REVIEW: PODs by Michelle K. Pickett

PODs by Michelle K. Pickett

Series: Pods, #1

Publication Date: June 4th 2013

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Paperback, 312 pages
Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

PODs by Michelle Pickett is a rather difficult book for me to review and rate I'm afraid. And it's difficult because even though I enjoyed reading it and I finished it in no time it could easily have been so much better. The potential of a great story was all there. And even though I can't deny that PODs had a very interesting story the execution just complicated things a bit.

First of all, let me just say that I found the idea of PODs extremely fascinating. I kind of love dystopian novels and lately I seem to pick one great dystopian novel after the other, so the idea of a deadly virus that wipes out almost the entire human population and leaves only small groups of people to pick up the pieces just made me love PODs before I even picked the book up!
Maybe the idea behind PODs isn't all that original. But I couldn't care less. After all I haven't read anything similar, even though there are similar books out there, and the certain Walking Dead vibe I was getting made me appreciate Michelle Pickett's effort all the more.
And here I have to take some time and note that even though the idea of a deadly virus wiping out almost the entire human population isn't something new, the way Pickett planned the PODs and how the government planned to contain the virus was simply amazing and well thought. It wasn't just something done in haste. Pickett had an entire plan in her head and managed to communicate it to her readers but unfortunately the fact that PODs was actually at least two books squeezed in one didn't leave much room for all that brilliance to shine. Because my main problem with PODs was it's pace and how many information was squeezed in one book.

Throughout this story, there were large amounts of time that just passed in a blink of an eye. Literally. 15 months of seclusion in the PODs were squeezed in a matter of 100 pages, probably less. And that was such a shame. Because that way we couldn't really see how 10 strangers could live underground with nothing really special to do. We couldn't really see how that seclusion affected them nor what exactly was the dynamic of the relationship between all those strangers. We were just informed that any relationship progressed rather than witness it. It was just stated that they were affected by everything that was happening rather than see how each character developed through all the dramatic things that kept happening. We were being told that they were afraid but we couldn't sense their fear. Because usually in a chapter of 5 pages there was covered a span of two months. So it's only natural that things would go on the fast forward. Only that fact kind of ruined the potential of this story I'm afraid.

The same thing unfortunately applies to the romance of this story too. There was real chemistry between Eva and David, there was a spark between them but it couldn't possibly be fully explored and felt while months were passing by in a blink of an eye. With the chemistry between them imagine how great a story could PODs be if we could actually read how their relationship developed. But no, Eva and David went from friends to undying love in a blink of an eye. And it saddens me to say something negative about the romantic part of this book because their chemistry was great and better than other books out there that try really hard to show the reader how perfect is the hero for the heroine.

Anyway, PODs is one of those books I really enjoyed reading but I had more than a few problems with it, despite how much I enjoyed it. Michelle Pickett has a strong voice and I dare hope that we should expect great things from her. It's not that PODs is a bad book, far from it. It's just that it could have been so much better. after all ,the potential is all right there, in front of the reader's eyes.

* Review first published at Book Lovers Inc
* ARC copy provided from publisher for review purposes

ARC REVIEW: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Series:Under the Never Sky, #2

Publication Date: January 8th 2013

Publisher:HarperCollins

Hardcover, 341 pages
Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

Through the Ever Night was one of my most anticipated YA releases for 2013. I loved so much the first book in the series, Under the Never Sky, and I was so looking forward to the sequel, that as soon as I was granted access to the e-arc, I immediately started reading this book.

But, I’m afraid that even if I liked Through the Ever Night, I didn’t like it quite as much as I did the first book, for a number of reasons.
The first reason, was the fact that I just couldn’t really get into the world Veronica Rossi created. Or not exactly get into it, but remember all the details and get immersed into the book as soon as I was hoping to. If you remember from my review of the first book, I had similar problems understanding exactly how the world worked. Problems that as soon as I moved past, I just couldn’t put the book down. So, it’s only natural that I wasn’t expecting to face similar problems in the second book as well. Maybe it’s my own fault for not remembering all the details. But still, I don’t usually face similar problems with stories and with worlds even more complicated than that of Through the Ever Night. Granted, the world building is complicated and intricate and unique, but still, I shouldn’t be facing any problems especially after being quite a few chapters into the book.
Anyway, the details of the world building, even if a little bit later than what I was expecting, came to me, but still, I found myself not being so excited about this story as I was with the first one. Maybe because in this sequel, the story was more centered around the tribes rather than Perry and Aria’s story and all those descriptions from their journey that so fascinated me in the first book were absent. Perry and Aria are away from each other for a good part of the book, their relationship seem to be static and even if there are a couple of journeys described, they’re not half as good as what they were in the first book.

Other than that, Through the Ever Night follows the exact same pattern as the first book, it is quite well written and with good character building. Lyv and Roar story was among my favorite things about this book.

All in all, Through the Ever Night, may be inferior, in my opinion, compared to Under the Never Sky, but it’s not a bad book, not by a long shot. And the ending, just left me wanting for more. To say that I thought that there were a couple of pages missing from the file would be an understatement. Fans of the series, won’t be disappointed.

*This ARC was provided for a review through Edelweiss

EARLY REVIEW: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Series:Courier's Daughter Trilogy, #1

Publication Date: August 28th 2012

Publisher:Balzer + Bray

Hardcover, 416 pages

Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Defiance is the kind of book that is right up my alley. There's intrigue in it, a feisty and smart heroine, a compassionate hero, intricate world building, action and in overall a story that I would normally fall head over heels for. But, even though I really enjoyed reading Defiance, I can't say that I fell in love with it as well.

Let's start with what I liked about this book. And there are many, believe me. First of all, I really liked the heroine, Rachel.She was smart, independent, caring and rebellious, not taking for granted things people older than her took. I liked pretty much everything about her, even when she was bullheaded and acted in a way that jeopardised everything and everyone. Her behavior was consistent and I loved her even more when she made mistakes. Her development throughout the whole story was among my favorite parts of Defiance.

Logan on the other hand was the perfect match for her. He was calm and logical and everything Rachel needed.

The writing style was even paced and action packed. C.J. Redwine did an amazing job with her character and story development. There was constantly something happening making it hard to put this book down. The world wasn't that unique or different from other dystopian worlds out there, but it still added something fresh and new to the genre. But, despite how much I liked the idea behind Redwine's world, my main problem with Defiance, is the world building itself. Because the one thing I didn't like about this book, was the way it was intentionally vague on some crucial parts of how the world of Baalboden exactly worked. We know that it is a post apocalyptic world, but we don't get much info on what exactly happened or how things progressed, apart from that everything happened because of the Cursed One, who we don't know exactly what kind of animal is, where it came from or why it destroyed everything. There's the Commander, the villain of the story, whose endgame isn't apparent. And that's not exactly a bad thing, but we know next to nothing about him apart from how evil he is. I kind of needed more info about the main villain of the story. Maybe all those omissions were intentional, and more things will be explained in future instalments, but as it is, I felt like something was missing throughout the whole story.

The ending was a bit anticlimactic as well, and I also wanted a bit more development for the secondary characters, who for such a long book, were there just because the story needed them. They didn't have a voice of their own in the story. All those details, spoiled the fun of a really good book in all its other aspects.

All in all, Defiance is a story I truly enjoyed despite my minor problems with it and one I recommend to lovers of YA dystopian novels. It is totally worth your time and something tells me that the next book in this series will be even better.

*This title was provided for review from Edelweiss

EARLY REVIEW: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Series: Struck, #1

Publication Date:May 8th 2012

Publisher:Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR

Hardcover, 373 pages

Book & Purchase Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn't who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

When I started reading Struck and for almost the 2/3 of the book, I was certain that I had a true winner in my hands. And although this isn't a bad book, not by a long shot, I just have to say that by the end of it, my first good impression changed vastly I'm afraid.

I'll start with stating what I absolutely loved about this book and what I loved the most, is the unique world building and the way Bosworth designed the setting of her story. She describes a post apocalyptic Los Angeles, were people struggle to adjust to a world that is ruined , a world were kids go to school to get rations of food and not educate themselves, were people live in tents and wait for the coming of the end of the world. In that world of destruction and doom comes a self-claimed Prophet who is surrounded of his 12 Apostles and calls to everyone to follow him or die in sin. I just have to say that, many, may feel offended by the way Bosworth decided to portray that Prophet, may feel offended by the religious or not so religious, depends how you see the whole thing, content of the story but to be honest, apart from the fact that we are talking about fiction here, I found the whole thing "gutsy" and probably the thing I liked most about the book. Without really offending anyone, Bosworth approached a really difficult subject and I'm afraid that many will talk bad about this book, only because of that. But for that part alone, Struck, is a book I will remember for long after I finished reading it.

The writing style is also good and fresh and the pace of the story even. Add to that the fact that I was really intrigued by the two rival teams and what was really going on with the lightnings and you can easily understand why I absolutely loved this book at first. But unfortunately, a couple of details at first and the instant love part later made me change my mind about it.

As I said, the feel of this book was all doom and destruction, so imagine my reaction, when I read about Mia, mentioning her mascara smudges in the same page where the heroes are starving as well as the mention of Jeremy's (the hero) biceps in the same page where a vision of death is described. I know we are talking about details here, but those parts kind of threw me of since I found them a bit inconsistent with the whole dark atmosphere of the book.

And now, on to the part that really changed my mind about this book and that is non other than the infamous but ever present in many YA novels IL.

For the better part of this book, the romance was almost non-existent. Granted, I knew and expected were things were headed between Jeremy and Mia but the romance was only hinted, so it would make much more sense if things progressed in a much slower pace between them. After all, the whole story takes place in four days, so for two people to fall so helplessly in love so quickly while fighting for their lives, strikes as unbelievable to say the least. So, for about the first half of the book, things are going in a pace that makes sense and then suddenly the whole story takes an unexpected romantic turn that kind of felt like the author decided that it was about time that the romance should bloom between her two heroes and be done with it. It's just that one day Mia doesn't even know what to thing of Jeremy and his motives and the next day she trusts him completely and invites him for a sleepover...

Anyway, Struck, is a unique dystopian YA novel, that despite my problems with it, I honestly enjoyed reading, but I believe that it could have been so much better if not for some details that spoiled the final result. Because in essence, and if you take into consideration all the aspects of it that really matter, it is a really good book.

*This title was reviewed via NetGalley

EARLY REVIEW: The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection,#1
Publication Date:April 24th 2012

Publisher:HarperTeen

Hardcover, 327 pages
Book & Purchase Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

The Selection surprised me! This story truly took me by surprise and quite pleasantly that is. Should I have to describe it in just one word, that would be refreshing! Yeah, that's how much I enjoyed reading it.

First of all, I have to say that I picked this book having no expectations whatsoever. None. With everything that happened so early before the publication date (you all remember that reviewer vs author or editor or whatever drama that exploded a couple of months before, and if you don't, well, that's even better for you!), I kind of asked this book for review more from curiosity than anything else. And I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed it. I won't make any further mentions on that said drama, I just wanted to justify why I didn't have any expectations from this book, either high or low and also to thank a friend who urged me to read it because otherwise I might have never pick it up, which would be my loss...!

So, back on track! The Selection, isn't your typical dystopian story. To be frank, I couldn't really see many classic dystopian elements. Apart from the whole story being set in the future, were everything is changed, I just couldn't see any other dystopian elements. Surely, people are underfed and everything is altered but there was no real darkness, no real violence, and for me, The Selection isn't really classified in my mind as dystopian. It is more of a fairytale more than anything else. A fairytale set in the future. And because I read it as such, I think that I enjoyed it so much.

In the beginning, I felt like I was reading The Hunger Games. The resemblances in the tone were there. The structure of the society, the Selection, the competition, just everything screamed Hunger Games for me. But while in Hunger Games teenagers are fighting for their very life, in The Selection teenage girls are "fighting" to win the heart of a prince and a better future for them and their families. So, one can assume that at first, I wasn't really thrilled with the setting. Maybe because I could not put out of my mind one of the best books for me of the decade. Maybe because the comparison completely threw me off. But I have to admit that the beginning was a bit rough...

But, and here is the big deal with The Selection, soon after, I got so into the story, I warmed up to everything that Kiera Cass woven into her story, that I forgot everything. Cass writes in a refreshing way that doesn't allow you to put down her book. Her futuristic fairytale just grabbed my attention and I devoured it!

Her world is intriguing, the structure, how everyone is in essence just a number and how that number can affect and define a person and his/her life. Maybe the idea isn't really a novelty, but Cass used it in a very interesting way.

All in all, The Selection is a charming fairytale that, in my opinion, should be read keeping in mind that it's not your typical dystopian story. It's far from that and more than that. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it despite the drama that evolved around it.

*This title was reviewed via Edelweiss

EARLY REVIEW: Masque of The Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Masque of The Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Series: Masque of The Red Death, #1
Publication Date:April 24th 2012

Publisher:Harper Collins

Hardcover, 320 pages
Book & Purchase Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Masque of the Red Death is one of those books that makes it really difficult for me to rate them... It's one of those books that are really well written, with a unique story that technically are really good in almost everything, but I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy it as much as I expected to...

Let's start with the good parts of Masque of the Red death.

First of all, let me state that I haven't read the classic by Edgar Allan Poe. So, I can't say if it is close or not. I can't possibly compare this story to the one it is inspired from. I have read though a bit of Poe's work, so I can say that Bethany Griffin managed to capture the essence of Poe's work. There was that darkness and craziness of Poe's work in her story. Her main character Araby might as well have lived in one of Poe's stories. With my limited knowledge of Poe's work I can say that much at least. I really liked the darkness in her, how she acted in an almost crazy way but there was a simple logic in everything she did. I really don't know how to express myself better here.

Griffin's writing style is the other thing I really loved in this book. She's a really talented writer, gutsy and I honestly believe that we should expect great things from her. The world she created is an interesting mix of dystopian and steampunk and all that in a setting inspired by Poe's work. How much more of a unique setting could one expect? It completely amazed me to be honest.

But despite all that, as I said, I just couldn't really enjoy this book or get into it. I started reading it feeling intrigued with everything that happened, but soon after the first 1/3 of the book I had just lost my interest... I can't really pinpoint the exact reason. Maybe it just wasn't the kind of story that could grab my interest. And I tend to believe that this is the sole reason for not getting into the story. Because like I said, it is a really good book otherwise.

The romance between Araby and Will or Araby and Elliott just fell flat to me. I couldn't feel a spark with either of the guys, I'm afraid. Granted, Araby and Will is my favorite couple and I was more interested in those two, but still, I can't say that I was awed with the romantic element of the story. Maybe because I was overwhelmed with everything else that happened and I felt more drawn to the idea of the masks that dominated the whole story for me more than anything else.

All in all, Masque of the Red Death, is a really good book. Should I had to rate it without taking into consideration how invested I got into the story, it would be a 4 or 5 rating. But since I just couldn't really get into it, I'll settle for a 3 star rating. But despite my personal likeness of the book, I really believe that it is a quite unique one that anyone should read.

*This title was reviewed via Edelweiss

EARLY REVIEW: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Series: Blood of Eden,#1
Publication Date:April 24th 2012

Publisher:Harlequin Teen

Hardcover, 485 pages
Book & Purchase Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Julie Kagawa, works her miracles again!!! Yeah, The Immortal Rules is that good and then some more! I enjoyed every single bit of this story and the world Kagawa created.


I remember saying it again in my previous reviews of The Iron Fey series but I just have to say it once more: Kagawa's best asset in my personal opinion is her ability to create unique, intricate and astoundingly well built worlds. There, I said it. She's one of the few authors I have encountered in the last couple of years, who has a unique way of envisioning incredible worlds and actually has the ability to make her readers "live" into that world. She has proven herself in the past and she proves it once more.
The world in Immortal Rules is just amazing. Dark, violent and simply the kind of world that could travel me.
One could rationally assume that The Immortal Rules would be a book about vampires we have more or less already read. Let's be honest, the vampire myth is one of the most used of the last years, so I personally was afraid that this story wouldn't be that unique... But no, Kagawa proves me wrong and I couldn't be more happy about it!


The world in Immortal Rules is engrossing, dark and something that I haven't read before. I really liked the idea of some kind of zombie-vampires, I loved how at last vampires experience bloodlust, that despite their best intentions, not consuming blood turns them into mindless beasts, and to not tire you with my endless gushing, there wasn't a simple thing I didn't like about this book :)


Allison is one of my favorite characters and not because I agreed with all her decisions or the way she acted the whole time. She is one of my favorite characters because she was a fighter. She fought for her life constantly. She fought for what she believed was right, even if that was wrong. Was she stubborn? Did her actions result in disaster occasionally? Sure. But all that made her believable. A character that made mistakes and had to live with them. And let's face it. There's no perfect hero as there is no perfect person. And for all that, Allison is one of my favorite characters.


The story was rather long and it wasn't always easy-flowing. I admit there were parts I was a bit tired, but who cares? I'm a sucker for detailed worlds, even when they tire me a bit. I just want to know every single detail about how the story ticks and The Immortal Rules had all that.


All in all, Julie Kagawa delivers yet again a wonderful story that all lovers of YA literature just have to read. Believe me you won't regret it. I sure didn't :)

* This title was reviewed via NetGalley

REVIEW: Nightfall (Dark Age Dawning,#1) by Ellen Connor

Nightfall by Ellen Connor

Publication Date:June 6th 2011

Publisher:Berkley Trade

Paperback, 327 pages

Buy via Book Depository

First in a stunning new post-apocalyptic paranormal romance trilogy.

Growing up with an unstable, often absent father who preached about the end of the world, Jenna never thought in her wildest nightmares that his predictions would come true. Or that he would have a plan in place to save her-one that includes the strong, stoic man who kidnaps and takes her to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest.

The mysterious ex-Marine named Mason owes a life-debt to Jenna's father. Skilled and steadfast, he's ready for the prophesied Change, but Jenna proves tough to convince. Until the power grid collapses and mutant dogs attack-vicious things that reek of nature gone wrong.

When five strangers appear, desperate to escape the bloodthirsty packs, Jenna defies her protector and rescues them. As technology fails and the old world falls away, Jenna changes too, forever altered by supernatural forces. To fight for their future, she and Mason must learn to trust their instinctive passion-a flame that will see them through the bitter winter, the endless nights, and the violence of a new Dark Age.

Review posted at Book Lovers Inc

Nightfall is a perfect example of how a dystopian pnr novel should be written. I mean both Aguirre and Loft (aka Ellen Connor) have done a splendid job in writing and delivering a world where all hell has broken loose but still people manage to survive and create something new in the ashes of a damaged world.

The world both writers created is dark and wonderful, full of blood and magic and love. The writing style is plainly amazing and to be honest, after reading Enclave by Ann Aguirre I didn't expect anything less. The world portrayed in Nightfall is simply amazing. I loved how a group of so different people struggled to survive and make the best they could given the circumstances.

But despite how much well written is Nightfall, I struggled a bit to finish it. The pacing was somehow uneven, with little things happening in the beginning, then things picked up a bit, slowed down again and finally picked up once more at the end. There were moments that I couldn't really focus in the story.
The romance, although hot at times, also left me a bit uninterested. I couldn't see a spark between the heroes and although I liked them together, they didn't really work for me as a couple. I couldn't understand their reservations and their back and forths at times. Honestly, I just enjoyed more some of the secondary characters rather than the main, my feelings towards whom are a bit indifferent. I just couldn't really care about them, whereas I really enjoyed Tru and I found Penelope a really intriguing character what with her withdrawal and her strange way of acting. Needless to say, I just can't wait to read their story in the third book of the series.


All in all, Nightfall is a really well written novel, that promises the start of an exciting dystopian series and even though I wasn't really thrilled with it, I will definitely read the next books in the same universe. After all, I really want to understand how that universe operates!

REVIEW: Angelfall (Penryn & The End of Days, #1) by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Publication Date: May 21st 2011

Publisher: Feral Dream

Kindle Edition, 255 pages

Buy via Amazon.com

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

WOW!!!I mean WOW...! I just finished reading Angelfall and I truly can't find the right words to describe my feelings right now. I didn't just enjoy reading this book, I'm not merely ecstatic about it. No, I loved it so much, that I just can't remember when exactly was the last time I fell so in love with a book.Surely, I have really liked other books, but Angelfall is just better. It's among those books that I will re-read again and again and never stop feeling amazed with it!

Susan Ee is an incredible author. The pacing of her story is exploding! As soon as I started reading this book, from the very first page, I just couldn't put it down. I caught myself reading in the middle of the night, thinking that that would be the last chapter I would read for the day, only to immediately start the next one and think again that I would just stop after that... Yeah right!As if that would be possible. The story just screams for your attention from the beginning and even when you reach the end, believe me, you'll just want more. Cause honestly, that ending just kills me.

Angelfall is a post apocalyptic story of a girl who allies with the very enemy to save her sister. And her very enemy is an angel. Cause you see in the world Susan Ee envisioned for her story, angels are the bad guys, who for reasons unclear have attacked all human kind, living behind them a world were people fight each other for supplies, starve to death and even go as far as reach cannibalism. The world of Angelfall is dark, gory but utterly fascinating in its cruelty. The characters are so well developed that the reader can't help but feel close to them and I found myself more than once anxious about what will happen to them.

Believe me, trying to put my thoughts into this review right now is really difficult. I just feel so overwhelmed.

And how could I not feel that way, when there's not a single thing that I didn't like about Angelfall. Honestly, nothing!

Susan Ee, knows exactly how she wants her story to progress, she isn't just going along with the story. She knows how to make her reader understand the way her heroes feel through their actions. The book may not be heavy on the romantic plot but believe me when I say that it's the most emotional read I had in a long time. Some of the scenes in the end of the book just broke my heart.

All in all, all the words in the world won't do justice to the brilliance of Angelfall! Just grab a copy and read it for yourself. You can't possibly regret it!

EARLY REVIEW: Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky,#1) by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi


Publication Date: January 3rd 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Hardcover, 400 pages

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Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

Under the Never Sky is an unbelievably original,incredibly imaginable and trully amazing debut novel by an author whose work I will stalk from now on!

I have to admit it,I had a bit of a rough start with this book. The author throws her reader right in the middle of the story,with no preliminaries,no explanations whatsoever."What is the Unity", "what are those Realms" and "what's going on?" are some of the questions I kept asking as soon as I started reading Under the Never Sky.Some answers,granted,are given as the story progresses.But to some, my questions still remain...

As you can imagine,I had a bit of a difficulty getting into the world Veronica Rossi created but let me just say that: as soon as I got into,I just didn't want to get out any time soon...

Veronica Rossi's writing style is brilliant.Intricate, detailed, fast paced,all the elements are there to create an incredible book that many readers will love!

The characters are also well developed and feel real to the reader.

Aria is strong,smart and independent and I didn't hear her whine not even once despite all those things that happened to her.She dealt with her problems so stoically that I couldn't help but love and admire her.And not only that,but she also managed to develop as a character throughout the book,to become someone better through all her predicaments.Amidst so many heroines I've encountered lately that keep whining,with reason or not,Aria manages to stand out!

Perry is yet another well delivered character.He is multi dimensional and written so carefully that you can't help but fall in love with him!

Personally,I have a thing for stories that unfold during a journey and all sorts of disasters happen.Some of my favorite books have that setting.So it's only natural,that as soon as Aria and Perry began their journey,I just couldn't put this book down.And Rossi's powerful writing just made me a fellow traveler to her protagonists!

All in all, Under the Never Sky is a debut novel you just don't want to miss reading!Despite the fact that as I said I still have questions about how exactly the world the author created works,that didn't stop me from fallin in love with this book!A must read!

*This title was reviewed via NetGalley

EARLY REVIEW: Eve (The Eve Trilogy,#1) by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey

Publication Date: October 4th 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Hardcover, 320 pages

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Where do you go when nowhere is safe?


Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.


Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.


In this epic new series, Anna Carey imagines a future that is both beautiful and terrifying. Readers will revel in Eve’s timeless story of forbidden love and extraordinary adventure.

I really,really enjoyed reading Eve!There wasn't even a single moment while reading this book that I caught myself bored or uninterested...I just kept turning the pages,eager to know what happened next!

To be honest with myself,I can't remember having ever read a dystopian novel and not liking it,so, I either really like reading dystopian novels,or I'm just too lucky and pick all those I end up liking!Either way,Eve,didn't disappoint me in the least,while the world Anna Carey created,quickly sucked me in and kept me glued to the pages (or rather my screen in this case) until the very ending.

Eve describes a world,after a plague eliminated the better part of population,and the way that fact changed everything,from the way people live and interact,to the political system and the educational as well...I really liked the way Carey envisioned her post apocalyptic world,how she portrayed the change from democracy to monarchy and how easily people,or rather mass concsiousness can be manipulated in times of fear or need (does any of this strike that much foreign to you...?).And if I'm not really mistaken,more of that will come in the next books of this series.We'll learn more about the King and I just can't wait for those sequels!

Eve was a nice character,strong and clever but I'm afraid I found her reactions a bit childish at times,or at least not in order with her age...I don't know maybe that was the writer's intent,to show exactly what happens when manipulating the way children think from a young age,but there were times,where I thought of Eve as a 12 year old rather than almost 18.Caleb on the other hand was more mature balancing the way the story flowed.But my favorite character is by far Arden!Don't want to say much about her and spoil anything,but Arden was indeed a well thought and developed character.

All in all,Eve was yet another amazing dystopian novel,one I just can't wait to read its sequel and one I totally recommend to anyone!

*This title was reviewed via NetGalley

READING: Mockingjay (Hunger Games,#3) by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay (Hunger Games,#3) by Suzanne Collins

Publication Date: August 24th 2010

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Hardcover, 390 pages

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"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."


Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.


It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.


The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost.

I don't think that words are enough to describe how unbelievably amazing this book really is.It's surely among  the best books that have been written in the last decade and certainly the best book i have read in years.I can't think of a single thing i didn't like about it.

Surely i liked Hunger Games and Catching Fire but this book just left me awed.I've come across many reviews were people feel let down by the ending but me,no!The ending left me puzzled,happy,sad and with the impression that no other ending could be better than that and at the same time consistent with the story.I've read reviews were people feel that this book never managed to make them actually feel the heroes feelings,but honestly,this book was like a sentimental roller coaster for me.Certainly,there wasn't much romance in this book,but none of the other books in the series really had a strong romantic element,and really through those circumstances i would be feeling odd if any romance was that well developed.This book,isn't about who Katniss will ultimately pick.This book is about human cruelty,how people,in all their glory and smartness are capable of any rate of cruelty.It's about the fact that whoever side you fight,bad or good,when you are at war,the lines of right and wrong blend and it's difficult to discern them.It's about the universal truth that in the name of freedom,huge crimes have taken place from both sides.

After all that,it's needless to say that this book is extremely well written.It presents the final stage of the rebellion against Panem in a very interesting way and colored with every kind of emotion.Despair,anger,sense of duty,fear,hope,everything!The action scenes were incredible,keeping me on the edge the whole time until the heart wrenching end.

I'm afraid i can't say anything more without spoilers,so i'm gonna wrap it up.It's a series that noone should pass the chance on reading.Even if you don't like the final installment,or feel that it was an undeserved conclusion,the series itself is incredible and everyone should just try to read it.After all,all of the books in this series but especially Mockingjay,gives you something more except for the fun of reading a well written book.It gives you food for thought,something that many contemporary writers fail to deliver with their books.And for that reason alone,The Hunger Games trilogy stands out among all the other books.

READING: The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth,#1) by Carrie Ryan

In Mary's world there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future-between the one she loves and the one who loves her.

And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?  

I couldn't really make up my mind about this book... I was really looking forward to reading this book and i had really high expectations of it and maybe that was why i was so disappointed.It really wasn't that bad,i kept turning the pages and wanted to know how it ebded,but there were many things that bothered me,and first of all the constant internal mumbling of the main heroine...I mean if she really thought so much the same things over and over again the whole time her head would expload!And i couldn't really understand why nothing was good enough for her in the end of the story.Was her dream enough of a reason to sacrifice all and everyone in the end?An ending,which not only disappointed me but actually frustrated me.

I couldn't care less about Mary,or the other characters in the book.Their actions were not justified or logical and i thought that at times some of their problems were the result of their own actions and not due to the critical circumstances they lived in. Last but not least,another thing that bothered me was that i hadn't enough details to visualise not a single character in the book.I mean the descriptions of the scenery and the surroundings were amazing and at times really detailed but why not spare some more details about how the protagonists looked like.

In overall, this book was a huge disappointment for me,and although it did create a nice atmosphere and the writing was fairly good,it failed to catch my interest.

READING: The Declaration by Gemma Malley

In the year 2140, it is illegal to be young.
Children are all but extinct.
The world is a better place.
Longevity drugs are a fountain of youth. Sign the Declaration, agree not to have children and you too can live forever. Refuse, and you will live as an outcast. For the children born outside the law, it only gets worse – Surplus status.
Not everyone thinks Longevity is a good thing, but you better be clear what side you’re on. . . . Surplus Anna is about to find out what happens when you can’t decide if you should cheat the law or cheat death. 

In a world,not really so distant,where scientists have discovered immortality in a form of a little pill what would you think would happen with the next generations to come?

Malley sets her book in a future where everyone can live forever,in a world so overcrowded and overused that in order to preserve its current inhabitants, no future generations must be allowed to be created!Immortality comes in the form of some little pills and a huge price to pay... Noone can live forever and have kids!

This book takes almost everyone's deepest desire to live forever and makes it a terrible reality,with all the consequences and questions such a prospect would arise.

I can't even begin to describe how much i enjoyed reading this book!It's one of the books that focuses on making its reader think rather than simply entairtaining him and i dare say it accomplished both!It was fast paced,with characters that i found myself thinking even after i finished reading the book,with enough twists in the plot to keep you turning the pages and an ending that leaves you wondering...