Review: Beyond a Darkened Shore

Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Review: I really loved this one to start out with and I made it a little past 200 pages before I decided that this one was just not for me. I usually eat up books that are faster paced but this one seemed to be just a little too fast. I swore that these characters needed a vacation within the first 200 pages. I was like man people take a day off and rest for a few hours. Because from the start of this one it was one bad guy to the next and the next and the next and the next. And as I crept toward that 200 pages I just lost interest in what was going on.

I really loved the mythology that was used as well as the characters. For this one it was all the the action that just didn't work for me at all.

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Review: Five Feet Apart

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review: This story was wonderful and yes it did make me cry. And when I watched the movie it was even worse. This story is so sad but also so eye opening. It covers the illness of CF or cystic fibrosis. You learn a lot of about this illness during the course of this story from how new lungs won't cure them but give them another 5+ years to live. And how they must stay 6 feet apart from other CF's or risk infection.

This story started out with Stella living for her treatment and Will not wanting to live at all. But by the end everything changed I really loved how strong Stella was and although she did have a save the world complex (as the story says) there was just something about her where you wanted to get healthy if you weren't.

Book vs. Movie I have to say that I was happily surprised when I watched the movie to this one. They did everything they could to keep this the same. I found out later that this had been a screen play first then had been turned into a book. I think more books need to happen this way. Because for the most part things were word for word from book to movie. Which makes my book to movie heart happy. The one major thing that the book did and that the movie did not was give us 8 more months. At the end of the book we get an epilogue that is set 8 months after the end of the movie. And that is what a lot better than the open ending of the movie.

In the end I really enjoyed both the movie and the book but if I had to choose one I think for this one I would choose the book for those extra 8 months. I kind of feel like Stella right now as I am stealing those 8 months from the book and really wished we would have gotten to see that in the movie.


Go Into This One Knowing: cystic fibrosis, Death, Talking about Death, Movie (Open Ending), Book (8 Months Later)

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Review: Crown of Feathers

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

My Review: I wanted to love this one so much. I mean the cover was just so pretty and I love stories about sisters, magic, and magical creatures. But I have to say that this one started out pretty well with some info dumping but the author started out with this being done in a way that I wanted to learn more. But the closer I crept towards 60 pages I just found myself wanting to skim the pages because it was just dragging so bad. After that I was just kind of done. The dual POV wasn't right for this story if you ask me. I would have much rather had the story all in Veronyka's as I was really interested in her part of the story and really didn't care about the other guy who I have to say wasn't even in the description of this title. So that was kind of weird.

For me I really just wished that this book would have been faster.


Go Into This One Knowing: Dual POV, Slow Plot, InfoDumping

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Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review: When I started this one I really was thinking that I was going to end up DNFing it. And that all was because of the pacing. This is this author first dip into the world of fantasy and don't get me wrong the book was freaking amazing and by the end, I was like NO NO NO You can't end yet!!! And that major twist at the end was just WOW I did not see that coming!! But the rest of the book especially the middle parts were very slow and really reminds me more of a contemporary novel vs. a fantasy. I mean yes this one had the cursed castle and prince etc. But the core parts of the book laid heavy in the romantic aspect and well Contempo.

I will say that as this is a series I think Kemmerer is more than capable to flourish as a fantasy author I just think that this one could have been just a tad better.

This book wow just wow. I loved what Brigid did with the characters and the world. This twist on a tale as old as time knocked my socks off for the most part. I loved how she wove elements of sci-fi (parallel worlds) with that of fantasy and her normal titles which are contemporary. This story was so beautifully woven with all of these elements and I could not put it down. I can not wait for the next title in the series and I have to say that for a first try into the world of fantasy I think the author did a bang-up first try.



Go Into This One Knowing: Dual POV (there is one more POV at the end), Blend of Scifi, Fantasy, and Heavy Contemporary, Slight Cliffhanger, A Little Slow in the Middle.

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Review: In Another Life

In Another Life by C.C. Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review: When I first started reading this one I found myself pulled into the story. I will have to see if some of this comes up in the finished copy so please be advised that I am saying this via an ARC. So one major issue I had with this one was that early on Cash (yes that is his name) talks about having one of those DNA test things from like Ancestry.com and then that's it. Its never mentioned after that. I thought it was a little weird and well kind of stupid to bring it up if nothing came of it.

The entire story about a girl who was adopted but might have been kidnapped was great. It had danger and mystery, a little romance, and a lot of heart. But I kind of wished that a little of it would have been cleaned up just a little more than what it was. My ARC of this book is 336 pages and I think this could have been cut down by say 50-75 pages give or take. Towards the middle parts when they are in the thick of the mystery of finding out for sure if Chole had been kidnapped it began to drag a lot. So that was kind of disappointing as I think this is the first book by this author that I didn't flat out a scream from the rooftops loved. I mean don't get me wrong I did LOVE it but as it sits it wasn't the 5 stars read I was hoping for.

So all in all this book had two main characters it was told in alternating POV of them then one other POV towards the middle-end parts. I won't tell you who that one is since I don't want to spoil anything. I loved Chloe and me really kind of wanted to bend Cash over my knee and bust his butt. (not in a sexual way btw but as a parent). I really wished that this book would have had a little more of him coming to terms with who he was and the issues he harbored against his past. The book pretty much takes like three paragraphs and does that but it would have been nice to really see him talk with his foster parents and really come to terms with his anger and guilt. Another thing I wished would have really happened which I guess it kind of did but not how I really wanted it to. Chloe in this is pretty much the parent. Her mom is going downhill, she is getting over Cancer (which was hard to read about since my mom is doing the same thing), she is going through a divorce from her husband cheating on her and of course, she is just not doing well. I would have liked to see Chole to break a few eggs as she said and rip into her mom about her being the child and her being the mom. She did yell at her about taking pills which I thought was great. But I wish they would have had a real conversation about what was going on. For Chole's dad, I think his side of the story worked well. I was kind of sad of one turn in the story that although was ok I was really hoping that a certain purchase was going to be him trying to win Chole's mom back. But alas it was not meant to be. Last but not least Cash's foster parents were great we got to learn a little about them etc. I don't really have anything to say about them.

I do have to say that I loved that parents were actually in the story and not just one but two full sets of mom and dad!! I mean YES PLEASE!!

The romance in this one was light but deep. I really loved the epilogue we got at the end. Although this two fall in love early I didn't feel like it was insta-love I felt like they had spent time together and bonded. So that was wonderful.

So the mystery of wither or not Chole had been kidnapped. This I have to say got me going at first. Towards the end of the book, you learn if it was one way or another and the secret is out of the bag. I kind of wished that the author would have omitted those parts out since it took the mystery out of the story from then on. You know the truth and that's that. Although it became somewhat predictable I still enjoyed getting to that part and learning the truth.

At the end of this one, I kind of wished that this would have centered around Chole finding out the truth sooner then them dealing with the outcome of that truth. Then the danger towards the end wouldn't have felt so rushed and more could have happened. With Chole and her family dealing with emotions etc. As well as Cash and Chole learning how to deal with their romance. And Cash with his issues.



Go Into This One Knowing: Child Kidnapping, LGBT in passing, Child Abuse, Adoption, Romance

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Review: Mortal Heart

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review: Out of the three books in this series I think this one was my favorite! I am sad that I did not get an epilogue which I am very sad about. I will say that what I got was one great journey that I will not soon forget. Although I prob. am not saying anyone's names right. This was such a story about a girl who found her destiny and her love and my god it was so good. If you are looking for a series about nuns who kick butt and gods/saints then check out this one.

Go Into This One Knowing: No Epilogue, No Love Triangle, No Cliffhanger (persay)


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Review: Tree of Ages

Tree of Ages by Sara C. Roethle
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I really wanted to love this. It starts out with a girl who was a tree who turns into a girl and I was like YES PLEASE!! This is like totally new and fresh. But, shortly after that this book started going downhill. I could get behind her going to where she was being pulled to and I really loved all the characters but the story/plot itself just wasn't working for me. At one point they have to put their trip on hold because all of a sudden there is a plot twist that really just made this one fall apart.

This is the issue that I have with indie books some are really good and then you get the ones that failed to really work. I think that if the author went back and did some major edits and just cleaned up the pacing etc. That this could be an amazing title. But as it sits for at least me it just failed to give me what I was looking for.

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