Brad About Books: Altered by Gennifer Albin

Read on June 10, 2013

ALTERED

Expected Publication Date: October 29, 2013

Publisher: FSG (Macmillan)

Format: ARC

Page Count: 400 pages

Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Series: Crewel World, #2

This review is entirely spoiler free, even if you haven't read book one, Crewel.

Altered is dazzling, epic sequel that had me in moments of suspense and others loving to explore this new exotic world with Adelice. Gennifer Albin nailed it with this sequel.

After the mind-blowing ending of Crewel, the circumstances have changed, and everything is deceptive and dangerous. Albin does a fantastic job at building upon this new world and developing the characters even further. It's so interesting to see how much things have changed since Crewel - Altered brings forth a world that will shock you, shake you, and have you in its clutches. This is easily one of the best sequels I've ever read. It plays upon the already built arc of a story, while adding new key elements that were brilliant. I love everything about this series, and you should too. It's absolutely fantastic.

The characters are truly one of a kind. Adelice starts off a bit naïve in the first book, but now that everything has changed, she's fierce and strong, and she knows what she wants from the world. Albin took her character development to a whole new level in Altered; it proves that Adelice is one of the best protagonists out there in YA. Loyal, determined, and a gem of a protagonist, Adelice is stunning. But only does Adelice evolve and morph in Altered; Jost and Erik evolve as well. They become awesome heroes who would do anything to protect Adelice, and I really appreciated Albin's way of progressing their relationships with Adelice. Altered is a phenomenal sequel that's not just unique, it's addictive. 

That ending! Woah! Gennifer Albin is a master of plot twists, and there are so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Altered will wrap itself around your mind, and you won't be able to put this novel down. Mind-bending, mind-blowing, and 100% consuming, Altered is an incredible addition to this masterpiece of a series. I need the third book like crazy!

Overall, Altered is marvelous sequel that had me on the edge the entire time, and I loved every second of it.

M Y    R A T I N G

Brad About Books: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce {Re-Read Review}

Re-read on May 6, 2013

SWEETLY
Published: August 23, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 310 pages
Source: Purchased
Series: Fairytale Retellings, #2

As a child, Gretchen's twin sister was taken by a witch in the woods. Ever since, Gretchen and her brother, Ansel, have felt the long branches of the witch's forest threatening to make them disappear, too.

Years later, when their stepmother casts Gretchen and Ansel out, they find themselves in sleepy Live Oak, South Carolina. They're invited to stay with Sophia Kelly, a beautiful candy maker who molds sugary magic: coveted treats that create confidence, bravery, and passion.

Life seems idyllic and Gretchen and Ansel gradually forget their haunted past -- until Gretchen meets handsome local outcast Samuel. He tells her the witch isn't gone -- it's lurking in the forest, preying on girls every year after Live Oak's infamous chocolate festival, and looking to make Gretchen its next victim. Gretchen is determined to stop running and start fighting back. Yet the further she investigates the mystery of what the witch is and how it chooses its victims, the more she wonders who the real monster is.

Gretchen is certain of only one thing: a monster is coming, and it will never go away hungry.

Sweetly is a rich, fantastically incredible story that captured me right from the beginning and never let me go until the chilling, epic ending. Sweetly enchanted me with its wonderful writing and stunning characters!

This is one of my favorite series of all-time, and I just had to re-read Sweetly - and it was just as amazing the second time around. Jackson Pearce retells these fairytales in such a way that grabs the reader right from the first page. It's absolutely impossible to put this book down. Gretchen and Ansel have run out of luck and must stay with Sophia, a mysterious, yet beautiful candymaker, and Pearce creates a marvelous suspense that looms over the reader and will have them biting at the nails, turning pages as quickly as possible. I lost myself in this world, but I never wanted it to end. Incredible.

Gretchen and Ansel are stunning characters. They're flawed and broken, but they still have each other in this world. And I loved the brother-sister relationship between them; they fight, don't always agree, but at the end of the day, they love each other and would do anything for the other. Jackson Pearce does a phenomenal job at building their relationship. Sophia is so creepy! She's very sweet and nice, but there's just something off about her. I knew that Pearce could make fantastic characters, but Sweetly definitely proves it. 

The world-building? Brilliant. The idea of setting a Hansel and Gretel re-telling in the south was incredible, and it really added to the eerie factor. Everyone seems friendly and knows each other, but there's a darkness swirling around in the shadows in Live Oak, South Carolina, and Gretchen is determined to find out what. Every dark corner, nook, and cranny was masterfully plotted, and I absolutely loved this book to pieces. So, so amazing.

Overall, Sweetly is an enchanted, fantastic tale that had me entangled with these characters and world - it was unputdownable. If you're needing a story like none other, Sweetly is definitely for you.

M Y   R A T I N G

Brad About Books: The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

Read from October 7 to 9, 2013

THE IRON TRAITOR
Expected Publication Date: October 29, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: ARC
Page Count: 342 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Series: The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #2

This review is entirely spoiler free, even if you haven't read book one, The Lost Prince.

Talk about a whirlwind of emotions. The Iron Traitor is an electrifying sequel that not only set the bar high for faerie novels, it proves Julie Kagawa's mark in YA. One of a kind.

We got to see so much of Ethan, our main character, in The Lost Prince, but in this sequel, his character development is taken to a whole new level. He knows and understands who he truly is, but now he's having to readjust to the reality around him. With bullies and love dilemmas, Ethan's life is stressful in The Iron Traitor, but Kagawa does an exceptional job at bringing his character to life off the page. He has evolved so much from book one, and right from the first page, his character development skyrockets. Ethan is truly a hero for the ages.

So. Much. Action. There is never a dull moment in The Iron Traitor - I found it near impossible to tear my eyes away from the page, just because there was so much tension and fast-paced moments on the page. I knew that Julie Kagawa is a master of thrilling scenes from the previous Iron Fey novels, but she proves herself in The Iron Traitor. The Forgotten! They're so creepy and delirious, but I couldn't get enough of them. And the world-building that is built upon the Nevernever was awesome. We get to see the most darkest sides of the world in this second novel, and I adored that. Thrilling and intense, The Iron Traitor is an epic story that will have your eyes glued to the pages and your pulse racing.

If you thought that The Lost Prince was awesome, prepare to have your mind blown by The Iron Traitor. Like the title infers, there's some betrayal circling this world, but I never expected the secrets that are revealed to be so addictive and consuming. If I have to knock anything about this sequel, it would have to be that I felt the middle was a bit draggy. It picked up very quickly, but it was a little sluggish in the middle. But most definitely, I never wanted this book to end; I was so tangled up in this world, it was impossible to escape it. More, please!

Overall, The Iron Traitor is an incredible sequel of deception, love, and the true cost of betrayal. With wonderful writing and incredible characters, The Iron Traitor shouldn't be missed!

M Y    R A T I N G

Brad About Books: 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Read on June 17, 2013

3:59
Published: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Harper)
Format: ARC
Page Count: 368 pages
Source: RAK

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo. 

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

3:59 is a spine-tingling, chilling read that shook me to the bone and had me so wrapped up in this world. Gretchen McNeil has created another supernatural masterpiece - one that sets the bar high and can't be topped. I fell in love with this book so hard.

Gretchen McNeil has written some of my favorite books of all time: they're always spooky and haunting, and I just can't get enough of them. 3:59 was no exception to McNeil's incredible storytelling. Everything about 3:59 will send chills down your spine and have you looking over your shoulder. The best thing about McNeil's novels is how all of them are so original: Possess has demons and exterminating them, Ten is a creeptastic murder mystery that kept me up all night, and 3:59 is parallel worlds and the danger of how looks can be deceiving. Gretchen McNeil's novels are the perfect creepy readers, and I highly recommend them all. 3:59 is so fantastic. I've never seen a novel like this before, and the way that McNeil tied in the worlds and brought in deception was mind-blowing. Chilling and eerie, 3:59 is a read that kept me up late at night, turning pages as fast as I could. Absolutely loved this book.

I love to compare and contrast in books, and 3:59 has some great examples. The balance between Josie and Jo is incredible - they are similar in traits, but at the end of the day, they are far from similar. They each want different things and are willing to use lethal tactics in order to succeed in them. I adored how Gretchen McNeil tied Josie and Jo together but gave them different outlooks on life; everything about these two characters were phenomenal. I love a good world-building structure in a novel, and woah, 3:59 has brilliant world-building. Josie's world is crumbling all around her - sorrow and danger is everywhere she turns. Jo's world is literally crumbling at the seams. The shadowy creatures that eat human flesh in the night scared me and rocked me to my core, and Jo's world is absolutely consuming and reckless. If you love a story that will leave a mark on you long after you turn the final page, then 3:59 is the book for you.

That ending! All the feels! With a Gretchen McNeil novel, I can always count on a shocking ending, and I totally got that with 3:59. There were so many plot twists in 3:59 that I didn't see coming, and one scene in particular made me jump out of my seat. I was always on the edge of my seat during this supernatural masterpiece, and I adored this book so much. Highly, highly recommended!

Overall, 3:59 is an addictive, absorbing novel that shouldn't be missed. Thrilling and masterfully done, 3:59 is a true gem.

M Y   R A T I N G

Brad About Books: UnSouled by Neal Shusterman

Read from September 11 to 12, 2013

UNSOULED
Published: October 15, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Format: ARC
Page Count: 403 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Series: Unwind, #3

This review is entirely spoiler free, even if you haven't started this series.

Okay, sure. Dystopian is immensely enormous right now, and though I personally adore the genre, I just can't seem to escape it. However, the Unwind dystology is one of the most original and shockingly incredible dystopian series I have ever. I've never came across a series like this: this powerful, this captivating, this authentic. And UnSouled was a fantastic addition to this series.

We've been through so much with these kids throughout the first two books. And you might be thinking to yourself, 'There is no way that this can get any worse.' If you thought that, you were wrong. New questions and stakes are raised in this third volume, and (once again) Shusterman does an exceptional job at building up this world and adding even more foundation to it. More action flies at the reader, the writing is incredible, and the character development is brilliant. From the characters that we first met in Unwind to the new characters added in UnWholly and UnSouled, each character evolves in some way to make them either better or wicked; and I loved that.

If I had to knock the series for anything, it would have to be that there are way too many characters and points of view. I liked having multiple characters in the beginning, but we have to be following at least ten different characters in UnSouled. Some have many chapters, others a few here and there. The "here and there" character chapters are what bugs me: with having to keep up with other characters, it was very hard for me to try to remember what happened to a character that we saw 200 pages ago. That's my biggest issue with the series. It grew on me towards the end of the book, but it was definitely a struggle to keep up with so many unique characters.

I thought that the Bill of Life dilemma was settled at the end of UnWholly, but Shusterman threw a plot twist on me in UnSouled that I didn't see coming. More dilemmas are ascending, and the tragedies keep adding up in this world. I have to say, UnSouled is my personal favorite of the series so far. There's mystery, romance, suspense, action, and mind-blowing endings. I can't wait to see how everything turns out in the next book!

Overall, UnSouled is a very nice addition to this ever epic saga. Wholly unique and addictive, I couldn't get enough of UnSouled!

M Y    R A T I N G

Brad About Books: Horde by Ann Aguirre

Read from May 17 to 18, 2013

HORDE
Expected Publication Date: October 29, 2013
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan)
Format: ARC
Page Count: 432 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Series: Razorland, #3

This review is entirely spoiler free, even if you haven't started this series.

Check out my reviews for the first two novels in the Razorland trilogy:

Enclave • Outpost 

The horde is coming.

Horde is an epic and highly satisfying conclusion to one of the best, well-done post-apocalytpic series out there. Brutal, addictive, and wholly original, Horde is a fantastic finale that will have readers hanging on tightly for this wild ride to never end. 

I already knew that this series is filled with tension, scandal, betrayal, and all that fun stuff, but Horde takes the circumstances to a whole new level. As the Freaks grow rapidly, Deuce must stand strong with her army against this harsh wasteland. The best - and I do mean, best - part about the Razorland trilogy is Deuce, simply put. Her character development, her kick-butt ways, her defense for the ones she loves, everything that Deuce is and stands for is phenomenal. Ann Aguirre has done a tremendous and fantastic job with developing Deuce from the moment we first see her as a Brat to becoming a hero for this crumbling world. If you love a strong, fierce protagonist to fall in love with, Deuce is the way to go.

I just have to talk about the world-building in Horde. We have got to see so many sides of this world, but it all comes down to this final moment in this electrifying conclusion. The tables have turned, and Deuce is on the run to save herself from the massive horde. Getting to see even more of this Freak filled world was great, and I loved how Aguirre managed to build even more layers upon the world in each novel. Also what's great? Each novel is better than its predecessor. The characters and world evolve more, the writing becomes more lush and brutal, and everything about these books are great. Needing a book to emerge yourself in and never want to be taken out of the world? The Razorland trilogy is fantastic in every way possible.

Though I was so sad to let this series go, I couldn't have asked for a better ending. All the loose ends (and I'm talking questions that were raised back in book one and never brought up again) were tied up so nicely, and this ending was highly satisfying. Aguirre did a brilliant job with tying everything together in Horde; if you couldn't have guessed, I loved Horde so much. Definitely the best of the trilogy!

Overall, Horde is a phenomenal, masterfully done finale that will have readers chomping at the bits, zooming through pages as fast as they can. Ann Aguirre has done it again!

M Y   R A T I N G

Brad About Books: Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Read on July 18, 2013

ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA
Expected Publication Date: October 15, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Harper)
Format: ARC
Page Count: 464 pages
Source: ALA
Series: Stars, #2

This review is entirely spoiler free, even if you haven't read book one, For Darkness Shows the Stars.

Beginning to describe my love for this series is indescribably impossible. Across a Star-Swept Sea is  a beautiful and marvelous sequel that definitely proves Peterfreund's fantastic writing style and amazing plot. Across a Star-Swept Sea is one of my new favorite books, hands down.

The compare and contrast of For Darkness Shows the Stars and Across a Star-Swept Sea is incredible: in book one, the world was ruined, and two lovers are trying to make their way around the wasteland. But in Across a Star-Swept Sea, the tables have turned, and we get to see a whole new perspective world - and I loved that so much! Diana Peterfreund did a phenomenal job with both building upon the preexisting world and showing a new side of this dark land. Persis is a deceptive, defiant, and all-around awesome protagonist; everything about Persis is interesting and awesome, while chilling at the same time. I loved the idea of Persis being the spark to a raging war - Persis is, simply put, one of the most stunning characters I've read about in a long time. And Justen was equally as great! Justen and Persis should be forbidden to fall in love, but when they come together, they're unstoppable. The character development in Across a Star-Swept Sea is truly one of a kind; I fell so hard for this book. 

I was already aware that Peterfreund had an exceptional writing style when I read For Darkness Shows the Stars, but Across a Star-Swept Sea knocked it out of the ballpark. The way Diana Peterfreund can craft a string of words together and make the world come to life is remarkable. It emerges you into the story so quickly, and I never wanted this novel to end. If you enjoyed book one, prepare to be blown away by this sequel. 

Deception. Betrayal. Second chances. Across a Star-Swept Sea incorporates all of these and blends them together for a nice, brilliant theme. I was always on the edge of my seat, turning pages rapidly. So many things of Across a Star-Swept Sea will have your stomach up in your throat and have your heart soaring for Persis and Justen's impossible romance. With a fantastic protagonist and incredible writing, Across a Star-Swept Sea is a masterpiece of love, defiance, and the choice of becoming who you are.

Overall, Across a Star-Swept Sea is easily one of my favorite books of the year... and of all time. Fantastically incredible, Across a Star-Swept Sea shouldn't be missed - amazing!

M Y    R A T I N G