel Fever by L.A. Weatherly

Caution: You may find spoilers below.

I'm a bit late, but I wanted to talk about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two installments in this series, and the third one was no exception.

What I Liked:

• Willow, Alex and Seb's characters. I feel like they really remained true to themselves throughout their appearances in the series, which can sometimes be hard to find. 
• The author's handling of grief. For some reason, reading about a character's grief is so bone-shatteringly anathema to me. I just dislike it. However, I found that I didn't have that aversion to Willow's mourning in this book. 
• The balance between end-of-the-world drama and romance drama. Sometimes, I find myself either yearning to go back to the two characters' love story or to the action of the overall blot. This was not so here, as I believe Ms. Weatherly perfectly captured the best of both worlds. 
• Willow's hair journey. I really, really liked that L.A. Weatherly chose to make Willow's hair kind of representative of her symbolic journey through the novel. It was a nice literary touch without being blatant or contrived.

What I Didn't Like:

• Too short! I need more!

Final Thoughts:

• Willow is still one of my favorite heroines in YA literature. 
• I was way happier than I should have been about the hair thing. 
• If you're a fan of the series, read this, obviously. If you haven't, and you like the whole YA, supernatural thing, give this a go. Really, it's very well-written and has compelling characters.

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

CAUTION: Here, there may be spoilers. You have been warned.

Obsidian is the first book in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This is my first book by Ms. Armentrout, and it certainly will NOT be the last. I received this book for Christmas, and I am kicking myself that it was not the first book from my Christmas haul that I read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm reading the sequel (Onyx) right now.

What I Liked:

• Katy. I LOVE Katy. First off, she's a book blogger! How cool is that? Second, she's one of the most relatable yet realistic heroines I've encountered in YA fiction. She's feisty, intelligent, and awesome, but she's not a Mary Sue at all. She's someone I would want to be and/or be friends with. 
• Daemon. It must be a law of the universe that all guys named this are incredibly sexy. (Damon from The Vampire Diaries anyone?) He's got that perfect blend of badassery, jerkface-ness, and emotional vulnerability that make a YA hero swoon-worthy. (Seriously, I've been having a hard time swooning over books lately, mainly because I read so much that characters start to seem contrived, but, no, I swooned.) Plus, moody guys are hot. 
• Daemon and Katy's relationship. You'll see a lot of people comparing the Lux series to the Twilight Saga. Yes, a human girl moves to a small town where a non-human boy rescues her from a moving vehicle and by so doing reveals his non-humanity to her, much to the chagrin of his non-human relatives who hate her, except for his bubbly sister. However, what I think of the Twilight series notwithstanding (*cough* not much *cough*), it's hard to argue that Daemon and Katy's relationship isn't much, much hotter. 

What I Didn't Like:

• Honestly, I'm not partial to aliens. I much prefer a more folklore/mythology based bent to my YA supernatural/paranormal romance. Nothing against the book, but keep in mind, this is a bit of a sci-fi novel. 

Final Thoughts:

• I would unreservedly recommend this book to fans of YA romance. It has everything, yet it still managed to stand apart and, for the most part, above the rest. 
• Seriously, Daemon is swoon-worthy. 
• Jennifer Armentrout makes cultural references in this book! I love that! 

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Caution: You may see spoilers below.

Once again, I am late, but I've just recently got back into book blogging, and I wanted to talk about this book. Obviously, it was a wonderful follow up to the first book in the series.

What I Liked:

• Everything! But, seriously, it's Maggie Stiefvater, who is my favorite author. 
• The relationship between Blue and Gansey. Both in a plot way and in a meta wow this is really well done way. 
• The continuing information about Glendower and ley lines and all that. I love nothing more than I love that stuff. 

What I Didn't Like:

• I found myself a bit frustrated with the lack of information on the Gray Man. I just wanted a little more on his motivation for choosing sides. 

Final Thoughts;

• Usually, I give some kind of a caveat about reading a book, but, no, this is the book for everyone ever. 

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

*This review contains spoilers.*

This book is, of course, the sequel to Under the Never Sky which I read and adored last year! And now there's a sequel! And there's going to be a third one, called Into the Still Blue! YAY!

Since you've already read the first one, there's no need to tell you that this is amazing, but I'd like to mention a few things anyway, in case anyone has forgotten the utter genius of Veronica Rossi.

First off, this is one of those books where I can be reading it and think that no time at all has gone by, and then look at the clock and see it has been an hour and I've read a hundred pages. It's so immersive and seamless that I see the entire thing like a movie in my mind, completely unconscious of that. Veronica Rossi's prose is just inspired, literally...she's so good about everything - the setting is seared into your brain, but you never feel overloaded on description, you feel the characters' feelings, but you aren't bogged down with endless inner monologues...it's lush and sparse at the same time. It's like she's writing on pure talent and instinct or something...I can't even tell you why I'm so enamored with Ms. Rossi's style, but it's just fabulous, as always.

I also have to say, I enjoyed seeing characters I'd never thought would come back. I loved Marron, and it was nice to see him fitting in with the Tides and helping Perry. Also, Soren! I LOVED what she did with him.  Making his dad betray him, and then have him develop a rapport with Talon (the big softie! :) ) was so sweet and unique and I loved it.

Also, I adored the development of Cinder and Willow being a cute little thing. It was so cute how, after the storm, he was worried about her knowing what he was and seeing him like that, it just broke my heart. And Roar. Poor Roar. I'm indifferent on Liv, she was kind of a flash in the pan for me, but I was heartbroken for poor Roar, who I really liked a lot.

I was also totally enamored with the development of Aria and Perry's relationship. I liked the vulnerability Perry had as a Blood Lord, trying to save his people, feeling like Aria left him because he failed her. It was sweet and the trust issues that they had were very deftly handled. I fell in love with them as a couple even more in this novel than I did in the first. It was the kind of fictional coupling that makes your heart pound and your blood race, you know? I really, really cared for and felt for and loved Perry and Aria.

In short, this was an excellent read, and I continue to absolutely worship the literary talents of Veronica Rossi. I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

Thanks for reading!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

*This review contains spoilers.*

This is my first novel by Maggie Stiefvater (though I did buy The Scorpio Races, I haven't read it yet), so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was really surprised with how much I liked this book, in the end.

It follows Blue, a psychic's daughter, and four boys from a prestigious private school, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. They are all a quest of sorts, which leads them discovering something magical in their little town of Henrietta, Virginia.

First, when Gansey started into his explanation of using ley lines to find the tomb of Owen Glendower, I totally screamed. (Side note: He was the last Welshman to bear the title Prince of Wales, and fought against the English conquest of Wales in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He disappeared into the mountains and was never found. A legend has grown around him, kind of like that of King Arthur being the once and future king, that he will wake and rule again when Wales needs him.) I love ley lines, and one of my college classes (History of the British Isles) actually came in handy for something! I was freaking ecstatic! I have an affinity for the paranormal, so a a family of psychics, ley lines and a quest to discovered the tomb of Owen Glendower was so welcome in a book I cannot even describe it.

The romance of the book was very understated, but, surprisingly, that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this book. I also really enjoyed the lush landscape of the book.  As for Blue, I really liked her as a heroine. If you were to ask me to describe her as a character, I don't think I could, though. It's like Maggie Stiefvater's characterization and development are so subtle that I can't outright tell you anything, but, while reading, everything Blue did, everything Blue was, was right.

One thing I didn't fall head over heels with was the treatment of Gansey's wealth, and the way the other characters made him feel ashamed of it. Like, when he used elevated vocabulary, he was somehow ungraciously flaunting what he had and they didn't in their faces. I guess I see the desired characterization for him, but that just felt a little odd to me.

Speaking of, I really liked Gansey. I liked his unerring dedication to his quest, his complete and utter devotion to his friends, his eternal desire to make a name for himself, do something good for the world. I don't know why, but he felt very raw to me. I almost want to call him fierce. I don't mean to say he was fierce in a shaved-head, tattoos and bad attitude kind of way (that's Ronan, by the way, and I found it adorable that he nursed a baby bird), just that he was exacting, almost? Not exacting, unflinching? I mean to say that he thrummed, you know? He felt real to me, like really real. I don't mean he was a good book character, who we can see metaphors and symbolism in, I mean that Gansey is a person, a real live person. He didn't feel literary, and like he had a purpose in the novel, like he did X in order to supplement the falling action of situation Y, he just was. Hell, he seemed more real than a lot of "real" people. He was different, fierce. Not just that he had his finger on the pulse of what it means to be alive, but that he was the very beating heart of humanity. I'm not making any sense, but Gansey is a character that I won't soon forget.

Since this was my first book by Maggie Stiefvater, I feel compelled to say that I've been missing out. Like I said, the romance was more understated than you usually see in a YA novel, and there are many things left unanswered, but, as a whole, the novel was seamless...like a living organism, almost. Again, it's hard to define why I feel so strongly about this book, but I do, and I will definitely be checking out the sequel(s), as it is book one in the Raven Cycle, and purchasing the collected works of Maggie Stiefvater as soon as possible.

I really recommend this book, I don't know what it was, but this book is something you shouldn't miss.

Thanks for reading!

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

*This review contains spoilers.*

So, I was looking for something to read on Barnes and Noble's website and, lo and behold, Kim Harrington has written a new book! Yay! I adored Clarity and Perception, so, of course, I picked this up.

As always, I find her books incredibly readable. It took me a few hours, and - it's a  murder mystery, too - I was guessing and re-evaluating who I pegged as the murderer constantly, but I never felt that annoying, impatient sense of "For God's sake, just figure it out already," that I get with some books.

The love interest is Donovan O'Mara, and he's great...cute, angst-ridden, tortured, lonely...he's really great, and everything you'd expect or desire.

I really enjoyed Jade, though I didn't identify with her as much as I did Clare, though I did really appreciate her bravery.

Is this book one that will stay with me forever and impact my life immensely? No, but it was a very lovely way to spend an afternoon and I highly recommend you read it!

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan - Heroes of Olympus Book Three

*This review contains spoilers.*

So, The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan, third in the Heroes of Olympus series.

I absolutely loved this book. I really love the Percy Jackson stuff in general, as I love Greek mythology, and I think the books have the perfect balance of humor, action, romance and tragedy, i.e. the makings of a classic. Needless to say, I was ecstatically looking forward to getting this book, because I love all of Rick Riordan's stuff, and expected this to be no different.

 Even then I was surprised how much I loved this book.

Of course, I love Riordan's style, and the general premise of the Percy Jackson books, and you do, too, if you've searched for this post, i.e. if you're a fan of the series, this will not disappoint. Books where people lose their memories or are lost for some time usually irk me, and even though I love this series enough for that not to happen, I was very pleased that Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Percy and Annabeth were all back together, knowing who they all are.

Another aspect of this book was the emotional growth of the characters. I feel like we saw a lot more of Percy and Jason in terms of how they feel about their leadership, which was a fascinating and enjoyable delve into their psyches. Also, and I've never really felt much of a connection to Annabeth, there was a little more depth to her, and I guess I saw her as less of an abstraction in this installment.

Okay, romance! Piper and Jason are wonderful...I think they have what I consider the ideal relationship archetypes for some reason, with him being a child of Zeus, and her of Aphrodite...it just feels like the way things should be...and they're all sweet and caring about each other and such. ...And Percy and Annabeth...I actually had a tear brought to my eye by this one. There was a point where Percy had just gotten Annabeth back, and he says that he always feels like he's walking on eggshells and that any second he might shatter his relationship...and that made my tear up, all vulnerable sounding and such. They were also more open then we've ever seen them, which I really enjoyed...and I've always nursed a bit of a thing for Percy...so, yeah.

In short, the book was absolutely excellent! The romance, the humor, the style, the mythology, the pacing, the plot, the everything was completely perfect! I even liked the ending...both joyous and tragic, in its way.

Complete Tangent: This book just brought me back to the good old days...I decided to read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in the stairwell of my middle school. I talked to some girl I thought I hated in chem my junior year because she had The Lost Hero...yes, it was probably started with 12 year old boys in mind, but I don't care. Warm and fuzzy feelings, I say! Not as many feels as Harry Potter, but just pleasantly familiar and good and such. I've started college, and I'm disappointed with the way it all turned out and I'm just kinda miserable about it...put Percy Jackson made me happy in a way I haven't been since I got here, and I thank him for that.

Back on track: Basically, best book ever and you should absolutely read it!

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

*This review contains spoilers.*

It's JKR's first book for adults, I'm going to assume you know what it is about if you've looked this up and/or aren't living under a rock.

Before I give a judgment, I want to say that, of course, the style of this book was phenomenal, and just so engaging. I mean, it's JKR, aka the greatest storyteller ever, and the various narratives that made up this book were superbly woven together and completely engaging and I went through it rather quickly.

I also want to say that I think part of my childhood may have been shattered. On my other blog, I've enumerated many times the impacts which Harry Potter has had on my life, and how I have learned everything I ever needed to know from that series, even giving a speech on it in AP Lit, and that JKR is basically the gospel of my life.

And then I read this book. It frightened me, truly. Everyone in Pagford seems to being living lives of quiet desperation, and there is so much pettiness and meanness and incivility and I don't know what to think. I'm not even sure I can come up with a theme or message at this point, I'm so shell-shocked.

I don't know why the death and misery of this book is so much more hopeless than the death and misery in the Harry Potter series, but it just is....in Casual Vacancy there is no one side of goodness, not even one character that is truly good, or even sympathetic...

I miss children's literature...it was grand and sweeping and epic and had something worth fighting for in it.

Thanks for reading, I'll probably talk more about this book as I analyze it more.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

*This review may contain spoilers.*

This book is absolutely phenomenal, and if you're thinking about getting it, just buy it, you will love it! The book trailer did not do it justice, in my opinion, I found it a bit hokey, but the book was wonderful, and much better than the trailer led me to believe.

I hadn't heard of Rachel Hartman before, which is explained when the inside front cover states that this is her "fantasy debut." However, I am very happy that I am now aware of this author, because she is awesome!

First off, I got this book because I was intrigued by the amazing cover I saw in an email from Barnes and Noble; it's like an antique wood engraving or something! Then, if you look underneath the dust jacket, it's bound in this golden color with a black leather type thing on the spine...it's really, really beautiful. Also, it's a good size book, too, nice and big!

I had my father pick this up for me, and he handed it to me around noon and I finished it just now (around quarter 'til nine), so that should give you an indication of how engaging a read this was! Books that I can finish in one day really, really go up in points for me.

The world in this book was just great! I, personally, get a bit of a Medieval feel from the clothing and system of government, but it's set in a completely fantasy world. Our protagonist hails from Goredd, but there is an abundance of other places and peoples referenced; I always like to feel like the world is a world that I have the privilege of peeking in on through the page, not like the world was created to allow for the story to take place, and I absolutely get that feeling from Seraphina.

I really, really, really like Rachel Hartman's style of writing. It's a very melodious, almost like it has a cadence of some sort, which is quite fitting, due to Seraphina's musical abilities. I find I am unable to describe it accurately, but it's very lush and magical; I enjoyed it immensely. I am definitely keeping an eye out for this author's future novels.

I also found Seraphina to be a great heroine. I really enjoyed the way she grappled with truth and her identity and such, and it really touched me.

...And, of course, the romance with Prince Lucian Kiggs. Yay, romance! This book didn't have an overwhelming amount of romance, but what there was was very satisfying. I liked Kiggs a lot, though I didn't get all melt-y over him like I do with other heroes, it was  more of a pleasant, heartwarming kind of a thing. I may or may not have engaged in some good old-fashioned fangirl squeeing during their final scene in the tower.

