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

Hate List

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

*Spoilers*
I had high hopes for this book when I first picked it up. It had potential to be a life-changing story, but I was disappointed. The story line was good and bad. I'm not even sure what exactly it was that it was missing, but something WASN'T there. I don't know if the book maybe would have benefited from spending more time with Nick before the shooting, maybe we would have gotten more perspectives. And I expected the art studio owner a to amount to an integral character, because she was first portrayed as being so mysterious and automatically knowing Valerie's name. But she really wasn't anything other than someone who let her paint on her canvases. 
The idea of the book was good and the the novel was generally good, but I just felt like it could have done so much more.

Pusblisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Indigo Spell(Bloodlines, #3)

Indigo Spell left me in such an amazing mood after closing that back cover. I'm so happy with how Richelle Mead ended this most recent novel-for a while I was getting a bit worried that things would turn out...bad-but no, once again Richelle Mead delivered the goods.
Adrian is as hot as ever, Sydney is is so loveabley nerdy, and the rest of the crew is just amazing.
The only thing I was expecting that didn't show up in this book was a love triangle of some kind involving our new character that is introduced in this book. But I'm not necessaarily upset by the fact that there isn't a typical love-triangle that's in every book.
-SPOILER-
There was one thing I was confused about afterwards though. In the last book we read all about how Sydney's blood is rare and special and mystical and poisonous to other vampires, it was built up so much that it was expected that would show up again and be a big part of this book. But no...her blood issue wasn't brought up once? That was only thing that left me a a little disappointed.
-YOU CAN READ THIS-
But this book was amazing as usual and I suggest you contine Sydney's journey with this next installemt in the Bloodlines Series.

Publisher: Razorbill