Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Title: The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy #1)
Author: Mindee Arnett
Publication: March 5th 2013 by Tor Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.


-- My Rating --


4/5 Oscars: Really Liked It...

-- My Thoughts --

     The Nightmare Affair has been getting a lot of buzz from the blogging world, and since I am such a fan of fantasy, I knew I would love this. Sarcasm. Action. Romance. This book has it all.
     Dusty has been overshadowed by her mum's bad reputation all the time. Now, that she has discovered that she is a Nightmare, feeding on people's dreams has become her job. It's normal enough for a supernatural being, up until one night, she feeds on the gorgeous human, Eli. But nothing goes on as planned. Caught up in a whirlwind of action and romance, Dusty has to choose sides to save all the supernatural beings and whom her heart truly desires.
     I have to say that the concept of Nightmares was refreshing. There have been many research on where nightmares come from but the direction Mindee Arnett took surprised me and I totally liked it. She knew how to capture the teenage angst in Dusty's character. Dusty is a character you will like, root for, then adore. I adored her every move.
     For those who hate love triangles, you have been warned. I am not a huge fan myself, but the one in this book was executed perfectly, and I loved both guys so much that I didn't know who to choose until the end. Then, it became crystal clear. The twists and turns in this book are plenty, although some are predictable, others left me gasping and wondering what just happened.
     The action in this book is nonstop. It is exhilarating and heart-racing. The sarcasm and the load of characters are amazing. Mindee Arnett has created a stunning debut, this book has lots of potential! And to say, I am dying to read more of this world, would be an understatement.
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“Geez,” I said, looking back at Selene. “Is being at the top of the social food chain like a universal birthright or something?” She grimaced. “I think there’s a national registry. It’s online at eat- crap- dot- com.”
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If sarcasm were butter, you could’ve spread him over toast.
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“But why?” I knew his answer already, but I thought I would rather avoid all negative situations from here on out instead. Maybe I should become a nun.
---

Review: Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

 Name of book: Drowning Instinct
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Publication: February 1st 2012 by Lerner Publishing Group
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: Owned
Goodreads

There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord’s first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire. 

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain... magnetism. 

And there are stories where it’s hard to be sure who’s a prince and who’s a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.


-- My Rating --


5/5 Oscars: Loved it...

-- My Thoughts --


     WOW! It is such a pleasant surprise when a book turns out to be much, much better than your expectations! I knew , from the very beginning, that this book would be dark, scary dark. This book was one of those books that remind me why I started reading in the first place.
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Each me was different from the other and yet the same, like the angles of a triangle or the facets of a diamond.
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     Jenna Lord is not your typical girl. She has had a hard past, a psycho dad, a drunken mum, and a brother who left for Iraq. Her life is a constant hell, until she meets her enigmatic teacher, Mr. Anderson.
     I cannot say more about this book, my experience with it was fabulous, and I am afraid that if I say too much, it will ruin your experience. Jenna is one of the most broken characters I have ever read about. She is so broken that it's tangible, I felt for her and I felt what she was going through. Her decision-making skills were equal to zero. I would never do what she did, but all I wanted was to give her a HUGE hug and show her the right way. There was nobody in her life who really cared for her, and all who did care, were taken away somehow.
     Then comes Mr. Anderson. He is captivating, enigmatic, and scary sexy. A devoted husband, a great teacher and much more. He is the man you KNOW you should not fall for but you do anyway. He is much older than Jenna and their relationship is taboo, but they can't stay away. And it's a rule, when two broken people are together, happiness will stay as far away as possible.
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There are those individuals who die for a cause, and we say they have made the ultimate sacrifice. We call them martyrs, and we never doubt their sincerity.
Yet many others search their entire lives for something—or someone—worth dying for and this is very different. These are the lonely and the desperate, fearful that their lives have no meaning. They yearn for the bullet, if only someone else will pull the trigger.
---
     This story is raw, and dark. So dark that you DO NOT want to continue but you do anyway, since you want to know the ending. Don't expect to be happy after you read this book. Because you won't. This will leave you crying (weeping, actually), or cursing, or just wanting to jump off a cliff.
     This book is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. And Ms. Ilsa will always be one of my top-favorite authors. I am afraid that even if I recommend this to anyone who is willing to read, it would still not do this book justice.
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I’m beating around the bush. I know I am. I don’t want to tell this story, Bob, and you know why? Because this is a fairy tale with teeth and claws, and here’s what completely sucks: you’re going to want black and white, Bob, right and wrong. I’m not sure I can give that to you. That’s the problem with the truth. Sometimes the truth is ambiguous, or a really bad cliché.
But this is the truth, Bob: I’m a liar.
I am lucky, a liar, a good girl, a princess, a thief—and a killer.
And my reality—my story—begins with Mr. Anderson.
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Review: Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper

Name of book: Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily #1)
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Publication: May 25th 2012 by Starry Sky Publishing
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Source: Borrowed
Goodreads

Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories. 

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her. 

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be. 

X-MEN meets MY NAME IS MEMORY in Karen Amanda Hooper’s latest young adult release.

-- My Rating --



4.5 / 5 Oscars: Loved it...

-- My Thoughts --

     Ok, so I read the anthology, Furthermore (my review here) and one of the stories really caught my eye. It was somewhat of a prequel to this novel, so I had to get my hands on the novel, of course. 
      Maryah is just a normal seventeen-year-old girl. But when tragedy strikes, and she is sent to live with a godmother she never knew about, her life becomes as far from normal as possible. Strangely, this huge family are more familiar with her than she knows. And one of the boys, Nathaniel, is the guy from her dreams, literally...
     This book is pure unique. I have ever read anything about kindrily-ies, but they are very fascinating. The family Maryah lives with are souls that are able to retain memories from their past lives when they are given new bodies. The little twists and turns in this book left me breathless, but the tension, and the build-up felt really good and thought-out. GRASPING AT ETERNITY was one hell of a romantic ride!
     The characters are superb. Each one of them are unique, Nathaniel, Maryan, Mickey, Fate, Harmony, River... Every single one of them stuck with me and their uniqueness is unforgettable. The end wrapped things up nicely but left room for new developments. I am not overly obsessed but I am definitely interested to read the second book, TAKING BACK FOREVER...

Review: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Name of book: Safe Haven
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publication: September 14th 2010 by Grand Central Publishing 
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Thriller
Source: Borrowed
Goodreads

Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again. 

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.


-- My Rating --



3/5 Oscars: Liked it...


-- My Thoughts --


      I love Nicholas Sparks. He is one of the authors that I will always keep an eye out for. Yes, some of his books are great. Some are not so great. But, it's a fact, that's he's one of the most talented authors out there. He always brings something new to the field, and this book did not disappoint.
     Katie is off into a new town. Away from her violent past. And she has made some rules: Never form attachments, never get too close, and never leave traces of her old life. But when she meets her outspoken neighbor, Jo, and the  guy who runs the supermarket, Alex, and his two little kids, all the rules are thrown out of the window. Will Katie survive or will another disaster strike?
     This book is very different from Nicholas Sparks' other novels, halfway through, it becomes more of a thriller than a contemporary romance. The suspense, the thrill, the on-edge-of-your-toes moments are all you get from this book. And I liked it. But there is something in the end of the book, and in the end of The Best of Me, too. Nicholas Sparks has added something new to his endings and I don't really like it. His books were amazing the way they were, and I wonder if he believes in what he added himself. You have to read to find out what I am talking about.
      Of course, I don't have to say more, I would always recommend Nicholas Sparks' books to anyone. They are all different shades of amazing and unique.

Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Name of book: Mila 2.0 (Mila 2.0 #1)
Author: Debra Driza
Publication: March 12th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Science Fiction, YA
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

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.


-- My Rating --
4/5 Oscars: Really liked it...

-- My Thoughts --


     When a book gets a lot of mixed buzz from the blogging world, I am nervous about read it. And such was the case with this book. I didn't put too much expectations into this one because of all the almost-negative reviews, but I liked it much more than I thought I would.
      Mila feels just like the average teenage girl, but she is far from it. An android made in a top-secret lab for top-secret purposes is what she is. Now, she is on the run. From those who made her. And from the reality that is ready to engulf her.
     This book was not deep. But it did touch a sensitive subject "Is humanity determined by our actions or by what we are made of?". All the negative reviews of Mila 2.0 were discouraging  but I really liked this. Mila is very easy to relate to, she is deeply loyal, a little whiny at times, but you can't blame her. Most of the secondary characters were two dimensional but some stuck out, like Hunter and Lucas and Mila's mum.
    Raw, teenage romance dominated this book and it was kind and sweet, which is refreshing. This series has a lot of potential, so fantasy lovers and science fiction lover should give this a try! You won't regret it!