Such Sweet Sorrow by Jenny Trout

Such Sweet Sorrow

Jenny Trout

4.0/5.0

Never was there a tale of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo…But true love never dies. Though they’re parted by the veil between the world of mortals and the land of the dead, Romeo believes he can restore Juliet to life, but he’ll have to travel to the underworld with a thoroughly infuriating guide.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, may not have inherited his father’s crown, but the murdered king left his son a much more important responsibility—a portal to the Afterjord, where the souls of the dead reside. When the determined Romeo asks for help traversing the treacherous Afterjord, Hamlet sees an opportunity for adventure, and the chance to avenge his father’s death.
In an underworld filled with leviathan monsters, ghoulish shades, fire giants and fierce Valkyrie warriors, Hamlet and Romeo must battle their way through jealousy, despair, and their darkest fears to rescue the fair damsel. Yet finding Juliet is only the beginning, and the Afterjord doesn’t surrender souls without a price…

O... M... G! How could you NOT love that blurb!? I literally freaked out trying to get on Netgalley to request this. When they approved me, if I had been ABLE to do cartwheels, I would have been cartwheeling all over the place like a cheerleader on crack. I mean, c'mon, Shakespeare, Mythology, JENNY TROUT! OMG!




And of course, it's Jenny Trout, and she does NOT disappoint. I absolutely adored this story. The whole concept of Romeo not dying and venturing into the Afterjord to find Juliet is interesting enough on it's own. Then she throws in Hamlet too, and it's like awesome overload. Hamlet is, beyond question, my favorite character out of all of Shakespeare's work. Jenny Trout totally does him justice in this book. He's still that intelligent, snarky persona that I loved so much in Hamlet.




I wasn't such a huge fan of Romeo and Juliet back in the day, however, I was a huge fan of Juliet in this story. Jenny Trout transforms her into a very strong female character that I can identify with and appreciate. Romeo didn't really do much for me. His love for Juliet was admirable, but he was still whiny and annoying. However, it didn't stop me from enjoying the book at all.




The end is a bit of a cliffhanger, but I haven't heard anything official about a book two... so... FINGERS CROSSED!




All in all, I absolutely love it, and I would totally recommend it to anyone who has a soft spot for Shakespeare or mythology... or just awesomeness in general.

Cursed (Voodoo Nights) by Lizzy Ford

Cursed (Voodoo Nights)
Lizzy Ford
3.5/5.0




Overall, personally, I'd give it like 3.5 stars. However, I think someone just a little bit younger than me would probably rate it much higher.

The story has a lot going for it. Its a really, really interesting premise. I felt like the curse spanning the four families very intriguing. The author did a really good job of giving you enough information to understand what was going on, while leaving enough mystery to keep you turning pages like a madman trying to figure it out. The end was brilliant. I'm dying to know what happens from here. I felt like the author broke my heart, but then gave me just enough hope to want to read the next book. I love a cliffhanger, and this one is done pretty well. 

I think a lot of my caveats with this book just stem from me being nearly 30. I'm not a big fan of high school drama, and it kind of got on my nerves. Additionally, while I liked the main character, I found her to be sort of weak, whiny, and sometimes downright annoying. When she decided to do something really stupid (like walk the streets alone) she was super brave about it. However, when it was something silly like talking to Jayden, she suddenly was so timid she ran and hid... literally. Additionally, she was lacking that self confidence that I really appreciate in female leads. She seemed to be more worried about how everyone was looking at her and how she wasn't pretty enough more than anything else. I think I would have liked her a lot more if she had a bit more of a bad-ass streak and some self confidence. 

However, despite my dislike of these things, I do think that someone younger, maybe still in high school, may find the character easier to identify with. Overall, its not a bad read, and I'll definitely be picking up book two to figure out where the rest of this story goes. 

The Second Sign and The Second Shadow by Elizabeth Arroyo

The Second Sign

Elizabeth Arroyo

3.5/5.0

The Second Shadow

Elizabeth Arroyo

4.5/5.0

I was super nervous about this series.  I absolutely loved the blurbs for both of the books, so of course, I caved and requested both of them.  I kinda forgot about it and then... I got approved.  That's when I suddenly realized just how many times I had picked up a book about angels/demons and then absolutely hated it.  However, I said I'd do it, and I put on my big girl panties and hunkered down.  

I started reading the books and I realized that, I, in fact, didn't like these books..... 

I ABSOLUTELY FRIGGIN' LOVED THEM!!!!

They seriously embody everything I love in a book.  They are dark, gritty, intense, and should totally come with a warning label or two.  Some of the scenes in this book read like a horror movie.  Not one of those cheesy horror movies you watch and laugh about, but like a for real horror flick.  I actually attempted to start reading this before I went to bed one night and had to put it down because I found myself doing this:

Only my other hand was still trying to hold the book above the blankie peek hole so I could still read.

I made myself put it down, and attempted to sleep... only to end up waking up every hour with some seriously wicked nightmares.  

However, once daylight hit, I was back to reading in full force and actually read through both books in one day.  They were THAT good.  

I really loved the main characters.  Gabby has such a messed up life and bad luck follows her everywhere.  I love that she doesn't let it tear her down, and instead it just makes her stronger.  Jake is a bit tricky.  One minute I was all about Jake, and then the next I wanted to stab him with a spork and watch him bleed out slowly.  It was kind of a fun ride though.  My favorite character in the whole series has got to be Jose however, because Jose is freaking awesome.  He's got a serious streak of bad-ass and his humor provided some seriously well placed comic relief.  He might just be a supporting character, but he seriously stole the spotlight for me.  If you asked me for a list of my favorite lines, almost all of them would be Jose's.  

The story line, the pacing, the intensity, everything - was perfect.  It's a very, very well written series, and I highly, highly recommend you read it.

Review: Division of the Marked by March McCarron

Division of the Marked
March McCarron
3.5

For all of written history, on the day of Da Un Marcu, fifty boys and girls across the three kingdoms are marked. They become a class apart from society. Taken to join their brothers and sisters, the Chisanta, they enter a culture of knowledge-keepers, martial artists, and possessors of strange and wonderful abilities.

When Yarrow discovers himself marked, he feels lost and lonely; until he meets Bray, a spirited and curious girl with whom he feels uncommonly connected. As the two of them become familiar with their new lives, unaccountable events unsettle the peace. A mysterious murder leaves the Chisanta in confusion. Odder still, one of the fifty children never arrives. In the years that follow, more and more children of the Chisanta go missing.

Ten years later, the devastating truth comes to light. The death of a young marked girl is uncovered. Yarrow and Bray—separated for a decade and grown apart—are thrust back together to investigate the crime. Can they overcome their differences to save the fate of their kind and the peace of the nation?

Overall, this is a really good book.  It took me a minute to get into it, but once I did, it kind of grew on me. 

It starts out kind of slow.  However (to be fair) it is an epic fantasy, and they do tend to be heavy on detail and take a little longer to really take off.

 In the end though, it was all worth it, because once it gets going, it gains momentum pretty quickly.

Things get really interesting once the two opposing groups come together to work towards a common goal.  It was rather amusing watching them have to learn to live and work together to figure out the mystery of the missing children. 

Those were probably some of my favorite moments.  Those are the moments that pushed me to not just like the characters, but *love* the characters.  Not only did I really love Bray and Yarrow, I absolutely adored the supporting characters as well. 

There are some seriously heart-wrenching moments in the book too.  I can't talk about them without spoiling something, but we'll just say there were times where I looked like this:

Also, I love how the mystery unfolds.  It is honestly what kept me going through some of the slower parts.  I was so intrigued to know how all of it would play out, and McCarron does a good job of building it up.
  
Oh, and the cliffhanger ending... we all know how I feel about a good cliffhanger!

Overall, I think the book was a little detail heavy (for me) and I would have liked for the pacing to be a bit quicker.  However, despite all of that, McCarron still created a mystery and characters that I was able to feel invested in and fall in love with.  I'm really excited to see what happens in book two!

Review: The Almost Girl

The Almost Girl

Amalie Howard

4.0/5.0

I'm not going to lie.  I generally am really leery of sci-fi.  It's just one of the genres that I don't generally connect well with.  I don't know why, I just don't.  I was hesitant to grab this one, and flipped past it probably 10 times before I caved and requested it.  

I'm so glad I have zero willpower when it comes to books with pretty covers and a remotely interesting blurb, because I really, really enjoyed this book.  

I really appreciated how strong all of the female characters in this book were.  Riven, her sister, the guardians.  They weren't meek and waiting for Prince Charming to save them.  Quite the opposite actually.  Additionally, the characters were complex and flawed.  They made mistakes, they got confused, they struggled internally with each decision.  I love to see this in books, because it makes the characters more relatable and realistic.  

The action scenes were very well done, and each one of them left me frantically flipping pages trying to figure out exactly how they were going to get themselves out of whatever crazy situation they were in at the moment.  It was intense, stressful, anxiety ridden goodness.  I love when a book has action scenes that literally make me panic.  

The only thing better than the action scenes were the numerous plot twist.  Even though I caught on to many of them before the "big reveal" I still got like oober "OMG" every single time.  The ones I didn't suspect were even better.  I have no idea how ridiculous I must have looked, sitting there, with my kindle, just staring at it, dumbfounded, going "Did that REALLY just happen???"  Like if I just stared at it long enough it wouldn't be quite so shocking.  

My only complaints were fairly minor.  I could have done without the high school adventure.  I feel like its overplayed and boring, but it wasn't unbearable.  I also found Riven contradicted herself a lot throughout the book.  One page she'd be all "I'm never going to do this" and then the next she'd be all "nothing can stop me from doing this".  It didn't really take away from the story, and I took it as the author just trying to show how divided and unsure Riven was of her actions and decisions.  However, there were points were it kind of confused me and I had to go back to make sure I hadn't read something wrong.  

Overall, its a fantastic book, and it gets my seal of approval.  I highly recommend!

REVIEW: Defy by Sara B Larson

Defy
Sara B Larson
5.0/5.0
Publish Date: January 7th, 2013

"A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?"

I've gotta say, that this perhaps is one of the HARDEST reviews I've ever written because I really am so blown away all I want to do is jump up and down and squeal with delight at how much I loved this book....

even if it made me cry SOB ... a lot.

In all seriousness though, I have never connected with and fallen in love with characters as quickly as I did in this book. Within in the first few chapters she already had me so attached to charecters that I was bawling my eyes out over situations involving them. Seriously, at 10% I called Stacey, my blog partner, and was like "YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!!!!" Which I never, ever do. EVER. Usually, I have to be at least half way through the book before I'll even CONSIDER recommending it, but usually I have to be almost done before I'll give a final go on it.


Larson is amazing. The descriptions of the world and the situations are so vivid. You can feel the anguish, the fear, the unease, the... passion... ;) It's absolutely brilliant. I've never felt so "IN" the world while reading the book. She managed to make me feel everything from utter disgust to butterflies in this book.

Additionally, her characters are phenomenal. I adored Alex. I loved that she was written as a really strong female lead, but that she was still allowed to show fear, and doubt, and question everything and everyone. She was flawed enough to be real. Even when I was SCREAMING at my Kindle for her to STOP questioning things and just GO with it, I still understood WHY she did.

As far as the love triangle went, I thought it was really well done. I don't really mind a love triangle, as long as I can understand why the main character would be torn. I could totally understand being torn between Damien and Rylan, because I'm still torn between the two. I love them both so, so much. Damien is sharp, and witty, and infuriating at times. Rylan is sweet, protective, and her best friend. They are both amazing in their own ways, and they are both beautifully (swoontastically) flawed.

This is definitely going on my list of favorite reads this year. It was a breath-taking, exhilarating ride, and I can't wait to get back on for book 2!

Also!  Sara Larson has a post up on her blog right now for a chance to win a FREE SIGNED ARC of Defy.  I'm entering just because this is definitely a book for my "keeper shelf" and I would love nothing more than a SIGNED copy of it!  So hurry up, don't let me steal all your fun!  Get to entering!

ENTER HERE

REVIEW: Counting Shadows - Olivia Rivers

Counting Shadows
Olivia Rivers
Publish Date: July 1, 2013
3.5/4.0


This is one of those books that is really hard to rate.  The first half of the book is very set-up heavy.  You learn a lot of back story and are very much in Faye's head.  The majority of the first half is set in Faye's rooms while she mopes over her dead lover and plots her revenge on the person who got him killed.

It doesn't really pick up until Lor finally convinces her to leave her rooms and then all hell breaks loose Then things get really freaking interesting, really freaking fast.

The first half of the book was around 3 stars for me, but when it got going, it shot up to a 4.  So, since I was torn with what to give it, I just split the difference and called it a 3.5.  I don't want that to discourage you from reading it though, because I have a feeling book two is going to be REALLY interesting.

Overall, its a good story, and I understand why the beginning was the way it was.  In this case, you are going into a story where the love interest is dead.  The beginning is meant to show you how much she cares about him, and all that he gave just for her.  It's meant to help you feel the connection between them and help you understand why Faye is so hellbent on finding his killer.

Unfortunately, while I can imagine how horrendous her loss is, I have a hard time connecting with a character who is dead.  So while I felt for her, and I understood her motives, I really didn't care about him.

Lor on the other hand... HOLY HELL!  Lor can call me sweetheart any damn time he likes.  He is seriously sexy with his cocky lines and tattooed self.  *drool*

I absolutely adore his random fears as well.  They seriously cracked me up.  Although, I'm still not sure what is up with his nervous twitch.

Oh well, he's hot anyway.

Overall, I'm still recommending this as a read, because although the first half of this book is kind of slow, I have a feeling that book two is going to be awesome.

Especially after the cliffhanger she threw in at the end that left me making this face (minus the fur):

I'm totally psyched to read book two!

Review: The Last Bastion of the Living - Rhiannon Frater

The Last Bastion of the Living
Rhiannon Frater
4.0/5.0

Ok.  So I really don't know what it is with me and zombie books lately.  Somehow I keep volunteering to read stories about zombies even though they leave me utterly terrified.  I'm really starting to think there might be something wrong with me.  HOWEVER, you aren't here to read about my issues, you're here to see what I thought of the book?  Right?  I thought so.

I really enjoyed The Last Bastion.  I think Rhiannon Frater did a phenomenal job of coming up with an interesting take on zombies.  I thought it was pretty unique (granted, my experience in zombie novels is fairly limited, but *I* thought it was different).  I absolutely loved and appreciated the whole idea of virus mutation creating different types of zombies, some of which were far more terrifying than others.

I also really loved the whole set up of humanity being in a crisis. All that is left of the human race is trapped within the walls of a dying city that is quickly running out of food and resources.  Their only hope lies in one last military push in a last ditch effort to destroy the Infiri Scourge (zombies).  To do so they have to become the one thing they hate most.  It was very intense to say the least.

Frater doesn't stop there though.  In addition to all the craziness going on with the zombies and the city dying, she throws in some political craziness too.  You spend the entire book trying to figure out what is truth, what is a lie, and what the deal is with the political figures in this book.

It was all quite stressful.  Which is why I loved it.

Well, that and the characters.  I absolutely adored Maria.  She is one of those smart, strong, badass book women that I can't help but adore.  However, just because she was a badass didn't mean that she didn't care deeply for those she loved.  I actually kind of appreciated that Frater wrote in the whole concept of wanting a family, and marriage, etc.  I thought it was kind of cool to have it in a story like this.  It's not usually something books in this genre have.  Additionally, the cover model for this book was the perfect representation of Maria.

I really loved the Maria's little group of Infiri Boon as well, especially Denman.  There was just something about him that I couldn't help but adore. 

I couldn't really connect with Dwayne.  I mean, I liked him well enough, and I don't think he's a *bad* guy, I just didn't love him.  Not sure why, just didn't.  I'm thinking it may have something to do with the age difference or that I came in questioning his intentions.  He definitely proves himself by the end of the book, but i dunno, like I said, I just don't *love* him.

Overall, it's a GREAT book, and I highly, highly recommend it.  I loved it, flesh-munching zombie gore and all.

REVIEW: Red River

Red River (Tent City #2)
Kelly Van Hull
4.0/5.0

I really liked Tent City... I loved Red River.

The story line advances really quickly in this one.  There were very few, if any, moments where things were just "chill".  It seemed like as soon as they got out of one predicament, they fell face first into another one. 

It was a lot grittier than Tent City as well.  The characters are forced into a lot of very intense situations.  I love that Van Hull did create weakness and flaws in her characters.  They didn't always choose the right way to deal with things, and they suffered consequences as a result.  It made the story seem a little more real.  Don't get me wrong, I love a bad-ass who can take whatever is thrown their way, but at the same time, its nice to see a character that isn't perfect occasionally.

Speaking of, yes, there are some very hard topics in this book, like drugs and abortion.  Personally, I had no issue with them.  Van Hull by no means candy coats or glorifies these things.  As far as I am concerned, these are real issues that real teenagers face, and there is absolutely no reason not to write about them. 

Additionally, this being a "religious" apocalypse, there are religious themes to this book.  Personally, I didn't feel at all uncomfortable or offended by anything that was said.  I felt like most of the so-called "bad things" that were said, were not said about religion, but rather about religious extremist and people who use religion to for no other reason than to gain power. 

It didn't bother me that the main character questioned the idea of having "faith".  I imagine a lot of people in her situation would, especially someone who was not brought up in a family with a strong religious background.  I didn't find it blasphemy.  I found it a realistic picture of someone trying to sort out whether or not they believed in a time where faith can be difficult.

That's my two cents on the "controversial" issues anyway.  Its very subjective, so i'm sure that will vary from reader to reader, but I wasn't bothered or offended by it.  I thought it was very well done personally.

Beyond that, this book really kept me on my toes.  It was one of those books that it drove me nuts to put down (and since my office kind of frowns upon the whole read instead of work thing, I had to put it down occasionally).  There was a lot of mystery and build up that kept me on the edge of my seat and my head spinning with possibilities.  It threw a few curveballs that I never saw coming in there too.

The end wasn't nearly the cliffhanger of Tent City, however, it really didn't need to be.  If there is a book three, I'll totally read it.  I still have a lot of unanswered questions, so I'm hoping...

I would hands down recommend this book.  I feel like Kelly Van Hull is truly growing as an author... can't wait to see what is next!

Review: Tangled Tides

Tangled Tides
Karen Amanda Hooper
3.5/5.0

Yara Jones doesn't believe in sea monsters--until she becomes one.

When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious.

Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people--until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the merman who has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process--or she might open the gateway to a love that's deeper than the oceans.Overall, its a pretty good story.  The premise is interesting enough, and I didn't want to murder the characters.  The plot kept me invested, and I got rather anxious towards the end.

I certainly recommend the book to someone into mermaids and romance and the like.

I liked the characters for the most part, although I did find Yara a little whiny.  I let it slide because I could understand why she would react the way she did to things.  I liked Treygan, but he definitely didn't fall into the book boyfriend category.  I felt like he was a good match for Yara though.  I even liked the supporting characters, although I was really unsure about the Sirens up until the bitter end.

I think it was the little things that led to me dropping the rating more than anything.  The "seagarettes" and "c-weed" just seemed silly and somewhat ridiculous to me.

And the whole, "I can't have sex with you or kiss you, so I'm going to write love notes on your skin from head to to toe" was just a little to ewwy-gooey romance-y for me.

The end didn't really do much for me either.  GRANTED, it's not a bad end, and some people will love it.  However, there wasn't much of a cliffhanger, and it doesn't give me a whole lot of incentive to want to read the next book.  It was all pretty much tied up in a pretty bow at the end.  Like I said, I'm sure some people prefer that to the gut-wrenching cliffhangers I prefer, but to me it was a let down.

I certainly wouldn't want to discourage people from at least giving the book a shot, because a lot of people really loved it, and I *liked* it.  It just isn't on my top 10 list.

Review: Writing on the Wall

Writing on the Wall
Tracey Ward
4.5/5.0
"I’m a girl stuck in Neverland with The Lost Boys. I’m no Wendy, I can hold my own. I don’t need to wait around for Peter to save me, but I’m also not an idiot. I know my enemies."
It's been nearly a decade since the world ended. Since Joss watched her parents die at the hands of a nightmare, a nightmare that stalks her even now, all these years later. That's the problem with the Risen - they refuse to die.
But Joss is a survivor. A loner living in the post-apocalyptic streets of Seattle. It's a world dictated by Risen and the looming threat of the Colonists, a group of fellow survivors living comfortably in their compounds and patrolling the wild, looking to "save" the orphans of the end.
Orphans like Joss.
Like Ryan.
As a member of an all male gang, Ryan is a threat as real as the Risen, a threat Joss avoids at all costs. Then one night their paths cross and Joss makes a choice that goes against all of her instincts. A choice that will threaten everything she has.
Now a new outbreak is imminent and the Colonists are closing in. Joss' solitary, secret world will be blown wide open and the comfortable numbness she's lived in for the last six years will burn away leaving her aching and afraid.
And awake

Okay, so if you read my review of Reboot, you know that my GREATEST fear = zombies and I avoid them like the plague.  Not even Norman Reedus can convince me to watch a single episode of The Walking Dead, and I looooove me some Norman Reedus. 

That, all by itself, should tell you exactly how much faith I have in Tracey Ward to deliver an amazing book.  She won me over completely with Sleepless, and she didn't disappoint with Writing on the Wall.  I loved it, zombies and all.

I absolutely love, love, love the main character, Joss.   I mean, c'mon, she's survived all by herself for almost a decade, in the middle of a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!   Not only has she avoided being eaten by a zombie, she's also avoided being taken in and made a sex-slave by one of the many gangs around, and avoided being captured by the Colonies.  She's smart, strong-willed, stubborn, and a total smartass.  She's everything I'd want to be (and probably wouldn't be) if the shit hit the fan tomorrow.

 The love interest, Ryan, hasn't quite gained book boyfriend status with me... YET.  He could.  He's got potential, but he's just not in the story enough yet for me to totally fall.  He's amusing though, and I really want to see more of him.  I want him and Joss together.  Their banter cracks me up.  Ward is a master of the banter.

The other characters in this book got major love from me as well.  Vin, Nat, and even Crazy Crenshaw (how can you not love a man that is described as "Merlin if he'd fallen on hard times and gotten really into pot"?)  were all amazing.

The characters were really well formed, and they all kind of kept you on your toes.  They all had their little surprises.

Not only was the character development superb, the story itself was awesome!

I had no idea where it was going to take me from one page to the next, and I loved it.  There was a lot of humor, a lot of action, and a lot of really intense nail-biting scenes.

And yes, there are zombies for those of you that are into that sort of thing.  There were enough of them that I will probably be cowering in a corner somewhere for the next several weeks pissing myself every time the wind blows.

I loved it though.  I really, really did. The end totally left me freaking out (it was a really big cliffhanger).

I literally sat there for a few minutes frantically swiping at my kindle trying to make more pages appear.  I stopped when I noticed the dog was looking rather concerned.

SO.  In short, I'm totally fangirling over a zombie book...

... and the ice rinks in hell are officially open.

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Sentinel: Remembering Pure

Link to the COMPLETE tour!

Don't forget to scroll all the way down for your chance to win a gift card courtesy of Spencer Hill Press!!!

There is need. And then there is Fate. 

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon--and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude--or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Buy Links:
Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9761771-pure
Amazon: 

http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Covenant-ebook/dp/B007JXMPGS/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382319925&sr=1-14
B&N: 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pure-jennifer-l-armentrout/1103800027?ean=9780983157229

Author bio:

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Author Links:
Website: http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476934.Jennifer_L_Armentrout

WHY THIS IS NOT A CLIFFHANGER LOVES PURE

Just for the record, pretty much everything below this line (except the giveaway) is a spoiler.  If you haven't read Pure yet (shame on you!) and you don't want to be spoiled (Which you don't. Trust me) don't read past this line! 

____________________________<<THIS IS THE LINE>>____________________________

First of all, WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE about Pure.  Except for maybe the fact that it focuses a lot on Seth and not nearly as much on Aiden, depending on whose team you are on.

SOOOO much happens in this book.  To say its a "rollercoaster" would be an understatement, because it would have to be the most epic, insane, rollercoaster from hell to even come close.  I think I cycled through every single emotion I can fathom while reading this book.  When I say "cycled" I mean, cycled through repeatedly.  It was like a washing machine full of emotion and it hit the spin cycle a lot.  It was insane.  I almost went insane.  True story.

Before you can even finish the first chapter you find out that daimons are attacking The Covenant.  THE COVENANT!  So you already know JLA is not going to play around in this book.  She's jumping right in with the "OH SHIT" moments.

Of course, as a result of the daimon attack, the God's get all pissy and send the Furies (as statues... for now) to stand guard.  Of course, if things don't get brought under control ASAP, the Furies will break free from their statues and start tearing shit apart.  They apparently don't have a lot of discretion when it comes to ripping shit either.  Daimon, Half-Blood, Apollyon... whatever.  It just gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside knowing they are sharpening their claws awaiting the orders to start ripping off limbs.

