SST: The Love That Split The World by Emily Henry

Goodreads

Synopsis (GR):
Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves.

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken.

Review
Guys, if this book is ANY indication of how awesome 2016 releases are gonna be, it’s going to be a GREAT year for books. Not so much for my wallet though.

Now the synopsis hints at something being “off” but I had no idea that it was a time travel book until I started reading. Come to think of it, I don’t think I even really read the synopsis before I started reading. I was thrilled that it was a time travel book because time travel is one of the most fascinating things to me in the world.

Natalie was instantly likeable to me and that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes it takes me awhile to warm up to the main character. But not this time. I also really liked Grandmother, I found her to be fascinating and when Natalie would recount her stories, I found myself excited to keep reading. Normally having a character recount someone else’s stories would bore me, but not this time. Not with Natalie and Grandmother.

I loved that Natalie was adopted and that she was Native American. We don’t get a lot of Native American representation in YA, so this was really awesome to see. YAY for diversity! We definitely need more Native American representation in YA.

I was also worried that this book would focus “too much” on the romance aspect and that would ruin the book for me. I’m not one for the fluffy stuff. Yes this book had a lot of romance in it, but the time travel aspect of it made it much better. It was more compelling and I found myself excited to read and that’s a feeling I haven’t had lately.

I did like the romance between Natalie & Beau, but I didn’t love it. I know several people who mentioned the romance seemed a little insta-lovey. I didn’t see that, but I also felt like Beau’s development wasn’t as strong as it could have been. There were times that he seemed a bit bland to me. He was infinitely better than Natalie’s ex, Matt.

Matt was a piece of crap. Not only did he get physically rough with Natalie, but he also attempted to rape her. We later find out that he has issues, but that’s no excuse for the abhorrent way he treated Natalie.

Alice Chan was one of the side characters who was attempting to help Natalie figure everything out. I loved Alice. She was very fascinating and I found myself hanging on to her every word as she worked to uncover the reason behind Grandmother’s appearances and the reason behind Natalie slipping through time.

The writing was utterly gorgeous and I think that was one of the reasons I fell head over heels for this book.The writing helped pull me into the world that Henry created. The writing  actually made me want to STAY in this world. Well that and the cover. The cover is unique, eye catching and all around perfection. Whoever designed this cover is a freaking GENIUS.

Highly recommend this book. Pre-order it now.

About the Author:
Emily Henry is full-time writer, proofreader, and donut connoisseur. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the New York Center for Art & Media Studies, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. She tweets @EmilyHenryWrite.

Blog Tour: The Body Institute by Carol Riggs

Book Title: The Body Institute
Author: Carol Riggs
Release Date: 09/01/15
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Book Link: Goodreads
Buy Links: Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books

Summary from Goodreads:
Meet Morgan Dey, one of the top teen Reducers at The Body Institute.

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, Morgan can temporarily take over another girl’s body, get her in shape, and then return to her own body—leaving her client slimmer, more toned, and feeling great. Only there are a few catches…

For one, Morgan won’t remember what happens in her “Loaner” body. Once she’s done, she won’t recall walks with her new friend Matt, conversations with the super-cute Reducer she’s been text-flirting with, or the uneasy feeling she has that the director of The Body Institute is hiding something. Still, it’s all worth it in the name of science. Until the glitches start…

Suddenly, residual memories from her Loaner are cropping up in Morgan’s mind. She’s feeling less like herself and more like someone else. And when protests from an anti–Body Institute organization threaten her safety, she’ll have to decide if being a Reducer is worth the cost of her body and soul…

Review
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but I knew I wanted to read it. Science Fiction is one book genre that if done well, I’ll love.

And The Body Institute was done well. So, so well.

We’re in a world now that taxes people who are overweight. In order to avoid having to pay those taxes, there are people called Reducers who take over the bodies of Loaners and help them lose weight so the Loaners no longer have to worry about those “fat taxes”

The bodies of the Reducers are kept in suspended animation until their job is done. That could take 3 months to over a year depending on how much weight the Loaner has to lose to avoid being taxed.

Morgan Dey is one of those Reducers and I loved her almost immediately. She was tough, stubborn and willing to do whatever she needed to to help out her family. Throughout the book, she took a lot of risks, made some questionable choices, but it always came back to her wanting to help her family.

The second half of this book was probably my favorite because things just started getting more and more twisty and messed up. Shocking revelations kept coming and more and more secrets came to light.

I really hope that this book isn’t a standalone because I feel like there’s a lot more to the story. More things could be uncovered especially considering how it ended. I did really enjoy this book a lot. I am giving it 5 stars because it was awesome the entire way through.

About the Author

I’m a YA writer represented by Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown Literary. My sci-fi novel THE BODY INSTITUTE explores the themes of society, identity, and body image. I live in the beautiful, green state of Oregon and have a Studio Arts degree; I’m an SCBWI member.

You’ll usually find me in my writing cave, surrounded by my dragon collection and the characters in my head. I also enjoy reading–mostly young adult novels–as well as drawing, painting, and quilting. I also attend writing conferences, walk with my husband, and enjoy music and dance of all kinds.

Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

 Giveaway
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Book Tour Organized by YA Bound Book Tours

Review: Magonia (Magonia #1) by Maria Dahvana Headley

Book Title: Magonia
Author: Maria Dahvana Headley
Published Date:  April 28th, 2015
Publisher: Harper
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Series: Book one of Magonia duology
Book Link: Goodreads
Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads
Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn’t think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

Disclaimer: I received this book from Harper via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review
This book was supposed to be weird, awesome and captivating. I love weird books, so I was excited to read this one. I’m a sucker for “sick lit” and throw in some sci-fi elements in there and I’m usually THRILLED with the result.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment of this book was short lived. It was super interesting initially and I looooved Aza Ray’s voice. As someone who spent a LOT of time in hospitals as a little girl, I could relate to what she was saying about hospital life. Aza Ray was wonderfully sarcastic and I loved that about her.

Things went downhill quickly when we meet the half-bird creatures. I love weird, but this was just too weird even for me. I became less invested as I kept reading. My enjoyment of Aza Ray even disappeared once she got on this weird cloud ship thing.

I enjoyed the writing all the way through. It was probably the only thing that kept me reading until the end. The characters were supposed to be interesting (I mean hello, bird people!) but the characters ranged from mildly annoying to insanely aggravating. But I kept reading the book.

It showed so much promise at the beginning, that I couldn’t help but finish it. I was holding out hope that things would improve, but they didn’t. Unfortunately, I have to give this book 2 stars. I will not be reading the sequel. I am so disappointed with this book, but that’s okay. I don’t have to like this book. I wanted to, but I don’t and that’s okay.

Review: Unleashed (Uninvited #2) by Sophie Jordan

Book Title: Unleashed
Author: Sophie Jordan
Published Date: February 24th, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Series: Book 2 in Uninvited duology
Book Link: Goodreads
Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads
Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson’s Confessions of a Murder Suspect.

Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.

Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she’ll be ruled by the kill gene or if she’ll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn’t even know if she can trust herself.

Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from a fellow blogger.

Review
I really loved the first book in this duology, Uninvited. It was unique and captivating and I enjoyed all of the characters. So I was excited to see where book 2 would go.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more disappointed in the end of a series. Even Allegiant by Veronica Roth didn’t bug me this badly. It felt like I was starting a whole new series or even like it was a trilogy and I had skipped book 2.

I liked Davy and Sean a lot, so when we pick up the book and they are already emotionally distant from each other, I was confused. I wondered what the heck was going on. It was weird. Like I said, it felt like a whole different series.

I liked seeing Sabine and Gil again and that was one of the reasons, I was annoyed when I kept reading and they were barely in the rest of the book. It was infuriating. I really wanted more of them and it was annoying realizing that it was probably not going to happen. These people were there for her when she was feeling so much like an outcast. They were supposed to be her “family” and yet, she ditched them.

The majority of the book was all about her falling in love with Caden. Snooze-fast. That was a major case of insta-love and I never really warmed up to Caden. She pretty much forgot about Sean, Gil and Sabine because of Caden. God, I hate that story arc. I also hate what that says to young girls. It basically says that they should forget all about their friends because a hot, mysterious boy showed them attention.

I hated the ending of the book. I was hoping for something different, a better resolution. Something that would change me from feeling indifferent to feeling excited and happy about the book. But that didn’t happen. I was hoping for some kind of reunion with her whole family. This series duology was near perfect with only one book. It should have stayed a standalone. I am giving it 2 stars. It was really disappointing to me and I had to force myself to keep reading it.

Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2015

This feature is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish

This week, I had to compile my list of the top books I’ve read in 2015. It was pretty easy since I haven’t had a lot of amazing reads this year.

I divided up my list by genre, because I’m really detail oriented.

Go see what books I listed this week!

Contemporary

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga 

-This book surprised me in the best way possible. I loved it and gave it 5 stars-

Paperweight by Meg Haston

-This book is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. I gave this book 5 stars-

The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen

-Girl power! I loved this book so much. It enraged me, it made me laugh and it made me cry. I gave this book 5 stars-

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 

This book may be my favorite LGBT book of the year. So adorable & nerdy. I gave this book 5 stars-

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

This book broke my heart into a thousand teeny pieces. I loved this book so hard and I gave it 5 stars-

The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

-This book utterly terrified me. It was so different than Doller’s previous books, but so awesome. I gave it 5 stars- 

Fantasy

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows

-It started off slowly, but I began to fall in love with it right around page 60. I gave it 4.5 stars-

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

-THIS BOOK, GUYS! Oh my goodness, I adored this book. It was gorgeously written and had a swoon-worthy guy. I gave it 5 stars-

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas

-Is there such a thing as heart eyes? Because this book, and particularly Lucien and Rhysand GAVE ME ALL THE SWOONS! I gave this book 5 stars-

Science Fiction

NIL Unlocked (NIL #2) by Lynne Matson

-So freaking fabulous. I adore this series and it just keeps getting better. I gave this book 5 stars-

Let me know if any of the books on my list are also on your list. Don’t forget to leave the links to your TTT list this week.

Review: Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood #2) by Victoria Scott

Book Title: Salt & Stone

Author: Victoria Scott

Published Date: February 24th, 2015

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Genre: YA/SciFi

Series: Book Two of Fire & Flood series

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

What would you do to save someone you love? What about risking…everything?

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and a terrifying march across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can’t stop—and in Salt & Stone, Tella will have to face the unseen dangers of the ocean, the breathless cold of a mountain, and the twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone’s keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you’ve relied on most suddenly isn’t there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the beginning of the race there were 122 Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the fourth and final part of the race, just forty-one are left…and only one can win.

Victoria Scott’s stunning thriller will leave readers’ hearts racing!

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from Scholastic via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

It’s been such a long time since I visited this world! I reviewed Fire & Flood here, back in January of 2014. I really should have reread Fire and Flood before I read Salt and Stone. I had forgotten some of the details from the first book.

It took me a really long time to get into this book. I’m not exactly sure why it took me so long to get into it. Maybe it was just my mood, maybe I was bored? I’m just not sure. It finally started picking up at about page 160. When I hit that part, I had a very hard time putting it back down.

I still loved Tella, and in fact her growth in this book was really awesome. She was able to stand on her own two feet even when Guy was not around.  Guy was every bit as swoony as he was in Fire and Flood. He could get a little aggravating, but I loved how things turned out for them in the end.

I also really liked Harper this time around. She was complicated and fascinating. I was glad to see more of her given how things were for her in the first book. Willow, Olivia, Braun and the rest of them were captivating. A new character by the name of Cotton was very interesting and I couldn’t figure out if he was a good person or a bad person. I spent the entire book trying to figure it out.

I’m still madly in love with Pandoras. I wish they were real. Madox and his loyalty to Tella was awesome. It was awesome to see all the different Pandoras. Lions, alligators, bears, iguanas just to mention a few. There was a few stressful moments involving Pandoras that actually got me in the feels.

Because I took so long getting into this book, I have to give it 4 stars. I did enjoy the story a lot once I finally got into it, it just took awhile for me to get into it. I am so excited that I got to read this book and I am going to miss these characters.

Review: NIL Unlocked (NIL #2) by Lynne Matson

Book Title: NIL Unlocked

Author: Lynne Matson

Published Date: May 12th, 2015

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Genre: YA/Science Fiction

Series: Book 2 in NIL trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

On the island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die. Rives is now the undisputed Leader of Nil City, but keeping the City united is tougher than ever.

Raiders have grown bolder, supplies are dwindling, and non-human inhabitants have taken a turn toward the deadly. New arrivals cause rifts within the City, putting the Search system at risk, and calling everything Rives knows into question. Desperate for answers, he teams up with the only other person searching for them: Skye, a new arrival with a mysterious past of her own. Soon the duo find themselves locked in a desperate race to save all the residents of Nil—and possibly destroy the island forever. But at what cost? And who will pay the price?

Disclaimer: I won this book in a giveaway.

Review:

Holy crap, I didn’t expect NIL Unlocked to be better than NIL, but it was!

I didn’t mention this in my review of NIL, but my only criticism was that we didn’t get any information on the history of NIL and how it came to be or any other kind of backstory on NIL. Thankfully, in NIL Unlocked, I got some answers. I got answers about NIL and how it worked. In some ways, this was my favorite part of the book.

We wouldn’t have known anything about NIL if it weren’t for Skye. NIL wasn’t a mystery to Skye and although I’d love to say more on that front, I can’t because of how spoilery it would end up being and I really want to avoid spoilers as much as I can. Skye was awesome though and as much as I loved Charley in book one, I loved Skye equally.

As fascinating as Skye was, I was very curious about Rives. I had loved him in NIL and was excited to see what was in store for him. I had loved Thad, but I think I actually loved Rives more. I’m not sure exactly why, but Rives was awesome and he was a leader and he had a whole lot of strength.

Unlike with Charley & Thad, Skye and Rives’ romance didn’t start until the book was nearly over and I think I liked that better. I love slow burn romances and Skye & Rives fit that to a T. Truthfully though, I do wonder if Skye’s NIL knowledge was really what attracted Rives to her. Yeah maybe that’s a bit cynical, but I wonder if Rives would have fallen for her if she didn’t have this “insider information”

The secondary characters were once again, awesome. I loved Jillian and Dex especially and it was because of them, that the ending of this book had me pretty much sobbing into the pages. I wasn’t expecting the feels to be quite as intense in the second book, but in many ways, the feels were more intense. I don’t know how Lynne Matson does it.

I loved this book even more than I loved book one and I will be ordering a finished copy of this book soon. Needless to say, I’m giving it 5 stars and I cannot wait to see where the story leads in the final book.

Review: NIL (NIL #1) by Lynne Matson

Book Title: NIL

Author: Lynne Matson

Published Date: March 4th, 2014

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Genre: YA/Science Fiction

Series: Book One in NIL trilogy.

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days–to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

Disclaimer: I own this book.

Review:

I honestly had no idea what to expect with this book. I had really high hopes for it, but wasn’t sure if it would deliver. And for a little while, I wasn’t sure it would. It was a bit slow in the beginning, which worried me. But by the time I reached page 80, it had picked up and I was captivated by the story. Plus, if it’s going to be compared to my all time favorite TV show, LOST, then the chances are pretty high that I’ll fall in love with it.

I had a hard time trying to figure out what genre I’d put this book in. It was obviously YA, but there were several sub-genres that I could have put it in. There was romance, there were paranormal elements and there was science fiction. In some ways, I find these kind of books the most compelling because there are multiple elements involved and they each do their part to tell the story.

Even though Charley & Thad were considered the main characters, I really loved Natalie. She was so vulnerable, so realistic. I loved how she trusted Thad and Charley despite all of the craziness going on. She cared about all of NIL’s inhabitants. She had a good heart, a caring heart.

NIL itself was interesting. Not only was it an island but it also seemed to be personified. I’d never seen this in a book before, so that was captivating. Was NIL also a person or was she seemingly personified because of the mental health of all the inhabitants.

“To NIL we come, from NIL, some go, and some like me, will stay. The clock winds down, our time runs out, and NIL will have her way.”

That is probably the creepiest song I’ve ever heard. Legitimate shivers. Not a lot was said about Ramia, but I was so, so curious about her. I actually had some theories about her and her connection to NIL. I probably spent a bit too much time thinking about her and her possible connection to NIL.

Now Charley & Thad. I understand that a lot of people were a bit iffy on how quickly things developed between them, but this wasn’t typical life. They were on an island for goodness sakes. It’s not like they had a million other life things to attend to, Yeah they were off searching for gates and even newcomers, but there was more time to develop a relationship. I liked them together, I rooted for them to get together and that is a great feeling to be able to do.

“You’re right, Charley. NIL does change the way you see things. NIL makes everything more clear. What’s important, what matters. And for me, that’s you.”

This book stressed me out completely. I can’t exactly say why it did, as it could be considered very spoilery, and I really don’t want to ruin it for others. But, I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it. I am giving it 5 stars and I cannot wait to read NIL Unlocked, which I’ll be starting ASAP.

Review: The Cage (The Cage #1) by Megan Shepherd

Book Title: The Cage

Author: Megan Shepherd

Published Date: May 26th, 2015

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Series: Book One in The Cage trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman’s Daughter trilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn’t know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn’t alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora’s past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren’t from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Harper Collins via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

I was nervous about this book because I didn’t enjoy The Madman’s Daughter trilogy. I wanted to give Shepherd another chance to impress me. This book looked like something I’d love, so I was also excited.

This book really surprised me in the best way. It was fascinating, and the world building was really well done. I was nervous about the world building because it can either be really awesome and help contribute to the story, or it can be underdeveloped and ruin the story. I could picture the different enclosures and the people well.

Cora, Lucky, Nok, Leon and Rolf are already one member short when the book opens, the sixth member of their little group is dead, and for awhile we don’t know what happened to her. That question is eventually answered as are countless more questions.

There are three rules in this place:

1. Solve the enrichment puzzles

2. Maintain their health by eating the food provided, get enough sleep and cooperate in routine health assessments.

3. Engage in procreative activities to ensure the continuation of the species.

If they do not complete all three steps in 21 days, they will be removed from the enclosure. We don’t find out until much later where they end up if they don’t cooperate.

Cassian was interesting and I’m not 100% sure I trust him at this point in the story. He knows far more than Cora or any of the others do at this point and he’s very reluctant to share what he knows, even with Cora. He does bend the rules at times, so you start to think that he’s caught between a rock and a hard place. He seems to care for Cora by the time the book ends, but like I said, I’m not sure I trust him yet.

Now Mali was so freaking fascinating, I actually liked her the best out of all the characters. She was so mysterious and intriguing. I was never quite sure whose side she was on, if she was really as messed up as she seemed. So getting parts of the story from her point of view was awesome and I actually wished there was more of her in the story.

The writing style was interesting. It had been a long time since I had read something in third person present tense, so I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get invested in the story. Thankfully the story itself was captivating and I had no issues with the way it was written.

I was really impressed by this book. I was hooked from the beginning and I never wanted to put it down. It was such a unique story, and I cannot wait for book 2 to come out. It’s going to be a long wait until then. I am giving this book 4.5 stars. It was nearly perfect and I would recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction.

Review: The Replaced (The Taking #2) by Kimberly Derting

Book Title: The Replaced

Author: Kimberly Derting

Published Date: April 28th, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Series: Book Two in The Taking trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Romantic and action-packed, The Replaced is the gripping second installment in the Taking trilogy.

Kyra hasn’t been the same since she returned from her mysterious five-year disappearance. Now, on the run from the NSA, Kyra is forced to hide out with others who, like her, have been Returned. Yet she is determined to find Tyler, the boy she loves who was also abducted—all because of her. When her group intercepts a message that Tyler might still be alive but is in the hands of a shadowy government organization that experiments on the Returned, Kyra knows it’s a risk to go after him. What if it’s a trap? And worse, what if the returned Tyler isn’t the same boy she lost? 

Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the Body Finder series, The Replaced is both chilling and explosive, with creepy, otherworldly elements and twisty, psychological thrills that will have you questioning what exactly it means to be human.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

Can I just leave this review at “holy crap, it was awesome. Read it!”

No, probably not. Holy moly this book was so freaking awesome. I initially couldn’t remember some of these people and events from The Taking and was kicking myself for not doing a reread of book one, but The Replaced does a good job of reminding us all what happened in The Taking. 

Kyra has now lost her father and the boy she loves. They were both taken right at the end of the Taking and The Replaced picks up not too long afterwords. We end up meeting several new people throughout the course of this book. Some of these people end up being very important and some end up simply being extras.

There were secrets galore in this entire book. Every 20% or so I’d be freaking out and having to put the book down & calm down before I continued reading. There is one character that you start feeling one way about and then later on your feelings on this character change completely. I was never sure how I felt about this character.

There starts to be a love triangle in this one, and honestly, I kinda liked it. I liked the 2nd guy who was involved in this triangle and I kept hoping it would go the way I wanted it to. They seemed like a great match.

I hate being so secretive and vague about this book, but so much of this book was a big giant spoiler that I really can’t talk about, and it’s driving me batty. It was going to take a lot for me to enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed The Taking and actually I think I enjoyed this one MORE than I enjoyed The Taking. I never expected to say that.

Honestly it was the ending that sealed it for me. So shocking, so mind boggling and it left me wondering how I am going to wait for the third and final book in the series. I am giving this book 5 stars, and if you haven’t read these books yet, you need to rectify that immediately.