Review: Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Stolen (Women of the Otherworld #2)

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Release Date/Publisher: September 9th 2003 by Seal Books (first published December 24th 2002)

Finished: May 14th 2013 (originally read years ago)

Pages: 557-paperback-owned

Series:

1. Bitten
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frostbitten
11. Waking the Witch
12. Spell Bound
13. Thirteen

Synopsis:

Even though she’s the world’s only female werewolf, Elena Michaels is just a regular girl at heart — with larger than normal appetites. She sticks to three feasts a day, loves long runs in the moonlight, and has a lover who is unbelievably frustrating yet all the more sexy for his dark side. Like every regular girl, she certainly doesn’t believe in witches. Then again, when two small, ridiculously feminine women manage to hurl her against a wall, and then save her from the hunters on her tail, Elena realizes that maybe there are more things in heaven and earth than she’s dreamt of.

Vampires, demons, shamans, witches — in Stolen they all exist, and they’re all under attack. An obsessed tycoon with a sick curiosity is well on his way to amassing a private collection of supernaturals, and plans to harness their powers for himself — even if it means killing them. For Elena, kidnapped and imprisoned deep underground, separated from her Pack, unable to tell her friends from her enemies, choosing the right allies is a matter of life and death.

What I thought:

If you loved the first book, then you’ll definitely love this one! Not only does it star Elena the Werewolf as the main character again, but the adventure in this book is even more awesome. There’s lots more action, fight scenes and of course paranormal stuff going on in this one. And of course more sexy scenes (a reminder that this series is Adult).

This book is where the series takes a new turn, and we realize that it’s not just about werewolves. We get to meet lots of other supernatural people such as Shamans, Witches, half-demons and vampires, which all have some awesome aspects to them. Those main characters get to play more roles in future books too (I know because I’ve read most of this series), so remember them when you read this. I especially loved the idea of the witches and their magic, like Savannah and Paige.

I found it kind of funny how at one point as Elena is meeting witches for the first time, she doesn’t believe that they really exist, let alone any other supernatural race. As if werewolves are normal but vampires being real is just crazy!

Really though, I’m glad this book took the direction and didn’t focus on one type of supernatural, but introduces us to so many possibilities for the future books to come. Great story, probably one of my favourite ones in this series (from what I remember of the other books anyway)!

 

Review: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Title: Just Listen

Author: Sarah Dessen

Release Date/Publisher: June 16th 2009 by Speak (first published June 1st 2009)

Finished: April 27th 2013

Pages: 250-eBook-Library

Synopsis:

Ever since her parents began fighting, Auden has been unable to sleep at night. Now, spending a summer at a charming beach town with her father and his new family, she has to find new places to pass the time she spends awake. And so she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her nighttime guide. Together, they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she has missed; for Eli, to come to terms with the death of a friend. In her trademark blockbuster-style, Sarah Dessen creates a powerful and irresistible story of two people learning how to connect.

What I thought:

Another awesome book by the author, and one I really loved!

Auden is definitely a different type of main character. She was raised in an academic world because of her parents, always believing studies were the most important. Because of this she doesn’t really have any friends and never had a proper childhood. When she was younger her parents also split, so pleasing her mom was always a top priority. I felt bad for her, because divorce is never an easy thing to go through, especially for children. Because of this, she developed a bit of insomnia,  not sleeping at night until the sun rises.

When she randomly decides to visit her dad and stepmom (something totally unlike her) she gets to meet a small town of people who after a while start to change her. She meets Eli, a quiet guy who is mourning over his friend dying, and eventually they become friends and help each other in subtle ways. He shows her the nightlife and how to really spend her time at night, and she get him talking again.

I thought the whole idea of someone who isn’t really good socially, especially around people their own age was really fun to read about, especially one party scene with a jealous ex-girlfriend! I really felt like I was on a ride myself, coasting through and loving all of it. I really liked how it ended too, so cute and everything wrapped up! One thing I love about the author’s books is I’m never left wondering what happened to any small part of the story.

If you love contemporary, pick up a copy of this! If you’ve already read it, I now know why so many people love this author!

 

Review: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1)

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Release Date/Publisher: September 10th 2002 by Seal Books (first published October 1st 2001)

Finished: May 7th 2013 (originally read years ago)

Pages: 555-paperback-owned

Series:

1. Bitten
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frostbitten
11. Waking the Witch
12. Spell Bound
13. Thirteen

Synopsis:

Living in Toronto for a year, Elena is leading the normal life she has always dreamed of, including a stable job as a journalist and a nice apartment shared with her boyfriend. As the lone female werewolf in existence, only her secret midnight prowls and her occasional inhuman cravings set her apart. Just one year ago, life was very different. Adopted by the Pack when bitten, Elena had spent years struggling with her resentment at having her life stolen away. Torn between two worlds, and overwhelmed by the new passions coursing through her body, her only option for control was to deny her awakening needs and escape.

But now the Pack has called Elena home to help them fight an alliance of renegade werewolves who are bent on exposing and annihilating the Pack. And although Elena is obliged to rejoin her “family,” she vows not to be swept up in Pack life again, no matter how natural it might feel. She has made her choice. Trouble is, she’s increasingly uncertain if it’s the right one.

An erotically charged thriller, Bitten will awaken the voracious appetite of every reader, as the age-old battle between man and beast, between human and inhuman forces, comes to a head in one small town and within one woman’s body.

