|ARC REVIEW| The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

THE RUNAWAY KING (#2)
Review by: Kaede
Release Date: March 1st, 2013
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 331

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

*An advance copy of this book was provided for review purposes. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.* 

Warning: Spoilers for The Runaway King will be properly marked, but I would not recommend reading on if you have not read The False Prince for reasons you will understand if you read the fabulous first book. But if you are curious what I thought, if you were within distance from me I would force you to sit down and love this series because it is wonderful. 

I am quite fortunately not literally drowning in a puddle of feels (because that would be embarrassing since puddles don't reach very high), but I certainly feel like I am. I wish I could write my entire review in fangirly .gifs because it would be so much easier, but alas, it is impossible and not the reason you might think. So I shall have to go the old-fashion way with words. And I don't think my reading experience was fair. I was not mentally prepared for The Runaway King and nobody thought that warning me would be nice. Sure, go ahead and tell me how good the next book in this series is and how if I loved The False Prince, I'll love the rest of them but coincidentally leave out the mess I'll be in when I finish it and realize the next book is the last. There will be no more Jaron. No more. No more. No more. No more. I can't believe there's no more. I am obviously not handling this well. 

From the day I finished The False Prince, I knew that I was going to love this series. I didn't quite dawn on my how much I would love this series though, and if you haven't guessed, I love it a lot. I really enjoy reading middle grade books, but a lot of the times you can tell that the novel is written in a particular style because of it's targeted audience. There are a few select middle grade series that I do feel are written so well they can appeal to a wide audience of all age and The Ascendance trilogy is one of them. 

"I know you've got some heavy concerns," Mott said. "But we are friends. You can tell me everything."

I shook my head. "No, Mott. Not everything, because you are my friend."

I think we'll just get started on how much I love Jaron. I loved all of the characters in this book, the familiar faces and the new ones - except for the people we're supposed to hate. But I have a particular, special place for Jaron and his hilarious sarcasm in the worst situations. Jaron reminds me a bit of Ciel Phantomhive, in that he has seen a lot and knows perhaps a bit too much of how cruel the world can be. Jaron is very cleverly witty, so much so that the things he can't help but say end up getting him in bad situations. But then you realize that some of the things he says are very deep and can make you think. For me, the particular quote above actually made me put this book down - it was upsetting to do so, I promise - and think a little about how sometimes you don't share everything with a friend you value. And it's because you value you them that you don't want them to share the burden you have, or sometimes you just can't bring yourself to let them feel what you are feeling. For Jaron, who cannot call many people true friends, he'll do anything he can to protect the ones he has. 

I DO NOT CARE. I am adding him to my list of fictional boyfriends, and I would've done it just because he's damn awesome with a sword but of course I have other reasons too, because obviously my list isn't that easy to get into....

You know what they say: Honesty is the best policy.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Spoiler: [Mild]
When Jaron defects Devlin's knife with the flat side of his sword so easily, OH MY GOD MY FANGIRL FEELS. Nothing says boyfriend material like easily defecting incoming dangerous knives from a pirate king, right? 
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Mott was my second favorite character because he has all of the wonderful traits. A certain protectiveness, an invaluable loyalty to his king and country, and a willingness to sacrifice himself for Jaron that I hope we will never need. I have a hard time picturing Mott as anything but a mid-20 year old man though, and when Erick mentioned that he was bald, I went

For a second I didn't believe he was talking about Mott, even though it made no sense for him to be referring to Harlowe. I knew that Mott wasn't in his 20s, but for some reason I was really surprised to hear that he was bald. 

I'm considering every character that isn't Jaron a secondary character, and the ones we were meant to like, I loved. In the beginning, I even liked one of the characters that didn't turn out to be very likable in end. I was a little hesitant to like Fink and Erick in the beginning, but I ended up really liking them. They were great characters who just needed the chance to do the right thing. I definitely wasn't much of a fan of Rowan at first, for obvious reasons, but when he makes a re-appearance I started liking him towards the end. And you know, he was pretty badass too so it didn't hurt. 

Because this is a middle-grade novel, the romance doesn't dominate as you would expect in young adult. The romantic aspects are there, but it's far from the main focus. I'm not in love with the romance, but I do like to see our main couple together because I think they complement each other well. 

"If he's the boy I knew at Farthenwood, then his people will follow him to the devil's lair and back."

In the beginning of The Runaway King, Jaron is no longer that boy who didn't have much of anything. He's a king with people who serve him, and he definitely doesn't hesitant when ordering people around, and I can definitely see how it might come off the wrong way to some people. For some reason, I personally wasn't very bothered by it. But even if you didn't like Jaron in the beginning, he goes through so much that by the latter half that I think most people will at least start really liking his character again. I definitely respected Jaron as well, for his extreme loyalty to his country, that in turn inspires loyalty from the people around him.

You know how much I seem to love drawing manga references these days, so I'll make another one. Whenever pirates come into play, the first thing that naturally comes to my mind is One Piece. And if you remind me of One Piece, then I automatically like you. And these pirates in The Runaway King aren't all show and no game, but I liked that they drew the line at women and children because it was interesting that even people like the pirates have a system of moral codes. 

There was a point where I felt like the way something was done was a bit strange, but Jennifer A. Nielsen definitely didn't let me down. There was a reason I had some of the minor problems I had, and that was surprising, but satisfying. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________
 Spoiler: [Mild]
When Jaron's attacked in the beginning of the novel and his Captain of the Guard sees his injury, his lack of much concern threw me off. I thought it was strange, but I certainly didn't attribute that to him being disloyal, because I'm picturing in my head this character that reminds me of Chaol from the Throne of Glass series that everybody loves. And if you're loved, you usually aren't evil, right? It was a bit sad at first to see his betrayal, but pfft, we all know Rowan will be a better Captain then you in time. :P I also really liked that Jaron becomes "Sage" again in this book too.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

“You wouldn't want to be king of my country," I said.

"Why is that?"

"Well, you're rather fat. I doubt you'd fit onto my throne."

There's great sarcastic humor in The Runaway King, and action to match. There are also fun characters to guide you on this journey filled with lies, pirates, and enemies to face. I definitely questioned some of the choices Jaron made, but Jaron is a very calculating and smart character, and some of the obvious mistakes I thought he made were planned from the start, which left me a bit impressed. If you are a fantasy, I'd definitely recommend this series for all ages. I'm not sure if I liked the first book more, or this one, but I think we all know the important thing here is that war is coming. 

5 coffee cups!

~♥~

BUY THE BOOK:

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

|REVIEW| Sweet by Erin McCarthy

SWEET (#2)
Review by: Kaede
Release Date: October 15th, 2013
Publisher: InterMix
Pages: 257

Jessica Sweet thought going away to college would finally make her free of her parents’ constant judgments and insistence she play chastity club role model for their church events, but if anything, the freedom has made her realize she can’t go home and be a hypocrite anymore. Tired of dodging their questions, she stays at school over the summer and lands in an unexpected crash pad: Riley Mann’s house.

Sarcastic, cocky, and full of opinions, Riley is also sexy personified with tattoos and biceps earned from working as a roofer all day. Not the right guy for her even if Jessica was looking for a relationship, which she is definitely not. But Jessica knows that Riley hides the burden of having to raise his younger brothers behind that grin and as she helps him get his house in order for a custody hearing, they begin to fall hard for each other, and she is forced to question what she’s hiding herself.

Jessica has never had a problem getting naked with a guy, but when it comes to showing Riley how she truly feels inside, her fear of rejection may just ruin the best thing—the best guy—to ever happen to her…

Sweet by Erin McCarthy was, for the most part, an all round fun experience. It isn't perfect, but you will enjoy New Adult, you'll most likely love this series. I have my issues with Sweet, but I don't regret choosing to continue with this series at all. 

If you are somebody for funny banter, there is definitely quite a bit in Sweet. Jessica and Riley's interactions were often witty and sometimes at each other's throat, and you will probably get a good laugh out of it. 

Beyond our main characters getting together and solving Riley and Jessica's personal problems, there really isn't much else that happens in Sweet. However, I didn't pick up a New Adult book looking for gory deaths and exploding action scenes, and Sweet provided what I was looking for to read at the time. Personally, I think liking the characters in this book is essential to enjoying the story. If you've read True and liked it enough to consider reading Sweet, you should have no problem enjoying it. Riley, the oldest brother of his family, has the responsibility of making sure all his younger brothers have food on the table and a roof over their head. Because of that, Riley has sense of maturity and understanding that he can't go out and get drunk every night if he wants to keep his brothers under his care. 

Jessica is the opposite of Riley - she loves parties and is slightly immature.  But in a different way, she also worries about her family. She has a terrible older brother and a family who does nothing but judge others, and she can't take any of that anymore. Both Riley and Jessica make stupid mistakes, but they do feel like real characters. You will always meet that one person, who like Jessica, is self-centered and needs somebody to tell her off sometimes. Riley certainly isn't afraid to be that person, and while he treats Jessica almost like a little kid at first, he realizes that there is so much potential in her to be a bright and strong person. 

"I won't leave you. Trust me, that is the last thing in the world I want."

There is definite chemistry between Jessica and Riley, and their relationship is one that develops with time and it's fun to watch them discover their feelings. The first quarter of the book I had no problem rating 4 and a half stars, because it was engaging and I genuinely wanted to see how our main couple would get together. A little while after they did though, I started losing a bit of interest and I ended up reading other books until I finally finished Sweet recently. Now I've done this before with other books, usually ones I find I'm not in the mood for, and I generally have no problem with remembering what happened before. Sweet is a cute romance, but there really isn't anything exceptional about it that makes it stand out. I can tell that after some time, this is a story where the details of why you liked it will fade away. 

Sweet isn't fluffy innocent romance, despite being cute. On top of winning Jessica over, Riley needs to figure out a way to keep his younger brothers with him. To do that, he needs Jessica's help to make his place basically more...female. I liked how willing Jessica was to lend her assistance, and you can really see how hard she's trying to help Riley. Jessica undergoes development throughout the entire novel, becoming somebody who is ready to fight for what she believes in while still retaining the personality of liking to be in charge and for lack of better way to put it, have everything be about her in Riley's house since she is the only female living there constantly. Instead of being annoyed though, I accepted it as part of Jessica's character, almost in the way that Jessica has to realize that she needs to show her parents who she really is and tell them, "This is who I am. You can accept me or not, but I will always love you."

There are many sides to Riley beyond his easygoing nature. He can be serious,  sweet (this is me trying to not so cleverly reference the title), rational, but also prone to jealousy that can sometimes be ridiculous.   But what I loved about Riley is that he has a strong sense of family. You don't mess with any of his brothers, and you can feel without a doubt that Riley will give up anything to protect them. 

So by now, most people can probably guess how much I look for family relationships in books, and how important they are to me. They don't have to be happy, nobody needs to break down years of misunderstanding and finally become best friends with your sibling that has hated you for basically your entire life, but I would like a reason why they hated your guts and would rather pretend you didn't exist. Had Jessica's relationship with her older brother been explored further, I probably would have loved Sweet all the more.  But the "reason" why Jessica's older brother hated her we got was basically, and I kid not, that she was a bitch. 

THIS IS ME GIVING YOU A DISAPPROVING LOOK FOR YOUR STUPID REASON FOR HATING YOUR SISTER. 

*smiles innocently* But on a brighter note, I will be reading the rest of the series. The writing style is engaging and flows well, the characters fairly likable, and I want to see where these characters are by the end of the last book. I really liked Rory and Tyler's appearance in Sweet and the hopeless romantic in me wants somebody to get married or at least engaged, because that is how I roll. Sweet isn't the best New Adult out there, but on a day where you are in the mood for one and you don't know what to read, this series will most likely satisfy you because they are good fun reads, despite some of it's issues. 

3 and ½ coffee cups!

~♥~

BUY THE BOOK:

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE

~♥~

Let's Discuss: In the comments, tell me if you are a fan of New Adult. If so, what are some of your favorites? If you are, do you think this a series you are interested in? 

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

|REVIEW| Shadowlands by Kate Brian

SHADOWLANDS (#1)

By: Kate Brian 

Review by: Kaede

Release Date: January 8th, 2013

Publisher: Hyperion 

Pages: 328

 

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection program. Entering the program alongside her, is her father and sister Darcy. The trio starts a new life and a new beginning leaving their friends and family behind without a goodbye.


Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. Just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

Some of the hardest books for me to review are not the ones that I hated so much I'd rather forget the ever existed, or even the stories I loved to the point where I can't form coherent thoughts out of my fangirling, but rather the ones that fall right in between. SHADOWLANDS is one of them. 

A story like SHADOWLANDS should be exciting, and maybe just a little bit scary. However, what I got was what was to me a cast of flat characters that provided me with little but a want to reach the end as quickly as I could. 

To be fair, it isn't as if SHADOWLANDS is a terrible book. Because it isn't. But even going into it with the mediocre expectations that I had, I still found myself disappointed. The first few chapters were steady and interesting enough that I was curious to how the rest of the story would play out. But once Rory and her family were relocated to Juniper Landing, I started to feel my interest leaving. It made no sense because that was when the story was suppose to grip me, with a killer on the loose and all that. Instead I just found myself unconnected with the new characters. 

There were parts where I felt that SHADOWLANDS had potential, and the most interesting parts came from the short chapters where we hear from the killer. It wasn't a giant struggle to finish the book, but for the most part I didn't find anything that would set this apart from others of it's genre except the ending. Some will certainly be floored by it in a good sense, but others may be angry that the same ending feels too much like a ploy to ensure that you read the next book. Or you could be me who went into the book already knowing the ending.

I probably would have had a different experience reading this book if I had not known the ending, and maybe I would've enjoyed it a little bit more because of the shock factor. But it still would not have done anything for my disinterest in most of the characters, and the characters and their development are often a main reason why I love a book. 

Interestingly enough, if I had to choose a medium to experience the story in, I would've chosen movie. I felt that as a whole SHADOWLANDS could have been expressed better as a film, with aspects like the mysterious fog added as a creepy factor that raised suspicion of just how safe Juniper Landing is. Having mysterious fog described to me was a bit odd, and I think it would've had more impact if the audience could have been allowed to discover it themselves, which isn't possible in a book because you have no clue it exists unless someone mentions it. 

SHADOWLANDS was an alright book. I don't regret reading it, and eventually I'll check out the sequel. The writing was good enough that I could read through all the way. This is one of those books that I'd say that it can't hurt to try, since the result will be different for everyone. Quite a few of my friends enjoyed SHADOWLANDS, and a few did not. So I'd love to see what you think of this young adult thriller mystery!

2 and ½ coffee cups!

~♥~

BUY THE BOOK:

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

Review of Wither by Lauren DeStefano

WITHER (#1) 
By: Lauren DeStefano 
Review by: Kaede
Release Date: March 22nd, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Pages: 358
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought

 

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

When I started WITHER, I'm not quite certain what I expected from it. But it certainly wasn't what I got, although I couldn't be more pleased. 

Captivating me with it's writing style from the very beginning, it was almost like there was a certain ease for me when it came to reading WITHER. Flipping pages after pages without the thought of putting it down was natural, and it had me wanting to stay up late to finishing it. Now for me, that is the markings of a good book. 

I found that I felt something different for a lot of the characters we meet in WITHER. While I'm not sure if I connected with Rhine to the extent that I have with some other heroines, her narrative was one I enjoyed. I liked Rhine because she was strong and felt real to me. Trapped in a pretty prison, Rhine is determined to escape, find her brother, and return to the life she was forcefully taken from. But will there be some things not worth forsaking for a chance at freedom? Linden was a bit of a difficult character for me to place my feelings on, because in one sense I did like him, but in another I really hated him. Hated him for being able to be so blissfully naive and ignorant of the world outside when so many people - Rhine included - don't have that opportunity. But also like Rhine, I couldn't bring myself to ever fully hate him completely, or really at all...too much, and found that maybe I did like Linden. Although I couldn't stop the voice in the back of my head that hoped that somebody would tell Linden everything that his father had done. Anybody? 

Rhine's relationship with her sister wives was something I liked seeing, because the contrast in all three of them was so apparent. Their views differed, and yet they were still able to form a connection. Cecily was my least favorite of the three because there were times where she really annoyed me, but I could understand where she was coming from. Cecily is the youngest, a bit of a dreamer, and believes the mansion is a place she can be happy, especially considering that she has everything now when she had nothing before. 

Vaughn was a slightly disturbing character, because of all the things he did without so much of a second thought. I think he's the type of person that if I knew him in real life, every time he enters the same room, I'd run out because...well...uhm...I like to live? 

All in all, I think you can definitely tell the characters and their relationships were my favorite part of WITHER. From Gabriel to Jenna, there was something interesting about each individual we meet in the story. DeStefano was also able to create Rowan, a character we don't know officially, but is described by Rhine to the point where I can have such a clear view of him that it's almost like he was present in the story the whole time. 

The world building aspect was satisfying, but it definitely isn't this series's strong point. I know that there are a lot of readers who consider the world building weak, but personally I've never really saw detailed, plausible world building as a requirement for a enjoyable dystopian. It's nice to have certainly, but if there are other elements I enjoyed, and the world seems possible, then it's good enough for me most of the time, which worked in WITHER's favor. 

Essentially, Lauren DeStefano's writing is not only simply solid, but comes so naturally you can't help but be pulled in. If you can put aside the fact that you probably won't find one of the most layered and complex worlds in young adult dystopian, I think there is a very good chance you'll really like WITHER. I mean, honestly, there had to be something special about it if I was so insistent on finishing it in one night, even though I had two exams the next day and I barely had enough time to study because I was reading.

If anything, Lauren DeStefano is the type of author that I feel will only get better and better, and so I will definitely read every book she comes out with from here on with confidence that they'll be amazing. 

4 coffee cups! 

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

ARC Review of Awaken by Meg Cabot

AWAKEN (#3)

By: Meg Cabot

Review by: Kaede 

Release Date: July 2nd, 2013

Publisher: Point 

Pages: 343

Format: e-ARC

Source: NetGalley (Thank you, Scholastic!) 

 

Death has her in his clutches. She doesn’t want him to let go.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she’d be forced to live forever in the one place she’s always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness — and safety — are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: He revived a human soul.

If the balance between life and death isn’t fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce’s home back on earth will be wiped away. But there’s only one way to restore order. Someone has to die.

As far as conclusions go, I honestly think AWAKEN was done very well. A fantastic wrap-up of the series, it leaves you with a sense of closure but also the promise that the story doesn't just end with the last world. The characters' journeys will continue, and maybe even one day they'll return to tell us about all that they've seen since the last time we saw them. But for now, this is the right time to say goodbye. 

Something I found myself doing a lot while I was reading that I didn't expect was laughing. It isn't to say ABANDON and UNDERWORLD didn't have moments where it was funny, but they definitely couldn't compare to AWAKEN for me. Although, as a whole, I wouldn't say comedy and humor are this series's main priority or strong point, so I can't really hold anything against the first two books for not being as amusing as the last. 

There were a few issues I had with AWAKEN, one of them particularly perplexing to me. If something seems odd or unusual, chances are that something is likely off about the picture. I watched as Pierce would think about how something looked out of place and then the next second she'd forget all about it on a few occasions and I didn't understand why. 

