Book Review: “Marked” by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

D E S C R I P T I O N

“After a Vampire Tracker Marks her with a crescent moon on her forehead, 16-year-old Zoey Redbird enters the House of Night and learns that she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx and has affinities for all five elements: Air, Fire Water, Earth and Spirit. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite club, is mis-using her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny – with a little help from her new vampyre friends (or Nerd Herd, as Aphrodite calls them)”

Rose- Worthy Features

I know I say this a lot but I liked the idea of this book. It sounded interesting, a boarding school where vampires go to grow, boom interest captured, but sadly that is the only thing that this book captured for me.

Thorny Features

Sadly, there are more dislikes then likes for this book, one of them being the main character, Zoey. It was like she was trying to be this badass heroine but she just seemed like an annoying teenager to me. I could see how she was trying to be relatable, the outcast, who finds out she has a toxic best friend and then an annoying boyfriend but reading about Zoey made my head hurt.

The plot was a major cliché. The outcast trying to take down the bratty popular girl, who would have guessed it. I feel like because the plot was so cliché I didn’t even need to finish the book. I already knew how it was going to end. There were no surprises or twists that made this book different from any other book.

To make things even more cliché, of course, Zoey catches the attention of the hottest guy in school, Eric. Uhh, clichés how I love and hate you. I think this cliché romance would have been better if it was more involved in the book. I feel like I only got to read about Eric for a couple of chapters. If he was more involved in the book I would have liked the romance a lot more.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I rate this book a 1 out of 5. This book was not for me. Not one bit. This book is 206 pages and it took me almost a month to finish, I’ve finished 400-page books in a day before. This book took a lot of energy to finish which made a lot less enjoyable. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, you’ve just been reviewed.

 

Book Review: “White Hot Kiss” by Jennifer L. Armentrout

D E S C R I P T I O N

“THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

BOOK ONE OF THE FANTASTICAL DARK ELEMENTS SERIES

ONE KISS CAN KILL

Layla just wants to be normal—fit in at school, go out on real dates and do other typical teenager things. Trouble is, Layla is anything but normal and her longtime crush, Zayne, treats her like a little sister. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities that no one else possesses. And even though Zayne is a Warden, part of the race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe, Layla’s kiss will kill anything with a soul—including him.

Enter Roth—a smart-mouthed demon who claims to know her deepest, most dangerous secrets. Though Layla knows she should stay away, it’s tough when that whole soul thing isn’t an issue. Trusting Roth could brand her a traitor to the Warden family that raised her and destroy her relationship with Zayne. But with a violent demon uprising looming in the distance, kissing the enemy suddenly pales in comparison to the end of the world.”

Rose-Worthy Features

One thing that I can guarantee while reading this book was that the plot was interesting! So many different scenarios were coming up, secrets were revealed and kept, and best of all plot twist!

I thought Roth and Layla were like the Damon and Elena from The Vampire Diaries. Their relationship was flirty and full of chemistry. They both care about each other deeply. I liked seeing their relationship develop as the book goes on because they start out

I liked the idea of having the Wardens, a group of hunters trying to keep the balance because it reminded me of the secret council in mystic falls. I think it was an interesting twist that made the book more interesting.

I loved Roth! He was so charming! Uhhh! I can always count on Jennifer L. Armentrout to write a good leading man because Roth was awesome. He was sarcastic and charming but also sweet and sensitive. Roth ended up being my favorite character in the book. Mostly because I got to see different sides of him that I didn’t get to see from Layla.

Thorny Features

Now, this isn’t exactly a full thorny feature but Layla was like Elana in the sense that some people like her, while others find her annoying. Layla was nice but she kept secrets which came to bite her in the butt.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 5. I still definitely recommend reading this book! I love Jennifer L. Armentrout. She’s written some of my favorite books. I’ve even done a review on her other book ‘Half-Blood’, definitely check that book out later. I think if you liked Damon and Elena’s relationship then you will like reading about Roth and Layla’s. They have a lot of similarities! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, you’ve just been reviewed.

Book Review: “Vampire Academy” by Richelle Mead

D E S C R I P T I O N 
“Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies . . .

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires – the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger . . . and the Strigoi are always close by.

Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever . . .”

Rose-Worthy Features

Probably my favorite thing from this book was Rose and Lisa’s friendship! It was so sweet! I loved how protective they were of each other and how much they cared about each other. It was clear that they both valued each other.

Oh my god, the relationship! Ahh! I loved how different both relationships were and how perfect they were. First off Rose and Dimitri had A LOT of chemistry. Dimitri is helping Rose catch up on her training and its clear from the beginning that they have an attraction for each other. I loved how different there personalities were, with Rose being very sarcastic and Dimitri being stone-faced. Now as much as I loved reading about Rose and Dimitri my favorite relationship was by far Lissa and Eric. They were both royalty and are both considered outcasts. I loved how Eric was more on the dangerous side while Lisa was more innocent and sweet. Just like Rose and Dimitri, I love how Eric and Lisa’s personalities were opposites. I think opposite personalities in a relationship make the relationship more interesting and in this book it did.

Again, I LOVE plot twist and I think the end of this book was the ultimate plot twist. I didn’t expect it or see it coming.

Most of the plot was watching Lisa get darker and darker and become more consumed by magic and I loved it! I think reading about Lisa’s character change was probably my favorite part of this book. There were also lots of different moments where I was completely intrigued. Especially with all the different magic aspects.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I liked both Lisa and Rose. I think both of their personalities developed as the book went on and now that I think about they were kind of like Damon and Stephen from The Vampire Diaries. Rose being sarcastic like Damon and Lisa being the calm one like Stephen.

Final Thoughts

            Overall, I rate this book a 5 out of 5. I honestly don’t have anything to complain about. This book was highly entertaining and I recommend reading it. If you like watching The Vampire Diaries or Legacies, then I am positive that you will LOVE reading this book! If you have read ‘Vampire Academy’ let me know your thoughts on this book in the comments. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, you’ve just been reviewed.

Book Review: “Jessica’s Guide To Dating on the Dark Side” by Beth Fantaskey

D E S C R I P T I O N

“The undead can really screw up your senior year …

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.”

Rose-Worthy Features

The characters in this book were defiantly one of the main reasons why I loved this book as much as I did. Not just because of their personalities more for the changes they each went through. Jessica started as this naïve teenager whose life just turned upside down but towards the end of the book, you see how much she’s matured. Instead of completely ignoring everything that has happened to her she deals with it and I think. I liked her so much more from seeing her growth. I’ll admit she was ANNOYING at the beginning of the book. It got to the point where I would roll my eyes or let out a sign every time she said something so immature or stupid but trust me you won’t be disappointed by the end of this book!

Now onto to Lucious. I think I fell in love with him. He’s such a gentleman and he was so kind and honestly just perfect, but just like Jessica, he changed. After spending some time with Jessica and her family he sees how much he’s missed and after a drastic event happened, he’s demeanor completely changed. He wasn’t the lovely Lucious anymore, he was cold and distant. It was interesting to read about the change in personality.

The relationship between this book was a ‘Flipped’ by Wendelin Van Draanen type of relationship if you get what I mean. It starts with Lucious chasing Jessica and ends with Jessica chasing Lucious. Their relationship was different from what I expected, it was full of so many problems but it’s clear that they are meant to be together.

The plot was pretty simple, not gonna lie. It was simple but with a different twist, it made the plot more enjoyable.

Throughout the book, there are letters written by Lucious to his uncle and I liked that the author included those because I think it made the book more interesting and it was interesting to see what was going on in Lucious’s head.

Final Thoughts

Overall I rate this book a 5 out of 5. I liked how it started a little cliché but then took a one-eighty and completely changed. I would definitely recommend reading this book! It was absolutely amazing and I enjoyed reading it! The characters, the setting everything about this book

Book Review: ‘The Coldest Girl In Coldtown’ by Holly Black

D E S C R I P T I O N

“Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black”

Rose-Worthy Features

I love a good sassy character and Tana was the perfect sassy character. Full of clever combats and an edgy personality, I found Tana to be a really interesting main character. She has a mysterious past and she doesn’t like feeling vulnerable. Tana character developed as the book went on with her facing her fears and leaving her family.

Gavriel was something. Imagine Klaus Mikealson, Damon Salvatore and add a hint of crazy and bam that’s Gavriel. He was very dark and mysterious, which makes him and Tana an interesting pair.

Just being straight forward the plot was not my favorite but it did feel like I was I watching a movie. Holly Black writes amazing books with amazing writing like, ‘The Cruel Prince’. I liked that it was told in third person, I think that’s what gave me the movie vibes of this book.

The relationship between Pearl and Tana was probably one of my favorite aspects of this book. It reminded me a lot of Elena and Jeremy’s relationship. It was sweet but also protective and you could tell straight away that Tana was protective of Pearl and that Pearl completely adored her older sister.

Thorny Features

Everyone knows a good villain when they see one, or in this case read about one. Lucien was not the type of villain that had me shaking in fear. He had the type of personality similar to Klaus but weaker. Klaus is the definition of a (hot) villain, Lucien was just this guy who was rich, powerful and wore a smirk on his face. Throughout the book I got more villain vibes from Gavriel compared to Lucien.

The plot wasn’t there for me. I had so much higher expectations, this book has been on my tbr since middle school and it let me down. This book took me three weeks to finish and it was mostly because of the plot. It was to slow for my taste. I kept waiting for something to happen until it didn’t.

Like The Vampire Diaries, this book had a love triangle but it was probably the weakest love triangle I’ve ever read. There was the charming ex-boyfriend Aidan and the mysterius Gavriel, but the love triangle was more like a faded back up triangle.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I rate this book a 2.5 out of 5. I had higher expectations for this book, so much higher and it definitely let me down at some aspects. The characters were interesting but by far not my favorite characters from Holly Black. If you’re into slower plotted books then this may just be your new favorite book. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, you’ve just been reviewed.

Books To Read If You LOVE The Vampire Diaries!

Hi! So, I’ve been gone for over two months and I’ve missed blogging SO much! With school starting (the treacherous junior year) and extra curricular activities, I haven’t had as much time to be reading/ blogging. But don’t worry I’m getting back into the groove and October is going to be an AWESOME reading month!

Now that the life update is done lets get into one of my favorite subject, The Vampire Diaries! I’ve watched The Vampire Diaries over three times and I love it! I’m currently rewatching it right now and all those emotions I have about this show are coming back. Get reading for six amazing books to read if you LOVE The Vampire Diaries:

1. The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

    If you were like me and loved Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries, then you will be obsessed with the main character Rose. Take Damon’s personality, snarky, sassy and badass, and put it in a girl, that’s Rose! This book is full of entertaining moments along with steamy boy drama that will have your heart lurching. ‘The Vampire Academy’ is the perfect teen read with, boy drama, mystery and of course, supernatural creatures. If you loved ‘The Vampire Diaries’ then this book will be one of your new favorite books!

     2. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

            If you loved Tyler Lockwoods werewolf storyline then you will adore ‘Nightshade’! With a love triangle similar to Caroline, Tyler and Klaus this book will have your heart retching and gasp will leave your mouth with each twist and turn. The plot is unique and different from any other werewolf book I’ve read and will surely have you interested beginning to end.

     3. White Hot Kiss Jennifer L. Armentrout 

            ‘White Hot Kiss’ is one of those books that remind you of The Vampire Diaries, sure there are no vampires but it doesn’t make this book any less enjoyable. The thing that made this book really worth reading for me was the relationship. Layla and Roth were like another version of Damon and Elena. Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of the BEST teen supernatural romance authors out there and she definitely did not let me down with this book!

     4. Jessica’s Guide To Dating On The Darkside by Beth Fantaskey 

            Going into this book I’ll admit it felt a little cliché and something I would find off wattpad (nothing against wattpad) but as I kept reading all the detail and twist took over and it’s safe to say that I fell in love with this book! Lucious reminded of Elijah from ‘The Vampire Diaries’/ ‘The Originals’! I love Elijah! He’s personality is so different from everybody else and Lucious is probably one of my favorite characters from this book. I definitely recommend reading this book, it may seem cliché but I promise it’s worth reading!

     5. The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black 

This book is told like a movie! With engaging character like Gavriel, he is literally Damon Salvatore and Klaus Mikealson in one, this book will have you interested beginning to end. The storyline is told similar to a movie plot, which made it so captivating! The characters are complex and intriguing, my favorite definitely being the dark Gavriel. With the wonderful writing of Holly Black, the author of ‘The Cruel Prince’ and many more, this book will have you captured from beginning to end.

     6.  Marked by Kristin Cast and P. C. Cast

            ‘Marked’ was more like the new spin off, Legacies than The Vampire Diaries but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable. With a classic mean girl vs. new girl stand off this book with have you captured from beginning to end. Even though this is a vampire book, there is an even BIGGER supernatural twist! There is a steamy romance and powerful new friendships.

Make sure to stay tuned for some more in depth reviews over these AMAZING books! Thank you for sticking with me and get ready for more book related post! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, you’ve just been reviewed. 

Book Review: “Tempest Rising” by Tracy Deebs

D E S C R I P T I O N

“On land…

Tempest Maguire loves her California coastline home. Surfing the killer waves. Taking care of her brothers and dad. Loving her longtime boyfriend, Mark. But the weight of her secret is pulling her under, toward the ocean’s ever-growing call.

Among the waves…

Tempest’s secret? She is half mermaid, a legacy left by her absent mother, who returned to the ocean many years ago. And now Tempest has her own choice to make. Complicating matters is Kona, an enigmatic newcomer whose otherworldly abilities hint at a shared passion and common secrets.

Beyond the sea…

But there is more at stake besides Tempest’s heart and her identity – her life may be in danger too. Because the waters hide a mysterious and dark secret world of their own, one full of sweeping romance and thrilling adventure – but one where nobody, least of all Tempest, is safe. ”

Rose-Worthy

I’ll be honest, I picked this book mostly because I just felt like reading about a mermaid, and this book happened to be one of the first books that popped up. So, I loved the idea of reading about mermaids, but that was one of the only things I liked about this book.

Thorny Features

Love triangles are a controversial subject in the book community. Some people love them, while others not so much. Don’t get me wrong, I relish reading about love triangles but I hated this one. Tempest was dating her on and off again boyfriend Mark, and they seemed cute together. But then Tempest meets Kona and everything changes. It was hard to like Tempest and Kona’s relationship because I knew that Tempest was cheating on Mark and that annoyed me.

Tempest was annoying. Just gonna rip off that band aid. REALLY annoying! She was always lying from her close friends and then got annoyed when other people got withheld information from her. Not to mention that when she found out specific information, she freaked out. I just didn’t like her. She acted like a brat and had her own emotional issues after her mother left.

The plot was eh. I feel like the whole time I was just waiting for something! And when it got to the main conflict scene, I was disappointed. The scene went by to fast and lasted a chapter or two. The whole plot in a whole was disappointing! I wanted so much more to happen, like Tempest really connecting with her mom before she left.

I think the main reason I didn’t love this book, was because I couldn’t relate to the main character. Whenever Tempest went through a difficult situation, it was hard to connect with her. She just wasn’t relatable.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I rate this book a 2 out of 5. That’s being pretty generous. I wasn’t a big fan of this book. I wished I enjoyed it more because it had a lot of potential, it just wasn’t excellent. Tempest was irritating, and I couldn’t relate to her, which made it hard to care about what was happening to her. I hope you enjoyed this post, you’ve just been reviewed.

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✰‘Tempest Rising’ by Tracy Deebs

Book Review: “The Forest Queen” by Betsy Cornwell

D E S C R I P T I O N

“When sixteen-year-old Sylvie’s brother takes over management of their family’s vast estates, Sylvie feels powerless to stop his abuse of the local commoners. Her dearest friend asks her to run away to the woods with him, and soon a host of other villagers join them. Together, they form their own community and fight to right the wrongs perpetrated by the king and his noblemen.”

Rose-Worthy Features     

While reading this book I LOVED all the original Robin Hood references like instead of Little John it was Little Jane, and even Mariam showed up in one of the scenes. Sylvie’s brother was the sheriff and was abusing the commoners just like in Robin Hood. There was even a robbery scene, even if it was only one.

Probably the best part of this book was the GIRL POWER! With Sylvie being the ultimate girl boss. She helped so many people and was the ultimate supporter. She had so many moments where I felt proud of her, whether it was her sticking up for self against her brother or comforting her new friend Little Jane, there was always some girl power that needed some proud recognition.

Thorny Features     

I’ve noticed that throughout my years of reading, I’m not the biggest fan of books with slow plots, and the plot in this book was slow. I was bored for most of the book because there wasn’t an exact direction where this book was going in. It just kind of flowed. Even when the plot did pick up, it wasn’t that exciting.

There were a few ‘gory’ scenes like Sylvie and Little Jane splitting and eating a heart together, and I’ll be honest, those scenes are just not for me. Even the first chapter is pretty descriptive when it talks about Sylvie hunting and killing a deer. Just a little warning, this book does contain mention of rape, suicide, and assault.

If you’ve been following my blog for long, you know I love romance, well not in this book. I feel like Sylvie and Bird just kind of ended up together at the end, there was no build to their relationship. I would have preferred if, throughout the book, it showed their relationship developing, even a few short scenes would have made a difference.

Final Thoughts     

Overall, I rate this book a 3 out of 5. I loved the idea of this book, but this book just wasn’t for me. There were too many little things that just ruined the book for me. I liked the darker twist to Robin Hood as well as the women empowerment, but I don’t know if I would read this book again. I would recommend that you at least try reading this book because there were some nice qualities to this book. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, you’ve just been reviewed.

Buy The Book

✰ ‘The Forest Queen’ by Betsy Cornwell

Book Review: “Stolen Songbird” by Danielle L. Jensen

D E S C R I P T I O N

“For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the mountain. When Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she realises that the trolls are relying on her to break the curse.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind: escape. But the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time…

But the more time she spends with the trolls, the more she understands their plight. There is a rebellion brewing. And she just might be the one the trolls were looking for…”

Rose-Worthy Features

Despite not really liking Cécile, the main character, I LOVED Tristan! He was so entertaining. His sarcastic remarks had me dying laughing. Even though he seemed very carefree and funny, Tristan was very caring and dedicated.

Now I’ll be honest, the plot took me a while to get into, which is a little strange considering I’ve read so many other books with similar plot lines. However, once the plot took its shape, I found the storyline to be much more entertaining and unique. Involving different aspects, I wouldn’t have even thought about. More plot twist took place, and I loved all the different twist and turns! Once the storyline took off, I couldn’t get this book out of my hands. So much so that when my book fell asleep my lofted bed when I was sleep tried using different things to get out. Hangers, tongs, but I just ended up squeezing my way in-between the window and the bed, lol.

Fun fact: I’m a sucker for a good family drama (Check out my blog post about some books with family drama), and this book had some difficult family dynamics between Tristan’s family. With the wicked king, strange queen, and insane brother, Tristan’s family was a handful. I enjoyed reading about their entertaining family.

Thorny Features

            I didn’t hate Cécile but, I didn’t love her either. Sure, there were moments where she was selfless and brave, but there were also moments where acted like a brat. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cécile, she was kind of irritating. Just the way her personality was in some of the dangerous scenes annoyed me. I felt like I was watching a scary movie and was yelling at the main character not to go into the basement.

The relationship between Cécile and Tristan had me conflicted. Sure, they had cute moments but, in my opinion, the whole relationship went by to fast. First there married and don’t talk, then they have one meaningful conversation and now it’s at the ‘I love you’ stage. I just didn’t get how fast it went by.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 5. The plot became a lot more enjoyable towards the end. With the different twist in turns, I finished this book in two days. Now even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cécile, I loved Tristan and the different layers to his character. The drama in this book reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl, but with trolls, haha. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, you’ve just been reviewed.

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✰  ‘Stolen Songbird’ by Danielle L. Jensen