Review: Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
Published by Simon Pulse 2007

There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.

It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

♥♥♥♥♥

Road trip? Yes, please! This was a fantastic read and it's definitely one of my new favourites. 

Jordan and Courtney were completely in love, and they had a great relationship. They're even going to the same college, and they're driving cross-country in Jordan's car together for orientation. Then, Jordan dumps Courtney for a girl he met on the internet. The break-up has taken a toll on Courtney, but the trip is still on. However, there's more to the break-up than Courtney thinks, and Jordan is keeping things from her.


The story is told within two time zones, Before and After, and it is told from the points of view of both Jordan and Courtney. I really liked this because you get to see the break-up from both sides, and you also get to see how Jordan and Courtney met, and how their relationship progressed until it catches up with the present.


Courtney was a believable character. She reacted to the break-up as practically any girl would, albeit she has some other odd ways of making herself feel better about it. I liked her because she was a nice girl, and a bit crazy. Jordan was ultimately a player. He liked going to parties and sleeping with girls. However, he was generally very sweet during his relationship with Courtney, and how much he cares for her shows in both the Before and After chapters. Then there's BJ, Jordan's best friend. He was ridiculously crazy and Jordan looked out for him to make sure things didn't get too out of hand, and I really liked their friendship. All the characters were fantastic, and there were many funny moments. 

The plot twist was great. I didn't expect what Jordan was actually keeping secret from Courtney, and I ended up really sympathising with him. I understood why he felt that he needed to keep the secret. Naturally, the secret comes out and this is the basis towards the end of the story. In the end, the ending was really well done. Overall, this was a great heartfelt story that I really liked.

4 stars


P.S. Sorry about the spacing, I keep trying to fix it but it's going nowhere!

Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa
Published by Mira Ink 2011

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

♥♥♥♥♥

The Iron Daughter was much better than The Iron King, although I still didn't feel fully connected. This is often the case with fantasy novels with me, but it was a great read nonetheless.

Meghan has now been imprisoned in the Winter realm for a while, after upholding her end of the bargain she made with Ash and coming back to the Winter Palace with him. However, the moment she was handed over to Queen Mab, Ash abandoned her and she hasn't seen him since. War is on the horizon between the realms of Summer and Winter, after the Sceptre of the Seasons is stolen. Only Meghan knows the true culprit: the Iron fey. However, no one but her and Ash have actually seen them before, and with no Ash to back her up, no one believes her. She also discovers that she can no longer use her powers for help, so what will she do?

Meghan is now trapped in the Winter Court without her powers for help and Ash has disappeared. Meghan is pretty much the same person, except now she's hiding out in her room and thinking and crying about Ash. I didn't really like her in the beginning. Ash does eventually appear, and quite frankly, he acted like an ass. I know he had his reasons and the love he has for Meghan does show through, but his icy persona switches on and off throughout the book.

When the Sceptre of the Seasons is stolen, Meghan puts herself on a mission to find and return it in order to restore balance. This adventure was much better than that in The Iron King, and I enjoyed it a lot more. There is a twist involving the return of one character who previously appeared in The Iron King and I liked how that turned out. The thing that I liked most about this book though was some of the new characters that were introduced. They were simply magical and I loved them all.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book much better than the first. It has a great new adventure with both the return of old characters and the arrival of new ones. I'll get round to The Iron Queen soon!

4 stars

Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano
Published by Harper Voyager 2012

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

♥♥♥♥♥

*WARNING: I cannot review this book without including spoilers from Wither. If you are planning to read Wither soon, it's best not to read this review.*

I loved Wither, and I was eagerly counting down the days until the release date. I defied my book ban (not that that was ever officially in place ;)) for it. If you loved Wither, you'll probably love Fever.

Fever picks up right from where Wither left off. Rhine and Gabriel have finally escaped the mansion and are setting off to return to Manhattan to find Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. The journey to freedom is not so easy however, and quickly Rhine and Gabriel are captured by a mad woman who runs a scarlet house in an abandoned circus. They encounter many evils in the real world but also manage to gain some friends and companions. They soon find out that Housemaster Vaughn is hot on their trail though, and they need to be careful.

When I first started reading Fever, the first sentence immediately caught my attention and I filed it away for future reference in my brain:

"We run, with water in our shoes and the smell of the ocean clinging to our frozen skin"

That line just really stuck with me, and from then on, I was hooked. The book dives right into Rhine and Gabriel's journey, and wastes no time bringing up a new situation. In this book, you really get to see more of the real world in the series, and what it's like. For me, the one word that comes to mind is: bleak. The world has become devastatingly desperate and broken, and that theme continues throughout the book. 

Rhine is as determined and strong as ever. She doesn't stop to relish in her freedom, and her mind is always at the task at hand. However, when things start to seriously get tough, the determination does waver. Who can blame her though? The situations she's put in do bring on a feeling of hopelessness. Gabriel is further developed as a character in this book, and we get to see how he adjusts to the outside world. The romance was also very sweet. The secondary characters were very good, albeit mostly creepy and just plain wrong. Now on to Vaughn. He's more of a threatening presence than an actual person/figure in the book; he's constantly in the background, waiting to pounce. This really adds to the sinister and creepy feeling of the book, and the characters never truly feel safe.

Things really start to pick up about three-quarters of the way into the book, and all the secrets come pouring out. I couldn't read it fast enough and the ending was very shocking. However, things overall were quite slow which means you might need a little bit of patience, but trust me, it's worth it. I can't wait to see what happens in book 3!

4 stars

Review: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover (Gallagher Girls #3) by Ally Carter

Published by Orchard 2009

When Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them. 

As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe? 

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth....

♥♥♥♥♥

I feel as if this one was a bit of a letdown after book 2 but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Overall, the series is going well so far and I'm liking it.

Near the end of summer vacation (or the summer holidays), Macey invites Cammie to see her in Boston, where she and her family are hard at work trying to get votes that will affect Macey's dad's career in the next election. Secret Service agents are all around them, protecting them, but Cammie and Macey soon find out that Macey is the centre of a kidnapping plot, and Cammie will do anything to keep Macey safe.

*WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS; IF YOU PLAN TO READ THIS SERIES PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW*

In this book, there is plenty of action, mystery and suspense (which just about killed me because Carter just kept keeping me on my toes). Sometimes I just couldn't turn the pages first enough. A new side of Macey was also seen in this book, which I liked because it's not a side she shows often, if ever. Zach is also back, along with his own bout of mysteriousness as he keeps popping up in various places, and throughout the book, I never really knew what he was doing or what his motives were (still not really clear) and he didn't reveal very much to be honest. Boy, is he elusive. Cammie stuck her nose in as usual (one of the many things I love about her besides her smartness and determination). Yet another new character makes an appearance as well: Cammie's aunt, Abby. Abby is assigned to be Macey's personal bodyguard after a rooftop attack on Cammie and Macey leave them both very injured. Abby was a great character; she was fun, experienced, which meant that she told a lot of spy stories and inside jokes, and she knew what she was talking about; she came off as a very confident character. The laughs were there, but ultimately this book had a more serious and heartfelt tone. We see how far Cammie, Bex and Liz will go to protect their friend, and how far Cammie's family would go to protect her. Also, Zach was a lot more serious (which means no kissing scenes, boo! Although, Cammie and Zach do come into close proximity at one point). The ending was explosive and I was not expecting it, but I'm lucky I had book 4 on hand otherwise I would've just about died if I couldn't read what was going to happen next. The only bad thing I would say about this book is that sometimes I felt as if some things went on longer than was necessary and I was begging for it to just get to the point. Overall, a book that was overflowing in mystery and secrets; a great read.

4 stars

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Published by Headline 2012

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

♥♥♥♥♥

I've been feeling the love for contemporary fiction lately, and this book was no different. First off, it's aeroplane love. Who's never dreamed of having that? Plus the sypnosis makes the book sound incredibly cute and interesting. 

Hadley misses her plane by 4 minutes. She has to get the next flight out to London but she might miss her dad's wedding the next morning, to a woman Hadley's never met. Luckily, she does manage to get a seat on the next flight out. While waiting to board, she meets Oliver, who just so happens is going to be sitting a seat away from her on the plane.

This book was adorable. The romance was light and heartfelt, with lots of humour. Hadley was a nice character despite being the typical cliche of a girl in young adult books - blonde hair and blue eyes (not that I have anything against that). I found her easy to sympathise with, and I liked the way she handled the different situations she was put in, along with how she handled certain feelings. Oliver was undoubtedly a charmer - he was smart, funny and good-looking. I was grinning while reading his and Hadley's interactions throughout the book. However, this book also had quite sad undertones. This did add to how heartfelt the book was in the end but I felt like it kind of ruined the book a bit for me. Hadley did have bitter feelings about the wedding and her father which were understandable and Oliver had feelings of his own, but once they became more prominent than Hadley and Oliver's story I found myself distancing from the book a bit. Nevertheless, the story was full of satisfying romance with lots of heartfelt moments and I definitely recommend it to you.

4 stars  

Review: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington
Published by Orchard 2011

I slowly opened my eyes. The sun speared its first bright rays of golden orange into the sky and I leapt from the cliff, with the sorrowful knowledge that no matter what the outcome, at least part of me would die that day...

Violet Eden is dreading her seventeenth birthday dinner. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. The one bright spot is that Lincoln will be there. Sexy, mature and aloof, he is Violet’s idea of perfection. But why does he seem so reluctant to be anything more than a friend?

After he gives her the world’s most incredible kiss – and then abandons her on her front doorstep – Violet is determined to get some answers. But nothing could have prepared her for Lincoln’s explanation: he is Grigori – part angel and part human – and Violet is his eternal partner.

Without warning, Violet’s world is turned upside down. She never believed in God, let alone angels. But there’s no denying the strange changes in her body ... and her feelings for Lincoln. Suddenly, she can’t stand to be around him. Luckily, Phoenix, an exiled angel, has come into her life. He’s intense and enigmatic, but at least he never lied to her.

As Violet gets caught up in an ancient battle between dark and light, she must choose her path. The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity...

♥♥♥♥♥

When I picked this up, I was immediately skeptical. I had seen and read far too many angel books last year and in my opinion, the subject of angels is wearing itself out; the same goes for werewolves and vampires. I asked myself, "Is there anything even remotely different that makes this stand out from the rest?" and there was, and there wasn't.

I'd seen the concept of Grigoris before in the first angel series I'd picked up: the Fallen series by Lauren Kate. I liked those well enough. There were all the usual Grigori elements in the story, and as usual there was a war going on that Violet was thrown into, along with a love triangle with two amazingly hot men. However, Shirvington did manage to throw her own ideas into the Grigori world and make the story unique to her, which I enjoyed because it made the concept a thousand times more interesting. Violet was... an iffy character in my opinion. At first, I found her relatable. She was in a love with a guy who thought her as nothing than a friend and she knew that Lincoln would never see her any other way. Then as the story went on and Phoenix was thrown into the mix, I found her kind of naive and blind. The fact that there was more to Phoenix, something sinister and dark, which she at first recognised but after several appearances and him catching her as she fell while rock climbing, she was ultimately won over. It just seemed slightly too easy for me. I was a bit frustrated with her also as she didn't really Lincoln much of a chance to explain why he had kept the huge secret from her; I understood where Lincoln was coming from and why he didn't tell her. I just thought she was being a bit childish. Violet does have redeeming qualities however.  She was selfless and strong at times, and slowly came to terms with the situation; she matured. Lincoln was a gorgeous character and I sympathised with him at times; he is ultimately the best guy for her in my opinion. Phoenix was a dark and conflicted character. I liked him though: he was there for Violet and ultimately great support. I was rooting for him and Violet to get together and they made a good couple. But like I said, I had suspicions. The events and plot of the book were very engaging and interesting; an enjoyable read. I'll be picking up the next in the series... Maybe I'm just too easy to win over.   

4 stars

Review: 0.4 by Mike Lancaster

0.4 by Mike Lancaster 
Published by Egmont 2011

It's a brave new world. 

'My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.' 

So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded onto old audiotapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax, but perhaps they contain the history of a past world....If what the tapes say is true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. 

And if everything we know is a lie, does that mean that we are, too?

♥♥♥♥♥

0.4 is quite a different read to anything I would normally read and is intriguing to say the least. I expected something completely different to what was dished out but it still made for a very enjoyable read. The novel's main character is Kyle Straker, and he has recorded his story onto a series of old tapes. From the very first page, I was kept on my toes and nothing happened the way I expected to, which I loved. I loved how real and normal Kyle was; not supernatural or arrogant or annoying, just ordinary, and that made him relatable in my point of view.  The novel starts off right before all the strange events in Kyle's story occur, so you're immediately thrown into the story. I also enjoyed the other main characters: Lilly, Mrs. O'Donnell and Mr. Peterson. However, Lilly and Mrs. O'Donnell did annoy me at times, mainly towards the middle and end of the novel because of their refusal to accept any of Kyle's theories and their attitude towards him. I had initially thought that Mr, Peterson was just a strange man but he really comes into his own towards the end of the novel. The middle of the novel is when everything starts to piece together and from then on it really gets quite exciting and intriguing. It's very fast paced and I couldn't put down, although I wish that the ending had been a bit clearer and we had got to know where all the characters ended up. That aside, it was very enjoyable and easy read; I'll be looking out for more of Mike Lancaster's books in the future. 


4 stars