arielavalon

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Jonas was a vampire. He wasn't a usual vampire, he was special, the chosen one. But he hadn't always been. He was human once.

This was a short novella that played as a bit of an origin story for Jonas. It is entirely from his point of view, flashing back and forth between his past life and his current one.

Jonas is a really intriguing character. So much is unknown about him, and this novella answers quite a few questions, while making you want to know him more. His origin is heartbreaking. As you read, your heart bleeds and your chest just bursts open. He rages, and you want to rage right along with him. It's awful, what happened to him, and it's saddening that this kind of thing was very real back then.

I was happy that I read this after I had finished Intangible. It wouldn't have mattered, storywise, as it only set up Jonas' place in the story a bit more. I liked reading this after though as I feel that knowing his origin has forever changed my outlook and opinion of him. I had more fun falling for his character in Intangible, and I feel like it would've been corrupted had I known this first. His origin makes you want to feel sorry for him, and if he could jump from the pages, I think he would be upset with you for feeling as such.

Definitely was worth the read, especially if you are as captured by this series as I am, but I do recommend reading it after Intangible. I think it will make it a better series for you if you do.

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Twins, Sera and Luke have special gifts. Sera can heal anyone with her touch, and Luke can see the future, but can't do anything about it. When Luke has a vision that predicts Sera's death, his gift starts to look more like a curse. But there are darker forces at work than either of them could have imagined. Others have learned about them and see their gifts as a curse and a danger to their very kind. Can Luke find a way to change Sera's fate, or will the dark forces at work do it for him, when they kill the both of them?

This novel was fantastic. I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read it. I wasn't expecting a lot of what it delivered, which is my own fault for not trusting the Goodreads Genres anymore so I didn't even bother to read them. This was just, so wonderful.

Luke and Sera are amazing characters! They have such a fantastic bond with one another. I love their personalities. I love the comedic banter they share. I loved seeing their true love and devotion to one another. This is the type of love you want to see in a family. I am jealous of their closeness. Jonas is an interesting character. I didn't like him at first, but the more I saw him, the more I couldn't get enough of him. I would love to see Sera and Jonas have something between them at some point. The connection with his sister would make it borderline creepy, but it would still work. Fey, I liked in the beginning. As you begin to learn more about her, she starts to feel a little standoffish, but I still like her. Marc, I didn't like him from the beginning. Everything about him, I just didn't like. I don't feel like he deserved what he got, but I still don't like him.

The plot was amazing. It was written with a perfect flow, everything happened at just the right time. The tension building was superb. Every page draws you in more until you cannot put it down. As more elements of the story come to light, and you learn more along with the characters, you get so invested in the story and the characters. The one thing I didn't like what the changing of POVs. I love it when authors use these, but I don't like it when it isn't very clearly labeled. POVs would change between chapters, sometimes mid-chapter, and although there were decorative line breakers and the writing was fairly clear about who was speaking, it was still slightly unsettling. There were two times I can remember where I had to step back and re-read a paragraph because I was so absorbed in the story that I was reading too quickly and didn't catch the change and then got confused.

This book was fabulous, and if gifted kids, vampires, and elves are within your interests, then you are a fool not to give this book a shot. It was well worth it.

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Luke and his twin sister Sera have unusual abilities. Hers is a gift—she can heal with a touch of her hand. His is a curse—he can see the future but he can’t do anything about it.

On a hike up the mountain, Luke has a vision unlike any other—one that leaves him terrified. Knowing that it will come true—and that he must do everything in his power to stop it—leaves his own future uncertain.
Twins, Luke and Sera, have special abilities. She can heal someone with her touch, and he can see the future but can't do anything about it. On a hike up a mountain near their home, Luke has a vision unlike anything he ever had before. His visions are never wrong, and he just had the one he never wanted to see.

I love prequel novellas. I know a lot of people dislike them, but I think they are brilliant. They are an ideal way to see if you are going to like a story. It's a minimum time investment for great results. They are perfect to drum up interest in a story and get you hooked. Intuition does just that.

Luke and Sera are nice characters. Of course you don't learn too much about them, it's a teeny novella, but you get to see that they have a great relationship with one another and they are nice to see. They don't come off as annoying or whiny. They seem to be fairly level-headed considering they have these gifts to live with.

The plot is simple. They are on a hike and Luke is dealing with the pre-effects of his visions. He knows one is coming, but he doesn't know when it will arrive. He has a vision of someone being hurt and they go to try to stop it, but don't make it in time. Afterwards, he has a second vision, this time one that is more than he ever wanted to see. It's very straight forward. But the writing is done really well. You are slowly built up to this, and then hooked. You aren't left feeling overly emotional, but your interest is piqued and you know that the first novel in the series is going to be on your to-read list.

All in all a strong start to what looks like it will be an interesting series. Plus, the novella is $0.99 or less on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. What do you have to lose?

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Being the child of an outsider, Zephyr's very existence is a constant reminder that his mother disobeyed the rules of their village by loving his father. Growing up not really understanding why his village hated him so, Zephyr was determined to show his village he was worthy of their praise. After failing to pass the ceremony that would label him as an adult in the eyes of his people, Zephyr is given one last chance. He passes his ceremony and is given a task to hunt down three objects of power that will benefit his village. Setting out with his companion, Leon, Zephyr hopes to become powerful so he can make a name for himself.

This story starts out with Zephyr narrating things, something I am rather not fond of, but luckily, it doesn't stick. What threw me the most, was that the story, the cover, everything about this book made me think is was aimed at middle school kids. I was expecting a 10-15 age range, but I got what felt like a 7-13 age range instead. A good book should entertain you, so that you don't even notice that by reading you are getting smarter. This book I saw the education more than I saw the entertainment. The writing is so polished that it is unrelatable. It's great that the author is showing himself to be a great example for kids in proper sentence structure, but it was at the cost of charm and passion. Because of it, the whole story felt rather flimsy and flat to me. I also hated how it had "tv show syndrome." "Tv show syndrome" is how every new episode has to go into an overly descriptive recap of the episode before it. This book does the same things, recapping every previous chapter in one of the most annoying ways possible (think Pokémon). There was also A LOT of telling going on. Things would be repeated and thought out when they were obvious. The description would let the readers know that the characters just learned something, just for a character (usually Zephyr) to reiterate it right afterwards. It made the writing seem like it was dumbing itself down even more for an audience that doesn't need it. The writing alone felt like an insult. I'm sure a kid would feel the same. I can imagine giving this book to my 12 year old cousin just for him to laugh at the writing as ask for something harder. I think his 7 year old sister would feel the same way.

The characters weren't that bad. Leon was incredibly predictable. The foreshadowing for him was not even close to subtle. Autumn was a rather unimpressive character, and I honestly couldn't root for her and Zephyr. Their "love" was sudden and flat. Zephyr was a bit dense, and his ambitions were questionable to me. They were just unrealistic. I do think he was a good role model though. His ability to see good in people and to want to do good was a really nice thing for children to see and learn from.

The plot wasn't bad. It would've been more entertaining with better writing, but as a plot goes, I actually rather enjoyed it. It felt like The Last Airbender meets Dragonball, which will appeal to a lot of young kids. There were a lot of inconsistencies. I can understand they might be tackled in a later book in the series, but when you are writing for kids, you can't do that. You have to wrap up and answer all questions before you get to the end where you begin the conflict for the next book. There were quite a few inconsistencies that needed taken care of. A big one would be why Zephyr was able to see Autumn in his dreams.

All in all, this was a good book. While I think it needed to be written more with it's audience in mind instead of under estimating their intelligence, the plot was good and the story was entertaining. This is one of those that you should feel confident giving to your 7-13 year old to read.

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The time has come. After sitting patiently in her jail cell for months, Rain's trial is about to begin. After months of plotting and planning, she can finally gain her freedom. Or can she? Surrounded by all the lies, she is left wondering if Asher will really try to get her off, or if she is walking right into his clutches once again. But Rain has her own plan, and if she gets her way, her life will finally be hers to control.

This book was perfect. I was so nervous for Rain. I was a little afraid of who was going to get happy endings, and how things were going to pan out in the end. The writing lovingly holds your hand and leads you through the story.

The characters were all the same as they have been. A few bonds are formed, a few bridges burned, but things all play out for the best with the friendships. I was very pleased at how things ended with everyone. Hard to say much on them because of a spoiler risk, but things are good. I am pleased.

