ARC Review: When We Collided by Emery Lord

When We Collided by Emery Lord
Release Date: April 5th, 2016
Book Format: ARC (thank you Quality Fangirls for the copy!)

We are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know…

Jonah never thought a girl like Vivi would come along.

Vivi didn’t know Jonah would light up her world.

Neither of them expected a summer like this…a summer that would rewrite their futures.

In an unflinching story about new love, old wounds, and forces beyond our control, two teens find that when you collide with the right person at just the right time, it will change you forever.

This book hit me. Really really hard. (In a metaphorical sense, but I suppose if someone actually threw this book at me... it would really hurt). I'm still recovering from it. I think, what I'm feeling right now, this feels like what I imagine a book hangover would feel like. But minus the stomachache which, in all honesty, I'm incredibly grateful for.

I knew mental illness would be discussed in this book but, at the beginning, it felt like... just something normal. In fact, I even recall just thinking 'oh gosh, please don't tell me it's just a typical love story' because I have been finding myself just tired of this cliche. And these two people- Vivi and Jonah- met because one little girl just had to go to an art class (not that I'm against that at all, of course). 

Despite that, I feel like this book pulls you in with a little light nudge until, all of a sudden, the calm suddenly becomes an uncontrollable storm that tears you apart but you stay because the ocean just looks beautiful in its fury.

... You can probably blame Vivi for this vivid explanation. (I also just realized - Vivid. Vivi. That's so perfect because that's how I saw Vivi - vivid and full of color and rainbows that are uncontrollable).

Verona Cove: a place where Jonah has grown in his whole life. For Vivi, Verona Cove is a place to start anew. A home away from home. Vivi just wants to recover from her past. Jonah craves for a future that seems far off now ever since his mom fell into depression.

Somehow, despite their differences, they manage to clash - in a good-bad way (??? I don't know how else to explain it).  Jonah stresses out how she's going to view his family but Vivi found herself brightening everyones' day. A beacon of light. Life is still stressful but, admittingly, it felt less so with her in the picture. The kisses weren't so bad, either, of course.

But Vivi's past is slowly crawling back as she refuses to believe what it in her mind - and drives herself to fix it herself. 

I'm not saying that this book shows a 100% representation of bipolar disorder but that doesn't make it any less worthy. I felt myself brewing in Vivi - potential for irritation even if there is only a sliver of worry for the situation. Overactive happiness to where sleep is no longer an option. Rapid, vivid, uncontrollable thoughts. Finding connection in the smallest of things. Creative imagination - with art and her words.

This barely even scrapes the surface on what I deal with a lot. It is unpredictable a lot of times. Just today, I found myself going through many emotions: optimism, guilt and an overwhelming sadness, calm, irritation over feeling like I'm selfish, not feeling much at all, stressing out and being heavily paranoid, exhaustion. Finally - silence and calm. As far as I know, though, my symptoms are pretty tame in comparison to many others who are bipolar.  

I think this, in itself, should be enough for a little taste in what you should expect from this book. It's not one that you can explain easily with words - When We Collided is one of those books that you just have to experience to understand. When you snag this book - you'll understand why.

Book Review: The Witches of Blackbrook by Tish Thawer

The Witches of BlackBrook (Witches of BlackBrook #1) by Tish Thawer
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2015
Format: Kindle

Through space and time, sisters entwined. Lost then found, souls remain bound.

Three sisters escape the Salem witch trials when the eldest casts a spell that hurtles their souls forward through time. After centuries separated, fate has finally reunited them in the present day.

One the healer, one the teacher, and one the deceiver.

Will their reunion return their full powers, or end their souls journey forever?

A Witches of BlackBrook novel.

Huge thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for giving me my own ecopy of this book in return for a honest review!

This is an interesting concept that really caught my eye. It does help that I am interested in books related to witches (yeah, yeah, I'm sure you guys have heard this from me a lot by now) and I liked that it involves three sisters fated to be together again in the future after their deaths at the Salem witch trials.

Now the girls have been reborn in the present US. They have been reborn in many time frames before this one but the sisters have yet to truly be together all this time. Because of this, they keep being reincarnated closer towards the future. This time, though, both sisters Trin and Kit are determined to finally reunite their third sister with them. They're still witches, just like their former incarnation, and they use their powers for their daily lives and for guidance to finding that third sister. They have to find each other - they have to.

Things start to go uphill, though, when one of the sisters have a connection with one of her clients at a spa job - one that normally indicates that they're of a magical connection and could be one of her sisters. Even though the last time she felt this certain connection during this lifetime ended up being a dud, she still finds herself determined to reconnect with this new person.

Now - on to one of the details that have irked me ever since I've even read this book: the characters' way of blending into their new environment as if they were born there. I know this sounds a bit tricky. It's a bit confusing because, as far as I know, it doesn't really state whether they're reincarnated as an actual infant and grow like a normal human or if they're automatically reincarnated as an adult. I don't even know if this line of reasoning makes even an ounce of sense. If it's the former, then I can see how they can fit in easily in the modern world as they actually grew up in it (but... how do they retain even a little bit of their memories?). If it's the latter, then... well, I'm still confused.

The point is - much of the backstory has been left to interpretation. The book doesn't really explain much on how reincarnation works in this instance. I know that the oldest sister cast a spell to keep all three sisters' souls bound, but I don't know what that really entails entirely. I know they don't recall most of their past lives, so what they do remember they hold on to, but how do they just... know their past and when do they recall that they have a interest in spells?

Another thing that remains constant is that they aren't the only three people being reincarnated into the next life. Why is that? Whyyyyyyy?

I know I'm overthinking a lot of things, which is why I decided not to let this train of thought affect the overall opinion on this book. Despite all of the information that I feel like that have been held back from me, I still felt pulled into the world with these girls and their story. I love it. I highly recommend it - I just want more backstory.

The plot twist though - the plot twist!! I never saw it coming and I'm sure future readers won't see it coming either. It really ties things together when it comes to the main arc and... yeah, I think it's awesome.

If you're looking for an adventure centered around three strong female leads, which does involve a love interest but it's not as emphasized compared to other teen fiction books, I would highly recommend it. Get it!

Book Review: The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

The Crimson Crown (Seven Realms #4) by Cinda Williams Chima
Published Date: October 23rd, 2012
Format: Library Copy

A thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed-Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love.

Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana'Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells' inner turmoil, Raisa's best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she's falling in love.

Through a complicated web of lies and unholy alliances, former streetlord Han Alister has become a member of the Wizard Council of the Fells. Navigating the cut-throat world of blue blood politics has never been more dangerous, and Han seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it?

A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series.

 

Oh wow. Wow.

Those words are a pretty accurate example on how I felt about this book. I loved the previous books in the series but definitely no where as much as I loved this book. That's a first for me I think.  I guess the only complaint is that... where was this sort of atmosphere in the previous three books?

Alright, so Raisa is finally queen... and her life still refuses to slow down. Despite her determination to make her kingdom better than before, it seems like there's plenty of forces that are more than happy to drag her down even further - including a conflict that resides inside her own castle. Meanwhile, Han finally made it on the Wizard Council as a spokesperson for the Queen herself. Despite the Queen choosing him herself, the danger still lurks as the Bayers try their best to destroy him. It certainly helps that there are now new crimes linked to Han - and due to his past, there's no doubt in anyone's mind: once a streetlord, always a street lord. 

There's no one to trust and the kingdom is slowly falling apart. Can Han and Raisa manage to restore peace without starting a full out war?

There are many things stacked against the both of them. You would think that Raisa would be protected from death threats but even the Bayer family wants to take the throne back and rule rather than just being a part of the Wizard Council. Micah still struggles to become Raisa's husband and king. The alternative, however, is Fiona Bayer to become Queen... and that's certainly the bloodier option. Han is seen only as trouble and the only way to resolve of him is to kill him.

On top of that, you'll finally get to learn much more about the story of Hanalea and Alger Waterlow - and it's not like the ones Han read through the history books. There's magic, politics, romance, and mystery... and it is wonderful.

To truly take in what's going on in this book, you should really read it. Sometimes it's just better to let the actual writing to talk for itself... in a metaphorical sense. If you've been on the fence about reading this... I'd do it.

Speaking of... there's a new book coming out that I've heard, is set a little bit after The Crimson Crown. I think it's twenty years in the future. There was an earlier date - about Fall 2015 - but now its anticipated release date is March 2016.

A burning vengeance

Adrian sul'Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. The son of the queen of the Fells, Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he's ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life, but to take it?

A blood-based curse

Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would one day make her a target. But when the King's Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any curse. Though Jenna doesn't know why she's being hunted, she knows that she can't get caught.

Destiny's fiery hand

Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the ruthless king, Ash and Jenna will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Sounds like your thing? Add it on Goodreads right now and keep a watch on when it'll be released. I'm certainly excited for it!

Dual Book Review: House of the Rising Sun and City of Eternal Night by Kristen Painter

House of the Rising Sun (Crescent City #1) by Kristen Painter
Publication Date: May 13th, 2014
Format: Library book.

Augustine lives the perfect life in the Haven city of New Orleans. He rarely works a real job, spends most of his nights with a different human woman, and resides in a spectacular Garden District mansion paid for by retired movie star Olivia Goodwin, who has come to think of him as an adopted son, providing him room and board and whatever else he needs.

But when Augustine returns home to find Olivia's been attacked by vampires, he knows his idyllic life has comes to an end. It's time for revenge—and to take up the mantle of the city's Guardian.

 I'm thankful for Netgalley existing. But, then again, what book lover wouldn't like a website where it's centered around free eARCs (advanced reading copies) for review. I'm sure a lot of people would agree with me. It's even better, though, when you discovered a new series that you immensely love and suddenly you're enraptured in this new world and you're just like 'I want to read more!' so you frantically search for the authors' previous books and finally break down and request it as an inter library loan and are willing to pay $2 if the book has to be sent from another library out of state and--

Wow. This is probably the worst run-on sentence that I've ever created. Imagine if I actually had a paid editor to take a look at my book reviews. Well... for one, I imagine they would be much more well versed and they would probably have a headache. I would at least get a lot of messages with a lot of deep sighs.

Harlow spent her life thinking she was no where close to being a fae. In fact, she truly only knew about her mother who was as much human as anyone else: Olivia Goodwin. They don't talk that often and, in fact, one of the biggest reasons why she decided to approach her mother in the first place is because she owes money to get out of jail. She was caught trying to hack a computer program, which happens to be her special talent: manipulating electronics just by touching it. Without the money, though, she's stuck in jail for a long while.

She only managed to get in contact with her mother once before she was killed by an unknown person. Suddenly, she finds herself owning a piece of her mother's estate alongside a stranger that she never met. The hope to sell it off to save herself from jail suddenly disappears in one moment. But even this starts a series of events that forces her to face her own heritage and her past.

Meanwhile, Augustine spent his life relaxing and living with Olivia. He's not her true son but he certainly thinks of her as his mother. At least she treated him like a person more than his actual mother did. But when she dies, he decides not to just sit aside and let the 'police' work on the problem. He decides to take the matter in his own hands... and now a young girl, Harlow, became part of a thorn he never expected to find.

Ahhhhh!! I'm a huge fanatic for urban fantasy books like this. I would be lying if I said that I didn't fall for the book cover for the third book which also led me to do more research on the series. I'm glad that I decided to request it in the first place because it led me to checking out the first two books at the library and reading it just changed my outlook on urban fantasy.

In other words, I'm saying everyone should read more Kristen Painter books because the writing is beautiful. I didn't even remotely care about the multiple point of views in it because it added in that much more depth in this story. So much love, passion, and time has been placed in this book and you can definitely tell. In fact, I can confidently say that Kristen Painter is on my automatic to-buy author list. I love it.

What are you doing? Buy her books. BUY THEM NOW!!!

City of Eternal Night (Crescent City #2) by Kristen Painter

Publication Date: December 2nd, 2014

Format: Library book

Magic and mystery collide in this second installment of the new urban fantasy series by House of Comarre author Kristen Painter.

Still coming to terms with their unexpected partnership, Augustine and Harlow have a tentative truce. With Harlow slowly working to accept being fae, Augustine still learning how to be Guardian, and feelings growing on both sides though, they do not have an easy road ahead.

But when a young girl is stolen from the Mardi Gras Exemplar Ball -- the biggest far event of the year -- Harlow and Augustine must put all their issues aside to bring her home alive. Harlow's father, Braziano, is of course their number one suspect, but evil lurks in every corner of the city and time is running out. Their only choices: Either find a way to rescue the girl, or Augustine must die.

Fae magic is a wonderful thing. It can be dangerous as well but, hey, if it can create an outfit that looks just as lovely as the one Harlow wears, it can't be all that bad... right? Riiiiiight??

Harlow recently learned that she is of fae heritage and that her father is an asshole. Man, you can tell just how awesome family's in this series... (note the sarcasm if it doesn't translate properly through this text). She's spending her time learning how to control her powers as well as learning how her powers can be used. Other than Harlow's and Augustine's slow descent with falling in love with each other, things are... sort of coming together in the end...

That is until after the Mardi Gras Exemplar Ball. There's always a sort of play where the daughter of an important figure gets kidnapped but nothing truly happens to her. It's all part of the entertainment. But when the kidnapping suddenly becomes all too real, Augustine finds himself deep in spending all of his time as a Guardian trying to find her and take her home safely. But it's a difficult task... and the girl's father is becoming incredibly impatient and with the kidnapper randomly sending parts of this young girl... the deadline is tight. 

There are only two answers: find the girl or kill Augustine for her freedom.

Another wonderful adventure written by a wonderful author. I'm so enamored with this world that I'm not even sure how to accurately portray how I feel about this book. Wonderful world building. I mean, it connected with the former series, House of Commare, especially since it brought back older characters. I didn't know that til after I finished reading the second book. (Speaking of, look forward to the future review of Blood Rights and Flesh and Blood, hint hint...) In my opinion, if I ever managed to publish a series of book that I'm passionate about, I want it to be just like this. Clearly not exactly like this but I want it to show that there was a lot of passion put into my work. I want to be able to make it clear that I spent lots of time developing this world and my characters. That's one of my dreams.

I hope this, at least, gives even a tiny bit of an idea on how much I love this series. It gives a fresh breath of air in the urban fantasy genre and I love it. Give me more. Give meeeeeeee!!! Asdfghjkl--

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