Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Afterworlds
By Scott Westerfeld
Published: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 608
Format: Hardcover
4 stars

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… 

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

*Novel provided by Simon Pulse via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Opening Thoughts

I am not the biggest Scott Westerfeld fan.  I found his Uglies series, to be just okay.  However, this book very much impressed me.  It's about an 18-year-old girl named Darcy, who wrote a novel during NaNoWriMo her junior year of high school.  She manages to get a publishing contract for a couple hundred thousand dollars, so she decided to put off college, and move to New York City to become a "real writer".  It follows her journey through the publishing process, and everything that comes with it.  I loved this story.  As a writer who would love to one day be published, but has been feeling kind of slumpy recently, it was super inspirational to me.  This was an easy 5 stars for me.  Then, you also get to read Darcy's book, entitled Afterworlds.  This is about a girl named Lizzie who is involved in a terrorist attack in an airport, and manages to think her way dead, or into the "afterworld".  She then becomes a psychopomp, someone who guides souls into the spirit world.  This book fell a little flat for me and I think it was more of a 3 star rating for me.

Characters

I did quite like Darcy.  She's definitely not anywhere close to reaching my favorite protag list, but she was still an enjoyable character for me to read about.  I think that she was maybe a little bit immature for her age.  I mean, she's eighteen, and she thinks that she can live on $17 a day.  Didn't she take money management classes in high school?  Darcy is diverse, she's both Indian, and lesbian, though Darcy's family doesn't actually practice any Hindu cultures, so I kind of felt like Westerfeld was being lazy by having his main character be Indian, but not having to write in anything that would separate them from someone who was white, or Hispanic, or black.

Imogen felt kind of flat to me.  She didn't really have a whole lot of a personality.  I didn't like how secretive she was, and how she put Darcy down a lot, and not in a joking manner.  I realize that she didn't mean to do it, but she did, and it didn't resonate well with me.

I didn't like Lizzie as much as Darcy.  She was fine, I didn't dislike her, I just didn't particularly like her.  She didn't act as if she had been through a terrorist attack.  I felt like it should have affected her a lot more than it did.  Another thing that really irritated with me was that she had this "cold space inside of her", which seems way too similar to all of the new adult books that I've been reading lately, where a tragic accident has happened in their past and now they won't let themselves feel anything, or they "can't" feel anything.  That's not really a fault with the novel itself, but more of a personal issue that I probably wouldn't have had a problem with had I not read a plethora of NA in the past couple of weeks.

I think that it's possible that Scott Westerfeld wasn't writing Lizzie's story as Scott Westerfeld, but rather as Darcy.  A lot of the things that Lizzie did seemed a lot different from Scott Westerfeld's usual style, but would make sense for a first-time author such as Darcy.  I don't know if that's what he was trying to do or not, but if he was, then kudos to him, because I think that that's pretty clever.

""Exactly.  So I figured that the Angelina Jolie Paradox applies."

Darcy glanced at Carla, who looked equally confused.

"The what now?"

Sagan cleared his throat.  "You know when you're watching a movie starring Angelina Jolie?  And the character she's playing looks just like Angelina Jolie, right?  

"Um, yes.  Because that's who she is."

"No, she's a regular person in that world, not a movie star.  But the other characters never mention that she looks exactly like Angelina Jolie.  No one ever walks up to her on the street and says, 'Can I have your autograph?'"

"Because that would mess up the movie," Carla said.

"Exactly.  So when you cast Angelina Jolie in a film, you're creating an alternate universe in which actress Angelina Jolie does not exist.  Because otherwise people would be noticing the resemblance all the time.  This is what I call the Angelina Jolie Paradox.""

"There's no safety in ignorance."

"Only death is forever and even it changes over time."

Plot

The plot of Darcy's story was brilliant.  I was so fascinated by every, single thing that Darcy experienced in the publishing process.  I was a little bit bored by some of the scenes with Darcy and Imogen, and their relationship drama, especially since I felt like their supposed "love", that was totally insta-love, by the way, wasn't really real.  I didn't believe in it, so it was frustrating how wrapped up Darcy seemed in Imogen, even though it seemed that Imogen didn't care half as much for Darcy as Darcy claimed that she felt for Imogen.  I still would have given this story 5 stars on its own, though.

Lizzie's story was less than impressive.  It was bland, and uninteresting a lot of the time, and I found myself skimming over a lot of these sections, which is probably the only reason that I managed to finish this book so quickly.  It's a very unoriginal paranormal romance, that had very few new ideas.  I personally think that this book would have been a lot better if Scott Westerfeld had just cut Lizzie's story altogether, or only added a few excerpts from Darcy's book, a la Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl.


Overall, I did very much enjoy this book.  This review may have seemed as if I was bashing this book, but I can assure you that that wasn't my intention.  This book wasn't the best I've ever read, but I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading!  Let me know if your excited for this book!  You've only got three weeks to wait!

Amber

Virgin by Radhika Sanghani

Virgin
By Radhika Sanghani
Published: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 304
Format: Ebook
4 stars

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Okay, I admit it…I didn’t do it.

Yet.

This is normal, right?  I mean, just because everyone I know has talked like they’ve already done it doesn’t mean that they’re telling the truth…right?

It’s not like I’m asking for that much. I don’t need the perfect guy. I don’t need candlelight or roses. Honestly, I don’t even need a real bed.

The guys I know complain that girls are always looking for Mr. Right—do I have to wear a sign that says I’m only looking for Mr. Right Now?

Sooooo…anyone out there want sex? Anyone? Hello? Just for fun?

I am not going to die a virgin. One way or another I am going to make this happen.

Hey, what have I got to lose? Besides the obvious.

*Novel provided by Berkley via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Opening Thoughts

Oh my gosh, this book was wonderful.  I think that everyone who thinks that chick-lit can't be written well should read this book, because it is solid proof that that isn't true.  This book has me convinced that Radhika Sanghani is a mind reader, because I don't know how she could possibly put every thought I've ever had into words on a page.  I feel like this book should be some kind of Bible to teen girls everywhere because whether you like it or not, all girls think about these things, and this book does such a beautiful job of dealing with it.  I'm not going to say these things because I try to keep this blog on a PG level, and this book goes above that.  

Characters

Ellie is a virgin.  A 21-year-old virgin.  And it kind of sucks that she is incredibly ashamed of that and is actively seeking a one night stand to remedy it.  I think it's pretty awful that we live in a society where if you're not saving yourself for marriage, then it's not okay to be a virgin.  Ellie is completely average.  She's pretty, but not gorgeous, she has friends, but she's not uber-popular, she's intelligent, but she's not a genius.  This makes her so relatable, because most people don't have that one thing that both makes them stand out, and makes everyone recognize it.  She also understands the struggle in attracting a guy that you are attracted to.  Because for me, I only attract Asian guys.  Not that there's anything wrong with Asian guys, but it's weird.  I am not Asian.  I am so pale that I'm practically vampire status Caucasian.  And I rarely attract anyone that's not Asian.  I hope that that little anecdote amused you.

I don't really have anything to say about anyone else in this book so we're going to skip straight to the plot

Plot

This book was so funny I couldn't even handle it.  I laughed out loud more times than I can ever remember laughing for a book in my life.  Every two seconds something else that is awful, yet completely and utterly hilarious would happen to Ellie, and I would just start laughing all over again.  The plot was super engaging.  I was totally addicted, I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.  I read the whole book in the span of a couple of hours, it was that good.  As soon as I finished it, I wanted to start reading it again.

I would recommend this to any female who has ever had any questions about her...um...lady bits.  It's laugh out loud funny with relatable characters, and a brilliant writing style.

Thanks for reading!  Let me know if you've read this book!  Did you like it?  Which of Ellie's mishaps amused you the most?  I think that I'm going to say mine was the Little Hitler Moustache.

Amber

Where You Are Blog Tour

Where You Are 
By Alla Kar
Published: July 14, 2014
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Pages: 174
Book 1 in the Together series
Format: Ebook
4.5 stars

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Got boy problems? Call Laney Scott. She's good for advice, a shoulder, or a swift kick where you need it. When her roommate Bethany gets her heart broken, yet again, it's Laney to the rescue. But Laney's harboring a secret. She's nursing her own broken heart. She and her friends come up with a plan to break Aiden and set it into play. Laney wants Aiden to pay for what he's done to Bethany. She will make him fall in love with her, so can break his heart. 

Laney's ex-boyfriend Lachlan Hems is back in Florida, still Australian and sexy as hell. His best mate Lucas is getting married, and he is in town for the show. He just didn’t realize Laney would be there … in another guy’s arms, or that seeing her again would have such an effect on him. After the incident in high-school, he vowed to never care for her again. But sometimes fate has different plans.

When Laney’s resolve crumbles, Lachlan is the only one that can put her back together again.

Where You Are is the start of a three-books new adult series from Amazon and Barnes and Noble bestselling author Alla Kar.

*Novel provided by Alla Kar, Swoon Romance, and YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review*

This book is a new adult novel, and I don't review too many new adult books on this blog for a reason.  I'm not very good at articulating my thoughts about individual components of the story like I can with other books.  So for this review I'm just going to discuss my overall feelings of the book.


Let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed this book.  It exceeds the other new adult books I've read recently in leaps and bounds.  This book deals with a pretty heavy and important subject matter, that isn't in YA or NA near enough.  I won't tell you what it is, because it is a spoiler, but I would like to applaud Alla Kar, because I thought that she handled it beautifully.

Overall, this is a really fantastic new adult book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys new adult.  I'm so glad I got to be a part of the blog tour for this!

Thanks for reading!

Amber

Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Sinner
By Maggie Stiefvater
Published: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Book 3.5 in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series
4 stars

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A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy. 

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved?

*Novel provided by Scholastic Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Opening Thoughts

It has been ages since I read the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, which is a kind of prequel to this book.  However, I can assure you that Sinner can be read separately from the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, and I would actually recommend just skipping the Wolves of Mercy Falls, and going straight on to Sinner.  Like many people, I continued reading the Wolves of Mercy Falls series purely because of Cole and Isabel, who this book focuses around, because they were really the only interesting characters in series.  They weren't amazing characters, I still don't think that they're amazing characters, but they were interesting.  Knowing that, I was intrigued by Sinner, but I wasn't planning on spending my money on it.   But, I was very excited when I received an email from Scholastic saying that I had been approved for a review copy of the book.

Characters
Cole is still somewhat of an arrogant asshole, though I must say that he is quite subdued compared to how much of a jerk he was in Shiver.  Despite the fact that he was kind of a jerk, he could still be charming and sweet and he made me laugh out loud several times.  I definitely have a very love-hate relationship with Cole, half the time I'm all for Cole, and everything working out for him, but  there were other times where I wanted to slap him because he kept messing everything up for himself.  I know that he means well, especially when it comes to Isabel, but I swear to God, he is a frustrating character!  He's grown and changed a lot since Shiver, he's a more mature character, still very frustrating and immature at times, but he has matured. 

Isabel can be a bit psychotic at times.  She has a quick wit, and can be very cold and closed off at times, so you don't realize how much she's hurting on the inside until you read from her point of view.  I respect her because she doesn't take crap from anyone, regardless of whether they're an authority figure or not, but I also get kind of annoyed with her at times for her inability to operate as a normal human being, which makes her an interesting character, yes, but I ca't say that there weren't times when I was sick and tired of it.  I do appreciate that Isabel doesn't sugarcoat the fact that a lot of the time, life sucks.  And it really sucks that life is like that, but it is and there isn't anything that anyone can do about it. 

On a side note, I really loved Leon.  He provided a lot of humor for a side character.

Plot
This book is definitely more of a contemporary than a paranormal.  The only paranormal aspect in this book is the fact that Cole is a wolf, but that is just another issue added to his inner turmoil, which is what this book mainly focuses on.  It's a hugely character driven story.  It is mostly focused on the inner struggles of Cole and Isabel, which obviously means that there isn't a whole lot o plot, but it still keeps you engaged and interested. 

Overall, it has the classic, beautiful writing that I admire Maggie Stiefvater for, with a story about broken humans, instead of wolves.  I really enjoyed this book and I'd recommend it to anyone who liked Cole and/or Isabel in Shiver, or anyone who enjoys contemporary. 

Let me know in the comments if you've read the book!  Did you enjoy it? 

Thanks for reading!

Amber

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell
By Richelle Mead
Published: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 401
Format: Hardcover
Book 3 in the Bloodlines series
5 stars

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Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets--and human lives." 
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Opening Thoughts
Mmm, guys, this book let me tell you.  So, this, if you, for some odd reason were not aware of it, is my third time reading this book.  My third time.  Aren't your feelings towards a book supposed to diminish your feelings?  Because this book brought back all the feels.  It had me close to tears, which makes me only imagine what rereading The Fiery Heart is going to bring.

Characters
In this book, Sydney continues to struggle against the barriers that the Alchemists have, breaking through them in ways that neither Sydney, or the readers would have ever thought possible from the kind of person that Sydney was in Bloodlines.  She's questioning everyone, not taking anything for granted, which makes her a million times more relatable than when she was just blindly following Alchemist orders.  Her magic is becoming stronger and stronger, and she's becoming more accepting of not just human magic, but also vampire magic.  She's finally seeing that maybe magic isn't the evil and unnatural thing that she has always thought it to be, it's just the people who twist it to their wills, and use it to do horrible things that are the evil in the world.  And Sydney's not just accepting it.  She's using it to kick some major ass!
And of course, how could we not have a discussion of the characters in this series without mentioning the wonderfully beautifully perfect Adrian Ivashkov.  Now to start this off, I tend to not get involved in fan casting.  I just feel like if people are going to make a movie of a book, then they are going to cast who they want to cast, regardless of what the various fangirls out there have to say about it.  However, I came across a review of this book saying that Max Irons was their ultimate Adrian casting.  Now, I don't know about you, but I only know Adrian from the movie of The Host, in which he looked like this:

Now, he's attractive, yes, I'm not going to lie.  But not exactly Adrian Ivashkov material, if you know what I mean.  So, I go ahead and put his name into Google Images, and I find these:

Look no farther casting crews, I have found your perfect Adrian Ivashkov!  I mean come on guys, this is him.  He's perfect!  Now, I think these pictures are from like three years ago, but still, I think that he can replicate this look.  You have to agree with me.  You just have to.  But fan casting aside, Adrian was wonderful, as always in this book.  His dialogue is as brilliant and swoon-worthy as always, and he's so adorably patient with Sydney and her denial.  He's so protective of her and it's wonderful.

“Because I can't help doing it," he said with a shrug. "And hey, if I keep loving you, maybe you'll eventually crack and love me too. Hell, I'm pretty sure you're already half in love with me."
"I am not! And everything you just said is ridiculous. That's terrible logic."

Adrian returned to his crossword puzzle. "Well, you can think what you want, so long as you remember-no matter how ordinary things seem between us-I'm still here, still in love with you, and care about you more than any other guy, evil or otherwise, ever will."

"I don't think you're evil."

"See? Things are already looking promising.”


“You're not as much of a lost cause as she was. I mean, with her, I had to overcome her deep, epic love with a Russian warlord. You and I just have to overcome hundreds of years' worth of deeply ingrained prejudice and taboo between our two races. Easy.”


“But when I touch you, your aura … it smolders. The colors deepen, it burns more intensely, the purple increases. Why? Why, Sydney?” He used that hand to pull me closer. “Why do you react that way if I don’t mean anything to you?” There was a desperation in his voice, and it was legitimate.”
I also want to briefly discuss Marcus, not too in depth, but I do have a few things that I would like to say about him. Now, excuse my language, but he's kind of a dick. Like, seriously dude, what the heck? He kept trying to move in on Sydney, and Adrian was like, oh no, I don't think so, yet Marcus still kept doing it. I don't like him, and I my opinion of his character doesn't improve as the series goes on. I have to say though, it is nice that he doesn't become a love interest for Sydney, and turn this into a love triangle, not only because I'm sick and tired of love triangles, but also because I feel like that would be very out of character for Sydney. I don't know about you, but she doesn't really strike me as the kind of girl to be balancing more than one guy at once.

Plot
The plot was as fast-paced and engaging as Richelle Mead's books always are, which I feel like I say in every review of her books, but it's totally true. The plot is more unpredictable than The Golden Lily, though I promise that the ending isn't as painful. There are lots and lots and lots of powerful Sydrian feels in this book, which got me even more pumped to dive into rereading The Fiery Heart, which as you may or may not know, is written in dual POV, from Sydney and Adrian. This book is the best in the series so far, but The Fiery Heart is even better. I don't even know how Silver Shadows is going to compare.

Overall, this is just another fabulous Richelle Mead work of art. The books are addicting and irrisistable, shocking and swoon-worthy, generally the perfect mix of anything you could ever want in a novel. I'd recommend this series to anyone, just make sure you read Vampire Academy first!

Let me know in the comments what you thought of this book! Who's your fan casting for Adrian, or really any of the characters?

Thanks for reading!
Amber

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily
By Richelle Mead
Published: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 418
Format: Hardcover
Book 2 in the Bloodlines series
5 stars

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

Opening Thoughts
So, as many of you may know, I'm currently in the process of rereading this series in preparation for the release of Silver Shadows which I'm very excited about, as you all may have been able to deduce because it's been my Waiting on Wednesday like three times. This book I do believe was not quite as good as book one in the series,Bloodlines. That being said, I still loved it, and I firmly believe that it deserves the five stars that I gave it. As with Bloodlines, there's not a ton of action, but there's certainly enough to keep you interested and engaged throughout the book.

Characters
Sydney definitely grows between the first book and the second book. I thought that it was quite a positive growth, though I don't think that her Alchemist superiors would agree with me. She's slowly becoming more accepting of vampires, and particularly vampire magic, and seeing that even though vampires are evil and unnatural according to Alchemist beliefs, maybe there are humans that are a million times worse than the vampires that she is associating with in Palm Springs. She's still kind of uptight, but she's beginning to make decisions based on what she feels is right, regardless of the fact that the Alchemists would very much frown upon her actions. I think that there is a certain kind of bravery in going against everything you've ever been taught in order to do what you believe is right. Perhaps it's not the typical kind of bravery, but I do believe that it's brave nonetheless. 


"Nothing he said could change what I think of you. I've had my mind made up about you for a long time...and it's all good."


"Adrian stood there leaning against the door frame, watching me with his heart in his eyes. In my chest, my own heart was breaking. On my cheek, the lily reminded me who I was."


I loved Adrian even more in this book than I did in the first book. Adrian will definitely surprise you in this book. When you hear people talk about him, you would probably think that Adrian is an arrogant asshole, and while yes, there are certainly times that he can lean towards that attitude, most of the time, he's sweet and caring and kind and smart. Yes, smart. Adrian can be smart, you just have to give him a chance. In theBloodlines series, you definitely see more of Adrian's sensitive and vulnerable side than you do in Vampire Academy. I think that in Vampire Academy, Adrian kind of built up this facade, and he only ever really lets it down around Sydney. 


"I tried to be a better person for her - but it was to impress her, to get her to want me. But when I'm around you, I want to be better because...well, because it feels right. Because I want to. You make me want to become something greater than myself. I want to excel. You inspire me in every act, every word, every glance. I look at you, and you're like...like light made into flesh. [...] You have no clue how beautiful you are, or how brightly you shine."


"You need me? You yell. You want to leave? We go. I'll get you out of here, no matter what."


Now, I would like to talk about Adrian, and Sydney together. I love them together. They are absolutely one of my OTP's (One True Pairing, if you don't know what that means). They bring out the best qualities in each other. Sydney doesn't put up with any of Adrian's crap. She doesn't let him just breeze through life like everyone else does. She does't just brush it off, and say, "Oh, well that's Adrian." Adrian helps Sydney loosen up, and stands up for her. Every time either of them interact, I start smiling like a maniac, because they're just too cute. I think that I wouldn't love this series near as much as I do if weren't for Adrian and Sydney. And while Richelle Mead excels at pretty much every aspect of writing a book, characters, and character development, is definitely her strong suit. The characters in her books make the books for me. I'd probably still enjoy them, but I definitely wouldn't love them. 


"He shouldn't have said that," repeated Adrian, eerily serious. He leaned his face towards mine. "I don't care if he's not the emotional type, or the complimentary type, or what. No one can look at you in that dress, in all that fire and gold, and start talking about anachronisms. If I were him, I would have said, 'You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking this earth."


"He shook his head. "No. Because there's no one else out there who understands you like I do." I waited for more. "That's it? You're not going to elaborate on what that means?" Those green eyes held me. "I don't think I need to."


"Isn't it obvious, Sage? No, of course it isn't. I did it so I'd have a reason to be around you - one I knew you couldn't refuse."


Plot
The plot is brilliant, as Richelle Mead's plots tend to always be. It's full of twists and turns, with more action than Bloodlines, though again, not as much as Vampire Academy, as should be expected, because neither Sydney nor Adrian, the two main characters are fighters, as Rose and Dimitri are in Vampire Academy. However, Sydney is starting to get in on the action through her independent study with Ms. Terwilliger. I won't reveal exactly what she does in her independent study for the sake of spoilers, but it's certainly giving her some more power, and helping her to not feel so helpless and weak in the face of Strigoi, and the other people that are after their little group in Palm Springs. Again, I won't tell you who's after them, because I don't want to spoil anything, so you'll just have to read the book yourself. Richelle Mead's writing is just as addicting and engaging as always. It sucks you in and doesn't let you go until the very last page.

Overall, this is another fantastic installment in this series, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this series, or the Vampire Academy series. I would also recommend Richelle Mead's work to Jennifer L. Armentrout fans. The two authors have a similar writing style, and I think that if you enjoy one then you would also enjoy the other.

Let me know your thoughts on this book!  Did you like it?  Are you excited for Silver Shadows?  Thanks for reading!

Amber