When you begin reading, you are filled with so many questions. You are anxious and just burning for answers. Varden tosses you a curve ball right from the start by making things almost boring. This is not a bad thing. You start off seeing some of the day to day life that Rain spends in her cell. It calms you. Your questions go to the backburner. You are certain they will be answered, but you have to learn patience. This book was all about Rain showing that she herself had learned patience, so teaching it to the reader is brilliant. Then the trial begins. I cannot lie, the trial is dull! The court proceedings are written brilliantly. The courtroom is stuffy, dull, drab, and very true to life. It was all captured so fantastically. It is really a brilliant writing technique. It slowly builds up, you almost feel like you are right there in that boring courtroom along with everyone. When the Defense begins their case, you can tell the climax is coming.

Then you get another curve ball. You learn about two things that had happened in the shadows, and things fall into place as the world tumbles down for some and rights itself for others. I remember my jaw dropping and a smirk taking over my face. It was brilliant. I wish there was a better word to describe it, but there really isn't. Then you get to see the aftermath as everyone puts their lives into the new shells that are created for them.

Rain obviously gets off. I mean, it's her story, she can't go off to jail. You get to see her as she continues the friendships that matter, as she returns to school, as she deals with the grandmother she hadn't met before, and as her and River figure out their relationship.
It was really wonderful to watch it all.

Judgment was a fantastic ending to an amazing series. Loose ends were tied up, lives were changed, and justice was served. I am so happy to have been exposed to this series. Highly recommended to all.

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The curse between Scarlet and Tristan has shifted, reversing the effects. The bad part, is that now Scarlet feels pain when Tristan is too far away. The good thing is that Scarlet remembers where the Fountain of Youth is. She also remembers the price that the fountain has to gain access to it's waters, so maybe that isn't so much of a good thing afterall. Now Raven has kidnapped Heather and Gabriel in a ploy to get Scarlet to give her the map to the fountain. Scarlet must rescue Heather and Gabriel and then lead her friends to the fountain. They have to beat Raven there, or lose out on everything. But knowing the price the fountain requests, there will be no happy endings.

This book was just as wonderful as the previous ones. It's usually really rare to find a series where every book is just as strong as the one before it. This is the type of novel an author needs to aspire to write. The pacing, the twists and turns, the characters, everything stays in tip top form from beginning to end. You can't choose a "favorite" book in this series because it's just not possible. The whole series blends and connects to one another perfectly.

Tristan, Scarlet, Gabriel and Heather all stayed pretty much the same as they are in the previous books. It was interesting to see what kind of a man Gabriel was in the beginning of the curse, compared to what he is now. Tristan continued making you want to slap him for doing things to try to "save" Scarlet. I hate it when guys think they know what is best for you. Heather got a chance to be more loveable. She got to show her vulnerable side, which was really nice to see. I felt like this novel was brilliant for Nate and Raven though. You got to see so much more of Nate and his personality. Raven was also given the limelight at times. I love that she was written as this villain, but she wasn't horrifying. She wasn't the type to give you nightmares, but you did want to see her die as the novel went on.

The story was much different than I expected. The plot itself in this novel is actually rather short. It spends a lot of it's time in the past. You get to see things from Gabriel and Tristan's side during the lulls in the curse, as well as getting to meet Scarlet in her past lives. While it was weird to be in the past for as long as you are, it was nice at the same time. I loved being able to see how things were between the three of them as a result of the curse. You get to understand more about why the brothers are the way they are, and you get to fully learn about the secrets Scarlet was keeping in her last life.

The climax was heart-wrenching. I saw where it was going to go at about 70% in, which I found unexpected because of how strong the writing was, but at the same time, I think I needed to see it early. I don't know how I would've been able to handle it, had it been dropped like a bomb on me. I needed the time to get used to where it was going to go. Even knowing what was going to happen, the climax was written with so many additional things that I didn't expect happening, that I sobbed like a baby for a good twenty minutes before I could read too much farther. It made sense to end things the way that it did. It was the perfect ending for everyone in my eyes. Still sad, but perfect.

The ending was wonderful as well. I love the signs of what will happen, character relationship-wise. Can't say much there without massive spoilers. The epilogue was simple. I partly expected it, but I also don't know that it was needed. I can't say it was a perfect way to end things, but at the same time, I think I would've missed it had it not been there.

Bottom line, this was a fantastic ending to a fantastic series. Five stars straight across. I recommend this series to everyone. In fact, I have been recommending it to everyone. Stop holding back and go read it.

Review incoming

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After a fall in cheerleading practice that almost takes her life, Willow does what she does best when things get to heavy, she runs. She quits cheerleading instead of trying to deal with the problem. When it becomes known that she has extra time on her hands, people start pushing her back into dance and theater when they talk her into auditioning for a musical that is to be held in her town. When things start looking up, she finds out that she will be performing opposite of her former best friend Eli, whom she had run from three years before. Eli hasn't forgiven her from running from him, making things between them very tense. To make matters worse, her singing is horrible, the other kids in the musical can't stand her, and her dog is dying. Just when things start to look better, a new challenge faces her, and she must decide if she will run like she usually does and let everyone down, or if she will face it.

This book was better than I thought it would be, and yet disappointing at the same time. Typically, these types of stories you can predict. I had expected, after reading about them being entwined in the backseat of his car, that the challenge would be a pregnancy.
It was the obvious direction in my mind. I think that built up the drama in my mind, so when the drama didn't deliver and ended up being far more gentle, it through me off, leaving me disappointed.

This was by no means a bad book though. The characters were good. I liked them all for what they were. Willow and Eli really hold the most screentime in the book, so it is a good thing that they are quite likeable. I didn't find myself wanting to strangle either of them or anything, so that is good.

The plot is really simple, especially after you get past the fact that the challenge wasn't anything like I thought it would be. The challenge given makes more sense, but I guess the official summary for the book was misleading. The plot is played out and cleaned up very nicely.

While this wasn't an amazing book, it was a really good contemporary romance, and I did enjoy it very much. If you are looking for a good contemporary romance that is light and easy to handle, this is a good choice.

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Emma has made the worst mistake you can make, she kissed her best friend's boyfriend, Colin. To make it worse, she lives in a small town, so she runs the risk of everyone knowing about it. Somehow the kiss keeps quiet, but now her best friend doesn't trust her, the boy is ignoring her, and Emma is feeling awful. When scandal breaks out in the town, and only Emma and Colin know the truth, she must decide what is worth giving up to save someone else. With so many people in town asking what Jesus would do, she discovers it's time to start asking what she should do instead, and live her own life.

This book kind of disappointed me. Alright, so it's obvious from the title alone that this was going to have religious themes. That is fine, I set myself up for that. I wasn't expecting, but I certainly didn't miss all the hinted relation to The Crucible. The town Emma lives in, is one of those highly religious small towns that tend to get a little carried away by their faith. They like to bring their faith into everything, even places it doesn't really need to be focused on, and anyone who questions it is singled out and shunned.

The characters were a little lacking. Emma was decently fleshed out, but the other characters didn't feel real enough to me. A few of them, like Colin, I thought was going to have more role to play in the story and then he was hardly around. I guess in a way it make sense, but the whole thing felt off to me. Sure, I flew through the pages to see what happened next, but I wasn't compelled to keep reading.

The plot was off from the summary. There was so little to do with having kissed Colin that it felt like the summary was stretching it. I was really disappointed in the lack of romance. Being a book with religious tones does not mean you have to skip on the love. Aside from a few kisses, there was nothing. Even the crush Emma develops seems silly. This was one of those books that I felt like, the summary was pulled from the things far off on the side. Or maybe it was written before the book was finished and never changed to make up for the fact that the book took a completely different direction.

While I was reading through, I kept flashing back to my youth when I was sitting around reading Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. I feel like this would be a great book for a younger crowd who is fans of that one. This wasn't a bad book, it just didn't click with me.

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Avery has spent years building up herself a perfect life. Her next plan? Working in a humanitarian program in Costa Rica as part of her goals to become a doctor. The only problem, is that she is having trouble coming up with the rest of the cash for the trip. So when her former best friend, and biggest rival in all things academic offers her five hundred dollars for completing a small task, she jumps on it. All Avery has to do is steal Hannah's boyfriend, Zac, away. Easy right? But Zac is nothing like she expected. He is spontaneous, and impulsive, and doesn't appear to take anything seriously. But Avery is starting to see that maybe she isn't perfect, she is actually pretty broken. Maybe Zac is exactly what she needs in her life, but can she keep him in it if he finds out about her being the boyfriend thief?

Oh my gosh!! This book! You guys, this was so good. Simple plot, girl is perfect and full of order, boy is not ordered at all, things go crazy on the way to them being together. Typical young adult love story. The only other book I have read by Shana Norris is Troy High, which was really light and cute. It was a fast, fun read, that you don't really take seriously. You just read through and enjoy it, right? I was expecting something similar with The Boyfriend Thief, but that was not what I got. There was a light plot that was driven with deeper themes.

