ARC Review: The Power (Titan, #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Power
by
Jennifer L. Armentrout

With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.

Fate has other plans.

The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve. Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.

But the gods are sensing a greater threat.

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.

And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.

 

Ok, now that my fangirl heart has calmed down a bit, I think, I'm now ready to start writing my review to this book. But first of all, I want to start this review by thanking the publisher for giving me an early copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. I seriously can't believe it when I received the email I thought I was freaking hallucinating. No kidding. I mean, after all the issue about ARC's here, I thought getting an ARC was next to impossibe, So I was counting the days for this book's release date then all of a sudden, an advance copy was sent on my kindle like magic. I must have saved a fangirl's life on my past life. lol. JK. I knew I could've finished this book in one sitting, but I didn't want this to end so suddenly so I hold on to this book as long as possible which was 3 days! Well, atleast I tried,whispers*real hard!

Anyway, going back to the real review..

The Power still offers all the good things the first book, and even The Covenant Series offers. All banters and kick-ass and steamy hot scenes - was so good I just couldn't get enough of it. Dude, if you think The Return was hot, then you'd have to read this sequel right away and see how this book's going to burn your hands.. and underwear. Seriously. I don't usually read NA books because I can't help but notice how everything is revolving around sex that made me so uncomfortable, but with Seth and Josie....

The Power focused more on the relationship between Seth and Josie, which means - Drama. But the funny thing was, there was no such thing as dull moment in this book because everything is so entertaining that I wouldn't have it any other way.

Even though Seth has been rocking some issues lately, he's still the same o'l perverted Seth we all came to love.

"Really? Do you have some kind of sick sense for this?"
I tucked myself back in and pulled up my zipper. Apollo was the damn God of Cock Blocking and one of his powers was delivering blue balls. "Gods"

Josie on the other hand may not be as bad-ass as Alex, I still appreciate her. Atleast she has her own personality. Never mind that she complimented Seth a lot.

"I knew how to block punches and kicks, and had learned to deliver quite a few nasty ones myself. I was so close to becoming a badass, killer-ninja demigod.

"You've got to use your dagger like you're prepared to kill the person you're stabbing," Seth said from the sidelines. "Not like you're wanting to poke them with it."

My eyes narrowed as I looked over at him. Okay. So maybe I wasn't a killer ninja yet.

But Josie can be a feisty heroine as well when really really needed.

"I was not a weakness that needed to be hidden away. I was a mother-freaking demigod."

Right now, all I hope is that Seth would stop hurting already. He's been through a lot, all I wanted is for him to have a happy ending with Josie. *You have no idea how invested I have been with all these characters since book 1.* 

I'am seriously running out of words to describe how wonderful this whole series has been, I just wanted all you guys to know that everything about this sequel was more than worth the suffering I experienced waiting. When you got a copy of this book, I bet you'd finish this in one sitting as well. The book was still fast-paced-typical Armentrout novel - but totally unpredictable making it so hard to put the book down! Old faces will join the adventure that the Covenant Series fans will surely love that will make this book a total win win for a sequel. Grab this book out as soon as you can! :)

Now on the most important part, Can we also get the sequel like right now?

===============================================================
ME after reading the book:

**WARNING INTENSE CUSSING DUE TO FEELS**

HOLY FUCKING MARBLES. WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ?!

GODDAMMIT HOW MANY MORE BOOKS WILL IT TAKE FOR SETH TO SUFFER?! THIS IS TOO FUCKING MUCH FOR HIM! AND OH I NEED THE SEQUEL LIKE RIGHT NOW!

                                                                                                                              SETH

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple

# 1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Author Links:

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ARC Review: The Power (Titan, #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book Spotlight: Thirst: Blood of my Blood by R.P. Channing

Hey Guys! so I was a bit away for a couple of days. You know busy with life and work and everything that put food on my plate and books on my shelf! lol :) Anyway, I want to introduce you this book that sounds super awesome! Well fine, I'm a little bit biased because I'm such a sucker for paranormal romance young adult book. Like it's totally one of my ultimate favorite alongside Fantasy and Dystopian novels. And this book totally intrigued me!

Thirst: Blood of my Blood
by
R.P. Channing
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult Romance

***********************************

WITH BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHS!

***********************************

~ Kira Sutherland ~

After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her 'boyfriend'), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated...), and being labeled as having 'issues' in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:

1. Continue her 'therapy' (where she's told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often...)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for "Crazies and Convicts" (as the social media sites call them.)

She chooses the latter...

~ Cory Rand ~

Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother's best friend...sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.

Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual - he has a weakness) he's left with two choices:

1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks...)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he'll get an education.

He chooses the latter...

It's at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.

Things he's always ignored.

Until now.

 Now weren't you a little bit intrigued with that superb blurb? Don't you want to see what that "with beautiful Photographs" in the blurb is? I don't know with you, but I'am!  I want to see those photographs, and the premise sounds really up my alley, then there's this excerpt (see below) that didn't help my curiosity. Read it guys, and tell me if that didn't intrigued you the way it did with mine!

EXCERPT

PROLOGUE

-1-

The Puppy Eyes

My life was perfect. 

I had the perfect shoes and the perfect friends and I lived in the perfect house. My nails were perfect and my hair was perfect (except on Sundays, it was always windy on Sundays) and I had the perfect clothes. My lips were a perfect red and my hair perfectly straight. My eyeshadow was perfect, my hips were...okay, and my waist...well...also okay. Nothing was wrong in my life. 

But then there was Jack.

Jack was a problem.

He needed to go. I mean, when you’re dead, you’re dead! I had told him this endlessly. Somehow, Jack didn’t get it. I mean, I felt sorry for the guy. Sure. Being stuck between this life and the next. But just because I found him, does that mean I needed to keep him?

I think not!

Sadly, when Jack got that look in his eyes, that weary, almost teary (if his tear-ducts worked) look, I melted. I just couldn’t send him away. Not even Jack knew where he would go after he died. 

Would he, like, die? As in — dead, nada, kaput, finito, gone, no more? Bye bye, sayonara, ciao, hasta la vista baby and all that?

I couldn’t have that on my conscience. No way. 

I lay on my bed, wondering what to do about him. “Jaaaaaaack,” I hollered. 

“Jaaaaaaack!”

Still no answer.

“Jack!”

Jack...materialized.

His eyes rolled down to the ground. He was making those puppy eyes again. “Jack, I told you not to do that. I told you not to play on my sympathies.”

His puppy eyes became worse. 

His skin was gray and, well, dead.

“Oh, brother,” I said. “I have to do something about you. If mom finds out I have another ‘imaginary friend’ — at my age — well, I’d die of embarrassment. But, like, really die. Not like you.” I wondered about this. Would I die? Was Jack a freak accident, or did all people live on like him? Think of the cemeteries...

The idea excited me somewhat.

“What would you have me do, Miss Kira?”

“Knock off the Miss Kira crap. I told you it’s just Kira.”

“Yes, Miss Kira.” 

The dead. There’s just no reasoning. 

“Fine, Miss Kira it is then.” Rover barked like a lunatic in the garden. No one else might be able to see Jack, but I was sure my dog could. 

“I have to do something about this,” I mumbled.

-2-

The Rat

Mike knocked on the door before I had time to leave the house. Mike was the guy I thought (at the time) was perfect.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, baby.”

Baby, urgh — I wasn’t his baby. I dated Mike because he was the quarterback, because girls are supposed to like the quarterback, because it’s just so darn perfect to be seen with the quarterback, like we’re brainwashed into thinking these things from the first romantic doll set mom buys us.

This was my previous life.

“Mike.”

“Uh-huh. Gonna let me in?”

So you can try rub me up and then complain when I don’t let you? This, dear reader, was the big problem with Mike. The second we first kissed, his hand went way too far south for me to be comfortable — and I pulled back.

Mike suddenly wasn’t so perfect. 

“Uhm, I was just on my way out,” I said.

“Kira? C’mon, open the door.” He sounded upset. “Is there someone in there with you?”

Boys. As if.

I didn’t know much about love (nothing, actually) but I knew this wasn’t it. 

