My Thoughts: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

First let me just apologize for the uber generic background. Blogger is not my friend right now. Moving on.

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Have you ever read a book and, after closing the cover once you've read the last glorious word, you sit back as a writer and think..."I will never write like that!"

Me too. After almost every awesome book I read.

DEFIANCE was that kind of book. I finally sat down and read this ditty after picking it up at C.J. Redwine's book launch. Yeah, I know, I'm horrible. I am so very glad I did, though. There are so many things that I adored about this book that I'm having difficulty on where to start.

Baalboden is one of several city states in a sort of post-apocolyptic world. The walls are thick, the borders secured by lethal guardsmen, the people are oppressed, women are meek and mild, men are Protectors and worthy of anything more than a tea set, and the whole place is run by Commander Jason Chase; a man who makes Hitler seem warm and fuzzy. Loyalty and fidelity to the Commander are the only things that will keep you alive and all citizens are 'tagged' like sheep in a flock.

I was totally blown away by C.J.'s world building. Details were laid out perfectly as to not overwhelm but provide the reader with a vivid vision of what Baalboden was. The politics of Baalboden were well thought out and positively ruthless. And before you start thinking, "This sounds like Hunger Games" let me just say, there is a super cool fantasy element to DEFIANCE that I didn't expect.

Rachel and Logan... LOVE these characters. Rachel is impulsive, fiery, fierce, determined, and loves her family to the depths of her soul. Logan is logical, intelligent, methodical, unpredictable, lethal, and will do anything to keep those in his life he cares about safe. He's your creeper character, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Where Rachel is very take-her-at-face-value, Logan reveals himself to us slowly, and I sort of love him for that. Don't get me wrong, there are many layers to Rachel-Girl, but like her blunt personality, she doesn't hold punches.

Another thing I admired about DEFIANCE is the slow-to-build love. I think, at its core, DEFIANCE is less a romance than an adventure type of book. It's riddled with conflict that left me in awe. Many writing panels and advice sources say to "punish your characters" and good LORD did C.J. take them seriously. She drags us (willingly) on this horrible journey with Rachel and Logan. Once that we simply cannot see as going well, and then sucker-punches us in the gut every time you think that things will start to work out. And in the middle of all of this, Rachel and Logan find this slow-to-burn type of love that is unwavering. And I have to admit, Logan's initial incompetence in this area is beyond hysterical. Seriously. Well done.

If you haven't picked up Defiance, you seriously need to. C.J. is a wonderful storyteller and she sucked me in with the uniquely independent voices of Rachel and Logan, as well as this tale of heroism and suffering. I have this habit of dog-earing pages that I find epic in their voice, their writing, their descriptions; anything that really blows me away. This is sacrilege to many of you, I know. It's my tick. Let me just say, there are a LOT of dog-ears in my copy of DEFIANCE.

Buy it. Read it. Love it.

My Thoughts: PROTECTING TRUTH

Seraphina’s keeping a secret from her Wandering team: she’s perfecting her fighting skills. But telling Sam and Bishop the truth would only alert them to her plan: to go back in time, save her mom, and finish what she started. With the help of Turner, Bishop’s handsome twin, she progresses toward her goal but plummets deeper into dangerous territory where the lines of friendship and romance are blurred. One passionate kiss changes everything, leading Sera to unravel a shocking web of family secrets, heartbreaking ulterior motives, and sinister agendas. Love and lies collide in a haunting climax, where the truest souls may not survive.

Miss Michelle has done it again. I had the distinct pleasure of reading PROTECTING TRUTH recently, and I have to say… It’s AWESOME! I just love Michelle Warren and her stories. If you missed the first installment to the SERAPHINA PARRISH TRILOGY, WANDER DUST, you seriously need to go catch up. You can get this delish piece of reading at a crazy reasonable price for your eReader. Just DO IT! 