The mystery and intrigue and the anger and violence and prejudice and death in this book...I don't want to say it was gritty, since that would be very discordant with the overall tone, but it was ... real. For a book marked as for people 12 - 17 on the Barnes and Noble website, it was surprisingly sincere and deep and ... epic.

That's a good word...this is not a young adult novel, this is an epic. Okay, maybe not with an invocation of the Muse or an in media res opening, but it's just a broad, sprawling narrative that encapsulates a young woman's quest for truth and love, the politics of two kingdoms soon to be at war with themselves and each other and very universal themes that make this book one of the best ones I've read in a long time.

Final Verdict: Infinity and beyond/10. It was completely perfect, and I highly recommend you pick it up! I'm completely genuine when I tell you that if you are a literate individual, then this book is for you! It's just magical, really. I'm going to make one of the most radical statements I have ever made in my entire eighteen years of life: I believe this book to be the best fantasy book I have ever read, possibly ever written. The world was expansive and rich and real and the characters were genuine and lovable and the plot was intriguing and everything was just perfect.

For more info, check out the author's website here, I'm going to go put this book on The Shelf.

Thanks for reading!

Perception by Kim Harrington

*This review contains spoilers.*

This book is the sequel to Clarity, about a teenage girl in Cape Cod who has psychic abilities and finds herself faced with a murder investigation as well as a love triangle.

My Thoughts:

1. I should mention that I loved the first book, so of course I picked this one up. 
2. I really, really enjoyed this book. It was so engaging that I can honestly say I read it in about two and a half hours. 
3. Just a random thing, the inside covers are done with this really natural looking green paper...it's like flecked with tree fibers or something. It's just a gorgeously bound book in general. 
4. Like the first book, I enjoyed the paranormal influence throughout...how normal it is to the Fern family, how embedded it is. 
5. Kim Harrington's style is just to die for! I love, love, love the way she writes. It's very accessible and fluid, but still very much poignant, in my opinion. 
6. The mystery in this book is just amazing! You really are kept guessing on all fronts. Twists and turns all over the place. 
7. I really did feel genuine prickles of fear on my spine. It's easy to get that through the visceral sense of cinematography and sound effects in a movie, but I rarely get that in a book. However, here, I was literally freaked out. Like, I read this from roughly 6:00 PM to 8:00PM and if it had been any later, I would've genuinely been frightened, Kim Harrington is that good. 
8. The love interests! Woooo! Can I just say I love Gabriel. His protection of Clare from Cody, his passion, his understanding, how he's willing to bank his future on her decision...just his general demeanor is very appealing. In the end, the love triangle was resolved in a very satisfactory manner. 
9. I loved the ending of this book. Clarity ended on kind of an ominous note, what with the creepy prediction from that other psychic in town, but Perception ended on a high note. 
10. I don't mean to be critical of the Young Adult genre (I am a young adult, after all), but I find that some of them are characterized by rather cheap thrills. That's fine, I mean, camp is a good, fun romp occasionally, but I really think that this book is better than that. I don't mean to say that I think it was necessarily an awakening of my soul or anything, but I did think a lot about relationships and popularity and people and my own life. You know, it kind of was soul-stirring, for me at least. 
11. I don't know what to tell you other than I thought this was a well-written, engaging, entertaining book that genuinely made me care for the characters and swoon a bit over Gabriel. (Not that it's hard to make me swoon.) This is pretty much what I want to get when I go to the store looking for a new book. 

Who Should Read It:

• Mystery fans! Seriously, I was guessing and having to re-evaluate and guessing again for a good two-hundred of the almost three-hundred pages of this book. 
• People who read the first one! This one is just as good, if not better, in my opinion. 
• Most people! I really like this as a book and highly recommend it. 

Final Score: 10/10 Pretty much perfect. Not in a way that I'd ever read it again, but in a reading it was a wonderful experience kind of way. 

I checked out Kim Harrington's website (here), and apparently her next book is called The Dead and Buried and will be available next year! Ah, I'm so excited! Definitely look that up (or click that link) because it sounds really good!

Thank you for reading!