Ruined by Paula Morris Review

"Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her Aunt Claudia, who reads Tarot cards for a living. And at the snooty prep school, a pack of filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city.

There's just one catch.

Lisette is a ghost.

A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.

As Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?"

from goodreads.com

 

I finished this book in a day and half, I woulda finished it in a day but I had to sleep or I was gonna pass out!

Some things could have been different but overall I enjoyed this book. The biggest problem I had was with the ending.

 

The story starts off with Rebecca from New York, who gets sent to live with her "aunt" and "cousin" in New Orleans; while her dad is in China on business.  Of course she is not accepted because the section that her aunt lives in is "old money". 

 

I felt like there was some missing out of this book, Rebecca never makes a friend other than the ghost.  She

gets pulled in way to easily to be in the parade. There were some flaws in the book; however it was a decent book. So for that it gets

***/5

Swoon by Nina Malkin Review

"Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him -- but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent -- and irresistible -- adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him."

from goodreads.com

I really need to stop having my hopes up for a book just based on the cover.

Swoon is about a girl named Candice, Dice, who moves to Connecticut and is left alone all the time by her parents.  Her aunt and cousin live across the road from her, and are the ones who look after her.  Her cousin's name is Penelope or Penn as everyone calls her.  She is older than Dice and dresses way different than her.

One day Dice notices something is wrong with her cousin, she starts acting different and tries to kill a boy. Dice knows she must do something before the "spirit" inside her cousin takes over completely. Of course this leads to a huge thing that almost destroys the town.

I gave Swoon 2/5 stars, because it really wasn't that great.  The whole story was kinda boring, although it sounded really cool. The plot was very slow moving, and the characters were very sex centered; which was my biggest problem with the book.

I might have actually liked this book if there were more to the characters than just sex. Even though Penn was possessed, all she was concerned about was having sex. Dice couldn't help but think about having sex with the 'spirit" that possessed Penn. That was most of what the main characters were all about.  When the story finally got to something more than sex, it was very boring!

Christmas Book Haul

So I didn't get much for Christmas, but I did get some really good books. Seeing as my birthday is only 2 days away..my lovely boyfriend is buying me books for out anniversary (that was on the 20th). But this is what I did get for Christmas!

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

I hope y'all had a GREAT Christmas and that Santa was good to you!

Beautiful Darkness Review

"Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.Sometimes life-ending

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems"

from goodreads.com

Date Published: October 12, 2010

Publisher: Little Brown & Co

Pages: 512

This is the second installment of Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes.  The book starts off where the first one left off, Lena is still unclaimed; but she knows she has to claim herself. However, there is this new guy in town that is hanging, John Breed, around and Ridley is back in town; and that always means TROUBLE.  Ethan soon learns what being with and "unclaimed" confused Caster means.  Lena has a major decision to make and it will affect everyone.

Obviously the second book in MOST series is not as good as the first.  This one follows that suit.  It's not that I didn't care for this one, it's just that I didn't feel like a lot was explained.  It seemed like there was some information that we could have been given that we weren't.  There were "action" scenes that did not have the right amount of action.  Especially one particular scene near the end (Gosh, I wanna rant about it SO bad; but I don't wanna spoil it for anybody!)

In Beautiful Darkness, Ethan seems to be the same boy that he was in the first one.  He grows and develops his own traits and characteristics in this book.  He also receives his own destiny! Lena got on my nerves in this book, she was also kind of annoying the last book to; but she was VERY annoying in this one.  I like that there was more of Link and Ridley; I didn't like how they handled things at the end! 

I thought the plot in this book flowed better than Beautiful Creatures. I did like that there was actually traveling. The "action" scene at the end was kind of annoying.  It was the one thing you were waiting for the WHOLE book and it was a let down.

The third book in the Caster Chronicle series will be released sometime next year and is currently Untitled.

***/5

Beautiful Creatures Review

"Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything."

from goodreads.com

I gave this book 4/5 because there were some slow parts, that I felt could have been shortened. Other than that I really enjoyed the book
.
Ethan sees this girl that everyone is calling "Ravenwoods niece" at school and fell head over heels as soon as he saw her. He soon learns that there is a lot more underneath her black clothes and green eyes.

The plot of the book was very interesting, however; after you learn about the locket they find and who it belongs to, I saw the story going a different way. I kinda wished the writer would have included more of the past in with the ending. There were some parts that included Ethan's aunts that I felt could have been shortened. Although there were other parts I would have liked to read more about.

The characters were developed and not to whiny. I did find Lena a bit whiny, but she kinda had a reason to be. I think they should have went more into the other characters, like Genvieve or the other Ethan.
So it was a pretty good book, although there were some parts that could have been better.

****

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce REVIEW

Sorry it took so long for this review :(

Scarlette and Rosie are sisters. When they were younger they got attacked by a Fenris (werewolf), and the attack left Scarlette covered in horible scares (except over her heart). During the attack their grandma, Oma March, was killed by the Fenris.

They lived by theirselves, leaving Scarlette to raise Rosie by herself since their mother ran off. They now have to spend the rest of their lives hunting down the Fenris and making sure no one gets killed agian because of them.

The Fenris population is increasing and the girls, plus Silas (there family friend) must go to Atlanta to hunt. They then learn about "The Potential", a fledling Fenris. Now they must save the boy and protect themselves.

So, I rate this book 4.5/5. I didn't find the characters whiny at all (which was nice). I really liked Rosie's character, she was strong and independent. Scarlette is a very strong female character, she saved her sister from the attack. Silas is also a strong male character, he is the youngest of nine children.

The writing was very easy to read and understand. I actually enjoyed the writing style. I was glad to read something that had a writing style that was the way we talk, not something that included a lot of sarcasm that people hardly ever use.

I definitly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good romance, werewolf, or a book with strong female characters!

****.5/5

First Waitin' on Wensday

Night Star by Alyson Noel

I know most people are tired of this series, but I wanna see if it gets better.

Release Date: November 23, 2010

Overview: In this installment, Ever and Damen face down bitter rivals, jealous friends and their own worst fears—all in the hope of being together forever. Night Star is guaranteed to mesmerize fans and leave them breathlessly awaiting the sixth and final book!

Clockwork Angel REVIEW!

"Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.

As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all."

from goodreads.com

Told yall it would be up this week!

I do want to say that I feel this series is going to be the same as The Mortal Instruments Series. I liked the second & third more than the first. That being said let's get on with the reivew!

The book starts off with a girl, Tessa, and her brother, Will, they go through some of their mother's things and find an angel, that becomes very important WAY later on in the story. The boy moves from New York to England, then after their aunt dies, he sends his Tessa a ticket to come like with him..blah, blah, blah. Just read it, you'll get the whole story!

SO, this book seemed like it was going to be like City of Bones but with different names, some stories are like that, but after getting more and more into the book it did, thankfully, get a lot different than City of Bones. I DID LIKE THE BOOK. That being said, it could have done without some of the content that was in it. There were many parts that dragged on and on. However, I do like that she didn't just get right into it, if that makes any sense. The book is 460ish pages and not a lot happens. City of Bones is smaller and a lot more happens, action wise.

I didn't fall in love with Tessa, I did feel like she was just A LITTLE bit whiny although she got better as the story went on. I think she should have been a little more of a stronger female character. Also, I felt like Ms. Clare started Tessa and Jem's relationship off as a brother sister relationship, then tried to turn it into a love relationship. Did anyone else get that? I felt like Will reminded me WAY to much of Jace.

The time that the book was set in was kind of confusing. I know it was set when there were carriages and women were looked at like they couldn't fend for themselves, but the talking was kind of a mix of now and then. I'm not saying it should have been completly in old English, cause there would have been NO WAY I coulda understood that, but I think it should have been more clear.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare gets a ***.5/5 from me!

The second book Clockwork Prince will be released September 2011!

As always,

LOVE Y'ALL

AMAZING Giveaway!

Scibbler to Scribe is giving away The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels. Check it out by clicking HERE ----> Scibbler to Scribe.

THANKS!
♥ Nikki

Dark Flame by Alyson Noel Review

"At the start of this mesmerizing new installment of the Immortals series, Ever is helping her friend Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and carelessly putting them all at risk, their friendship becomes more and more strained. At the same time, Ever delves deeper into magick in order to get control over her enemy Roman and free Damen from his power. But when the spell she casts on Roman backfires, she’s bound to her deadliest enemy. Frantic to reverse the spell the moment the moon enters a new phase, she finds her efforts are fruitless—there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, one that propels her toward Roman. Desperate to break free of this terrible curse before Damen or the twins can discover what she’s done, she turns to Jude and delves deeper and deeper into dark magick, ultimately risking everything she knows and loves—including Damen."

from goodreads.com

So I'm being generous with the stars, it should really have about 2.5. At first I was excitied that this one was going to be more like the first one, but it didn't turn out that way. To me the story was the same thing it was in the last book but with Haven now an Immortal instead of human.

Ever was kind of whiny in this book, she whined about being attracted to Roman; because of something that was her fault. She lied to Damen, who wasn't really a main character in this book. Then there was Haven, who was just down right mean. Why would she trust her boyfriend over her friend? Jude, the guy who also wants Ever, seemed like a different character. He learned about his past and now he wants Ever; although she tells him she doesn't love him a few times.

The action in this book moved WAY to fast. One minute Ever's sitting there and the next something REALLY important happens...there's no leading up to it. It ust happens. Then the end. OH MY GOSH! I didn't expect what happened to happen; however, I would have liked a lot more leading up to it. It just happened and that was it!
I haven't given up all hope though Night Star comes out Winter this year, so we'll see how that one turns out!