REVIEW: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden
Book #: 1
Pages: 512
Rating: 

Summary:

In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Selena's POV:
I really loved this book. I really did. I'm obsessed with Vampires, and I love dystopian books, and when those two are combined, you just have the perfect book!

Allie is a very tough girl. She fights everyday to live. In the day, they look for food. In the night, they hope they aren't dinner for the creatures of the night. One day, Allie's life is changed, and she is turned into a Vampire. From there, she gets trained about being a Vampire, the proper way to feed, the proper way to fight, and the understanding of her species.

She then meets a small, human group. She decides to spend time with then, even though she knows the huge risk she's taking. During her time with the humans, she meets a boy named Zeke. He's a born leader, always very caring and understanding.

Throughout this book, Allison struggles to between the life she misses, and the life she was forced to have. This book is heart-wrenching and full of suspense, making you turn the page non-stop.

I loved this book. It was just amazing! When I got my hands on this book, I was so excited! I heard so many great things about this book, I just wanted to read it as fast as I could. I love Allison. She's a tough girl, and I love how she's very confident in every she does. Well, at least some of the things she does. This book was a roller coaster of emotions, and I just loved it. It's nothing like I have ever read before. Julie is an amazing author, and is every talented.

I haven't read any of Julie's other novels, but I have heard they are just as amazing. If you're looking for a dystopian book but with Sci-Fi in it, THIS is the book for YOU! Even if you don't like Sci-Fi, you should read this book just to try it out. I really love the society and how it's set up. It's very interesting and creative!

REVIEW: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna Dressed in Blood
Series #: 1
Pages: 320

Rating:

 

Summary:

 

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.


Selena's POV:
To be honest, I loved this book. Absolutely LOVED it. No doubt about that. I heard some great things about this book, and decided to try it out, and in the end, I fell in love with it.

Cas kills the dead; easy enough. NO, it isn't. He has his father's athame that has something special to it that kills the dead, and brings it back to the place where the dead belong. So he moves to this town for his next kill. And locals call this ghost "Anna Dressed In Blood."

Now who WOULDN'T find that title interesting? Anna Dressed in Blood ...

So Cas goes to find this ghost and thinks that it will be another easy kill. But what he finds instead is a ghost that's VERY powerful, and nothing like he's faced before. Cas tries to discover Anna's past, and what happened the night she got murdered.

I'll tell you now, this book is VERY creepy. It is VERY creepy and scary. I don't like scary things, that is just me. But when I read this, I was scared, yet I wanted MORE. This book is full of twist and turns and everything in between. I did not see half the things that were coming in this book. I just love it.

If you haven't read this book yet, I strongly advise you to read it now. It's SO good, and you will love it just as much as I love it too. And you'll fall in love with the characters, especially Cas and Anna. ;)

REVIEW: "Crescendo" by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Hush Hush
Series #: 2
Pages: 432
Rating: 


Summary:

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The further Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim bloodline has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

Selena's POV:
Let's just point out that I was stupid enough to NOT read this book fast enough. I've read Hush Hush a while back, but that was like, last summer! Currently, I'm just catching up on my forgot-to-read-the-rest-of-the-series-so-I-should-read-it-now series, and this happens to be one of them.

Let's state the obvious: This book was the most intense, most emotionally sequel I've EVER read in my entire lifetime! You're probably asking, "Why is that, Selena?". Well, there are two reasons:
1. The characters, plot, setting, problem, solution, EVERYTHING was AMAZING!
2. I wanted to SCREAM in frustration because of how much this book caused me pain & because I waited SO LONG to read this book!

I legitly wanted to punch myself because of reason 2 ... well, the end of reason 2, I mean. At the end of the book, I just kept thinking about how could I pass this book up?! How could I have not read it ANY SOONER?! And let's point out that I finished this book in two days, and that's pretty good for me, considering that school is ending, and all the stress is filling my head.

Now, let's go to the book, shall we? When we left off from Hush Hush, we found that Nora & Patch were happily together! YAY! And when we start Crescendo, mother of ducks, just HELP THEM ALREADY! This is the part I wanted to scream in frustration because, let's face it, every relationship has their ups and downs, and in the beginning of the book, you see that with Nora & Patch. Now that's all I'm gonna say before I can't hold myself back and tell you EVERYTHING!

Throughout the book, you met a guy named Scott who is a long-time friend from Nora's childhood. He's mysterious (but not as mysterious as Patch!) and keeps Nora guessing about his background and why he moved back in town. I really hated him in the book. His attitude just threw me off, and I didn't like him. But to be honest, in the end, I liked him. I thought he wasn't a bad guy after all, & that he was a decent guy.

Also, throughout the book, I REALLY hated Patch! He was keeping TOO many secrets and I just couldn't handle them anymore! I felt that he was just horrible and I didn't like him. I STILL kinda don't like him ...

Now ... onto the next book! :D

REVIEW: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (SPOILERS!)

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium 
Series #: 2
Pages: 384
Rating: 


Summary:

I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and fame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

Selena's POV:

First of all, I should really point out ... 

THIS REVIEW IS WITH LOTS OF SPOILERS.

So if you haven't read the book, you should probably get out of here, and I'm saying that in a VERY nice way, due to the fact that you'll wanna read this book, and want to keep ALL the secrets hidden. AND because I really suck at keeping this small and short. For example, today at school, I told both of my book buddies about the WHOLE SERIES & what happens in it. Yeah. EVERY. LITTLE. DETAIL. No joke. In the end, both of my friends hated me because they're gonna read the book and now, when they read the book, they'll see everything coming. So I warn you now, just for your safety ;)

Alright, then. Is everyone where they should suppose to be? Everyone whose read this books, here, and everyone who's NOT read this book, gone? Good? ALRIGHT! We can begin ...

-------------

First of all, I should point out BEFORE I EVEN START ON THE REVIEW that ...

I knew he was alive.

I knew he was alive the WHOLE ENTIRE TIME I READ THIS BOOK. I mean, why would an author kill off an important, amazing, and HOT main guy character? I mean, really?! Anyways, I wasn't sure myself he was alive. I still had doubts ...

When we start the book, we find Lena in the Wilds, trying to adapt to this new place around her. But at the same time, you see her 6 months from now (or rather we call that CURRENT time). Honestly, I was actually very confused at first. The "Now" and "Then" thing really threw me off. At first, I was like "WHAT?!", and then like "OHH?!", and then like "AHH! I get it now" ;). Anyways, I thought it was so great that we got to see how Lena changed over that 6 months, and how she overcame her fears and doubts in the wild.

I thought all the characters in this book were amazing!! I still miss the characters from the last book, but these characters in this book made it up for me! I especially like Raven; she's such a strong, young girl whose still is having struggles in the Wilds even though she spent years there. It was really great!

I also have to point out that I cried during the time Blue died. I mean, I WANTED HER TO LIVE!! It really sucked that she had to die, and that made me sad & mad at the same time. The story Raven tells Lena about how she saved Blue, and how Raven was crying over Blue was just AMAZING! UGH! I still hate that blue had to die ...

When we keep reading, we realize that the more and more we read towards the end, the more it focus on the "Now" part than the "Then" part, to only realize that the "Then" part was only a glimpse into Lena's long journey without Alex, and that was fine with me! I also thought it was really interesting to see Lena get put into a situation where she had to work with another young boy around her age. You could see Lena struggle to keep Alex off her mind, but that was overpowered WAY to much. That also made me sad :(

I also thought that it was so cool to see Lena get put into the same situation Alex was put in in Delirium! I mean, Lena now felt how Alex felt when Alex told her he was an invalid. They needed people to trust them, but couldn't explain everything all at once. It was hard on Lena, but she surely got past it due to that Julian suddenly started LIKING HER!

I knew it was going to happened; Put boy & girl together in a locked room for so many days. I mean, they WERE going to form a relationship whether they liked it or not. But I like Julian for some odd reason. He's ... a good person once you start to know him, and I don't blame Lena for falling for him.

When I found out that Lena was used for the whole 'capture' thing, I WAS SO MAD! I mean, wouldn't you be? After you form strong relationships with these people you trust, they suddenly start to use you? Geez, I was SO HAPPY when Lena decided to go help Julian escape from the hospital. Now that part is a whole different story ...

I just wanted Lena to hurry up and grab Julian and GO. I felt it was dragging, but that wasn't my biggest concern. I was literally pulling hair out of my head due to how intense this book was. I couldn't even stop reading it. And when Raven busted in the room, I was expecting it. It was Raven, for god's sake! She would help a friend in need if they really loved something. AND Lena's mother! Why wouldn't she say hi to her OWN daughter! That was just plain stupid. In the end, I was happy that Julian was out, and that Lena was FINALLY with Julian.

BUT JUST WAIT A SECOND!

I wasn't jumping for joy, or yelling out in happiness for them. I still felt a big pain in my chest for Alex. To be honest, I started crying JUST when they got out of the car from the hospital. I need Alex, and I finally thought he was DEAD. I couldn't believe Lauren Oliver would so such a thing to her fans. Throughout the whole book, I said to myself, "Alex will be at the end, Alex will be at the end, Alex WILL BE AT THE END." I was starting to doubt that. But ...

I ACTUALLY DIDN'T FINISH THE BOOK YET! So I still had 0.1% of hope that he would still be there at the end. And just like I predicted, HE WAS THERE! HE WAS THERE & I STARTED CRYING AGAIN! I'm very emotional; don't judge >.<

This is the VERY LAST PAGE IN THE BOOK (& also my favorite!! >.< ):

"Promise me we'll stay together, okay?" His eyes are once again the clear blue of a perfectly transparent pool. They are eyes to swim in, to float in, forever. "You and me." "I promise," I say.Behind us the door creaks open, and I turn around, expecting Raven, just as a voice cuts through the air: "Don't believe her."The whole world closes around me, like an eyelid: For a moment, everything goes dark. I am falling. My ears are full of rushing; I have been sucked into a tunnel, a place of pressure and chaos. My head is about to explode.He looks different. He is much thinner, and a scar runs from his eyebrows all the way down to his jaw. On his neck, just behind his left ear, a small tattooed number curves around the three-pronged scar that fooled me, for so long into believing he was cured. His eyes - once sweet, melted brown, like syrup - have hardened. Now they are stony, impenetrable.Only his hair is the same: that auburn crown, like leaves in autumn.Impossible. I close my eyes and reopen them again: the boy from a dream, from a different lifetime. A boy brought back from the dead.Alex.

 WHAT?!?!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!?!


UGH! It's still killing meeeeeee! >.< Like, A LOT! Alex. Alex; the boy has come back to win his love! I was SO excited when I read this, yet again sad because it was the end of another amazing 5 star book. You don't even know HOW EXCITED I AM for the next book!! I am so thrilled!! I laid in bed for 2 and 1/2 hours because I was so PARANOID from the last book! What happens next? Who does she chose? What happened to Alex the night of the escape?!


Too many questions, so few answers ... but NOT FOR LONG! :D *Insert evil laugh*


Honestly, how much more can I explain that I LOVE this book SO MUCH! You have to read this series! I mean, to be honestly with you (totally honest!), before I started reading this book and all, I thought "What's so great about this series anyways? It's just like another Hunger Games book." IT'S NOT LIKE ANOTHER HUNGER GAMES BOOK!!! I wish I could go back into the past and slap myself. It's not EVEN like The Hunger Games. Nothing LIKE IT! TOTALLY DIFFERENT! So if you think it's like ANOTHER Hunger Games book, you think wrong. Trust me, I was on your side before. I know how it feels like ;)


WHEW! That was probably the LONGEST and MOST SPOILER review I've ever done! LOTS OF WORK, but so much feeling within it (: I strongly encourage you to READ THE SERIES NOW before you read any other book. Even if you can, drop the book your reading now, and read this book. Just kidding! Books has feelings, and you don't wanna hurt them! (well ... at least I think they have feelings >.<). So QUICKLY finish the book your reading now, and THEN move onto this series ;)


I really hope you liked this review, and start reading the book! You'll love it just as much as I do! :D

Bloggers Note:
Hey guys! I hope you guys liked this review! (: Other than that, if you want to keep up with what I'm reading, and how far I am in the book, PLEASE friend me on Goodreads! It's just an amazing software, and I love it! Just friend me, and you'll know every book I'm currently reading, which one I've read, which one I want to read, and how I rated them! If you don't have one, GET ONE (although I'm not pressuring you to get one, btw). It's such an amazing software to keep track of the books your reading!
Remember to friend me! 
Thanks! ;)
Xoxo,
Selena
Click here to friend me on Goodreads!

REVIEW: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 496
Series: Divergent
Series #: 1
Rating: 

Summary:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Selena's POV:

This has been on my reading list for a year, and I FINALLY got a hold of it! And I was NOT disappointed! Veronica did such an amazing job writing this for being such a young writer! The whole society that is built upon this book is unique, and nothing I have never read before.

There are 5 fractions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). When at 16, you have to pick a fraction you will live in for the rest of your life. You can stay with the fraction you were born with, or you can go to a different fraction, where you will test your abilities to see if you're qualified to be in that fraction. 

Beatrice is a tough but innocent girl. She's strong, and I really like her as a character. But when in you're new fraction at 16, you can pick to change your name or not. Through the book, her name is Tris, which I like much better. Things are really messed up for her, and she has a crazy adventure through the book which I know I wouldn't be able to handle. She meets a guy named Four, who, in fact, is sexy and hot! Well, at least I think he is. He's such a tough person throughout the day, but when night comes, he's such a down-to-earth kind of guy! *faints* Perfect boyfriend!

I was never bored with this book once! Here's my story: I was reading this on Sunday, and I had a meeting I had to go to (Yeah, a meeting on Sunday? Don't ask me...), and I ALMOST brought the book with me! I couldn't put it down. I pushed myself until it was 10 minutes before the meeting that I actually put the book down and got ready. When I got back from the meeting (which was HORRIBLE because I had to wait. I was JUST getting into the good part in the book too.), I picked up the book and finished it in a hour.

That's my story; how much I couldn't put down the book (: In every book, I find a favorite page I like; if it's what happened or just what the person said. Now for this book, my favorite page was the second to last page in the book. Is that bad? No! It was just what someone said that made my heart skip many beats <33

Roth did a great job on foreshadowing in this book, too! I can tell you, I screamed pre-tty loud when I found a shocking part in the book. My mom though I died, and my sister thought I saw a spider ;) I honestly can't wait for Insurgent to come out! I'm going to read it so fast, I'll have the review up the next day (well, maybe.)! 

Overall, you should read this book!! If you loved The Hunger Games, this book is for YOU! Yes, YOU! Read it, read it, read it, read it!

--Selena(:

REVIEW: "Last Sacrifice" by Richelle Mead

Title: Last Sacrifice
Author: Richelle Mead
Pages: 594
Series: Vampire Academy
Series #: 6
Rating: 

Summary:
Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Valdimir's Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader o the Moroi World, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come. 


Now the law had finally caught up with Rose - for a crime she didn't even commit. She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She'll nee help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir. 


But the clock on Rose's life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back ... and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?




Selena's POV:
This book was epic, period. I was SO happy that Richelle Mead made this book 594 pages! I ate this book up in a night!

First of all, the series was amazing from the start, and I was kinda sad to see the characters go. I mean, they have progressed throughout the series SO much, growing into something bigger. In a month of when I read the series, a year has gone by in the books timeline, and I couldn't believe that! That was too fast ...

Rose is tough, but when things switch on her, she doesn't know what to do. That's what her friend's are for(: SPOILER: They help Rose break out & find the OTHER Dragomir in a life or death matter. Technically, Dimitri, Rose, and Sydney go on a crazy adventure to find the second-to-last Dragomir, running into many problems along the way, which, I tell you, is EPIC! (though I don't want to give too much away).

This book was never boring, and always had action in it! I loved all the things Richelle included in this book that made me MORE hyped up about it! Her ending of this book couldn't be any better!

Like I said before, I was kinda sad about the characters leaving. I mean, it's hard to end a series that you're amazingly attached to for SO LONG! Though I was happy too because I could see characters here in this book in Bloodlines (the VA Spin-off Series) in Sydney's point of view. It's very cool, though I do miss Rose very, very, VERY much.

Overall, I REALLY loved this book, and is probably my favorite book EVER (expect for Clockwork Prince). If you haven't read this book, then you don't know what reading is! Just kidding! Though you should really, really, REALLY read this book!

Richelle Mead made my life better by 110% by writing this series <33

--Selena(:

REVIEW: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 502
Series #: 2
Rating: 

Summary:
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rouge forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street - and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.


With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every more - and that one of their own has betrayed them.


Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will - the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?


As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.


Selena's POV:
To be really honest, I had to put down the book for ten minutes and cry. I'm really emotional, and the book made me cry. Cassandra's books are unique and creative, surrounding a believable world that I want to live in. Just the history background itself for the book is interesting. All the things and research she puts into this book is amazing!

If you didn't read the first book you should, though I'm still moving on with talking about the 2nd book:

In Clorkwork Prince, Tessa and the Shadowhunters are trying to look for the Magister, as the Magister wants Tessa for her powers. Though when trying to achieve that goal, they stumble across some problems . . . and they're pretty BIG! I really must say that Clockwork Prince really surprised me a lot. Just the things the characters did, what they said, made me very surprised. Though it was a good surprised (for me, at least).

Will is probably one of my favorite characters in this book (not like Jem isn't either ...). Will gets my attention by the witty things he says, and just his actions. I mean, who can't like a bad boy? (: Though in Clockwork Prince, you REALLY get to see who he actually is. I don't blame you though if you're still on Team Jem after you read this book.

I'm really happy Cassandra Clare made this book 502 pages long. I ate it up right away! I couldn't put it down! It was just plain amazing :)

If you haven't read ANY of Cassandra Clare's books, then you're missing out on a lot. I recommend you read her books, and you'll fall in love with books all over again!


--Selena (: