ARC Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Blurb:
 Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.


I had many, many hopes from The Elite, since I'd like The Selection sooooo much! But I'm disappointed to say that it couldn't meet all of them, much less surpass them. There were some elements in this book which I did indeed enjoy a lot but nonetheless, America's POV grated on my nerves pretty much every time she did a stupid thing. Which she did after almost every chapter.

The concept of this series intrigued me from the first time I read The Selection's summary. But I felt that since the number of competitors decreased significantly in The Elite, the story somehow lost some amount of drama and fun which the previous book had flourished on. Nevertheless, I really couldn't stop reading it once I started. I know, weird. But the thing is, Kiera Cass's writing style somehow captivates the reader. Or at least, it did keep me interested through and through. Even if America's hypocritical nature kept me rolling my eyes more times than I can count, I was still very curious to know what's gonna happen next.

Now, usually, when I come across whiny, prissy protagonists who're too stupid for their own good, I just snap the book shut, throw it across the room and then, because I love all books too much, I pick it back up and put it neatly back on my shelf. But no, that didn't happen with The Elite. America's suicidal acts were actually quite..entertaining to read at times.

Another reason why I couldn't stop reading was because..well, how can I leave my adorable Prince Maxon? I started loving him even more in this book. His never-ending patience with America (Even though she does NOT deserve it) and that cute, innocent charm made me wanna dive inside the book, kick America and her double-timing bum out of the castle, and have him all to myself.

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed with Ms. Cass. I've said it time and again in my reviews how much I absolutely detest it when authors make the female protagonists just plain stupid. The protagonist keeps jumping into suicidal situations and then whine and whine and whine about it. I understood the concept of America having her own personal version of Selection with Aspen and Maxon but the thing is, IT WAS NOT NECESSARY.
So many times it felt that the only reason America was pushing away Maxon was because the story needed something to keep moving on. And that annoyed the crap out of me.

On top of that, when America kept sneaking to see Aspen behind Maxon's back, it was, of course, okay. But when Maxon makes out with someone who's not her, AFTER she'd totally dissed him, obviously it's just so so wrong that she has no choice but to spill Maxon's secrets which he had so sweetly trusted her with. See what I mean about hypocrisy?

Maybe I expected too much from this book, maybe I didn't notice America's irritating nature in the first novel, maybe it's just me. But whatever the reason, I'd hoped and wished much more from the story. Even though the only element I did not like in this book was America, she's still an important-wait, the MOST important-part of the story and not liking her immediately made the book a lot less interesting.

The ending was written quite well, mainly because America finally realized her wrong-doings and actually decided to suck it up and do something to right them. But just when things were starting to look up, the book ended there and all I could say was,



All in all, The Elite was an okay read. It had some good parts, some average parts and some very annoying parts. I would've actually given it a two had it not been for the amazing ending. I'm still looking forward to the next book, mainly because I really, really wanna see how America woos Maxon again, this time, intentionally.

ARC Review: The Rules by Stacey Kade

The Rules by Stacey Kade
Expected publication: April 23rd, 2013 by Disney-Hyperion

 My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Blurb: 1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.Five simple rules. 

Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

 An e-ARC of this book has been provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Okay,I'll be honest. I had some major expectations from this book, and maybe that's why I didn't find it as awesome as I hoped I would. However, I loved the concept. The Roswell incident has always been something I've been curious and intrigued about, so imagine my surprise when this book turned out to be based on that only. That was one reason I got immediately attracted to this book.

The concept was compelling and the way the story started off was awesome. I could feel myself connecting with the female protagonist, Ariane and it broke my heart to see her leading such a sad and lonely life to protect herself. Her character was sweet, helpful and protective of people she cared about and I really liked her for that. However, somewhere in the middle, it was like she suddenly started jumping into explosive situations. The risk that she was taking was always on her mind, no doubt but nonetheless, it made the story a little less believable when she spent more than half of her life hiding so carefully and suddenly becoming so....daring. I get the fact that paranormal fiction isn't exactly written for being believable but still.

The middle part of the book became boring after a while. There was too much mental banter from Ariane and the story just wasn't moving forward. And then, when Ariane started with her I-will-put-Rachel-in-her-place mode, it was clear this wasn't gonna go well and I just wanted to scream and throttle her for being so stupid. Some of the things she did just didn't match up with her initial personality and that made my interest waver a bit from the story.

The last part of the book, however, made my breath hitch. Ms. Kade executed the final part brilliantly and flawlessly. It was a total OMG moment because I seriously didn't expect that THIS was how she was gonna go down. I actually cried after reading the betrayal. It was too damn sad. Just for that awesome ending, I'm giving an extra star to this book.

Zane's POV was always interesting to read. For some reason, I found him more captivating than Ariane as he spent less time thinking of the past and actually seemed to live in the present more. Ariane, on the other hand, kept going back to her past and sometimes it was super annoying to read her continuous mental banter. Not that I blame her. Someone going through that kind of torture and actually coming back with their humanity intact is something to be admired.
Still, I think Zane was my favourite character in the story. He was non-judgmental and accepted Ariane like she was from the beginning. He was totally adorable throughout the story and very, very charming.

Overall, the concept was intriguing and the story was good but I can't say the same about the execution. It kept fluctuating between interesting and boring. But the good thing is, the interesting parts were amazing. Like, can't-stop-reading amazing. I'm pretty sure I would've liked this book more if I already didn't have so many expectations from it, but oh, well. I'm still gonna continue with the series because I'm super curious about what happens next!

ARC Review: Scent Of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blurb:  

The army of the dead are coming…

Avry of Kazan, the last Healer of the mystical Fifteen Realms, has a power that can’t be matched. But in the minds of her friends and foe alike, Avry no longer exists. 

Now, as the psychotic King Tohon builds an army mightier than any that has been seen before—a league of undead soldiers—Avry must face her toughest, most terrifying battle alone. Fighting to be reunited with her family and her lover Kerrick, Avry must infiltrate 
Tohon’s troops. 

But does she have the power, the rare magic; to do what legend says is impossible?

An e-ARC of this book has been provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 Once again, Maria V. Snyder managed to spin an absolutely enthralling and intriguing story. Avry's adventures were damn fun to read and with the added bonus of Kerrick's POV in this book, I abso-abso-absolutely adored almost everything about Scent Of Magic!

Since the first book, I really liked Avry as she was strong, compassionate and at the same time totally kick- ass, though I know I shouldn't expect any less from Ms. Snyder. Her female protagonists always hold up their own against the baddy bad villain/s and that's just one thing I like about her stories.

Scent Of Magic had both Avry and Kerrick's POV. It broke my heart to see them apart for more than half part of the book and I kept wishing that they FINALLY meet but nonetheless, the adventure that this story was kept my interest through and through. Avry's stronger side was revealed in this book and it was amazing to see her getting adapted so quickly in Estrid's army and making new allies.

Though this book had loads of surprising and new elements, I missed the whole gang (the Monkeys, Poppa Bear, Kerrick and Avry) which I'd grown so fond of in the last book. There was less traveling and more of suspense as Avry found a steady job, undercover and tried to uncover Tohon's spies and his plans.

I found myself holding my breath to see Tohon and Avry's encounter because Tohon is HOT in a totally evil way and I think I'm in love with him a little too! I was super excited to see what he will do after she (cheers from my side!) skillfully ruined his Death Lilys and some other schemes. I was a little disappointed to see Tohon's attempts to woo Avry were so short-lived but oh, well.

Kerrick's adventures were far different from Avry's..it got slightly boring to read his POV in some instances especially when there was something exciting like Tohon's arrival in Estrid's camp going on over Avry's side and I wold be all like, come on move over, Kerrick! HOWEVER, this did not mean my undying love for him grew any less. He was as charming and swoon-worthy as ever. We get to see a softer, cuddlier side of him in this book which is just as-if not more-good as his tall, hot and mysterious side. I loved how he cared for Danny and Zila.

There was more magic, more mystery, more suspense and anticipation in this book but at the same time there was less Avry and Kerrick (together), less traveling adventure and less romantic parts as compared to Touch Of Power. I was expecting Avry to develop some super-mega cool powers after her waking-from-the-deadland thing but sadly that didn't happen.

Overall, all I can say is that Maria V. Snyder is awesome and the Healer series is one hell of a series. You can't help but fall in love with all the characters, evil ones included. After every chapter, I waited breathlessly to see what happens next and and and I CAN'T WAIT TO READ TASTE OF DEATH!! Gimme that book nowwwww!!

ARC Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Blurb: 

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. 

I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

 If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest?
Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

An e-ARC has been provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: From the moment I read the excerpt of Dare You To, I was super-super-super excited to know more about Beth's life and believe me when I say, I had MAJOR expectations form this book as Pushing The Limits ranked up to one of my favourite books of all time.
I'm glad to say Dare You To didn't disappoint though I did hope I could like Beth, if not more then just as much as I'd liked Echo.

In Pushing The Limits, there were a few hints of what Beth was going through and from there only it was evident that Beth's life was pretty screwed-up. I enjoyed reading her POV in this book from the start but somewhere in the middle, she became a little annoying. I mean, her reasons for being so closed-off were totally justified and I tried to be really open about her situation but I still wish she'd given Scott a break. He was a really sweet guy and I loved the way he treated Beth as if she was his daughter.
The way she said "blah blah blah" when she was mad was really funny, though. Here's a snippet-

'I lift my hand in the air and flap it like a puppet's mouth. "Blah, blah, blah Elisabeth. I'll only be gone a couple of months. Blah, blah, blah Elisabeth. I'll make enough money to get us both out of Groveton. Blah, blah, blah Elisabeth. You'll never grow up like me. Blah, blah, blah Elisabeth. I'll make sure you have some fucking food to eat!"'

Now coming to the romance part. Is it really that surprising when I say that I feel Ryan had always been better than Isaiah for Beth? Don't get me wrong. In PTL, even i felt that Isaiah would be good for Beth but after knowing her story, it was like she was just drowning in this deep well along with Isaiah without them even realizing it. She needed someone, someone form the outside to pull her out of there and Ryan was perfect for it. He actually got through the thick walls Beth had made around herself and helped her get out of them instead of getting inside the walls and doing nothing to pull her out like Isaiah.

There was no suspense as to who Beth'll choose in the end because from the beginning it had been Ryan only as it was his POV alternating with Beth's. I didn't feel to bad for Isaiah because I knew Katie McGarry has some awesome-blossom story ready for him and his time is gonna come soon too. :)

Dare You To was an intriguing read no doubt and I felt myself connecting to Beth and Ryan as the story bloomed further BUT my heart didn't pace like it did with PTL but that's okay 'cause it was close. VERY close.

Overall, I loved the writing-style, the story and the execution. Katie McGarry did an amazing job with Dare You To and handled all the characters very well. This story made me laugh and cry several times and just this fact can tell how much I liked it. Dare You To is one book that is definitely worth reading at least once!

Here are some of the quotes I loved-

“I like you. I. Like. You. I'll admit you're annoying. Sometimes you agitate me to the brink of insanity, but you can throw it back at me like no one else. When you laugh, I want to laugh. When you smile, I want to smile. Hell, I want to be the one to make you smile.”

“You're a lot like that bird in the barn. You're so scared that you're going to be caged in forever you can't see the way out. You smack yourself against the wall again and again and again. The door is open, Beth. Stop running in circles and walk out.”

“Screw what Mom and Dad think. Screw the rest of the town. Screw perfection. This girl is mine.”

“I hold the bottle out into the rain and watch as the steady flow slowly fills it. When there is enough, enough that Beth can clearly see, I close the bottle and hand it to her.

She raises a skeptical eyebrow, but accepts the bottle.

"It's our rain Beth."

Her head barely shakes to show her confusion while I rub the back of my neck and search for my courage. "I told you I loved you in this rain and when you doubt my words, I want you to look at this bottle.”

“Jocks usually aren't smart. Their muscles feast on their brains.”

ARC Review: Double Crossed by Ally Carter

Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story by Ally Carter
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Blurb:  

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.

Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.

When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

An e-ARC has been provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Double Crossed seriously made me want to start reading Gallagher Girls and Heist Society ASAP. They've been in my to-read pile for a while now and I think I'm gonna buy them as soon as my exams finish. But there just happens to be one tiny problem..



This novella turned out to be just the way I expected it. In short, AWESOME. Macy intrigued me from the moment the story started. Her confident stride, bad-ass girl attitude and anti-damsel-in-distress vibe made her an amazing character, just the way I like the female protagonists.
As for Hale, he sounded pretty cool and I thought Macey and him could make a good couple. That is, before Kat entered the story and this little scene turned up which made me instantly curious about their story.
Here's the snippet-

"What kind of plan B?" Hale asked. He was almost holding his breath when a voice answered, "My kind." Macey tried to read the look on his face then, but it was gone in a flash. It had been a simple moment of peace and joy and pure happiness. That voice made Hale happy. It kept him calm. It was his backup and his conscience. Macey couldn't help herself, she envied him.

Well, I guess I better start reading The Heist Society to find out.

Since it was a novella, it was obviously short and brief but interesting nonetheless. Sort of makes you wonder what is exactly the characters' story. Not to mention, Ally Carter's writing style is ah-mazingggg!! The way everything turned out in the end was brilliantly thought of. I so wish I'd read Heist Society and Gallagher Girls earlier. Oh, well.

ARC Review- Painted Blind by Michelle A. Hansen

Painted Blind by Michelle A. Hansen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Blurb: Seventeen years old and agoraphobic, Psyche Middleton vows her dad will never see the risqué photos she took during a summer modeling stint abroad, but one of them ends up on a billboard in her Montana hometown. Now everyone—especially her dad—can see it. And yet, somehow, those are the mundane things in her life because she is about to fall unexpectedly, head-over-heels in love with Erik, a mysterious young man who rescues her from a crowd of admirers, and who she’s never actually seen because…he can make himself invisible.

As strange as this may seem, it’s about to get even stranger. Erik takes her to his palace in an idyllic kingdom, and she is swept into the beauty and culture of his world, but his affection has one condition: she may not see him. Overtaken, intrigued, and still not wholeheartedly believing he’s real, Psyche is going to have to decide if she can love him blindly; because if she can’t, she may lose him forever.

An e-copy of this book has been provided to me by the author for an honest review.

Review: When I first saw the cover, I thought this might just be another YA contemporary fiction but nonetheless, I liked it so I went on to read the summary which was quite different from what I'd first assumed. Painted Blind is a YA fiction fantasy based on a Greek/Roman mythology.

Now ever since I've read Percy Jackson, I've been a big fan of Greek myth so obviously, this book intrigued me. Even kept my full interest till the 15th chapter or so. But as the story went on, I just felt that there was something missing in this novel. Don't get me wrong. The story was absolutely spectacular and well thought of, but I'm afraid I can't say the same about the writing style. The author herself seemed confused as to how to proceed once or twice. After every chapter, I was left confused about some things or several things.

Nonetheless, there were some really great elements in the book. The main female protagonist was likable and pretty brave. The starting was really nicely written and there was a sweet happy ending which I liked. You get that so rarely in real life. *Sigh*

I couldn't believe Psyche, when she actually blindly loved Erik without seeing him. I mean, what if he turned out having a purple face with black teeth? To say, she was being blind AND dumb regarding this, is really putting it mildly. I know, I know looks don't matter and bla bla bla, so it was bearable UNTIL out of the blue, she's betrothed to him, STILL CLUELESS ABOUT HIS FACE. The good side of these things was that they created a curiosity within me to know how the story was actually gonna end. Somewhere in the middle of the story, it seemed like there might be a love triangle after all, but thankfully that didn't happen.

Overall, there were several good and bad points of this book. But I can't rule out the fact that despite the problems I had with it, I still couldn't stop reading the story. So the accurate rating for this book from my side would be 3.5 stars and yes, I would like to recommend it to all YA fantasy romance lovers.

ARC Review- Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
 My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Summary:   

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

An e-ARC has been provided to me by the publisher for an honest review.

My Review: From the second I started Pushing The Limits, this book got me hooked. Even when I wasn't reading it, my mind kept going back into the story and wondering what's gonna happen next. This book was amazingly written, had a mind-blowing story and wonderful, truly awesome characters. If you're looking for something really, really great to read, this book is definitely the one for you any day, anytime!

I can't even begin to describe how much I adored the characters of this book. I felt like I was connected to Noah and Echo. Their happiness made me smile, their despair sometimes even made me cry. This fact alone states how much I loved it. It wasn't just the amazing concept or the fact that it had everything I would expect in a YA contemporary romance. This book just sucked me into Noah's and Echo's life. Their pains, their betrayals, their moments of happiness, confusions and perhaps most importantly, their journey of self-discovery was what has made this book one my favourites of all time. Even though I seriously cried A LOT while reading this, the happy moments in the story were enough to make me smile on several occasions.

Echo had some serious issues throughout the story. The not-so-normal scars on her arms, the freaky incident that caused them and the fact that she couldn't remember a single thing about that night could drive anybody under the water. But it didn't break Echo. She survived. Yeah, she changed incredibly after the episode, but at least she survived and had the will to make her life somewhat normal again. This truly made me consider her as one of the strongest female protagonists I've come across so far.

Noah, on the other hand, made me swoooooon over him as soon as he was introduced in the story. He had his own set of issues but he dealt with them far differently than Echo. He was hard-core, stubborn and had his aims set. Adopting his brothers and getting them out of the foster care system was his highest priority and this made me love him even more. His love and affection for his brothers, his family was endearing. He was always there for Echo and his undoubted love for her made my heart melt at times.
Both of their worlds were vastly different and yet so similar. The way they felt towards each other was-I think- what all of us want with our "The One"s. It was like both of them were the pillar of strength for the other one. Guiding, supporting, loving each other like nobody else.

All the other characters were very, very well built-up and I really liked Echo's best friend Lila, or as Echo called her, The Good Witch, Glinda. She was also always there for Echo, helping her and supporting her. The confrontations Echo had with her dad and step-mother made me cry several times. It was ridiculous but I just couldn't help it. The torment she felt was just so..painful at times.

All in all, I don't think 5 stars are enough to describe my love for this book. I highly recommend it to all YA fiction lovers! :D

ARC Review- The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 Book Summary: 

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

An e-ARC has been provided to me by the publisher for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading The Lost Prince. It was nicely written and had some really great characters that I liked. Faeries are one of my favorite mythological beings so yeah, that might've increased my liking for this book a teeny-tiny bit. But seriously, if you’re a fan of YA faery books, The Lost Prince would definitely interest you!

I think I would have liked this book much, much more if sometimes it didn’t feel like Ms. Kagawa was just draaaaagging on the story. Some parts were pretty much messed up and there were some scenes which were totally not required in the book. I liked some of the characters but not all.

The only thing I liked about Kylie was her blue highlights. No, seriously it felt like she was forcefully dumped in the story where she was not required just because there HAD to be romance in the book. Unfortunately, I could see no chemistry whatsoever between Ethan and her and that’s one of the reasons, this book couldn’t rank up to my favourites shelf.

However, Ethan was an ah-mazing character. His POV was commendably written by Ms. Kagawa and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Since I’ve not read the Iron Fey series, I knew I was definitely missing out on many things but still it didn’t make me want to stop reading this and the credit for that definitely goes to the author.

Overall, there were some faults in this book but the story definitely made up for them. There were some really awesome action-sequences and because of that, this book gets extra browine points from my side. Accurate rating would be 3.5 stars.
While I wait for the next book to come, I’m definitely gonna start with the Iron Fey series!

ARC Review- Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 Summary: The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

 An e-ARC of this book has been provided to me by the publisher.

My review: I really don't know what opt write about this book. My views are still pretty conflicted on whether I loved it or absolutely hate it. It's just that there were so many parts that were ridiculously dumb at times and other parts which were so sweet, I still have my "Awwwwww" moments when I remember them.

No matter how hard I tried, I still couldn't bring myself to like either Abby or Travis. Initially, yes they seemed interesting but as the story moved on, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell is wrong with these two. Travis seemed obsessed with Abby, overly obsessed at times and that was quite disturbing. There were many incidents in which Travis acted...abnormally and quite frankly, like a freaking insane person and yet Abby just dumbly got over it for whatever reasons.
Also, tattooing the girl's name and professing his eternal love for her in the second or third week of their relationship is so not cool. Okay, I get it that they were thoroughly in love with each other but seriously?
And I don't even want to begin about what I thought of them marrying and already talking about kids when they hadn't even graduated from college!! That's just plain freaky. No offense, Miley Cyrus.

Despite all this, I still can't deny that fact that this book was thoroughly engrossing. Yes, there were many holes in the story and in the end the message that this book gave (according to me) was not at all right. But still, I liked the writing style, certain jokes that were amusing and some scenes where I could actually see myself connecting with the female protagonist. There were times when I even warmed up to Travis, though that was pretty rare. I really, really liked Abby's best friend America who was supportive, protective and damn perfect as far as best friends go. I guess she was the only character in the book that remained a constant favorite of mine throughout the story.

Overall, I had equal amounts of love-hate feelings while reading this book and thus I'm gonna stick with 3 stars. I wouldn't recommend this to the YA readers as even though the female protagonist is 19, this book should still be shelved in Adult romance or something like that.

ARC Review- Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary:  After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

An e-ARC of this book has been provided to me by the publisher.

My Review: I'd read some great reviews before starting this novel, so needless to say, I had pretty high expectations from it and I was definitely not disappointed.. Throne of Glass was action-packed, had awesome characters and an ah-mazing storyline that was beautifully written by Sarah Mass. The whole time I was reading it, I kept holding my breath and wondering what's gonna happen next.

This book would've got an easy 5 star from me had it not been for the fact that all the main characters of the story STRONGLY resembled the ones from Vampire Academy. Don't get me wrong, the stories of these books are vastly different but the female protagonist, Calaena had almost the exact same characteristics of our dear Rose. Celaena's brooding trainer/ Captain of the guards, Westfall was strikingly similar to Dimitri and Prince Dorian was an exact copy of Adrian.

Other than that, I absolutely adored this book. Though there was nothing new in the characters, the story itself was engrossing and flawlessly written. There was mystery, adventure, action, romance, fantasy and a touch of paranormal. Really, what was not to love? :D

ARC Review-Confessions Of An Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Summary: Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make…1. I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?

2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.

3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry—get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)

(Sorry. That was rude.)

 An e-ARC has been provided to me by the publisher.

My review: Confessions Of An Angry Girl was an okay read for me. The cover and the summary truly desscribe the story perfectly! And I really, really loved the cover.
The beginning was really irritating mainly because of the whiny protagonist, but as the story moved on, it got better to a point where I couldn't put it down before finshing it.
The writing style of Ms. Rozett was awesome! Even if you didn't like the characters, her way of writing out her story will automatically make you wanna read more and that's one of the best thing I liked about this novel. The story was fine but the way it ended was ah-mazing and had a bit of a cliff-hanger.

Quite frankly, I did not like Rose. Not at all. I really tried to understand her reasons for being such an uptight snob but couldn't. So yes, her dad died and it was justified for her to feel angry and upset and a bit confused. But that still doesn't give you a free pass to act all mean and rude with other people who care about you. In the first half of the book, I honestly felt like throwing a big car on her, don't ask me why. She reminded me slightly of Bridget from Here Lies Bridget.

Jamie was fine but he lost a LOT of brownie points from me when he kissed Rose twice while he was still in another relationship. That's not what decent guys do and no matter how many reasons were behind him cheating on his girlfriends, it's still too wrong for me to actually like him that much. Aside from this, Jamie was likable, I guess. Although I never really could find anything bad-ass about him. Hmph, maybe it's just me..?

All the other characters were nice, and realistic. This book showed many things that happen to us in real life and also showed us how to deal with them. The message was really nice and overall, the story was good and worth reading atleast once. I really want to read the next book in the series, Confessions Of An Almost Girlfriend and see what happens next in Rose's life :)