IHeartYAFiction

Short and Sweet:I adored this story almost as much as I adore Lauren Graham herself. Someday, Someday, Maybe is the sweet, unassuming story of Franny Banks finding her way in life: self, career, love, etc. It's hilarious, heartbreaking, and most of all a lot of fun. If you aren't already a fan of Lauren Graham... you will be after reading this fantastic book!To Elaborate....First of all, Someday, Someday, Maybe is not *gasp* YA. However, I honestly think that anyone who loves contemporary YA will love it. Second, I am a huge fan of Lauren Graham so I was really excited that she wrote a book. If you are also a fan, you will find a similar sincere, but humorous tone to Someday, Someday, Maybe that makes Lauren Graham so easy to love.Franny is an aspiring actress living in New York trying to make her dreams come true, but she's coming close to the 3 year deadline she gave herself to 'make it.' After a Showcase performance that 'showcased' her klutzy side she suprisingly gets two call backs from potential agents. The agents couldn't be more different; an element also present in her love life. While she fights against being a 'cliche' and attempts to figure out what exactly it is that she wants she discovers that she is more than capable of living the life she desires.I seriously have all my fingers crossed that Lauren will write another book. Franny was so well developed and 'real' that reading that final page felt like saying goodbye to a friend. Her struggle to make decisions that were true to herself is one we can all identify with. I'd love to read what happens next!(Originally published @iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)

Short and Sweet:The Eternity Cure is a great sequel. Fast paced, full of action and many new twists and turns. It maintains the same unique creepy vibe of The Immortal Rules and the characters are strong, colorful and easily imagined. A literally heart-pounding read. To Elaborate....One of the things Julie Kagawa does so very well is pull you right into her world. As Allison is walking through this ruined world, you feel as if you are too. Her descriptive language is almost perfect. I can see everything she describes. She's that good. We enter the story as Allison is tracking down Kanin to rescue him from the horror he is enduring under Sarren's torture. Luckily, as a sort of 'vampire relative,' Kanin's blood 'calls' to hers making it slightly easier to find him. Suddenly she feels two pulls: one from the North, one from the East. She decides to follow the strongest one and finds Jackal (another of Kanin's creations/her brother), the Chicago vampire she last saw flying out the window to his presumed death, waiting for her with a proposition. Jackal wants her to help him find an underground government lab that may or may not contain a cure. The same lab where the outbreak occurred. The same cure that Sarren is after himself. And... tiny detail... surrounded by a nest of thousands of rabids. *gag*The pair do decide to work together and the resulting dialog between them is one of my favorite aspects of the story.Their adventure together is exciting, terrifying, upsetting, infuriating. This story will make you feel something. Allison and Jackal eventually wind up back in New Convington where Sarren has just released some fresh hell that he created in the lab with the Red Lung virus. Humans are now wandering around the city aimlessly, tearing off their own faces while hysterically laughing (CREEPY!) and even attacking vampires in their madness. Incredibly, Kagawa's world gets even more horrifying in this installment.However, I also felt a teensy bit frustrated with this book and here's why:1) The Eternity Cure teeters on the edge of being too much. Too many super villains. Too many murderous creatures: Cannibals, Rabids, and Bleeders.... (Oh my!). It felt a little Wizard of Oz as Allison went along gathering a crowd. It's a good thing I like The Wizard of Oz. ;)2) The author weaves so many incredibly strong, intense characters that Zeke (Allison's love interest) gets a little washed out in comparison. (Am I the only one totally bummed by the 'sire' and 'brother' aspects of Kanin and Jackal?)Even with these very minor 'dislikes' The Eternity Cure was amazing. I loved the cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the next installment. Julie Kagawa, you are magic. ;)(Originally posted @iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)

Short and Sweet:I picked The Immortal Rules up after I got a review copy of it's sequel The Eternity Cure for review from Kazoo Books. I am SO glad I did. Although slow to start out, once it picks up the pace it doesn't stop. A really great read, set in a frightening vampire apocalypse. I can't wait to dive into The Eternity Cure next. :)To Elaborate....Allison lives in the vampire city of New Covington. In NC, if you want to eat you need to be registered, give blood regularly, and you are owned by the Prince. Allison hates vampires. She hates their rules and avoids living by them by existing as an 'unregistered' human with 3 other guys. However, being an unregistered means living on the outskirts of town barely scraping by. To survive, Allison scavenges for food and other resources in the ruins outside the city.... but only during the day. At night the 'rabids' (Or as I like to think of them: Gollum Vampires) come out, and if you aren't inside the city walls.... well, you too can be a horrifying creature of the night. (sad face) (We hates rabids. We hates them.)However, after a rare discovery of an underground cellar of food, Allison takes her crew over the wall and into the ruins to retrieve it. Where they inevitably get caught after dark by a horde of rabids. *full body shudder*Afterwords, a vampire named Kanin, happens to find Allison broken and dying and offers her the choice to live on as the thing she hates most. Her choice changes everything and she embarks on an exciting and often terrifying journey into an unknown, broken world.The Immortal Rules never gets stale. Not for one moment. Allison is strong, capable, and easy to relate to. I think Julie Kagawa did a really nice job of developing her character over the course of the story in a way that felt realistic and true to the journey she was on. I really loved this one! Seriously, if there is a rushed tone to this review it's because The Eternity Cure is right next to me..... on my nightstand... looking all tempting.....*uhem*:) Hope you are reading something good!!! (Originally posted @ iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)

Short and Sweet:Nobody's Secret was sweet and wonderful for a murder mystery. I loved the imagination of the author concerning Emily Dickinson and the poetry mixed through out. I felt like I was reading a historical Veronica Mars episode and I want to kiss Michaela MacColl's face for writing this wonderful book. :)To Elaborate....The story begins with Emily laying in a field of wildflowers hoping a bee will land on her nose.... just to experience something different. After a few moments she hears footsteps approaching and thinking it is her mother or sister coming to bring her back to her chores she closes her eyes and wills herself to be invisible. However, when she opens her eyes she meets the curious Mr. Nobody who engages in (extremely adorable) conversation with her. He appreciates her quirkiness where everyone else tries to shape her into a 'proper' young lady. Sadly, after a few days he is found, presumably drowned, in her family's pond. Since Emily had never learned his name, she becomes determined to solve the mystery of who "Mr. Nobody" was. However, along the way she discovers that someone doesn't want Mr. Nobody to be identified. More determined than ever, Emily slowly discovers the many secrets of Mr. Nobody including his identity. :)Just a cool, cool book through and through. LOVE.(Originally published @ iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)

Short and Sweet:Another Little Piece was an intriguing read. I enjoyed it's weirdness! I loved the pacing and the unique plot. Not for the faint of heart as it can be quite gory at times, but a thoroughly different read. I would definitely recommend this one! To Elaborate....Annaliese is not really Annaliese, but who she really is... that's a mystery even to herself. Initially she remembers almost nothing apart from the few days since she's been found. However, as she recovers memories that don't belong to Annaliese she begins to wonder who exactly she is and how she came to possess 'her' body. Soon after she arrives 'home' it becomes clear that several people do seem to know a bit about who she is. One boy, Eric, aggressively stalks her, calls her 'Anna' and threatens her whenever he appears. Another, Logan, knows a lot about the night she disappeared and obsessively wants to 'make it right.' Then there is the sweet and quirky Dex, who wants to be her friend even though he knows that she is not Annaliese at all, but even he has his own dark secrets.As 'Anna' races to solve the mystery of her past and present you will get pulled deeper and darker into a nightmarish world full of monsters you didn't even know about. Super, super creepy! (4 stars instead of 5 only because if you aren't carefully reading it's easy to get lost in the flashbacks)(Originally posted @ iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)

Short and Sweet:I really disliked this book. I was confused and/or bored 90% of the time. I hate to give such a poor review, but I'd also hate for anyone else to waste time and energy on this book.To Elaborate....I wanted to love this one. I really did. When it showed up in my mailbox I literally jumped up and down. I was that excited.*sigh*However, Icons is a book filled with disjointed and incomplete information. I still really don't understand more than the basics: The 'alien-ish' things came, they killed a lot of people, and there is something 'amazing' (although hardly ever utilized) about each of the four teenagers the story centers on, but as much as Icons hints at a deeper, more intriguing plot throughout the story, it never quite gets very interesting. Here is a link to someone who disagrees with me though: Birth of a New Witch reviews Icons(Note* The above review has been edited to exclude some of it's original content. While I did not enjoy Icons, I felt that I let my negative emotions get the best of me and have decided to leave the last few comments I made out of the review.)

Review:Short and Sweet:Poison is such a fun story. It reminded me a bit of the movie Brave. Kyra is a strong, female character who is easy to love and invest in. An absolute delight to read through and through.To Elaborate....Kyra is a master potioner. She is also on a mission to murder the princess in order to save the kingdom (this is explained in the book, but I don't want to spoil it for you!). Along the way she has to avoid the King's army, her ex, witches, goblins and other sinister creatures who are searching for her. She manages to escape more than one seemingly hopeless scenario with a little help from her poison laced darts and concealing potions. It was exciting to see what she would come up with next!Kyra also receives assistance from the charming and mysterious Fred and a lot of help from her pet pig, Rosie. The interaction between Kyra and Fred is so sweet and hilarious. It felt realistic and natural how feelings developed between them. The story itself is intriguing with some surprising twists and turns. I enjoyed every moment of this magical book! :)P.S. I would love to see Poison made into a movie! (Originally posted @ iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)

Short and Sweet:This book had me at the Dexter reference/Greek mythology blurb! I love a good revenge story and Vengeance Bound did not disappoint!To Elaborate....Cory is a terrifying, complex character. Ever since she was a young girl she has been possessed by the Furies and in and out of treatment facilities. The story starts out with Cory institutionalized and in the midst of escape. She intends to get her Furies fueled revenge on with the twisted Dr. Goodhart who has kept her locked up, sedated and worse, but at the last moment she has to leave (vowing to finish the job later).Fast forward a few years. Cory has been searching for the ironically named Dr. Goodhart to no avail. Along the way she and the Furies have left an unrelenting string of deaths. While Cory certainly seems to enjoy 'handing down justice' to criminals, usually she struggles with a desire for normalcy in her life. Thus why she signs herself up for high school. Here Cory meets a group of friends with their own complexities. Before long she finds herself falling for Niko, a guy who won't give up on knowing the 'real' her, and she sees another path that makes her want to change. However, the Furies won't give up their hold on her easily and Cory is losing control.I really enjoyed Vengeance bound with the exception of the huge plot holes involving the TONS of forensic evidence this girl leaves behind after every murder. Other than that a really great story!(Originally published @ http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/)

Review:Short and Sweet:It took me a bit to get into Dualed, but once I did I really enjoyed it. No cliffhangers here, but a nice setup for the next book in this series. I recommend this one to fans of dystopian reads! To Elaborate....The world of Dualed had a few holes for me. First of all, I struggled to fully believe any world full of people killing each other in the streets, library, grocery store every single day would ever work as smoothly as the story leads you to believe. I also just didn't believe that we might ever end up in this world, which took some of what I normally enjoy in dystopian stories away from Dualed. Second, I didn't quite understand how raising two identical people trained to off each other conserved resources. It seemed a semi-major theme of the book that there was only room for the 'worthy' and not a lot of resources. I think the obvious answer is that the Board (the people in control) have another motive for creating murderous teenagers since it's right there in the blurb. However, I found these two world concepts distracting throughout the story. That being said, I really did enjoy Dualed. I think the best way to describe the second half of this book is a horribly creepy game of Hide & Seek. Definitely some heart-pounding moments of suspense. :) I'm really looking forward to seeing where this series is headed! (*3.5 stars*)(Originally published @ http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/)

Short and Sweet:A heartfelt attempt at life with terminal cancer as a teen. Even though I enjoyed this book at times and felt it had some emotional moments, I found it hard to completely connect with any of the characters. It's not a bad story, but certainly not a great one either. To Elaborate....Somebody Up There Hates You is told from the point of view of Richie, a 17 year old boy in hospice care. Richie shares with the reader all the ins and outs of being a dying 'kid' and talks about many real, relatable issues: being a teen without privacy, watching your parents grieve for you, and falling in love for the first time. However, this story's strength in creating a stand-offish teenager, hiding his vulnerability is also its weakness. I, sadly, never really connected to Richie. Sylvie, Richie's love interest, was also only half-developed for me. I wish this book had 100 more pages of character development. I feel like knowing more about Richie and Sylvie's pasts might have helped, but maybe the author intentionally did not go there since the entire story takes place in 10 days.Overall, this book was just so-so for me. It had a few magical moments, and plenty of sad ones as well, but felt underdeveloped. :/(Originally published @ http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/)

Short and Sweet:I'm not sure that I can say Dark Triumph was 'better' than Grave Mercy, but I can say that I can not decided which book I loved best. They are equally amazing! This sequel is absolutely breathtaking. I could not put it down. I wanted to experience this book forever!To Elaborate....(If you have not read Grave Mercy beware of SPOILERS!!!)Sybella was such an interesting character in Grave Mercy that I was immediately excited that her story would be the focus of Dark Triumph. The book starts off at the mysterious scene in the first book where Sybella is warning Ismae of her father's deceit during the meeting between the Duchess Anne and one of her formerly loyal guardians/advisers. We see how much this action could have cost Sybella had she been caught, for she is the daughter of D'Albret himself. However, the treacherous D'Albret does not know that Sybella is not loyal to him and was, in fact, placed back into his household (after years of secret training) as a spy and assassin.Sybella exists in this place full of horror and deceit. Her father is psychotic, her brother disturbed. To survive she becomes whatever she needs to be to all sorts of monstrous characters. It is no wonder she begins to wonder if Mortain exists at all. It is honestly an awful existence and I found myself rooting for Sybella to have another path. When she is at last given an assignment from the convent (to free a prisoner from the dungeon) the story gets verrrry interesting. ;)This in one of the best series I have read in such a long time. I'm so glad there is a third book, Mortal Heart, and that it will be from Annith's point of view! Yay! If you have not read Grave Mercy, do so immediately and pick up Dark Triumph while you're at it because you are going to want to devour them both. (I'm serious.)If you have read them both: which one was your favorite? I really can't choose! :)(Originally published @ http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/)

Short and Sweet:WOW!!!!! I love and adore this book! Grave Mercy is really something special and it's sequel Dark Triumph is my immediate next read! Fantastic, gorgeous story!!!To Elaborate....Ismae has spent years being trained at the convent of St. Mortain (the saint of death) to be an instrument of death and vengeance. After a few easily completed assignments, she enters into a much more complicated one where she must pretend to be the mistress of Duval, the trusted advisor and half brother of Anne of Brittany. From her position she is expected to uncover those betraying the duchess as well as those whom Mortain has marked for death. While Ismae is originally highly suspect of Duval and seeks to uncover some kind of treachery in him, she very quickly finds herself torn between the directives of her convent and the decisions of her heart. She ultimately begins to question all she has come to believe of her origins, her convent, and her heart.This is an amazing book and I highly recommend it to those who adore historical fiction and even those who don't. This may very well be the book that makes you love this genre.(Originally published @ http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/)

Short and Sweet:Slated didn't grab me right away, but once it did it was unputdownable. I really liked the world and I think the next book will be even better. To Elaborate....This book is another one that I find hard to review without giving away any spoilers, but I will do my best! Kyla has been slated (memory/personality removal) and is now heavily monitored in her new life. She has to think, talk and even emote (thanks to an emotion regulating/sensing bracelet) in a certain way or face unknown consequences. But Kayla isn't like the others who have been slated. For one, she asks too many questions and remembers fragments of who she was. Kyla is curious to a fault. Throughout the book there is a tension that is held as who she can trust shifts. You are never really sure what is going to happen next, and Slated is full of UNpredictable mysteries and revelations (YAY!). I hope we get more answers to many of these compelling questions in the sequel! 4 out of 5 stars simply because it took literally 150 pages for me to love this book. (Originally published @ http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/)

Short and Sweet:The Elite is a fast paced worthy sequel to The Selection that I had to read from beginning to end in one day. Although the 'love triangle' left me a little frustrated at times, I am dying to read the untitled 3rd in this series.To Elaborate....The Elite begins where The Selection left off. America Singer is now in the 'Elite,' but continues to feel conflicted over her feelings for both Aspen and Maxon, even as the stakes are constantly being raised. The Rebels are more terrorizing than ever and seem to be searching for something specific. We also get a major peak into this world America lives in and it isn't pretty. The castle is being regularly attacked and a real danger exists in being part of the Selection and ultimately in being Maxon's princess.So, serious talk. This book frustrated me a ton. Not because it was bad, but because every time I thought I knew exactly where it was headed Ms. Cass pulled out another little twist and left me all conflicted and emotional along with America. ;) Plus, I don't know about you guys, but I don't super love Aspen, and I have concerns about what's going to happen to these two when Maxon finds out who Aspen is. Because he's gonna. That being said, I loved this book. 4.5 stars because I think America is smarter than she comes across in this book, but I am hopeful that she is really going to come into herself in the 3rd. I

Short and Sweet:Taken was creepy and strange and all around near perfect in tone and plot. A blend of the 'small town with secrets' aspect of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, with a dystopian aspect that reminded me of SO many great books all at once, but that was the only real problem for me in an otherwise great book.... I've read this story before. :(To Elaborate....This story is told from the point of view of Gray, a 17 year old boy in the small town of Claysoot awaiting the inevitable disappearance of his brother, Blaine, the night of the Heist: an event that steals 18 y/o boys on the eve of their birthdays. (You get all of this from the blurb above.) However, Blaine's disappearance leaves Gray full of questions and frustration. Emma, Gray's love interest, is a tough, cool girl who helps Gray find out just enough to inspire him to hop 'the Wall,' an act every person before him has died from. Emma ends up following Gray over the wall, and from here on out Taken is a pretty fast paced and interesting read, but also a tad predictable if you read dystopian books a lot. I think to say anything else would spoil what is really good about this book: it reveals many new and compelling plot points at a great pace. Bottom line: I think if this is your first dystopian, or your first well written one, you will probably adore it. However, for those who have read Forest of Hands and Teeth, Divergent, Hunger Games, etc and are suffering from dystopian fatigue.... it may pale just a bit in comparison. My interest in Bowman's world just wasn't as peaked as I had hoped. :/ Hopefully in this case a little breather in this sub-genre will have me ready to love the next book. :)(Originally published @ http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)

Short and Sweet: Parallel is a cool book. I loved the concept and really enjoyed the way Lauren Miller brought the parallel lives of Abby together. This book reminded me a lot of the movie Sliding Doors, but it was an infinitely better story. :) To Elaborate....Abby wakes up the morning after an unusual earthquake and ends up making a series of life choices she wouldn't have made had she been on time. What she doesn't initially realize is that her life has become entangled with a parallel life she would have otherwise never experienced. In her actual life she woke up on time and took a drama class that led to a life in Hollywood full of regrets, but her parallel self woke up late and took Principles of Astronomy and met a boy named Josh.The two stories/parallel universes take place one year apart. So Abby 'there' (year 2008) wakes up late and falls in love with Josh, and Abby 'here' (year 2009) wakes up at Yale with memories of her original life in Hollywood but no memories of Josh (she never met him). Her best friend Caitlin, a science loving girl who luckily believes in parallel universes, is the only person she confides in as wakes up to new realities and new memories every time her parallel self alters her current reality. Because she has no memory of Josh, she meets a different guy, Michael. But as her parallel self's memories catch up with her reality she begins to have feelings for Josh, whom she's never met. The ending twists and turns and addresses the idea of destiny vs free-will. Parallel was emotional and fun, a perfect combination of geeky and cool. :) (Originally published @ http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/)