Title: Angel Arias (Night Creatures #2)
Author: Marianne de Pierres
Published: October, 2011 by Random House
Pages: 264
Rating:  
Purchase: Booktopia

Retra – now called Naif – has escaped from Ixion, the island of ever-night. She doesn’t know if her friends on the island survived the battle between the Ripers and the rebels. But she does know that she must return home, behind the sealed walls of Grave, to find out why the Ripers have been seen there talking to the councillors. What links the two worlds?

First she must convince Ruzalia to help her. The fierce pirate captain saves those who face terrible fates on Ixion, but that doesn’t guarantee their gratitude. Instead, she faces a revolt – and Naif is caught in the middle.

Naif will need all her courage to survive. For Lenoir, who wants to keep her safe, for her friends Suki and Rollo, if they live, for Markes, who has secrets of his own, and for the new friends she will make on this journey.

The fate of worlds depends on it.

Final Thoughts:
Fast paced and full of suspenseful situations, things never seem to let up for Naif. But while it may have had that in its favour, it suffered from the second book syndrome in a way. It still held up quite well as it kept me actively reading, but it felt like there was a spark lacking. Burn Bright introduced us to Ixion, a night time world full of monsters and mystery, but here, we’re sent back to Naif’s hometown on reconnaissance. The majority of the book is spent on the hunt for information whereas it could have been used for something just a little more exciting. But with the third book shaping up to be an Ixion showdown, I’m holding out hope.

Title: Trial By Fire (Raised By Wolves #2)
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Published: June, 2011 by EgmontUSA
Pages: 357
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack—or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you’re a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he’s a Were, and Bryn’s protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn’t part of Bryn’s pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha’s Were. With threats—old and new—looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she’s going to have to do it alone.

Final Thoughts:
Not as compelling as its predecessor, Trial By Fire felt like it was lacking something for a good chunk of the book. With Bryn now an Alpha, there is a distinct change in the dynamic, but personally, I didn’t think it was one for the better. The politics take over the story with very little actually going on until the final quarter. When it got going, it became great, so I’m left wondering if the pacing had been tweaked if I would have enjoyed this book a whole lot more than I actually did.

Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Published: October, 2008 by HarperCollins
Pages: 353
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Quentin Jacobsen – Q to his friends – is eighteen and has always loved the beautiful and edgy Margot Roth Spiegelman. Nine years ago they discovered a dead body together but now, at their Central Florida high school, Q’s a nerd while Margot is uber-cool.

One night, before graduating, Q is basking in the predictable boringness of his life when Margo persuades him to join her in some midnight mayhem and vengeance… and then vanishes. While her family shrugs off this latest disappearance, Q follows Margo’s string of elaborate clues – including an unnerving poem about death.

Q’s friends Radar, Ben and Lacey help with the search, and a post for a website turns up: Margo will be in a certain location for the next 24 hours only. They drive through the night, racing the clock. Is Q ready for what he might find?

Final Thoughts:
Brimming with realism, Paper Towns was addictive. These characters may take things to the extreme, but I could see it happening. Their wacky adventures, their antics, they felt real to me. If you’ve read Looking For Alaska, expect more of the same here. Popular girl draws a not-so-popular guy into her orbit. It comes across as more of a one sided romance than anything else. So don’t expect to find the swoon-worthiness of some of his other characters in Quentin. For me, this wasn’t about the romance, it was about the adventure.

Title: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Published: March, 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 570
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Final Thoughts:
This was such a long book, much longer than it needed to be. A much tighter story would have been easier to get through. As it stood, I found myself constantly putting this one down to take a breather. I think I may have even ended up spending two months on this tome. But in all fairness, it was actually a step up on Clockwork Prince story-wise with the plot finally getting back on track. Still, if I’d had my way I would have condensed it down to a solid three hundred or so pages. I mean, who really needs a hundred pages of wrap-up.

Title: True (Elixir #3)
Author: Hilary Duff
Published: April, 2013 by Simon & Schuster
Pages: 287
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Following the harrowing events of Elixir and Devoted—and the ceremony that almost killed Sage—Clea faces a new reality: With Sage’s soul in Nico’s body, the love of her life looks an awful lot like her best friend’s boyfriend. Can Clea and Sage really be happy under these circumstances?

Clea wants to try to enjoy their new life together, but Sage is acting different—angry—and she struggles to keep her friends from finding out what has happened to him. Something is clearly haunting Sage, and Clea is losing control. Can she trust her friends with the dangerous truth, or will she have to risk losing Sage to madness?

Final Thoughts:
Coming from a massive Hilary fan from way back, I have to say I didn’t like this book. What happened? Elixir showed a lot of promise, adding in mystery, warring factions, and a fun romance. It went downhill in the second book, but compared to this one, it was a masterpiece. Okay, it wasn’t a masterpiece, but it put this one to shame. There’s barely a plot anymore and the romance, it’s hardly setting a good example. Sage has become physically abusive and Clea just puts up with it. What’s worse is that she tells us she’s not one of those girls, but everything she does just shows that she is.

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
Published: June, 2011 by Hardie Grant Books
Pages: 267
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

I remember forwards. I remember forwards, and forget backwards. My memories, bad, boring, or good, haven’t happened yet. So I will remember standing in the fresh-cut grass with the black-clad figures surrounded by stone until I do it for real. I will remember the funeral until it happens – until someone dies. And after that, it will be forgotten.

Here’s the thing about me: I can see my future, but my past is blank. I see the future in flashes, like memories. I remember what I’ll wear tomorrow, and a car crash that won’t happen till this afternoon. But yesterday has evaporated from my mind – just like the boy I love. I can’t see him in my future. I can’t remember him from my past. But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much.

Final Thoughts:
Reading very much like a contemporary romance than a paranormal, Forgotten had come and gone before I knew it. While it wasn’t what I’d call amazing, I definitely enjoyed my time with it. The ideas behind this girl’s condition hold enough intrigue and make you wonder how she manages to keep it together so well. It does have its faults, places where I thought things didn’t exactly play out believably, but it’s a fun escape. Beware though, there is a fair share of high school angst. But if you’re up for that, dig in, there’s a very sweet romance to lose yourself in here.

Title: Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires #3)
Author: Rachel Caine
Published: January, 2011 by Razorbill
Pages: 372
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Morganville is such a nice place to live… And die. If you don’t mind that sort of thing.

When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy.

Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire’s past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.

Final Thoughts:
Stepping back into this series almost two years after finishing The Dead Girls’ Dance I have to wonder why I left it for so long. I could barely put it down over the past day. It was like catching up with an old friend, slipping right back into conversation like no time had passed. The main character, Claire, and her three housemates, are such a likeably unique bunch. Each of them smart—most of the time—and able to steer well enough clear eye-roll-inducing mush that some other books have led me to recently.