Top 5 Sundays

Top 5 Sundays is a weekly blog meme created by Larissa at Larissa and Friends' Bookish Life.

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Feel free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)



This week's topic is: Urban Fantasy Books I'm dying for in 2015!    

*in no particular order

These are also kind of loose Urban Fantasy books, meaning I wouldn't call them hardcore UF, they might be a mix of more mystery with paranormal mixed in and such!

WICKED EMBERS

by Keri Arthur

 

I really enjoyed Fireborn and SO cannot wait to read the next in Keri's newest series! 

 

 

THE VEIL

by Chloe Neill

 

A new series by Chloe Neill which has me all sorts of excited! While I always love her first series, I am always excited for a new series by a fave author!

 

 

EIGHTH GRAVE AFTER DARK

by Darynda Jones

 

I still need to read Seventh Grave, but always look forward to more Charley!!

 

 

ALICE

by Christina Henry

 

I'm all kinds of excited for this one! While Alice in Wonderland was never my favorite fairy tale, I did enjoy it! And I haven't gotten tired of all these retellings or twisted versions of the story! They've all been unique and different so far, and I am loving them all!!

 

 

DECEPTIONS

by Kelley Armstrong

 

This series is just SO intriguing! I love the mystery behind Cainsville and the people! It's all so strange! There are so many questions I have going on and I cannot wait to see the outcomes!!

 

 

ARC Review--Soulbound by Kristen Callihan

Once two souls are joined...

When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled—and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone...

Their hearts will beat together forever...

No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted—by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken...

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review.


OMG. I cannot, repeat CANNOT get enough of this series!! I remember liking the first book, but I wasn't completely and totally sold on the series until I read the second and then oh wow! It's been nonstop fun and excitement ever since! Kristen Callihan continues the adventures with Soulbound as we delve into the relationship that is Adam and Eliza.

Adam is sort of our GIM leader, he creates the GIMs and takes care of them in someway. But for the past several hundred years he's been searching for his soul mate, in order to finally know love and be in love and all that jazz. Then when his GIM agents call him in to see about making a newly murdered victim into a GIM, he's stricken stupid...for Eliza is his soul mate. He always knew he would recognize his soul mate once he saw her and now he knows. Though he goes about everything all totally wrong, such as chaining up his beloved.

Yeah, not the smartest move ever. He needs to have his soul mate accept him so he can be free of his chains that makes him a prisoner to the fae. And when Eliza rejects him and his oh so "romantic" gestures, he's even more in a pickle. Can't say I blame Eliza at all in that matter, but I must say Adam goes about making it up to her very nicely!

Eliza's aunt and who played a part in her rescue is Mab, the Mab of the fae! And for the past few years, she's contently lived with her. She's had a rough go of life since her rescue and she's got her own scars that she keeps hidden, but she is beyond surprised when she finds Adam chained in her aunt's basement.

Adam needs her help in escaping, obviously, and Eliza wants his help as well in trying to get away from her aunt and her granduncle who is yet another monster from her past. They make a rather shaky agreement and are off and away. But there's yet another problem in their world, the GIM, Adam's creations, his children, so to speak, are dying or just disappearing. And as we know, two of our past heroines are GIMs as well.

I have to say, the story was quite fascinating and heart racing! True, I didn't agree with Adam's past actions when it came to wooing Eliza, but I must say that I enjoyed this new side to him. He shows more consideration and even admits to his faults. He has his own secrets and scars that he's kept hidden and it's Eliza who brings happiness and light to his life.

The love story was truly endearing, because, despite these twos' past, the romance was one that took awhile to form. There was lust of course, that instant burning attraction, but it wasn't romantic, at least not yet! And the simmering burn was just delightful! Adam can be quite charming when he wants to, and there were a few laughs along the way too.

The story was enticing! As all Kristen's books are! And I always love seeing returning characters! We pretty much see everyone we've met before! And are given the hint to the next novel staring couple! One I really look forward to seeing after getting his point of view for a few chapters!

I normally don't read too many historical fiction kind of books, but this one is different! It is set in the past, 1888, but there are still strong paranormal elements in it! Combined with amazing characters and engaging plots, the setting doesn't make me struggle with reading at all! There's no overly historical concepts to be fully knowledgeable on in order to enjoy and understand the story! It's a smooth read and a beautiful one!

The ending was quite shocking too! I was starting to get worried when there was a little less than 1/4 of the book left and wasn't entirely sure how things would turn out. Though it was surprising, I must say I was thrilled with it overall!

Needless to say that I am anxiously and at all patiently waiting for the next book in the Darkest London series!! Kristen Callihan is must read author for all paranormal fans looking for that little something different to their reads! I highly recommend it! Even better is that each book is a sort of stand alone. There are characters that you'll meet here that were already introduced, but it's not a pressing matter to have read them all in order. Though, in a sense you will be spoiled as to romantic outcomes, it would be just as well to start at the beginning of this amazing series!

Soulbound was a fantastically beautiful read that kept me on my toes and had my heart racing in all senses of the word! I cannot recommend this series enough! Go forth to the bookstore (or library) and enjoy!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


Soulbound releases February 24, 2015

RELEASE WEEK BLITZ--The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

We have been dying to bring you the Release Blitz for Jennifer L. Armentrout's THE RETURN! THE RETURN is a New Adult Paranormal Romance and is a part of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Titan Series. Seth is looking to be just as dangerously delicious as we all hoped!!

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Booksamillion

THE RETURN Excerpt:

“Is it so hard to say her name?” Apollo asked. “I think a few minutes ago was the first time you’ve said her name since after you two fought Ares.”

My jaw ached from how hard I was grinding my molars.

“Whatever,” Apollo said, his attention returning to the godsforsaken ceiling fan chain. “Don’t talk about it. Be the best issues-boy you can be.”

I took a deep breath. It didn’t help. “I don’t have issues.”

He tipped his head back and roared with laughter. Paintings of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains rattled. “You have more baggage than United Airlines. Cross that out. You have more issues than Medusa, and that woman makes the inside of a cat lady’s thoughts seem like a calming place.”

“I hate you.”


“You wound me straight to the heart, bud.”


My patience was just about the same as that of Cerberus after someone tried to take a squeaky toy away from him. “What about the girl, Apollo?”

He dropped down into the leather chair, his large form nearly swallowing it. “It’s a long story.”

“Go figure.”

That comment went largely ignored. “It all started with your birth, so there’s something else you can add to your mountain of suck.”

I wondered if there was an anti-god repellent and where I could find it.

“We knew the moment you were born that there would be the possibility of a God Killer, since Alexandria was on schedule to make an appearance a few years later. We didn’t know who among us was responsible for your birth, but we knew they’d want to use you for their own gain.”

“This walk down history lane is boring me.” I crossed my arms.

Unaffected, he eased himself closer to the bed, kicked his booted feet up on it, and stretched out leather-clad legs. “The risk of you two joining forced us to come up with a contingency plan in case the proverbial poo hit the fan.”

My brows knitted. There was something wrong with hearing Apollo use the word “poo” in a sentence.

THE RETURN Synopsis:

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off...
It's been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they've given him have been violent and bloody--which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He's got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy's deal might be, but it's a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all. Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.  

About Jennifer L. Armentrout: # 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. 

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.  

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Novel Goodreads ** Author Goodreads

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Friday

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts and any one else you want to follow on the list  

2. Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

This week's question is: Do you like fantasy or realistic books? - Suggested by The Realm of Books.

MY ANSWER: I guess you could say fantasy, but I do prefer Urban Fantasy, which in a sense can be a blend of both fantasy and realistic, because it's a real life kind of setting, but intermixed with something paranormal for the most part! Vampires/werewolves/goblins/demons/etc living among us, usually a heroine who has some sort of power or something to make her different...

So short answer, fantasy, long answer both! (but I don't read contemporaries, they're just not my read)

 

Review--Fairest by Marissa Meyer

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

I finally finished Fairest by Marissa Meyer and I must say what a delightful read this was! It's the perfect addition to the Lunar Chronicles because who doesn't want to get a better understanding of the villain? And that's exactly what we get here! A better understanding of Levana. I have to say that I did sympathize for her a bit because she was horrendously mistreated growing up, but I still think she needs to be held accountable for her actions! 

The book opens up to Levana's parents' deaths. They were murdered and yet, she can't find it to be too worked up about it. Her parents weren't the best parents. They were neglectful and rarely cared that they had two daughters. So when her sister, Channary is about to take the throne, all Levana really feels is an envy of sorts. She doesn't think Channary is fit to rule Luna, mostly because Channary doesn't care to help better Luna and make the moon a better place for her people. 

Channary is yet another character who was horrible to Levana. She always made Levana feel bad about herself, especially her appearance when she let a glamour drop. And we do get to learn why she always wears a glamour too. 

Levana finds herself falling in love with a solider, Evret. She believes he loves her too, but is suppressing his feelings because he is married. I feel like it's at this juncture that we get to see the inkling of the Levana we have always known. She wants something she cannot have and she will do whatever it takes to get it. She's manipulative and it's sickening. What she does in taking away a person's rights is despicable. But as I said, this all plays out to how she became the villain she is. 

True, there are moments when I felt sorry for her, but they soon faded away at the disgust I always felt towards her. It was a back and forth battle. 

I love seeing how some things came into fruition. Like how the battle with Earth was instigated, how Winter came into the picture, how Selene came into the picture. All those little things are answered in this one and it was all quite shocking! Even more so was how at time Levana knew what she was doing was questionable, but she would have some reason or other that convinced herself that she should do it anyway. She wasn't always a horrible person, she really did just come from a neglectful family; nurture vs nature really plays a part in this scenario! 

I found myself quite intrigued with the Selene bits. How she was born and set to rule Luna one day and the drastic measures Levana went to prevent that from happening. It may seem obvious as to origins and what not, but I won't reveal anything anyway. I just was quite surprise with it all, especially her mother. I mean it was weird seeing it, I can't explain why really. Guess the whole motherhood changes everyone kind of thing. I was a little disappointed that her father was never revealed, but oh well.

I forced myself to resist temptation in reading the sneak peek of Winter. I can't handle sneak peeks because I'm always left wanting more and the sneak peek ends up doing me more damage than good! LOL! So yes, I refrained from reading that. Otherwise, this was a fairly fast read! Highly enjoyable and highly recommended if you have read the Lunar Chronicles to date. And like most everyone has said, despite that this is a prequel story, it's far better to read it after reading Cress, because there are little events and whatnot that you might not quite get or will be spoiled for. 

A delightfully intriguing read and I so can't wait to read Winter later this year to see how this amazing series comes to an end! 



Overall Rating 5/5 stars

COVER REVEALS--Rowland & Corp & Langdon

Demon summoner Kara Gillian is on the wrong side of the law, and there's evidence to prove it. Too bad the courts don't accept "fighting demonic forces" as justification for murder and mayhem.

Yet Kara has problems that go way beyond her legal woes. When the enemy demonic lords spur their human accomplices into high gear, master summoner Katashi aggressively pursues their goal to establish a permanent gate between Earth and the demon realm. To hell with the consequences for humanity.

The line between ally and enemy blurs as Kara gathers the remnants of her posse to prevent a devastating demonic incursion, but a shattered trust may cost them the war and put Kara behind bars. With treachery rife, and her loved ones in danger, Kara must call upon the essence of who she truly is in order to rally back from a crushing loss.

And if she can't, the world is going straight to hell.

Dude! That cover! This series has gotten SO intense over the years! And it's awesome! And this cover?! What is up with the baby?! Has it really been SOOOOO many books that I can't remember what went on!? And there's no mention of her/him in the description! This is going to be awesome!

Vengeance of the Demon releases April 7, 2015 

After cheating death, Veronica Welling is determined to savor every moment in her idyllic kingdom with both her true love and best friend by her side at last. At the same time, Mackenna Reid is enthusiastically building her new life and a theater with her prince. But just as their dreams of happiness are within reach, the world Vee and Kenna have chosen is ripped away, leaving them to face their most horrific challenge yet—their old lives.

Thrust out of Doon, the best friends are confronted with tormentors from their past and no way to return to their adopted land. When the MacCrae brothers rush to their rescue, the girls' situation turns from nightmare to modern-day fairy tale. But their happiness could be short lived: unbeknownst to them, someone in their closest circle is aiding the witch of Doon in her bid to destroy the kingdom once and for all.

Find out more about Carey and Lorie and the Doon series at www.doonseries.com.

I still need to start this series so it's yet another challenge to share this without my eyes drifting over things that shouldn't be read! LOL! But isn't this cover just gorgeous?! I am SO excited to get a jump on this series!

Shades of Doon releases September 1, 2015  

 

Random Thursday

So moving right along with the Disney factoids, this week's movie is Pocahontas! I remember LOVING this movie as a kid! Granted, my mother later--when I was older and after she took a course on Native Americans--pointed out the gross inaccuracies of the movie. Which I did later learn of. I mean I remember learning a little bit about Pocahontas in school. So it wasn't totally tragic. But still...Meeko was SO COOL!

• Pocahontas is the only Disney Princess with a tattoo.
• Before Meeko, Pocahontas was supposed to have a talking turkey named Redfeather as a sidekick. He was to be voiced by John Candy, but the character was dropped when writers decided they wanted the animals in this film to be mute.
• Christian Bale voiced the character of Thomas in Pocahontas--which I SO didn't know until reading this article!!

Waiting on Wednesday

I hate waiting...

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.

The Wizard left Oz in a hot air balloon—or did he? This digital original novella is the third installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and exciting New York Times bestseller Dorothy Must Die.
Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she's not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She's power-hungry and vicious, and she leaves a trail of destruction beneath her spike-heeled, magical shoes. But she wasn't always in charge. There used to be a different ruler of Oz. Someone who also came from the Other Place, and who stole power for himself. They called him the Wizard.

The story goes that when a young Dorothy revealed the Wizard as a fraud, the man behind the curtain fled Oz in his hot air balloon. But in The Wizard Returns, he wakes in a field of poppies to find out that not only had he never left, but that he has no memory of who—or where—he is. As he undergoes a series of tests to uncover his memories, he finds that the very girl who threw him from the Emerald Palace is in control. And that Oz may be his destiny after all.

The Wizard Returns by Danielle Paige is a dark and compelling reimagining of a beloved classic and is perfect for fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Beastly by Alex Flinn, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire.

SO can't wait for the next novella in the series!! Totally love this series by Danielle! Can't wait for more!!

TITLE: The Wizard Returns
AUTHOR: Danielle Paige
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
GENRE: Fantasy YA
RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2015

Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can't forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he'd signed his own death warrant.

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order's headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember's own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George.

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

YES!!! I need this yesteryear!! Talon was amazing!! The ending explosive and I am dying to see what happens next!!

TITLE: Rogue
AUTHOR: Julie Kagawa
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen
GENRE: Paranormal YA
RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2015 

 

ARC Review--A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Kappes

Another day. Another funeral. Another ghost. Another average day in the life of young funeral home director, Emma Lee Raines. After a perilous run-in with a plastic Santa Claus, Emma Lee, co-owner of Eternal Slumber Funeral Home in Sleepy Hollow, Kentucky, sees the ghost of town gossip Ruthie Sue Payne, who is proving to be a real pain, more so in death than while living. Recently deceased, Ruthie reveals to Emma Lee that her demise wasn't caused by accidentally falling down the steps at the Sleepy Hollow Inn as everyone believes—she was pushed...murdered. In order for the ghost to cross over—and for Emma Lee to be rid of Ruthie for good—she must find a desperate killer...or risk being haunted forever.

I received this ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review.


Tonya Kappes is a new to me author, yet her books have apparently been around for awhile! A Ghostly Undertaking was initially published in 2013 but has been reprinted this year! I love me a good paranormal mystery! Murder mysteries combined with ghosts are just a delight! Though this one has all the right elements to it, I did find myself not quite as enthralled as I had hoped. But it was still an interesting read.

Emma Lee works in a funeral home with her sister, it's a family run business that they are now in charge of after their parents retired. In Sleepy Hollow, Kentucky you get the whole small town feels. Everybody knows everybody's business and secrets are hard to come by. Add in a murderer to this mix and you can expect chaos.

Emma was just trying to tend to Ruthie Sue Payne's funeral services when suddenly Ruthie shows up wearing her pajamas trying to get Emma's attention. This is sort of a first even for Emma. She had an accident some time ago where she got hit on the head, she saw a ghost then but wrote it off as being a side effect from her injury. Now she knows that it had to be real, for Ruthie is standing there shouting that she was murdered, that her death wasn't accidental as claimed.

Emma is sweet character. I would say she might be the typical girl next door type from the South, but don't quote me on that! She's the good girl type, in that she tries to do what's right. She's respectful, has manners and all those other good traits.

She does her best to look into Ruthie's murder, especially when it looks like her own Granny is a suspect. The two of them ran an inn together and now Granny plans to sell it and Ruthie was always against that idea. Emma knows her Granny couldn't have done it, but she has to find the evidence to prove it. 

In comes the sheriff, Jack, who just happens to be Emma's old school days' crush. There are still feelings for him and he's the only one who seems to accept Emma's ability of seeing and talking to ghosts, or Ruthie at least. But Emma's pretty sure he's just being nice because he wants her particular skill to help him solve the murder case.

This was a rather quick read! I probably could've finished it in a day, but other things got in the way. I sort of pegged the murderer down, usually it's just me making a guess with no sound logic behind it and I was right! Sorta! I tend to change my guesses too, but I never really came up with a good second suspect myself! One thing that nagged at me was there was a clue of sorts that only Emma knew about. Ruthie appears to her wearing her pajamas because that's what she died in. Yet when her body was found, she was wearing clothes. It never gets said why the murderer changed her clothes. In fact, that detail gets totally forgotten about when they catch the murderer.

The pacing is what you can expect from a murder mystery read. It was a slow going kind, yet not dreadful. It builds in tension. It was kind of cute seeing Emma playing detective. She tries to do things like on the TV shows and writes a lot of things down. It's practical at least and does help with trying to remember things. Always wonder how the investigators on TV remember all those details without writing all these things down!

Overall it was a cute read. There were a few flaws, like with that one detail I mentioned towards the end. I have the second one to read for review and depending on how that one goes will help me decide if I want to continue the series. It has a bit too much simplicity for me going on, the ghost aspect is by far the most intriguing element that makes it stand out from all the other mystery reads out there.


Overall Rating 3/5 stars


A Ghostly Undertaking (Re)Releases February 24, 2015

BLOG TOUR: ARC Review--Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott

What would you do to save someone you love?

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

I received this ARC for participation in the tour in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review.

Victoria Scott brings us a thrilling conclusion in her duology with Salt & Stone and oh my was this an incredibly exciting, breathtaking, and heart-pounding read! YES, all three adjectives are necessary, because that's exactly what happened! I was excited, short of breath and my heart was constantly pounding!

We pick up pretty much where we leave off, Tella and her friends have completed two out of the four challenges in order to save their loved one's life. There have been great losses and yet, there is still more danger and loss to come. Their next challenge is to cross a treacherous sea and you all know my fear of the ocean since I grew up watching Jaws...and yes, there are sharks in this...Tiger Shark (a what?...LOL!)!

This was seriously my most fearsome of the challenges, firstly, I probably would've died in the jungle the first go around, but I serious doubt I could survive the ocean trip because of my fear of what swims in the water! Tella remains strong though! She's one tough chick and I admire her for that! Yes, she gets scared, doubts herself. She found herself relying heavily on Guy in the first two challenges, but she wants to stand on her own two feet this go around, though it seems like Guy has gotten used to protecting her and wanting her to follow him willingly. This is when Tella, and myself included, start to hate on Guy a little bit. He's too coddling of Tella, like she can't do anything for herself, but she's determined to prove him wrong.

We have new characters and Pandoras in the story as well. Ones that were likely around but we never met. Such as Willow, a young girl, Cotton, a mysterious dude who's quiet and stares oddly at Tella at the best of time, Mr. Larson, an older man who's kind of lazy, but he has a fierceness to him that endears to us as the story moves along...and of course we have the familiar faces of Tell, Guy, Jaxon, Olivia, Braun, and even another familiar face...

Tella continues to amaze me with her bravery and strength. She's a fighter and will do everything possible to save her brother. Her connection with nearly all the Pandoras is another intriguing factoid. She's the most sympathetic with the creatures and they all in turn seem to love her. It's like a twisted version of a Disney princess and her affinity with animal friends! 

The final task has Tella and her friends crossing a very scary mountain covered in snow and the there's still the burning need filling her and Guy to take down the people running the test. And this is where my heart was pounding chapter by chapter! And oh. My. God. That ending was...something! I can't even describe all the emotions I went through in this book. There were tears, lots of tears! There were smiles, lots of smiles. And then there was the anger and rage that filled me when Tella was filled with the same fire.

I must admit I wasn't 100% satisfied with the ending. I was hoping for more closure than what was given. There's a sense of it for sure, but I still feel like I don't know what will happen. And this is it. This is the end! I was hoping for a 100% satisfying ending and I feel only 97% satisfied. I feel like I can imagine what happens, but I don't like to imagine with series endings, I want to know! You know?!

But still, Salt & Stone was as epically as amazing as its predecessor, if not more! Every minute was harrowing and had your heart racing and all the time you wonder, could you actually go through all this to save the life of someone you loved? I'd liked to think I would, but then I know my own strength, physically, and I don't think I would get very far! So despite wanting a few more answers to the ending of this one, it was still one exciting adventure that I was glad to have taken part of!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars--and the little knock off comes from that ending bit I mentioned

Salt & Stone releases February 24, 2015

Victoria Scott is a teen fiction writer represented by Sara Crowe of the Harvey-Klinger Literary Agency. She’s the author of the FIRE & FLOOD series published by Scholastic, and the DANTE WALKER trilogy published by Entangled Teen. Her books have been bought and translated in eleven foreign markets including the UK, Turkey, China, Poland, Israel, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

Victoria lives in Dallas with her husband and hearts cotton candy something fierce.

Website/Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

Week One:

2/16/2015-Mary Had a Little Book Blog-Review

2/17/2015-a GREAT read-Review

2/18/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

2/19/2015- Falling For YA- Review

2/20/2015- Fiction Fare- Review                                

Week Two:

2/23/2015- StuckInBooks- Review

2/24/2015- MEREADALOT- Review

2/25/2015- Reading YA Rocks- Interview

2/26/2015- Curling Up With A Good Book- Review