Book Review: Firstlife by Gena Showalter

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Firstlife
Everlife #1

Author: Gena Showalter

Reading Level: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Released: 23rd February 2016

Review Source: Bought

Step one...you die.

ONE CHOICE. TWO REALMS. NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley "Ten" Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live — after she dies. There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, long-time enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms that will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she's drawn to isn't where the boy she's falling for lives? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

Firstlife is another success from the wonderful Gena Showalter. It's unlike any of her other works--but that's the beauty of Showalter's novels. No two series are the same. She brought us demons, aliens, zombies, angels and now she brought us a dystopian, fantasy trilogy.  

It took me longer than normal to get into Firstlife but that isn't because it wasn't a good read but because the author has created a whole new world with an unfamiliar hierarchy system. It's brilliant to have such an imagination to build an entire world in your own mind.  

Firstlife follows the life of Ten Lockwood--the girl who has spent more than a year in an asylum, which was her price to pay for not letting her parents choose her life after death.  Both Troika and Myriad --the rivalling Everlife realms-- will stop at nothing to recruit Tenley onto their side of the war. There's a good side and a bad side but figuring out which one is which is the problem. Tenley has to stay alive long enough to make a decision because the other option, a Everlife filled with a nightmare reality isn't an option. But staying alive is a lot easier said than done when she's on the run with someone determined to make sure she dies.

Ten is a solid character and strongly stubborn (which was actually her saviour in the end). She had many admirable traits from being fiercely loyal to standing up for what she truly believes and that made it even more of an exciting read because throughout I really didn't know what was going to happen or which side she would choose. We were also introduced to Archer/Bow and Killian. Archer is a firm favourite-- I don't believe he will be a love interest but he is hilarious and I hope we get to know him more. 

If you're looking for a solid read, you've found it. A unique and gripping novel from an author we all know and love. 

I would also like to add that the audiobooks for the Everlife series are fantastic. Read by Emma Galvin (who is also happens to be my favourite narrator) and Zachary Webber. 

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody Book Trailer

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Ace of Shades

The Shadow Game #1

Author: Amanda Foody

Release Date: April 10th 2018

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.

Book Release: The Impossible Vastness of Us by Samantha Young

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THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US
Author: Samantha Young
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: June 27, 2017
Review Source: Harlequin Teen | InkslingerPR

I know how to watch my back. I’m the only one that ever has.

India Maxwell hasn’t just moved across the country—she’s plummeted to the bottom rung of the social ladder. It’s taken years to cover the mess of her home life with a veneer of popularity. Now she’s living in one of Boston’s wealthiest neighborhoods with her mom’s fiancé and his daughter, Eloise. Thanks to her soon-to-be stepsister’s clique of friends, including Eloise’s gorgeous, arrogant boyfriend Finn, India feels like the one thing she hoped never to be seen as again: trash.

But India’s not alone in struggling to control the secrets of her past. Eloise and Finn, the school’s golden couple, aren’t all they seem to be. In fact, everyone’s life is infinitely more complex than it first appears. And as India grows closer to Finn and befriends Eloise, threatening the facades that hold them together, what’s left are truths that are brutal, beautiful, and big enough to change them forever…

Audiobook Review: When it's Real by Erin Watt

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When it's Real
Author: Erin Watt
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: May 30th 2017
Review Source: Harlequin Teen

Meet Oakley Ford-teen celebrity, renowned pop star, child of famous movie stars, hottie with millions of fangirls… and restless troublemaker. On the surface he has it all, but with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry, and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley's team decides it's time for an intervention. The result: an image overhaul, complete with a fake girlfriend meant to show the world he's settled down.

Enter seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett-devoted sister, part-time waitress, the definition of "normal." Under ordinary circumstances she'd never have taken this gig, but with her family strapped for cash, she doesn't have much of a choice. And for the money Oakley's team is paying her, she figures she can put up with outlandish Hollywood parties and a team of publicists watching her every move. So what if she thinks Oakley's a shallow, self-centered jerk? It's not like they're going to fall for each other in real life…right?

When It’s Real was a total blast! I read Erin Watt’s previous series, The Royals, and could not wait to get my hands on their new book. Then I read the premise, a bad boy singer needing an image change, so they get a girl next door, ordinary, not in the limelight girl to help him out. Oh yes, this will definitely be something I will enjoy. So as soon as the audiobook was in my hands, or on my phone, I was all in.

Oakley Ford, definitely needs an image update. He’s had some bad press and even if they say any press is good press, it’s not always the case. Especially since Oakley wants to change his music, do something more him and less pop. He can’t work with the producer he wants to because of the image that is portrayed of him in the media. He kind of reminded me of Justin Bieber (and I’m totally a belieber so it’s a good thing), he’s been in the limelight since he was a kid and growing up with everyone watching has to be tough. All your mistakes for the world to see, I know we’ve all made mistakes we aren’t proud of just luckily we didn’t have the world watching. Then we have girl nextdoor Vaughn Bennett. Her older sister, Paisley, works for the same PR company that represents Oakley. They notice a picture of Vaughn at her desk, ask a few questions, do a little digging, and then bam! contracts are made and they’re offering Vaughn a lot of money to be a fake girlfriend and becomes too hard to turn down. That kind of money provides a brighter and easier future for Vaughn and her family.

This book was an absolute blast reading, the animosity between the two in the beginning, watching Oakley start to fall for Vaughn, watching Vaughn fight her feelings for Oakley, and all the great dialog in between. Vaughn was a total snarky girl and it made me love her so much. Please pick this book up! Great read for the summer, great read for whenever. These are the YA books I eat up like no other.

Book Review: When It's Real by Erin Watt

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WHEN IT'S REAL
Author: Erin Watt
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: May 30, 2017
Review Source: Harlequin Teen

From #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Erin Watt comes the addictive contemporary tale of a teen rock star in need of an image makeover and the teen girl hired to be his fake girlfriend.

Meet Oakley Ford-teen celebrity, renowned pop star, child of famous movie stars, hottie with millions of fangirls… and restless troublemaker. On the surface he has it all, but with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry, and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley's team decides it's time for an intervention. The result: an image overhaul, complete with a fake girlfriend meant to show the world he's settled down.

Enter seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett-devoted sister, part-time waitress, the definition of "normal." Under ordinary circumstances she'd never have taken this gig, but with her family strapped for cash, she doesn't have much of a choice. And for the money Oakley's team is paying her, she figures she can put up with outlandish Hollywood parties and a team of publicists watching her every move. So what if she thinks Oakley's a shallow, self-centered jerk? It's not like they're going to fall for each other in real life…right?

When I heard that a top favorite duo was coming out with a new book, the first thing I did was immediately add it to my good reads TBR MUST READ list.  Then the cover was revealed and OMG, I absolutely love it. It is simply stunning.  I did not read the blurb or anything else because I wanted to go into the story completely blind.  Erin Watt.  Never.  Disappoints.

Due to the fact I went into this book completely blind, I had no idea what to expect other than I knew it would be an awesome read because HELLLLLLO ERIN WATT wrote it.  It was nothing like what I expected, which is a great thing.  I love being continuously surprised by an author.  The book is about Oakley, aka Oak, Ford which had a pretty successful career as a teen star.  However, now that he's more older, he wanted to change his tune and produce something a little more mature/serious.  He is advised to date an average girl and so that's exactly what he does.  Vaughn, said average girl, is kind of in a hard spot financially so even though she wouldn't normally go for the famous type, she decides to jump on the option to date Oak when given the chance.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it wasn't as angsty as the previous books I've read by Erin Watt but I did like how fun and sweet this story was.  I wanted to smack the crap out of Oakley in the beginning but he really grew on me the more I read the book.  Vaughn tried my patience a few times also but I like her character as well.  I felt the story was written really well and the character development was on point.  I LOVE the deep connection that develops between Oakley and Vaughn.

I'm rating this story 4 stars because I really loved the book and it was a quick, fun read.  Erin Watt is a duo that I would one click anytime they write a book.  I am seriously obsessed.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Black Witch

The Black Witch Chronicles #1

Author: Laurie Forest

Release Date: May 2nd 2017

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

A Great Winged One will soon arise and cast his fearsome shadow upon the land. And just as Night slays Day, and Day slays Night, so also shall another Black Witch rise to meet him, her powers vast beyond imagining.

So foretells the greatest prophecy of the Gardnerian mages. Carnissa Gardner, the last prophesied Black Witch, drove back the enemy forces and saved her people during the Realm War. Now a new evil is on the horizon, and her granddaughter, Elloren, is believed to be Carnissa’s heir—but while she is the absolute image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else.

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren is eager to join her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University and finally embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the University, which admits all manner of peoples—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of her people—is an even more treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

Author Robin Talley Twitter Takeover on @YoungEntmag on March 9th

Robin Talley Twitter Takeover

Who: Fans of YA and Robin Talley!

What: Twitter Takeover. New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley will be discussing some of her "firsts" and answering reader questions about her books! (Lies We Tell Ourselves, What We Left Behind, As I Descended, and her latest release Our Own Private Universe)

When: March 9th, 2-4pm ET Where: @YoungEntmag

How: Head over to @YoungEntmag on March 9th at 2pm ET, follow along, and tweet your questions to Robin!

Why: Our Own Private Universe (HarlequinTeen; January 31, 2017) is a timely tale of self-discovery and social awareness, hailed by Kirkus in a starred review as “an important and heartfelt contribution to contemporary teen lit about queer women: hopeful, realistic, and romantic.” 

About the Book: Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory. And it's mostly about sex.  No, it isn't that kind of theory. Aki already knows she's bisexual—even if, until now, it's mostly been in the hypothetical sense. Aki has dated only guys so far, and her best friend, Lori, is the only person who knows she likes girls, too.  Actually, Aki's theory is that she's got only one shot at living an interesting life—and that means she's got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It's time for her to actually do something. Or at least try.  So when Aki and Lori set off on a church youth-group trip to a small Mexican town for the summer and Aki meets Christa—slightly older, far more experienced—it seems her theory is prime for the testing.  

About the Author: Robin Talley, author of Lies We Tell Ourselves (September 2014), What We Left Behind (October 2015), As I Descended (September 2016), and Our Own Private Universe (January 2017), grew up in Roanoke, Virginia. A Lambda Literary Fellow, Robin now lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife, plus an antisocial cat and a goofy hound dog. When Robin’s not writing, she’s often planning communication strategies at organizations fighting for equal rights and social justice. You can find her on the web at www.robintalley.com or on Twitter at @robin_talley.

Hope to see you there!

Book Review: Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

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Long Way Home
Thunder Road #3
Author: Katie McGarry
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: January 31st 2017
Review Source: Harlequin Teen

Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.

It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she’s known and loved her whole life.

But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she’s forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror, and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends . . . and forgiveness.

Caught in the crosshairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she’s strong enough to be the one person to save them all.

 I've been in a horrible reading funk and nothing seemed to be getting me out of it. Real world was just intertwining into my books and I just couldn’t seem to concentrate. I whole heartily gave up the last two month of last year because it got that bad. If you asked anyone what was pushing me to get back to reading they would’ve told you Katie McGarry’s new book is coming out and that’ll be the one to push her over the edge. They were not mistaken! Ten long months ago I finished Walk The Edge and read that we were getting Chevy and Violet’s story. I can’t even begin to tell you how insanely excited I was. They’ve been the two characters that have had my attention since book one so the fact that we were finally getting their story— my expectations were extremely high. I’m happy to report that McGarry delivers. As always.

When you group up being a part of The Reign of Terror motorcycle club you are treated a certain way highly respected if you’re part of it or extremely feared if you’re an outsider. Violet feels like she is neither. She doesn’t feel like she belongs with the Terror because she no longer trusts them. Chevy on the other hand is the grandson of the leader and has basically grown up thinking he would one day join the club. Life throws you things unexpectedly, sometimes you’ve been set a course that you still don’t feel like it is yours other times things aren’t really what they seem. Together they must face what comes next.

Chevy and Violet’s story literally had me on the edge of my seat. I finished Long Way Home in less than 3 hours because I was so absorbed in their story. Ever since Nowhere But Here I've wanted to get inside of Violet’s mind. She is so headstrong, independent and takes absolutely nothing from anyone I absolutely love that! Violet might be hard headed at times, but she is a breath of fresh air. I feel like we need more heroine’s to take charge and say “Hi, don’t worry I can take care of myself!” Chevy, *swoon* can I please have one in real life? I loved his character development. Sometimes the men in our lives think they have it all figured out so it was nice to see McGarry throw in that little tad bit that hey maybe we all have to learn from one another. Not everything is the way one thinks it’s meant to be.

Overall, I think Long Way Home is a perfect addition to the Thunder Road series. Everything flows very simultaneously and ties together effortlessly. I’m not 100% sure if this is the last in the series, but if it is I am so satisfied with how everything turned out. I highly recommend starting this series if you haven’t already.

Release Day Launch: Chasing Impossible by Katie McGarry

CHASING IMPOSSIBLE, the highly anticipated fifth book in the Pushing the Limits Series by Katie McGarry has arrived! In true McGarry fashion this book will have you flipping pages well into the night. Grab your copy today!

Andy absolutely loved Chasing Impossible! Make sure to read her 5 star review HERE. 

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Chasing Impossible
Pushing the Limits #5
Author: Katie McGarry
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: July 1st 2016
Review Source: Bought

Tough and independent, 17-year-old Abby lets very few people into her inner circle. It’s common knowledge in her Kentucky town that she deals drugs, but not even her closest friends know why. But when a deal goes south and Abby’s suddenly in danger, she finds herself reluctantly forced to lean on daredevil Logan—a boy whose restless spirit matches her own.

Logan has his own reasons for wanting to keep Abby at arms’ length. But he never expected to find in her the one person who might help him face the demons he’s tried so hard to run from.

Together, Abby and Logan will have to make a decision: let their current circumstances weigh them down forever…or fight for the future they both thought was impossible.

   

And don’t forget to read the first books in the Pushing the Limits Series…

PUSHING THE LIMITS

CROSSING THE LINE

BREAKING THE RULES

DARE YOU TO

CRASH INTO YOU

TAKE ME ON

 

EXCERPT:
Abby

People near the stage scream and clap and I’m about ready to throw my cell against the wall. Stupid, stupid boy and stupid me for stupidly somewhat liking him and him thinking he can get away with not answering me.

“Give it up for our boy Logan.”

My eyes rip up, go for the stage, and my mind shifts into reverse, fast-forward, rewind, and then that smile that’s associated with the devil slides across my face.

Logan stands strong on the stage. Guitar strapped across his chest. Baseball cap backwards on his black hair. And when he strikes the strings of the guitar, those biceps flex beautifully.

That chord just struck a lot deeper than anyone could have imagined. Past my bones, past my muscles, and it’s created a nice warmth that’s curling around my belly. Liquid warmth.

The logical part of my brain demands that I walk away, but he’s the one that scared me by not answering back. He’s the one that’s causing all these alien emotions stirring in my veins.

Yeah, I shouldn’t kiss Logan. I should definitely leave a boy like that alone. But he returned and he’s the one that climbed onto the stage and is looking addictively sexy with that guitar.

Yep, shouldn’t kiss him, but I already told Rachel, I’m going to kiss the guitarist tonight. Wouldn’t want that one to be a lie, now, would I?

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Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

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