Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis:  I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, 

pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

My 2 cents:  This book was amazing!  I read it all in one day!  Okay, first off, I was so heartbroken at the end of Delirium, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to read this book.  But I had to know what happened to Lena!

Lena finds some other invalids.  Adjusting to life outside the wall is not easy.  Its all about survival, and letting go of Alex is even harder for Lena.  She does start to adjust, but just as things get better, they get worse.

The book goes back and forth from THEN and NOW.  Two different stories are being told her.  THEN is when she first escapes the fence and finds the invalid.  NOW is a mission she is on in New York to penetrate the resistance.  Both stories are nonstop, heart-pounding, excitement!  And in the NOW she meets a new boy...is it possible for Lena to fall in love again?

I love how the story was told, and kept me guessing throughout.  I loved Lena even more in this book, especially the choices she makes.  She always show true spirit, courage, and love.  The other characters were really hard for me to like at all; except for Julian and Blue.  I respected Raven, but didn't really like her all that much.  She was way to hard on Lena.

Overall, a great sequel to Delirium!  Now I have to wait forever for the next book!  5 stars

Passing by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Synopsis:  The vampires have declared war on humanity--and they have won. Now it's New Year's Eve in Salamanca, Spain--and the Academy's graduating class of vampire hunters are taking their final exam--stake the Cursed Ones attacking in the fog, or die. Jenn has a fighting partner named Antonio de la Cruz...and he has a big secret...but Jenn's got a secret, too, and it nearly takes them both out. 

My 2 cents:  This is the first story of the Crusade series.  The authors wrote it for an anthology, and that was supposed to be it for the story.  But they got excited by the world they created, and started writing a book series on it!  Crusade is the first story, Damned is the second.  Vanquished will come out later this year.

This story had a few discrepancies from the books, the authors did change some things.  But  I loved the back story on how the group found out Antonio was a vampire, and Holgar was a werewolf.  This story is mostly about Jenn and Antonio and how their relationship starts.  

I recommend reading the Crusade series.  Its a very dark story, but the characters completely come alive on the page!  I give Passing 4 stars!

Waiting on Wednesday #6

Waiting on Wednesdays is put on by Breaking the Spine where we highlight what new releases that are coming that we can't wait for!

This week, my pick is The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore, the 3rd book in the Lorien Legacies.  It will be released August 21st.

What book are you waiting on?

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

Synopsis:  Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life.  She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, who made the sacrifice to ensure his own immortality.  But Romeo didn't anticipate that Juliet would be granted eternal life as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light.

For seven hundred years, Juliet has struggled to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent, while Romeo has fought for the dark side, seeking to destroy the human heart.  Until now.

Now Juliet has found her own forbidden love, and Romeo, O Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy their happiness.  Secrets unfold and surprises abound in Stacey Jay's powerfully dark romance, which reunites literature's most tragic couple.

My 2 cents:  I was so excited to read this book!  I love Shakespeare, and I also love re-telling of classic tales.  This one did not disappoint!

Set in modern day, this classic romantic tale has been given a huge twist, and turned around in almost a gothic story of Romeo and Juliet, with loads of the paranormal.  The story is told in first person by Juliet for most of the story, who is inside another's girls body, Ariel, trying to save the soulmates the Ambassadors have given her.  The couple turns out to Ariel's best friend, Gemma, whom Juliet doesn't really like at all, and Ben, whom Juliet is secretly attracted to!

I loved Juliet in this story.  I really felt her pain, and her overall, goodness for humanity.  On the flip side, we have Romeo, who is as disgusting as person as you could possibly find.  Its really hard to see where Juliet even fell in love with the guy!  Makes the case for not jumping into marriage too quickly!

Overall, loved this book, and can't wait to read the sequel, Romeo Redeemed.  5 stars!

Winner of Comments Contest Week of April 2nd

Congratulations to Tabitha@Tabitha's Book Blog for winning the contest this week!  Tabitha got to choose a book off of my shelf!  She picked:

Congratualtions, Tabitha!  I will be running the contest again this week.  All you have to do to enter is to comment on any of my posts!  You receive one entry per comment! (One comment per post) Good Luck!

Balthazar by Claudia Gray

Synopsis:  When Balthazar agrees to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, he has no idea how dangerous it will be.  Skye's newfound physic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel, seductive master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago.  Now Redgrave plans to use Skye's powers for his own evil purposes.

Balthazar will do whatever it takes to stop Redgrave and exact his long-awaited revenge against his killer.  As Skye and Balthazar stand together to fight him, they grow closer--first unwillingly, then undeniably.  Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by her...

My 2 cents:  I couldn't wait to read the story of Balthazar.  I loved him so much in the Evernight series!  I was thinking this book would be all about his past--but it was even better!

The story is about saving Skye, Lucas's good friend from Evernight.  I loved Skye, she is a great character, and it was so easy to see why she helped save Bianca in the book Afterlife.  She is a strong character, and her physic abilities were interesting.

In the middle of  the story, we get flashbacks Balthazar has about not only his vampire life, but also his human life.  We finally get to understand why he is the way he is; and also why Charity is the way she is.  Yes, she is also a main player in this book!

Overall, loved this book.  Fans of Claudia Gray's work will not be disappointed!  5 stars!

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is put on by Should Be Reading, where we  share the book titles you discovered or heard about during the past week. These can be books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased.


These are my finds this week!

I heard about this book in a blog, and have marked it to-read on my Goodreads!  Looks awesome!

This book the author sent me a digital copy to me to review!!

This book was also mentioned an another book blog.  It looks amazing!




Any new books you found this week?