Book: Escape Velocity
Author: Jess Anastasi
Format: ARC
Page Count: (published ebook is 368)
Publisher: Entangled
My Rating: ★★★
Synopsis: Rebuilding his life. And rediscovering love... Ilari, Brannon System, 2436At first, Dr. Sacha Dalton is simply curious about the prisoner of war admitted to her med-lab...until she sees who it is. For Commander Kai Yang—the commander of the battleship Valiant Knox—has long been thought dead. Killed in action. But after almost a year and half, he's returned home. Returned to her.Kai is recovering from his ordeal and under the watchful care of Sacha, his childhood friend and the widow of his best friend. Only now, their friendship has grown and deepened into something far deeper, and far more complicated. Yet as Kai's body recovers, his psyche remains broken. How could he ever be the man he was, and the man Sacha deserves? But an intergalactic war has a way of forcing a man to be the hero he was always meant to be...
“Escape Velocity” is a sci-fi themed romance novel. This book had me hooked from the beginning. The start was very unconventional and confusing, however, I was so confused, that it left me wanting to read more because I wanted to know the backstory. Told from Kai’s point of view and Sacha’s, the book shows their complex relationship after Kai escapes the CSS, the enemy in this decades long war.
My main problem with this story was the sci-fi element of it. I felt like there wasn’t enough world building that went on so that when romance was not the focus in the novel, I found myself at a lost for details. Nevertheless, the sci-fi element seemed intriguing, especially since it seemed that the human race was living in deep space and was in some sort of war. Even though this is a romance novel, I wish the war and everything around it had been given a more thorough setup.
The romance element in the novel was next to perfect. The bantering, yearning, and overall tension between Kai and Sacha had me happy or cringing (in a good way) at times. I was rooting for them the whole time, and when one of them did something stupid, I would hope and pray they fixed it. Now Sacha was very reluctant to have a relationship with Kai since she is his doctor, but in the end she makes the right decision. I enjoyed Sacha’s struggle to come to terms with the relationship because it is only right that a medical professional analyze the situation before committing. Adding that detail made me enjoy the book well because the author clearly thought as a professional would.
Originally I was going to give this story four stars, however there is something in the end that caused me to drop it down to three. I won’t go into details, but what happened in the end felt like a cop-out to me; it was unnecessary. The book could have taken a completely better route had this not happened.
Overall I was very satisfied with this read and I would totally recommend it. You don’t even have to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy this book.
-I would like to thank the team over at Entangled Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book for review. I deeply appreciate it.
My main problem with this story was the sci-fi element of it. I felt like there wasn’t enough world building that went on so that when romance was not the focus in the novel, I found myself at a lost for details. Nevertheless, the sci-fi element seemed intriguing, especially since it seemed that the human race was living in deep space and was in some sort of war. Even though this is a romance novel, I wish the war and everything around it had been given a more thorough setup.
The romance element in the novel was next to perfect. The bantering, yearning, and overall tension between Kai and Sacha had me happy or cringing (in a good way) at times. I was rooting for them the whole time, and when one of them did something stupid, I would hope and pray they fixed it. Now Sacha was very reluctant to have a relationship with Kai since she is his doctor, but in the end she makes the right decision. I enjoyed Sacha’s struggle to come to terms with the relationship because it is only right that a medical professional analyze the situation before committing. Adding that detail made me enjoy the book well because the author clearly thought as a professional would.
Originally I was going to give this story four stars, however there is something in the end that caused me to drop it down to three. I won’t go into details, but what happened in the end felt like a cop-out to me; it was unnecessary. The book could have taken a completely better route had this not happened.
Overall I was very satisfied with this read and I would totally recommend it. You don’t even have to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy this book.
-I would like to thank the team over at Entangled Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book for review. I deeply appreciate it.
Book: How (Not) to Fall in Love
Author: Lisa Brown Roberts
Format: ARC
Page Count: (Final paperback is 352)
Publisher: Entangled Teen
My Rating: ★★★
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Darcy Covington never had to worry about money or where her next shopping spree was coming from. Even her dog ate gourmet. Then one day, Darcy’s car is repossessed from the parking lot of her elite private school. As her father’s business hit the skids, Dad didn’t just skip town, he bailed on his family.
