1. Partials by Dan Wells

Most memorable book I read all year. It kept me on the edge of my seat; couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

2. Covet by Melissa Darnell

I enjoy the mixture of several supernatural creatures; Vampires, Witches and Shifters. With a main character that I respected and a love interest that is a true born leader, both caring and strong.

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cyborg, Cinderella retelling, funnest read all year, it was an amazing ride

4. Defiance by CJ Redwine

An amazingly evil villain with a kick ass female lead. Made me want to shout ” you go girl”

5. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

First read this year that made me exclaim ” OMG she took it there!” Kathleen Peacock’s book made me seriously consider switching from team Vampire to team Werewolf.
Most of the titles I am looking forward to next year are part of a series that I love and highly anticipate. Which also brings me to say that it’s hard to exactly say why I want to read it so bad without spoiling others, but here goes!

Top 10 anticipated in 2013

Sever by Lauren Destefano

– Last book in the trilogy. I love these books because as a girl it took me out of my comfort zone. Teens that die young because of a disease and the urgency of having children and carrying on humanity knowing you only get a few precious years full of turmoil, then sickness. And the abuse that comes along with such things in this society.

Fragments by Dan Wells

– The first book had me turning pages so fast that I had to go back and listen to the audiobook and enjoyed each so much. The
Partials—(engineered organic beings identical to humans) always one step ahead, really kept me on the edge of my seat.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

-although I have read several reviews that had conflicting ideas about the writing style of book 1, Shatter Me. It was an absolute eye opener for me. Very poetic and full of imagery that blew my mind. Also fun super human powers and an impending war… I love that energy. 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

-Also a sequel. Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella, but as a cyborg. It ended with so many questions and I’m excited to see where this one goes next.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

– I haven’t heard too much about this one, but all I needed to hear was “Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books” (from the authors website)  as both a fan of ghosts, and books, this one sounds like a really interesting read. 

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

-Possibly my most shallow pick, but OMG that cover! I love the artwork on all of her books. As I have not even started the Infernal Devices series it’s crazy to nominate this one, but I have read all of the Mortal Instruments series and I know I’m gonna love these as well. 

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis-

The last book in the series, a fantastic science fiction story that is fun and other-worldly.

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi-

Sequel to Under the Never Sky but this time told from different characters perspective. The first book was intense and had great visual imagery.

Splintered by AG Howard

-In a darker twist to Alice in Wonderland. Alice was one of Alyssa’s ancestors and a curse has caused all the women to end up in mental hospitals. But it’s time for Alyssa to go to wonderland and finally break the curse.

Ink by Amanda Sun

-This was actually put on my radar by The Book Probe himself. I know very little about it but what caught my eye is part of the summary on the book: “Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control.”

–          All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

A refreshing, spirited narrative style with some truly compelling characters and some family drama resulting in very tense situations. Slight futuristic/dystopian elements, but they were certainly the backdrop to a genuinely moving coming-of-age story.

–          A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

A marvellous blend of contemporary realism and high fantasy, this novel balanced dual protagonists beautifully and effectively captured some distinct emotional struggles, while at the same time incorporating a surprising amount of tongue-in-cheek humour. Was very impressed by all of the typical YA tropes that this novel avoided also!! That’s always a plus.

–          Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan

As a huge fan of its predecessor, Glow, I was incredibly excited to see how this second instalment would measure up in terms of emotional resonance, thematic tension and so forth. It did not disappoint! This series is fast proving to be one of the most original, genuine and intelligent I have ever encountered in young adult fiction. High recommended, especially for science fiction and dystopia fans.

–          Cinder by Marissa Meyer

One of the most blatantly enjoyable fairy tale retellings I have encountered in a long time; unapologetically fun at times, while never sacrificing character and story. The Cinderella elements are all present and accounted for, but it’s still very much its own unique story, and Cinder quickly became one of my most cherished heroines in recent reads.

–          The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Somewhat defying age distinctions, this is technically an adult novel featuring a 12 year-old protagonist, but could certainly be read and enjoyed easily by young adults.  The fairy tale elements are a strong and constant presence throughout the novel, but can be seen in very different ways than most contemporary readers would be accustomed to. The level of graphic detail and dark thematic content might be a little unsettling to some, but it undeniably makes for a gripping read. The novel also features one of the most despicable, heartless villains ever put to paper.

Hello and Welcome to my review of Naturally Charlie!

I’m so excited to share with you how much I loved this book, and couldn’t force myself to put it down!

Here’s the summary:

“Twenty-five year old Charlotte “Charlie” Barrow is caught between her old life and the one she is beginning to build when she crosses paths with a handsome stranger on the subway. Not looking for romance, she closes her heart off to the possibilities of love. With a knack for mishaps, Charlie maintains her sense of humor while befriending the kind stranger who seems to be there at all the right times. New York freelance writer, Charlie Adams, is forging his own path beyond the expectations of the society circles of his childhood. Rejecting family money, and fast-lane friends, he is snubbed by his family as he follows his own compass to a life more extraordinary. Through a coincidence of events, they come to rely on each other for comfort. This is the tale of two Charlies learning to trust again while fighting their fates to create their own destiny.”

Naturally Charlie follows the journey of Charlotte and Charles, both who go by the nickname Charlie, and are going through rough times in their lives. While Charlotte is dealing with a broken heart from an intense break up, and death of her ex-fiancée Jim, just six months later, Charles is dealing with many changes in his life, his thoughts and morals, as well as the death of his aunt (the only family member he could ever really relate to!).

Bumping into each a few different times throughout the story, Charlotte and Charles decide to attend one another’s family funerals, not exactly the ideal first “date”, but it doesn’t matter to either of the two. They both need someone to lean on during these rough times.

From attending the funerals to spending Saturday afternoons, napping and watching movies together, the two get really close, and start having feelings for each other (even though neither want to admit to it).

But while Charles wants to not only help Charlotte get through her last break up and her ex-fiancée’s death, but also he wants to take their own relationship farther, he doesn’t want to “just be friends”, he wants much more! Unlike Charlotte who wants time to herself, to clear her head, and heal. Charlotte wants to end one part of her life, before she starts any other part.

Even though I received this book for review, Naturally Charlie was the perfect little love story I’ve been looking for! I really liked both of the characters, Charlotte was down to earth and I could connect to her many times throughout the story, and Charles was the perfect guy and girl could dream of!

LOVED it! If you haven’t picked this up yet, you should!

Welcome to my review of Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins! This is the second book in the Hex Hall series, the first being, Hex Hall. If you haven’t picked up this series you really should. I can’t wait to see how the story continues in the third and final book, Spellbound!

Here’s the synopsis:

“Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch, which was why she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shape-shifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered she’s a demon, and her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping her kind off the face of the earth.

What’s worse, Sophie has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is why she decides to go to London for the Removal, a risky procedure that will either destroy her powers forever—or kill her. But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery: someone is raising new demons in secret and planning to use their powers to destroy the world. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Acher to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him any more. Does she?”

Though I loved Hex Hall and never thought the second book could be better or even nearly as good, it was! With Demonglass, Rachel Hawkins hit it out of the park.

The end of Sophie’s first year at Hex Hall, is just around the corner, as is summer. While most of her friends and classmates are happy to finally leave school and be able to spend their summer doing what they please, Sophie agrees to spend her summer with her dad, the Council, Jenny (her best friend), and Mr. Hot, Cal! Spending the next three or so months in this huge mansion isn’t exactly what Sophie thought she would be doing for her holidays.

Demonglass introduces two new characters, Nick and Daisy, who are demons just like Sophie and her Dad. The characters in Hex Hall were amazing, each character was interesting and had depth, but Demonglass took them to a whole new level! I really enjoyed reading about the love triangle between Cal, Sophie and Archer! Sadly I still can’t say which team I’m on because I really like both. While Cal is more a delicious hot and good boy, Archer is more the bad-ass hot guy. Cal is more quiet and relaxed, letting Sophie decide how she feels, Archer is more open and aggressive in his relationship with Sophie.

The story line is a bit different this time. Hex Hall was more about Sophie, her love life, and school. Demonglass is much bigger than that. It included Sophie, her love triangle….and pretty much the rest of the demonic/paranormal world. But what happens when this demonic/paranormal world is in danger? What if someone is breeding demons to build an army and start a war? What will Sophie have to do to save her world? Will Sophie have to decide between Archer and Cal? Who will she pick? The guy her dad approves of, or the guy he doesnt?!

If you haven’t read this series, you really should get on it! I loved the first two books, and can’t wait to see what the third has in store for me!

When Ania moves from London to Swansea city in Wales she is hoping that her life will get a bit more exciting, after all she is running away from her controlling mother to taste more freedom and feel more independent. Everything seems to be going the way she wanted until she almost dies while taking a quiet walk around the beach in the late evening.

When she opens her eyes, nothing seems the same…

She starts seeing people that no one else is able to notice. An enchanting looking man keeps following her and Ania’s life seems to getting more exciting than she ever wished for.

Our main character Ania is determined to have some freedom away from her overbearing mother. They just recently moved from Russia to London, and now after graduation she is ready to go to college. If possible, far away from her mother. She chooses a school relatively close within driving distance, but far enough to feel like she’s got some freedom.  Ania’s character is very stubborn, her relationship with her mother is very tender and it seems to affect all of the decisions that she makes in her own life. But the reader is kept in the dark until the very end.

Upon arrival to her new home to attend college, Ania has a near death experience when she is stabbed by a stranger on the beach. After this event she begins to notice people she couldn’t see before, but soon realized they cannot be seen by others. Just her. This starts her life on a very fast track of trying to figure out who they are. When she falls for the one who seems to always be around her, she’s asking for trouble. But when Gabriel begins to fall for her as well, there are too many rules being broken, and eventually somebody has got to pay.

This story was a pretty fast-paced one, but comes with a very emotional and indecisive main character who although she caused me some frustration, I rooted for in the end. Ania has to overcome several different things emotionally, and as this is just the first book in the series, there is a lot of room for her growth. I was proud of her when she finally made that decision to put all of her thoughts into moving forward in one direction.

We just barely get a glimpse into the other world that is introduced in this first book, but it has a lot of fun and imaginative potential with a mixture of paranormal worlds blending.