The Dark Light by Sara Walsh

About the Book:

Pages: 496

Series: None (as of now, but hopefully...)

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: August 28th, 2012

Source: Simon & Scheuster

GoodReads Summary:

Mia is torn between two guys—and two worlds—in this epic, romantic fantasy. Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she’s concerned, that’s about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town.

That is, until Sol arrives. Mia’s not one to fall for just any guy, but she can’t get Sol—or the brilliant tattoo on his back—out of her mind.

Then Mia’s brother goes missing, and Mia’s convinced that Sol knows more than he’s sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol’s not who Mia thought he was—and neither is she.

Review:

 Mia's life was normal in the slightest of terms. She went to high school, had good grades, had abest friend, played sports... but her life was also really mysterious. Her father had ditched her as a baby and her mother was thrown in jail, so she lives with an uncle who drinks more than he shows up at home, and now there's been six boys kidnapped in her town and the surrounding area. Then a new boy, Sol, saunters in to town shrouded with mystique. Just meeting this boy changes her life... and her world.

This book was amazing. It definitely sits up on that shelf with the Hunger Games, and the Trylle trilogy. I was expecting this to be an angel book for some reason. I guess because of the tattoo on the cover. I don't know. So I was surprised when I was faced with a crazy fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian kind of world. But I was also happy with it. The wacky characters added to the excitement I had brewing for this book.

Sol was a great character. He reminded me of Alex from Angel Burn and a little of Finn from Switched. (Anyone else?) The summary up top (↑) kinda lies because I never felt like there was competition between Sol and Andy. She liked Andy as a high school prom date but not as anything serious. With Sol it was like an instant connection. The romance aspect of this story was sooooo suspenseful and frustrating! I wanted her to kiss him like fifteen times before they actually did!

But that was the genius part! You had the whole story to focus on but then you get bored with that and you can watch their romance unravel. And all the little road blocks the author added in to make their relationship even more tension were brilliant, first it was Delane and Sol thinking Mia liked him, then Mia thinking he was with Vermillion, then her father not wanting them together. It kept you interested and reading.

This book was reallllllyyyyy gooooooodddddd. Thanks Simon & Scheuster! I can't wait for (hopefully) the sequel to come out. I recommend this book to people.... just people. I mean anyone who likes to read, please read this!

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

About the Book:

 Pages: 295

Series: Last Princess #1

Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: May 1st, 2012

Source: Library

 

GoodReads Summary:

A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless. When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year old Princess Eliza manages to escape. Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope-and love-once more.Now she must risk everything to ensure that she does not become... The Last Princess.

Review:

The world has ended. But not everyone has perished. In fact, the royal family mostly survived the apocalypse. Besides their mother, who was poisoned and killedby a resistance leader named Cornelius Hollister, the royal family is doing fine surviving in the destruction of the former world. Until they discover that this rebel leader is out for their blood and won't stop until he's the ruler of Britain. Eliza is forced to join the army that's determined to kill her family in order to save her siblings and the crown.

I thought that this post-apocalypes theme was really interesting. Especially with the main characters being the majesties of England! I thought that added a regal feel to the story :) It was facsinating how the people were categorized. There were Roamers; the theives, murderers, and over all bad guys, who had escaped from prisons once the electricity went out. They, well, roam in search of things to feed on such as squirrels, horses, and... humans. Collectors who search through the endless piles of trash, attempting to discover anything useful.

 As I said I liked the after-the-world-ends theme but I wish it came into play more during the middle and end of the book. I felt like at that point the story revolved around the revolution and made the time feel distorted. Because they had no electricity or anything like that and they rode on horses and used mostly swords, I felt like we were in the medieval times, not the future. This annoyed me and I wish the author hadn't written about royalty cause that just added to the confusion.

Time to get to the romance because, I have to admit, I didn't like it. Wesley was a character who had a regretable past, a tragic present, and a unchangeable future. But all those things said did not make him a strong character. I felt like i couldn't even fall in love with him if I tried because his characters presence is so vague. It's like you meet him, and you like him, because he's nice to Eliza. But then they just start making out? It's especially sad that I don't love him because the story is told from first person, the easiest way to get readers to like a character! If the main character likes him then you should to because the MC's (main characters) opinion is dominant in the story.

I liked this book,  I really did. It's just that the plot, setting, and characters need a little work. The main idea behind the book intrigued me and I wanted to read more, so I'm excited for the sequel coming out in spring 2013. I hope this book is read by a ton of people and that this post-apocalypse theme catches on. I recommend this book to fans of the Hunger Games, people who are excited for a new genre, and lovers of everything adventure.

Wake by Amanda Hocking

About the Book:

Pages: 309

 Series: Watersong #1

 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

 Release Date: August 7th 2012

 Source: St. Martin's Griffin

GoodReads Summary:

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

Review:

Gemma always loved the water. Swim team was fun and all but the real magic of swimming only appears when she's in the bay. Harper her control freak sister, knows that somethings wrong when Gemma starts hanging out with the beautiful yet utterly creepy, new girls Penn, Lexi, and Thea. Gemma herself can't really explain why these girls are so interested in her. Until she finds out and her whole world changes. In order to stay alive she has to leave her loved ones behind, but if she goes the lives of everyone around her are at risk.

I have to admit my expectations were set very high for this book after I finished, and loved, the Trylle trilogy. Okay, so to start out I'm going to go over my first impressions. (What I thought towards the beginning of the book.) Harper; I thought she was a total stick-in-the-mud-boring-as-paper kind of girl. She treated her sister like she was a naughty five year old! However, Gemma did act bratty at times. I also thought that Alex's character was a little too imperfect. Like the author couldn't show off any of his not nerdy talents?

But as I got further into the book another opinion started to form. Harper wasn't really a.... whatever I called her. She really just wanted to make up for their mothers absence. The mom! I almost forgot. Her story is so sad and it seems crazy when you put yourself in Gemma or Harper's shoes. They had a mom that acts younger than I do! By this point I had started to like Alex and Gemma. Lexi (the creepy new girl) also started to grow on me. She didn't seem as ominous as the other two girls did.

However, throughout the whole book I really liked one character..... Daniel! He was the most realistic character in my opinion. He didn't seem too imperfect or too bossy or too clueless. He seemed more aware of the world than Harper was! As I said, Alex grew on me too, so yeah, I ended up liking him a lot. 

Truth be told, the book did not really meet my expectation. The plot was very slow, and if you read Switched and thought it took a long time to get through that than prepare yourself. Additionally, the plot was really obvious. I completely new that Penn, Lexi, and Thea were mermaids, I could tell with out even reading the back! This book took longer to read than I thought it would because I sped through her other series.

I recommend this book to people who really appreciate Hocking's writing and just want a nice, slow paced, summer read. It's a great book to read at the beach! (get it?) I'm positive that this book will be popular upon its release. (It's coming out TOMORROW if you didn't notice.) So that's all folks. See you next time!