Friday, January 30, 2015

Reading Right Now! (#20)

Title: Witches of East End
Author: Melissa De La Cruz
I'm on page 17 of 272 which makes me about 6% done with this book.
I pretty much just started this one last night, so I don't have a whole lot to say about it just because I'm not that far through it yet. This one came to my attention because of my addiction to Netflix. I saw the first season available to watch on Netflix and decided to read the book first. Sometimes I can contain myself and read the book before binge watching the movie and/or tv shows. So all I know about this one is that it's about witches!! So far, I've only been introduced to two characters, Freya and Ingrid and from reading about Ingrid, she seems like one of those librarians that can be really scary.
What I know about the book is that it's about a family of witches who are forbidden from practicing their magic. There are men involved somehow. And that's all I know. Hopefully I'll like it. I've heard good things about the t.v. show, so if the book turns out to be not that great, then hopefully the t.v. show will be awesome.
So that's it for what I'm Reading Right Now! Tell me what you're Reading Right Now! in the comments below. Have you read Witches of East End? And did you like it? Let me know.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Top 5 Anti-Heroes

This weeks topic is a fun one. I really had to do some thinking about who I wanted to pick as my Top 5 Favorite Anti-Heroes. To be an anti-hero, one kind of has to toe a fine line, they have to be slightly despicable while at the same time heroic. Anti-Heroes to me, are heroes with internal demons that they must fight against. Anti-Heroes could start off a book or series as a villian, but eventually find a way to redeem themselves. I don't have a set definition for Anit-Heroes, but I do find that they can be the most interesting characters. So here are my Top 5 Favorite Anti-Heroes!

Severus Snape

Severus Snape has to be one of the #1 Anti-Heroes. Now people tend to have differing opinions on Snape, whether he is good or bad. I go on the side of Snape being more good then bad. Snape is a tortured soul who feels at fault for killing the only person he ever really loved. He kind of spends the rest of his life trying to atone for his sins. Throughout almost all the books, Harry sees Snape as an enemy and doesn't realize all that Snape has suffered and what he is trying to do in the end. Snape is such a conflicted character and playing both sides in this wizard war has made him more alone than ever. In my mind, Snape is a hero and the suffering he goes through is real. Sure he made mistakes, but he tried to rectify them in the end. If things could be different in the series, I would have loved for Snape to have experienced some real, lasting happiness in life.


Victor

Victor has to be one of my favorite Anti-Heroes. I know I am mentioning Vicious in a Top 5 Wednesday again, but I will not apologize for loving this book so much. Victor has many questionable traits and his reasoning for trying to become an ExtraOrdinary weren't exactly normal thinking. His power of causing people pain doesn't make him the best example of a hero either. But I just can't help liking Victor and rooting for him. I loved him and his ragtag team of unlikely heroes. Victor is just awesome and that's all I can say.

Caine

Caine is my next pick for favorite anti-hero. Caine starts off the series as a straight up villain. Some of the things he did to the other kids in the FAYZ are straight up despicable. But as the series goes along, Caine kind of grows. At the end, he still doesn't fit the technical hero definition, but he has grown a lot and in some ways has redeemed himself. I think that's why I end up liking series so much, because you can really see the growth of a character. Caine will never be a true hero, but in the end he did redeem himself a little, and that's enough to make him an anit-hero.

John Wayne Cleaver


John Wayne Cleaver is the creepiest anti-hero to make his way onto my list. First off, he's pretty much a diagnosed sociopath. He has fantasies about hurting people and killing people. John Wayne Cleaver is scary! But what makes him an anti-hero is how he fights to do the right thing. No matter how dangerous and creepy John Wayne Cleaver is, I can't help but like and root for him. There is just something about him that draws you in.

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl, one of the most fun criminal masterminds to live on the page. He starts off as an evil, rich genius who has a plan to kidnap a fairy with the hope of fairy gold and magic. This is another one that as the series goes on, his ways start to change. Artemis is a lot of fun and he has the best team around. He's definitely an anti-hero because of his criminal ways but good heart.


So that's it for my Top 5 Favorite Anti-Heroes. Who are your slightly messed up but still heroic characters? Tell me in the comments below. And if you want to join in the Top 5 Wednesday fun, you totally should. There is a new fun topic every Wednesday. Here's the link to all the Top 5 Wednesday-ers so you should check them out. Happy Wednesday!







