"Impossible" by Komal Lewis

Release Date: October 24, 2012
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 254

From Goodreads: "Ashton Summers is on her way to becoming the most popular girl in school and nothing—or no one—is going to stand in her way. Especially not Luca Byron, her freak neighbor, with his tattoos, loud music, and distracting green eyes.

Luca Byron has three goals in life: get through high school with a low profile, make sure his garage band becomes something more than a hobby, and try to forget about his insufferable ex-best friend, Ashton, who he can’t get out of his mind.

The last thing Ashton and Luca want to do is rekindle their friendship, but when Ashton takes a tumble down the social ladder, Luca—with his new makeover—is the only one who can help her rise up again by pretending to be her boyfriend. At first, being together is unbearable and annoying, but things start to change as Ashton and Luca discover the real reasons they drifted apart seven years ago.

Now, keeping their hands off each other seems impossible."

When I first discovered this book in the blogisphere world I knew that I had to get my hands on it- despite contemporary not being my 'go-to' genre (that belongs to YA paranormal)- There was something about this book that just called to me and pulled me out of my comfort zone and am I really glad that it did!

I really liked male main, Luca- think of any bad boy in YA (whether it be Jace, Daemon- whoever) and make him humble/ low-key and you have Luca. Luca never felt the need to flaunt himself or get in caught in the popularity game, he just was. Which unlike a lot of the aforementioned bad boys made him so much more realistic and approachable. Admittedly while reading the book, Ashton, the female lead, did grate on my nerves a fair bit. But after I sat and thought about the book after finishing it I realized that the way that she acts is very much true for someone of her age (I think that what a lot of older YA readers forget, myself included, when we read the genre is that it is targeted to a YA audience- we can't chastise the characters for not acting in the way that we might because, in many cases, we do have a lot more years of experience on them)- when something important is ripped from someone's life (in Ashton's case, popularity) I think that we would only act in a similar way to how she did, doing everything in our power to get it back.

Komal's biggest strength, in my opinion? Writing sexy-times like no other. There are a number of scenes in this book that will take your breath away (the kitchen scene, anyone?)- furthermore, each of these sexy-time scenes is quite tastefully done (there have been a number of YA books as of late where I have been shocked by how explicit some authors have been with scenes of this nature).

Another talent that Komal possesses is setting up the companion novels to this book "Falling For Hadie" and "Wrong Side of Town"- we are given a tidbit of who some of the characters in the latter books are, what their conflicts are and the likes of, in this book, and in doing so Komal really hooks the readers in, ensuring that they will add her to their "must buy" list.

All in all, I do think that this is a strong debut from author Komal Lewis and I do consider myself to be one of those "hooked" readers- I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next! I highly recommend this book for those looking for a fun and flirty, not to mention quick, read!

Rating: 3/5

Take Two: "The Gathering" by Kelley Armstrong

We all do it, we read a book and we make an initial impression of it, whether it is a positive or negative impression it doesn't matter- just the fact that we make one matters. And sometimes the impression that we make can very well be impacted by factors outside of the book (ie. our mood while reading the book, other books we were reading at the time, etc.). We then reread the book (which I don't know about y'all, but I am totally a rereader) and notice things we didn't see the first time around, come to understand those characters who bothered us the first time around or just come away from the book with a totally different idea of how we feel about it. As mentioned, I am a rereader sort of person, whether I reread a book right after my initial time reading it, or months, if not years later, well, I don't think that really matters, what I think matters is that with time something about that book hooks us, reels us in, and forces us to once again pick it up. I thought that it would be interesting if I were to reread some books that I have previously read and/or reviewed to see if my initial impression of the book has changed, hence this new little feature I like to call "Take Two".

You can find my original review of "The Gathering" HERE.

From Goodreads: "Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

In The Gathering , New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy."

After rereading this book I must admit that my opinion of it has changed very little from the first time I read it and I must also admit that I am quite disappointed by that fact. I was hoping that in rereading the book I would come to understand it better, connect to characters I was previously on the fence about, and things along those lines (as what does happen in some instances of rereading a book), however, I unfortunately didn't in most instances.

Again, I found that the plot to be quite slow and underdeveloped in places. And, again, I can't help but wonder why there are so few references made to the Genesis and Phoenix Projects in this book- in my opinion the first book of a series is supposed to suck the reader in, guaranteeing that they will continue on with the series and I'm not quite sure that this book is entirely successful at that. The paranormal aspect of this book plays an EXTREMELY small role, there is much more mention of cliques, wildlife, and the likes of.

That being said, I did pay more attention to the characters the second time reading this book than I did the first time, primarily Rafe and Daniel, though also Sam, Corey and Hayley. Daniel and Rafe finally made an impact upon me the second time reading this book (but no where the impact that Derek and Simon had from Kelley's "Darkest Powers" series did).

All in all, while I was a fair bit disappointed with this book (again) I will continue to read on with this series (mainly because it is written by Kelley Armstrong, one of my most favourite authors ever, and an author I know is capable of writing amazingness- though, in all honesty, I can't say that I would continue on with this series if it weren't written by Kelley as I don't find it to be near as engaging as it needs to be).

Rating: 8/10

Memorable lines from this book:

"What happened?"
"You fainted." The corners of his mouth twitched. "I believed swooned is the correct term. It's not nearly as romantic as it sounds, you know. More like a deadweight collapse. With drool" (pg. 60).

"... you're an equal opportunity hater. You pick on all of us" (pg. 118).

"I promise not to try to get you back into the woods." He paused. "For at least forty-eight hours" (pg. 198).

"You have to pass the parental exam first. It'll take you awhile to compile the data, They'd like it in triplicate... We have Kenji. We have my cell phone. Since we aren't officially dating, I'm sure you'll agree that's all the protection we need" (pg. 202).

"Dad's trying to marry me off to Daniel." I looked at him. "You know, if you offer him a new truck for a dowry, he might go for it" (pg. 221).

"Dead Is A Battlefield" by Marlene Perez

Release Date: March 2012
Publisher: Graphia (Thomas Allen and Son)

From Goodreads: "Jessica Walsh is starting her freshman year at Nightshade High and trying to forget about the tragic events surrounding her brother’s graduation. She wants to have a normal high school experience. But that’s easier said than done in Nightshade.

When a new boy shows up at school, the girls are infected with a case of seriously creepy crushes. But when their obsession turns to violence, Jessica and her friends start to wonder if there’s more going on than just a little friendly rivalry. Are the smitten girls turning into love zombies?

And Jessica has other worries—like her crush on Dominic Gray, the cute but moody new singer for Side Effects May Vary, and the mysterious tattoo that appeared on her arm one day and lets her know whenever there is trouble brewing. Jessica learns she's a Virago, a woman warrior chosen to fight evil whenever it threatens her hometown. But does a lowly freshman really have what it takes to keep Nightshade safe?"

Despite this being the sixth book in Marlene Perez's "Dead Is" series (and a series which has been around since 2008) I must admit that the first time I learned of this series was a few weeks ago when I received this book in the mail from the publisher to read and review. While I ALWAYS read series in order (I can't recall EVER having started a series in the middle of it) I knew that I would be unable to do so in this case due to time constraints, plus, after reading the synopsis' of the earlier books on Goodreads I felt comfortable reading this book without having read the earlier books as each book appeared to be a self-contained book, a book which though has repeating characters has its own individual storyline that is nicely summed up by the end of the book (additionally this book's main character is Jessica where in the earlier books the main character was Jessica's neighbour Daisy)- which, thankfully, did turn out to be the case.

As mentioned, as I had never read any of Marlene's books before I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but it surely wasn't this. This book was a fair bit more juvenile than I thought that it would be- both in the fact that in this book Jessica is four just entering her first year of high school and that I found the plot of it to be more so MG than YA- with love potions, character reactions, insta-love and the likes of (I found the plot to be similar to Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Infinity").

An additional problem I had with the book was that I found that overall it lacked any emotion- Not once while reading this book did I experience any feelings of "SQUEE" at the sappy moments nor heartpounding feelings at the most action-packed moments. Furthermore, after having read the book I don't feel like I truly know any of characters- I found that they were quite flat and one-dimensional (I mean, Dominic Gray is a rockstar, you'd think I would swoon once or twice over him, not unlike Logan from Jeri Smith-Ready's "Shade" series). AND I felt that there were A) far too many characters to keep track of and B) many of the characters had similar names which both resulted in it being difficult to keep track of each and every one of them (for instance Eva and Evan, a potential couple).

That being said, despite the storyline being much more juvenile than I had expected it was fun and lighthearted, a nice reprieve from heavier and darker YA books. Furthermore, the book was an EXTREMELY quick read (I think that I finished it within 2 or so hours). I think that this book would be perfect for fans of Gina Damico's "Croak" and earlier Meg Cabot series, including her "Mediator" series and her "1-800-Where-R-You" series.

Rating: 6.5/10

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated for said review in any way.

"My Life in Black and White" by Natasha Friend

Release Date: June 28th, 2012
Publisher: Viking Juvenile (Razorbill)
Pages: 304

From Goodreads: "What if you lost the thing that made you who you are?

Lexi has always been stunning. Her butter-colored hair and perfect features have helped her attract friends, a boyfriend, and the attention of a modeling scout. But everything changes the night Lexi's face goes through a windshield. Now she's not sure what's worse: the scars she'll have to live with forever, or what she saw going on between her best friend and her boyfriend right before the accident. With the help of her trombone-playing, defiantly uncool older sister and a guy at school recovering from his own recent trauma, Lexi learns she's much more than just a pretty face."

This is the sort of book that reminds me that I really must expand my reading horizons, that I shouldn't always go directly to paranormal/ fantasy reads, that every now and again I should veer off and pick up a contemporary read.

 While there was many things that I enjoyed about this book, a unique and gripping storyline, a storyline that plays on the emotions of its readers and the likes of, my most favourite part was Lexi herself. I find that in the vast majority of books I read the main characters never learn, they constantly make the same mistake over and over again, they are stubborn and pigheaded through and through, however I didn't find that the case with Lexi whatsoever- she actually grew throughout the book, becoming a much better person than she had been before her accident. And as result I think that she is a true role model and someone that you can learn a lot from. I can admit with no problem that she is a much better person than myself- I doubt that had I been in her circumstances that I would have been so forgiving.

Furthermore, I thought that Lexi's sister, Ruthie, was one of the best secondary characters I have read of in a very long time. Unlike the vast majority of secondary characters I have read of, who are mere fillers, Ruthie actually made a difference/ impacted the storyline (plus, her personality totally rocked and reminds me of a lot of my close friends).

That being said,  I wasn't entirely satisfied by this book, I was a but disappointed with the ending- I didn't find that it was quite as strong as the first 3/4 of the book. I found that it was a tad rushed and I thought that the epilogue was extremely flat (which I find surprising as I am the sort of person who NEEDS an epilogue). Furthermore, I wish that Theo had played a larger role in the book (seriously, I would take Theo over Ryan any day of the week).

All in all, I think that this is a wonderful coming-of-age/ recovering-from-a-traumatic-event type of story and a story that appeals to all YA readers no matter their genre preference. I am very curious to see what Natasha has in store for us next (and whether she intends for this to be a series).

Rating: 8/10

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

"Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side" by Beth Fantaskey

Release Date: February 1, 2009
Publisher: Harcout
Pages:  351

From Goodreads: "The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction."

In all honesty, I found that this book had very little substance, but I was a-okay with that- sometimes it's nice to read a little fluff, it helps keep you entertained and your mind occupied while you wait for the new episode of "Game of Thrones" to be on (or something of that nature). 

One of the biggest problems that I had with this book was how Jessica came to understand and accept her feelings for Lucius- I found it to be a bit cheesy and overdone (ie. not accepting your feelings for someone until you are about to loose them). Furthermore, I would have liked to have seen Jessica to have been a bit more developed, at times I found her personality to be lacking and contradictory at times (she is a science/ math nut, she NEEDS solid evidence to accept something as being true and despite being shown and told numerous times that Lucius was a vampire she absolutely refused to accept it until the last possible moment).

That being said, I thought that Lucius was extremely well developed- my favourite part of the entire novel actually involved him, the letters that he wrote to his uncle. I enjoyed the letters as they showed us an entirely different side of Lucius. There were countless times while reading them that I burst out laughing due to Lucius's way with words and his dry sense of humor. 

All in all, I recommend this book for those times when you need a break from a heavy dystopian or an emotional drama, it will help lifts your spirits and have you giggling the entire time while reading it.

Rating: 7/10

Memorable lines from the book: 

"I come from civilization," Lucius retorted. "You wouldn't be familiar with the territory" (23%). 

'"No, Lucius is harmless," I fibbed. If you don't count the fact that he thinks that he's a warrior prince representing a semi-cannibalistic race of undead bat people' (23%). 

'"Whatcha doin', freak?" Frank sneered, kicking my shin[...] 
"We want to know what's going on in that garage at your parents freak farm" [...]
"You two use the word 'freak' a lot," I noted. "You should check out a thesaurus[...]
"He broke up with me," she wailed. "That freak-" [...]
She suddenly realized I was there and turned her wrath on me, stabbing the finger in my direction. "You... you two... you're both..." 
"Freaks?" I ventured' (74-76%). 

Take Two: "The Talents" (AKA "The Candidates") by Inara Scott

We all do it, we read a book and we make an initial impression of it, whether it is a positive or negative impression it doesn't matter- just the fact that we make one matters. And sometimes the impression that we make can very well be impacted by factors outside of the book (ie. our mood while reading the book, other books we were reading at the time, etc.). We then reread the book (which I don't know about y'all, but I am totally a rereader) and notice things we didn't see the first time around, come to understand those characters who bothered us the first time around or just come away from the book with a totally different idea of how we feel about it. As mentioned, I am a rereader sort of person, whether I reread a book right after my initial time reading it, or months, if not years later, well, I don't think that really matters, what I think matters is that with time something about that book hooks us, reels us in, and forces us to once again pick it up. I thought that it would be interesting if I were to reread some books that I have previously read and/or reviewed to see if my initial impression of the book has changed, hence this new little feature I like to call "Take Two".

Just in case you were wondering about the name change of this book/ series: Inara's publisher didn't feel like the titles of her books "Delacroix Academy: The Candidates" and "Delacroix Academy: The Watchers" fully conveyed to the reader what the series was about. Therefore they decided to rename this book, "The Candidates" (it is now called "The Talents"), and give it a new cover. They also did the same for "The Watchers", it's sequel (it is now called "The Marked"), and it will be released April 3, 2012.

 You can find my original review of "The Candidates" HERE.  

From Goodreads: "Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just … happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to people, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy offer her a full scholarship, Dancia fears her days of living under the radar may be over. But Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses — why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make her feel welcome. And then there’s her mysterious new friend Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at Delcroix, and he wants Dancia to help him figure out what…But neither Jack or Dancia could have imagined what’s really going on behind the gates of Delcroix Academy."

After having reread this book I must admit that there were aspects of it that I didn't enjoy as much as I had the first time (much like in my Take Two of "The Last Sacrifice" by Richelle Mead).

This time around I had a much harder time relating to the vast majority of the characters- I think that it could perhaps be attributed to the fact that I last read this book a year (if not longer ago) which means that I am a year older than the characters (Danica, the main character, is fourteen years old). Therefore we are at totally different points in our lives (these characters are just entering into high school whereas I am graduating university, Danica's biggest worries include such things as whether the school's cutest boy reciprocates her feelings, whereas my biggest concerns include such things as prepping for grad school and being a 'grown-up').

Furthermore, while the first time I read this book I disliked Cam I disliked him even more so in this book. He just reminds me too much of Nash from Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series, he is too 'perfect', too all American, too jocky, too cocky, and the likes of.

That being said,  I feel even harder for Jack in this book. I hadn't comprehended how much time Danica and Jack had spent together and how much of an impact they had on one another. Furthermore, I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book, while in the first time I read the book I didn't feel that they didn't made all that much of an impact upon me. I thought that Esther and Hennie brought a lot of much needed humor to the book.

All in all, while there was most definitely aspects of this book that I didn't enjoy as much the second time around, that isn't to say that it is a bad book by any means, there were also numerous parts that I enjoyed even more so this time. Furthermore, this is a book that I will read time and time again despite my complaints.

Rating: 8/10