Crash Into You - Katie McGarry

Author: Katie McGarry
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Publication Date: November 26, 2013


**I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.com, and was in no way otherwise compensated for this review.**

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com): The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Review: Crash Into You is the third book of the Pushing the Limits series by Katie McGarry I have read all of these books, and have enjoyed each and every one of them for different reasons. Katie McGarry writes about individuals who are broken and beaten down by life. Her stories are on the edge of what I like to read – there have been references to drug use, and alcohol consumptions, only it is done in such a way that it does not really pain either of them in a light that is anything but negative and points out the fact that they cause you to lose control of yourself.

I was more than happy for Isaiah to get his story, especially after reading Dare to You, and how Beth moved on without him. All along I didn’t think Beth and Isaiah would be “good” for each other, however prior to reading Dare to You I was hoping that Katie McGarry would find a way. She did, and this way is much better.

Rachel lives in a world where everything is planned and laid out nicely for her. On the outside she is playing the perfect daughter and sister, while on the inside she’s screaming for release; which we find from the first chapters, can only be found while driving her Mustang. She also suffers from severe panic attacks that has, in the past, landed her in the hospital. I found Rachel to be the perfect mix of girl and tomboy, as even though she wasn’t into frills and ribbons, she did seem to care about looking nice and she never seemed to have that tough exterior that you would think a girl who likes to hang out in the garage fixing cars would have. Her brothers were extremely over bearing, and at times over the top with the “make mom happy” line. I was frustrated to no end at the road block they seemed to put in front of any guy who even looked in her direction.

Isaiah is recovering, slowly but surely, from having his heart handed to him on a silver platter. It is obvious pretty quickly that no matter how much he thought he loved Beth, it clearly wasn’t as much as he thought he did. He fell for Rachel pretty fast and hard. I love that he is protective of Rachel, but not to the point of being over bearing, in fact he encourages Rachel to be brave and do things she wouldn’t normally do. (Even at times skipping school..but you know.) He became a balance in Rachel’s [not-so] perfect life. She does the same for him, helping him to move forward and on with his life.

Crash Into You not only was a fast and fun journey of danger and recovery, but it was pretty hot and steamy in parts to, but in a very slow paced sort of way, since upon meeting Isaiah, Rachel had never even been kissed. This book is what I would consider “New Adult” and does include talk about drugs (while no actual usage), talk about alcohol, and some sexual content. I do not recommend this book for young teenagers.

Seeing Light (Seraphina Parrish Book 3) - Michelle Warren

Seeing Light

The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy # 3

Genre- YA Fantasy/ Time Travel

Publication Date- October 10th, 2013 

As the corruption of the Society intensifies and the questions surrounding her mother mount, Seraphina Parrish embarks on a journey to find Terease in the terrifying Wandering city of Nocturna. But the information she learns there only sends her team on a dangerous mission to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Delving deep into the disturbing secrets of their world, the revelations quickly unravel, revealing shocking truths about the Society and Sera’s life. In the end, power and courage clash in a mission for freedom that may shatter the Wandering world completely.

Review:
Seeing Light is the dramatic conclusion to the Seraphina Parrish trilogy, and using the word “dramatic” is not an understatement. All along author Michelle Warren has been setting us up for a roller coaster ride of a finale. A few things ( that I won’t diverge) I saw coming, others caught me completely by surprise. If you’ve been reading the series all along, you will not be disappointed with this conclusion. If you haven’t been reading this series all along, it’s worth your time (and money – as recently Wanderdust has been free…how much better can it get?)

In this world of wanderers, seers and protectors, from the beginning things have never been exactly what they seem. Seraphina continues to discover and rediscover this fact over and over again in Seeing Light. The story moves forward and the world I have grown to enjoy continues to bend toward the untrustworthy and deceitful. This is okay, because, true to her nature Seraphina is going to figure out this entire mess. I liked this entire series because the growth of Seraphina as a character is obvious. She has learned from her past mistakes and moves forward with life. There is no unnecessary angst, but there is rightful mourning. Often times the main characters of these books shows no real growth throughout her story – and that can be incredibly frustrating as a reader. Mainly in the area of her team, the more she learns and understands truths about herself, the more she relies and leans on her team for support. This shows true character.

Of course, as you all know, the dreaded love triangle reared it’s ugly head again in this series. I’m only eluding to it because I want to say – the result was partially satisfying. I’m afraid you may not have read this entire series and don’t want to give anything away at all – however I will say that Michell Warren takes you on a bit of an emotional tug and pull and I for one was happy with the ever after!

The ending to this story was just as you would want it. There are really no questions left unanswered. No real reason to continue on with the series (although a spin-off wouldn’t be undesired). Satisfying in a way that some more popular books of recent have not left me.

  

                             

About the Author-

Michelle Warren is the author of the Seraphina Parrish Trilogy. She didn't travel the road to writer immediately. She spent over a decade as professional Illustrator and designer. Her artistic creativity combined with her love of science fiction, paranormal and fantasy led her to write her first YA novel, Wander Dust. Michelle loves reading and traveling to places that inspire her to create. She resides in downtown Chicago, not far from her imaginary Wandering world.

      

Book Blitz: 1000 Sleepless Nights - Connie Ann Michaels

1000 Sleepless Nights

By- Connie Michael

There are two absolutes in war, people get killed and you can’t stop it. Twenty-three year old Corpsman Emme Sawyer doesn’t believe in absolutes. Excelling in school Emme graduated early flew through undergrad work and was on her way to med school when she realized she wanted more. Joining the Navy, Emma deploys as a medical corpsman with a Marine Infantry Unit heading into the Helmand Providence in Afghanistan.

When the bullets start to fly Emme learns that medical school doesn’t prepare you for war and being a girl doesn’t make getting killed off limits. Emme struggles against the cultural biases of a foreign land and the limitations her unit is put under while trying to push the Taliban out.  After her guard is killed by an IED, Emme shuts off her emotions—until her commanding officer, Raven takes the job of looking after her, arousing feelings she doesn’t want and isn’t supposed to have.  As Raven begins to reciprocate Emme realizes she missed out on a lot more than classes when she skipped high school. Unsure how to deal with the loss Emme turns to Raven, for support.  As their connection grows Emme hesitates to take it further, knowing that developing feelings in a combat zone is dangerous when each step could be your last. Aware of the regulations against starting a relationship with someone in his unit, Raven tries to suppress his feelings but knows they are too strong to deny.  Soon Emme and Raven learn you can’t choose when and where love finds you and sometimes you have to take a chance.  

    

Allegiant - Veronica Roth

Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Young Adult: Dystopian, Fiction, Romance

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):  One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Review:

Why I’m not happy: Well the obvious. At this point, if you haven’t read about this book I’m sure you’ve at least heard about it, so NOT spoiling it is probably null and void at this point. It’s not fun to get attached to characters and have them killed off one at a time. (No, not EVERYONE dies – but it sure felt like it). I’m generally okay with some of the stronger supporting characters dying in a book. However, I’m not really all that fond of having one or more of the main characters die. Why – well, just because. That’s why.

Why I’m not mad: Veronica Roth told why what happened had to happen in her MTV interview. I get it. I do understand, and I see her point. I, personally, would not set out to write a book that ends in tragedy, because well, I don’t read books for tragedy. I like wrapped up, mostly happy endings. They don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to all end in unicorn land and everyone be 110% happy, but I like relative happiness. However, this is not my piece of literature. And since the ending really didn’t come out of left field, I guess I get it.

Why I’m not happy: What the heck is up with Tris’s super-Divergence? Unexplained abilities to avoid truth serum, and death serum? No explanation? And, no, Tobias’ “stubborn” explanation does not cover it.

Why I’m not mad: Tobias’ end of the story really does seem to jive well. He’s made massive strides and growth at the very end. He’s made decisions and I think in the end he can respect himself more than ever.

Why I’m not happy: I’m not a fan of the whole “outside” portion in general. I sort of fall into a minority on this one, given some of the conversations I’ve had with people. I feel like Allegiant was the first book of an entirely new (albeit spinoff) series, not the conclusion of an existing series. And at this point, even if there were a spin-off, I don’t trust V.R. to not break my heart, so it’s not overly likely I’d read it. I’m kind of done with this world anyhow.

Why I’m not mad: I’m so glad that someone stepped down within the walls before everyone got killed. Man, that would have sucked. I did feel like Evelyn and Tobias’ scene was almost a tiny bit cheesy. After all her demanding, driven, power hungry movement – how can she just chalk it up to “you should have told me,” and then just walk away from everything. That seemed extremely out of character, no matter how many quick additional scenes are added to the book in an attempt to soften her up a bit. But you know what? I’m glad. I’m glad there was someone there for Tobias, someone who does, in fact, love him.

Why I’m not happy: THERE IS A MOVIE! Ugh, I don’t know if I can put myself ---willingly--- through heartache. I just don’t know. Plus my husband would hate me for doing it to him as well.

Why I’m not mad: The books are always better than the movie anyway, so if I decide against it; no harm no foul, right?

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle Book 2) - Maggie Stiefvater

Title:  The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Young Adult (or New Adult) - Fantasy/Romance

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com): Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

Review: 
The Dream Thieves. What can I say about you?

I’ve been holding off on writing a review for this book because, well I’m torn. I loved it, and I hated it. For two different reasons.

I love this book because Maggie Stiefvater is a master of storytelling. Her writing has always captivated me, from the minute I picked up Lament I knew I’d found a gem of an author. She grabs you in an creates these worlds you could live in…or actually, sometimes I don’t really want to live in them, but I can for sure believe they exist. I love that about these books. When I read The Raven Boys I was so wrapped up in the characters, I had a hard time believing she was writing in the current time period. My mind wanted to place the entire story back in the 50’s for some reason, and I’ve maintained that visual throughout The Dream Thieves. Obviously, this isn’t true, but I can’t let the image slip.

I enjoyed getting to know Ronan more, and figuring out the things that make him tick. I must admit, there are many qualities I like about him now that I just didn’t see in him during The Raven Boys. I’m sure this was purposeful, but I’m glad for it, because I really didn’t care much for him before at all. I’ve already read this book through twice. This is very surprising considering what I’m going to say below. I wanted to give it a second chance because I felt like my opinion had become colored by my emotions about some of the events, and I missed some things. I will say the second time through I enjoyed the book more. I came to appreciate Blue and Gamsey’s careful relationship, and although he made me love him and hate him in the same book, Adam’s nature. There is so much information to glean from this book, and I’m looking forward to the conclusion of this story – because I just know it’s going to be good.

I will say, especially the first time through, I felt like this book was doing a whole lot of not moving forward. It felt slow paced – if you don’t count the car racing, which I have to admit made me want a slick sports car, and I’m an avid car-hater. You’ll never catch me ogling a car, as the four wheeled creatures have given me nothing but trouble in my life. Outside of that, I kept hoping for a little more action. And there is a bit, but it still was just a bit slow.

Okay, now for the bad part. I cannot condone or like a “young adult novel” that has drug use in it – especially when it is described. I tolerate the mention of it, or if it’s eluded to. I know that it is real life, this stuff happens…trust me I grew up around this stuff. I’ve seen way more of it than I care to divulge. It is not pretty. Nothing about it is good or right or should be…I can’t say glorified, because it makes it sound like that was what happened in the book – in reality it even leaned in the direction of a negative light. But not enough. It made it seem normal, or casual or something. It left such a bad taste in my mouth I had a very difficult time finishing the book that first time around. The second time I was listening to it via audio, and it was over quicker that way, since the first I kept putting the book down – it dragged on. I still didn’t like it. It still hurts my heart that it was even there, because I love Maggie Stiefvater’s books and writing so much. I wish, wish, wish she had found some other way to do that whole scene/character, etc. I will leave it at that.