Fortunately, Darcy’s uncle owns a thrift shop where she can hide out from the world. There’s also Lucas, the wickedly hot fix-it guy she can’t stop crushing on, even if she’s not sure they’ll ever get out of the friend zone.
But it’s here among the colorful characters of her uncle’s world that Darcy begins to see something more in herself...if she has the courage to follow it.
“How (Not) to Fall in Love” by Lisa Brown Roberts is a sweet contemporary. While it is advertised as a romantic in nature, falling in love really isn’t the main component. Darcy loses almost everything in her life and she must learn what it takes to survive on her own and remain faithful to her beliefs.
Going into this book, I thought it would be more about a girl fighting her feelings against a guy, which is simply not the case in this story. Yes there is a romantic element between her and Lucas which takes time to blossom, the key part of this story is focused on her struggle in her new situation and the search for her dad, which was still enjoyable.
Darcy really grew as a character, having to make decisions no teenager should have to make. She remained strong when all of those around her didn’t have faith.
Overall, this book was quite enjoyable and had a nice ending. I feel like the book would be better received if the title was changed and less of an obsessive focus was placed on Lucas so we could concentrate on Darcy’s growth and growing relationships with everyone from Charlie and Lucas to her mom and dad. I would definitely recommend this for a quick, sweet contemporary read.
-I would like to thank Entangled Publishing for sending me this ARC. It was greatly appreciated.
Series: "Covenant"
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 315
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press; 1 edition (April 3, 2012)
My Rating: ★★★★
Synopsis: There is need. And then there is Fate. Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's other half is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon--and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude--or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.
Jennifer L. Armentrout has done it again. Seriously, this woman is a book goddess. The first book of this series was gold, and this book is too. It was funny, actiony, and made my heart skip a couple of beat several times. Her writing style is so humorous, yet at the same time it still has a great plot that has a seriousness to it. The world she created in the first book was expanded in this one and I really enjoyed seeing this new world despite the fact that the society she lives in is seriously messed up. The way pures treat half bloods makes no sense at all. I suppose that really is an embodiment of our society though; we treat people differently even though we have no right to.
This book did not go where I thought it was going to go, but nevertheless I enjoyed it, though my heart was broken into a million little pieces when a certain lovable character kicked the dust. (Still not over it.) I grew to love Seth even more than I already did, though I don't really approve of the direction they are kind of taking with Alex and him. Aiden... I like him, but at the same time he can be a total douche. We were introduced to Minister Telly and the second we met him, I knew that I would hate him. His disgust and mistreatment of half-bloods is uncalled for, though he makes for an interesting antagonist.
Now the ending really left me slightly confused. I'm not sure where the next book is headed, but I'm ready to read it. My dedication for this series is so large I went out and bought the entire series in the spur of the moment. *Side note: I originally started this as an e-book, and you guys have to read Seth's POV at the end of the book. It is to die for.*
This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is "Authors I Would Love to Meet". This was a hard decision because there are so many authors that I would love to meet and talk with. I managed to narrow it down to five though.
5. Mindy Kaling
So... Mindy Kaling is a frickin' goddess. I loved her novel "Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me" and her tv show is amazing. She is a funny, strong, indepedent woman. I would just love to be in her presence and learn so much from her.
4. Meg Cabot
I have been reading Meg Cabot's books since I was little. To meet my favorite childhood author would be amazing.
3. Jenny Han
Jenny Han's writing is amazing and just tingles my soul. Based off of her Instagram and Twitter, she seems like a person I would get along with.
2. Holly Black
Holly Black's writing is so damn enjoyable. She wrote "The Coldest Town in Coldtown" which is one of my favorite books. I would love to meet her and see where all her eccentric stories come from.
1. Jennifer L. Armentrout
This woman is an absolute book goddess. Everything I have read from her from "The Covenant" series to "The Lux" series has been pure gold. Jennifer churns out books like I breath. I would love to see how she is able to write so quickly while still maintaining quality.
So those are authors I would love to meet. Who would you love to meet?
Series: Covenant
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Format: E-book
Page Count: 303
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (September 19, 2011)
My Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi—pure-bloods—have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals—well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.
Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:
Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.
Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.
This twist on Greek mythology was amazing. Jennifer L. Armentrout created a world that really shows the flaws of society in an exaggerated way. Half bloods and pures can't be together and half bloods are sometimes put into slavery,despite them both being so similar. It's kind of like racism in the way that interracial relationships weren't allowed for such a long time which is absolutely fickle considering we are all humans. The main character Alex is witty and funny, always speaking what is on her mind, which lands her in trouble a lot of the time. I really liked the idea of Alex and Aiden being together because Aiden keeps Alex in check and Alex gives him life. I'm a little disappointed that Aiden believes in not having a relationship because it is what is best for Alex, but I understand where he is coming from and I can sort of respect his decision. The dynamics between her best friend Caleb as well as those with Seth are highly entertaining. I didn't think I would enjoy Seth, but now he is one of my favorite characters. He really doesn't have a filter and that makes him all the more better to me.While the ending was predictable, it still makes me wonder what is going to happen with the whole new sort of daimon stuff, especially with there being five books.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
"I don't care if you can shoot lightning from your hand. I will kick you in the face." -Alex
"What are friends for if they can't share a few hours with psychotic daimons? We can look at it as a bonding experience." -Caleb
Overall, this book lived up to my expectations from a Jennifer L. Armentrout book and I am excited to continue this series.
Most Anticipated Books of 2015
This is the new Rick Riordan series" Magnus Chase". I loved Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus so I'm excited to see this Norse mythology.
4. Red Queen
I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what this book is about, but the cover is gorgeous and the girls at Epic Reads rave about it.
3. Invaded
"Alienated" was phenomenal and I want to see what happens to Cara and Aelyx when they are separated.
2. End of Days
This book is the final book in the series including "Angelfall" and "World After". I'm so excited because I love Penryn and Rafe.
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| Cover hasn't been revealed yet |
I absolutely loved "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" and I need to know what happens.
So what are your most anticipated books for 2015?
My involvement on this book blog has been absolutely pathetic. Yes I have school and all of that, but that is no excuse. So to maximize my involvement, I will be posting more than just reviews. For instance, her is a haul from December. Some of them were gifts for Christmas, some random gifts from my Mom, and others I bought for myself or they are required reading for AP Literature. Anyway... on to the book haul!
Physical Books
This book is required reading for AP Literature. Believe me, if I didn't have to read it, I wouldn't.
I came home one day and my mom randomly gave me this book. I read the synopsis on the back and it seems interesting. It is about the competitiveness for getting into an elite college. I think she gave me this book because I myself finished applying to college which was stressful.
So I reviewed this book earlier on this blog, but if you haven't read the post, it is here. I just... I loved this book so much. I read it as an ebook from the library but I just had to get a physical copy of this book because it is pure amazingness.
This book was a secret santa gift and I just love it. I read the first book from the library and it was hilarious. Star Wars itself is amazing, but coupled with the Shakespeare style it becomes brilliant.
This is another book that I read from the library and absolutely fell in love with. I can't wait to read the second book.
So I know absolutely nothing about this book. This is another book my mom just randomly gave me. Thing is, this book is the second book of a series. I haven't decided if I'm going to find the first book and then try to read this or what. It has a nice cover and spine, so it might just sit on my shelf...
E-books
All I know about this book is that a girl can turn into a dragon. If you don't think that is awesome, then you need to rethink your life choices.
I know absolutely nothing about this book except that the cover and title are interesting and people on BookTube seem to like it.
I'm currently reading this book and I'm not entirely sure what it is about. A girl who's mom is the dead queen becomes queen and that's all I know. What I've read so far though is really interesting.
Well that is my December Book Haul. What did you guys get for December or Christmas?
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