Publication Day Review: Mortal Danger by Ann Aquirre

Title: Mortal Danger

Author: Ann Aquirre

Format: eBook and ARC paperback
Source: NetGalley & Trade

Publisher: Fiewel And Friends

Mortal Danger was a nice surprise. I was expecting a fantasy novel with all sorts of things I wouldn't understand but, instead, I got a private school type setting with fantasy and romance all jumbled together.

Let me first say that I love private school type books. I eat them up. And when I read a blurb for Mortal Danger I saw they it mentioned Blackbriar Academy so obviously I was interested. After the initial interest I also read that the book seemed to have a Deal With The Devil type aspect to it and that mixed with a private school had to be interesting, right?

Right! I will tell you that the first two chapters are kind of your average Joe Schmo chapters. But once I got through the beginning, which was the deal making scenes, I started flying through the book. Edie, Edith, is such an interesting character. It makes me very sad that she wasn't strong enough to stand up to the bullies at Blackbriar. But without her being so weak we never would have met Kian and thus resulting in no story at all.

Edie has essentially hit rock bottom. Or so she was about to before Kian showed up and saved her life. But he had ulterior motives. She had to basically make a deal with the devil in order to exact her revenge in the bullies who treated her like a dog... If you have read the book you should understand that pun.

Kian seems like a very lost and sad soul. He gave up his freedom in order to get a car, a new face, and to make some random girl fall in love with him. If you had three wishes that you gave up your freedom for what would they be? I know mine wouldn't be so frivolous. But desperation causes people to do terrible things. And Kian is now regretting his decisions both with his life and the life he has just given Edie.

I suspected Kian wasn't exactly on Edie's side entirely. I mean the people she wanted revenge on started ending up dead even though she rejected Wedderburn's offer. Kian was the only one around when she said horrible things she wanted to do to both Brittany and Russ and then they magically happened. So I was definitely weary of him.

I think it was beautiful of Edit to tell Kian she would have dated him before he wished to be beautiful. It just shows that someone will love you no matter what you look like. You just have to have the strength to get through the milestones in life that take you to where you belong. I also think it was heroic of Edie to use one of her wishes to keep Vi safe. I know that is exactly what Wedderburn wanted but Edie couldn't sit there and watch Vi go insane.

The fact that Edie's friendships with both Jen and Davina were based off of looks is entirely wrong. You shouldn't be friends with someone based on their looks. There are so many lessons to be learned from reading this book. I don't think real high school experiences are quite as terrible, at least mine wasn't, but being friends with someone due to looks, money, etc is fairly common.

In the end Edie didn't exactly "win" per say. She got out with her's and Kian's lives still intact but she will be hunted and have to live a harder life because of the path she took. I think it was really cool that she was so important in the future though. She followed in her parents footsteps and took their dreams a little bit further.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.

Mini Review Monday[16] Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Title: Don't Look Back
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Don't Look Back was the first Jennifer L. Armentrout book I have ever actually read. I was looking for a standalone book and I am glad I picked this one up. With all the Dystopian, contemporary romance and fantasy YA books out there, this was a lovely change of pace. There aren't enough thriller YA books out there and Don't Look Back was done right.

Sam was a bitch. There is no light way to put it. But after her "accident" she turned into someone completely different. Her old self, some might say. And she actually wants to stay like that. Even as she starts to remember bits and pieces of her past she remains the Nice Sam and I really liked that. I kind of expected her to gain her memories back and instantly go back into bitch mode. 

 

Sam is seriously a strong character. She is smart and funny and I think the memory loss was a good thing for her. The events surround it weren't pleasant in the least but they turned her into a better person.

Carson.. Oh dear Carson. I could have sworn on my soul that he was the bad guy. Turns out he was just trying to get good grades. And then we have Del The Dick. The crap he pulls by telling Sam that they have the perfect relationship and using her amnesia to repair what he broke was extremely low. After finding out about Del and Cassie I had a feeling that he was the bad guy. But once again, I was wrong.

I will definitely say that this book had me thinking everyone was the killer except the actual killer. I really didn't see the end coming and I LOVED that. Being able to predict a book gets really old. It's a shame what happened to Cassie. It just shows that money can rule people. Sam's father didn't want to lose everything and sadly his need to keep his wife and money resulted in tragedy.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Mini Kitties.

REVIEW: Asylum by Madeleine Roux

There's so much to say. I'll start by saying what turned me on for this book was the cover it has this creepy aspect and I love that. 

The second reason is I read that if you are a fan of Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children then you will like this so I had to check it out and the blurb for what it is about got me hooked. If you have read Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children than you will get the feel of that in this book. With the pictures and how the chapters are set up it has the same feel. 

Now onto what I thought.

 The cover gives off a creepy feel like I mentioned and this story definitely gives off a creepy aspect. That is bound to happen when you are dealing with an asylum where patients were experimented on. When I think of asylums that have a history I immediately get the creep factor. 

This book did not disappoint. Madeleine Roux wrote such a beautiful yet creepy story that keeps you hooked. There is such a mystery surrounding the main character Daniel Crawford, Dan for short. Such as what his connection to the asylum is? There are many questions surrounding him and the asylum. Things go bump in the night. The ending is wow. I want to read Sanctum right now just to finish the story. 

Besides the mystery of Dan there is the mystery of one of his friends Abby. Her family has history with this asylum as well and she was determined to figure it out to try and help her father. I love how that mystery was solved in the end. Such a well written book and can't wait to read more.

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 stars.
 

REVIEW: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Words can't explain how beautiful this story is. Right away, I teared up. The story was sad from the beginning.

 I love reading about Mia's out of body experience. I haven't read anything like this before and it was very interesting. I liked how we got to see memories of her past while she was deciding on whether to stay or to go.

 You get interested from the very beginning and the story is fast paced. You go through it so fast. It's one of those you sit down and do nothing else sort of books. If I wasn't so busy I would have finished this in one sitting.

 Another thing that I love is how music is a main topic during the story. Music is such a big part of my life and I love reading a book about music being a main topic.

 I love the love aspect. It isn't thrown in your face like some books are. The relationship between Adam and Mia isn't perfect like some books make relationships out to be. This one is shown that they are complicated. They have arguments. It also shows how two people can love and care for each other. Their relationship didn't just happen. It took time. I loved seeing how they met and how everything started and how they are while Mia is in the hospital.

 This story also shows your how a family can come together for each other in a crisis. I love absolutely everything about the story. Between the story and the characters what's not to like. Can't wait for the movie and to start the sequel.

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 Stars.

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Coming back soon!

Hello my lovelies! I will be returning from my hiatus on August 1st! There will be come changes though. More reviews, more activeness and possibly more giveaways! BUT THAT ISN'T ALL!! I would like all of you to welcome my new Co-Reviewer, Dani Rose. She is such a sweet girl, she loves animals and she is addicted to books! She sounds like me, except I'm not ALWAYS sweet. Below are links to all of her accounts. Please follow her!

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Thanks so much everyone! See you all August 1st! =D

SERIES REVIEW: William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

Book #1 - Verily, A New Hope

Book #2 - The Empire Striketh Back

Book #3 - The Jedi Doth Return

Just when you thought Star Wars couldn't get any better! Quirk Books goes and surprises us all with a redo that has a Shakespearian twist. Talk about clash of the centuries. But somehow it works out well and makes a wonderful theatrical performance type atmosphere.

I have never really understood much of Star Wars. I liked what I did understand but most of the story was lost on me. My husband would sit down and tell me everything he knew from the movies and the books but it just never interested me. But after reading these I can say that I have a better grasp on the plot line. I can talk to my husband about Star Wars without him getting frustrated. I know Shakespeare Star Wars isn't exactly the same but I feel more informed having read these three books/plays.

After receiving all three books I decided to reread them all together. My husband even read them and he isn't big on reading.  He thought the books were funny and the Shakespeare twist made them seem like and entirely new era in Star Wars.

Personally, I would love to see these books acted out on YouTube. They are written perfectly for little skits to be done. Just need to find someone that looks like Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory to play C3PO.

I would urge anyone who has a Star Wars lover in their life to try these books out. Especially if you, personally, don't like or understand the fandom. These books will open up your eyes and hopefully change your opinion and understanding of Star Wars as a whole.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this little series. It shortened the real books and put the story into a perspective that other would understand better. I think these books can bring Star Wars into the lives of many people who never would have read or watched the movies otherwise. I gave the series 4/5 stars.

The Prophecy of Arcadia by M. H. Soars ~BOOK BLITZ~ + GIVEAWAY

I am not a huge Sci Fi fan but I really enjoyed this book. There was equal parts Science Fiction and normal teenage lifestyle mixed with love, betrayal and confusion.

The book is told in three different perspectives. Sam, Matt and Alexia. Alexia is the odd one out. There are a ton of secrets floating around and Alexia is the only one who doesn't know anything. She thinks her life is normal and her cousins are living the high life. But she comes to find out that her entire life has been pretty much a lie.

Sam is a very touchy character. She has anger issues that are linked to her Arcadian power but I think some of the anger came before her powers. She always seems on edge and ready to pounce. But she also has a huge weakness. She is in love with someone that she isn't allowed to be with. Being one of the three really important powers makes her really explosive.

Matt also has rage issues due to his Arcadian powers. He also happens to be one of the three "cousins" with a main power. Matt, along with his "cousins" are there to protect Alexia but Matt also has a strong urge to protect Sam as well. Especially from Julian, whom Sam tried dating in an attempt to get over her feelings for someone else.

Alexia is meant to fulfill the Prophecy in order to save Arcadia but she has no idea. Then everything starts to unfold and she feels extremely betrayed and hurt. She isn't meant to love anyone else except her "true love" which turns out to be the first guy she randomly meets while visiting her cousins. If I was Alexia I would probably run away or commit myself to a looney bin.

Ethan is a strange love interest for a girl like Alexia considering he is in a wheelchair and she just broke up with her boyfriend, Thomas. Ethan was in a bad accident that left him paralyzed from the waste down and regardless of how most teenagers react towards disabled people Alexia falls head over heels in love with him.

I really enjoyed the book. It was a semi-slow read due the the amount of information and the fact that is switched between three characters. The only real thing that bothered me is the way the book is marketed. The back of the book says readers of Richelle Meads Vampire Academy will love it and then it goes on to say it contains romance, mystery and sexy aliens. Last time I checked, Vampire Academy is about vampires. I think it should be marketed as similar to The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Kitties.

M. H. Soars is what we like to call a United Nations child. She was born in the United States but grew up in several different countries which gave her a broader perspective of life. She has always been passionate about books and stories and at a certain point had a comic book series going.

With a background in fashion design she always thought she was going to follow that path. But the characters in her head kept begging to be set free. So she decided to write their stories. A couple of years and a baby later, the first installment of her Arcadian Wars series is finally done.

M. H. Soars currently resides in New Mexico with her husband and baby daughter. She loves to read novels in the YA, PNR, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Chick Lit genres. When not devouring said novels, you may find her shopping online (she's an expert), blogging about fashion, or trying to teach her daughter to walk (even though she's too young for that).

If you would like to learn more about M. H. Soars and her projects you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or check out her blog.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MHSOARS

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/mhsoars

Blog: www.flyingsaucers22.com

Twitter: @mhsoars

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