“Uhm, now’s not the time, Mike.” 

“C’mon, Kira, what’s going on?” He banged harder. 

When in doubt...lie. I opened the door a crack. “There’s a dead rat in the house, Mike. Been here for days. I gotta go get some detergent and stuff to handle the stench.”

Mike stepped back. He peered through the crack of the door.

“It’s really bad,” I said. 

“I’ll drive you.”

“I’m afraid the smell” — I stuck my armpit to my nose — “has found its way all over me. I’ll drive myself.”

“O — okay. Fine.” And then he grinned like he wanted something. “Later? My place?”

Urgh. “Uhm, sure...er...later. Not sure when though.”

“Six.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. According to girls at school, he was apparently so damn good looking — theoretically. But for me personally, he did nothing. Moved nothing. Twisted nothing. “Look, I gotta go, Mike. I gotta — ”

“Kira.” His eyes grew stern. “You’ve been avoiding me...”

Bingo! Well done contestant number one! And what have you won? A brain!

I tilted my head. “Mike, look, this...rat — I need to deal with it. We’ll talk later, okay? Bye.” I closed the door, not waiting for an answer, and peered out the peep hole. Mike hung around for a second, shoulders wide and eyes glaring straight at me through the door. Could he see me? Did he know I was looking at him?

He kicked something off the ground, and I had the distinct impression he mouthed the word Bitch before leaving. But I wasn’t sure...

-3-

The Mack

“Roll down the window, Jack.” Jack was recently dead, so he still had a smell about him. (Which only I could smell...)

I had purposely skipped breakfast. Maybe Jack would help me lose weight. I was (still am) a little wide, although it had never stopped guys flirting with me. I know how to dress. 

But I could be skinnier. 

Lucy Rogers was skinny. All bones and no boobs. 

Charlene Carverton was a babe. Cheerleader. Big chest (which she pushed out generously with a push-up — if only guys knew). Toned thighs. Charlene only dated college boys (back then), which I still think is pretty gross for a girl her age. 

“He’s not for you,” Jack said out the blue.

“Hmm?”

“This...Mike — he’s wrong for you, Miss Kira.” For all Jack’s faults (mainly, being dead), he has a good heart. Factually, probably it’s why I kept him around at first.

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Then why don’t you dump him?”

I braked at a stop sign. Looked left and right. “Because I’d look like an idiot. I flirted with him and showed interest, and one kiss later I can’t stand the sight of him.”

“So dump him.”

“It’s not that simple. Kids at school — they can be vicious. I have to let it fade slowly. If I drop the bomb on him, I’ll never hear the end of it through senior year.”

“And you care?”

Yes, I did. Forget Guantanamo, schools are rough. “You don’t understand, Jack. Maybe school was different in your day. But in mine, well, we walk through metal detectors.” 

“Schools weren’t too different in my day.” I noted the sadness in his voice.

“You okay?”

“I’m dead.”

Right. “You miss...your life?”

Jack shrugged. “I like being with you, Miss Kira. And I don’t remember much of my life. I think I’m in limbo.”

“Limbo?”

“Yes, like I have some unfinished business. If only I could remember...what...it is...” He scratched his head. 

“Any ideas?”

“Well, it can’t be love. If it were love, I’d be a vampire. That’s who teenage girls fall in love with these days.”

“A vampire? That’s just what I need — two undead beings stalking me.”

“I feel I have something to do around you, Miss Kira. I don’t know what, but something. Something important.”

I looked over at him. “Me?”

I was still looking at him when I missed the stop sign.

The Mack truck drove straight into us.

Buy Links:

Amazon US | Amazon UK

R P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because it’s the first thing I wrote that my wife actually enjoyed reading.” When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy. 

Author Links:

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Book Spotlight: Thirst: Blood of my Blood by R.P. Channing

Book Review: Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

Sanctuary Bay
by
Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Thriller, Young adult 

In this genre-bending YA thriller, will Sarah Merson's shiny new prep school change her life forever or bring it to a dark and sinister end?

When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country-Sanctuary Bay Academy-it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation.

In this genre-bending YA thriller, Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, Sarah's new school may seem like an idyllic temple of learning, but as she unearths years of terrifying history and manipulation, she discovers this "school" is something much more sinister.

Oh, wow. I just realized that this is my first 5 star rating this year. Well, not that I've already read a lot of books this year but still.. I just know that this book will remain, I want to say forever, but let's be a little bit realistic here, lol but this book will remain to me for a long long long time. The first page alone grabs my attention and managed to hold it tightly refusing to break hold. That got to mean something.

When I started reading this book, I was so sure I would give this a 4 star rating. This book still contains a cliche that I usually encounter in my paranormal read and some underdeveloped ideas and story along the way. However, halfway through it, when the ridiculous and unpredictable plot without unnecessary romance kept me at the edge of my sit, I thought, screw this shit Imma give this sonavabitch a 5 star.

"Compared to them, hell, compared to pretty much anything, Sanctuary Bay was a paradise, no matter what lay hidden underneath it."

Sarah, an orphan who pretty much lived her whole life bouncing from different foster home, suddenly and mysteriously received a scholarship from Sanctuary Bay Academy- an Elite Prep school in the middle of a nowhere island. Suspicious, should've been Sarah's first reaction, after all no once could've recommended her. She didn't even try applying there- not even in her dreams, but awe and confusion was all she felt.

"Sarah remained quiet. She didn't think her first thought, 'That's what we call a first-world problem, bitch,' was quite the right way to go about making friends."

Reading Sanctuary Bay was such a breathe of fresh air. First, our perfectly flawed MC was transferred on a elite school, now that may sound a little unoriginal, but what I enjoyed here was that for the first time I read a book where people rich people were not being unreasonably bitchy to the new poor black kid in school, instead everyone was nice, and everyone was relatable. In fact, Sarah was the one being a bitch, and you really can't blame her when she grew up without a single friend around.

The relationship between the girls are so easy to relate to. Sarah doesn't whine like a bitch when her "new friends" decided not to let Sarah join to whatever they are doing in the middle of the night. She doesn't mind, because she knows how to mind her own business. She's also strong and doesn't got sway with pretty boys. Plus the love interest was someone you'd definitely root for. Ethan has a hint bad-guy reputation without being an obnoxious person. Anyway, there wasn't much a romance in the book, but it's there. A slight touch that made the book so much more interesting!

I thought I knew what this book was about when I was 40% of the way in, but this shit surprise and scare the hell out of me the more I flip on the next page. Sanctuary Bay will give you a plot with a very refreshing start-to-disturbing-to-mysterious-horrifying-to-compelling-to..

I would love to tell you more about this book, to persuade you to pick this book up and read it and fangirl with me, but I really rather not, because this is the kind of book people will definitely enjoy when you go in it blind.

Over all I believe that Sanctuary Bay is one of the best YA-thriller mystery I read so far, not that I've read a lot, but I wouldn't mind reading more from this genre when everything I'd read would be this fucking good.

P.S. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THIS BUT I.NEED.THE.FUCKING.SEQUEL.

Book Links:

Amazon | Barnes and Nobles

Laura J. Burns has written more than thirty books for kids and teens, touching on topics from imaginary lake monsters to out-of-control Hollywood starlets. (Those two things have more in common than you'd think.)

With Melinda Metz, she has also written for the TV shows ROSWELL, 1-800-MISSING, and THE DEAD ZONE. Their next book is SANCTUARY BAY, coming in January 2016!

Laura lives in New York with her husband, her kids, and her two exceptionally silly dogs.

Author Links:

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Book Review: Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

Now Guys! I can't believe I'm already revealing to you the book 2 of Elementals Series by Michelle Madow when I just finished the first book from this series!

