Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

I was born for killing – the gods made me to ruin.

At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices’ skills to deadly effect: it takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist.

But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder: guilty of worse.

Stolen from the shadow of the noose, Nona is sought by powerful enemies, and for good reason. Despite the security and isolation of the convent her secret and violent past will find her out. Beneath a dying sun that shines upon a crumbling empire, Nona Grey must come to terms with her demons and learn to become a deadly assassin if she is to survive… 

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DNF at 60% 

Red Sister had plenty of potential for me. Not only was was there a mystifying world that I eagerly wanted to unravel, but also a mysterious main character that showed undeniable strength. My main problem with this novel is that the beginning and middle are so terribly slow that I would often times lose focus and zone out.

While we're being shown this interesting world, it honestly feels like nothing much is happening at all. While I do love books with schools and characters enhancing their abilities with peers, Red Sister just could not hold my interest.

But, keep in mind, many fantasy books start off slow so I really should have given this book more of a chance because I truly do believe a very interesting story was being built. So, if you're a fan of slow-burning books then you should definitely pick up Red Sister because although i wasn't able to finish it, I can tell that this book really was going somewhere great.

I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Paper Hearts by Ali Novak

Release Date: July 4, 2017

"I'm sorry," he said, slowly untying the ribbon that held his mask in place. "It's just-I didn't want you to think of me any differently." 

Somehow I kept my mouth from falling open. I knew his face, but my mind couldn't accept that he was the person looking down at me. 

"My real name is Alec."

Felicity has her entire future planned. Ever since her older sister ran away, she's had the full weight of her mother's expectations on her shoulders. So she works hard to get straight As and save for college.

Except sometimes the best things in life are unplanned-like when Felicity meets a handsome, masked stranger while she is volunteering at a charity masquerade ball. She never thought he'd flirt with her. And she certainly never thought he'd turn out to be a member of the world-famous Heartbreakers band, Alec.

Then Felicity uncovers a shocking family secret. Suddenly, she, Alec, and her two best friends are off on a road trip to find Felicity's missing sister. And she's about to discover that unexpected turns have a peculiar way of landing her right where she needs to be...

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3 stars

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The Heartbreakers had been a very cute and quick read for me. Not only had I thought all of the characters were adorable with their own little quirks, but I wanted more about everyone. Sadly, Paper Hearts doesn't go much further into the Heartbreakers' world like I wanted this sequel to. Instead, we're mainly focusing on this new character and her soap-opera-esque life.

Now, usually I'm down with a lil' cliche or unrealism. My problem with the plot and drama in Paper Hearts is that most of these cliche plot devices could've easily been solved with proper communication.Having a chick meet a celebrity then take a road trip to find her long lost sister? That's fine! Having a chick make assumptions based off misinterpreted conversations and clues? That's not fine!

Nonetheless, Paper Hearts was still a cute read, especially for people who are into the silent/shy MCs. I'm sad to say I didn't enjoy this one as much as its predecessor. I do recommend reading the Heartbreakers though. :-)

I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Complete review will be posted June 27, 2017.

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Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Release Date: April 4, 2017

Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

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4.7 stars

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"Sometimes you get to a point where it hurts too much, and you'll do anything to get rid of the pain. Even if it means doing something that hurts someone else." Letters to the Lost takes the romantic cliche of two teenagers writing anonymous notes to eachother and puts an almost dark twist onto it. Rather than conversing about cute nothings, Juliet and Declan support each other as they go through the hardships of death, loss, and self-loathing. Raw with emotion, you feel the grief these characters have to live with. You feel their loss and their sorrow, and you just can't stop reading. In these letters, Declan and Juliet pour out their emotions in a way that, though may have been angsty in some bits, was genuine and real and haunting. Kemmerer doesn't romanticize sorrow or loss. No. While Letters to the Lost shines a light upon the intricate emotions of darkness, those feelings in themselves are not beautiful. They are hideous and life-shattering. Kemmerer cultivates these ugly feelings to create a beautiful story of two people struggling in a world they don't want to be in. I recieved a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Full review to come March 28th, 2017. Youtube | Blog | Tumblr | Goodreads

Resistance by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky

Release Date: January 30, 2017

The Announcer calls my name, but she does not speak to me. This macabre spectacle has nothing to do with me. And everything to do with them. This is all for the thousands below – the compliant citizens of Otpor, the witnesses to my Execution, the silent and transfixed. This is their moment. Their reconditioning. 

In a future post-apocalyptic Paris, a rebellion threatens to upset the city’s perfectly-structured balance and plunge its citizens into anarchy. 
Two generations after the Execution of Kane 148 and Otpor’s return to Orthodoxy, forbidden murals are appearing on crumbling concrete walls – calling citizens to action. Calling for Resistance. 

The murals will change the utopian lives of all citizens. But, for Anaiya 234, they will change who she is. 

A Peacekeeper of the uncompromising Fire Element, Anaiya free-runs through city’s precincts to enforce the Orthodoxy without hesitation or mercy. Her selection for a high-risk mission gives Otpor the chance it needs to bring down the Resistance and Anaiya the opportunity she craves to erase a shameful legacy. 
But the mission demands an impossible sacrifice – her identity. 

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With this accomplished debut offering, Kopievsky presents a dark dystopian tale with complex characters, exquisite world-building and high tension. Divided Elements (Book 1) - Resistance is a welcomed addition to the intelligent speculative fiction tradition of dystopian literature.

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3.37 stars

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"Control the fire."

Resistance follows a dystopian society where everyone is assigned an element when they're four years old, and raised to be a working member of society within that element. WARNING: THESE PEOPLE APPARENTLY DON'T HAVE ELEMENTAL POWERS. Not gonna lie, I was kinda disappointed.

Fire: the ruthless, emotionless peacekeepers of the world. They seek order and orthodoxy no matter what it takes.
Air: the artists, basking in all forms of emotion whether it be through music, feelings, or resistance.
Water: the scientists, desperate for improvement and basking in research rather than emotions.
Earth: the workers, forced to do the labor of the world and seen as heathens by others for their lack of intelligence and skill.

My favorite part of this was definitely the character development Anaiyah faced. Born as a fire element, but forced to be genetically altered into an air element, she faces a lot of inner turmoil. Her inner dialogue is constantly going between the air and fire mindsets. It's so prominent that even the writing changes during her shift.

The writing style goes from the clipped, cut tone of the fire element Anaiyah is aligned with in the beginning to the confused emotions and new sensations she experiences as an air elemental. While I definitely think the way her own inner turmoil is written is interesting, but I still had a hard time reading because I freaking hate present tense.

The tense isn't the only thing that caused this book to feel slow to me. The beginning and middle were very difficult to be interested in. Not only was it boring, but I felt like I was reading Divergent again. Then, when the middle came around, I was just constantly in a state of "I know this plan is going to go bad because 1. you're lying to everyone and 2. this is a dystopian novel." The last 10% was the most interesting part for me. It sets up the sequel well and stirs emotions that have you dying to know what happens next.

"Sometimes I get lost in being me that I forget who I actually am."

The idea of how society suppresses one's identity is there, but it's always there. To specify, that's always a theme within these dystopian novels. Resistance doesn't bring anything to new to the genre (other than a beautiful cover). I found that not only was the plot predictable, but the overall idea of a divergent main character stuck in this new environment, finding out that the world is not the way she thinks is so overused.

Throughout reading, I was constantly reminded of Divergent and The Maze Runner. Resistance has similar ideas to Divergent with factions, but it also is kind of... ok barely unique in the types of segregation is there. Within this divided world though, there was a lot of strange new slang that was never explained. In fact, a lot of aspects of the world are barely explained.

The world building could be a lot better. Kopievsky's opened this whole world while only revealing a small fraction of it. The other factions are not delved into, nor are the real persecutions everyone faced. For me, this lack of information made it difficult for me to sympathize with the Revolution.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

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The Thing About Love by Julie James

Two undercover FBI agents can hide who they are from everyone but each other in the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Suddenly One Summer. 

FBI agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd have a past. The former lawyer and cocky Army ranger clashed during their training at Quantico, gladly going their separate ways after graduating from the Academy. Six years later, the last thing either of them expects is to run into each other again–assigned to work as partners in a high-profile undercover sting.

For both of them, being paired with a former rival couldn’t come at a worse time. Recently divorced from a Hollywood producer and looking for a fresh start, Jessica is eager to prove herself at her new field office. And John is just one case away from his dream assignment to the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team. In order to nail a corrupt Florida politician, they’ll have to find a way to work as a team–a task that becomes even trickier when they’re forced to hole up at a romantic, beachfront resort as part of the investigation. Suddenly, the heat behind their nonstop sparring threatens to make the job a whole lot more complicated. . .

