Showing posts with label Young Adult. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Young Adult. Show all posts

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Review: Ascendant, The Cuspian Saga Book Two by DC Hall

Photo Credit: Goodreads
5 Stars

Fraternal twins Kendal and Kennedi Myles are desperate for their broken lives to return to a time when stolen kisses, football games, and an overbearing parent was normal. But being the most powerful Cuspians—a superpowered subspecies of humans—in America isn’t exactly normal, and that time has passed from their lives forever.

Kennedi has spent her summer training for the inevitable moment when Beau—the Cuspian she loved and then betrayed—returns to kidnap both her and her brother for The Conservatory, an agency desperate to acquire the strongest of their kind at any cost. But Kennedi refuses to be collected like vintage couture. She’s ready to protect the ones she loves most—at whatever cost.

Kendal is fed up with waiting to be attacked for his role in the near-fatal assault that left three of The Conservatory's operatives in bloody pieces. With the threat of vengeance around every corner, he hacks into The Conservatory's database, yielding disastrous results. As new clues into his mother’s death emerge, Kendal must decide just how far he's willing to go to uncover the truth.

Focused on their individual quests, the twins’ attention is divided and their weaknesses are exploited. Every decision they make drives a wedge further between them, and the pair soon realizes something they can never unlearn: the price that comes with power is often too high to pay.



Buy NOW on Amazon




My Thoughts; Basically, I am a fan! I know I will have to elaborate, but that pretty much sums it up in very few words. I was pretty blown away by the first book in this series. It was everything I love about a good YA paranormal. You can see my review for Cuspian: Book One HERE.

I waited patiently(ish) for this book to come out and jumped in to reading it fairly quickly. It took me a few extra days to read it because, holidays, but once I got the time to sit down I devoured it. At this point in my relationship with these characters I feel comfortable enough to tell them how I was really feeling about them during this book so here goes.

Kendal, why for the love of all that is holy do you not communicate with your sister. I mean you can even be a typical man and just clam up... she will still hear you. Telepathy is a wonderful thing. I was proud of you toward the end of the book but for the first half, my side-eye was on retainer for you. I was literally mumbling to this book while reading. Kendal and Chance's relationship is on a rocky path during this book and it makes for some stressful thoughts from me.

 Kennedi, on the other hand, I was loving on her this time around. Book one had me feeling all kinds of ways. I do have a much easier time getting into her head while reading. #GirlPower. I love the relationship she has with Jacen they really make me laugh. Chance is a little brooding this go round, I have my theories on him but I am a NO SPOILER type of girl so I reserve those for myself and fan-girling with friends *grins*

And last... Daniel, I still hate, no despise, no loathe, abhor, detest you. I find you completely repugnant. That is all.

I wish I could go into more but I do not want to accidentally spoil anything. I will say there are a few twist and turns and one point when I was rejecting everything I was reading, but it turned out okay in the end. I would like to thank DC Hall for not leaving me hanging off the side of a cliff this time but I am going to have to ask you to hurry up with book three *tee hee*. Unless you want to work out some type of chapter by chapter arrangement. I will totally be down with that *winky face*.











If you have not yet began reading this series check out book one in the Cuspian Saga




Monday, January 12, 2015

Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher


Credit:Goodreads

4 Stars

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen. Complete strangers since this morning.
He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget.

Buy NOW on Amazon














My Thoughts; I think I will write this review in the same way I feel Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher wrote this book. I am going to just start typing and see what happens, Ok, I am only half kidding, I am sure they had some sort of idea where this is going to end up... eventually. *winky face*

So, I read a post way back when the two of them had began writing this. CoHo had posted on her Facebook page how they were each writing a chapter but the story was unfolding as they went along, sort of like a tennis match, if I understood correctly. At the time I thought, 'Oh I bet that is a fun writing exercise, bet it would be fun to read.' 
 Well fast-forward to this past weekend...

What the &*%@ did I just read? I was so engrossed that I couldn't put it down. Now to try and describe this book.... as you can see I have tagged it with almost everything.

  • Is it a mystery? Yes 
  • Is it paranormal? Ummm, yep. Certainly not normal
  • Romance? Perhaps
  • Thriller? Well yeah
  • Contemporary? Obviously
  • Suspense? Cliffhanger, nuff said.
  • Young Adult? Most definitely. (which is one of my abso fave things)
Needless to say this book is all of the things. 

Now, how do I feel about it? Well when I was reading this book I thought there is so much WTF. Literally... Double U. Teeee. Effff people. I should not have liked it, I was so lost the entire time. Imagine starting a book in the middle. You want to flip back to the beginning and see what happened but YOU CAN'T, and neither can Charlie and Silas. They are just as confused as the reader is, perhaps more. At least the readers can sit there and say... these authors are insane!! The poor characters just have to live in the world that was created for them. Okay, so maybe I should not just type every thought that is coming into my head right now. I do know they aren't real people. *nervous giggle....eye twitch* 
Moving on

   I guess in summary I can say that I gave this book 4 stars because It is written so superbly. The two authors, whose writing styles are so different from one another, meshed their styles together in a way that if I did not know who wrote who's POV, I would be hard pressed to guess.  (Tarryn-Charlie. Coho-Silas). They played so well off of one another's character cues and I have to wonder if they didn't both sit and laugh evil genius style while writing each chapter.
   The cliffhanger, while worthy of a little scream of frustration, was very well placed as far as cliffhangers go, I can see why it was decided to break this into parts VS one longer novel. I was warned, I knew it was coming. So the closer I got to the end I started glancing between the words and the percentage left on my kindle. It still stung.
   All in all I really enjoyed this book, I am anxious for part two and can't wait to see what happens next. I am reserving my 5th Star for when I have seen how this plays out.

Now if you haven't... GO... read it!!! And if you have leave me a comment and tell me what you thought about it.

Never Never: Part Two
Expected publication: May 17th 2015

Credit: Goodreads

~S


Friday, December 19, 2014

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Ascendent (Cuspian Saga Book 2) by DC Hall


Expected Release Date
March 2015


Blurb:

Fraternal twins Kendal and Kennedi Myles are desperate for their broken lives to return to a time when stolen kisses, football games, and an overbearing parent was normal. But being the most powerful Cuspians—a superpowered subspecies of humans—in America isn't exactly normal, and that time has passed from their lives forever.

Kennedi has spent her summer training for the inevitable moment when Beau—the Cuspian she loved and then betrayed—returns to kidnap both her and her brother for The Conservatory, an agency desperate to acquire the strongest of their kind at any cost. But Kennedi refuses to be collected like vintage couture. She’s ready to protect the ones she loves most—at whatever cost.

Kendal is fed up with waiting to be attacked for his role in the near-fatal assault that left three of The Conservatory's operatives in bloody pieces. With the threat of vengeance around every corner, he hacks into The Conservatory's database, yielding disastrous results. As new clues into his mother’s death emerge, Kendal must decide just how far he's willing to go to uncover the truth.

Focused on their individual quests, the twins’ attention is divided and their weaknesses are exploited. Every decision they make drives a wedge further between them, and the pair soon realizes something they can never unlearn: the price that comes with power is often too high to pay.


About the Author:

DC Hall is obsessed with argyle socks, the smell of books and believes he is the smartest person in the room. Granted he’s usually alone when he thinks this but it still feels good. When his nose isn’t stuck in a book, DC is usually writing or trying to teach his dog, Brooklyn, how to wash dishes (success remains elusive.) DC is from the south where the teas are sweet, distance is measured in minutes—not miles, and the skies are always Carolina blue. 


Ascendent Teaser
 Currents of air seeped away from me, turning strains of my hair into individual whips. 
“It’s beautiful.” 
It. 
My ability. Not me. But it. Not that I was fishing for a compliment from the creepier but I was more than what I could do. 
Samuel continued, seemingly oblivious to my dismissal to him. “Your power isn’t limited the way ours is. The things you can do with your mind. This wind. Your mind. Your brother’s telekinesis. It’s breathtaking.” He cleared this throat. “You are going to get me the stars.”
I tried to ignore him but his voice enraged me. He spoke as if I was an animal. This tiger, colored in stripes by nature’s paintbrush, that was admired for the very thing that was going to make her a fur rug. 
“The stars aren't for sale.”
“Sweet, Kennedi. They are always for sale.” These words were soft, almost remorseful.  



***DC Hall is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card with this cover reveal. Pop over to our Facebook page and see our "COVER REVEAL" post for details (if you have not been there already) I will keep the Giveaway open through the weekend.***  



Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Series Review - Morgaville Vampires by Rachel Caine



  This review is going to be a little different than my regular reviews because I want to recap the entire series. I have just finished the final book and I am already a little sad that it is over. I started reading this series about, hmmmm, 3-4 years ago I think. I was on a vampire binge after reading Twilight and this was one of the series that I ran across. I read book one (Glass Houses) and fell in love.

  Claire Danvers is sixteen years old and already in college. She is a physics major and pretty much the new nerd on campus..... enter Monica (I'm just a bitch to everyone) Morell. Monica is a bully of the highest possible degree, she pushes Claire to her limit and causes her to set off in search of a more "friendly" living environment. And thus begins all things Morganville. 

  This series is NOT Twilight inspired. There is no sparkly (sorry Edward, you know I love you!) high school vamp that is going to fall in love with the new girl. What there are is a town chock full of hungry vampires. And if you are caught outside after dark..... OK, you get the idea, right?

  Now don't get me wrong, not all the vampires are ravenous monsters. Some of them are quiet friendly, wait no, likable.... ummm still not right. Tolerable?? yeah that is better. Some are ruthless (Oliver) and downright insane (Myrnin). But you learn to live with them and if you are like me you will learn to love a few of them. The residents of the Glass house, Michael Glass, Shane Collins, Eve Rosser and, of course Claire are all quite lovable and very easy to get along with. Michael is the responsible older brother type. Shane is the irresponsible, witty quip spewing, pretty much "I'm gonna do me" kind friend. Eve is bad ass, not gonna take your crap goth chic. And Claire is the super smart "kid" that they all seem to feel needs their protection, but she soon proves she can handle herself quite nicely, thanks.

  This series is the kind that you will either read the first book and then devour the remaining installments, or it just won't be your cup of tea. I was the devour the series girl, well except for that grueling wait between books. Rachel Caine has a way with cliffhangers and she uses them well. There were one or two of this series that I found a little slower than others, if not predictable, but I enjoyed every one of them and am very glad I gave this series a go. I hope you all will check it out as well. 

You can keep up to date and also check out past news for this series HERE

Reading Order

The Morganville Vampires, Vol. 1 (Glass Houses / The Dead Girls' Dance)
The Morganville Vampires, Vol. 2 (Midnight Alley / Feast of Fools)
The Morganville Vampires, Vol. 3 (Lord of Misrule / Carpe Corpus)
The Morganville Vampires, Volume 4 (Fade out/ Kiss of Death
Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires, Book 9)
Bite Club: The Morganville Vampires
Last Breath: The Morganville Vampires
Black Dawn: The Morganville Vampires
Bitter Blood: The Morganville Vampires
Fall of Night: The Morganville Vampires
Daylighters: The Morganville Vampires


THE VAMPIRES




















And this is something completely new to me, if you have read this series this may interest you as well

  http://www.morganvilletexas.com/Kickstarter/ this is to kick out Morganville web series. I am about to go check it out now. Have fun in Morganville!!!



~S

Monday, September 9, 2013

DC Hall Author Spotlight

 Pretty Little Readers would like to welcome Author DC Hall.  We hope that you will be as intrigued by him and his book as we are.  We will be posting excerpts from the book throughout the day on Facebook so be sure to check those out by clicking the tab at the top of the page labeled Facebook Home. 




Some fun facts about DC Hall

DC Hall is obsessed with argyle socks, the smell of books and believes he is the smartest person in the room. Granted he’s usually alone when he thinks this but it still feels good. When his nose isn’t stuck in a book, DC is usually writing or trying to teach his dog, Brooklyn, how to wash dishes (success remains elusive.) DC is from the south where the teas are sweet, distance is measured in minutes—not miles, and the skies are always Carolina blue. 

To contact or learn more about DC Hall be sure to check him out these places on-line:


About DC Hall's Book

Cuspian is DC Hall's debut novel.  It is a young adult, scifi, paranormal mystery, add in some urban fantasy and a pinch of romance and you get a fast paced, page turning book you won't put down until you are finished!! Here is the books blurb to get your curiosity stirring....

Twins, Kendal and Kennedi Myles are the envy of their peers with: a second string spot on the varsity football team, smartass but loyal teammates, miniature pores, and a killer spray tan. They had big plans for sophomore year, until their mother is slaughtered during a botched robbery.


Forced to move with their estranged father, Kendal becomes fixated with finding their mother’s killer, while Kennedi tries to settle into life with their dad. After discovering a trail of unsettling clues, the pair begin to believe their mother’s death was part of a conspiracy. As the teens’ investigation digs deeper into their mom’s enigmatic past, a mysterious agency stumbles upon them, and the twosome learns they are Cuspians—individuals gifted with supernatural abilities. Kendal and Kennedi are soon faced with the challenge of staying concealed from the shadowy organization hell-bent on enslaving powerful Cuspians, while trying to solve a murder.



Family secrets, bloody breadcrumbs, and deadly obsessions guide the twins through tough decisions and awful mistakes. Desperate for their lives to return to normal, the pair found normal is not written in the stars for either one of them.

Cuspian is available to purchase through the following places:






Pretty Little Readers Interview with DC Hall



PLR: What books/authors have influenced your writing?
There are too many authors and books that have influenced my writing...It’s like trying to choose your favorite candy or favorite Kardashian that you want to die tragically. Okay... I’ll try J.R. Ward, Stephen King, ‘Her Royal Highness’ *bows* Anne Rice, G.R.R. Martin, Karen Marie Moning, Tolkien, and, of course, Shakespeare...I mean who doesn’t love a love story where everyone dies in the end?

PLR: What genre do you consider your book(s)?

I consider my book a lot of things. Thanks, I’ll be here all week and twice on Wednesdays. Genre wise I think CUSPIAN can be summed up as an urban fantasy.

PLR: Do you ever experience writer's block?

I rarely experience writer’s block but when I do I just keep writing. And if it’s crap then I delete it. THAT is not as simple as it sounds but it’s often the best thing when the story takes a turn for the worse. I once deleted half a chapter. That was a rough night, but Gummy Bears and chocolate syrup got me through.

PLR: Have you ever hated something you wrote?

Hmmm...never hated anything I wrote. If I hate it then I delete it. There are times when I ask myself why did I just write that line or paragraph but usually the reason comes out later on down the road and I can claim that I’m a genius once again.

PLR: What inspired you to write your first book?

This sounds horrible but I read an awful book and I was complaining about it to my brother who willing allowed me to drone on for about ten minutes about why this or that didn’t work and I ended my rant with: “I wasted my *&^%$ money. I mean I could have done better than that.” His response was, “well why don’t you?” Immediately I opened my mouth for a witty reply in an English accent (because witty replies always sound better in an English accent) when I thought, “Yeah, why don’t I?”

PLR: Do you have a specific writing style?

Not really. I do enjoy writing in first person since it helps me “hear” my characters better.

PLR: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes, life is a beautiful struggle but if you fight hard enough then it’s worth every knick, bump, and bruise.

PLR: What book are you reading now?

I’m not reading anything new right now since I’m on a self imposed reading punishment. Once I hit a certain benchmark then I am able to read something new. This motivates me into writing.

PLR: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

My online writing community. I am a member of several writing Facebook groups and without their constant support I wouldn’t be published.

PLR: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

There were a few scenes that I cut due to pacing concerns but there was a funeral scene that COMPLETELY ruined me and I wanted that for my readers as well. It was so emotional that I’m still trying to think on how to incorporate that into a future book.


PLR: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write.every.single.day.

PLR: While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?

Yes, I feel like all my characters throughout the day. I find myself laughing at things my characters says while I’m at my day job. Wait, that sounds crazy doesn’t it. What—what are you doing with that straight jacket and needle?!?

PLR: What are your expectations for the book?

That I become rich and famous and I can quit my day job and train to become a ninja and teach defense against the Dark Arts but mainly I just want readers to enjoy it enough to send me hate mail for ending it with a cliff-hanger.


PLR: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Nope. I rather not let any (positive or negative) reviews influence my writing. I write for my characters. I just hope my fans like it.

PLR: What's your favorite part of a book?

The SMELL!!! That’s not weird is it? Oh okay, good. For a second there I thought you thought that I was a freak. [Nervous laugh]


GIVEAWAY!!!
Enter to win an e-book copy of Cuspian and some Exclusive Cuspian Nail Polish!!!
(There will be a 1st and 2nd place winner.  1st place will win both the book and polish, 2nd place will win a book. GOOD LUCK!)