Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant

Pages: 304
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release: October 2012

Plot: In the beginning there was an apple and then there was a car crash. When Evening Spiker is left in a terrible accident that leaves her leg severed she soon discovers that the work at her mums multi-billion dollar labs is not what she had expected.
 Bored and left to heal, her mum leaves her the task of creating the perfect boy to try and reignite her love for genetics. Eve creates Adam. He will be perfection. Won't he?

Good Points: I absolutely fell in love with this book! For starters I really love the names of the characters Evening and Solo and the personalities of each individual.
The books chapters alternate between the perspective of Eve, Solo and Adam which allows the reader to really get into each of their heads and see what there thoughts are about what is happening at the lab.
Eve's best friend Aislinn also helps bring the humour and action to the book with the whole drama going on with her troublesome druggie boyfriend.
The plot of the book I thought was just brilliant. It was bursting with action and because it was so fast paced it didn't seem as though it was actually 300 or so pages probably because I never got my head out of the story these two amazing authors have worked together to create.
Also I liked the twists within the book. To be honest because the bad guy was created so well I never felt that I had to question she wasn't a bitch so it was nice to have some shocker moments in there as well.
The whole idea of creating the perfect guy was just brilliant in a sort of Frankenstein way. So many YA books have the perfect pretty boy just walk in like he's any guy I thought it was refreshing not only for the perfect boy- Adam to be created but also in my opinion to be knocked down by Solo who in my opinion was so much better.

Bad Points: There weren't too many bad points, however I was a little unsure when this book is set because of all the advancements, but this isn't really a big deal seeing as thought the whole story is about the characters anyway...

To Sum Up... This book is one that you should definitely read if you haven't already! The whole plot in my opinion was just fantastic and you really begin to question the whole idea of perfection (if there is such a thing) and the limits to which science should be taken to.
The characters are fantastic and I am in love with Solo already. The ending leaves it open for a second book which will be titled Adam and Eve and I am really looking forward to seeing what happens with the company and the two couples.
READ THIS BOOK! It will not disappoint :)

Waiting On Wednesday #2

  Waiting On Wednesday #3 is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This weeks featured book is Etiquette Espionage.

        

Plot Summary (Goodreads) : It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

I really love the cover and the whole plot just sounds amazing. Expecting BIG things from this book. Though I haven't read anything previously by this author. 

Looking forward to its release in February next year!

Magic Study (Poison Study #2) by Maria V Snyder

Pages: 419
Publisher: MIRA Books
Released: May 2008

Plot: After travelling back to the home Yelena was taken from, Yelena is then sent to control her magic in Sitia where she must learn to master her magic in just a year or face death. Alongside the brother who resents her return Yelena has to worry about someone kidnapping females. Can Yelena learn to control her magic and cope with the battle between good and evil?

Good Points: At first I wasn't really that keen on this book, I think I was just expecting so much from it after reading Poison study that I just felt a little let down. Valek wasn't in it half as much but we did get to see more of Yelena's personality and the beginnings of her attempts to control her magic.
Yelena also makes quite a lot of new friends which was nice, though slightly strange when one of them is a horse addicted to peppermints - which Yelena always seemed to promise to give throughout the book but never actually did.
Some of the new characters such as her cousin Nutty had a good character base which I hope will be developed later on in the series with the inclusion and better return of Janco and Ari.
Towards the ending the book did get a little better and I loved the whole plot of the mystery guy stealing females from the towns. Also the big ending left me hooked wanting more. I am definitely looking forward to Cahil's plan for revenge. Mwoo hahahahaa (evil laugh)

Bad Points: Like I've said already too many times, Valek wasn't in it nearly as much. This left out quite a lot of the humour and sarcasm that I loved in Poison study. The whole tactics weren't as good as the first book in my opinion as well (again I think this has to do with Valek missing).
Also I love you Valek but seriously stop calling Yelena 'Love' after every damn thing you say it is so annoying after a while!

To Sum Up... To be honest this book was nothing like its previous. Although Yelena still runs into trouble, Valek didn't appear until late into the book. In the end though I liked it. I thought the plot was good and left it off to a good cliffhanger but in no way did it compare to Poison study which was just amazing.
Good read though and definitely a page turner.
Looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Fire Study.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Pages: 301
Publisher: St Martins Griffin
Released: February 2009

Plot: The first book in Alyson Noel's Immortals series. After a terrible incident kills sixteen year old Ever Bloom's family she is left with the power to see people's aura's, hear their thoughts and know their story simply by touch. Living with her aunt, Ever tries to keep contact with others to a minimum though still spending time with the ghost of her dead sister.
All this changes however when Damen August walks into her life.

Good Points: When I first read this book I absolutely loved it. I thought the whole concept was fun and unique, seeing the aura's of others and the relationship between Ever and her sister Riley were just fantastic. It was nice that despite Riley being a ghost they still fought like siblings.
I remember reading this book after Twilight and when I first picked Evermore up I liked how it drew you in to believing that it was  about Vampires because of the whole immortal thing and red juice that Damen drank. Even the character contemplates the idea. I thought this helped provide a nice surprise when we find out this isn't the case.

Bad Points: Ever can be so whiny at times within the book. It really got annoying after a while and the book did play to the whole 'I'm an outcast but really pretty, someone get me out of my shell' plot that I know teens are drawn too and like to find themselves wishfully relating to. I really wish she would have just stood up and act a little more stronger because I have to admit I seemed to be rolling my eyes a lot at the stupid stuff she did.
Also the amount of times Damen is described as Beautiful, dreamy and other exaggerated and angelic qualities is disturbing... disturbing I tell you!


To Sum Up... Basically it's your typical teen book. Or ticks most of the things a teen book includes- outcast, romantic hot hero, something supernatural and a cliffhanger that attempts you wanting more. The plot isn't that bad, at times the story was really good and I have to admit I did get a little hooked.
It's an easy read.
On the other hand this is one of those series's that I have grown tired of. The books just keep being churned out to further the series but all they seem to be doing is make me loose interest each time.

The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer

Pages: 288
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Released: August 2012

Plot: American teen Mia is possessed by a demon. Sent of to live with relatives she has never met before in Milan, Mia learns that her family has a hidden secret, they are demon trappers. Not only will Mia learn to
live in a new palce and make new friends, but she also has to deal with learning anew language and the ancient traditions of her family, whilst also falling in and out of love.

Good Points: At first I liked how the book dropped you off straight away within the changes of Mia's life and her move to Milan which sounds like an amazing place that I would love to visit. The scenes included tons of description that really set this great Italian mood.
I was also really taken to how the book teaches you a little basic Italian to give you just a tiny taster of what Mia is going through, being submerged in the language and a new country and I though Mia dealt quite well with this.

Bad Points: I really did want great things for this book, but it just didn't seem to grab me at all. Being a paranormal romance book you expect romance but to be honest there just wasn't any. Mia had a couple of crushes, one being with a distant related cousin (like that makes it any better...) and Lucifero who was one of the only characters who had real depth and something interesting about him but then got carted off to the hospital half way through the book never to be seen again. This in my opinion was a BIG mistake! It would have given a platform for the story to get a little more exciting, you could have had the betrayal of Mia with Lucifero being a demon lover and all to a Shakespearian level of drama. But no. We got people fighting of demons using some bells, candles and some old words.
It just got a little boring.

To Sum Up... Not really sure if I liked this book. Yes at times there were moments in the book that I really loved but I just don't think they were developed great. The characters all seemed to blur together after a while and I just don't think the story got anywhere. However I have to give credit to the author for the setting of the book which is just beautiful and the descriptions of the food were making me hungry.

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Waiting on Wednesday hosted by Breaking the spine.

Right, now this is my first Waiting on Wednesday post and I wasn't quite sure which book I should choose to scream about. Mainly because at the moment there are just too many books that literally have me rocking myself waiting for them to hit the shelves (or e-book shelves if you prefer...)

So after much debating I decided on is Cursed by Jennifer L Armentrout.

Plot Summary: Ember McWilliams knows first hand all about dying. After her 'gifted' sister brings her back from the dead in a car accident, Ember is cursed that everything she touches dies.

Forcing herself never to touch any living thing again, Ember is shocked when she meets Hayden Cromwell, a guy who swears her curse is a gift and can help to control it. 

The only catch is she has to also trust Hayden's adoptive father whom Ember is unsure of. None surprising seeing as though it appears he collects children with these special abilities.

But was Embers accident even an accident? Was she always meant to have this power or was their true motive much more sinister?

Sounds kinda good I think. I've read the Lux series by Jennifer and completely fell in love with that so I'm expecting some big things from this series. Let's just hope it can deliver!

Find the first chapters here...

 http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cursed-sneak-peek.html 

And the weird but wonderful trailer here... including hamster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlU4U1msXjk&feature=player_embedded#!

Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer L Armentrout

Pages: 366
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Released: August 2012

Plot: The second book in the thrilling Lux series by Jennifer L Armentrout. After the weird alien bond between Daemon and Katy formed Daemon has been determined to prove that his feelings are more than this crazy connection.
However things are about to get a whole lot more complicated when the DOD return and Katy see's a person she knew to be dead. With a new friend and some strange powers that have transformed her into half luxen, can Katy work out the truth or will the lies consume her too?

Good Points: Okay this series is getting good. Damn good. At first I had my reservations when I picked up this sequel because the first book was so good and I just didn't know how it would compare. How wrong was I?
This book was great. New characters are introduced and the old ones have more screen time, if that's the right term. I ended up loving the characters I didn't really like in the last book and close to tears during the death scene, i you've read the book you know what I'm talking about. If not grab the tissues!
Katy seems to grow a little stronger in this book too. She starts to take charge of what has happened to her and not become one of those damsel in distress types that always needs the guy to save her. This was a nice bonus I thought. Although I have to admit I do think the tension between Katy and Daemon was a lot more fun in Obsidian it is no less present in Onyx.
With the addition of Blake I think there was a little bit of a fear of their being this whole love-triangle thing that gets on my nerves, but nobody steals Daemons girl!
Plot wise I think this is where the book really stepped up a mark. Because of the introduction of some of the DOD, Blake and Katy's mums doctor boyfriend it allowed the plot to grow. We not only got to see new sides of most of the characters but also the revealing that those they thought were dead may not be. The action and drama definitely continues leaving the second book off on a cliffhanger that I hope does not dissapoint in the third Lux novel, Opal.

Bad Points: There were a couple of moments that were, lets just say, cheesy. For example 'his poetic lips' (I know...) is not really a line that you need to be hearing during a serious conversation that is supposed to be all tense. It was just a little dream boat icky for my taste.
Also Daemon constantly getting Blake's name wrong, it was cute at first but after about the four hundredth time of him calling him Bilbo or Borris or some other B name I think I was just about ready to kill someone.

To Sum Up... Ignoring the few minor annoyances, this book was great. Definitely a must read for all you YA paranormal romance junkies and also a nice break from the typical vampire, werewolf stuff every publisher manages to churn out. Here it's all about the Aliens! The cliff hanger at the end definitely leaves you wanting more and with a short wait Opal will be out December this year!! Whoop Whoop *goes and stalks its page on goodreads :)
Looking forward to where this series is going and is already firmly at the top of my Christmas Wish list
                                                                                                                                                        x

The House of Night Series by P.C and Kristin Cast

Book so far: 10
Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted,
Tempted, Burned, Awakened, Destined, Hidden
Publisher: St Martins Griffin

Basic Plot: Set in a world very much like our own aside one big difference. Vampyres (oh yes we use the old cool spelling here). When Zoey Redbird gets marked she is taken to the House of night, a vampyre finishing school, that is if she can undergo the change. With magic from the goddesses and a circle, Zoey realises she is more special than she thinks and there are going to be a hell load of problems heading her way.

Good Points: The whole plot I thought was fantastic. The first couple of  books being the best in my opinion are funny, exciting and at some points very tearful. Zoey's friends are a diverse bunch and Stevie Rae is just the best even if her name is a little annoying. The books also have their fair share of relationship troubles. Team Stark ALL THE WAY! Oh yes I stooped that low...
Basically its all very teenage drama , exaggerated a lot but hey the books are pretty addictive or they were when I first started reading them years ago. The whole save the good against evil is pretty much the plot to all the books and has worked for as long as I anyone can remember. In this case add vampires, romance, some red fledglings, teen drama and an action scene every now and then,alongside a large side of Shocker moments.

Bad Points: Though it does get a tad repetitive at times constantly calling upon the Goddesses and the whole ritual things the books at first don't have that many bad points. The later books aren't as strong as the first in my opinion and it does seem as though the story is being  dragged out too much.
But don't let this dissuade you not to read the series as the first books are awesome. HOWEVER and yes its in capitals for a reason. After beginning to read Richelle Meade's Vampire Academy series I can definitely see the resemblance between the two, but seeing as though I haven't finished that series yet I'll make my final judgement of which is better later.
Basically, yes the House of Night series is somewhat cheesy and the references to Paris Hilton and Ashton Kutcher that try and make it sound youthful and cool are a complete fail. Don't even get me started on the amount of product placement in these books- it is literally like a shopping channel.

To Sum Up... This series is worth checking out for the first couple of books. Yes I know it's vampires and that whole thing has become just a tad tiresome of late but this series is one of the few that make the exception (to some degree.)
One thing I would say about this series is that after the fourth/ fifth book the plot does get a little tiresome but keep reading because there are moments that are worth waiting for if you ignore everything i said about the bad points to the book.
Just try it. What's the worst thing that can happen... you grow a new obsession with old celebs and brand names.
Give em' a try!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Pages: 332
Publisher: Razorbill
Released: August 2007

Plot: St. Vladimir's academy isn't just any boarding school. It's the school home to vampires. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, the protector to her best friend Lissa a Moroi vampire Princess. After being on the run they are now back at St Vladimir's, the very place they had tried to escape from.
Now that they're back the danger returns. Dead animals are being found in Lissa's room, they're 'friends' bitch and cause rumours and the constant threat of the Strigoi - the most feared type of  vampire rises. Plus Rose and Lissa are both having problems in their love life.
Can they work through all of this and stay alive?

Good Points: Okay, I'm quite liking this series so far. I know people have been going on about it for ages and so I thought I should finally give it a try.
To start off, I liked the main character, I thought her personality was what helped make the book, along with the dashing Russian guardian Dimitri of course. With her fits of rage every now and then that make you want to enlist her into anger management classes, Rose's character definitely brings a certain... spirit? to the book.
Plot wise I thought it was just okay. It was basically your typical first book, introducing you to the characters, letting you get a feel of them and implanting some heavy clues as to what may happen in the future. So not overly impressed here but I think I have to commend Mead on creating a world that was genuinely enjoyable to read.

Bad Points: Okay I don't know what it is but recently I have noticed that the more YA books I read the more I am noticing that the male lead is growing older and older. Not really a big deal, but when you are constantly reading in series's the fretting on the female's behalf of whether or not they can or should be together... you get where I am going.
On the other hand though this book did come out in 2007 and so I am guessing this was quite a, is ground-breaking the right term here? sort of thing to do in a teen book.
Oh, and Dimitri is a Russian God? Really,is there any need...

To Sum Up... Overall this book was a quick easy read that has done its job in wanting me to read the next books in the series. Yes, there were certain things that I didn't like about the book but after not reading a vampire themed novel in a while it was sort of nice for this to be the one that I read.
Corny, I know.
Thanks for reading the review! Please comment.

Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2) by Samantha Young

Pages: 350
Publisher: Kindle Edition self published.
Released: March 2011

Plot: Ari's life has changed dramatically over the past few weeks. With Charlie now a Sorcerer and the White King still on her case alongside some new threats, Ari struggles to cope when the biggest change happens of all. Filled with death, action and drama, can Ari become the hunter and stop the threats from harming her any more?
And will Jai change his mind?

Good Points: I definitely liked this book better than the first which I thought was a little slow. The relationship Ari has with each character seems to grow stronger in this book (like they should) and we get to see the struggle as Ari copes with the hardships of losing everything she's ever known.
I think the pacing of this book was much better than the first and as a reader you always knew what direction  the book was heading in like the task in hand and finding the new threats identities. It was also nice to get to meet some new characters and for Ari to finally get a female friend that she can talk to who is seems to have this hard exterior but is actually really sweet.
Jai also starts to realise his feelings for Ari with a big push from Trent who I can't wait to hopefully read about again in the future books in the series. This having played out through both books it was nice for something happy to happen.

Bad Points: At times I thought the relationship between Ari and Jai could get a tad annoying but with everything you find out about Jai's past you sort of get a deeper understanding of Jai's character. Also Ari's behaviour at times was a little frustrating, she was like a yo-yo being jealous to not caring and so on...

To Sum Up... This book is definitely a huge improvement from the last. I thought that the plot improved and we finally started to get somewhere in the book. The new characters added that something that was missing in the first and Jai and Ari finally get together... eventually.
So I think from this I will read the next books in the series just to see what happens between Ari and Jace and to look out for the other new characters. Also I am pretty sure I know who Miss Maggie is...

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Pages: 416
Publisher: Atria Books
Released: August 2012 (Available on Kindle now)

Plot: Abby Abernathy is the good girl, she's moved away to college with her best friend America in the hopes of escaping her past but when Abby meets the college campus-charmer at his fight one night they both can't seem to stay away from each other.
Travis makes a bet with Abby, if she wins he'll remain abstinent for a month, if he wins she lives with him for a month.
Let the game begin...

Quick note: This book is not really suitable for young teenagers despite some book sites grouping it in this genre.

Good Points: The book started off okay, I was thinking Abby was an all right character, she seemed nice. And then well... she met Travis didn't she. (See bad Points).
The only couple of people that seemed actually sane were her friends and the odd supporting character.
So maybe both the main characters do truly belong together....

Bad Points: Well as I've already suggested Abby's character goes downhill after meeting Travis. She seems more volatile and I just could not stand some of the things they both do to each other. It was like a yo-yo going back and forth and after a while it was just tiring to read about.
 If one wasn't about to sleep with someone, the other was going to flirt their way into thinking they were over the other.
Yes, you may in your dreamlike state think that Travis is the perfect being, handsome, loving, protective- a statement which is so understated that he's actually borderline stalker and believe everything in this book is perfect. But it's not.    
Travis is a fighter. And his anger is way out of control. Combine this with his over stalky protectiveness and you are left with him basically beating up anyone that touches or talks to Abby. There's even a part where he's about to kill someone because of a snowball.
Abby doesn't help either, egging him on to 'teach a guy some manners' to which Travis brutally kicks and punches this guy repeated. What. The. Hell.
Don't even get me started on the ending! For one why would she go back to Vegas when all through the book she's whined about how she hates it there and knowing Travis doesn't react well there!!??!!


To Sum Up... Basically this book is frighteningly wrong. You get sucked into the relationship which you know is wrong and yet for some reason still read on. The book is filled with violent outbursts and sickening scenes that sort of desensitise what you are reading and make it seem okay by tying a nice big bow on top called 'love'.
Like I've already said though. If these two characters think this is okay then maybe they do belong together. But to be honest I don't see it lasting.