Avery is a bit of a mess. She has obvious OCD, she wants everything to be perfect, and she is determined to be the best. She thinks that she wasn't good enough, and that's why her mother left years ago, and so now she works to prove that she is good enough to keep everyone else in her life. In the process, she has pushed everyone away from the most part, giving her a reputation of being a bit of an ice queen. Zac is so full of energy and life. He has so many ideas he can't control them. But it seems like most people don't take him seriously, and his father is determined to have him go into the family business instead of considering what he wants. Hannah has a mom that just cannot accept anything less than perfection. Elliot has a bad reputation but is struggling to show he is a good guy. Molly just wants to be happy, but also wants to support her best friend. The characters in this book were amazing. This book should be a testament to how to create well-developed characters. The characters were entertaining and relatable. It was so easy to fall into their world and walk along side them.

The story is really simple, but the underlying issues with the characters, namely Avery, come forth slowly throughout the book. I loved watching Zac figure her out. He may not have known everything, but he really took the time to get to know her. His powers of observation were just perfect. I got really into this book. I had gone in expecting fluff, so I was rather shocked when I started sobbing like a baby over various events. I hadn't expected to get so attached to the characters.

This was a rather short read, I finished it much quicker than I had expected to, but it was worth every second. I loved everything about it. This was one of those stories where the characters were so amazing, I wish I could see more of them. I highly recommend this to everyone.

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Thank you Netgalley for providing my advance copy.

After being roped into the greatest cheating scandal her prep school had ever seen, Miranda is forced to take a job at Hot-Dog Kabob in the mall as a way to repay her "debt to society" for her involvement. Banished and ridiculed, unfairly, by her classmates, Miranda struggles to maintain her dignity in her low-wage, highly embarrassing job. When the biggest snow storm of the season traps the mall workers and last-minute shoppers in the mall overnight, Miranda decides to use her charm and cleverness to get back at her former best friends, the ones who had shoved the blame of the scandal on her shoulders. With the help over her over-zealous coworker, Ariel, and the cute loner, Caleb, from the video game store, she gets her revenge and discovers a lot about herself in the process.

This was super cute. I should let it be known that I haven't read The Tempest since I was about nine and I honestly don't remember it at all. Not being familiar with the original tale, will not hurt this story for you. I wasn't able to see how many nods there might have been to the original story, but it didn't feel lacking to me at all.

Miranda is a great character. She is a great planner, and people seem to rely on her to solve their problems. She does get sick of being everyone's go-to girl for their problems, but at the same time, she relishes the attention. It was great to watch her realize who her real friends were, and get over her anger as the night went on. Caleb is a great male lead. He is sullen and cynical and just makes for a great companion to Miranda. They are so ridiculously perfect for one another that it just makes their interactions that much better to watch. Ariel is the cutest friend. She is not one to be underestimated either. The characters were really good, and they had a lot of fun throughout the night. It made for great entertainment.

The plot was cute and simple. It had underlying things that needed handled, but a lot of the book felt really random. In any other story, that wouldn't work, but it totally worked here. It was a lot of fun to see their adventures through the night play out. The one thing that was a recurring issue in the book that wasn't mentioned in the summary is that there is a shop-lifter locked into the mall with them. They spend the night getting increasingly more worried about it until they realize who it is. The danger element was there, but it was done in a way to not be a killjoy. This book wasn't meant to be a mystery, so it turning into one would've been really unsettling.

This story was short, easy to read, and hard not to love. This is definitely a series that I plan to keep my eye on. I can't wait till this one is released so I can buy it for my book shelf. I recommend it to everyone.

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Julius P. Heil High has about 250 students, and a general ratio of more girls than guys. But when budget cuts drive the desired football couch across the country, a lot of families pull their boys out to go to private schools where they can have a shot at getting their coveted football scholarships. This has left the school with a 4:1 ratio of girls to boys, making even the geekiest boys a hot commodity. Kelly is a down-to-earth girl, not the type to get noticed by boys to begin with, and because of the lack of boys, her friend Hunter has gotten quite popular. When she realizes that she likes him, she can't think of how she could possibly compete for him. Now she is out to try to make him see her so that she might win his heart.

