Traveling Through Pages

These are the first two books in London's Proxy series. 

Proxy was released in 2013, while Guardian recently came out on May 29, 2014.

I think the Proxy series is a very strong dystopian, futuristic series.

It is set in a world where rich people are 'patrons' and poor people are 'proxies.' The proxies suffer punishment for the patrons. Poor people will become proxies to pay off their debt. Everyone is in massive amounts of debt. People have to be a proxy for years to pay off the debt accumulated from going to school. Basic needs for survival cause everyone debt, aside from the rich people.

Our main character Syd is a proxy for a teen named Knox. Knox isn't the nicest of patrons and never seems to learn his lesson. One night, he steals a car with a girl and gets in an accident, killing the girl. Syd is then sentenced to essentially life in prison. Syd will not endure this for his no-good patron, so he decides he is going to run away. 

The story really takes off from there!

The book is told in dual perspective between Syd and Knox. I loved both of their characters and both go through a lot of development. Knox actually grew on me a ton, and his character is really great. While Proxy is a tense thriller full of action and survival, there is still a big focus on characters. I really appreciated that and it felt well balanced.

I loved how many twists there were in this story and the action does not end with Proxy. Guardian takes the world and plot to a whole new level. Some science fiction elements get thrown in, and Guardian is a lot darker than Proxy. Proxy had its funny moments with bits of sarcasm, but stuff gets real in Guardian. 

I was fascinated with where the story went in this second installment and it definitely kept me on my toes. However, I never felt completely captivated by either of these books. While I thought the characters, world, and plot were very well-written and brilliant, I never felt super into it. When I would set these books down, I never felt an all-consuming urge to pick them back up again. Sure, I wanted to know what happened, but I wasn't dying to read them. It may have been my mindset at the time. I do admit I was not in a huge dystopian mood when I was reading these.

The main character, Syd, is also very unique and he gives an edge to the story, being that he is gay. I really liked the way the author dealt with Syd's sexuality. It wasn't the focus of the story, but it definitely made him stand out as a character. I enjoyed Syd a lot because of his personality and I also appreciated the diversity that London integrated into his character.

I do recommend this series to dystopia-lovers. There is also a bit for sci-fi and technology lovers as well. 

I'm not sure if there will be a third book. It could end with Guardian, however, I would love to have another book, I still have questions!

*I was sent both of these books from Penguin Publishing for free in return for my honest opinion.*

Released: May 20, 2014

This is a unique and different book about the apocalypse.

Daphne has a big secret she is keeping as she moves from Detroit to Carbon County, Wyoming to live with her uncle and his family. She needed to get away from her old life and for some reason this town is calling to her. Little did she know, she would arrive to the mysterious sound of trumpets, but no one is playing them.

The people of the town mark these trumpet sounds as a sign of the "end times," along with some other crazy occurrences, which all started with Daphne's arrival.

This book takes place before the apocalypse actually happens and really explores the lifestyle of small town people and them trying to figure out what all of these signs mean.

I enjoyed this book. I am personally fascinated with small towns, so the setting of this book really pulled me in. I also loved trying to figure out how all of these odd puzzle pieces fit together. The whole time I could tell the plot was building up to something big, and it definitely kept my interest.

The writing style is easy to read and that along with switching POVs made a slow plot go by a little more quickly.

Daphne is a great character with a good head on her shoulders, she is intelligent and strong. However, there were some characters who drove me crazy. One in particular is Daphne's cousin, Janie's, boyfriend. He is so aggravating and ignorant, I could barely stand it. His character actually hindered my enjoyment of the book. 

It was also interesting to see Daphne try to find her place in this new life and all of the characters she meets along the way. 

Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy small town settings, a character driven plot, and apocalypse stories, specifically ones that deal with religous causes.

I have never read an apocalypse story like this one, and I loved how unique it is.

Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDaEWJK3RRw

*I was provided with a copy of this book from Penguin Publishing in return for an honest review, all opinions are my own*

This is  a very unique book! 

It's essentially about a teen girl, Alice, who has cancer. She has made all of these plans for her death. She made a list of things she wanted to do, mostly getting revenge on people who wronged her, and enlisted her best friend, Harvey, to help her complete these tasks. However, once she is nearly done with the list, she discovers she is in remission.

Alice is so used to the idea of dying, that she cannot figure out how to deal with living.

First, I want to talk about how the story is told. It switches POVs between Harvey and Alice. It also switches time periods between "past" and "present." This did get confusing for me at times. I really had to pay attention to the chapter headings to figure out who was talking and where they were. However, I liked this method of story-telling because it kept me on my toes. I was more interested in the "present" story-line, but I think the switching POVs gave it more depth.

The characters are a BIG part of this book. Alice is an extremely flawed character. She is manipulative, annoying, and mean. Sometimes I got completely fed up with her, but the reader is supposed to. Alice is definitely strong-minded and determined, but also lost and unable to process her feelings in a positive way. She is really unlike any YA character I have ever read, which I think is great. Thankfully, she did have some redeeming qualities, but at times I felt her rough personality went a little overboard. There is growth and resolution by the end, but I wish it came a little sooner. I do admire her strength, and I admire the risk that Murphy took in writing such an unlikeable character. Someone who has been through Alice's situation may relate to her and I could see some people really loving how unique she is.

Harvey could also be aggravating as well. He would let Alice step all over him and still think she's amazing. The relationship between Harvey and Alice fascinated me. They went through some rough patches and seeing how they dealt with everything really interested me. 

Both of these characters are complex and definitely went through a lot of growth. I enjoyed this book because it had an easy writing style to it and the characters are unique and unlike any I have read. I also loved the ending and overall had a fun time reading it (except when Alice was being completely ridiculous and obnoxious)!

I would say this is definitely the kind of book you have to read for yourself. One person could hate it and one person could love it. I do recommend it, though.

This book is just so good!!

It's been about a year since I read the other two books, and I missed the characters oh so much.

I really don't want this to end! I think this is going to be my favorite book in the series.

I enjoyed this book so much!

The writing style is so easy to read, and I had such a hard time putting it down!

This is the story of three unlikely friends who all want to get revenge on different people. They come up with all kinds of ideas and plans, and as the story goes along we get to see how these plans play out.

I really like how we get to see the backgrounds of each girl. The story goes pretty in depth for each girl. That aspect definitely gives the relationships between all of the characters more complexity. There is also a lot of mystery surrounding one girl and her background. I just felt like the suspense really kept my interest and I had to see what was going to happen!

I thought I would find the characters annoying, but I didn't. Well, the ones that were supposed to be annoying bothered me...

I really liked the main characters, though. I think my favorite is Kat. She is so spunky and does not really care what people think.

I think some of the plot points were predictable, but also many weren't! I really like how the story ended up and I cannot wait to read the next one! I am also very interested to see how the little twist at the end plays out...  

This is an enjoyable and entertaining read, but, to me, it lacks depth.

This book is an alternate history story. It explores the idea of what America would be like if the British won the Revolutionary war. The British control the country from the Empire, which is located in NYC. 
Our main character, Charlotte, is part of the resistance, living in underground catacombs. Teens live in these catacombs until they are old enough to join the adults in fighting the British control.

Along with this awesome premise, there are steampunk elements. The British have invented all kinds of mechanical devices and creations to put down the rebellions and to keep the rich safe.

I love fantasy, historical fiction, and steampunk, so this one sounded perfect for me. However, it fell a little flat. At the beginning, I was really into the story and the characters, but as I moved further along in the book, I felt like it was missing a lot. The world is complex, but not in a good way. Along with the steampunk elements, the author mixes in mythology, which I found strange. I do not think it flowed well together at all. The mythology seemed frivolous and unnecessary. The world is, in a way, pretty with all of the mechanized aspects, but it did not go much further than that. 

While the plot is fun, it is also predictable, along with the characters. I did not dislike the characters, but I felt like I was 2 steps ahead of them at all times. I was just waiting for them to figure things out that I thought were obvious. Sure, there are some little twists and surprises, but I was not shocked by anything. The romance was weird as well. I enjoyed it to an extent, but did not feel invested.

I liked the main character, she is a strong, funny female who speaks her mind, but I also thought she was immature. She is only 16, but it just got annoying at points. Actually, this whole book felt immature and underdeveloped to me. I would almost say it would be good for the middle-grade age range. However, there are some pretty violent fight scenes and a good bit of sexual innuendos. 

With all of that said, I found this book to be a fun adventure and it is entertaining. The flaws I mentioned did not ruin the book for me, but I could see many people strongly disliking this book haha. It does lack development, but the steampunk elements and the plot were interesting to read about.

Thank you to Penguin Publishing for sending my a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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I am giving away my hardback copy of Partials by Dan Wells!

I'm left speechless!!
This is a beautiful book, full of depth and emotion. The characters are complex, the world is surreal, the writing is breathtaking, and the story is moving. I love how the last 100 pages are almost a story within a story, and everything ties together so wonderfully.
I don't know what else to say about it, I am blown away and this is definitely a new favorite. I cannot even fathom where the story is going to go in the sequels!

Super cute and fun!
I loved the main characters, their relationship was addicting to read about and I loved how they interacted! The characters were also very funny and had very distinct personalities.
The side characters were also great and definitely added so much to the book.
I was a little confused about the world, but I think I figured everything out by the end. The plot is also pretty crazy with some plot twists thrown in there.

The writing style is super easy to read and it almost feels like a contemporary.
This book is just so enjoyable and I can't wait to read the next one!
This is also the PERFECT beach read :D

This is a pretty decent conclusion.
The series brings up many questions and mysteries and I feel like almost all of them were answered and explained. However, there are some aspects that I'm still fuzzy on.
I liked how everything wrapped up and I am happy with the ending. This series focuses more on the question "what does it mean to be human?" and deals with morality and approaches many situations from a psychological view. There are definitely heavy themes introduced and I enjoyed how those tie in with an insane plot.
There are some crazy developments in this book that really surprised me! However, I feel the series got repetitive and monotonous with strategizing, running, and trying to figure out how to save everyone. I did get bored at times, but the plot developments ultimately kept my interest.
I really loved the main character Kira, although she did get annoying at times, I liked how she stayed true to her morals. Most of the other side characters I didn't feel very strongly about, but enjoyed their presence.
The romance in this book is a miss for me, I just didn't really care about it.
Overall, it's a good conclusion to a crazy series full of action, plot twists, science, and questions about humanity.

My thoughts on the book Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins!

This story is light and fun, but it also has a darker side of magic and danger. 

What I read in March, and what I plan to read in April!

 I had to read this for an English class and it was very enjoyable especially for required reading.

I really love how this book includes so many topics in an entertaining little package!
This story covers racism, puberty, fitting in, self identity, death, friendship, and much more. I enjoyed the main character, he has a strong personality and I found him to be a funny and interesting character!
I really like the messages the book left off with and I thought they were communicated in a fun, easy, and relatable way!

This book will be published on April 29, 2014

This is a very strange, but very entertaining read!

One night, 16 year-old Kyra disappears seemingly out of thin air. She then wakes up behind a dumpster at her local gas station. She doesn't feel much different, and she is still wearing the same clothes she wore when she disappeared. However, when she walks home, she realizes 5 years have passed and she doesn't remember any of it. Everyone thought she died or was gone forever, so they moved on with their life. Kyra's parents divorced and her mom is remarried and has a baby. Now, Kyra has to figure out how to deal with her broken family, a new love interest, and the fact that she does not know where she has been for the past 5 years and why she has not aged a day.

I really enjoyed this book, it is easy to read and very entertaining. When Kyra returns she starts to fall for her ex-boyfriend's kid brother, Tyler, who is now 17. I feel like majority of the book focused on their love story and not so much trying to figure out what happened to Kyra. It was fun reading about their romance, but at the same time I wanted answers! As the story progressed, I knew there was something wrong with Kyra and something crazy happened to her over those 5 years. This book has a realistic feel to it when Kyra is falling for Tyler and trying to find her place with this new family situation. However, there is an underlying feeling of wrongness and I knew the whole time that something crazy had happened to Kyra. 

I am happy that some things get explained and we get some answers towards the end of the book. The plot gets so insane at the end and I really loved the supernatural twist it takes! I just wish those things started happening sooner and did not feel so rushed at the end. 

Overall, I really liked this book and would recommend it to fans of the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout!

*Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for allowing me to read an e-copy ARC of this book in return for an honest review*

So.. I bought some books!!

This book just looks so cute and like the perfect summer read.

It's about a girl named Emily who has a best friend, Sloane. Sloane just disappears one day, leaving behind a to-do list! Things like: dance until dawn, kiss a stranger, and go skinny dipping. Emily decides to do these things in hopes of finding her best friend. She also has the whole summer to complete the list and a boy to help her :)

Sounds a little like Pretty Little Liars to me.. but not as dark and creepy!

I have not read any other Morgan Matson books, but this one just looks fabulous. I am so jealous of all the people who got ARCs.. 

This book comes out May 6, 2014