My Thoughts: The Madman's Daughter

(Goodreads Summary)
Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

Genre: Gothic Horror, Young Adult
Published: January 29, 2013


My Thoughts:

"In the darkest places, even love is deadly."

I freaking LOVED this book!

The Madman's Daughter is a tragic, haunting, scary, nail-biting Gothic tale of a girl's father's descent into madness and her own struggle against following in his footsteps.

This story is a retelling of sorts of The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. It's set in the late 1800's and there is a definite historical feel to the writing. It's about a girl named Juliet Moreau. Her father disappeared when she was 10 due to a scandal involving his experiments. People say he was creating abominations. That he was creating monsters. Juliet's mother has since died, and she has been living as a poor maid, trying to get by, ignore the rumors about her father and escape the unwanted advances of men. She goes in search of her father and ends up on a secluded island where she hopes to discover the truth about the experiments her father has been accused of.

And discover them she does! The thing is...Juliet has a lot of dark feelings herself. Part of her doesn't believe what her father is doing is completely wrong. Which makes her think that she will end up just like him.  Speaking of Juliet's father, he is dark and crazy and scary. He is obsessed with his work to the point of madness. 

AND SO MUCH MORE HAPPENS.

There is a definite mysterious, haunting air throughout this story which made it that much more exciting. There is a bit of a love triangle, which became a little annoying at times with the back and forth, but the story was so engrossing I was able to easily ignore it. There were twists and turns and things happened that I never could have guessed. The writing and pacing was spot-on and THE ENDING!! OH MY GAH! It was a big giant cliff hanger! AND I NEED the next book NOW! All the characters were interesting, even the non-human ones.
I don't want to get into too much detail about the actual story because I'm glad I didn't know much about it before reading it. It just added more excitement to the experience.

Final Thoughts: Basically,  this book is wonderfully mad, I couldn't put it down and was left guessing until the very end. 4.5/5

I originally borrowed this book from the library, but will DEF be buying my own copy!

Graphic Novel Review: Friends With Boys

(Goodreads Summary)
After years of homeschooling, Maggie is starting high school. It's pretty terrifying.

Maggie's big brothers are there to watch her back, but ever since Mom left it just hasn't been the same.

Besides her brothers, Maggie's never had any real friends before. Lucy and Alistair don't have lots of friends either. But they eat lunch with her at school and bring her along on their small-town adventures.

Missing mothers...distant brothers...high school...new friends... It's a lot to deal with. But there's just one more thing.

MAGGIE IS HAUNTED.




Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Published: February 28, 2012

My Thoughts:
I don't have a lot of experience with graphic novels. I likes what I likes! And I liked this one!

Friends With Boys is a graphic novel about a teenage girl starting public school for the first time. Her mother left and she is being raised by her father, along with 3 older brothers.  While navigating high school for the first time (and all crap that brings) she manages to become friends with two outcasts who accept her and help her come out of her shell. And there's a ghost.

Firstly, I loved the artwork. It's in black & white, which is my favorite style. The graphics are clean and detailed but not cluttered. The story is easy to follow and there's a good balance between the graphics and the words.

This story is really funny. All the characters have distinct personalities and I especially loved the parts of the family interacting. It was easy to relate to Maggie's feelings about high school. I wish the story had been longer! The only thing I didn't really "get" was the whole ghost element. Maggie is being haunted. It wasn't really explained very well, but it didn't make the story any less enjoyable for me.

For anyone who is new to graphic novels, this would be a good start because it's a short, quick, easy to follow story.

Bottom Line: Great characters, great graphics, great story. 4/5

I originally borrowed this from the library but will be buying my own copy!

My Thoughts: Letters from Skye (Jessica Brockmole)

Goodreads Summary:
A sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole’s atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart.

March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.

June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.


Publication Date: July 9, 2013
Source: ARC won from Goodreads

Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts:

Let me start off by saying I primarily read Young Adult fiction.  I'm not a young adult myself, but I'm drawn towards that genre for one reason or another. I also tend to stay away from historical stuff.  If I had seen this book in a store, I never would have picked it up.  And that would have sucked.

The year is 1912. Elspeth Dunn is a young poet who lives a quiet life in Scotland on the Isle of Skye. One unsuspecting day she receives her very first fan letter from an American student named David.  The rest is history.
Elspeth and David start up a long-distance friendship made up of letters that turns into a love story that is neither perfect nor easy. There is more then just distance that their love for each other has to overcome: war, danger, marriage, family, friends.  Their own self-doubts. It's a love story that spans decades and leaves the reader guessing until the very end.

I LOVED this book. LOVED.  There's no better word to describe Letters from Skye than beautiful.
The story is revealed bit by bit in letters. You get to know Elspeth and David and how their friendship initially starts and then how that friendship evolves to something more.  Throughout the chapters, the story flashes forward to 1940 when we meet Elspeth's daughter Margaret. There's another war going on and this has caused old memories to surface. Margaret is now in a long-distance relationship with a boy who has gone off to war and her mother is warning her against giving her heart away for the breaking. Margaret knows nothing about her father or the first volume of her mother's life. All she knows is that her mother has a suitcase of old letters addressed to a girl named Sue, signed from a boy named David.

I loved the way this book was written. The author did a remarkable job of plotting out the story and it flowed incredibly well. I could have easily devoured this story in hours, but I forced myself to slow down so I could absorb and digest every word.  The characters are well written, fully developed and easy to pull for. All I wanted was for Elspeth and David to have their happy ever after.  But life isn't like that.  Real life is hard. Love is hard. And the author portrayed the story and the characters in a very realistic light. 

Favorite Quotes:
"I should have told you, should've taught you to steel your heart. Taught you that a letter isn't always just a letter. Words on the page can drench the soul. If you only knew."

"You'll never know if you're on the right course for your life until you see the course that has brought you to where you are today."

"You are the reason I frown at the sunrise and smile at the sunset. Frown because I have to face the day alone, without you by my side. Smile because that's one less day we have to spend apart."

"As Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day, right at the stroke of midnight, step outside and tilt your face up at the moon. Taste the snowflakes on your lips and imagine they are my lips touching yours."


If this book wasn't on your radar before, it should be now.

Bottom Line:
Letters from Skye was romantic and inspiring and beautiful. It was sad and heartbreaking and difficult. It's a love story that transcends. And it never gives up. 5/5!




*I won a free ARC from Goodreads firstreads giveaway. This was my honest review.*

My Thoughts: Firelight Trilogy (Sophie Jordan)





My Thoughts:
OMG.   So the very first time I read Firelight, which was SEVERAL years ago, I gave it 5 stars. I apparently loved it. I re-read it last week so I could complete the series, and I gave it 3.5 stars. Obviously I'm in a different place now.. haha.

I was SOO disappointed with the rest of the series.  The main character, Jacinda, got on my freaking nerves! She became super annoying! Her sister Tamra was way more interesting, as was Cassian. This was a case of a love triangle gone totally WRONG. The romance severely detracted from the story and I couldn't wait for the series to end. The only reason I finished it was because, silly me, I bought the last 2 books. 

This series had the potential to be amazing. I loved the Draki lore,. Those few parts I found to be very interesting, but unfortunately this wasn't enough to sustain the story.   I found the main character Jacinda to be a very weak character and that's something I just am not down with. I found the supporting characters to be much more interesting.

I don't know what else to say besides I was very much disappointed with this series. Every dragon book I've read so far has disappointed me in some way which sucks.

I would say if this series at all interests you, borrow it from the library. If only I had done that.

Bottom Line: Disappointing. I give the series a very nice 3/5 rating...only because I didn't HATE the first book.

My Thoughts: Sweet Evil (Wendy Higgins)

Goodreads Link/Blurb:

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?


Cover: Thumbs DOWN
Published: May 1st, 2012
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Okay. WOW. I literally JUST read the last word of this book. Color me impressed!
When I started reading, I thought to myself, this is pretty good. Not bad. Angels and Demons. Good writing. Good characters. Enjoyable. It wasn't until about half-way through that things took a turn for the amazing and I couldn't put the book down! The action, the heat, the suspense, the everything! YES!  SO GOOD.

The basics of this story aren't that original. Bad boy and good girl meet.  From different sides of the tracks but drawn together. Fighting against the demands of others and the demons within themselves.  Heat, passion, yes, no, YES.  I could see some ties/similarities to some other stories as far as the type of characters.

But the similarities quickly ended and the story took on a path all it's own. I found the angel/demon lore interesting and unique. You have the Dukes, who represent 12 different sins (gluttony, pride, murder, greed, lust, etc.) and work under Lucifer. Their children, the Nephilium, are half demon half human products of their fallen angel fathers.  The offspring are forced to do the work of their fathers and unleash their sins on humans, trying to basically rid the world of all that is good.  If the Nephilium refuse to do their father's work, they are killed and sent to hell.  I really enjoyed all the religious elements that were infused into this story. I marked several passages that I could relate to real life and connected me to the story.
I ended up LOVING the characters. Even the evil ones.

I don't want to reveal too much about the characters, so I'll just say there's more to Anna then meets the eye and Kaiden is more complex then he appears. The romance between Anna and Kaiden worked VERY well. Hot. Yeah. Definitely hot. OH THE ANGST.  It was a bit of a quickie love, but Kaiden IS the son of the Duke of Lust after all!

This isn't a pretty, happy ending type of book. And that makes it GREAT. I was literally 10 pages from the end and I had NO IDEA what was going to happen and was on the edge of my seat with anticipation and excitement!  As soon as I finish typing this, I will be pre-ordering the next book in this series.
I'm not usually a huge fan of Angel books because I feel like they are very similar. But this one is different and wonderfully written.  Very much recommended.

Bottom Line: Gripping, hot, dark, and sweetly evil! 5/5

My Thoughts: Through the Ever Night (Veronica Rossi)

*This is the second book in the Under the Never Sky Trilogy*








(Goodreads blurb/link)

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

My Thoughts:
This is the sequel to Under the Never Sky. GO READ THAT FIRST! Then come back.

If you're looking for a scattered, ineloquent, drooly review, you've come to the right place.

Oh.My.Geez. This book was FANTASTIC!! From start to finish, there was never a dull moment. It's jam packed with action, adventure, turmoil, struggles, romance, twists and turns.  This book had absolutely everything you could want. SO FREAKING GOOD!!!

If you 've read Under the Never Sky but haven't picked this shining gem up yet,  DON'T WAIT ANY LONGER! I'm serious! You have NO CLUE what you're missing.

The writing is perfection.  I love Aria and Perry so much. SOOO MUCH.  It's rare that I love a "side" character as much as the main characters. But let me tell you, that Roar is something else.  His character is written extremely well and if there was a spin-off series surrounding him I would read it in a heartbeat.  (If you haven't read the novella Roar and Liv- DO IT). 

I don't even know how to get my thoughts in order. Aria and Perry are reunited after months apart. Perry is now the Blood Lord of The Tides and finds himself torn between duty and love. Aria, being half Dweller and half Outsider feels like she doesn't fit in anywhere. Roar is still devastated and consumed with wanting to find Liv. And all the while the Aether storms are getting worse and threatening to destroy everything and everybody. The only hope is to find the Still Blue. BUT that presents some difficulty as the person who knows its where abouts is blackmailing Aria and can't be trusted.

SO MUCH HAPPENS in this book. I'm not even going to attempt to put it in logical order. THE ENDING. AHHH.  The chemistry between Aria and Perry! The way my heart breaks for Roar and Liv!
You HAVE to read this book. You just do. You just do do.

Favorite Quotes:
"Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame.” 

"We lose and lose, but we're still here. Shaking in place, afraid of doing something. I'm tired of settling for this because I don't know if something better exists. It has to. What point is there otherwise? I can do something about it now. And I will.” 

Bottom Line:  Through the Ever Night is an exciting, heart pounding, nail biting follow-up that has me desperate for the next book in this fantastic series! 5/5!

For Review: Scent of Magic (Maria V. Snyder)

*This is book #2 in the Healer series*


(Goodreads Blurb/Link)

Hunted, Killed—Survived?

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.


Published: December 18, 2012
Source: Netgalley- For my honest review
Cover: NOT diggin' it


My Thoughts:
 This review will contain spoilers from Book # 1: Touch of Power

The end of Touch of Power left us with the death of Avry as a result of healing Prince Ryne of the plague. Then she was brought back to life. Now you're caught up.

In Scent of Magic, Tohon is on a destructive murderous mission to become ruler of the 15 realms, leading his army of dead to crush anyone who gets in his way.  Taking advantage of everyone thinking she's dead, Avry infiltrates Jael's camp to get information and look out for Tohon spies. She's SUPPOSED to be laying low as she promised Kerrick.  But that doesn't work out so well.  Meanwhile Kerrick goes back to Ryne's camp to assist with war plans and runs into some difficulties of his own.

As far as sequels go, this one was pretty good. I didn't like it AS much as Touch of Power but it's a must read for fans of this series.

Kerrick and Avry are separated for about 80% of Scent of Magic. The supporting characters that I grew to love in the previous book don't show up as much. I missed their interactions and back and forth quibbling. I also missed the romance between Kerrick and Avry.  There's a lot of action in this book, but it's more focused on war strategy.

That said, Avry as a main character was able to stand on her own and continues to kick butt. At 21, Avry is brave, independent and a skilled fighter. I love to see strong female characters kicking butt and taking charge and Avry does just that.  As difficult as it is to be separated from Kerrick, Avry doesn't take the woe-is-me-I'm-nothing-without-my-love attitude. Which is a good thing because her focus needs to be on using her skills to help stop Tohon and his dead from taking over.

The point of view switches back and forth between Avry and Kerrick. This was vital to making the story more interesting. Let's face it, Kerrick's my favorite and I especially love the parts with him in it. The story's just going along, going along, la-de-da, not bad.  I get to the last 20ish pages or so and then BAM. CLIFFHANGER CITY! WHAT the WHAT!?! What's going to happen next?? EEP!
Immediately drawn back in.

Bottom Line:   A solid sequel, if for nothing but the last 20 pages.  3.75/5

My Thoughts: Every Day (David Levithan)

(Goodreads Blurb/Link)
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

Published: August 28, 2012
Source: Bought
Cover: LOVE

My Thoughts:

I'm a huge fan of David Levithan's writing. I've loved every book I've read of his so far and Every Day was no exception.

Imagine, if you will, waking up every morning in a different body. Different house. Family. School. Friends.  You could be rich, poor, healthy, sick. Tall, short, fat , skinny. Different problems, addictions. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Boy. Girl.  You never know what tomorrow will bring. All you know is that every day you will wake up to a new life.

In Every Day this is the life of the main character, who goes by A. A does not identify as male or female - but simply is.  A has to be very careful to take care of whatever body is inhabited for the day and to not drastically upset the balance of their life. Because tomorrow they will return to themselves.  So having sex when the person is a virgin or doing drugs when the person is in recovery or anything in general that would take away the person's choice would be morally wrong. One morning A wakes up in a new body like always, but this day makes A yearn for something that can never be. Because you see,  relationships are impossible and obstacles are constant and uncontrolled when you are never the same person.

I LOVED this book. I was completely pulled under. There is an emotional depth to the main character, A, and the writing that makes this book stand out.  I love that A is sexually ambiguous. David did a fantastic job of showing the difficulties and struggles one would face if they had such a life.
 Reading Every Day, you realize very quickly that there can be no happy ending in a situation like this. And as awesome and alluring it may sound to wake up as someone else, you never know what demons they are battling. 

Favorite Quotes:
"I wake up thinking of yesterday. The joy is in remembering; the pain is in knowing it was yesterday."

"Some people think mental illness is a matter of mood, a matter of personality. They think depression is simply a form of being sad, that OCD is a form of being uptight. They think the soul is sick, not the body. It is, they believe, something that you have some choice over. I know how wrong that is."

