Review: Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Publisher- Margaret K. McElderry Books

Released- March 8th 2016

Purchase- Amazon / B & N

The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.

My Thoughts:
Well dame! Here I thought nothing could beat The Mortal Instrument series, but I was sadly mistaken. The first book, Lady Midnight, The Dark Artifices series, is absolutely brilliant!! At this point I can't say that it's better then the TMI books (yet) but I have a feeling by the time this series is over I'll be singing a different tune. Already, Lady Midnight has surpassed my deepest expectations. It has shiny new characters that had me instantly, and I mean instantly invested. It's plot is thick in the Shadowhunter world complete with demons, warlocks, faeries and parabatai and was always kept moving with action, fascination and a romance that is burning with devotion and forbidden longing. Seriously, I am overwhelmingly hooked in this world and physically pained that I have to wait years before everything is said and done. It hurts!

Cassandra Clare has always been a fantastic storyteller but I love her growth as a writer. This book felt more mature in ways but still has that classic Clare sass and wit she brings to her characters. The plot itself is more intense, more brutal as we're dealing with a serial killer butchering humans and fair-folk with the same markings that were on Emma Carstairs' parents when they were found murdered. Emma, obsessed with revenge, will do anything to find who is responsible, is persistently investigating against Clave rules, but it would also seem that she's not the only one who wants to see justice prevail. The plot is action packed and pulse pounding entertainment that I expected in a Cassandra Clare book but it has also has so much depth and heart that it shattered me in two. I was impressed and surprised with how much love-story we get in this installment. Clare doesn't hold anything back or shy away compared to the TMI books. Those characters were more conflicted towards their emotions, which was perfect and maddening for how that story was told, but in Lady Midnight, I thought the romances were more of a significant element, that didn't exactly take over the initial plot but felt just as important (if not more) for the overall series. I also love that we learn more about the parabatai vow in this book more so then the first series. I have a clearer understanding of what it truly means and trying to reason the hell out how to get around it for my favorite parabatai couple. Clare truly is a master for bringing in that anxious longing and incredible rush of a forbidden romance that can't be denied and I can't wait to see how this plays out!!!! 

With every new series introductions are in order and while some readers might find the beginning chapters tedious, I for one loved getting to know these characters and back-stories on a deeper level. I thought it was so smart of Clare to introduce most of these characters in the last TMI book. I was already connected to them but I don't think I was prepared to absolutely love them this much. I adore the Blackthorn family!!! I can't believe how relatable and likeable each of these characters are and I absolutely love the family togetherness and close friendships laced throughout the story. Julian, Mark, Livvy, Ty, Dru, Tavvy, Emma and Cristina. Everyone was put together beautifully with great personality and sharp voices. I think those were some of my favorite moments, when the family is just there eating and researching and being together. It was extremely touching and funny and warm and I loved how each of them were so easy to connect with. I loved them all, but I think my favorite three are Julian, Emma and Mark. I can't express how amazing Julian is. To raise his four brother and sisters at the age of twelve, taking care of the institute and his fragile uncle is more responsibility then one should endure at such an age. I have nothing but love, respect and admiration for Jules. Emma is also so amazing and while obsessive revenge can start to wear thin in books, I found myself cheering her on the whole way through. But the most surprising of all the characters was Mark. He has a sad story, he's been tortured and tormented by the Wild Hunt, he's this feral, unhinged shell of a man and my heart bleed for him. But as the story goes on, Mark becomes a little more confident but still just as lost. His child-like reactions were absolutely adorable, hilarious and charming and I loved how wise and whimsically spoken he can be. Truly, he was an absolute joy and a breath of fresh air! I also can't forget to mention a few more characters that made an impact in this book, whether it be good or bad; Malcolm, Kieran and Diego. My heart is still undecided about Kieran. He did something pretty dame unforgivable, but I don't think it's the last we see of him. TMI fans will also be happy to know that their favorite characters do make an appearance and mentioned often throughout the book. I didn't read The Shadowhunter Academy book yet since I'm waiting for the physical copy to release, so I was surprised and delighted to discover a few things that happened after TMI ended. We even get a special bonus chapter that I was a little floored by. The word, dreaded, is scaring the crap out of me, so yeah, need more of that please! 

Bottom line, Lady Midnight is Epic!!! This has it all my friends. A great demonic mystery, twist and turns and surprises. Fantastic world building and storytelling and an all consuming love story that tore my heart over and over again and all I want is more, More, MORE!! Completely absorbing, completely amazing, completely addicting as hell! This world is still my all time favorite escape!! LOVED!!!!!!!

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website                             5 Billion Snowflakes

Review: The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher- Spencer Hill Press
Released- Feb 23rd 2016
Purchase- Amazon / B & N

With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.Fate has other plans.
The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve. Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.But the gods are sensing a greater threat.
Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.
The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.
Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.
And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.

My Thoughts:
There is something to say after waiting a year to read this book and go into it like no time has actually pasted. JLA has that gift that she gives to her readers. Where her stories are so filled with exceptional storytelling that your right back in that world pinned on the lives of these characters and never ever wanting it to end. The Power, is another sensational installment in the Titan series that is pitched perfect with punched action, witty characters, laugh out loud moments and dripping with delicious sizzling romance to swoon over.

There is so much going on this time around, but everything is pretty laid out for us to process so it was great to sink into this book and simply enjoy. The Titans are still on the loose and after the demigods, the pure-blood hatred over the half-bloods are at full force and then we have Seth training Josie at the University and helping her control her new found elemental demigod powers. I have to say, I'm loving the storylines here, it's filled with a lot of action and the mythology of it all is amazingly pieced together and thought out and yes, the romance is indeed, hot as hell. But it's all of these characters; Seth, Josie, Deacon, Luke and crew that keep reigning it in. There is also a lot of unexpected character depth that I didn't think was possible, or at least I didn't expect it when it came to Seth. So good!

I'm seeing a different side to Seth that makes me want to hug him. I still want to smack him mind you. A lot. But he's showing us a side to himself that I would never have thought twice when reading the Covenant books. He doesn't actually believe he deserves happiness or even to be loved. Dame. I knew he felt guilty for Alex's fate and sure he's never had the best childhood, but Seth has always radiated confidence and power without him using his actual powers. I never expected to see such vulnerability, desperation and this fear in him that quite frankly looks dame good on him. Seth is struggling. He's struggles with the need and want of aether pulling him in, he struggles with his relationship with Josie, what he wants and doesn't want for her and he struggles with his past and his doomed future. But the question is, has Seth really changed? Yes, in ways, but no, I don't think he's changed at all. He wants to be a better person but I think he want to be a better version of himself for Josie and only Josie. It's true, when he's with Josie he's a whole different man. Someone warm and protective and kind (most of the time) but with everyone else....yeah, he's still his old infuriating jackass Apollyon-self. But even though some serious shi...stuff went down in this installment, I still believe that Seth has the power in himself to change for the good no matter what he's done.

I liked Josie in the first book but I think I was still a little unsure about how I felt about her, but she really steps up in this book in the best way possible. I enjoyed her training sessions and even though she isn't exactly mastering elements at first, I loved her determination and spunk. She reminds me of Alex in a lot of ways and one of them is her unwillingness to really hurt another soul, even an evil soul. But eventually Josie gets her confidence and proves that she can more then handle her own. But what I loved the most about her is her undeniably and unshakable faith and belief in Seth. No matter what's he's said or did, Josie is his number one fan. She loves him and that love may be the only thing that can save Seth. I do think she's slightly naive about Seth in certain aspects. I remember what Seth is capable of and so do these other characters, so I would have to agree that Josie, while I admire her belief in the Apollyon, I think needs a reality check when it comes to her Sethie. But, she has hope and yeah, here's to her proving them and me wrong.
As for the other characters, I had a total blast with Luke and Deacon and a couple of other familiar faces that returned from a certain underworld that I went cray-cray fangirling for. Seriously didn't expect to see them and I freaken screamed for joy when I did. Loved every second with them! I was sad to see a great characters die by the hands of a Titan though, but at the same time I was relieved it wasn't someone else. That sounds bad, but if say, Apollo, Luke, Deacon or the obvious four died, I don't think I'd take that very well. Like, at all.

So, the worst thing about this book is waiting another excruciating year to get my greedy reading ready hands on the next installment, cause guys, after that ending?
Dame. Dame. Dammmme! Another epic win for JLA books. She keeps giving us timeless entertainment and kickass characters that are completely freaken amazing. Fans will be begging for more! Bravo!

Find the author:
Goodreads / Website                                  5 Snowflakes

Review: Dreamology by Lucy Keating

Dreamology by Lucy Keating
Publisher- Harper Teen
Released- April 12th 2016
Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

Vibrantly offbeat and utterly original, Lucy Keating’s debut novel combines the unconventional romance of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with the sweetness and heart of Jenny Han.For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. Together, they have traveled the world and fallen deliriously, hopelessly in love. Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Because he doesn’t exist.But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. Real Max is nothing like Dream Max. He’s stubborn and complicated. And he has a whole life Alice isn’t a part of. Getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped.Alarmingly, when their dreams start to bleed into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

My Thoughts: 

Man, I can't seem to wipe this stupid grin from my face. Seriously, I had no idea I'd love Dreamology so much, this was exactly what I needed. It's creative, funny, adorable and the sweetest thing ever. Max and Alice have a very unique connection. They've know each other since they were little kids and grew up exploring the world and creating this amazing bond, but here's the thing, they've never really met. They only know each other from their dreams. That is until Alice and her dad move from New York to Boston and Alice attends Bennett Academy, walks into class and sees the boy of her dreams standing at the door. Max. He's real and it's almost like a dream come true, but it would seem that reality might have a different plan.

Can I just say I'm totally in love with Lucy Keating writing! I absolutely loved how easy it was to sink into this book, her writing is effortless and intelligent. I loved the flow and pace of the story and how everything played out. I kept finding myself  re-reading passages and dialogue multiple times before I could read more, all the while I had a goofy smile plastered from ear to ear. I wasn't sure I wanted to savour this book or devour it in one sitting. I swear, I don't think there is one character that I didn't love. I found it so incredibly refreshing that every character in this book was kind. Flawed, sure, but genuinely nice. I also thought it was wonderful going into a book that wasn't tainted with overly depressing or heart-harded issues. There were moments of sadness, sure, but it was never overly done. Mind you we still have our share of drama and angst, but it was cleverly written and the story always felt light and warm and even magical.

The concept is really quite fascinating and incredibly imaginative. It's a thought provoking story that explores the science and magic behind dreams but it's also a story about family, friends and how to deal with lost. But I think my favorite part of this book were the dreams. Max and Alice's dreams are filled with exotic, wild adventures that are rich, vivid and spectacular. It makes me wish I could dream like that, it was so beautiful. But it was more then how the dreams looked, it was how Max and Alice connected to each other. It took them away from their lonely reality and gave them this dream-like-wonderland, giving them something to hold onto. Each other. Still, Max and Alice find themselves in a very confusing and conflicting situation. It's one thing to know that your dream-childhood friend actually exists, but they have to figure out the why's and how's of it all since it seems that their dreams are bleeding into their reality and their sanity might just be on the line.

There are two versions of Max in this book. Dream Max and real Max. At first, I thought I liked Dream Max more. He's was more spontaneous and silly and well, free, while real Max is more grounded, serious and in control. The back and forth and hot and cold attitude was really killing me and at several points I really wished I could have reached in the book to smack Max straight, but the more I got to understand him, I realized, like Alice, that you can have more then one version of yourself and still love who the person is. As for Alice? I loved her instantly. She's quirky and sweet and I love how alive she always seemed to be despite the issues with her mother and how she clings on to her dreamworld. The romance in this was so flippin' cute. It's those little things that they remembered  about the other that made my heart do flips, it's the tension, banter and uncertainty that made them so irresistible and it was all those dame stolen kisses and tender moments that made me want to read this book forever.

At one point of the story I almost wanted Alice with Oliver. He's this wonderful, funny, carefree guy with contagious energy and a great sense of adventure, but from the start we always knew who owned Alice's heart. I also loved Sophie, she's exactly the kind of support you need and want in a best friend. And last but not least I absolutely loved Jerry and truly believe this book wouldn't be the same without him.

Bottom line, this book was prefect for me. It's the kind of book that just takes you away. It made me think, made me feel and made me laugh and made me smile the entire way through. Loved the concept, the amazing storytelling and all of these unforgettable characters. Instant love and one of my favorite books of 2016. A wonderful debut from Lucy Keating, I greatly look forward to seeing what she comes up with next. She is definitely an author to look out for! Bravo!

Find the author:
Goodreads / Website                                  5 Snowflakes

Review: Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Publisher-Harlequin TEEN

Released- March 29th 2016

Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

One moment of recklessness will change their worlds
Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life.
Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules.
And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here.

My Thoughts: 

Katie McGarry's edgy contemporary series, Thunder Road, continues to do stupid things to my heart. I loved her Pushing the Limits series, but I think I love these books even more. They have an intensity to it that combines sizzling romance and a stronger sense of loyalty and dedication that goes above and beyond and I freaken love that!

I'm not sure I remember Razor all that much in the first book, Nowhere but Here, but then again I may have been distracted by the Oz & Emily- love, but no worries, I know exactly who Razor is now! Still torn up from his mother death, Razor is having a hard time dealing and it doesn't help that a detective is opening up fresh wounds by claiming that his mothers death may not have been an accident after all, but murder and Razor thinks that the Terror's are keeping secrets or worse, have something to do with it. Razor doesn't know what to believe but he's going to get answers and find help in the last place he ever thought to look.

Determined to start her senior year with a new look and attitude Breanna Miller wants to let loose and be remembered for something other then her vast intelligence and killer memory, but when a guy from school asks Breanna to help him cheat in English class and she refuses, Breanna becomes a victim to blackmail and cyber-bullying. Breanna is in need of a bodyguard and bad-boy-biker Thomas Turner (aka Razor) is just the Terror that will have her back. Whether she likes it or not.

Yup, I'm totally in love with this series! I mean dame!! McGarry has one helluva gift when drawing out the perfect amount of chemistry and heat that she gives to her characters and a really knack for writing edgy, bold and an addicting plot that has me completely consumed from start to finish Razor is my kind of bad boy. He has cool, confident and cunning down cold, but really there are so many levels to this guy which I loved since he felt more realistic and raw. He's loyal but confused with the Reign of Terror and the brotherhood. Mourning and messed up from his mothers death and rattled by his own feeling for a girl who doesn't live in his world, but through it all Razor's passion and strength was really the heart of this amazing story. So, if Razor is the heart, then Breanna is the definitely the soul. Being the 5th child out of 9, Breanna Miller has more then her share of responsibly but her family tends to overlook her and her siblings aren't always kind, but she sees something in Razor that goes beyond the club and the rumours and the stereotypical image. I really loved Breanna and thought she was the prefect girl to tame someone like Razor, someone who can bring him back to life and love him for him. I loved her feisty attitude, her amazing intelligence and her remarkable courage. As for the romance? It was absolutely delicious in all the right places. It's not exactly a forbidden love story, but it does cross the lines, throws you over that edge and it's thrilling, exciting and sexy as hell. I also really loved all the other characters but it was wonderful to see that Olivia is still making an impact. She was such a force in the first book and it's great to see that her memory is still very much alive.

Bottom line, Walk the Edge is a sensational installment in the Thunder Road series. I'm still a little surprised that I find these books so dame entertaining since I'm not a huge fan of biker-type books, but this definitely works for me and I'm having a blast with these Terror's and the women that steal their hearts. Gimme More!! 

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website                                 5 Snowflakes