Mistwood by Leah Cypess - #bookaday 11

Mistwood
Leah Cypess
Genre: Paranormal

I'd read this one a few year ago. It was long enough ago that I'd forgotten much of it outside of vague notions and ideas.

It's time for Rokan to be king and he's afraid for his life. Many years ago the crown was protected by a Shifter but there was a tragedy involving the last royal family. This creature was said to be born of mist and fog and could shift into any animal including a human being. Rokan travels to Mistwood to find his Shifter and binds her to him using a special bracelet.

The Shifter, Isabel, is finding it hard to shift and doesn't really understand who or what she is though she feels it's her duty to protect Rokan. She just has to figure out who exactly is threatening the crown.  She is finding it more and more difficult to do her Shifter job due to emotions clouding her judgement. Though the Shifter is supposed to be less than human.

I liked this one because it's more of a character study instead of the relentless action you find in many books of this genre.  I would have liked to see more romance but I enjoyed what was there.

True Love by Jude Deveraux - #bookaday 9

True Love (Nantucket Bride, 1)
Jude Deveraux
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Not my usual fare. It's been a billion years since I read any Jude Deveraux. I'd been looking for a romance and I also wanted to read about Nantucket (never been but makes me think of summer) and someone on Goodreads had just finished this one. Luckily, they had it at the public library - on Overdrive.

Alix is an architect student who gets sent to live in the Kingsley House on Nantucket as part of the will of one of her mom's closest friends.  She can live there for a year and work on her culminating project for architecture school.

Kingsley House happens to belong to Jared Kinglsey Montgomery - a famous architect whom Alix admires and would love to have look at her drawings. (snicker). Jared would rather not, especially since he knows a great deal about Alix that he needs to keep secret.

Another resident of the Kingsley house is Jared's grandfather, Caleb. His five-times great, dead grandfather.  Caleb can only be seen by certain family members and he is hoping that somehow, he can connect with Alix and she can help him move on.

Despite the contrived storyline of past and present overlapping, this was fun.  I will actually read the second book.

Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout - #bookaday 3

Obsidian (Lux, 1)
Jennifer Armentrout
Genre: Paranormal

This was a recommendation to me from a friend. Weirdly, I have a hard time taking recommendations even though that's part of my job. Sometimes it's because I have a lot to read already and sometimes I wonder what I will say if I don't like the book. I encourage students to tell me when they don't like something because it helps me advise them better the next time. I always try to get particulars so I can refine their choices.  I wish there was a way to add notes to their records instead of trying to keep track of it in my head.  If only there was an easy way for them to add reviews to our system.

Let's start with the cover.  I don't think the guy is attractive and he looks to old to be in high school. The author tells us over and over how hot he is and what a jerk he is. And yet ?, the main character, still liked him. I probably wouldn't have so much of a problem with it if she hadn't kept harping on it - like you can't be attractive and not be a jerk. Though of course, he has his reasons for being a jerk.

I never connected with any of the characters in this. I didn't feel an of the urgency or have a sense of foreboding. I did like the sense of humor and that Katy was a blogger. I enjoyed hearing her talk about doing her Waiting on Wednesday posts and other blogger memes. Other than that, not for me.

This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers- Review

Reviewed by: Aneeqah's Not So Real Life
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This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Genres: Paranormal, Apocalypse, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: June 19th, 2012
Source: NetGalley
My Review:

First of all, thank you so much to HarperCollins and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book! However, this did not affect my thoughts on this book, or my review.

In this book, we meet five kids who have made it to their school as a refuge from the outside world, where a zombies are attacking and eating all the people. Our main character, Sloane, doesn't really want to be alive right now, she was actually planning to commit suicide. They story is about the 5 kids trying to survive.

So, let's start with the good. This is my first zombie book, and I must say, the zombies were pretty well-thought out. Everything made sense zombie-wise, basically, you got bitten, died, and came back as a zombie and ate other people . It was really simple, and frankly, creepy. Like, really creepy, they were that realistic. It gave me the shivers.

The whole book was also pretty compelling to read. I kept wanting to know what happened to the characters. There were a few suspenseful moments throughout the book, so that kept the book flowing pretty well.

Now, what I didn't like as much. Let's start with Sloane, the main character. I'm just going to say it how it is: I didn't like Sloane, at all. Many times, I wanted to punch her, so much that I almost threw my Kindle on the tiled flooring [that wouldn't have been good, now would it have?]. I'm glad I resisted the urge though, because then I would have to buy a new Kindle... So anyways, Sloane a very frustrating character. She did some stupid things in my opinion, and I couldn't understand her at all. And she made the stupidest decisions ever.I never connected with her, never felt bad for her. She just seemed like a stupid brat to me. Sloane practically ruined the whole book for me.

Also, so many people die at random times, I just got frustrated even more. People just kinda disappear, people just die randomly, it was just yuck. Especially at the end. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't go any further.

The ending was also something that turned me off from this book. I didn't understand it at all, and it was so cliff-hangery is that a word?]. Since this book is a stand-alone, I wanted an ending that would leave me satisfied, and this ending did not. At all. It could have used an epilogue, or something so that we could at least learn what happened to the characters.

Overall, this book had a great concept, but there were a lot of things that really turned me off, so I couldn't really enjoy the books. I would say to give this book a shot if you like survival stories and zombies [and your okay with extremely angering characters].






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The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg-Review

Reviewed by Aneeqah's Not So Real Life
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The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Release Date: February 21,2012
Source: ALA Midwinter [Thank you to the publisher!]


Brie has died, from literal heartbreak. Like, her boyfriend said, "I don't love you." and her heart broke, literally. So now, she must go through the 5 stages of death so she can move on. But things start unraveling with her old life, and Brie can't do anything but watch as things fall apart.

I really liked this book. Brie was so funny, and sarcastic, she was such an amazing protagonist. She was so realistic too, I really felt like I could go and meet her in person [which I would totally love to do, actually]. Throughout her whole journey, she made realistic descioins, although some were frustrating, and at some points, I got kind of mad at her. But overall, I really liked her!

I also liked the whole concept of this book, how you had to pass the 5 stages of grief to move on, and how you had "a little slice of heaven". I feel like it was really well thought out, and everything made sense. Plus, it was so easy to understand, which is a total plus.

Another thing I really liked was the plot. Yes, a few parts were slightly predictable, but there was one twist that I never saw coming at all, which, I absolutely loved. My mouth was literally hanging open! It was that much of a surprise for me. It made sense really, and from there, a lot of other things really clicked for me.

I could truly go on and on talking about this book! But overall, I really loved this book; it was such a cute and moving read. I'm not usually a huge contemp fan, but this is definitely up there in my favorites! You definitely MUST give this book a shot!




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Incarnate by Jodi Meadows- Review

Reviewed by: Aneeqah's Not So Real Life
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Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Genres: Dystopia, Paranormal
Release Date: January 31, 2012
My Review:

First off, thank you so much to HarperCollins for giving me an ARC of this book!

In this story, we meet Ana. She is a totally new soul. In her world, souls have been reincarnated for thousands of years. But before she was born, a person named Ciana died. Ciana should have been reborn, but she wasn't. Instead, Ana, a totally new soul, was born. In the history of their world, this has never happened before. Obviously, people don't like the idea of this. So when Ana travels to the City of Heart to find some answers, she doesn't expect anyone to be nice to her at all. But Sam is.

The world-building was very intricate in this book. The whole thing with reincarnation was really cool, but there were also lots of different creatures, like dragons, sylphs [which are shadow-like things], centaurs, and a bunch of other things. It was really neat, and well-done, except it was a tad bit creepy that you could be reincarnated to be a boy or girl. And that your parents could become your children when they get reincarnated. It's complicated, and yes, a little disturbing, but it's still pretty easy to grasp the idea of this whole incarnation thing.

I liked Ana. She wasn't perfect, not even close to it. She started out insecure, because of all the lies her meany mother told her. But she slowly changed when she realized everything her mother told her was a lie [her mother was a really mean and cruel to her, by the way]. I think her switch from non-trusting to trusting was good, it wasn't too fast or anything. Overall, she was just trying to find out who and what she was supposed to be.

I also liked Sam. He was super sweet and kind, and helped out Ana alot. My only concern was that he was a little too perfect. Just a little. He was always there for Ana, always knew what to say, etc. He didn't really have any bad qualities at all. I really liked that he was sweet, but I also enjoy a flawed character too, but I didn't get that with Sam.

The romance wasn't insta-love, which made me happy! I hate, hate, hate insta-love so much, so I was thrilled when it wasn't the whole love-at-first-sight thing. However, that being said, the romance was just alright for me. I didn't really see a connection between Ana and Sam, except for one thing [which I won't say here, because I think it's a little spoilery]. Maybe I'm just being critical of romance now that I've read Under the Never Sky [because the romance in that book was AMAZING!], but the romance... didn't work. I did appreciate the un-insta-love though.

There was lots of action in this book that really kept me hooked. Lots of unexpected things too, which I loved. There were things that I never say coming and I was like "BAISJFASDVP;OIUA!". I love being taken by surprise, and that happened in this book! And whenever you thought things were getting a little dull, the author always threw something in the book to keep you wanting more. This book had it all, action scenes, running scenes, getting shot-at scenes, slow scenes, and even a big glittering party scene!

The reason this book didn't get a full 5 stars was probably because of Ana. I did say I liked her, but she wasn't unique. For me, she was just your typical girl protagonist. And then the whole creepy thing with incarnation. I just couldn't get over that fact.

Overall, this was a very unique story that I would recommend to anyone looking for a interesting YA story that has it all!




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Everneath by Brodi Ashton - Review

Reviewed by: Aneeqah's Not So Real Life
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Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genres: Mythology, Paranormal
Release Date: January 24, 2012
My Review:

First of all, thank you to HarperCollins for giving me an ARC of this book!

In Everneath, we meet a girl named Nikki Bennett. She traveled to this place called The Everneath [shocking, yes, I know!] and this guy named Cole 'Fed' off of her energy. So, 6 months later in human years [100 years in Everneath time] she 'wakes up' and chooses to return to her old life. But she only has 6 months.

Obviously, this book is hard to explain, and I didn't do such a good job... If you're still confused about what this book is about [which, you probably are!] check out the Goodreads summary HERE which does a much better job explaining than I do!

First off, let's talk about that cover! It's beautiful! I love the swirling red dress, which is absolutely gorgeous. Overall, a really great cover.

I really liked the mythology in this book. It got confusing at times, but it wasn't any mythology that I've read before, so it was interesting for me to find out more. I'm a huge mythology fan, so this aspect of the book was great!

I also like how layered this book was. It had a whole other side to it, that applies to real life. Nikki was faced with the choice of staying in the real world, where life is tough, and going back to the underworld with Cole, where life is easy. There's alot of those types of choices that we have to make in our life, you know, the whole easy path, hard path thing? And it also touched on addiction a little too. For Nikki, being with Cole was almost an addiction, something she craved, and she had to fight that. So there's alot of undertones in this book, which is something I really enjoyed.

Nikki's old boyfriend, Jack, is a character I really liked. He was so sweet, and he was always there for Nikki. But, he seemed a little over obsessed, to the point where it seemed creepy. He also seemed like "the perfect guy" we so often see in YA. I wished he would have been a little more unique, although I still liked him.

The main thing I didn't like about this book was that it was pretty predictable. I mean, I guessed what was going to happen at the end, and I guessed a few of the things that were supposed to be totally shocking for us. I love it when I guess something in a book, and it turns out totally wrong, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen.

Also, Nikki was kind of irritating for me. When she returns to school, she's so quiet and she whispers everything. It made me want to slap her and say "SPEAK UP!". And she was so blind at times too. Definitely not one of my favorite main characters.

Overall, however, it was a pretty good read! I enjoyed the story and the mythology a lot, so if you a person who loves mythology, give this book a shot.





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Manifest: A Mystyx Novel by Artist Arthur - Review

Manifest: A Mystyx Novel
Artist Arthur
Kimani TRU/Harlequin Romance
248 pgs./ARC

Krystal Bentley is trying to decide if she wants to join Jake and Sasha, two students with tattoos just like hers, and learn more about her powers as well as help Ricky, a ghost who appears to Krystal, "cross over".

The trio learn a little about their gifts from Pop Pop, Jake's semi-senile grandfather.  Pop Pop gives them vague details but drops a diary as he leaves Jake's room.  The diary, which belongs to Pop Pop's mother, details the developing powers of William, Pop Pop's brother.

As Krystal, Jake, and Sasha try to help Ricky they also battle with the usual drama: cliques, first boyfriends, and family problems. 

I thought Manifest was a little slow in, well, manifesting a story.  The plot moved forward but was bogged down by the author's repetition of the problem.  I would have liked to learn more about the background of the symbol they all have and what it could mean for the trio.  The characters were pretty flat although it appears that two of the following books, Mystify and Mayhem, will give us more information on Sasha and Jake.  Krystal was starting to develop towards the end as she learned the true reason her mother moved the family back to Connecticut.  I'm still not sure who Franklin is and why he chose Krystal to ask out but maybe that's something that will be expanded on in following books, too.

Manifest, being the first in a series, leaves us with some questions: How did the three really acquire their powers and how can they develop them further?  Since this is not the first generation of Mystyx where are the people who manifested before these three?  Shouldn't we be curious about the new girl? 

About the Author

Artist Arthur has been writing for over nine years but this is her first young adult novel.  She and her husband have three children and reside in Maryland.

A Few Questions

Is Artist your real name? Also, how did you guys find the model for the cover?
*Yes, Artist is my real, legal name.
I have nothing to do with the design of the cover beyond giving a character and sometimes a scene description. The publisher takes care of all of that. I just happen to agree wholeheartedly with their choice. (From me!)

Is the character of Krystal based on yourself or someone that you know? I'd like to know where you got the inspiration for such a headstrong, but young character.
*Krystal is a combination of myself and my daughter. We are extremely moody and stubborn, but once you get to know us you can’t help but love us. Ok, that might be exaggerating, but yeah, I drew a lot of my own experiences and feelings as a teenager and then on some moods I’ve seen my daughter in to create Krystal. (http://divasbookcase.blogspot.com/)

My question is really for Krystal Bentley rather than Artist: Of all the spirits that have come to you, who evoked in you the most emotion? What emotion? Why?
*Carolyn Jamison, she was the lady in room 319, right beside my grandfather who was in 320. Carolyn said I reminded her of her granddaughter that she hadn’t seen in years because she couldn’t find her. I didn’t know where her granddaughter was either, but Carolyn said it was okay, visiting with me was like being given another granddaughter. That’s the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me. (http://amusingreviews.blogspot.com/)

Other than an author, what profession would you love to have, and why?
*I think I’d like to be a teacher if I didn’t have a fear of getting up in front of people. I’d like to know that I’ve taught someone something, that I’ve given knowledge they didn’t have before. To me, that’s a lasting impact. (http://www.sithereandread.com/)

How do you write out your stories? Plan them? Let the characters decide? Or only when you have an "aha!" moment then you put it down?
*I’m a planner. I get the idea then I run with it. My outlines are usually about five pages long and that’s just on the characters, not actually the story. I know, overkill right? LOL (http://orientaldesires.blogspot.com/)

Artist Arthur website

Artist Arthur twitter

Manifest Book Trailer

ARC provided by Online Publicist.