Monday, January 26, 2015

Review: Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Pure (Covenant #2)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by: Spencer Hill Press
Released: 2012
Summary: For Alex, life at the Covenant means training with two very attractive guys, trying to ignore the distrust from her classmates, and learning to accept her fate. When daimons attack inside the Covenant, no one is safe and new rules are put into place. These new rules further separate Pures and Half-Bloods and just make Alex angry. Alex also has to journey to New York to testify before the Council. She finds reliving the memories of the night she killed her daimon mother to be hard, and the New York Covenant is even more backwards and segregated than her home.
Alex is under great pressure. Fighting her feelings for Aiden and developing something for Seth are hard enough, but to add even more pressure, someone is trying to kill her. Things never seem to get any easier for Alex in this second installment to the Covenant series.
My Thoughts: So I'm continuing on with the Covenant series. I actually decided to read the first three books back-to-back because I have them and I can. I also wanted to see if reading them one after the other made for a more enjoyable reading experience in general.
Now, in my review for Half-Blood, I confessed to really not falling in love with the book. The love for this series and author is high and I wanted to be one of those people that loved it too. I didn't find that love in Half-Blood, so I hoped that by continuing on with reading the rest of the series, my love for it would slowly blossom. I enjoyed Pure a little more than Half-Blood, but I'm still not feeling the love. It was a ho-hum, average read for me. I felt like it took me a little while to read Pure too.
My problems with Pure are pretty much the same as in Half-Blood and Daimon, I don't really like Alex. Alex annoys me. As stated in my other reviews, I find her to be cocky and not really smart when it comes to fighting. I don't know if I necessarily buy her as a kick-butt character. She did show some good fighting skills at the end, but thinking back, it almost didn't seem realistic for her to be that good at fighting when she had been so bad before. It is very hard to love a book when you want to hit the mute button on the main character. I'm still holding out hope that I will grow to like Alex as the series continues.
I was surprised by the death that occurred. I liked that character and wish they had gotten to stick around a little longer.
As for the love interests, I'm not sure what team I'm on. I appreciate the good looks of both boys though. Aiden is intense and protective, but as of now, romance with Alex is forbidden. Seth was a lot of fun in this book, plus he is super available for Alex. I am torn.
All in all, I enjoyed Pure a little more than I did Half-Blood. I'm still not feeling that all-consuming love for the series that other readers have, but I'm hoping to find it as I read the rest of the series. Alex is not my ideal main character. I need her to talk less and do more. So far, this series has just been average for me.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5
Alex is not my favorite heroine.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Reading Right Now! (#19)

Title: Shine
Author: Lauren Myracle
I'm on page 108 of 350 which makes me about 31% finished with the book.

What I'm Reading Right Now! is Shine by Lauren Myracle, and I'm really enjoying it. My mom actually checked this book out from the library and I decided I wanted to read it too. That usually doesn't happen with my mom's books because we are usually not interested in the same type of things. She likes to read books about poor people that live way back in the mountains and how hard their lives are, I like to read just about anything and everything else. But I had heard some good things about this book and decided to check it out for myself. 
So this book is about this girl named Cat who lives in a very small town in the North Carolina Mountains. Her town could be categorized as backwoods in ways because it is really small and the residents are a bit set in their ways. Before a mysterious incident that Cat hasn't told us of yet, she used to be really could friends with Patrick, but in the last 2 years, she has kind of removed herself from everyone. The story starts with a news clipping detailing how Patrick was beaten and left for dead at the place that he worked with a gay slur carved into his chest. Cat recognizes it for what it is, a hate crime. Patrick is in a coma fighting for his life and the law in Black Creek, North Carolina says they are looking for the culprit, but Cat doesn't really believe that. Cat decides to investigate the crime for herself and find out who really hurt Patrick.
So far I'm really enjoying this one. The writing style has kind of drawn me in and made me curious for what's going to happen next. I also want to know what happened to Cat to make her withdraw from everybody. So far I would definitely recommend this book because I am very much enjoying it. Also, it's a standalone and I hardly ever read any of those.
So that's it for what I'm Reading Right Now! Tell me what you're reading in the comments below.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Authors I Would Like to Meet

I had a hard time with this topic. I'm going to be completely honest and say I don't really want to meet any of my favorite authors. I know you're thinking, "*Gasp* What is wrong with you?" I know there are tons of people who would do anything to meet their favorite authors, but I wouldn't want to be one of them. Don't get me wrong, I love the authors and what they do, their books are a big part of my life. But I feel that meeting them in real life would ruin my image of them. What if I meet them and I dislike the people they are or their personalities? That could happen, and then the whole time I was reading their lovely books, the only thing I would be thinking of is how I didn't really like them as a person. I feel I get maximum enjoyment from the books when I really know nothing about the authors. So I decided to do this Top 5 Authors I Would Like to Meet in a fun, not so serious way. Don't get me wrong, I love all of these authors, but I would rather not "know them" know them. If that makes any sense at all. So here goes my list.

J.K. Rowling!!!

I mean it's Harry freaking Potter and J.K. Rowling, so how could I not. Obviously J.K. Rowling has a great imagination, so it would be fun to meet her for that reason. Also, I secretly wish that she would write just for me more scenes from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, whether they be from Harry's after Hogwarts days with his career as an Auror or the wonderful Marauder Days. I would even take the days of Harry and Ginny's children if I'm honest.

Ransom Riggs!!!

Ransom Riggs would be fun to go to a thrift shop or flea market and just look at creepy old photos. That would be a fun way to spend a day.
While writing this list, I realized that I interpreted "meet an author" as spend a day with the author doing various activities. That's just how my sick mind works :)


Kendare Blake!!!

Kendare Blake could be fun to go to a haunted house with and have that experience. Or it would be fun to share ghost stories together. I don't really have any ghost stories, so I would have to make some up.


Julie Kagawa!!!

I love Julie Kagawa's writing, so I could happily listen to her talk about that. Also, Kagawa is very crafty, so I could imagine us sitting at a table making clay dragons or something. 


and Michael Grant!!!

I love Michael Grant's Gone series so so much, I can't express it enough. I imagine meeting him would be very interesting. He has to be a little messed up though (in a good way) because of how he imagined and wrote so many horrible situations that the FAYZ kids had to go through. A meeting with him could be fun, as well as a little scary.

So that's my Top 5 Authors I Would Want to Meet. Who would be in your list? Do you imagine your scenarios as more than quick meet and greets, but actually spending time with them, or am I just all kinds of messed up? You should definitely join in the fun of Top 5 Wednesday. Only here can you get to imagine all kinds of bookish scenarios. Here's the complete list of the Top 5 Wednesday-ers.







Monday, January 19, 2015

Review: Daimon (Covenant #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Daimon (Covenant #0.5)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by: Spencer Hill Press
Released: 2011
Summary: This short prequel takes place before the events that happened in Half-Blood. Alex and her mom are in hiding from the Covenant and Alex has no idea why. She's trying to blend in with all the humans around her, but sometimes her half-blood training takes over. When daimons attack Alex and her mom, Alex has no choice but to run. A nice little backstory preceding the events of Half-Blood.
My Thoughts: I enjoyed getting a little more of Alex's backstory. It was also nice to view a little of the relationship she shared with her mom. Daimon takes place immediately before the events of Half-Blood and it just felt like a nice little edition to the series.
I'm still not sure what's wrong with me and why I'm not absolutely loving this series. I felt the same way about Daimon that I did about Half-Blood, I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. I'm still having my problems with Alex, mainly in the fact that she doesn't use her head. Being a tough, battle-ready half-blood doesn't mean she has or uses any common sense. There was a scene in the book where she could have taken out a daimon trying to kill her, because according to science titanium anywhere will kill a daimon, and instead she hits him on the head with a lamp??? I mean, come on. I just feel like Alex is cocky with a big mouth and then she disappoints me when it actually comes to fighting. I'm still hoping that as the series goes on, I will grow to like Alex more, or that she will grow into a better character. Whichever of those two options happens first will be fine.
I would say this prequel novella is an enjoyable edition to the series. It gives a little backstory and makes for a great lead in to Half-Blood.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5
An Enjoyable Intro to the Covenant Series.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Reading Right Now! (#18)

Title: Deity (Covenant #3)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
I'm on page 100 of 330 pages which makes me about 30% finished

So I'm still making my way through this series. I don't know if it was a good idea or not to read the first 3 1/2 (the 1/2 book is the novella, Daimon, which is 0.5 in the series) books back to back. I'm not in love with this series like the rest of the world seems to be, but I will say that I am enjoying Deity a lot more than I did the first two books. My main problem with this series so far has been with Alex, but in Diety, Alex has been surprisingly okay. She hasn't made me want to yell or chuck the book or anything like that. In this book, Alex is back at the Covenant, the love triangle between Seth and Aiden still exists, and her life might be in danger from people who don't want her to become what she is fated to be. I try real hard not to spoil anything ;)
So that is it for what I'm Reading Right Now! Tell me what you are reading. 

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Series You Want to Start This Year

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday topic is a fun one to ponder. There are so many series out there that I haven't started yet and I really want to. As all book addicts say, so many books and so little time. I decided to pick 5 series that I've been really interested in starting and most of them I'm kind of late to the party to. Here are my Top 5 Series I Want to Start This Year!

The Hunger Games Series
By Suzanne Collins

I am very late to the party with this one and I'm very sorry. There might be a small, hipster part of me that likes to read books before they are super popular and then feels slightly shameful when they jump on the bandwagon later. A lame excuse, I know. But I love the movies so much that I just feel starting this series is a must.

The Mortal Instruments Series
By Cassandra Clare

Yet another one of those series that I'm super late to the party too. I've heard such good things about this book series that I'm going to try to start it this year. Also I might own all the books, so it is about time that I read them.

Splintered Series
By A.G. Howard

This series looks just really interesting to me. The covers are absolutely gorgeous and I've heard good things about it. This series will be requested from my library in the very near future.


The Partials Series
By Dan Wells

I love Dan Wells and this series sounds sooo cool. I've heard great things about it and own all the books, so it is a series that I need to start.


The Legend Series
By Marie Lu

Again, I own all the books and I really need to read them. Is it sad that the different colored font intrigues me to no end? I love when books have different colored font, it makes them feel so special. I've heard great things about this series too and can't wait to read it.

So those are my picks for the Top 5 Series I Want to Start This Year. Do you have any of the same ones on your list? Are there some different series that I should have included? Give me suggestions and recommendations people!! I highly suggest you join in the Top 5 Wednesday fun, where a new Top 5 topic is given every Wednesday. And check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers.
So that's it for this post, see you next Wednesday hopefully :)





Monday, January 12, 2015

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Half-Blood (Covenant #1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by: Spencer Hill Press
Released: 2011
Summary: After 3 years on the run from the Covenant, Alex is out of places to go and being chased by things that want to kill her. Alex has no idea why her mom took her away from the Covenant 3 years ago and why they've been on the run ever since, but now might be the time to go back. Daimons are chasing her and they've just killed her mom. The only safe place to go is the Covenant. Luckily, she is rescued and brought back, but now Alex must play catch up with her classmates. As a half-blood, Alex's role in life is either to be a kick-butt guard or a Sentinel or a brain-washed servant, which is a fate worse than death. Aiden, a sexy Pure who is off limits, volunteers to train her. With hidden dangers on the way, Alex must train hard and become the Half-Blood she's always been destined to be.
My Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. I've been hearing about the praise for JLA books for years. Friends who I trust and share the same taste in books with love JLA and her books too. So I was very excited to pick up Half-Blood and lose myself in a story so many other people have loved. Unfortunately, I didn't find that same love for it. I enjoyed the overall story, but it isn't one that I feel I can give 5 stars to. I really wanted to love it, but for reasons beyond my control, I didn't.
I did really enjoy the setting of the story. It is always kind of cool to read books set in the same place you live. I liked the coastal feel of the Covenant located on a North Carolina Island. Hearing Bald Head Island, NC mentioned was pretty cool.
I had heard about the similarities between this and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. And while reading, I did spot them. It is not an exact copy of Vampire Academy, but they contain a lot of the same elements.
I won't say the relationship world made the most sense. Why Pures and Halfs couldn't get together was kind of vague. Mixing them in the same school seems to be a way to bring them together rather than keep them separated and segregated.
I think a reason I might not have loved the book is I didn't really love Alex. There were times she annoyed me and other times when she confused me. For a girl who has been praised for her fighting skills and natural abilities, she sure has to get saved by other people a lot. Maybe she'll be able to hold her own as the series goes on, but I just expected her to be better able to take care of herself. I think her killing those two Daimons at the start was just a fluke, no real skill or battle prowess involved.
Alex tends to make incredibly stupid decisions. Main one being leaving the safety of the Covenant with no real plan and then confronting the enemy and letting herself get taken so easily. I was so annoyed with that scene and her because she was so incredibly useless. I know there were special circumstances, but she put someone else in danger who didn't deserve to be. And then she forgot she had an extra hidden weapon!?! How stupid can she be?
So yeah, I didn't really love Alex throughout this book, so that might be why I didn't love this book.
As for love interests, they were decent. Aiden seems like a good guy, I like him. And I'm interested in seeing more of Seth.
In the end, Half-Blood was just an alright book for me. I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away. I wish I had loved it as much as my friends had loved it. I plan on continuing with the series and reading more JLA books, because they sound interesting and I want to love them.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5
Enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Reading Right Now! (#17)

What I'm Reading Right Now! this week is...

Title: Pure (Covenant #2)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
I'm on page  158 of 329 which makes me about 48% done with the book.

So I finally decided to jump on the Jennifer L. Armentrout bandwagon by checking out the first three books in the Covenant series from my library.  I've heard such good things about Jennifer L. Armentrout and her books that I just had to go check some of them out. My review for Half-Blood, the first book in the series, will be going up early next week, and in my review I kinda confessed how I didn't absolutely love it like everyone else seems to. I mean, I thought it was okay, but it wasn't anything spectacular. Now reading Pure, I'm enjoying it more than the first book. Alex is still in training to catch up with her classmates. She spends her time between training with the sexy Pure Aiden and the Apollyon Seth. Everything is going fine, until a daimon attack occurs at the Covenant. With new rules and restrictions being enacted at the Covenant for the protection of the students, the Covenant has become a lot less fun. So I'm enjoying this second book in the series. I like the two love interests of Seth and Aiden and I'm kind of having a hard time choosing between the two of them. Seth has an appeal because he's fun. Aiden is sexy and intense. Hard choices.
My main problem with the series is Alex herself. I don't really like her so reading a book mainly from her perspective can get a little unenjoyable. I just think that Alex has a big mouth and is cocky, but she has no real skill to back it up. While reading, you hear how Alex has all this great fighting potential and innate skill, and then she gets in fights and loses badly and has to get someone to rescue her. Sometimes she just freezes during a life or death fight and I just wanted to yell at her so badly. What is she doing?? Get up and get the people who are trying to kill you instead of being so spectacularly useless. She just doesn't use her head and she annoys me soooo much. 
I really wish I was loving this series as much as the rest of the world does. Maybe if Alex wasn't such a cocky idiot, I would love it more.
So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! Tell me what you are reading. Also tell me if you've read the Covenant series and what you thought of it. Am I just crazy or does Alex really annoy you as well?

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Anticipated 2015 Releases

Books, Books, Books!! Being on Booktube and Blogging have made me more aware of new books then ever before. So, this Top 5 Wednesday was perfect for me! So here's the list of my Top 5 Anticipated 2015 releases. I think I ended up putting an extra book in there because one of the books I picked actually released in 2014. Here be the books!

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic
Author: V.E. Schwab
Release Date: February 24, 2015 
V.E. Schwab!!! How can I not anticipate this book? I loved V.E. Schwab's Vicious so much that I will pretty much read anything by her and be excited for it. This is the first in a new series about magic, yay! But, when the sequel for Vicious comes out, I will be even more excited. Have I mentioned how much I love Vicious?


Title: Reborn (Altered #3)
Author: Jennifer Rush
Release Date: January 6, 2015
This is another series that I absolutely love. I pretty much breezed through the first two books in 2014. They are such fun, quick reads. Also they feature a main girl who can take care of herself, like really kick peoples' butts. The boys don't hurt either. Anna and the boys have formed such a family in the first 2 books that I'm excited to see how that story continues. I've also heard that Reborn will focus a lot on Nick, who I love. So this is a series everybody should be excited for. It is like an action packed, thriller sort of movie in book form.



