Review | Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles, #1) by Kresley Cole

Series: The Arcana Chronicles, #1

Pages: 369

Date Released: October 2, 2012

    

 She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen-year-old Evangeline "Evie" Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they're still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux. But she can't do either alone. With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can't totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him? Who can Evie trust? As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it's not always clear who is on which side.


     This woman is a genius. Poison Princess was a completely unique world of art. It belongs in the Louvre. First of all, the plot. Never have I ever read a book that centered around Tarot cards. In fact, I’ve never even thought about it, which is more than I can say about other books I’ve read. She completed the masterpiece by ensuring that the concept was whole-hardly explained and followed through in every wonderful page.
     I loved Evie. She was the most perfect girl for this story ever. I loved her attitude. She was straightforward, but innocent. She accepted things easily and dealt with them accordingly. It was all cut and dry with her. Except when Jack comes into the picture that is….
     Jack was another one of Kresley’s ideas that hit the nail directly on the head. He’s Cajun. Have you ever heard of such a book boyfriend? I haven’t!! Honestly, though, Jack would have totally pissed me off. He was really a jerk. Sometimes he acted like a little girl, insulting Evie when he couldn’t get his way and pointing out her flaws all the time! And there is this part in the book that really brings me to tears with how badly he hurts her feelings! But, God I loved him.
     Along with those great characters, Kresley also has perfect writing skills. The book is mostly a giant flashback with flashbacks within it. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? It isn’t though! All the scenes happen perfectly. They all aligned in the right place and cause absolutely no confused like other books that do the same. The translations were simple, too. They added to Jackson’s appeal, by letting me hear his voice and understand at the same time, without taking away from all the action.
     In conclusion, I could spend hours talking about a book this great! Just like a beautiful painting, Poison Princess leaves you guessing along the entire journey. But makes you want to scream when understanding of how marvelous it truly is hits you.

Author Website

Goodreads

Review & Giveaway | Radiance (Riley Bloom, #1) by Alyson Noel

Series: Riley Bloom

Pages: 183

Date Released: August 31, 2010

Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When she’s summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who’s definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley’s first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley . . .

With only 183 pages, this book was the complete definition of the quick read. However, the entire ride was very enjoyable. Riley started the book as the worst little brat, honestly. She was completely ungrateful of everything being presented to her. As the book goes along, she grows incredibly quickly as she learns that she her own person. She is not defined by Ever and she will never be just Ever's little sister, but so much more. Her skills grow with her awesome guide, Bodhi, which I think will develop into a cute, little romance as the series goes on. 

For some reason, I thought this book was more young adult than it actually was. It has more of a middle grade feel, which was quite obvious with the characters being 12 and 14. For this reason, I don't think I will continue this series, regardless of how much I enjoyed Riley.

Author Website

Goodreads

The giveaway will end on December 31, 2013 at 11:59 PM.

Review | Bad Girls Don't Die (Bad Girls Don't Die, #1) by Katie Alender

Series: Bad Girls Don't Die
Pages: 352
Date Released: 2009

     When Alexis's little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks she is just being her usual weird self. Things get weirder, though, when their house starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner blasts cold air. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green, she starts using old-fashioned language, and she forgets chunks of time. Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey's shoulder. The formerly gentle child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?


     As you can tell from my blog, I have been in the worst reading slump in my entire life. This year has been an absolute fail with me only reading less than 60 books! That's unheard of for me! Anyway, Bad Girls Don't Die may have risen me from the cemetery of bad books. I liked and disliked Alexis. She was kinda hypocritical. She had opinions about everybody acting like someone they're not, when she was doing the exact same thing. I had an awesome time watching her grow though. I loved her personality of individuality. She was just too quick to judge people.
     Kasey was also a wonderful character. She was a bit....eccentric for a normal thirteen-year old, but normal is overrated anyway. She really felt like nobody liked her which is why she was so susceptible to being possesseed. Her "visitor" was very scary and creepy. I couldn't imagine being in Alexis's shoes.
     The main thing that made this book so awesome was the writing. Katie was incredibly detailed and vivid in her descriptions. She made me feel like I was a fly on the wall during every chapter, getting a firsthand view of everything going on! The action was never-ending, too. The ghost stirred up some major trouble and the plot thickens with every turn of the pages. I loved the complex back story that came out as the story went on. All in all, my expectations went out of the window with this book and I hope to have them flee again when I read the sequels!

Author Website

Goodreads