The Heir | Kiera Cass

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

Continuing the Selection Series, the Heir proved to be yet another cute, light read. Set more than eighteen years in the future, we get to meet America and Maxon's daughter Eadlyn, a woman close to taking the throne as the first woman leader. The caste system has been officially disbanded however there's still unrest in the public, and in order to distract them from the rebellion beginning to brew, Eadlyn is forced into a Selection of her own. 

While this new series seems like a repeat of the original, I'm excited to see the different perspectives, one of the selector as opposed to the selectees, and I am especially excited to see more of a development of the characters and the world. 

I had mentioned in my review of The One that I felt the world was only briefly introduced and I'm hoping we get to see more. Perhaps in the later books we'll be able to step outside the castle and get a first hand view of the riots and rebellions. 

One character I am particularly looking forward to is Princess Eadlyn. In just the first book, we began seeing a dramatic difference in her personality. She begins as a stubborn girl, someone who has spent their entire life training for the crown. She knows how she should look and act; prim and proper, but she refuses to acknowledge any part of her that is vulnerable. Her heart and her personality is blocked by a thick brick wall, masked by a picture of perfection. By the end of the book we begin making small dents and I'm hoping it's completely torn down by the end of the series.

It's definitely worth continuing if you've read the other Selection books. And if you haven't read those, I definitely recommend them if you're looking for a cute, light read. I'll link my previous reviews down below if you want to read more about the other books. 
The Selection
The Elite

Kissing in America | Margo Rabb

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that’s still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who seems to truly understand Eva’s grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast to see Will again. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love. 

In this honest and emotional journey that National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr calls “gorgeous, funny, and joyous,” readers will experience the highs of infatuation and the lows of heartache as Eva contends with love in all of its forms.

BEA was incredible. Not only because of all the free books but because of the wonderful authors I got to meet, and Margo Rabb was no different. We began talking and I found out that she'll be coming to a Barnes and Noble near me and I'd have the chance to meet her again. So of course, before then I wanted to read her book so we could talk about it. 

I will say that this book did not disappoint. Just by looking at the cover and the title, I honestly though this book was about two immigrants falling in love, but soon into the book I realized I was wrong. 

Rabb did a fantastic job of intertwining a different type of love story within this book. I will admit that there were a few side plots that seemed mildly unnecessary even though I understood the purpose of them, but overall I think it did a good job of depicting a different type of love story. 

While Eva wasn't an unlikable character, I didn't particularly love her dependance on Will. She spent most of the beginning pining over him and thinking about him, which I didn't particularly love but I understand that it was crucial to the storyline. 

Overall I loved the way the story ended up progressing. It's a nice, light read and if you've enjoyed Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid and Papertowns by John Green, this is something you might enjoy.

The Darkest Minds | Alexandra Bracken

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Over the past year, I've seen mentions of this book and this author everywhere: on BookTube, on other blogs, at BEA, from my friends. When I hear about a book more than three times, I have to pick it up and give it a read, even if it is just to see what all the hype is about. 

I have to say, I'm still conflicted on this book. While the plot is intriguing and fascinating, I'm not sure it had the "I LOVE IT" feel that a lot of other books have for me, however that may have been due to the reading slump I was in while I read this book. 

If I'm being completely honest, this book was just like your typical dystopian. You have the badass female protagonist who's stronger than she look, the hot male love-interest who would be the perfect real-life boyfriend, the organization who's original intentions have been compromised and the opposing organization who's goal is to fight everything that has gone wrong in society. The concept and actual plot was interesting and innovative, however the template was very generic. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book, it just wasn't what I was looking for when I read it. 

It definitely has a Hunger Games-esque feel to it, so while it wasn't something I loved, I don't want to discourage anyone else from reading it. 

Bad Feminist | Roxane Gay

A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay.

“Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to becool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.”

In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.

Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

Like I have mentioned before, I've been trying out new genres and subjects of books, breaking out of the YA bubble so to speak. In fact, earlier this month my school was giving away free copies of this book, and of course I signed up and got a copy, not expecting to actually read it. But I decided to start it and kept reading through the end. In this book Gay covers many topics from feminism to racism and rather than really reviewing the book, I want to give my opinions on several of the points she made throughout her essays. 

1. Feminism

I will admit, I've never really called myself a feminist. The word is so warped in our society, typically associated with the extreme feminists, those who yell at men trying to be chivalrous and essentially claim that men are better than women. I don't blame you for thinking that's what a feminist is, until recently I did too. But feminism is the fight for gender equality, for both men and women. However because the issue affects women to a larger extent, it has been named for them. 

