SWITCHED

TRYLLE TRILOGY #1 : SWITCHED

                                                             
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

This edition includes the bonus story "The Vittra Attacks".

REVIEW:
I got the trylle trilogie in a beautiful box set for my birthday. At first I was  likr; "trolls? Well that's going to be interesting" I was a little hesitant at first but when I started reading this book I was sold.
Wendy came across as a little brad at first, but soon enough I really loved her and understood her.
Amanda Hocking did a fantastic job of world building and explaining everything about this world of trolls.
There is action, romance and verything you need in a mind blowing book.

Miss Hocking gave trolls a very different look than what we are used to. They are beautiful have amazing affinity's, but they also have their little weird things. Like, they don't eat anything that is processed .

Haven't you read this book yet?? Pick it up an read it NOW. You won't regret it.

SHADOW of the MOON

DARK GUARDIANS #4 : SHADOW of the MOON

I can feel every Shifter's emotions except Daniel's—
the only one whose heart I long to know. 

HAYDEN was born a werewolf, a Dark Guardian. But her ability to sense the feelings of fellow werewolves has made her life unbearable. She runs away, only to be tracked by charming, mysterious Daniel, a newcomer to the pack and the one Shifter immune to her powers. As she reluctantly follows him home, Hayden finds herself falling dangerously in love. . . .

But even as her feelings for Daniel deepen, Hayden begins to wonder if he is who he claims to be. Where did he come from and why has no one ever seen him transform? When they stumble upon the body of a Shifter still in wolf form, her worries grow. Someone is killing her kind. Is her handsome tracker really a hunter? And is Hayden now his prey?

REVIEW;
The third book made for a great ending to a trilogy, this fourth book seemed like an additional prequel book where we follow Hayden who is a shifter but has the ability to feel every emotion that shifter feel.
Although it seems like a book that doesn't really follow up to the other three books I really enjoyed it.
Hayden runs away from wolford because she is going to be the next victim of the harvester, a mythical creature that collects the souls from newly turned shifters. The harvester just popped up out of nowhere and now it's after Hayden. But Daniel goes after Hayden to get her back to Wolford, she doesn't want to because she wants to protect the people around her. Daniel is also a shifter who's emotions are shut of to Hayden, she doesn't understand why but when you read the book it becomes more and more obvious why that is.
Daniel and Hayden are bickering but it grows into a love that can only be explained as soul mates.

This book was probably my second favorite in the series.

DARK of the MOON

DARK GUARDIANS #3 : DARK of the MOON

I've loved him forever, but he can never be mine.

BRITTANY is determined to prove herself to the Dark Guardians. And yet she's been keeping a devastating secret: She hasn't experienced any of the intense, early signs of change that mark a Dark Guardian's transformation. The only intense feelings she has are for Connor—and she's kept that a secret, too. But she knows she'll never truly have Connor's love if she's not a Shifter like him. 
At the first full moon after her birthday, her greatest fear is realized: She doesn't transform. Brittany is so desperate to become a wolf that she'll go to extremes she never thought possible . . . and put all the Dark Guardians in incredible danger.

REVIEW ;

We've followed a little of Brittany's actions and whereabouts in the first 2 books, and to be honest I didn't like Brittany at all. So I had low expectations. I was really wrong to think that I wouldn't like this book. It turned out to be my favorite in the series.

As we expected Brittany doesn't shift, she is confused and mad and goes looking for answers. In the meanwhile Connor begins to play a bigger part, we know that Brittany wants him as her mate, she has a mayor crush on him. I loved that Connor an Brittany grew together and became a couple, I was rooting for them from the beginning.

BioChrome gets closer and closer to the shifters and even captures Brittany and Connor. It's beautiful how Brittany tries everything in her power to keep Connor as safe as possible. Their love grows and it's clear that they were meant for each other.

I loved the action and passion in this book so much that it really deserves 5 roses

FULL MOON

DARK GUARDIANS #2 : FULL MOON

I may be promised to another . . . but thoughts of Rafe consume me. I don't know how much longer I can resist. 

Lindsey is wild and reckless, a natural rebel - maybe because her entire life was laid out for her even before she was born. Her parents are among the most powerful members of the Dark Guardians, an ancient tribe of werewolves, and they arranged Lindsey's betrothal to Connor long ago. The next full moon is coming all too soon, and then her commitment to Connor will be final - no turning back. She should be happy . . . so why can't she stop thinking about gorgeous, brooding Rafe? 

When a dangerous threat on the pack escalates, so do tensions between Connor and Rafe. A fight over Lindsey is imminent, but will it be to the death?

REVIEW;

First of all I have to say (again as with the first book) that the cover is horrible. Every book cover in this series has a girls on the front that should be the main character of each book. But this girls IS NOT LINDSEY, this girl (I"m sorry to say) is not as pretty as I imagine Lindsey to be, and her hair is soooo wrong, maybe the color is right but that where it ends.

Okay enough about the cover, now about the story. We already knew from the first book that Lindsey struggles with her feelings for Rafe and her mate Connor, as the story progresses I felt sorry for Lindsey and totally understood her growing confusion and guilt.

I'm glad this love triangle is solved int his book, if it had continued in the next ones it would be tiresome, but how it turned out in this book was perfect (although I was team Rafe all the way ;) ).

BioChrome keeps being a problem but also doesn't turn out to be the main concern of the book, it's on the side. Which I didn't mind.

Certainly wasn't my favorite book but I liked it enough.

   

MOONLIGHT

DARK GUARDIANS #1 : MOONLIGHT

I see him and I know what this turmoil inside of me means: He's the one. My forever. 

KAYLA is the nature lover, the all-American beauty who can't understand why she's so drawn to distant, brooding Lucas. Adopted as a young child, she has no way of knowing that she's inherited a terrifying-and thrilling-gene that will change her life forever.

LUCAS is dangerous, gorgeous ... and a werewolf. As leader of the Dark Guardians, shape-shifters who gather deep within the state park, he has sworn to protect his pack. But when Lucas finds his true soul mate, his love could put them all in harm's way.

As Lucas and Kayla struggle with their feelings for each other, a greater danger lurks: Humans have discovered the Dark Guardians and are planning their destruction. Kayla must choose between the life she knows and the love she feels certain is her destiny.

REVIEW;

I first heard about this series from Savannah (bookswithbite), there has not been a lot of hype around this series which is not particularly a bad thing. Overhyped books can be disappointing sometimes.

I like series where every book follows a different character, but still has the others on the sidelines. I also really like the thought of soulmates (in these books they are called mates).

This book follows Kayla who has a really strong character, she cares about the people around her and is sincerely intersted or consurned about them. Kayla does not know about werewolves/shifters but gradually discoveres them in this book, which I think is a very clever way of introducing a new world to a reader.

Lucas is dark and brooding but Kayla starts feeling like he is more then she thought, although he doesn't really show interest in her she starts having strong feelings for him.

In the end this book was refreshing when it comes to the shifter/werewolf genre, the whole sociaty was a real plus.

I have to say that I don't like the cover, it's hideous. The girl on the cover has to represent Kayla, but in my mind she is way sweeter (though the hair is correct.)

Because it was quite a slow start and everything was very obvious to me I give it 3,5 roses

SHINE

SHADE TRILOGY #3 : SHINE

In this dramatic conclusion to the Shade trilogy, Aura and Zachary’s relationship sizzles as the secrets of the Shift are revealed.

Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past.

As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves...even if that means betraying her own heart.

REVIEW: (SPOILER ALERT)

I loved this book as an ending to a heart wrenching trilogy. 

Zachary has become Aura's soul-mate and now he has to go back to Scottland. To make his diparture worse, his plane crashes and Aura is desperately hoping Zachary survived. When she hears that Zachary never got on his plane but has been captured by the DMP she tries everything in her power to free him.

When you get out of this roller-coaster we go into the next one. This book is full of surprises and big happenings. Puzzle's are being completed.

We go to Ireland and follow Aura and Zachary with their search to end the shift, meanwhile trying to figure their relationship out (I love their somewhat complicated relationship, it has such natural growth in it that you root for them until the end).

The ending, I'm not going to spoil that bombshell, but it was sweet and great. The perfect ending.

This book was certainly not a disappointment, it was a really great read.

SHIFT

SHADE TRILOGY #2 : SHIFT

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

REVIEW:

I think I loved this book even more than shade. Aura is moving on after Logan, he hasn't passed on yet and that's making it hard for Aura and Zachary to be together. In shift Aura is trying to make Logan find peace, this seems to work but ofcourse there are complications.

Because of these complications Aura falls back into mourning and Zachary's patiens is reaching it's limit. He has been patient sofar but Aura is really stretching it, and the great thing about Aura is that she realises this, she isn't someone who is oblivious of her own actions and that makes for a great read.

Logans last concert where he ........ (I'm not going to spoil this for you) made me soooo emotional. It was so beautiful and this made me so happy.

SHADE

SHADE TRILOGY #1 : SHADE

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

REVIEW:

I had to read this book, P.C Cast liked it and the other series I read about ghosts was so refreshing that I was instantly triggered to buy it.

Am I happy I did that, because I loved this book. The world where people from after the shift see ghosts and how they use it to get justice is great, I wish I could see ghosts (technically I was born after the shift ;) )

Aura is such a fantastic character, she has a great group of friends. Logan and Aura are a great couple but I have to say I'm team Zachary (oh yeah). He is so understanding and sweet (and patient, although he's not a bloody saint, as he says it) oh and did I mention that I love that he's Scottish.

I certainly recomment this book to anyone who likes P.C Cast's books, but it's absolutely nothing like her books it's great on it's own.

Definitely worth five roses.

FOREVER

THE WOLVES OF MERCY FALLS TRILOGY #3 : FOREVER

Sam has always loved Grace. As a wolf, he watched her from afar. As a boy, he held her in his arms.

Now facing the possibility of a life without her, he will do anything to keep her safe. Even if it means facing his demons. Even if it risks everything he has.

Anything, as long as their love can survive...

REVIEW:

In this final book I had the feeling that we were going through a somewhat similar story as the first book, but now it's Sam who is on the verge of losing Grace, and now we have Cole who is searching for a cure for werewolves.

I think it was beautiful how Sam was so devastated from the thought of loosing Grace that he risks everything so that he can be with her.

I didn't like the ending though, it wasn't really a solution, the question I had after finishing this book was "well, did it work??".

Because I had this question at the end I was really happy that I wasn't so pulled into the story to be bothered by it. This is not a good thing though, authors have to make their readers want to know how the book ends so I have it 3,5 roses, because the story was still great and some aspects of this book really did get me.

LINGER

THE WOLVES OF MERCY FALLS TRILOGY #2 : LINGER

Grace and Sam must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping dangerous secrets. For Sam, it means grappling with his werewolf past ...and figuring out a way to survive the future.

But just when they manage to find happiness, Grace finds herself changing in ways she could never have expected...

REVIEW:

The love story continues in this second installment in the trilogy. I have to say that these books aren't mind blowing and seem a little bit to serious sometimes, but it's still a great story. Introducing Cole is one of the best things happening in this book, his past gives an extra boost to the story and his growing relationship with Isabel makes it a lot more fun to read about. You see Cole becoming a great person from a derailed popstar image.

Grace and Sam are a couple that seem really natural when they are together, like a perfect couple who have been married for years. Although they have just been together for about a year. But in Linger Grace is the one in danger, Sam is "cured" for as far as we know, but Grace was bitten but never became a werewolf and now her werewolf gene threatens to take over. This is the cause of a cliffhanger kind of ending.

My problem with Twilight

MY PROBLEM WITH TWILIGHT

                                  

Don't get me wrong, I like Twilight (the books and the movies, except Breaking Dawn part 1). I've never been a Twi-hard and I'll never be one, but I liked the overall idea and the way it created this publicity for paranormal books (I've always loved the paranormal theme so it wasn't new to me, but because now it has so much attention and there are a lot more people who share my interest in this genre).

However, I really hate the PHENOMENON that surrounds (surrounded??) this series. People started taking sides, the people who love the books and movies and the ones who hate it. This caused a lot of prejudice when it comes to the genre. Books are compared to Twilight or they say twilight fans will "love" it, for example, the soul screamers series by Rachel Vincent ;

Or the way people expected the Beautiful Creatures movie to be the next twilight.

WHY do people do THAT, with these kind of praises you can attrackt the twilight crowd but you will also repel the people who are prejudiced because of twilight.

Another example is the Host (book and movie). 

                                                      

People see the trailer and think "wow, this seems interesting", then they drop the bomb "from Stephanie Meyer, the author of the TWILIGHT SAGA", and that's when they go "OH NO, not Twilight again"

So my point being is that Twilight had it's time, it had it's golden years but that's over now. It won't be like Harry Potter where everyone will still love it years after the movies are out.\

Get over twilight and give other authors and movies a chance, and the Host, it's nothing like twilight. 

ENDLESSLY

PARANORMALCY #3 : ENDLESSLY

Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate.


The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands.

REVIEW:
As an ending to a trilogy this is a roller-coaster of action and emotions.
Evie comes to a point where she has to make choices that will influance a lot of supernatural creatures.
I like that Vivian has a more prominent role in this book, she has a purpose and has changed a lot from the girl who wanted to kill every paranormal (in the understanding that she was doing them a favor).
This trilogy introduced me to a lot of paranormal creatures that are almost never shown in other fantasy books, and all of them have their own special part in  this book.
Lend and Evie have a steady relationhip, but it won't be that way when Evie reveals to Lend that he is immortal, this is easily and beautifully solved, but I won't tell how.

SUPERNATURALLY

PARANORMALCY #2: SUPERNATURALLY

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be...kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

REVIEW:

As a second book in a trilogy it's certainly interesting and more actionfilled as the first.

Evie finds out a lot of interesting and shocking things from her past that she never knew about.

Evie broke free from her ties to IPCA  at the end of Paranormalcy and is now living a fairly normal life and having a steady relationship with Lend, but don't think she can get away from IPCA that easily.

Meanwhile she is also starting a war between the sealie and unsealie fearie courts, which she isn't entirely aware of in the beginning.

Fun and actionfilled with lots of interesting turns, a read that would be great in the summer as a fun and quick read.

PARANORMALCY

PARANORMALCY #1 : PARANORMALCY

Evie's always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours.

But Evie's about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

REVIEW:

I liked this book, I didn't love it, it wasn't mind-blowing but it was a very enjoyable read.

Kiersten White managed to hook you from the first sentence, something I haven't seen much.

Evie is a lovely main character, she isn't perfect and she doesn't pretend to be. She's a girly girl with an edge, a lovely change from the kick-ass heroine's that are usually the main character. I'm not saying that Evie isn't kick-ass, she is, but not in the way that for example Rose Hathaway (vampire academy) is. 

Lend is great as a love interest, sweet, loyal and on top of that he is a shapeshifter (not the person-turns-into-animal kind, but the person-can change-into-anyone-he-wants kind), and Reth is the perfect bad boyfriend form the past, as a fearie he isn't all that bad but he is centainly not the good guy either.. 

IPCA is a very original take on the supernatural genre, the international paranormal containment agency and the bag-and-tag (it reminded me a little of a season 4 Buffy the vampire slayer episode, did enyone else have that?)

Next to the fun characters is the plot also interesting on it's own, something paranormal that was very new to me. 

This book mainly introduces you to everyone and the new world you enter, but it's certainly not boring.

MOCKINGJAY

THE HUNGER GAMES #3 : MOCKINGJAY

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

REVIEW:

Wow, this was, to be honest, a pretty dissapointing book and certainly my least favorite book in this trilogy. I hated that there were so many gruesome deaths, that characters that I started to love died, the book overall was a gruesome story. The reason that I still gave this book 3,5 stars is that with the writing style Suzanne Collins has made you experience this book like you are really there (even if it wasn't a pleasant experience all the time) . And it was a long awaited, somewhat sad, happy ending.

Read it to end this series, to know how it all  ends, But I will certainly not read this book again when rereading the first two.

CATCHING FIRE

THE HUNGER GAMES #2 : CATCHING FIRE

Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge. 

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

REVIEW:

Catching fire is my favorite book in this trilogy. It is exciting and funny, not overly romantic but that is not needed in these books.

Catching fire is the start of the REAL action. It is the year of the 75th hunger games, so there is a quarter quell. Every 25 years there's a quarter quell , for the 50th hunger games 48 people were send to the games, and this year it will be a very surprising turn of events as the 75th specialty is published. I'm not going to spoil the fun for you but, holly crap, I was blown away at this anouncement.

We get to know a lot of the previous victors in this book, which I really liked (the history of the hunger games interests me a lot, what happened, who won etc.).

If you weren't already hooked when you read the hunger games, catching fire will propably be a turning point in your experience with the hunger games (in a good way).

I was thrilled with this book, it had me sitting at the edge of my seat the entire time and turning pages when I had to stop (to eat or go to the toilet or something pointless like that ;) ).

THE HUNGER GAMES

THE HUNGER GAMES #1 : THE HUNGER GAMES

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. 

If she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

REVIEW;

First of all I have to say that I didn't like dystopian novels. I hadn't read any, the idea of these horrible future societys just didn't pull me in.

But after reading the hunger games I suddenly see the world of dystopian novels very differenly, I had seen the movie before reading the trilogy and the movie made me reconsider to read this book ,so I gave it a try.

And am I glad I read these books, it's something that ,as a reader, you have to read.

The world that Suzanne Collins created is very well thought of, Katniss is not a very likeable character but after being in her shoes for a while you kind of get why that is. Panem is not a great land to live in (at least not if you're not living in the capitol) it has a kinda midevil feel to it, but technology exists.

The hunger games on it's own is a very fascinating subject, put 24 young people in the arena to fight to their death until one is left as the victor. It's a gruesome game, but it divines the world that Suzanne Collins created.

All by all, it is a great book and if you haven't  read it already, I certainly reccomend it.

BOOK HAUL!!!

Okay so I went a little crazy when I was looking for new books to buy at the book depository.
I bought 13 books!!! I was like a kid in a candystore, really.

I bought the unearthly trilogy  in hardback, I don't have many hardbacks because those are really expensive but they were relatively cheap at the book depository. And because I loved these covers I couldn't resist the temptation.

 

I also bought the following series;
Rachel Hawthorne's Dark Guardians series

 

Ally Condie's Matched trilogy
  

Bought the 7th installment in the mercy thompson series (yay ;) )



And pre ordered The elite by Kiera Cass