Playing Tyler by T.L. Costa
Published July 2nd 2013 by Strange Chemistry
Source: ARC from the publisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads syynopsis: When is a game not a game?
Tyler MacCandless can’t focus, even when he takes his medication. He can’t focus on school, on his future, on a book, on much of anything other than taking care of his older brother, Brandon, who’s in rehab for heroin abuse… again.
Tyler’s dad is dead and his mom has mentally checked out. The only person he can really count on is his Civilian Air Patrol Mentor, Rick. The one thing in life it seems he doesn’t suck at is playing video games and, well, thats probably not going to get him into college.
Just when it seems like his future is on a collision course with a life sentence at McDonald’s, Rick asks him to test a video game. If his score’s high enough, it could earn him a place in flight school and win him the future he was certain that he could never have. And when he falls in love with the game’s designer, the legendary gamer Ani, Tyler thinks his life might finally be turning around.
That is, until Brandon goes MIA from rehab and Tyler and Ani discover that the game is more than it seems. Now Tyler will have to figure out what’s really going on in time to save his brother… and prevent his own future from going down in flames.

I've read three gaming-related novels within a month (Ender's Game, Playing Tyler and Ready Player One) and may have accidentally spoiled Playing Tyler to myself by reading it immediately after Ender's Game. Ah, well.

One reviewer described Playing Tyler as "Ready Player One meets Ender's Game", and I can somewhat agree with that. Truth be told, Playing Tyler doesn't have the fascinating writing and characterization of Ender's Game or the geeky kick I got out of Ready Player One. Playing Tyler is more reality-bound, and the game Tyler plays is more of a trigger for the moral issues laying in the core of Costa's novel.

Tyler is rather anti-social teenager with ADHD to whom the world of video games makes more sense than real life. It's also an escape from a messed-up situation at home. Costa uses a specific way of writing (no commas or periods, run-on and broken sentences) to illustrate Tyler's way of thinking. I warmed up to Tyler instantly, so much so that I decided to forgive him committing the deadly sin of YA: a bad case of insta-love.

Costa does something ...interesting, and I don't know how to approach it without spoiling something in the plot for you. In the broadest of terms, both Tyler and Ani are participating in something that gets real people killed, and both of them are living with the consequences and 9/11 and its aftermath. It makes them rather conflicted characters, yet I don't know how I feel about it. There was too little meat to it and I failed to see some stance, some solid opinion. Maybe Costa was afraid of burdening a YA novel with politics? Don't know.

In the bottom line, I was slightly disappointed because I entered the book with very high expectations. Nonetheless, it grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge for most of the time. Give it a shot.

Blog Tour: An Endless Summer by CJ Duggan

Welcome to my stop on the An Endless Summer blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!

An Endless Summer (Summer #2)

by C.J. Duggan

Release Date: 07/17/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his  expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study. “Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again.” I met his stare unflinchingly. “I don’t need saving.” A wicked grin formed slowly. “Don’t you?”

After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment:

Boarding School.

Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past. How had her dad let it come to this? With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.

In an endless summer, Amy soon realises that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy.

The Boys of Summer is on sale this week only for $.99!  Get your copy now!

MY REVIEW:
Sean Murphy, ladies. I couldn't get enough of him in the first book. If I had to give you one reason to read An Endless Summer, this hot guy would be it.
There's also everyone's little Amy, now a young woman, and she is determined to restore the Onslow Hotel to it's former glory. I completely sympathized with Amy's frustration watching Onslow going to waste because I enjoyed the energy of the place in the first book. The destiny of the hotel kept me intrigued till the very end.
And so did the developing romance between Amy and Sean. It made for quite a few laughs and heartaches. There's chemistry from page one and some history from four years ago, so I couldn't wait to see them together. I also tremendously enjoyed their constant banter. Two explosive characters as Sean and Amy, you bet there's some hilarious and sizzling situations.

 Just like The Boys of Summer, An Endless Summer was romantic and cute.The Boys of Summer was walking the thin line between YA and NA, which was why I had some mixed feelings about it; some characters appeared too young, while being placed in more mature situation. An Endless Summer is fully a NA novel, for which I could connect to the characters more easily than in The Boys of Summer.
CJ Duggan's Summer series is not to be missed if you're looking for a sweet summery romance and characters that you'll want to have as close friends in real life too.

About the Author

C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.
Author Links:

   

***GIVEAWAY***

1 Signed paperback copy of either The Boys of Summer or An Endless Summer (INT) and 5 ebook copies of The Boys of Summer or An Endless Summer (INT).

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YA Review: The Program by Suzanne Young

The Program by Suzanne Young
Published April 30th 2013 by Simon Pulse
Source: Pulse It free read
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.
Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

The Program is an intriguing and thought provoking first to a series that gave me all I wanted from it-romance, thrill and food for thought. I failed to completely connect with our main romantic couple, but in many ways I still consider it a great read. Given the heavy topic (suicides and depression oozing from the pages), I wasn't emotionally involved, and that is the only "negative" thing I have to say.

The Program has a great composition. It consists of three parts (before, during and after). The events in each accentuate a motif, a certain repetitiveness in the human nature that challenges the idea of the Program, to wipe out all potentially triggering memories. The dystopian streak is not that prominent. The Program is still in experimental phase, implemented in a small number of states. The focus of the story is the romance between Sloane and James, both in the high risk population. It's an interesting situation to watch the characters before and after the treatment and follow the train of their thoughts. The main idea is, even if all your memories were eradicated, would you make the same 'mistakes'? If most of your past were simply deleted, how much of you would there still be in you?

I was wondering all the time what would have to happen in the society to start such an avalanche of depression and suicide. Then there's the Program itself. While it's easy to adopt the characters' negative attitude toward it, Suzanne Young also gives you enough footage to see the upside of it. As a mother I had to ask myself what I would want for my child. Where is the morality of it if the patients have absolutely no choice? Is a clean and fresh start that horrifying an alternative to suicide? Is the cost of keeping your children alive living with barely more than a shell of its former self worth it? Read it and decide for yourself.

The Program raises a lot of questions, but ends on a hopeful and promising note, especially considering the epilogue. The same character that at some point I thought was cheesy soars to heroic proportions, and I cannot wait to read more.

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: PODs by Michelle Pickett

Hello, darlings! Welcome to my spot in the PODs blog tour. Many thanks to Spencer Hill Press for the invitation and sending me the ARC for review. They have also prepared an awesome giveaway for you!

PODs

by

Michelle Pickett

Publication Date: June 4, 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it’s in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it’s a balm for the broken soul.
After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That’s the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.
Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure. 

 Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

My review:

I read PODs in less than 12 hours (partly because it was good and I didn't want to stop reading, but also because I received the ARC yesterday morning, half freaked-out that I wouldn't manage to read it before my blog tour stop.)
PODs had me by the throat within the first few pages. The virus is spreading; a lucky few are selected to be put in secure underground chambers and wait for a year for the virus (and all hosts) to die. Eva is one of them. She has to say goodbye to everyone she loves, knowing that they would be obliterated by the mysterious virus. I was going through that part with a lump in my throat. Michelle Pickett made me feel all the sadness and fear that Eva experiences. There is an overwhelming atmosphere of loss for the greatest part of the book as we also get to meet Eva's POD roommates and hear their sad stories.
I loved most of the characters and their interactions. They were all young people holding on to what little hope is left for a normal life once they're out of the PODs. There was some laughing, some crying, developing romances, great friendships. All the time the danger is still there, as well as the horror of the government dealing with even a slightest possibility of the virus within the PODs.
There is more action once they resurface and find out that there is a new danger lurking in the aftermath of the virus. Eva and David are faced with tough choices, not to mention the zombie-like mutants.
I enjoyed that part just as much, though I felt that some scenes were repetitive; Eva insisting that she is able to fight, David insisting that she shouldn't. Too many hot moments interrupted, and ending in the same conversation. I would have also liked some more details on the world outside the POD or the 'safe' villages established for survivors.

