Waiting on Wednesday: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

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

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird #1
Publication Date: November 4th 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Of Neptune by Anna Banks

Series: The Syrena Legacy #3
Publication Date: May 1st 2014
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Mermaids
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Emma and Galen’s kingdom and their love is threatened by long-lost Syrena in the brilliant conclusion to Anna Banks bestselling trilogy.

Emma, half human and half Syrena, and her Syrena love, Galen, need time together alone. Away from the kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton. Emma’s grandfather, the Poseidon king, suggests the two visit a small town called Neptune.

Neptune is home to both Syrena and Half-Breeds alike. But Emma and Galen didn’t sign up to be peacemakers between the ocean and the land-dwelling, freshwater Syrena. They didn’t bargain for meeting a charming Half-Breed named Reed, who can barely disguise his feelings for Emma. And they especially didn’t expect to find themselves in the middle of a power struggle that threatens not only their love but their ocean kingdoms.

In this stunning conclusion to her bestselling Syrena Legacy, Anna Banks thrills fans with more action and romance than ever.

My Rating: 3/5 stars

My Review: Of Neptune is the final book in the Syrena Legacy series. I fell in love with the first two books in the series right from the start, but I found it extremely hard for me to get into this book. Don't get me wrong, the writing and world-building is still as amazing as ever thanks to Anna Banks, but some of the actions that the characters did, just put me off, and this turned out to be a book I almost DNF. 

We start the story with Emma and Galen beginning their road-trip, but when they make their way to a town called Neptune, they are both shocked to find a town full of Humans, Syrena, and Half-breeds just like Emma, living together. Emma and Galen share different views with what to do with their new discovery, and they split of right into the hands of danger. 

Surprisingly, this has been the first series I have ever read where I like the supporting characters better than the main characters. Throughout the whole series, I have been a bigger fan of Rayna and Toraf rather than enjoying the main romance between Emma and Galen, even now when Rayna and Toraf weren't in this book as much, I found myself enjoying Reed's character way more than the other ones. 

There's nothing I hate more than stories where the characters fall in love in the first book, and then by the second and third books they just end up fighting and then making up in the end. While I understand that this is 'fairly' realistic to some couples in real life, there are a lot of books written this way (Like New Moon and the Divergent series,) which makes this way over done and kind of boring to read about.
While it was nice that Emma finally got her shot at a love-triangle, I feel like it's way too late in the series to put her into one. Not bashing the author, just my personal feelings.

Even tough I was really impressed with the amount of world-building in this story and the awesome new characters that were introduced, the relationship between Emma and Galen definitely turned me off. I really wish I could have ended this series on a good note and enjoyed this book a lot more.

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. With this amazing meme, you can check out which books I've gotten this past week.

From Publisher

Midnight Thief
Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives

Huge thanks to Cassie from Disney Hyperion for providing me a copy of this book. And an even bigger thanks to Livia Blackburne for providing me with the Prequel a while back and getting me hooked on this wonderful series. Thank you.

Getting By 
When Emma Anderson arrived at San Francisco International Airport, she regretted accepting the distinction of being the maid of honor to Gaby’s—her childhood friend—wedding. It had been years since the last time she set foot in Menlo Park, where her parents had been killed. The rug where she had been shoving her feelings since that day looked bumpier than a camel’s hump. Who could blame her; if she hadn’t been selfish they’d still be around. Ever since that fateful day, Emma has been perfecting the knack of Getting By.

Cade’s wedding in Menlo Park—a city close to San Francisco—might be the perfect place for Jake Knight to shake the memories of his ex, Emma Anderson for good. Single, available women galore for an entire week was the perfect medication, one he intended to take three times a day for an entire week to return to his player days. It was a plan the former spy thought flawless until he came face to face with the maid of honor. Jake’s perfect retreat turns into a flight, fight or hide week of celebrations.

Big thanks to Kelsey McBride for providing me with a review copy of this book. Review coming later in the week. Thank you so much.

Bought

Anna and the French Kiss
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

I've heard so many good things about this book I just had to pick up my own copy! I'm crazy excited to start it.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Leave a link to your STS in the comments below, I'd love to check it out :) Have a lovely week.

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

Series: Midnight Thief #1
Publication Date: July 8th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: I have been anticipating the release of this book ever since I read the prequel called Poison Dance. I instantly fell in love with the author's writing and characters, and I knew that I would love this book. I am extremely happy to say that Midnight Thief way a hundred times better than I ever imagined it would be. It was absolutely perfect, from the characters, all the way down to the world-building.

Kyra is a thief. In a world where the rich take from the poor, Kyra is the "Robin Hood," stealing from the snobby rich folk and giving back to the poor children who live on the streets. When the Assassin's Guild find's Kyra, they are impressed with her, and they make her an offer she can't refuse. Kyra starts working with the guild and starts training as an assassin, but being an assassin and thief are two completely different things.

The story is followed in two points-of-view. We get to see Kyra's perspective as well as Tristam's. From the very start of the book, I instantly fell in love with Kyra. She is such a well-rounded character, you can't help but admire her. She is so caring when it comes to her friends, but she can also be ruthless at times when its important. She is determined to improve herself, she never backs down from a challenge, and takes every opportunity she gets to improve her skills to learn more. 
Tristam on the other hand, I had some mixed feelings about. There were definitely some moments in the book where I just wanted to yell at him for a few stupid things he did, but near the end of the book I got an understanding of his character and I couldn't help but be a little impressed with him. Hopefully he manages to impress me even more in the future books.

The romance aspect of this book was definitely the most impressive and surprising part of the book for me. I am so used to reading books with love-triangles or insta-love, I always expect one of them to be in every book I read, and even for a moment I thought this book would have a love-triangle, but it didn't. It's not very often that people in the real world find themselves in love-triangles or fall in love at first sight, most people slowly get feelings for another person, and if that doesn't work out, they move on and end up falling for someone else. This is exactly what happened in this book, Kyra started having feelings for James, but when it was obvious that it wouldn't work out, she ended up moving on, and having feelings for someone else. I absolutely love how the author wrote this part, not only is it very unique, but it's also very realistic to what happens to real people, you can't help but relate to it. Major brownie points, well done.

The writing in this book was fantastic, if you like action in the stories you read, I can guarantee that this is going to be one of those books you just can't put down. I found myself reading till the late hours of the night because I kept saying "One more chapter and then I'll go to bed," about seven or eight times before I actually put the book down. The amount of action, plot twists and hooks this book has just keeps you fully interested from beginning to end.

The world-building of this story is absolutely amazing. We get to see so many different settings in the book. We get to see places like: the forest, the town, the palace, different outskirts and farmlands. But what's even more amazing is that each and every place is described in such a way that you feel like you're actually standing right in the middle of the scene as it happens. We also get a sense of outside Kyra's town from the descriptions of travelling merchants and where they came from. You can definitely tell that the author put in a huge effort for the world-building of the story, and it definitely paid off because it made the story so much better.

Overall, I love pretty much everything in this book. It's going on my favorites shelf. I highly recommend this book and the prequel (Poison Dance) to anyone who loves YA and/or Fantasy books. 

If you're interested in reading Poison Dance, it is currently free on Amazon. Just click here to check it out.

-Aneta

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Coral & Bone by Tiffany Daune

Coral & Bone by Tiffany Daune
Publication Date: July 7th 2014
Genres: YA, Paranormal
Amazon ~ Goodreads

Synopsis: Halen knows the sparks igniting under her fingertips are dangerous. She has spent her entire life trying to quell the tingly feelings that make her destroy things, but now that she is back in Rockaway Beach, where she watched her father drown, the flames have become impossible to tame.Halen is trying to hold on, but when she is thrust into a mysterious new world, the underwater realm of Elosia, she unravels the secrets of her past and can't help but ignite. As she explores Elosia, she realizes her life has been a lie. And when those who have deceived her come to her for help, Halen must choose—walk away or unleash the magick that could destroy them all.

Excerpt

"See who you are," the mermaid whispered.
Halen's eyes clouded over and when the smoke cleared she found herself standing in an open field. She was dressed in a cotton dress which fell around her ankles. Soft grass tickled her toes. She took a step forward and a flower sprung from the ground beside her. She leaned down to pick the red poppy. As she took another step a flower sprang up from between the blades of grass. Halen smiled. She walked a little farther and with each step a new poppy sprouted and bloomed. She ran faster and the field blossomed under her feet, and when she waved her hand, the entire valley filled with red poppies. She inhaled their sweet scent and when she exhaled, the birds glided in the breeze of her breath through an endless blue sky.
Halen laughed when the wind caught her skirt and swept the fabric up over her head, but when she pushed it down, dark clouds rolled overhead. She took one step forward and the grass beneath her feet sizzled to a crisp. Taking another step, the poppies burst into flames. The fire licked the hem of her skirt and she gathered it up over her knees. Scanning the field, she spotted a boulder; if she could make it there, remove her feet from the ground, she could save the rest of the field.
She ran in long strides, and with each step, she scorched the ground with her fiery feet. Suddenly, she tripped. Her hands touched down and the ground combusted with a brilliant light. The fire raced through the field, spreading to the trees. The flames reached up, lassoing the birds from the sky, dragging them to the ground. Halen crawled to the rock and hoisted herself up. She stared out to the barren land. "No, no. What have I done?" She clawed the air and the clouds rumbled with thunder. The fire burned hotter and hotter under her flesh. The only way to extinguish the flames was to release them. Tilting her head back, she opened her mouth wide and screamed. What birds had not been burned turned now to black beasts swirling in the torrid sky.

About the Author

I write stories about magick, love and dark creatures lurking in the shadows. When I'm not lost in Edit Land you can find me reading a book from my towering TBR pile or at the movie theater nibbling licorice. I don't have a lucky number, but my favorite time is 11:11. I completely believe that the fortunes found inside cookies will come true and that you must be careful when wishing on stars. I live on an island, so if you want to visit you'll need a boat, and if you want to survive the passage, be sure to bring candy for the mermaids.  

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Giveaway

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Violet Midnight by Allie Burke

Series: The Enchanters Series #1
Publication Date: May 1st 2014
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Look into the world of The Enchanters, where water has a sense of humor, trees scare people, and love… is destiny.

The beautiful Jane is hovering at the edge of content in her life of solitude in the quiet town of Jasmyn Lake, but when her energy sends her on a journey to meet the man she has been dreaming about for months, she cannot resist. Meet sexy artist Elias, who moved to Hazel Grove, California to get away from the rain, his parents, and everything that was taken from him in Hayward, Washington. But he thinks he may be losing his mind when he starts seeing purple glitter in the air, the scent of rosemary is everywhere, and he is hearing a beautiful voice.

But all is not flowers and ease for the newly joined couple. With a woman who prefers night to day and a man with heartache from his past, they must learn how to create their own new world with grace and the occasional water feature. Written with humor and intensity, book one of the three part trilogy will leave you yearning for more and daydreaming shades of purple.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: Violet Midnight is the perfect book for all hopeless romantics! With a 'to die for' love story in a fantasy setting, it is the perfect book for any fan of young adult and new adult books. 

I fell in love with this book in the beginning! The characters all felt so real, I couldn't help to fall in love with both the main characters. I loved Jane's fierceness,I admire how she is such a strong and independent women, but you also get to see the scared and afraid side of her that makes her feel so human. And who couldn't love the sexy Elias! Not only is he the perfect man, but you also get so see how reliable he is, and how loving, especially when it comes to his dead twin brother (those parts were a killer).

The only thing I didn't like about their relationship was that they had insta-love, (its when characters fall in love at first sight). Don't get me wrong, I love stories like that, they are super romantic. Yet growing up I realized that this only happens in stories and very rarely in real life, I feel like the story could have been better if they didn't fall in love at first sight, yet I'm glad the author decided to go this way, because that could have made the book very long, and the length of this book was absolutely perfect.

Throughout the book, we get to see not only Jane and Elias's point of view, but also the point of view from his parent's perspective. I wasn't too keen with this at first, but in the end I ended up loving it so much. Its not often you get to read a tiny story inside another story, and the way the author did this was absolutely wonderful! Thumbs up.

There wasn't too much world building going on in this book since the characters didn't travel to many places, but some settings like Jane's cabin and the lake are explained in such detail that you cant't help but fall in love with the place. You not only get a perfect sense of what the place looks like, but you also feel a need to go and see it for yourself in person. Its that wonderfully written.

Overall, I loved this book from beginning to end. I would have loved it more if there were more places the characters visited and their romance was more realistic, but other than those small things, I couldn't find anything wrong with this masterpiece. I definitely recommend this to all romance lovers, its such a cute story.

Happy reading,
-Aneta

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Series: The Mortal Instruments #6
Publication Date: May 27th 2014
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: 

“Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. When we suffer, we survive.” 

I have been waiting for this book for the longest time! Now that I've read it.. I wish the wait was longer because I don't want this series to be over yet :(

The story continues as Sebastian takes revenge on the Shadowhunters by turning them into Endarkened and having brother fight against brother. With the fear of becoming one of the Endarkened, the Clave summons all Shadowhunters to Idris, leaving the world unprotected from demons. As Sebastain's army rises, the Shadowhunters have to decide whether they need to protect themselves, or fight.

I am so happy with the way this book turned out. It felt so good to have Jace and Clary be together again, especially since in the last book Jace wasn't himself. But don't get too happy! This book had so many twists and blindsides, it definitely kept me guessing whats going to happen next throughout the whole book. Never a dull moment. 

In this book, there are a lot of Emma Carstairs moments. At first I was really surprised that she was even in it, but really happy. Until I realized that she's actually in the book a lot! Don't get me wrong, I already love Emma, and I know I'm going to love the Dark Artifices, but I was still reading the Mortal Instruments, and I wanted to focus on Jace and Clary rather than Emma. It was just a little too much.

On the other hand, there was at least one reference to the Infernal Devices at least once per chapter throughout part one of the book. AND I LOVED IT. Every time they mentioned one of the characters from that series, I couldn't help but scream and fangirl a little. I feel like if you haven't read the Infernal Devices before, you'd probably find these incredibly pointless, and a little too spoilerish. It could ruin the other series for you. So I would definitely recommend reading the Infernal Devices before reading City of Heavenly Fire.

Alright, I don't want to write too much in my review, because this book was so amazing, and I don't want to ruin a single moment of it for you. But overall, this book was the perfect (second) ending to the series. The events played out beautifully, and Cassandra Clare's writing just keeps getting better and better. I highly recommend this book and this series to everyone I know.

Thanks for reading,
-Aneta

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Sticks and Stones by Shawn McGuire

Sticks and Stones by Shawn McGuire
Series: The Wish Makers #1
Publication Date: June 15th 2014
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Everyone has a dark side. Mandy’s just moved in with her.

The last time sixteen-year-old Mandy Matteo broke a rule, her sister died. Since that day she has done only what is expected of her, but life as a goody-goody has made Mandy so boring her friends have all but abandoned her. And she’s given up on ever getting Ethan, the boy she’s liked forever, to notice her. Desperate, Mandy makes a wish to simply be happy.

Her wish is granted and happiness arrives in the form of Lexi, her childhood imaginary friend come to life. Magical wishes have conditions though: Once started, the wish cannot be altered or stopped. And once Mandy is truly content with her life again, Lexi must go back to where she came from. But Lexi loves being alive and she’ll do whatever it takes to stay that way.

About the Author

Shawn McGuire started writing after seeing the first Star Wars movie (that’s episode IV) as a kid: she couldn’t wait for the next one so wrote her own episodes. Sadly, those notebooks are long lost, but her desire to write is as strong now as it was then. She grew up in the beautiful Mississippi River town of Winona, Minnesota, the small town that inspired the setting for Sticks and Stones and the upcoming Break My Bones. After graduating college she moved to the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin (Go Pack Go!) where she lived for many years. She and her family now call Colorado home and when not writing or reading, Shawn enjoys cooking and baking, crafts, interior decorating, and spending time hiking and camping in the spectacular Rocky Mountains.

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Giveaway!!

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Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. With this amazing meme, you can check out which books I've gotten this past week.

From Publisher

Violet Midnight
Look into the world of The Enchanters, where water has a sense of humor, trees scare people, and love… is destiny.

The beautiful Jane is hovering at the edge of content in her life of solitude in the quiet town of Jasmyn Lake, but when her energy sends her on a journey to meet the man she has been dreaming about for months, she cannot resist. Meet sexy artist Elias, who moved to Hazel Grove, California to get away from the rain, his parents, and everything that was taken from him in Hayward, Washington. But he thinks he may be losing his mind when he starts seeing purple glitter in the air, the scent of rosemary is everywhere, and he is hearing a beautiful voice.

But all is not flowers and ease for the newly joined couple. With a woman who prefers night to day and a man with heartache from his past, they must learn how to create their own new world with grace and the occasional water feature. Written with humor and intensity, book one of the three part trilogy will leave you yearning for more and daydreaming shades of purple.

Huge thanks goes out to Jennifer from Booktrope Editions for providing me with this review copy! I can't tell you enough how excited I am to read this book.

Non-Book Related

I know this has nothing to do with books, but I had to buy this shirt as soon as I saw it, and I've decided to share it with you.
It's from Victoria Secret and it was on sale! This shirt reminded me so much of my blog I knew I had to have it.
It's a little big, but it was so worth the buy!

Weekly Update

So this week has been all about FIFA!! Finally the world cup is on, I've been waiting for this moment for 4 years!! I'm cheering Germany on! I'm pretty sure they'll make it out of group stage, so I'm not too worried.

Other than soccer, this was my last week at high school! Forever!! Next week I'm finishing up my exams and the week after that is Graduation! Wish me luck :)

Posts from the Week

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Teaser Tuesday: City of Heavenly Fire

Raging Star by Moira Young

Feature and Follow Friday

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Leave a link to your STS in the comments below, I'd love to check it out :) Have a lovely week.

Feature and Follow

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee where we get to answer a weekly question and find new friends and followers!

If you'd like to join, please click on the links highlighted in pink to go to the hosts website for a full set of rules.


Question of the Week: Armchair Travel! Tell us about your favorite book in a setting you’d like to visit (a real place for this question).

My Answer: This is going to be an easy answer. London, England. I would do anything to get to see the London Institute in real life. I saw some girls taking a selfie with it on Tumblr one day and I knew that that's the place where I wanted to go. Hopefully one day I get to go there and fangirl over Will and Tessa from the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare.

 


Thanks so much for stopping by, feel free to leave your link in the comments and I'll check out your blog and follow back :)

Raging Star by Moira Young

Series: Dust Lands Trilogy #3
Publication Date: May 13th 2014
Genre: YA, Dystopia
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Her passion kept them alive. Now it may destroy them all.

Saba is ready to seize her destiny and defeat DeMalo...until she meets him and finds herself drawn to the man and his vision of a healed earth, a New Eden. DeMalo wants Saba to join him, in life and work, to build a stable, sustainable world…for the chosen few. The young and the healthy. Under his control.

Jack’s choice is clear: to fight DeMalo and try to stop New Eden. Presumed dead, he's gone undercover, feeing Saba crucial information in secret meetings. Saba hides her connection with DeMalo and commits herself to the fight. Joined by her brother, Lugh, and her sister, Emmi, Saba leads a small guerilla band against the settlers and the Tonton militia. But the odds are overwhelming. Saba knows how to fight—she's not called the Angel of Death for nothing. But what can she do when the fight cannot be won? Then DeMalo offers Saba a chance—a seductive chance she may not be able to refuse. How much will she sacrifice to save the people she loves?

The road has never been more dangerous, and betrayal lurks in the most unexpected places in the breathtaking conclusion to the Dust Lands Trilogy.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: Raging Star puts a twist to the whole series as things start to change. This book has a dramatic fight with an ending you wont forget.

I had extremely high expectations going into this book, Blood Red Road and Rebel Heart were amazing and they instantly became favorites of mine. I was so happy to get back to all the action and the author's amazing writing that I just expected this to be one of the best endings of all time.

In this book, Saba changes a bit. She's still the same girl who loves her family and is head-over-heels in love with Jack, but this time instead of fighting with weapons she chooses to fight with her brain.

We get to see a more logical side to Saba, which I was really impressed with at first, thinking "Great she's gonna be all smart which is gonna help her in fighting" but then you realize, that she doesn't plan on fighting at all. I definitely had mixed emotions about that part, yes I love her trying to outsmart DeMalo and think its a great idea, but at the same time, I really expected a lot of action from this book, especially since its the last one in the series. I must say that I wasn't bored throughout the book, but there weren't many parts that excited me, until the end.

There was many characters in this book that made me mad. Okay so maybe most of the characters! I found Lough so annoying, especially in the end (I'll get to that later) and Jack.. What the hell! I used to love him so much, and now I honestly can't stand him. It's like hes bi-polar, some moments he acts like he loves Saba, and the next hes treating her like a dumb little kid or a baby sister. I know what he went through in his past scares him, but seriously you can't just commit like that and then start backing out... Not Cool!

I was really impressed how the author incorporated the italicized writing in a different person's point of view. She did a really good job with the writing and the mystery part of it. If only the plot was a little better I would have given this whole series a 5/5.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Okay so I really need to talk about the ending of this book! Because like really.. what happened there?

I was so very happy that Lough died in the end, because if she wasn't going to kill him then I definitely would have. But why Emmi? I mean I understand why, and that it helped reveal Lough's true self, but seriously she and Saba were finally getting along and acting like sisters. 

The whole time I was reading the Italicized writing I thought it was Tommo. Everyone else's reviews I've read said the same thing. So i really want to congratulate the author because she fooled us all.

The very ending with Jack, that was really confusing. I understand that he sort of forgave her, and that they're embarking to new land and stuff, but it wasn't very satisfactory. There could be so many more adventures that they share on the boat, and we don't know Jack's true feelings and if they'll work out in the end or not. I wish they explained a bit more.

END OF SPOILER!!

Overall, I still enjoyed this book, even though I was a tad disappointed and a little pissed off with some of the characters! I'd still recommend this series, and if you've read the other books, you might as well finish the series.

Happy Reading Everyone!
Aneta

Teaser Tuesday: City of Heavenly Fire

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! This is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read, open to a random page', share two (2) "teaser" sentences form somewhere on the page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser Tuesday is for the following..

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Series: Mortal Instruments #6
Publication Date: May 27th 2014
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Teaser form page # 143

"I hope they catch him alive," said Emma, her eyes on Julian's. "I hope they kill him in Angel Square so we can all watch him die, and I hope its slow."