Then there is the trip to the zoo.  OMG! THE TRIP TO THE ZOO!!!!

With all of the insanity going on at The Covenant, Aiden decides that Alex needs a day to just be normal, and takes her on a surprise trip to the zoo.  *swoon*  The whole trip is full of flirtation and sexual tension and that "OH MY GOD JUST GET WITH HIM ALREADY" anxiety.

They go to leave, and FINALLY, the moment you've been waiting for....

THEY FINALLY KISS!!!!!!!!!

And then Alex tells Aiden that she loves him and he freaks out, and you go from complete euphoria to utter heartbreak instantly.

It was SOUL CRUSHING!  I almost, accidentally, killed my Kindle at this point.  I literally went "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!?!" and THREW my Kindle across the couch.  It then bounced off the couch and onto the floor.  Panic ensued and I damn near killed myself scrambling off the couch to pick it up and see what the damage was.  Luckily there was none, so I continued reading like the book was some sort of crack for my eyeballs.

Since Aiden is being all "I can't love you, you can't love me, we need to stay away from each other" about things, Alex starts spending lots and lots of time with Seth.  I think, beyond any doubt, my favorite line of the whole book is when Seth and Alex sit down to watch Twilight and she ask him if he's on Team Edward and he responds:

“No. I’m Team James or Team Tyler’s Van, but apparently neither of them won by the look of it. She’s still alive.”

WOOT!

In fact, that was probably the point where I decided Seth could stay.  I was that amused.


So, before I could even manage to stop snickering over how awesome TEAM TYLER'S VAN was and all that jazz we get to that ugly little scene where Alex and Caleb sneak out past curfew to steal drinks.  Because, who needs rules.  It's Alex.   She'll do what she wants.

And of course it all goes horribly wrong, they run into Lea, get attacked by a daimons, and CALEB FREAKING DIES!!!  All over a few cans of soda.  SODA!  I was so sad and angry over the whole thing.  I was sad because I totally love Caleb, and I knew that it KILLED Alex.  Yet, I was so pissed at them for going out in the first place.  It was just AUGH!

Anyway, we finally get past all the sad funeral stuff and they head off to New York Covenant to do their thing there.  So much has happened already and my head is still spinning that I'm totally not prepared for all the drama that goes on in New York.  

I KNEW that the drama was coming.  I've read enough of JLA's books to KNOW the crazy doesn't stop here.  

So first, someone puts a compulsion on Alex that causes her to believe the best place for a nap would be outside in the freezing cold wearing practically nothing.  It ALMOST works.  Great... so now we have a crazy person trying to kill Alex by way of compulsion.  Lovely. 

When that fails they get a little more creative.  

Now, I KNOW that the whole Aphrodesian Brew thing is not good.  HOWEVER, I could not stop laughing throughout the entire scene.  I really like Alex under the influence.  

She's amusing as hell!  Poor Seth though.  He was TRYING SO HARD to be good, and yet Aiden still kicks his ass!  I literally had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard, and my sides hurt for a week.  I mean, c'mon.  She told Aiden she wanted to marry Seth's bed....

Of course, then JLA has to end the book with something crazy.  So what does she do?  She has the Furies attack.  Furies are f'in creepy btw.  I had like Furie nightmares for a week.  I thought I was going to need therapy.  Thank you JLA.  

She doesn't stop there though.  Not only do the Furies attack, but during the attack Alex kills a Pure (oops) and Aiden puts a compulsion on the Pure witnesses to keep them quite.  

You have no idea how bad I freaked out at the end of this book.  I seriously walked around like a drug addict without a fix for like a week.  

I obviously did survive until the next book (barely), and I'm onto freaking out over the last book.  I'm so torn over it though.  It's bittersweet.  The entire Covenant series has been phenomenal and although I want to have all the answers, I really don't want it to end.  

However, it's been really fun going through and reminiscing over the last few books as we approach the release date for Sentinel, and I'm honored to be a part of it.  

We will be eagerly swiping up our copy of Sentinel on November 2nd, and I hope that all of you will be as well! 

GET EXCITED!  

and maybe a little bit depressed... 

Giveaway:

Spencer Hill Press is giving away a $200 gift card to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository or any indie bookstore of the winner's choice to not only stock up on amazing books, but to perhaps buy a Nook HD or Kindle Fire.

a Rafflecopter giveaway