Bottom Line:  This book makes you FEEL. It makes you THINK.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 5/5

Make it a Quickie?

I've decided to start having some quickies. Once or twice a month sounds good. Sometimes you just don't have time or feel like spending more then a few minutes devoting yourself to certain activities. But you can't completely give it up. That would be crazy!

Of course I'm talking about book reviews (stop being dirty you sexual deviant).  In the past I've felt like reviewing was an all or nothing thing. I had to post a long-ish  review about every book I read,  which being that I'm not a good writer could def take some time. And then I would get behind and that in turn would stress me out. So instead I just wouldn't post my thoughts at all.

 But then I had a light bulb moment (which let's face it, are rare for me).   For the books I don't write "official" reviews on I will instead do a short quickie post. I still want to be able to share my thoughts on all the books I read!  It will most likely involve several books, once or twice a month and happen on Mondays:  It's Monday! Better Make it a Quickie!

Yes??  Yes. I thinks so.  However, my FOR REVIEW books will continue getting the old-fashioned treatment.

I shall have my first official quickie next Monday! Stay tuned :)

My UNofficial Thoughts: Obsidian (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

My Thoughts:

 I've put on my blog before that I don't believe in posting official reviews on books I'm not able to finish. WELL. I take that back. It's my blog I do what I wants.

I couldn't stop myself from reviewing a book that was SUCH AN UTTER disappointment! I just need to vent it on out.

SO. I saw SO MANY 4 and 5 star ratings for Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout that I asked for and received it from my bookish secret santa. I skimmed about the first 5 pages as I normally do with books and thought, hey! This is gonna be good! So I proceeded to order and buy the next 2 books in the series. WHAT WAS I THINKING! Bad move. This is one of those rare times that I wanted this book SOELY because of the hype it received. It's not something I would probably have picked up otherwise. (Although I'm def open to reading more books about aliens).  But seeing as people were going gaga over it I though: OMG everyone is loving this series, it MUST be amazing, I just HAVE to read it too!!

As I stated above, I did not finish this book. I gave it a good ole try and got to page about 228 before I called it quits.  This book has one main problem, and unfortunately, there's no getting around it or ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist.

What is the problem with this book?  THE WRITING!! Oh man. Not good. I felt like it was someones first draft for nanowrimo if you get what I'm saying. I'm not trying to be evil, just trying to get my point across when we all know I'm not good at the words. The writing is very sub-par, there's no depth, lots of repetition and LOTS of correlations to the Twilight series and NOT in a good way (and I LOVE Twilight). The characters were not likable. The main dude Daemon is a bad boy but not in the redeeming kind of way. He was like a badly written inferior version of Edward Cullen (WHOM I'm in love with).  The main dudette had no depth. So. that my friends is why I could not finish this book. The writing was just not good. And I just couldn't keep plowing through it. BOO.

Positives? Oh yes, there are some. If not for the writing I think I would have liked this book quite a bit. I loved the main story-line premise about these aliens called Luxen who came to Earth because their planet got destroyed by the big baddies. They are manipulators of light and have all these awesome powers! I haven't read many alien books and they do interest me. There were a small few moments that I did snortle a little because of something a character said or did and that make me happy. There were moments of romantical awkwardness and hot tension but because I felt the characters weren't well developed or consistent this didn't really do it for me. Another positive is that I really dug the fact that the main girl Katy is a blogger! And the author mentions Waiting on Wednesday and some other stuff that did help make her a little bit more relateable and I enjoyed that little bit.

Overall, very sad. And now I own books 2 & 3. Maybe I will come back some day to this book. MAYBE the writing gets better down the line?? MAYBE??  

I learned some very valuable lessons from reading this book:

1.  Don't believe in the hype. Sometimes the hype comes through. But it's prolly safer to hype it out at the library.

2. DON'T buy anymore books in the series UNTIL i read the first one. DUH.

Favorite Quotes:
haha yeah none

Bottom Line: While this book may be loved by many, it's not going to be invited to my party. 2/5 (maybe even less but I HATE writing negative reviews)

To everyone who loved this book: YAY! I mean that.  The same books aren't for everyone. And that's awesome because how boring would that be? 

My Thoughts: Stolen (Lucy Christopher)

(Goodreads Summary/Link)
A girl: Gemma, 16, at the airport, on her way to a family vacation.

A guy: Ty, rugged, tan, too old, oddly familiar, eyes blue as ice.

She steps away. For just a second. He pays for her drink. And drugs it. They talk. Their hands touch. And before Gemma knows what's happening, Ty takes her. Steals her away. To sand and heat. To emptiness and isolation. To nowhere. And expects her to love him.

Written as a letter from a victim to her captor, STOLEN is Gemma's desperate story of survival; of how she has to come to terms with her living nightmare--or die trying to fight it.










Genre: YA
Published: May 4, 2009
Source: Bought

My Thoughts:

Stolen is a story about a 16 year old girl, named Gemma,  who gets abducted at an airport by a man several years older then her. He smuggles her away to an isolated desert in the middle of nowhere.  The book is written as a letter from victim to captor.  It's a good, solid captivating read that held my interest until the end.

The writing was very descriptive. I felt as though I was inside Gemma's head and was experiencing her fear and anger and confusion.  I could feel the brutality of the desert sun. I could feel the terror of not knowing what this man was going to do next.  The man who stole her, Ty, is not your straight-forward evil, easy to hate monster.  He's not a murderer or rapist. He allows Gemma to roam the house and go outside. Brings her food and water. Tries to care for her.   He's complicated and sure, a little crazy. But as the story goes on and Gemma reveals more insight into her captor and how he came to steal her, feelings start to change a little. And maybe you don't hate him as much as you should. And then you feel crazy yourself for not hating him.  Because he is a monster. He took a girl against her will and psychologically crippled her. But sometimes the author makes you forget.

You read the struggles Gemma goes through and it makes you think about what would you do if you were in a similar situation? There's no way you could know. Sitting here now, I could logically think of a plan but in that moment of sheer terror there's no telling what my mind would do to survive. Or what would be left in the aftermath.

While I was very invested in this story and read it quickly,  it didn't take me all the way.  It didn't take me to that raw, emotionally used up place that I was expecting and wanting it to. I don't know why. There's nothing wrong with this story.  Maybe it's just me.  I wasn't emotionally spent. And for some reason I was expecting at least one tear to form in my eye. But alas, my eyes are dry. 

AND I'm going to go ahead and give a shout out to the camel. I wants one.

Favorite Quotes:
"I pressed my hand to my chest. I could feel my heart. Boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.It was going to beat right through my ribs, cracking them all. I tried slowing my breathing. To do this, I tried to determine exactly where my heart was. Left side, or right? We'd learned that at school once. I pressed around, trying to find it, but it felt like my whole chest was made of heart. My whole body was beating. And it was getting faster. It felt like I was going to explode."

Bottom Line: Stolen is emotionally confusing, heartbreaking and real. A solid must read.  3.75/5

My Thoughts: Days of Blood and Starlight (Laini Taylor)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2



Genre: Young Adult
Published: November 6, 2012
Source: Bought

Cover: GORGEOUS! LOVE IT!

My Thoughts:
So basically this review is going to go like this. If you haven't read Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Book #1) WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?!? GO! NOW! The little reader inside of your brain is dying a little bit more every day that you pass that book up. Do you want to be a murderer? I think not. Then, when you finish that masterpiece, go pick up Days of Blood & Starlight!

If you've read Daughter of Smoke & Bone, you're probably wanting to know if the author succeeded in writing a worthwhile sequel that lived up to the brilliance, beauty and awe of the first. All I have to say is YES YES A MILLION TIMES YES!!! This book was JUST as good, dare I say better??  Twists, turns, laughs, cries, heart crushing devastation, tortured love, surprises around every turn, magic like you've never seen before... this book has EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING I SAY!! Laini Taylor's writing is unlike any I've ever read. The beauty of it is unparalleled.

Ahem. I liked it just a little.

Favorite Quotes:
I don't have one specific favorite quote. Every word of this book is my favorite.

Bottom Line:  5/5 I would give this book 10 stars if there were such a thing. Amazeballs. LOVED EVERY.SINGLE.WORD.

My Thoughts: Looking for Alaska (John Green)

(Goodreads Summary)

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.








My Thoughts:

John Green is a literary genius and this book a product of his exceptional mind. This is one of those books that hooked me in the first chapter. I absolutely LOVED it. This book is not to be passed up. It won an award for a reason (and I don't usually hold stock in those types of things).

This book is so funny! It contains so much laughter and humor, which is a big turn on for me when it comes to books. If you can make me laugh, you'll probably hook me in. I read this book at work on my breaks and actually had to stifle my laughter so the people near me wouldn't look at me like I was crazy.  There's one particular part involving a certain sexual act that had me CRACKING UP.

While there is a lot of humor, there's also some serious stuff in this book. Stuff that's real and raw and honest and dark.  The realism in the writing makes the story come to life.

The quirks and dialogue and relationships John gives his characters make them unique and interesting and easy to love. The writing is on-point and intelligent. The story itself was never dull. This book is amazing and one of my favorite reads of 2012.  Everyone should read it!

Favorite Quotes:
"....if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane."

"It is worth it to leave behind my minor life for grander maybes."

Bottom Line: John Green lives up to they hype. As did this book. 5/5

My Thoughts: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Goodreads Summary:
Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult

My Thoughts:
I LOVE road trip books and this was was no exception! It was awesome!

This book is about death and loss and grieving and figuring out how to move on. It's about forgiving others and forgiving yourself.  It's about being human and defining what home actually means .  And it's hilarious and touching and sweet and did I mention funny? And I want to go on a cross-country road trip now!!

Like previously mentioned, the setting of this book is a cross-country road trip from California to Connecticut. Originally Amy's mother had a very specific, detailed route that Amy and Roger were to follow including where and when to stop.  Well, Amy and Roger decide to take a little detour and that's when things get REALLY interesting!

The author has included scrapbook style pages with pictures and drawings and fun state facts. And what would a road-trip be without music?!?  Expect playlists and jams galore! I loved "seeing" all the sights and experiencing different places through these characters. I wasn't just reading about a road trip. I felt like I was in the back seat, my feet hanging out the window, sipping on a root beer and watching the country go by with Amy and Roger.

The characters were easy to love.  They were very well developed and I loved both Roger and Amy.  I felt Amy's grief over her father's death and was able to relate to some of her feelings.  This story isn't just about Roger helping Amy move past the feelings about her father's death. It's about both of them helping each other.  And even though there is a lot heaviness there's also a LOT of lightness and laughter! Not just with Amy and Roger but with a lot of the side characters they come in contact with during their drive.

I feel like everyone needs some road-trip therapy at some point in their life.  Everything looks different when you're in  a car for 15 plus hours at a time. Things become clearer.  Right now, this book is the closest I'm going to get to it.

This is a contemporary young adult read that should not be passed up. The writing is excellent, the characters are heartfelt and lovely and real. There's depth and humor and just that feel-good feeling.

Favorite Quotes:
"I'd found out that if you pushed people away hard enough, they tended to go."

"I just needed to go someplace where I could be alone, and try to handle the fact that everything in the world seemed to be broken."

"Tomorrow will be better." "But what if it's not?", I asked. "Then you say it again tomorrow. Because it might be.  You never know, right? At some point, tomorrow will be better."

Bottom Line: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour took me on an emotional, fun, exciting, hilarious ride and I loved every stop along the way! 5/5

For Review: Persephone (Daughters of Zeus) (Kaitlin Bevis)

 

(Goodreads Summary/Link)

There are worse things than death, worse people too

The “talk” was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they’re a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn’t until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.





Source: E-copy from Musa Publishing
Genre: Young Adult

Why I wanted to read it: Greek mythology retelling

My Thoughts:

This is the 3rd Persephone and Hades retelling I've read. Let's face it, the others sucked royally and I had all but given up hope for this particular myth retelling.  BUT I've heard that the third time's the charm..right???

RIGHT! FINALLY! A myth retelling done well. Very well. I loved it. I read it in a couple hours. You should read it too. 

Like I already said, this is a retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. The author did a fantastic job of putting her own unique spin on a classic story.

I found the characters easy to connect to and they have a clear voice. Persephone as a main character is independent and brave and strong-willed. I LOVE that she talked back to Hades and didn't just accept things without question.  Hades. Oh man. I likey mucho. He's definitely a strong male character. He shows his care for Persephone but also makes it very clear that he has a dark side.  I mean, he is the God of the Underworld after all. And he's all sorts of hot.

Speaking of...the Underworld was explained and described so well that I had no problem imagining it. I also liked the uniqueness and the details of the different areas of the afterlife.  A vivid picture was very well painted and just helped pull me into the story more.

As I was reading this book I was thinking to myself...ahhhhh. How refreshing. For once I have a retelling that is not fully based around an insta-love crappy romance. I love romance as much as the next person but I've read a lot of books recently where this was its downfall.  Don't get me wrong, there is a romance aspect in this story (it IS based on the Persephone & Hades myth afterall) and I foresee it coming more in to play in the next book. The difference is, in this case it was done WELL. The romance didn't take over and it wasn't overdone which made it all the more believable and accepting.

The writing is well-paced, developed and flows. There's also a lot of humor infused into this story which I LOVED.  Humor shows that the characters and story doesn't take itself too seriously and only helped add to its awesomeness.

Persephone is a must read for fans of Greek mythology retellings done right.


Favorite Quotes:
"People fear death, but in reality what they fear is the uncertainty of their afterlife."

"Reality has teeth and claws. It's rarely pretty and never fair."

Bottom Line: What else can I say? I was impressed. Well done! 4/5
I can't wait to read the second book!

For Review: Point of Retreat (Colleen Hoover)

 

(Goodreads Link) 

Source: For Review, Netgalley

Why I wanted to read it: Because I LOVED Slammed and couldn't NOT read this one.


My Thoughts:

Point of Retreat is the follow-up to Slammed, one of my favorite reads of 2012. This review will contain spoilers of Slammed. SO GO READ THAT ONE NOW!!

Point of Retreat was everything I was hoping for and more.  Having loved Slammed, I was a little worried that this one wouldn't be as good. Will and Layken are together now and still living across the street from each other. Layken's mom has died and she is taking care of her brother while Will continues to help raise his little brother.  I knew this book was going to involve a past love of Will's and this was going to create a conflict between him and Layken.

 This storyline could have been boring. BUT Colleen Hoover has this amazing ability of taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary!  She does this by creative writing and making her characters come to life.

If there's one word I could use to describe the characters in this book it would be authentic. I LOVE ALL of them.  I want to be in their little family.  And Will. Oh my. What a freaking catch.

This book made me cry but it also made me laugh out loud and gave me that feel-good feeling.
It's a must read for anyone who enjoyed Slammed.

I highly recommend these books to anyone looking for a contemporary YA read filled with authentic characters, laughter, incredible writing, all around amazingness and a bit of slam poetry.

Favorite Quotes:

"I've learned something about my heart. It can break. It can be ripped apart. It can harden and freeze. It can stop. Completely. It can shatter into a million pieces. It can explode. It can die. The only thing that made it start beating again? The moment you opened your eyes."

"It's like you came along and woke up my soul."

"Sometimes it feels good to have your biggest fears discounted with a simple compliment."

Bottom Line: Point of Retreat was an on-point follow-up to Slammed and Colleen Hoover is butterflying brilliant!  4.5/5

My Thoughts: Jekel Loves Hyde (Beth Fantaskey)

Goodreads Summary

Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents rules; especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father's office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be the key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.

To improve her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen's sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill's accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything, even Tristen's love just for the thrill of being . . . bad.







Cover: I LOVE green and purple together thus I dig this cover
.
Why I read it: The idea of a Jekyll and Hyde retelling with a romantic twist.

Source: Purchased


My Thoughts:

I had high hopes going in to this book. I find the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to be very interesting and this book held the promise of a loose retelling with a romantic twist. Sounds great right?

Well. I was disappointed.
I loved the initial idea and the story started off well enough. I initially liked the characters, but something happened and everything seemed to go to pieces. The serious case of insta-love in this book was a big put off. It just did not work. Within that, the story got lost. I felt like it was choppy and that there were actually 2 separate stories going on. The beginning with Tristen and then towards the end with Jill. The story didn't flow very well.  And soon after starting, the characters, especially Tristen, got on my nerves. It had to do with their interactions with each other as well as with others. I just couldn't connect.

The POV is from the 2 main characters; Tristen Hyde and Jill Jekel. It's a little weird. It doesn't go by chapter, but it's also not alternating within the chapters either. The author could have several passages in a row labeled Jill. I didn't get it.  The meat idea of the story was initially very interesting to me but it was taken down the wrong road and ultimately, just did not come together for me.

Favorite Quotes: None

Bottom Line:  This story was more Hyde then Jekel. And not in a good way.  3/5
 (Very difficult to decide between a 2.5 or 3 star rating.)


On a separate note, I did read a review written by someone who did not like this book but did like the authors other book (Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side).  She stated that the writing of this one was definitely sub par to her other series. I already own Jessica's Guide, so I will give this author another try.

My Thoughts: Blood Magic (Tessa Gratton)

It starts off simply.

Draw a circle... place a dead leaf in the center... sprinkle some salt... recite a little Latin... add a drop of blood...

Maybe that last part isn’t exactly simple. Yet somehow it feels right to Silla Kennicott. And nothing in her life has felt remotely right since her parents’ horrific deaths. She’s willing to do anything to uncover the truth about her family—even try a few spells from the mysterious book that arrived on her doorstep ... and spill some blood.

The book isn’t the only recent arrival in Silla’s life. There’s Nick Pardee, the new guy next door who may have seen Silla casting a spell. She’s not sure what he saw and is afraid to find out. But as they spend more time together, Silla realizes this may not be Nick’s first encounter with Blood Magic. Brought together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick can’t deny their attraction. And they can’t ignore the dark presence lurking nearby—waiting to reclaim the book and all its power. (Goodreads Blurb/Link)

Source: Purchased

Cover: Love it.

Why I wanted to read it: I mean...BLOOD MAGIC..hellooo

My Thoughts:

WOW. This book is AMAZING.  I loved it!

 Blood.  Witches.  Cutting.  Animal Sacrifice.  Dark secrets.  Murder.  Possession.  Magic. Cemeteries.

 This book had everything I was looking for and SO much more. It was dark and twisty and suspenseful and at times, funny.

The two main characters, Nick and Silla, are drawn together by tragic circumstances. They have both suffered family heartbreak at the hands of blood magic.  One on side you have Silla, who is just discovering the power her blood holds and hopes it will lead to answers regarding her parent’s brutal deaths.  On the other side you have Nick who knows the suffering blood can bring and only wants to forget.  Coming together, Nick and Silla accompany each other down a dark, blood filled road. And what an AMAZING road it is.

I loved Silla and Nick as characters. I found them to be very likeable and easy to attach myself to. As a whole, I felt all the characters were well written.   The romance between Nick and Silla was sweet and hot and passionate.  They are drawn to each other and they need each other but it’s not over done.  Don’t worry, there’s no insta-love here.

The story is told in alternating point of view between the two main characters.  It does not go by chapter, but the author does list who is “speaking”.  I personally find myself enjoying this type of writing more and more, but I know this is a turn off for some people.  This book does have a slow build-up of action and did get a little wordy in parts, but there is a lot of detail. There were a couple of times I found myself re-reading a passage, but I didn’t mind it because I was so absorbed in the story.  There are also flashback chapters that at first I didn’t really understand, but believe me, all will be revealed in the end! While this book definitely has a serious, dark vibe, there is also humor infused into the story as well.  Out of nowhere Nick or Silla would say or do something that had me laughing out loud. And I loved that.

Please be warned, this book is not for the faint of heart. Or for anyone who is squeamish. There is a definite creep factor.  And if you are turned off by blood in the slightest, I would not recommend this book to you. 

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an intriguing, dark, magic filled story with amazing characters, detailed writing, and a little bit of blood (or a lot).

Favorite Quotes:

“It is impossible to know who you really are until you spend time alone in a cemetery.”

“I had that drowning feeling, like the memories and thoughts were a rushing river, surrounding me and pulling me under, and all I could do was fight for air. “

“It was an easy choice to want to make, but taking the first step felt like leaping over a chasm of fire.”

Bottom Line: This book isn’t just ABOUT magic; it IS magic. And I loved every moment. 4.5/5

My Thoughts: Blackout (Mira Grant)

Rise up while you can. -Georgia Mason

The year was 2014. The year we cured cancer. The year we cured the common cold. And the year the dead started to walk. The year of the Rising.

The year was 2039. The world didn't end when the zombies came, it just got worse. Georgia and Shaun Mason set out on the biggest story of their generation. The uncovered the biggest conspiracy since the Rising and realized that to tell the truth, sacrifices have to be made.

Now, the year is 2041, and the investigation that began with the election of President Ryman is much bigger than anyone had assumed. With too much left to do and not much time left to do it in, the surviving staff of After the End Times must face mad scientists, zombie bears, rogue government agencies-and if there's one thing they know is true in post-zombie America, it's this:

Things can always get worse.

(Goodreads blurb/link)


Source: Bought
Cover: Matches the other two.
Why I wanted to read this: To complete this zombified trilogy.

My Thoughts:

Blackout is the third and final book in the Newsflesh trilogy. This review WILL contain spoilers from Feed and Deadline.

Blackout starts off with the knowledge that Georgia is somehow alive.   The knowledge of how this is possible is given to the reader within the first 30 or so pages.  And that how is completely baffling. The whole subject it presents is incredibly mind-boggling.  Shaun and Georgia are reunited and this in itself presents something to the reader that there has been hints about in the past. Something that I, to be honest, could not completely wrap my head around.

Blackout was my least favorite of the three.  This is not the kind of book you can read with any kind of distractions because you will get lost and you will be confused.  I still found myself constantly questioning what the heck is going on here.  It kind of made my brain hurt trying to keep everything straight.

That being said, I was so glad to have Georgia’s “voice” back as a narrator, and not just the one in Shaun’s head.   The blog entries the author gave continued to be an excellent source of information that not only helped expand the characters further, but also the story itself.  President Ryman finally makes an appearance and I’d been wondering what the heck happened to him. His election and connection with Georgia and Shaun in book 1 made me question where he had been all this time.  It's about time the reader find out what he's been up to.

I did not like how this book ended. It didn’t feel complete to me. Georgia and Shaun are such a large part of this trilogy and I felt the way the author went with the conclusion was a bit of a cop-out.  I don’t appreciate vague endings or ones where a side character makes the closing statement. 

There was a lot more zombie action in this book.  More scientific facts.  More death and betrayal.  More corruption and lies.  It also makes you think about our own government system and how much of the things that happen in this trilogy could happen in real life.  Let’s face it; the government has a lot of power.  And there will always be people to corrupt that power and use it for their own gain.  It’s important that to counterbalance that we always have people to constantly question the way things are and not be afraid to rise up.

Favorite Quotes:

"I spent too much time living in the past, and I didn't need to encourage the part of me that would be happy to stay there forever."

"I was tired of being a haunted house," he said. "Thank you for coming home."

Bottom Line: Blackout was my least favorite, a bit confusing and I didn’t like how it ended. 3.5/5 

As a trilogy I give this one a 4/5.  It’s a very different take on the zombie apocalypse that overall, I think is definitely worth reading.  

My Thoughts: The Lost Prince (Julie Kagawa)

 The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.
(Goodreads blurb)



Source: Netgalley
Publication date: October 23, 2012
Why I wanted to read it: Because of my already established love for Julie's writing and the incredible world of the Nevernever.

Cover: I like the effect on the guy's body.

My Thoughts:

The first question possible readers might have is: Do you have to read the Iron Fey series (The Iron King, The Iron Queen, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Knight) first? My answer is this:  I don’t think one will have a complete appreciation for this book, for this story, for this world  without reading the others first.  You won’t have the background or back story and you won’t have already established your love and connection to the world of Nevernever and some of its previous characters. 

I hate to type this but I was a little bit let down with The Lost Prince.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and will continue to be an avid reader of anything Julie Kagawa writes, but I expected more. I didn’t fall completely. That said, I think this is an excellent start and cannot wait to see where things go from here.

You have to go into this book with an open mind. New characters.  It's told from Ethan’s point of view, and as a main character I liked him well enough, but I didn’t love him.  I had high hopes that the other characters would fill the void of missing Ash, Puck and Meghan.  Unfortunately I wasn’t taken.  Ethan’s love interest Kenzie was likable enough, but I didn’t get that heat, that fire, that spark.  Also, Ethan’s inner dialogue regarding Kenzie got on my nerves a bit and found these particular passages to be a bit draggy. There was a lack of passion for me.

Speaking of characters, there are glimpses of some old favorites. It was just enough of a taste to make me crazy with wanting more. The character I ended up connecting with the most was that of Kierran.  I’m not going to go into details about him as not to give any spoilers, but I felt this book was as much about him, if not more, than that of Ethan. (You'll understand what I'm talking about when you read this book)  I’m so excited and interested to see how Julie develops his character.  Not to mention the story itself.  There’s a new threat in town that is causing the disappearance of fey exiles and half-breeds.   It’s been  12 years since Meghan abandoned Ethan and her family in order to be the Iron Queen. Let’s just say Ethan has a lot of unrequited feelings about this.  He is forced to face his appearingly strong hatred of anything Fey head on and question not only his feelings about Them but also about himself.

The writing was good and easy to follow, but I was already familiar with the world.  New readers might be a bit confused and have a lot of unanswered questions.  Then there were the passages involving the Nevernever.  They were my highlights.  I have such a love for that beautifully dangerous land of Fey. The detailed descriptions immediately transported me back to this incredible otherworldly place.

Favorite Quotes:

"I'd never met someone who could be so relentlessly cheerful in the face of such blatant jack-assery."

"A figure melted out of the shadows in the corner, stepping in front of the door, a sharp silhouette against the light. He moved like darkness itself, silent and smooth, dressed all in black, his eyes glittering silver as he blocked my exit."

Bottom Line:  Overall, The Lost Prince is a solid next installment in the already established amazing world of Fey.  4/5