Tag Archives: Harlequin Teen

Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

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The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 30th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback • Hardcover

In Allison Sekemoto’s world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie’s birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.

There’s a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

It’s been foreeeever since I’ve read a YA book, but reading The Eternity Cure has reminded me of just how much I’ve missed YA books, and paranormal ones at that. Although, to be honest, it’s Julie freaking Kagawa, so of course I’d end up loving anything and everything by her!

Anyways, The Eternity Cure was so. freaking. gooooood! I don’t know why I waited so long to read it, especially since I read book one, The Immortal Rules, so long ago. But seriously, Julie Kagawa never ceases to amaze me. I was instantly sucked back into this post-apocalyptic, devastated world she created. I couldn’t stop reading, couldn’t stop flipping the pages, because everything is so heart-pounding, thrilling, and intense. I’d forgotten how much I liked Allison as the heroine–she’s kickass and all around just an incredible heroine for this series.

Allie has left Eden–and Zeke–to go in search of her sire, Kanin, who is in the hands of a psychotic, evil vampire. Kanin is being tortured, and Allie knows she’s running out of time before Kanin turns dark and loses all sense of humanity. Along her journey towards Kanin, she encounters Jackal, who is another offspring of Kanin, and the vampire who also killed her friends. I thought Jackal was a fabulous addition to the set of characters in the Blood of Eden series–he’s bold, he’s crass, and he’s hilarious. He’s not exactly there for comic relief, although he does lighten up the story every time he opens his mouth. Allie pretty much hates him, and the two have a very tenuous relationship–they become unlikely allies in their search for Kanin. Julie Kagawa does a great job in bringing Jackal’s character to life–I didn’t care for him when he was first introduced in The Immortal Rules, but now I can’t imagine Allie going on her journey without him.

So if you’ve read The Immortal Rules, I know what you’re thinking–WHAT ABOUT ZEKE??? For all you Zeke fans, don’t despair! Zeke is THERE! He wonderfully surprises Allie–but I won’t say when or why, just that he does! And while I don’t particularly LOVE Zeke, I was still so, so happy he was there with Allie. They make such a great team together, and he brings out the best out of Allie.

The thing I love most about this series is that despite it being young adult, Julie Kagawa holds nothing back. There’s death, blood, gore, and violence, and all of these things add up to one heart-pounding, fantastic sequel. This series is, without a doubt, one of the few vampire series that doesn’t disappoint.

5 hearts!

5-hearts

lacey

Series Order: Blood of Eden series

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

#1 ~ The Immortal Rules: Ebook • Paperback • Hardcover • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Eternity Cure: Ebook • Paperback • Hardcover • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Forever Song: My Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Goodreads

ARC Review: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: The Dark Elements #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 25th 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) in exchange for an honest review

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she’s anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she’s crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she’s not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn’t an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she’s the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

Hell. YES! I had high expectations for this, and JLA never disappoints– she wowed me again with White Hot Kiss, the first book in her new sexy series about… gargoyles! How freaking cool is that, right? And, if you haven’t read the prequel novella to WHK, you should get to it! Bitter Sweet Love is a great way to introduce yourself to this new world JLA has created, and plus, you get to see Layla, Roth, and Zayne for the first time in it!

Let me first start off with how much I ADORE this new world JLA has created! I think it’s freaking awesome that she decided to write about gargoyles and demons. And plus… she created ROTH, who makes me swoon SO madly. JLA doesn’t bombard you with the world building (although reading Bitter Sweet Love helps), and the writing is just as incredible as ever. I connected with the main character, hell, all the characters, so well because JLA writes them in such a way that makes them come to life. And yes, I really really wish Roth were real, because that boy… er… demon… is like hot damn.

It’s complicated being the only half demon, half gargoyle for Layla. And the worst thing of all? She can’t kiss anyone–or else she’ll take their soul. For basically all of her life, the Wardens, aka the gargoyles, have been taking care of her, even though most of them would rather see her die. Such a good life, right? Layla was taken in by Zayne’s family and she and Zayne have been inseparable since. She knows nothing about her origin, and every day it kills her to be excluded, to not be a part of a group that she so badly wants to be a part of. The Wardens constantly see her as a danger, and it hurts her that they feel this way after all the help she’s given them in finding and getting rid of demons. But everything changes for Layla once she meets Roth. Because all her inherent beliefs about Wardens being the “good” guys and demons being the “bad” guys go straight down the gutter.

“People with the purest souls are capable of the greatest evils. No one is perfect, no matter what they are or what side they fight for.”

Meeting Roth awakens a whole new side of Layla. She learns more about her world and herself, and she also starts to see that what she felt for Zayne was nothing compared to what she starts to feel for Roth. Because Roth is annoying, hot, and riles her up in so many ways she can’t decide between wanting to punch him or kiss him.

At some point, Roth had gotten hold of my cell and replaced Zayne’s name with Stony and listed his own number under Sexy Beast. What a tool.
I grinned.

I honestly LOVED the relationship between Layla and Roth. There’s definitely some strong chemistry between them, but they eventually just become friends… for the most part. There are some kisses here and there, which Layla can have now because Roth has no soul. Roth. is. freaking. hilarious! He and Layla have the best conversations that would have me giggling and grinning so much. God, I love these two. But then there are the more serious, more intimate moments between them that made me swoon so much. Because truly, underneath that rude, crass exterior, Roth is a huge sweetheart.

“You undo me. You have no idea how you undo me.”

And my favorite quote…. (I seriously went “OH GOD ROTH YOU BREAK MY HEART YOU SWEET, SWEET DEMON” when I read this.)

“I lost myself the moment I found you.”

And hello, action scenes! There’s tons of fun, kickass fight scenes with evil dudes (WHK is very much a good vs. evil book), which I love! There’s never a dull moment in this book–between Layla being her awesome, snarky self, Roth being delicious and sexy and hot and amazing and lovable and… okay, I’ll stop here, and the badass fight scenes, I couldn’t put this book down! Loved reading this book, and I can’t WAIT for Cold Stone Touch! I want more Roth!!!

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: The Dark Elements series

Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

#0.5 ~ Bitter Sweet Love: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ White Hot Kiss: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Stone Cold Touch: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Every Last Breath: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (July 28, 2015)

Early Review: Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: The Dark Elements #0.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 1st 2013
Purchase: Ebook
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) in exchange for an honest review

In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series THE DARK ELEMENTS, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.

Dez wasn’t just Jasmine’s crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining balance between good and evil. He was her everything…right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn’t help that Jas’s father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he’s back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn’t taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again…

Gargoyles!!! JLA’s new series is about gargoyles!

I honestly believe that JLA can write about anything and everything and still make it good. And she made gargoyles good. It’s so easy and fun to read JLA’s writing, and I had no trouble reading about gargoyles. The world of The Dark Elements series–with gargoyles and demons and god-knows-what–is fascinating and so smoothly written. And… the gargoyles are HOT!

The gargoyles are known as Wardens, and they fight against demons. The heroine, Jasmine, is a gargoyle, but since she’s a female, she doesn’t really get to fight. What she really wants, though, is to see the world. Jasmine never gets to leave home, and she’s been lonely ever since her best friend and crush, Dez, left for no reason three years ago. Plus, Dez left the day after he and Jasmine were announced to be mated. So, obviously, she is not elated with joy to see him again when he reappears out of the blue after three years. Jasmine still has feelings for Dez, of course, but she’s still pretty pissed. Especially when they’re announced to be mated again.

Jasmine has seven days to decide whether to accept the mating with Dez or not. And she has conditions. Jasmine wants to go places and see things, but even after those conditions are met, she’s still not sure if she can accept the mating. But Dez won’t give up. He know’s they’re meant to be together, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make her believe in him again.

“And I’m just saying that by the end of these seven days or maybe a week from then, or a month, you’ll say yes.” He cupped my cheek and leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine. “And I’ll be waiting. No matter how long it takes.”

Swoon.
Faint.
Thud.

This book was so. much. FUN! There’s JLA’s classic humor, a swoony book boyfriend, and lots of kissing! Be excited for this novella and new series. It’s going to be amaze-balls.

We also get introduced to the main characters from the first full novel of the series, White Hot Kiss (coming out the day after my birthday! AH!!). Jasmine meets the half demon, half gargoyle Layla, Zayne (the guy Layla’s crushing on), and the mysterious demon Roth. They don’t play a huge part in the novella, and they’re younger than they are in White Hot Kiss, but it was nice to see them for the first time before their book comes out (which I’m SO excited for!).

This was fantastic for a novella. The characters were fully fleshed out, the story kept me riveted, and the romance was so sweet (not bittersweet!). It’s only a hundred pages or so, and you can read it in one sitting, like I did. So if you’re a JLA fan, don’t miss this! It’s another brilliant addition to her YA books. And even if you’re not a JLA fan, you must give her a try, and why not with a shorter book of hers?

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: The Dark Elements series

Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

#0.5 ~ Bitter Sweet Love: Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ White Hot Kiss: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Stone Cold Touch: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Every Last Breath: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (July 28, 2015)

Early Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter

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Pawn by Aimee Carter

Pawn by Aimee Carter
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion #1
Publication Date: November 26th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Hardcover
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) in exchange for an honest review

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

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 was one of my anticipated new releases this year, because I loved Aimee Carter’s The Goddess Test series, but unfortunately, the first book in her new The Blackcoat Rebellion series fell flat for me. I’m a huge fan of dystopian books, and I had expected something unique and exciting, but while the concept was intriguing, Pawn couldn’t hold my interest, and the characters grated on my nerves more often than not.

I didn’t hate the book, but I didn’t really enjoy it either. Mostly because of Kitty, the heroine. She should have been perceived as a survivor in her new world, someone tough, determined to live, and courageous. But to me, she was weak and annoying. Every decision she made was with hesitation, and sure, maybe she needed to make rational decisions to keep herself alive, but it was tiring to see her never fighting for herself. It was always, “I have to keep myself alive” so she does nothing because she doesn’t want to jeopardize her life. She becomes a pawn, and even worse, a pushover. She was always second-guessing herself and saying how she has no choice but to do others’ bidding, except near the end, when she finally makes bigger and tougher choices.

In Kitty’s world, at seventeen, you receive a number tattooed onto yourself, and that number determines everything about you–your job, your life, your quality of living–and the higher your number is, the better off you are. The numbers range from I to VII. The Ones ending up being killed, and only the Hart family, the leaders of this new world, are Sevens. On Kitty’s seventeenth birthday, she receives a III and a job in the sewers, and is devastated. If she’d gotten a VI, she could have lived a relatively normal life, but with a III she has to leave her home and boyfriend, Benjy.

Kitty doesn’t want the life of a III, so she goes with a prostitute to be auctioned off. At this point, I wasn’t sure why Kitty wanted to join that kind of life, and I honestly had no idea what was going on. Pretty much the only thing I liked about the book were the twists and surprises Aimee Carter has up her sleeve. So instead of being auctioned off, Kitty meets with Daxton Hart, the prime minister, a man who has nearly all the control in her country. She has a choice of either death or becoming a VII, so of course she chooses to become a VII.

What Kitty unknowingly agreed to was becoming Daxton Hart’s neice, Lila, who was killed recently. Kitty is Masked and is surgically transformed into Lila, and has to learn how to be Lila if she wants to keep living. Kitty enters this world of death, corruption, murder and chaos, and has to do Daxton’s bidding to stay alive. Kitty’s new life involves speeches to give, rebellions, and family problems. And the Hart family has serious problems. They’re so manipulative, always plotting someone’s and/or each other’s murders, and while all of this should have been intriguing, I wasn’t interested at all. I didn’t like the main character, so I couldn’t connect with her, and the story was too convoluted to enjoy.

The romance was also very weak. Even though Kitty has a boyfriend, their relationship wasn’t fleshed out well enough. They loved each other, and yet didn’t seem to belong with each other. I’m not sure if Aimee Carter did this on purpose, but either way, I didn’t care for the romance. If you’re looking for a romance book, or even something like her Goddess Test series, look elsewhere. Pawn mainly focuses on the dystopian aspect of the story, and it’s mostly politics at that.

The villain was at least mildly interesting, since Kitty’s never sure who the villain actually is. There’s so much backstabbing that there’s no one she can trust. Even I couldn’t tell who was the good guy or the bad guy. If you’re more into this kind of story, with political agendas and corruption and secrets that eventually get someone killed, then Pawn might be for you. But for me, it just didn’t click.

2 hearts
lacey

Early Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

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Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Crash into You Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: November 26th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) in exchange for an honest review

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane.

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

OH GOD. OH GOD. Excuse me while I compose myself after reading THE MOST AMAZING BOOK EVER!!! AAHHH!!! I love you, Katie McGarry. Like, SO. MUCH. And I can’t even begin to explain how much I love this series. It’s probably my all-time favorite contemporary YA series. Ever! Basically, I’m obsessed with the series. I just can’t get enough of it. I always want more! I totally squealed when I received an advanced copy of Crash into You. Because I’ve been dying to read this book. It absolutely did not disappoint. And I was so happy when I found out there are going to be more books in the series after Crash into You! AH!

Okay, okay, calm down Lacey! *takes a deep breath* Wow. There are no words to describe how I’m feeling after reading Crash into You. Maybe insanely happy? Maybe just insane? Because I went crazy over this book. Crash into You is a beautifully written YA contemporary romance. It’s young adult at its finest. The characters are real, they pop out of the pages and make you feel for them. You experience all their emotions alongside them, and I bow down to Katie McGarry for being able to make me feel this way.

Crash into You is Isaiah’s story, the third and last person of the trio that includes him, Noah, and Beth. Oh man, this boy. This boy just gets to me. I had been waiting for the day he’d get his story ever since Pushing the Limits came out. And after reading Dare You To? I just could not wait. Because I knew with absolute certainty that I would love Isaiah and fall in love with his story too. And oh my goodness, I did!

Rachel and Isaiah meet at an illegal drag race. Exciting right? Well, it gets even better later on in the book. I absolutely loved reading about the drag racing aspect of the story. it’s just so illicit, so exciting, so exhilarating to read! If drag racing is a part of a book, I’m SO there. And Isaiah? Plus drag racing? *fans self* Too. sexy.

Rachel was a frustrating character to read. Well, it was more like her family situation was frustrating. I felt sorry for Rachel, because her entire family never took the time to know her. When they look at her, they see Colleen, the daughter and sister who died of cancer. They never see Rachel. I was angry and frustrated at her family for being so unfair, for putting so much pressure on her to be who she’s not. And Rachel has severe panic attacks. She can’t handle too much attention, but I never saw her as being weak. She’s strong in a different way, in that she puts those she loves first.

With his love of cars, I knew Isaiah had to fall in love with a girl who knows her cars. And yes! Rachel is as much a car fanatic as Isaiah is. I adored Rachel and Isaiah. I thought they were perfect together. Rachel is the rich, good girl who is pressured by her family to be who she isn’t, and Isaiah is the tough bad boy with the tattoos and earrings who only wants to get out of foster care. They are complete opposites, except for their love of cars, but they work. They balance each other out, and maybe I’m a sucker for the good girl-bad boy love story, but who cares? It was SO good. Their story made me smile, made me laugh, made me giggle, made me swoon, made me gasp, made my heart pound, and made me fall in love all over again with all of Katie McGarry’s characters. Yes, Noah and Echo, Beth and Ryan, and everyone else is in this book!

We also get introduced to Rachel’s older brothers. Four older brothers, to be exact. They’re all jerks, but lovable jerks. And they’ve got the older brother protectiveness in spades. Ethan is Rachel’s twin brother, West is less than a year older than them, and the oldest brothers are Jack and Gavin. I’m SO excited to read West’s book, Take Me On! I was really hoping the next book would be about Logan, the adrenaline junkie, but it doesn’t even matter because I’ll read anything Katie McGarry writes. I highly, highly recommend this series. The romance is perfect, the characters are incredibly written, and the boys are just so damn swoon-worthy!

5 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Pushing the Limits series

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry Breaking the Rules by Katie McGarry
Dare You To by Katie McGarry Crash Into You by Katie McGarry Take Me On by Katie McGarry

#1 ~ Pushing the Limits: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#1.1 ~ Crossing the Line: Ebook • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Breaking the Rules: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Dare You To: My Review • Shirley’s Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Crash into You: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Take Me On: Ebook • Hardcover • Goodreads