What I thought:

I am only going to say this for the first review of this series, but this is a re-read and these books are considered for adults since there is some violence and sexy scenes. The last time I read these books was way before I started my blog and it’s probably my favourite series ever!

First thing I loved about this was that it’s not only set in the US but also Canada! Toronto to be exact, but I actually like being familiar with the settings so it’s nice.

Now this book is about werewolves seen through the eyes of the only female of their kind, Elena. It does mention how she came to be what she is in the book since she’s wasn’t born a wolf like the other Pack members were. Elena is strong and a good main female lead for this. I also love her random comebacks and bouts of sarcasm! She has her trust issues after she was betrayed by a certain character but even after the horrible past she’s had she decided that she wanted to be stronger for it instead of feel like a victim. She has doubts creep in of where she belongs during this book, and it really comes down to if she wants a normal life where she has to hide or a place where she feels like she can be herself with the Pack.

The other characters were pretty awesome too, I love the other member of the Pack but especially Clayton. Not only is he powerful but he also has his comedic moments. You can tell he loves Elena after everything that’s happened too and his loyalty to his Pack and her really made me love his character. Not to mention how they describe him, the ladies will like.

Now there’s lots of action, fight scenes in human and wolf form, but also mention of blood and violence and death/dead bodies. And of course quite a few sex scenes. I loved every second of this book and I’m glad I re-read this since I had forgotten just about everything that happened. If you want a great paranormal Adult series with werewolves go read this!

 

Review: What the Spell? by Brittany Geragotelis

Title: What the Spell? (Life’s a Witch #1)

Author: Brittany Geragotelis

Release Date/Publisher:  January 29th 2013 by Simon and Schuster

Finished: May 1st 2012

Pages: 328-Hardcover-owned

Series:

1. What the Spell
2. Life’s a Witch
3. The Witch is Back

Synopsis:

A teenage witch juggles popularity and romance while keeping her powers a secret in this spellbinding debut.Almost-sixteen-year-old Brooklyn feels invisible, but she desperately wants to be pretty, to be popular, to be adored by a cute guy. Luckily for her, she’s a witch about to come of age—so she’s only a few spells away from making it all happen.

On her milestone birthday, Brooklyn’s conservative parents finally unbind her powers, which include the ability to magically match couples with a love spell. Brooklyn uses her special skills to get a makeover, new friends, and the attention of her crush, Asher. But the popular clique Brooklyn wants to infiltrate puts her in the same precarious position as her Salem ancestors: If she’s found out, she could be vilified—and lose Asher in the process. Can she make the most of her magic, or will she be luckless and loveless? Be careful what you witch for!

What I thought:

I had received the second book of this series as an ARC, so I decided to get my own copy of the first book and see what it was all about. When I read it involved witches, I got really excited since I love witchy books!

This book however fell short of what I would have liked. This book revolves around Brooklyn, a nobody at high school who has no friends and is positive she’s invisible. When her powers get unlocked, she goes for a total magical makeover right away, and then starts her journey of becoming one of the popular kids “The Elite”.

Now if you’re looking for something that has some high school drama and popular kids being evil, then you will like this book somewhat. I honestly was hoping for a lot more of the actual magic to happen during this. There were little spells and quick mentions of other witches and history of covens and such, but that was such a tiny part of this book and disappointing.

I probably would have liked the book a lot more if Brooklyn hadn’t fallen to the temptation of popularity so fast and actually listened to those that actually cared for her, and their warnings. She was also very selfish during the book, which was annoying. I can understand though the want to be popular, but with the stuff they pull I thought she could have said no earlier and done the right thing instead of waiting.

I didn’t enjoy this book very much, I wanted more actual witch stuff and not the same old high school drama crap.

Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Title: Just Listen

Author: Sarah Dessen

Release Date/Publisher: February 28th 2008 by Penguin Group (USA) (first published April 6th 2006)

Finished: April 25th 2013

Pages: 400-eBook-Library

Synopsis:

Last year, Annabel was “the girl who has everything”—at least that’s the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf’s Department Store.This year, she’s the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to
truth-telling. With Owen’s help,maybe Annabel can face what happened
the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

What I thought:

I have to say that the cover for this is just so pretty, and I really wish that my digital copy from the library had it even if it wasn’t in colour but instead I just got text. At least I can admire it here!

This book was probably one of my favourite ones by Sarah so far. I usually don’t go for the books that involve music, but I can say I really enjoyed this one. As for the music, if you enjoy books that have that theme, definitely check this book out! I loved how the author used  it to bring people together and helped them to heal and move on.

Both main characters were likeable and I loved it when they got to know each other, although the circumstances of how they met were kind of sad at first. Annabel was friends with the popular girl, but something happened and they broke apart (I’m glad they stopped being friends since Sophie was a b*itch meanie, but what happened to start it was not something I’d wish on anyone). Usually in books where the popular girl falls from her popularity, I find that she tends to be kind of snobby, but Annabel was different. She was a model of course and had trouble with any kind of confrontation, but she seemed more human and a character I could like, and as if she just kind of hung around the popular people because of Sophie.

Owen had a few of his own issues with his anger, and used music not only to help that but he really did start to inspire Annabel the closer they got together. I loved how she slowly changed and felt complete and more in thouch with herself. Her family (especially sisters) also had some bad trauma, but through their own means they change too, which was so touching. And their romance was so cute too!

I honestly didn’t know how much I was going to like this book, but I highly recommend it for people who like young adult romance with a touch of music!