Darkphoenix

I was really looking forward to reading Hopeless and I had such high hopes for it. I thought it would be really good judging by all the glowing reviews I had read. I read it and I hated it so much that it took all my willpower to finish it. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disappointed by something I’ve read! This was a disappointment of epic proportions!I usually don’t go through the trouble of trying to finish a book if I don’t like. I think it’s a waste of time and effort especially when I could be reading something really good as opposed to something that is an utter waste. But I thought maybe it would get better so I should give it a chance and I managed to finish it and it did not get any better. If there was anything positive in this otherwise dreary exercise, it was that it finally came to an end.There are quite a few things I have a problem with and I’m not gonna waste anymore of my time outlining all of them, but I will point out a few. As far as characters go, I had a problem with the main protagonists: Sky and Holder. The secondary characters aren’t all that bad. As it is, they are hardly present. I liked Six, sadly she didn’t stay long. Breckin wasn’t bad either, too bad we saw very little of him too. The secondary characters had no depth whatsoever, they simply served as fluff.There was hardly any characters building apart from Sky and Holder because as I mentioned earlier they were hardly present. We learn nothing about Karen, Jack, Six or even Breckin except the bare essentials (the kind that were covered in a sentence or two) I get that they’re secondary characters but more often than not these characters make the book more enjoyable. Even the writing was dull and boring. Hoover tried really to make the readers really root for the Sky and Holder and while it may have worked with a lot of other readers, it did not connect with me. Sorry I’ve read much better stuff and I have better stuff to read. On to Sky. I liked her in the beginning and then as the story went on, I couldn’t stand her. Holder was even more annoying. I usually don’t like stories where the boy and girl fall madly in love with each other within less than a week of meeting. This is precisely what happened here. They’re strangers for crying out loud! (and for those of you thinking that they were not in love with each other that early in the book then they were most certainly hopelessly obsessed with each other which is even more disturbing) And what’s a “realistic” love story without the guy acting like a total jerk, right? And he did not once but twice and got away with it both times. Don’t get me wrong, Hoover says the right things but they seem hollow. There’s no way any reader would be okay with Holder’s behaviour, so Hoover gives him really corny and crappy lines something like (and I’ paraphrasing here), ‘oh, I’m not apologizing to you because I don’t want you to forgive me” well bully for you! She makes him seem like god’s gift to women-kind so the reader and Sky forgive him (quickly) oh and there’s also this other thing where he asks if he can please kiss Sky after behaving like a huge Asswipe! And lo and behold, she lets him. I find this book especially disturbing because of Sky’s dependence on Holder. It’s not healthy! It’s exactly the same reason I had a major problem with Twilight as well (they were also one of the crappiest excuse for book ever written but that’s a rant for another post) Actually that unhealthy obsession goes both ways. I was looking forward to it so much that I even planned to read the sequel from Holder’s point of view. Obviously I’m now going to avoid that like the plague. But there is a lesson in this disaster, and that is to never add a sequel to your to-read list if you haven’t read the first book. The only exception to this lesson are authors you’ve already read and love. For now, I have to go and re-read something that I really loved to get over this sad excuse for a book!!Oh and those lame ass lines, “I live you” I tried SO hard not to roll my eyes but sadly I failed. Seriously, who talks like that!? Trust me, that little nugget was not cute and adorable, it was lame and stupid. Hopeless is the literary equivalent of the movie Precious. I don’t even bother writing reviews for books I don’t like but this one disappointed me on such an enormous scale I just had to get it out of my system.

Awesome!! This series keeps getting better!!

This is a review for pretty much all four books.So, guess who I discovered recently, Yup, that’s right. Darynda Jones and her Charley Davidson series. And it is so much fun. So different and one of the funniest things I’ve read recently. Very unexpected. I can’t believe I took so long to find her stuff.Charley Davidson is fast becoming one of my favourite heroines in Adult Fiction and her attitude is a huge part of all the things that make her awesome. I just finished the fourth book, I planned to write a review after I finished the third book and take a bit of a breather from the series, but that plan didn’t work. I started reading the fourth book despite my best efforts to avoid doing that. If you haven’t read the series yet, get to it RIGHT NOW!! Darynda Jones’ writing is awesome; there are entire paragraphs I wanted to highlight. I’m so gonna start quoting her. I love her style of writing, just when all hell is breaking lose, Jones will throw in an unexpected one-liner which will make you laugh out loud and then immediately bring you back to the gloom and doom. And there is plenty of that here. Along with some truly amazing characters. Now, on to Charley Davidson, she’s a private detective and Grim Reaper extraordinaire! And she does it with a flair that’ll leave you begging for more. Oh and she’s also a caffeine addict. And is one of the funniest PIs in the industry. Don’t get me wrong, she goes through more crises in a week than most countries in an entire year but what’s life without a generous helping of life threatening events to keep everyone on their toes? There is also a generous amount of ill-timed humour. And it is these ill-timed moments that’ll keep you hooked. What does being a Grim Reaper entail, well, mostly seeing the dead and leading them into the light (the afterlife) when they’re stuck here for some reason. There are also some other nifty abilities like being able to sense emotions and a bunch of other stuff that she still hasn’t figured out yet. But give the girl a break, its not like the whole Grim Reaper gig came with a manual (she’ll tell you the same thing if you asked her) Another thing that makes Charley awesome (other than rocking that name) is the lengths she is willing to go to protect her loved ones.Next we come to Reyes, son of Satan. Now, don’t let that scare you too much. The guy has a temper problem and threatens people way too easily but that’s all part of his charm. Ok, maybe not always. I was a pretty big Reyes fan for the first 2 books and in book 3 he did something that pissed me off, he used Charley as bait to lure his loser not-father out of hiding. Yes the same one he was accused of killing. And in doing so he put her life on the line and those of Cookie and Amber. That was not cool. I get the guy has issues being abused by that loser but putting the lives of so many people on the line, and one of those people being the love of your life, stupid much? He could’ve warned her at least. And it stung even more after what her father did in the last book. And then again, what he did at the end of this book. Reyes tried to make amends (read threatened Charley some more) so he is not my favourite person right now but there is a side of him that is just so sweet that you can almost overlook all the control-freak tendencies (the operative word here being ‘almost’). I know that she’ll eventually end up with him, so I hope he redeems himself.Cookie is definitely my second favourite character in the series. She’s smart and her loyalty to Charley made her indispensible. Of course, her interaction with Charley and their verbal exchange alone would make this series worth a read. Cookie has Charley’s back and in a lot of ways has pretty much more than made up for Charley’s family (or lack thereof) I love Cookie so much, I wanted to kidnap her and bring her home. Too bad she doesn’t exist. There’s a also Garrett, a skip-tracer and a brilliant one at that (Charley’s opinion and Charley knows best) they have a bit of a complicated relationship. They weren’t best friends when they met and then when her uncle revealed her secret to him one drunken night, that non-relationship went steadily downhill from there. But things improved somewhat when he tried to understand what she does and started believing her. He was a really fun guy (or he was before he died and came back) and in a lot of ways, I prefer him to Reyes. At least with Garrett, we know that he cares about her and might even love her and also that he wont set her up as bait and threaten on a regular basis. Plus it’s way more fun to read their arguments. The nice guys always get the shorter end of the stick.Then there’s Uncle Ubie. He’s Charley’s uncle (her father’s brother) and he’s a detective with the cops. He uses her unique ability regularly to solve crimes and they have a great relationship (for the most part.) He’s protective but doesn’t smother her and somehow has come to take Charley’s comments with a straight face. No small feat. As the books progress, Charley’s family also starts playing a larger role. And we find out more about them. Charley’s sister Gemma knows quite a bit about what Charley can do and they are finally trying to patch up their relationship after years of being very strained with each other. It was nice to see more of her in the fourth book. Her stepmother is another story altogether. She is a firm believer in denial. If you don’t like what’s in front of you, pretend you don’t see it. And then there’s the father. What happened to the nice, supportive man we met in the first book? His was an almost Jekyll and Hyde-like transformation. First he put her life at risk by painting a big fat target on her back and then as if that wasn’t enough he wants her to give up her PI business because suddenly he decides it not safe, wow, get a life already. In the fourth book we find out what prompted the change in his attitude, but still. And finally how can I forget out resident friendly scuffy biker gang leader Donovan? I seriously like that guy. He’s cute and so sweet Not sure if he qualifies as potential competition for Reyes but he was a very pleasant change. I mean do you wanna stay with someone who threatens you whenever he decides that he doesn’t like what you’re saying or doing? Saving you on a regular basis notwithstanding. Like I said before, the nice guys get short changed. I’m not kidding when I say that these books absolutely blew me away. Its been a long time since I’ve been this surprised by something I’ve read and this series was a very pleasant surprise. I’ve enjoyed her writing so much; I’m going to check out her YA fiction series once I’m done with Charley. START READING NOW!!!! :D

Review coming soon!!

Unexpectedly hilarious and so not what i was expecting. A lot of fun and i love the T-shirt and bumper sticker quotes. Loved the first book and now I'm on the second. An amazing combination of gloom-doom and great humor.

ITS OVER!!!!!!!! Oh my god, it’s finally done and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m glad that Samantha Young did not needlessly drag the series and the end is still sinking in. Considering that this was the last book in the series, Darkness, Kindled definitely did not disappoint. There was plenty of action, nail-biting suspense and a healthy dose of gooey love.I did not re-read Borrowed Ember before starting Kindled (mostly because I’d already read Ember more than twice since it came out) so things were fairly fresh in my memory. At the end of Ember, Charlie had officially gone off the deep end and lost himself to the Mount Qaf Emerald. Ari was assigned to hunt Charlie on behalf of the Guild and bring him in and she and Jai finally started living together (along with Trey.) In Kindled, Ari meets Charlie again and this time, it is obvious to her as well that the Charlie that she knew and loved is lost to her. He comes to her with an offer and because she’s still desperate to save him, she agrees. What I was very relieved to find was that she and Jai were honest with each other. That just helped cut down the confusion, not to mention, all the unnecessary drama. Jai is also summoned by the Roe Guild and told that Charlie has been spotted by some of the Guild members. That served to speed up the chase for Charlie. Ari, Jai and Trey decide on a plan to save Charlie but in order for that plan to work, they had to keep it from the Guild. There were a lot of things happening in this book, in addition to dealing with Charlie, Ari also had to deal with Asmodeus and his nightly incursions in her dreams. Add to that, certain circumstances forced Ari to go to Azazil and make him repay that favour that he owed her. Of course, that favour, once granted had a domino effect that not even Azazil could have foreseen. (like I said, very eventful)I’m gonna try and keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but considering just how many things happened in this book, that’s gonna be very hard, but I will try.Ari is one of my favourite female characters in YA fiction and she remained kick-ass in Kindled as well. She is selfless, loyal, caring, sometimes even with those who don’t deserve it. Yet she has also matured as a hunter for the Guild. And I’m glad that despite being hopelessly in love with Jai, she doesn’t let him dictate her actions (he tries to do that when he gets over-protective) What made her even more awesome this time, was her apparent fearlessness. She wasn’t afraid of standing up to even Azazil to protect those that she loved. (Sure, she might’ve been terrified on the inside, but managed not to show it)Jai, I am relieved to say, was much better in Kindled. I found him a little irritating in the previous books because, for the life of him, he couldn’t make up his mind about Ari and kept dumping his own issues with his family on her. It sucked that for so long he blinded himself to how much she loved him. Anyway, I am very happy to say that he finally learned his lesson. It was nice to see more of this sweet Jai, of whom we’d only had glimpses before. He was kind and thoughtful and when he did get a little pig-headed, he did not simply leave and go somewhere to brood, he stayed and talked to Ari. That was a pleasant change. I would like to say that even Charlie was more likeable this time around, sadly that wouldn’t be completely true. Yes, I feel really bad for what happened to him but some of it, he brought on himself. So, Ari, Jai and Trey finally nab him and try to help him weaning him off the emerald. It works and just when it seems that their plan to save him worked, the Guild find out and come and arrest him. Of course, that proves to be the catalyst that sets the events of Kindled in motion.The wish that Ari makes of Azazil resulted in quite a few changes. She wished that Sala never placed her with Derek to begin with and also that her ‘reality’ stay the same and that she retained all the memories. The wish would only affect humans but not the Jinn and the half-bloods. So, Fallon was back. So was Derek, Ari’s absent father and there was also a different reality for Charlie, where his brother never died and therefore he never made the wish to become a Sorcerer. But he also didn’t know Ari because she wasn’t a part of this new reality. He also didn’t remember Fallon because they never met. This new Charlie was definitely better, this is how he would’ve been if his brother had survived. This new Charlie was definitely more likeable than the one we were saddled with in the previous books. Things weren’t so simple for Fallon, being half Jinn, she remembered both realities and had to come to terms with the fact that the Charlie she fell in love with was truly gone. She was also quieter than she was before she died (and came back) but I was glad that it did not last long. Fallon was one of my favourite characters in the series and I was seriously pissed when she died. So naturally, I was thrilled when she came back.Red is around as always, though he was a little distant with Ari in the beginning, that was very sad to see. But I’m glad that he came around. We also saw more of Glass, the other Jinn king, and though he was very quiet and seldom said anything, he was nice as well. It was especially sweet to him with Trey. I love Trey, seriously, one of the best characters in the series. Azazil, was the same, teetering precariously between sanity and insanity. Asmodeus was….. well Asmodeus… dark, mysterious and dangerous. When Ari, Jai and the rest averted the end of the world and everyone thought that they were finally safe, another crisis arose. And this one had to do with Asmodeus. I’ll be honest, I quite liked Asmodeus in the previous books and in Kindled, I felt short-changed where he was concerned. The end I felt was a little rushed, this new crisis was averted a little too conveniently. I get that Ari and Jai deserved their happily-ever-after but I think fleshing out this part of the story would’ve made for a more satisfying end. It ended way too soon. But, to conclude, it was a great end to the Fire Spirits Series. Very highly recommended to all the fans of the series, you will not be disappointed. It will leave you happy with the end and miserable that it’s all over. Bittersweet.

Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! What an amazingly well written book!! And I loved every minute of it! Pushing the Limits was awesome and Dare You To was just as awesome and so satisfying! Katie McGarry is fast becoming one of my favourite YA contemporary fiction authors.We met Beth in the 1st book and while she seemed like an extremely difficult person, she was not unlikable and in Dare You To we find out why she is the way she is. We also meet Ryan, the jock with the perfect life and fast on his way to play pro baseball. They’re two people who could not be more different from each other and yet somehow, we know that circumstances will push them together and that’s exactly what happens. Beth has to move in with her uncle after she gets arrested and has move away from everything she has known her whole life: her old life, her mother, her friends and most importantly Isaiah. Things get difficult for her to deal with without her support system. Ryan’s seemingly perfect life is also taking a nose-dive making it difficult for him to keep up with the façade of perfection. (wow, I’ve used perfect way too many times in this paragraph)Despite all the attitude and tough talk I really liked Beth. She is a genuine person and with her what you see is exactly what you get. She doesn’t play games and while she can be cruel, its more a defense mechanism than some sadistic desire to cause pain to the other person. But what made her most endearing was her loyalty towards her people she cared about. She’s loyal to a fault. Sometimes, even when the other person doesn’t deserve it. And I love that she’s grown up to be a strong person despite everything she had thrown at her when she was growing up. Ryan’s a great guy. Seriously, he’s one of the sweetest popular guys in contemporary YA fiction and I love him. He’s a great guy. He’s smart and he’s got a passion for baseball and he is also a really good friend. Another amazing quality is that he refuses trash talk or even bitch about his ex-girlfriend even when she’s messing with him. One of the best things about this book was the banter between him and Beth while they both tried to get under each other’s skin. Ryan I think had a much easier time dealing with the relationship because while he did have baggage, his wasn’t nearly as heavy as Beth’s. He doesn’t let Beth bully or intimidate him and he manages to get past her defences. They’re one of the sweetest couples I’ve come across, one of the others being Noah and Echo.The old gang also made an appearance this time around, but that’s just what it was, an appearance. Isaiah features more prominently than the others but that was to be expected. Beth was closest to him and depended on him tremendously. I love Isaiah, if I didn’t know that he was getting his own book and then a happy ending I would’ve been very unhappy with what he went through in Dare You To. He’s an awesome guy and the tattoos just him hotter! Noah and Echo also feature and I wish that we’d seen more of Echo. She was hardly in it. Yes, I get that she and Beth weren’t thick to begin with but its nice to come across old characters that we’ve fallen in love with. Beth is still pretty harsh with her opinion of Echo and while it is unfair, I can understand why feels like that. To her Echo is responsible for the changes in her ‘family’ and Beth doesn’t like changes. But I still wish that she’d cut Echo some slack, after all, she knows what Echo went through. So my only grouse: that we didn’t see nearly enough of Noah and (especially) Echo.We also meet some new characters like Beth’s uncle, Scott and his wife Allison. Ryan’s friends; Chris and his girlfriend Lacy and Logan. Then there’s Ryan’s ex: Gwen and Ryan’s parents and his brother Mark.. All great characters though I did not find myself as emotionally invested with them as I did with the characters from the 1st book. Of the new bunch I really liked Lacy and maybe Logan. Chris, I was a little iffy about. Where Gwen was concerned, she didn’t really make an impact at all. She wasn’t mean enough to be a mean girl and wasn’t nice, so I have no idea how to categorize her. Of the entire lot, she was the only character who seemed half-baked to me. But I’m just nit picking here. I also liked Scott quite a bit. It seemed like he was really making an effort to start afresh with Beth and also make up for what happened in the past. As far as the villain goes, this time it’s Trent. The same loser we met in the previous book. Yes, he’s still around and he’s just as despicable as he was before. Another unrelated and irrelevant piece of opinion, there were parts in the book that seemed very similar to Touched by Corrine Jackson. Now, I’m not suggesting anything by saying that (really, I’m not) but the basic gist is a little similar. Except that that book is also a paranormal romance and this one has NO paranormal elements in it. And I loved both books. That’s it for my unrelated and irrelevant opinion. One of the best books of this year. This is the kind of book you could read again and still enjoy as much as you did, the first time around. And if you liked Pushing The Limits, you’ll love Dare You To, promise! :DSide note: I can’t wait for Isaiah’s book to come out. I read on Goodreads that it releases in November, thank god that it releases this year and not next year.

Does even anyone know when it releases???

I received an advanced reading copy of The Deepest Night via Netgalley and I was thrilled because I didn’t actually expect it to happen. I’ve been sitting on this book for quite some time because even though I did want to read it, I knew that the third book was still a long way off. All I could hope for was that it did not end with a cliffhanger and I am relieved that it did not. The Deepest Night was a pleasure to read because of how beautifully written it was. We are inundated with YA fiction novels that have all the right things to make them instant best sellers: gripping story, kick-ass characters and an explosive climax. But the one woefully missing in most of those quick fixes is the language. In contrast, the language in the Deepest Night took me back to the fairy tales and classics I read as a child. And yet, it is not too flowery that it would pull you out of the story, no never-ending descriptions of things that matter little to the main narrative and the story. But an absolute treat nonetheless.The Deepest Night is a very short novel, just 223 pages and a very fast read. While the previous book was all about discovering who and what Lora was, this time it was more about how she could use her powers to help those close to her (despite the fact that it may not have been her idea) Iverson closed for the summer and when all the other students left for exotic vacations or to go back home, Lora had no where to go. Until, a certain Lord Armand stepped in and gave her an option (to another orphanage in Scotland) Lora and Armand also learnt that Armand’s brother is still alive, that he’s a prisoner of war behind enemy lines and that the stars want Lora and Armand to go and save him. Oh, and there’s also the part where the brother is also a dragon. So, the majority of the book was about the two of them on their rescue mission. This was a welcome change from all those simpering girls at Iverson.In the months after the events of the previous book and the loss of Jesse, Lora is a slightly different person. She is predictable sad about losing Jesse and yet a part of her yearns for the dragon with her, Armand. She always had wit and spunk and this is where I really liked her character even in the previous book. She did not cower in front of those self-entitled busy bodies. She let them have it (verbally of course) and what was even more gratifying was that most of the time, they had no idea how to deal with that. I am so glad that that did not change in this book. This time around, she was also more aware (and sure) of her powers and abilities and how she could use them.Armand played a much bigger role in the Deepest Night than he did in the first book. His character was slightly different than what it had been earlier. Sure he was still arrogant and self-entitled but it was muted this time, tempered, perhaps by what he had seen and experienced. I liked him fine The Sweetest Dark but he was more likeable in The Deepest Night. Also, most of the time, he and Lora were nicer to each other, which was a good thing and a bad thing in equal measure. Good, because of obvious reasons and bad because suddenly there were none of those entertaining verbal exchanges that had become so expected whenever the two of them were around each other. I can’t seem to recall very clearly if we were treated to his POV in The Sweetest Dark, I think that that was more Jesse’s book. There were parts in this book that were in Armand’s POV, those chapters were much fewer than what I had anticipated. I had hoped that we would get a more thorough glimpse inside his head but alas that’s not what I found. Still, it was very clear where he was coming from and exactly how he felt about Lora.I was glad to find that Jesse still featured in the narrative. He probably knows the most and also serves in setting up the next novel in the series. Jesse was probably one of the nicest boyfriends in YA fiction and I was truly sad to see him go but I guess I like the way it was handled, where he was a part of the story and at the same, was not.There were also the gaggle of those annoying girls from Iverson, of the lot, Sophia is the only one of any consequence and she is still inscrutable. She’s the nicest of the lot but its not always clear whether that stems from wanting to be genuinely nice (highly unlikely) or liking Lora because she her perceived relationship with Armand cuts her step-sister Chloe down to size. Its probably a mix of both, but leaning more towards the latter. Chloe is insufferable as always and I hope that we may be spared her presence in the third book. My only complaint with The Darkest Night is that it is far too short and was over much too quickly. Still, it’s a great book and a delight to read. Beautifully written, excellent characters and world building. I’d like to know more about the dragons in Lora’s world and the mythology behind them. I am really looking forward to reading the third instalment in this series. P.S. – I really want to see Lora truly come into her powers and then turn into a dragon in front of her classmates at Iverson and shut them up once for all. If that doesn’t work, she could always eat the really annoying ones. Sure it won’t be the most nutritional of meals but a little junk food never hurt anyone 

This book was a very pleasant surprise. I have to admit, the main reason why I read this was because I read the short review posted by Amber Argyle and that made me very curious. So I did read this and I loved the book.Its set in the early 20th century during the 1st World War and it follows the story of Eleanor Jones or Lora as she is more commonly called, an orphan and someone who knows from the very beginning that she is different from those around her. Due to the war getting too close to London, she is sent to an elite boarding school for girls, called Iverson. There she meets Jesse and Armand. They’re as different as sugar and salt and yet both play an important role in Eleanor learning more about herself and what she is. The characters are so richly formed that it almost seems like I’ve known them longer than just through the course of the book. I love that Lora is brave and has spirit. At the new school, she is clearly out of her depth and yet she doesn’t let the other girls bully her, while she is intimidated by those around her, she doesn’t let that cow her down. Her journey to self-discovery is also very well crafted. A little more folklore about the Dragons would have been nice. But there’s always book 2 so maybe we can hope. Jesse was so likeable, almost to the extent that I was wondering that there had to be something wrong with him, that he’d probably betray Lora at the end or something. But it was such a pleasant change from the usual when I learnt that that was not the case. He was just that, a very nice and sweet guy. He’s the only other person at this school that Lora can relate to. He’s like her and doesn’t treat her with scorn. The only thing that I found a little strange was his name, for some reason it didn’t seem to sit well with the period this book was based in. But that’s not even important.Then there’s Armand, the darkness to Jesse’s light. He is an aristocrat and at the surface, he seems to be the typical spoilt brat, who looks down his nose at those less fortunate than him. But despite that first impression, there was something nice about him. His character drew me in even before I realised what was happening and I found that I quite liked him. Also his verbal tussles with Lora were fun to read. He was drawn to her because she did not pander to his ego or beat around the bush with him, she spoke to him plainly which I think he found very refreshing. I generally HATE love triangles (for some reason I always end up liking the guy the girl will NOT land up with eventually, case in point Orion from Starcrossed by Josephine Angellini, Orion is the better guy but no, we’ll get Helen and Lucas in the end, but this a rant for another review/post) but for once that was not the case. Here I liked both guys equally and would not have minded one way or another who Lora fell in love with. This book doesn’t even have a love triangle, not really. But I’ll leave you to discover what I mean when you read the book. As for the other characters, it was pretty thin on that front. The only people that we read about whose characters were slightly better developed than the rest were the Duke, Mrs. Westfield, Sophia and Chloe. In the beginning, even though Sophia was mean to Eleanor, as the book progressed, I also started liking her a bit. Too bad I can’t say the same for Chloe, there has to at least one person whose character is annoying and dislikeable on a colossal level, in this book, it was Chloe.I like the writing style so much I might actually read some of the other stuff written by Ms. Abé. In the meantime, can’t wait for the sequel!P.S. – I think the cover is very beautiful.. Fell in love with it..

What an annoying bunch of characters!! With the exception of Nick and sometimes Michael, but i'm sure by the time we get to their books, they'll be just as annoying as the rest of these idiots!!

I want this book sooooo much!!!!This is when i realise just how far away November 26th is:

Fun and fast paced but i'm not as invested in the new characters as i was in the Percy Jackson series. Still, I'm just one book down, I'm sure it'll only get better..

This is me waiting for Apollyon!!Brand new Apollyon Teaser:"Sounds like a smart idea." Dark humor laced Aiden's voice. "You might want to get your gun off my brother's face while you're at it."Done reading Apollyon!!!!!WOW!!!!! I stayed up the entire night reading this book (finished it in record time) and I’m still feeling giddy-headed! To say this book is AWESOME would be the biggest understatement ever! (please note the excessive use of exclamation marks) And this is the best book in the Covenant series by a long shot! Ok, maybe not a long shot, Deity is a very close second.Moving on, in terms of character development, you don’t get better than this. Alex has grown up so much from when we first met her. She’s still the same on so many levels, but older and more mature, she takes the time to think things through instead of simply jumping into the unknown, all guns blazing. She’s still unflinichingly loyal and protective of those she cares about, sometimes to the extent where she ends up getting in danger. But that’s all part of what makes her truly an awesome character and so much fun, not to mention, makes the audience root for her that much more. Also, I was very happy that while she did grow up, she was still funny as always, it would have such a terrible loss for her to not be her usual snarky self.Aiden St. Delphi is also just as awesome! And his faith in Alex and in her strength is so refreshing. He is quite honestly the most perfect guy you will come across (anywhere) He is there for her when she needs him but knows when to back off. The other awesome thing: he is so secure. He knows that at some level Alex still cares about Seth, but he doesn’t sulk about it, he accepts that and moves on and knows that while she still might have feelings for him, it doesn’t even come close to the way she feels about him. And he was so playful in this book. It was nice to see this very different side of him. Seriously, the sweetest guy ever!!It was very nice to see Alex and Aiden’s relationship, now that it was out in the open. They were so cute together and totally deserve each other. I really hope they get their happy ending in Sentinel.Seth is still an annoying turd!!!! Few characters in books frustrate me as much he does (the other one being Biff from the Lux series.) This guy is so drunk on power and is so delusional that he can’t seem to get his head out his ass!! I get that he had a tough childhood but that doesn’t make it ok to go on a killing spree! Stupid ass!!! Every time I came across ‘my Seth’, I threw up in my mouth, YUCK!!! Also, as much as Alex likes to insist that the good Seth is still in there, he’s done such horrible things while drunk on power that I don’t know if there can be any absolution for him.The other characters are also just as much fun. What would they do without Deacon and his often ill-timed jokes. It was nice to see that Olivia was back, as was Laadan. Luke, Lea and Marcus and Solos were there as well. I was surprised but I actually came to like Lea quite a bit. It was also nice to see a slightly different side of Marcus. Apollo made quite a few appearances as well as well as some other gods. We also find out the identity of the other god, the one who’s helping Lucian and Seth and by the time I got to the reveal, it had become a little obvious. There were hints throughout the book and if you pay close attention, you’ll figure it out as well. We are so close to end that there were bound to some casualties and even knowing that, it was tough. All of these characters have come such a long way that to lose them now just sucks!This book was chock-a-block full of action. There was something happening all the time, and there was always a feeling of impending doom, which was then kinda justified at the end. There was no cliffhanger this time, thank god (or JLA) and that such a relief. Still, while I am thrilled that I finally got to read this book and I finished it, I now have to face the fact that I will have to wait till December to get my hands on the final book, Sentinel. Why can’t we have it now!! On another note, I will probably re-read the final few chapters because the tension was so high that I might have speed-read some portions (might have.) So Jennifer L. Armentrout outdoes herself yet again!

Loved it!! Loved it!! Loved it!! Wow, what a fitting end to an incredibly awesome series!! I literally just finished reading With All My Soul and I’m kinda still in shock. And while I am happy with the way it concluded, the end was bittersweet. I am simultaneously happy and miserable, happy because Kaylee is finally in peace and miserable because the series is over and its all over.The stakes were already sky high in Before I Fall and while I did not think that it was possible for those stakes to rise anymore, in this book they soared and how! Things moved at break-neck speed and so much was happening that I found myself getting just as anxious as Kaylee and wondering just much worse things could get (and of course they got very bad very soon) Avari and his evil horde were still after Kaylee and her friends and this time they went all out. Kaylee and her friends tried to come up with a plan to get rid of these vile creatures but unfortunately before they even had a chance to put that plan to work in earnest, things got worse when someone very close to Kaylee got taken by Avari. They planned a rescue and even that went haywire when a new player entered the field. Things only went downhill from that point. In terms of characters, Kaylee was still by far my favourite with Tod a very close second. And if this book did anything, it showcased her strength and willingness to make some very difficult decisions and also her selflessness, often putting herself at risk so that her loved ones are safe. And how can you not love Tod, funny even when everything is going wrong and also his love for Kaylee. He’s one of the best characters I’ve read in some time. Nash was still a little annoying but there was some improvement, at least he made an effort to not be a jerk. I didn’t actually hate Sabine like a lot of the readers, she kinda grew on me and more so in this book. In the Nash-Sabine relationship, it is clear that she’s the stronger one and she very obviously keeps him grounded. As for Emma, my heart broke for her. She was another characters that I was VERY fond of and I hated what happened to her at the end of the previous book, but I’m glad that at least she’s still alive (kind of) Sophie was still an annoying brat although to be fair, she also made an effort to be less bitchy, this was in part due to Luca’s influence but still, the effort counts. Wrath was a nice addition to the mix and it was interesting to see the interplay between him and the other (vile!) hellions. And of course Kaylee’s father, Harmony and her uncle, Brendon also feature and Ms. Vincent tied things up nicely without it being cheesy or forced.To those of you as obsessed by these books as me, this is very fitting conclusion (while maybe also a little sad) and very highly recommended. My only complaint (and its not a real complaint as much as a regret) is that I wish Kaylee and Tod had had a chance to fall in love and also grow up together (yes they’re in love and technically immortal but you know what I mean, right?) and I also wish that Kaylee hadn't missed four years of her life in hell yes I get that she had to do it and she was incredibly smart about it, but still :( to really experience life as opposed to having to pretend to live. This just goes to show how well written these characters are and how much you come to care about them through the course of this series.

Yaaaay!! We have a cover and a blurb!!!!