Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
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Synopsis: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: “She was a cyborg, and she would never go to a ball.”  

Cinder is a fantastic series! Great characters, creative world, and an interesting plot line.

It took me a long time to start the series. A cinderella re-telling along with cyborgs just didn't appeal to me. And that's what I thought about the series until I got a little in it. I'm so happy I finally gave this book a chance, I definitely judge the book way too fast!

Cinder is a fantastic character. I've always loved strong and self-less characters and Cinder is one of the strongest and most self-less characters out there. Cinder is a mechanic. She lives with her stepmother/guardian and two stepsisters, working at the market in order to pay for everything her family does. 

The world-building in this story was absolutely fantastic! First of all, I love how the story was set in Asia. It's so often that books are set in America it gets kind of repetitive and boring, so I was really impressed when the story actually took place halfway across the world from me. Also the whole backstory about the world going through two more world wars, eventually returning to monarchy in some parts of the world and having a new race living on the moon. I just think that the world that Marissa Meyer created is absolutely fantastic. As to the descriptions of the setting that Cinder and Kai were in, I found that there were parts where the author went into too much detail describing the scene, which made it a bit boring. Yet there were still lots of great scenes that were described perfectly where you could imagine them and step into the picture myself.

The plot of the story was fairly well written. The cinderella retelling worked perfectly in the plot, and since it was more futuristic, the changes to the original story made it more interesting and didn't let the reader get bored. While I thought that the plot was very creative, there was also so many predictable parts where you knew exactly what was going to happen, and it all happened. This kind of made me mad at times because it was all so clear and the characters couldn't see what was right infant of them. For those who have read the book, you know what I'm talking about.

Overall, this is a fantastic first book to a great series. The characters are absolutely amazing, the world created by Meyer is to die for, and there's tons of action and adventure to keep you on your toes. As long as you don't mind knowing what happens to the character, and not being surprised you will love this book. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Happy Reading,
-Aneta

Waiting on Wednesday: Ruined by Amy Tintera

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

Series: Ruined #1
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
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Synopsis: Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.

But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.

In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.

Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake. 

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Series: Flawed #1
Publication Date: April 6th, 2016
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Genre: YA, Dystopia
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Read chapters 1-5 free on Amazon and B&N

Synopsis: The Scarlet Letter meets Divergent in this thoughtful and thrilling novel by bestselling author Cecelia Ahern.

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule. And now faces life-changing repercussions.

She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her-everything.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: In a world where one mistake can get you branded as Flawed and change your life forever, Celestine North is perfect. She's an aspiring mathematician, has the perfect boyfriend, and has her perfect life planned out just the way she wants it. But when a Flawed man starts choking on a public bus, Celestine can't help herself and comes to the man's aid. Helping a Flawed man is a crime. Celestine is taken away to prison, but on the outside, riots start to happen and Celestine gains followers. Things are about to change, not just to Celestine's life, but to the country. 

I was a little skeptical starting this book. Yet it was so amazing once I started reading that I could not put it down and ended up finishing the book in one sitting. This book evoked an emotion that I haven't personally felt since reading the Hunger Games. The author did an absolutely amazing job with the world building, and the storyline. You can almost feel like you are the main character living in that society, its absolutely amazing.

The reason why i gave this book four stars instead of five, is because of the main character. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Celestine! She's brilliant, selfless and caring. The author describes her as being very smart, and we see that aspect in her throughout the whole book, except for one part. There is a part in the story where Celestine gets invited to a party, which turns out to be an ambush. The problem with this is, if the main character is so smart, how could she not see that it was a trick. Even her own sister warned her that it was most likely a trick. Which brings me to, if her sister thought that she was in danger, why didn't she help her? This part in the story just didn't make sense to me, and it made me furious to the point where I almost stopped reading.

Overall, every aspect of this story is amazing. This book is so action packed and emotion driven that you will not want to put it down as you read. Its perfect for all fans of dystopian books, especially Divergent and The Hunger Games. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Happy Reading,

Aneta 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Publication Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
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Synopsis: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: "Rags to riches isn't a story anyone wants to hear until after it's done.” 

The Raven Boys is a beautiful mystery read, with fantastic characters and magnificent scenery. I found this book to be a little slow at the start but once the action starts it is hard to put down.

Blue is not a psychic, but she lives with many. When Blue sees a spirit on St.Mark's eve, she realizes that a boy named Gansey will die this year, by her hand. Gansey is a rich, private school boy that hangs out with that call themselves the Raven Boys. When Gansey and the Raven Boys come to visit Blue's mother for a psychic reading, Blue ends up being twisted in their adventures, trying to save Gansey's life.

I personally loved Blue as a character. She's exceptionally ordinary. She's not beautiful or extremely smart, yet she just has that type of personality that you can't help but love. She's sweet and innocent. It's like you want to be her best friend. Throughout the story, we get to watch her grow and step out of her comfort zone which is with her family and open up to the Raven Boys and become a fantastic overall character.

The way this story is written, it took a lot of getting used to in the beginning. I wasn't particularly fond of it, but once I got to reading the book it became easier to understand and I enjoyed it so much more. This book has a lot of action and adventure so once you get past the boring part in the beginning you definitely will not be bored.

I was absolutely amazing at the world-building of this story. Not only do the character visit so many different beautiful places (on their many adventure) but all those places are described so uniquely that you just fall involve with the world that Maggie created and want to live there. I honestly can't tell you how beautiful it is, you'll have to read it for yourself.

Overall, this book was absolutely magical and has you wanting more when you get past the beginning. I would definitely recommend this book to all action and adventure lovers. Trust me when I say that this series is worth it. Amazing character and beautiful landscape. I can't wait to continue reading this series.

Happy Reading,
- Aneta 

Waiting on Wednesday: Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

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

Publication Date: April 19, 2016
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Romance
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Synopsis: Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself.