The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Paperback, 363 pages

Published February 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen

Summary:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Review:

Okay, I know I always say this, but finally! I've been wanting to read this series for a long time every since I first saw them on Goodreads. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting a book like this. It's not really type, what with all the fae, but I have definitely learned to like it and branch out. 

This book is about Meghan Chase and her going on a dangerous mission to save her brother. Along the way, she finds out who she actually is. Meghan has always thought that she was a regular girl, but she finds out she isn't. She's smart, caring, and overall a good person. Throughout the book, she doesn't have much of a significant change. In the beginning she was just normal and by the end, she was still normal but not really. We get to see her change drastically throughout the series, but just not in this book. She is clueless at times like how she never noticed that her best friend had a crush on her. I get so annoyed, like why can't they see??! Anyways, overall she's a good main character, not the best, but okay.

The story was pretty great overall too. The plotline was consistent and wasn't ever too slow or too fast for me.  I would have never read a book like this before, but I never actually knew what it was about, just that a lot of people were raving about it so I picked it up and read it. I'm glad I did. It's magical and mythical and just different than other books that I've read. It is unique. 

I really did like this book. I have nothing bad to say about it at all. I think. Nothing really at the top of my mind. Overall, a 4. 

Ink by Amanda Sun 

Paperback, 326 pages

Published June 25th 2013 by Harlequin Teen (first published June 21st 2013)

Summary:

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.
Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Review: 

Thanks to the Harlequin Teen Panel for sending this to me! First of all, the cover is GORGEOUS! When I saw it, I thought, ooh this will be a good read. But it didn't really turn out that way.

This is a book set in modern time and mixed with Japanese. At first, I didn't really like the Japanese because I don't like manga and I thought it would be a bit like it, but it's not, it fits with the book. The main character is Katie and she has a sad story. Her mother dies and instead of being with her grandparents, she has to move to Japan and stay with her Aunt because her grandpa was in the process of recovering and could relapse into his sickness. At first, she doesn't like it there, but then some things happen and she wants to stay.

Katie is a good main character in my opinion. She might be the most ideal for others, but she's a pretty cool chick. She's American and she doesn't fit in with the Japanese kids at all. A lot of them don't hesitate to insult her in her face, but she does have a couple of good friends. She's smart and good and strong. What more could you ask?

Tomohiro Yuu is a bit like the second main character. At first glance, he's mean, rude, and way out of your league. He puts out a tough exterior to everybody except to the people close to him. He's mean to Katie at first, but she doesn't give up and they eventually become "friends". 

Honestly, I wanted to like this book a lot. I really wanted to, but it just didn't happen. There were some things in the plot that I wanted to know more about. Like what really happend with Tomohiro's ex-girlfriend. Did he really like her at once? Would they have gotten back together if Katie didn't come? I just thought it was terrible, what happend to her and how Tomo got her to think he did something wrong and break up with him because you can't just do that??!! Also, I didn't not like that some of the dialogue was in Japanese, but I did not like that I didn't know that the translations were in the back of the book and I had to waste time trying to figure out what the words meant on google translate! I also thought the book was rushed a bit, but maybe that's just me. I didn't really understand the concept of a Kami and how Tomohiro had those "problems" with his ink. 

But one thing I did like were her inspirational quotes. Especially,  

"How do you win when you're up against yourself?"

and

 "They tell you you'll forget how it used to be. You'll get used to it, that it's better to move on. They don't realize you can't. You're not the same person anymore"

All in all, this was an okay book, but I will not be waiting and fangirling for the sequel to come out. 3 Stars.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass 

Hardcover, 404 pages

Published August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children's (first published March 30th 2012)

Summary:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. 
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. 
Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Review: 

I've been meaning to read this book for a very long time and now that I've had the chance, I know why everyone was raving about it!

The main character is Celaena Sardothien, a notorious serial killer who had been put in salt mines in Endovier as punishment. One day, she gets an offer that she can't refuse. Long story short, this book was all about her training and competing to be Ardalan's Assasain (a.k.a the person who will take care of killing the king's enemies) and mysterious murders that happen throughout the book. 

This book was as I expected it to be; It wasn't that good and it wasn't that bad. I didn't really feel that connected to Celaena though. Throughout the book, we are constantly reminded that she was a dangerous serial killer, but then we see her acting like a young girl, all giddy with her fancy dresses. Sure, maybe the author was trying to show that even though she murdered people, she was still a girl, but it was way too much girlyness for a famous murderer. 

Let's talk about the "romance". There wasn't much, but I was fine with it since I wasn't really expecting it. Okay, sorry not sorry, I was really shipping Celaena and Prince Dorian. I mean, who cares about Chaol (the captain of the guard) when there's Prince Dorian? Dorian was the definition of perfect.

But anyways, this book was a good read. Great to read when you need something while you're waiting for THE book to come out! And just saying,I am currently reading the second book at the moment and it does not even compare to this book. Least to say, I'm disappointed in that. 4 Stars!

Also, I'm so sorry if my reviews are coming late and/or seem sloppy and bad. I've just finally found time to review again and they may seem unprofessional since I haven't written a review in months! Anyways, thank you though!

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Hardcover, 281 pages

Published January 15th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Summary:

In this gripping exploration of a futuristic afterlife, a teen discovers that death is just the beginning.
Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.
Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.
Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.

Review:

I really enjoyed this book! I was a bit confused at the end, but overall this book is great!

The book is about a girl named Felicia who is dead. She's in the space between Earth and Heaven and in that part if the world, you get to look at other people's memories and post up your own like YouTube! Usually, all the people there do is look at memories all day in their little chambers. But one day, everything changes for Felicia and she's thrust into running for her life.  

The main character is obviously Felicia. Everything that's happened throughout the book somehow ends up revolving towards her. She's a really admirable character and I really love the author for creating her! 

I really liked this book! It's been in my to-reads forever and I've finally gotten to read it. It's a bit confusing at points. I didn't really understand the ending and I was confused, but I should probably just re-read it. This book also has some romance in it between Felicia and her boyfriend. A lot of her memories are about him and they're just really cute. I'm not saying this book is all romance though, that part is only about 10% of the whole story, but it was enough for me!

Overall, this book was a really great book! Lenore is a really good writer and I will totally support a fellow blogger and that's what makes this book more awesome because it was written by a blogger! 4 Stars. 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Hardcover, 454 pages

Published February 5th 2013 by Feiwel and Friends

Summary:

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Review:

So excited that I got my hands on this book! I've been waiting forever to read it!

The second book in the Lunar Chronicles, Scarlet is a modern retell of Red Riding Hood. Obviously, Scarlet is Red. It starts out with Scarlet asking about her Grandma, who's disappeared, but no one cares because she's not a minor. She then meets Wolf and he offers to help her. It's a whirlwind of secrets after all that. Also, Scarlet includes Cinder's point of view, who's on her own mission. 

The main characters are Scarlet and Cinder. They're kinda opposites, but they work okay together. I can see them being fiery and best friends. Kinda. Not really, but okay. Cinder is the same, but throughout the book you can see Scarlet mature and change.

I have to say I was disappointed when I started reading and found out that it was split between Cinder and Scarlet. I'm still all hyped up with Cinder and Kai. I mean, they have to end up together. Anyways, it's not that bad, but I thought it would be all about Cinder. I really did enjoy this book and I cannot wait to read the next! I seriously can't. I think they said the next book would be Rapunzel and Snow White. Also, notice that Cinder and Kai didn't get to see each other in this book either! I'm very pleased to read that Kai was thinking about her in the lovey dovey way. 

The author is such a fantastic author and I can't wait to read Cress! February 2014 is way too long. 4.5 Stars!