Olivia Twisted Book Review

November 5, 2013November 3, 20131 Comment

Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes

This review is based on an advanced reader’s e-copy, ask acquired through Entangled Teen. This in no way, shape or form had any effect on my honest review. Thank you Heather Riccio, at Entangled, for granting me access to this novel.

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Olivia

He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.

At least at this moment, I don’t care.

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…

I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.

It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.

Except that she’s not.

Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted

My Review:

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I was sent an ARC by Entangled, that I trust because they are in charge of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s books and goodness, those books are AMAZING. So I was definitely intrigued on reading Vivi Barnes novel. Because I received an advanced e-copy of it, I definitely knew this was a book that I had to read.

There’s also been this urge to read some good contemporary novels. Sure, there’s the whole hacking angle of this novel but there’s no fantasy or dystopian or science fiction in it. Those are all my favorite things to read but I’ve really needed a break, and I was so glad to be able to dive into this book.

I think that Vivi is able to write an incredibly compelling and real story, wrapped around this sexy nature of computer hacking. She makes the idea of getting on a computer and hacking into someone’s profile or bank account seem like an extremely fun and sexy thing to do. And this is coming from someone’s identity has been hacked several times. Its a way of making a talent out of something that may not seem like it. To be able to do this requires strategy, intelligence, forward thinking and thinking outside of the box and I think she shows that. I think, with the ending she provides, it also encourages using those kind of skills for good though haha.

The love story is very sweet too. Olivia and Z have a sort of rocky romance, due to both of them having their own problems, especially when it comes to issue of trust. Both have lived in foster homes, have been left to their own devices, and its hard to trust anyone, no matter WHO they are. But the gradual build up was enough to leave any reader panting for more. When their relationship does develop, and they begin to trust and care for each other, its just super sweet and beautiful. Plus, Z just fits my typical fictional crush. I love the distant, aloof, hilarious, sarcastic bad boys and he fits that profile so beautifully that the minute he showed up on page, I knew I was going to be in love with by the end of the book.

I also want to commend Vivi for really addressing this sort of orphan/foster kid story. The idea of an orphan in a YA novel is nothing new. Most of the time, in these kind of novels, they are orphans. But she really addresses it, the effect that it can have on these children, how they can feel abandoned and mistreated and abused. I know that the story was a sort of re-telling of Oliver Twist (which, admittedly, I’ve never read) so there was a parallel there but I appreciated it nonetheless. It really calls your attention to this problem. Sure, Harry Potter is an orphan but there aren’t kids out there being killed by evil dark wizards, and that sort of thing. Parents with drug addictions, kids forced into foster homes, and shuttled from one home to another, this is so real, and its such a problem that I think people don’t think of. If there was one thing that someone got from that story, it would be that this is problem that we need to continually tackle.

This book is fun, a super fast read, and full of romance, action, humor and drama, and is a commendable debut for Vivi Barnes. I eagerly await future stories from her and I wish her a TON of luck in the future!

Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

October Book Wrap Up!

November 1, 2013November 1, 2013Leave a comment

Books Pledged to Read in 2013: 200 Books

Read so Far: 173

On Track?: Yes! I’m actually 7 books ahead!

Total Books For October: 20

As always, more about if you click the title or cover, you’ll get the review!

The Extra by Kathryn Lasky

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Just One Year By Gayle Forman

Goddess by Josephine Angelini

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (Re-Read)

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Panic by Lauren Oliver (Review Will Come Closer to Book Release in March)

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Reality Boy by A.S. King

Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes (Review Next Week!)

Legend by Marie Lu (Re-Read)

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

The Fall of the Hotel Dumort by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson

52 Reasons to Hate my Father by Jessica Brody

Prodigy by Marie Lu (Re-Read)

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

* * * * *

What were some of your favorite books that you read in the month of November? Share them in the comments!

* * * * *

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan Review

October 18, 2013October 18, 2013Leave a comment

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

It’s time to choose sides… On the surface, viagra sale Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.

But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?

My Review:

This review will not contain spoilers for the book Untold. However, there will be spoilers from the first novel, Unspoken. To read the review of that novel, please click here!

I loved the first novel so much that I didn’t think it was possible in the slightest for me to like the sequel just as much, if not a bit a more.

The struggle with a first novel, and then writing a sequel, is that you have to worry about living up to what you produced in the first novel, and making it that much better. Sarah took the story she had built up so well in the first one, and really circled it around to where she wanted to be in the second novel. She took the cliffhanger she gave us in Unspoken, and left us panting through Untold as we tried to figure out what happened.

And she left us with more cliffhangers, more loose ends, and that’s a mark of a good middle book. She builds up this story in the first book, leads us down a dark and winding and confusing path of the second book, just to leave us feeling absolutely thrown off and we have to wait an entire year for the third book? How horribly delightful that is, and the mark of a good trilogy. The bad guys have to win a bit in the second novel, to make it seem like all is lost, there is no hope for a solution, for the good guys to win. She manages to do that in this novel, but in a way that you never expected. I was in shock at the end of the book, and I was also quite afraid for some particular characters because she leaves their fate hanging in the balance at the end of the novel.

This book is so much darker than the previous one, probably because it is the middle book, where things have to be at their worst. Rob Lynburn is building up his own army, in order to perform a sacrifice, and take control of Sorry-of-the-Vale. Lilian and Ash, and Jared, and Kami, and Angela and Holly are all determined to take him down, but they can’t work together. Lilian Lynburn refuses to work with anyone that she doesn’t see as having a point, anyone without magic, and Kami, Holly, and Angela are all without magic, especially Kami without her connection to Jared. Of course, that doesn’t stop Kami Glass, that determined firecracker, and she gets all the young ones, including Ash and Jared. But the two groups working separately can only make things worse, and can only end in explosion, which it kind of does.

But there is still that humor, and adventure element to the novel. You aren’t spending the entire thing, in a world of despair and hopelessness and wondering if things will EVER get better. Kami is the light in the novel, the one who can make a joke, a sarcastic remark or brighten up the hope in the room when everyone else is feeling down, or like they’re going to give up. Pair her with Jared or Angela, and you get a banter of wit and humor and you find yourself smiling even though Sorry-of-the-Vale is in a whole mess of trouble.

As an addition too, Sarah also succeeds in making me, and probably the rest of you readers, fall even more in love with Jared Lynburn that you were previously in Unspoken. I still didn’t think it was possible to adore a fictional character as make as Jace Lightwood from the Mortal Instruments series but Jared is quickly catching up.

And can I just say that the cliffhanger of THIS novel left me incredibly upset, in that wonderful way that a book can upset you? The decisions that were made by Ash and Jared and Kami and all of them, and the place that they are left in at the end were not what I expected and left me feeling hopeless and upset with all of them. I wanted to cry, no lie, because I have so much hope that things will work out the way I want them too, in the third book, but I have to wait, feeling these awful feelings for these characters that I’ve grown to love. Every time I think of them, I will think of all I left them, and it just makes me feel sad all over the again.

So I’m ready that the third novel, Sarah! And I wouldn’t say no to an advanced copy ;)

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

Sweet Venom Book Review

October 9, 2013October 10, 2013Leave a comment

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, more about but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they’re triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

My Review:

You may have noticed that I’ve had a *slight* Greek mythology thing lately. I’m not really sure, but I think maybe it has to do with the fact that The House of Hades just released yesterday (expect a review tomorrow, as long as I finish it as quickly as I think I’m going to), and I just have always loved Greek myths.

But moving on, the fact that I’ve been reading a lot of YA that is focusing on Greek mythology means I’m more aware of it, and more likely to be critical of it. That being said, I was thoroughly impressed with the first book in Tera Lynn Child’s trilogy.

Like I said, the stories been retold and rewritten a million times. When the myths written as long ago as they were, of course this is going to happen. So its incredibly hard for you to rewrite something that has already most likely been rewritten. I’ve read Josephine Angelini’s trilogy, Jennifer L. Armentrout’s series, and both Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus series. I’ve seen my fair share of YA Greek myths. So that’s why I really think that Tera did a great job with this.

We don’t see much of Medusa used in these books, as anything other than a villain, like in The Lightning Thief. Tera herself said at an event a few weeks ago in Vegas that it was hard research for her, because there isn’t much on her. By taking the myth of Medusa, twisting it so she was actually framed, and that her descendants have a destiny. I like the idea of twisting a myth and surprising the reader. That is definitely what was accomplished in this novel. The gods AREN’T good, they neglect and they run rampant on the world, and are so arrogant and emotional, and everything they do effects the human race. I love the idea that Athena was jealous of Medusa, and that things sort of boiled down from there because it seems VERY likely that this would happen. Goddess pride.

I’m not going to lie, I like the idea of the triplets thing, long lost, coming together to work together, to fight together and to protect each other. I had this…obsession when I was younger with twins, born from the height of Mary-Kate and Ashley’s careers, and the reboot of The Parent Trap. I was convinced that I had a twin somewhere, and that my parents had hid her away, and I was constantly begging them to tell me where she was. I was a weird child. But the idea of twins, and triplets, in a book seriously make me interested right off the bat. And sure the fact that Gretchen, Greer and Grace are so obviously different and come from vastly different backgrounds doesn’t bother me, even though its so obvious. I think its going to work well, as the story continues and they have to work together to fight the mythical creatures that keep seeping in our world.

Plus, San Francisco as the setting? Such a win. San Francisco is a bursting place anyway, so full of culture and people and places and its just 100% awesome. Its a perfect setting for all of this to be taking place. I can’t wait to pick up the next book.

It was awesome being able to meet Tera at her signing in Vegas a couple weeks ago! I’m so glad I picked up her book and read it!

Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

September Book Wrap Up!

October 2, 2013October 1, 20136 Comments

Okay, viagra approved I totally copied this from my fangirl best friend, Sylvia, from FanGirlFeeels, so I want to show her much credit. Check out her own September Book Wrap Up here!

I think I want to start doing this every month because I read a LOT of books in a month and I want to be able to share at the end of the month, all the books I’ve read and reviewed in one spot. Click on each book title to read my review of it!

So here we go!

Books Pledged to Read in 2013: 200 Books

Read so Far: 150

On Track?: For once, yes!

The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

The Transfer by Veronica Roth

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Saving Raphael Santiago by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Elixir by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

* * * *

What books did you read in September? What were some of your favorites, and which ones fell flat? As always, share in the comments!

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

September 30, 2013September 29, 2013Leave a comment

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

“History is on repeat, discount and things didn’t go so well the last time. “

Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, sick fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.

If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

My Review:

Please note that while this review will NOT have spoilers for this novel, it most likely will have spoilers for the first novel, Half Blood. You can read the review for that here. It may also include spoilers for the second book, Pure, the review of which can be read here.

Is it possible to give this book 6 stars out of 5? Seriously. I keep thinking that this series canNOT possibly get better, and it totally gets better.

This one is SO steamy, and what I have waited for has finally happened, but not easily, of course. Sigh. I need to move on to the next book.

This book feels like the climax, which makes me wonder what happens in Apollyon to need Sentinel as the final book. There is so much build up, so much tension, so much electricity, and Alex is smack in the middle of it. She has so much to deal with. Her mother and best friend are dead. People hate her. She has to go Council, where half bloods aren’t exactly welcome. She is madly in love with Aidan but her bond with Seth makes her attracted to him as well. She has to train as a Sentinel and an Apollyon, and oh yeah, there’s that whole daimon plan that her mother told her about before she died. No big deal.

So all of that put together really makes for a tense filled novel. One minute, you’re sighing as Aidan and Alex share an intimate scene (I am so rooting for Aidan St. Delphi in this series), and you’re reluctantly also sighing when Seth and Alex share a scene. You’re on the edge of your seat as Alex is treated terribly at the Council and you know there is so much more to it than you know. Her life is threatened, she almost dies. SO much is going on in this novel that it was a wonder that I didn’t finish it in a couple hours.

I really loved that the problems of the books are continuing. New problems are coming up, but its an extension of the previous problems. Jennifer Armentrout is creating a great series by creating this building issue that eventually is going to explode. I keep thinking that maybe things will be figured out and then the world gets even more mysterious and slipperier. She really knows how to build the story for you, so you can’t help but want to continue. I finished this at 3:30 am, and it took a lot of resolve to tell myself to go to bed, and that I could read the next book in the morning. She is that addicting.

Plus, can I just add how seriously sexy both Aidan and Seth are? I mean, I’m all about Aidan St. Delphi, but Seth has his moments where you’re like, “I seriously hate to love this guy.” Props to Jennifer L. Armentrout for creating these characters that make me want to fan myself.

Read these books, seriously. I’m moving on to book four now. Ciao!

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars