Review 174: Immortal City by Scott Speer

Greetings everyone! I hope all is well in your universes right now. Have this here book review for y'all, enjoy :)

Immortal City is the first in a series by debut author Scott Speer. Goodreads says: 

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamor, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

This book turned out amazing, especially for a book written by a music video director. I mean holy crap it was fantastical. If you've seen my goodreads updates then you know how much this book captured my attention I loved the riff on celebrityism, how people obsess over said celebrities and how the celebrities live. That analogy plus a great mystery and a swoon-worthy romance made this book one of the best I've read this year. The story was excellent, and kept me sucked in the entire time. It came to the point where I was compulsively reading, using any opportunity I could to read more pages. I mean holy shit, this book is so freaking good. The pacing was excellent, and the story itself moved perfectly. Each moment made me smile or shocked or swoon. And holy crap those twists shocked the hell out of me. At one point I was in a car with my parents and a friend when I read a huge plot twist. My gasp of shock was so loud my friend and my mom asked me if I was ok. Yes, I was that shocked. Although when I went back in my mind to various parts of the book prior to said twist, it all made such sense. This book is so good I am ITCHING for the next one.


Maddy was an excellent heroine. She was so awesome, I can't find any other word for her. She is just so strong and resilient, although a bit broody sometimes. I was rooting for her the entire time, as well as for her and Jackson to be together. Speaking of Jackson, oh man is he sexy. He is smoking hot and also a great character. Both he and Maddy got excellent development, and I admired him so much sometimes. Although I did get angry at him for caring so much what people thought sometimes. I mean honestly. But he was an excellent hero, and I was also rooting for him to stick it to his stepfather and the Council. I also loved Gwen and Kevin and all of the side characters, even the villains. Everyone was interesting in some capacity, making the book even better. I especially adored Maddy's relationship with her Uncle Kevin. There was so much love between them, it made me smile.

Like I said, for a music video director/media person, Scott Speer delivered an excellent debut. His writing style was excellent and fast paced. He knows his way around a character arc and created such a rich alternate world that I wanted to swim in it for a while. I can not wait to see what he comes up with next. And I can not wait for the sequel, because the way Mr. Speer ended the novel, he has set up something amazing.


I'll next be reviewing Struck by Jennifer Bosworth.


Until next time, viva la literature!

Review #173: Fever by Lauren DeStephano

Fever is the second book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStephano. Goodreads says:

Rhine and Gabriel may have escaped the beautiful prison of Wither’s mansion, but they are far from escaping danger. First they’re chased for stealing a getaway boat, and then the fleeing pair ends up in the eerie den of Madame, an old woman who collects girls and sells them to the highest bidders. Worst of all, Vaughn, Rhine’s sinister father-in-law, seems to be on her trail every step of the way. Rhine remains determined to get to her brother in Manhattan—but the road they are on is long and perilous. Now that Rhine has finally regained her freedom, what lengths will she need to go to in order to keep it?

For my review of the first book, Wither, click here 

This book was excellent. Excellent. Admittedly I did not like it at first, but it got better and better as I kept reading. By the end, my eyes were ga-lued to my Nook, and I could not believe that it ended, or how it ended for that matter. I did NOT expect the book I got, but that by no means is a bad thing. Every moment held suspense, and there were so many heart-pounding moments that I thought my heart would just rip itself out of my chest. Just, oh my god, this is a heartbreaking book. I could not believe what Ms. DeStephano was putting her characters through. But I will say it all made sense, and I can NOT wait for the final book. We went from a sadistic carnival to the streets of Manhattan and all these new places. I loved this ride even though it damn near broke my heart. Everything was so well written and just plain good.

Rhine is still an amazing heroine. I admire her strength so much, having to go through all that she did. My heart broke for her, and all I wanted was for her to be happy with Gabriel and to find her brother. Her development was excellent, and she grew so much in the short span of this book. Speaking of Gabriel, he also got great development. I also still love him very much, and I loved how he adapted to everything around him, his love for Rhine never fading. Speaking of, their relationship is still one of my favorites. They grew with each other, fighting but always loving each other. Their banter still makes me smile, and I also nearly weep every time they show affection. The new characters like Maddie and the various other were so rich with character that I fell in love with them. Madame scared the hell out of me, as well as making me so freaking angry. And of course there was till Vaughn, who still chills me to the bone every time he's mentioned or around. I mean holy eff, he is a SCARY dude. 

Ms. DeStephano has improved so much. I loved the expanded world, however sketchy it was. She showed a bleak world trying to get by, ravaged by disease. She has a fabulous writing style and knows her way around a story. I can not wait for the final book, and anything else she writes.