However, AWAKEN was also filled with action and suspense that managed to keep me interested all the way through. I kept flipping pages, curious to see what would happen next. As far as characters went, Pierce definitely isn't my favorite heroine of all time, but she isn't the worst. I definitely do prefer the secondary characters when it comes to this series though.

I really liked Cabot's writing style in AWAKEN, and the overall way she presented the finale to her series. Problems were wrapped up nicely with resolutions and answers were given so that there would be little to no questions left. Although I still can't figure out why I found some of things John said so funny. All in all, if you enjoyed ABANDON, I would encourage you to continue on to AWAKEN. While this series isn't an absolutely favorite, I certainly don't regret reading it. 

4 coffee cups! 

*An advance copy of this book was provided  for review. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.*

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

Review of Scarlet by Marissa Meyer + Audiobook Clip

SCARLET (#2)
By: Marissa Meyer
Review by: Kaede
Release Date: February 5th, 2013 

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 452
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought

 

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

I've been fairly certain for some time now that Meyer's retellings cannot be reproduced - with all of it's captivating characters and the futuristic world it is set in. Before I began Scarlet, I had realized that there was so much story that could be told in the Lunar Chronicles series. But I also wondered if perhaps there'd be too much story to be told, that the older characters might fade into the backgrounds as the new ones took the stage. However, as far as I could see with Scarlet, Meyer had no problem in making both Cinder's and Scarlet's story equally as prominent and likable in their own ways.

While Cinder started off a bit unsure of herself because of what she is, Scarlet is fierce and determined. She has her goal - to rescue her grandmother - and she'll do everything she can to see it through. Brave and just maybe a little bit deadly, I found myself really drawn to Scarlet's loyalty, and just her character in general. 

Queen Levana is still somebody you hate to love and love to hate. She is so evil and corrupted, and I just wanted somebody to wave that magic wand and make her disappear. We do meet a few new characters though, such as Thorne, that I did like and were quite comedic and entertaining. 

For those of you who are unaware, I love my romance as much as I love a good plot. That's why with Kai and Cinder separated, I missed a lot of their chemistry in Cinder, and looked to Wolf and Scarlet to fill that void. Honestly, it is possible not to love Wolf? He's that bad boy you won't be able to resist, with his charismatic personality and extremely good looks. However, Wolf is also caring on top of mysterious, which only increases my love that much more. 

To give you that final push you need to finally pick up Scarlet, the story is also set in France! Guaranteed to leave you wanting more, I'm extremely excited to see where the characters go next on their journey and down with Queen Levana. Here is one story (and one very charmingly hot guy) you won't want to miss! 

Macmillan was extremely kind enough to provide a clip from the audiobook of Scarlet for all you lovely readers out there! If you enjoyed it, I've also included a link to the Audible page where you can purchase the full edition! Don't forget to share the love in the comments! 

Purchase SCARLET by Marissa Meyer on Audible

5 coffee cups!

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

BLOG TOUR: Normalish by Margaret Lesh [Review & Giveaway]

Hi darling! I am really excited to be taking part in the blog tour for the contemporary young adult novel Normalish by Margaret Lesh. If you're interested in following the rest of the tour to the end or even to the next stop, click HERE for the list of the awesome blogs participating. In the following you'll find my review of Normalish, a little about the author Margaret Lesh, and an international giveaway! 

Happy Reading! xoxo

-Kaede

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Normalish

By: Margaret Lesh

Review by: Kaede

Publisher: Musa Publishing

Pages: 175 (E-book)

Series: N/A

Format: E-Book Review Copy

Source: Xpresso Book Tours 

Purchase: Amazon

Fifteen-year-old Stacy questions the strange world of high school, love, her role in a harsh universe, and life, in Normalish.

People tell you high school's so great and wonderful, but they're lying. It's mostly horrible and full of disappointment. It sucks. Your best friend abandons you. The jerk you're in love with pretends to be into you, and then the big dump. The boy you've really clicked with as a friend decides to go all crushy over you, so you break his heart just like yours was -- smashed into little pieces. Your sister goes mental, and you get involved with a guy who’s even crazier than she is (who you know is a very bad idea, but you do it anyway). Math only adds another stink of failure to the whole thing. High school blows. Just ask freshman Stacy. She’d want you to know.

Going into Normalish, I had no set expectations. If I liked it, then I liked it. If I didn't, then I didn't. Because I had somehow managed to formulate such a simple idea, I decided to go with it because I honestly wasn't sure what to quite expect, much less hope for. The cover leaves me with much to want, but the general synopsis made it seem like something that I could enjoy under most circumstances. And enjoy I did. 

One look at the cover should indicate some sort of sweet or fluffy read. In a way, I guess it is. But overall, most fluffy contemporary novels don't usually fall far from that spectrum. 

Normalish marks freshman Stacy York's transition into high school, which is, if Stacy is anything to go by - the oddest of things. Still trying to come to terms with her father's death and her former best friend just dropping her, Stacy isn't sure what she wants and what she needs. She's a lot more fragile that she'd admit, but she does manage to overcome it all. Even when the hot guy she is certainly not stalking isn't displaying the slightest interest in her. And the guy who was suppose to only remain a best friend is expressing interest that leaves Stacy unsure, because going down that route is not what Stacy had in mind for their relationship. 

Chad, who was said best friend that was in love with the main character, is slightly stereotypical. Being characterized as the semi-geeky sweetheart isn't going to do him much favors in my long list of hottest guys in Young Adult literature. However, it's clearly seen that he genuinely cares about Stacy, even if she isn't quite reciprocating of the same feelings. Even if she isn't always nice to him. But I liked that when she wasn't kind, Chad didn't let his feelings get in the way and let her walk all over him. 

In turn, Chad wasn't the only potential "love" interest of the story. There's also Bobby and Anthony, and both were essential to the story in their own ways. Anthony served as the popular major player jerk, who Stacy thinks she wants. She really doesn't. Because not only is he selfish, he's manipulative of girls' feelings. I don't like guys like that. Especially guys who do that for no reason.

Bobby, on the other hand, is remarkably intriguing. Like a unpredictable child, Bobby isn't exactly the calmest person you'll ever meet. He has his own set of problems, and certainly isn't perfect. He handles things differently than most people, but does that make him any less real? In fact, I think that attribute makes him only that much more human. Like he's someone that anybody could know. Somebody that people can love, even if he is a bit messed-up. 

While I didn't love Normalish, I did enjoy it. It wasn't Take-My-Breath-Away amazing, but it was a solid good read. There's much potential in Margaret Lesh's writing. While there's definite room for progression, I can still wholeheartedly recommend Normalish without hesitation. If you're a fan of cute contemporaries mixed with humor and tragedy, Normalish may just be the book for you. 

Overall, while this book isn't the most spectacular piece of writing I've seen, but it's worth the read. You're able to, if you read from beginning to end, witness the impressive growth of Stacy York from a vulnerable girl to somebody who's willing to accept what fate brings her. Things don't end off perfectly though. It isn't one big happy ending tied off with a bow, which I really liked. But, you know, things happen for a reason. 

And that's something Stacy York now knows.

3 ½ coffee cups!

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Find Margaret Lesh on Goodreads | Website | Twitter

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I'll bet you thought that was it, didn't you? A'ha! I knew it! Wait...what? You didn't think that was it? Ermm, well...err - JUST FORGET I SAID ANYTHING AND ON TO THE GIVEAWAY. 

RULES & INFO: 

• Open INTERNATIONALLY 
• Contest ends January 28th, 2013 
• No cheating. Cheaters never prosper. 

PRIZES: 

• One $25 Amazon Giftcard

 • One e-book copy of Normalish 

• Normalish bookmarks

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com
Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx