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Elemental (Elemental, #1)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The first book in the <i>Elemental</i> trilogy is set in a futuristic United States colony where people called Guardians have powers over the elements: water, wind, earth, and fire. For years, sixteen-year-old Thomas believed that he doesn't have powers like everyone else in the colony, until pirates kidnap the Guardians and the remaining colonists fight for a survival on an abandoned town.

<b><i>Elemental</i> has its good elements that worked out well in favor, but it had some elements that just didn't work out too well</b> – it just had more elements that didn't work out really well.

The book is <b>primarily a survival book, but there's a mysterious aura surrounding the book that kept it somewhat interesting. However, the mysterious aspect? Antony John overdid it.</b> You're immediately thrown into action when the book starts and it doesn't actually stop. A huge chunk of the beginning is dedicated to surviving from the pirates who kidnapped the guardians and Thomas and his friends trying to survive on this mysterious Skeleton Town.

<b>There's not much about this Plague the Guardians keep talking about or how their elements work – what, precisely, is an echo?</b> It's obviously a side effect, and it seems to leave a negative remnant on the person, but what is it <i>exactly?</i>. <b>I'm confused on how this Plague works or how it started, even with that newspaper-esque clip</b> – it sounds like an experiment gone absolutely awry and blew up not only in the experimenters' faces, but the entire world. No one appreciates an experiment gone awry inside and outside the lab, but the dead can't complain.

<b>There's this "solution" the pirates are looking for, but Antony jumps between Griffin and Thomas intermittently</b> – I'm still not too sure who the "solution" is. <b>I'm not sure about this whole Guardians thing</b> – sounds like an experiment similar to the one done to Captain America in a different style – even with Thomas and his companions coming across things in Skeleton Town that make them question the origins of the Guardians.

<i>Elemental</i> is also <b>heading into highly awkward love triangle – it's in absolute danger zone</b> and I'm not sure I want to stick around for two girls pining for Thomas' attention. It's not noticeable yet – <b>it's very subtle and certainly doesn't disturb anything going on in the story or the overall plot.</b>

By the end, <b>Antony John leaves you with curiosity and perhaps a need to continue the series, but he leaves more questions and confusion with loose ends than a solid answer or two.</b>

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-elemental-by-antony-john/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
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Gambit (The Prodigy Chronicles, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<i>Gambit </i>is one of those books that are slow, but the slow feel of the book fits with the plot decently. Willow Kent, the main character, lives in a world where people with extraordinary powers live good lives in the Core (analogize it to the Capitol in the Hunger Games, if you will) and those without live in poverty. She doesn't really know much about her childhood aside from the fact she got left with a family and adopted by them at a really young age, and it remains that way until a Core officer discovers she is really a lost heiress and strives to bring her back to her original family.

Nearly half the book is located in a small village where Willow grows up in – trading items is a thing, messengers traveling from the Core and back exist, and it's basically back to the old fashioned world where wearing a swimming suit is bad for ladies (because <em>perverts</em>). The characters in the villages have the <em>weirdest</em> character names I've ever seen, like Patchie and Temsik – Temsik doesn't bother me as much as Patchie does. As for the Core... I'm not too sure about that one yet.

Every once in a while a name I've heard of actually pops up, like Willow, for instance. Willow has a fire in her that I like for some reason – she's fierce, stubborn, and there's definitely some humor in her snark, especially towards Commander Reece (she's like a ball trying to bounce at the wall that won't budge).

The other half of the book is dedicated to a small portion of the Core where Willow was <em>supposed</em> to have grown up in. Although it's only one particular area and then some more, Denault gives enough information that gives a good idea on what the rest of the Core is really like. Blinds don't exist and it's the coolest technology ever. I personally think Willow will do perfectly fine harnessing the reins of the Core from the way she negotiates.

The first of the Prodigy Chronicles is a slow first book as Willow transitions from village life to Core life, but Denault is fantastic at not boring the readers with her writing – <i>Gambit </i>has a lightheartedness to it that I really enjoyed and it seems to promise of better things and more action further in the sequels.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-gambit-by-cl-denault/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
TA
The Arrival (The Eslite Chronicles, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
So... it's been roughly a year since I read The Arrival's prequel, well before the author actually made it into a series. I even mentioned that it had potential to be a good series, and here we are: it's actually a series!!! I signed up ASAP when I saw it available to be reviewed on David Estes Fans and YA Book Lover's R&R program, despite the fact I should probably be knocking out some books on a certain reading challenge. *coughs* 2014 TBR Pile Challenge *coughs*

Plus, I'm really surprised I actually read this really quickly, and I'm personally thinking it's probably because I must be getting tired of not going to school or something. Or maybe my mind is still in devouring mode after reading The Forever Song and The Body In the Woods (review in June).

Either way, it's a quick read, and the prequel is actually set after the prologue in The Arrival, but before Chapter 1. It's set about 3 years after the events in the prequel, and Miranda and the other girls in Nidus are ready to break free from the compound because they discover the Eslites are there for different reasons entirely.

This is no sappy romance you usually find in other alien stories where the alien falls in love with the human while trying to get away from an enemy species that's not by the name of human. This is pure "aliens are going to take over the world, and they're a dominant species with high-tech technology." It's not like Lux or the Lorien Legacies, where the aliens are trying to be inconspicuous. The Arrival is completely different from that, even though there are romantic elements mixed in. Miranda is a determined heroine wanting to break both her and the girls currently in the compound away from the Eslites true reasons. And she's preventing other girls meeting similar fates.

Then there are a few curve balls thrown at you, which is always the biggest plus in the bowl. And there's the ending, in which I'm extremely curious about because it probably does some more table turning. Actually, that ending did do a table flip, so all I'm doing is blinking rapidly and wondering if that really just happened and the book is over. o_o

Oh, and a random thought, but Dimas really isn't as bad as I thought he would be from the prequel.
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Review copy provided by author (R&R)
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
This Review and more can be found at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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Silvern (Gilded #2)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Despite the fact it was a really bad idea to request a book for review back in late August/early September, I still did... for some books. (I promise I wasn't being bad – I only requested two!) Really, the worst thing that could have happened was for the book to be completely and utterly disappointing. Resulting in me marching up to Kahlan and demanding she not waste her time. Plus, I may save it with Twilight for throwing purposes later.

In this sequel to Gilded, Christina Farley brings us back to the mythological world of Korea, where Jae Hwa is on a mission to look for the White Tiger orb before the god of darkness does. After everything that happens in Gilded and the oncoming events of Silvern, Silvern also seems to reveal the ultimate question of the entire series: does Jae Hwa belong in the spirit world, or mortal world?

<i><b>Sometimes winning is everything.</b></i>
I personally think Jae Hwa as a character pressures herself too much. While having high expectations of oneself is a great thing, Jae Hwa seems to be all about wanting answers ASAP and being at the top. (Jae Hwa is strikingly similar to one of my classmates, personality wise. Should I ever meet Jae Hwa, we won't be friends for very long.) I also think Jae Hwa seems to be extremely self conscious of what Marc thinks of her. With the way Marc is jealous of Jae Hwa spending time with Kang-Dae, I see nothing too good in the future of their relationship should another hot guy comes around. (Ugh, is this the way boys are these days? If that's the case, I'm going to remain a single pringle, thank you very much.)

Silvern seems to have a similar plot at the beginning when compared to Gilded: an orb is stolen by a "bad" immortal and said immortal is building an empire with the orb. While no actual orb is retrieved from the immortal (there is one retrieved, but that's beside the point) and placed back in the Heavenly Chest this time, Farley seems to be giving a few hints at what may happen in the third book. (So not giving any hints away.)

Silvern certainly wasn't a disappointment and a waste of time. BUT... I still want to see those archery skills. Jae Hwa does use it more here than in Gilded, but practice rounds don't count (okay, she uses it once or twice that wasn't practice, but still.).
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Advanced review copy provided by Skyscape for review
Original Review posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/10/arc-review-silvern-by-christina-farley.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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AR
Avalon Rising (Metal & Lace, #2)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Compared to <i><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-camelot-burning-by-kathryn-rose/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Camelot Burning</a>,</i> the sequel definitely surpassed most, if not all, of my expectations.

I found <i>Avalon Rising</i> to be a lot more enjoyable than its predecessor. There aren't as many technical terms this time around, as Vivienne seems to be more focused on the mission the Lady of the Lake left for her near the end of the first book and helping Camelot's remaining refugees rebuild after the war with Morgan Le Fay. Soon, Vivienne finds out that some of the knights, including her brother and Marcus, have been missing for several weeks on their quest to find the Holy Grail and Avalon. She also finds out that Jerusalem, where the alchemist Azur resides, is attacked by the Black Knight and his men. Wanting to offer her help, Vivienne decides to leave earlier than what the Lady of the Lake originally planned, finding out that in doing so, she may have placed Marcus's life in danger.

The second <i>Metal &amp; Lace</i> novel is a lot more adventurous than the first one - Vivienne teams up with the castle blacksmith to find the missing knights, which is eventually intercepted by Merlin (who tends to be more of an obstacle this time around rather than actually helping Vivienne). They are then sent to free the Fisher King in the Perilous Lands, which actually results in several fantastic tests/trials for Vivienne to try and prove her worth to free the Fisher King and reveal the coordinates to Avalon. The trials that Vivienne goes through in <i>Avalon Rising</i> to find the knights and to reveal Avalon's coordinates almost felt like a female version of Percy Jackson in a medieval-esque world.

Vivienne also underwent a few changes as a character. She seems more temperamental, but is definitely extremely determined to accomplish what she wants to accomplish. A fantastic quality in a heroine, since Vivienne probably would have spent her time running away from pursuers who also want the coordinates to Avalon rather than doing something extremely interesting (like trying to resist using magic despite the pull).

<i>Avalon Rising</i> was a fantastic companion to <i>Camelot Burning</i> - I definitely look forward to reading the next book with the major cliffhanger Kathryn Rose leaves us with. Might I ask to review-nap this until the next book come out?

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-avalon-rising-by-kathryn-rose/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
AD
A Different Kind
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Different Kind follows Payton Carlson, a high school who has a perfect life as a cheerleader and on top of the social pyramid at her school, at least until she starts getting strange dreams that are actually her being abducted by aliens.

A Different Kind definitely isn't my favorite book, contrary to the stellar rating. It reminded me a lot about Lux, which I actually have a like/hate relationship:

~ Aliens. Obviously. On the bright side, the name isn't complex, although Lux certainly isn't complex. But Latin is most certainly complex. Here, they're just called Greys. Simple. Easy.
~ DOD, aka Department of Defense, or maybe some sort of government interference. The DOD checks up on fellow Luxens in Lux. It's pretty much a similar case here, although it's simply someone. Chances are it's the DOD. That's up to Lauryn to confirm.
~ Telepathy. Need I say more? O_O I did find "We mean you no harm" funny though... it's probably made me think of the weird voice going "We come in peace."
<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C7DVLiXJ_jg/U3FdCxE4PMI/AAAAAAAADQI/JNNizFBzwVw/s1600/we_come_in_peace.jpg"; height="240" width="320">
<b>What Made Me Enjoy A Different Kind?</b>
~ Logan's humble. At least, that's what it seems to me. He certainly doesn't need an ego check AT ALL. I don't think he even has an ego. I'm not saying all book boys with an ego need a check. Some I just don't like. Some I don't like in the first but I like them by the second, and if I don't like said boy by the second book, he's toasty. No pun intended.
~ Telekinesis over metal, which I find majorly cool. Blacksmiths would be uber happy if this were an actual power. Oh, and there would be less hospital bills. ;)
~ Despite the fact I disliked Payton in the first half of the book, I actually liked her by the end. She makes a major character change – from being a complete jerk to someone who realized that she didn't want to be popular after all and for her entire life, she's been acting like someone that everyone expected her to be. I did have a problem with her being drunk a lot though. But that was before her change. I suppose that means strong character development. :3

MORAL: Be Yourself
<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-inMi1-dfOq4/U3FdRYX9AwI/AAAAAAAADQQ/6xhvm2InqUo/s1600/be-yourself-Favim.com-368618.gif"; height="179" width="320">
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Review copy provided by the author
Original Rating: 4.5
This review and more can be found over at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-a-different-kind-by-lauryn-april.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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IC
Imperfectly Criminal (Imperfect, #2)
Mary Frame | 2014
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am a <em>huge </em>fan of Mary Frame’s <i><a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-imperfect-chemistry-by-mary-frame"; target=" rel=">Imperfect Chemistry</a></i>. I love the book to pieces and praise/recommend it while running left and right and kindly shoving it down everyone’s throats while humbly reminding them that this is indeed New Adult.

<i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> is the sequel to <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> and the second book in Mary Frame’s <i>Imperfect </i>series. The best part is? It’s a stand alone! With the kicker being ending spoilers from <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> (of course, my English teachers are cringing because saying imperfect a million times in a paragraph is very... repetitve). This book features Freya, who Frame first introduces us back in the first novel as one of Lucy’s newest friends.

In terms of favorite character in the series Lucy still takes the crown, but Freya is a close second now that I’ve gotten the chance to know her as a character. (She’s not as cute as Lucy! Plus the family dynamic in the first novel is like the Weasleys...) She adores food, Lucy’s quirks, and she’s hilarious. Have a quote about how unstereotypical cliches get in this adorable series.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">...he’s got me all flabbergasted with the skin and the muscle and the… a mini George Takei is oh mying in my head.</blockquote>
Or two.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">This is where I should probably wax on and on about how sweet and handsome he looks while he’s sleeping, but really he looks like a slack-jawed yokel.</blockquote>
Hilarious character aside though, <i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> deals with a much more serious problem its predecessor. For those who’ve read <i>Imperfect Chemistry </i>and met Freya in the first book, Frame mentions a bad relationship Freya gets out of but doesn’t go into much detail (after all, Lucy is the main character). We get more intel on what happened to Freya in book two as she helps the guy she originally hired to beat up her ex prove he was innocent when two of the boys he beat up end up dead. While she’s doing all of that, she’s also struggling with her attraction to Dean and the after effects of her relationship with her ex.
<i>
</i> <i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> has laugh out loud moments for a light read while also dealing with serious, darker issues, and I can’t wait to see how Frame will take the rest of the series.

&nbsp;

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-imperfectly-criminal-by-mary-frame/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
MC
Merlin's Children
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
First off, allow me to commend Megan for making it past what I would call the Snowpocalyspse level, in which case the weather was nastily for a week in early January. I'm sure that says a lot, and that was not sarcasm whatsoever.

     Merlin's Children starts off pretty much exactly where Taliesin Ascendant left off, and we finally get answers from the prologue of Book 1.

     Or maybe I just now realized the answer to the question and it was in my face the entire time. *shrugs* I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter since as long as the question is answered, then it's all good.

     I still have to applaud the author for continuing to be practically flawless in grammar/spelling (I make it a point to mention these things :p).

     But I do find it really weird that the characters seem to draw their eyebrows downward a lot. I'm not sure if it's possible or I'm just those peeps who can only raise my eyebrows, but each time it was mentioned, I was pretty tempted to run into the bathroom, stare at the mirror and see if it was possible.

     My mother would have thought I was insane if she saw me so I didn't do it.

     HEY! HERE'S A POSSIBLE HUGE SPOILER! I sort of wanted what happened to Jamison to be something else. Maybe because I was thinking of what I read about the Nikita finale in TV Guide, in which I sorrily missed. -_- I am glad that some of the characters from the very first book return though. ^_^

     On a final note, Megan has upped her game a bit compared to the last 2 books (yes, I'm staring at the raw ratings for the series). It's more fast paced, has more action and if anything, I sort of have a short attention span. A semi one, since I can tolerate SOME boring books to the end. :D But then the review turns out bad. I think that was irrelevant.

     For some reason, I keep reading Ermengarde's name as "Er Ma Gawd" so I ended up reading "so and so and Ermagawd..." every so often. That might actually be how the name is pronounced, but I'm honestly not sure so I'll just call her OMG. :D

     Another thing irrelevant I suppose.
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Original Rating: 4.5
Review copy provided by the author for review
Formatting has been lost due to copy and paste.
This review and more can be found at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-merlins-children-by-megan-joel-peterson.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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DT
Don't Turn Around (PERSEF0NE, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Where there's walking, there's bound to be running. Ironically enough, it wasn't too long ago that I read a <a title="View Sophia's review of The Queen's Choice" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-queens-choice-by-cayla-kluver/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">book mainly focused on walking</a>.

Michelle Gagnon's first young adult thriller goes straight into the action as soon as the book starts – Noa wakes up to find herself on a table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm and no clue of how she got to that table in the first place. Noa manages to get away from the warehouse and eventually teams up with fellow hacker Peter to find out more about a company called AMRF (who starts threatening Peter's life randomly for reasons of the unknown and attacks the hacktivist group he founded called ALLIANCE).

<i>Don't Turn Around</i> is basically about two hackers on the run – not necessarily together – and being chased by or threatened by an armed group of men. Running and being chased isn't typically my favorite book to read, but walking around and not being chased is much more boring to go through. In this particular case, an exception might have to be made – Gagnon reveals more information about the two hackers as they're on the run and trying to find out the reasons why they're being attacked or got swooped up from somewhere and experimented on in an abandoned area.

Noa is also an interesting character and has officially landed in as my favorite characters of 2015 – even though she didn't have a great childhood, it's amazingly admirable how she manages to remain a cucumber as everything around her falls apart. Noa actually reminds of <a title="View Sophia's ARC review of Tabula Rasa" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-tabula-rasa-by-kristen-lippert-martin/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">that one character (Sarah?) from <i>Tabula Rasa</i></a> – a fearless female character. What's different between Noa and Sarah, however, is how Noa admits she's scared but doesn't appear to be scared even after she is eventually caught by the bad guys originally going after her and Peter from the beginning of the story.

Similar to the likes of Alex Rider and James Bond, <i>Don't Turn Around</i> is a slow (though fast-paced) yet sure beginning to a series – Gagnon seems to be setting us up for better things to come in the future of the series, and I'm hoping it won't fail when the end finally comes.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-dont-turn-around-by-michelle-gagnon/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
TF
The Faerie War (Creepy Hollow, #3)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
I find I actually enjoyed <i>The Faerie War</i> despite its differences to the first two books in the <i>Creepy Hollow</i> series. <b>The third and final book in Violet's story happens approximately a month after the events in <i><a title="The Faerie Prince" href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-faerie-prince-by-rachel-morgan"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Faerie Prince</a></i>, telling it from both Ryn's and Violet's view.</b>

<i>The Faerie War</i> is... different, per say. Since Violet doesn't have her memories this time around, <b>Morgan seems to write in an entirely different way that I somehow find really weird.</b> Violet isn't the same as she is in the first two books – her memories are obviously gone, but <b>I didn't find much of Violet's snarkiness, sass, and sarcasm</b> that I find when I look back to the first books in the series. There are hints of the old Violet, but other than that, <b>Morgan writes in a formal way that makes Violet seem quite distant, aloof, and empty.</b>

<b>Reading from Ryn's view was a little confusing at first.</b> It's completely different from Violet's as his side of the story goes way back when – just before the faerie world flips upside down and everything goes straight to hell. <b>It took a while to actually figure out when his story started taking place</b> and how it all worked, but after putting the pieces together, <b>I actually enjoyed Ryn's side of the story.</b>

I was pretty disappointed when we went back to Violet's part, knowing that Violet was going to be just as distant and aloof as she was when we first meet her in the third book. To my delight, she does become a more sassier and has a bit more sarcasm when we meet her once more, which fortunately doesn't make her sound like an empty glass of milk.
<blockquote>“Does that mean you agree with me? You’re not angry with me? You … think my bony ankle makes a good pillow?”</blockquote>
The ending to <i>The Faerie War</i> and Violet's story isn't exactly mind-blowing. <b>Violet's confrontation with Draven seemed to mainly consist of Draven threatening Violet</b> – not exactly my cup of tea. <b>I still enjoyed the entire happily ever after aspect, but like with most endings these days... I'm just not feeling it.</b>

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-faerie-war-by-rachel-morgan/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>