When by Victoria Laurie (ARC)

When
Victoria Laurie
Exp. Pub.: January 13, 2015 (TOMORROW!!!)

Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she’s unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?

 

Maddie's never been a true fan of seeing the random numbers on everyone's foreheads. Especially once her father died on the exact same day that matched the sequence on his forehead. Now riddled with guilt, she moves forward always wondering if she could have some how stopped his death had she only understood what she was seeing. These days, she's a teenager who accepts money to tell people their death dates. When a client comes in asking about her daughter, Maddie realizes it's her son she needs to worry about, with a death date just a week away. Unfortunately, the mother takes her remark as a scam and leaves in a huff, calling Maddie a fraud. Even more unfortunate, when her son goes missing and dies by means of torture, she's quick to poke the finger at Maddie, who now becomes the number one suspect in his murder, despite a bunch of evidence pointing elsewhere.

 

Her lawyer uncle runs interference, but Maddie is unable to keep her death dates to herself like he asked. When she spots that her best friend's crush is going to die soon too, he becomes obsessed with finding a way to save her, which only drags him into the suspect pool as well. With her alcoholic mother falling apart even more than usual, the teachers and students turning on her at school and the FBI breathing down her neck, Maddie finds it exhausting to keep her head above water, especially once the serial killer begins taking an interest in her.

 

I'm not really sure if I'd go around telling strangers their death dates if I had that special ability. Would you? Neither would Maddie, but thanks to her alcoholic mother, they needed the extra money to make up for all the vodka bottles. Bad luck really, because it's responsible for spotlighting her gift to naysayers and doubters and attracting attention where she could've gone without. Gotta feel for the girl, especially when she continually tries to get her mother to beat her addiction just so she won't have to continue doing the readings.

 

As for the serial killer, I guess I found it a bit unrealistic that the FBI would focus so hard on as Maddie as a suspect when it was clear that the evidence was screaming someone else did it. Not to mention she was just a female teenager with good grades and not a strike of red on her permanent record. I guess I could've found their interest in her more plausible if at least some of the evidence had a legitimate chance of being left by her before testing results came in... I don't know. It seemed discrimination drove their investigation instead of the hard facts, which I don't see the FBI doing against a teenage girl. This lack of realism is the main reason I've docked it a little in the star department. Otherwise, it was a pretty good read that kept my attention, and I think most people will find it an enjoyable quick read with just enough mystery to keep you guessing.

ARC provided by Disney-Hyperion for honest review.

A Darker Past by Jus Accardo (ARC)

A Darker Past (Darker Agency #2)
Jus Accardo
Pub: November 11, 2014

The past is Darker than they thought...

Between helping her mother with the Darker Agency and laying the smack down on monster baddies, Jessie Darker puts the “normal” in paranormal. But lately, things have gotten a little crazy...even for a smart-assed half-demon teenage girl.

For starters, Jessie’s been contracted into fifty-five years of annoying servitude. To a demon. Then there’s Lukas Scott, her sexy new boyfriend. Once the former incarnation of Wrath, he’s been going through some...uh, changes. Like residual anger. And trading chaste hangouts for lusty make-out sessions.

But it’s when Lukas and Jessie accidentally release a Very Nasty Demon that things get really bad, setting into motion a chain of death and mayhem that threatens both Earth and the Shadow Realm. Jessie has exactly four days to fix it...before all of Hell breaks loose.

First off, I'll admit I haven't read the first in this series, but I didn't let that deter me from diving right in. I loved Jessie's sarcasm, especially in the first quarter of the book. Her snarkiness seemed to fade a bit from there, but she occasionally graced me with something sassy to lift my mood. Her boyfriend Lukas is recovering from being Wrath's b*tch for way too long, forced there by his crazy ex, and is now under the tutelage of Jessie's Father in hell, but can go back and forth freely. Well, mostly freely like Jessie, who finds herself being sucked into hell every the demon she's now in servitude to decides to beckon her to his semi-creepy side to do a job for him.

While checking out something for her family's demon agency, Lukas' crazy ghost of an ex goes mental and ends up setting loose a demon that had been trapped. And since Jessie's family had a hand in putting him there, he unleashes his vengeance on every member of the Darker family and the ones they love. Who will survive his wrath before he can be trapped again?

A Darker Past started off strong and was a decent story, though it began to drag for me about half way through. I think that might've just been me though. I was enjoying Jessie's sarcastic thoughts so well, that when her sassiness began to fade a bit, it made the story come off a little more ho-hum for me. But I think most people who like this genre will be more than happy with Miss Accardo's world of demons. And romance lovers will be sated with the lustful-yet-still-respectful relationship between Jessie and Lukas, who find being similar in the fact that they're both demon-newbies just a little stressful on the ole love life.

3.5 Dreamcatchers. ARC provided by Entangled Teen for honest review.

The Body Electric by Beth Revis (ARC)

The Body Electric
Beth Revis
Pub.: October 6, 2014

The future world is at peace.

Ella Shepherd has dedicated her life to using her unique gift—the ability to enter people’s dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother—to help others relive their happy memories.

But not all is at it seems.

Ella starts seeing impossible things—images of her dead father, warnings of who she cannot trust. Her government recruits her to spy on a rebel group, using her ability to experience—and influence—the memories of traitors. But the leader of the rebels claims they used to be in love—even though Ella’s never met him before in her life. Which can only mean one thing…

Someone’s altered her memory.

Ella’s gift is enough to overthrow a corrupt government or crush a growing rebel group. She is the key to stopping a war she didn’t even know was happening. But if someone else has been inside Ella’s head, she cannot trust her own memories, thoughts, or feelings.

So who can she trust?

Ella's life wasn't completely easy. Her father died in a terrorist attack and her mother has an incurable illness that's slowly withering her away. Ella soon learns that her mother's invention - a machine that allows users to relive their happiest memories - no longer works to give her mother peace. So Ella doses herself with an insane amount of nanobots to allow herself to hook up and help her mother through the process. But now her body seems to be able to do things she never should've been able to, like staying underwater for way too long without breathing.

Once the government realizes what Ella can do with her mother's machine, they enlist her help to read the mind of a man they suspect is aiding a terrorist organization. The internal hacking leads Ella to the name of a man who used to work for her father, who is also suspected of leading the terrorist group. But when Ella finally comes face to face and mind to mind with him, she discovers the awful truth - that not only does that man have intimate moments of the two of them together that she can't remember, but that he nor the government leader she's been aiding are what they seem.

 

I really enjoyed Beth Revis' Across the Universe books, so I figured I'd probably really like The Body Electric too. This dystopian society relies heavily on technology to advance their lives, hence the nanobots circulating their systems. Ella thought she had a relatively low number, but soon learns that she has way more than she thought possible without suffering from bot brain, which basically makes your body go kaput. And once she learns it's probably because of her own father's research, her life will never be the same.

Reading through this, there were a few things that were obviously coming, and a few things that actually surprised me - and I'm hard to surprise. I think my one dissapointment was with the ending and its lack of closure on the romance front. It was left in a way that wasn't satisfying for me. These two characters had a past and I would've liked to see them acknowledge it a little more and choose a path before cutting me off, but other than that it was a pretty interesting novel. So if you're into mystery science fiction, this is a pretty good one to pick up.

 

3.5 dreamcatchers.

 

 

ARC provided by Scripturient Books for honest review.

UNBREAKABLE and UNMARKED by Kami Garcia (ARCs)

Unbreakable (The Legion #1)
Kami Garcia
Pub.: October 1, 2014

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Life was normal and easy-going before Kennedy came home to find her mother dead. She thought it was natural causes until she awoke to find her possessed cat sucking the life out of her. And the only reason she survived? Because two brothers were close by keeping an eye on her, and when she screamed, they came running in to help. They claimed to be part of a legion of modern day ghostbusters, a group which the next successors are chosen by the five current members. When all five were killed by the minions of a demon named Andras, the brothers and two others were activated. And so was Kennedy, if she could believe their wild tale. Though not entirely convinced, having a poltergeist blow up your home is pretty good motivation to give their crazy story a chance.

Enter Alara and Priest, the other two members of Legion. Going through their predecessors journals, they learn of a weapon called the shift that could take Andras down, but it's been separated into several pieces and left in the possession of vengeance spirits. Following the clues left at each site, the members one by one kill a vengeance spirit using their specialty skill and earn their fifth of the Andras seal on their forearm. But once Kennedy fulfills her part, its not the seal she earns for killing the ghost and completing the weapon, but something none of them could see coming.

If you're looking for paranormal story that reads a lot like the hit show Supernatural, you'll probably be happy enough with this novel. There is the workings of a love triangle between Kennedy and the twins, but still pretty light on actual romance in this first installment. Unbreakable was a really fast read that'll keep your attention from beginning to end, so check it out if ghostbustin' tops your genre list. 

ARC provided by Little, Bfor honest review.

Unmarked (The Legion #2)
Kami Garcia
Pub: October 1, 2014

He is here... and he could be anyone.

Kennedy Waters lives in a world where vengeance spirits kill, ghosts keep secrets, and a demon walks among us–a demon she accidentally set free.

Now Kennedy and the other Legion members–Alara, Priest, Lukas, and Jared–have to hunt him down. As they learn more about the history of the Legion and the Illuminati, Kennedy realizes that the greatest mystery of all does not belong to any secret order, but to her own family. With the clock ticking and the life of someone she loves hanging in the balance, Kennedy has to ask the question she fears most: what is it about her past that has left her Unmarked?

Kennedy Waters would love nothing more than to hide away and pretend she wasn't directly responsible for releasing a horrible demon from his entrapment, but unfortunately, no one will let her - including the other members of Legion and Andras himself, who continually kills girls who resemble Kennedy. The Legion is at least willing to share in the mistake, but Kennedy is stubborn to let go. All they can do moving forward is to figure out why she hasn't gotten her mark, so the Legion seeks out clues to Kennedy's family past. 

Turns out her family lines clash - she's both Legion and Illuminati, and though she wants nothing more than to be Legion with her newfound friends, it's impossible to taint their line with Illuminati blood, so what's an Illuminati girl falling in love with a Legion boy to do? And to make things even more difficult, Andras has taken possession of someone who's become dear to her heart.

Unmarked was another quick read by Kami Garcia, but lacked a little in the action department compared to Unbreakable. It was good to get a better idea of where this series is going, but I didn't feel this installment was written in a way that resolved anything other than learning why Kennedy didn't get her mark, which happened long before the story ended. I don't know...this novel and it's direction was just weird for me. 

ARC provided by Little, Brown for honest review.

 

Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey (ARC)

Whisper the Dead (The Lovegrove Legacy #2)
Alyxandra Harvey
Exp. Pub.: October 9, 2014 Tomorrow!!!

Gretchen is struggling with her newfound gift as a Whisperer; the constant buzzing in her ears from detecting spells is more frustrating than fun, especially when she is spending time with one of the Order of Iron Nail's Keepers, the icy but strikingly handsome Tobias Lawless. But while Gretchen tries to hide the truth and resolve her feelings for him, London fades from beautiful and bustling to deathly silent ...Something evil is once again menacing Mayfair, and Gretchen and her cousins must use their powers to prevent a horrible sacrifice.

The Lovegrove cousins are back after bottling the Greymalkin sisters into magical containments. Whisper the Dead focuses more on Gretchen this time as she tries to learn her craft - whispers tell her what type of spells are being cast and if anything can be used to make a particular spell stronger. She tries to focus her power into discovering why the wards in the city are going haywire and why elements once contained in certain areas are expanding their turf. But having constant supervision by the Keepers isn't helping her become more attuned to anything other than her rising agitation for her personal new shadow, Tobias Lawless.

 

Hmm... Where to begin. I liked this story, I did. But something felt off about it. I had no problem putting it aside to read other books, which is rare for me when I actually like the story enough. I love Gretchen and Emma especially, and I have the feeling Penelope will get her turn to shine in the third installment. And I love their beaus. Cormac is perfectly sweet for Emma and Tobias is just the kick in the skirt Gretchen needs, and vice versa. Quite honestly, the relationships are what keep me intrigued enough to continue the story, because there are so many things thrown at me I just find confusing. Especially all the magical charms and spell ingredients. Every time I turn around some obscure object is used to ward off something else. Pretty soon I'm sure an chocolate-coated acorn will be used to scare away a squirrel. How the hell do they keep it all straight, because it lacks consistency. Still, the main plot circling the Lovegrove cousins and the Greymalkin sisters is interesting enough to see where this is going to go.

ARC provided by Bloomsbury Childrens for honest review.

Virgin by Radhika Sanghani (ARC)

Virgin
Radhika Sanghani
Pub.: August 5, 2014

Okay, I admit it…I didn’t do it.

Yet.

This is normal, right?  I mean, just because everyone I know has talked like they’ve already done it doesn’t mean that they’re telling the truth…right?

It’s not like I’m asking for that much. I don’t need the perfect guy. I don’t need candlelight or roses. Honestly, I don’t even need a real bed.

The guys I know complain that girls are always looking for Mr. Right—do I have to wear a sign that says I’m only looking for Mr. Right Now?

Sooooo…anyone out there want sex? Anyone? Hello? Just for fun?

I am not going to die a virgin. One way or another I am going to make this happen.

Hey, what have I got to lose? Besides the obvious 

 

Ellie is a twenty-one year old virgin. GASP!

Yeah, no, it's not really a of an big issue, but for Ellie it is. She had a traumatizing moment four years prior that has made her feel like she's cursed when it comes to guys. Guys like her. Guys are willing to kiss her. But guys aren't willing to take her home with them. Like a gigantic V is inked on her forehead and they don't wanna deal with breaking her in to the sexual world. Of course that isn't true, but it sure as hell feels like it, right? So Ellie makes a plan to lose her virginity by college graduation, even if it means losing it to a one night stand. But when she finally gets a guy to take her to bed, it's a deja' vu experience. Will poor Ellie ever find someone willing to shag her?

Reading this made me recall my own path to de-virgination, although I wasn't stressed or bothered enough to actually map out a plan to make it happen like this poor girl. Like Ellie's dilemma, people were talking about doing things, but not really explaining what that thing was. Lots of words confused me back then but hell if I was gonna ask! But unlike her, I didn't have the internet to fall back on. It was too new and you sure as hell wasn't going to find these topics gracing the infinite cloud or hanging out in a library book. Nope. No pornos to put on, no downloadable how-to BJ video so you knew what to do ahead of time. Nope. We were all on our own. Isn't the internet nice peeps? So private - sort of...

Virgin definitely some laugh-out-loud and shameful moments that some people may be able to relate to - hopefully no one will relate to that horrible bathroom scene though! It was a fun read but Ellie came off a bit desperate at times to lose her V-card. Seriously, it's not that big of a deal peeps. If you're still a virgin, rock on. It'll happen when it happens. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you.

ARC provided by Berkley for honest review.

I Am The Weapon by Allen Zadoff

I Am The Weapon (The Unknown Assassin #1)
Allen Zadoff
Pub.: May 13, 2014

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school, in a new town, under a new name, makes few friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, and moves on to the next target.

When his own parents died of not-so-natural causes at the age of eleven, Boy Nobody found himself under the control of The Program, a shadowy government organization that uses brainwashed kids as counter-espionage operatives. But somewhere, deep inside Boy Nobody, is somebody: the boy he once was, the boy who wants normal things (like a real home, his parents back), a boy who wants out. And he just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's next mission. 

Boy Nobody lost his parents when he was just a kid, his father by the same assassin who took him to the program he worked for. There Nobody was given a choice to either work for the Program or die. Hard choice, right? Several years later he's been working one case after another, where he goes in, befriends the kid of the target, kills their parent, then disappears into thin air, just to start the process all over again. He's kind of the perfect assassin. Because really, who would expect a kid? Not too many.

Now, Nobody's newest case has him targeting the governor of New York and his very opinionated young daughter. But all is not what it seems, and Nobody begins to question his assignment - which just isn't smart when you work for a group with assassins at the ready - because they may just turn them on you.

 

Sorry, but I'm keeping my plot summary vague on this one, as very little could be said without revealing the mystery behind it all. This was a good YA read with mild spy antics. The story focused more on Nobody's growing relations his target's daughter and learning to think for himself than actual spy stuff you'd expect to get from the adult novels. But it's definitely one worth checking out for the younger readers.

 

Novel provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

 

He Belongs With Me by Sarah Darlington (Indie)

He Belongs With Me
Sarah Darlington
Pub.: February 28th, 2014

Two girls. One Leo. Identical twins, Maggie and Clara Ryder, both grew up with Leo Maddox, billionaire playboy, apparent alcoholic, and heir to his grandfather's world-famous Maddox hotel empire. Their roles were cemented long ago: Maggie, as his best friend and Clara as his childhood nemesis. But when a simple twist of fate changes everything and both girls start to fall for the lean, mean, ridiculously sexy and seemingly spoiled Leo... which girl will win his heart? Throw in a little mischief, drama, and one smoking-hot bartender and lines are sure to blur. But one thing's for certain, neither good-girl Maggie nor rebellious Clara will be satisfied until they each figure out where they belong.

This was a cute story. After reading the first two chapters you go in thinking you know the two girls and are probably already choosing sides - but you're probably choosing wrong! Two twins, who have been clashing their entire lives because of different personalities, oddly enough seem to find the same men attractive. Maggie is down to earth, classy and responsible. Clara is spunky, eclectic and a little more lazy with it comes to taking responsibility seriously. But oddly enough, it's actually Clara who is more protective of her twin and not the other way around.  

 

I found Clara captivating. Her story was so raw and honest I could see why Leo always secretly longed for her, waiting like a wallflower for her stubborn ass to see the light day already. I actually found myself rooting for the pathetic train wreck that is Clare's mentality, who's been planning her escape from these people since childhood.

 

So why only 3.5 stars? Maggie. Had this just been Clara's story, I probably would've 5 starred it. It wasn't that Maggie's story wasn't interesting to read, it's just that it seemed sorta flat compared to her sister's. Where I felt like I got to know the raw, internal workings of a misguided, semi-neglected twin with Clara, I didn't feel that way about Maggie. With Clara, I got to watch as she put the pieces together and realize her attraction to Leo wasn't all of sudden, but something that had been building through the course of their lives. Maggie? A boy who stole her heart when she was younger comes back for her, baggage in tow, and she more or less accepts it and is happy. Which is good, but I guess I longed for that boy to put in a lot more effort into the chasing since he uprooted his life to finally makes his way back to her. Instead, he kinda sat back and just awaited her decision. And I guess I expected her father to add a little friction to their relationship, given the way that boy was kicked out of their lives to begin with. Maggie's story came together like a pretty little bow. Clara's bow, albeit tied after awhile, looked like it had been yanked, stretched and shredded by the family cat.  

 

Read it. Clara's story makes it worth it alone.

Novel provided by author for honest review.

Before He Was Famous by Becky Wicks

Before He Was Famous (Starstruck #1)
Becky Wicks
Pub.: May 25, 2014

One guy, one girl. One in the spotlight. One in the shadows.

Falling in love with your best friend isn’t always a great idea, especially when he’s Noah Lockton - the sexiest, most famous new talent on the planet. When 21-year-old small-town photographer Chloe Campbell is offered the chance of a lifetime – to join her celebrity childhood friend Noah on tour as an exclusive blogger for a New York magazine – she’s certain both have put what happened four years ago behind them. But his eyes still burn; his voice is still a jackhammer to her heartstrings; all his songs are about her. Is it possible that that night still haunts them both?

The music industry is a machine, spinning hype and rumors as much as his records. It’s not just Noah’s girlfriends who’ve got it in for Chloe (there’s no stopping the Twitter-obsessed, cat-loving pop-star Courtney Lentini for starters). Pretty soon, the jealousy and media frenzy surrounding these so-called-friends takes a life-changing turn and it seems making love means making enemies at every turn. When tragedy threatens to pull the final curtain on their relationship, both Chloe and Noah must make a choice. As much as this world leaves them starstruck, is living their dream really worth living without each other? 

Two people friends since childhood, both in the love with the other but not wanting to ruin the relationship already established, only to be silently miserable watching the other take on different lovers as their relationship statuses never seem to hit single at the same time.

 

Chloe finds herself caught up in the limelight of Noah's new life. The latest winner on a reality singing show, he's off to start recording and touring from the get-go. But he wants his best friend to move to New York with him, and urges her to apply for a job with a magazine to be a photographer. Of course she lets it slip during her interview that she's besties with the suddenly famous Noah Lockton, and the magazine is drooling to use her to scoop the other magazines. So much that Chloe runs a daily blog on the life of Noah Lockton, as she follows him every where he goes. But not only is she forced to watch the guy she loves in a relationship with the runner-up, she herself gets pulled into the public drama and begins to get some nasty death threats being the one true thing Noah Lockton wants in life.

 

I will say that I liked the romance grow between the two, as it seemed heartfelt and natural, but I think two friends who knew each other so well should've been able to see through the crap that was happening between and around them. For me, this was just an okay novel, as it lacked originality in the new adult market these days. But all in all, it was still a sweet read that I breezed through in a single night, so don't let that deter you from checking it out for yourself.

 

 

Novel provided by author for honest review.

Divided by Elsie Chapman (ARC)

Divided (Dualed #2)
Elsie Chapman
Exp. Pub.: May 27, 2014

The hunter becomes the hunted. . . .

West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.

The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.

How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? With nonstop action and surprising twists, Elsie Chapman’s intoxicating sequel to Dualed reveals everything.

Several months after West killed her Alt and earned the right to continue living, she's trying to gather some semblance of a normal life. No longer a Striker - a person who is paid to assassin an active Alt so their twin won't have to - it freaks her out when the Board demands her to come to Headquarters. Her worst fears are confirmed, and not only are they aware she's been a Striker and could be put to death for her crimes, but the Board themselves are requesting her services. It's obvious she has no choice but to do what they ask, but what they ask of her isn't something she thinks she can truly do.

 

Whereas West herself seemed to make Dualed drag out because she just refused to deal with her Alt assignment until the very last days of her month, Divided kept a much faster pace. We get more in the way of world-building in this one, so it's nice to finally understand how her society works. But West's relationship with Chord was a little dull for me. I'd like to think that they would've worked through some of their relationship issues during the six months that passed between novels. It seems they lived side by side without any steps forward or backwards, which doesn't seem very realistic to me. Other than that, it was pretty solid novel, and if you liked the first, odds are you'll like the second.

 

ARC provided by Random House for honest review.

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy (ARC)

Side Effects May Vary
Julie Murphy
Pub.: March 18, 2014

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s Side Effects May Vary is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality. 

This girl's got one hell of an atonement issue now.

Well, I can honestly say I'm glad I'm neither a friend or foe of Alice's, because everyone seems to get treated like crap alike. One year ago Alice began having dizzy spells. A month later she found out why. Leukemia. And even with treatment, her outlook wasn't promising. She'd come to terms that she was on death's doorstep, so she decided to make a lasting impression on her way out. You see, Alice is one of those people who always have to have the last word. She enlists her on again - off again friend Harvey to help her get back against her ex-boyfriend and nemesis. I'll admit the two never did anything one wouldn't expect high school kids to do. He cheated, and she was simply her competition in ballet and typical queen bee ruling the school. The sad part? Alice was better off without the two in her life as she spent her remaining year at home. But being the bratty, teenage girl that she was, she just couldn't help herself. Unfortunately for Alice, once her revenge was done, her body went into remission and she was forced to return and accept the wrath they were willing to throw back at her now she wasn't terminal anymore.

 

Oh, Harvey, how I love thee. You deserved so much better. By far the sweetest guy ever, he'd always put up with Alice's dominant type A personality and suffered painful whiplash from her undecided interest in him. She'd given in to him when she was sick, but she only found the courage to because she knew she wouldn't be around to actually deal with the fallout of letting him love her. Once in remission, she pulls the breaks so fast Harvey is thrown from the car without protection. She does everything she can to alienate and hurt him, just like she did with everyone else. And you just wanna smack the crap out of her, because she's one of those girls who ruins guys for other girls, leaving them so damaged they're hardly functional anymore.

 

I'm sorry, but her illness was no excuse to kick the bitch-o-meter up to full blast. Yeah, people screwed you over. It's high school. People are shits and that happens. Karma will always find a way to get back at them for you, so be the bigger person and move on with your life (or I guess death in this case), knowing the ones doing it are far more screwed in the head than you are and will probably be miserable their entire lives. Side Effects May Vary was well-written and kept my attention enough to read it in one sitting. The MC will annoy you to death, but it's definitely worth the read.

ARC provided by Harper Collins for honest review.

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3)
Julie Kagawa
Exp. Pub.: April 15, 2014 TODAY!!!

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

Allie, Jackal and Kanin have united once more to chase down Sarren, who before torturing and killing Zeke, learned of Eden's location. Now he's set his course to let loose a virus that will eradicate vampires and humans alike. A good half of the novel is them on the road chasing down Sarren, with a few stops along the way to deal with the traps left behind - one of which is completely devastating for Allie to deal with. But seriously? She should've seen that one coming. This is Sarren, after all.

 

Eden is in far better shape than expected, but many lives were lost when a barge filled with spastic, twitching vampires is let loose on the population. The people flee, leaving Sarren and his misfits free reign of the island at night, but return during daylight hours to dig up as many as possible to kill off. But there's still way too many to deal with by the time Allie and company show up, and now they've been infected by Sarren's virus, making them even harder to deal with. And now that the outbreak is beginning, things look bleak in righting Sarren's wrong.

Overall I loved the series, but I preferred the other two to this one. It may be the tone of the novel, as Allie's miserable and suffering with the loss of her lover, and she's allowed the monster inside her to overtake her actions. Jackal's still a pain in the ass but continues to steal the spotlight for me. Kanin's all business and constantly annoyed by his bickering children, and Sarren's so screwed in the head even his marbles have lost their marbles - which he proves over and over again leaving messed up messages as the trio struggles to catch up. Still a good conclusion to the series though.

 

ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for honest review.

Going Rogue by Robin Benway (ARC)

Going Rogue (Also Known As, #2)
Robin Benway
Pub.: January 14, 2014

Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver.

Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux.
Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo.

Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names.

Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.

I'm a huge fan of Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, so I'm willing to try her other books. Going Rogue, like Also Known As, was a cute novel perfect for young teenage girls. After completing her last mission, Maggie has settled down into normal life awaiting her next assignment that requires her stellar safecracking skills. But what she gets instead is the knowledge that her organization, The Collective, wants her and her family out over the last debacle. Her parents have been accused of stealing rare gold coins by the very man they know must have them for himself. But now that her parents have been compromised, Maggie and Angelo must work privately to clear their names. Tension rises not only at home, but between Maggie and her civilian boyfriend and best friend, who know what she is and become bitter when she shuts them down as well. But Maggie can't help but be the spy that she is, and if risking the stability of her relationships will keep everyone safe, she take the continuous hits they feel the need to dish out. Unfortunately, nothing goes as planned and stealing back the coins has everyone fleeing the country for their very lives, even the civilians. Will Maggie and Angelo be able to stabilize the situation before losing someone they love, or will The Collective succeed at bringing them down on a permanent basis?

 

ARC provided by Walker Childrens for honest review.

The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain (ARC)

The Shadow Prince (Into the Dark #1)
Bree Despain
Exp. Pub.: March 11, 2014 (TOMORROW!)

Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.

Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.

Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails. As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds. 

Being a twin in the Underworld isn't easy. Ever since the tragedy of Light and Dark, one is automatically assumed to the greater, the other the lesser. Knowing she was caring twins, Haden's mom gave birth in secrecy, refusing to ever admit which child was born first, making her husband swear to never shun one child. But as they grew older, Haden began to take on more human-like qualities like his mother, and when she died, his emotions led him to attack his own father. Bound by his promise to his late wife, he was unable to completely dismiss Haden, and he was allowed to remain where he was, though publicly demoted because they all knew of these horrible emotions he wasn't meant to feel.

 

Vengeance by Megan Miranda (ARC)

Vengeance (Fractured, #2)
Megan Miranda
Pub: February 13, 2004

Falcon Lake wants vengeance. And so, it seems, does someone else... An intense, heart-rending psychological thriller to accompany the chilling and seductive Fracture

When Decker drags his best friend Delaney’s lifeless body out of the frozen lake, he makes a deal: Anyone but her. Everyone but her. The lake releases her. It takes another...

All their friends blame Delaney for Carson’s death. But Decker knows the truth: Delaney is drawn to those who are dying, and she would have tried to help Carson.

Or so Decker believes until a body lies in front of him in a pool of water on his kitchen floor. Until he sees in Delaney’s eyes that she knew this would happen too – and she said nothing. Until he realizes it isn’t the lake that is looking for revenge – Delaney is part of someone else’s plan.

See my review of Fracture (#1) here.

 

This picks up a few months after when Fractured left off and this time, we get Decker's point of view throughout. This small group of friends has had its fair share of death, and they find themselves dealing with one more - Decker's dad. Bad part is, Decker feels betrayed, because there's no way Megan didn't see it coming, nor did she warn him. Her admission solidifies their breakup and Decker's left to mourn and suffer alone. But he soon finds his house vandalized and uninhabitable, and he and his mom move in with Megan's family next door while the renovations are going on.

 

Though they may be broken up, their friends won't allow anyone to be shunned. Their group actually kind of reminds me of Friends, and how no matter who dates who and breaks up with another, as a group, they won't allow anyone to be left behind. Though it's difficult, Decker and Megan try to move forward with as little interaction as possible, but soon Megan's house is vandalized too, leaving them to suspect that what happened at Falcon Lake had to be the connection. Forced to work together to figure out what the hell is going on, they fear they're cursed for saving Megan from the lake the day it tried to take her life, and now it's threatening to collect another in her place.

 

Vengeance can be a little weird for some, because most people aren't going to be able to believe that a lake is cursed and finding ways to torment those who saved Megan. Decker's house gets massively flooded, the smashed windows through Megan's house resembles shards of ice, Kevin's engine gets flooded with water and Justin's lungs get flooded with lake water when forced in by a stupid alumni prank. But when Tara falls and knocks herself unconscious and is pulled all the way to the lake to let it claim her, it's clear that maybe an actual person is helping the lake to reclaim what was unrightfully taken away. Problem is, no one outside their group knows their secrets, nor their true fears of the lake, so the only possible suspects come from their very own limited pool. Is it really one of their own, or has someone infiltrated their group just to take them down for some unknown reason?



ARC provided by Bloomsbury Children's for honest review.

Imposters by Susanne Winnacker (ARC)

Imposters (Variants #1)
Susanne Winnacker
Pub.: January 2, 2014 (UK)

Tessa is a Variant with extraordinary abilities. She could be a hero, but all she wants to do is fall in love ...

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she's spent the last two years with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. There she trains with other Variants, such as long-term crush Alec, who each have their own extraordinary ability.

When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again. Tessa hates everything about being an impostor - the stress, the danger, the deceit - but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she'd do anything to keep.

Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

Tessa has the uncanny ability of being able to transform into anyone she touches - so long as they're alive - sorry Elvis lovers. It's something she doesn't mind too much, until the organization that employs and trains her tells her she needs to go to the hospital and touch a dying girl named Madison.

 

Unhinged by A.G. Howard (ARC)

Unhinged (Splintered #2)
A.G. Howard
Pub.: January 7, 2014

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

See my review of Splintered (Book #1) here.

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill (ARC)

Being Sloane Jacobs
Lauren Morrill
Exp. Pub.: January 7, 2014

Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself .

One Sloane Jacobs is having trouble landing her triple spin, another Sloane Jacobs is having trouble shooting the puck. Both are having personal problems and neither are fond of going to Montreal for a month long camp in their respective sports. So when they literally bump into one another at the hotel, it occurs to them that they could each take a break from their lives for a bit. Sure, they'd have to pick up a new sport rather quickly, but neither of them want to face their real issues at the moment.

 

Sweet by Erin McCarthy (ARC)

Sweet (True Believers #2)
Erin McCarthy
Pub Date: October 15, 2013

Jessica Sweet thought going away to college would finally make her free of her parents’ constant judgments and insistence she play chastity club role model for their church events, but if anything, the freedom has made her realize she can’t go home and be a hypocrite anymore. Tired of dodging their questions, she stays at school over the summer and lands in an unexpected crash pad: Riley Mann’s house.

Sarcastic, cocky, and full of opinions, Riley is also sexy personified with tattoos and biceps earned from working as a roofer all day. Not the right guy for her even if Jessica was looking for a relationship, which she is definitely not. But Jessica knows that Riley hides the burden of having to raise his younger brothers behind that grin and as she helps him get his house in order for a custody hearing, they begin to fall hard for each other, and she is forced to question what she’s hiding herself.

Jessica has never had a problem getting naked with a guy, but when it comes to showing Riley how she truly feels inside, her fear of rejection may just ruin the best thing—the best guy—to ever happen to her…

Jessica Sweet doesn't want to go home for the summer and be under the constant scrutiny of her parents, who are the head of her church organization. She wants to just stay behind and work, so she tells a little white lie about volunteering to build houses for the less fortunate. Off the hook for the summer, Jessica just needs to find a place to crash for a week until her new place becomes available. Unfortunately, the only one who can step up and help her is Riley, her friend's brother, who she thought didn't even like her. But beggars can't be choosers, and she soon finds herself alone in the house with Riley. Trying to thank him for taking her in, she gets it in her head that she can do a little charity work after all - by helping Riley clean up the house in time for the social worker's inspection, who's deciding whether or not to place Riley's youngest brother into social services. And along the way, she realizes that Riley didn't quite hate her after all, and that maybe, just maybe, she's seeing him in a different light as well.