Hexbound by Chole Neill

Book Summery:

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turns out, even a little magic can turn you to the dark side. That’s why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities, on top of avoiding the snobs who think they run her school, nursing a crush on a cute sophomore with a big, werewolf-y secret, and fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago’s nastiest nightlife—including the tainted magic users known as Reapers.

Then Lily’s invited to a private meeting with Sebastian. He’s hot, powerful, and offering to help her harness the magic flowing in her veins in a way no one else can. He’s also a Reaper. Lily can’t hide her suspicions. But she’ll soon find out that the line between good and evil isn’t always clear…-goodreads.com

Book Review:
Chole Neill has done it again! I found her second second installment of The Dark Elite series to be memorizing, enchanting, and action-packed. While I enjoyed Firespell (review), the majority of the book contained world-building and left us off with a huge cliffhanger ending. In short, it was a pretty good first-of-a-series-type-book, but left me wanting more. That's where Hexbound comes in. The story jump-starts on page one, and keeps going throughout the entire book. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I love Lily and her band of friends, supernatural and not. They're all great characters with vivid unique qualities. I still think there's more to Lesley than meets the eye...but that's another discussion all in itself. The mystery of the "rats" makes for a great plot, and meeting new adepts who help solve the mystery was a great way to introduce more vivid, lovable characters. Overall, Neill has won me over. I'll continue reading more of the series, as she releases them. I also want to finally pick up the Chicagoland Vampire series. If they're half as good as The Dark Elite series, I won't be disappointed!

Favorite Quote:

"Scout blew out a dramatic breath that puffed out her cheeks, grabbed Michael's hand, and pulled him down the hall. 'Fine. Have a hot make out session, But we're going to be like twenty feet down the hallway. I hope they get eaten by one of those headless horsemen.' She muttered. 'Or the Chicago version, anyway.'

As they walked down the hallway, I kept my glaze on them, still too nervous to look at Jason.

'What would that be exactly?' I heard Michael ask.

'What would what be?'

'The Chicago version of the headless horseman?'

'Oh, I don't know. Maybe a fangless vampire? Or-or a werewolf with mange?'

'We can still hear you!' Jason called out. 'And werewolves don't have mange!' (p. 18-19)

Cover Art Commentary:
Love the dark background with just a few highlights from Lily's "spark." Very fitting. Looks great next to Firespell, the first book in the series.

Overall Rating:

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Book Summery:

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.
Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.
Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, Birthmarked explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code. -goodreads.com

Book Review:
I had read a few mixed reviews of Birthmarked, but I honestly didn't know what I was in store for. O'Brien creates a solemn future, in which most of our natural resources are gone. People must work hard for small rations of protein and water, if you live outside of the Enclave, that is. The Enclave is a utopian society gone wrong. Within the first chapter, Gaia's life is turned upside down and she embarks on a journey to save her parents. Along the way, Gaia is transformed from a naive teenager to a strong young woman who quickly learns reality's harsh lessons and in turn, finds her inner strength. As most dystopian reads, the story can be depressing at times. O'Brien did a good job of keeping Gaia hopeful through countless hopeless situations. I enjoyed as a whole Birthmarked. A few things kept this novel from reaching a five star rating, at least through my eyes. I think the overall plot could have been a little fuller. There was a lot of action, which was enjoyable, but once something was discovered, I felt the characters were onto the next task at hand, instead of exploring the present situation fully. Also, I felt like ending was a bit anticlimactic. I would have liked to see the story go a bit future before its conclusion. However, these are minor issues and did not subtract from the story. Readers who enjoyed Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale and Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games will be sure to enjoy Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien. For more info, check out the author's website.

Favorite Quote:
"'Once I'm gone, be careful who you trust. Use your wits, Gaia,' the woman said. 'Remember we're all vulnerable. Especially if we love someone.'" (p. 13)

Cover Art Commentary:
The best feature of this cover, are the colors. I like the somber blue and gray background with a hint of color. It resembles a chance for hope against all odds.

Overall Rating:

It's that time of year again...

My birthday! :) On a somewhat unrelated note, those cupcakes look delicious, even though they aren't real! :P

Book Bundle

Hexbound by Chloe Neill

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turns out, even a little magic can turn you to the dark side. That’s why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities, on top of avoiding the snobs who think they run her school, nursing a crush on a cute sophomore with a big, werewolf-y secret, and fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago’s nastiest nightlife—including the tainted magic users known as Reapers.

Then Lily’s invited to a private meeting with Sebastian. He’s hot, powerful, and offering to help her harness the magic flowing in her veins in a way no one else can. He’s also a Reaper. Lily can’t hide her suspicions. But she’ll soon find out that the line between good and evil isn’t always clear…-goodreads.com

Matched by Ally Condie
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. -goodreads.com
Shadowspell by Jenna Black

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind? -goodreads.com
Choker by Elizabeth Woods
Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria. Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in. But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger? -Simon and Shuster

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.
As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever? -goodreads.com
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

The only one who escaped . . . And the one who could destroy them all.
Incarceron, the living prison, has lost one of its inmates to the outside world: Finn’s escaped, only to find that Outside is not at all what he expected. Used to the technologically advanced, if violently harsh, conditions of the prison, Finn is now forced to obey the rules of Protocol, which require all people to live without technology. To Finn, Outside is just a prison of another kind, especially when Claudia, the daughter of the prison’s warden, declares Finn the lost heir to the throne. When another claimant emerges, both Finn’s and Claudia’s very lives hang on Finn convincing the Court of something that even he doesn’t fully believe.
Meanwhile, Finn’s oathbrother Keiro and his friend Attia are still trapped inside Incarceron. They are searching for a magical glove, which legend says Sapphique used to escape. To find it, they must battle the prison itself, because Incarceron wants the glove too. -goodreads.com

Source: All of these were bought at my local indie bookstore.

Most Anticipated: Sapphique by Catherine Fisher. Though, I'll admit I'm a bit nervous. I've read mixed reviews of this. However, Incarcerion was so good, I just can't help myself! :P

Year In Review 2010

Books Read in 2010:
Windfall by Rachel Caine 5/5
Firestorm by Rachel Caine 5/5
Thin Air by Rachel Caine 5/5
Gale Force Rachel Caine 5/5
Cape Storm Rachel Caine 5/5
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson 5/5
Firespell by Chloe Neill 4/5
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 5/5
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper 5/5
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper 5/5
Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper 5/5
The Puzzle Ring by Kate Forsyth 5/5
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher 5/5
Fallen by Lauren Kate 5/5
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent 4/5
The Mark by Jenn Nadol 4/5
Original Sin by Allison Brennan 5/5
All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab 5/5
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 5/5
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane 3/5
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson 4/5
Shadowglass by Erica Hayes 3/5
Soulless by Gail Carriger 5/5
Changeless by Gail Carriger 5/5
The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan 4/5
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier 4/5
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins 5/5
Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles 4/5
Succubi Like It Hot by Jill Myles 4/5
For Keeps by Natasha Friend 5/5
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott 5/5
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 5/5
Graceling by Kristin Cashore 5/5
Fire by Kristin Cashore 5/5
Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine 3/5
The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia 3/5
White Cat (The Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black 5/5
Dead in the Family (Southern Vampire Mysteries #10) by Charlaine Harris 3/5
Morpheus Road: The Light by D. J. MacHale 4/5
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 5/5
Beastly by Alex Flinn 4/5
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kawaga 5/5
The Line by Teri Hall 5/5
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld 4/5
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 4/5
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway 5/5
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting 5/5
Blameless by Gail Carriger 5/5
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler 5/5
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White 5/5
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 5/5
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 5/5
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff4/5
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway 4/5
Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon 5/5
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 5/5
The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade 4/5
Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala 5/5
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer 5/5
Being Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram 4/5

Total number of books Read: 60

Books read from TBR list: 13Windfall by Rachel Caine
Firestorm by Rachel Caine
Thin Air by Rachel Caine
Gale Force Rachel Caine
Cape Storm Rachel Caine
Firespell by Chloe Neill
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper
Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Series Completed:
The Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs series by Molly Harper
The Graceling series by Kristin Cashore
The Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine