Book Review - Abandon by Meg Cabot

Pierce died. Well she was pronounced as NDE'd - near death experience and when she came back, she wasn't quite the same. But she hopes that moving to a new home and a new school things will get better... but he keeps showing up - John - Lord of the Underworld - even though he shows up exactly when she needs him, but he wants to take her back to the Underworld. 

Okay so for once I am going to be a bit harsh... here it goes...

This book wasn't the best. The plot of the story moved incredibly slow - I guess you could say it dragged. The first maybe half to three quarters of the book was it explaining about Pierce's accident and her trip to the underworld - which got a bit boring after a while, I was waiting for the excitement and romance!

The writing of the book I didn't like either - it was pretty confusing. One minute you would be reading something that was happening in the present and the next you would read about a time when Pierce was seven - I wouldn't have minded this if there had of been a break in the paragraph or maybe if it was written in italics so you would know it was from the past - but that didn't happen.

What I did like about this book however was the story line. I thought it was very interesting the way Hades and Persephone was in a way linked to John and Pierce but the were a few differences between the two and the meaning of why Persephone had to stay with Hades in the Underworld was different also which I really liked - it added a fresh twist on the Greek Myth. I know a lot of people mightn't like the comparisons between the two but I find that a new take on the Greek myth is nice and that just because they're somewhat similar in a way doesn't mean they have to do the same things by script.

Pierce I also liked - she was smart and strong and was pretty easy to relate to - especially in the romance department which I'm sure most teens go through. John I also liked - he was strong, caring and loyal, not to mention extremely bad ass as he is Lord of the Underworld. He knows what he wants and he will do what it takes to get it, but, even when all hope is lost and he doesn't think Pierce wants in - he still protects her. 

The other characters were well written and well developed - they each had their own part in relation to Pierce and her accident. 

Overall I don't really know what to make of this book - it has it good points and its bad points and I'm sure depending on what type of books you like, the good and bad parts might be different for you. I wouldn't say this book isn't read-worthy - but I do have the second book waiting on hand and I'm willing to give it a shot - I just hope the plot moves along at a better pace.

Book Review - Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Anna Whitt the daughter of a guardian angel and demon promised herself that she would never do the work of her father - she was naive to make such a vow.

Anna finds herself doing whatever it takes to survive especially as she is haunted by the demon whisperers - she earns herself the reputation of being the schools party girl - which is good and bad in a way. She will go unnoticed from the demon whisperers as she is working, but it will begin to test her willpower and her addiction - after all, her father is the Duke of substance abuse. 

Anna's life has been a roller coaster ever since Kaiden told her what she was - she is becoming more and more popular as the days pass by and the more parties she attends - but somewhere deep down - Kaiden still plagues her heart, and her mind.

But there's a more urgent matter at hand - a message from the angels has surfaced and Anna finds herself travelling the globe with Kope, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain the support of other nephilim and to give them hope - they know though, that it won't happen without a fight. 

Anna is older in this book and has matured and grown into a strong and confident woman - she knows what she needs to do and it willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that the nephilim will be free. With Kope at her side throughout the meetings with the other Neph, she is sure they will listen and hopefully, join her. Throughout her journey she travels all over the world and eventually has to tell her friends - Blake, Marna and Ginger and also Kaiden. 

Kaiden has also matured and is doing everything he can to keep out of danger - which means working. As the son of Lust, you can imagine what kind of work that would be. He tries to forget about his attraction to Anna - but when she turns up and begins to tease him - he can't forget. But they will be faced with the ultimate question - is loving someone really worth risking their life?

Throughout this book you get to meet a lot of knew characters, each of which are very well developed and who all have their stories told which helps you to feel like you know them. The plot is a lot more advanced and fast paced than Sweet Evil and will no doubt keep you interested in all aspects. There's love, loss, danger, excitement... what's not to love? It will keep the pages turning - you would be able to finish this in one sitting because it is that intense - and I guarantee you'll love it

Book Review - Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense of feeling and seeing other people's emotions. She's aware of the torment within herself and the inexplicable pull of danger - but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaiden Rowe that she discovers her heritage and her willpower is put to the test. 

Anna Whitt is a tender hearted southern girl who has a secret. She can see, and feel other people emotions - and also has heightened senses which came to her as she got older - which was for a young girl, was terrifying. Then one night she meets Kaiden Rowe - who is a drummer in a band - and he immediately snags her attention - including the red star burst badge on his chest. 

He is the guy your daddy warned you about

Throughout Anna's encounters with Kaiden - she begins to learn more about herself and what she is - but also that... she's not the only one. There are a number of teens whose lives depend solely on being bad influences - these are the nephilim, and they are the sons and daughters of fallen angels. 

Anna and Kaiden go through a lot of challenges in this book and their destiny is put to the test - especially Anna's. Will she embrace her Halo or her Horns? 

Anna is a great lead female character who could possible relate to the majority of young teenage girls in some shape or form. She's loving, smart, loyal and determined - she will face love and loss and I guarantee you will cheer her on.

Kaiden is also a great main character - he's funny, smart, a total badass and you can't help but love him - you learn about his life and even though he has his tantrums and his downsides - the good things about always shine through. He's loyal, strong, determined - and maybe change his fate. 

The side characters in this book were also very well developed and they were involved quite a bit throughout.

The main plot is great - it's fast paced and there isn't one single bit that was boring or lagging with excitement - there was always enough information to keep me interested. This is the type of book which you would be able to finish in one sitting because it is written and portrayed that well that you always want to find out what's on the next page. 

A great read which I highly recommend! 

Book Review - Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Everbound continues on a week or so after Everneath ended. I will admit I was wondering what way this book was going to go - if it was going to have the happily ever after and let that be that - or if something twisted and the unexpected happened... I'm not going to tell you which one it was but I will say it did not disappoint! 

Nikki is living a borrowed life - Jacks life... it should've been her the tunnels took and for that she will do anything to get Jack back - the problem is - she has no idea where to start or how to go about it. It then hits her that she has one possibility - and that's Cole. Even though he is the one person least likely to help her - he surprises her by taking her to the Everneath himself. 

Everything about Nikki has touched his heart - and everything that happens surprises Nikki more and more - maybe she doesn't know Cole as well as she thought she did.

Travelling through the Everneath is a lot more dangerous than they expected and they have to rely on Nikki's memories of Jack in order to find there way to him - yes that's right - Jack isn't in this book very much - but no matter, there was Cole. Even though he is a different character for the better in my opinion. Nikki is completely oblivious to Cole's feelings for her - which was annoying because it was kind of obvious - ultimately though, it leads to tragic ending and yes there is a cliffhanger.

What I also loved about this book was the action that was involved. Everneath was more laid back and there was no real urgency or running for their life so to speak - but in Everbound - there's this matter of urgency running throughout the entire book - will the make it in time to get jack? Will they find their way though the rings? Will they make it out alive themselves? It was really fast paced and as it is based on Greek Mythology there was a lot of pain and suffering, not necessarily on the characters but around them. 

There is a love triangle in this book again but it is more pronounced - and ultimately I'm favouring more towards Cole - I can't help it. You learn so much more about him and find out how deep and complex he really is. You get a true insight into his life - even before he became an everliving. Cole says there are no heroes - but is he just resisting the person he can be - or does he see his fate sealed?

I truly enjoyed this book - it was fast paced - intriguing and undoubtedly insightful. Unfortunately I will have to wait about a year or more for the finale in the Everneath Trilogy *weeps* but I'll bet it's worth the wait! 

Book Review - Predestined by Abbi Glines

Predestined is the follow on to Existence which I have also done a review on - if you want to check it out then click here 

After Pagan helps to save Dank from an eternity in hell, she expects things to go back to normal - well as normal as it can be considering her boyfriend is death and she can see souls... but things just keep getting weirder. At the end of existence - which if you haven't read then I wouldn't want you to read this part - Pagan finds out that Leif is no ordinary boy, he isn't even human. Along side that - Leif is missing and the town is is in a state or worry, but he's showing up in Pagans dreams, uninvited. 

Dank didn't think he had anything to worry about, what can a soulless creature do anyway? But he finds that he has made a grave mistake - Pagan's soul has been marked and claimed by Lief - Heaven knows Dank will do anything to save Pagan - if Hell wants a piece of him too - then bring it on.

I loved this book - it was fast paced and had me turning page after page waiting to see what happened next. Pagan and Dank finally get the relationship they want and are enjoying every minute of it. What I really enjoyed though was seeing Leif in Pagan's dreams - because they weren't just dreams, they were memories. Lief helped Pagan throughout her life, but due to him having no soul - she wasn't able to remember him.

Dank is a lot more open and expressive in this book which I also really liked - i enjoyed seeing him happy and living a normal life - even if he is death.

Overall this is a great sequel to Existence and I loved getting to learn more about the characters - especially Lief - and I can't wait until Ceaseless is out - the final book in the Existence Trilogy 

Book Review - Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Like most books, the cover is what automatically entices me in and therefore gets me to read the blurb and so on. This book is no exception - I loved the cover and definitely wanted to know more about it.

This book is an adaptation of the Persephone Story which you would have heard within Greek Mythology or if you've read the Goddess Test books by Aimee Carter.

Nikki Beckett was enticed to the underworld known as the Everneath by the devious immortal Cole. Cole can take away her pain and leave her numb, which is what she desperately needs. But time moves differently in the Everneath - she was there, in the tunnels attached to Cole for 100 years - but only 6 months passed on the surface.  

When she leaves the tunnels and returns to the surface - she has only 6 months before they come to claim her - six months to fix her life with her family - and the boy whose name she can't remember but only his face. But Cole has another plan - he wants to make Nikki Queen of the Everneath - therefore making him King.

What I liked about this book is that it tells of times that happened before Nikki went to the Everneath with Cole - so you get a better understanding as to why she went and what lead her to make that decision.

I loved this book. Nikki is a great lead character - she's smart, strong and loyal and loves with all her heart. She will do whatever it takes to ensure that she can remain on the surface and rebuild her life and her relationships. 

this leads on to there being a somewhat "love triangle," between Nikki, Jack (the boy whose face she knows) and Cole. Personally at the start I was torn between Jack and Cole - Jack is the typical caring, protective boyfriend whereas Cole is smouldering, dangerous and a bad boy.

Ultimately - I have to go with Cole and if you read the book then you can make up your mind. 

I really did enjoy reading this book and I even have the second book (Everbound) sitting waiting for me to start reading - which I will also do a review on

Book Review - The Crossfire Series by Sylvia Day

The Crossfire Series 

Disclaimer - This book contains mature adult content and would not be suitable for anyone under the age of 18

The Crossfire Series follows the highly emotional and romantic journey of Gideon Cross and Eva Tramell. Eva newly moves to New York with her best friend Cary whom she is also living with - Eva and Cary have known each other for a long time, even before they moved to New York so their bond is strong - they know each other's strengths and weaknesses and know how to comfort each other when times get tough.

As for Eva and Gideon, well... Their relationship is intense throughout the whole series. From the very beginning and even after the first few days without even knowing each other - their interactions have been lustful and heated and you know that they will do anything to be with each other - and I mean anything.

Eva is perfect as the lead female character - she strong and passionate - yet caring and kind. She has had a troubled past, which she bravely tells Gideon after only dating a short while in order to prepare him in case the press finds out and publishes it, which she thinks would ruin his reputation. She is open in terms of what she needs from him in the relationship, emotionally and physically and isn't scared to inform him that she is a jealous type - basically she has backbone and she isn't afraid to use it!

Gideon... Gideon is intense, and I mean intense. There have been a lot of speculation that he is similar to Christen Grey which I can understand, but I personally prefer Gideon. I will admit though at the start I really didn't like him. He was possessive, in a scary way and as I said before, he is intense. The reason I didn't like these things about him was because I personally don't agree with the possessive nature some males tend to have and I think every one should be able to control what he/she says or does. However, throughout the series, you learn things about Gideon and his past and begin to understand how he came about becoming the controlling and intense man that he is today.

With this being said... by the end of the series, I loved him!

Throughout the series, if you decide to read it - you will fall in love with this story. I was rooting for Eva and Gideon throughout their whole journey and even Cary (who I know I haven't mentioned much) who I hope will figure out his path. The great news which I have just figured out is that...........

..

..

..

Their story isn't over yet! Initially is was the Crossfire Trilogy but he has been changed to series and there are two more books expected to be released in order to finish this series off! I am so excited - I cannot wait to see where their journey will take them!

Also if you are looking for something similar to Fifty Shades of Grey I would highly recommend this series! :)

Book Review - Hereafter Trilogy by Tara Hudson

So I have just finished this trilogy and it was amazing! 

Amelia has been dead and wandering the streets and High Bridge for as long as she can remember - she has no idea of what her life was like, if she had a family, how old she was. No one can see her or hear her pleas for help... she wanders alone, until one night, she has a nightmare, except she wasn't the one drowning. 

From there, Amelia and Joshua, who was the boy that was drowning - become friends, and even more - until the forces of the Netherworld come to claim her and will do everything in their power to make it happen - including killing the people she loves. 

Amelia and Joshua go through an awful lot throughout this series, from trying to help Amelia remember who she was, to maintaining their relationship, to saving their loved ones and conquering the Netherworld - but they work through it and make an excellent team.

Amelia is a strong woman and speaks her mind - but is also kind and thoughtful. She is very open with Joshua throughout the series about her problems and what's on her mind - and Joshua knows her well enough to when something is on her mind or bothering her.

Joshua is also a great character - he's funny and smart, caring and loving. He loves his family, even his younger sister who may sometimes be a pain in his *** trying to maintain her good, popular image. He helps Amelia throughout the entire series even though he's putting his own life on the line.

This is an amazing love story, with an exceptional ghostly twist and I will admit, a few tears were shed at the end - it's fast paced and will get you hooked from the first few pages and if you're like me and have to read until the very end and endure everything that the pages throw at you... then you will love this book! I highly recommend it and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

xo

ANGELFALL (Penryn And The End Of Days Book 1) by Susan Ee

Angelfall (Penryn and the end of days) was originally a book I had seen advertised on Facebook (of all places.) The first thing that caught my attention was definitely the cover - it's so simple but automatically had drawn me in and made me want to know about the book. I found the book then on Amazon and I had a read at the description and also the reviews. After reading such good reviews and also an amazing description I had to get it! I think I had read it in about 2 days and that was me trying to pace myself but anyway. 

I fell in love with the story... an Angel apocalypse? Who would have thought. 

Penryn is trying to make her through Silicon Valley in order to get to a safer destination, accompanied by her mother and her disabled sister when she witnesses a gruesome battle between the angels. Unusual, yes, and no one knows why the Angels have came to take over the world we know, gangs run the deserted streets and alleys while the Angels run the sky. 

Angelfall is compelling. Penryn's apocalypse is bloody and brutal, humans are turning on each other - not really to the same standard as the Angels but that's no matter, especially if your able to snag yourself an Angel's body part. Luckily though, Penryn is at the hem, who is smart, kind, loyal like no other and also a Martial Arts pro due to her mother's extremely worrying schizophrenic behaviour, and let's not forget about Raffe, the injured Angel who ultimately helps Penryn - these two make an excellent pair!

So overall... this is a fantastic book! I recommend for everyone to read it, even if you are sceptical about magical creatures I guarantee you will love it just as much as I do, and I can't wait for the sequel. 

xo

Book Review - The Collector by Victoria Scott

I honestly don't know where to begin about this book... Dante Walker, he's amazing. Like I mean, drool worthy even after just reading the first chapter. He's your typical bad boy from the very start, but gradually as you read you start to see a different side to him. The protective, caring, fierce side.

It's not often that books like this would be written from the males point of view, granted it would alternate every other chapter in some books, which I like, but this book, seeing it from a males throughout was so captivating.. I loved it! 

Dante is sent on a mission to claim a girl's soul, which is no problem for him as he is the best at what he does - which is collecting and sealing souls -so getting one girl's shouldn't be a problem should it? Little does he know that this girl, could tip the scale between heaven and hell.

Charlie is the other main character in the book and she is great. She's smart, funny and caring - so when Dante shows up at her door she doesn't know what to think. Here she is - the geeky, unpopular girl with only two friends - and he wants to hang around with her? Obviously at the start she has her doubts about him, but nonetheless, he treats him like anyone else - with a warm heart and kindness. Eventually however - he offers her something should would never have expected - to make her beautiful, but at a price.

Victoria's story telling also is amazing! Her style of writing captivates you from the very start and  you literally don't want to put it down! Her every detail of the characters and the places leaves you able to image it clearly in your head as if you were truly there, and that is a very hard thing to do.

The Collector is actually going to be a trilogy. The next book is The Liberator and it won't be out until August this year and I can't wait to read it :)

Question

I recently received an email the other day asking about the tattoo on my arm. The question was whether or not I felt as though I was committing copyright and why couldn't I have came up with a quote myself. 

Basically, the first ever books I bought was the Night World series by L.J. Smith and this was when I was14/15. These books were what gave me the desire to start reading because of the imagination and captivation that was in them and when I first read that quote I immediately fell in love with the words. This is because I felt as though I could relate to them, and the story. Yes I took it from the book but there's a difference between copying something because you can or for the sake of it, or taking something you can relate to and learn from. 
Reading that quote, being a girl and also being 14/15, it was nice to see something that was true, yes, no one will live forever including the people you hold dear, no one will stay young and beautiful forever, but no one, including myself will be alone if there's love in my life, and that's what I love most about it :)

I know tattoos aren't everyone's cup of tea, but if its something that you find meaningful and want to remember for the rest of your life, why not?
I was also asked about my other tattoo, my other tattoo is the Celtic symbol for sisterhood. My two sisters and myself got it and I'll have a picture below :)

xo

Book Review - Existence by Abbi Glines

The main reason why I love to read is because I'm able to get so involved and actually feel like I'm apart of something bigger than my normal average life and that, surprisingly, makes me extremely happy! You're able to fall in and out of love with characters, share their happy and sad moments, get angry with them and also be brave with them! :)

So, when I started to read Existence by Abbi Glines, I immediately fell in love. Existence was one of the best books I had read.

Pagan has been seeing ghosts her entire life - usually they don't bother her unless they notice she can see them, which happens rarely. So when a ghost actually talks to her in school - she doesn't know what to think. Not only does this ghost talk to her - but he follows her and tries to help her, which wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't smokin' hot and Death

Pagan is a great lead character - she's strong, smart, funny and impossible not to like. She goes through some challenges in this book and you can't help but cheer her on and hope she makes it.
Dank is death. Yes when I say death I mean he leads away people's souls when they die - he doesn't actually kill them. But even so - you can't help but love him. He came into this story preparing Pagan for when she dies and yet... he saves her and begins to protect her - I mean, what can hurt what death protects right? Dank is dark and mysterious and a total dream.
But then there's Leif - the heartthrob of the school who has had a thing for Pagan for who knows how long - granted he didn't even tell her but still - when Pagan starts tutoring him they form a connection and Pagan starts to like him - which leads to a love triangle which gets very exciting.

Overall - I love this book, it has a great story, it's intriguing and fast paced - you can't help but love the characters and want them to succeed in whatever may be thrown at them

Tattoo ♥

(I know I've posted a lot today, I've just had these planned for a while! :) )

Okay, so I got this tattoo about 3 weeks ago after waiting for literally about 5 years! I first seen this quote in one of L.J Smiths books - I fell in love with it immediately! 
I was pondering for ages where to get it, what font to get it in and whether or not it would be worth it. 
As I got older, the quote never left my head, I had it written all over my school books, my folders and my computer (not literally, but on a sticky pad :)) so I had to get it! 

So eventually I came up with the perfect font for it, and also where to get it :) I wanted to get it in a place were I would be able to see it and appreciate it....... so, after waiting for a few years, the time came for me to get it done (I was terrified, might I add) but I've never been more happy! :D I absolutely love it!  

 

The pain on a scale of 1-10 would've been about a 7, especially up and around the armpit region :) This is actually my second tattoo so I was some what familiar with what comes with it :)
xo