Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story by Ally Carter (Novella)
Release: January 22, 2013
Publisher: Hyperion
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 60

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.

Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.

When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

Oh. No. This novella was like a drop of water after being in the desert; feels oh so great but now all I want is more.

I love both of Ally Carter’s series and this integration was everything I never knew I wanted and I’m so hoping she continues!

This little snippet, quick heist, featuring Hale and Macey was just totally perfect. The two make a surprisingly awesome team and their banter was wonderful. And man oh man I don’t know how Ally Carter thinks up the hows and whys of the situations she writes. I always try to guess what is happening, and I never can and am always surprised. Bonus: HALE/KAT CUTENESS!

One tiny thing: I wish there had been more Cammie. I mean, could you imagine Kat and Cammie meeting? EPIC ADVENTURES! Either way, Double Crossed is a great addition to both the Gallagher Girls series and Heist Society.

Release: January 15, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 369

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They’re ready to start life afresh–to build a home–on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn’t the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed’s former passengers aren’t alone on this planet. And if they’re going to stay, they’ll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who–or what–else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed–friends, family, life on Earth–will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.

Let me tell you, I was an EMOTIONAL WRECK throughout this book. Beth Revis has a tendency to rip out my heart.

At the end of A Million Suns, I honestly had no idea what to expect from the last book. But I WAS SCARED. All bets are off in a series-ending. So that I don’t give anything away, here’s a list of things I loved about Shades of Earth:

1. DINOSAURS…but not really. But kind of? COOL MONSTER THINGS.

2. ELDER. Elder Elder. He is my favorite. He’s naïve and sweet and strong and ugh I can gush about him forever. I really did not think he would end up being my favorite character and care about him as much as I do but there ya go.

3. It’s only fair to say AMY now. Goddamn she is AWESOMELY STUBBORN and I loved how she questions a lot. She defies people in order to get ANSWERS and the truth. Especially in this book.

4. MYSTERY. And cliffhangers. At the end of every chapter I was like, “WELL. I gotta keep going now!” even late into the night. I just needed to know what was going on and wasn’t bored for a second.

I’m very particular about how I like series to end: wrapped up enough, but not completely. I still want to wonder about the characters and what might become of them. But I do need some sort of happiness. Not Breaking Dawn-like happiness, just enough so that I’m not curled up in the fetal position crying over everything. There was a point where I started BAWLING (if you follow me on Twitter, you might have witnessed that unfortunate out burst. Apologies) . But I was incredibly happy with the way the book ended so that should give you a little insight.

If you haven’t read this series, seriously: DO IT. It’s an incredible and cool story.

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release: December 11, 2012
Publisher: Entangled
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 382

Synopsis from Goodreads:

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger… and they know it

I’ve already talked about what Jennifer L. Armentrout books do to me but let me reiterate: this series turns me into a squealing, swoony, thirteen year old girl. It’s embarrassing, actually.

I was so impressed without how seamlessly Katy and Daemon went from the snarky (borderline mean, at some times) banter to being together. In the first two books, I couldn’t really imagine how it would work but oh it does. I was swooning in Opal even more so than Onyx. And Daemon is so so much hotter in this book. WHEW!

Okay storyline because that’s what’s important, right? (No, but I’ll pretend not to be totally shallow for a sec) For real, the alien/DoD/Daedalus storyline is getting so intense and complex and I keep trying to guess what is all happening and I JUST DON’T KNOW. I’ll say though: I’m super suspicious of certain people. Like Bethany. There is something up with that girl.

There wasn’t a second of this book that I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. The end will leave you with your mouth hanging open and begging for Origin (um like I have! JULY, GUYS, JULY). That is all I can say because I so do not want to spoil people but OMG will be a popular reaction to the end.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Release: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Dutton
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 368

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

After the complete heartbreak of If I Stay and Where She Went, I have to admit: I was terrified of reading Just One Day. I mean, excited because Gayle Forman writes beautifully and her characters are some of my favorites, but terrified nonetheless. I CAN’T DEAL WITH HEARTBREAK!

But Just One Day is…different? It’s heartbreaking, yes, but not in the sould-crushing way of the other two (you think I’m being dramatic but I cried for days reading them) were. As someone with a travel bug, this book was simultaneously delicious and dangerous. When I went to London I did the exact trip to Paris that Allyson and Willem take and I got a little wistful for my trip and later I got jealousy pangs for the other travel points that I can’t mention for spoilers. Just know: THERE IS TRAVELING in this book and it’s wonderful.

I was immediately drawn to Allyson even though I am the complete opposite as her, I so enjoyed her journey (literal and metaphorical). Characters is something Gayle Forman does SO FREAKING WELL. Willem was mysterious though what little we knew about him interested me and I’m hoping we will find out much more about him in Just One Year.

My one criticism was the middle was a touch too long and lost my interest a couple of times. I loved the evolution of Allyson from a more typical high school teenager to a more open and independent college student but, in my opinion, it could have been cut down a little.

(Can we have Just One Year, now?)

Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release: Novmber 6, 2012
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 360

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.

If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

I realized something as I read Half-Blood, Pure, and Obsidian all in one week that when I’m in a reading slump and I put on Twitter that I’m in need of book heavy on the romance with a touch of supernatural/paranormal/fantasty etc. mixed in, I’m totally talking about Jennifer L. Armentrout’s books. They are the absolute perfect books for me.

Deity doesn’t pick up right where Pure left off, but pretty close, and I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of dwelling on a certain event that happened in the previous book. I feel like many books tend to do that and the present storyline gets lost in the rehashing of past events turning over in the characters’ minds and those books are always a drag for me.

Alex continues to be one of my number one girls. How quickly she rose to my Top Female YA Characters list (which is a coveted spot – not just anyone gets on this list). I adore reckless, sassy chicks. You never know what she’s going to say or do! She has the gutsiness I wish I had. I’m also a TOTAL Aiden fangirl. Like, it’s kind of ridiculous. And all I can say on this front is: WOAH (I hate that I can’t flail more than this but spoilers, ya know).

I just…really love this series. Deity just RAMPED. IT. UP. There was a part where it was midnight and I was texting my best friend about it because I was all swoony and giggly over a scene and then BAM. Something happens that had me gasping. That is basically Deity in a nutshell: it will have you going from fangirling to shocked in a span of three pages.

(It really needs to be April now. I need Apollyon!)

Have any of you read this series? DO YOU LOVE IT?! Tell me your thoughts/link me to your reviews of the books!

Release: October 23, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 544

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

OMG YOU GUYS. I can’t tell you enough how much I loved this book. I adored The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Like, A LOT so naturally, I was worried as to how the sequel would live up. Will it still be creepy? Will it have that same chilling, mysterious feel of the first book? Will Noah Shaw still be the epitome of hotness? Hell yes, absolutely, and OH YES.

So many things happen and I will not spoil any of it because that would be cruel so I will just say: some creepy shizz goes down in Evolution. In fact, Evolution creeped me out even more so than Unbecoming, if that’s even possible. I am both amazed and a teensy bit afraid of Michelle Hodkin’s mind. The line between reality and what’s in Mara’s head is so blurred that it pulls you in and makes you feel just like her, asking yourself WHAT IS HAPPENING? over and over.

Noah continues to be hotness personified although I am still suspicious of him, as always. I CAN’T HELP IT, there’s always been nagging thoughts of guardedness when it comes to him and I don’t fully trust him. Even so, the accent he has in my head is so pretty that I really want to trust him and talk myself into it.

MaraMaraMara. I just adore her and want to make everything better for her. She’s one of my favorite characters in YA, right now. She’s a lot stronger in Evolution but at the same time, a little less steady (understandably). Ah she’s just awesome and I can’t wait for more of her!

ANSWERS. There are answers to certain questions and I was completely satisfied/blown away but fret not, there are many more questions to be answered! I adored this sequel, even though it terrified me for so many reasons. Michelle Hodkin, you are terrifying. Don’t ever change.

Release: October 2, 2012
Publisher: Greenwillow
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 373

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Inhale. Exhale.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe . . .
The world is dead.
The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

Alina
has been stealing for a long time. She’s a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she’s never been caught before. If she’s careful, it’ll be easy. If she’s careful.

Quinn
should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it’s also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn’t every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Bea
wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they’d planned a trip together, the two of them, and she’d hoped he’d discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days’ worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

If you are claustrophobic/have a fear of drowning this book will cause some distress. I found myself being very greedy for air throughout the entire book. The parts where the characters would go outside the pod, I’d stop breathing and then start hyperventilating. Woah this makes me sound super weird. Hopefully I’m not the only one?

Breathing issues aside, I adored Breathe. I can’t stop thinking about the world Sarah Crossan made up and man, how much I really do not want to live in it (protect the trees, people!).

The desperation and narrow mindedness of both sides – the upper class who can afford the air they breathe and want to keep their control, and those who are desperately trying to restore the environment – is so raw and human and made me so sad (I get really into the politics and deeply-rooted issues when it comes to dystopians). Our main characters fall somewhere in the middle of these extremes. Alina took a little time for me to warm up to. I love sassy characters and she is that, but there was an edge to her, understandably, and I always require more time with them in order to love them. But by the end, I just wanted to squish her to me in a LET ME LOVE YOU kind of way.

But Bea. Bea is the character that really stood out and struck a chord with me. I’m just drawn to the characters who always strive to do the right thing no matter what and that is Bea. One of the things I was (oddly) excited for about this book was that the love triangle is so often girl + 2 boys but in Breathe, it looked like it would be a triangle with boy + 2 girls but as you get into the story you realize there is no love triangle and I was super happy about that and I will just leave it there.

The world in Breathe is unlike any other in dystopian novels and is literally and figuratively breathtaking. Read it, read it, read it! You won’t be disappointed.

Release: July 10, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 304

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In this humorous love story from the author of Two-Way Street, an unlikely romance is the best sort of surprise—but the wrong secret can ruin everything. Kelsey’s not going to let one mistake ruin her life. Sure, she got kicked out of prep school and all her old friends are shutting her out. But Kelsey’s focused on her future, and she’s determined to get back on track at Concordia High.

Isaac’s been kicked out of more schools than he can count. Since his father’s a state senator, Isaac’s life is under constant scrutiny—but Concordia High’s his last stop before boarding school, so Isaac’s hoping to fly under the radar and try to stay put for a change.

When Kelsey and Isaac meet, it’s anything but love at first sight. She thinks he’s an entitled brat, and he thinks she’s a stuck-up snob. So it surprises them both when they start to fall for each other. Kelsey’s happy for the first time in months, and Isaac’s never felt this way about anyone before…But nothing’s ever completely perfect. Everyone has secrets, and Isaac and Kelsey are no exceptions. These two may have fallen hard, but there’s one thing that can ruin it all: the truth

Every new Lauren Barnholdt book that comes out, I’m usually slightly disappointed. I’m a fan and I really like all of them, I do, but none seem to live up to the awesomeness that was Two Way Street. AMAZING NEWS: The Thing About the Truth is VERY reminiscent of TWS! So much so that I might have even liked it more? Maybe?

The way it was written was the first thing that grabbed me; how the story went back and forth through time and giving little bits of the puzzle over the course of the book kept me guessing and DESPERATELY ITCHING to flip to the end to see what had gotten between Isaac and Kelsey. Isaac is way more swoon-worthy than the boys in Barndholt’s previous books (this is important, okay?) and more importantly, Kelsey is a way more awesome and less angry* and I adored the dynamic between the two. Hate to love is always a fun love story.

I just really loved this book and if you’ve never read Lauren Barnholdt DO IT. Feel free to start with this one. And if you have, I suspect you’ve already read it, right? ALSO? I feel REALLY GOOD about her next book, Right of Way (July 9, 2013) looks way awesome and is another road trip book. I love road trip books

* I find her female leads to be unnecessarily extremely angry? Which is cool and all but they always take it out on the dude in a big way.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Release: July 31, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 384

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.
But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I had a strong feeling I would enjoy Pushing the Limits because the description so reminded me of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles and after reading that book, I wished there were more less-than-roses-and-rainbows romances out there. Well here is a great one! I read all 400-something pages in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down! I’m one of those people who skip through pages to see if there’s a good part coming up soon and I didn’t have to do it once with Katie McGarry’s amazing debut.

While the romance is undeniably the core of the story, and drawn out perfectly, Pushing the Limits has so much more it has to offer.

I loved how McGarry threaded slivers of hints at Echo’s trauma throughout the book. As the story went on, I had a pretty solid idea of what happened to Echo, what she doesn’t remember, but found myself making up a range of alternatives because I just didn’t want to believe it.

The twists and turns of the various mysterious (and boy does McGarry throw some awesome curveballs!) keep the plot from being dry but what completely hooked me in was the amazing character that is Noah Hutchins. Without giving away spoilers, let me just say that he took me by surprise and was not anything like others perceive him. I fell for him completely.

Pushing the Limits is a dark and raw love story that is positively unputdownable, and fans of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles will definitely want to check this one out!

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Release: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 445

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, Janelle knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

(Warning: teeny tiny spoiler. Not a huge reveal but just putting it out there for spoilerphobes.)

I had no idea what Unraveling was about when I bought it; I saw it had great star ratings on Goodreads and I have a compulsive need to buy debut books the day they come out so I picked it up. And proceeded to not read it until the other day. Despite the fact that I hadn’t read the back cover, I was pulled into Janelle’s world from page one.

As I was reading, I started to get a sneaking suspicion about Ben. So I went onto Goodreads again and looked up some reviews. My suspicion was confirmed and my reaction was this: OH HELL NO. Now, normally for me, this would be the point that I’d put down the book and possibly (probably not) return to the book at a later date. But Janelle was so compelling; the story was drawn out so well that I couldn’t put it down.

Janelle is one of those characters you just wish you had even an ounce of their strength and guts. She knows what she wants and protects the ones she loves fiercely but she’s also a teenage girl with too much responsibility on her plate and I couldn’t help feeling anxious for her situation(s). Another character I adored was Struz. I just love funny bachelor guys who takes care of their best friend’s family. It’s one of my many character weaknesses.

Regardless of my reservations on the plot in the beginning and not being a huge alien/sci-fi girl, I found myself getting TOTALLY into the sci-fi. I consider myself semi smart but sci-fi usually loses me in the mumbo-jumbo so I thank Norris for making it all explainable and not expecting everyone and their dog to know what was up.
Unraveling has a little something for everyone: mystery, adventure, sci-fi, and ROMANCE, which, I’ll be honest, was my favorite part. Ben and Janelle were adorable and reminded me of a certain other alien/human couple combo.

Although Unraveling wrapped up nicely and could act as a stand-alone, there were a few question marks left at the end so I was thrilled to see there is more to come (and more Ben and Janelle!) from Elizabeth Norris. I will be restlessly awaiting for the next installment.

If you like:

You’ll want to check out Unraveling!