ARC Review: Tremble (Denazen #3) by Jus Accardo

Tremble

Author: Jus Accardo

Series: Denazen

Pages: 352

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pre-order Amazon: Tremble

Release Date: 7^th May 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Dez Cross has problems. She’s almost eighteen and on the verge of losing her mind thanks to the drug Denazen used to enhance her abilities. People close to her have turned their back on the underground and are now fighting for the wrong side. And then there’s Kale... Things couldn’t get any worse.

Until of course, they do. Denazen is about to start a new trial—this one called Domination—and it works. But that means out with the old and in with the new. The order has been given to terminate all remnants of the second trial—including Dez. The good news is that there’s a survivor from the original trial. A woman who’s blood may hold the cure for the second generation of Supremacy kid’s defect. But the underground Sixes aren’t the only ones who know about her….

Cross is willing to throw everything he has to keep Dez from getting the cure—including the one thing that might tear her apart from the inside out.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Tremble by Jus Accardo is the third book in the Denazen series and is an amazing addition to this incredible story – it was a book which left me gaping on many occasions, there was betrayal, heartbreak, kick-butt action sequences and a sweet yet heart-wrenching romance.

It is difficult writing this review without revealing spoilers from the previous books so proceed with caution.

We know Kale is now unwillingly a part of the Denazen corporation and what he has been through there is devastating; the one person he has come to love is now a believed enemy and seeing him no longer recognise Dez was really difficult, his lethal abilities are now truly enhanced also as a result of a newly created drug. Despite the changes in Kale, I still adore him, there is an innocence and kindness about him that I have come to really love.

Dez was as stubborn, snarky and determined as ever but there is also vulnerability and real concern for those she is closest to, her future at this stage is looking quite uncertain but I have loved her character progression, she has really matured and come to be quite the lovable heroine.

Plot-wise, Tremble was action-packed and entertaining; the search to find the other Sixes who are slowly dropping off one by one and the constant avoidance of Denazen kept me thoroughly immersed in the story as did Dez’s task of trying to get Kale to remember who she was and which team he belonged on – not an easy task when she was also having to watch her own back with him.

Revisiting the cast of characters we have come to know and love is always a pleasure – I still despise Jade, I am liking Alex more and more, loving Brandt and the bad guys are pure evil! Kiernan is an utter #$!@ for what she has done to her sister and Cross’s agenda is twisted! In this installment you couldn’t really tell who could be trusted or not.

There are so many sacrifices, lies, and twists in Tremble that broke my heart, made me mad and left me emotionally drained; more questions are left unanswered and a few revelations were bewildering so I am really eager to get hold of the next installment.

Jus Accardo’s writing flows perfectly, the intense drama, heart stopping action scenes, rediscovery of a beautiful romance and intriguing storyline kept me flipping through the pages needing to know what was going to happen. This is definitely one of my favourite series and Jus Accardo is certainly on my auto-buy list.

Overall, I adore Dez and Kale and can’t help but hope for happiness and a Denazen free existence for them both – Tremble was an amazing addition to this series, filled with intense action scenes, fantastic world-building, unexpected twists and a wonderful cast of characters, it’s a series I can’t recommend highly enough.

Thank-you to Entangled Teen and Anjana for the opportunity to read and review Tremble.

About the author: Jus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. 

A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. 

Her first book, Touch, came out in November 2011 from Entangled Publishing. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

    

Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post (27th April)

 

 

Hi everyone!! thank-you so much for stopping by my blog today.

The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews

It's a chance to share what has happened the past week, showcase books and other bookish things we have received and talk about what is coming up on our blog.

The below books are what I have received over the past few weeks, some I have already read and reviewed others I am really excited to start on.

(Clicking on the title will take you to Goodreads)

Received for Review

Spirit (Elemental #3) by Brigid Kemmerer

True by Erin McCarthy (2 ½ stars)

Imaginable by J. Meyers (4 ½ stars)

Undeclared (Woodlands #1) by Jen Frederick (4 ½ stars)

Find Me by Romily Bernard (4 stars)

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

Tremble (Denazen #3) by Jus Accardo (4 ½ out of 5 stars)

Data Runner by Sam A. Patel

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

A very BIG thank-you to Intermix, Kensington Books, J. Meyers, Jen Frederick, Harper Teen, Entangled Teen, Diversion Books – Netgalley and Edelweiss

Won:

Signed copy of Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

A huge thank-you to Cassandra from Aussie owned and Read & Jay Kristoff

Purchased

Dead Silence (The Body Finder #4) by Kimberly Derting

Breathe into Me by Amanda Stone (2 stars)

Darkness Kindled (Fire Spirits #4) by Samantha Young

The Edge of Never (audio) by J.A Redmerski

Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry (kindle freebie)

This past week

Review Undeclared by Jen Frederick

Review Rule (Marked Men #1) by Jay Crownover

Review Mortality (The Hitchhiker Strain #1) by Kellie Sheridan

Waiting on Wednesday Tied by Laney McMann

Review Revival (The Variants series #1) by Jena Leigh

What did you receive this week??

Review: Revival (The Variants series #1) by Jena Leigh

REVIVAL by Jena Leigh

Author: Jena Leigh

Series: The Variant Series

Pages: 282 eBook

Publisher: Self

Amazon: Revival

Release Date: 14^th November 2012

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Possessing the uncanny ability to fry a television set from twenty paces can really wreck a girl’s social life.

If you’re looking for proof, just ask sixteen-year-old Alexandra Parker. After catching her boyfriend in the arms of the prettiest girl in school, she made the journey from social elite to social pariah in a haze of electricity and exploding electronics. But finding herself at the bottom of Bay View High’s social hierarchy was nothing compared to the shock of discovering who—and what—she really is.

After being zapped out of a burning bookstore by the mysterious Declan—a hero nearly as handsome as he is infuriating—Alex finds herself under the protection of the powerful Grayson family. It’s through them that she learns the truth: that the world she’s always known is nothing like it appears to be... and that she has far more in common with them than she might want to believe.

Now, on the run from a fire-wielding hit man and a secretive government organization, Alex must navigate a strange and treacherous new world filled with superhuman mutants known as Variants. As she begins to unravel the many secrets of her family’s past, she uncovers the real reason for her parents’ death twelve years earlier—and finds out that the threat to her family, and to everyone she cares about, is still dangerously real.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

Revival is Jena Leigh’s debut novel and is a wonderful start to the Variant’s series.

Our main protagonist is sixteen-year-old Alexandra Parker who is at the bottom of the social ladder after catching her boyfriend in the arms of another girl and reacted in a way not of the norm – she somehow managed to fry everything in the room. Finding out the reasoning behind her unusual reaction was quite interesting because prior to this she had no idea at all she was a Variant, someone with special abilities.

I really liked Alex, she was a thinker who didn’t rush into things which I appreciated, she was loyal and caring and despite her predicament and what she had been through didn’t seem to dwell on it all too much. 

With a mysterious and action-packed plot, the pacing flowed well and kept me entertained and flicking through the pages. The genetic experimentation and the different abilities had me curious and kept me wanting to learn more and seeing Alex learn the truth of her past and what she is was both scary and fascinating, also not knowing who to trust whilst running from a hit man with a creepy ability and a government agency kept up the intrigue.

With an interesting cast of characters you can’t help but be drawn into the lives and emotions of each of them. I especially liked moody and complex Declan, a Jumper (able to teleport from one location to another) who was smexy, sarcastic and at times infuriating, Kenzie (telepath) & Cassie were wonderful friends and Nate (telekinetic) and Brian were sweethearts. Each of the variants were likeable and the villain a surprise.

The romance was there but definitely not a focal point, both Declan and Nate liked Alex but didn’t really act on anything and Alex seemed to still hold feelings for her ex-boyfriend so I am keen to see further progression in the next book; I did like the chemistry and banter between Declan and Alex more than Nate and ex Connor.

Despite my enjoyment, I did have a few minor gripes; the first being the lack of sensory details when it came to the characters reactions – I wanted to feel more emotion from them, the easy resolutions and lack of sensation I felt was missing eg. When Alex was rescued by Declan and moved into the Grayson’s house, she barely blinked an eye and just adapted, each of the characters despite their predicaments didn’t seem to respond as they should – cry, scream, get mad; everything just came too easily, I can get past it because I didn’t mind the way it all transpired but it was missing for me none the less. Also, the story is told from multiple POV's, I don’t mind a hand full of characters but we get more or less all of the characters viewpoints which I felt was too much and too confusing.

Overall, Revival is written very well and is a great start to The Variant series, with an interesting cast of characters and exciting storyline, I am eager to get hold of the next installment. 

Thank-you kindly to author, Jena Leigh for providing me with a copy of Revival.

 

About Jena Leigh: 

Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Jena Leigh spent ten years in the mountains of North Carolina before returning home to the lightning capital of North America. A shameless geek, she loves bad sci-fi movies, Skittles, writing cracktastic e-mails to friends and taking shenanigan-filled road trips to faraway concerts. She has a degree in English from Appalachian State University. REVIVAL is her first novel.

Waiting on Wednesday - Tied by Laney McMann #WoW

 

Hi everyone, thank-you so much for stopping by my WoW!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My choice for this weeks WoW is TIED by Laney McMann, the first book in the Fire Born series. I love the cover and the blurb has me intrigued!

 Author: Laney McMann

Series: Fire Born

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing

Release Date: 9^th September 2013

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Normal people don't believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.

Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.

Or is that all in her head?

Layla doesn't know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.

No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?

The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.

In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.

Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?

The answer may never be far enough ... away.

What is your WoW for this week?

Review: Mortality (The Hitchhiker Strain #1) by Kelly Sheridan

MORTALITY

Author: Kellie Sheridan

Series: The Hitchhiker Strain

Pages: 271

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Snarky Books

Amazon: Mortality

Release Date: 19^th March 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death. 

Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore. 

Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I have wanted to read Mortality by Kellie Sheridan since I first glimpsed the wonderfully intriguing cover, its one of my favourites in YA - I initially thought it was about one normal girl who had been turned into a zombie but I was very wrong; it was action-packed, fast-paced, unique and really interesting right from the very first page, I was riveted by the plot and fascinating characters.

Mortality is told from alternating POV’s, Savannah and Zarah, both wonderful characters surviving through the zombie apocalypse but Savannah’s story was the one I found I was personally more invested in and was the stronger character.

Sixteen year-old Savannah was kick-butt, loyal and stubborn! She was fiercely determined and adamant to help out in any way she possibly could, she stood strong and held her ground in the most tense situations and handled herself really well.

Zarah’s story is important to the overall story arc and gave us interesting insight into the life of a zombie and how the virus which had wiped out so many affects a person, I liked her as a character before she was turned and really sympathised with her after as well – we get two types of zombies in this book, the completely dead kind and infected Z's who are fast moving and can actually still think for themselves.

The world Ms. Sheridan has given us is disturbing and the zombies gruesome to read about but also fascinating because of their intelligence; you can't help but feel empathy for what the humans had been turned into and for what had happened to the world they were now living in.

With an action-packed plot and even pacing, I was engrossed in Ms Sheridan’s storytelling and captivating writing,  I have to admit, zombies are my least favourite paranormal creature to read about, they have never appealed to me – at all, but I thoroughly enjoyed Kellie Sheridan’s take on the whole concept, it was written in a way that actually made me feel quite sympathetic towards these beings and not at all repelled by what they were, how they came to be I found to be quite interesting; the world-building was strong.

Romance is definitely not at the forefront of the story but it is there between Savannah and Cole and Zarah and Liam, both relationships were developed in a way which was believable and realistic. I liked both of the love interests but really felt sorry for poor Liam - getting glimpses of romance gave what would normally feel like a morose story the sense of normalcy which definitely was not the case in their current predicaments but it was nice to see that there was hope.

The ending came as quite the surprise so I am definitely eager to read the next book in The Hitchhiker Strain series, Duality which has an anticipated December 2013 release date.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Mortality; the world-building was strong, the characters lovable and Kellie Sheridan’s writing crisp and engaging. It was a great take on zombies and I was satisfied by how the story played out.

Thank-you to Kellie Sheridan for providing me with a copy of Mortality in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: Rule (Marked Men #1) by Jay Crownover

Rule

Author:  Jay Crownover

Series: Marked Men

Pages: 327

Genre: New Adult

Publisher: Jay Crownover Books

Amazon: Rule

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

I had loved Rule Archer since the first moment I ever laid eyes on him. He was everything I shouldn't want and the only person I went out of my way to not try and please. He only saw me as a brat, and an entitled, stuck up princess but worse than that all he saw when he looked at me was his deceased twin's girl. It broke my heart because as much as I had loved Remy Archer there was never anything romantic between us and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that loving Rule was a terrible idea, my poor heart just wouldn't listen. We tolerated each other, barely and had forged an uneasy alliance until one night I had too much to drink and changed the way we were forever. Suddenly life long secrets were no longer hidden and the one thing I always wanted for myself seemed obtainable as long as I was willing to go through hell to hold onto it.

Shaw Landon was a class act and I had no idea what to do with her. She was tied to my family, tied to the person that was my other half so I tolerated her and her haughty attitude when I didn't have any other choice. What I didn't know was that a short skirt and too many cocktails on her birthday was going to change my outlook on her for the rest of my life. Some people thought I hid behind all my tattoos and piercings, that I tried to distance myself from my dead twin, Shaw saw through it all and wasn't scared of what was underneath. We weren't supposed to be together, weren't supposed to be anything but uncomfortable acquaintances but that all changed in the blink of an eye. Now I had to figure out just how a girl like her and a guy like me were supposed to be in love without destroying each other. Add in her custom made ex and two disapproving sets of parents and the whole situation sounded like it was more trouble then it was worth.

Recommended for mature readers due to sexual content, language and drinking

Review: 2 ½ out of 5 stars

Ok, maybe it is me but this is the second NA book I have read within the past two weeks that has received alot of praise but was substandard for me and didn’t meet my expectations which are admittedly high; thankfully I had success with one title in between but I’m starting to feel a tad disheartened. The story itself wasn’t bad; there were just certain aspects which grated on my nerves.

Twenty year-old over-achiever Shaw Landon is from a family of privilege that has extremely high expectations of her, she is sweet, strong and self-reliant and has always felt more a part of best friend Remy Archer’s family than her own, he took her under his wing when she was bullied at school and she remained a fixture in the family even after he was killed in an accident more or less holding them all together but having a personal pain of her own in the fact she was secretly in love with Remy’s twin brother, Rule.

Tattooed and pierced hottie, Rule thinks Shaw is out of his league, a conformist and too pure for him he doesn’t exactly respect or treat her right even though she has been a part of his family for so long but after a drunken incident on her birthday, his whole perspective towards her and their relationship changes and he starts to see her as more than his brothers girl.

Seeing Rule and Shaw come together was an exciting build-up, add in a persistent stalker ex-boyfriend and parents who disapproved it made for an interesting read but in saying that, the miscommunications and Shaw’s seeming lack of self-respect just put a dampener on it all and made her out to be a desperado going after someone who treated women like they were indispensable, Rule messed up continually and had a big chip on his shoulder but Shaw always believed him worthy – I just couldn’t see her reasoning after the way he had always disrespected her.

I love a troubled and tortured hero as much as the next person but does having family and personal dramas make someone turn into a mean, arrogant and distant whore-man? I’m not a fan of this in books – Rule was good-looking and successful in his tattoo business, he blames himself for his brothers death and anguishes as a result but this lead to him being outwardly uncaring, he messed up a lot but Shaw continually supported him.

What I did like was Rule slowly learning to reciprocate Shaw’s feelings and work through his own, these characters were imperfect and I appreciated that Shaw was able to accept everything about him, she knew him inside out and loved him unconditionally despite his many many faults and I enjoyed the epilogue – I always like a nice HEA.

The secondary characters were each entertaining; Ayden was interesting and a great support as was Rule’s brother Rome until he decided to turn into a stubborn mule but the parents on both sides were horrible! Who would try to force their daughter to be with someone just for social standing, ugh! And Rule’s mother blaming him for his twins’ death and pushing him away was abhorrent especially after her own little revelation; she was a real piece of work – with issues!

Rule had a lot of drama, struggles and pure raw emotion and feeling but there was that little something missing that just didn’t leave me excited, maybe it was the characters, maybe my mood; I just wasn’t wowed – I felt I was being told what was happening rather than it being shown and  resolutions seemed rushed.

Despite my gripes, this book did have an interesting storyline and was written well; I was just left underwhelmed and wanting more.

This book has received a lot of praise, so please check out Goodreads for more reviews.

ARC Review + Giveaway: Undeclared (Woodlands #1) by Jen Frederick

UNDECLARED

Author: Jen Frederick

Series: Woodlands

Pages: eBook

Genre: New Adult

Publisher: Self

Release date: 1st May 2013

Buy links - Amazon – Smashwords – All Romance Books - Kobo

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one thing she’s decided? No way is Noah Jackson — or any man — ever going to break her heart again.

Noah has always known exactly what he wants out of life. Success. Stability. Control. That’s why he joined the Marines and that’s why he’s fighting his way — literally — through college. Now that he’s got the rest of his life on track, he has one last conquest: Grace Sullivan. But since he was the one who stopped writing, he knows that winning her back will be his biggest battle yet.

Jen Frederick website : Twitter : Facebook

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

Undeclared Is Jen Frederick’s debut novel and a wonderful addition to the New Adult genre with an amazing cast of characters, an intriguing storyline and just enough drama to keep me completely entertained and needing more; it was a book I read in one sitting and left me wanting the next book in the Woodlands series now.

19 year-old Grace Sullivan spent four years in high school writing to a marine as part of a school assignment and in that time came to fall in love with this stranger but when his deployment ends the communication stops and she is left bewildered and heart-broken.

23 year-old Noah Jackson has hopes and aspirations, he knows what he wants out of life and after what he did to Grace he is determined to make things right. I loved his reasons for not contacting her straight out of the marines, yes he took an easy way out and I initially thought it was due to an injury etc. but it was nothing like that. He had a purpose but his thoughts and his heart had always belonged to Grace.

I absolutely loved these characters; Grace was a sweetheart and with a broken heart and the surprise reappearance of Noah came a little snark and attitude which she was entitled to but I adored Noah’s persistence and the way he wore her down; she was so stubborn and reminded me so much of myself in many ways which is why I felt such a connection to her and who doesn’t love a man who opens car doors, encourages you and pretty much worships the ground you walk on! He was possessive and bossy but he can boss me around anytime!

I loved that the friendship/relationship was initially built up over 4 years, reading Noah’s letters to Grace gave us great insight about the person he was, after a difficult childhood his determination and sheer will with his career as a marine, his studies and his fighting - sometimes illegally all showed how unwavering his dedication was, all to build his dream of a secure future. I came to actually enjoy the training and methodical fight scenes which is really not the norm for me, it gave the overall story a bit of angst and they were written really well.

The secondary characters are each perfect; I loved cousin Lana, I’m intrigued by brother Josh and Noah’s woodlands friends were each fun to read about, especially Bo also a former marine who I really want to get to know, his wit, sarcasm and support has me gushing and I think he is going to give Noah great competition in the swoon department – his negativity about Grace and Noah’s relationship did make me mad but he had his reasoning, his bond with Noah was amazing, I loved the dialogue between them.

I have my fingers crossed the next book in the series will be Bo and Lana’s story – I would love to see these two together.

You would not know Undeclared is Jen Frederick’s debut novel, her writing flows beautifully; the fun times and banter is written extremely well as are the smexy moments between Noah and Grace. Admittedly, there were a few small cliches but nothing at all which annoyed me or was overdone. I really liked how the miscommunications and bits of drama were handled.

Overall, a thoroughly engrossing read! I loved this book and can’t wait to read the next installment in the Woodlands series, the characters, storyline and gushing romance were all wonderfully written and Jen Frederick’s writing is extremely engaging - she is definitely an author to remember and this is a book I'm more than happy to add to my favourites list!

Thank-you kindly to Jen Frederick for providing me with a copy of Undeclared in exchange for my honest review.

Author bio: Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog.  She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jensfrederick@gmail.com.

Jen Frederick website : Twitter : Facebook

GIVEAWAY! 

The wonderful, generous Jen Frederick has kindly offered an early copy of UNDECLARED.

To enter, complete the rafflecopter form below. Not all options are mandatory.

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