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra is the second novel in Michelle Madow’s Elementals series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

Title: Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra
Author: Michelle Madow
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: April 18, 2016
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Series: Elementals #2
Format: eBook and paperback
ISBN: 9781311296788

A DEMIGOD WHO CAN KILL WITH A TOUCH. IT’S AN ABILITY THAT MUST BE KEPT SECRET FROM EVERYONE, EVEN FROM THOSE TRUSTED MOST.
Finding out that her new school had her in a special homeroom for witches was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. It’s a secret she needs to keep not only from the Head Elders, but from the super-sexy witch Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with even before he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, the vengeful witch Danielle. Now Nicole and the four others gifted with powers over the elements, including Blake and Danielle, must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Three magical items are needed, including the blood of the slain hydra – ingredients that they must journey to the dangerous, mystical islands in Greece to retrieve. The monsters they face on this journey will be more threatening than anything they’ve encountered yet. But with the fate of the world on their shoulders, it’s up to the Elementals to return home victorious. Will they find the ingredients they need? Can Nicole and her friends pull off this mission while the tension between her, Blake, and Danielle threatens to ruin everything? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers? Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their next journey in their quest to save the world – or die trying.

Now for the exciting part...
Are you ready???
COVER REVEAL:

Now the Cover of the first book was a girl, which we can all assume was Nicole, now it's a boy which supposed to be Blake right?! 
Pre-Order Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks 

Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook! 

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway:

Michelle is offering one lucky winner a signed paperback of Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Add the Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra Countdown Timer to your blog!

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

Book Review: The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals, #1) by Michelle Madow

The Prophecy of Shadows
(Elementals, #1)
by
Michelle Madow

Genre: Young-adult, Fantasy, Mythology

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love! 

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I've felt connected to you since I saw you walk into homeroom on your first day."

Why do I think I've read this before? Oh, because of course, I've read it before! A typical paranormal read where a new girl in town caught the eye of a hot guy in school who's dating an equally gorgeous girl, but no problem cause there's this thing called, cheating.

No, I'm not angry or even disappointed anymore, I'm more sad. This is the 2nd book of Michelle that I've read so I was kind of expecting some of the things I didn't like in this book, but I'm just sad because I badly wanted to like this book, I really really liked the author you see. I guess sometimes there just things that wouldn't work out.

Elementals reminds me why Remembrance was a disaster for me. From the unrelatable characters to the disaster romance included in the book, include the lack of world building.. it's just won't work for me.

It actually started out good, great even. Nicole Cassidy was swept in right into the world of the witches - people who apparently are a descendant from the bloodlines of the Gods. Yep, they called themselves witches, don't ask me. I liked the idea of powers that was represented by colors. Like Yellow energy, to help with focus, blue to keep you calm, red to boost your confidence etc. It's refreshing. Then everything went downhill when our very special MC met Blake.

"My heart was pounding so hard that he could probably hear it, and even thoughI'd wanted to be alone with Blake since I first saw him, I needed to control whatever I was feeling for him. Nothing could happen between us. At least not right now, while he had a girlfriend."

I didn't read this book because I wanted to read more drama and cheesiness. I wanted to read this because I'm a sucker in both paranormal, fantasy and GREEK Gods story. Seeing that this books target audience were the fans of Percy Jackson Series, I'm definitely in, but this book should have gotten a thing or two about romance in that book as well. Shouldn't hurt to do so. I'm just probably making this a big deal but I wholeheartedly believe that Nicole is being a bit obsessive with Blake, and reading things like that in a book tend to get really really ugly and annoying.

I already said it, but I'll say it again, the idea of the story and plot was good and eye catching, at least for its target audience, but the world building are not good enough for me. It leaves a lot of questions because the story tried to move only the sequence of events further leaving little details to the world itself. Like, It is illegal for underage people to use their power, or else they'll risk having their powers purged completely. Seriously, how would the elders know know or detect when someone's using their powers illegally? I also find it funny how the school is operating a all magic classes for witches inside a perfectly school for human/perfectly normal people. A little details wouldn't hurt I guess.

Don't even get me started on how Nicole gets the hang of everything in only a matter of 1 or 2 weeks. Sure, she's powerful and everything being the main character of the story, but really, there leaves a little growth for her.

"I had no idea how I knew that- but I knew I was right."

Well aren't you just special?

Summary of my review:

Bad News: I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. Unrelatable characters, too much romance for my liking, not much of a world building.

