Sweet Reckoning (book 44)

This book was a great conclusion to the series. I think I might even go as far as to say it was the best in the trilogy. It tied up all loose ends and each character got their own little ending to their story.
1. Patti- Patti was kind of the rock of this demonic, rebelious group. She was one of the only humans yet she was one of the strongest people. She was always happy and ready to provide for anyone who needed help and love. She became a mother to Ginger and gave constant support to Anna and Kai during their rocky relationship. Her death was a bittersweet end to the series. Of course I was sad that Anna lost the only nother she had ever known but at the same time I felt peace. Patti was strong thoughout her capture and only had love for the Neph even when she was dying. The reason I accepted Patti's death was because Anna got to witness an angel coming down to take Patti to Heaven. I feel like her death was had a huge impacted on all of the Neph and it gave them the will they needed to fight the Dukes.
2. Belial- Belial finally got his happy ending and was reuinted with his fellow angels in Heaven. I guess you can technically say he died too and Anna lost her father but she knew this would happen if they succeeded. I really enjoyed Belial's character after he had taken the body of Big Rotty. I loved being able to see his mannerisms change when he changed bodies yet he was still himself. I think Anna will miss her dad but I would like to think that he would be able to contact her in some way in the future.
3. Jay and Marna- They had one of the saddest stories in this book. Jay and Marna finally expressed their love for eachother and of course something goes wrong. Marna becomes pregnant which eventually leads to her death. I had been hoping since they had rid the world of demons that Marna would live through her child's birth but sadly she passed. it was pretty sad knowing almost the whole book that Marna would die but at the same time she provided a light to the other Neph. Jay made the cutest boyfriend and the best father-to-be. Even though their daughter lost her mom she still had a great father and a great group of Neph for aunts and uncles. The only real question I had about Marna's daughters was whether she still had Neph powers. I know Anna and her friends did but I was hoping that she wouldn't feel the draw towards sin.
4. Kope and Z- They didn't really have a huge impact on this story but I was happy that Z got over her addiction and hate for men and eventually married Kope. Kope got over his feelings for Anna and found someone that truly loved him.
5. Blake and Ginger- Blake and Ginger also got their happy ending. Although they didn't get married they were finally able to be together without worrying about the Dukes. One question I had about them was,what happened to Caterina?Ginger said that Caterina could live with them but I was wondering how Caterina turned out and if she actually ended up living with Blake and Ginger.
Saving the best for last...
6. Anna and Kaidan- Anna and Kai were finally able to openly express their love. I was wondering how Anna would manage to hold off Kai and his advances while remaining pure but they found a way. THEY GOT MARRIED! I was a little worried when Kai wasn't all for the marriage at first but his reasoning was sweet. Their affection for eachother was adorable and steamy at the same time. I was also happy that Kai essentially got the blessing to marry Anna from both her real mother and her father. They also were able to have a family even though Neph can't have children without dying. They only went to adopt boys from Africa because Kai didn't want a daughter but then that little girl said he was her father in her dreams and he cried for the first time ever. I would like to think that the girl's dream was a message from heaven so that Kai would become her father. When they were all talking about what they would do first after they got rid of the Dukes I thought Kai was going to say have sex with Anna but he said the best thing he could have said. Instead he called the police to bust up the prostitution/trafficking ring that Marissa was running.
As a whole the book was fantastic! Every character got their ending, good or bad and Anna and Kai got the happily ever after they deserved

The Impossible Knife of Memory (book 43)

I guess I was expecting more out of this book. I was expecting a book about a person with PTSD, the effects it had on their life, and their inspiring recovery from the disease. Instead I got a book abotu an enabling daugther that allows her dad to drink himself to oblivion instead of seeking medical help. The daugther herself has some issues with memory which I understood but I thought certain components of the book could have been left out or should have been stressed more. Hayley had moments where the past would rip into the future often and that made sense but there was like 5 pages spread out throughout the book that were her dad's memories of the war. I think that if Laurie Halse Anderson really wanted to add those memories she should have added more to stress the horrors that he had seen. I also thought the book could have done without the "romance". It was categorized as contemporary on some sites yet I didn't get the feel of a contemporary book. I didn't get the good feels that I normally get from contemporary novels. I thought the relationship between Finn and Hayley was halfdone and lackluster. I never really felt anything when it came to them as a couple. I liked the idea of Finn's charcter (his nerdy quirkiness and all) yet I didn't really think he was essential to the story. I was also confused with the relationship between Trish and Hayley at first. Hayley's memories of Trish all seemes normal and fun until she left and then Hayley was unwilling to let Trish help her dad. I guess Trish used to be an alcoholic but she seemed to genuinly want to help and Hayley kept pushing her away. The problems with her dad kept building and he was unable to face the past. When she found him laying on the floor with blood around his head I had accepted the fact that her dad would kill himself and it was kind of anti-climatic when he just sat up. Apparently he was just laying in a pool of blood from his nose or something. Then at the end of the book she once again finds her dad ready to kill himself and this time I'm like "he better either do it or decide to get some help". Then it turns into this whole thing where Hayley is standing on an overhang of snow that is about to collapse. I couldn't really picture this. All I could think of was Wiley Cayote standing on a floatign pile of snow and it suddenly colapsing. It takes his daughter almost dying trying to talk him down from the edge of cliff for her dad to get help. I just thought that the story didn't connect very well and that it could have been condesed into a much shorter book. It was very drawn out and kind of depressing. It wasn't something I would ever recomend.

Ignite Me (book 42)

** spoiler alert ** I thought this was a really good conclusion to the series but then again I was team Warner. I was happy with the ending but I bet a lot of Team Adam readers were a bit upset. By the end of the last book and during Fracture Me, I began to become more and more of a Team Warner person. By the beginning of Ignite Me I was completely sure of my choice. I had liked Warner before but after learning about his true motives and his true personality I forgave everything he did tobJulieete in the first book. I really loved how Juliette came to understand her past relationship with Adam. When I was reading Shatter Me I was thinking that of course she would fall in love with the first guy that showed interest in her and didn't die when she touched him. I was happy that she figured out that it wasn't really love but just an infatuation because Adam had been the first guys she could actually be with. I also liked how Warner reacted when he found out Adam was his brother at first he was mad but then he decided that they should put aside their differences and become a family of sorts because they both lived through similar abusive fathers. I enjoyed seeing how Warner reacted to James because it was cute to see how he behaved with a little kid. The only regret I have about the book was that it was the last one. Sure they won the battle and killed Anderson but it seems a little optimistic to assume they took control without any opposition or difficulty. I think it would have been better the extend the trilogy into a true series and explain how Juliette and her friends changed the Restablishment. I am sad to see this series end because Juliette and Waner were only together for the end of the book and I didn't get to read about them as much as I would have liked. I also would like to read about Kenji some more. That boy needs to get a girlfriend. I think he deserves to find happiness just as much a Juliette did. Kenji is a great character and I don't want to see his story end. Please Tahereh Mafi, write more books!

Ps. I was kind of hoping the Julieete would get to see a real bird in this book but I guess not :(

Pps. Really pretty cover!

World After (book 41)

This book was kind of a let down after the first book. I'm not saying the first book was amazing but it had enough action and had such a big cliff-hanger that I expected more out of the sequel. Normally the first book does the job of laying the ground work that it doesn't have time for as much action and then by the second book you are just fully imersed into the world ad there is more room for actual plot. This book had lesssubstance and story than the first one did though. There were very few revelations and the ones there were weren't exactly mind blowing. Sure you found out that the scorpion monsters were beign made out of humans but it just wasn't enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. You findout that Belial is part of the angel politics but that could have been infered or figured out in the first book. Also there wasn't enough Raffe. he was such a strong character in the first book and there was a huge cliff hanger at the end of Angelfall when he thought Penryn was dead. I was really hoping that there would be more of him in this book. You got glimpses of him about halfway throught the book but Penryn didn't reveal herself to him until the very end. I was also hoping for more romance between the two of them. At the end of the last book Raffe seemed crushed that she had died and it also seemed like he regretted not opening up to her. When they were finally reunited I was hoping for more than the friendly relationship they continued. It was all this build up about Raffe being devastated that she was dead and all the build up to when he finally found out she was alive yet when he found out he did little more than hug her. There were moments where you could kind of see a developing romance but then it would snap right back into the "we can be friends but nothing more becasue I am an angel thing". Raffe didn't get his wings back yet either. Also Penryn's sister keeps getting weirder and weirder. It is getting really hard to see the cute little girl in a wheelchair that Paige was because no she is ripping people's throats out and eating it with her metal teeth. She is like a bipolar monster; one minute she is eating people's flesh and the next she is crying for "Ryn Ryn". There was also no further mention as to why the angels invaded Earth. I think this series is going to be very drawn out and that it will take a while for the reader to actually piece together any information. The next book isn't out til 2015 and I doubt even that book will answer many of my questions. I wasnt to find out what happens with this series but at the same time I don't feel up to reading anouther one of these books.

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) (book 40)

Before I get to the actual reviewing part I would like to satisfy everyone's need for a little man candy. May I present how I picture the dashing demon, Roth.

 

Your Welcome. Now moving on to the actually awesomeness of this book. You just have to trust me when I say this book is just as great as Jennifer L. Armentrout's other books, this one just takes a bit to get into the world and understand it and the characters. At first I didn't wuite get how Layla fit into this world and what eactly the Wardens were. I wasn't quite sure how everything really fir together until Roth showed up at Layla's school. By that time I had a handle on the world and how Layla interacted with the other characters. At the beginning of the story I was internally groanign because I just couldn't handle another book about a love triangle. As the book progressed it was clear to me that Layla had distinct and seperate feelings towards both Roth and Zayne. Roth was the passion but I think the only reason she had "feelings" for Zayne at the beginning of the book was becasue he was the only other person who understood her completely and paid attention to her. Once I met Roth's character adn realized he had no insidious plans I was totally on Team Roth. I was ready for Layla to ditch her Warden upbringing and take on her demon side. I didn't really like the Wardens because Zayne seemed to be the only person who accepted Layla for what she was and even he wasn't willing to go against Warden rules to embrace her. He was williing to forget her the second o pretty, elidgable Warden girl came along. He ignored her calls when Layla needed him the most. Petr, her own half-brother, was trying to kill her in the woods and the only person who would care enough to save her was ignoring her calls. Thank God for Bambi (yes a giant, demon-eating snake named Bambi)and Roth because if it wasn't for them she would have been dead. Roth was the only one actually watching out for Layla and he was supposed to be a bad guy. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Layla and Roth went to see the seer. I was not expecting the seer to be a 9 year old boy and the image cracked me up. Tony was just like any normal boy, playing videogames and talking back to his mom, yet he had the knowledge to stop the apacalypse. When he told his mom that he didn't have to worry about his eyes becasue he had "seen" that his eyes would be fine, i was dying imagining this sassy little boy and the big bad demon having a conversation. After Roth and Layla found the key I was so worried that either the Wardens had captured Roth or that he didn't trust Layla anymore. I should have been worrying baout another demon catching him because that is what happened. That battle scene was beyond great. I loved that the concieted Wardens realized they were wrong about Roth. But then I was crushed because they were really proven wrong about Roth when he sacrifised himself for Zayne. He knew that Layla would be devastated if Zayne was taken to Hell so he sacrifised himself not thinking about how that decision would kill her too. Roth was not what you expected from a demon (caring, protective, and a gardener) and I hope that the Wardens truly appreciate everything that he did for them even when they didn't realize what he was doing for them. I am happy that Bambi was left behind just becuase she is bale to comfort Layla and remind her and Zayne that Layla is Roth's. I can't wait for the next book because I want Layla to go and get Roth back. He did nothing to deserve the fate he got and I want them to be together. The cover of Stone Cold Touch shows Layla with Zayne and I am just hoping that she doesn't end up with Zayne just because Roth was thrown into the depths of Hell. I mean obviously Zayne and Layla can never really kiss and that complicates things but I just want Layla to stay loyal to Roth after all he did for her. Team Roth and Bambi all the way.

Unravel Me (book 39)

Wow. Wow. Wow. That's all I can say. It has been probably about a year since I read Shatter Me and I finally had the time and devotion to read the second book in the series. I got so caught up in other books I was reading that I totAlly forgot about the Shatter Me series. I don't know how but it happened. The first thing I have to say about this book, that pretty much sums up my feelings, is Team Warner all the way. It might have somewhat to do with the fact that I haven't read Shatter Me in a while so I didn't really have any attachments to Adam when I Started reading this book but I feel like even if I remembered the romance with Adam from the first book I still would have changes to team warner about 2/3 of the way through this book. I loved being able to see the side of Warner that he keepers hidden from his dad. The side that takes care of stray puppies and can love someone like he does Juliette. As stated in past reviews I am a sucker for a bad boy changed to caring person/boyfriend. Warner began this process during this book and I can't wait to see what happens in Ignite Me. Juliette and Warner started to have this passionate relationship towards the end of this book yet Juliette feels guilty because she thinks she should be with Adam. I want Warner to show Juliette that he has is the person for her. I also want Juliette to be able to convince Warner that he doesn't have to be the monster that his father wants him to be. I want Warner to fight his dad and become the new and improved leader after he destroys his father's reign. Even though I want Juliette to be with Warner I don't want Adam to be alone. I think he and Kenji should each end up with one of the healers. I am really excited to see what happens in Ignite me and where this war goes. I can't wait to see who allies with who and where the relationships go.

Crush (Crash #3) (book 38)

I thought this was a great conclusion to the series. At the end of the last book I didn't think a proposal in their freshman year of college was a bit unrealistic. I was happy in the third book to find out that although they were engaged Lucy was in no hurry to be married before she finished college and graduated. I also liked that the book fast forwarded a couple years to the end of Jude and Lucy's college years. Jude was drafted into the NFL and Lucy was able to live on the west coast and still include dancing in her everyday life as a dance instructor. I thought their relationship in this book was the most realistic and had less to do with them being able to trust each other and instead was about them adapting to their life together as millionaires. The highlight of this book was definitely little Jude, I'm sorry I meant LJ. He provided endless entertainment and adorableness, from the time he peed in the plant to him holding cousin Annalise. I was dying picturing Lucy in the outfit that LJ had picked out for her and fell for his never ending cuteness that only a four year old can have. I loved the epilogue and how it showed that Jude and Lucy's relationship was still strong and it showed just how great a dad Jude was going to be for his little girl. If you are thinking of reading this series and you enjoyed Beautiful Disaster, you will definitely like this series.

Clash (Crash #2) (book 37)

I don't have a ton to say about this book because it was pretty short and it wasn't a hate it or a love it book. It fell in place pretty well with the first book. It continued the same frustrating relationship that began in Crash. This time there wasn't a manipulative jet of a guy but instead a very manipulative, evil cheerleader. Adriana Vix is one of my most hated characters. Sure villains in other books are bad but this girl was just awfull. I also really hated her because people like her really exist. In dystopias and fantasy novels the villains have magic powers or whatever that give them an advantage but this girl just has a twisted mind and really big boobs. She was always trying to get Jude to do things that he couldn't refuse just to make Lucy jealous. She exploited her role as "spirit sister" and used it to break apart relationships. The whole post game ritual crap about the shot made me want to rip that girl's hair out of her head, which Lucy practically did. Cheers to Lucy for standing up to the B and showing her that if Adriana ever tried to get near Jude again Lucy would gladly punch her in the face. Once again in this book Jude finds himself in a situation that when seen by Lucy looks a lot like he's cheating on her. At first I was really mad at Jude because of all the people he picked Adriana to cheat with. Then when Tony finally came forward with his story I almost completely forgave Jude because really the whole thing was a HUGE misunderstanding but by then I was kind of on board with Lucy's argument. The relationship her a Jude had was a rocky one where one of them was always losing their tempers. I soon changed my mind about that though and was back on team Jude. I loved how he ran to the airport to try and stop her (I've always wanted to see one of those romantic gestures at an airport) but then Lucy ruined it with her stubbornness. And much to my surprise the person to convince Lucy that Jude was worth fight for was of all people, her mom. Lucy went all out with a ginormous romantic gesture and I was worrying for a by that Jude had given up on her. I was so excited when she heard Jude's voice, I was so ready for them to get back together... But I wasn't ready for them to get engaged. I felt it was weird that one minute she was ready to end it completely with him and the next she was getting engaged to him. I thought it was too soon for their relationship and that they had way to many issues to work out. Despot that I thought the book was overall pretty good and I enjoyed the passion that Jude and Lucy had. I hope to be able to read the final book in the series soon.

Crash (Crash #1) (book 36)

I really have trouble with the Goodreads 5 star system because this book was between 3 and 4 but there is no star for that. The struggles of us poor Goodreads people, our lives are so difficult. This book is a really good, quick romantic read. It isn't really contemporary because it doesn't have that light airy feel but it is defiantly a read for when you need a quick romantic pick-me-up book. This book is for people who liked Walking Disaster. It is very similar but this one belongs to a series so you can enjoy the roller coaster of romance longer. I love these kind of books where the guy is a bad boy turned awesome boyfriend. Most girls have issues with the whole protective boyfriend thing but I find it kind of adorable (to an extent). I love the passion between Jude and Lucy. Sure it gets a bit frustrating when they keep fighting over misunderstandings. Some of their fights were a bit stupid but the whole Hooly issue I understood. Even Jude would have to admit that the situation looked really bad (he shows up at a trailer to greet a girl who has a baby named little Jude). Sure Lucy shouldn't have been following her boyfriend if she trusted him but I understand why she assumed what she did. I also don't know why Jude didn't explain to Lucy why he didn't want her to be friends with Sawyer. At first I thought he was jealous but he knew things about Sawyer that justified him wanting Lucy to stay away from him. The fact that Jude didn't tell Lucy that Sawyer was a rapist was selfish and put her in harms way. Sawyer was good at manipulating people and even though I didn't exactly like him I beloved his story until her tried to rape Lucy. He let Lucy believe that Jude was the father of Holly's son even though it was actually him. Sawyer said "some people just thrive off manipulating others" and I didn't even realize that he was talking about himself. When Jude told Lucy he loved her and then the book skipped to Lucy at college I was really upset that they never got back together. Then they went to the party and Jude was there I was beyond happy. He went to Syracuse just to be near Lucy and Lucy finally got to tell him how she felt. The fact that they were able to move beyond their family's past reinforced the strength of their relationship. I can't wait to read the next book and get my Lucy and Jude fix.

Catch Up Round 2

I haven't been posting any reviews lately because I just participated in my first Goodreads challenge and I spent all of my time updating that. So to play catch up I am going to post reviews for the books I read during my challenge. I also read some novellas (Fracture Me and Bittersweet Love) but I am not going to post reviews for them because I don't really plan on counting them towards by book challenge this year. So here comes a bunch of reviews. Enjoy!