Blog Tour: Lightning Sealed (Lucent Series #2)

Clean Teen Publishing is proud to present Lightning Sealed, the second installment of Lila Felix's The Lucent Series.

"No matter what his words conveyed, Theo would leave me soon. It was just a matter of time."
The Fray is calling Theo. Every day, the voices get louder. Every minute, he gets pulled closer. Every second, their love is tested. Their life is a constant question of who they can trust and who they can't.
Sanctum, Theo's brother and enemy, stalks them like a predator, waiting for his chance to pounce.
Theo will leave Colby soon to do what he, as the Eidolon, was born to do. He can't deny the yearning in his heart to go, but he can't find it in his heart to leave.
Colby will be left with a decision. She can wither like the mates of Eidolon before her or she can go after the Synod, the women who murdered her grandmother, while Theo is gone.
With Theo missing and Colby desperate, Sanctum is only too eager to fill in…

Excerpt:

No matter what his words conveyed, Theo would leave me soon.

It was just a matter of time.

I waited for it with saccharine bated breath. I watched him in the mirror. I counted his footsteps up the stairs.

Counted his bites. Waiting had made me a bit of a stalker.

The worry consumed me. I couldn’t think about anything else.

Something was missing in his touch. He didn’t hold my stare. He spent hours and hours alone now.

It was all in practice, I guessed. Practice for the time I’d be without his heart—without him.

He didn’t need me to quell the voices anymore. I helped some, but my presence didn’t have the same impact.

The man I loved was finding solace in the depths of insanity—just when I’d found my own voice of sanity.

I doubt he thought it was insanity at all anymore.

Pema didn’t seemed fazed by the slow and sloth transformation.

Like she knew it would happen.

As though she wanted it to happen.

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Lightning Kissed (The Lucent Series Book 1)

Colby Evans can leap from one country to the next in a heartbeat. She can see every sunset in every time zone in the same day. She can travel across the world in a flash. She defies gravity and physics with every breath she takes. She's tested her abilities and found them limitless.

She is the lightning. She is Lucent. And nothing can stop her.

Except him.

Theodore Ramsey isn't supposed to be able to flash like Colby. The power of travel is passed on from mother to daughter in their people. Except once in every hundred generations.

Theo is the one.

He can flash like Colby. And it makes him a target to their enemies and to himself. His abilities change everything he knows about life and throws his future into an uncertain tangent. In fact, the only thing certain in his life is the love he feels for Colby.

Their love defies time and space and has been the only constant thing in their lives since childhood. But even their infallible love will be stretched to its limits.

She will risk her life to protect him. But he will risk everything to protect them all. 





About the Author

Lila Felix is full of antics and stories. She refused to go to Kindergarten after the teacher made her take a nap on the first day of school. She staged her first protest in middle school. She almost flunked out of her first semester at Pepperdine University because she was enthralled with their library and frequently was locked in. Now her husband and three children have to put up with her rebel nature in  Louisiana where her days are filled with cypress trees, crawfish, and of course her books and writing. She writes about the ordinary people who fall extraordinarily in wild, true love.

Connect With Lila

Lila's Website

Book Review: Faefever (Fever, #3)

About The Book:

  

  Title: Faefever (Fever, #3)

  Author: Karen Marie Moning
  Pub. Date: September 16th, 2008
  Publisher: Delacorte Press
  Pages: 327

  Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

  Rate: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul. 

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences.…

Review:

"Night doesn't fall here. It comes slamming down."

YES!! This series is so good. I am so excited about this because I didn't think I'd be able to find a series that was comparable to my love for The Sookie Stackhouse Series. Well I'm finished the 3rd book and I'm finally admitting it, there is a book series out there that can compare to my love for that series and it's this one! And I heard the series only keeps on getting better! 

This book basically just builds up and builds up to this huge explosion and then you have no idea what is happening because you didn't think an author could be so cruel... Let's talk characters, the best part of this series! Mac is no longer the girl we've met in book one and she's even crueler in this book than in book two. I almost feel bad for feel her, because I feel like most of it can be attributed to that jackass Jericho Barrons. Honestly, he is one cold bastard! I'll get back to him in a bit. Mac has tried so hard to protect everyone - O'Duffy and now Jayne, the rest of the sidhe-seers, Barrons, her family, and who really thanked her? Nobody! That's who! So I'd have to say Mac gets pretty sick of everyones shit and starts doing what's best for her. But what I love about her is that at the bottom of her soul she still has this goodness about her and everyone else it seems has this darkness so she does good for them and they screw her over and I jut want to cry for her. 

We finally get more of an insight into what Jericho "is", I guess. Was that supposed to make us like him more? I don't know. I ended up with many more questions about him but I was also much more intrigued. I feel like when we finally uncover whatever mystery it is surrounding him I'll probably love him but as it stands right now I hate him and the way he treats Mac. And you see, that is super odd for me because I love antiheroes. I always love the bad guy and every "asshole guy". I loved Eric Northman, The Darkling - I didn't even think Christian Gray was a terrible guy. I think Jericho Barrons is a new kind of terrible. Besides not thanking Mac for everything she does for him, he acts like he actually owns her. And when she goes on her own to do something he makes degrading comments when she comes back. YET when he goes off for long periods of time he makes sure to let her know that he doesn't care that she's been waiting for him. Let's not forget that birthday scene. WHAT THE HECK?! I'M STILL FUMING!!! There is something seriously wrong with him... 

“What are you?” I said irritably. 
“In the Serengeti, Ms. Lane, I would be the cheetah. I’m stronger, smarter, faster, and hungrier than everything else out there. And I don’t apologize to the gazelle when I take it down.” 

Personally, I love Prince V'lane way more than Jericho! The Fae Prince is sweet and protective and trusts Mac at times when he is the most vulnerable! I love that he swifts her away from the dark and rainy Dublin to different islands just so she can see the sun. I don't understand why Mac asks him to turn off his sexual attraction every time he comes to see her. He's amazing. And she's attracted to him without it SO! 

The ending was quite shocker - OMG. I can't wait until the next one gets here. AHHH. This book seriously gave me fae fever. Literally, I have fae fever. Can't wait to see what happened to my babies! 

- Jocelyn

ARC Review: Bluescreen (Mirador #1)

About the Book:
Title: Bluescreen (Mirador #1)
Author: Dan Wells
Pub. Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Balzer & Bray 
Pages: 352 
Rating: 2/5 stars

Synopsis:

Los Angeles in 2050 is a city of open doors, as long as you have the right connections. That connection is a djinni—a smart device implanted right in a person’s head. In a world where virtually everyone is online twenty-four hours a day, this connection is like oxygen—and a world like that presents plenty of opportunities for someone who knows how to manipulate it.

Marisa Carneseca is one of those people. She might spend her days in Mirador, the small, vibrant LA neighborhood where her family owns a restaurant, but she lives on the net—going to school, playing games, hanging out, or doing things of more questionable legality with her friends Sahara and Anja. And it’s Anja who first gets her hands on Bluescreen—a virtual drug that plugs right into a person’s djinni and delivers a massive, non-chemical, completely safe high. But in this city, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, and Mari and her friends soon find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that is much bigger than they ever suspected.

Review:

I've never read a book by Dan Wells before, but I have had a couple of his novels on my TBR list for awhile. So when I was given the opportunity to read this novel, I jumped at the chance. With an interesting premise and an awesome cover, I was excited to get started on this book. Unfortunately, this wasn't a winner for me. While the idea that Dan Wells had was great, there were many aspects of the story that weren't developed well enough. In all honesty, this seemed like a first draft of the story, with many needed drafts still to come. By about the halfway point in this book, I was bored out of my mind and really didn't care about any of the characters anymore. This is always a sad thing for me, and it makes getting through the rest of the book I'm reading difficult to get through.

The main problem with this story was that it was bogged down with too many details. Understandably, there needed to be detailed descriptions of the world that Dan Wells created as it is the future with a lot of different and innovative technology. However, where as some authors would be able to simplify the technological descriptions, Dan Wells used paragraphs upon paragraphs to describe this technology and it became extremely boring, extremely fast. Throughout the beginning (and even during the rest of the book), there would be pages upon pages of scenes where info was just dumped on us. I personally don't like when authors do this because it becomes tedious and feels like they were trying to make the book longer. Even with all of this description however, things were still a bit confusing.

The other big problem I had with this book was the characters. There were way too many side characters to keep track of, and not only that but they also were all the same to me. Every single side character acted and spoke the same way, had the same personality, and were not memorable in the slightest. Most of them weren't even necessary for the story, and could have been edited out. The main character herself, Marisa, wasn't terrible, but she did get on my nerves occasionally. However, I never could connect with her at anytime during the story, and she seemed a bit flat to me. 

I will admit that I ended up skipping around in this book after the halfway point because I just wanted to finish the story. And even though I skipped around, I still was able to follow the story, which showed to me that this book needed some majoring editing. Ultimately, this book just wasn't my cup of tea, but I'm still willing to check out other novels from Dan Wells. I can't say I would recommend this novel, but you might end up enjoying it much more than I did.
                                                               

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Waiting on Wednesday #34

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Jocelyn's Waiting On: 

True Letters from a Fictional Life: Kenneth Logan
Publication Date: June 7th, 2016

Synopsis: 

If you asked anyone in his small Vermont town, they’d tell you the facts: James Liddell, star athlete, decent student, and sort-of boyfriend to cute, peppy Theresa is a happy, funny, carefree guy.

But whenever James sits down at his desk to write, he tells a different story. As he fills his drawers with letters to the people in his world—letters he never intends to send—he spills the truth: he’s trying hard but just isn’t into Theresa. It’s his friend, a boy, who lingers in his thoughts.

James’s secret letters are his safe space—until someone leaks them, and words he never meant to share are being broadcast all over school. Will he come clean to his parents, his teammates, and himself or is he destined to live a life of fiction?

I'm so happy that more LGBT YA novels are popping up. From the ones I've read so far, every character was always so complex. I'm *not so* patiently anticipating how True Letters from a Fictional Life will portray James Liddell. Also can I just say how adorable that cover is? 

Cassie's Waiting On: 

The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter
Publication Date: March 15, 2016

Synopsis:

Cassie O’Malley has spent her whole life trying to keep her head above water—literally and metaphorically. It’s been two-and-a-half years since her mother dumped Cassie in a mental institution against her will for something Cassie claims she didn't do. Now, at eighteen, Cassie enrolls in college, ready to reclaim her life and enter the world on her own terms.

But as she struggles to find her way forward, the startling truths she uncovers about her own family narrative make it impossible to cut the tethers of a tumultuous past. And when the unhealthy mother-daughter relationship that defined Cassie's childhood and adolescence threatens to pull her under once again, Cassie must decide: whose version of history is the truth? And more important, whose life must she save?

While this is a little out of my comfort zone and not the typical book I read, I'm willing to give it a shot because I love that more books are putting the spotlight on mental health/mental illness.  I also am intrigued by the mother-daughter dynamic that Cassie and her mom will have.  This sounds like a good book with a good message, and it comes recommended from one of the authors that wrote a fave novel of mine in 2015.  

Book Review: Soundless

About the Book:
Title: Soundless
Author: Richelle Mead
Pub. Date: November 10, 2015 
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 272
Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Synopsis:

In a village without sound…

For as long as Fei can remember, no one in her village has been able to hear. Rocky terrain and frequent avalanches make it impossible to leave the village, so Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink. Many go hungry. Fei and all the people she loves are plunged into crisis, with nothing to look forward to but darkness and starvation.

One girl hears a call to action…

Until one night, Fei is awoken by a searing noise. Sound becomes her weapon. She sets out to uncover what’s happened to her and to fight the dangers threatening her village. A handsome miner with a revolutionary spirit accompanies Fei on her quest, bringing with him new risks and the possibility of romance. They embark on a majestic journey from the peak of their jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth will change their lives forever…

And unlocks a power that will save her people.

Review:

After reading all of the negative reviews about this book from Richelle Mead (who is one of my favorite authors), plus the extremely low rating on Goodreads...well I knew this was ultimately going to be one of those hit or miss books. Unfortunately, it was a miss. While this book isn't particularly terrible, it's also not particularly good either. And most importantly, it is definitely not what a reader would expect from this author. This point might actually be the most heartbreaking part of this book in general. I tried so hard to love this book, but I just couldn't get over certain aspects of the story. 

There were some good parts of this book, and I think it's extremely important to point this out. The writing style is amazing. Richelle Mead is a very gifted author, one who knows how to write an amazing story. However, even Richelle Mead couldn't save a story with an extremely dull plot line. Additionally, the story is extremely unique and offered a different twist on Chinese folklore. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the plot because it was refreshing to read. I thought it was creative and if the plot would have been fleshed out more, this book would have been phenomenal. Honestly, I probably would have DNF'd it if it weren't for my interest in finding out why the entire village was deaf and Fei was the only one who suddenly acquired the ability to hear. The last good part...this book is a standalone, which is a relief in more ways than one.

The main character, Fei, was likable enough, but she never kept my interest. I never felt like I actually knew her during the story, nor did I feel like I could relate to her in any way. I just never found myself actually caring about whether or not she would save the day. The plot was also extremely underdeveloped. It seemed like no one really cared why the entire village was deaf, or why there were only 3 jobs: miner, artist, and suppliers. I wanted to know all about the world they were in, and instead I received minor details and basically no world building. I also don't really know how the story incorporated Chinese folklore besides the character's names. Yes, there were elements of Chinese folklore (I'm definitely no expert, so maybe aspects of the story I was thinking were Chinese really weren't), but I expected much, much more. 

Finally, throughout the story, the character's sign as they're deaf. This wasn't a problem at all, but the way it was written was. Honestly, to me it seemed like they were communicating through mind-reading because that was the way it was written. Granted, I don't know how it should have been written, but the way Ms. Mead wrote the "speaking" scenes just didn't jive with me. In addition to this, I was expecting a bit more description of the characters' other senses. Again, I am certainly no expert in this, but when a person loses one sense, the other senses become heightened. But there was no evidence of this in the story.

I really don't know if I would recommend this book because this author has written much better novels than this. Again, while this book wasn't terrible, it wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't hate it by any means, and it was a very quick read. I am hoping that Richelle Mead's next novel, The Glittering Court is better, and I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be. 

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)

About The Book:

  

  Title: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) 

  Author: Tahereh Mafi
  Pub. Date: February 4th, 2014
  Publisher: Harper Teen
  Pages: 421

  Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance

  Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis :

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.

Review:

*blows bugle horn* This is the first series I officially finished since the conclusion of the Grisha trilogy! This review has unavoidable spoilers from the first two books... obviously. We leave off with Juliette waking up in Warner's bed after she was shot in the chest (but saved obviously thanks to superhuman healers). Juliette and Warner are finally ready to stand together and fight against Warner's father and they want to get others to rally with them, but how many people will trust them? 

I thought the characters were better in Ignite Me than they were in both Shatter Me and Unravel Me combined. If you remember my review of Unravel Me, I compared Juliette's temper tantrums to those similar to The Hulk. I am pleased to say she controls her temper MUCH better than The Hulk now! Let's all be proud of her! I looooooooooveeeeeeeddddd Warner again, he is actually close to perfect. If you are skeptical about this trilogy - read it just for him seriously omg. The best thing about Warner in Ignite Me is that while Juliette has so many arguments with people and gets threatened so many times, he never steps to her defense one time. Why? Because he trusts her! He knows she's strong and capable - he knows he doesn't have to fight her battles for her! Which brings us to Adam who tried to be the knight in shining armor so many times, however we finally saw his TRUE colors! Before, he was just really clingy and super creepy. Now, he is serial killer crazy! He finds out Juliette MIGHT like Warner (not even for sure) and goes ballistic, basically saying he was more happy when she was dead. 

“It's the kind of kiss that inspires stars to climb into the sky and light up the world.” 

Honestly, the ending really lowered the rating for me. In all of the history of dystopian series that I've ever read, this was the one that left me with the most questions. I understand that Ms. Mafi's intentions were probably to leave it open for some sort of spin off or for this trilogy to eventually go on, but since this is a TRILOGY and not a SERIES I expected more closure. I was so disappointed with the closure of our main characters story. Usually spin offs deal with different characters, right? So I mean either way, we probably wouldn't get much of these people ever again?! 

I am still convinced that Juliette can live fifty lifetimes and still not deserve Warner but what are you going to do? Tahereh Mafi might just be masterful at creating the most lustful fictional characters *drools*. Maybe one day we will get another book set in the Shatter Me world, hopefully it's with the same characters because I don't think the ending of this series concluded their story sufficiently. It was still fun though - I don't regret reading it! And I don't think you will either! The Shatter Me series as a whole is a lighter and sexier dystopian. Warner is the best part of Ignite Me, though - you will love him! The whole world will love him. He is reason enough to read this book, TRUST ME!!!

- Jocelyn 

Book Review: Hotel Ruby

About the Book:

Title: Hotel Ruby
Author: Suzanne Young
Pub. Date: November 3, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Horror
Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis:

Stay tonight. Stay forever.

When Audrey Casella arrives for an unplanned stay at the grand Hotel Ruby, she’s grateful for the detour. Just months after their mother’s death, Audrey and her brother, Daniel, are on their way to live with their grandmother, dumped on the doorstep of a DNA-matched stranger because their father is drowning in his grief.

Audrey and her family only plan to stay the night, but life in the Ruby can be intoxicating, extending their stay as it provides endless distractions—including handsome guest Elias Lange, who sends Audrey’s pulse racing. However, the hotel proves to be as strange as it is beautiful. Nightly fancy affairs in the ballroom are invitation only, and Audrey seems to be the one guest who doesn’t have an invite. Instead, she joins the hotel staff on the rooftop, catching whispers about the hotel’s dark past.

The more Audrey learns about the new people she’s met, the more her curiosity grows. She’s torn in different directions—the pull of her past with its overwhelming loss, the promise of a future that holds little joy, and an in-between life in a place that is so much more than it seems…

Welcome to the Ruby. 

Review:

I was very intrigued by the premise of this novel. I read a book with a similar theme as this awhile ago and absolutely hated it. I thought the book was a mess and way too long. However, I wanted to give this book a shot because I was hoping it would be better. While it was definitely better than that previous book, I wasn't totally in love with this story either. There is a lot that needed work, but overall it was a decent (kind of) spooky story. I definitely wouldn't classify this as scary or horror, however to some it might be. But in my personal experience, this would not fall into either category.

The story/plot itself was interesting, but it was very predictable. I figured out the "twist" long before it was revealed, and I will admit that the story became a bit tedious after awhile. The pacing for the first 80% of this story was pretty slow, but the last 20% did pick up quite a bit, and honestly this was my favorite part of the entire book (even though I did figure everything out beforehand). There were definitely some good twists throughout the story that I didn't see coming, but the ultimate twist was much too predictable, and it left me feeling at a loss since I was hoping that there would be a bit more to it.

My ultimate problem with this novel was in the characters. There were times I liked them, and then there were times I didn't. By the end, I was almost indifferent to what would happen. This was due to the fact that I felt they weren't developed enough throughout the story, even though there was ample opportunity to do so. It surprised me because Suzanne Young's writing in regards to other areas of the story was flawless, and I kept waiting for some of that skill to show up in her characters. But it never came. For the majority of the book I couldn't really stand Audrey that much. I found her annoying and very very naive. Nevertheless, toward the end of the book, I started liking her a bit more because she finally showed more emotion and a bit of growth. One thing that bothered me a lot is the fact that I had no clue how she acted prior to her mother's death. I had nothing to compare her current behavior to, and her past in general was extremely vague. I just found myself wanting more. Elias was okay as the "love interest" but he wasn't anything spectacular to me. Again, this was because I felt as if I didn't know him at all. Even at the end, I still had no feelings toward him. There's also the whole insta-love thing between Elias and Audrey which I couldn't stand at all (anyone who knows me knows just how much I hate insta-love).

I know it seems like I absolutely hated this book, but I didn't. I never wanted to DNF it because I was interested in seeing how everything would end. The one aspect of this book that I did enjoy a great deal was the "character" of the Hotel Ruby, and the setting/atmosphere of the novel. The hotel is foreboding, and I loved how Suzanne Young weaved the haunting atmosphere into the story. She did this effortlessly, and it was something that kept me enthralled with the story. Ms. Young made the hotel alive, and you could almost feel the history of the hotel seeping off the pages of the book.

While this novel wasn't my favorite book, it wasn't a terrible book by any means. There were many areas that could have used some improvement, and I expected a bit more. Ultimately, I think it's up to you whether or not you want to read this one or skip it. This will be a great story for some, and terrible for others. For me, I'm in the middle of the road, not totally hating it, but not totally loving it either. 

Happy reading :) 

~Cassie