Category: Young Adult

Title: Masked (Superheroes Undercover #1)
Author: J.D. Wright
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Source: YA Bound Book Tours
Release Date: August 15, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Vada’s To-Do List:

– Turn 18 (check!)
– Register super name
– Order supersuit
– Attend superhero indoctrination
– Graduate high school
– Start kicking criminal tail

Vada Lawson can’t wait to be a superhero. Born into a family with special powers, she’s been training to fight criminals and villains her whole life. But her indoctrination into the underground super community is derailed when normals start breaking out in superpowers themselves.

Not trained to control their new abilities, the normals are frightened and vulnerable. Then their mutilated corpses begin turning up all over town. What the heck?

Somehow, with the help—and hindrance—of an annoying newly-minted super named Orion, Vada has to stop the chaos before it destroys her and everything she holds dear…and ruins her superhero debut.

No one ever said that being a superhero was easy…

Review:

I loved this book! Over the past year, I’ve been starting to read superhero comics. This is a great original story, with new superheroes.

I really liked the characters. They all had believable superpowers. One thing that I found hard to believe is that they didn’t recognize each other when they were out of their suits. I think they would have figured it out when they saw each other in school, but they haven’t yet.

This story kept reminding me of the movie The Incredibles. Veda’s family, with two boys and a girl and two superhero parents, were a lot like The Incredibles. That was one of my favourite movies when I was a kid, so I appreciated the similarities. Though it reminded me of that movie, this story is much more mature since there are young adults and adults in it, so they are not aimed at the same audience.

I really enjoyed this story and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!

About the Author:

J.D. Wright is a military wife, mother of four, and author of romance, paranormal, and fantasy romance books filled with strong-willed heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, and sprinkled with humor and adventure. J.D. creates artistry in many ways, as a baker and cake artist by day and author by night. You can usually find her typing away at the computer or covered in frosting.

Since discovering she has a knack for writing, J.D. has so far written and self-published eight books of the Everealm and Songs of Everealm Series and is now venturing into the world of contemporary romance. She is also writing paranormal YA with her new superhero-themed series. She is an avid reader and lover of all things romance so she always includes a good love story in her paranormal and fantasy novels.

Author Links:

Website – http://www.authorjdwright.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authorjdwright/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/everealmbyjdw
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/authorjdwright/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9327703.J_D_W_
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/everealmbyjdw/
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JDWrightAuthor

Giveaway:

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Book Tour Organized by: YA Bound Book Tours

Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for letting me participate in this blog tour.

Title: Awakening (The Last Coven #1)
Author: K.T. Webb
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Amazon Digital
Source: YA Boung Book Tours
Release Date: June 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Plagued by dreams of a dark shadow, Sutton Stone is convinced she’s losing her mind.

Lucy Marks turns to her Wiccan aunt when a woman with mismatched eyes visits her with answers to questions she never thought to ask.

Being kidnapped on her birthday was a terrifying surprise, but when three girls show up and call her a witch, Grace Trudeau quickly realizes they mean it literally.

After years of helping run a museum in the City of Witches, Harper Landry discovers that magic is far closer than she ever imagined.

On the run from a trio of brothers who want to resurrect an evil past, the coven will discover their bloodline is old, powerful—and deadly. From high school to hell, follow them as they realize that nothing is harder than being a teenage witch.

Review:

I loved this book! Any book that has a reference to Harry Potter early on is good in my books! (“Turn to page 394.”)

This story was unlike so many YA fantasy stories that are popular today. They often have a girl living in poverty who is suddenly brought to live in a castle (Red Queen, The Selection, Throne of Glass). Though this story is fantasy, it follows a different format.

The pacing of this story was great. The four girls were introduced gradually, so that we get to know them individually. Their story was logical. I had some questions by the end, but this is the first in a series so hopefully they’ll be answered in later books.

I really enjoyed this book! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Title: Body Parts
Author: Jessica Kapp
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Diversion Publishing
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: August 15, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

People would kill for her body.

Raised in an elite foster center off the California coast, sixteen-year-old Tabitha’s been sculpted into a world-class athlete. Her trainers have told her she’ll need to be in top physical condition to be matched with a loving family, even though personal health has taken a backseat outside the training facility. While Tabitha swims laps and shaves seconds off her mile time, hoping to find a permanent home, the rest of the community takes pills produced by pharmaceutical giant PharmPerfect to erase their wrinkles, grow hair, and develop superhuman strength.

When Tabitha’s finally paired, instead of being taken to meet her new parents, she wakes up immobile on a hospital bed. Moments before she’s sliced open, a group of renegade teenagers rescues her, and she learns the real reason for her perfect health: PharmPerfect is using her foster program as a replacement factory for their pill-addicted clients’ failing organs. And her friends from the center, the only family she’s ever known, are next in line to be harvested.

Determined to save them, Tabitha joins forces with her rescuers, led by moody and mysterious Gavin Stiles. As they race to infiltrate the hospital and uncover the rest of PharmPerfect’s secrets, though, Tabitha finds herself with more questions than answers. Will trusting the enigmatic group of rebels lead her back to the slaughterhouse?

Review:

This is a fascinating story. I can imagine this happening in real life: people being raised in secret to harvest their organs to benefit those who have used artificial means to destroy their health. It’s a disturbing reality but possible nonetheless.

I was immediately sympathetic with Tabitha. She’s a strong girl, but she had been deceived her whole life so she was at a disadvantage in life. She made some mistakes by trusting the wrong people, but that can be understood since her life has been a lie.

This book was very exciting. I can’t tell you how many times my heart was pounding and I didn’t know what was going to happen. I couldn’t put it down, and I ended up reading it in one evening.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy YA dystopia stories.

Title: Obscured
Author: C.M. Boers
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: self-published
Source: YA Bound Book Tours
Release Date: August 29, 2014
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Abby Martin thought she was an ordinary girl about to start high school. But when her mom announces that they’re moving to Arizona, vivid nightmares start plaguing Abby’s nights. As she settles into her new school and a cute guy named Pete catches her eye, she hopes that life might somehow get back to normal. To Abby’s horror, “normal” becomes a thing of the past as she’s swept up into a world of immortal protectors wielding supernatural gifts. When Abby realizes she’s a pawn in a centuries-old feud, she must figure out who she can trust before she’s caught in the crossfire.

Prepare yourself for heart-pounding suspense in the world of Obscured, where nothing is as it seems and danger lurks in unexpected places.

Review:

I was excited for this book because the premise sounds so good. However, it didn’t meet my expectations. 

The characters were very flat. Their relationships progressed very quickly. By Abby’s second day at school, she was already in the middle of a love triangle. Also, both of the guys expected Abby to trust them immediately. And for some reason she did. It really didn’t make sense. 

There were some consistency issues in the story. For instance, when Abby has a sleepover with her friend Bailey, Abby has trouble getting to sleep. But the next morning, Bailey says that Abby fell asleep instantly. So within four pages, Abby’s story had changed. Eli’s car also changed from having two seats in Chapter 4 to being able to fit three people in Chapter 9. 

I was intrigued by the supernatural presence promised in the description, but at halfway through the book, it still hadn’t appeared. The description is misleading, by making the story sound more exciting than it is. I think the supernatural elements should have appeared much earlier in the story, since they are described so much in the book synopsis. 

This is the first book in the Obscured series. 

Title: Never Have I Ever
Author: Sara Shepard
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

My perfect life was a lie.

Now I’d do anything to uncover the truth.

Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I’m gone–that I’m dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad.

And my killer is watching her every move.

I remember little from my life, just flashes and flickers, so all I can do is follow along as Emma tries to solve the mystery of my disappearance. But the deeper she digs, the more suspects she uncovers. It turns out my friends and I played a lot of games–games that ruined people’s lives. Anyone could want revenge . . . anyone could want me–and now Emma–dead.

Review:

Sutton and Emma are back in the second book of The Lying Game series. Just a little background on the premise: Emma found her long lost twin, Sutton, online but when she went to meet her, she discovered that Sutton was dead and Emma was tricked into pretending to be Sutton.

I started and finished this book in one evening. It was that good!

This one was very thrilling. There are more suspects in Sutton’s death. Though Emma has crossed them off her list, I haven’t crossed them off mine. There’s one person who I’m sure did it… but I won’t spoil it here. We’ll wait to see if I’m right!

This book continued with the unconventional narration. There was a third person narrator, but Sutton’s first person, ghostly perspective would pop in for a paragraph here or there. This really bothered me in the first book, but I’m getting used to it now. Sutton’s perspective was in the story more this time, so it wasn’t as jarring when the narrator switched.

One thing I like is when Sutton’s ghost suddenly gets a memory of something from before she died and the next chapter tells that story. It gives us a glimpse of the real Sutton. It also builds some tension for the reader, because although Sutton has remembered what happened, she has no way of telling Emma about it. This can be frustrating because we know things that Emma doesn’t.

Well I loved this book. I’ll be reviewing the next one soon. I have to take a little break from the series to review some ARCs for next week. Check out my review for The Lying Game here.

Title: The Deadly Sun
Author: H.J. Lawson
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Source: YA Boung Book Tours
Release Date: August 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Skylier is desperate to escape her underground confines and save her mother’s life. On a school visit, she hears something she’s not supposed to and now she realizes that not only was her whole life a lie, but that she is in grave danger.She doesn’t know who to trust and her enemies are everywhere. Now she is in a race against time to save not only her life, but her mother’s and those she cares about. And if she fails, she’ll suffer a fate worse than death…

Review:

This story is a cross between The Hunger Games and The Handmaid’s Tale. Skylier lives in a place called Cueva, and when they become 17 years old, they go to the main city called Purenet. Then they have to decide if they will become a Host (being a surrogate to one of the families in Purenet) or a Bazi (a sex slave for one of the families). The boys have the opportunity to compete in a challenge between all the other sanctions.

I liked the concept of the story, but there was so much more to it than what was in the original blurb. Skylier is desperate to save her mother, but that is just a small part of the plot.

In Part 1 of the story, Skylier is the narrator and it focuses on her. However, Part 2 begins with a completely different narrator, and it doesn’t even look like the same story anymore. I really paused and thought, was that the end of Skylier’s story? A couple of chapters in, it resumed Skylier’s story, but it was quite jarring when it shifted. I think that other character should have been introduced earlier to avoid the confusion in Part 2. Also, all throughout Part 2, the first person narrator changes between chapters. I wish this format was followed through the first part too, so all the characters could have a chance to tell their story.

This is the first book in the series. The next two books will be coming out later this year.

About the Author:

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Blog Tour Organized by YA Bound Book Tours

Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for letting me participate in this blog tour!

Title: Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Poppy
Source: Purchased
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan have only one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night leads them to family and friends, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

Charming, bittersweet, and full of wisdom and heart, this irresistible novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that arise when life and love lead in different directions.

Review:

This book had me laughing and crying. Right away, I was rooting for Clare and Aiden to stay together. 

Though they go through Clare’s list of places that are important to their relationship, the story doesn’t just follow that list. There are many twists along their journey that night, many involving their best friends Stella and Scotty. 

Clare and Aiden are such a cute couple! Their relationship is shown in the present, rather than demonstrated through flashbacks. I was glad that the story stayed in the present, because sometimes flashbacks can become tedious. You still get a very good picture of their relationship through their last night together. 

I have to admit, I had tears pricking my eyes by the end of the story. I definitely recommend this book for a cute summer read!

Title: Seven Days With You
Author: Hugo Driscoll
Genre: Young Adult
Source: YA Bound Book Tours
Release Date: April 10, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sean Johnson’s life as a small-town farmhand has been nothing but predictable, but when hemeets Sophia Hillingdon at the local animal sanctuary, she gets him out ofan eighteen-year rut, away from the mundane existence on the farm, and a grieving, drunken father. Sophia is the first person who understands him and makes him believe that he might get out oftheir small town, who tells him, he has the potential tobe whoever he wants tobe and do whatever he wants to do. But as their relationship unfolds, it is the most devastating of news that will change both of them forever.

Title: The Lying Game
Author: Sara Shepard
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased
Release Date: December 7, 2010
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does–an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me–to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, care-free daughter when she hugs my parents goodnight? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.

Let the lying game begin.

Review:

From the beginning of this story, I was hooked. Then mystery of Emma’s twin, Sutton, being killed began right away. I couldn’t predict where the story was going, which intrigued me.

One thing that I didn’t like was the narration style. It appears to be a third person narrator with a close view of Emma. However, some paragraphs are told by Sutton. This switch between third person and first person was jarring at times. I had to stop to adjust to the change. There should have been some kind of break in the page or another distinction between the two narration styles.

This story reminded me of Sara Shepard’s other series Pretty Little Liars, but the story was still distinct enough to differentiate between the two.

I’m excited to read the rest of the series! Look for my reviews coming soon!