This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp 4/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I just finished This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp today.  I had some mixed feeling about it in the beginning but ended up really enjoying it.  If you love suspense, this is a great book!  (Warning: It can be violent at times.)
The Cover:

The Cover:
I really like this cover.  It shows pieces of chalk being obliterated by a bullet with the title written in chalk.  I like it.  The subheader, in case you can't read it, says, "Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun."  A+ cover

Official Description:
10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.
10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.
10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.
10:05
Someone starts shooting.
Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

My Review:
First, I need to talk about this books formatting.  It's told from the alternating first-person perspectives of four students at Opportunity High on the day of a school shooting.  Each POV only lasts for about a page and a half, and each chapter is a set of all the characters' POV over the course of about two minutes of story-time.  This makes it very confusing to keep track of the characters for the first few chapters, but them adds to the suspense and keeps the tension up as the story progresses.  After most chapters will be texts or tweets that are being exchanged between minor characters of the story.  I understand Nijkamp's choice but wish it had been written in third person instead of first person.  
Each of the characters have a unique relationship with the shooter, which gives a neat perspective on all of the events.  The characters were interesting, though I feel like their life-stories were a bit forced and added some unnecessary expositional pages to the book.  That being said, I loved the interactions between the characters.  It was a great decision to compare Sylv and her brother to Autumn and hers. 
The plot was great.  It somehow managed to stay suspenseful constantly.  It can get extremely intense at times.
Overall, I would recommend it if you can handle violence/suspense and remember that it gets better once you understand who the characters are. 

I just checked and This Is Where It Ends doesn't come out until January 5, 2016.  
(I got it a while ago from the folks at Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

If you liked this book, you may also like:
Rage by Stephen King
Misery by Stephen King
The Long Walk by Stephen King
(or really any Stephen King book)

Happy Reading!

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Awake by Natasha Preston 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I just finished reading Awake by Natasha Preston.  I had completely forgotten why I wanted to read it and was pleasantly surprised.  I really enjoyed it!  The writing was a little flat at times, but it was still a really enjoyable read!

The Cover:

The Cover:

It's just super symbolic.  A rose trapped in barbed wire (or maybe thorns?), which is supposed to be Scarlett and her role in the cult.  She is a thing of beauty trapped by ugliness.  I'm not a fan of the cover, to be honest.  C cover.

Official Description: 

(Note: This description has spoilers, but I can't think of a better one that still gives you a feel for the book!)

Scarlett doesn’t remember anything before the age of four. Her parents say it’s from the trauma of seeing her house burn down, and she accepts the life they’ve created for her without question—until a car accident causes Scarlett to start remembering pieces of an unfamiliar past.
When a new guy moves into town, Scarlett feels an instant spark. But Noah knows the truth of Scarlett’s past, and he’s determined to shield her from it...because Scarlett grew up in a cult called Eternal Light, controlled by her biological parents.
And they want her back.

My Review:

I enjoyed Awake.  Its writing style was light and the plot was quick to move.  I started reading and couldn't stop.  The book switched between Noah and Scarlett's point of views, which was perfect for the story, allowed it to move, and stopped it from being bogged down.  They had such drastically different thoughts and actions that it made the book more enjoyable to see it from multiple angles.  

The characters were interesting.  Noah and Scarlett were both unique and Noah in particular went through a lot of character development as the book went forward.  I really liked these characters, but the side characters, which honestly had a really small role in the book, were much less developed.  They didn't need to be complex, so I didn't mind, but they didn't add to the reading experience. 

My complaint was mostly that every now and again, Noah would say something that just didn't sound very realistic.  Too romantic for anyone to be comfortable with, etc.  At one point, they go up to a random couple and his dialogue was just a touch too monotonous to be believe.  It didn't happen often, but it did detract from the story when it did happen.  (This might not be an issue anymore since I read an uncorrected proof, but it may be!)  Also, it had an epilogue, which I think ruins the end of a story.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and thought that it was definitely worth reading!  Alive comes out on August 4, 2015.  

Note:  I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an HONEST review.  

Happy Reading!

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World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee 5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I decided that I couldn't wait to read the second book in this series after reading book one.  Thank goodness it was already out!  In case you missed it, here's my review of book one, Angelfall.  Be warned, spoilers for book one may be in this review!

World After was just as amazing as Angelfall.  Both were really cool books, and I'm glad that I read them!

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Raffe's new wings, the demon ones against a white background.  Once again, I'm upset though because they are the wrong color! They mention so many times how brown they are.  Maybe its purposeful, I don't know.  World After is also a cool title, and it's referenced many times in the book, which makes it feel much less random to me.  B+ cover

Official Description:
In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.
When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.
Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.
Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

My Review:
I enjoyed this book fractionally less than Angelfall, but this may have been because my favorite character, Raffe was in very little of the book, and the book focused more on Penryn's relationship with her sister.  This was not necessarily a bad thing, but I enjoyed it a little less than I enjoyed the relationship between Raffe and Penryn in book one.  But don't worry, there's still plenty of that as well!
The characters remained really interesting to read about.  They were complex, had character development, and had realistic relationships with one another.  Penryn has yet to get on my nerves, which is quite an accomplishment for main character heroines in Young Adult literature.  She's still really cool, tough, and just awesome.
The plot was really exciting.  From prison to luxury to the middle of the ocean, the plot was everywhere.  The storyline moved quickly and smoothly, enticing me to read the book in less than 24 hours.  (It was really good.)  It was exciting
I loved the development of the angel sword.  It became an integral part of World After and offered Raffe's perspective, which was nice.  There were so many awesome moments in this book that I can't hope to tell them all to you, but trust me, it was amazing!
I'd highly recommend this book, but you have to read Angelfall first.  

Quotes:
"'She's a born rebel.  She'll puke just to make a point'"
"I hold my sword like a light saber.  It's about the only sword knowledge I have"

Phrase:
Pooky bear

Happy Reading!

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Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee 5/5 stars

Hey, guys! So, I recently decided to read Angelfall by Susan Ee.  I had heard of the book before vaguely, and Netgalley was nice enough to give me a copy for my honest review.  And my honest opinion was that it was fantastic!

Without further ado, the cover:

The Cover:

It shows a pair of angel wings, which I assume are Raffe's, but the book placed a huge emphasis on how white they are and these seem more... golden.  I suppose that's picky.  A decent cover but not one that captures my attention.  B+

My Description:
After an unexpected attack of the human race by angels, the world is in chaos.  All Penryn cares about is keeping her family safe, until her sister is taken by the angels, her mother runs off, and she is left alone next to a bleeding angel.  She'll do anything to get her sister back and nothing will stand in her way.

My Review:

This book was spectacular.  I went in knowing only that this book had something to do with angels and was blown away at the quality of this book.  I knew in the first few pages that this was going to be a wild ride.  The writing style drew me in immediately, and it helped that the book started in the middle of the action, without long strings of exposition.  I was immediately swallowed into the story.  And what a story it was.  The plot line was quick moving and exciting.  I was caught unaware by several of its changes.  
The characters were spectacular.  Penryn might have just been granted my favorite heroine award.  She is just such a, pardon my language, badass.  She is a skilled fighter that does take anything.  However, she is still compassionate and fiercely loyal.  Loyal to the point where I would say that it's her fatal flaw.  As an added bonus, she doesn't have a love triangle to distract her from being awesome!  Raffe is also a really great character.  He is so conflicted in making his decisions, and he genuinely feels like a human being... or angel, I guess.   Susan Ee made these characters feels real and three-dimensional, which I can appreciate beyond words.
I did have a small problem with this book though.  I can't mentally pronounce ANY of these names.  Penryn? I apologize but whenever this main character's name was mentioned I read it as pasnlffj.  Same with Raffe (who I appreciate Susan Ee writing in a phonetic pronunciation for), but I could not read Raffe as raw-fee but instead as Ralph without the L.  Minor complaint, I know, but I wish that they had simpler names.

Overall, this is definitely a book that I would recommend.  The characters are amazing, as is the plot and the relationships between these characters.  I cannot wait to start the sequel, World After!

Phrase:
Wings attacked by scissors

Happy Reading!

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The Room by Jonas Karlsson 1/5 stars

*Note: I received this book in exchange for an honest review*
Hello, everyone! I recently read The Room by Jonas Karlsson, and I was disappointed.
Let's go ahead and just to the cover:

The Cover:

Cool cover, right? It shows the protagonist going into the room that was the center of this book.  However, the cover gives the impression that he is disappearing or crossing dimensions or something interesting, which was not the case. This was an A+ cover on a D- book.

Official Description:

Bjorn is a compulsive, exacting bureaucrat who discovers a secret room at the government office where he works--a secret room that no one else in his office will acknowledge. When Bjorn is in his room, what his coworkers see is him standing by the wall and staring off into space looking dazed, relaxed, and decidedly creepy. Bjorn's bizarre behavior eventually leads his coworkers to try to have him fired, but Bjorn will turn the tables on them with help from his secret room. Author Jonas Karlsson doesn't leave a word out of place in this brilliant, bizarre, delightful take on how far we will go--in a world ruled by conformity--to live an individual and examined life.

My Review:

I was incredibly disappointed by this book.  I had high expectations and was severely let down.  There are some books that I simply would not recommend, but this book made me so frustrated that if I saw someone pick it up at a bookstore, I would tell them that they really should rethink their decision.

The plot didn't really develop as the book proceeded.  Most of the book was Bjorn standing around thinking about how much better he was than anyone else.  This book was not, by any stretch of the imagination, plot driven.

The main character, Bjorn, was the most unlikable person that I have ever had the displeasure of reading about, and I am including villains.  Bjorn was a know-it-all, sexist, creepy man.  For example, one time he hovered over the receptionist, the receptionist was creeped out and asked what his problem was, and Bjorn assumed from that interaction that she was on drugs.  That is a great representation of his character.  I understand that he possible had a mental disease, but I HATED him with a passion. 

I spent the entire book alternating between being confused, angry, and bored.  All that being said, the writing style was decent, and I am sure that some people might like it, though I did not.  I strongly do not recommend reading this.

Phrase:

Indoor shoes

Happy Reading!