Review: Vendetta by Catherine Doyle

Sorry for my absence last week!  I run a small crochet business, and I had some commissioned items that I needed to finish up, which didn't leave me any time to get posts up!
 
Summary:
 

When it comes to revenge, love is a dangerous complication.With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.

When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion in her neighbourhood, Sophie Gracewell's life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling into a criminal underworld governed by powerful families. As the boys' dark secrets begin to come to light, Sophie is confronted with stinging truths about her own family, too. She must choose between two warring dynasties - the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break. 

Summary from Goodreads.
 
Information:
Is this part of a series? Yes, this is book one.
Pages: 352 pages
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd.
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Source:  Bought
 
Review:
 
I have been waiting to write this review, because I don't know how to say what I want to about VENDETTA. Overall, I really enjoyed this story.

I picked up VENDETTA while using the rest of my Barnes and Noble gift cards in February. I had not heard anything about this book, but the premise seemed good, so I bought it (something I never do!). I am glad I picked it up. I started reading it the next day, and totally avoided everything I was supposed to be doing to read this book.

Doyle sets up a great story. While it can be very predictable at certain times, there are also moments that will surprise you. There are characters that you will love, characters you will love to hate, and characters that will just plain really confuse you.

My favorite part of this story was the way Doyle creates her characters, and how you see them grow and change throughout the novel. The book picks up the pace really fast, and right in the beginning you are introduced to five lovely, hot Italian boys (and if you needed a reason to read, there is one all on it's own). From the very beginning, these boys will leave you wondering about them and their life.

The writing in this book is great, the characters are great, and this is a book I really enjoyed. I can't wait for next year for the second book to see how the novel continues!

 
Grade: B+
 
Anna

Review: Me, Him, Them, and It by Caela Carter

Summary:

ME is Evelyn Jones, 16, a valedictorian hopeful who's been playing bad girl to piss off THEM, her cold, distant parents. HIM is Todd, Evelyn's secret un-boyfriend, who she thought she was just using for sex - until she accidentally fell in love with him. But before Evelyn gets a chance to tell Todd how she feels, something much more important comes up. IT. IT is a fetus. Evelyn is pregnant - and when Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn has no idea who to turn to. Can a cheating father, a stiff, cold mother, a pissed-off BFF, and a (thankfully!) loving aunt with adopted girls of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow? 

Summary from Goodreads.
 
Information:
Is this part of a series? No.
Pages: 310
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Source: Library
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads 

Review:

This book had a very interesting premise to it. It dealt with teenage pregnancy, which is something that seems to be more popular in YA books right now. However, where Carter is different from other books, is the fact that for most of the book, the main character deals with whether or not she should go get an abortion behind her parent's backs.

I feel like the topic of abortion is one of those taboo topics in YA books, and just really is not discussed. However, Carter does it very tastefully. She also is very tasteful in dealing with the topic of how the baby's father is acting and what he is thinking, etc.

This book would have been ten times better if the characters were written better. The main character was hard to connect with, and that makes it hard to read a book. However, even with this minor issue, you do see growth among all of the characters in this book as it goes on, which is why I did not mark down the character section even more in The Short Version.

The writing was okay. At some points, I thought the writing could have been a little better to get the point across. There were times where I felt like I did not understand what was happening in a scene.

Overall, this book has some minor issues, but it is by no means horrible. It is a very good book about a taboo topic in YA literature.

Grade: B-

Anna

I was in no way, shape, or form paid for this review.

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Today I am waiting on.... The Heir by Keira Cass.

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought.

Summary from Goodreads.
 

I can't wait to read this book!  I read the first three Selection books last summer in just a couple of days, and this seems like it will be a great addition to the series.  Once it gets closer to the release date, I will definitely be pre-ordering this!


 The Heir will be released on May 5!

 What are you waiting on today?

Anna  

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Summary:

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win? 

 
Summary from Goodreads.
 
Information:
Is this part of a series? Yes, it is book one in the Red Queen trilogy.
Date published: February 10, 2015
Pages: 385
Publisher: Orion
Source: Bought
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads 
 
Review:
 
Where do I even begin with the review of Victoria Aveyard's RED QUEEN?

I loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved the story. Aveyard is going to be one of my new fantasy authors!

The world Aveyard creates is great. I felt like I was in Norta with Mare as the story was occuring.

The plot has twists and turns like crazy. While I could follow some of the twisting, I didn't predict everything that happened in this story. This, sadly, does not happen much anymore with how many books I have read! I love a book that can surprise me. There are also points in this book that will make you so angry you will want to throw this book against the wall!

I can't think of much else to say about this book other than you should get your hands on a copy! This is going to be one of my favorites 2015, and I can't wait until next January to get my hands on the next book!
 
Grade: A


Anna


I was in no way, shape, or form paid for this review.

Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Summary:

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes. 

Summary from Goodreads.

Information:
Is this book part of a series? No.
Pages: 342
Publisher: Walker
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Source: Library
Goodreads | Amazon


Review:

I started this book, and read a chapter, then the book sat for a week. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. Once I picked it up again, I was hooked. Emery Lord knows how to write a young adult contemporary.

While the description makes it sound like it could go so, so wrong (I mean, teenage country star on tour?), this book goes in the right direction. There is a mix of romance, drama, cute heart stopping moments, sexual tension... and the list goes on! It is like Lord has an outline for the perfect young adult contemporary.

I honestly don't think I could find something I don't like about this book. I fell in love with all of it, especially the characters. I wanted the story to continue just so I could spend some more time with them.

This is Lord's first book, and wow... I can't wait to see what she does next. Emery Lord is a name to watch in the young adult community. Open Road Summer is one of the best books I have read in 2014!


Grade: A

Anna

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Today I am waiting for... All the Rage by Courtney Summers.

The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.　

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive? 

 

Summary from Goodreads.

All the Rage will be published on April 14 by St. Martin's Griffin.

What are you waiting for today?

Anna 

Review: Better Than Perfect by Simone Elkeles

Summary:

A fresh and fun repackage of Wild Cards, Better Than Perfect launches a romantic new series from NY Times bestselling author Simone Elkeles.

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. So when her older sister comes home after abandoning her ten years earlier, with her hot new stepson in tow, Ashtyn wants nothing to do with either of them. Then she comes up with a plan that would finally give her the chance to leave, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and get the future she wants? 

 

Summary from Goodreads.

 

Information:

Part of a series? Yes, it is book one in the Wild Cards series.

Pages: 352

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Release Date: October 1, 2013 

Goodreads | Amazon

Review:

I just finished this one yesterday and have thought long and hard about how I wanted to write this review with so many thoughts running through my head. I love Simone Elkeles. I fell in love with her writing with Perfect Chemistry, which was sent to me to review - and I thought I would hate. After that, I devoured the rest of the Perfect Chemistry books, and also the two Paradise books. So it is easy to say that I went into this book with high expectations, and they were somewhat let down.

Now, when I go into one of Elkeles books, I expect there to be fluffy not-quite-real romance in them. They are in all her books, and let me tell you, I do enjoy that. I love the fluffy-ness of them. But at the same time, there is always a bit of the book that is so serious that it makes the stories more than just a fluffy romance novel. I was disappointed with the serious aspect of this book.

I felt like Elkeles could have gone more into Ashtyn and Derek's issues. They both have problems. I felt like there needed to me more focus on Derek's relationship with his stepmother. In the beginning, he hates her, and then suddenly at the end, he doesn't mind her - but nothing throughout the story led me to believe that anything in their relationship had changed. This is what really bugged me about the book. There needed to be less focus on Derek and Ashtyn's romance, and a little more on how these family issues are magically being solved.

Derek and Ashtyn - most of the time - were easy to like. However, as with any Elkeles book, there are times when you just want to throw the book at the wall for the decisions the characters are making. However, there were moments where I just didn't feel like I was connecting with them.

Overall, I would still recommend this book to others. It still has a good story in it, even if it was more romance than I preferred. However, if you want to read Elkeles at her best, go for the Perfect Chemistry books or the Paradise books.  

Grade: B+

Anna