Series Review - Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews (part 2)

Author's 

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Summary:

"The world has suffered a magic apocalypse. We pushed the technological progress too far, and now magic returned with a vengeance. It comes in waves, without warning, and vanishes as suddenly as it appears. When magic is up, planes drop out of the sky, cars stall, electricity dies. When magic is down, guns work and spells fail.

It’s a volatile, screwed-up world. Magic feeds on technology, gnawing down on skyscrapers until most of them topple and fall, leaving only skeletal husks behind. Monsters prowl the ruined streets, werebears and werehyenas stalk their prey; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst for knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.

In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But sometimes even trained killers make friends and fall in love, and when the universe tries to kick them in the face, they kick back."

          I know, yes, Glass did this just a couple of weeks ago and what the hell am I doing now!? True, but really it's been my plan to write this for a very long time, but life does screw your plans, honest. Anyhow Glass might tell you that I'm kinda of territorial when it comes to this series, but that's total nonsense. I mean, me territorial? Nah..

         Even though my girl did amazing job with presenting you five things that this series is awesome for. I do agree with every single one, but I really want to focus on one more thing here. It's just my professional deformation if you would.

        Alas, let's focus on writing here. Cause, my friends this will blow your mind. It actually makes the linguist in me squeak, dance, jump and do flip jumps all over the place. (Even though I don't know how to do the flip jumps, but let's not be too literal here). In here you'll find idioms that you never imagined would be combined together in a book. I hope that once someone will make a study or research paper on that as it'd be hella of interesting to see. It's also nicely packed in amazing story, so it'll never be overwhelming for you, and you won't feel like reading a dictionary.

       Besides that here it's not just writing words on paper, and spaces between them, it's actually emotions which are everywhere. You'll find each word colored with emotion and you'll feel it. Now matter what, Kate will be your awesome guide through this book. Her words will captivate you.

      Enjoy while you're there, you'll suffer from massive slump once you have to wait for the next one. Trust me on that one!

Rating: what comes after infinity? Well that's my rating.

Until the next time,

Bookish Problems #23: Inspiration!

Hello again! Last time I spoke about not that pleasant thing called burnout, so now I want to discuss something more pleasant and it's inspiration. 

If you ask me the only good thing when it comes to burnouts is that afterwards comes inspirations. It's like you get to breath again and your words are back. After almost a month away from any sort of writing I was back today and well wrote over 10 posts in just a couple of hours. I've found my words.

That and another thing I'm curious about is what inspires you? I have seen plenty of amazing reviews and you all know how to put your emotions into words and for me that's the best thing ever. The questions is are you always that inspired?

I certainly am not. I mean my reviews go from "What was in my head when I wrote this?" to "WOW! How come I don't get this inspired in my essays?". And actually I got the answer. It depends. It's all about the book I've read. Some really inspire me and turn my head upside down. Like for example All the Bright Places that I've finished just hours ago. While I have read like three books for my classes and well judging by my marks inspiration wasn't there truly. I know I can do much better.

So what inspires you? Beautiful writing, perhaps? Weather? Tell me. I cannot wait to hear! 

Until the next time,

The Sunday Post (#51)

Hello all. Well, as some of you know Sundays are always reserved for Sunday Post which is a meme created by lovely Kim @Caffeinated Book Reviews!

Hiya all! We survived another week and even managed to read along *fist bumps* Hope you're also doing good. It was great to hear from all of you last week. We missed you guys. Anyhow another week is behind us. This one was a bit calmer as we still were busy but managed to sneak a book or two to our classes/job. We have also got wonderful weather, sunny and warm. Summer is nearly here. We look forward to it. Alas, let's see what we have for you.

• Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
• #CoverLust: The Pact by Karina Halle
• Waiting on Wednesday (#142) 
• Undertow by Michael Buckley (ARC Review) 
• Bookish Problems #22: Burnouts

• Bookish Problems #23: Inspiration
• Series Review - Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews (part 2) 
• Waiting on Wednesday (#143) 
• Series Review - Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggis
• #CoverLust: Ten Thousand Skies Above

Tanja's haul 

Thank you: HarperTeen, Balzer + Bray and Xpresso Tours

Glass' haul

Thank you: Gallery Books and Atria Books

Until the next time, 

Bookish Problems #22: Burnouts!

Hello all! Yes we're back with some discussions here. I haven't seen you all in a while so why not spice it up. Besides the reason I wasn't here that much was actually in the title. I kinda of burned out. 

It's been a harsh month for me, in many ways. So the pressure and everything made me just worried and restless. Usually when it happens I run away, I just pick a book and disappear. Only the problem was I couldn't do it this time. Every time I picked the book I was just reading a few pages and then I realized I was still there. My head was still about to blow and I didn't feel any better. Actually I felt worse because I knew that I couldn't enjoy books that I'd enjoy normally and it didn't seem fair. So I stopped!

It worries me that there are problems that books cannot solve. They have always been my sanctuary from everything, but it seems that sometimes you just need to clear your head and go slow.

The point of all that is that I was just curious how you deal with such moments. For me it's just putting all aside and tackling one time after another, slowly and most of all walking. It calms me down.

What do you do? Do you continue reading or just stop like me? Share! Share! 

Until the next time,

ARC Review: Undertow by Michael Buckley

Buy the book at 

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Author's 

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Book summary:

Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker’s life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world’s initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric’s small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity’s only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it’s more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.
Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of District 9 and The Outsiders.

        Usually people have a weak spot for the request button when it comes to ARCs, but for me it's read now button. That little green think will be the end of me trust me. I just cannot resist it. It usually turns out to be a complete waste of my time, but it's rare books like Undertow that give me hope.

        As I haven't read the blurb for this, I honestly expected it to be about circus. It's just the cover looks like circus and I somehow though it must be it. But, don't be fooled as this has nothing to do with circus. Trust me on that. This is actually a book about a world being attacked by a new species. This time the threat is coming from the place the scariest to me - the sea. You can speak whatever you want, but I strongly believe there are different kind of creatures down there that we never wish to meet. Here we get to meet them, and it's not really something you want to come true. Well not all of it.

       Even though this book is full of new things, as in new creatures and world building. It's also full of suspense and will keep you on edge. But at the same time it surely has a good deal of predictable elements. Lyrics our main character is what you can call your average YA heroin. She has sort of a normal life, but one full of secrets she has to deal with. Then there is Fanthom, a boy from another sort she must not fall for. But she does and it turns into much more than love story. But still each step of their romance was nicely built that I couldn't but fall for it. I cheered and prayed and I'll continue doing so in the sequel.

     When it comes to the sequel it has a great deal of tangles to fix and I cannot wait to see it happen.

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,

*Note: Copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, HMH Books. Thank you! All opinions are personal! 

Waiting on Wednesday (#142)

You know the story. This is a meme created by Breaking the Spine and every week we pick books we're waiting for. Here are our picks for this week.

Our pick

In the latest Kate Daniels novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews, magic is coming and going in waves in post-Shift Atlanta—and each crest leaves danger in its wake…

After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate—former Beast Lord Curran Lennart—are adjusting to a very different pace. While they’re thrilled to escape all the infighting, Curran misses the constant challenges of leading the shapeshifters.

So when the Pack offers him its stake in the Mercenary Guild, Curran seizes the opportunity—too bad the Guild wants nothing to do with him and Kate. Luckily, as a veteran merc, Kate can take over any of the Guild’s unfinished jobs in order to bring in money and build their reputation. But what Kate and Curran don’t realize is that the odd jobs they’ve been working are all connected.

An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it—before it takes their city apart piece by piece… 

Expected publication: August 4th, 2015

We'd love to see your picks so feel free to link them up.

Until the next time,

#CoverLust - The Pact by Karina Halle

Welcome to #CoverLust - where we talk about all those books we picked up because of the beautiful covers. 

      When I found out about new book by Karina Halle, I got excited. When I saw that pretty cover, I got really excited. When I read book description, I got super excited.

Book summary:

"It all started with a pinky swear…

Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and gunslinger handsome; a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to spare. He’s also one of Stephanie Robson’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she’s known him.
But some relationships can’t be boxed, can’t be classified, can’t be tamed.
Back in their mid-twenties and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious relationship by the time they hit thirty.
It sounds like fun and games but as the years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life.
Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line.
The pact is about to change everything."

       I can't say that I hated it - it's just that there are parts that I liked and those that made me want to pull my hair out and scream.

      What I liked? Everything about that big, scary 30th birthday. I could totally relate and everything is so damn true. Society thinks that you are not young, but you're not old, too. You should act mature, pay bills, get married, have kids, stop having fun... And you still feel like a teenager sometimes. You just don't live with your parents, you can have sex whenever you want and you don't have to clean your apartment if you don't feel like it. But you still have to pay your bills.

      Friends to lovers and whole pact thing was the main thing that appealed to me. Story did start good, I was waiting for two of them to finally get together, it was funny, but... it turned into overly melodramatic, angsty, trashy, Spanish soap opera kind of story.

      Despite all things that I didn't like, I still think it is okay read. Nothing spectacular, but a fun quick read.

Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

My rating: 2 stars

Book summary: 

"Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.
Complete strangers since this morning.
He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget"

**Before reading**

WHAT??? COLLEEN HOOVER AND TARRYN FISHER WILL WRITE A BOOK?
TOGETHER????
I CAN'T.... *jumps up and down*

Best news ever!

**After reading**

So...
What the hell was that?
First of all, it should have been announced that this would be a serial novel and not series or standalone.
Second, this premise is nothing new or original or special or that shocking. Obviously, other's people definition of mind fuck is different from mine.
Third, so many things that are just... stupid! Okay, they don't remember anything. Two pages later - they do remember some things. Oh, how convenient! Hey, our lives are turned upside down by some unexplainable event - but they act like they are out on the first date or something like that. A lot of pathetic love scenes. In the story with a premise that DOESN'T NEED THOSE!
Fourth, I got a feeling that this whole thing was written because both authors knew it would bring them a lot of attention and possibly money and high sales rank.

I'm disappointed and I need break from both Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher because I'm just annoyed now.

The Sunday Post (#50)

Hello all. Well, as some of you know Sundays are always reserved for Sunday Post which is a meme created by lovely Kim @Caffeinated Book Reviews!

Woha! Upon starting this post I had no idea that this was our 50th edition of The Sunday Post! *confetti* But anyhow I think I owe you all apology. I know I've been a bad reviewer/blogger this past month but really classes are hard and my internship is taking too much of my free time. So I had to take a hiatus for some time. I'll give my best to be back again as much as I can. But let's hope that Glass and I will somehow manage, as she too is busy with school work. 

Anyhow, how are you all? Hope life's been nice to you? ;) 

• Series Review - Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
• ARC Review - Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
• Waiting on Wednesday (#141)
• Cover Lust
• Confess by Colleen Hoover

• Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
• #CoverLust: The Pact by Karina Halle
• Waiting on Wednesday (#142) 
• Undertow by Michael Buckley (ARC Review) 

Tanja's haul 

Thank you: Disney Press and Chronicle Books

Until the next time, 

Review: Confess by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 3 stars

Book summary:

"Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…"

(There are few spoilers in this review.)

     So... That Colleen Hoover... She knows how to sell a story, doesn't she? I've been waiting for so long to read Confess, my little black heart hated deeply everyone who got ARC and I was so excited when I saw that there are actual pictures in it. And then few of my trusted Goodreads friends had a lot to say - a lot meaning not positive.
(I should have know what would happen as soon as I agreed to read this book with Vishous. Have you noticed how we end up not liking CoHo books that we read together, darling?)
   

All the things I did not like:

 - Hipster characters. Oh, Colleen Hoover just loves those - artistic, misunderstood, emotional, heartbroken, preppy, sensitive, with a lot to say and, let's not forget, great hair. Owen is epitome of all previously mentioned. Some might argue how his character is different from other CoHo boys, but he is not. Only difference is the type of art he chooses. Everything else - same old, same old. Auburn is overly naive despite the fact that she got pregnant when she was fifteen and that she has a child, that she had to give up on her dreams and follow her evil "mother-in-law" across the country so she should be close to the kid.

  - Instant love and all "we were meant to be together" talk . Okay, this is pretty much something that you have in every C. Hoover book so far. I think I was more annoyed by predictability of the storyline than the insta-love scenario itself.

 - I suffer, you suffer, we all suffer... Everyone got to have a sob story. Even a sob story, has a sob story. I'm talking about that part in the end where she explains how Adam and Owen are connected.

 - Too slow, too fast. At first, I was bothered by how little happens and later everything happens at once. Ending was to rushed I I really didn't like whole evil brother trope. Do we seriously need to go there every time? I didn't buy that part of the story, plus additional connections between characters were a bit over the top.  

DID I LIKE ANYTHING?
 

      No one can say that Colleen Hoover doesn't know how to write an emotional story. Her writing pulls you from the very start and the way she describes things - just wow. I loved whole part with confessions and paintings, how she connected them. Also, giving shout out to artists out there is slowly becoming one of her signature moves and it's something I admire. Confess is enjoyable and quick read that all fans of this author will appreciate. Maybe I would have liked it more if I didn't have tons of work related things to finish, but I am still happy that I gave it a go.

Until the next time,