A little chill in the heat of summer: Frostbitten by Heather Beck

                Happy Friday everyone!  I was contacted a few weeks back about a new series, one I had not heard of at the time, and provided a copy for an honest review.  Frostbitten by Heather Beck is this book.  I was able to dive right into it and really enjoyed it, and planned to get this up a bit sooner but had baby showers and cakes to do and got a bit off track.  See they are not the best but I’m only just starting to work on decorating skills, not a fan of fondant (at this moment it’s almost as evil as chickens towards me).  But now that things have calmed down and I can collect my thoughts I am so happy to share my thoughts of this book with you all.

                The story of Frostbitten is one of great beauty hiding dark secrets.  Our main character, Anastasia Lockhart, is a 17 year old who has been sent to live with her grandparents in a small town of Cedar Falls where her mother grew up and has never returned to.  Not much has changed over the years accept she meets a mysterious, and of course handsome boy named Frost.  She’s warned away from him by everyone including her family but she can’t deny the attraction and the way she feels around him.  She is trying to start over and not be the disorderly girl who was getting into trouble and spiraling downward.  That alone sounded like good meat for a story, boy and girl told to stay away, but Frost also has a secret and one that is far past all of her wildest imaginations.  She finds herself in the middle of a supernatural legend and one that has been part of the towns’ history for years. 

Amazon

                Let me first say the cover itself drew me in.  A beautiful girl in a pretty flowy dress in a snow covered forest with a beautiful white wolf.  Keep in mind I’m in South Georgia and it’s in the high 90’s to the low 100’s here this time of year before humidity and I haven’t seen snow in about 18 years.  I live vicariously through my characters that get to experience not just the story and feels but cooler climates.  Plus I love wolves, so majestic, graceful, and simply beautiful; so points for that.  It is one that gives you enough hints and ideas about the story to be useful but not give anything away.

                I was pretty quick to get into the story and become invested in the characters.  Anastasia is a girl who is deal with some issues and trying to fit in and start over but is having trouble letting go and it is made harder by her peers. It's easy to see the conundrum she's in and you want to know what's happening to her during it.  Frost, yes his name is a bit different but I dig it and after I learned how he got his name, yes there's a reason other than being memorable, it made it even better.  He is both shy and confident and he has his own secrets he's dealing with but also trying to make the most of what he’s been dealt. 

Not related but I mentioned
my baking/decorating attempts
so these were the results.

                One thing with many books in this genre that seems to put some people off is the romance or connection between characters coming too quickly and seeming unfounded or rushed.  While Anastasia and Frost have a connection it was built up more solidly than many I see.  Who isn't going to be interested in a handsome boy who she's told to stay away from?  They meet quickly and have a connection but builds easily from there at a pace I found enjoyable.  There are more relationships in the series as well with family, friends, and members of the small town.  There is a small town vibe where everyone knows everything about you and your family and pretty much have their mind made up about you before they meet you.  Been there, done that, so it rang true.  Oh and I have to mention Chloe, a childhood friend, who picks up like old times.  People change over time and sometimes we lose our friendships but sometimes, those ones we forge live on forever even through time and distance and Chloe could easily be one of my close friends. 

                Well if it hasn’t been clear I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read the next one.  Yes more waiting, but it leaves you at a point where there is clearly more story to tell and I can’t wait.  So tell me what you think?  Have you read it?  Do you want to read it?  Share your thoughts below please I want to know what you have to say.  Also, a big thank you again to this sweet and funny author, Heather Beck, who brought this book to my attention.

Nine By Night: A kick bottom box set of magic and supernatural

The cover for the set

                This is a collection by various authors that have a bit of something for everyone; and currently on sale for .99 cents.  That's an amazing price for so many books.  There are 9 books in the Nine By Night set and I only just got it as an ARC a week ago and have only had the pleasure of reading 2 books in the set thus far, Witch Hunt by SM Reine and Rook:  Allie's War Episodes 1-4 by JC Andrijeski.   Additionally in the set  and working my way through are Torrent by Lindsay Buroker, Death's Servant by CJ Ellisson, Spark by Anthea Sharp, Death Times Two by Boone Brux & CJ Ellison, Arcadia's Gift by Jesi Lea Ryan, Justice Calling by Annie Bellet, and Wild Night Road by Kara Legend.

                Now as I went through and looked before starting my reading, because I'm OCD like that, Torrent, Spark, Justice Calling, Acadia's Gift, and Death's Servant are all first books in a their respective series and Death Time Two is showing as book 3 in the series with Death's Servant.  I know I like to read things in order and I figure I can't be the only one so I figured I would help you along there.  This set is easily described:  Nine books.  Nine bestselling authors.  Nine heroines that take names and chances while confronting dark foes, whether by force of arms or magic, that threaten their entire world.  Over two thousand pages of epic reading awaits!  Let the adventures begin.

                I previously reviewed Rook:  Allie's War Episodes 1-4 here, and have enjoyed the whole series up to the latest (and only episode I've had to wait for), Episode 32; episode 1 of 5 I believe in the Prophet book.  I'm currently working on it, as I mentioned I had to wait after I caught up with all of them.  And something else that dragged me away but I'll be doing a post about that here in the next week I hope.  Right now I want to talk about this set and how it has added more books to my TBR list.  Not just these books, but the other books in the series.  I already have the next 2 books in the Preternatural Affairs series because I enjoyed Witch Hunt so much. 

All the individual covers (Found Wild Night Road thanks to JC Andrijeski)  
                Anyways I wanted to share the news about the kick butt set as I keep reading through.  I hope you can take a few minutes to check it out and discover some new authors as I have.  Tell me your thoughts on the set, the different series, authors, or whatever in the comments below.  More reviews to follow, I've been doing a ton of reading.

Doppelganger by Milda Harris

                I have been reading up a storm this month and loving it.  No dent in the TBR list really as I added about 3 for every book 1 finished.  A solid point for the, pro eternal life, debate I always hear coming up.  One of the books I read recently was Doppelganger by Milda Harris thanks to NetGalley.  I first clicked on this title because, I admit the idea of doppelgangers intrigues me; and the cover reminded me of something from my past and to even now it drives me crazy that I am unable to figure out what that something is.  I’ll remember it at the most random time and shout it out for whoever is in the vicinity to look at me like I’ve lost my mind.  Either way I was excited to receive this book for an honest review. 

                This book is not a brand new release.  Which is great for me because that meant book 2, aptly named Doppelganger 2, was already out.  So I really read both books before I could review.  I had to know what happened next.  Though that simply means I am now waiting for book 3.  I’m focusing my review on book 1 so don’t worry about spoilers.  I read through it pretty quickly, the premise is that of a girl, named Citrus, starting out a normal day, all be is a bit badly as she is running late for school.  She has a run in with her least favorite person and then shows up unprepared for a test only to see herself through the door already taking the test.  Trippy.  Is this a dream?  Is she crazy?   Is it an alien invasion?  As she struggles to cope and figure this mess out she finds someone else out in the hall who happens to also be taking a test inside, a guy she happens to have a huge crush on, Aedan.

                 

                The idea of the book sounded pretty good and the story moved along well enough.  They say everyone has a twin somewhere in the world.  What would you do if you ran into your doppelganger?  Once I got over the name of the lead character, I give a lot of leeway with names but that was a new one.  There was also another character constantly calling her Orange instead.  It was a bit of a strange name in a present day non-dystopian novel, to wrap my head around but after the first few chapters it just blended in.  She was a bit of a spaz too, which at times could be a bit repetitive but she’s a high school girl who is trying to deal with this supernatural mystery that took over her life and with her teenage girl crush issues.  It made me laugh how she is able to realize her train of thought drifts on occasion and how with everything going on thinking about the cute boy beside her should not even be on her mind; which made it enduring.  Honestly, I’m not sure my mind wouldn’t wonder in that mess; a way to think about something less freaky and more normal.  Because let’s face it in high school what could be more normal than dealing with a crush.

 

                If you found out a doppelganger had taken over your life and at least a handful of others, what would you do?  Confront them?  Run?  I can’t say too much more about the plot without giving away the story.  I can say that I think the author did a good job at weaving in fear, the mystery, and the unknown nicely to keep the reader engaged in the story and what happens to the characters.  Clearly I enjoyed the book if as soon as I finished it I went to Amazon and bought book 2 to keep reading right away.  I give it a solid 4 Stars and look forward to book 3.

Finally!!!! Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

                We’ve all been there.  The end of a series we love and the author saying that is the end.  No more.  We’re happy to have the books the books we got but still, as with anything good, we would always like more.  That was The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy for me.  I may be more emotionally attached to these books because I fell in love with Sam and Grace’s story in Shiver when I first started reading for pleasure again.  Over the years as the other two books, Linger and Forever, came out I grew to enjoy not only them but I grew rather attached to Cole and Isabel.  I always felt their story left so much open at the end and I wanted more but was left to use my own imagination.  Then I heard the news that there was going to be a companion novel following Cole St. Clair.  I did my happy squeal of delight that scared my cat, apparently the pitch is rather high, and marked it in my calendar on my phone to start my count down.

 

See my special copy :) Yes I'm
showing it off!

                I re-read Forever to get ready for it.  It came out July 1^st but as I pre-ordered my physical copy so I could have the special additional dust jacket Maggie was kind enough and artistically inclined to draw as well as get my copy signed, I am very proud of it, I had to wait a few extra days to get it.  I received it July 3^rd and had to restrain myself not to start it that night.  See I had to work at 7:45am the next morning and I knew if I started it I wouldn’t stop to sleep.  Plus I was warned the day would be dead so I should be prepared to keep myself entertained.  That is easy enough for me.  Sinner kept me entertained.  I read through work, minus taking time to take a small test I was required to take for my job that took about an hour and a half I read the whole time.  I was so excited to have Cole and Isabel back in my life. 

               

The Wolves of Mercy Falls (new cover design)

                I reviewed the trilogy as a whole back when I first started my blog here.  I am not a spoiler-y type of person so I’ll keep this as spoiler free as possible.  If you haven’t read the original trilogy you will probably be a bit confused and there will be spoilers for those, so be warned. Now this story does have the supernatural element of wolves but it is more of a contemporary story in a whole.  Sinner takes place some months after Forever where Isabel was being moved to LA and she told Cole, when he called to say he wasn’t dead, not to lose her number.  Cole is in LA to record a new album and to do that he signed on to do a reality TV show known for getting people to drop to their lowest levels.  And he is there to see Isabel. 

                We see this story from both Cole and Isabels’ POV.  We were in their heads in the other books sure, but this is only about them.  Sam and Grace do make somewhat of an appearance which was a nice homage to where this all started but it is completely about Cole and Isabel.  They are both screwed up.  They each have their own inner demons to deal with and they can bring out the worst and the best in each other when together.  Isabel the ice queen who doesn’t let anything get through her protective shell and who certainly doesn’t believe in love or happily ever after.  And this wars with the way a certain guy makes her feel despite her best efforts not to.  Cole on the other hand is struggling with who he is and the mistakes of his past.  Can he change the destructive parts of him and keep who he is or is he doomed to spiral out? 

Pretty cover Maggie drew! 

There are no cute and fluffy moments with these two, not traditionally at least, but there are scenes that for them are cute and fluffy.  They don’t have the relationship that Sam and Grace had that if they had each other and love that is all that mattered and they could make it through the hard times.  They are different people and that isn’t who they are.  Isabel doesn’t want to let Cole in again and risk getting hurt all over.  She has enough going on in her life and is unsure if she even believes in the concept of happiness and trust.  Cole doesn’t make it easy because he is so rash and frenetic, which is part of what makes him so much fun to read, and that overshadows his deeper self sometimes.

Overall I have to say I love this book just as much as the others if not more.  I readily give this book 5 Pairs of Leggings.  I can’t praise this book enough and I was not disappointed at all.  So share your thoughts below.  What do you think of the companion novel or the original trilogy itself?  Tell me what you think, I really want to know what everyone who takes the time to read my reviews thinks.  I want interaction so we can discuss!

Divine Vices by Melissa Parkin

                I'm back again with my thoughts on another book.  Divine Vices by Melissa Parkin was not originally on my TBR list, not because it didn’t sound interesting or anything but I had never heard of it.  There are so many great books out there that are not huge releases and as such may get overlooked.  I'm glad I was contacted about this book and able to check it out because I really enjoyed it.

                The story is a thriller/mystery/suspense type that follows around high school junior Cassie Foster.  She has been in New Haven, Maine for the last seven months and is still the new girl and is happy in her life with her best friends Gwen and Ian.  She is taking everything well and trying to be normal, well as normal as one can be in high school.  Then comes the new guy, Jackson, who takes over the new kid role.  He is sexy, arrogant, sarcastic, and cocky which is not her type at all.  When they get thrown together and their bond intensifies it is hard to ignore even with the craziness that is happening in town.  The unexplainable events, a string of disappearances, and cult related murder, lead to many questions and coincidence of timing with Jacksons arrival in town and mysterious past.

                This book was very interesting and I like the cloak and dagger of it all.  One thing I find amazing is that it was listed as having a paranormal/supernatural/fantasy aspect to it but I forgot all about that as I read.  It wasn't until the last part of the book when I was on the edge of my seat trying to fight the rational part of my brain that said I needed to sleep before work the next day that it came about.  That can work for those who are just starting to get into a supernatural type of story.  I've had people ask me about books that I think they would enjoy but without too much 'way out there fantasy'.  Finding those based more in reality with a slight twist is always a good place to begin and dip your feet in.  And this one fits the bill because I believe it can be easily enjoyed by anyone. 

                Cassie is a girl who is trying to get over a tragedy.  She has found comfort in two friends and she just wants to finish high school and have as normal an experience as possible.  Her attraction to the new guy is a whole other story, she doesn't want to like him.  She battles with herself constantly.  She doesn't want to like him and she wants to strangle him sometimes but then as things happen her views shift but she still doesn't know what to rust.  And as she starts to open up and trust, he becomes her best friends prime suspect given his questionable past.

                The best friends Gwen and Ian are also very relatable.  They are people I remember going to high school with.  I think everyone knew that one people who knew everything.  The person that could tell you what was happening with everyone in school and even the news around town because they had the hook up.  If you wanted info you went to them to get it.  And the eccentric person who dressed to their own beat and seemed a bit out there and even took pride in being the different one.  I admit I was not that person.  I'm all about comfort and common sense.  I'm clumsy and trip on flat surfaces unhindered and I'm 5'7.  I don’t need to wear 4-6 inch heels every day.  That is a safety hazard.  Do I own them and like to dress up on occasion where I might care more about the outfit than my 100% comfort?  Yes.  I was friends with people at school who dressed like that though and I admired their courage to wear it when I knew others would joke about it. 

 

                The mystery of Jackson and what is happening around school all flows together seamlessly.  It' impossible not to question it and get caught up in the mystery even when it scares you.    Can you figure out what is going on before the characters do?  Is it going to work out the way you think?  I admit I didn’t get this one figured out, which is pretty big for me.  I normally have it all clued in before the first half.  So enjoy the mystery and see if you're smarter than the characters.

                I don’t want to give too much of the story away so I think I will close it up saying simply that I give this book 5 Stars.  Once I started I didn’t want to stop.  And it stops at a very unfriendly place let me warn you.  I almost dropped my poor kindle trying to make more appear but it said book complete at the bottom and that was it for now.  I am eager to read book 2 and see where the story goes and will make an update when I learn anything about the next book.

The Fault in Our Stars Book and Movie

                Hello everyone.  First I have to say my new job is amazing!  I love it and I have a good chunk of it that allows me to read depending on what is going on that day which is amazing.  I have plenty of time to read and sometimes lose track of time and forget to do the reviewing part ready to dive into the next book.  However, I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green about a week and a half ago and just saw the movie so I think I could put them together for you wonderful readers.

                Normally I try to think of movies based off books as a separate thing so I don’t get too upset when things are changed or left out.  Though this one managed to stay pretty darn close to the book and I feel I can mix them.  The book was one I had heard many things about, more so as the movie got closer to release, but I was unsure knowing it was to be a tear jerker.  But the book club my friends and I are attempting to start picked this for the first book and I wanted to read it before the movie.  It’s the story of Hazel Grace, a 17 year old girl who is living with her terminal cancer diagnosis.  She is witty and pretty straight forward and not into the whole rainbows and unicorns aspect of it.  She pretty much lives for her parents who love her, and that is why she allows them to talk her into a support group.  At the group she meets a handsome Augustus Waters and her story as she pictured it changes.

                I won’t lie it’s a sad story.  I managed to make it through the book without crying.  A feat accomplished only because when it got sad I’d put it down for a few minutes and do something else and come back 10 minutes later and start fresh again.  The movie…not so much you watch that from start to finish no stops and no breaks to compose yourself.  I cried my eyeballs out.  With that said have tissues handy. 

On that note I also have to mention that I’ve heard a handful of people ask why people would see a movie that seems depressing.  Yes it’s sad.  A story about people with terminal diseases, but it’s not depressing.  It’s an uplifting story and something that is all too real in our world.  It has a beautiful story that has romance and the right level of adorableness in it to soften the punch to the face sad stuff.  With that the movie captured the books essence wonderfully.  Yes they left out a few little side things that were inconsequential like a somewhat friend from Hazel’s time in school and the specifics of the machines and such.  Yes the book goes more in depth, as they all do, as the motives behind the characters particular the narrators. 

Basically I really enjoyed the book and the movie and I highly recommend them.  It was a nice contemporary break in my sci-fi/fantasy world.  It was refreshing and full of great moments that make reading such a beautiful release.  I applaud John Green and the actors who brought these characters to life on the big screen so vividly that it made me really feel.  That to me is what makes a great book and movie.  I give this book 5 Unlit Cigarettes.

The Culling by J.C. Andrijeski

                Hello again!  It's a bit later than intended but I had a bit of a power issue before work due to the storm and no power means no internet.  Anyways I'm back today with a review for The Culling by J.C. Andrijeski thanks to NetGalley.  Now this book is not an ARC it is a re-release and the next two books in the series are already out. 

                This is about 19 year old Jet, a skag, a human living free on Earth.  Yes Earth was taken over by an invasion of creatures called Nirreth and they allow humans to live in their cities but they are slaves so to be free you are always on the lookout.  Being outside the cities of the Nirreth is dangerous, not just awaiting capture by the culler ships but the Earth is not the same and resources are hard to find and so many things are toxic.  Jet is out trying to barter supplies when the unthinkable happens, she is taken by the culler ship.  No one knows what happens when you are taken, just that no one ever returns. 

               

                This story was pretty short and was a quick read.  I finished it in one sitting.  It was an interesting concept and let's face it a bad ass looking chick on the cover with a samurai sword looked pretty cool.  I had a flash of Walking Dead for a minute.  Then add in aliens and the makings for a good invasion/fight back story and I'm all for it. 

                You dive right into the world and you see what it has become and honestly it’s a future that is pretty bleak but still you see it from Jet's perspective and despite everything she is free and that is all that matters.  She is a good mix of strong, stubborn, and witty but she also has her moments which may cause more trouble down the line.  She is forced to confront her ideas and really lack of knowledge of the Nirreth and their ways in this new life of hers.  Also it brings up some interesting ideas, if you could be drugged into being compliant/numb would that be better to blindly serve or would you rather be aware of the servitude that you found yourself in?

                 This is a quick sci-fi/dystopian read to lose yourself in for a little while.  I give it a solid 4 swords.  As I mentioned this is a re-release and the next two books in the series, The Royals and The New Order are already on sale and I look forward to reading them and figuring out what happens to Jet next.  How she adapts to being a slave.  As a note I see that the books have two different series titles "Slave Girl Chronicles" and "Alien Apocalypse" but they are all the same, I believe the series name was changing, but rest assured it's the same series.