The Problem with Forever

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The Problem with Forever by Jennifer Armentrout pulled me in from page one!  This complex book tells about the present situation of two previously abused teenagers and the protective relationship between the two of them. Mallory and Rider have known each other since they were small and living together in a foster home.  By page thirty-nine, the amazing way that Rider took care of Mallory when they were younger got to me and I began all-out crying because it was so touching.  The Problem with Forever deals with some tough issues and the author handles these issues with dignity and kindness.  After reading this story, I felt inspired and like my soul had been lightened.  It’s like therapy!

This is the first book of Jennifer Armentrout’s that I have read, but it will not be the last!  I am very impressed with her writing and I have a feeling that this realistic fiction book will stick with me for a very long time.

 

What I Read for National Readathon 2016

Posted on by lynndellwatson

I thoroughly enjoyed Saturday, May 21st, which was this year’s National Readathon Day.  Besides taking care of my home and family, I dove into the following books:

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer Armentrout 29962853-_uy200_  ;

Saving April by Sarah A. Denzil  project_cover_image_2-_sx800_ ;

and two books by Katie Finn – Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold   22019274  and Hearts, Fingers, and  Other Things to Cross  512x2bgbmyll-_sy344_bo1204203200_  .   Reviews to follow!

Dead of Winter

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The Dead of Winter, by Kresley Cole, left me hanging and in anxious anticipation of the fourth book in The Arcana Chronicles! The book begins with Evie leaving Death (Aric) to save Jack from the torturous twins. She makes more allies and, eventually, Death visits their camp. Together they are able to rescue Jack after some intense action and cooperation. The twins have taken Selena, the Archer, and Evie, Jack and Death work together to try to save her from the sadistic and twisted twins. Evie finally makes a choice between Death and Jack before an attack occurs and the book ends with no publication date specified for the fourth book-AAAHHH!

I absolutely love the variety of languages, the humor, the dynamics of the characters and the amount of complexity of each character – a perfect amount – and the fact that no character in this series is static!

Going Down in Flames

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Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ebook of Going Down in Flames by Chris Cannon! Going Down in Flames is the first book in a trilogy about dragons. Bryn discovers that she is a dragon on her sixteenth birthday and, if that’s not enough, she is told by her parents that she will be shunned by other dragons because they cross-bred. Bryn’s father is a Red Dragon and her mother is a Blue Dragon. This makes Bryn a mix. Cross marriages are forbidden, so when her parents fell in love with each other, they ran away from dragon society because they felt as though they had no other choice. Bryn is forced by the Directorate (the governing organization of Dragon society) to attend dragon school and is placed in the Green Dragon dorms in exchange for letting them “study’ her scientifically. Bryn’s life is threatened more than once, conspiracies fly and new acquaintances are made and friendships are built. Going Down in Flames is a fun beginning to a series with a lot of potential!

Endless Knight

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I am loving the Arcana Chronicles series! The second book, Endless Knight, begins right where Poison Princess left off – when Evie transformed into the Empress to save her life through self-defense and Jackson saw her with all of her powers. Jackson states that he doesn’t want to be with the Arcana; he says they aren’t right. Evie, Selena, Finn and Matthew continue to meet more Arcana and make truces with some. Jack and Evie work through their differences and overcome their problems. Death kidnaps Evie and stunts her powers. The more she gets to know death, the more she understands him and cares for him. Then Matthew tells Evie that Jack has been captured by twin Arcana who enjoy torturing their victims, so now Evie must choose between Jack or Death. Wow! I love this book and I am excited to continue reading with the third book, Dead of Winter. Great characters, interesting surroundings, lots of action and adventure, dynamic relationships and romance make this a fun series to read!

The Last Boy and Girl in the World

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc of The Last Boy and Girl in the World. This story revolves around the analysis of Keeley and her relationship with those around her just as much as it deals with the man-made and natural disasters of her town. This intriguing balance kept my interest because the characters were dealing with more than just their own relationships. They were all trying to decide whether to evacuate or stay in the small town that was becoming more flooded by the day. Keeley learns a lot about herself along the way and she loses friends and gains others. She also matures, even though it is a huge struggle for her. The community emergency brings out the best and worst in the town’s residents and also brings to light people’s true characters. A realistic fiction book that will make readers smile and cringe and will ultimately pull on their heartstrings.

The Crown

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The Crown by Kiera Cass is actually better than I expected it to be. The end to the popular Selection series, The Crown contains resolution and hope for a better future for the kingdom. Eadlyn learns who she can and cannot trust and discovers some family secrets along the way. Some predictability, but a fun book nevertheless.

Poison Princess

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Poison Princess by Kresley Cole is the start of an amazing series. This book contains many genres, such as dystopian, supernatural, romance, adventure, mythology and fantasy. Poison Princess immediately intrigued me with the feeling of doom in the first chapter. I was pulled into the story because it is interesting in so many ways; the Louisiana culture and language and the fantastical and mythological pull around Evie. I love the Cajun vocabulary lessons and culture and I think I felt at home with it because I lived in Louisiana during an impressionable age while growing up. I lived in several areas of Louisiana between the ages of nine and twelve. The Cajun references made me smile and sometimes cringe because they were spot on.

The author changes the point of view from Evie to the kidnapper for the prologue and one other chapter. This strategic writing gives readers insight into the enemy’s world. Clever, Kresley Cole! There is a bit of swearing and sexual innuendo that I will warn students about, but I absolutely love this book with its dynamic characters and I plan on reading it again and finishing the Arcana Chronicles series as soon as possible.

Gena/Finn

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Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the arc of Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz! This story is set up in snippets of text, dialogue from letters, online conversations and journal format, which made it difficult to get into. I think that was because I received the arc on a download for my laptop. I think the actual physical book would be easier to become involved in. I struggled with reading it because of the text inconsistency breaking my concentration also. Once I got passed these issues, I found a good story underneath it all. My favorite character is Charlie; I think he’s wonderful. The book is about a complicated relationship that began online and becomes something more and my rating is actually 3.5 stars.

Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend

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Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn begins with Gemma and the explanation of how she came to be Teddy’s girlfriend, then his ex-girlfriend. To overcome her sadness over the breakup, Gemma gets a hair makeover, courtesy of her friend Sophie, and goes to stay with her father in the Hamptons. Gemma goes through a case of mistaken identity because of her hair change and the fact that she hasn’t seen some of these people in five years. She tries to tell them that she is Gemma, but they insist on calling her Sophie since she has her friend Sophie’s name written on her cup. The more I read, the more I enjoyed the story and characters and understood the struggle that Gemma was going through because of her guilt from causing the sabotage of her father’s relationship with another woman while her parents were separated and the frustration and concern of wanting to make things better. This book is thoroughly enjoyable with no swearing, clean romance and a bit of humor. The story doesn’t have complete resolution and will continue in the sequel, Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold.