The Warrior Heir - The Heir Chornicles #1

The Warrior Heir was not what I expected it to be at all. What drew me in was the lovely cover but other then a remarkable cover The Warrior's Heir is pretty much an average story.

Jack seemed like any other sixteen year old boy at the start of the story and I am not really sure he developed in any remarkable way. I do not want to give away any spoilers but I loved the potential that occurred from Jack meaning to be a wizard but made a warrior. So much more could have been done with it.

While it seemed like other characters were being pushed into being main characters as well none of them seemed well thought out or developed in any way that I was able to think up something to say about them.

The character transitions bothered me a lot. They were not smooth or overly clear at any point. It took me several sentences at times to realize a different character was the focus. I also did not care for how Jack talked about his mother, sometimes it would be mom and other times Becka. This always threw me off while reading and I had to think for a moment who was actually present at the time since a moment before Becka had been referred to as mom.

I am not big on reading a series that deals with different main characters for each book so I am doubtful I will continue with the series.

Into the Still Blue - Under the Never Sky #3

The things that Into the Still Blue did to my heart still have me all fired up. Rarely do I see trilogies done right but Under the Never Sky is one of the few that did not disappoint at the end.

Aria is defiantly not the same girl who appeared in Under the Never Sky. Yet her transformation seems natural and is for the better a million times over. Her relationship with people around her always amazed me. Even though she did not carry a Blood Lord Chain she is a leader that both dwellers and outsider people looked to. Aria's relationship with Perry gave her a chance at the outsiders accepting her but who she is what won them over eventually and I love her for that.

Perry continued to struggle with the burdens put on him leading and his desire to save everyone risked him saving no one many times. I do not want to give away spoilers but Perry does evolve and learn to cope with this.

Roar stayed Roar, despite suffering from a broken heart and unable to keep the people he loves safe Roar did not give in. I love Roar for that but I really wanted things to end differently for him.

Soren was a surprise, I really did not think he would get such a big part after the start of Under the Never Sky. Despite him helping the outsiders I still do not care for Soren. Aria may have forgiven him but Soren hid behind his diagnoise and refused to take responsibility for his actions.

My one complaint I would have liked an epilogue set a year or so into the future with an update on everyone.

The writing was smooth and well done, everything was always easy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed the world Mrs. Rossi's world.

Through the Ever Night - Under the Never Sky #2

I honestly enjoyed Through the Ever Night when I read it but I am recalling very little about it. I will blame being sick on that problem.

Holy smokes has Aria developed herself, no longer the spoiled little princess Aria has come into her own and learned about the world outside the pods. Thank goodness for that since I had all I could handle of her entitlement attitude in Under the Never Sky. Despite learning to stand on her own plenty of occasions rose for Aria to develop farther and I love how she did not lean on Perry or hide behind him when fighting arose.

It seems like Perry struggled a lot and every time I thought things would let up for him something new arose for Perry to cope with. With his nephew still missing and the rest of his tribe suffering Perry does not seem to know who to help first and sort of forgets that he has to help himself before anyone else to get something accomplished.

Roar is just as entertaining as he was in Under the Never Sky. His easy going manner, the ability to change the mood of a crowd, and his loyalty to his friends makes him one of my favorite characters of all time.

I look forward to the conclusion of the Under the Never Sky series.

Curse of the Bane - The Last Apprentice/Wardstone Chronicles #2

Curse of the Bane was just as fast paced and action packed as Revenge of the Witch.

Thomas is still undergoing his training and with six months under his belt he seems a bit more confident in his skill though it could also be his age since he is thirteen. Moving away from the theme of witches a new foe is introduced, the Bane, an ancient evil that was once revered as a God. Not even Thomas's master knows much about the Bane.

Alice makes another appearance and once again walks the line between good and bad. Despite Alice having another large roll in the story little is known about her since nothing is shared from her point of view. However since she always seems to come through for Thomas I would like to think she is more good then bad.

Once again parts left me on edge and had my heart racing at times but I could not stop reading. I enjoy the writing style and the pace of the writing is really smooth. I look forward to reading Night of the Soul Stealer.

Under the Never Sky - Under the Never Sky #1

I almost quit on Under the Never Sky and I am happy I did not. The more I read the more I grew to love all the characters and appreciated the struggle every one of them was going through.

Aria started out annoying, a spoiled kid from the dome who never had a care or want in the world. While this quickly changed for Aria it took her awhile to stop being so selfish which I appreciated since it gave more life and depth to who Aria is. The interactions Aria has with the people around her is perfect, everything fit well and the progression of getting to know the people around her was real.

Perry came off as way more complex then Aria. Struggling to live every day and help feed the tribe caused Perry to grow up quickly. Due to his senses Perry often seemed to know other people better then himself and in several ways it feels like Perry is still getting to know himself.

Since I don't want to give away any spoilers I am holding off on talking about any of the other characters.

What made me almost give up was that I was confused at the start of Under the Never Sky. Things jumped around, I did not understand the lingo, nor did I really care about Aria. As the story progressed I could not get enough and I eagerly look forward to reading Through the Ever Night.

Frostfire - Kanin Chronicles #1

Frostfire is a prime example of why I do not like to read series as they are being released, I seriously do not want to wait until the release of Ice Kissed to find out what happens next.

Bryn is a very complex character, striving to overcome her blood from two different races Bryn constantly strives to prove herself good enough in the eyes of others. In some ways that is Bryn's biggest weakness and I seriously hope Byrn grows enough to seek acceptance from herself. Since Bryn is insecure she hides behind her ability to fight and track, while good at her job Bryn lets it consume her life and ends up shoving everyone away from her.

While it is hard to get a feel for Konstantin since the story is told from Byrn's point of view I enjoyed the way Konstantin was portrayed. I don't want to give anything away but Konstantin's interaction with Bryn was refreshing and left me wanting more. 

Ridley, Bryn's boss, was my favorite character. Ridley's calm way of handling Bryn when she was having a hot headed moment just felt right. Never did their interactions seemed forced and it is one of the best written stories with a girl having a crush on their boss I have ever seen. 

Fast paced, smooth writing, fun characters, and a mystery that left me wondering all made Frostfire one of the best books I have read this year. The release of Ice Kissed cannot come soon enough.  

Shadow and Bone - The Grisha #1

Honestly I am not really sure what I thought of Shadow and Bone. In some ways I am not sure I enjoyed it and in other ways I was stunned on how much I read. It felt like I blinked and the story was over which is a rare occurrence in books for me.

Alina is a hard character to figure out, while I liked her at times I also did not like her. Aline relies upon others, especially men, way too much for my tastes. Hopefully during the series Alina will come into her own.

Mal was another character that did not really hold my attention, at times Mal seemed like an afterthought and less developed then I like seeing in characters.

The Darkling is my favorite character. Having lived so long The Darkling has many layers to him and just when I thought I had got a grasp on who The Darkling is he did something that surprised me and I love that in a character.


The writing was smooth and elegant, it flowed along at an amazing pace. Just for the writing style I want to read Siege and Storm.

Reach - Matched #3

Reached left me wondering what the heck happened? It went off on a total different path from the start of the series and I did not like the path it ended up taking.

Cassia never really grew out of her fear of defying Society and going against what worked for the majority. I was really hoping she would grown into her own person who did not look for acceptance from others but it did not happen.

Ky continued to baffle me to the end of the series. I never really understood him in any way, I am not sure if this was due to the writing or if it was his personality.

The best part of Reached was a third point of view was added, Xander caught my attention from the start of the series and I was excited to see things from his point of view. I really want more of his story because things were set up to give him a chance to be more then Cassia saw, it seemed like at times Ky saw Xander clearer then Cassia did.

The plot came off as a mess, what I thought the whole series was about suddenly changes and a whole bunch of new stuff is introduced in the second half of the book. Things were poorly explained if at all and it was not clear on several things that occurred why they happened or the outcome.

Crossed - Matched #2

With the ending of Matched I expected Crossed to go a different route. I was surprised to suddenly see Ky having a point of view since Matched only had Cassia's point of view.

Cassia still remains cautious in Crossed and shows no signs of wanting to outright defy The Society, instead Cassia goes about trying to find Ky in any Society accepted way she can. While this is an infraction in itself it is not as serious if she just took off.

Ky still gave me issues at times. The Society sent him off to die and yet he did not seem to care too much. It seemed like Ky's feelings for Cassia was the only thing that kept him fighting on to live. Being able to see things from Ky's point of view did change the pacing of the story and I felt like it messed up the flow at times suddenly switching to a different point of view.

Since everyone was split up for a good chunk of Crossed a lot of time was spent trying to find everyone so it came off as filler in parts. Despite that a few chunks of something interesting was dropped that got my attention enough that I want to read Reached.

Matched - Match #1

What first drew me towards Matched was the interesting cover. While I have read books with a similar outline I decided to give Matched a try anyways.

Cassia was different from other characters I have previously read about in a dystopian setting. While it was clear she was smart she was also careful and not daring in the way I have seen other characters be daring. Society rules Cassia's world and it is scary to go against something powerful, Mrs. Condie did a stunning job of showing how Cassia was afraid of breaking the rules but not making Cassia a coward in any way. 

Xander intrigued me from the start and I immediately wanted to know more about him. Sadly Xander is not mentioned much in Matched beyond the first few pages and I was left wondering Xander's story.

Ky was not what I thought he would be at all. Doomed to his fate of never having society accept him Ky just blends in as best as he can and does not strive for more. While he claimed to be bitter over the way Society treated him I did not see that much from him. 

My biggest issue with Matched was things not being explained properly. People were classified into three categories and two of the categories were never explained properly. I wanted to know the difference and how one got put into a category besides citizen.

The writing was average and nothing special but the story did draw me in enough that I wanted to know more so I never had the urge to put it down and walk away from it.

Love in a Nutshell - Culhane Family #1

Love in a Nutshell is a fun, quick, read with a bit of a mystery to it. Like almost all of Janet Evanovich's books the main character reminds me of Stephie Plum at times but I will not hold that against the story.

Kate Appleton was one heck of a character, with her do not quit attitude and quirks she was just plain fun to read about. One thing after another hit Kate yet she never gave up nor did she do it with tears in her eyes instead she laughed her way through life which was refreshing.

Matt Culhane was like a lot of other men I read about in romance stories. Not serious about a woman in his life yet feeling like things are lacking for him Matt is not sure what to think when Kate suddenly shows up in his life demanding a job.

While I saw a few typos it did not take away from the story. The writing was easy to read and fast paced. Even though I had fun reading Love in a Nutshell I do not think I will continue with the series since The Husband List is set in a different town and time period.

The DaVinci Code - Robert Langdon #2

The DaVinci Code is my first Dan Brown book and I was pleasantly surprised. While I have heard many good things about Dan Brown's writing the size of his books have always stopped me from reading them so I am glad I finally took the time to try one out.

Robert came off as a bit unbelievable to me at times. Intensely smart I figured he would be a bit stuck up and snobby at times but that never came across to me at all. Ignoring that fact I liked everything else about Robert. Thrown into a murder through his name being at the crime scene Robert had no choice but to go along at first however when the chance for freedom arose Robert did not take it and continue to help solve the mystery.

Sophie came off a bit unbelievable as well, it was her Grandfather that was killed yet she did not really seem to mourn him. Perhaps due to them being estranged helped reduce the trauma but I would have liked to see her show a bit more emotion over losing her Grandfather. Determined and clever it was interesting to watch Sophie as she was put under stress in the Holy Grail race.

The pacing of The DaVinici Code was remarkable, it only takes place over a very short time period yet despite the size of the book never once does the story drag or slow down to get boring. Without a doubt Mr. Brown is one of the best writers I have seen at adding a lot of details without making it boring or dragging on in any way.

Ignite Me - Shatter Me #3

Besides stunning it is not easy to describe the conclusion to Ignite Me trilogy. While I was not really sure what to expect when I started the Shatter Me trilogy in no way was I disappointed over anything.

Juliette, I think she is my new favorite young heroine. Condemned by society to live her life as something deadly she never strives for anything except staying alive and it was inspiring to see Juliette come into her own as she discovered that she has a right to be a person. While Juliette made mistakes, like anyone would, I love how Juliette looked to no one for acceptance and found her own happiness.

Adam was always a sore spot for me. While an in-depth, well thought out character I never cared for Adam. This makes it hard for me to see any development for Adam throughout the series. If anything I would say Adam sort of reverted as the series continued which was a shame. I wanted to see Adam stand on his own like Juliette learned to.

Warner is hard to sum in a few words. Way more to Warner then I first thought and in a lot of ways his development was more shocking then Juliette. The son of the leader of the establishment and seen as a monster by those around him Warner was happy to play the role and I love his reasons for being that way.

Normally with three characters a love triangle occurs and it drives me crazy but I enjoyed all the interaction among Juliette, Adam, and Warner. Nothing was far out or cliche and without a doubt it is one of the best love triangles I have ever read.

My only complaint is I want to know more about Kenji. While Kenji was around for comic relief and to break tension at times I liked the parts Kenji was in. I just wish I got a bit more of Kenji's story.

While the writing was well done I did see a couple typos but nothing that hindered the enjoyment of Ignite Me in any way.

Mistborn The Final Empire - Mistborn #1

At first I was not sure what to think when I started Mistborn and I almost gave up on it several times. I really wanted to like Mistborn though since I am a huge fan of Mr. Sanderson and his writing style. Mistborn starts out slow, really slow and drags in several parts. While the fight scenes do make up for some of the dragging it took a lot for me to continue with Mistborn.

Vin, she was an interesting character to say the least. Living the life of a street thief survival was her only real objective. Thankfully for her she has what she considers luck and is able to use to enhance her chances of survival until one day that luck gets her into trouble. That is when Keliser and his gang step in.

Keliser was one of the best written characters I have ever seen. It was impossible to know what Keliser was thinking or planning. While he came off as arrogant and egotistic he would suddenly do something that made him humble and caring. Even having finished the book I am still not sure what to think of Keliser overall.

Sazed was my favorite character by far and the ideas behind who and what he is were refreshing. I don't want to give away spoilers so I cannot say much about Sazed.

Like all of Mr. Sanderson's work things are rarely what they seem. I am very thankful I continued on with Mistborn since the overall story did not disappoint. I look forward to reading The Well of Ascension.