Like I said, I believe in gender equality for everyone, not just women. People frequently complain that women are objectified in society, however I think men are objectified just as much, which isn't a gender issue as much as it is a biological one. We are attracted to attractive people because biologically they would make better mates for us. Is it right to judge women solely on the size of their breasts? Of course not. But it is equally wrong to judge a man by his chiseled jaw, muscular torso, or any number of qualities. 

One of the biggest things I want to discuss is the Fifty Shades of Grey outrage that erupted on the Internet during the release of the movie. I saw post after post discouraging people from watching the movie, saying that if they did they would be supporting rape. I think people are forgetting to make a distinction between ignorance and belief. So many people have gone to the movie in order to laugh about how stupid it is, but what they don't understand is that by investing eight or nine dollars for a movie, they're fueling the franchise. I want to see this movie. I want to laugh at it just like everyone else, but I don't, by any means, support rape. But I also will not be putting money to propagate the franchise. People who so outrightly accuse others of such hideous beliefs need to take a step back and examine who really is at fault. 

2. Racism

My views on racism is a bit different from most people, but I'm going to share them anyways. I don't believe it is right to treat anybody differently because of their ethnicity, regardless of whether it is a positive treatment or a negative treatment. Of course discrimination is wrong but what we fail to realize is that even the so-called "good" things we do in order to compensate are discriminatory. For example, take Black History Month. While the intention behind it is good, all it does is divide the separation between the races. By categorizing an ethnicity into a month, we're subconsciously separating it from everything else. If we really want to include worldwide ethnicity into our education, we need to incorporate it directly into the teaching system without drawing any special attention to it. Same goes for other practices such as affirmative action. By giving an advantage to someone because of their ethnicity is no different from how it used to be, it's just against a different group of people. 

One thing in particular that Gay talks about is the inaccuracy of movies like Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave, extremely successful movies centering on aspects of slavery. She condemns these movies because the white director gave an inaccurate representation of slavery. While this is a legitimate reason, I believe that race is completely independent of this problem. She would run into the same problem if the director were someone who didn't go through slavery, regardless of race. I'm saying the reason these movies may be slightly inaccurate isn't because of the white director simply the lack of experience the director has had. 

Gay also continues and talks about other smaller issues like body image that I'm still trying to sort out of beliefs for. But this was definitely an interesting read and it has definitely inspired me to start reading other nonfictiony books. I definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to try an informal yet informative book about some current issues. 

Four: A Divergent Collection | Veronica Roth

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

I love seeing similar events from different perspectives. For Divergent and Insurgent we got to see primarily from Tris's point of view; only in Allegiant did we get the chance to see even a glimpse of Tobias. These short stories do a great job of condensing some important milestones in Tobias's life. We got to see the scrawny boy before transferring to Dauntless, his journey through Dauntless and even the origins of his rivalry with Eric. 

I will admit though, that Tris and Tobias have very similar stories as they go through Initation. Eric is essentially Tobias's "Peter", Amar is essentially his "Tobias." There were just a lot of parallels, and I'm not sure whether they were intentional or not. 

One scene that was particularly striking was the jumper section of Initiation for both Tris and Tobias. When Tobias was an Initiate, he was the last jumper, which somewhat explains his respect and awe at Tris for being the first jumper. I honestly will say that I loved seeing these similarities and differences between Tris and Tobias. 

I will admit though, I like Tris's voice a lot more than Tobias's. In terms of writing style, they are very similar, but Tris is more about the action, she doesn't seem to spend as much time as Tobias does thinking about everything, which is both good and bad. It felt like Tobias spent a whole lot of time just thinking about what the Erudite were doing and what Dauntless should be doing, and a whole lot less doing. 

This may have been intentional but Tobias's takes on certain events seemed to go by much faster than Tris. For him, it seemed as though Initiation lasted a week or so, when in Divergent it lasted a couple months. This was probably done in order to keep the short stories short, but I still wish we had gotten a bit more detail on some events. 

Did you guys read these short stories? Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! Mine was definitely the super short chapter at the very end that had events of him and Tris interacting. 

Miss Mayhem | Rachel Hawkins

Life is almost back to normal for Harper Price. The Ephors have been silent after their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago, and best friend Bee has returned after a mysterious disappearance. Now Harper can return her focus to the important things in life: school, canoodling with David, her nemesis-turned-ward-slash-boyfie, and even competing in the Miss Pine Grove pageant.

Unfortunately, supernatural chores are never done. The Ephors have decided they’d rather train David than kill him. The catch: Harper has to come along for the ride, but she can’t stay David’s Paladin unless she undergoes an ancient trial that will either kill her . . . or connect her to David for life.

A year ago, when Rebel Belle, came out I raved on and on about the perfection within it. Needless to say, the standards were set pretty high and, as a result, Miss Mayhem didn't match my predictions. More than anything, this felt like a filler book, but I most likely will be continuing the series to find out how it ends. I really recommend Rebel Belle, though I honestly think it would have been fantastic as a stand-alone rather than a trilogy. 

Soaring Through Stars | Rajdeep Paulus

As the third book in the Swimming Through Stones series by Rajdeep Paulus, this book did not disappoint. It continues right where the last book left off and we continue to learn about all these wonderful characters. 

I will admit, this book wasn't as fantastic as the first two, only because I felt a distinct lack of romance, but besides that it was terrific. 

My favorite aspect of this book was by far the familial aspect. We finally get some closure to the lawsuit against Talia's father and we get to learn of other long lost family members. We get to see the bridge of trust begin to build between Talia and her family. The interactions and relationships built between these characters is phenomenal. Paulus does a fantastic job of developing these characters we already know and love. 

While the story from Swimming Through Clouds was one of struggle and pain, the one from Soaring Through Stars was distinctly of healing and rehabilitation. We get to see Talia and Jesse finally recover from the one person who has haunted them their entire lives and finally find peace. 

Though it is a great conclusion to a great series, I want to continue the lives of Talia and Jesse. I want to know what happens next. I want to see Talia and Lagan get married and raise a family together. I want to see the role their uncle plays in their futures. I feel as though I'm not done with these characters yet; I'm too invested in their lives and I sincerely hope that Paulus feels inspired to write more about these characters. 

I highly recommend this book and this series as a whole.  If you haven't already checked it out I really think it's worth trying out, I'll link my reviews down below if you want to check out more! 

Swimming Through Clouds

Seeing Through Stones 

Everything That Makes You | Moriah McStay

One girl. Two stories. Meet Fiona Doyle. The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago. Fiona has notebooks full of songs she’s written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon. If she can’t even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn’t brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public. But something’s changing in Fiona. She can’t be defined by her scars anymore. 

And what if there hadn’t been an accident? Meet Fi Doyle. Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride. She’s got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who’s been different ever since the kiss. When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can’t define her anymore. When you’ve always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up. Can Fi fight back?

Hasn't everyone wondered what if? In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different. Maybe luck determines our paths. But maybe it's who we are that determines our luck.

Generally I think that the concept of having two separate story-lines is genius, however in actuality I have yet to find one that has been executed really well. This one was no different. The concept and plot of the story was genius, but the execution was mediocre. While there were two different story-lines with the same characters, because there were some major differences in the childhood of the main character, it was essentially as though there were two different stories with completely different characters. 

My main problem with this book was the ending. It just kind of...ended. There was no climax. I finished the book and thought "What was the point?" I expected both sides to end at the same place to show that no matter what happens we will end up where we need to, but both ended in completely different spots, which was confusing. 

One of the things I really liked in this book was the parallels between both sides of the story. Seeing the different characters at different points in their lives interact was interesting to watch. It was also interesting to see the different relationships between different characters. 

Overall I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it. The concept was really really interesting but I feel like the execution, particularly the ending could have been done better. Have you guys read this book? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments below!  

Hey Beautiful, God Loves You | Imani Dunning

Hey Beautiful, God Loves You is for the woman who needs a reminder. It was written in an effort to remind you that it's normal to need God and community on a day to day basis.

While I am not a particularly religious person, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. While there are some religious thoughts and ideas that I don't necessarily agree with, I think that this book, especially for Christians, is great to read while going through a hard time. This book covers various topics from dating to self motivation, giving an insight on how to balance a free life with faith. For me specifically, this book gave an interesting and real perspective on the thoughts of a Christian. Dunning's reflections on her past experiences and obstacles really enforce the points and advice she gives. Definitely worth a read if faith is something you struggle with during hard times.

Fairest | Marissa Meyer

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her "glamour" to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story- a story that has never been told... until now. 

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

My only reason behind buying this book was so I could read the first few chapters of Winter previewed at the end of this book. Tumblr told me there was a chapter showing some flirtation between Kai and Cinder, which I NEEDED. Of course, that was chapter four of Winter, and my book only gave me the first three chapters of Winter. 

Needless to say, it was a very frustrating time for me, and as a result I was extremely disappointed with this book. After my disappointment curbed, I decided to backtrack and read Levana's story. I might as well, I already had the book. 

Levana's story was interesting to say the least. But although it explains her tyranny, it by no means justifies it. Throughout the entire book I pictured Channary as Kourtney Kardashian and Levana as the younger Kim Kardashian, though I'm not sure why; the faces seemed to fit the personalities. 

Levana was entirely cringe-worthy in this book, especially her "love" story with Evret; pretending to be his wife, forcing him to marry her, etc. It made me very uncomfortable. She has some kind of sadistic part of her that makes me fear for her mental sanity. She's not evil, she's not misunderstood, she's just not sane. In a completely medical way.

My favorite part of this book was the glimpses of the baby cast we saw. Princess Winter, Princess Selene (Cinder), Jacin, and even Kai. 

I just want it to be known that Channary shipped Kaider before any of us.

I need Winter. In my hands. Now. 

What was your favorite part of Fairest? Let me know in the comments below! Mine was definitely seeing the baby versions of all the characters we already know. They were so adorable! 

Scarlet | Marissa Meyer

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

I'm not going to lie, I was fairly disappointed with this book, to me it seemed like a filler book, simply bridging the gap between the first and third book. 

As this is the second book, I will be going into a spoiler-filled discussion, however if you haven't read this series and are a fan of fantasy/dystopian books, I highly recommend this book. If you want to know a bit more about the world, I'll link my spoiler-free review of Cinder as well

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold | Iain Reading

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part history and five parts adventure. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon, the harsh land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska's inside passage and Canada's Yukon, as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves as Kitty prepares for her next adventure - flying around the world!

I will admit, I am pleasantly surprised by this book. Prior to accepting it for review, I was slightly skeptical. The cover, the protagonist's name, everything about it just screamed "middle-grade" (something I hadn't tried, and, at the moment, didn't want to try), but the words "Yukon Gold" caught my eye and I began reading it. 

Over the summer, my family and I had travelled to Alaska, and I found it incredibly interesting to see the same scenes I've experienced manifested into a book. As Kitty travels throughout Alaska, to cities like Haines, Juneau, and Dyea, I find myself comparing my adventures with hers, reliving my vacation.

The plot itself was also quite interesting, though it could have been better spread out throughout the book. I felt as though the first half was relatively uneventful, while the second half was jam packed with the majority of the plot. The reader isn't even introduced to "the curse" until at least three-fourths of the way into the book. But I absolutely loved the bits and pieces of real history Iain intertwined into his plot, from the ghost town of Dyea to the sinking of the Clara Nevada.

For me, the biggest surprise was Kitty Hawk. The idea of a seventeen-year old named Kitty flying to Alaska by herself seemed somewhat ludicrous to me, but I really enjoyed her as a character. She had very realistic characteristics and a likable personality. While I'm still skeptical of her parents' decision of letting her fly alone, I think Iain did a very good job of making the entire situation seem realistic. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but I would definitely recommend it to a slightly younger audience, though there's nothing preventing anyone from enjoying this adventurous novel.

RED | S. Elle Cameron

Sixteen year old, Peyton is all grown up and lives without the guidance of her mother or father. Raised by her older cousin, Mason and his wife Adalyn, she lives life making the same reckless mistakes her parents once made; left with only hallow words penned in her mother’s journal and vaulted music from her father’s band. But sometimes mistakes are necessary to grow even when they mean life as you know it will completely fall apart.

After constantly getting involved with the wrong guys and making questionable decisions, things start to look up for Peyton when she’s introduced to Ronan, a newcomer from New York. Nevertheless, when things start to look up we should be ready to shift our eyes downward because a fall is sure to come.

As Peyton makes a mess of her life in Arizona, she relocates to Los Angeles to live with her famous Uncle Jackson where she meets her musical muse, Alex Kinsley. But does a change of scenery really change who we are?

In the second installment of the RED Tragedies series, RED picks up where A Tragic Heart left off.

Review of A Tragic Heart

As the first book I read from my Anticipated Releases post back in 2014, this one did not disappoint. In fact, it's almost 600 pages and I finished it in a little over two days. That being said, it wasn't perfect. In fact, the characters were, more times than not, frustrating and bipolar. They did and said the wrong thing at the wrong time which, of course, ended up in a whole lot of trouble. But that's what humans do, isn't it? They break things again and again until they're irreparable. 

Like A Tragic Heart, RED is intense, though, I will admit, it lost its element of surprise from the first book. Cameron does a fantastic job of making the reader feel as though they're right there, witnessing Peyton's actions, however reckless they were. And the character development in this book was absolutely phenomenal. Watching each of the characters struggle through the aftereffects of A Tragic Heart, particularly Mason and Jackson, was an incredible journey, and I honestly can't wait for the next two books. 

While the writing and events of this book were especially well done, this book did make me very angry. There are moments when I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into Peyton, tell her to wake up from the fantastical life she thinks she's living. And a lot of this feeling had to do with the fact that, personality-wise, I couldn't connect with Peyton at all. I couldn't wrap my head around her rash, intense behavior because I could never picture myself in her situation. But nonetheless, I could still appreciate her personality and development as a character. 

Overall, this was a captivating read and I do recommend this book/series, more for an older audience, as it does contain some racy and controversial behavior. But it's the perfect passion-filled book to spice up a bland and boring day.

Afterworlds | Scott Westerfeld

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… 

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

I thought the concept was quite genius. I hadn't read anything like it and I thought it was really ingenious. The writing styles for the two different sections were slightly different which made it easy to distinguish between the two. 

Though I will admit, the fact that an eighteen year old high school graduate got a three hundred thousand dollar publishing contract is a bit unrealistic. Darcy is fairly irresponsible with her money, and I didn't fall in love with her character, or her relationship with Imogen, but I really enjoyed seeing a bit of the backstage life of a writer. 

The first chapter of Darcy's book was fairly hooking, though I will admit I began to lose interest near the end. I never really liked Lizzie's relationship with Yama, a lot of which had to do with Yama's name.

The biggest thing this book did for me was ensure that I will be attending BEA this year. The descriptions of all the free books and authors have made me so excited. I need to go. I'm hungry for books. 

(A very accurate representation of me)

The Kill Order | James Dashner

The prequel to the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series.

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book. Before I went into it, one of my friends had warned me of this book, telling me to prepare myself for a huge disappointment, and it was honestly pretty good. I honestly liked it better than The Death Cure. I thought it was really interesting how they finally went back and gave a specific run down on what exactly happened before the Maze. At one point we get to see bits and pieces of different documents from the government and I think we should have had more of that. Those two pages revealed more than a lot of the other book. 

I also wish there was more of a connection between the rest of the series and this book. For a while I actually thought the epilogue had Trina and Mark in it. I thought they were Thomas's parents, which would have been really cool. 

I realized that while reading this series, I wasn't as into it as I have been into other books. It was a good read, I don't doubt that, but I never really grew emotionally close to any of the characters. I felt no remorse when any of them died, nor did I particularly care about their personal and emotional lives. This could have been for a number of reasons. The first being that I'm so busy with school and work and all of my real world responsibilities that I'm neglecting my book characters, which is a prospect that really frightens me. The second reason could also have been that the book was written in a way to focus more on the plot than the characters, and there's nothing wrong with that. In some cases a fantastic plot is enough to sacrifice the emotions of a few characters. I just think if I had gotten more attached to the characters, this would have been a better read for me. 

Let me know what you guys thought in the comments below! Am I the only one disappointed with this series as a whole?

The Scorch Trials | James Dashner

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. 

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch. 

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them. 

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off. 

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.

I will admit I didn't like this book as much as the first. I feel like we barely learnt about WICKED and what they're trying to do. There was a constant back and forth between what was real and what was fabricated or acted and at one point I just got confused. 

Like before, the plot was really awesome and intense, however I felt it was just a repeat of the Maze Runner. That's not a bad thing but as the second book in a series, I feel that more of the overall plot should have been built up, not so much the second trial. 

Did anyone else hate Teresa? I'm honestly so done with her. I'm going to be honest and admit that I never really liked her, but in this book she went completely insane. Her actions are contradictory and confusing and while I hope we get a bigger backstory on her, I just want her to go away. 

Even though this story wasn't as great as the last one, there were several things I liked. We're starting to be a sense of the real world outside of these trials, the barren world filled with crazy, disease-ridden people. 

I also loved Thomas in this book. His acts to maneuver out of holding hands and touching people are hilarious. And I admired the fact that he wasn't a love-sick teenage boy (for most of the time) and could think on his feet without being completely forgiving. 

I'm also a huge fan of the epilogues. I love that the end of each book has a small letter from within the WICKED organization. I'm hoping for more of them throughout the book. I think one between each chapter would be really interesting, so we can see WICKED develop with the characters and plot of the story. 

From where this book ends, I feel like The Death Cure is going to be The Maze Runner/ The Scorch Trials all over again, but as the last book in the series, I'm really hoping that we are able to conclude this series well and we learn more about the world and why WICKED is doing all of this. 

If you've read this book, let me know what you think in the comments below! Do you like it better than Maze Runner?