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Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she’ll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters’ laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

When I first saw the first book in Chapters, I didn’t really know what to think. It was the cover that actually drew me in (the old cover that is). At first it was slow, and like any other paranormal YA fiction novel you read now a days. The first few chapters were just set up for a I smell a love triangle brewing in the future of the book. Though, the series is so much more than just a romance between three people. It’s more like a coming of age story. The struggles Calla has to go through to protect her family, her pack and most of all herself. As well as the normal struggles a regular teenage girl would face in her day to day life. It’s much, much more than just a werewolf story. It’s full of on the edge of your seat moments. There’s a lot of unexpected turns. This trilogy is an excellent read. If you like fluffy moments, angsty moments, and just girls being bad ass? This trilogy is a must read.

1. Nightshade.

2. Wolfsbane.
3. Bloodrose.
   

REVIEW: Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.  

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.  

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war— and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.  

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. 

Originally this got my attention because I thought oh, her touch can kill! How Rouge! For weeks it sat on my shelf but after finishing another book I was wondering, what the hell can I read next? Shatter Me was really shiny and let’s face it, I’m a kid so I grabbed off of my shelf and dove right in. 

I was hooked immediately. The writing style is what got me. It’s first person but it’s like being inside of Juliette’s fractured mind. It seems like you’re reading a diary, almost. Now, I said almost. While Juliette has a notebook, that’s not what we’re reading. It’s talked about a lot in the beginning, then some after the middle, but it’s not what we’re reading. These are her uttermost thoughts and at times they’re fractured, fast, jumbled, or clear. Also, the use of strike throughs is fabulous. You get to know Juliette even more. You are inside of her mind. I’ve never read a book that used this strike through technique. It’s new, it’s fresh and it is so, so wonderful.

YA dystopia is a genre on fire. It’s everywhere now with The Hunger Games, Divergent, Gone, etc, but this book, ladies and gents, is so so great it kind of puts them all to shame. Yes, even THG. To me, anyway. Shatter Me has elements of The Hunger Games but also of XMen. You begin to realize there are superheroes in a world gone mad. In a country where the government (The Reestablishment) is a bucket of corrupted lies. Where the citizens are cold and broken. But in all dystopias, there is hope. 

As in all dystopias, in most YAs, there is a romance. Of course there’s a romance. But I find Juliette and Adam so refreshing, so different from most of the ones out there now. I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes every so often at them as I find with even ships I love. Adam needs Juliette as much as she needs him. It’s a perfectly crafted romance that made me have to put the book down and go find someone - or Twitter - to gush about. Because damn, it gave me all of the feelings and then some. That hasn’t happened in a while, YA ship book wise. 

The plot is wonderful. Not too slow and not too fast. It’s just the right pacing that leaves you staying up till 4 in the morning wondering where the last four hours of your life have gone. There are twists, turns, action and romance, all structured superbly. Then there’s the characters. You will fall for each one in their own way, mark my words. Even Sector leader, Waren. Is he a monster? Is he human? Is he misunderstood? Or is he insane? I’m still not sure.

There is no cliffhanger with this book. There is a wonderful ending that will lead right into the sequel set to come out in Feb. 2013. That wait is going to be torture, let me tell you. But I’m sure I will re-read this book many times over between then.

Rating: ★★★★★
Book 8 of 50 for the 50 book challenge of 2012

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody- notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie’s seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime. She can’t tell anybody about what she does — they’d never believe her, or worse, they’d think she’s a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn’t want and can’t control. Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else’s twisted psyche. She is a participant….

I got the first book in this series as a birthday gift from a family member, and at first I never really thought anything of it. I wasn’t really sure if I’d like it. The description didn’t ‘speak’ to me so to say. Flipping through it, the writing style kind of turned me off the series for awhile, so it just sat on my bookshelf until I decided to give it a try. I was so wrong about it. Lisa McMann’s writing style is a breath of fresh air, as well are these books. The story is so unusual, and nothing like I’ve ever read before in YA Fiction. Being a fast paced, nail biting read I highly recommend this trilogy. While it seems more on the supernatural side of things, this novel touches base with real life teenage problems. Life itself, love, friendship and the hardships of day to day life in the view of a teenage girl. It’s a novel that will have you on the edge of your seat - wondering what the hell will happen next. I’ve re-read these books at least four times, and every time I do, I enjoy them even more. I highly, highly recommend this Trilogy. As well as Lisa McMann’s latest YA novel ‘Cryer’s Cross’. These books will defiantly leave you wanting more.

1. Wake.
2. Fade.
3. Gone.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the other districts in line by forcing them to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death on live TV. One boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and sixteen are selected by lottery to play. The winner brings riches and favor tohis or her district. But that is nothing compared to what the Capitol wins: one more year of fearful compliance with its rule. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her impoverished district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

About a year ago a friend of mine suggested that I read these books. She loved them and said that I would probably too. I think within the first two chapters I was more than hooked into the book. It was probably one of the most emotional books that I have ever read to this date. Not to mention one of the best dystopian stories I’ve read as well. The story really pulls you in, and makes you feel for these characters. Now, with the movie coming out I’m sure more and more people are probably going to read the series - and I highly encourage them to do so. The Hunger Games is one of my favourite series. It’s a book series that actually makes you think. It makes you wonder what would happen if we lived in a society like that? Will the future be like that? Overall it’s a book series that should not be looked over. You won’t regret this read at all!

1. The Hunger Games.
2. Catching Fire.
3. Mocking Jay.
   

VAMPIRE ACADEMY SERIES

Two races of vampires walk our world. One, the Moroi, are alive and wield elemental magical. The other, the Strigoi, are undead and evil—feeding on the innocent to survive. Rose Hathaway—a half-vampire with poor impulse control—is training to be a bodyguard for a Moroi princess. Learning to decapitate and stake is hard enough, but Rose’s real danger may lie in an illicit romance with one of her instructors…

I discovered this series about three/four years ago. At first I didn’t think much about the first installment. I found it to be slow paced and somewhat boring. As I read on it pulled me in further and further until it reached the point where I couldn’t put the book down. The characters are relatable(minus the whole vampire thing!), you find yourself feeling their emotions and rooting for certain characters. It’s an action packed, emotional series. If you like a little romance in your fiction, expect to find a lot of it stuffed in there as well. Richelle Mead’s world of vampires is certainly a great read.

1. Vampire Academy.
2. Frostbite.
3. Shadow Kiss.
4. Blood Promise.
5. Spirit Bound.
6. Last Sacrifice. 

Again, if you liked this series and enjoyed the world and writing styles of Richelle Mead - I encourage you all to check her spin off series of Vampire Academy entitled “Bloodlines”. It follows a few of the old characters. With a new narrator, storylines and twists and turns - it’s worth checking out!

THE DARKEST POWERS TRILOGY

Chloe Saunders sees dead people. Yes, like in the films. The problem is, in real life saying you see ghosts gets you a one-way ticket to the psych ward. And at 15, all Chloe wants to do is fit in at school and maybe get a boy to notice her. But when a particularly violent ghost haunts her, she gets noticed for all the wrong reasons. Her seemingly crazed behaviour earns her a trip to Lyle House, a centre for disturbed teens. At first Chloe is determined to keep her head down. But then her room mate disappears after confessing she has a poltergeist, and some of the other patients also seem to be manifesting paranormal behaviour. Could that be a coincidence? Or is Lyle House not quite what it seems…? Chloe realizes that if she doesn’t uncover the truth, she could be destined for a lifetime in a psychiatric hospital. Or could her fate be even worse…? Can she trust her fellow students, and does she dare reveal her dark secret?

I came across this series about two and a half years ago after I finished reading a few of Kelley Armstrong’s adult novels from her series “Women of the Otherworld”. After being roped in by her writing style, I decided to give “The Darkest Powers” trilogy a shot. Immediately you’re thrown into a story that has you on the edge of your seat. It’s a fast and easy read, that leaves you wanting more. With an amazing writing style, storylines that rope you in from page one - these books are defiantly worth the read!

1. The Summoning.
2. The Awakening. 
3. The Reckoning.

Also, if you have read and enjoyed Kelley Armstrong’s novels I highly encourage you to check out her new YA series. A take on the books above with all new characters and storylines. You won’t regret it!