Number of Pgs.: 371

Publication date: April 30, 2013

Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Supernatural

How I got the copy: Bought

Rating:  4 Stars
  

From Goodreads:

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things. 

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

Plot: 7/10

Characters: 8/10

Setting: 8/10

Pacing: 7/10

Style: 8/10

Cover:  I like her dress in this one better, but their pose is a little strange to me.  And that's not really what I pictured Kai to look like unfortunately.

38+50=88 (4 Stars)

    My first reaction to the first 100 pages or so is W.T.F..  Kaiden is nowhere in sight for those first few chapters and I was very upset by this.  He was my favorite part of book one!  But I pushed through because I really liked Sweet Evil and I didn't want to give up just yet.  I'm so glad I kept reading because once Kai comes back into the story it's amazing.  Let's just say there's a steamy scene that involves laundry and brownies...so ya it was worth the 100 page wait.

    Anna's character has changed since book one which was interesting to see.  Deep down she's still sweet, but since she's been having to work as a demon (push drugs/alcohol on teens) she's starting to enjoy it at times.  It was a nice break from her goodie goodie role in the first book.  Blake was the fun comic relief.  He kind of reminded me of Kenji from Shatter Me (one of my favorite characters ever).  He lightened the mood of the book immensely.  I liked the new characters, like Z, who had a really unique background story also.

       While I felt like not much happened in this book, I was kind of okay with that.  It was more character driven than plot driven.  And since I love connecting on an emotional level with characters it didn't bother me too much.  The ending was pretty suspenseful though and I'm already anticipating book three.

Number of Pgs.: 544

Publication date: October 23, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Genre: YA, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, Thriller

How I got the copy: Bought

Rating:  5 Stars

From Goodreads:

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Plot: 9/10

Characters: 9/10

Setting: 10/10

Pacing: 10/10

Style: 10/10

Cover:  I love the covers for this series.  The color in this one is perfect.  It's dark and sets the mood of the book.  It also reminds me of the color of the dress she wears during the amazing beach scene.

48+50=98 (5 Stars)

    Wow.  Ladies and gentlemen I think I just found my new favorite series.  This book really messed with my mind, but in a good way.  I didn't know what was real and what was hallucinations.  I love that slowly pieces of the puzzle are starting to make sense.  I was a little confused with the flashbacks with India though so I hope that's clarified in book three. 

     While we're on this journey with Mara to unravel these secrets of her past, we are also getting a better understand of Noah and his pain.  I was able to predict a few minor things, but overall I was really surprised where Michelle went with the story.  While talking to Judy over at Paper Riot (you can find her review below), we discussed how it felt like there was a genre shift in this story.  I loved that though.

     Noah is just so swoon-worthy it's a tad ridiculous.  He's up there next to Daemon and Aiden on my list of book boyfriends I wish were real.  And Mara's a great character too.  She's a little self deprecating and whiny in this one by thinking she deserves bad things to happen to her.  But I guess if I was doing what she was I'd hate myself too.  I like that there were some new characters introduced and some old favorites, like Daniel, were back and didn't disappoint.  I love that Mara's family seems to be really close.  You don't see that much in YA books anymore.

     This book was the perfect balance of humor, steamy romantic scenes, and action.  There was some paranormal/sci fi thrown in and mystery as well.  Be warned though, there is a cliffhanger...I'm pretty sure I need book three asap.  Standing ovation for Michelle Hodkin!

Number of Pgs.: 452

Publication date: September 27, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Genre: YA, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, Thriller

How I got the copy: Bought

Rating:  5 Stars

From Goodreads:

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

Plot: 9/10

Characters: 9/10

Setting: 9/10

Pacing: 10/10

Style: 10/10

Cover:  I love underwater covers and this one is no exception.  The first time I read this book it was because the cover caught my eye at the library!

47+50=97 (5 Stars)

     I had reviewed this book the first time I read it, but it was when I was first starting out blogging and it was on my old blog so here it is reposted and then a paragraph about my rereading experience.

-Electrifying physical and emotional attraction between main characters

-Fast paced action scenes
-Well Written
-Suspense
-Murder Mystery 

Check, check, and check!  This book had all of the above and more, making it one of the most unexpectedly exciting reads of 2011.  I only wish I had picked it up sooner.  I immediately connected with the main character, Mara.  Here sarcastic, yet hilarious, sense of humor had me laughing out loud at times.  It's very rare that you see an author write dialogue that is close to how teens actually speak to each other.  (I will advise that there is some cursing in there, for those of you readers who might take offense.)  Mara's love interest, Noah, is British, rich, an animal lover, and hot!  He is also very mysterious and sly.  The way those two interacted was very entertaining and had me laughing one moment and on the edge of my seat the next. 

