Cursed

Cursed

Jennifer L Armentrout

Release Date:

September 18, 2012

Publisher:

Spencer Hill Press

Pages:

304

Source:

My Personal Copy

Reading Level:

Young Adult

Description:

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

Teaser Sentence(s):

'I guess it could be worse, I admitted. If I was going to hallucinate, then at least it was some hot dude instead of something gross.'

My Thoughts:

I cannot believe I am going to say this, but I was not impressed with Cursed. *Gasp* I know! I love all things Jennifer L Armentrout. I think part of the problem was I had read books like Shatter Me and the Denazen Files first, so there was nothing fresh about this book. 

I really had a hard time connecting with Ember. She has had a hard life the past 2 years, but I felt her whining was a little overwhelming. I kept waiting on her to grow up and start realizing things weren't all that bad, but that never really happened. 

JLA is a goddess when it comes to writing male characters I want to runaway with. Hayden is no exception to that. I absolutely loved him. But the relationship between Hayden and Ember was lacking in my opinion. I could feel it on Hayden's side, but I could not connect with Ember in anyway.

I would recommend this book to all the die-hard Jennifer L Armentrout fans. A lot of you might actually like it. I personally just felt like I was re-reading a book I had read before, and that made me not like it.

Old Magic

Old Magic

Marianne Curley

Release Date:

October 16, 2000

Publisher:

Simon and Schuster

Pages:

369

Source: 

My Personal Copy

Reading Level:

Young Adult

Description:

No one can fight fate alone.

When Kate and Jarrod first lock eyes across the classroom, their connection is instantaneous. While everyone else shuns Jarrod as a freak, Kate's passionate belief in witchcraft helps her see him for what he truly is-someone with a powerful gift. She is fascinated by what he is capable of...and undeniable attracted to him.

When Jarrod's abilities appear to be linked to a centuries-old curse, Kate is the only one who can help him. Together, they embark on a journey that transcends time and place, and discover a magic that will bind them together forever. ~book blurb

My Thoughts:

At first I thought I was going to like this book. It has witches, curses and awesome magic. Jarrod and Kate weren't outstanding, but they were interesting enough. Then they traveled back in time to the 13th century, and I completely lost interest. I did finish the book, but I felt like I had to force myself to do so. 
I feel misled by the book description. There isn't really an instantaneous connection between Kate and Jarrod. Kate is highly interested in Jarrod, because of the magic she knows he has. Jarrod thinks Kate is a freak. The front cover mentions "an undeniable passion." I think I got the wrong pages in my book, because this undeniable passion is one kiss in the 2nd half of the book. I also missed the part where they 'discover a magic that will bind them together forever.' 
The author did do a good job describing the scenery and location of Australia. I have never been there, of course, but I felt like I had good imagery of the rain forest and river where a lot of this book takes place. I also liked the magic aspects. The curse was a little lame, but the magic Jarrod and Kate are capable of was interesting enough. 
I don't think I would personally recommend this book to anyone, but that's my opinion. I am sure there are people out there that would love this read. I am just not one of them. I would definitely suggest you try to borrow it versus paying for it, if possible.

Beyond the Highland Mist (Highlander, Book 1)

Description: He would sell his warrior soul to possess her...

An Alluring laird...
He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart-until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue. Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length-but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve.

A prisoner in time...
She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side... -Amazon

Author: Karen Marie Moning
Release date: 1999
Publisher: Dell
Pages: 416
Source: My personal copy
Reading level: Adult -has graphic sex scenes

Teaser Sentence(s):  I honestly could not decide on just one sentence or small passage to put here. This time I am going to treat you to 3 teaser sentences!

'"He stands almost a hand taller. He has raven hair worn in a sleek tail; smoldering black eyes; the chiseled perfection of a young god and the body of a Viking warrior. It's revolting. May I maim him, my liege? Disfigure his perfect countenance?"'

'Hawk's eyes searched the night sky for yet another falling star. He intended to wish upon every one for the rest of his life if necessary. Surely ten thousand wishes could undo one. But the cloud cover had returned and there wasn't one flicker of a star to be seen in the absolute darkness that surrounded him.'

'In her dreams the Hawk would be waiting for her by the sea's edge; her kilt-clad, magnificent Scottish laird. He would smile and his eyes would crinkle, then turn dark with smoldering passion.'

My thoughts: Well, I was left still craving Scottish men after reading The Scent of a Soul. Especially Scottish men in kilts. I have had this book lying around since I read the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, so I finally picked it up. I really do not know what to say, or where to even start. I wanted to like this book more, but all I can really say was it's okay. It wasn't terrible, but I barely liked it.
 My main problem with this book was Adrienne, the main female character. Due to some past personal issues she swears off beautiful men, and suddenly finds her self taken from 1999 Seattle to appear in 1513 Scotland. Adrienne is the most annoying main-character I have read in a while. By the time she stopped acting like a pig-headed b*tch it was too late for me. I already disliked her too much to make up for it. The time travel aspect of this book threw me off a little, but without it there would be no Sidheach James Lyon Douglas, or Hawk.
 Hawk was the main male character, and I loved him. Notice how all my teaser sentences have to do with him. He made the book readable for me. But who wouldn't like a medieval, viking size Scottish man wearing a kilt. He was very intelligent, handsome and rugged. I think the reason I disliked Adrienne so badly was because of the way she treated him through most of the book. The ending was really sweet, and definitely won Adrienne some points.
 I don't know yet if I would recommend this book to anyone. It is the first in a series, and I do plan to give the next book a try. I am very curious about Adam Black. I have heard other people talking about him on other blogs, so I want to read his book eventually. I have read some other books of Karen Marie Moning and loved them, so maybe this series will get better. *fingers crossed*

Rating:

and a half.

Fallen

Description: There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce-and goes out of his way to make that very clear-she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret...even if it kills her. -Amazon

Author: Lauren Kate
Release date: December 8, 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 464
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Reading level: Young Adult

Teaser Sentence(s): '"I fall in love," he explained, taking her hands and holding them tightly. "Over and over again. And each time, it ends catastrophically."'

My thoughts: I honestly did not like this book. The first 3/4 of the book were really boring in my opinion. I will say though, the last 1/4 of the book did gain a little of my attention. Luce was not intriguing to me at all, but in her defense she did spend most of the book having no clue what was going on. I couldn't really find anything about the characters that I liked. Daniel's attitude should be different in the second book, so that gives me a little hope for him. I will give the second book in this series a chance, since it seems like the first book was a lot of set up. A younger reader, which this book was intended for, would probably enjoy it better than I did.

Rating: