Review: The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski

Goodreads Summary:

Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But Conn’s interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won’t soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense.  

Publication Date: October 16, 2012

I liked many of the aspects found in The Shadow Society including a unique world and interesting characters. I liked how the author used a parallel dimension and an existence of creatures known as shades to create a unique story.

The beginning and the final chapters had the best pacing. Some of the middle dragged a little as Darcy and Conn’s romance develops. I liked that it wasn’t an insta-love connection between the two of them, but after a betrayal occurs, I found it hard to root for them as a couple.

I liked the concept of the parallel dimensions and how the Great Chicago Fire caused a split between the two worlds. The shades were cool creatures as well, but I wished they were more fully developed. There wasn’t an explanation on how they came to exist or how their powers worked. For instance, the characters state that their bodies ceased to exist, but I couldn’t understand how Darcy could hear, see and speak while in the form. The Shadow Society is one of those stories where you just have to go with it and ignore logic.

Darcy was a great protagonist. I liked the complexity of her character and how she could be equal parts tough and vulnerable. Her relationships with her friends and foster mother were also touching. I would’ve liked to see more of these characters in the story.

Conn was a confusing character and I think the author purposely made it hard to get a read on him. I understood some of his motivations, but some of his other actions felt forced. Another romantic interest is thrown into the mix, but didn’t really serve much to the overall storyline.

I enjoyed The Shadow Society more than I expected. I believe this is a standalone, but there is certain room for additional stories about the shades and Darcy.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel for review! 

Review: Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Goodreads Summary:

Inhale. Exhale.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe . . .
The world is dead.
The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

Alina
has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinn
should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Bea
wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

Breathe was literally like a breath of fresh air. I’ve felt like I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut lately and this novel inspired me again. I loved everything about it: the characters, suspense and the romance.

I was intrigued by the concept behind the book. People must now rely on a corporation for their supply of oxygen. The rest of the world is a wasteland and populations now exist inside domes. Although not a huge amount of background was given on what led to this occurrence, the ideas were compelling. I loved the conspiracy angle of the plot too and the book had a few twists I didn’t see coming.

Each chapter is told in alternating point of views—switching between Bea, Quinn and Alina. This can be off-putting in some novels, but it worked in Breathe. I fell in love with these characters. I admired Alina’s strength, Bea’s compassion and Quinn’s resilience. To say I loved the romance is an understatement. It was sweet and slow-building.

The pacing was well done and the book had plenty of gripping scenes. I loved that there was no clear heroes and villains either. Although the Resistance is trying to return the world to its former state, their methods aren’t always savory. The climax was gut-wrenching and a perfect setup for the next book.

I can’t wait for the sequel! The author is definitely one to watch.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book for review!  

Review: Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout

Goodreads Summary:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Publication Date: August 14, 2012
 
I was so excited to read this book that I almost didn’t want to finish it because then I would have to wait until the next one came out. The series is that good! Daemon and Katy have probably the best chemistry I’ve ever witnessed in any YA series.

As human girl Katy fights her attraction to alien Daemon, I found myself wanting to jump into the book and shake some sense into the girl. I get the reasoning behind some of her god-awful decisions in the first half of the book, but I still don’t get why she continued to see Blake. I thought she should have realized earlier on how much trouble would come from her friendship with him and how it hurt her relationships with Daemon and Dee.

Once I reached the mid-point of the book, I could not put it down! The action picked up and Katy stopped being such a head case over her connection to Daemon. A few twists surprised me and it was interesting to see some of the characters only mentioned in Obsidian make an appearance. The ending was equal parts hopeful and heartbreaking. It would be really nice to see everything work out for Katy and the Black family.

On to Daemon. Sigh. Armentrout should publish a book simply consisting of his quotes. They made me giggle at times and swoon at others. He is the ultimate book crush.

I ended up with a 4.5 rating. The first half of the book was four stars for me and then the second half boosted to a 5 star rating. Katy finally came into her own and became less angsty. I don’t know if I loved it as much as Obsidian, but I am definitely eagerly awaiting the third installment!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter Review

I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley on behalf of the publisher (and no I did not receive a Porsche for my review).

Goodreads Synopsis:

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimee Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.

Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness...

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal...

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another...

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others-but never knew true loss before...

Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope...

Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.

Am I the only one who has mixed feelings about these in-between stories? I've read a few where I've been like the WTH was the point of that? The good thing about The Goddess Legacy is this doesn't seem like the case where the publisher is trying to charge some poor slouch eight bucks to read some short story that should have been given for free as a bonus chapter in the ebook. Since The Goddess Legacy is five novellas, it reads like a completed novel.

What I Liked: I breezed through this book in only a couple of sittings. I had doubts about my interest in the back story of the gods and goddesses, but this book explained a lot in regards to many of the plot points that occur in the previous novels. Since each novella was told in first person POV, you really felt like you understood the motivations behind each of the character's actions. My favorite of the novellas was of course Henry's at the end (albeit way too short). He's such a mysterious character in the novels, it was wonderful to be inside his head and understand his despair over his existence.

What I Didn't Like: The gods and goddesses are AWFUL. I mean like downright despicable that you find it hard to like them in the least. I'm not sure if the stories are intended to create sympathy for their characters, but it had the opposite effect on me. Most of them came off as egotistical and selfish a-holes. Calliope/Hera and Persephone were especially nonredeemable. James/Hermes story made him more likable in a way, but still didn't erase his previous transgressions against Henry. And you know I heart Henry/Hades, but even his behavior at times while married to Persephone made me want to reach through the pages and shake some sense into his immortal brain.

Rating: Four out of five stars