Review: Raised By Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blurb: Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it.  That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. 

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

Review: Raised By Wolves was a compelling read. I'd heard some great things about this book and sure enough, it didn't disappoint me. Ms. Barnes spun a terrific story which had almost every element you can ask for in a werewolf fiction novel.

The protagonist, Bryn, was funny, quirky and independent. The author captured a 15 year old's thoughts perfectly. She was rebellious and yet wasn't completely stupid. Her curiosity and that fire to get all the answers she wanted was quite intriguing and from the moment I started this book, I knew I was gonna like this girl, reckless as she was.
Still, there were some things about her which also annoyed me. So many times, she acted without thinking and even after knowing her actions might put her and her caretaker at risk, she didn't stop. Of course the story wouldn't have moved forward if she hadn't done something to trigger the fire but that didn't stop me from thinking she was very much selfish.

Things always seemed to go on extreme with Bryn. From the beginning nothing or everything seemed to be her motto. Which is exactly why I wasn't that surprised with the abrupt manner Chase and Bryn connected. And the only reason I actually liked the quick way they became together was because the author described those feral, wild werewolf emotions perfectly. It made sense and thus, I was okay with it.

What I was not okay with was Bryn's selfish side peeking through again and again in the story. I mean, once is fine, twice is still okay but again and again just makes it annoying. I really hope Bryn grows a little more mature in the next book.

As for the story, I really couldn't have asked for more excitement in a novel. The execution was absolutely fab and the characterization went well with the story. There was a pretty awesome action scene and Bryn's fun side kept her POV interesting through and through.

All in all, if you're a werewolf fan like me and are looking for a great werewolf YA read, Raised By Wolves is perfect for you!

Off-topic Blab

Heya peeps!

Okay, I know I've been a veryyyyyyyyy slacky blogger for the past few weeks but I've been off for vacations and believe me, taking out time for net while you're surrounded with your huge family is tough!

Anywho, I'll still try to post as many reviews as I can. The only problem is that since I don't have access to my laptop here, I'll have to post them through a tab and it's seriously driving me nuts because I hate posting through tabs. It's slow, with a capital S and moreover, blogger doesn't allow copy-pasting of photos and selecting text is tiresome, ughhhh. Or maybe I just don't know how to do it.

So because of that, the format of the posts would be changing a bit for the time being. I'm just directly gonna paste the html code which goodreads so graciously provides (would it kill them to increase the book cover's size?? It's so damn tiny -.-).

I'll try to get the posts back to their previous pretty versions as soon as i can get access to my lappy so for now, just try to bear with me.

-Josheka 

Tour: Lost And Found by Nicole Williams

Lost and Found by Nicole Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Title: Lost and Found

Author: Nicole Williams

Release date: May 7, 2013

Publisher: Nicole Williams

Age Group: Mature Young Adult/New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

Blurb:
There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling.

After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing.

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded.

Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls.

When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself.


Giveaway:
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About the Author:

I'm a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I'm still writing because I love it. I write young adult because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings. Here's to staying young at heart *raises champagne glass* . . . care to join me?

Author Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwilliamsbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nwilliamsbooks

Blog: http://nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com/

Tour schedule link: http://wp.me/p20ttU-1vc

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My Review: Lost and found was an engrossing read. From the moment I started it, the book immediately pulled me into Rowen's life. It was pretty obvious that Rowen's gonna go through some major personality changes as the story proceeds but at the same time I was curious as to how those changes occur, especially after our gorgeous tom boy, Jesse makes a swoon-worthy entry.

Rowen was different from most of the other female protagonists that we usually read about in books. She wasn't a total goth or an absolute emo even if her appearance might fool you into believing otherwise. But reading her POV made it clear from the beginning that this wasn't going to be a bland, simple story. Rowen had a fun, caring and really adventurous side which she kept hidden from the world but upon reaching Willow Springs, I could see that side immediately popping out of the deep layers she'd put around herself. The reason behind her skeptic, mean and dark side was somewhat of a mystery though I figured it out pretty early, though that didn't make the story any less interesting.

Jesse was like sunshine to Rowen's darkness. Wherever he went, he left a trail of smiles and a few broken hearts because well, he was smokin' hot (honestly, which male protagonist of a book isn't?). He made the story a lot more funny and intriguing. His personality was charming and it was no surprise that he balanced Rowen completely. Both of them made an awesome couple and it broke my heart when Rowen kept pushing Jesse away so rudely. It was a little irritating to see her so unsure and whiny. Jesse kept his cool throughout anyway and eventually it all became alright.

The story had some common and some not-so-common elements. The mix of that made it a compelling read. I enjoyed almost every part of this book. All the characters were well built-up. Though Rowen's mother still remains a mystery to me and so does her and Rose's friendship. It was a bit confusing but maybe that's just the way how Ms. Williams wanted it to be. The main focus was always on Jesse and Rowen so I didn't mind that minor tweak.

All in all, Lost and Found is a well written and an extremely enjoyable red. It made me laugh a lot of times and made me a little misty eyed a few times. It wasn't difficult to connect with the characters and Ms. Williams has truly done an awesome job at this one and I'm already excited to read more of her books!