Overall, I liked PODs. It has the right amount of terror, action, romance, and heartbreak, great characters. Recommended to fans of Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick.

Meet the Author:

I'm a wife, mother, author, reader, although not always in that order. I've been an avid reader since a young child. I began writing for personal enjoyment in college, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in accounting. Why I chose a degree that didn't encourage creativity is a mystery to me.
I'm addicted to Reese's peanut butter cups and eat way too many while I write. I have a weird obsession with hoodies and can't write without wearing one. I hate to cook, but love to watch cooking shows.
I'm an unabashed romantic and love swoon-worthy happy endings that give me butterflies for days.
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, I now reside in a small community outside Houston, Texas with my incredibly supportive, not to mention gorgeous, husband, three amazing school-aged children, a 125-pound lap dog, and a cat that thinks she's queen.
I write adult and young adult Sci/Fi, urban fantasy and paranormal romances.
I love to hear from readers and other authors, so drop me a note and say "Hi!"

website | Twitter | Facebook

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YA Review: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Published April 6th 2010 by HarperTeen (first published August 28th 2006)
Source: Kindle purchase
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all.

In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future. 

All the stars in the world-and then some.

I don't think there is anything else I can say about this book that you haven't heard already, nor do I think that the beauty of this book can be captured in words. Jellicoe Road tore me apart and then reassembled the pieces of my heart in the same way The Perks of Being A Wallflower did (and which I haven't reviewed for the same reasons why I find it hard to review Jellicoe Road).

You also probably know that you cannot judge this book by the first 135 pages. I admit that I had no clue what was going on, but the writing itself kept me glued to it. The first half gives you the unparalleled pleasure of discovery, of getting to know a world filled with adventures. You get to know Jellicoe (and fall in love with it) on your own accord. Marchetta doesn't spell things out, but makes you work for it. And what comes after the first part is one of the most rewarding experiences ever.

As for the second half, prepare a lot of tissues. The blows come bit by bit, unpretentiously, devastatingly. Genuinely and heartfelt. By the end I was not reading the same book, and I most definitely was not the same person.

YA Review: Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon
Published May 7th 2013 by Strange Chemistry
Source: review copy from publisher via NetGalley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: When you're studying to be exoveterinarian specializing in exotic, alien life forms, school... is a different kind of animal. 

Best-selling author Mike Mullin (Ashfall) calls Zenn Scarlett "...delightful, bizarre, and occasionally terrifying." Melissa West (Gravity) says it’s “Utterly imaginative… sci-fi at its best. Fantastic world-building. Deep characters... I couldn’t put it down!” And Temple Grandin (Animals in Translation) says "All future vets will want to read Zenn Scarlett and her adventures with veterinary medicine on alien animals."
The Story
Zenn Scarlett is a resourceful, determined 17-year-old girl working hard to make it through her novice year of exovet training. That means she's learning to care for alien creatures that are mostly large, generally dangerous and profoundly fascinating. Zenn’s all-important end-of-term tests at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars are coming up, and, she's feeling confident of acing the exams. But when a series of inexplicable animal escapes and other disturbing events hit the school, Zenn finds herself being blamed for the problems. As if this isn't enough to deal with, her absent father has abruptly stopped communicating with her; Liam Tucker, a local towner boy, is acting unusually, annoyingly friendly; and, strangest of all: Zenn is worried she's started sharing the thoughts of the creatures around her. Which is impossible, of course. Nonetheless, she can't deny what she's feeling.
Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what's happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she's actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients... or just losing her mind. All without failing her novice year.... 

 When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet. (I gave up on that idea the moment I saw our local vet spaying a dog. I don't have the guts for that.) Add to it my love for sci-fi, and there was no way this book could go wrong for me. I knew I'd love this book the moment I saw the cover and read the blurb. I didn't love it. I adore it.

As far as Zenn goes-you may be cool, but you'll never be I-cure-alien-animal-forms cool. I felt that Christian Schoon captured the voice of a teenage girl better than many female authors did. Zenn is dedicated to her studies and is passionate about helping animals, but she is just as passionate about shattering prejudice and narrow-mindedness of fellow human inhabitants on Mars whose ignorance often leads to hatred of everything "alien".

Zenn is a character that grows and learns in the course of the novel. It's a minor spoiler to say that Zenn has a special connection to animals, as a result of an incident that happens on the first few pages. Even though it is not fully explained, we have enough info to make some conclusions. It was therefore all the more interesting watching Zenn defend her scientific beliefs that I believe will be challenged in the sequel.

The scientific aspect captured me as well. I think I recall a documentary where someone mentioned an experimental theory similar to the one that Christian Schoon describes, about the theory of how Indra are used for interstellar transportation. Sometimes it sounds scientific, sometimes metaphysical, to some people it's a matter of religion. A clash of faith vs science, something that I assume will keep Zenn occupied in the sequel as well.

The only reason why this isn't a shining five star review is that I found the plot twist slightly predictable. I could smell the rat quite quickly.

Of all the creatures that Schoon brings to life, my favorite were Katie, Zenn's adorable and intelligent marsupial pet, and Hamish, a bug-like sexton who finds humans just as puzzling as they find him.

Treat yourself to Zenn Scarlett. It's a delight for fans of YA, sci-fi and animal lovers.

YA Review: Imaginable by J. Meyers

Imaginable by J. Meyers
Published April 16th 2013
Source: review copy from the author
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: Twins Sera and Luke Raine’s unusual abilities are growing. Sera is healing vampires now, making them human again. And, at times, Luke can actually change the future he Sees.
But Sera’s healing has dangerous consequences, and though Luke is altering the outcome of more visions, he can’t control them yet.
Now Sera is in danger as the dark creatures of the Realm seek to use her. As Luke struggles to master his gift in order to save his sister, he discovers even more about his powers. 
And what he learns just may put him in greater danger than Sera has ever been.

Reading Imaginable exactly a year after Intangible felt like returning to school after a long summer during which you missed your friends. And boy, did I miss Sera, Luke and the rest of the gang.

Somewhere around page two I remembered why exactly (and how much) I enjoyed the first book. J. Meyers writes amazing characters, most of whom you'd really love to be friends with. There were a few new characters introduced at the end of Intangible, and I'm glad to say they didn't disappoint.

And don't even get me started on the connection between Sera and Luke. They manage to be the typical finish-each-others'-sentences twins without being cliche. Their connection is the highlight of this series for me.

While the plot didn't really keep me at the edge of the seat, there were sufficient sub-plots and twists to keep my interest. Also, there are things changing for the characters (in Luke's case, developing) and given my love for Meyer's characters, that was more than enough to satisfy me.

I wish I had time to reread the first book in the series though. There were some details concerning Marc that I was a bit fuzzy about. By the end of the novel I remembered what the deal was, and why I was rooting for Jonas anyway, not Marc.

Imaginable is a very good sequel to Intangible. With Luke's abilities growing, and Sera already reaping the consequences for her healing, I've no doubts that the third book will be just as great.