Title: This Shattered World (These Broken Stars #2)
Authors: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Released: December 23, 2014
This one is kind of a cheat because it was actually released at the end of 2014. In my defense, I had no idea that it was going to be released at the end of 2014. I loved the first book These Broken Stars, I loved the space feel and watching two people come to love and care about each other. This Shattered World is going to focus on different characters coming together, but if it is anything like the first book, then I know I'm going to really like it.



Title: A Cold Legacy (The Madman's Daughter #3)
Author: Megan Shepherd
Release Date: January 27, 2015
Another series that I love soooo much. Megan Shepherd has captured my heart with her creepy, gothic series and I can't wait for the final installment. A Cold Legacy is going to have a Frankenstein-like feel to it and I can't wait to see what Megan Shepherd does with it. I love this series and can't wait to see how things end for Juliet. I'm pretty sure this is the last book in it.



Title: The Cage
Author: Megan Shepherd
Release Date: May 26, 2015
This one is purely on the list because of who wrote it. As mentioned above, I love Megan Shepherd's Madman's Daughter series, so I will pretty much pick up anything else written about her. The premise of this one sounds interesting too. Something about people being captive and kept in a zoo, why wouldn't I want to read it?



Title: Daughter of Deep Silence
Author: Carrie Ryan
Release Date: June 2, 2015
This one doesn't come out for quite awhile, but I can put it one here anyway. I've only read one of Carrie Ryan's works, but I really enjoyed it, so for that reason alone I'm excited to pick up something else by her. The synopsis for this one sounds pretty interesting too. Something about a boat crash and secrets that have to be kept. Should be a good time.

So those are my Top 5 Anticipated 2015 releases. Tell me what you are excited for book wise in 2015. The one thing about books, new ones are coming out all the time, that's probably why my TBR never seems to get any smaller. Well, it could be that reason and that I have no impulse control when it comes to buying books or adding them to my TBR. If you want to join in with the Top 5 Wednesday crowd, then you totally should! And you should check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers 






Monday, January 5, 2015

Review: Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter #2) by Megan Shepherd

Title: Her Dark Curiosity (Madman's Daughter #2)
Author: Megan Shepherd
Published by: Balzer + Bray
Released: 2014
Summary: Juliet Moreau thought she had left the horrors behind when she left her father's diabolical island. Now living in London as the ward of kindly Professor Von Stein, Juliet is trying to forget the horrors of her recent past. Then London is plagued by murders. Victims each slashed across the chest as though by a claw and blood soaked tropical flowers left at all the scenes. Juliet thought she had left that island behind, but could this be the work of one of her father's creations? Juliet must discover the criminal and protect those she loves before it is too late.
My Thoughts: I'm going to attempt to do this review without any spoilers because spoilers are just not right! I read The Madman's Daughter in 2013 and loved it. It was one of my favorite books for 2013. It was so dark, creepy, and atmospheric. I was very excited to get my hands on the sequel and see what Megan Shepherd had in store for Juliet next. I can happily say that I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed Her Dark Curiosity just as much as the first one. Shepherd came up with a way to keep that dark, creepy feeling present in the story and was able to work in aspects of another well known classic tale, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, into the mix. It was very fun to read. Once you pick it up, there is that urge to continue reading until the very end. I enjoyed the historical setting and the dark tone of the story very much.
I even enjoyed the love triangle, because Shepherd really made it more of an adult one. Juliet is a naughty little minx. I was even a little torn on what way I wanted it to go, who I wanted her to be with. Each boy offers her something, they each have a draw to her beyond mere attraction. I am going to stick with my choice of Montgomery for her though because I like him and it seems right.
I don't know what to do with the ending though because it's not an ending. Now I'm just going to be on pins and needles for the next book which comes out early 2015. Not a super long time, but I want it now! I want to see how this all ends.
So my review in short, just as good and enjoyable as the first book. Has a great dark and creepy feel, a main character who's not sweet and innocent, and two love interests that each have their own pull. Shepherd is a great writer and has created a great series. I can't wait to see how it ends. Totally recommend this one.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.5/5
Delightfully Dark!