I'll next be reviewing Immortal City by Scott Speer.

Until next time, viva la literature!

Bad Book Round-Up

I'm going to do something a little unconventional. I'm going to take two books from the list out of order and make them into a BBR-U, because honestly neither book warrant separate reviews. So here we go

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver:
After the fantastic first book, this one was incredibly disappointing. While I had no problem following the new format of this book, I did not like Ms. Oliver's writing style in this one. I thought it was too well, formal or flat. I also did not like any of the new characters, they didn't feel real or likeable in any way.

Partials by  Dan Wells:

I wanted so much to like this book, so damn much. I mean it's an interesting as hell plot, which takes place on the island that I live, mostly in a town I've been to. But the writing was just so terrible, and the characters so flat and lifeless. It got harder to read with each passing page.

I'll next be reviewing Fever by Lauren DeStephano.

Until next time, viva la literature!

Review #172: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Why hello there everyone! I hope you are all well :) Have a few things for y'all today, and I hope you enjoy :)

Insurgent is the second book in the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. Goodreads says:

 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.

For my review of the first book, Divergent, click here.

This book, holy shit batman. This book just blew the water into the air and up into the heavens. I mean holy effing effness. This book was AMAZING. Even better than Divergent, in every way. I literally read the thing in two days, I refused to be torn away from it. This is another book where all I want to say is "so good so good soo good sooooo fucking gooooooooooddddd." But now that would not be a good review now would it? So I'll say that this book surpasses Divergent in every way. The story was fantastic. We get to see more of the world Ms. Roth created, going from Amity to Candor, etc. The characters had great development, and everything was just so much better. The story of political upheaval coupled with the romance, just everything fell into place and made for such heart pounding action and sweet romance. I loved every single moment, and that ending, I mean holy crap. I was just so damn shocked it felt like my face almost fell off or my mouth would stay on the floor from shock. And I could not be more shocked with the twists. Nothing was predictable, just the way I like it.


Tris just blew me away with her strength in this book. She got amazing character development. I still think that she and I would get along great. I just wanted to comfort her and make sure she was ok. A book reviewer I love and respect named CassJayTuck (She is fantastic, look her up!) who said something about Tris that really resonated with me: The reason people in the book think Tris is cold and cruel is the fact that they don't feel like a normal human being. That the idea of being Divergent is nothing special in real life, but it is in this world because of the way Tris' society has functioned, with each faction being about one single virtue. So while Tris is actually a normal human who feels everything, those who aren't Divergent are not, so they think she is cruel and cold. That is really true and after I finished the book I thought about that hard. Because you read the book from Tris' perspective, you know how she's really feeling, and that she is being torn apart by grief, her actions, everything. Her arc is one of the best I've ever read. Four was also even better. He had his own development which rivaled Tris'. I could not believe the twists his character took, shocking and I loved every minute. With every time he was around I fell in love with him even more. They're relationship really made me swoon. I also loved that they had fights like other couples, they had their issues and worked them out. I also adored Susan, Christina, and the other fabulous side characters that came to life on the page.


Damn, Ms. Roth just keeps getting better. She has built a world that gets richer and richer. Like I said, as you keep reading, you see more of this world. I loved how Ms. Roth created Amity and the other factions, building the tension that I could cut with a knife. Everything came together so well and the writing style was excellent. I will seriously read everything that Ms. Roth will write. She is a freaking genius :).


Wait for my next post :)


Until next time, viva la literature!

Review #171: Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Ok y'all, last post of the night. Hopefully won't take so long to post a review again lol. 

Taken by Storm is the third in the Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Goodreads says:

 Bryn knows first-hand that being the alpha of a werewolf pack means making hard decisions, and that being human makes things a thousand times worse. She's prepared to give up her humanity, but the wolf who promised to Change her is waiting - though for what, Bryn doesn't know. Still human, she must take her place in the werewolf Senate, the precarious democracy that rules the North American packs. Standing side by side with werewolves who were ancient long before she was ever born is enough of a challenge, but Bryn soon learns that the Senate has been called to deal with a problem: the kind of problem that involves human bodies, a Rabid werewolf, and memories that Bryn, Chase, and the rest of their pack would rather forget. With bodies stacking up and political pressure closing in from all sides, Bryn and her pack are going to have to turn to old enemies and even older friends for help - especially when it starts to look like this time, the monster might be one of their own.

For my review of the second book, Trial by Fire, click here.

Holy flipping shit, this book was AMAZING!!! Sorry, but it literally took me by surprise. I don't know why, Ms. Barnes is an amazing writer who has made me fall head over heels with this series. But oh my god, this book just made me feel every emotion, in the best sense possible. I mean what the hell Barnes? Why did you put my heart through all of that aching? I hate and love you for it Ms. Barnes! I love that I did not see any of the twists coming. I literally gasped out loud, while I was with my parents and my friend when some of those twists came at me like an out of control train. I nearly cried a few times. And that ending. Holy eff that ending! I mean it, that ending was shocking and awesome and everything I was hoping for. I just don't know though, is this the final book? Or is there another one coming? I hope it's not the last book, because that ending spelled cliffhanger all over it. Although to be fair, I wouldn't mind that much if it was the final book, because Ms. Barnes wrapped up mostly everything nicely. But oh my god this story was sooo freaking good. I loved the journey Bryn went on, the new people she met, I loved her conflict with Shay, and the story itself was just, I can't even describe it, it was that good.

Bryn had excellent development! I loved how she matured even more in this one. I loved how she dealt with everything, and my heart went out to her so much. I enjoyed the hell out of her practicing with her Resilience, that was just greatness. I loved Chase as well. He was still my heartthrob in here, and he damn near broke my heart (I will not spoil that for y'all, but I nearly freaking cried). I love love love his and Bryn's relationship. Their love makes my top list of favorite fictional couples. There's no frills with them, and you can feel the love they have for each other pour out from the pages. Devon wasn't in this book too much, but he was still my Devon. His journey also was fabulous to read, and I love how he ended up at the end of the book. His and Bryn's relationship is another one I love. Their friendship is just so damn sweet, I want to be Bryn for a day just so I can be best friends with Devon. Now Lake got some unexpected development, but I loved it completely. I loved what Barnes did with her character, and how she and her past was in a way integral to the story. That was an unexpected boon. I still love her sarcasm and pure kickassery. Her dynamic with the other characters always makes me smile. The other characters, like Callum and Jed were excellent as always. The addition of Jed and Caroline added a dynamic that added a layer to the story. I loved reading the exchanges between Bryn and Caroline, and Caroline and Devon. Excellent

Damn Barnes, why did you rip my heart out like that? I mean it, she is SUCH a great writer guys. Ms. Barnes built her world up even more, expanding it and adding even more new and exciting information. She kept me guessing every second, never once making me falter in the attention I was paying to this book. She deserves every single solitary bit of success she has gotten.

I'll next be reviewing Insurgent by Veronica Roth.

Until next time, viva la literature! 

Currently Reading #18

Well everyone, the time has come for a new Currently Reading list to rise from the ashes of the previous one. Let us get started!

The theme for this list will be Hype Catch-Up. This is probably the longest list I have every attempted, but hopefully it'll be a good one. This list is a lot of the most hyped up books of this year that I have not yet gotten to. So without further ado, here are the stars of the list!:

1. Taken by Storm (Raised by Wolves 3) - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
2. Insurgent (Divergent #2) - Veronica Roth
3. Pandemonium (Delirium #2) - Lauren Oliver
4. Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) - Lauren DeStephano
5. Partials (Partials #1) - Dan Wells
6. Immortal City (Immortal City #1) - Scott Speer
7. Struck (Struck #1) - Jennifer Bosworth
8. Dark Eyes - William Richter
9. Portrait of a Starter (Starters #0.5) and Starters (Starters #1) - Lissa Price
10. Until I Die (Revenants #2) - Amy Plum
11. Unraveling - Elizabeth Norris
12. I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1) - Barry Lyga
13. The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) - Julie Kagawa
14. Slide (Slide #1) - Jill Hathaway
15. Bewitching (Kendra Chronicles #2) - Alex Flinn
16. Croak (Croak #1) - Gina Damico
17. The Selection (The Selection #1) - Kiera Cass
18. Illuminate (Gilded Wings #1) - Aimee Agresti

Damn, that is a LOT of books! Hope they are all good and worth every bit of hype they got.

Until next time, viva la literature!                    

Bad Book Round-Up

Hey everyone, have a BBR-U for y'all.

The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich:

I tried reading this once before and wasn't that interested. I tried again and still wasn't interested. I don't know what it is really. I guess I can chalk it up to writing style. I just did not connect with it and therefore, the story. If you want this story, watch The Social Network. A great adaptation of this book.

Tough Shit by Kevin Smith:
This book started out ok at first, but went downhill for me. Again, it was the writing style. I just could not connect to it at all. 

Well, that's the end of this Currently Reading list. I shall post the next one soon.

Until next time, viva la literature!