Sacrifice (The Elementals) by Brigid Kemmerer

I had such high hopes for the final installment of "The Elementals Series" but I was so severely let down. Where the other books had romance, this had only a hint of that steam. Where the other books had me on the edge of my seat unable to put the book down, this one had me easily setting the book down and not looking forward to picking it back up. I understand that Micheal's story is meant to be more serious, I did not expect it to be this depressing. It was horrible trying to work my way through it. One horrible catastrophe after another. And in the end, nothing is truly resolved. I finished this book only to remain loyal to the rest of the series which I LOVED, but it was not easy to finish it. Not at all. 

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Jennifer Armentrout starts back up where she left off in "White Hot Kiss" but ramps up the heat. If you thought WHK was amazing, prepared to be blown away. With the first novel in the series, Layla's life focused it's romantic attention on Roth, SCT is all about Zayne. Where he may have seemed like a background character in the previous book, he definitely takes the forefront of this book. The steamy scenes in this book are moan-inducing and incredibly romantic. Not to mention there is excitement in literally every chapter. If you thought you had a team picked before, be ready to have that team be changed or tested in this book. Team Roth or Team Zayne? 

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Merciless by Danielle Vega

I am rather disappointed with this book…
Everyone was hyping this book up to be this horror novel for the ages and there was a good chance I wasn't going to be able to finish it because it was so scary and gory.That just wasn't the case. At all.
Yeah, it had its creepy moments, but not once did I want to put the book down because I just couldn't stand the fear any longer. And I know those books exist because I've read them.
Another point people kept brining up on reviews was how the ending was so shocking and scary…not really. You see the ending coming form a mile away- it's no surprise.
The plot of the book is a lot like the movie "The Haunting of Molly Hartley". Not exactly but VERY similar.
I just wanted this book to be so much more than it was.

Publisher: Razorbill

Essence by A.L. Waddington

This book was one giant bucket of disappointment and amateur writing, so you can imagine my confusion as to why it has received such great reviews by the literary world. I just don't understand.

I'm not going to sugarcoat anything: this book sounds like it was written by a sophomore in high school is just writing their first YA novel. The writing is just that poor. And don't even get me started on plot holes. The supernatural aspect of this book revolved around the fact that Jocelyn is existing between two parallel time dimensions (one post civil wore Chicago, one modern Chicago) and the author doesn't even take the time to delve into how this works. The concept is confusing and really makes no sense and Waddington is more than happy to not appease her readers in explaining how it works. The main character has no personality, really. And her love interest, Jackson, is one giant flaw of character writing. Why does he talk like he's from 1860 when he's just as modern as Jocelyn and she doesn't talk like that? But that's another aspect of the book- everyone talks as if they are 40 year old from 1950. Proper grammar when teenagers are talking, no slang, and unbelievable dialogue. Please don't waste your time with this book. 

Publisher: Booktrope

Everbound (Everneath #2)

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

*Spoiler Alert if you haven't read the first book-Everneath*
It's been a very long time since I've read a book this satisfying. And what a great descriptor for this book: satisfying. It has everything you could want in a young adult fantasy book. Romance, adventure, plot twists, cliff hangers, hot guys...
And don't even get me started on the CRAZY, HUGE, MONUMENTAL, COLOSSAL, GIGANTIC plot twist at the very end after having all your emotions be stroked, stabbed, kissed, stepped on, then thrown in the oven at 350 degrees for a few hundred pages until they come out nice and crispy...Not only are the key components of young adult novels in this, but the writing itself is great. It was GENIUS of Brodi Ashton to work in Jack in this book how she did. Normally when an author makes a major character disappear for a long amount of time, the reader will fall OUT of love with them, because they have forgotten them. Even when a book may be centered around saving them. But in this one she used Nikki's memories and their necessary nature to survive in the Everneath to keep Jack in the story so we still love him, even if we start falling for Cole.
READ.THIS.BOOK. It will not disappoint.

Publisher: Harper Collins

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This book was easily one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Perfection in writing and story-telling. There was never a dull moment and I fell in love with the leading ladies and their loves. This book had me sobbing, yelling, and swooning. Know that when you start this book you are starting a journey that will completely change the way you look at life and how you judge other cultures. Be prepared for the ride of your life.

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

I have mixed feeling on this book. On one hand I was slightly disappointed with the writing style, but on the other hand I still want to read the other books in the series. 
I tend to be picky about writing styles of different authors and this one hit a few of those nerves. Her writing style tends to sound a tad immature at times and she can be repetitive about different aspects. For example she will remind the reader about one girl being a 'Valkeryie' almot every time said character shows up in the book. It's unnecessary. 
Another aspect that annoyed me was the fact that she chose to make the novel somewhat of a romance novel but the issue of the romance didn't show up until almost halfway through the book. And because she waited so long for the romance to pick up, the relationship sped up way too fast and it went straight from enemies to love in a matter of a couple chapters.
I also found that she didn't spend alot of time with her characters and getting to know them. Especially the main character, Gwen. I could never get a good feel on her about what kind of girl she really was.
But the book wasn't all bad, the idea was unique and the plot was exciting, i was never bored while reading it. I still want to read the rest in the series.

Publisher: Kensington Teen