The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (Relatively spoiler free!)

As soon as I read the summary for "The Burning Sky," I knew I had to have it, and I was lucky enough to obtain an ARC. I enjoyed the overall concept of this book, though the execution left something to be desired. My favorite parts of the book, by and large, were any scene with the Inquisitor. I really wish we had more moments with her/ had learned more about her because she was a traditional, hair-rising villain that kept the story interesting and moving forward, and none of the other characters and scenes were able to rapt my attention like her presence did. I also loved the flashbacks we got of Titus' mother's visions, and the mother-son relationship was portrayed beautifully (quite the pleasant surprise since parent-child relationships are an anomaly in most YA books). I enjoyed learning about the inception of Archer Fairfax, and any scenes in the Crucible since stories came to life in it (and we find out a very cool use for it later in the book). !

My complaints about this book are the romance and the writing. Titus and Iolanthe were both believable majority of the times. I liked that Iolanthe despised him (with good cause!), and that Titus was not above manipulating her because he was so single-mindedly dedicated to fulfilling the prophecy. The Blood Oath scene was carried out brilliantly on his part. But the romance between them, though could've been believable given their circumstances, came on too strong and at the wrong moments. This was especially a problem with Iolanthe at times, when she seemed almost bipolar describing her emotions towards him--I hate them, but I like him, oh I think I love him, but I know I should hate him. It got a bit annoying at times, and was not well integrated into the story. Also, the story wasn't as coherent at times because we alternated between Titus' and Iolanthe's perspective every few paragraphs! It was very confusing at first and I wouldn't even though whose POV we were at until a pronoun was mentioned. The writing, itself, was also awkward and strained at times, and it honestly made it seem like the author is not as experienced with writing in third person.

So overall, while not a highly recommended read, it was an acceptable way to pass the time. I am not sure I will read the sequel, but that depends on whether I hit a book lull. You know how it goes...desperate times call for desperate measures.

3.5/5 stars.

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff (SPOILERS INCLUDED)

OMG...OMG...OMG...I did not see those twists coming from 50 miles away. I was completely blindsided.

So now that I have stopped hyperventilating, let me start by saying that this book is definitely worth a read despite the cheesy dusk jacket. I initially thought this was going to be like "The Collector" by Victoria Scott but it was completely different. It had action, romance, political intrigue, and even some high school drama, but surprisingly these disparate elements mixed in to make a great read. It was very refreshing from the typical YA genre. Honestly, the only aspect that's YA about it is that it has a 17-year old character. The themes are far more darker, and the story is much more complex than I had given this book credit for.

We have a "soldier" aka hitman in the form of Zach Abram, currently posing as Ben for his latest mission. His mission is to kill the mayor of NY, and his target (the way to accomplish his mission) is to get close to Sam, the mayor's daughter. I honestly thought nothing of Sam when we were first introduced to her. I thought she was going to be like every other YA MC: beautiful, feisty, emotionally vulnerable, and rearranges her whole life for the boy she insta-loves. Sam was none of those things (except the beautiful: no ugly people exist in the YA world), but more importantly, she was intelligent, strong-willed, had a voice/ opinion on political matters (what? YA characters read the newspaper?), and surprisingly cunning and manipulating. She was so flawed, and made the hitman in the book seem less dark/ disturbing. For me, she stole the show. She reminded me of Vesper in "Casino Royale." You'll get the reference once you read the book. Now that I think about it, there were quite a few similarities between the James Bond series and this. But I don't care because it was presented so well.

There were so many jaw-dropping moments. Mother/Father are not evil (like we initially suspect), Gideon is not just some crazy stalker ex but Sam's liaison, Sam is working for an Israeli terrorist organization, and Ben kills her in the end because she betrays her father and country and leaving her alive would make her life worse than better. In that moment when he thinks he might not have killed her, I was still too dazed and then thought, that's exactly what must've happened because she can't die. I mean, this is a YA book. I am still reeling from her death/ assassination/ murder. I even liked the peripheral characters in this book, primarily the Mayor, Howard (and seriously ewwww for what he did in the library), and Erica (if there ever comes out a sequel, I would love to see more of a role for her).

So all in all, go get it! You won't regret it!

ARCs I will give my right arm for (okay, maybe my left)

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing because she can make anything poetic and whimsical even she was describing cabbage. In this book, as in before, I loved the chemistry and camaraderie between the characters, whether it's the boys, Blue and Gansey, or the three psychics. There are quite a few hilarious conversations in this book, especially the one in which Gansey is contemplating whether to jump in the water and his reaction afterwards (probably my favorite scene!). Other favorites included: Ronan calling Adam and Blue "poverty twins," Gansey and Blue's conversations, the lamp shade description of Blue, Blue calling Ronan a bastard and the mice scene, Noah and Blue's kiss scene, and the two climactic moments in the book: when we find out Ronan's mother is something that's been pulled out of a dream (my jaw definitely dropped there!), and that Blue's mom is now in Cabeswater (damn the cliffhanger...haha).

I would say the biggest issue with the book was its hyper-focus on Ronan and the build-up with the Grey Man where we don't fully understand what he is looking for till chapter 25! Also, Kravinsky was just sort of thrown in there (I really wish his and Ronan's story had been book 1.5 so we could focus more on solving the Cabeswater mystery in the sequel instead of tracking backwards since Cabeswater has fully disappeared). Also, while this did not have any bearing on my rating of the book, Adam annoyed the hell out of me and I wanted to throw him off a cliff for being an ungrateful and self-loathing wretch, but I love that Maggie can make me hate a fictional character so much!
I will definitely read the next book because it will hopefully hold more answers as opposed to adding more layers to the mystery. I don't think this book suffers from second book syndrome, but it did feel like the story was getting more complicated for complication's sake, rather than to resolve the mystery and mythos that Maggie has so beautifully crafted in the first book. If "Raven Boys" was a 97 in my book, then "The Dream Thieves" is a solid 89 or 4.5 stars (I know that doesn't add up mathematically but what's one point, right?). Definitely recommended!

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC. I honestly loved getting back into this world and can't wait for the next book!

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I liked this book, and it worked for me on a level that Divergent hadn't, though both books are very similar now that I think about it (the concept of dreamwalking, the characterizations of Paige and Warden, even Nashira and the red jackets, especially Carl). Paige was a fantastic MC, but I really wish I had seen more of Warden, such as his previous history because his motives throughout did not make sense. I still don't know why he had rebelled and why he decided to try again, how he became the Blood Consort after him being labelled a traitor, and he had over 200 years, if not more, of history that could've been expanded upon. The world was very rich and well characterized, albeit confusing sometimes. I would definitely reference the glossary at the end had I known it was there. A random point but one I must make nonetheless: there were also too many instances of Paige going through the same thing [( she seriously got hit with the flux darts a million times).

Also, towards the end, it seemed like the author was just trying to finish off the book. I had no idea why Nashira did not anticipate an attack on the stage or why Paige didn't use the same stuff on Nashira that she had on Karz when she had killed him by mistake. I also didn't like the way Warden and Paige's relationship panned out in the end because it honestly seemed like she just wanted somebody at that moment, not necessarily him, and that really took away from the scene. I also wasn't sure what the hell happened to Nashira since the scene literally just cut to Paige blacking out, and Warden telling her she escaped. And I don't understand why going to London will help at all if this Rephs still exist in this case. Yes, they don't have the vouyants, but they still have the system set up with Scion. And honestly, the list of questions and discrepancies just goes on and on. Still a good book, though not one of my favorites. Solid 3.5 stars, and for what it's worth, I will probably not be reading the next book since this was one of six or seven books.

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I have been eying this book for so long, and it was absolutely worth the wait. I loved it! Though I had some sense of who the doctor was and I sort of knew how this book had to end, I honestly had no idea what the in between would be, and I read this in one sitting because I had to find out. I just kept wanting to get to the next page because of how swiftly the plot moved, and how relatable the characters were. Marina's journey to becoming Em is just heart-rending, and her relationship with James and Finn is beautifully portrayed (for those who fear love triangles, just think of Em and Marina as two different characters). The political intrigue that was mixed added a mystery dimension to it, and I didn't understand the full significance till the end, which is just to the credit of the author who kept me guessing as to what was important and what was peripheral. My favorite scene has to be when Em and Finn are shown whispering, but we don't know what they say. And you soon forget, but the novel comes back full circle when we find out the conversation was Em being concerned with the future being changed, that they wouldn't fall in love. And Finn telling her that he thinks it will work out, implying that he always felt something for her. I also love that Em and Marina are so distinct, yet I can see the journey as believable. And I loved Finn, and how his background shaped him, and his relationship with his mother, James, and Marina/ Em.I still didn't fully understand the time travel element (and for reference, I am a medical student, so I get science), but I didn't feel annoyed like I did reading Vortex because it wasn't trying to be overly complicated and at the heart of the story is the struggle of Em/Marina to let go of the past and move on so she can preserve her future. I LOVE THIS BOOK....DEFINITELY WORTH THE WAIT AND ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF 2013!

PS- I heard there is going to be a sequel, and I have no idea how that is going to work out since I felt like pretty much everything was resolved in this book and it was a perfect and much-needed stand alone in the YA genre.

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger (SPOILERS AHEAD)

Before I start, GO GET THIS BOOK NOW! It's totally worth it! You won't regret it! 

First impression: 
I have pretty much wanted to read this book from the moment I read the dusk jacket. I mean, just look at that cover! And the title is so awesome (Skyfall + Adele = can't go wrong). I am really hoping this one doesn't disappoint! 

First few chapters (so you know what to expect): 
I am having a lot of fun while reading this..just imagine me fangirling at every single turn of the page. Vane is such a snarky guy (not at all the typical brooding type, which is a welcome change). I love that I can actually relate to him. I haven't made up my mind about Audra yet because we haven't heard enough of her voice, but so far, excellent! Pulls you in the minute you start reading!

My thoughts as I am reading the book (MAJOR SPOILERS, scattered thoughts, lots of emotions, me fangirling a lot more! Skip to the next part if you don't want to be super spoiled!)
1. I love the scene where Vane is deciding what to do with Audra when she is unconscious. It's practical and funny and his voice is so refreshing as I've said before.
2. Biggest question right now: Why is Vane so impt? And why does he need a guardian? If bonding with the earth weakens the sylph, why was he allowed to eat and drink when Audra could've just told him earlier?
3. Audra is a very guarded character, and that even comes across in the thoughts she shares with us.
4. Chapter 10- Now I see why Audra is the way she is. I would be too if my mother hated my guts for killing my father. I am interested to see why saving the bird resulted in the death of her father and Vane's parents (I suspect it has something to do with her calling the wind when saving the bird and the Raiden tracked it), and how Vane will react when he finds out that it was Audra's fault? And who the heck is Solana? I spy with my little eye a love triangle...maybe Shannon Messenger won't make it excruciating. So the pace has slowed down in the explanation, but I think this chapter was very impt in setting up the story.
5. Still fangirling--love Audra and Vane. I think it's hilarious show she threatens him, and how she's such a strong character, so sure of herself yet so vulnerable from all the guilt that's weighing her down.
6. Vane is such a guy, and that's great because pretty much every other YA book I have read has guys acting like old people, and they're are completely unrelatable.
7. Ah, this guilt thing. I completely understand why Audra feels that way, and I feel really bad for her. The author has done a good job of making her not as relatable as Vane, but you still feel sympathy for her. And I think she is confusing guilt with ummm, something else...lol.
8. Chapter 22- Audra meets the parents. I have a feeling this will lead to a major breakthrough in terms of her emotional walledness (not sure if that's a word, but oh well).
Chapter 23: so funny. I loved the ways his parents were so shocked Vane brought a girl home. Ha ha. Vane and his sabotaged dates.
Chapter 26: Vane doesn't accept everything Audra says without question, and that makes it much more realistic. I think I will end up rating this book 6 stars :)
Chapter 27: first time Audra smiles...finally! I was getting tired of the half smiles.
Chapter 30: well, this sucks. Vane is Westerly and so violence is abhorrent to his very nature--which means he will be incredibly useless in the fight against the Stormers...I was kind of hoping he would become a kick ass hero...since he hasn't grown up a Westerly, I am hoping that happens. I want to see him defeat Raiden. Now it makes complete sense how he doesn't like first shooter games...kudos to the author for leaving little threads for us and tying everything together
Chapter 32: So I have had a theory for a while, and my guess is that Audra and Vane have already kissed as kids which is why they feel the electric currents (other than their obvious attraction for each other).
Chapter 36: So we find out Vane must love her in order to remember her in her dreams---I hope that's explained, and it means Vane will forgive her for the death of his parents...no matter how laid back a guy is, finding out a mistake killed his parents, no matter how unintentional, is not easy to digest.
Chapter 42: I kind of want to kick Vane's ass for not believing in their power as a team, and for giving Audra that french fry.
Chapter 47: I.AM.SO.ANGRY. I am going to kick Audra's mother's ass! aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh! I wish I could grab a Northerly wind....
Chapter 48: This mother-daughter bonding is pretty nice because it's normally reserved for dense female characters and their love interests (realizing that the other loves the MC at the last second), but seriously, such bad timing.
Chapter 51: Finally, he remembers! I am so excited. I am also kind of annoyed that Audra needs saving (because she is an awesome kick ass character), but still, I am so happy that he remembers.
LAST couple of chapters:
1. KISS HIM! KISS HIM! Him because Audra's pretty much the only thing stopping them. I love how the bonding is explained. Like they are taking vows!
2. O.M.G. Audra's mother is crazy! I can't believe she orchestrated the death of Vane's parents so she could get her life back and not to have to protect them. She is a bona fide psycho.
3. WHY? WHY? Audra, why do you have to leave Vane? The most comforting thought admidst this is that Vane can always find her, and more importantly, Audra will have the opportunity to find herself now that she doesn't have to sacrifice every moment of her life for him.

Final rating: 5/5 (I wish I could give it 10/5 but oh well, I must adhere to the scale)

Final impression: 
I honestly loved this book. I didn't see the ending coming from a mile away, and I think the author did an excellent job of planting clues along the way (and I still didn't see it coming). The author has clearly put in a lot of effort into researching the sylph mythology (lots of world building and descriptions), and thank God for it because I was getting tired of vampires, werewolves, witches, and aliens (and mermaids and psychometrics and everything in between). I am very impressed with Shannon Messenger's writing (everything flows perfectly), and I loved the characters were so believable and relatable. Vane is hilarious and he is such a typical guy, which is a welcome change from most YA books, which have male leads who are brooding and possessive and perfect in all the wrong ways. And I also grew to root for Audra because her hard exterior is there for a very good reason. And I dare you to not think, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" as this book progresses because Audra and Vane's relationship is imperfect in all the right ways and makes you care about the romance even though 90% of YA books make me want to kill the main leads so I can focus on the story and not the stupid romance that typically gets in the way.

I can't wait for the next book. I think there is so much potential for this story with all the little clues and unanswered questions the author has left. 

As I said before, GO GET THIS BOOK NOW! 

Favorite quotes (obviously these make way more sense in the context of the story):
Sheesh, one hot girl walks into the house and all trust vanishes.

I want to say more, but my dad’s joined my mom at my bedroom door, and while he doesn’t have her look of nervous terror, he looks like when he’s watching the Discovery Channel.
Aren’t the mating habits of teenagers fascinating, honey?

“We can do this two ways,” I tell him. “You can keep ignoring my questions, and I can keep pestering you with them until you finally come clean and tell me what’s wrong. Or you can tell me now and save us a ton of time and frustration. I leave it up to you.”

I stare at my plate, wondering if I can stab myself to death with my butter knife.

Call me old-fashioned, but I kinda want her to be conscious for our first kiss

“I’m barely holding it together right now—and the only thing keeping me from losing it all over again is you. So I don’t care about laws or oaths or betrothals. I care about you. I need you.”

Now I know why they call it “bonding.”
As we burn and connect, parts of her meld to me. Her strength. Her determination. Her honor. They flow to the cracks in my heart and fill them. Heal the places the violence crushed and shattered. Make me whole. I know I’m doing the same for her.
We were two broken, incomplete people.
Now we’re one.
No one will ever understand me the way she will.
No one will ever understand her the way I will.
And no one will be able to change that. We’ve melted together and been reforged into something stronger. Something better.

I’m kinda looking forward to us being together. Making out all day. Taking a break for dinner. Then making out again all night. 

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I wasn't a huge fan of Shatter Me (though Tahereh's Mafi's writing style is exquisite), but Unravel Me is many steps above her first work. Still not perfect or amazing, but a solid 3.5 stars. 

This book could've scored a 4 or 4.5, but (AND this is a major one), the first 125 pages or so is dedicated to explaining why Juliette and Adam cannot have sex. Seriously! 1/4 of the book is dedicated to this subject. But the parts with Warner and his dad are worth it. I loved Anderson, and how he views his son so pathetically. How multi-dimensional Warner is, and the fact that he has abilities where he becomes stronger with Juliette's touch rather than Adam (who becomes weaker...I seriously have hated every Adam I have ever read in a book, and this one is no different)! However, now that I reflect on the plot, almost noting happens. Except the Revolution has begun, and Juliette is ready to fight after her near death experience. It was so annoying to see her regressed back to her pre-free state where everybody hated her again, and she just couldn't stop whining. But I loved that Kenji set her straight and told her to get out of her own self-deprecating existence and realize that much bigger problems exist out there. And there's a Juliette/Warner scene that will have a lot of people cringing, but most people thinking, go Warner because you actually turned out to the best anti-hero ever, who is not at all embarrassed about the fact that he is evil/ irreparable yet has his moments. 

Will definitely read the next book. And I am not ashamed to say this, TEAM WARNER!

Divergent by Veronica Roth (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I seriously feel like a Divergent for not liking this book more (pun intended). Everyone raves about it, and many have deemed it the best book of 2012, if not one of their favorite books of all time. The writing just didn't click with me sometimes. Maybe it's because it was like many other dystopic novels I have read. 

The story was interesting, but the basis of the whole society honestly didn't make sense to me. Another issue was the length of the book. At times it honestly felt like it was dragging on and on. We don't even get to the good part till more than 2/3s of the book is over. I liked the relationship between the main leads, but even their relationship wasn't anything new. He kept pushing her to make her better, and she was (like every other YA heroine), completely oblivious and thought he hated her (I can't hate on this too much though because there are seriously only three kinds of love stories). 

I do wonder what's up with Marcus and Tobias because Marcus is either completely oblivious as to to what he did to Tobias or Tobias hasn't told us the whole story (probably the latter). My favorite part was actually the mother-daughter relationship, and this is something I rarely say because most parents in YA books are absent/stupid. I wish there was even more focus on it. Finally, there are some pretty disturbing themes in this book [suicide, her parents die, Tris is sexually molested, Four is physically abused]. Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. I might read the next book, but I am not rushing toward it.

Altered by Jennifer Rush (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I really enjoyed reading this book. Its strength is its plot, kick-ass action, and pace. Its weakness, though this wasn't a deal breaker, would be the romantic angle between the main leads. I HATE it when characters act like hormone crazy teenagers, and Anna definitely does that in a couple of the scenes. It seems very misplaced- you are dying/ being hunted, and you're thinking about his lips, his touch, yatta yatta. Get real. If you're dying, you're thinking of getting the hell out. 

I also never have a sense of why she is so connected to Sam other than she just is (maybe that's what the next book is for? I do understand the commander bit, but I just mean emotionally why she is so connected to him and him to her). I honestly think my favorite character was Nick by the end of the book. He really grew on me, and I hope there is more of him in the next book. 

I will definitely be waiting for the remainder of the books as there are still a lot of questions, like why/ how Dani died, what about Sam makes him so special, what was his previous life like, will the Branch reorganize, what happens to Trev, etc.

Dualed by Elsie Chapman (SPOILERS AHEAD)

First impression: 
I knew instantly after reading the dust jacket that the basis for the Alts makes no sense, which means the whole plot would be on thin ice. In a war-ridden society, resources are just as important (if not more so) as having the best soldiers, and it takes a lot to raise two people with the exact genetic make-up only to have one kill the other. Now that I think of it, wouldn't it be better to have two soldiers instead of one? Aren't there other ways that govt can force its citizens to become soldiers? 

First couple of chapters:
So I am right about the first impression in terms of it not making sense. However, I like the main character, I like that romance is not the main focus, and the writing is above average (not so detailed that I want to gouge my eyes out but not so vague that I have no idea how characters go from step A to B). I actually had to stop myself from going over to the next page, and it's not because I was glazing over the words (which is usually what happens), but because I was so curious what was going to happen next. And then [ the striker concept is introduced, and the plot takes the incredulity to whole another level. The concept that they exist is definitely believable (very similar to rich people paying other to take their place in the draft during war times), but the fact that West would be allowed to do it with her limited skill set really gets me.

Chapter 4 onwards:
1. WTH? After receiving her assignment, 20 days have elapsed and she is still doing her striker job, killing other people's Alts? For someone who was doing the job to be stronger so she could kill her Alt, she's not taking this very seriously.
2. I have been pretty annoyed for the last couple of chapters since she is more interested in killing other people Alts than her own! I am doing that thing where I am perusing instead of actually reading because it's getting boring with her unnecessary flashbacks and basically doing nothing in the present except running. 
3. Chapter 7- Finally something interesting happens and we find out her Alt has a sniper on her. I was about ready to give up on this book! 
4. Chapter 10- Oh boy--a love revelation? Not sure how I feel about it, and that's never good.
5. Last few chapters- I am not even excited about her killing her Alt because it's been stretched so much. Ugghh.
Final recommendation: I would say don't read thIs unless you have nothing else to read. It's a solid 2 stars, but the main problems are: 1. plot is senseless from the very beginning 2. Even if you can get over the plot, the story itself only warrants maybe five chapters and has been stretched to twelve. 3. By the end of it, you could really care less whether the main character lives or not, and that's definitely a problem. There were too many unnecessary chapters, and not enough character development or plot development now that I think about it.