YA Review: The Torturer's Daughter by Zoe Cannon

The Torturer's Daughter by Zoe Cannon
Published December 11th 2012 (first published October 22nd 2012)
Source: review request from the author 
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca assumes it's the usual drama. Wrong. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents - and Becca's mother, the dystopian regime's most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state.
To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents' innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn't expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents... and about her mother.
When she risks her life to save a dissident, she learns her mother isn't the only one with secrets - and the plot she uncovers will threaten the lives of the people she loves most. For Becca, it's no longer just a choice between risking execution and ignoring the regime's crimes; she has to decide whose life to save and whose to sacrifice.
It's easy to be a hero when you can save the world, but what about when all you can do is choose how you live in it? THE TORTURER'S DAUGHTER is a story about ordinary teenage life amidst the realities of living under an oppressive regime... and the extraordinary courage it takes to do what's right in a world gone wrong.

The Torturer's Daughter delivers a tremendous, Orwellian dose of paranoia and that might be why I enjoyed it more than I initially expected. If I thought that dystopias have been done to death and that there's nothing new to be added to the genre, this one proved me wrong.

Truth be told, Cannon doesn't really offer anything original or never-seen-before; the idea of dissidents has been explored before. The freshness of this book is in the execution. There is little plot on the outside, just enough to keep the story going. Also no world-building; we only know that the Internal agency of an unnamed country under an unnamed regime is arresting people in the middle of the night. While I enjoy a well-drawn world speckled with some political intrigue, the absence of it in The Torturer's Daughter doesn't bother me a bit because the focus of the story is the effects of the regime on an individual. Most of the thrill comes from Becca's questioning everything that she thought was 'right' or 'wrong'. She is trying to figure out how her mother and the cruel interrogator can be the same person; how the mother she loves can stand for what Becca firsthand experiences as wrong. I was glued to this book to find out what Becca's actions will be, I was rooting for Becca to do the right thing even when none of us knew what the right thing is.

The Torturer's Daughter ends with a sort of cliffhanger. It opens up a ton of possibilities for a sequel, but also nicely rounds up the first book. (And I just realized that there will be a sequel this summer!)

Overall, The Torture's Daughter is a great read that plays with your nerves and sets great challenges before its characters and I'll be looking out for more from this author.

18+ Review: Wedding Games by Karen S. Smith

The following review contains explicit content and language that may not be suitable for minors. To read the full review, hit the page break.

Wedding Games by Karen S. Smith
Published November 8th 2012 by Black Lace
Source: finished copy from the publisher
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: Emma is not looking forward to her cousin's wedding: the usual awkward guests, the endless small talk, the bad dancing... But a chance encounter with Kit, a very sexy stranger, leaves her breathless.
Without a chance to say goodbye, Emma resigns herself to the fact their incredibly hot encounter will be just sexy memory but then she meets Kit at another wedding...

YA Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza
Published March 12th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books
Source: from publisher via NetGalley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.
Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.
Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.
Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

 Seeing Mila 2.0 on my Netgalley dashboard was a nice surprise that came during a couple of rough days last month. To be honest, I went into this book half-afraid. I had huge expectations from Mila 2.0, but I didn't really like the prequel novella. I'm glad to report, my expectations were met, in some aspects also exceeded.

Mila is an android that more than one group of evil guys would love to get their hands on. But Mila is more than just a cutting-edge piece of technology; there is more humanity in her than her creators could ever assume. The chase starts around chapters two or three, with barely a moment's respite for the rest of the book. Debra Driza doesn't shy away from the painful, the ugly and the tragic, and I think that might be my favorite part of the book. Also, the novel moves at a great pace and there's a nice rhythm to the writing. The android and the human parts of Mila mesh well; she might desperately wish to forget that she has wires and tubes running through her body, but when circumstances demand, she learns how to utilize her android gigs to protect the ones she loves.

On the cons side, there was a point where I started feeling that Mila was getting whiny. The whole ordeal with Hunter was also weird; he is a nice guy, but the sort of guy that I instantly assumed had something to hide. And despite his niceness, I don't think the short encounters between Mila and Hunter warrant that sort of trust. Too strong, too fast, almost insta-love, and as always I have my reservations about that.

If you are looking for a kick-ass, action-packed YA novel, you cannot afford to miss Mila 2.0.

Adult Review: Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu

Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu
Published December 4th 2012 by Wild Child Publishing
Source: review copy from the author
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

I accepted this book for review based on its promising synopsis; a ghost story that spans five centuries is not something I wanted to pass on. It was nice, the way the past was connected to the present was interesting, tapping into reincarnation and curses. Intrigued?

Still, I had a major problem with the characters. Genevieve wasn't that bad since we get to see enough of her difficult childhood, but Anne and Neil (our contemporaries) I found very bland and uninteresting. The dialogues were stiff an unnatural. One thing I particularly disliked was Neil's reasoning behind cheating on Anne. The poor thing has absolutely no idea how it happened that he got in bed with Anne's (former) best friend. Poor poor guy. I wasn't convinced. Sure, people make mistakes, I could see why Anne was willing to forgive him. But that explanation was laughable.

Overall, with more blood and flesh to the characters I would have enjoyed it more, but I liked the mystery surrounding the remnants of the covenant and the resolution to a tragic love story from five hundred years ago. Shadows of the Past is an adult novel, but very innocent when it comes to romantic situations.

YA Review: A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
Published December 14th 2012
Source: review copy from the author
My rating: 2.5/5

Goodreads summary: On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.
She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.
Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.
Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks? 

After turning the last page, one word came to my mind: underdeveloped. Characters, plot, worldbuilding, you name it. A Shade of Vampire has all the ingredients to be a thrilling and heartwrenching paranormal romance, it is well-written, but I never felt like it reached its full potential.

Maybe it's due to its unfavorable length, somewhere between a longer novella and short novel. The history of Shade, the vampire island, is touched on only briefly. Some more substance to the long-standing animosity between Derek, the vampire prince, and his brother Lucas or the antagonism between vampires and shadow hunters would have added some more flavor to the story, as well as some background and character development in Sofia. For the lack of it, I didn't see why she was so desperate to return to Ben, or why she fell so quickly for Derek. Everything happened so fast, and the emotional bond was lost on me, making it come across as insta-love.

On another note, A Shade of Vampire sports the sort of vampires I love-cruel, unflinching, dangerous and dark. I need to know more about the history of Shade and the political background. Bella Forrest has set the foundations for an awesome story, I just wish it was longer and that every aspect of the novel received the attention it deserves.

Blog Tour Review: The Boys Of Summer by C.J. Duggan

Welcome to my stop on The Boys of Summer blog tour hosted by YA Bound.  Click HERE to check out the full blog tour schedule!

The Boys of Summer (Summer #1)

by C.J. Duggan

Release Date: 12/17/12

294 pages

Summary from Goodreads: 

Blog Tour Review: Strength by Carrie Butler

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Title: Strength

Series: Mark of Nexus – Book 1

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing   

Category: New Adult (NA)

Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR)

Release Date: March 07, 2013

Available at: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Summary: 

YA Review: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Published January 26th 2010 by Dial (first published January 1st 2007)
Source: library
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: A thrilling, high-concept fantasy for fans of Garth Nix and Nancy Farmer. 
Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.
And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.

Incarceron had me at hello with it's opening and good writing style, and it only got better as we got to know each other closer. I am impressed with the wordbuilding and detailed descriptions of the holographic reality. Claudia is a good character that I didn't have troubles connecting to, and more than anything I needed to know more about Incarceron, the perfect prison.

That said, I have a fair share of problems with this book. Characters other than Claudia are rather uninteresting, even Finn, whom I expected to have a bit more blood. Despite my initial enthusiasm, this book turned out to be quite predictable. The political "intrigue" is a common one, and the greatest mystery of all turned out to be a no brainer at all if you've seen Men In Black. I was hoping it wouldn't be that obvious, but eh, I was disappointed.

These problems aside, Incarceron still managed to pack a few punches and keep me intrigued. It is a suspenseful read and its excellent steampunkish setting is why I'm looking forward to reading Sapphique.