Good News: The book was fast paced making it a quick read for me, I guess one of the reason why world building wasn't given much chance to shine. I did enjoy the adventures and quest along the way. Also, it's good that the copy I have contains sneak peak for the 2nd book, The Blood of the Hydra, because I'm liking it. It gives the hint that book 2 is still going to be a fast paced read, I no longer cared if there wouldn't be much of a world building there, I just want both Nicole and Blake to calm their fvcking hormones and everything would be perfect for me.

Despite my initial disappointment in this book, I'm still not ready to give up on this series and I'll still definitely read the 2nd book.

Book Links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks

Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook! 


Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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Book Review: The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals, #1) by Michelle Madow

Book Review: Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate

Seven Ways We Lie
by
Riley Redgate
Genre: Young-adult, Contemporary

Paloma High School is ordinary by anyone’s standards. It’s got the same cliques, the same prejudices, the same suspect cafeteria food. And like every high school, every student has something to hide—whether it’s Kat, the thespian who conceals her trust issues onstage; or Valentine, the neurotic genius who’s planted the seed of a school scandal.

When that scandal bubbles over, and rumors of a teacher-student affair surface, everyone starts hunting for someone to blame. For the unlikely allies at the heart of it all, the collision of their seven ordinary-seeming lives results in extraordinary change.

This book. Wow. This book was surprisingly good. Like what I keep saying over and over again, Contemporary is the least genre I like but ironically, this is also one of the genre I've read that hasn't angered and disappoints me(I hope I don't jinx my luck by mentioning it). Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've not read that many books in this genre. But right now, I'm just so glad I've got the chance to read Seven Ways We Lie. I regret that I wasn't able to read it right after getting a copy from Netgalley.

One of the best thing about this book that captured my interest was the fact that it is narrated in not 2 or 3 but 7 POV's. And mind you, it was done wonderfully well. The author has given them different and unique personalities that made them remarkable and realistic. You would've probably guess(with its striking cover) that each character represents the 7 deadly since, a fresh take in this genre if you ask me, made it more unique and interesting. Although the book didn't actually broaden the sins as I expected it to be, it still didn't disappoints as the problems and issues included were crazily good and relatable AF.

"Sometimes you go a long time having fooled yourself into thinking that you're as grown-up as you'll ever be, or that you're more mature than the rest of the world thinks you are, and you live in this state of constant self-assurance, and for a while nothing can upset your pedestal you've built for yourself, because you imagine yourself to be so capable"

Ha! You said it buddy.

Now, let's get to the part that messed this book up for me that I ended up giving it a 3 star rating after my love for this book. It wasn't because of the scandal that was tackled in the book. I think it was perfectly Ok and handled with sensitivity that I don't think it was a big deal at all. It was mostly because I felt robbed! I was enjoying the book so much, devouring the words per pages, then all of sudden, everyone seems to have realized their mistakes so fast. It's like someone slapped reason to their faces that they suddenly realized where they doing it wrong.

"I should have realized it before, realized that I spend every second trying to escape myself. I'm all I've got anymore, and I don't even want me."

It would have been touching, if not because of the fact that everyone realized their mistakes at the same time, and I'm not just talking in a literal matter. I mean, the trigger wasn't that believable and besides, I think it's anticlimactic.

But regardless of my problems, I still enjoy this book a lot and I definitely recommend it to everyone. If I, who don't usually read contemporary YA book liked it, I'm betting those who loved this genre will loved this book even more!

P.S My favorite POV was from Matt! The guy's deep, or was it the pot?

Pre-Order Links:

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Hey, hi. Riley here. I am a(n):

—YA novelist

—Shark enthusiast

—Economics major at Kenyon

—ECON IS FUN I PROMISE

—Okay

—Also a classical pianist & singer-songwriter

—I am a human person comprised primarily of soft tissue, and by golly, I hazard a guess you are, too. we have so much in common.

—So look, when I was like 15, someone messaged me on fanfiction dot net telling me that the "sheer amount of stupid" on my profile guaranteed that they would never read my work

—Clearly, I have not learned my lesson

—I hope you're having a really good day!

—Bye!

Author Links:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter

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Book Review: Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate