Review: Champion by Marie Lu

Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Number of Pages: 369
Format: Hardback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Add to Goodreads

He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

I will have to say after the last book, Prodigy, I was a little bit worried about how this one would end. Especially considering the majority of books in the genre doesn't always have the best endings.  But Marie Lu nailed it.

The book picks up sometimes after the end of Prodigy. June has accepted one of the Princeps-Elect positions and is working for Anden, while Day is on the other side of the country with his brother, also working for the government, but still getting treated for his illness, which June nor the country knows about. But the country is on a brink of a war, and could face a terrible fate. Which is why June has asked Day to come to the capitol.

Revelations and secrets unfold in this fast paced book. Day and June will just break your heart. They've fought so hard to be with each other. There were scenes that brought me close to tears. The love triangles...well more of square was resolved in a very believable way. I was more than pleased with the way Tess was handled. June and Anden...well I wished we got to see more of that. Don't get me wrong, I like Day and June, but I felt a huge spark between June and Anden.

It's interesting seeing the different countries in the book. The US not being a powerhouse country, and Antarctica actually having inhabits, and even Africa being one of the most powerful countries. I did wished we learned more about what exactly happened to the US or even see it become whole again.

The ending...well it was one of the better ones for this genre. Even more of a happy ending. I really enjoyed this series.

Rating: 4/5

 

Review: Champion by Marie Lu

Champion (Legend, #3) by Marie Lu
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: November 5th, 2013
Number of pages: 353 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | Kindle | The Book Depository

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

CHAMPION is the final conclusion to Marie Lu's 'Legend' trilogy and it ends with a blast. After the end of Prodigy, I wasn't sure where Marie Lu would go with Champion. There was always that uncertainty, of the unknown to where she would end such a series. I had been so excited for this book to the point that I'm pretty sure I went to the bookstore like five or more times to see if the book had come in yet. I hated that it took almost a week for the bookstore to receive the books, and was so delirious when I finally had it in my hands.
I, of course dropped anything I was reading at the time to focus on this book at hand. Nothing was as important as me reading this final installment.
I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen to both Day and June, and what would become of them by the end of this conclusive novel.

I have loved the dual POV for Day and June. They both have separate stories and slowly they found them connecting toward one another. There was of course, a time jump in between Prodigy and Champion which was close to a year, I think. They both were a little older and wiser, doing the things that needed to be done.
June was working for Anden, and Day was on the other side of the country doing other kind of work, also with his brother. He was also getting treatment for his illness, something which June still had no idea about.
The fact she didn't know just broke me heart, but I knew there was only a matter of time before they were reunited and she would discover the truth.  When that moment came, my heart went out to the both of them. June having to know that that the love of her life was dying and there was nothing that she could do about it.  
Day hating to be apart from her, didn't want to burden her with this news. But when June asks Day to come to the Republic, that is when things really begin.

There is a war going on and Day is the only thing that may help in succeeding in helping the country win. If not, well, they are all in deep trouble.  This is an action-packed adventure, full of twists and surprises. With heartbreaking confessions and things you did not expect.

Love triangle, anyone? I know some people felt Prodigy was the beginning of one, but let me clear this up for you. It is non existent. It was not there before, and in this book, it is not there here as well. The love between Day and June belong with Day and June.  There was nothing happening with anyone else, and if after this book you are unsure of that, then I think we read two completely different books.
The feelings. Love between these two is so beautiful, heartbreakingly, flawless. One of the best love stories executed so well. There is nobody else for them but each other.   Don't believe me?  Okay....

“You drive me insane June. You're the scariest, most clever, bravest person I know, and sometimes I can't catch my breath because I'm trying so hard to keep up. There will never be another like you. You realize that, don't you? Billions of people will come and go in this world, but there will never be another like you.”

until the day we meet again I will hold you in my heart and protect you there, grieving what we never had, cherishing what we did. I wish you were here. I love you, always.”

“Please don't take him away from this world. Please don't let him die here in my arms, not after everything we've been through together, not after You've taken so many others. Please, I beg You, let him live. I am willing to sacrifice anything to make this happen- I'm willing to do anything You ask. Maybe you'll laugh at me for such a naive promise, but I mean it in earnest, and I don't care if it makes no sense or seems impossible. Let him live. Please. I can't bear this a second time. "

He takes two steps away from me and then turns back like a caged animal. "Do you even love me?" he suddenly asks. He grips both of my shoulders. "I’ve said it to you before, and I still mean it. But I’ve never hear it form you. I can’t tell. And then you give me this ring" —he pauses to hold his hand up— "and I don’t know what to think anymore."
He draws closer, until I feel his lips against my ear. My entire body trembles. “Do you have any idea?” he says in a soft, broken, hoarse whisper. “Do you know how…how badly I wish…”
He pulls away long enough to look me desperately in the eyes. “If you don’t love me, just say it— you have to help me. It’d probably be for the best. I’d make it easier to stay away from you, wouldn’t it? I can let go.” He says it like he’s trying to convince himself. “I can let go, if you don’t love me.”
He says this as if he thinks I’m the stronger one. But I’m not. I can’t keep this up any better than he can. “No,” I say through gritted teeth and blurry vision. “I can’t help you. Because I do love you.” There it is, out in the open. “I’m in love with you,” I repeat.

Okay I should stop now with the quotes before I end up bawling on the floor. You get the picture now, right?

Back to the book...*deep breath*.  Throughout the series these characters have been through so much, done so much and they are so very young. Nobody should have to go through the things they have over the past three books. But they have and it has made them stronger by the end of it, in some way or another. They both have changed, in different ways than they were when we first started this series. I do not regret this story for a moment, if anything it will forever live on in my heart as being one of the best epic of proportions, once-in-a-lifetime trilogies which makes you feel a whole lot of emotions. These characters move into your heart and stay there.
Day and June. Nobody else like them nor ever will be. I admire them so much. From their bravery, to their honesty and the way they love. So intensely, passionately and wholely. They are beautiful characters and I would recommend this series to the world if possible.

The way this story ends felt so natural. It's not picture perfect. It's not your typical happily ever after ending, nor is it a heartbreaking one.  It was very highly satisfying, full of hope and promise and a happy one, just a little differently than we might have first thought.
I can't see anyone not liking the ending. There are certainly worse endings as you all know, so to have this series end in such a way is a relief,  and done so beautifully, in character with the point of things to come.

I feel satisfied and happy to leave these characters to carry on with their lives. Knowing they will be okay now. There will come a time when I will revisit them with re-reads of this series. But all in all, I could not have found a better ending to an amazing series. I applaud Marie Lu.  You now have a fan for life.

5  MILLION stars

Review: Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz

Frozen (Heart of Dread, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz  & Michael Johnston
Publisher: Putnam
Publication date: September 17th, 2013
Number of pages: 336 pgs
Format: Hardcover
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

Frozen is something that's been in the works for quite a while, Melissa and her husband co-authored this and it was fabulous. Melissa's first try at Dystopia and it has worked so well.
It's different from anything else, which is not an easy thing to accomplish when you have so much dystopian things out there and it's not easy to find something that hasn't been done before.

Natasha, otherwise known as Nat lives in New Vegas, which is basically old Vegas but is now covers in ice. She works as a blackjack dealer at one of the casinos, but longs for something more. There is a rumor about a place that is glorious. There is free-flowing water, no ice, food and basically her version of heaven.  The question is, how does one get there, and if it does exist, is it worth risking her life to find this place? She doesn't have much to lose at this point..

Nat discovers there is a group of rebels who know a way to get to the Blue, and the leader of the group is, Ryan. They connect instantly, but she doesn't understand what she is feeling for him, although she can't let it affect her because her main purpose is to find this place, and that's it. She finds herself able to trust Ryan and she can't figure out why, since she hardly even knows him. She'll have to work out what is between them, and if it is worth exploring. The closer they get to her drop off point, Nat grows close to the group to the point they start to feel like her friends, if not, family.

This is told in dual POV. Ryan and Nat. It's interesting to see their journeys toward one another. But this is not about the romance. This story is so much more. The world building is fascinating, although I am not surprised since Melissa de la Cruz is great at building up great stories.  I have loved most of her books in the mythology genres, and so it's only natural this was going to be just as wonderful as the rest.

There is so much potential for this series. I can't wait until book 2, to see where the journey takes both these characters, and this world they are in.

An action packed adventure that people will sure to love. Make sure you get your hands on this book ASAP. It's not to be missed.

4.5 Stars

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date: April 25th, 2011
Number of pages: 487 pgs
Format: Hardcover
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Beatrice Prior, also known as Tris has led an ordinary life, that is, until she had to decide which faction she must live in for the rest of her life. In her Dystopian world, Chicago has been split up into five factions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). She grew up in Abnegation and everyone assumed (she included)that is what she would choose. Right? Wrong.
It wasn't until the choosing ceremony where she even surprises herself by not choosing Abnegation, but instead decides to choose Dauntless. She feels she has let down her family, but this is what she must do -- for herself.
She soon herself discovering their way of life, and it's enough trying to get through the initiation stage, less alone trying to deal with an unexpected romance, friends she aren't sure whether they like her or want her dead. Tris discovers things about the Faction that they don't want anyone else to know, and how sometimes... things aren't what they seem.

I loved this much so much. It was fast paced, with action to boot. It was high on my list along with The Hunger Games, which says a lot! I fell in love with Tris, who is such a strong survivor even for someone as young as she is. She is learning to be away from her family and not knowing anyone, but in the end.. she grows into this woman anyone would be proud to lead a revolution.

Other characters I loved: Four.. which is probably my 2nd favourite of the book, and up to par with Tris. He is someone whom is teaching Tris through training and making her into one of them. She discovers there are secrets about him that not many people know, and it will surprise you.

She makes a few friends along the way, as they band against their enemies who wish to kill them for a spot in the faction. Love, Loss, Betrayal. It all comes down to what you are willing to do to be there. To survive and becoming one of the Dauntless.

I totally recommend this to everyone who loves The Hunger Games. You shall not be disappointed. I wasn't.

5 Stars

 

Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date: October 22nd, 2013
Number of pages: 526 pgs
Format: Hardcover
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Allegiant has got to be one of the most anticipated books this year and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, discover just how this trilogy would end. Where would these characters end up, and what is behind the whole Divergence explantion.

This last part of the story picks up pretty much right where Insurgent left off, the people get the choice to either leave the city and take their chances out there, or stay. There was never an easy choice, because either way it's taking on the unknown and not knowing what would happen.
This book is told in dual pov, which after reading the book, it made sense why it was done this way. It was nice to get into the mind of Tobias, who was always kind of a mysterious kind of character and understand the things he is feeling, and going through.
His journey is a tough one and not an easy one.

Tris, Tobias and friends find themselves at a place where they finally discover all the truths about who they are, what it means to be Divergent.. and that really is only the beginning.
This book was like a rollercoaster.. you have a feeling how it's gonna end, but you can't help but be fascinated and look as you go up and down.
The whole reasons and explanations for being Divergent -- well, it wasn't what I was expecting, but I don't even know what I was thinking really. There was a lot to process, and I think I liked the explanation because it was certainly different and nothing we had ever thought about before. It took me by surprise.
There was twist after another. Things I didn't see coming, betrayals too, but I couldn't wait to see how it all would end.

The relationship between Tris and Tobias has been beautiful from start to end. It was realistic. They loved each other, but they also knew what was at stake. Amongst everything that was going on, they found happiness in one another that made them feel alive, and believe in a better world.  This series couldn't be what it was without them, together and apart.

Yes, there was sadness, tragedy. Not everything ends in roses. Dystopia worlds aren't always pretty. Terrible things happen. It's a bad bad world and I thought the ending made complete sense and I was satisfied. It might not have been the ending I wanted or thought we'd get, but after the scope of the story, I felt it was understandable, realistic and made sense. Not only for the story, but also character-wise. It doesn't make the book less great, or even ruin the series. It is what it is, and I'm okay with how things turned out.

Whatever might have happpened, I felt it made the story more memorable.. I look forward to what Veronica does next. She's definitely on my must-buy list. Her writing is just beautiful in the way she creates her stories.

4.5 Stars

Review: Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards

Phoenix (Black City, #2) by Elizabeth Richards
Publisher: Putnam
Publication date: June 4th, 2013
Number of pages: 368 pgs
Format: Hardcover
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Ash and Natalie are just starting to build a life together when things in the United Sentry States go from bad to worse. Ash and Natalie find themselves at the center of turmoil when dictator Purian Rose threatens Natalie’s life unless Ash votes in favor of Rose’s Law—a law that will send Darklings and other dissenters to a deadly concentration camp known as the Tenth.

When Ash can’t bring himself to trade Natalie’s life for those of millions of Darklings, her fate is sealed. Enter Elijah Theroux, the handsome Bastet boy Natalie once saved from her mother’s labs, where he’d been experimented on and tortured. It was his venom the Sentry used to create the lethal Golden Haze, the heart of the government conspiracy that led to Black City’s uprising and Ash’s rebirth as the Phoenix, the face of the rebellion. Elijah is back and Ash doesn’t like him; it’s clear he’s taken with Natalie, and Ash fears she may have feelings for him as well.

But Elijah also may have the answer to taking down Purian Rose for good—a powerful weapon called the Ora. Ash, Natalie and Elijah just have to escape Black City undetected to find it. But fleeing the city and finding this weapon (if it even exists) are easier said than done, and the quest could tear Ash and Natalie apart, even pushing them into the arms of others.

In July this year I had the pleasure of discovering this fantastic series. I picked up Black City by random while I was in Sydney after my cruise and adored it. I wasn't sure how Phoenix was going to top that, but I couldn't wait to read it and discover what exactly happens after the end of BC.

I absolutely love the way Elizabeth Richards narrates this story with the multiple POV with Ash and Natalie. It works and makes sense in the scope of the story. While they may be together they have different stories going on in between one another, so to understand what the other is going though it's natural to get inside their heads individually.

From the moment I began this book I knew it was going to be amazing, possibly even more so than the prior one, and I was absolutely correct. Phoenix takes everything Black City had and added so much more to it. More action, romance, angst, tension, issues and problems for everyone to deal with.
The story was riveting from start to finish, I had to know more and more. What was going to happen next? What was in store for Ash and Natalie?  Both characters have changed so much since Black City as they should given the things they were dealt and went through thus far.
Their relationship has gone from strength to strength, but not without some problems. Things aren't always rosey for these two love birds. They have relationship problems, communication problems and make stupid mistakes, that if they would communicate more they wouldn't have gone through the things they did.
But I guess it's all about the journey they have to go through that will make them stronger in the end, and I believe that was the purpose.
I wouldn't really say it was a triangle forming, because there is no doubt that Ash and Natalie love one another and nobody else, but sometimes, things get confused and make someone thinks something else. Or things happen that push them to other people, but I was glad that it was not as horrible as the blurb makes it out to be.

There was more action and rebellion type things in Phoenix. You also got to see more of the world, Elizabeth has built and understand why and how things are the way they are. There are different  species out there that gets talked about.  This is a book where the stakes get raised to a high extent and pushes the boundaries to a point where there is no going back.
This book gives us everything that makes a rebellion against Puritan Rose worthwhile, and understandable. It makes you hate him and his followers even more so.

I loved the romance between Ash and Natalie in this book. Black City was more about setting them up, with added complications, but Phoenix was more about what they would do for one another. Their love moved me. It was beautiful, hot, sweet and sincere. While they are bonded, that doesn't make their relationship get boring. No, they have obstacles in their past (namely a boy named Elijah), but not for one minute did they stop loving each other.  There was scenes that were angsty and I just wanted to force them together, there was scene when I wanted to tear up. These two are meant to be, and not because they have to be, but rather because they want to be together ---  that every fibre in their being just yearns for one another, plain and simple.

I look forward to the conclusion to this series. HURRY UP. I want it now. I can't wait to see how everything is concluded. Not only for Ash and Natalie, but also for the rebellion and Puritan Rose. This was an exciting read. Surpasses it's predecessor.

5 Stars

Review: Countdown by Michelle Rowen

Countdown by Michelle Rowen
Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia
Publication date: October 1st, 2013
Number of pages: 325 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository | Bookworld Australia


2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game. 

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.

Game Over.

Kira Jordan lives in a world where most of earth has been wiped out due to a virus killing 60% of the population. Those that did survive left and moved on to other places, and the cities became abandonded with barely no life left. A special place was then opened up with the best kind of life possible. You could have the perfect life, but only if you are chosen, or have enough money or/and connections to be able to get there.
This is something Kira has always wanted, but never has yet to be able to achieve. After her family was murdered a few years ago, and instead of being forced into foster care, she has chosen life on the streets. She has to use her looks to get what she wants, whatever they may be, and it worked... until one day, she woke up in a cell beside infamous Rogan Ellis.

The two of them find themselves in the middle of a do or die game. To get from one level to another, and if you manage to succeed and win, you just may get something you have always craved for.
In order to win, Kira knows she has to trust Rogan enough to help them survive throughout the levels, with the clock ticking down, it's now or never.

I really loved Kira. She had street smarts after being alone for so long. She has learned to be able to take care of herself after the deaths of her parents. She is rough, resourceful, yet honest, caring and vulnerable. She is also human, so she tends to get scared and not as brave on the inside as she may claim, and while that might be a flaw, I just think it's only natural and makes her human.
The things she had to go through ---  I'm not sure if I could have survived it, but she did. She has never given up no matter how much the past few years has taken a toll.

Rogan I also liked from the get go.  He has those bad boy looks with secrets hidden away. He also has been through many things over the past few years. While he may come from a rich family, not everything is as it seems at first, especially when you begin to understand him fully.
Rogan is just as broken, as been through just as much as Kira, and the two of them make a great pair, together and separate.
I loved seeing them interact. There is some chemistry between them that is noticable instantly, but Kira doesn't trust him, not properly at first, and with good reason. But even there are things either of them don't quite understand in the beginning.
Secrets come to light, layers get pulled back and reveal so much about Rogan, and also about Kira that just make them even more great characters.

Countdown is a suspenseful and exciting story, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen next.
With a mystery, family values, secrets and twist, this was a fabulous story.
I loved every part of this book. One of my favourite reads this year.  I urge you to pick this up and check it out for yourself.

This is a stand alone, but it was also sad to say goodbye to these two characters.

Thanks to Harlequin Australia for allowing me this book for an honest review.

5 Stars

Review: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds, #2) by Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Publication date: October 15th, 2013
Number of pages: 508 Pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository  | Bookworld Australia

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis. Other kids in the Children's League call Ruby 'Leader', but she knows what she really is - a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet - leaving the Children's League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America's children - and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts - has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place - in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future and who now wouldn't recognise her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam, she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if survival was never an option?

The Darkest Minds was a book I really liked, but it was nothing compared to Never Fade. This story was emotional, heartbreaking, angsty, full of action, mystery, loss and hope.
It brings everything that we had in The Darkest Minds and blows it to extreme proportions, to a point I never thought it would go. If I could find any other words to describe how it made me feel, I would. You'll have to read it for yourself.

We have new characters, new adventures and so much more. It all starts the moment Liam takes Cole's jacket. It's not the jacket itself that it important, but rather what was inside of it that counts. One moment in time can change everything, everything afterward that occurs is only because of this one event. The rest, we say is history.

We're introduced to Cole. He also happens to be Liam's brother, and that just makes everything so complicated. Cole is an interesting character --  doesn't compare to Liam, who I love, who I have loved from the first book, but is an interesting one all the same. It was nice to see other angles to this story, to see another character that we didn't know about before, who is also involved with everything, you just didn't realize until now.
But Liam....
I adored him in The Darkest Minds, but after what Ruby had done to him at the end of the book, I had no idea where things would take them. My heart just gotten torn out. You have to feel for him. He has these feelings for her... he feels them, he just doesn't remember them.

"I feel like...I feel like I'm losing my damn mind, like your face has been carved into my heart, and I don't remember when, and I don't understand why, but the scar is there, and I can't get it to heal. It won't go. I can't make it fade. And you won't even look at me.” 

“I think I'm losing it—I don't know what's happening, what happened, but I look at you, I look at you, and I love you so much. Not because of anything you've said, or done, or anything at all. I look at you, and I just love you, and it terrifies me. It terrifies me what I would do for you.” 

The emotions not only that Liam felt, but what he made me feel as well during those scenes. It made me fall in love with him, and him and Ruby all over again.
Too much angst. I could barely get through the page without tearing up.

Along with a crazy-give-me-book-3-now  cliffhanger, this has got to be one of the most addicting books I've read this year.

This review was a big thank you to Harper Collins for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.  Sorry it has taken me so long to review it! *sadface*

5 Stars.

Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter

Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion, #1) by Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Publication date: November 26th, 2013
Number of pages: 346 Pgs
Format: E-Arc
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

This book has been a long time coming. I remember when it was titled Masked and couldn't wait to see what it was going to be about, with its release, minus a title change, it was an enjoyable read.

I'm a fan of Aimee's from her Goddess Test series and couldn't wait to see what she came up with next. While this may not be the most original idea, since I've read more than one book about a character having masquerading as someone else, but the world the MC was situated in was surely not an easy one.

Kitty Doe has a choice to make, and if she chooses correctly, she'll have a better life and transformed into somebody else. It might not have been the ideal situation, but given the current situation she was in, I don't think she had many choices, at least good ones.
Kitty lives in a world where you are ranked, and being who she is, she doesn't have the best rank in the world, after being caught, she gets a choice offered to her.  Accept their conditions and have a better life, or basically, die.  The morning after accepting, Kitty finds her own body and appearances gone, and in place is the face of the daughter of the Prime Minister, who was recently killed.
She will have to learn Lila's responsibilities, and all the while discovering secrets even she had no idea was kept hidden. What was Lila involved in, and just what is she meant to accomplish?

There is one person she leaves behind, her boyfriend. She feels he deserves better, but  he won't be able to recognize her for who she looks like now after her own appearance, the one he is so used to seeing, gone.
I do wish we had gotten more information about how the world came to be this way. How were they ranked, why was she a certain number, while others were not? Was there some kind of test, or were they just born this way from their parents?  Some explanations would have been nice, but there was just bits of information laid down.. hopefully within the next book we'll get more into the world-building.

I felt this book was more setting up, and that the next book would be more action packed, maybe more romance? since that was also lacking here as well.  I do have some high hopes given it is Aimee, but while this book was not the most fantastic book in the world, it surely had potential, and we'll see what happens next.

Thanks to Harlequin Australia for sending me this copy in exchange for an honest review! :D

3.5 Stars

Review: Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead

Gameboard of the Gods  (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Dutton
Publication date: June 4th
Number of pages: 464
Format: E-format via Netgalley
Preorder: Amazon | The Book Depository (Free Shipping)

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

I originally reviewed this when I receieved an arc for it, but a few months ago, I decided to buy the book and give it another shot thinking that maybe I was a little hasty with when I first read it.
I'm glad I did because I ended up liking it a lot more than I first did. Funny how those things can happen, right?

We're quickly introduced to Mae, who after the death of a friend (and maybe more than that?), one of the members of the miltary's most elite, gets sent to pick up someone who has been exiled because they need the experience and his talents for a case that only he can solve.  Mae doesn't know who he is or what it's concerning, doesn't know what he looks like either, so when she meets Justin at a party who saves her from a group of thugs, the two of them hit it off instantly...

Justin... I loved him. He isn't your normal hero, but then again, Richelle never does things the easy way, and so he has a complicated past, invisible friends and a prophecy if it ever comes to pass, it would spell no good things for him, and he would do anything he can to stop that from coming true.
But sometimes... not everything will go the way you wish or want it to... Justin knows this first hand.

Mae, I came to like her. She was strong with also a complicated past with a complicated family life she doesn't like to speak of. I felt she and Justin connected because of their common interests, their lonliness and their sad souls. I bet they never expected to meet again after their first encounter, but sometimes things are meant to be whether or not you want them to be.  I really adored the relationship between them.  It's not an easy one, and I have a feeling it's gonna be one that is a work-in-progress for the series.  They may have had some moments, but I wouldn't say they have a romance in this book. It's more like a beginning, but it can only envolve and progress from here on out.

The world-building was fascinating. The first time Richelle has done dystopia/sci fi, and I think I like it. It's certainly different, but I can't wait to see how the series folds and pans out in the next book, because the end certain sets things up nicely, especially where it comes Justin+Mae, plus Justin's little prophecy  he needs to be concerned with.

If you haven't given this a shot, then go ahead, you may end up being surprised.

Rating: 4/5

Review: The Uprising by Lisa M.Strasse

The Uprising (The Forsaken, #2) by Lisa M.Strasse
Publisher: Orchard
Publication date: November 7th, 2013
Number of pages: 429 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | Kindle | The Book Depository


Alenna escaped. It was expected that she would die on the wheel, the island where would-be criminals are sent as directed by the UNA—the totalitarian supercountry that was once the United States, Mexico, and Canada. But Alenna and her boyfriend, Liam, made it to safety. Except safety, they will soon learn, is relative.

In order to bring down the UNA, they must first gain control of the wheel. If the mission succeeds, the wheel will become a base of revolution. But between betrayals, a new Monk leading a more organized army of Drones, and the discovery of a previously unknown contingent, Alenna, Liam, and their allies might be in over their heads. One thing Alenna knows for sure: There will be a reckoning. And not everyone she loves will make it out alive

Sometimes you find sequels to books that don't live up to the former installment, so it's always a little hesitant feeling and hoping for the best. For this one in particular, there was no need to worry because it was just as great, if not better than the first book.
It was full of interesting plots, twists and turns. Not to mention character and relationship development, which may or may not have been felt in the prior.

The Forsaken left on quite the ending with them landing in a 'safe' base in Australia -- I always love when books are set or get mentioned where I live, gives me a warm feeling inside because I think.. Oh, this could be me... kind of thing.
We also discovered that Alena's mother was alive and there was so much that she didn't even know about this whole conspiracy mission they embarked upon.

During the course of this book, Alena and Liam find not knowing who they can trust, only one another if they want to fight, because while they are told they are safe and that there is something that will happen, it doesn't happen soon enough for the two of them.  They left behind people who shouldn't be there and all they want to do is safe the people they care about and defeating the UNA, bu what they don't know is that when that does happen, they are in the surprise of their life.

There are reappearances from people they knew from The Forsaken, from the Wheel. And not all of them good.
I think the one person that surprised me was David. In the Forsaken, nobody knew whether he was good or bad, whether he can be trusted, but when he makes a surprise comeback, all the answers to these questions are finally revealed and you'll see what his motives are once and for all. Was he telling the truth all along, or was he fooling them, and still is, now?

The relationship between Alena and Liam I felt became more in depth. I understand that many people didn't like how they fell in love and how it felt very Insta-love, but during this book, I felt you could understand them a bit more so than we might not have before.
While they are together, they also have different missions of their own personal growth they go on. Liam has his own journey that takes him back to the Wheel where he sees someone from his past he never thought he would see again.






The ending I felt really set up the last book in this trilogy, and I can't wait to see how everything all pans out, how everything wraps up and the UNA gets taken down.


This was a great sequel, and I'm glad it didn't have second book syndrome that sometimes you can get with sequels.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth
Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 526
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Add to Goodreads

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

I've been in a reading slump lately. For the last few months it has taken me at least two weeks to finish anything. But this-I finished in two days. Not sure if it's because it's the first YA I've read in months, since YA usually are quick reads. I will admit I was nervous about reading this. I heard a lot of people hated the ending, and it even made people who heard about it before hand refuse to read it, and I even know of someone who doesn't even want to see the movie. Although I had decided I didn't want to know how the book ended, I ended up reading reviews a few days before I started the book and then ended up spoiling myself. Not that I had already somewhat guessed the ending.

Sitting here hours after I finished the book, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I wouldn't go as far as I thought it was amazing, but it was almost there. I didn't like the multiple POVs. Both Tris and Four's pov were too similiar. I couldn't really tell them apart. During Four's chapters I had to keep reminding myself whose chapter it was. I've never really been a big fan of the guy's POV in YA books. They are tricky and most authors can't nail them down. And the truth behind the factions and even what exactly Divergent is was disappointing. I was hoping, no expecting for more.

Another thing is Tris and Four was constantly in a bad place with each other. It tore my heart apart. I wasn't a big fan of Four's characterization in the novel either. He was this amazing, strong guy in the first two. But because of certain revelations he became this broken person, unsure of himself. I loved Tris' growth though, and the growth of hers and Four's relationship.

I don't want to go too much into detail and spoil the book for anyone. But the ending was so tragic and heartbreaking, even knowing it ahead of time. I wanted to scream and cry. Even wanting to cry my eyes out.

I know most people hated the ending. Said it was pointless, and ruined the series. But it made sense to me. The book is about self-sacrifice, love, betrayal, and family. Thinking back on the last two books there was foreshadowing. And everyone should remember this is dystopian fiction. This genre isn't about romance and happy endings. Veronica Roth made a bold move, and I respect her for that. She knew that it would upset people. Maybe it wouldn't of hit so hard if the romance didn't seem to be the core of the series.

Rating: 4/5

 

Review: Hover by Melissa West

Hover (The Taking, #2) by Melissa West
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication date: August 13th, 2013
Number of pages: 352 pgs
Format: Kindle
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted

Earlier this year I discovered Gravity and fell in love with it instantly. With Aliens. Dystopia/Sci/fi, it had everything I could have wanted including a sexy love interest named Jackson.
I couldn't wait to read the sequel, so of course when it was released, I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough. I couldn't wait to find myself back in Ari's world to see what has happened and changed, and what happens next to my two favourite characters.

Ari finds herself at Loge, a place so unfamilar to her. She feels like a little mouse around all these different people in a new territory. Understandable since she is new to the place and to the people, the only person she know is Jackson, but sometimes people need to get used to new surroundings before they can adjust and be who they are used to being.
This novel is a little bit different to Gravity because it doesn't take place on earth, but once you get around the initial adjustments, and get settled into this new world, it's fascinating.

Ari and Jackson have their own fair share of troubles. Secrets are kept. Ari doesn't know who she can trust especially when learning who Jackson really is and his connection to Zeus, but he is there for her no matter what. Their love just gets stronger by the end of the book.
Jackson has many responsibilities and it's never easy for him. It's never easy for either of them really, but he does all he can do to protect her.

I really adore these two characters. They are special and strong in their own right. They are both leaders and take charge when they need to. Ari's journey into a leader is a slow process that started up in Gravity, and everything she goes through, only makes her stronger by every moment.

I look forward to how everything comes together in Collide, and what Jackson and Ari will have to go through.
There is a villian among their mists and they'll have to find a way to defeat him once and for all, no matter who he may be or what he might do to either of them.  If they just stick together. they can get through anything that the world throws at them.

A great sequel to Gravity.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Fractured by Teri Terry

Fractured (Slated, #2) by Teri Terry
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication date: April 4th, 2013
Number of pages: 432 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

How do you know where to go when you don't remember where you came from?

Kyla's memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

Or so she thought.

Kyla shouldn't be able to remember anything. But she can - and she's beginning to realise that there are a lot of dark secrets locked away in her memories. When a mysterious man from her past comes back into her life, she thinks she's on her way to finding the truth. But the more she learns about her history, the more confusing her future becomes...

In the sequel to Slated, Fractured is just as thrilling, if not more so than its predecessor. Kyla's memories begin to come back bit by bit and she will have to find a common ground from who she was to who she is now, given everything she knows and what she has been through to get to this point.
I've always felt a lot of first books are an intro to a series, and so it's understandable why there wasn't a ton of action that happened in Slated, but that changes come to this book. Kyla knows so much more than what she did, is not as blind to information than she once was, and it helps her as she journeys through this next arc of a story.

Not only is this about Kyla discovering more about who she is and the things she did, the role she played throughout the last few years, but she is determined to find her love, Ben who was taken and slated before she has had the chance to get to him. She'll need to find and help him remember who he is, and who she is.. That is a not an easy task to be achieved and she'll need the help of others if she wants to pull this off.

Teri has a way of world building that makes you want to read and read to discover every little bit of information she has to offer. Her characters in this series are compelling, full of depth and understanding. The world she brings us into this crazy world and it makes you feel like in another universe, it could be our world instead. It's close to home with realistic concepts. I am always fascinated by the things that go on, the things we discover and characters we meet.

This was another great installment. I look forward to the final conclusion coming 2014.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Fragments by Dan Wells

Fragments (Partials, #2) by Dan Wells
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication date: February 26th, 2013
Number of pages: 564 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

The second installment in the pulse-pounding Partials saga is the story of the eleventh hour of humanity's time on Earth, a journey deep into places unknown to discover the means--and even more important, a reason--for our survival.

These books tend to be quite long, but I don't mind so much since they are highly interesting. This is the sequel to Partials and even more interesting than the first.
It's narrated by Kira and Marcus. They both go on their own fascinating and interesting journeys. We never really got the feel of who Marcus really was, but in this one, you can see there is so much more to him than love interest to Kira.

We also get a sense of the partials through different eyes, Marcus and begin to understand them a bit more than we did prior to this book. When something or someone is viewed through different people, you can see different observations and angles to them.

I think one of my favourite things was hearing from Samm's POV. It wasn't often, but it was delightful because I wasn't really a fan of him in Partials, but I came to a new understanding and appreciation from this book. Not only do you see that he has trouble with emotions and actions that makes certain things heartwrenching. I really enjoyed his interactions with Kira and I loved them more and more as you begin to see the start of something... just a tweek between the two of them. I would definitely approve.

With a dreaded cliffhanger, moments that will make you swoon, and action-packed adventure, this book is a worthy sequel to Partials.

I cannot wait until the conclusion to this series is in my hands ASAP.  I yearn to see how things come to an end for each and every character.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Black City (Black City, #1) by Elizabeth Richards
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR
Publication date: November 13th, 2012
Number of pages: 374 pgs
Format: Hardcover

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-old Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

AH. Black City. This has been a novel which I had heard many things about, mixed and I was a tad hesitant to read it, although I will always trust my own judgement first and foremost in the end.
I'm glad I did pick this book up when I was in Sydney after my cruise in July because it surprised me so much. I was shown that even those you were unsure about could appeal to you.
In this case, it did with me.

I loved the whole dual POV as it makes me think this is not just Natalie's story, nor is it Ash's.. It's both of their stories individually and together.
I loved them from the beginning and couldn't wait to discover what was exactly was happening. There was definitely shocks I did not see coming even though I was warned of one by a friend but had no idea just what it was. I felt in the end the shock ended up being for the best in the long run.

We're quickly introduced to our main characters, Ash and Natalie. While they come from two separate lives, their paths soon cross in an interesting and maybe predicable way. The rest, as they are is history.
We're dealt with a world where humans and darklings live separated from one another with a wall between them. It may be for protection or some other stupid reason, but I feel it made things worse than it did better. When Half-Darkling, Ash meets human, Natalie, daughter of the Emissar they find this connection forming between the two of them. Slowly, they fall in love. This may be Insta-love to some, but I quite liked it. As you go along in the story and things start to get revealed, you can understand that their bond is more than you might assume... that they really, are in love.  It is beautiful and pure and romantic and totally forbidden.

Soon, the two of then find themselves in the center of more attention than they may want or need. The things between them are much bigger than each of them and they may have to decide is their love worth ruining everything over. They have many decisions ahead of them. Many choices to make. Lots of questions and not many answers available.

This is a dystopian world with a twist. I loved how it was both paranormal and dystopian. Mixing both genres together was an interesting thing and it definitely worked.
I adored this book so much that when I discovered I couldn't find a paperback for book 2, I had to then buy both books in hardback right then and there. I was not one for waiting, and I actually am gonna start on Phoenix very soon.

I look forward to seeing the world and what happens in the second installment and what happens for our lovebirds. Will they be able to survive it all?

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Review: Acid by Emma Pass

Acid by Emma Pass
Publisher: Corgi Children's Books
Publication date: April 25th, 2013
Number of pages: 431 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon (Kindle) | The book Depository

The year is 2113. In Jenna Strong's world, ACID—the most brutal controlling police force in history—rule supreme. No throwaway comment or whispered dissent goes unnoticed—or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a horrendous crime she struggles to remember. But Jenna's violent prison time has taught her how to survive by any means necessary.

When a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed, and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID, and try to uncover the truth about what really happened on that terrible night two years ago. They have taken her life, her freedom, and her true memories away from her. How can she reclaim anything when she doesn't know who to trust?

It's the year 2113 and Jenna Strong's world comes crushing down when she is accused and sent to prison for the deaths of her parents. In a world where ACID, the horrific controlling police force leaves no crime unpunished.
At fifteen years of age, Jenna is sent to an all MALE prison where she would serve her sentence for her parent's murders and she has survived the best she could; by becoming a strong survivor and not letting anyone mess her around. This is something she comes to learn over time.

One day, she gets drugged and taken out of the prison, minus a sacrificial death having no idea why or where she is being taken.
She is then given a new identity to save her life. But like her life prior that, not everything goes to plan.
I loved Jenna so much. She was forced to grow stronger because anything else she just becomes a victim. She becomes someone even the men are afraid of. They won't ever attempt to touch her again, otherwise she'd break their legs --  or worse. I think she figures better to stand up for herself otherwise she won't survive any longer in a place such as that.
Even with each life, she may become someone else with a new identity and memories, but deep down she'll always be Jenna Strong.

In her new life, when Jenna meets Max, the son of the doctor who died for her, she has to keep quiet especially when Jenna Strong has been accused for his father's death.
I loved the relationship between Jenna and Max. He may not know who she really is, but he knows her and knowing her name wouldn't change that.
The things these two go through sometimes broke my heart. Max is someone I felt for deeply because of everything he has been through. His family has been ruined, he just does not understand why or the true person responsible.

This might have been a stand alone book, but I felt there could have been room for more. The end was definitely satisfying. We got the answers we yearned for, though some questions might have been left opened.
I'm definitely a fan of Emma Pass. I'm glad I got the chance to read this book. It was dark, full of mystery, rebellion, romance and self discovery.

Rating: 5/5