Review: Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead

Series: Vampire Academy #1
St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Source: Amazon Kindle Store

     

I'm probably the last person on Earth to read this book, and after hearing tons of people raving about it, I was very excited to read, but unfortunately, it was not as good as I had expected.

Interesting plot: 1/2
Vampire Academy is a book I think I got a negative view of it because of how much I expected of it. The plot was interesting when it came to character development and the whole world behind the book. Everything about Moroi people and dhampirs and all of that is explained with detail and makes the reader interested in the world we're reading about. However, I think this book specifically had some ups and downs that made the story slow it times. Still, I wanna find out what happens in the next bok.

Characters: 2/2
I thought character development was actually pretty good in this book, I just didn't enjoy reading about some of the characters. To me, the best two characters were Rose and Dimitri. Not only did their personalities developed and change through the book, but their relationship as well. One character I didn't enjoy reading about, though, was Lissa, who I thought was very difficult on herself unnecessarily, but that might be just me. I really wanted the author to develop the villain character a lot more, since his villainy comes as a very big surprise, but a sort of uninformed surprise that just came as confusing.

Pace: 2/2
I think it's because everyone was gushing about that I thought it would start as a book I wouldn't be able to put down, but I think it started out really slow, and I made a note when I thought it picked up and it is when my Kindle said I was about 60% into the book. The rest of the book was really interesting and with a good plot but then it happened just SO fast. Some problems for the characters lasted for 1 or 2 pages. So I really want to read the next book in the series and see how the author balanced pace in the next one.

Writing style: 2/2
Richelle Mead has a great writing style, and specially how she uses the connection between Rose and Lissa, and she changes the speaker's voice as if she were feeling as Lissa is, which I find is difficult for various authors. Her words flow flawlessly, and she's a great writer when it comes to keeping the story easy to understand and make the reader want to keep reading.

Recommend it? 1/2
DEFINITELY YES.

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Review: Obsidian, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Obsidian
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Lux #1
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 
If I don't kill him first, that is

Source: Amazon Kindle

   

THERE ARE NO WORDS TO EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BOOK.

One of the most amazing books I've ever read! Can you just... Oh, my gosh! Like I said: NO. WORDS.

I'm just fan-girling over here, I'm sorry. On to the review:

Interesting plot: 2/2
I've read several Sci-Fi, Paranormal and Fantasy books, but never had I read such a book about ALIENS (I'm not spoiling anything, look at the summary above). I have to admit I was sort of hesitant towards this book because of the alien theme, which I admit I was not a fan of. But JLA created a beautiful species that just outshone everything else I've ever read when it comes to creatures. It's not creepy or scary at all, but quite beautiful. The plot is amazing, and there's always something happening. This book was not slow at all, because even the small details and events had me dying to keep reading.

Characters: 2/2
Can I just remind myself of how awesome and amazing Katy is? First of all, she's a BOOK BLOGGER. She even does Waiting on Wednesdays and In My Mailbox! And she's such a strong character and doesn't take s*** from anybody, which is something I liked about her. She wasn't the typical "oh-my-god-save-me" type of lead character.
Then there's Daimon, one of the sexiest, funniest, to-die for character I've read (also, a bit jerk-ish). I had a love/hate relationship with him. At some points I could not stand his attitude and was glad Katy put him in place, but he was so... AWESOME beneath all that all the time, that I just couldn't hate him. He just irritated me, and then I just wanted to kiss him, *hehe*
And the sexual tension between both characters was just unreal... Just had you gripping the book with everything happening between them.

Pace: 2/2
Like I mentioned earlier, there was always something happening. The whole Alien thing just came on amazingly and with ease, and although some scenes weren't as action-packed as others, they still had some small things happening that J.L. Armentrout knew how to engage readers in these.

Writing style: 2/2
JLA has a particularly developed writing style that I've heard so much about... and she didn't disappoint. She has a really interestin writing style that really keeps you hooked to the book, and does not dwell too much on small details, so you're never bored with this book. Before I read Obsidian, I had been reading books slowly (1 book per week), and finished this one in 2 days because her writing is something you can't put down.

Recommend it? 2/2
DEFINITELY YES.

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Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)by Laini TaylorAmazon | Goodreads | Book DepositoryAround 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 grows 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 one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored 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?

Source: Amazon Kindle

Rating:  

   

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a book that started out with a concept I had never come across before, and that I found rather fascinating. Laini Taylor's writing was captivating from the beginning, and that kept me hooked as I kept reading throughout the book. The war happening in the story, along with the great characters made this book very enjoyable for me.

Interesting plot: 1/2

I wish I could give this a 2/2, seriously. But the book was really amazing at the beginning, but halfway through the book, it got a little more intense, and very very detailed. Which is great, because it gives a lot of information on everything the reader does not know, but I think it was a little too much for me. The details made me read the book a lot slower, just so I could perfectly understand all that was happening, so I think it became duller than the first half of the book.

Characters: 1/2

I absolutely adored Karou. She was an amazing character, who was brave, and knew how to express everything she thinks. Her friendship with Zuzana was very real, and for once, I thought it was great to find a fantasy novel where the best friend knows everything, and the main character trusts in her the secrets of her world.

Although I loved both Zuzana, and Karou, I didn't enjoy the character of Akiva. I understood why he did everything he did, but his character seemed weak, compared to Karou, and although he was intense and determined, I didn't enjoy his presence. However, as the novel progressed, so did his strength, so that was great!

Pace: 1/2

I already went over this, and how I thought it became sort of slow at certain points, but the beginning was amazingly paced so I give this one 1 point.

Writing Style 2/2

I loved how Laini Taylor managed to create a really interesting plot that was transmitted beautifully through her writing style. Kept you hooked throughout the novel.

Recommend it?: 2/2

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Review: Dark Companion, by Marta Acosta

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.
Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.
The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member. 
Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

Source: Tor/Forge

Rating:  

Dark Companion is a book that made me really excited when the Publisher accepted my NetGalley request. It looked like an amazing, dark novel that.

It was a really good book, but I don't think it was for me, really. There are people who like calm, slow novels, but I prefer fast-paced, page-gripping novels. This was unfortunately was sort of slow, specially at the beginning. I think it took a lot of time before something exciting started happening.

Like I said, it was a really good book and what made it good for me were definitely the characters. This book had intriguing male characters that had me swooning every few chapters. The main character, Jane, was very likeable as well, and her initial shyness yet strong will to accomplish things made it a lot easier for me to like her.

Overall, I recommend this book to people who are looking for a calm book, instead of a fast paced one.

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