Where She Went

Where She Went
By Gayle Forman

4.5 Stars

From the back cover...It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

My thoughts….Breathless, this book is just beautiful. I am going to be brief because I feel anything I say will spoil this book. I was a little hesitant with the story being told from Adams point of view, since I had already attached myself to Mia. But listening to Adam broke my heart. I found myself pissed at Mia, how dare she hurt Adam like this?? What is wrong with her, he loves her so much, why is she doing this? she came back to her body because of him?

 Like the first book, I laughed, I cried, every emotion possible I felt it.

Darkest Mercy

Darkest Mercy

Melissa Marr


5 Stars


From the back cover...The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

My Thoughts…What a perfecting ending to a great series! There was closure for every characters story. I loved how each character was a narrator in this book. If you’re a fan of this series you are going to want to read this book! I am very sad for this series to end, but I think Melissa Marr ended it perfectly.

Angel Burn

Angel Burn

By L.A. Weatherly

4.5 Stars

From the back cover…Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L.A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip — and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

My thoughts….Loved it, loved it. This is the first ‘Angel’ book  I have read. I am broadening my paranormal reading.  I have a huge to be read list, and probably over half of the books on my list I can’t remember why I put them on my list or what the book is even about. So when I decided to read this book my first thoughts was the normal perception of Angels, which are beautiful heavenly creatures that look over human’s best interests ….BUT that if the complete opposite for this book. The dimension where the Angels live cannot sustain them anymore. The Angels substance that the Angels feed off is not being created anymore and the closest substance the Angels can find to feed off is human’s energy. Alex is a badass---super sexy, confident, and the best Angel Killer (AK) out there. You are attracted to Alex from the get go if for no other reason than he is a bad boy. But you fall in love with Alex when his walls come down and you see what makes Alex tick. Since Alex was 5 years old he has been trained to be an AK, in one way or another he has lost he entire family at the hands of Angels. He now hunts them with a vengeance. When he gets the order to kill Willow, it is like any other hunt. But when he sees Willow he realizes that she is not full Angel, she is half human as well. Alex can see she isn’t like the Angels he has killed, she doesn’t even know she is part Angel and she doesn’t feed on humans.  Until Alex can figure out what is going on and speak to someone at the CIA that gave the order to kill Willow he just stays in the shadows and watches her.  Alex finds out that the CIA has been compromised by the Angels and it is the Angels themselves that gave the order to kill Willow. Alex is now protecting Willow with his life while he figures out why the Angels want her dead so bad. The more they feel in love with each other the more I feel in love with them. I could have cared less that the Angels were the badguys in this book, they could have been aliens for all that it mattered to me, I loved Alex & Willow and there stories. The action in the book was a plus. I can’t wait for the second book to come out, but since this book is an ARC it is going to be a while before I can get my Alex & Willow fix.

The Goddess Test

The Goddess Test

By Amiee Carter

4.0 Stars

From the backcover…Every girl who has taken the test has died. Now it's Kate's turn. It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.           If she fails...

My thoughts…What a great book! Very different from anything else that I have read or have on my ‘to be read’ list so it was a nice change in from my normal paranormal reads.  Very refreshing to read—a Greek Myth, with a twist. I felt drawn to Kate right away. For the last four year Kate has taken care of her sick mother who has cancer. Kate’s mother seems ready to let go of all her pain and die, but she is holding on for Kate’s sake. She wants Kate to be ready when she dies, she wants to make sure Kate will be okay but after 4 years of the illness Kate is still having a hard time facing the truth of what is to come.  Enter Henry aka Hades. Henry has had 100 years to find a girl that will take the 7 tests and pass them all. If he is unable to do this then he will cease to exist and his successor will take over ruling the Under World. Henry has all but given up but will try one last time…. After a horrible accident happened to a classmate while Kate was with her, Henry offers to bring her classmate back to life if Kate accepts his bargain. Kate agrees without even finding out what she has really agreed to which is to go to Henry’s house/world/dimension and take 7 tests. If she passes she will be Henry’s bride and a goddess.  If she fails she will go back to life as she knew it and will not remember Henry or anything that happened while with Henry and Henry, he will cease to exist.  But so far every girl who has taken the test has been murdered, no failing the test, no going back to life as they know it, but gone for good. Henry’s character is a little harder to figure out. I never really understand how he feels about Kate. At times I feel like he is falling for her and other times I feel like he could care less about her. I get that he is tired of the girls getting murder, that he wants it to stop, that he feel guilty, that it is his fault but I feel that he could of done more to stop  or prevent or figure out who was doing the crime.

Even though most of the story happens at Henry’s house, I love it, it is somewhere I would love to visit, mingle with the different people--- stay a couple of days and explore. Almost every character is connected to person of Greek Mythology and it was interesting trying to figure out who was which Greek God. The book kept you guessing right to the end.

I would recommend this book to those of you who are into YA/paranormal who want a book that is a little different than the current best sellers.

The Vespertine

The Vespertine

by Saundra Mitchell
3 Stars

From the back cover: It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

My thoughts…A Victorian era story  meets paranormal, what’s not to like?.  From reading the reviews and the back cover of this book I thought this book was going to be great,  but I did not feel the book lived up to all the hype. I liked it, but I didn’t like it. I was drawn to this book because of its cover, it is beautiful, I also liked the concept of the story. The book was beautiful written, easy to understand and was very detailed, but there was just a lot of open ended starts in this book. I found myself bored waiting for the 'big bang' in the book, the reason why Amelia had these powers or how she got the powers, etc.  I got to a point where I was just skimming through the book looking for the reveal but the part where the book grabbed my attention but it never came. I am not sure if there is going to be a second book---maybe if there is  that book will answer all the questions the first one left unanswered.

If I Stay

If I Stay
Gayle Forman
4.5 Stars 

From the back cover: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

My thoughts…I loved this book. 90% of the time a book cover is what draws me to pick it up and read what it is about, and I loved this cover. This book had it all---I found myself laughing, crying, having my breathe taken away, my heart melting or  hurting, every human emotion I felt while reading this book. When reading the back cover you really don’t know what this book is about, but after reading some reviews I went ahead and bought it.

Mia was in an accident that she has no memory of. You are with Mia as she pieces together what happened. She has an “out of body” experience. She can see and hear everything that is going on but that is it. She doesn’t know how to get back in her body and she doesn’t know if she wants too. As she is piecing together the present events, you learn about her past. The author flows in and out the present to past with ease. When something in the present triggers how she met someone, how she felt about someone, a characteristics that defines one of the characters or Mia herself you are brought back to the past to find out about that person and what they meant to Mia. You learn why every character in the story is important to Mia; how in one way or another Mia loves them and they are part of her, an extended family. In the end Mia has to decide will she stay alive, will she fight to be with all the people that love her, or will she go be with those of her family that died in the accident….the story keeps you on the edge to the very end, I had no idea which choice Mia would make….

Smoke Free

Yesterday marked my seventh week of being cigarette free! Yay me! This has been a constant battle for me. I quit without hesitation the 1st time. I wanted to get pregnant and wasn't chancing the money we were paying to do In Vitro. I was smoke free for 19 months. Then started up again....The second time I quit, I didn't really quit, I did good, and was down to one or two a day, would go with out for a day or two here or there but never fully quite. This time I am quitting for good (knock on wood).

Things I love about no smoking:
1. My hair smells awesome.
2. My clothes smells awesome.
3. Not HAVING to have one.
4. No more telling the girls "wait one min and we will go....mommy has to smoke real quick".
5. No more of the girls asking "when I become a mommy I can smoke?".
6. No more throwing money away.

Things a miss:
1. I miss smoking, I do, it was my vise. Some people eat, some will work themselves to death, some are adrenaline junkies, everyone has a vise and that was mine.
2.Smoke Breaks!! I miss smoke breaks at work...I need to still take breaks but can't yet I am afraid I might go find a cigarette from someone.

I know this will be an on going battle and hopefully I will win, I smoked the majority of the last 13 years. I want to be healthies...I want to do it for my girls.

Past Midnight, Raising the Dead & One Hundred Candles

Past Midnight

Raising the Dead

One Hundred Candles

by Mara Purnhagen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Past Midnight

From the back of the book...Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive….

Raising the Dead

From the back of the book...Charlotte Silver's world is like no one else's...

As the daughter of the famous Silver Spirits paranormal investigators, Charlotte Silver is used to all things weird. But when coffins start floating down her street during a flood, life turns extra strange. And wonderful, when her friend and crush Noah signs on to help Charlotte and her folks in the aftermath. Cemetery cleanup might not sound exciting, but as shocking discoveries and a lurking stranger come to light, Charlotte learns that sometimes, raising the dead can bring unexpected rewards.

One Hundred Candles

From the back of the book...It's taken a long time for me to feel like a normal teenager. But now that I'm settled in a new school, where people know me as more than Charlotte Silver of the infamous Silver family paranormal investigators, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with a popular football star like Harris Abbott? After all, it's not as if Noah is anything more than a friend….

But my new life takes a disturbing turn when Harris brings me to a party and we play a game called One Hundred Candles. It seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until spirits unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now my friends and family are in very real danger, and the door that I've opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

My Thoughts…I would rate all of these books a 3.0-3.5 stars. I love Young Adult Books, but sometimes it is hard to tell which books are actual Young Adults and which books are actually Teen Books, since both genres are for the most part grouped together. I found this to be more of a Teen book---maybe middle school age. It was a very easy read, easy to understand, easy to follow, easy to read without realizing how long you had been reading but I also feel it would appeal to a younger reader then me. Charlotte Silver wants a normal life. After moving around from state to state, country to country, Charlotte’s parents have agreed that they will stay in one city, the same house for an entire year in order for Charlotte to have her senior year of high school at just one school. Charlotte’s parents are paranormal-normal gurus, they write books, they investigate, and they even have their own TV show. They have been around the world and back conducting investigations. Charlotte just wants normal, maybe a chance to have friends and go on a date or two. I can relate with Charlotte’s character for wanting normal for just one year, her senior year. I think it is great that she has finally has someone she can consider a best friend, and also that the best friend is not freaked out about Charlotte and her families occupation. Charlotte as likes Noah, which Noah is good for Charlotte but he doesn’t seem to return the affection except in the friendship sense. Charlotte doesn’t seem to like confrontations, and there was several times where if she would of just opened her mouth and told her parents what was going on some of the events would not of happened….but then I guess there would be no story then and then where would we be? Charlotte’s life was normal for about 2 months and then the paranormal were unleashed.

I probably would read the next book in this series to see how the characters grow. I am not sure how many books the author has wrote but book 2 was better than book 1.5, which was better than book 1, so hopefully book 3 will be just as good.

View all my reviews

Always a Witch

Always a Witch
by Carolyn MacCullough


4 of 5 stars

The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy work, and of course, the evil Knights.

Since the gripping conclusion of Once A Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother's prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice.

My thoughts…This book was just as good if not better then the first book. It started off a little slow but then I could not set it down. Tamsin character really grows & matures in this book. Now that it is known that she has a talent, one would assume that life would get better for Tamsin and that she would start to feel as if she belonged with her family, but it is the complete opposite. Since Tamsin has the talent to not only stop you from doing your own talent but can also take / borrow your talent from you, her family is somewhat avoiding her or avoiding using their talents in front of her because they don’t want her stopping or taking their talent.

A big chunk of the book is Tamsin discovering herself and what she must do to save her family forever. While she is in the nineteenth century she has no one with her and she has to figure out what needs to be done to save her family alone. With Alistair & Tamsin in the past each warning their families the future it constantly changing…at one point there is no longer a Greene family in the future. Tamsin never gives up though. Once she stops blocking Gabriel from finding her, he too travels to the past to help and protect the Tamsin, the girl that he loves and would give his life for. At the last moment Tamsin pulls together all the pieces to the puzzle, makes a selfless choice and hopes it will save her family. You will have to read the book to see if it Tamsin saves her family or it the Alistair succeeds, you might be surprised by the ending.


ISBN:0547224850 (ISBN13: 9780547224855)
Title: Always a witch
Series: Witch #2




View all my reviews

Once a Witch

By Carolyn MacCullough

4 out of 5 Stars

From the back cover: Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

            
My thoughts....Wow, talk about a couple of late nights reading. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. If it wasn’t for work I would have finished this book in a day. I loved Tamsin’s character. I know how hard it is being a teenager, trying to fit it, trying to figure out who you are….then throw in being in a family that are all witches, powerful ones at that, and you have the magic at all. That must have been devastating for Tamsin. She seems to make the best she can out of it; she tries to be “normal”, goes to a private school, and is planning her future as a “normal person”. She still spends weekends and breaks from school with her family, which is how she meets the professor and agrees to help him even though she has no magic to help with. By agreeing to help the professor her life and her family’s life change forever.
But wait there is more! What’s a story if it doesn’t have a love match? Enter, Gabriel who is Tamsin childhood best friend. They haven’t spoken to eat other for about 10 years even though they promised they would, they promised they would write to each other every week, but what happened? Gabriel sure wants to know why his letters went unanswered. Tamsin is hesitant to tell, but Gabriel doesn’t give up so easy. He is funny, sexy, and sarcastic and most of all actually cares what happened and is currently happening to Tamsin.
Tamsin has some hard choices to make that may alter the past/present/future in ways she has no idea.
I can’t wait to start the next book!!

ISBN: 0547223994 (ISBN13: 9780547223995)
Original Title: Once a Witch
URL: http://www.onceawitch.com/
Series: Witch #1