This book was cute. The idea was really nice and I was looking forward to it, but in the end I was rather disappointed. The story switches points of view between Kelly and Hunter, which I loved. I loved being able to see both sides of things. It really allows you to get to know both characters and it helps give you a connection to them. You want to root for them.

Kelly and Hunter are both really likable. They are also pretty cute together, which is a plus in a romance setting. Their friends are all fabulous as well. They all had their faults and strengths and were just generally well-rounded. The friends were all funny to read about as well, which was nice. It made for quite a few places where I would laugh aloud or smile to myself from something cute happening.

The plot was really simple, and that's where the story suffered. Things felt rushed. There were time skips randomly through things, and things would be mentioned as an after thought. Like, someone would break up and it would simply say that they had broken up "a few weeks ago" and that would be the end of it. No reason for a lot of things. It was all convenient plot points. Things happened because they needed to, not because the story wanted them to. It made the story feel really stiff and jarring. Kelly going out with the Freshman was a great example. By the summary for the book you think there will be more to it, but nope, she goes out with him to try to make Hunter jealous and then they hardly do anything. How can you make someone jealous just by being taken in name with someone. There was next to nothing about their relationship in there. I feel like things wrapped up too nicely. There wasn't enough conflict, there wasn't enough problems. Everything that happened was fairly small and unexciting.

So this was a cute read and I really did enjoy it, but I was disappointed. I had expected it to be quite a bit better from the summary, and there just wasn't enough there to thrill me. This is defiantly something you want to rent or borrow from a friend before you jump into buying it.

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It's prom night, but the perfect night of dances, dresses and lipglosses is going anything but perfect for three very different girls. Popular girl Bliss just saw her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend, Bad girl outcast Jolene is completely out of her element, and in pink, wondering why she thought he would show up. Shy, invisible Megan is ready to take control of her life and stand out, until her date cancels on her at the last minute. When the three girls come together for a little revenge and rebellion, then end up with a night that none of them could've imagined.

This book was cute. It wasn't special, it wasn't unique, it wasn't fabulous, it was cute. This is one of those cute coming of age stories where the characters look at their lives, hate what they see, and change it in ways they didn't think would happen. It's light, it's fluffy, it puts a smile on your face and then you move on. It isn't the type to endear itself to you and leave you thinking about it for hours afterwards. It entertains you until the last page, and then you move on.

The characters are cute. I liked the three main girls. Their stories make sense, they fit the roles that were created for them. They have a lot of fun, they fight, they yell, they laugh, they have a great time with each other. The other characters in the story were perfect as well. There was nothing wrong with any of them. None of them really stand out and make you think about them, but they all played their roles really well.

The plot was simple and it was written smoothly. The story keeps you glued and you want to know what happens. It's all fairly predictable, but it leaves a smile on your face as you watch each girl grow in their own ways, as well as the friendship between them growing.

So while this isn't a remarkable book, I have to recommend it. It is a great short little read. I would've given it a 4stars, but I usually don't rate fluff books that high unless they really impress me. This one entertained me, but I wasn't impressed. That doesn't make it any less worthy, just not memorable.

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Twenty-two, about to graduate from college, and the only virgin among her friends, Bliss decides that it is time to lose her v-card. What better way than through a one-night stand right? Getting the gorgeous British man she met in the bar back to her place was the easy part, calming her nerves to sleep with him is another story. Creating a lame excuse, she leaves him naked in her bed. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, when she gets to her first class the next morning, the boy she had left naked in her bed is her new teacher.

I really liked this book. It wasn't overly imaginative or exceptionally great writing. It was just fun. You know that face you get when you get really good news? Like, the fluffy news face. Or maybe that face you get when your best friend tells you that your crush was just checking you out. You smile so large you can't contain it, you dance around a bit, and you squee in happiness. That's what this book was. It was a squee-worthy fluff-fest. It isn't the type of book to leave you with any deep emotions. It's a light read that is meant to make you smile and then let you get on with your life. It does it's job well.

I found it hard to get into Bliss' voice at first. It passed really quickly. I had this feeling that I wouldn't like her, or that her reasons for running out on the cute boy would make me dislike her or find her unbelievable. I found her quite believable. Her reactions to things made quite a bit of sense. Garrick was fabulous. I loved everything about him. I was a bit bothered to see a British male lead, as that is overdone in books I read lately, but whatever. Guilty please. I have no regrets.

The plot is light and simple. It is really easy to get through. I think what bothered me the most was that the timeline can get lost in things. There is one point where they exchange "I love yous" and it felt a bit abrupt for me. I had somehow expected that less time had past than had actually gone by. Otherwise the writing was smooth and quite enjoyable. There were quite a few times where I laughed out loud at something funny that Bliss would say, usually in her head.

All in all, this is a really nice read if you just want a quick squee. Perfect length for a rainstorm and completely easy to read in one sitting.

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Thank you Netgalley for providing my advance copy.

Jody is horribly addicted to her favorite band Regulators, especially it's frontman Jackson Gatlin. She eat, sleeps, and breathes Jackson. So when she gets the chance to see Regulators in concert, she is super happy, waiting all day in the bitter cold for a front row perch. But things don't go as she plans, as she goes home with a concussion and Jackson himself, who she somehow managed to kidnap with a candy bar. Now she has the rock star holed up in her garage, and he doesn't really want to leave.

This book was nothing like I expected. It actually started out really boring. The chapters with the concert and the lining up outside the concert hall especially were turn offs for me. It was all inner monologue with lots of description. It gets better quickly after, but even then the book itself was rather slow paced.

The characters were good. I loved Mac so hard. He is just such a great guy. Jackson was a jerk and a half for a good portion of things. You kind of grow to understand him. He has no people skills, being a celebrity has killed any he might have had prior. Jody begins very unlikable. She is such a "hardcore" (see: "obsessed") fan that she is annoying. She gets better. Jackson quickly highlights her delusions and crushes her dreams. She spends a good part of the book being either really dense or really blind.

The story is actually really fabulous. The interactions between the characters all lead up to a very touching end. The tie ins with Jody's grandfather are perfect. He seems like he would've been such a fun old man, a "legend" as Jackson describes him. But the realization at the end is just brilliant. The ending makes up for what seems like a lame story. Everything builds and weaves rather slowly and when it all comes together at the end you are just left with fuzzy feelings. Not all of them are good fuzzies either. You are left feeling sorry for celebrities, feeling happy for Jackson's fate, feeling enthralled by the items that improve Mac and Jody's lives.

This was really a great book. It was hard to rate because of how slow it is for most of it. The ending really saved it. It was a great read, so I do recommend it. It will feel slow for a really long time, don't give up on it! It is worth finishing.

Review originally posted at my blog

Katy and Daemon are connected. After Katy tapped into Daemon's powers and killed an Arum, injuring herself horribly, he healed her. Now she is connected to him because of the healing and it is driving her crazy. Daemon is set to prove he loves her, but Katy is certain it's just the connection driving his attentions and nothing more. Top make things worse, the DOD are in town and keeping their eyes a little too closely on Katy, Daemon and the other Luxen. So when a new boy comes to town, claiming to know what happened to her and that she is just like her and can help her train, she jumps at the chance. She sees it as a way to help protect Daemon, Dee, and their secret. Daemon views it as a betrayal and doesn't want her anywhere near the kid. When Katy sees someone who is supposed to be dead she realizes that everything is about to change. Half of what she has been told are lies and with the pressure mounting, not everyone is going to survive.

This series is addicting. I love the characters and I love the plot so much. Things started a little slowly for me. In Obsidian Katy and Daemon have this amazing sexual tension from the first page and it drives the story even faster for you. When Onyx began, that tension was missing for the most part. I was about 20% in before things started feeling like a Lux novel for me again.

The characters are all still wonderful. The tension between Daemon and Katy does eventually show up and it is just as wonderful as it was in Obsidian. These are two characters that are meant to be together. They are connected, and I don't just mean by the healing that Daemon did. The new character Blake isn't awful. I didn't really trust him from the beginning. There was something off about him. Then the doctor, Will. He threw me. I should've remembered him and I didn't so when his connections are revealed I was just as shocked as Katy was.

This novel was really meant to help pick up the plot and wow did it! The story is fairly fast-paced and the lies and secrets hide behind every corner. There is so much talk about Dawson and Bethany and how the DOD treats the Black family that you will really benefit from having read the prequel Shadows. If you haven't read it, then you should read it before you dive into Onyx. It will help you tremendously.

I recommend this series to everyone. It just keeps getting better and better. Jennifer L. Armentrout is a genius. I've only read the one series by her and yet it is enough to put her up in my top favorite author's list and guarantee that I will buy anything she puts out.