Review for Afterburn & Aftershock by Sylvia Day

Afterburn and Aftershock is a novel comprising of two short stories written by Sylvia Day.

A copy of this book was won through Goodreads 

Let me just start off by saying that I'm a huge Sylvia Day fan. I love her erotic novels. Her characters are so relatable and I love reading about them falling in love. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with this book. I was just so bored with the whole thing. The characters didn't feel real to me and the romance between them felt forced and controlling.

The writing was good. I didn't have a problem with the story arc or the drama that was sure to ensue with a romance novel. But since the two love interests were so flat to me, I just felt annoyed with each new problem presented to them. Jackson and Gianna totally deserve each other though. They have a way with dramatics and it suits them perfectly. But all I wanted was for them to move on and get away from each other. I liked the first story, Afterburn, better than I did the second on. Aftershock became a bit too melodramatic and completely took me out the story. The book then ends abruptly with all the issues barely resolved and Jax and Gianna becoming engaged.

I'm sorry that I didn't like this book more. I really thought I was getting Grade A romance but it failed to impress me. I'll be keeping an eye out for more books by Day. I'm sure I'll love the next book I'll read by her.


2.5 STAR RATING

Review for The Color of Home by Rich Marcello

The Color of Home is a stand alone novel written by Rich Marcello. This is his first novel.


a copy of this book was won through Goodreads

I don't really have a lot to say about this book. From the very first page, I didn't connect with either character and was mostly skimming the story until the end. The story felt recycled from other novels and didn't come across as totally original. I haven't read anything else from this author so I can't even say that at least the story has his certain style or signature mark on it. It's all very generic and basic and I'm surprised that I made it all the way through until the last page.

Despite what may seem like complaints, I did like the story. Even though I heavily skimmed this book, there were many parts that would grab my attention and I would become fully invested in the characters journey of self discovery. Nick is the more relatable of the two lovebirds. He seemed grounded from the start and I felt like I knew who he was from the very beginning. Sassa was just annoying. She flipped flopped the whole book and it became very clear there wouldn't have even been a story if it wasn't for her. She started the drama and then whined when things didn't go her way. I was hoping for a realistic ending where they both move on from each other and grow into happier versions of themselves but obviously I was hoping for too much. I don't even think it's a spoiler to say that they end up together in the end. I saw it coming from miles away. So Nick and Sassa have their happy ending while I'm felt with a lackluster novel that I'll be sure to soon forget.


3 STAR RATING

Review for Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Dorothy Must Die is the first novel in the series of the same name. It is written by Danielle Paige. There is a prequel novella titled No Place Like Oz that is now available. The second novel is currently untitled and is set to be released in March 2015.

I was not impressed with this book. The only reason I read it was because it's one of my book club picks this month. Different takes on an original story hardly ever work out, and this is one of them. The main character is hardly likable and the other "good" guys don't really shine so bright either. I found myself skimming past the boring parts, which was the majority of the book. The title doesn't even become relevant until the very end. I understand the need to build up to the climax but when the foreplay is shit; you need to get to the point faster.

Amy Gumm is an ordinary girl that gets swept up in a tornado and is thrown into Oz. From the moment she steps out of her trailer, she realizes that Oz isn’t the fairy tale she thinks it is. It’s a magical wasteland and it’s all because of Dorothy. She came back and now runs Oz like a tyranny. It’s up to Amy to take her down; she has to kill Dorothy. Now that little summary sounds really epic and interesting but the book totally fails to deliver. Amy is a whiny heroine and Dorothy is a cartoonish villain. I was more intrigued by her loyal posse; the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion. Those were some messed up characters. I feel like that’s the only thing Paige got right. The dark take on these iconic characters was dynamic. I was hoping for more of a glimpse of their twisted world but sadly I was stuck reading about Amy and the wicked witches. They all bored me to tears and I could not have cared less when the Lion takes one of them out.

I do plan on reading the second book in the series. I’m sticking around because I think the story will get better with each new book. I can only hope that I’m right. On the bright side, I don’t have to worry about the action scenes being dull. Paige definitely knows how to write some ass kicking fights. There should be more of that to distract me from how annoying Amy is.

2.5 STAR RATING

Review for The Quick by Lauren Owen

The Quick is the debut novel written by Lauren Owen.



a copy of this book was won through Goodreads

Nothing about this book gave me the impression that it was about vampires. I thought it would be a mystery about a sister trying to find her lost brother in London. When the supernatural element is first introduced, I'm thoroughly shocked and I had to put the book down to comprehend that I was reading a totally different book than what I expected. Once I got over that, I enjoyed reading about this secret society very much and would recommend it to anyone looking for a long weekend read.

I loved all of the characters. James is the protagonist. The story starts and begins with him. His sister is truly pulled into the story until I'd almost completely forgotten about her. I thought the focus should have totally been on just James and Charlotte but there is a lot going on in this book. There are multiple characters that you grow to like and look forward to reading about and then suddenly, they're dead. It's best not to get invested in anyone from this story. The writing was a bit much for me. The way Lauren Owen writes is very thick and drawn out. She jumps from POV to POV in each chapter so you have to pay close attention to who's talking and how they matter in the story. It's almost halfway into the book that we're finally brought to the entire point of the novel, Charlotte looking for James. I felt this book could have been 100 pages lighter and still enjoyable.

The ending was disappointing for me. I would have liked to have been left with a better cliff hanger than that. It just seemed to end so abruptly. I don't hate it and I definitely don't love it, it was just there. As dramatic as this book is, it should have been more theatrical or foreboding. How ironic that the book is titled The Quick but there was nothing quick about it. I kept starting and stopping and finally made it to the end. I'm glad I finished it. Now I'm off to a lighter and fluffier read.


3 STAR RATING

Review for Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

Dreams of Gods & Monsters is the final book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy written by Laini Taylor. The first book is titled Daughter of Smoke and Bone and the second is titled Days of Blood and Starlight. It is a fantasy young adult series.


Here I am, standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting to plummet into the unknown. That is how I felt reading this book. I was always waiting to be pushed, to have the floor yanked out from under me. But it never happened. Sure, there were moments when I had to catch my breath or reread a passage to grasp what fully happened. There was no...finality to this book. The second book read more like an ending to a trilogy than this one. People died in that book. Shit got real in that book. There was none of that here. I love a happy ending as much as the next person but I couldn't help but feel cheated with this book. SPOILER  No one dies in this final installment. Even people you really wanted that to happen to didn't. 

Other than my morbid complaint, I still loved this book. Karou and Akiva were just as lovable and heartbreaking as I remembered. All of the other characters were just as amazing. Again, I liked the alternating POVs in each chapter. Sometimes it was hard to immediately catch onto who was talking but the narrative was always entertaining. Every scene felt important and was written that way. I didn't skip any parts, knowing that I would have to keep track of every little thing that happened just in case it came back up later, which it did. There was a lot to take in during the last few chapters and the epilogue. It felt a little bit rushed and cramped, even though the whole book was building up to that reveal. Still, the last two pages were perfection. I got misty eyed reading it and couldn't contain my shout of joy at the ending. It wasn't a fairy tale ending, which would have just pissed me off. It was imperfectly perfect and I couldn't ask for a better book in an amazing series.


4 STAR RATING