The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

iTitle: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard
Number of Pages: 383 Pages

Synopsis:

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart ...

Review:

I hadn't heard much about this book, I have seen it on shelves from time to time and another book always took precedence over it so it was placed further down on my TBR pile. Finally while at Walmart the other day I decided that I had waited enough and picked it up and devoured the book.  I am kicking myself now for waiting so long to read this amazing book.

 I LOVE IT! Seriously, it was so good I recently decided to share how amazing it is by giving it away in a blog hop. 

It only took me three days to finish reading it, and that was just because of long work hours and being a mom.  All I could think about as I went about my day to day activities was this book and what was going to happen next. The plot haunted my every step.  I obsessed over it and what would happen next, the book was just that good.

Anyway, the book is about two different classes of people, The Reds  who are the equivalence of Surfs, and the Silvers or royals with powers and silver blood.

That is until our Main character Mare comes along, a red girl with silver powers.

This book reminded me a lot of The Selection Series and X-men combined, two of my favorite categories because they blended so well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the love aspect in this book, it toes the entire time. The best part kept me on my toes the entire time, and the best part is that looking back, knowing what I know now, I can see every bit of foreshadowing and warning that was so expertly woven into the thick of things.

There was a lot that happened in this book there was a lot of action and emotions packed into the first book. And unlike most books in a series I was  not left unfulfilled or feeling rushed. This book is like Thanksgiving, you eat and eat and eat your fill of it, gorging until you are satisfied and stuffed.  And just like I look forward to my desert  I am excited for the next instalment of the series.

RATING::

5 out of 5 stars!

Once Upon A Time: Red's Untold Tale by Wendy Toliver

Title: Once Upon A Time: Red's Untold Tale

Author:  Wendy Toliver
Number of Pages:  416

Synopsis:

Red is 16 and lives with Granny in a cottage in the village, where boarding up the house and hiding during Wolfstime is a means of survival. Red help's Granny with Granny's baked good business, catering as well as door-to-door sales.

Red has a constant internal battle between her wild side and her strict, overprotective upbringing, and the issue of "control" as she discovers she has a hot temper when the "mean girls" push her too far. ("When we learn to control it, we needn't fear it," Rumpelstiltskin says in the series.) She has flashbacks to her 13th year when she received her cloak and the nickname "Red."

She is plagued by nightmares that she doesn't understand, but the Once Upon a Time fans will recognize them as her wolf side coming out.

Red balances the difficult times with Granny at home and the girls at school with an emerging and satisfying romance with Peter.

Review:
As an avid fan of the television show when I came across this book on my way to get my daughter her  annual grocery shopping book , I knew that it was a must have addition to my shelves. Even the cashier, a fan as well, was surprised and stopped checking my items out so that she could read the synopsis of the book.

The book itself is a work of art, it has such a beautiful smooth feel to it,  It is definitely a plus to having a book in print, that's for sure.

This book reminded me a lot of the movie Red Riding Hood, with the young Amanda Seyfried as the Main character in the movie. The book reminded me so much of this movie that I found myself hunting my movie shelf in order to find it and wound up watching it while I read the book and compared similarities.

The book brings out the strained but loving relationship that Red and Granny have, a relationship I am sure many can relate to.

I was not a fan of the ending of the book. Much like the television show, Red's story just cuts off as if waiting for next weeks episode. Where as it works on the show, it falls short in written format.

Quotes:
"Peter offered his hand for a shake, and when she took it, she rolled it over. "Your fingernails are black."
' His papa's the blacksmith." I said proudly. "Peter gets to be his apprentice someday." I could only dream what it was like to have a father or mother. Or an exciting trade to look forward to learning and taking over once I grew up.

Peter explained politely. "I really do wash my hands ma' am, fact is, most of it's just to stubborn to get off no matter how hard I scrub at it."



RATING::
4 out of 5 stars!

Insanity by Cameron Jace

Title: Insanity

Author: Cameron Jace
Number of Pages: 254

Synopsis:
After accidentally killing everyone in her class, Alice Wonder is now a patient in the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum. No one doubts her insanity. Only a hookah-smoking professor believes otherwise; that he can prove her sanity by decoding Lewis Carroll's paintings, photographs, and find Wonderland's real whereabouts. Professor Caterpillar persuades the asylum that Alice can save lives and catch the wonderland monsters now reincarnated in modern day criminals. In order to do so, Alice leads a double life: an Oxford university student by day, a mad girl in an asylum by night. The line between sanity and insanity thins when she meets Jack Diamond, an arrogant college student who believes that nonsense is an actual science.

Review:

I came across this book as a part of a tour, I couldn't tell you whose blog it was to save my life, I blame mother hood and insanity, pun intended. But I was immediately drawn to the color and the beauty of this cover. It would definitely qualify as cover lust.

My last blog was titled Wonderland Reviews so I thought that it was a fitting book to read as I got everything settled and organized here.

Not only did I fall in love with the cover, but I fell in love with the entire series, I mean how could I not with the insane asylum, where there is an inmate named Carter Pillar, the wording alone was great. I loved discovering the Wonderlanders in disguise as well as the monsters that Lewis Caroll had locked away and wrote about.

In the first book they are on the hunt for the Cheshire who is killing people, seven young girls in particular During the quest to find and stop the wonderland monster we learn the back story about the Cheshire and why he hates humans. When from his point of view I would be just as bitter and angry with humanity. I love that the villain had a back story that tugged at your heart strings and made you sympathize with the villain.

I really loved the writing, there were so many quotes that I loved and high lighted because they just resonated with me, they stuck with me through my day to day life.

I loved finding out what really happened to put Alice in the institution, did she really kill all those kids? Was it wonder land monsters, is it all in Alice's head.

Quotes:

" I can't go back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."

"The only philosophical problem with accepting the existence of Wonderland is that it means our reality could actually be a figment of our imagination."

"It's as if I have written his name on the inner walls of my heart. AS if I am stained with his soul."

"Whatever we shared is buried somewhere in the abyss of my mind. I just don't know how to swim deep enough and return to the surface with it."

"What is life but a big silly book."

"If you've survived parasites and bacteria until the age of nineteen, you can survive sane people."

"You're caring too much about people Alice, " he says" Take it from me: sane is mundane, insanity is the new black."

" I wonder if evolution wasn't from ape to man but from insane to sane."

"One of the privileges of not knowing who you are is that you can pretend to be anyone you like."

"Questions are the lazy man's way to try to learn, when the only way to learn is not to ask."

"You know what the insane people are, Alice?" The pillar says. " They are just sane people who know to much."

RATING::

5 out of 5 stars!

(ARC) The Lost Girl by R.L. Stine

Title: The Lost Girl

Author: R.L. Stine
Pages: 261

This title was kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:
Generations of children and teens have grown up on R.L. Stine's bestselling and hugely popular horror series, Fear Street and Goosebumps. Now, the Fear Street series is back with a chilling new installment, packed with pure nightmare fodder that will scare Stine's avid fan base of teen readers and adults.

New student Lizzy Palmer is the talk of Shadyside High. Michael and his girlfriend Pepper befriend her, but the closer they get to her, the stranger she seems… and the more attractive she is to Michael. He invites her to join him on a snowmobile race that ends in a tragic accident. Soon, Michael's friends start being murdered, and Pepper becomes convinced that Lizzy is behind the killings. But to her total shock, she and Michael are drawn into a tragic story of an unthinkable betrayal committed over 60 years ago. Frightening and tense in the way that only this master of horror can deliver, The Lost Girl is another terrifying Fear Street novel by the king of juvenile horror. 

Review:
I was so excited to come across this book on NetGalley, as a child I can remember countless times reading these books, watching the movies. Even now I will still watch Goosebumps when it comes on t.v. So it was an easy choice to make, I just kept my fingers crossed that I would be accepted and able to read this ARC, obviously we all know how that turned out.

So, at the start of this book I had a hard time getting into the book. I was actually scared that my hopes were going to be dashed and this would be a book to the add to the did not finish pile. Thankfully I pushed through and boy was I glad I did. Once you get to the ending of the book you will be glad you persevered as well.

This book was a great October Read for me, it raised the goosebumps on my arms and made it so I wanted to sleep with the lights on. I am sure that was the point, to cause nightmares and induce terror, but it is definitely not for a younger generation. I would recommend it for adults and older kids.

Still, It is an awesome read and I Can't wait to catch up on the rest.

Rating:
5 Stars!

(ARC) Such A Secret Place by Cortney Pearson

Title: Such A Secret Place

Author:Cortney Pearson
Pages: 412
This title was kindly provided for by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review

Synopsis:
When sixteen-year-old Ambry Csille's brother gets taken in a raid, her utter fear and panic should be enough to invoke tears in any normal world. But for Ambry, tears are a thing of the past.

Because of a spell, people can no longer feel emotion; not enough to cry, and definitely not enough to defend themselves against the tyrannical soldiers stealing her people’s magic. A rare vial of enchanted tears chooses Ambry to reverse the spell, and soon she finds herself the target not only of the Arcaians, but of battle-scarred Talon Haraway, who wants the tears for his own reasons.

All Ambry wants is to rescue her brother, but when her tears get stolen, Ambry determines to work with Talon to get them back. Any day the Arcaians could drink her tears. Any day they’ll succeed at draining her people's magic completely, and all hope will be gone—not only for her brother, but for her world

Review:
Lets talk about the cover before we do anything else. Three words: I LOVE IT. I love that it feels like a painting, one I would have blown up and framed, title and all. It is so smoothly done, the colors pop and catch your eye just daring you to crack open the book and dive right in.

That being said I enjoyed this book, sure it took some getting use to but once I had my head wrapped around the aspects of the world the author had created, I enjoyed it immensely.

 I was immediately intrigued the aspect of a world with no emotion, it was actually one of the main reasons I picked the book out of my TBR pile. Emotion governs so much of what we do and how we do it, I couldn't imagine the difference in people if they had a switch where they could just shut it off. It is not a world I would want to live in.

I will admit that I was not a fan of our MC the entire time, sometimes she just felt entirely to annoying, I was rooting for her but I also wanted her to fail just because she annoyed me at times.

The only thing I really didn't like was how rushed the ending felt. I understand the point was probably set up for a sequel and trying to get me to keep reading but I all but screamed with frustration.

Rating:
3 out of 5 Stars

(ARC) Snow Globe by Jeanne Skartsiarsis

Title: Snow Globe
Author:Jeanne Skartsiaris
Pages:232
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy Teens & YA

This ARC was kindly provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis
Troubled teen. Juvenile delinquent. Aja Harmon is familiar with the labels. She and her mom live like gypsies, moving every year. Her mom works as a psychic and Aja fights to suppress her own intuitive abilities because the power scares her.
After losing a cool job at Abercrombie & Fitch, the only work Aja can find is as a waitress at an elderly residence home. Slowly she begins to enjoy working with the seniors. Unlikely bonds forge, making their worlds bigger while shrinking the generation gap.
If only a corrupt police officer hadn't set his sights on Aja—a beautiful girl with a sketchy past. An easy target to add to his twisted collection.
Snow Globe is a story about a teen who tries to do the right thing but continues to find trouble with her smart mouth and fearless attitude. Working at the assisted living facility, Aja learns compassion and how important yet fragile life is.

Review:
This book is truly one of the better ARC's I had read in a long time, from start to finish I pretty much was glued to these pages, goose bumps took up permanent residence on my arms. The cover alone is gorgeous, the colors are eye catching and just scream " PICK ME UP! READ. ME!" It seriously is a bonus for those who pick and choose based on the cover alone

I loved the main character Aja, who despite having had it pretty rough with life, has  yet to give up. She will stand up for what she thinks is right even if it is not one of the popular opinions.

I loved that this book did not have a romance aspect it focused on. Yes it was there but it was slow and gradual, not some BOOM insta-love chick lit thing. It was a cute romance that happens every day when girls are unsure and avoid the crush and the feelings they arise, all the while wishing for just one more glimpse of him/her.

I love that you can see Aja change and grow in the pages of a book. She might start off wishing for normality but by the end of the book it is awesome to see that she has come to the realization that there really is no such thing as normality, and that is ok. I loved seeing her accept it and accept and love who her mother is.

There was only one thing I was not a fan of, and it is really a small tiny thing that it is hardly worth mentioning. After the big climax of the book, the ending seemed to take a little longer then  necessary, it was as if the author was making sure she had dotted all her I's and crossed all her T's.

It was still a great book, one I would buy and read again once I forgot all about the thrills and tears.

Rating:
4 out of 5 Stars