White Hot Kiss (Dark Elements #1)Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 400 pages
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.
Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.
Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.
But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.
Review:
Sexy, funny, action-packed paranormal, I absolutely loved this book. Typical JLA, in the best possible way. Two hot guys, although I don't know if you would call it a love triangle because unless something strange happens, there's no way Layla can be with Zayne because if she even gets close enough to kiss him, she could suck out his soul. So even though he's an upstanding good guy (although a couple of times I did want to smack him), there really wasn't ever any chemistry or any hope that anything could happen between them.
Enter Roth. Sexy demon who's such a bad boy, but I fell in love. He's cocky, snarky, and so full of himself, with some of the most hilarious lines ever, and you could tell that he's a good guy, protecting Layla left and right. JLA has such a talent for writing incredible characters that I become emotionally invested in, dialogue that just makes me laugh, and compelling plots that I cannot put down. She's a definite auto-buy for me.
The Winner's Curse (Winner's Trilogy #1)
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux, 355 pages
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
From Goodreads:
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.
One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.
But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
Review:
After reading so many rave reviews, I thought I might be disappointed in this book, but I wasn't. It's fantastic, beautiful, and breathtaking. I loved it because it has the ultimate forbidden love. I loved it because of the intriguing politics, with the Valorians as the ruthless conquerors and the Herrani people as the rebellious slaves. Even though the Herrani slaves are justified in their rebellion, some of their methods are quite atrocious, and I appreciated that it wasn't downplayed.
The relationship between Kestrel and Arin is slow and progresses quite naturally, and I felt so bad for both of them because they are in a no-win situation. I do have questions about the Empire, but obviously that will be a big part of the next book. That ending…gah! I didn't see it coming, but it was perfect…and horrible. My heart broke.
Half-Bad (Half Life #1)
Author: Sally Green
Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 416 pages
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
From Goodreads:
In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?
Review:
Dark, brutal, and disturbing, this book is the heartbreaking story of Nathan, a half White witch and half Black witch who is treated horribly by everyone except his half brother and one of his half sisters (the other one is so cruel, I have to say). The White witches are so afraid that he's going to be evil so instead of killing him (which would make sense) they basically torture him so that he will definitely hate them. What kind of strategy was that?
I felt so bad for Nathan and I hated the White witches and found myself wondering why they're considered good. What good do they do? Because Nathan is so isolated, he doesn't really seem to know much about the witch world, and thus we don't get to know as much either. So I did have a lot of questions. I thought the author's choice to tell part of the story in second person was unusual, but it worked quite well, and provided a sense of urgency, propelling the story forward in a fresh way. It did make me feel a bit disconnected from the story, however.
Although the plot moves slowly at times and feels like a bit of an introduction, I did enjoy it and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Sexy, funny, action-packed paranormal, I absolutely loved this book. Typical JLA, in the best possible way. Two hot guys, although I don't know if you would call it a love triangle because unless something strange happens, there's no way Layla can be with Zayne because if she even gets close enough to kiss him, she could suck out his soul. So even though he's an upstanding good guy (although a couple of times I did want to smack him), there really wasn't ever any chemistry or any hope that anything could happen between them.
Enter Roth. Sexy demon who's such a bad boy, but I fell in love. He's cocky, snarky, and so full of himself, with some of the most hilarious lines ever, and you could tell that he's a good guy, protecting Layla left and right. JLA has such a talent for writing incredible characters that I become emotionally invested in, dialogue that just makes me laugh, and compelling plots that I cannot put down. She's a definite auto-buy for me.
The Winner's Curse (Winner's Trilogy #1)Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux, 355 pages
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
From Goodreads:
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.
One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.
But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
Review:
After reading so many rave reviews, I thought I might be disappointed in this book, but I wasn't. It's fantastic, beautiful, and breathtaking. I loved it because it has the ultimate forbidden love. I loved it because of the intriguing politics, with the Valorians as the ruthless conquerors and the Herrani people as the rebellious slaves. Even though the Herrani slaves are justified in their rebellion, some of their methods are quite atrocious, and I appreciated that it wasn't downplayed.
The relationship between Kestrel and Arin is slow and progresses quite naturally, and I felt so bad for both of them because they are in a no-win situation. I do have questions about the Empire, but obviously that will be a big part of the next book. That ending…gah! I didn't see it coming, but it was perfect…and horrible. My heart broke.
Half-Bad (Half Life #1)Author: Sally Green
Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 416 pages
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
From Goodreads:
In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?
Review:
Dark, brutal, and disturbing, this book is the heartbreaking story of Nathan, a half White witch and half Black witch who is treated horribly by everyone except his half brother and one of his half sisters (the other one is so cruel, I have to say). The White witches are so afraid that he's going to be evil so instead of killing him (which would make sense) they basically torture him so that he will definitely hate them. What kind of strategy was that?
I felt so bad for Nathan and I hated the White witches and found myself wondering why they're considered good. What good do they do? Because Nathan is so isolated, he doesn't really seem to know much about the witch world, and thus we don't get to know as much either. So I did have a lot of questions. I thought the author's choice to tell part of the story in second person was unusual, but it worked quite well, and provided a sense of urgency, propelling the story forward in a fresh way. It did make me feel a bit disconnected from the story, however.
Although the plot moves slowly at times and feels like a bit of an introduction, I did enjoy it and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Posted by: Pam
I'm glad you enjoyed The Winner's Curse. I had some trepidations going into it, too, due to all the hype. It was really good. I've heard some mixed things about Half Bad, but most of my buddies seem to be enjoying it. I don't like that you don't get to know more about the world, but I'm glad you liked it for the most part. I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend Half Bad, and I think it's going to be one of those series that gets better and better. ~Pam
DeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed The Winner's Curse! Wasn't it so good?? :) And I'm with you about the ending. I can't wait for the next book! I have heard some mixed things about Half-Bad, but I think I might like that series. I'm going to wait for the next book before I pick it up though. One blogger said she thought it felt almost like a prequel and that the next book will probably be more substantial and really get into the world. She had lots of questions too.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think the second book is going to be more substantial. Of course, by the time it's out, I'll already have forgotten what the first one was about. These series are killing me! :) ~Pam
DeleteWhite Hot Kiss!! Roth!!! Sexy sexy Roth. That ending though! Died. I still haven't read The Winner's Curse. Fail. I got an Amazon gift card for my bday though so maybe I will buy it. And you know how I felt about Half Bad. Really enjoyed it, although I do have a lot of questions like you, but I think we'll get the answers in the next book. I also liked that there wasn't a huge cliffhanger ending.
ReplyDeleteYes, that ending killed me. You will love The Winner's Curse, I definitely recommend it. Too many books to read! I try to get as many as I can from the library, but sometimes I just can't wait.
DeleteGlad you loved Half Bad and you're right, no cliffhanger ending, which was nice. I will definitely be reading the next book, which I think will even be better. ~Pam
This features three books that I really want to read and so I am happy that you enjoyed all of them! I will definitely be racing to get my hands on all three :) Thanks for the great reviews
ReplyDeleteSo many good books out there…hope you enjoy them as much as I did! ~Pam
DeleteYay, so glad you loved The Winner's Curse too! I had the same fears, that I would be disappointed after all the hype but it was every bit as good as promised.
ReplyDeleteReading your review of Half Blood is the first i've actually taken the time to read what it was about. I've just keep hearing everyone talking about it. I am intrigued by the half white witch, half black witch idea, but it doesn't sound like it blew you away so I'll take my time getting to it
Half Blood was really good, but it did read more like an introduction. I think the series will end up being phenomenal, but it may be one to wait until at least the second book is out. I keep saying I'm not going to start any new series, but it's pretty much impossible. If I do that, I won't be reading any new releases. *sigh* ~Pam
Delete