Destined by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Destined (House of Night #9) by P.C. and Kristin Cast

YA Fantasy

Rating: 5 Stars

Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet -- which would be a whole lot easier if the High Council saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together -- if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia's handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there's the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more -- or possibly less -- than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there's something strangely familiar about him . . .

Will Neferet's true nature be revealed before she succeeds at extinguishing Light? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox's humanity in time to protect them all? Find out what's destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

First Thoughts: For obvious reasons I bought this book. I have been in love with the House of Night since I picked up Marked in 2007 on a class field trip to Barnes and Noble. I was hooked immediately. There is so much drama around this book series like "Zoey is a ho" and stupid stuff like that but really if you understood the books and the world they live in she wouldn't be called a 'ho,' it's just that people are quick to judge. The cover follows the theme of the rest of the series and has Aurox on the cover (eek!). I love the bull imprints on the hard cover of the book. It's fantastic!

Writing Style: Of course having two authors you can't really rate the writing style the same as the others. I have read other P.C. Cast books so I am pretty sure I can pin point the areas that are true P.C. Cast. Kristin helped making it easier to read and, you know, made it very teenage like. The only issue I have with this book is the horrible editing. Some are easy to miss but some are just popping out and it really makes me disappointed that an editor missed the very common mistakes.

Characters: Zoey has grown up so much. She is still the same nervous and self conscious girl from the beginning. She is still afraid of making mistakes and doesn't feel she is good enough to save the world. I love that even though you can tell she has grown from the first book she still has those traits that make people connect with her. The only other person I want to talk about is Shaunee. In this book she becomes more of her own person. As a real twin, I think all twins should have themselves as well as each other. Erin and Shaunee just wanted to be so much alike that it was bound to change sooner or later. Shaunee is strong though and she sees the good in people. Now you can see the difference between the two and you see that Shaunee isn't as material as I originally thought.

Final Thoughts: I am always disappointed in how short these books are. It's depressing that we get so little and have to wait forever for the next one but honestly to me it's worth the wait. This book was great. I loved all the action and I have to say (like always for this series) I never saw that ending coming. I love it when I don't guess what's going to happen because it was too obvious. It was sort of a sad ending but at the same time happy. I'm not going to explain because of spoilers but I just had to say it. Oh, and of course the cliff hanger where you realize all crap is going to hit the fan in the next book. It's going to be awesome!

Tempest by Julie Cross

Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross

YA Science Fiction

Rating: 4 Stars

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

First Thoughts: I'm not sure if I entered to win this one or not, I'm pretty sure I did but it was a complete surprise when it showed up in my mailbox. The cover is very intriguing and I could see myself choosing this book because of the cover. I think that this synopsis is great too. This seems like a very interesting story.

Writing Style: This is where I had a problem with. This book took a long time even though I do love it. The thing is it took me forever to fall into it. I was confused and had to stop reading because it was just too long of being confused. The writing isn't bad I just couldn't catch on.

Characters: Jackson is like every other young adult. He is in young love and does things that he really shouldn't. I did connect with him on one thing, I am a twin and I cannot even imagine the pain I would feel if I lost my twin sister. He went through a lot at a young age and then finding out he has the ability to jump through time and people he thought he could trust, he really couldn't. The greatest thing is that with all the he went through, he grew up and learned from his mistakes.

Final Thoughts: This book took me awhile. It could be my issues with how the book was set up or it could be that I just started a new job around the time I started the book. Who knows for sure. What I do know is that this book was great. I am looking forward to the next one and I am definitely looking forward to seeing it on the big screen.

Forbidden Mind by Kimberly Kinrade

Forbidden Mind (Forbidden #1) by Kimberly Kinrade

YA Paranormal

Rating: 4 Stars

She reads minds.

He controls minds.

Together, they might get out alive.

Sam thinks she's months away from freedom. After spending her life in a secret school, rented out to the rich and powerful as a paranormal spy, she is ready to head to college like any normal eighteen-year-old.

Only Sam isn't normal. She reads minds. And just before her big going-away party, she links to the mind of a young man who changes everything.

Drake wasn't raised as a 'Rent-A-Kid.' He was kidnapped and taken there by force. But his exceptional physical strength and powers of mind control make him very dangerous, especially to Sam.

When they meet, Sam is forced to face the truth of her situation, and to acknowledge that not all is as it seems in her picture-perfect world. For what awaits her on her eighteenth birthday isn't a trip to college, but an unexpected nightmare from which she may not be able to escape.

To survive, they must work together.

But will their powers be enough to save them before it's too late?

First Thoughts: I have read Kimberly's work before so I have been watching her (not in a stalker way lol) work and waiting to hear what's next. When Kimberly offered the ebook for Forbidden Mind to reviewers, I had to do it. The cover is simple but in a very good way. It fits well with the story, it even fits with the title. When you think of 'forbidden' you think of someone keeping you out and a fence does that job pretty well.

Writing Style: This would be the section that made the difference of the four stars to five stars. Kimberly is a fantastic writer and it was very easy to fall into her story. I got to disappear from my busy life and escape into the life of the paranormal. The only thing that bothered me a bit was once in awhile I felt like it got choppy. It didn't happen very often but it was enough to bug me and for me to remember it.

Characters: Continuing off the last section, I felt like some of the characters could have been explored more but wasn't. Drake for one. His story was short and sweet and when he finally made his appearance it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. I guess they were in a hurry to get out but the time after that could have made up for it. Sam was easy to sympathize with since we are in her head. She was betrayed by the people she trusted and violated in the worst way possible.

Final Thoughts: I wasn't disappointed with this book. I wish it was longer though. I can just imagine the possibilities of more action and twists. But I can't complain much about it because this isn't the end of the story. This is a great story that has a lot of potential and I can't wait to find out how things work out for Sam and Drake.

The Door to Lost Pages by Claude Lalumiere

The Door to Lost Pages by Claude Lalumiere

Adult Fantasy (and I stress the adult part)

Rating: 2 Stars

Step through the door to Lost Pages and escape a life you never wanted... On her tenth birthday, Aydee runs away from home and from her neglectful parents. At first, surviving alone on the streets is harsh, but a series of frightening, bewildering encounters with strange primordial creatures leads her to a bookshop called Lost Pages, where she steps into a fantastic, sometimes dangerous, but exciting life. Aydee grows up at the reality-hopping Lost Pages, which seems to attract a clientele that is either eccentric or desperate. She is repeatedly drawn into an eternal war between enigmatic gods and monsters, until the day she is confronted by her worst nightmare: herself.

First Thoughts: I loved the synopsis. As I was scrolling NetGalley I saw this cover and just had to read it. When I read the synopsis it really got me. It's very interesting.

Writing Style: I didn't care much for it. Especially the last chapter. The story grabbed me in the beginning but then it became restless. I didn't expect to only 95 pages on my e-reader too. I don't even know if that is the whole book or not but I felt like whatever they author was trying to get at never got there.

Characters: Each chapter was it's own story so really there are a ton of characters but they all revolved around the same point in the book. The thing is, is that there was no time to even understand the characters. The book was impersonal and each character felt like they weren't developed enough. It was rushed and there wasn't enough time for anyone to sympathize or even connect to them.

Final Thoughts: The thing that annoys me the most is I was expecting more. On NetGalley it says that the paperback has 200 pages but on my e-reader there were only 95. Did I get the whole story? Is that the reason I feel frustrated with this book is because I haven't really finished it? I don't know if I will ever find out. Another thing is the synopsis is deceiving. Yes, they start out with the young girl but then they go to adults and becomes an extremely adult book. Like sex and sex everywhere. I don't like it when I get deceived by book. There is a difference between judging a book by it's cover and having the synopsis only tell you part of the story. That synopsis was only a quarter of what the story was about and what I thought was a story about a girl ended up being about a girl, a boy, and then a whole bunch of people and their sex lives.