Unhinged (Splintered #2) by: A.G Howard

FYI: Before I start this review, I just want to be clear about one thing... Morpheus is MIIIIIINE!!!!


My goodness that cover always makes me swoon and is so mesmerizing to look at :D


Title: Unhinged (Splintered #2)


Author: A.G Howard


Published: January 6, 2015 (Paperback edition!!!)


Rating: 4 swoony stars...


Wonderful. Just wonderful!!!Firstly: I'm team Morpheus all the waaaaay!!!
Second: Alyssa has really grown on me over the series.
Third: why does all of the action happen in the last 5% of the book? I've been experiencing that lately...
Fourth: I can't believe the author did that in the end... Atleast I have something to look forward to reading in the conclusion <3
Fifth: I need to read the next one nooooooooow.

Summary:
Alyssa in Splintered has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of, which is what this book was supposed to be about, but Wonderland has other plans for her...

Alyssa's mom is back and better than ever, being the overly protective and suspicious mother she missed out for 11 years, since being in the asylum to save her family from the "curse". Her mom has secrets that will be revealed in this book that adds a whole lot of problems into this book... Great.





Then there's Morpheus. -sigh- Morpheus. :) he's being the arrogant, know-it-all, pain in the rear guy by showing up at Alyssa's school glamoured into a mortal, because he has another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs. And he won't leave her world until he gets what he wants... Even if it mean getting close to the people she loves and is close to, to get her attention...





As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten, it happened in Splintered... Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind, because teu all lead to her and a big upcoming war in the finale.





Now Alyssa faces a very difficult decision. Either staying in the human realm, and possibly endangering Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves; or she steps through the rabbit hole again, and faces a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head, or there's an alternative. She can win the war, and have the future she is destined to have, saving both worlds and having a happily ever after <3




So as you can see this series is just getting better and better as I'm reading it. I read both books in a day, and cannot wait to pull an allnighter for the next one <3

Splintered by: A.G Howard (Splintered #1)

Title: Splintered (Splintered #1)


Author: A.G Howard


Published: January 1st 2013 by Amulet Books


Rating: 4 stars




Spoilers... BEWARE!!!


“Raising one hand, he tilts his hat to that sexy slant. "You want me. Admit it."
Even if he's partly right, I'll never tell him. "Why would I want you?"
He lifts three fingers to countdown. "Mysterious. Rebellious. Troubled. All those qualities women find irresistible."
"Such an optimist."
"My cup is never empty."
"Too bad your brain is." The words bite, but my smile softens with affection.”





-swoon- As you can tell, I'm on Team Morpheus all the way!!! Although, Jeb wouldn't be so bad ether... Considering the sacrifices he made for her in the realm and everything...
This book was a modern-retelling of Lewis Carrols classic Alice in Wonderland.
I always thought that if Alice was going to end up with anybody in Wonderland, it would be the Mad hatter; I never suspected it would be the <spoiler>caterpillar!!!</spoiler> And I never knew he can be so sexy. :)





In this book, instead of the main character's name Alice, her name is Alyssa.
This book starts off with her and always being able to hear the whispers of bugs and flowers; which was one of the reasons that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family "curse" stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.





This is how the book's version is supposed to be, all colorful, fun, and just a light-hearted place where there is no trouble, and can have peace and eventually go mad.


But Splintered does not have that here. The creatures are all disturbing, the magic is even weirder, there is possessing involved by the Red Queen, there is war, and promises and vows can be broken or messed with. Kind of like a mix between a faire realm, and war in general.


And unfortunately, Alyssa has to jump the rabbit hole and fix all of the mistakes Alice made on her last visit to help her mother's mental health, before it  takes a turn for the worse. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice's tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice's mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.


Alice in the end, passes all of her tests and officially becomes queen of the Red court, but she still has the mortal side of her that craves to go back to the mortal realm because she has unfinished business there, so she wishes that Jeb forgets the adventure, finishes what she started to set things right and remove the "curse" on her family, and tries to live a normal life in the end. But what she doesn't know is that once you have been to Wonderland, there's really no way to escape it...


Can't wait to read Unhinged!!!! I want more Morpheus :) <333

The Girl at Midnight by: Melissa Grey

No question about it

Title: The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight #1)

Author: Melissa Grey

Published: April 28th 2015 by Delacorte Press

Rating: 5 Stars

This book was amazing, I loved it :)

   

If you loved this series' that are listed above, pick up this book as soon as it comes out. This book will remind you about them.

This book takes place in modern time New York City, where Avicen who are an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and have magic running through their veins, and Drakharin who are basically dragons, roam the Earth.

We have Echo who is a runaway "pickpocket" Jasper likes to call her, who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known, since she got picked up by Ala when she was 7 years old from the library.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

No not like that, but at time she does...
 

More like this

In this world there has always been a legend both species know, and it is to find the Firebird, which is a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen.
It of course will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

Characters:

Echo=Clary
Caius=Jace
Jasper=Magnus
Dorian=Alec
Ivy=Isabella

Sadly there wasn't a character I can point out was like Simon, I thought it was Rowan, but he wasn't in the story much and I didn't like him AT ALL, so he's out.



In this book Echo and her friends go through one heck of a journey to find the firebird. Secrets will be revealed, there will be betrayal, and above all, Exho develops a lot throughout the book, which I love in a book.

Can't wait till the next one comes out!!! You guys are in for a treat :)



Posted by: (;Lucy Lala;)

Exaltation by: Jamie Magee

Title: Exaltation (Insight #10)

Author: Jamie Magee

Published: February 10, 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

WHY DID THE AUTHOR DO THIS TO ME!!!??!
I can't believe it, this book had so much action, the way the characters developed was incredible, and then the big battle in the last 5% of the book?!!! That's crazy!!!



There's a death of a character you grow to love, but of course that somebody is not going to give up on dying (when you read the book this will make better sense)

Blurb:
Was one soul worth the lives of millions? The quandary was one that Rydell King had no choice but to face. No matter the answer, the truth remained—innocence was created to destroy him. She was beautiful…extinguishing her to save his people seemed impossible, and maybe it was. As an immortal, his focus was to destroy the curse upon his people, as he devoured the emotion that bore him—exaltation, no matter the cost. She made him question everything.

Mercy had never been crueler.




In this story, the author does such an amazing job with character development and them finally coming of age to fulfill a prophecy that has been on their back for centuries. And now the time has come to fulfill it.

This book gives an amazing lesson on how loved ones will literally do anything to protect you, because love is a very powerful thing.

One of the main characters, Raven, is destined for great and powerful things according to the prophecy.
Raven and her friends have to discover the details of the prophecy and what they all really are, because none of their family and friends are helping them to do so...

This book opens your eyes and tells you that the good can be bad, and the bad can be good.
Basically this book blurs the lines in between.

Wow, I just can't wait for te next book, because I was no AT ALL satisfied with that ending, YOUR CRUEL JAMIE!!! CRUEL!!! Now I have to wait a year to get the next one. Yaaaaaaay.



Posted by: (;Lucy Lala;)

An Ember in the Ashes by: Sabaah Tahir

Title: Ember in the Ashes (Ember in the Ashes #1)

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Published: April 28, 2015 

Rating: 5 stars

Wow that cover is beautiful...

Anyway, this story had a dual POV.

Laia, who is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire.

And Elias who is the Martial's finest soldier in the academy.

When Laia's brother is arrested for treason because he was working against the Emperor, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy (which Elias is in!!!) in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars (the resistance) who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution. Or do they?

While that is happening, Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest, to determine who the next Martial emperor will be, since the Emperor will be stepping down this year...

In around 50% of the book, Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, because Laia needs help from Marcus trying to rape her in the hallway. At that moment, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

Laia is risking her life to save her brother, and Elias is risking his life to reach freedom, they both have a common enemy, destination, and mission.

Laia the "Ember in the Ashes"
Elias the "legendary soldier"
Both will work together to put piece into their kingdom... 




Characters:

Laia: went from being a coward, to the leader and determined girl she was born to be. 
Elias: was always as charming as ever, and went from a love triangle to having one love, and kept his strong appearance in tact :)

The Commandant: hate her gutts, plain and simple.

Marcus: he can go jump off a cliff, and I'll laugh because he was such a terrible person.

Helene: I hated her for being so close to Elias, I want Elias and Laia to end up together. So she's on my hate list, no matter what good things she has done.

Keenan: I hated him for being so close to Laia, same description above...

Apart from the characters, while reading this book I was HOOKED!!! I read this in 3 hours. 3 HOURS!! And I'm craving for the second book but it comes out NEXT YEAR!!!! AHHHH!!!




The action, mystery, magic, adventure, character development was just AWESOME!!! And the romance didn't get in the way of the story. Which I LOVE!!!

This book= to-buy-when-releases!!! ;)

Posted by: (;Lucy Lala;)

Update: Autism Awareness Day

Today is Autism Awareness Day, which means we have to wear blue (or in my case I have to and like to) so to honor such a wonderful day, I'm going to read blue books since I'm feeling "bluey" today :D 

 

 

See anything you like? Let me know by commenting ;)

Posted by: (;Lucy Lala;)

As Red As Blood by: Salla Simukka

 

Title: As Red As Blood

Author: Salla Simukka and Owen Whitesman

Published: August 1, 2014

Rating: 3 stars

My first reaction of this book: 

OMG ITS A RETELLING OF SNOW WHITE?!?!

But it turns out it was just the name and new appearances that made it look like a remake if Snow White -sigh-. 

Well, that was quite a book. I don't know what to say about it, except that in a mix of emotions, it's more confusion and relief than anything else... But by the epilogue, all of my questions were answered which was good, but I'm still questioning some of the characters... But hopefully in the sequel it will clear things up... 

The story: 

We have a girl named Lumikki, which means Snow White, but I just called her Lu, because her name is reaaaally long. Basically her life was completely normal, until she goes into the dark room of her school and finds a stash of wet, crimson-colored money. Thousands of Euros left to dry, splattered with someone’s blood.

 

 

Lu lives alone in a studio apartment far from her parents and the past she left behind. She transferred into a prestigious art school, and she’s singularly focused on studying and graduating. Lu ignores the cliques, the gossip, and the parties held by the school’s most popular and beautiful boys and girls.

Until she finds that money, she starts hanging out with the most popular girl Elisa, because somehow she is involved in this because of her father. It turns out Elisa never knew her father at all. He turned out to be a cheater, criminal, and evil person under the nice, police officer she knew. 

There is a party, betrayal, shocking revelation, and death... But apart from all of that Lu still holds her ground and becomes he strong protagonist she was meant to be. 

The only thing I probably didn't like was the fact that the author added so many unnecessary characters, and them never explained about them, so when they got their own POV, the reader turns out to be confused, and not understanding that part of the story, which could be important. Then the fact that there was a lot of mambo-Jambo speaking which made me mad because I couldn't understand that part of the story either. But at least I got the plot, and it turns out that THIS IS NOTHING LIKE SNOW WHITE!!! 

 

What makes it like Snow White is Lu's name, and her new characteristics when she has to change her appearance since the bad guys ended up in jail and are out for her head now. Especially Polar Bear... 

Oh and to add to that, Polar Bear was totally predictable, I knew what they were, but I didn't exactly know who it was.

 

So yeah... That's pretty much what happens, and what I was able to gather, all I know is that I'm considering reading the sequel, it's a maybe, seeing how this one turned out...

 

Posted by: (;Lucy Lala;)