I am proud to say I figured out who the murderer was halfway through the book!  I liked that the reader is provided with enough clues.  I always get frustrated during Law and Order when they introduce the murderer in the last three minutes of the episode.  It's no fun when you can't guess.  I also liked how even once I knew who did it there was still a bigger mystery that we won't figure out until book two.  My one complaint is that Mara is a little self hating in the end and it comes off a little whiny and ridiculous, but other than that I love everything about this book.        

    In my rereading experience I fell in love with this book even more if that's possible.  After blogging for a year and reading a lot more books than I had the first time I read this, I can honestly say this is in my top five books I love.  So if that's not enough of a reason for you to go read it check out the quotes I love below or read some more reviews.

Number of Pgs.: 360

Publication date: April 4, 2013

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Greek Mythology

How I got the copy: Won from Janina from Synchronized Reading

Rating:  5 Stars

From Goodreads:

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

Plot: 9/10

Characters: 9/10

Setting: 9/10

Pacing: 8/10

Style: 10/10

Cover:  Fire was used a few times during fighting so I guess it makes sense this cover the flower looks like fire.  I think the covers for this series could be a little better.  They don't really go with the series to me.

45+50=95 (5 Stars)

  Jennifer L. Armentrout should be given an award for best character development in a series ever.  Each character in this series grew in this book and it felt natural and real.  Alex matures, but is still her snarky hilarious self and Marcus isn't as much of a meanie.  Even the smaller characters like Lea changed.  And Aiden is even more amazing if that was even possible.  Seriously, the swoons I have for this guy are ridiculous.  Definitely my all time favorite book boyfriend (and you know I have lots of those).  And since the last book made me want to punch Seth, I was glad he wasn't in this one as much.

    Sometimes by the fourth book in a series the setting gets redundant and boring.  But JLA doesn't disappoint.  She takes the characters to new interesting locations and describes them beautifully while introducing some Greek Mythology stories as well which I loved.  It also felt a little dystopian to me too which is always a good thing in my mind.

     My only complaint was the beginning seemed a little long.  I was glad I read Elixir, but I got bored quickly with Alex not being herself.  I missed her snark and jokes.  And of course I missed her and Aiden's interaction.  However, that shower scene definitely made up for the first few chapter's slow pacing.  Once things started picking up I read the last half of the book in one sitting.  Literally, I did not move/breathe/blink for a few hours.

Number of Pgs.: 352

Publication date: March 25, 2013

Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: Supernatural, YA, Paranormal

How I got the copy: Bought

Rating:  4 Stars

From Goodreads:

He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 8/10

Setting: 8/10

Pacing: 9/10

Style: 9/10

Cover:  I like the hot guy on the cover of course, but I kind of wished they had incorporated more red or Dante's Red chucks! But I like the rays behind him.  I think that's supposed to be people's soul lights.

42+50=92 (5 Stars)

     Cue Cobra Starship's song Good Girls Go Bad and you have Dante's theme song.  He makes them good girls go bad.  Which at first made me not like him.  The first few chapters his only redeeming quality was his love for red Converse sneakers (boys in Converse are my weakness).  He was just so full of himself, rude, and an overall jerk.  And while I know a lot of reviews I read gave this book a low rating because of him, I thought his personality made perfect sense.  He works for the devil.  He wouldn't have gotten that job if he wasn't a jerk.  And let's be real, we've all had judgey thoughts like Dante had at some point about another person.  The only difference is that we just keep them to ourselves.  But Dante evolves over the course of the book and by the end I really liked him!  I also enjoyed that this was a male pov because those are very rare these days.  He's snarky which I enjoyed, but I'll admit there were times I thought a few of his lines were a little cheesy.  

     Charlie was such an unusual heroine.  She's not "pretty" in society's standards, but she is gorgeous on the inside.  I thought she was a little too trusting, but I was kind of naive like that in High School too unfortunately.  I loved that her character grew through the story too not just Dante.  I wanted to know more of her back story so I hope we learn more in book two.  Her friends Annabelle and Blue were such unique characters too and very realistic to High Schoolers.  I don't know why, but the whole book I kept suspecting people to be collectors.  I guess I just don't trust anyone these days...even grandmas apparently.

    If you like Sweet Evil you should definitely try this one.  It's similar in the sense that the main guy's job is to corrupt the sweet girl.  Unlike Sweet Evil, there's not much romance in this one.  I wanted more, but at the same time I hate insta-love so I was kind of glad their relationship developed at a slower pace.