Title: Hushed
Author: Kelley York
Published: December, 2011 by Entangled Publishing
Pages: 229
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Final Thoughts:
I love broken boys—they tear you up inside, but you can’t help but want to see them happy. Archer, faced with a horrible upbringing, is quiet, withdrawn, basically living only to please his childhood friend, turned obsession–Vivian. Beyond frustrating, she’s the kind of person you don’t need in your life anymore, but can’t seem to get rid of—a heavily one sided relationship. Setting it apart from the other contemporary romances, Hushed takes on a surprisingly gripping serial killer plot, where Archer—the protagonist—is the one knocking people off. While it could be compared to Dexter, I think Archer comes across more likeable, with a desire to protect the ones he cares for, rather than getting off on killing people.

Title: Obsidian (Lux #1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published: by December, 2011 by Entangled Publishing
Pages: 268
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Final Thoughts:
Full of sexual Tension—and yes, that is with a capital T—Obsidian drew me in, right from the start. Any scene with Daemon was almost certain to plaster a grin to my cheeks. Total douche—but I loved it. As for Katy, she was pretty much your standard YA main character—dead parent, insecure over her appearance, and a carrying a bit of an attitude. She also repeatedly got herself into some dangerous situations against the better judgement of others. Still, like I said, the sexy alien premise hooked me, and I did end up enjoying the book—especially since Katy had a heap of obsessive book blogger tendencies. I cracked up over her freak out at missing a Waiting on Wednesday.

Title: The Stuttering Tattoo
Author: Greg Logsted
Published: December, 2011 by TKA Distribution
Thanks: Greg Logsted via NetGalley
Pages: 202
Rating:  
Purchase: Amazon

Steven Bishop is extraordinarily ordinary. He goes to school. He rides his motorcycle. He stutters. His best friend is a former Colombian cartel hit man turned cook/construction worker. You know, ordinary. All that changes the day Becky Moore walks into his classroom. Becky is dazzling, enigmatic.

One day Steven gives Becky a ride home on his motorcycle. There, they discover a severed arm, one of the fingers of which still has an unusual ring attached: a circle, in the middle of which is a heart, at the center of which is a bold number 37. While comforting Becky, Steven discovers a tattoo at the base of her neck: it is the same symbol. And so begins a thrilling descent into a world of crime and murder, a ride wilder than any Steven has taken before.

Final Thoughts:
This managed to go off in a direction I wasn’t expecting, but I found it surprisingly enjoyable. The romantic pairing wasn’t as prominent as I’d originally thought it would be, but the whole mob-family aspect took things on a fun ride. Bodies dropping, split personalities, motorbike chases—there was never really a lull. The stuttering, while apparent in Steven’s dialogue, blended into the narrative and was used effectively throughout. He was picked on very minimally, which was nice to see, with the majority of his speech issues overlooked by those around him. I’m enjoying seeing more of these conspiracy-filled books popping up in the upper YA market. I’ve read plenty that were middle grade focussed, so I was thankful to find this one.

Title: Vlad The Paler
Author: Malthea
Published: December, 2011 by Dreamspinner Press
Thanks: Dreamspinner Press via NetGalley
Pages: 220
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

When half-Korean sci fi-fantasy gamer nerd Cyrus Gae goes out clubbing on his first night of vacation, he’s not expecting to be bitten by a vampire. Not in Florida, the land of sunshine and Mickey Mouse. He’s not exactly averse to being a creature of the night, but he’s righteously pissed off about the vampire’s cavalier eat-and-run attitude. Determined to track down Troy, the bloodsucker who turned him, Cyrus takes the name Vlad and begins a search that will take him to leather bars, vampire dens, and cyber cafés.

As Cyrus hunts the elusive vampire, he meets Logon, the hipster/geek love of his afterlife; Vinnie, his Girl Friday the 13th; and even an intersexual voodoo queen, while learning that being a supernatural bad-ass isn’t quite what he imagined. In fact, hardly anything is what it seems, and Vlad finds himself in the middle of an intrigue involving Florida’s master vampire—who isn’t thrilled about Vlad’s sudden appearance in his domain. With powerful forces aligning against Vlad, he’ll have no choice but to become the hero he never wanted to be if he wants to keep his beloved Logon safe.

Final Thoughts:
This is the weirdest book I’ve read. I liked the premise, but the execution was just very out of left field. It kind of feels like some of the fan fiction I’ve read in a way. It has that tendency to break the fourth wall at every opportunity, like the main character is giving a tour while he’s running around looking for a rogue vampire. The characters were fun, very quirky, but a little unhinged. There was definitely a heavy case of instaluv going on, with the two main characters professing their love countless times throughout the duration of the book. Oh, and for those that are interested—there was plenty of sex.

Title: Hero
Author: Perry Moore
Published: August, 2007 by Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 428
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The last thing in the world Thom Creed wants is to add to his dad, Hal’s, pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And that he’s been asked to join the League–the very organization of superheroes that spurned his father. The most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he’s gay.

But becoming a member of the League opens up a new world for Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future. Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide, but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League.

To survive, Thom will face challenges he never imagine. To find happiness, he’ll have to come to terms with his father’s past and discover the kind of her he really wants to be.

Final Thoughts:
Hero is a welcome alternative to the dark creatures inhabiting the YA landscape, and just a heap of fun. While I did find some similarities between it and Smallville, in terms of the books I’ve come across so far, it was incredibly unique. Thom’s voice stuck out with an addictive realism amongst such a fantastical world, shown through his insecurities as well as his courage and his heart. Taking many turns, the book explores the importance of family, friends, teamwork and trust. It’s not all roses, with many moments of pain as the characters come to grips with the harshness of life. But with all of that, it still managed to bring about an uplifting message somewhere in between.

Title: Deadly Little Secret (Touch #1)
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Published: December, 2008 by Disney-Hyperion
Thanks: Disney-Hyperion via NetGalley
Pages: 252
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia’s life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia’s life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She’s reluctant to believe he’s trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she’s inexplicably drawn to Ben…and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he’s hiding something…but he’s not the only one with a secret.

Final Thoughts:
This one looks like a paranormal, but it’s not really. There are vague inklings towards it, but the book predominantly focuses on the high school drama Camelia is subjected to after a boy accused of murder enrols at her school. It has a vibe similar to those of Hush, Hush and Fallen, minus all the angel stuff. There’s even the whole ‘awkward lab partners’ thing going on. While I don’t see this book being everyone’s cup of tea, I did find myself getting wrapped up in the crazy stalker plot as well as the outsider romance that took forever to come to fruition.

Title: Ink
Author: Isabelle Rowan
Published: December, 2011 by Dreamspinner Press
Thanks: Dreamspinner Press via NetGalley
Pages: 225
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Roman centurion Dominic drew his last human breath during the time of Hadrian. In the centuries since, he’s seen much of the world change around him, but the vampire finds himself held captive in Melbourne, Australia, by his fascination with young, passionate, fun-loving, and alive tattoo artist Michael Chapman. Unable to resist the lure of Michael’s beauty, Dominic finds himself entering the parlor to get a tattoo he knows will fade.

The attraction he feels only grows, and despite Dominic’s extreme reluctance to get involved with a human, he and Michael form a bond—a connection that all too soon attracts the attention of a dark specter from Dominic’s bloody past. Soon, a dangerous game of cat and mouse threatens not only the budding romance, but also their humanity.

Final Thoughts:
This one left me feeling a little mixed as to whether I liked it or not. There were moments where I couldn’t get enough of Michael and Dominic’s growing relationship, and other times when I wished something would hurry up and happen. I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second half of the book. The introduction of Dominic’s psycho ex, and maker, took the book off course, becoming more focussed on the past than on the interesting changes going on in the present. The Australian setting was a welcome change, providing enough of a description without becoming lost in the words.