Enders by Lissa Price

Title: Enders

Author: Lissa Price

Publisher: Random House Children's

Released: January 7th 2014

Pages: 288 (eBook)

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Someone is after Starters like Callie and Michael - teens with chips in their brains. They want to experiment on anyone left over from Prime Destinations -With the body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn't want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save her life - but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena's memories, too . . . and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body?

No one is ever who they appear to be, not even the Old Man. Determined to find out who he really is and grasping at the hope of a normal life for herself and her younger brother, Callie is ready to fight for the truth. Even if it kills her.

It tied all the knots and ticked all the boxes that Starters created, but despite my complete adoration for the first instalment, Enders left a lot to be desired. I don't know whether it's the fact I've grown up a lot since Starters was released or what, but it just didn't impact me as much as I had hoped it would.

Panic by Lauren Oliver

Title: Panic

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Hodder

Release: March 4th 2014

Pages: 416 (eBook)

Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US

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Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

I was so excited when I received an ARC of Panic. Having read Before I Fall and the entire Delirium trilogy, I have become a solid fan of Oliver's writing and imagination, and as soon as I saw the synopsis for this, I knew I was going to love it. Whether she is writing a series or a stand-alone, Oliver delivers.

Perfection by J. L. Spelbring

Title: Perfection
Author: J. L. Spelbring
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Released: May 7th 2013
Pages: 320 (ARC)
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The personification of Aryan purity, Ellyssa's spent her whole life under her creator's strict training and guidance; her purpose is to eradicate inferior beings. She was genetically engineered to be the perfect soldier: strong, intelligent, unemotional, and telepathic. 

Only Ellyssa isn't perfect. 

Ellyssa feels emotions--a fact she's spent her life concealing. Until she encounters the epitome of inferiority: a dark-haired boy raised among renegades hiding since the Nazis won the war a century ago. He speaks to her telepathically, pushing thoughts into her mind, despite the impossibility of such a substandard person having psychic abilities. 

But he does. 

His unspoken words and visions of a place she's never visited make Ellyssa question her creator. Confused and afraid her secret will be discovered, Ellyssa runs away, embarking on a journey where she discovers there is more to her than perfection.

Oh dear....I really don't know what to say. I couldn't wait to read Perfection when I received it  through the ARC share - I mean, imagine a world where Hitler had succeeded and won the war? It's an understatement to say I was excited. However, halfway through and I just knew it wouldn't get any better than disappointing. I think this is a classic example of a book with an amazing concept that just isn't delivered in a way that makes it interesting.

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Title: The Madness Underneath
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: February 26th 2013
Pages: 290 (Paperback)
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When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…

There's a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London.
Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

Do you ever read a book that you just don't know how to review? For me, this is one of them. I'm trying to find the words to explain how I feel about this read, but nothing I think of really sums up what I mean. I guess the closest thing to it would be disappointing.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Released: September 17th 2013

Pages: 288 (Paperback)

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All her life, Elise Dembowski has been an outsider. Starting a new school, she dreams of fitting in at last – but when her best attempts at popularity fail, she almost gives up. Then she stumbles upon a secret warehouse party. There, at night, Elise can be a different person, making real friends, falling in love for the first time, and finding her true passion – DJ’ing. 

But when her real and secret lives collide, she has to make a decision once and for all: just who is the real Elise?

I feel as if it'd be wrong to review this without sharing a bit of personal information. This novel hit me hard - it was as if Sales had crawled into the very depths of my brain and dug up my past, writing down a story that I just wish fourteen year old me could have read (it sure would have saved a lot of teen angst!) I'm a year older than main character Elise, but I still face many of the problems she conquers. I've never been a "popular" kid - heck, I stick out like a sore thumb, not just in looks but in personality, and that doesn't exactly endear anyone to you. I've never been without friends, but I get glares and snide comments made all the time from people who know nothing about me, and I just end up floundering around wondering what the heck I have done to deserve it. The truth that Sales reveals is that, as sad as it is, teenagers don't need a reason to dislike you; they just can, and they will. Sometimes this can push you to the breaking point - sometimes you wonder if suicide really is the only way out. In this novel, Sales shines a light onto the other pathway available to you; accepting yourself. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 526 (Hardback)
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The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

In a way, this feels like the end of an era - and to a certain extent, I guess it is. I've spent the past year anticipating the release of Allegiant after the godsmacker of a cliffhanger Insurgent left us on, and in a weird way, I don't think it could ever live up to whatever expectations I as the reader had - every fan wanted something different to happen, but nothing would ever be quite right for everyone. However, I think that's the difficulty with most trilogies - it will never be the perfect goodbye because we just don't want to let it go.

Bitter Like Orange Peel by Jessica Bell

Title: Bitter Like Orange Peel
Author: Jessica Bell
Publisher: Vine Leaves Press
Released: November 1st 2013
Pages: 179 (eBook)
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Six women. One man. Seven secrets. One could ruin them all.

Kit is a twenty-five-year-old archaeology undergrad, who doesn’t like to get her hands dirty. Life seems purposeless. But if she could track down her father, Roger, maybe her perspective would change.

The only problem—Roger is as rotten as the decomposing oranges in her back yard according to the women in her life: Ailish, her mother—an English literature professor who communicates in quotes and clichés, and who still hasn’t learned how to express emotion on her face; Ivy, her half-sister—a depressed archaeologist, with a slight case of nymphomania who fled to America after a divorce to become a waitress; and Eleanor, Ivy’s mother—a pediatric surgeon who embellishes her feelings with medical jargon, and named her daughter after "Intravenous."

Against all three women’s wishes, Kit decides to find Roger.
Enter a sister Kit never knew about.
But everyone else did.

What a bloody awful book. I'm sorry, but it has to be said. I've read some bad books in my time, but this is most definitely in the top five. The synopsis held the promise of a novel that wasn't delivered.

The basic premise is a group of six women who all have ties to this one man - to some of them he was a lover, a husband, and to others he was a father - or an absentee one at that. Kit, one of the daughters, is desperate to find out about this man who she has never met, so sets out on a journey to meet him. However, in doing so she unveils a whole load of buried family secrets.

Pawn by Aimée Carter

Title: Pawn
Author: Aimée Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: November 26th 2013
Pages: 346 (eBook)
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YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

I've had my eye on Pawn for quite a while, so once I got accepted for an eGalley of it, I was ecstatic. Despite the surge of dystopian novels over the last few years, many of them still manage to come up with original concepts; Pawn is a perfect example of this.

Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe

Title: Fireblood
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release: December 17th 2013
Pages: 376 (Kindle)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin. 

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult. 

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out. 

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.

You know that feeling when you finish a book and you just become speechless? Yeah, I'm like that with Fireblood. I don't think there is any word in the dictionary that could properly sum up just how breathtaking it is. I went into it with high expectations - everyone has heard of Trisha Wolfe, and the reviews I've read have been nothing but praise for her writing. I finished the book with those expectations raised; Wolfe is a tremendous author, and I am now definitely on the bandwagon.

Hidden Wings by Cameo Renae

Title: Hidden Wings
Author: Cameo Renae
Publisher: Indie Inked
Released: January 16th 2013
Pages: 204 (Kindle)
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Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise.
As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.

Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.

A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.

So ever since I saw Haley's review of this over at YA-Aholic, I've wanted to read it. So when I got accepted for a review copy, I was over the moon! I love angels and demons, and a few years ago I went through a complete stage of being obsessed with them - now I remember why! Hidden Wings was fast-paced and furious, with a witty band of characters and enemies like no other.

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Title: Freakboy
Author: Kristin Elizabeth Clark
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Released: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 448 (Kindle)
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From the outside, Brendan Chase seems to have it pretty easy. He’s a star wrestler, a video game aficionado, and a loving boyfriend to his seemingly perfect match, Vanessa. But on the inside, Brendan struggles to understand why his body feels so wrong—why he sometimes fantasizes having long hair, soft skin, and gentle curves. Is there even a name for guys like him? Guys who sometimes want to be girls? Or is Brendan just a freak?

In Freakboy's razor-sharp verse, Kristin Clark folds three narratives into one powerful story: Brendan trying to understand his sexual identity, Vanessa fighting to keep her and Brendan’s relationship alive, and Angel struggling to confront her demons.

This is the second verse book I have read, and the first of which I have reviewed. I'm a keen supporter of LGBT rights, and I never turn down an opportunity to learn a bit more about the different situations people of the LGBT community have been through, fictional or otherwise. I've read a few novels centred around being transgender, and I'm honestly amazed at the strength these people have - how horribly they are judged, but how they still persevere to get what they know is right. Freakboy was an amazing story, and I'm just left in awe.

The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles

Title: The Kissing Booth
Author: Beth Reekles
Publisher: Random House Children's
Released: December 13th 2012
Pages: 448 (Kindle)
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Meet Rochelle Evans: pretty, popular--and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile--and a total player. And also Elle's best friend's older brother... 

When Elle decides to run a kissing booth for the school's Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Her head says to keep away, but her heart wants to draw closer--this romance seems far from fairy tale and headed for heartbreak. 

But will Elle get her happily ever after?

I don't like cheesy books and I don't like cheesy couples yet I liked The Kissing Booth.  Please go and figure. Something about this read appealed to me, so despite it's vast amount of teen angst, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're looking for a light, easy-going read, I'd definitely recommend this.

The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns

Title: The Name on Your Wrist
Author: Helen Hiorns
Publisher: RHCP Digital
Released: July 15th 2013
Pages: 185 (eBook)
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It's the first thing they teach you when you start school. But they don't need to; your parents tell you when you're first learning how to say your name. It's drummed into you whilst you're taking your first stumbling steps. It's your lullaby. From the moment it first appears, you don't tell anyone the name on your wrist.

In Corin's world, your carpinomen - the name of your soul mate, marked indelibly on your wrist from the age of two or three - is everything. It's your most preciously guarded secret; a piece of knowledge that can give another person ultimate power over you. People spend years, even decades, searching for the one they're supposed to be with.

But what if you never find that person? Or you do, but you just don't love them? What if you fall for someone else - someone other than the name on your wrist?

And what if - like Corin - the last thing in the world you want is to be found?

I can't decide on a rating. I can't decide on a rating and I hate it when that happens! The Name on Your Wrist's synopsis piqued my interest, and whilst on one hand I want to sing its praises, on the other I just can't get over the fact that nothing happened.

Blog Tour: Intermix Nation by M. P. Attardo (Review + Giveaway)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M.P. Attardo is a twenty-something, part-time writer, full-time daydreamer. She has a college degree … is still trying to figure out what ever to do with it. She loves amateur baseball commentating, heckling, and overindulging. And putting her bizarre, gritty thoughts into words for all to read.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

REVIEW
Title: Intermix Nation
Author: M. P. Attardo
Publisher: Self
Released: March 5th 2013
Pages: 331 (Kindle)
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Intermix: to mix together, blend

North America, paragon of diversity, is gone. From its ashes, a new nation has arisen – Renatus – where the government segregates the surviving population into races, forbidding interracial marriage, mating, and love.

Eighteen-year-old Nazirah Nation is a pariah, an intermix, born of people from different races. When her parents are murdered in the name of justice, Nazirah grudgingly joins the growing rebellion fighting against the despotic government.

Overwhelmed with grief, consumed by guilt, Nazirah craves vengeance as a substitute for absolution. But on her journey to find the girl she once was, Nazirah must learn the hard way that nothing … no one … is purely black or white. Like her, every human is intermix, shades and hues of complex emotions. And those who can take everything away are also the ones who can give everything back.

Well, I really wasn't prepared for that emotional rollercoaster! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew Intermix Nation was a book I had to read. As someone who is mixed heritage, I know what it's like to be of two different ethnicities but feel that, at times, I belong to neither. In Attardo's debut, North America has been divided into a land known as Renatus. The divides have been put in place to separate races, forbidding them from mixing – but love can conquer boundaries, and the children of two races are born. They are known as intermix, and are cast out by everyone but their own. Nazirah is an intermix, but not just anyone – she is the face of the rebellion, a beacon of hope for the citizens of Renatus. But Irri has her own past, and if she’s going to win over the nation, she’s going to have to face her biggest enemy yet: Adamek Morgen, murderer of her parents.

I can't believe how well-written this was, especially for a debut novel. I'm not suggesting that debut authors are bad, but usually since it's their first book, they're still trying to find their own individual style. Attardo has her style set. Admittedly I at first found it strange to read in the person she used, but as I became more engrossed in the story, I grew used to it. Aside from that, the language, the plot, the build up...it was the perfect concoction for a story.

Nazirah Nation has to be one of my favourite protagonists of all time. I know I can go on a bit about how I love my brave heroines, but I think she's one of the strongest I've ever come across. Nazirah is put through a lot of trials, yet she is as hard as nails the entire time. She is a true face of a rebellion, and because of that she made the diegesis, the plot, the idea believable. 

Adamek Morgen is my latest addiction. When we were first introduced to him, I just thought he'd be the counterpart to Nazirah, an enemy to reinforce the idea that she is the good guy. However, halfway through and I realised she created him to be so much more than that. Although the book centers around the issue of racism, it also talks about forgiveness. How can you forgive someone who has wronged you so terribly? He is a counterpart, that's for sure, but he's not necessarily just the enemy. Although we don't find as much out about his past as I would have liked, his character holds a depth so vast that you can't help but feel that he's real. 

This may seem strange, but one thing I really loved about Intermix Nation was how Attardo managed to get this entire story into just one book. A lot of dystopians nowadays are split into a trilogy, a lot of which tend to fall short towards the end. Although I do like it when books are a series, I was glad she just got to the point with the story and didn't unnecessarily drag it out, making it intense, dynamic and dramatic.

I must admit, I really am impressed with Attardo. Debut novels rarely come as good as this, especially New Adult books. This genre has me skeptical, but this book just had the right amount of snarky language, witty characters and smoky sex scenes to be perfect. I recommend this book 100%, it's one of the best indies I've read yet.
Rating: 5/5

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Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Title: Crash Into You
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher:  Harlequin Teem
Release: November 26th 2013
Pages: 489 (Kindle)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. 

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Am I the only girl stupid enough not to have fallen in love with Isaiah from book one? Yes? Well, better late that never! The Pushing the Limits trilogy is one of my favourite YA contemps out there, and you wouldn't believe how excited I was when I received an ARC of it. True to what is becoming McGarry's fashion, it was an absolutely breathtaking read - imagine my relief when I found out that the series wasn't ending here!

Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader

Title: Escape from Eden

Author: Elisa Nader 

Publisher: Merit Press

Released: July 18th 2013

Pages: 272 (eBook)

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

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Since the age of ten, Mia has rebelled against the iron fist of a fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join a fanatical family of followers. At "Edenton," a supposed Garden of Eden deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the reverend's strict and arbitrary rules--even about whom they can marry. Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in and the curious out. 

When the rebellious Gabe, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees her chance to escape and to free her family. But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound's facade are more shocking than anything they imagined. While Gabe has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friend and freedom fighters. But there's no time to think about love as they race against time to stop the reverend's paranoid plan to free his flock--but not himself--from this corrupt world. 

Can two kids crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman whose only concern is his own secrets?

Oh my days, what an emotional rollercoaster! When I first read the Escape from Eden synopsis, I was intrigued. Although I don't really like books that have a heavily religious aspect, I was happily surprised by the fact that although it talks about religion, the book is about a lot more than that. Nader has created a unique idea - a paradise in the modern world where struggling people seek to find refuge under the guidance of the Reverand. However, the reality of this "Eden" is far from what the Bible promised, and the main character, Mia, alongside rebel Gabriel are about to find out what temptations lurk beneath the façade.

Blog Tour: Panic by J. A. Huss (Review + Playlist)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

REVIEW
Title: Panic
Author: J. A. Huss
Publisher: Science Future Press
Released: October 15th 2013
Pages: 232 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / B&N / Kobo
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Rook is chasing her dream—film school and a chance at a life beyond the one she left behind six months ago. But before she can become the girl she wants to be, she must deal with the girl she left behind.

Ronin is also chasing his dream—a family of his own and a life away from erotic modeling. And he too, has a past he’s trying to forget. A past that makes Rook question everything about their life together.

Lies, secrets, and shocking truths will rock the foundation Rook and Ronin have built. Can they put the past behind them and move forward together? Or is this just another too good to be true relationship that will crash and burn in the end?

Since I've followed this trilogy from the beginning, how could I not take part in the final blog tour? The Rook and Ronin series are some of the best indie books I have ever read. Full of suspense, drama, and scenes hot enough to make you sweat, it is definitely something you don't want to miss.

Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway

Title: Touch of Death
Author: Kelly Hashway
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Released: January 15th 2013
Pages: 229 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

I hate it when all your friends love a book but you just don't. The first person who told me about this book was Tyler, who absolutely loved it. After checking out the blurb, I was 96.4% sure I'd love it too. Turns out my judgement was way way off.

The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray

Title: The Dollhouse Asylum
Author: Mary Gray
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 296 (Paperback)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

I feel like I have been waiting for this since forever! (Alright, it was only since April - but my point still stands!) So when I got it in the post, I literally shrieked with excitement - and I mean full-on, wave-your-hands-in-the-air excitement. Dystopian fiction has been my favourite genre for well over two years now, but despite my love for it, the same initial idea has been done over and over again, so much so that I'm getting kind of sick of it. The best thing about The Dollhouse Asylum is that Gray's idea is completely fresh - I haven't come across another book quite like it.

Blog Tour: Breaking Glass by Lisa Amowitz (Review)

About The Author

Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot. When she hit her teens, she realized that Long Island was too small for her and she needed to escape. So she went to college in Pittsburgh. Go figure. On leaving college, Lisa became a graphic designer living in New York City. She eventually married her husband of a zillion years, had two lovely children, and was swept away to a fairy tale life in the Bronx, where, unbelievably there are more trees and wilderness than her hometown. She can see the Hudson River from her kitchen window. Lisa has been a professor of graphic design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.

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Review

Title: Breaking Glass
Author: Lisa Amowitz
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Released: July 9th 2013
Pages: 297 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depository / B&N
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On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he's not sure whether they're real or if he's losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.

I finished this book well over a week ago, yet I'm only just getting around to writing this review. Why? Breaking Glass left me utterly speechless. I don't think I'll ever be able to find words accurate enough to describe just how amazing and suspenseful this book really is.