It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week. Books I finished in the last week:
THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT THE FUTURE, THE MORE THERE MAY BE TO FEAR.
Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around—and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn’t need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.
Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards—and Tara’s increasingly ominous dreams—suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationship with the mysterious order known as Delphi’s Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen. . . .
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this read. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I realized it was a book 2 of a series. I hate to read out of order. But this was for a tour so I did it anyways.
I liked the characters quite a bit. The Steve's had to have been my favorite and I would love to see more of them. Cassie is another of my favorites and I wonder where her story will take. While I enjoyed Tara and Harry, I have the say the ones I mentioned before, stole the story.
The story itself was interesting. Secret agents disappearing, all leading back to the Chernobyl disaster and what might come if they don't stop it. It kept my attention. All in all a good read.
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.
Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.
My Thoughts:
This book packed a punch. It really did. I was grabbed from page one and it did not let me go until I finished it.
Valerie is an amazing, strong, scared, and scarred teenage girl who's been through hell. Not only does she have to deal with her boyfriend opening fire at their school and shooting her in the process. She is the one left behind to deal with the aftermath. The anger, the fear, the hate, and even the ones who don't blame her as well. That's just the stuff she's dealing with from everyone at school, her parents, the town. But then to add to it she has to deal with her own feelings of fear, guilt, shame, confusion. What an incredibly strong character she really is.
I found myself several times wishing I could reach into the pages and either throttle a character or hug them. Jennifer really brought this story to life and I will definitely be reading more of her books in years to come.
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:
The Scene in the Garvin High School cafeteria, known as the commons, is being described as "grim" by investigators who are working to identify the victims of a shooting spree that erupted Friday morning.
Hate List - Jennifer Brown pg 1 (It's only one sentence but I felt it packed enough of a punch by itself)
It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week. Books I finished in the last week:
Rogue Oracle - Alayna Williams I'm actually going to put my review pile aside and rummage through my very large TBR pile and find what calls out to me.
Books to finish this week: Rogue Oracle - Alayna Williams
Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.
Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.
She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.
Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.
My Thoughts:
I really liked this book! It's not your run of the mill paranormal book, but it definitely falls into the same category. You've got Vampires, Mythical Gods, Harpies, Mages, and all kinds of interesting creatures. Then you got a pack of misfit kids of all ages, a town run by 9 powerful families. Then add them all together with a gripping storyline and you've got a great read!
I got to say I loved the kids in this book. I wanted to go be a house mom for them all lol. I have to say I have a big soft spot for Violet. She reminds me of the little creepy girl in the Adams Family, Wednesday, I believe. Violet is quiet and skittish but fiercely protective of those she cares about. A great character.
I loved the setting of this book. New 2 is New Orleans after massive Hurricanes destroyed it. The families bought the land and rebuilt the city. The book was so full of details and descriptions. I almost could see the landscape as I read the pages.
The whole book had a very Gothic feel about it. The story, the town, the characters all of it rolled together made for a great read!
Violet McKenna isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues; she has more to contend with than most people could handle. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events too. The problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven.
At Winterhaven, Violet finally feels like she belongs. She quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’—as do all the students at Winterhaven. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing and alluring boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. In her premonitions the secret he is unwilling to share begins to reveal itself. And to Violet's horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical--and deadly--way.
My Thoughts:
This was an interesting read. Parts of it seems a bit like Twilight and Vampire Diaries mixed with a bit of Buffy. But regardless, I liked it. I think Winterhaven would be a school I would love to attend if I had the special gifts the students had there.
I admit Kristi got me very curious about the history of some of the students. There were a few mysterious characters that I would love to learn more about and I look forward to reading more in the next segment. I am curious enough to want to see where the series will be going and will be waiting for round two in the series.
THERE ARE GOOD GUYS. THERE ARE BAD GUYS. AND THEN THERE’S MAX.
Max knows what trusting the wrong person can cost you. Her former friend Giselle, a powerful witch, enslaved Max years ago, turning her into a Shadowblade—a deadly warrior compelled to fight for Giselle. But there’s more at stake now than Max’s thirst for revenge. The Guardians, overseers of the magical world, have declared war on humanity and on any witches not standing with them. Max and Giselle have come to an uneasy truce in order to protect what’s left of Horngate, their coven’s home. Max would do anything for Horngate—even give herself over to a mysterious otherworldly creature in the nearby mountains in exchange for his help. But first, she intends to save the mortal family she left behind. And Alexander, the Shadowblade warrior who could be her closest ally or her deadliest enemy, is going with her.
On a road trip into the unknown, Max and Alexander face wild magic, desperate enemies, and battles that bruise both body and soul. But the greatest challenge will come from unexpected revelations that test everything Max believes about who she is—and where her loyalties lie. . . .
My Thoughts:
This went a little slower for me than the first book did. Though I do not know why. It was chocked full of action and tons of characters. I loved getting to know returning characters a bit more and have found some new ones I am looking forward to getting to know better in upcoming books.
There was lots going on in this book. Never a dull moment that is for sure. I don't recommend reading this if you don't like cliff hangers or abrupt endings. This definitely has one of those. So if you're a person who can't wait, might be best to wait until book 3 is due. If you have patience, definitely check this one out. A solid second book of a series!
Love. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don t.
In Lauren Oliver s stunning second novel, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the cure. Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. But then she meets enigmatic Alex, who lives under the government s radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?
Lauren Oliver follows up her incandescent debut, the New York Times bestseller Before I Fall, with this extraordinary novel about a high-stakes romance set in a dystopian United States. Delirium presents a world as terrifying as The Hunger Games and a romance as true as Romeo and Juliet.
My Thoughts:
I had a bit of a hard time with this book in the beginning. Not because it wasn't good, but because I couldn't wrap my mind around a world where love is a disease that had to be cured. My brain just didn't want to accept their reality. I guess I am a true sympathizer, as the book refers to people like me.
This is a story about a girl born and raised in this world. A world where at 18, you get fixed and love will never be an issue. Lena is actually looking forward to this procedure but as all great books, her world was soon turned upside down by the appearance of Alex. Alex shows her what life is supposed to be about. Love and emotions. He shows her what it's like to feel alive.
What follows is a roller coaster ride of emotions, discoveries, danger, peril, love, heartache. Delirium kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. Lauren kept my adrenalin very high.
Lauren did it again. She created a story that sucked me in and kept me hanging on til the bitter end. Home run number 2 for Lauren and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Review Policy
Disclaimer: I review books both bought and received from authors/publishers, etc. To be in compliance with the upcoming FTC policies, if a book I am reviewing came to me for review from a publisher/author I will state so in my review.
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...
