All Is Silence

All is Silence
by Robert L. Slater
Rating: 4 Bows!

In a future that could be ours, Lizzie, a suicidal teen-age girl, barely navigates her own life. Then everything falls apart. In an apocalyptic land nearly deserted by disease, she lacks reasons to live until a shocking turn of events reveals a phone number. Her call pulls her dangerously cross-country to meet a stranger she thought was dead.

In a world where there is plenty of food, plenty of gas, plenty of space… fear, anger and a lust for power still control the patterns of human life.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*

Post-Apocalyptic novels make me tread with caution; I never know what to expect. Reading the blurb however, I was intrigued, and let me say that I was not disappointed at all! 

I went through a roller coaster of emotions with the main character: angst, anger, compassion, you name it! Lizzie is a troubled girl, we can expect that since it's in the blurb, but it is so much more than that. She is complex person, but given everything she went through, it wasn't hard to feel for her. At one point I felt like I could relate with her. 

What I loved most about All is Silence, is that it got down to the most basic concept, survival which I feel like now a days most post-apocayptic novels loose this concept over the course of the book. All is Silence made me question myself, it made me put myself in the characters shoes and see things from their perspective. It basically made me reevaluate my concepts of right and wrong.

There's a semblance of hope throughout the novel and you can't really help but hope that things will work out in the end. The first part of the book was awesome and the second part was just as good but I didn't like the cliffhanger. But I mean who does?! At least we know that there is a set up for a second book and I am looking forward to it!

Shatter Me

Shatter Me (Shatter Me, 1)
by Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 5 Bows!

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

If you follow my blog, you should know that I'm not a big fan of dystopian novels. I'll read them if they sound really interesting but other than that I tend to stay away from them. 

I waited a long time to read this book because I wasn't sure if I would like it...well I was right. I don't like it, I LOVE IT!

Tahereh Mafi created a spectacular novel full of action, despair, anguish, hope, and yes love. All the characters are not who they seem and that just adds a level of mystery to this novel!

Juliette is a great heroine. She is strong and all around good, despite everything she's been through. In the face of destruction and the world falling apart, she held it together pretty well. She's not perfect, which is why I love her so much. She get's shy, she feels angry, and even when she swoons for a boy who is evil, she knows he's not good. 

Adam was interesting. He's complicated yet he knows what he wants. The way he cared for Juliette and the reasons for it were heart warming. However, I found it really strange how he would do anything, and I do mean ANYTHING, for Juliette. I feel like their relationship, friendship wise, should have developed more.

Warner...I love and hate him. I hate how he gets a kick out of watching Juliette torture people. But at the same time, I love how he cares for her after. Kind of twisted I know but, hey I can't help it. I can see that Warner truly does care for Juliette. It may be because he thinks that they have a lot in common but that is just what started the development of his feelings for her. I'm hoping that as the story goes on, Warner will see that his way of showing Juliette he cares is wrong and he'll change. By the way, did I mention how gorgeous Warner is? Well he's stunning!

I'm definitely a team Warner girl, and just like Warner, I'm patient. I will wait patiently until Juliette sees Warner the way I do. 

Tahereh Mafi has made a unique and wonderful story. If you aren't hooked on this series yet, I suggest you go out and get it ASAP!

World After

World After (Penryn & the End of Days, 2)
by Susan Ee
Rating: 4 Bows!

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

I ABSO-LUTELY love this series!! I am in love with Raffe, I admire Penryn, and I love the concept! 

This book starts where Angelfall left off. Right from the start, there is action, death and angels. There was a moment where I was saying "Can't this girl catch a break?!" 

I have to admire Penryn's strength. She may be a human but she will protect her family from anything...and I mean anything. We learn more about what the angels are up to and let me just say that it's not anything good. 

Now I said that right from the start we have Angels...but we don't have Raffe. We catch small glimpses of him here and there but he doesn't make an appearance until the last 30 pages of the book. 

At first I was mad because Hey! we all want Raffe right? But as I kept reading I loved that we didn't get to see much of Raffe. Crazy huh? But it was a great tactic for Susan Ee because it built this tension for Penryn and Raffe when they finally saw each other. 

I almost cried when Raffe saw Penryn. It was so beautiful and heart-wrenching and I loved it. I'm so fan-girling at the moment. I love him to death but I want to kick him because he still holds back his feelings for Penryn when it's so obvious he cares deeply for her! Ugh!!

I'm hoping that Susan Ee will release the third installment very soon because I have to know what will happen with the world, with the angels, and of course Penryn and Raffe!!! If you liked the first one, you will definitely love the sequel!!! 

Sanctum

Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands, 1)
by Sarah Fine
Rating: 4 Bows!

“My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple.”

A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance—hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone—she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t—the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.

This book was so different from everything I've read lately. The world was new for me and I really liked it. I'm not gonna go into details about the world building because I'm not a professional but from my point a view, the world was original and very interesting. 

Lela was such a strong character. She was really tough... borderline manly in her fighting skills. But she was also girly when she had to deal with her feelings for Malachi. At times I did think she was really stubborn and it frustrated me but what girl isn't stubborn... Lela does so much for everyone especially her friend Nadia that I can't help but love her, she is the perfect mix of strength, loyalty, independence and vulnerability. 

Malachi was just perfection for me! He was a major bad ass, I mean common...he's the leader of the Guards and the most feared person in the land! I liked that he had a vulnerability and wasn't a macho about it. He didn't know how to handle his feelings for Lela and that made him more endearing to me.

This was a new world being introduced so it needed a lot of explaining to get readers to understand and what I loved about this book was that there was no useless information, no useless scenarios where people just talk with out there being a point. This was fantastic for me because it kept me interested made me want to keep reading. 

This was an interesting story and I got to say that I am really looking forward to the next book because I can't wait to see where Malachi and Lela are headed next!! 

After Daybreak

After Daybreak (Darkness Before Dawn Trilogy, 3)
by J.A. London
Rating: 5 Bows!

Our last hope lies with our oldest enemies.

When we lost the war with the vampires, our world changed. The Old Family overlords trapped us in a few scattered cities and demanded our blood. Then Victor- the first vampire I've ever trusted, ever loved- came to power, and I hoped for peace between our kinds. Only now a new type of monster, Day Walkers, has emerged, and their maniacal leader is threatening to destroy us all, human and vampire alike.

The Old Family Council is stubborn and proud, unwilling to acknowledge the danger. But once I claim my birthright as the last living member of the Montgomery line, they will have to listen to me.

Neither fully human nor vampire, I am the bridge between both. Even if I'm not sure where I belong anymore, I know that the only way any of us will survive is if we stand together.

It has all lead up to this..the final fight with Sin, the creator of the Day Walkers. 

After Daybreak did not disappoint. We were left with question in the previous novel and we finally get all our answers. There's plenty of action, suspense, and of course romance!!

What I loved about this book was that Dawn stood up for what she believed in and dealt with everything she was handed with dignity and grace. The way she matured was something we got to see from the very first book and it's what helped her succeed. 

We meet the 14 Old Families in New Vampiria, and we get to see how the Vampires truly live. It was great to see both the humans and vampires way of life because I feel it gives us  perspective, that not everything is as it seems.

I personally loved all the side characters in this book! Richard and Faith finally settle their differences and THANK GOD FOR THAT! I'm even glad to say that I've grown to like Tegan! We can't forget Victor though!! He was so sweet and protective and not to mention a complete bad ass! Even though it took some time, I was happy that Victor understood that humans are not part of the problem but part of the solution. 

The final installment of this trilogy was phenomenal and I couldn't have pictured a better ending. I'm sad to see it end but it always makes me happy when I can say that i'm completely satisfied with the way things ended in a story, especially with the characters. J.A. London, you outdid yourself with this series and I give you mad props! Thank you for introducing us to these wonderful characters!

Blood-Kissed Sky

Blood-Kissed Sky (Darkness Before Dawn Trilogy, 2)
by J.A. London
Rating: 4 Bows!