WANDER DUST laid the perfect groundwork for PROTECTING TRUTH. In WD, we are introduced to our characters and this underground world of Wandering, a type of time-traveler. Miss Michelle took us on this wild journey of discovery and wicked action scenes that still have me foaming at the mouth. We met Sera, who totally needs to be my friend, and her uber wonderful Protector, Bishop. ‘Scuse me whilst I swoon a bit….

PROTECTING TRUTH had all that….and then some. We come into the story with the yummilishious Bishop overseas visiting his family and Sera is up to her blue-violet eyes in defense training. Side note: There are few things in this world that I love more than a butt-kicking heroine (literally). Our girl is beating herself silly to be a better fighter. Why? ‘Cause she has a date with Cece, the evil B that’s holding her mom prisoner. The I’m-taking-you-down kind of date. And Sera is getting seriously good at this fighting stuff. Problem is, Bishop doesn't know, and Sera really doesn't want him to find out.

There’s also this little problem with Bishop’s elusive fraternal twin, Turner, who we didn't really get to meet in WD. ‘Scuse me whilst I swoon again… Boy do I love me some Turner. He’s intelligent, good with his hands (Erm…for inventing/creating trinkets and hologram machinery of course so get your mind out of the gutter), and has this dark side to him that is holy-mother-of-time-travels HAWT. But something doesn't seem right with Turner. Bishop hinted at some ‘sibling rivalry’ but it goes waaaay deeper than that.

PROTECTING TRUTH still had some action to die for, wonderfully descriptive holographic circuses that left me breathless, and swoon-worthy dates in London, but it was the deeper aspect that really drew me in. Miss Michelle brings us deeper into the Wandering world and we finally see how corrupted it is. Traitors are welcomed back into the halls of Washington Square Academy, Terease, or The Lady in Black, still terrorizes but there is much she’s not sharing, Sera believes the students are being bribed into the Wandering life, Bishop is holding devastating secrets, and Sera can’t fight the infuriating attraction she holds for Turner. The Academy is breached, the Underground holds too many cards, and we meet new people only to lose them. Tears, yes there are tears. PROTECTING TRUTH was truly non-stop and I loved every page.

The best part of PROTECTING TRUTH is the truth of the characters and their journey. Sera is wonderfully conflicted and I fell in love with her even more. She wants to do right, but somehow doesn’t quite make it. She battles with some major life-changing events and her growth through them are spot on. Sera’s far from perfect, but yet she is.

I've been a fan of this series from the very beginning and I cannot wait to see what’s next for Sera, Bishop and Sam. More please, Michelle!

In closing’ I’d like to share a snip-it to leave y’all salivating, much like I was reading it… Enjoy!

“To touch him would release his secrets. To kiss him would set him free.” 

INESCAPABLE indeed

My name is Evie Claremont and this was to be the making of me–my freshman year of college. I’d been hoping that once I’d arrived on Crestwood’s campus, the nightmare that I’ve been having would go away. It hasn’t. 
I may be an inexperienced seventeen-year-old, but I’m grounded…sane. I look for rational explanations to even the strangest circumstances. Since meeting sophomore Reed Wellington, however, nothing makes any sense. Whenever he’s near, I feel an attraction to him–a magnetic kind of force pulling me towards him. I know what you’re thinking…that sounds fairly awesome. Yeah, it would be…if he liked me, but Reed acts as if I’m the worst thing that has ever happened to Crestwood…or him. But get this, for some reason every time I turn around he’s there, barging into my life. 
What is the secret that he’s keeping from me? I’m hoping that it’s anything but what I suspect: that he’s not exactly normal…and neither am I. So, maybe Crestwood won’t be the making of me, but it could be the breaking of me. I’ve been left to wonder if the dark future my dream is foretelling is…inescapable.

I love bookish get-togethers. Not only do you get to shmooze with like-minded folks (read: book obsessed kindred spirits), but you often discover new authors and new books. UtopYA Con was one of these sorts of get-togethers. Sure, it was uber educational and all around awesome, but I also discovered a few new reads. One such read is INESCAPABLE from Amy A. Bartol.

Miss Amy is a self pubber and INESCAPABLE is the first book of The Premonition Series. At UtopYA, I saw the books, the posters, the tank tops, the swag, and Miss Amy as well. First, let's talk cover love...

Just TELL me this doesn't grab ya! Simple. Darkly intriguing. Yum. And then the tank tops... Just imagine a pair of angel wings with 'Reed' in lovely script between them...

I had to buy it. I had to find out who this Reed was.

And I did.

Reed is yummy, let's just get that out of the way. He is your irresistible rough-around-the-edges-but-will-stop-at-nothing-to-keep-you-safe dream. A warrior. A soldier. And boy does he take his job serious.

INESCAPABLE was a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line. Sure, it's another angel book, but Miss Amy had enough bits to make it a unique story. This is certainly not your "oh angels are so pretty and lovely" sort of book. Uh..no. Them angels is bad, and tougher than 2-day old pizza!

Evie, short for Genevieve, is just beginning her freshman year at Crestwood College. It's the perfect beginning to a new life. *snort* Yeah, right. Then all hell breaks loose and the crazy happens. Evie is tossed into a strange world of heavenly warriors, or the Powers, the Fallen, Reapers, Seraphim, and all she wants is to pass her classes and keep her scholarship!

Nightmares have plagued her for months, a strangely familiar boy wears the very thing she dreams about, another boy produces monstrous butterflies in her gut whenever he's close, and then there's that sorority prank she's helping to plan... Evie is a busy girl.

The characters in INESCAPABLE were fun to read. Evie is just your 'average' girl, well, so we think. HA! But she has some serious guts! She may not think things through very well, just ask Reed, but she aims for the best. Or at the very least, the best fun. *wink* Evie is a likable sort and believable.

Russel is just awesome. He's my Carolina boy. LOL Miss Amy had the dialogue set up to take in his drawl and boy was that fun. I may not be a native Nashvillian, but I hear enough drawl to appreciate. Russell's cadence in speech was there in his words, and it fills you with warm humid nights and lightning bugs.

Reed. Oh Reed. This guy has some serious Patch potential. Those of you who know who Patch is can appreciate. Reed doesn't have Patch's snark or cockiness, but they both share that fierce protectiveness that is totally HAWT!! Grrr... And even though Reed is older than dirt, literally, he has this naivete that is completely endearing. I will never, ever look at Twinkies or mac-n-cheese the same way again.

The pace was great and INESCAPABLE left me certainly wanting more. As is common for self pubs, or some indies, there were some typos and areas that could have benefited from another beta read or CP, but overall it didn't pull me away from the story. As a newbie writer, I think I'm just overly sensitive to these areas. *sheepish grin* INESCAPABLE was thoroughly enjoying, and I look forward to picking up the next installment: INTUITION.

Before we go, I will leave you with two quotes from INESCAPABLE that left my mouth sort of dry...in a super yummy way. Enjoy!

"'I said that you are poised to be the most perfect creature I have ever encountered, under God, and the affection that I feel for you cannot be measured on Earth, or in Paradise.'" -- Reed

"It doesn't feel like a kiss goodbye; that it its masquerade. This kiss is more like having a gentle wind caress my lips in introduction, as if it exists just for me now." 

You're welcome. Now go get INESCAPABLE!

A book with GLOWing Potential

If a violent battle destroyed the only world you’ve ever known, would you be brave enough to save who was left? Would love be strong enough to survive the fight? Either way, there’s no turning back.

The Empyrean is the only home 15-year-old Waverly has ever known. Part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space, she and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission, and Kieran, the handsome captain-to-be, has everything Waverly could want in a husband. Everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Still, there’s a part of Waverly that wants more from life than marriage, and she is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

Suddenly, Waverly’s dreams are interrupted by the inconceivable – a violent betrayal by the Empyrean's sister ship, the New Horizon. The New Horizon’s leaders are desperate to populate the new planet first, and will do anything to get what they need: young girls. In one pivotal moment, Waverly and Kieran are separated, and find themselves at the helm of dangerous missions, where every move has potentially devastating consequences, and decisions of the heart may lead to disaster.

Thanks to the lovely folks over at Goodreads, I scored a copy of Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan in their First Reads contest. I had seen Glow floating around on other blogs and such, but had not actually bought it. The premise sounded interesting so figured "what the hell" and entered. I think I actually entered First Reads a couple of times for this book, but whatev...

This was an awesome little diddy! When other reviews say this book takes off with a bang, they ain't kidding. Right out of the gate Miss Amy has you by the jugular and you keep going. You think, "Oh, I will wait until the pace settles before I start dinner." Yeah, right. Call a pizza, 'cause you are not so much making dinner. HA!

The thing that got me right off the bat was the scene. The whole story takes place on one or two spaceships bound for New Earth. One would think there might be problems here with world building, but alas...no. Now I have to sheepishly admit that I'm kind of a Sci-Fi nerd. A big Star Wars fan, loved the Alien movies, Pandorum, Event Horizon, yada yada yada...you see where this is going. I LOVE Sci-Fi thrillers. Something about being stuck in space in a metal box is just plain scary.

But I digress...

Amy builds a wonderful world on the Empyrean and the New Horizon. You obviously cannot see how large these ships are or how intricate the engineering, but Amy gives you a phenomenal picture. Between the orchards, the animals, the people, and the farms, you get a great sense of how BIG these ships are. And even though she does not describe with fine detail, Amy creates the greatest picture of the ship in your head. I was amazed. One could certainly get lost in the details of describing something you've never seen, but Miss Amy does it well.

Like I said, the action is non-stop. Waverly goes through hell as does Kieran and Seth. At points you feel sorry for all of them, but you want them to keep fighting. The tension never seems to cease, and just when you think it's starting to...BAM something goes wrong.

I really enjoyed the characters as well. Waverly is sort of your girl next door. She is the semi-reluctant hero. The only reason she does what she does is, well, she's the oldest so it's expected of her. All of the younger girls look to her as an elder of sorts so she feels obligated to step up to the plate.

Seth. This boy is the brooding nobody. He's wicked smart, but has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Everest. Seth kind of 'loses it' and I'm hoping he gets a chance to redeem himself in the next installment because I really like him. He doesn't back down, doesn't take no for an answer, but he has some "daddy issues" to work through.

Kieran. I'm on the fence with Kieran. The token golden boy. The prodigal son. Kieran is the guy who has everything going for him; he's smart, he's talented, he's got the girl, he's the Captain's favorite... He has it all. When things go from bad to worse (and then worse still), Kieran is given the chance to walk the walk. At first that 'walk' is more like a drunken stagger, but he is starting to get his legs under him.

My only real beef with Glow came toward the end and I thought I might have to put it down. It started to get preachy for me. Now, I have nothing against those folks who are the church-going type, I'm just not one of them. I'm not a big religious book reader so when I saw a sort of preachy feel develop I groaned (a lot) but pushed through.

And I'm glad I did.

What started off sounding like "if you don't believe in God and don't worship Him and give Him thanks for everything in your life, you are an evil and contemptuous person" turned out to be more twisted than I had originally thought. Me likely this. *evil grin*

So in the end, I really enjoyed Glow and am definitely looking forward to Spark, the next installment to the Sky Chasers series. I would like to see if Waverly has it in her to be a leader, if Seth can truly love, and if Kieran will, well, get his head out of his butt...

Did Glow rock my world? Not the fall-out-of-bed kind, but a solid 6.5

INSURGENT: Faction before blood...Wa-bam!

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.



I have to admit, I got sort of caught up in the Insurgent madness. I had read Divergent, by the lovely and insanely talented Veronica Roth, and really loved the concept of the book. Insurgent was on my pre-order list and then the Twittersphere took off… I “Liked” the Divergent page on Facebook and did the little aptitude test to see what faction I would be in. Though I honestly think I would be Divergent (read possible ADHD or some-such), the dooflotchy told me I was Dauntless. Okay, I will take that. Dauntless fits, with a peppering of Amity and Erudite.

When Insurgent finally arrived, I was so super excited. I had to find out what Tris was going to do and how Four would help her. I had so many questions at the end of Divergent and now I would get some answers. And I did! Well, kind of.

Insurgent takes you deeper into the cluster-fudge that is known as Chicago (once upon a time). The factions are crumbling, whether they will admit it or not, and nobody is safe from anyone. Betrayal is the soup du jour sidled up next to that manipulation sandwich you’re eating. Friendships are not what they once were, family can (and will) be your worst enemy, trust is non-existent, loyalties are tested, and love will be a casualty of war if you’re not careful. In short…a rollercoaster of a book.

In the last several days, I have seen several reviews talking of large plot holes. Granted, I do have questions regarding some of the avenues taken in Insurgent, but I am patient enough to keep them to myself until the next book. There has been mention of Tris’ shoulder and how she never seemed to heal… Do you have any idea how long it takes for a gunshot wound to heal? A long freakin’ time. We are talking in months here people, so yeah, I bet Tris still has probs with a hole in her shoulder, possible cracked or shattered bone, torn muscle and tendons… A long time peeps. The pace of Insurgent suggests that a lot of the action happens over several days to a couple weeks and that is not enough time to heal from a GSW. Jus sayin.

Let’s get to the characters.

Tris. Our girl is having issues. Some reviewers had issues with her whining in Insurgent. Meh. I don’t really see it that way. Sure, she is kind of a broken record over the horrible things she has done, but she is not superwoman. She is Tris. Yeah, she chose Dauntless, but Tris is Tris. She is not Marlene or Lynn or even Tori! She is Tris, an Abnegation girl who has killed people who meant something to her. If you have a problem with her erratic sort of ‘woe is me’ demeanor, then I urge you to look up PTSD. Here, I will help you. Anything look familiar? But Tris is in hell, quite literally. She is hanging on by a thread through most of the book and is struggling with who she is, what she is becoming, and all the demons that haunt her thoughts.

Four. Our beloved Tobias. He’s not in much better shape than Tris. In Divergent, Four was this pillar of strength that was always riding Tris’ ass getting her to push harder. That part of Four is still there, kinda, but he has his own demons to keep at bay. You know those four fears he has? Yeah, those? Well, he has to face one in Insurgent. In real life, not the fear landscape, and to say it rocks his world is an understatement. Some have commented that Four has lost his edge, that he is not the same guy in Insurgent. True enough, but neither would you be if one of the four things you feared (and probably the most fearsome) became suddenly very real, very live and in color. It would change who you are. But he is coming into his own and I feel an even stronger Tobias in the making...

For me, Insurgent was very much like what a second book should be. It’s crazy, there are more questions, sometimes the pace is erratic, you can feel the build-up like being wrapped in a wool sweater during sweltering Tennessee summers, and by the end you are slightly breathless and exhausted. I like this…a lot. I tells me that Book 3 will be a great close for an already great series. The final act brings us all in and ties up all the craziness we get in Book 2.

I thoroughly enjoy the world that Veronica Roth has built with Divergent and now Insurgent. It’s gritty and messy and full of conflict. Now if I only have the patience to wait for Book 3 and not bite my nails to nubs. Slim at best…

Did Insurgent rock my world? Hells to the YEAH! 8.OH Baaaaby!

I want an Avalon Archer of my own

Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and without her memory. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery until she met a boy with a familiar voice named Gabriel Archer. Intrigued by his voice, Scarlet immerses herself in Gabriel's life only to stumble upon a secret he's kept hidden from her: His brother. Once Scarlet meets Tristan Archer her life becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. Why does Gabriel seem so familiar? Why is she so attracted to Tristan? And why are both brothers convinced she's been cursed to die? Scarlet doesn't have the answers...but the Archer brothers do.

Anew from the lovely Chelsea Fine is one of those reads that I really didn't hear much about. There were some mutterings on Twitter and I had seen the book cover here and there, but not a huge upheaval like some other books. The story blurb sounded interested to me so I when I won Anew from Blaire Kensley I was super stoked!

First off, I know when dealing with books published independently, or out of smaller firms, you can run into more errors in the printing. Well, at least that's what I have noticed. Errors happen, then we get over it, but I saw a LOT of errors in Anew and it became sort of distracting. Lots of places where there were extra words, a couple places where there was a (,,,) instead of a (...), and then I thought I had a mild stroke before I realized my copy had two Chapter 50s.

Now that I got that off my chest, I adored Anew. The story behind the Archer bothers and Scarlet was really interesting. I still don't think Miss Chelsea has given all the juicy details there. But that's what I like! Give me something to think about until the next installment comes around! Not that Tristan Archer doesn't fill that void or anything...oi...more on that later.

The POV was interesting too! We get inside each of the characters heads throughout Anew. For anyone who knows me, I looooove me some boy POV.

The triangle between Gabe, Tristan and Scarlet is AWESOME! I kind of had an idea of where it was going, but was still pleased. Talk about sticky and juicy and complicated! It makes my inner drama queen giggle with glee. Let me just say that if you enjoy triangles like the super awesome Jem, Tessa, and Will triangle, you will enjoy this one. Anew's triangle is sort of a "lite" version, but still...yum.

Miss Chelsea's characters... Okay, let me start with Scarlet. This chick has been through a lot. She wakes up in a forest in the middle of nowhere and literally has to rebuild some semblance of a life. No friends, no family, no background, no memory, nada! With the help of a cooky, but lovable, best friend and a guardian whom I think has some major secrets of her own, Scarlet finds a small family to love. Scarlet is believable, if sort of timid still. I get the feeling she has an inner bad-ass tucked away, but I will just have to wait and see.

Gabriel is the super sweet, always trying to do the right thing, bring you flowers on your birthday sort of guy. He is hot, caring, and will love you forever...literally. He is super patient with Scarlet and does his damndest to make sure she is okay.

Tristan... Boy oh boy do I lust -- I mean LOVE me some Tristan. He is hot, sure, but Tristan has that extra bit of something that just makes you wanna get crazy. Where Gabe is sweetly hot, Tristan is dangerously hot. He will do what it takes to save Scarlet, even if it may not turn out so well for him. He has that 'all in' mentality that makes you think he's either certifiably insane, or beyond caring.

All through Anew, Miss Chelsea is building us up to something. Once we find out how Scarlet ended up the way she is, the wheels start turning and you start begging for more. The pace of Anew is steady and does not drag on nor does it carry you off too quickly. I also really liked the subtlety of the romance. For the most part, Anew is very sweetly romantic, with nothing too scorching. BUT! Then Miss Chelsea will throw in a line that gets your heart rate up. Here, let me give you an example. Nothing too spoilery...and quite possibly my favorite line in the book.

From my man Tristan's POV:
"'Um....' She bit her bottom lip and every nerve in his body wanted to go over and bite it right along with her."

So now you need to go out and get Anew so you can reread this line over and over until you have the thing memorized....like I do. *grin* Seriously had to fan myself. But Miss Chelsea does this throughout the whole book. Something normal something normal something normal BAM! super hot line! Something normal something normal. Love it.

Definitely looking forward to Awry this summer...yum.

Did Anew rock my world? A solid 6.5 baby.

Pure--ly Awesomesauce

There is need. And then there is Fate-

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome-especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom-so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do-and sacrifice-for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies-lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon - and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude - or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer... May I call you 'Jen,' 'cause I really need you to be my friend. Yes, you are that awesome. And I totally didn't mean for that to sort of rhyme. Heh.

Okay, enough oozing my cheesiest desires... If you have not read Half-Blood, then quite honestly you might be a loser. No, seriously! The Covenant Series is that cool....so far. Pure is the second installment to the series by the lovely and talented Jennifer Armentrout. If you have not jumped on the Half-Blood Legion train, please do yourself a favor and go Dauntless STAT!

Pure pretty much picks up where Half-Blood left off. The world is going to crap and no one is safe. Half-Bloods can be turned to Daimons, the Council is so not happy with Alex, and Aiden is wonderful and confusing and frustrating and -- and -- wow.  And then there is Seth...the First Apollyon.

School is back in session and Alex is pulling double -- no wait -- triple duty with her training. Not only is she subjected to the day-to-day training in class, but she is handed back and forth between the hotness that is known as Aiden and her egotistical 'other half,' Seth. The frosty stares still follow her around campus and Alex obsessively tries to keep the multiple Daimon tags hidden.

Just when Alex thought life couldn't suck more, there are Daimon's on campus. Students are getting attacked and nobody has any clue who it might be, accept that it appears to be a Daimon Half-Blood. The school is put on lock-down until further notice, and this really cramps Alex's life. To add insult to injury, her life is on countdown until not only her 18th birthday (also her Apollyon Awakening Day), but also the Council hearing where she is to divulge what went down with her mom (aka now deceased Daimon) in Tennessee! Aiden is growing distant while Seth is wiggling his way into her feelings, and her bedroom.

Pure is just the non-stop awesomeness you have come to expect from the fab Miss A. Alex is one feisty chick that continues to kick some major bootay. She also deals with some incredible loss in Pure that will wrench your heart horribly. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This happens after Miss A digs your heart out with a dull spoon and feeds it to an angry nest of piranha. Trust me, read Pure and you will know what I am talking about. Sorry, no spoilers. *grin* I suck, yeah, I know.

Aiden is awesome in that quietly hostile way. His heated glares are equal parts menace and heart palpitating. His fierce loyalty to 'doing the right thing' will frustrate you to no end, but make you love him more. But he will also surprise you with how reckless he can be, despite him throwing this character -- um -- trait? flaw? he claims Alex to have.

And boy will Seth surprise you as well. Sure, he has an ego the size of Montana, a groupie following equaling that of the Greatful Dead, an incessant flirty nature you don't know if you should take seriously or not, and a fuse that puts Alex's minuscule wick to shame. But we see there might just be more to the First Apollyon than that, and it is mighty HAWT!

As I said, the story is just non-stop. The action is awesome and you get sucked into the fight scenes with ease. The passions are heartfelt, wonderful, frustrating, and ooooh nelly are they steamy. Good GAWD! Get me a fan someone! Or ice, or just a super cold shower for cripes sake!

Jennifer Armentrout has quickly found her way into my Fantabulous Four authors. Her voice is such a pleasure to read. It's equal parts humor and snark and totally jives with her characters. The plots are exciting and keep you guessing, the conflicts are horribly huge and complicated, and Miss A doesn't seem afraid to take chances with her characters. This is awesome and why she is ranked up there with Cassandra Clare, Jeri Smith-Ready, and Myra McEntire in my Fantabulous Four. Miss A will make you laugh, make you cry (sometimes the uber snotty kind), and make you pump your fist in the air with unbound glee.

Did Pure rock my world? Still does baby! A fatty 9 on the Richter scale!

Fifty Shades of...Meh

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time. Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

When I first heard what Fifty Shades of Grey was about I told myself I would not read it. I really had no desire to read a "Twilight for soccer moms" book complete with the...um...intimacy that Twilight lacked. So of course I caved. There was so much discussion over this book I became intrigued. Is it 'Romance' or is it 'Porn?' Is it too graphic in nature or an impossible love story? In the end it was the controversial talk over this book by E.L. James that made me read it. I needed to know what all the fuss was over!

Curiosity kills the cat once again.

Okay, so I am not a huge romance novel follower. I have read a couple and it's really more than enough. I don't need all the seedy (yet swoon inspiring) details. That's why I read YA. *grin* Reading 50 Shades further solidified my love for YA. I am not a fan of 50 Shades. *GASP!* I know! A woman that is not in love with this book! Egads what is our species coming to? Perhaps my X chromosome is not X-y enough. Or perhaps I don't have enough estrogen pumping in my blood. Or perhaps I am just not soccer mom-y enough. Who knows? Maybe, it just comes down to the fact I would like more from my plot and characters than what 50 Shades had to offer.

First, let's talk story. This is where I can see the Twilight reference: ridiculously hot, impossibly wealthy and deliciously conflicted stud of a guy falls head over heels for generally likable, yet infuriatingly naive, mousy wall flower. Okay, check! Now I am not Twilight bashing (huge fan here...like HUGE), but I don't see the similarities other than this tid-bit. And despite this all-too-familiar plot line there really is no story, other than the sex. And that just doesn't do it for me. Granted the shmexy stuff was pretty freakin' hot and I often had to look over my shoulder to ensure nobody saw what I was reading while I fanned my face. Woooo nelly! But I need more than a nice flush to keep me interested in the story. Maybe this is just an erotica thing...

Characters: oh boy we could have done better here. Let's talk Anastasia (Ana). I don't like her. She is way too naive to be believable for me. She is sort of dull, has no life, no real interests (other than books = shocker), and is kind of --- flat. Ana is supposed to be a nearly 22 year old college grad, but is often written in a voice much more immature. This was not so good on my brain. I had to keep reminding myself that Ana was a grown woman and NOT a sixteen year old girl. Then she switches back to Literary guru co-ed with an extensive vocab only to fall back on the sixteen year old again. I found it to be quite irritating and I almost put the book down. One day I actually turned to the friend who had lent me the book and asked, "does Ana get any better?"

But then there is Christian Grey. He is really the reason I kept reading. This man, though the epitome of impossibilities, is a delish character. He is beautiful, closed off, broken, conflicted, powerful, but yet has a softer side that peeks out from behind the multitude of walls around him from time to time. Christian is hypnotic. I loved this guy. When he admitted to being "fifty shades of f----- up" I swear I fist pumped the air. This is what I want! Layered characters! YES! Sorry...let me collect myself again... *grin* This wonderfully broken man was the reason I flipped page after page. I needed to see if he would finally cave and admit to his feelings.

I did see one little flaw in Christian, however. I know.. GROOOAAANN! Despite my love of this character, I found that he often seemed to be written like a woman. I understand that E.L James is a woman, but Christian's voice didn't seem natural at times. It was like listening to what a woman 'thinks' a man 'should' sound like, if that makes sense. Granted, this is erotica so it's 'a woman's fantasy,' but dammit I want my men to be MEN.

I would also like to know why is it the mousy, understated girl is always surrounded by the beautiful people and stalked by the hot guys, but she remains clueless to life. Take Kate, Ana's roommate. She is hot, blond, perfect, and generally everything Ana thinks she, herself, is not. Then there is Jose, Ana's guy-friend who also has an insane crush on her. Jose is tall, dark and super hot too. He has the hots for Ana, but she is not interested. Then we meet Kate's brother who also is perfection on legs and happens to be very friendly with our lead gal. All this just bothers me. Can I get some variety? Please?

The pace was good, the dialogue seemed to flow overall, but the ending sucked. I know this is a trilogy and that as an author you need to leave something open for the next book, but there has to be closure of some kind. Maybe I missed it, but there didn't seem to be any closure in 50 Shades. It was all build-up to something important only to not get there at all. Truthfully, I was left sort of cheated. I am not sure I will pick up the next book. Maybe I will, if just to see if Christian comes around. Or I may just get the highlights from someone who has already read it.