Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I was a little skeptical at first, but this book blew my mind!  So many YA paranormal romances involve either vampires, werewolves, zombies, ect… but this one… aliens!  Bonus, they weren’t cheesy!! Katy and her mom just moved to a small town in West Virginia.  She’s a total book nerd (which I can totally appreciate and relate to) and she was less than thrilled to have moved there.  Then she met her incredibly hot neighbor, Daemon Black.  She was thought he could be really awesome…. until he opened his mouth.  She ends up both infuriated with him and falling for him at the same time.  Meanwhile, she befriends his twin sister, Dee and they become as close as can be.  Then, one night, Katy is attacked and Daemon freezes time and shows that he’s actually an alien and so is his sister.  They have to deal with other aliens who want to take their powers and kill them.  Plus, because he’s used his powers around her, she starts glowing a bit and draws the enemy aliens toward her.  So, of course, she’s stuck being around Daemon constantly.  The book is hilarious and exciting and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!  5 Stars, hands down.

Wake by Lisa McMann

This book was actually pretty good!  Janie has a secret.  She can see other people’s dreams.  However, she can’t control it and it really makes her life complicated.  Then there’s Cabel, the love interest and also suspect of the story.  I do have to admit, he’s actually pretty awesome.  🙂  I love the relationship the two of them end up having, too.  I will say, however, that I’m only giving this 4 Stars.  It’s written in a diary type of format and the dates and times constantly breaking up the pieces get annoying.  Either way, aside from that, great story line!  I might actually read more of of this series!

Black Heart by Holly Black

Wow! What an ending to the three book series of The Curse Workers!  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.  Cassel is trying to be a good guy, but then he starts questioning who is good and who is the bad guys. Who is pulling the con and who is telling the truth.  Plus, he’s still madly in love with Lila, the daughter of a crime lord.  Even his friends get in deeper with him and plus there’s a lot of misdirection in the book as well.  I loved it.  Hands down, the best in the series.  I would love to know more of the adventures after the book as well, but I’m sure that’s up to the reader’s own imagination.  5 Stars.  Easy.  Definitely read this series.  It is a 5 star series all together. 🙂

Red Glove by Holly Black

This was a great sequel to White Cat. Holy wow! I give this one a 5 Star, hands down. I couldn’t see what was coming from one minute to the next. This time, Cassel is struggling with lots of guilt, trying to solve a murder mystery, and having to be torn apart by his conscience. I liked the balance of minor issues verses major ones, and the murder mystery was insane. I have to hand it to Holly Black, she had me so distracted by the suspects that when the actual murderer was revealed, I was surprised. I mean, it made sense, but ah! So good. The constant issues with Cassel’s love life, the issues with his brother, plus the issues with the feds were well balanced. I’m looking forward to the conclusion is Black Heart. 🙂

White Cat by Holly Black

Cassel Sharpe is the odd one out in his family of curse workers. He isn’t one.  Everyone in his family is some kind of worker: death workers, emotion workers, luck workers, mind workers… but he alone is not one.  Instead, he’s a murderer.  A sleep walking murderer who murdered the girl he loved three years ago who ends up dreaming about cats and then finding a white cat he feels attached to.

This book was full of mystery and puzzle solving.  It was a very fun read from beginning to end and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.  I give this one a 4 Star rating simply because I ended up seeing quite a bit of it coming, but all in all, it made me laugh, gasp, and solve the mystery along with Cassel.  Definitely recommend!

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on…. That song is still stuck in my head. This book was a fascinating read and seriously creeped me out all at the same time.

Evie O’Neill, the main character of this story, is a very spunky flapper in 1920’s New York. I loved the diversity of the characters in this book and the fact that Libba Bray really did her research to make it as close to authentic as possible.  I see why she added the characters that she did, but I felt that she did struggle a little with the amount of characters.

A basic summary of this story is Evie O’Neill and many other characters of the book have special powers making them diviners.  The diviners come to be when the world is in danger of coming to an end, which it does become in danger of.  The fun part is only a few characters know about each other as diviners.  Only one of them (Evie) is more forthcoming with her ability than the others.  Also, there’s something up with her uncle, but we don’t know what yet and I’m really looking forward to finding out.

When I first started the book, it sounded like the typical start to a “scary” story that wouldn’t have really made me even the least bit creeped out, but the more I read, the more I got into it.  The twist and turns in the book… a few I saw coming and a few I didn’t.

Think of this book as mostly paranormal, light horror, and with a touch of romance.  I will say that out of the two guys who wanted to be with her, I was rooting for the other guy, but I’m not telling which guy was winning by the end of this story.

Right now, I’m anxiously waiting for when the next book comes out in August of this year so I can read more of the series that I am most definitely hooked on!! My rating?  4 out of 5 stars.

 

Nothing but Shadows – Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

In this installment, Simon learns of James Herondale and his short lived time at the academy.  It made me smile to see how much like his parents James truly was even at such a young age.  I also got a kick out of Matthew Fairchild.  It’s awesome to see a Fairchild not only be so kind but also a good sense of humor.  🙂  I really like how Simon’s having more and more memories about Clary and also standing up for his new friends, too.  Can’t wait to read the next installment!!

Everynight by Claudia Gray

This book was… well…. eh.  The story is about a girl named Bianca who is the daughter of two teachers who have just moved to Evernight Academy.  The first day of classes, just before they start, she has a run in with Lucas and the connection between the two becomes immediate and undeniable.  That part was rather sweet.  It had an good story line.  However, the story goes a bit slow for me and I don’t really see Bianca really grow as a person.  Her flaws rather annoy me.  The forbidden love angel was a descent one, the ending was good, and honestly? My favorite character is Balthazar because he actually is interesting.

I tried moving on to Stargazer, the second book in the series, but I just ended up bored half way through and stopped.  Am I curious as to why the principal has brought human students into the school?  Yes.  Do I care enough to keep reading?  Eh… no.  I think my biggest overall complaint is that the book didn’t really make me care.  I’m going to give this a 3 Star rating.  I liked Lucas, I liked Balthazar, and I liked the story line.  Otherwise, for me, it’s a pass.

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

The title alone sounded cheeky and like a fun read, so how could I resist?  I’m so glad that I did not resist.  It was such a great book!  Jessica always knew she was adopted, but what she didn’t know was about her heritage.  Imagine her surprise when she finds out she’s a vampire princess and the even bigger surprised that she’s been betrothed since birth!  Enter Lucian, the sweet, charming, but grumpy vampire Jessica is promised to marry.  The antics are both sweet and funny.  By the time Jessica finally falls in love with Lucian, she then has to fight to claim what is rightfully hers because he’d moved on.  This was a fantastic read and I give it 4.5 Stars.  Why not 5?  Even though I know it’s part of the character’s flaws, some of her blindness really got to be a bit.  One thing I do like is that it wasn’t simply cut and dry.  They both have to work hard, they both have to go through hell and back, and it isn’t just a cut and clean book.  There’s passion, romance, danger, drama, and adventure all rolled into one.  I still highly recommend this book!!  I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

Favorite quotes:

“American women. Why do you all want to be nearly invisible? Why not have aphysical presence in the world? Women should have curves, not angles. …One should never confuse fashionable with beautiful. …Eat. Be happy to have curves. A presence.”

“Jessica. For god’s sake,” he said. “Allow me to do at least one common courtesy for you. In spite ow what ‘women’s lib’ teaches you, chivalry does not imply that women are powerless. On the contrary, chivalry is an admission of women’s superiority. An acknowledgment of your power over us. This is the only form of servitude a Vladescu ever practices, and I perform it gladly for you. You, in turn, are obligated to accept graciously.”

The Whitechapel Fiend – Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

Ok, this is the best one to date!  I love the fact that Tessa comes to the school to speak and the twist on Jack the Ripper was far from anything I’ve ever expected.  I’m even surprised that Jessamine gets involved in it!  This installment was far from what I’d expect.  I hope that the short stories continue to be as unexpected as this one was. 🙂

In this installment, the shadowhunters of the London Institute (and main characters of the Infernal Devices) are chasing after Jack the Ripper who was not a human, but in fact a demon.  It’s kinda nice to see what’s going on in their lives a few years later after the end of Clockwork Princess.  As usual, 5 Stars. 🙂