Review: Sweet Reckoning (Sweet Evil #3) by Wendy Higgins

Title: Sweet Reckoning (Sweet Evil #3)

Author: Wendy Higgins

Published by: HarperTeen

Released: 2014

Summary: Everything is at stake in this thrilling conclusion to the Sweet Evil Trilogy. Anna and her Nephilim allies are ready for an epic showdown with the Dukes. The fate of the world and their own futures rest in their demonic hands. What must Anna sacrifice to fulfill the prophecy and is a happy future with Kaidan in the stars? Anna must rely on her faith and friends to overcome the evil walking on Earth.

My Thoughts: What a satisfying ending to this series. I have no real complaints. This whole series has just been so fun and addictive to read. Wendy Higgins' writing style has me hooked. I'm happy with how everything turned out in the end. I can now count this as one series completed in 2015. I know technically there's a prequel coming out later this year, but I completed my journey with this original trilogy. I'm still gonna read the prequel though.

The romance in this third book between Kaidan and Anna was especially steamy! I was surprised with how steamy it was given it's YA. So I would maybe not suggest this for the younger YA readers. I also wouldn't suggest this for readers that love constant action, because that's not what they are really gonna get in Sweet Reckoning. Not that the story isn't enjoyable, but the majority of it involves a lot of traveling and waiting. When the end came, it came quick. I was questioning what Anna's overall plan was. She didn't really seem to have one, which really made me question how she was going to defeat the demons. Her overall strategy was just to wing it, and it worked, but I did worry for her. She was fighting demons from Hell after all.

I was so happy to get that epilogue at the end of it. I love seeing where characters are in the future and if their endings are still just as happy once the battle is over. Kaidan and Anna are so cute together. 

Another thing I appreciated that I really don't see all the time in YA was the importance of faith and how that good vs. evil aspect played into the story. It was just refreshing and I appreciated it. Also the story doesn't preach at you. Anna and the other Nephilim had to overcome their temptations and live the right way instead of the carefree, fun way.

All in all, I really enjoy this series and I was glad and satisfied with its conclusion. I wish Anna and Kaidan a happily ever after for years to come.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Sweet Conclusion to a Sweet Series.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Books That Feature Traveling (any genre)

This week's Top 5 Wednesday is a fun one, it's the Top 5 Books That Feature Traveling in any genre. I went with "other" types of traveling that appear in some of my favorite books. I tend to pick up books that deal with fantastical elements more so than the ho-hum of everyday life. Yeah, so my list takes the any genre thing to the extreme, kind of. So here's my Top 5 Books That Feature Traveling (any genre) in no particular order.

 

  

1. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins This story had a surprising amount of traveling in it. Really the whole series had a lot of going here and going there. At first glance, it looks like your average paranormal romance, and there is plenty of delicious, paranormal romance, but a good chunk of this book contains a road trip. Yes a road trip! Our main characters go on a car ride across the country and fall in love... awww. But yeah, this is a fun series that I highly recommend. And if you're a sucker for a road trip, there's one in here!

2. Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan So this one has space travel, yayy space travel! The characters in this story are aboard a pretty epic space ship, on their way to colonize a new planet, and have the human race survive and prosper. I won this book in a Goodreads FirstReads giveaway and was really grateful I did. This book and series doesn't get enough attention. Also, there's a lot of action in this one. Fun Fun Fun.

3. Skylark by Meagan Spooner The kind of travel involved in this one is a lot of foot travel across a strange, strange landscape. Our main character has to escape her walled-in community and try to find sanctuary in a dangerous and strange landscape. This book is by one of the authors who wrote These Broken Stars. I loved that book and had to check another of her series out. It's not a bad one either.

4. Altered by Jennifer Rush Love this book! The kind of travel involved in this one is a lot of running, hiding, and escaping. They are constantly on the move so they don't get captured by the bad, government people. I love this series. It's full of action and hot guys :D

5. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier How about some time travel? Well you get it in this one. This is a fun, cute read about a girl who has the time travel gene in her family. She's been told all her life that her cousin is the one to inherit the gene, but then one day, she finds herself in another time and another place. She also has a cute boy to time travel with. I really need to reread this book and then the rest of the series. It's so cute.

So that's my Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Books That Feature Traveling in any genre. I think that all my books fit, even if they are not the conventional modes of travel. What books would you pick? Tell me below. And if you want to join in the Top 5 Wednesday fun, you totally should. Every Wednesday there is a new topic to explore and enjoy. Check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers here.

Review: Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire Volume 1 by Naoki Serizawa

Title: Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire Volume 1

Story and Art by: Naoki Serizawa

Concept by: Capcom

Published by: VIZ Media, LLC

Released: November 2014

Summary: The Marhawa School is elite, isolated, and now under attack. One of the students has been zombiefied. Ricky and his Uncle Doug are called in to find the source of the infection. The problem becomes too big to handle and they feel the need to call the B.S.A.A. One problem, the nun that runs the school, Mother Gracia is all about protecting the school's image, which means no B.S.A.A. and no escape for Ricky and Doug.

My Thoughts: Crazy Nun -- Check. School out in the middle of a jungle -- Check. Zombies -- Check. And unbelievable women warrior costumes -- Check! I'm not the most intelligent or versed in the Resident Evil franchise, but I saw this graphic novel at my library and I thought I'd pick it up. It was a very fast read with an enjoyable art style. A lot of action, a lot of zombies, and fun characters to get to know. It was fun and extremely cheesy.

This story contains a crazy nun who is crazy. I want the story of how she became a nun, considering she had dated Uncle Doug in her younger years. Ricky, who gets bit by a zombie, but seems okay and not infected for some unexplained reason. The tough B.S.A.A. team, who is still not aware of what's going on in the school at this point. And I do question why the only female on the team has to wear such a skin tight, lycra suit. Just so much oddness in this story.

My one gripe would be no attempt being made for an ending or even conclusion to the volume.

All in all, it was a fun, fast read with the always enjoyable zombie gore.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

Fun, but very cheesy.

Reading Right Now! (#27)

Title: Jackaby (Jackaby #1)

Author: William Ritter

I'm on page 40, which doesn't make that far in the book.

What I'm Reading Right Now! is Jackaby by William Ritter. I saw this at my library and loved the cover, so I had to pick it up. This is a story about a girl named Abigail Rook who comes to work for an odd special investigator named R.F. Jackaby. Jackaby deals with the suspicious and unexplained cases. He claims to be able to see all sorts of supernatural beings and prides himself on being able to capture non-human criminals. Jackaby is definitely a character and Abigail is just along for the ride. I had heard this story and Jackaby compared to Sherlock and Dr. Who. I've never seen either of those shows, so I don't know if Jackaby is like those characters, but he's definitely odd.

I pretty much just started this book, so I'm not very far into it. So far, I'm definitely enjoying it. It has a cool, historical fiction feel and there is a lot of humor in it. Jackaby is such an odd character that it's funny. At the very beginning, he reminded me of Luna Lovegood with his talk of these beings that nobody else can see. Jackaby is kind of delightfully quirky. And I'm liking Abigail too. She's ready for adventure and I think she's going to turn out to be a good partner for Jackaby.

So that's it for what I'm Reading Right Now! Tell me what you're reading below because I always like to know. Also, if you read this book, tell me what you thought of it. 

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Most Frustrating Characters

This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is my Top 5 Most Frustrating Characters. Some of these were easy to come up with, some were not. Some of these characters are reasons why I didn't like the book or series they resided in. Other characters, while frustrating, added a little bit of fun to the book or series that they were in. Frustrating characters can either break a story or add to it, depending on how much frustration they make me feel. So here are my Top 5 Frustrating Characters.

 

  

1. Tamara from The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern: This girl frustrated me to no end. Tamara is the main character in this book and really wasn't anything special. This book was supposed to be about a girl who discovers a book that shows her the future. The synopsis had me hooked, but when I picked it up and read it, I discovered a more disappointing rather than magical story. Tamara as a main character was an idiot. That might be a little harsh, but I really didn't like any of the decisions that she made. There were times when I was yelling at her in my head for what she was doing. I just didn't like this book because I didn't like the main character Tamara at all.

2. Alex from Half-Blood and The Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout: If you've been reading my blog and recent reviews, then this frustrating character won't be a surprise to you. I have ranted and raved about Alex in many reviews and she honestly frustrates me to no end. I don't like Alex as a person/character. She's not someone I can sympathize with and I don't really want to root for her in the series. Alex frustrates me for her stupid decision making skills, not having the ability to think anything through at all, and for her inflated ego and overabundance of self-importance. That probably sounds a bit mean, but I feel all those things when it comes to Alex. She's the reason I will never be a fan of this series. Also, I don't think she's funny. Aiden, I know you love her, but I can't stand her.

3. Sir Cadogan from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling: This one is a bit obscure, but all you hard-core Harry Potter fans know who I'm talking about. Sir Cadogan comes onto the scene after Sirius Black attacks the Fat Lady's Portrait. He becomes the new gatekeeper of the Gryffindor Common Room. He loves to change the passwords every other day and pretty much just make a nuisance of himself. He's a funny character in the books and I enjoyed the scenes that he was in. He was frustrating to every Gryffindor though, because he took his job so seriously and getting into their common room became so much harder. He is very funny to sit and observe though, even his horse doesn't really pay him any mind. Sir Cadogan, I hereby knight you most frustrating Gryffindor gatekeeper ever.

4. The Governor from The Walking Dead: The Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga: The Governor lands on my list because he's so frustrating in such an evil way. He makes life miserable for Rick and the others for no real apparent reason, really just to be a dick and because he's crazy.  Now I might be influenced more by The Governor from the t.v. show rather than this book specifically, but in this book he was frustrating too, just because he was so odd and I didn't really understand all his motivations and reasons for turning out like he did. I mean he is crazy and you can't really explain or justify crazy, but The Governor is frustrating and just causes grief for so many people. He can be a fun character to despise though.

5. Eleanor from Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: Yes I'm going there, taking a beloved character from a beloved book and announcing that she frustrated me to no end. Let me just first put out there that I was never really enamored with this book like the rest of the bookworld was. It was an alright book for me, but nothing super life changing or special. My favorite character was Park. Eleanor was just ehh. I felt bad for her sure, but the reason that she lands on this list was because she frustrated me with her life choices, specifically the ending and what she did to Park. It just seemed unnecessarily hurtful to me and I didn't really understand it. I guess maybe she thought Park deserved better, but she shouldn't have tried to make decisions for him. I'm keeping this vague so I don't spoil anyone on anything. But Eleanor was just a frustrating character to me and I didn't really like her or understand her all that much.

So those are my Top 5 Most Frustrating Characters. Who frustrates you and why? I would love to know. And if you want to join in the Top 5 Wednesday fun, you totally should. Each Wednesday there is a new, fun topic to discuss and pick books for. It's a great feature to include on your blog or your booktube channel. Here's all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers!

Review: Sweet Peril (Sweet Evil #2) by Wendy Higgins

Title: Sweet Peril (Sweet Evil #2)

Author: Wendy Higgins

Published by: HarperTeen

Released: 2013

Summary: Being a half-angel, half-demon is tough. After surviving the disastrous summit of last year, Anna is back in Atlanta, but she's not such a good girl anymore. Anna has started working. She parties and tries to influence humans to her sin of drugs and addiction. Anna isn't happy though, she hasn't seen Kaidan since that Summit and it seems he's been avoiding her on purpose. When Anna becomes aware of a prophecy concerning her, her life takes another turn. Anna must now travel the globe finding allies, hopefully to rid the world of demons for good. 

My Thoughts: Another enjoyable book by Wendy Higgins. There is just something about her writing and stories that really draw me in. Was it an amazing story? Probably not, but I enjoy reading this series. So far, they have all been fun, fast reads. The story in this one was entertaining with a lot of traveling and romance.

I will admit that it did have a bit of that second book feel, just in how the story was being set up for the finale in the third book. I also got a bit of the Twilight feel at one point, because there was a bit of an unnecessary love triangle happening. It was like in the second book of the Twilight series, where Edward and Bella are separated and then Jacob ambles in to ease Bella's pain. In Sweet Peril, it was Kaidan and Anna separated with Kope coming in to try and fill the void. Can't say I really enjoyed it because I don't buy the whole Kope/Anna thing.

We did get to spend a lot of time with the other Nephilim, which was a lot of fun. And the ending was a little exciting because you get a taste of what the finale will be.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. I think this series is just a fun, fast read and you can't go wrong with reading it. Wendy Higgins' writing is just so fun and addictive, it will keep you reading long into the night. The romance is steamy and Kaidan is a hottie. The demon/nephilim concept is just really interesting to read about too. Sweet Peril is just a fun read.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Fun and Addicting! 

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Books I Wanted to Start Yesterday

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday is the Top 5 Books I Wanted to Start Yesterday. So yeah, all the books that I want to have already experienced and read. Since I do not have the super ability to read ALL the books as soon as they come out, these are the books and/or series that I've had my eye on and have been wanting to read. Some of them are quite shameful that I haven't read them already, but it is what it is. So here be the books in no real particular order.

 

  

1. City of Bones/Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare: I am very late on this series and I've been wanting to read it for a long time. I have all the books, so it's just a matter of me finding the time to read them. My library addiction problem is a really big hinderance to me not having read these books already. When I first got on booktube, I heard such great things about this series. It does sound like something that would be right up my alley. I need to read these pronto!!

2. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I am shameful... I know. I don't really have any excuse for not having read these. I own them, the whole trilogy, but haven't gotten around to reading them yet because of my sad, sad library addiction. The hype on this series was so high when I first heard about The Hunger Games. I think the first movie was just coming out and everybody was talking about how awesome it was. And me, being the hipster reader I am, didn't want to jump on The Hunger Games bandwagon just because it was popular. I like to be one of those readers that discover great books before they get popular, so I can be all cool and say, "Yeah, I already read that." Stupid stupid reason, I know. But I will read these books because I've heard so much awesomeness about them. I have watched and loved the movies, so it's really just shameful I haven't read the series yet.

3. The Martian by Andy Weir: This book just looks cool. I've had friends who have read it and loved it. I had it checked out from the library at one time, but then had to return it because someone else had it on hold. It was such a sad time returning it. So I need to check it out again and read it very soon. I might be making stuff up, but I think this book is going to be turned into a movie.

4. Splintered (the whole series) by A.G. Howard: This book series just came on my radar recently. It's been out a little while and I don't know how I missed it. The covers are just gorgeous and it's an Alice in Wonderland re-telling or re-imagining, which definitely peaks my interest. I need to read this series soon.

5. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab: I love V.E. Schwab. That should be no surprise with how many times Vicious has been in my Top 5 lists. I just haven't managed to get my hands on it yet, but I'm hoping to get it sometime soon. With Vicious, V.E. Schwab became one of my I'll read anything by her authors. And this book sounds really cool because it is about alternate universes and magic, I can't go wrong with that.

So there's my Top 5 Books I Wanted to Start Yesterday. Some of them are shameful, I do admit. So yeah, what are your Top 5 books for this topic? Let me know. Also, if you want to join in the Top 5 Wednesday fun, you totally should. The topics are fun and it's a great video or post to include on your bookish sites. Go check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers here!

Review: Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Apollyon (Covenant Series #4)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published by: Spencer Hill Press

Released: April 2013

Summary: Alex has lost herself during her Awakening and subsequent connection to Seth. She has lost who she truly is and now only desires to get close to Seth and do his bidding. Her friends and family want to save Alex, but that can only happen if she breaks the connection. As if that weren't enough, Alex also has to make a trip to the Underworld and figure out a way to save the world and those she cares about. Alex is a very busy, little Apollyon.

My Thoughts: Hooray, I finally finished this book! It felt like the book was never going to end. For all those hoping for praise and a glowing review, this isn't going to be it. I go into books in this series hoping I'll love them and that the series will finally click with me, but I always end up disappointed. After all the praise I hear about this series, I'm just so bummed that I don't feel the same, that I don't feel that same magic other readers do. Does that mean I'm going to give up on Jennifer L. Armentrout and her books? No, of course not, and I'll still finish The Covenant series. I only have one more book, so it only makes sense, but this series is NEVER going to be one of my favorites.

I went into this one hoping it would be my favorite so far in the series, and then Alex had to show up. I found the Alex connected to Seth to be such a mean Alex. I was hoping for a more zombie-like Alex who has to break through the connection, but instead I got an Alex who seemed to be aware of what she was doing. She was just very mean to those around her and I didn't feel like the connection to Seth excused her, because she seemed aware and partly in control of herself.

I thought the story might pick up after she broke the connection, but I still remained disappointed. I got a lot of pages where nothing really seemed to happen. Then I got a disappointing trip to the Underworld. I really thought the Underworld trip was going to be epic and it just wasn't. They were pretty much in and out, and I was just hoping for more excitement.

The very very end was okay, I guess. Although I did figure out what god was behind it waaaay before Alex did. And that's not because I was a genius, but rather because it was so obvious. The disguise the god was wearing came as a surprise though.

So in the end, I was disappointed again in this book and overall series. I don't like Alex. I don't think I'll ever like Alex. She's too self-important for me. It's all about her, how skilled she is, funny she is, important she is. She just takes herself way too seriously and I'm not impressed by her. I will read the last book to see what happens, but in the end, I'll be happy to rid myself of Alex and her drama.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

Not feeling the love for this book, or this series.

Reading Right Now! (#26)

 

Title: Sweet Reckoning By: Wendy Higgins

(Sweet Evil #3) Page 86 -- 23%

Title: The 100 By: Kass Morgan

(The 100 #1) Page 116 -- 36%

So this Reading Right Now! has the same flavor as the last Reading Right Now! in the fact that one of the books I'm reading is the same and the other is a continuation of the series I was reading last week. Still reading The 100 and still enjoying it. I'm reading it with my friend Ke-sha, and we're both kind of taking it slow and reading other things in-between. She's okay with that and I'm okay with that. Makes it a little less pressure. I'm a big fan of the show and while this isn't the show, I feel like it's giving me some of what I love to tide me over until the show comes back, if that even makes sense. Yes the book and show are different, and I'm a rabid fan of the show and probably only just a fan of the book. I think what's cool though, are the book and show are different so I'm kind of getting two different things. I don't understand why they put Finn on this cover though, considering he's not even a part of this book. I think that is what I might be missing most in the book, the characters that don't exist in it. I'm really missing Monty, Jasper, Raven, Lincoln (I don't know if he does pop up in this one or not), and even John Murphy. It's also weird seeing Wells hang around for as long as he has considering he died pretty early in the show. Yeah, so differences, but I'm enjoying the book for what it is. And I think that's how you have to go into this book, expecting something different from the CW TV show and being okay with that.

As for my other Reading Right Now! this week, Sweet Reckoning, it's going pretty well so far. I'm glad I decided to read them kind of back to back, because Sweet Reckoning picks up right where Sweet Peril left off. There was no time passing between these books like there was from the 1st to the 2nd. I guess it always surprises me just how much time passes in these books. In the second book a whole year passed, which kind of just blew my mind because I wasn't expecting it. It's just odd to think that in the first book Anna was 16 years old and now in the last book she's 18. I might just be weird on that thought process. So yeah, Sweet Reckoning is really good so far. Really enjoyable, really fun, just like the previous two books have been. Can't wait to see how it all ends, and then I'll probably end up picking up that prequel book, whenever it comes out. This is definitely a series that I would recommend to people searching for an enjoyable thing to read.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! Tell me what you're reading.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Jokesters/Characters That Make You Laugh

This Top 5 Wednesday is perfect for April Fools Day and was really fun to do. I love characters that make me laugh. Here's my Top 5 Favorite Jokesters/Characters That Make Me Laugh!

  

 

5.  Gone by Michael Grant

This series isn't laughs and giggles at all, so it might be a weird one to include in this list. But the character that always brought some lightness to the story was The Blaze! She's so snarky and full of herself, it was great. She also had a lot of great one-liners and she was a hero in The FAYZ. Every scene that had The Blaze in it was enjoyable, because I knew I was going to get a little bit of her signature style and humor.

4. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

This character plays the part of a lovable sidekick/party dude. It's Blake, the son of the Duke of Envy. Blake is just a lot of fun and offers some light moments in the series. He's the life of the party and knows how to get people to relax and have a  good time. Anna spends some quality time with him in the second book and it was just really fun watching them together and having her let loose. Blake is pretty awesome.

3. Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

The character that makes me laugh in this series is L. He is so odd and says some funny things. The way that he's able to get Light off his game always makes me laugh. I haven't finished this series yet, but I already know that I don't want Light to kill L, he's too fun.

2. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

The characters that make me laugh in this one? Every single one of the crazy Princes! Liam, Duncan, Gustav, and Frederic are just so ridiculous and funny. I love their adventures and the various situations they get themselves into. If you want to laugh, then definitely pick up this series. I love it so much. Actually, thinking about it, every single character in this series is funny. Go Read Now!

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

My Top Jokesters should come as no surprise to anyway. Drumroll please... It's Fred and George Weasley!! They are the ultimate pranksters and were just so fun to read about. I wish I could go to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and buy all the things. They brought a lot of light to the story and I loved them for it. We won't talk about the last book though... so sad.

So those are my Top 5 Favorite Jokesters/Characters That Make Me Laugh. Who are your top 5? If you want to join in the Top 5 Wednesday fun, you totally should. It's a great addition to include on your blog or youtube channel. Check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers here!