Book Review- Uninvited

I finished reading Uninvited by Sophie Jordan yesterday.

From Goodreads:

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

A gifted, perfect teenager who tests positive for a kill gene?  Interesting!  And a new concept too (to me anyways)!

I really liked Davy.  I liked the way she was both before and after she came back positive for HTS.  She changed and adapted, yes, but at heart she stayed the same.  And Sean--hot, bad boy Sean.  Or is he?  We never find out why he got imprinted.  I'm curious to know if he truly is a bad guy and did something horrible, or if it was for a silly incident like Davy's was.  

The idea of a kill gene kind of makes you think.  What if all these mass murderers really did have something in common (or even murderers in general)?  I'm not so sure testing would be the solution.  I found the treatment of people with HTS disturbing.  Kind of like racism in a way.  And it's like some of violence was because of the way these people were treated.  

The ending definitely leaves you hanging on.  It's not a huge cliffhanger but it's just enough to know that there's more to come and makes you want to know what's going to happen.

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- A Court of Thorns and Roses

I finished reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas last night for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

I was really excited to read this one for 2 reasons.  1) I had read another series by this author and loved it and 2) not only is it a fairy tale retelling, but it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast--my favorite!

However, I quickly realized this was not going to be a story that I was going to be completely engaged in.  I found it really difficult to get lost in.  There were so many weird creature names and character names that I had a hard time remembering what was what.  And for some reason, the words didn't flow as easy for me.  I found myself having to go back and re-read paragraphs.

But then a little over halfway through, something just clicked and I devoured the rest of the book.  Maybe my brain just got it.  I don't know.  But I really fell in love with the world that Tamlin was in.  And I could see how Feyre could love it there.

As for the main characters, I didn't love Feyre at first.  I compared her to Belle right away, and Belle is my girl.  Feyre--she was hard to love.  She was strong and kept her family together, but it made her cold and and untouchable.  Luckily, her time in the faery land softened her and made me love her.  Tamlin--well, he was just the beast from the instant we met him so I loved him right away.  Yup.  I knew what was going to happen.  And I loved that it did.

There were so many great things that I saw the connections to in Beauty and the Beast.  Feyre's hobby was art, where as Belle's was reading.  There was the blight in the book and the curse in Beauty and the Beast.  I could picture the side characters as the ones I'm so familiar with.  Even how she has to leave and come back is familiar.

So yes, it started off rough for me but I ended up loving it.  I've always wanted a sequel to Beauty and the Beast.  Not just one of the straight to DVDs but a real true sequel.  And I'm seriously hating that I'm going to have to wait so long to get my hands on the sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses.  I NEED to know what is going to happen to Feyre and Tamlin!!

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

A Court of Thorns and Roses will be released on May 5, 2015.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- The Taking

I just finished The Taking by Kimberly Derting.

From Goodreads:

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing.

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

So I really had no idea what this book was about when I got it.  I mean, I guess I should I have figured it out by the title but I didn't really think about it.  I just knew that I had read books by the author before and enjoyed it.  And I'm glad I didn't really know.  The Taking is definitely sci-fi.  And while I'm all about the paranormal, I'm not really into sci-fi.  But I enjoyed this one!

I liked Kyra and Tyler but I guess I found their relationship kind of strange.  I get that Austin, Kyra's boyfriend when she was taken, moved on.  But I think it's weird that Kyra was so okay with dating his brother.  So quickly too.  I mean, don't get me wrong...Tyler sounded all of kinds of hot.  But it was just weird.  I could never date an ex's brother.

Anyways, I'm definitely left with a lot of questions.  What took Kyra?  Where and why?  I guess that's kind of what draws you into the book.  And what makes you want to read the next one.  Because I definitely do!  Good thing I have the second book coming to me shortly!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.

In My Mailbox- January 5, 2015

In My Mailbox: Here's what I got in my mailbox last week:

WEDNESDAY

Soulprint- Megan Miranda--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

The Sunday Salon- January 4, 2015

The Sunday Salon

Wow! I can't believe its 2015 already!  I ended up reading 63 books in 2014..just a little more than the previous year!

I finished and reviewed the following book in the last week:

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga 












I am currently reading The Taking by Kimberly Derting and up next is Uninvited by Sophie Jordan.