There's nowhere left to hide.

I thought vampires were our enemies - they controlled our lives, isolated our cities, and demanded our blood - until I met Victor. With Victor taking over as the new Lord Valentine, things were supposed to get better. Instead, they're worse than ever.

Day Walkers, a new breed of vampires who can walk in the sun, are terrorizing the city. Blood supplies are low, and if Victor's vampires don't get enough, they will become infected with the Thirst - a disease that will turn them into mindless killers.

To stop it, I must journey across the desolate wasteland to the very place where the sickness began. I can only hope that the answers that await me are enough to save us all... before it's too late.

It continues! The second installment of the Darkness Before Dawn series does not disappoint. There's plenty of action, plenty of vampires and a lot of drama!

Blood-Kissed Sky picks up right away and the pace never slows. We get the full history of how Day Walkers came to be and the true story of the 14 Old Families...or so we think...
This story takes place in a new city, Los Angeles, so we get to see how the people in that city have adapted and the shocking revelations that Los Angeles hides. 

All the characters were great but I had one minor problem: Tegan. Her character bothered me in the first book but towards the end I figured she was okay. In this book however, I can't say that I'm okay with her, I have to say that I do not like her. All of Dawn's problems would be less hectic if Tegan wasn't in the picture. In the first book, Tegan makes Dawn go to a party (clearly, Dawn doesn't want to go) and they almost die at the hands of Vampires. What happens in this book? THE SAME THING! Seriously Dawn is dealing with a lot of problems and all Tegan wants to do is party. And not to mention the whole boy situation...(but that's a spoiler that I will not give!!)

We don't get to see much of Victor in this novel but when he does make an appearance...I almost faint! He's so sexy and I wish he was real and could be my boyfriend! I'm totally fangirl-ing over him! :D

Blood-Kissed Sky was a great sequel and I can't wait to read the last installment of this trilogy! J.A. London, you did another amazing job with this one! 

Darkness Before Dawn

Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn Trilogy, 1)
by J.A London
Rating: 5 Bows!

Only sunlight can save us.

We built the wall to keep them out, to keep us safe. But it also makes us prisoners, trapped in what's left of our ravaged city, fearing nightfall.

After the death of my parents, it's up to me—as the newest delegate for humanity—to bargain with our vampire overlord. I thought I was ready. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the monsters. Then again, nothing could have prepared me for Lord Valentine . . . or his son. Maybe not all vampires are killers. Maybe it's safe to let one in.

Only one thing is certain: Even the wall is not enough. A war is coming and we cannot hide forever.

And they're back! Who? Vampires of course!! I haven't read a series about vampires since Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy and I'm glad I've waited. Darkness Before Dawn broke my resistance of Vampire novels.

Let me start off by saying that Darkness Before Dawn is nothing like Twilight..And thank God for that! This novel takes place in a world where the humans have lost a war with the vampires and now the Vampires are the ones that call the shots. Pretty neat right? We have Dawn, our heroine, who is appointed delegate for the city of Denver and is to meet with the strongest vampire of all 14 Old Families: Lord Valentine.

If Lord Valentine existed I would be hiding under a rock! He is truly what I imagine a vampire to be: scary, feral, and downright mean! At times I felt bad for Dawn because she had to deal with Lord Valentine while at the same time figure out what is going on with the vampires in the city. She had to much weight on her shoulders but she embraced it with strength and dignity. 

Now Victor...where can I get me one of those? He is prince charming in the night when he shows up at the right time to save Dawn and he only gets better from there. Victor is mysterious and secretive but that's what attracts me to him, it doesn't hurt that he's smokin' hot!!

There's plenty of action and romance and not to mention a twist I didn't see coming!! If you loved Vampire Academy you will definitely love Darkness Before Dawn! J.A London, I thank you for reminding me why I love vampire novels! Great start to a series!!

Hover

Hover (The Taking, 2)
by Melissa West
Rating: 5 Bows!

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted.

OH DEAR BABY JESUS! This book was absolutely fantastic, words really can't explain how much I loved this book!!

Hover picks up where Gravity left off and the action starts the moment Ari opens her eyes. I really admired Ari in this novel. She picks up the role of a leader without question and her motives or always for the good of the people. We get to see Ari grow up in a blink of an eye and the situations she's placed in were terrible and I think that's what made me love her more, she always had hope.

Jackson..swoon. I adored Jackson. We get to see more of him and why he is the way he is. My heart broke for him and for everything he's been through. He is truly the strongest person ever! The love he has for Mami is heart-wrenching and you really see his true colors when he speaks about her. 

Jackson and Ari's relationship is non-existent for most of the book...but don't worry it comes back and with a vengeance! I can understand why Ari pushed him away most of the time, I mean he lied to her about everything, so I would want to get to know the REAL him also before letting him back in again. When they get together, wow. It's a beautiful love full of trust and the ability to lean on one another. This is the kind of love that I wish more YA books would have.

I'm not gonna lie, the events that occur in this book are hard. There's anguish, death, fear and anger. Everything leads to the Zeus. I wanted to kill Zeus myself every time he   made an appearance, I HATE HIM!!! And that's not even the worst of it, the ending...WOW...I did not see that coming. Warning: It is a cliffhanger BOO!!! 

Seriously...GO READ THIS SERIES IT'S AMAZING!! <3

Scarlet

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, 2)
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5 Bows!

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.

It just keeps getting better! I haven't found a YA series that progressively gets better as the books go by since Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments. Marissa Meyer has an act for intertwining fairy tails with her novels without us even noticing because we are too wrapped up in the story...and I love that!

Scarlet starts right where Cinder left off and the action starts from there. 

In a way this was two different stories to me until I got close to the end. We meet Scarlet a red-headed farmer who is looking for her Kidnapped grandmother. She meets Wolf, a mysterious fellow who seems to know where her grandmother is. And so the journey begins for these two.

Then we have Cinder. Following the doctors orders, she escapes prison, but not alone. Captain Thorne is a prisoner as well and with his help, they manage to flee the prison. Cinder and Captain Thorne set off to find the woman who was responsible for bringing Cinder to Earth.

While everyone is off on their journey, Emperor Kai is dealing with the Lunar Queen and the fact that she has launched attacks on Earth. 

The new characters were perfect in this story, Wolf was powerful and secretive and that made him so sexy! Captain Thorne was handsome and down right hilarious! And Scarlet was so much like Cinder, strong when she needed to be while still being a teenager and falling for Wolf. 

Marissa Meyer I salute you! This was a fantastic sequel to Cinder and I can't wait for Cress. My only complaint is WHY WON'T IT COME OUT SOONER!!!!

Cinder

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, 1)
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5 Bows!

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

I did it, I gave in to the hype that is Cinder and you know what? It was all it was cracked up to be!! It was a wonderful rendition of cyborg-Cinderella! Say what now? You heard me, our "Cinderella" is a cyborg...in a dystpoian era...how cool is that?

I've gotta give Marissa Meyer credit for creating such a unique character in Cinder. I absolutely loved Cinder. Cinder is not all human, she's a cyborg because of her metal leg and hand. But that's not all, she also has no tear ducts and she can't blush. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing, not being able to blush, I mean you wouldn't have to look like a tomato whenever you're swooning for a boy, right?! 
I loved that Cinder's personality was a mix of sarcasm and heroism. She truly has a warriors heart.

Prince Kai was just like any other male character but he was also different. The way he acted, sometimes unsure and shy about himself, mad him so much more swoon worthy! Oh Kai <3

Even the side characters were great. They provided a good balance to the hecticness that was going on in Cinder's life and brought laughter and tears to my eyes. 

The story had an easy flow to it and even though some parts were predictable, I hardly paid attention to that because I was too busy laughing and enjoying myself with Cinder's sarcastic comments!!
This book is a great read and everyone should pick up a copy, I promise it won't disappoint!!