Review: Wicked Lovely

Review: Wicked Lovely

Author: Melissa Marr

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 328

Rating: 5/5

Summary:

All teenagers have problems, but few of them can match those of Aislinn, who has the power to see faeries. Quite understandably, she wishes that she could share her friends' obliviousness and tries hard to avoid these invisible intruders. But one faery in particular refuses to leave her alone. Keenan the Summer King is convinced beyond all reasoning that Aislinn is the queen he has been seeking for nine centuries. What's a 21st-century girl to do when she's stalked by a suitor nobody else can see? A debut fantasy romance for the ages; superlative summer read

I've been hearing wonderful things about the Wicked Lovely series everywhere I look. I figured I might as well check it out and see if it really was as good as everyone says it is. The book actually went beyond my expectations! I'm so glad I decided to read it.

The plot of the book was quite interesting and unique. Faeries were actually invisible to mortals unless they choose to shed glamour and show themselves. Aislinn has Sight so she can see, hear, and feel the faeries but she can not let them now. Out of fear that they might harm her, Aislinn's grandmother taught her at an early age to avoid faeries at all costs. Unfortunately for her, a summer kind named Keenan believes she is the Summer Queen of the faerie court. It was a very original plot which I am thankful for.

There was indeed a love triangle between Aislinn, her "friend" Seth, and Keenan. Seth is completely different from the average sweet caring friend that is found in most books. He has black hair, piercings, and lives in a train. He likes to have sex, party, and drink but he is not a jerk like the typical bad boy. He is beautiful, caring, nice, while also being sexy and fun to read about. If you couldn't already tell, I'm completely in love with his character. Keenan is nice and has good intentions but the only thing I felt for him was sympathy.

Wicked Lovely is a short, fun read. The only complaint I have is that some of the names (Aislinn, Niall, Donia, Beira) were hard to pronounce. Other than that, I loved this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

What did you think of this book?

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine to spotlight spectacular upcoming releases! This week I am waiting on Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer. This cover is beautiful!

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Tansy Piper moves with her grandfather and her mother, a horror writer, to the setting of her mother's next book--a secluded house outside of a tiny, desolate West Texas town. Lonely and upset over the move, Tansy escapes into her photography and the dark, seductive poems she finds hidden in the cellar, both of which lure her into the mind and world of a mysterious, troubled young man who died sixty years earlier.

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Beautiful Darkness

Review: Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #2)

Authors: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Little Brown

Pages: 503

Rating: 4/5

Summary:

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.

I read the first book in this series, Beautiful Creatures, a while ago and fell in love with it! For some reason, I never got the chance to pick up the second one until now. I enjoyed it, but I liked the first one better.

The beginning and middle of the book were a little slow. The majority was about Lena being depressed and Ethan trying to figure out why. Fortunately, the last 3rd of the book was great and I couldn't put it down! Ethan and his mortal friends ventured into underground passageways to look for Lena who finally has to choose whether to turn Light or Dark. Another character named Liv was added to the story and she and Ethan might just be a little more than friends...

I like Ethan as a main character. It is always fun to read a book in a male's point of view because it doesn't happen too often. Lena, on the other hand, bothered me throughout the book. She isn't emotionally strong and is sort of whiny. It is frustrating when girls spend most of the book complaining about how her and her love can't be together when really, there is no reason they can't. My favorite characters were Link, Ridley, and Anna. They are all so different and fun to read about.

One of my favorite elements about this book is the way Kami and Margaret incorporated so much southern history into the book. They even wrote the book so readers can't help but to read in a southern accent! When the characters talked, there were never any G's at the end of a word and instead of the word "of" the letter "a" was in it's place. They really are brilliant authors.

The ending of the book is mostly a happy one. Most questions were answered but it certainly left room for another book. Overall, Beautiful Darkness was a good read and I can't wait to read the 3rd in the series, Beautiful Chaos. If you want to see the cover and release date, click here.

What did you guys think of this book?

Feuding Friday (8)

Happy Friday!

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where bloggers pick 2 characters, creatures, settings, exc... to post about  then have readers comment and choose their favorite of the two. To use this meme on your blog, simply leave a comment, grab the button, and post away! To see last week's feud click here.

This weeks feud is between Werewolves and Vampires from no particular book. There are countless novels that include both creatures, for example: Twilight, Vampire Diaries, Mortal Instruments, and many more. I am Team Vampires and have been ever since I have read the Night World series by L.J. Smith. I love werewolves...but there is that something about Vampires that I love way more.



What one is your favorite?

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine to spotlight spectacular upcoming releases! My pick for this week is Hereafter by Tara Hudson.

  

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

This book sounds really good! The expected realease date is on June 7th, 2011. What book are you waiting on?

Casting

If you haven't already heard, Jennifer Lawrence has been officially casted as Katniss in The Hunger Games movie based on the books by Suzanne Collins. To read more about Jennifer visit MTV.com. Here is a picture of our future Katniss...

Sure she's pretty, but is she Katniss? I'm not so sure...what do you guys think? I hope they do a good job of making her look more like Katniss in the movie which supposedly hits theaters March 23rd, 2012! One year from today!

While we are on the subject, Lily Collins is now Clary in the upcoming Mortal Instruments movie. To read more about the movie and casting, click here. 

In my opinion, she does not look like Clary at all. I'm a little disappointed that she is playing her, but I am a fan of her acting so maybe it won't be as bad after all.

Then there is that big question: Who is going to be casted for the roles of Peeta and Jace? I wish I could tell you the answer but unfortunately, both are unconfirmed although Alex Pettyfer is rumored for both parts.

Leave your thoughts! :)

Review: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Title: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Author: Stieg Larsson

Publisher: Vintage Crime / Black Lizard

Pages: 590

Rating: 3/5

Summary:

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of Vanger’s great-niece Harriet. Henrik suspects that someone in his family, the powerful Vanger clan, murdered Harriet over forty years ago.


Starting his investigation, Mikael realizes that Harriet’s disappearance is not a single event, but rather linked to series of gruesome murders in the past. He now crosses paths with Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker, an asocial punk and most importantly, a young woman driven by her vindictiveness.
Together they form an unlikely couple as they dive deeper into the violent past of the secretive Vanger family.

I won this book from a giveaway contest quite a while ago and have stared at it every day without picking it up. Finally, after what has been almost a year, I decided to give the book a try. 

The first quarter of the book was terribly hard to read. It dragged and the plot was beyond boring. I ended up taking a break from it and almost stopped reading the book altogether. Thankfully, the second half of the book was much better. The mystery of Harriet Vanger was interesting and while reading about it, I couldn't put the book down. It wasn't at all predictable and I was left shocked at the outcome.

Every now and then there were scenes where Lisbeth, Harriet, or another character would get brutally raped. I don't necessarily mind scenes of this nature and they didn't take away from the book, but I can understand how they could be difficult for some people to read. Rape, assault, and the murder of women were strong topics throughout the book. From what I understand, the original title was "Men Who Hate Women."

Immediately after the mystery was solved, the book got slow again and was really hard to finish. I guess I was expecting the entire book to be wrapped around the suspenseful mystery of the Vangers but I couldn't have been more wrong. A good part of the plot was focused on the troubles of Mikael's magazine the Millennium.

I really enjoyed the characters in this novel. I found myself liking Mikael but I was really impressed by the character of Lisbeth Salander. It is very hard to describe her personality due to the fact that she is different from any character I have read about before. Sure she has tattoos, piercings, and might not always dress appropriately, she was a strong character which I don't find often.

Overall this book just wasn't my cup of tea, but there were some parts I enjoyed. I would recommend it to adult readers much rather than teens. The ending was OK. I thought it would be more exciting than it turned out to be and I still don't know if I want to read the next book although I hear it is the best in the series.

What did you think of this book? Leave a comment :)

Feuding Friday (7)

Happy Friday!

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where bloggers pick 2 characters, creatures, settings, exc... from a book, then have readers choose their favorite one. To use this meme on your blog, simply leave a comment, grab the button, and post away! To see last week's feud click here.

This week's feud is between the Summer and Winter Court if the Iron Fey series. The winter court, home to Ash and Queen Mab, is a stunning winter wonderland. The Summer Court, home to Puck and Megan, is beautiful as well! This is such a hard choice but my favorite to read about was the Winter Court...and not just because I am Team Ash!

What court would you like to be a pat of? Leave a comment

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine to spotlight spectacular upcoming releases! This week I am waiting on The Gathering by Kelly Armstrong. I am in love with the Darkest Powers series and can't wait for this one to come out!

 

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students–for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.

Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya’s determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya’s home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts experiencing “bad vibes” about certain people and things. It does’t help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret…and he’s interested in one special part of Maya’s anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.


Cover Thoughts: I don't really like the cover all that much. There is too much....blue. I do like the earing though!

The Gathering comes out in April 2011. Mark your calendars! What are you waiting on?

Cover Love!

Most of you have already seen it, but if you haven't then here it is! The cover of Crossed by Ally Condie, the sequel to Matched. I loved the cover of the first book, but this one is even more beautiful!

This book is to be released on November 1st 2011. What do you guys think?

Feuding Friday (6)

Happy Friday!

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where readers chose their favorite of two characters in a book. If you would like to use Feuding Friday on your blog, just grab the button and leave a comment!

 This weeks feud is between Luc and Gabe from Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers. I chose this book because I hear great things about it all the time! I haven't actually read it yet, but from what I understand I will most likely be Team Luc.

VS.

Who's side are you on? Leave a comment!

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine to spotlight spectacular upcoming releases! This week, I chose Perfect because I love Ellen Hopkins and all of her books. I'm so excited for this one to be released! And isn't the cover just gorgeous?

Summary (Amazon):

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never understand.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.

Perfect is set to be released on September 13th, 2011! What book are you waiting on? 

Beastly

Happy Monday!

Yesterday I ventured to the movie theatre to see Beastly starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens. I have not read the book but from what I saw from the commercials, it looked pretty good. Sadly, it wasn't. The movie was actually quite boring at times. Here is the summary from World Movie Summary:

A modern-day take on the “Beauty and the Beast” tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love.

The entire script was cheesy with cliche lines in every scene. I also feel they could have made a way better love connection between "Hunter" and Lindy. As for the acting it was...not so great. I am not a fan of Vanessa and thought her acting was very poor. Alex was somewhat better but still not what I expected. I hear he was better in I Am Number 4, so maybe I'll check out that one next.

On the up side, I did get a few chuckles and the story line is really cute. It makes me wonder about the book. Hopefully it was better than the movie which is what I seem to be hearing. I'm still not quite sure if I want to read it. If I do, it will most likely be in the distant future.

What are your thoughts on Beastly? Leave a comment!

Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Review: Torment (Fallen #2)

Author: Lauren Kate

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 452

Summary:
Hell on earth. That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students -Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.


At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous. What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

 
The first thing I would like to say about this book and series, is that I absolutely adore the covers! They say not to judge a book by it's cover, but I couldn't help but think "wow these books look good!" when I first saw them. Fortunately, I was correct!

Torment, the sequel to Fallen by Lauren Kate, continues the fascinating story of Luce Price. I like Luce as a main character, but in this book she was completely clueless and sort of whiny. And, towards the end of the book I got a little irritated with how much she wanted to know about her past with Daniel.

The plot of this book was a little unexpected. I thought the plot of Torment was going to focus more on Heaven, Hell, and the Outcasts. Instead, the focus was more on Luce's new school, friends, and feelings for another guy! Little action took place and I was hoping for more, but the book was still a page-turner. What I really didn't like about the plot was that nothing was ever explained. Throughout the entire book I had tons of questions that started to get answered...but never got finished.

Lauren captures emotions beautifully. I feel for almost every character in this novel which is great because it almost never happens. Plus, Luce and Daniel's relationship is so interesting to read about especially with another love interest added.

Overall, the Fallen Novels are a must read! I guarantee you will not be disappointed. If you have already read Fallen and Torment, you would know that Lauren has left us with a surprise ending and a glimpse at what the next book, Passion is going to be about which comes out in June 2011.

What do you think of the Fallen Novels? Leave a comment!

Feuding Friday (5): Tamani vs. David

Happy Friday!

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where readers chose their favorite of two characters in a book. If you would like to use Feuding Friday on your blog, just leave a comment! This week's feud is between Tamani and David from the Wings series by Aprilynne Pike.

I adore this series and can not wait for the 3rd book Illusions to be released! As for the love triangle, David is sweet and all but my heart goes out to Tamani.

OR

Pictures were drawn by Just can't think of a name

Which team are you on? Leave a comment :)

Cover Release: Beautiful Chaos

OMG *screams excitedly* Today, Hollywood Crush revealed the cover for the 3rd book in the Caster Chronicles series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The publisher, Little, Brown and Company, says the calligraphy will be finished in gold foiling! Isn't it beautiful? To read more about it click here.

The release date is (drum roll please) October 18th 2011! What do you think?

Waiting on Wednesday (4): Midnight by L.J. Smith

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine to spotlight spectacular upcoming releases! Sorry I'm a little late this week! I can't wait for Midnight (Vampire Diaries: The Return #3) I absolutely love this series and author L.J. Smith.

The vampire love triangle that spawned hundreds of thousands of fans-and inspired a hit television show-concludes in this powerful final volume of The Vampire Diaries. In Midnight, golden girl Elena Gilbert is back from the Dark Dimension, having successfully freed her vampire boyfriend Stefan Salvatore from imprisonment. Saving Stefan had an unlikely consequence: his vampire brother Damon Salvatore has become a mortal. While the trio reels from this latest twist, they must still deal with the demons that have taken over Elena's hometown, Fell's Church. As in every L.J. Smith novel, no matter how dark the night, there is always a happy ending. MIDNIGHT takes Elena, Stefan, and Damon to their darkest moments yet...Danger, romance, and paranormal mystery will keep readers fascinated with this captivating finale to the New York Times bestselling series.

This book is set to release on March 15th. What book are you waiting on?

Interview With Beth Barany

Beth Barany, the lovely author of Henrietta, was nice enough to answer a few questions for us! Check out my review and the summary for the book here.

Thank you for doing this interview Beth! Can you tell readers about your book Henrietta?

Sure! And thanks for having me here, Brittany! Henrietta The Dragon Slayer is about a jaded hero who gets another chance to make a difference in her world, in a way that she least expected. She's touchy and a little isolated from everyone. She soon learns that there's more to life that reliving her glory days through story and running away from all she knows. You'll have to read the book to find out more!

What inspired you to write about a Dragon Slayer?

I was inspired to create Henrietta because I was so tired of all those fairy tales where the boy goes after the dragon or the giant or some other monster. I grew up reading tons of fairy tales and loved them but was pissed a little at them because I never saw myself in those stories. So I created my own hero -- a girl who kicks butt!

Does your personality reflect in Henrietta's character?

Gosh, I hope so! I do love cardio kickboxing and love being active. And out of all the fighting arts I've tried I still love boxing the best. Like Henrietta, I'm happiest when I'm outdoors and like her I love a good meal!

Do you plan on writing a sequel to Henrietta?

Yes, in fact Books 2 and 3 are in the works! Stay tuned!

Which of Henrietta's companions is your favorite?

Hey! That's not a fair question. I love Paulette for her spunk. I love Jaxter for his humor. And I love Franc for his steadfastness and honor. Please don't make me pick!

How can readers get more information on you and your book?

Glad you asked! If readers are curious about getting notified when the next book comes out, they can sign up for my newsletter here: http://www.writersfunzone.com/blog/beth-barany-novelist/. To learn more about me, go here: http://www.bethbarany.com/beth.html


Thanks for the interview, Brittany! And thank you so much for your review!