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3.47 stars

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If you've loved Lauren Layne or Julie James's other books, then you'll love this quick romance. The Thing About Love follows two FBI agents who have to partner up for a undercover operation. These two have a love/hate relationship since the last time they saw each other was six years ago when they were competing in the academy.

This novel has everything you expect from a Julie James novel. Not only are there two strong and highly intelligent main characters, but a great "hate to love" transition. That being said, this isn't the most original idea what with the fact that James has had many FBI romances and it does follow another trope. But, there's nothing to be ashamed about if you like cute romance tropes or cliches. In fact, I found this book not only to be a quick read, but one that made me happy as well with all of the cute fluff.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Full review to come April 18, 2017.

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You Don't Know My Name by Kristen Orlando

Release date: January 10, 2017

Fighter, Faker, Student, Spy.

Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan.

Now Reagan has to decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she's always wanted? And does she even have a choice at all?

Find out if you are ready to join the Black Angels in the captivating and emotional page-turner, You Don't Know My Name, from debut novelist Kristen Orlando!

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3.89 stars

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Reagan's been through so many secret identities and innumerable amount of lies that she barely remembers who she truly is. When she finally begins to grow attached to her and her parents' newest home, bad news strikes. Now she has to fight between wanting to be a Black Angel like her parents or giving away that life of danger and secrets.

If you enjoyed The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, I highly suggest You Don't Know My Name. Both deal with responsible and incredibly talented teenagers surrounded by serious government matters. While Cassie solves serial killer mysteries, Reagan is on her way to being a top spy for the Black Angels. Both characters struggle with conflicts like not being taken seriously because of their age, family loyalty, and intelligent villains.

Reagan is undeniably talented and collected. She's been dealt a pretty sad hand in life, but takes it all without complaint. Family is something that's very important to her, to a point where she'll do nearly anything to save them. This is not the same as Tris's (from Divergent) wild and dumb selfless behavior. Reagan is responsible enough to actually listen to others while also fighting for what she believes is right.

Her neighbor Luke is a great character who wants to go into the military when he's older. Luke and Reagan match one another and don't hold each other back. Starting as friends, their relationship grows at a reasonable pace and their ability to comfort one another reveals cute sentimental moments between the two.

I was fairly annoyed with the fact that because of her and Luke's ages, they were kept in the dark about a lot of information. It's just so unfair that they're expected to act like adults when they're still being held in the dark like children. But, this is to be expected in a government/spy book like this.

The plot grows slowly. You're learning about Reagan and the aspects of her life for a majority. It was a really quick read so I didn't have a trouble with any super slow parts. The ending was great with a really good set-up for the next novel. Honestly, I really want will happen next in this series.

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Traveler by L.E.DeLano

To be released Feburary 7, 2017

Jessa has spent her life dreaming of other worlds and writing down stories more interesting than her own, until the day her favorite character, Finn, suddenly shows up and invites her out for coffee. After the requisite nervous breakdown, Jessa learns that she and Finn are Travelers, born with the ability to slide through reflections and dreams into alternate realities. But it’s not all steampunk pirates and fantasy lifestyles…Jessa is dying over and over again, in every reality, and Finn is determined that this time, he’s going to stop it… this Jessa is going to live.

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3.4 stars

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Traveler deals with interdimensional travel in a an interesting way. Starting with the "normal girl Jessa," she finds out that she is actually a traveler, and her favorite main character to write about is real.

Yes, Traveler does follow some YA cliches such as the naive newbie, insta-attraction, and a single and uninformed best friend. But, there are plenty of unique twists like the "science" behind dimensional travel and the conflicts it creates.

I would go into the second book mainly to learn more about the main characters Ben and Finn. Jessa just wasn't as interesting to me as the other two. While she's predictable and slightly cliche, the other two are mysteries, and you don't know what their next move will be.Overall, none made a huge impression on me, but at least they weren't terribly annoying.

While the idea of their traveling is still very interesting to me, I do question some of the logistics of it. And for me, if I think the conflict is being made more complicated than it need be, then I can't focus on the rest of the plot. Besides that, I also found some plot line cliches that I have had enough of.

Since this first novel was setting everything up though, those cliches weren't so terrible. While they were there, they were revealed in the later half of the story. The beginning and middle were kind of slow to me because the overlying plot wasn't really revealed yet. I didn't necessarily fly through the last part of the book, but it did leave me excited for the next installment.


Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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