Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Review: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

All Fall Down


Author: Ally Carter
Release: January 20th 2015
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary, YA
#1 in the Embassy Row trilogy
Sequels: See How They Run (#2), Take the Key and Lock Her Up (#3)


Plot:

A new series of global proportions -- from master of intrigue, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter. 

This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay--in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved. 

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard
Release: February 10th 2015
Genre: Fantasy, Magic, YA
#1 in the Red Queen quartet
Sequels: Glass Sword (#2), King's Cage (#3), Untitled (#4)


Plot:

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?


Saturday, January 17, 2015

Review: Ensnared by A. G. Howard

Ensnared

Author: A. G. Howard
Release: January 6th 2015
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Retellings, YA
#3 in the Splintered trilogy
Series: Splintered (#1), Unhinged (#2)


Plot:

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Review: Reborn by Jennifer Rush

Reborn

Author: Jennifer Rush
Release: January 6th 2015
Genre: Science Fiction, Paranormal, YA
#3 in the Altered trilogy
Series: Altered (#1), Erased (#2)


Plot:

An action-packed, romantic, and suspenseful third book in the Altered series.

The Branch is in shambles, but Anna, Sam, Cas, and Nick can't rest easy. Remnants of the organization lurk unseen and the flashbacks to their old lives are only getting stronger--especially Nick's.

Following scattered memories and clues from his Branch file, Nick sets off alone in search of answers and in search of the girl who haunts his dreams. But the sleepy town where she lives in full of secrets and Nick soon learns that uncovering their shared past may have deadly consequences. 

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Review: Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

Firefight

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Release: January 6th 2015
Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy, Paranormal, YA
#2 in the Reckoners trilogy
Series: Steelheart (#1), Calamity (#3)


Plot:

They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand. 

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs. 

Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Review: School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

School Spirits

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Release: May 14th 2013
Genre: Supernatural, Ghosts, Magic, YA
#1 in the School Spirits spin-off
Sequels: TBA


Plot:

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? 

Monday, January 5, 2015

Review: Anew by Chelsea Fine

Anew

Author: Chelsea Fine
Release: December 7th 2011
Genre: Paranormal Romance, YA
#1 in the Archers of Avalon trilogy
Sequels: Awry (#2), Avow (#3)


Plot:

Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery...until she met a boy with a familiar voice. 

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer. 

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past...might just be the death of her. 

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Isla and the Happily Ever After 

Author: Stephanie Perkins
Release: August 14th 2014
Genre: Contemporary, YA
#3 in the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy


Plot:

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

2014 End of the Year Survey