Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry is the 3^rd book in her Pushing the Limits series.  If you have been following along, this is Isaiah’s story.  Isaiah is the friend of Noah (Pushing the Limits) and also has just had his heart broken by Beth (Dare You To).  I was so ready for this book.  I love Isaiah because he can be so mean, but deep down he’s such a tragic character.  Abandoned by his mother, for reason we find out in this book, Isaiah has never had a stable family home.  Noah and Beth were the only family he had and with Beth falling in love in book two, he now is down to Noah and Noah’s girlfriend Echo.  On top of all of this he is living with Noah, even though he still belongs to the state, and Noah might not be able to keep their family together much longer now that he has to concentrate in college and cannot work for rent money.  Isaiah is determined to help Noah out, even if it means dealing with the street thug Eric, just one last time he will race for money.

Rachel Young is a rich, beautiful, young girl who has an affinity to cars but must bury her personal interests to keep her family intact.  You see, Rachel is the perfect example of why you shouldn’t replace one child with a new child.  After her sister died from leukemia, her mother had one other child and then became pregnant with twins, Evan and Rachel.  Rachel gave her new hope, and she wanted her to be everything Colleen deserved to be, never realizing that she was just burying her other daughter in a life that would never work.  Because of all this pressure from the outside and from inside of her, Rachel has kept hidden her panic attacks until one night it gets to be too much, she needs an escape.  Rachel jumps into her Mustang GT and finds herself in an illegal drag race, with Isaiah. 

These two had such a great bond and their ups and downs were entertaining and thoughtful.  Isaiah became the person he wanted around Rachel and Rachel in turn could be herself.  But like all love stories, this one is not easy.  There is a debt to be paid to Eric, uncertainty from family members, car incidents that make you want to close your eyes while reading, and inner conflict that can get in the way of happiness.  My only complaint is that the next book will not be about Abby… she deserves some happiness McGarry, you know it, your readers know it and I feel like Evan could have known it… just saying.

 

4/5 stars, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher was a thought provoking book.  Zoe, our main character, has started to write to an inmate in America named S. Harris.  Her first letter is an introduction, but also a comparison of their situations.  She relates with Harris, for his crime of murder.  “I know what it’s like.  Mine wasn’t a woman.  Mine was a boy.  And I killed him three months ago exactly.  Do you want to know the worst thing?  I got away with it.  No one’s found out that I’m responsible.  No one has a clue and I’m walking around saying all the right things and doing all the right stuff, but inside I’m sort of screaming.”—Yeah, that’s right, this is a murder mystery.  When I first picked up this book I thought it was a coming of age story, where the main character grows through letters written to a prison because of a class assignment; when in reality this story is about a young girl who made some small mistakes, fell in love with the wrong boy and ended up living with the biggest secret. 

Ketchup Clouds is the aftermath of Zoe’s life.  Going from past to present, Zoe gives the reader a glimpse of what she experienced: drunken school parties, a popular boy crush, kissing, mistaken identities, popular boy’s hot older brother, and one act of betrayal to become the catalyst of it all. Pitcher made this story irresistible and heart wrenching by tearing each layer away until the shocking ending.  Even though this is a love triangle it is still difficult to figure out who dies, and when it’s revealed I think I was more devastated, than if it had been the other one.  This sure is not a “Happily Ever After” kind of a tale but it is one to keep you strung along until the very end.

4 out of 5 stars.  Thank You Edelweiss.

A Stranger Thing by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal

Elvie is at it again in the sequel to Mothership.  Elvie’s pregnancy has been pretty rough, but nothing could have prepared her for the actual birth… to a baby girl.  According to her, just handsome, baby daddy it is impossible for her to have given birth to a girl, since he can only produce boys, and it seems like the rest of the Almiri clan feel the same.  Immediately Elvie, Cole, Ducky, her father, and baby are shipped to Antarctica.  Here they must assimilate with the criminals shipped out by the Almiri, oh and there is a new species of Aliens after Elvie and her baby. 

Now Elvie has the care of her new baby in her hands, but she isn’t getting a break anytime soon.  With the new Aliens as a threat, old secrets coming to light, and some strange feelings evolving and dissolving for her baby daddy, Elvie is in for a tougher time than most teenage moms.  Will she be able to come to terms with her past and who she is?  Will she and her family be able to leave Antarctica anytime soon?  Is the leader of the Almiri really James Dean?!?!  Keep tuned in because things have just gotten stranger for our heroine.

3 out of 5 stars, Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC.

Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

 

Ready for a world full or frilly dresses, gadgets galore, proper etiquette training, and some nice romance mixed with a healthy dose of spying?  Then welcome back to the world of mischief at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy, where our heroine Sophronia awaits for the next adventure, and what an adventure it will be: the school is off to London!  That’s right, the dirigible school (floating school) will be arriving in London, but when the school rarely ever moves this trip starts making minds suspicious.  There is something not right, Sophronia and her friends will have to figure out what is going on before the end results become worse for the humans and supernatural.

This sequel had a lot of adventure, more so than the first.  The secrets were great, too.  Being a fan of the Parasol Protectorate series, I really enjoyed this book.  Some of the characters in that series are referenced to in this book; this includes one creative mistress of ridiculously fashionable hats/parasols.  I also enjoyed the romance.  I am not a Soap fan. I love him, just not for Sophronia; however, I like Felix.  He was introduced in the first book during a ball, as a “rake-in-training.”  There is something frustratingly charming about him and I really can’t wait to see more of him.

Overall I give this book 4 stars and I cannot wait to jump on the next fun installment of this series.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC.

After Eden by Helen Douglas

When time travel is an option, many think of going back to the past and eliminating a threat to the future.  If you could, would you go back in time and end Hitler's reign of terror?  If you knew some one's actions in the past could affect future generations, would you stop those actions?  These are some of the questions asked in the book.  (Where have a seen this before... oh yes, All Our Yesterdays, which is the best time traveling book of the year!) 

Eden and Connor have been best friends, since forever.  Connor is the smart one and Eden is, well she's Eden.  What she doesn't realize is that Connor has had feelings for her for a long time now.  As this is their last year in school Connor feels as though this will be his last chance to nab the girl of his dream, and best friend.  Eden, could not be any more clueless, especially since there is a new boy in town. 

Ryan is the classic new boy enigma.  All the girls are raving about him and everyone is curious about him, including Eden and it seems like Ryan also is curious about Eden.  After hanging out with each other one day, Eden finds a book that will change not only her life but her best friend's.  Turns out, Ryan is from the future, a future affected by a discovery made by Connor... after a dance.  Story goes that Connor's heart was broken at this dance, after he left he discovered a planet through a telescope--one that he named Eden.  Ryan's role is to stop the moment or change the moment when Connor had his heart broken.  What ends up happening is a lot of secret sharing, hiding and plenty of heart gushing moments.  And of course, when there is time travel, there is always a glich.

3 out of 5 stars.

Thank You NetGalley.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a world wind, intense novel, full of action and everyday crime.  Does it have feel of the paranormal?  At times it does, but overall it is about teens with heightened abilities, such as profiling.  You also have teens that are good at reading lies and emotions.  Together these teens form a group that the FBI uses on special cold cases. 

Enter 17 year old Cassie, a natural at reading people.  The FBI has caught wind of what a special nugget Cassie is, and they have come a knockin’.  Cassie moves away to live with other teens in this classified unit.  She meets a few teenagers and begins to train with them.  On top of trying to fit in to a new program she has to deal with the attentions of two boys and the attention of new serial killer, who oddly enough resembles the killer of her mother. 

I like the overall concept, and the fact that it was more realistic than other YA novels in the supernatural/sci-fi genre.  With its ties to profiling and the FBI, this book would work well for mystery and crime lovers.  The characters can be somewhat annoying, but overall not in a big way.  The twists in the book were well worth the guessing game.  Yay, for not knowing who the bad guy was until the end.  My problem was the ending.  Is this going to be a series?  If so, I am all set to jump on the band wagon, but can someone release soon if this will be the beginning of a series?

 

Thanks Net Galley!

4 out 5 stars

Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

“When Keirran went back into the Nevernever, I knew I hadn’t seen the last of him.  Still, I had no idea how entangled my life would soon become with his, and how he would be the catalyst… for the end of everything.”—Iron Traitor

Ethan and Kenzie have just come back from their action packed adventure through the Land of Faerie.  Kenzie is battling an infection, due to her visit and Ethan is fighting off jealous quarterbacks, a lawyer father, and the police.  It almost seems like his life is back to normal, and he would really much rather prefer it that way.  Ethan knows he has a nephew, Keirran, and he knows that people are trying their best to keep them apart but right now he wants to concentrate on Kenzie and staying away from Them. 

Unfortunately, the forgotten are still having problems and Keirran is missing.  The entire Iron realm is looking for Keirran, but he is on a mission to save Annwyl, the love of his life, from being one of the forgotten.  No matter what Ethan does, he ends up roped into helping in this situation, along with Kenzie.  There are forces trying desperately to keep Ethan and Keirran apart, to keep the prophecy from coming true; however, the only way to save Annwyl is by speeding up the prophecy. 

With fairy queens that like to manipulate, an impossible task, some dark magic, a very very thin man out to collect the forgotten, and the Forgotten Queen wanting to cash in on Keirran’s promise these three will be running out of breath within the first 100 pages.  Watch out for some favorites like Grimalkin and Puck to return.  And yes, Meghan and Ash will make an appearance as well, which is weird now that they are full blown parents.  If I were Keirran I would heed my father’s warnings.  Poor Ethan, will he make it out of this series alive?

As a bonus there is an excerpt of The Forever Song, book 3 of the Blood of Eden trilogy.