Black Ice by: Becca Fitzpatrick

Black Ice by: Becca Fitzpatrick

Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 392
Published: October 7th, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Synopsis: Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

Purchase: Amazon | Bookdepository

My Thoughts:

Black Ice is a book that I've heard so many people become excited for when it first released so I put it on my tbr in hopes that I would get around to it soon.  Once people started to read it and give it somewhat bad reviews, it definetly made me think twice about reading it.  That is until I seen it in my library.  I decided to just see what this book was about for myself, and I'm actually glad that I did.

The beginning of this book was somewhat enjoyable, but I started to lose interest quickly because of the two main female characters, Britt and Korbie.  Korbie gave me a complete headache and Britt was just annoying to the point where I can't really pinpoint an exact moment that annoyed me the most.  Even then I kept reading on, and took a few days break when I got to the middle of the book when the two girls where in the mountains.  This portion dragged on for so long with hardly anything happening and I was so tempted to just not finish the book because there was nothing exciting happening.  But I guess the break I took from this book gave me the drive to complete it since I was more than half way through, and I'm glad that I did!

The ending of this book took such a wonderful turn that I was shocked and excited to see how everything ended, although I did have a theory of who the murderer was.  I do think that people should give Black Ice a shot and see how they feel, because even though I pratically despised this book in the beginning, my feelings compeletly changed all because of the last 100 or so pages.

Final Verdict: 3 Stars

Never Never by: Colleen Hoover

Never Never by: Colleen Hoover

Edition: Kindle
Pages: 159
Published: January 7th, 2015
Publisher: Hoover Ink

Goodreads Synopsis: Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.

Complete strangers since this morning.

He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget.

Purchase: Amazon | Bookdepository

My Thoughts:

This is a book that I noticed so many people reading in the book community as well as adding it to there Goodreads and mentioning how amazing it was, so like always I got extremely curious and ordered this book on my Nook (it was only $2.99 so I couldn't pass it up).

Like you can see from the synopsis there wasn't much of a description to give me an idea of what this book was about so I went into it with really high expectations since so many people thoroughly enjoyed it.  This story basically follows Charlie and Silas who can't remember anything about their lives or really who they are, so they set out to find clues that could hopefully spark their memory.  This is basically what the whole book is about in a nut shell.  And for this fact I can't quite say that I enjoyed reading this book.  Its almost as if I am lost for words because although some details about Charlie and Silas's lives are uncovered it is still not enough to even know what is going on.

As far as the characters Charlie was super annoying, especially how she would act towards Silas when he was only trying to make her feel better, in my opinion.  With that being said my favorite character thus far is Silas! I love the way he interacts with other people and how we get to see how he feels about Charlie.

The best part for me was the ending and that is what truly has me excited for the next book!  Also, the way these authors added in Avril's character was perfect, I definitely didn't expect that at all.  Although, this wasn't the best book I have read, it kept my interested enough that I will definitely keep reading the rest of the series because I need to know what Silas and Charlie did to get in the situation that they are in now.

Final Verdict:
3.5 Stars

To-Be-Read | May 2017

 Today I want to bring to you my May TBR. For those of you who don't know what that is, it literally stands for To Be Read. So the books listed below are those that I foresee myself reading in the month of May.

This year I have a reading goal of 30 books, and I am terribly behind (7books behind exactly). With that being said, hopefully in the months to come I can surpass that goal or at the very least meet my goal of 30 books.

All books that I happen to not read this month will spill over into June.

My May TBR:

1. Torn by: Amanda Hocking
2. Illuminae by: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
3. The Minaturist by: Jessie Burton
4. Lover Awakened by: J.R. Ward
5. Do Not Disturb by: A.R. Torre
6. Requiem by: Lauren Oliver

I'm really excited for this reading month because all of the books that are on my TBR are either from a series I need to finish or one that has received rave reviews. Stay tuned for my wrap up in June!

What are you reading this month?

Have you read any of the books mentioned above?

Switched by: Amanda Hocking

Switched by: Amanda Hocking

Edition: Paperback

Pages: 318

Published: January 3rd, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Goodreads Synopsis: When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

Purchases: Amazon | Bookdepository


My Thoughts:

Switched follows a girl named Wendy who never seems to
fit in at any school that she attends. This causes issues with her family resulting in the constant school hopping that she experiences. As the story develops we see that Wendy isn't exactly living the life that was intended for her. The shock from these secrets unraveling makes her rethink everything that she has ever knew, including the family that she had called her own. Getting into the swing of dealing with her new life, the weight of her new title and the constant emotional ups and downs for her potential love interest you see the struggles of a girl that really just wants life to go back to normal. The problem is they don't!

This book has been on my want list for quite sometime, and when I finally found the omnibus version of the whole series at the bookstore I took the plunge and bought it. I'm so glad that I did because I really enjoyed everything about it. This book is about changelings and trolls. and to be honest I don't think I have ever read a book about trolls but it sure does make them sound interesting. Especially because they are actually pretty and have an array of different powers that I myself wouldn't mind having.

I put Amanda Hocking on a pedestal for simply creating great books like no other. Also, for being such a success in the Self-Publishing world when she first put out her books.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants something different to read. Or just needs a lighter book to read in between a huge series/fantasy novel.

Final verdict: 4 stars

Carry On by: Rainbow Rowell

Carry On by: Rainbow Rowell

Edition: Hardback
Pages: 522
Published: October 6th, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Purchase: Amazon | Bookdepository

Goodreads Synopsis: Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters. 

My Thoughts:  It is no secret that I am not much of a fan of Rainbow Rowell's novels.  Personally I feel like she is a great writer and creates very unique books, but I just feel that it takes too long for anything interesting to happen, and when it finally does I have almost finished reading the book.

Carry On follows Simon Snow, who is seen as the "Chosen One" and his schoolmates through their last year at the Watford School of Magicks. Through the course of this school Simon not only is able to control his magic but he also finds out who he truly is meant to be...in more ways than one.  My main issue with this novel is that the first half of the book was so boring.  Literally, nothing of importance happened that made me want to stick it out and continue reading.  So, I put this book down for a few weeks, and when I got motivated to read again I finally picked this book back up again.  I still was having a tough time getting through this book until Baz, Simon's enemy, admitted his true feelings for one of the characters.  And I can tell you for that reason alone, I ended up enjoying this book more than I thought I would.

I can't say that I would recommend this book because I feel that it went on longer than it really needed to, and this book is quite long.  Also, I didn't like the fact that Rainbow Rowell never answered or went in to detail of very important moments/facts that happened in the characters lives.  For instance, why wasn't Simon's Snows parents brought up for Simon and the others to know?  The readers have this knowledge, but as far as the characters they never knew this information.  Once the story did wrap up, I felt that it was rushed and some things happened way too conveniently.  There was one scene, where Baz attended a party and did something that caught everyone's attention (I'm sparing you the details so not to spoil the book) and that technically wouldn't be accept but it didn't cause any questions or disturbance, for lack of a better word.

In the end, I just wished that this book was better written and with that I feel like I would have possibly enjoyed this book more than I did.  And although, I don't care for Rainbow Rowell's book I will finish what I've started and read all of her books.

Final Verdict: 3 Stars

Walk on Earth a Stranger by: Rae Carson

Walk on Earth a Stranger by: Rae Carson

Edition: Hardback

Pages: 432 

Published: September 22, 2015

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Purchase: Amazon | Bookdepository

Goodreads Synopsis: Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

My Thoughts:
This book follows Leah Westfall, a Teenage girl living in Georgia with her parents on a small homestead during the Gold Rush era.  But Leah carries the burden of a secret that her and her family has kept since she was a child, she can sense Gold around her.  This is a wonderful gift since her ability to sense gold has brought in money for her family, but when a big event happens in the beginning of the book Leah finds herself traveling across the country to find the one person she can trust the most.

Walk on Earth a Stranger is not like any book I have read.  Going into it I didn't really know what the story was about, but because it was so popular in the book community I decided to give it a go, and I am glad I did.  This book starts out with so much drama and action that it keeps you entertained throughout the whole story.  Most YA novels take almost half of the book to truly get into what the whole story was about, but Rae Carson wasted no time in that aspect and for that alone she gets two thumbs up!

Leah is a character that I didn't have to learn to love, but instantly cared about her from the beginning.  She was so strong and no matter what she went through or what people did to her she kept going and never gave up.  I also feel that I have learned a lot about what the people had went through during this time period.  For instance, the Native Americans and African Americans had it pretty rough.  The Native Americans were usually to blame when things went wrong instead of the people finding the real cause of their problems.  But this is to be expected during this time period.

I really liked most of the characters, although sometimes it was hard to keep up with each person because Leah came in contact with so many people.  My favorite characters have to be Jeff and Leah, but I also came to like Mrs. Joyner, and Major Craven.  All in all, I would definitely recommend this book.

*Like a River Glorious, the second book in the Gold Seer Trilogy is expected to be released on September 27th, 2016 .

Final Verdict: 5 stars

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by: Patrick Ness

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by: Patrick Ness

Edition: U.S. Hardback
Pages: 352
Published: August 27th, 2015
Publisher: Walker Books

Purchase: Amazon | BookDepository

Goodreads Synopsis: What if you aren’t the Chosen One?

The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.


My Thoughts:
I've been so behind on the Patrick Ness bandwagon that it isn't funny and after finishing The Rest of Us Just Live Here, have decided to read his other books because his storytelling is pretty awesome!!

I went into this book completely blind and let me tell you, this is by far the weirdest book I have read thus far. This book follows a group of kids (the normal ones!) in their last year of high school and also another group of kids, the Indie kids (which are the weird ones) which for some odd reason bad things Always happens to them.  That's about all I can say without spoiling anything...I want you to be able to experience the weirdness for yourself!

Honestly, I ended up liking this book way better than I initially thought I would.  Although, Patrick Ness adds some interesting twists to the main story line, I love how the characters seem so real and go through real life situations (at least the "normal" characters).  In most YA novels I notice that the characters seem to overcome all the issues they face throughout the book, whereas the characters in The Rest of Us Just Live Here, don't necessarily overcome their issues but just deal with the issues at hand, and that's what I enjoyed most!

This is definitely one of the most clever books that I have read this year, and recommend it to anyone! Next up on my list from this author, is the Chaos Walking Trilogy.

Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars