Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

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 Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
(Anna and the French Kiss #2)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 338 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: July 2013 (reprint)
Source: Paperback
Read: August 2014

GoodReads

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the negihborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. (From GoodReads)

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***

My Rating:

Stephanie Perkins is amazing.
I really enjoyed reading Anna and the French Kiss so I wasn't sure if I would love Lola and the Boy Next Door as much as the first.
I don't know why I thought that. This book was awesome!

The Story:

It is a wonderful second book!
Fun. Cute. Entertaining.
I think I liked this story more than the first book.
Perkins does an incredible job creating a new story with new characters while including visits from the two main characters in the first book. (For some reason I figured they wouldn't make an appearance in this book.)
I really enjoyed this story. I don't know why, but I am a sucker for books that have either a boy-next-door/girl-next-door romance or the romantic interests have a childhood past together.
I also love all the music mentioned in this story. The Ramones, The Clash, etc. I felt like my heart was going to burst with happiness.
I've never been to San Francisco, but the book makes me wish that I could visit there someday.
The story kept me wanting more. It was hard for me to put the book down. And I was anxious for the scenes that include Cricket (because I love him.)
Well written and very entertaining.

The Characters:

I love these characters!

Lola is very unique and special. I love that she dresses up in costume a lot. (Sounds really neat.) She is pretty much my opposite currently (I am not big into fashion: clothes, accessories, etc.) But I remember when I was in college I had my own unique way of dressing (no where near as unique as Lola though!) I also like that she has challenges that she has to face and overcome. She is dealing with some family issues as well as the issue of a past love coming back into her life. I was really able to care and relate to the character.

Cricket. I am in love. He is so sweet and caring. A bit shy and very adorable. He is awesome. He has his own things that he is dealing with. I love that he is an inventor, it is really cool. He is just simply wonderful.

All the other characters are also well-written and interesting.
Lindsey is a great friend to Lola and I enjoy their friendship.
Lola's dads, Andy and Nathan, are great. I love that they are protective (probably because I am a very protective parent and I could see myself being like them, maybe not as drastic, but like them). I love that they love Lola very much and that they are present in the story.
Cricket's twin sister Calliope was also well-developed. She has her own life and challenges. And there are times that I don't like what she does very much, but I feel like I had an understanding of her and liked her too.

And of course I love that Anna and Etienne made appearances in this story. I loved seeing a little more of their relationship as well as their friendship with Lola.

My Recommendation:

If you like romances that involve a boy/girl next door type, then I highly recommend this book. Also if you like an interesting and a bit eccentric main character. Or if you are looking for a new AMAZING book boyfriend to swoon over, you should give this book a read!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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Title: Anna and the French Kiss 
(Anna and the French Kiss #1)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 372 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: August 4, 2011
(reprint)
Source: Paperback

GoodReads

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?
Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for? (From GoodReads)

 My Rating:

I had been wanting to read this book for a while, but I kept putting it off. Then I found that a group of bloggers decided to have a readalong in anticipation for the third book in the series to be released. So I gladly signed up and joined the readalong #IslaIsComing.

I can't believe I kept waiting to read this book! I loved it.

The Story:

Such an adorable story! I absolutely love it.
I read this book in pretty much 2 days. I would have finished it in one sitting but I started the book too late in the night and had to go to sleep before getting to the end.
I could not wait to find out what happened next.
The author did an amazing job of capturing my attention and leaving me desiring more. (I seriously struggled with putting the book down and going to sleep. I almost didn't do it.)
I devoured the words and was left with a book hangover!

I adore that the author has created such a well described version of Paris.
(I traveled to Paris when I was in High School.)
It felt like I was there again. I had no trouble picturing the scenes in my head. It is wonderful.

The story overall is fun, exciting, and very entertaining. I was very fascinated by everything that was happening in the lives of the different characters.

The Characters:

Oh. My. Goodness. I love them.
They are all so well written and developed.
I love the friends that Anna made while at school in Paris.
They are the type of friends that you also want to be your friends.
Fun. There for each other. Caring. Amazing.
I loved reading from Anna's point of view. I really enjoyed her voice throughout the book.
St. Clair is certainly made me swoon. But I was a bit frustrated with him and his girlfriend situation. Other than that, I really liked his character.

My Recommendation:

If you like chick lit and romance and want a quick, fun, entertaining read then I highly recommend giving this book a read.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

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Title: Grave Mercy 

(His Fair Assassin #1)

Author: Robin LaFevers

Length: 576 pages

Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers

Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: e-book (purchased)

Read: July 2014

GoodReads

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? (From GoodReads)

My Rating:

The Story:

This is another book that I wasn't really sure about before I started reading it. I didn't read the description. In fact, I bought it because it had good reviews by bloggers that I follow on GoodReads and Twitter, and it was on sale for the Kindle, so I thought I would give it a chance. And yet I still wasn't really sure what I was reading when I started the first few chapters.

Nun Assassins.

I wasn't expecting that. And I wasn't really expecting to like the book. I didn't consider putting the book down, but I also didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

For me the story started out on the slow side. It held my attention enough for me to continue reading the story, but I was thinking I wouldn't like it as much as everyone else did. I started thinking it just wasn't "for me".

Then BAM!

I hit a section in the book where the story grabbed me and pulled me in. I COULD NOT put it down! I kept thinking to myself, "Just read one more chapter, then you can pick it back up tomorrow." Yet I didn't listen to my brain, I stayed up super late due to needing to know what happened next, and I still had to force myself to put the book down.

This book was awesome, amazing, wonderful, great, (all other synonyms for good)! I absolutely loved the story and the characters. I love this book so much, I can't believe I kept putting off reading it.

The Characters:

Ismae is very interesting character. I was very fascinated by what was happening with her and her task that she was given. I also liked the whole assassin aspect. I was interested in how she would handle certain situations. She is strong and smart.
Duval. I. Love. Him. Seriously. I love his character. I love the relationship between him and Ismae. I also love the relationship between him and his friends. I love how loyal and intelligent he is. He is an amazing leader. Definitely a character that you would want on your side during a conflict.

My Recommendation:

Read this book. It has easily been added to my favorite reads shelf. It has action and romance. And overall, a very fascinating story with well-developed characters.

I also think that those that enjoy watching Reign may like this one.

Cress by Marissa Meyer

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Title: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Length: 550 pages

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Classification: Young Adult, Retelling, Science Fiction

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Source: e-book (purchased)

GoodReads

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
 Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
 When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has. (From GoodReads)

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***  

My Rating: 5+

I give this book (this series) all the stars in the universe.
I LOVE this series so much.
And I love this book a lot.

This book did not disappoint me at all.

I have really taken my time in writing this review because I am not sure I can find all the right words to describe how much I love this book. And I don't think that this review will be able to convey all of my fangirl love for this book...

Marissa Meyer once again has done an amazing job creating a well-developed world with wonderfully-developed characters making an incredible story.
I love that the author created a wonderfully unique fairy tale retelling for this series. Each book leaves me so impressed with how amazing the story is. She includes major parts of the original fairy tale while still creating a new extraordinary story.
It just blows my mind to think that after loving the first two books in this series, Cress is just as spectacular or maybe even more awesome than the others. It is hard to pick a favorite, but I think Cress just might be my favorite from the entire series so far.
I was left wanting more. I didn't want this book to end. And I cannot wait until Winter comes out next November!

The Story:

Book three is a wonderful continuation of the series. It picks up pretty much where Scarlet left off. Cinder, Thorne, Wolf, and Scarlet are now on the run. They decide to try and get Cress, so they can use her help to finally go after Queen Levana. Things get crazy. And the group gets separated. I found this to be interesting and it just really added to the story. We get to see some characters develop and it is just awesome. And since the group was separated, we get to read from a couple different points of view. Which I really liked doing.
I was completely hooked to the story and all the things that were happening for each of the characters.
I found this one to be full of action, adventure, friendship, and awesomeness.

The Characters:

Not only do we have the characters that we already know and love, but we get to officially meet Cress. (Even though we had a glimpse of her in Cinder.)

It is incredible that the author has so many main characters, and it is too hard for me to pick one single favorite. I love them all so much. These are characters that I wish could be real so they could be my best friends. And with each book, my love for these characters grows stronger.

Cress is just an amazing character. I really enjoyed reading about her and from her point of view.  She has been locked up in that satellite for a long time, yet she is not completely crazy. But she is a little awkward. Which makes me really relate with her. I LOVE her creativity and imagination. I love her way of coping. And I love that she tries to see the good in things. I felt that she is full of hope. I adored her feelings towards love and romance, she is just so sweet and innocent as well. And I absolutely adored the scenes and conversations between her and Thorne. I really love her character development through the story as well.
 And she is so smart. Which is completely awesome.
I love that Meyer has created strong, smart, brave female characters. Characters that deserve to be heroines and looked up to.
I especially loved that there was more Thorne in this book. Since I love him so much. I really enjoyed getting to see his character develop. He is swoon-worthy. And I think I love him even more after reading this one...(if that is possible!)
And of course Cinder is in the book. All the scenes with her were also really interesting. I kept wanting to know what she was going to do next and what was going to happen to her. I loved watching her character continue to develop.
I thought that Wolf and Scarlet had a bit smaller role in this book, but they were not left out. And I am looking forward to reading more about them as well in the next installment.
Iko! As funny as ever. I love Iko so much, and I just adored her in this book.
And also Kai. He has a lot to deal with in this book. Pretty much all the stuff with Queen Levana. And I really liked the parts that included him and some of what he was going through. I am interested to see what happens next with his character.

My Recommendation:
This is a book series that I pretty much mention to every one. I have convinced some of my friends to give this series a try. It is one of my all-time favorite series.
I highly recommend this one to anyone that has already read the first two stories.
And if you haven't, then I highly recommend THIS SERIES to anyone that likes unique fairy tale retellings and science fiction. Amazing series. Love it so much!

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

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Title: The Truth About Forever

Author: Sarah Dessen

Length: 374 pages

Publisher: Penguin Group Inc.

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: May 11, 2004

Source: Paperback (Thank you again Kristina!)

Read: March 2014

A long, hot summer...
That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.
But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry? (From GoodReads)

My Rating:

Oh. My. Goodness. THIS BOOK!

This is my first Sarah Dessen book and now I must read all her books.

I love Sarah Dessen's writing style. And as I read there were several lines that she wrote that just spoke to me.
This is a wonderful book that allows readers to see the main character develop and overcome challenges in their lives.
I really enjoyed reading this book and was able to read it pretty much in one night.

The Story:
This is a wonderful book that allows readers to see the main character develop and overcome challenges in their lives.
I think this book is realistic.
Macy has lost her father. Her boyfriend is going away for a summer camp, leaving her to fill his position at the library. But the summer changes her life. She meets some new friends and starts a new job.
Although this story is dealing with Macy needing to deal with her grief surrounding her father's death, it is written in a way that doesn't depress the reader. There are funny and sarcastic parts.

The Characters:
I really loved the relationships between all of the characters!
Macy: The main character. I love her character. She is so realistically well written! I felt so bad for her, everything she had been going through. And there were several moments when reading I wish I could have jumped into the book to comfort her and give her a hug. I have not lost a parent, so I don't know the extent of what she felt, but there were several things she would think or say, it it really sounded like me. I absolutely loved her development throughout the story.
Delia: I think she is one of my favorite characters! I found her to be amazing. I am not sure if I was able to connect with her because she is a mother, trying to balance her life. But I really love her character. I found her to be understanding and down to earth. She is loving and caring.
Wes: Oh my. What a wonderful guy. He is another great character. Artistic and truthful. And swoon-worthy! He is a wonderful brother and friend. He is awesome.
Kristy: What an awesome friend. I love how after everything she has been through, she is still optimistic and hopeful. She is able to enjoy her life and she knows what she wants. I think she is strong and tough. I really feel that she is the kind of friend that Macy needs to help her out of her shell some.

I also really liked Macy's developing relationships between her mother and her sister. Very well written!

I felt that this book was inspiring. And there were several things that I took from this story:

• Forever can be anything. Long or short. It isn't about the length of time but what you do with it.
• Don't focus on forever. Focus on the right now. 
• Enjoy life to the fullest.
• Don't be scared.
• Embrace the imperfections and chaos. Don't let it keep you from living. It is just a part of life.
• Nothing is always perfect.

Thank you, Sarah Dessen for writing this book! 

My Recommendation:

Highly Recommended!

I recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading contemporary books. Anyone that likes to read about characters overcome challenges in their lives. 

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

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Title: Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2)
Author: Laini Taylor
Length: 513 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Source: Paperback *won a copy from GoodReads First Reads giveaway*
Read: March 2014

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is--and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream? (From GoodReads)

***This is the second book in a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the first book, so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***

And if you have read Daughter of Smoke & Bone and liked it but haven't read this one yet...what are you waiting for? Go read it! 


My Rating: 5+ 

Laini Taylor is amazing! She did not disappoint me with the sequel to Daughter of Smoke & Bone. There are times where I am worried to read the second (and even third) books in series that start out so strong, because they can sometimes be a little bit of a let down.
But that was not the case for me and Days of Blood & Starlight. I found this book to be outstanding.
The author does an excellent job of continuing to build on this interestingly unique world she has created. I feel that everything was well developed!

And the cover. Oh my goodness, I love the picture on the cover a lot! So pretty.

The Story:

Let me start by saying: I had so many emotions!
Seriously, while reading this book I felt like I was on a roller coaster of feelings.
I was happy, sad, angry, frustrated, a bit heartbroken, so many different emotions.

But I love this book. I love the story and I think it was a wonderful continuation of where book one left off.

There were surprises that I didn't see coming and they shocked me! But there were a couple that I did figure out while reading, but they in no way took away from the story or my love of this book.

Finishing this book left me making "grabby hands" at my computer screen for Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Released April 8th) And I was so glad that I didn't have a long wait before I would be able to get it. (I am currently reading it now.)

The Characters:

I am not even sure how to fully explain or put into words my love for these characters!
Zuzana continues to be one of my favorite characters. She is just so awesome. She is a wonderful friend and a kick-butt character! And Zuzana is just downright funny. I love her humor.
And I love that we see more of Zuzana and Mik in this book. I love the parts that include them in the story and I was so happy to see that they had a bigger role in the story!
We have more Karou and the new challenges she faces after finding out about what Akiva did.
And Akiva trying to deal with the guilt that he feels for hurting Karou.
Other characters from the first book make appearances in this book.
And we meet a few new characters.
Most notably Ziri. He is a chimaera and even knew Madrigal when he was a little boy. (They are the same chimaera). I like him and enjoyed learning more about this character throughout the story.


I love this book. I love this series. And I think it is just awesome. I hope you all liked the book as much as I do!

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

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Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Length: 418 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Source: Paperback (purchased)
Read: March 2014

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? (From GoodReads)

My Rating: 5+

Laini Taylor is an awesome writer! Hello, *extends hand* I'm Stephanie and I am a new member of the Laini Taylor Fangirl club. Because seriously, I loved this book that much!

New series to add to my favorite series shelf!

I didn't know much about this book when I first bought it. I entered a giveaway on GoodReads for this one and the sequel: Days of Blood & Starlight. I didn't win the first book, but I did win a copy of the second. Therefore, I bought this one.
I knew that it had good reviews and a lot of people seemed to like it. And I am SO GLAD that I did buy it because I LOVE it. I love the story and I love the writing.

Buying this book did not disappoint me in the least bit. (In fact I have pre-ordered book 3: Dreams of Gods & Monsters April 8th release).

The Story:

Taylor created very INTERESTING complex worlds for these characters. I think the whole story is unique and I don't think I have read anything quite like this before.

I love how during the story we have flashbacks and different parts of the back story that pops up. And slowly the entire story begins to unfold before you and it is just amazing. I feel that most stories I read go in chronological order, and yeah there are memories and flashbacks, but not quite like in this book.
These flashbacks felt like I was watching it happen in the present. And I love that is was all very interesting and made the whole story tie together.
I feel that this book has some elements of friendship, adventure, romance, love for family, and some revenge.

I loved reading about the chimaera. They are all so interesting and I really enjoyed trying to picture them in my mind.

The ending broke my heart a little bit. But it also made me want to read more. (So the fact that I already have the second book is a really good thing!)

The Characters:

These characters! Seriously! I LOVE them. These are characters that make you wish they were real. So you could actually meet them and be friends with them. '
I found them all to be interesting and so well developed!

Karou: She is an awesome main character. She is so mysterious and you just want to know more about her and her life. She is very loyal to Brimstone (the chimaera that raised her).

Akiva: Interesting guy. At first I wasn't sure I was going to like him. But of course that didn't last. I of course started really liking him and now I love him.

Zuzana: I think that Zuzana is one of my favorite characters. She is amazing. I love her wit and quips. I think she is an AMAZING best friend to Karou. I also liked reading about Zuzana and Mik's growing relationship. I would love to read more about them.

Zuzana and Karou have an awesome friendship. I love their banter. The back and forth friendly verbal quips. They are so funny.

Brimstone: I like him. When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure if he was a character I was supposed to like, since in a sense he is a devil and collects teeth. But I like him and find what he does to be interesting.

If you haven't read this book yet, I highly recommend it!!!

Legend by Marie Lu

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Title: Legend

Author: Marie Lu

Length: 305 pages

Publisher: Speak (Penguin Group)

Classification: Young Adult, Dystopian

Release Date: November 29, 2011






My Rating:

I LOVE this book. I knew after reading it that this was going on my Favorite Series list/shelf.

I found this book to be action packed and I had a hard time putting it down.

This book is based in a broken America. It is primarily split into two sides, the Republic and the Colonies. There is also a group of people known as the Patriots.
Not to mention there is a plague that is killing people (mostly in the lower sector since the more wealthy can afford shots to protect them from the plague).

The story is told from two different points of view. Day and June.

Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal.
June is a prodigy of the Republic and starts to work for the military.

I liked the plot of the story. Day's brother catches the plague and so Day does pretty much anything he can do to get his hands on the cure to save his brother's life.

I really like Day's character. She is strong, determined and cares for others in his life. He will do anything including risking his life to save/protect those he loves. And I love it! Yes there were parts of his speech that annoyed me a little bit, like how he calls everyone cousin. But it didn't annoy me enough to quit reading or even take away from the overall loveness of this book.

I liked June's character. She is strong and determined too. I think her and Day were quite similar in a lot of ways. But instead of being a criminal, she is part of the top military of the Republic.




Spoilers ahead. Stop reading if you don't want to know what happens during the story. 
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I was surprised when June's brother died.

...probably because I didn't read anything about what happens in the series (not even the information on the book) before picking it up to read. I had seen good reviews and that it was a dystopian, so I knew I would end up liking it so I didn't need to know much about it.

But I was, especially when we read from Day's point of view of him hitting Metias in the shoulder with the knife.

I was also really surprised that Day was able to jump from such a height and not really get hurt. Especially since he already had a bum knee.

Then we have June going to look at her brother's dead body, being told that Day is the one that murdered him.
Which I immediately took note, that I did not believe that Day did it. Because he hit him in the shoulder. I made a note saying "did someone else move the knife and kill Metias?"

But I kept thinking, if Day didn't do it then who did? My mind thought to different soldiers, the captain, or even maybe someone else that had been on the streets. I just didn't think that Day did it. (Maybe I just didn't want to believe that the character I started to like could do something like that...)

June is very smart and she went under cover to find Day.

She didn't really have to look long. She ended up stumbling into the cage match that he had been at to win some money to buy a cure. And she ended up taking the place of Tess (Day's best friend) and fought in the cage match.

She gets stabbed and runs off. Where Day comes to the rescue. She doesn't realize that it is Day at the beginning (which I found easy to believe) and ends up staying with them for a few days.

They kiss.
They both really like it.

Then she figures out that he is Day. She follows him to his family's house and then is able to make a report about it to her superiors.

I was a bit surprised that she still turned him in. I thought there was starting to be something between them, and figured she would probably hold out a little bit longer and maybe find out what happened before turning him in.

Nope, I was wrong. The next morning they came for his family and when he got there he found a trap. All thanks to June turning him in.

Not to mention they killed his Mom, right then and there. Took his brothers into custody and captured Day.
I felt so bad for him.
And I also felt anger towards June.
Maybe because I thought her act of revenge to capture her brother's killer was not really happening. Since I still thought that Day didn't do it. But I was a bit surprised that she went through with it. I thought she might help him or something.

Later on in the story we find out that she finally believes him about not killing her brother. And she finds some interesting information regarding her brother and her parents.

I loved the puzzle that Metias left for June. I thought it was so creative!

Also finding out that Day also scored a perfect on his trials was surprising. I didn't see that coming. I did think a couple times that there had to be some kind of mistake with his score. But I didn't think that it would be him getting a perfect score like June.

Another thing that had taken me by surprise was the fact that Metias loved Thomas. I totally didn't see it coming either. And it really made me sad for June and Metias (about his death) when she found all the information that he had discovered. I wish he didn't die. But I also liked his advice to her. He was a very good big brother.

I found Day's flashbacks to his childhood to be interesting. Especially about his necklace.

And the banquet that they had to celebrate Day's capture. The second we were introduced to Anden there was going to be our LOVE TRIANGLE.

I love June's determination. And her desire to do what is right. After finding out that Day didn't kill her brother, she decides she needs to help him escape. She wanted him captured for justice, but when she learns that he is the wrong guy, she wants to get him out.

I knew when his execution date got pushed up that something was going to go wrong with the escape plan and I was really worried for June's safety as well as Day's.

And then we have one of the biggest surprises of all for me was when June and Day escaped, and John was executed as Day. This really broke my heart. John (Day's older brother) pretended to be Day (since they look similar) and was executed in his place. Which gave Day the chance to get out. To survive.
It made me so SAD. I felt so heartbroken for Day. Between him and June, they both pretty much have lost everyone. Parents. Siblings. At least Day still had Eden (which they weren't able to get to yet).

And the ending made me want to immediately start reading the next book!

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END OF SPOILERS


So I really loved this book! And I recommend it to anyone that likes to read YA dystopians and likes action and adventure.