by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Purchased
Genre: Sci-Fi/Post-Apocalyptic
Big Themes: Survival, Starvation, Death, Family, Love, Hope

Summary:
The third book in this series, the story of Miranda continues.  After a meteor hit the moon and knocked it closer to Earth, mankind struggles to survive an aftermath of tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, and climate change.

What I Liked:
I flew through both Life As We Knew It and The Dead and The Gone when I read them, and this book was no different.  I read it in two days and could not put it down.  I think it’s the survival aspect that fascinates me.  I’m captivated by the idea of raiding abandoned houses for supplies and how the characters have managed to survive in such an altered world.

What I Didn’t Like:
In Life As We Knew It, Miranda began the book a shallow teenager and really grew as a character into someone who was self-sacrificing and wise.  (I wrote a whole 10 page paper on her transformation actually.)  But in This World We Live In, it’s like she reverted to her shallow self.  She was back to fighting with her mom and whining and wishing for a boyfriend.  That was my first disappointment.

I knew that this third book was going to connect the lives of Miranda (book 1) and Alex (book 2).  I was super excited at this premise.  But this was yet another disappointment for me.  Alex and his story in The Dead and The Gone were by far my favorite.  I love Alex’s character.  His story is so heart-breaking and he’s been through so much.  But he felt like a flat, lost character in this book.  He wasn’t the Alex I loved and his story didn’t play any role or add any depth to the third book.  I wanted more of his character and I never got it.  I kept waiting for him to reveal some of what he went through to Miranda, but he never did.

My Rating: 2 Stars
I was pretty disappointed in this book.
It did not add to the series for me.
But I’d highly recommend The Dead and The Gone (and even Life As We Knew It) if you want a great post-apocalyptic read.

Hallowed
by Cynthia Hand
Purchased/Own
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Big Themes: Angels, Fallen Angels, Death, Parents, Destiny, Love Triangle

Summary:
The second book in the series picks up where Unearthly left off.  Clara, who is half angel, is still trying to figure out her purpose and still finds herself torn between Tucker and Christian.  And the fallen angel, Samjeeza, still lurks threateningly in the background.

What I Liked:
Angel Lore Development: Cynthia Hand really fleshed out the angel mythology in this book.  We get a better sense of the angel community, angel hierarchy, their abilities, and the whole purpose thing.  So far most of it makes sense, and the logistics are “fair.”  I don’t like when a paranormal creature is portrayed in a book as nearly invincible.  The angels have definite weaknesses which makes them all the more fascinating.

Parental Bonds: There are some really powerful scenes between Clara and her mother in this book that brought me close to tears.  We also meet Clara’s dad, who is a pretty cool character.  It’s great to see teen/parent relationships in YA because too often the parents are out of the picture or the kids are orphaned.  I really felt like the parents added to the story and made me like this book more than I would have otherwise.

The Fight: Between this character and that character at the end after so-and-so dies.  When this character punches that character and gives them a bloody nose.  I don’t want to spoil anything.  But that fight was a favorite moment in the book for me!

Things I’m Still Not Sure About:
Christian Prescott: We definitely learn more about Christian in this book.  And he seems like a really supportive, nice guy.  And I’m kinda, sorta starting to like him.  But I feel like I’m being manipulated into liking him.  Whereas…

Tucker Avery: I did not get enough of you in this book.  I still adore your character.

My Rating:
Probably like 3.5 stars…  Tucker was the real reason I loved Unearthly.  I respect what Hand is doing, and she’s written one of the best love triangles I’ve seen.  I really feel Clara’s dilemma.  And the parents in this book really won me over.  And the angels were developed more.  But without Tucker… it’s not gonna make it to 4.

Another review will be out this week! Stay tuned for my review of This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer!

Unearthly
by Cynthia Hand
Read via Library Book
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Big Themes: Angels, Fallen Angels, Destiny, Love Triangle, Great Outdoors (skiing, fishing, hiking)


Summary:
Clara is an angel-blood, meaning she is part angel.  As she turns 17, her angelic purpose starts to make itself clear to her through regular visions.  Her family moves from California to Wyoming so that Clara can begin to discover her purpose, which she believes involves saving the dreamy Christian Prescott from a forest fire.

What I Liked:
Main Character: Clara is a likable protagonist, but it took me a chunk of the book before I felt that way.  Upon her arrival at her new school, I was annoyed by her narrow focus on who was popular and who wasn’t.  And her obsession with Christian and the fainting and the repeated description of his eyes/hair felt a little too familiar to Twilight for my tastes.  But once we got into the meat of the book, Clara’s character developed further.  I understood her frustration with her mother over holding back angel information.  I liked Clara’s choice of friends (Wendy and Angela).  And I admired how she handled herself in certain situations. (Don’t want to spoil anything!)

Choice of Setting: The first moment I had where I really started to love this book was when Clara goes skiing for the first time.  Her description of learning to ski, the chair lift, the snow, the mountain made me feel like I was there.  And it was refreshing to have the main character doing something besides school, shopping and friend drama.  The book went on to have more lovely descriptions of outdoorsy stuff and I really felt like those moments were the highlights of the book for me.

Love Interest: I am soooo swooning for Tucker Avery.  I don’t want to ruin a single moment of this book, but Tucker Avery is now one of my favorite male leads ever.  I loved his teasing, his patience, his outdoorsy knowledge, his chivalrous ways.  He was really just a regular guy.  None of that brooding, mysterious stuff that’s so prevalent in romantic leads right now.  He’ll help you tow your car out of a ditch or teach you how to fly fish.  (Oh please, Tucker, teach me to fly fish!)  If I could script out how I’d want a guy to woo me, they could just follow how Tucker did it.  OMG.  I love Tucker.

Things I’m Still Not Sure About:
Paranormal/Angel Stuff: I don’t think I have enough info on Cynthia Hand’s version of angels to make a verdict on whether her paranormal world makes sense.  I still don’t quite understand the whole visions and purpose thing, but Clara doesn’t understand it either so I’m probably not supposed to yet.  I’m definitely curious about how she’s going to be able to wrap this up in 3 books.  A purpose/destiny seems bigger than something you can tell in 3 books.

Christian Prescott: Still not sure how I feel about this guy.  He’s a little too perfect and mysterious.

My Rating:
After finishing the book, I instantly gave it 5 stars on Goodreads because I LOVE TUCKER.  After reflecting for a few days, I probably need to downgrade it to a 4 star read.  Still a great book, but the focus on popular people vs invisibles was a turn-off and a lot of the angel stuff is still unclear.

I’ve already bought Hallowed (Book #2), and am currently over halfway done.  Stay tuned for my review!

Liesl and Po
by Lauren Oliver
Read in Hardback
Genre: Fantasy
Big Themes: death, ghosts, orphans, magic, evil adults

Summary: 
With the help of a ghost named Po, two children embark on a journey to return the ashes of Liesl’s father to their proper resting place beneath the willow tree.  But conflict arises when there is a mix-up: the wooden box with her father’s ashes is unknowingly switched with a wooden box
containing the most powerful magic in the world.

What I Liked:
First off, the cover of this book is gorgeous, which is especially worth mentioning since there are TWO gorgeous covers.  The book jacket is nice, but I personally loved the cover underneath the jacket even more. Bonnie @ ABackwardsStory did a great post on the cover including a video, which is probably the best way to appreciate it if you don’t have it right in front of you.  Pictures don’t do it justice.

Another thing I liked in the book was Oliver’s use of language and descriptions.  She just has a lovely way of putting things.  Here’s a quote from the book describing the process of becoming a ghost, as told by Po,

“He might have already begun the process of becoming part of Everything.  He would begin to feel the electricity from distant stars pulsing through him like a heartbeat.  He would feel the weight of old planets on his shoulders, and he would feel the winds of distant corners of the universe blowing through him.” Page 45

You can turn to just about any page in the book and find a gorgeous, lyrical sentence such as the one above.

And the final thing that I really appreciated was how this book was such an emotional journey for the author to write.  After reading the book and reading Oliver’s Author’s Note, you’ll have a powerful understanding of the root of this story.

Criticism:
My biggest issue with the book was pacing.  Typically, a middle grade book does not take me two weeks to read.  I kept waiting to get sucked into the story, but it never happened.  I have two reasons why I think the pacing of this book was slow:

1. The shifting point-of-views: Oliver was constantly shifting who was telling the story.  So many times that I lost count of how many people narrated the story.  I think this hurt the pacing in two ways.  One, it didn’t allow me to form a strong bond to Liesl, and actually diminished her role in her own story.  Because I didn’t bond with Liesl, I wasn’t as invested in her story.  Two, the shifting point-of-views sometimes overlapped the events they were telling.  I would catch myself getting bored because another character was telling about an event from their own perspective that I’d already read from a different character’s perspective.
2. Heavy descriptions: Descriptions are such a tricky thing for authors.  On the one hand, they can be beautiful and a delight to create.  They help the reader get lost in your world.  But descriptions can also slow down the pacing of the book.  This is the first book I’ve read by Oliver, and I’d only heard good things about her.  I’m still going to read Before I Fall and Delirium, but if Oliver is a description heavy author, I wish I’d known that going in.  I tend to save my slower reads for long weekends or lazy summer days because they take a little extra concentration on my part.  And at the end of a long work day, the last thing I want to do is concentrate… I need a fast, easy read.

Laini Taylor, I bow at your feet.  Your mastery of the written word leaves me in awe.  This is the second book I have read by you that left me mesmerized, and I will now read anything you write.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
by Laini Taylor
Read on Kindle
Genre: Fantasy

***I was careful not to include spoilers in this review***

Summary:
Karou’s double life has been filled with secrets.  One life she is an art student in Prague, and her other life she bounds from portal to portal collecting teeth for a monster named Brimstone.  When she encounters an angel with eyes of fire, her life is ripped apart and she learns the secret of who she really is.

What I loved:
Laini Taylor’s writing style is captivating.  Her imagery, similes, and use of sensory details are unmatched by any other YA author I’ve read.  Her writing kind makes me pause mid-chapter and think “Beautiful.”  But it also makes me cry a little on the inside because I’d have to work for an entire lifetime to be able to write like that.  It’s so clearly Laini’s calling to be a writer.  She’s gifted.

World building.  The world she’s crafted is enchanting.  The attention to detail and unique settings left me wanting to book a plane to Prague and step through a portal to a ball in the streets of a chimaera city.  More importantly though, her fantasy world worked.  As in, there weren’t gaping holes in her logic.  I wasn’t left wondering about the magic, “well if they can do blah-blah, then why can’t they zap and get out?”  Some recent fantasy series I’ve read had logistical issues in how the world worked, but Laini’s world was full of balance and counterbalances.

Plot.  I would be in total utter shock if someone said they predicted everything in this book.  Laini created an elaborate puzzle where readers were given many intriguing pieces with no foresight as to how they would fit together.  The ending is immensely satisfying (despite the cliffhanger) because the pieces and stories have come together in such perfect harmony that you wonder how Laini managed to hide what now seems so clear.  I’m impressed at how she was able to weave three different POVs so seamlessly, and how she decided to reveal bits of information at just the right time.

Characters.  Karou, Zuzana, Brimstone, Akiva, Madrigal all have a little corner of my heart.  Each character had strong motivations behind their actions.  Karou wants to feel whole and discover what’s missing inside her.  Zuzana wants to be trusted by her friend.  Brimstone… well, I don’t want to spoil that one.  Same with Akiva and Madrigal.  But as I’m looking back on the book, I’m realizing that every early action and characterization fits in with each character’s greater purpose and makes perfect sense now that the puzzle is solved.  *sigh*  Total satisfaction!

My Rating:
Definitely 5 stars.  I loved it.  Will go on my all-time favorites shelf.  Anyone who enjoys fantasy should read this.  I’ve really lucked out in my book choices lately.  Between this book and Divergent, I’m curious if the next book I read could possibly live up to such high standards.

Content Warnings
Some mild references to sex and some violence.  Would recommend to ages 14 and up.

by Amanda Hocking
Kindle Edition