Thursday, January 22, 2015

Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Title: The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1)
Author: Marie Lu
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Pages: 355
Source: Bought from Chapters Indigo


Synopsis:

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. 

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. I really needed to know what was going to happen next. It was fast paced; something was always happening and that made it very interesting for me. I mean, in a world where you get the blood fever then if you survive you (more than likely) get superpowers is out of the ordinary and I loved the concept. It sparks so many questions like why do some people get marked and others don`t? Why do people get the powers they do and etc.

In The Young Elites, Adelina is physically and emotionally abused from her father and this scarred her. She does not want to be used. Majority of the time all she feels are negative emotions:  anger, hurt and most of all hatred towards everyone who have used her. I have to say my favourite quote in the book:   “To love is to be afraid. You are frightened, deathly terrified, that something will happen to those you love. Think of the possibilities. Does your heart clench with each thought? That, my friend, is love. And love enslaves us all, for you cannot have love without fear.” Perfect!

Adelina as a character was very different to me. She was fragile yet strong, scared but determined, good but evil growing inside of her. She is unpredictable and sometimes you really didn’t know what she would do. Adelina and her powers are a variable hardly anyone could control; even she could not control it. I found myself feeling for Adelina.  I mean I am not saying I condone some of the things she did but I can definitely understand her a little. There are a lot of plot twists in this story and the end nearly broke my heart. This story grabs your attention. The story is kind of told from the villain`s POV which is unique.  I’m not sure if I have read a book from a villain’s POV but it sure is interesting to see how they think.

After reading the epilogue all I have to say that the next book is going to be awesome with some new characters joining in. I really NEED the next book. October is such a long time to wait *wails**

My Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Raquel
xoxo


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Cover Reveal: The Vampire of Vancouver by Liz Meldon

Title: The Vampire of Vancouver (Lovers and Liars #2)
Author: Liz Meldon
Series: Lovers and Liars
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover by: Humble Nation
Release Date: February 10, 2015
 
~ Synopsis ~
 The Vampire of Vancouver (Lovers and Liars, #2)
Aphrodite, goddess of love and lust, is not impressed. After giving up her penthouse suite in trendy Manhattan to go monster hunting around the world, she finds herself in a sad hotel room in Vancouver with a decidedly distracted Loki. She hadn't expected this job to be so serious, and her Norse partner isn't exactly bowing to her whims these days. What was the point in coming with him if they weren’t beneath the sheets all hours of the day? It seems like such a waste of sexual compatibility. Humph.
Meanwhile, Loki, Norse trickster, is equally unimpressed. He hadn't thought taking a beautiful partner along would make his work so difficult. Her unfocused energy grates on his nerves, and his lust for her is only surpassed by his desire for more godly power. He will complete this job, whether she likes it or not, and he’ll walk away one step closer to regaining his old abilities. Now, if only he can get his partner to focus on the task at hand, not seduction. Ridiculous woman.
Aphrodite and Loki, an unlikely team if there ever was one, find themselves in the City of Vancouver hunting vampires. The job is pretty straightforward: rescue the damsel, kill the monster. Unfortunately, even the easiest of jobs hardly ever go according to plan.

About the Author

About the Author: Liz is a Canadian author who grew up in the Middle East. She has a degree in Bioarchaeology from Western University, and when she isn’t writing about snarky characters of her own, she is ghostwriting romance novellas, working on her fanfiction, loitering on social media, or selling tickets at a theatre. In the past year, she has written six romance novellas as a ghostwriter. Three have been published and are doing well. She loves writing realistic characters in fantastical settings.

Follow the Author:

Waiting on Wednesday (50)

The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Expected Publication Date: March 10, 2015

I absolutely love this cover! It is beautiful and I am so excited to get my hands on this book. I know it will be a good read!

Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads)
Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

Quotes from The Orphan Queen (Taken from Goodreads):

“I was going to have to face the man who'd destroyed my kingdom, and the boy who was the reason.” 

“Try to be polite."
"I'm always polite."
"You're always eyeing people's valuables. That's hardly polite.”


Raquel
xoxo