Review: Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Sever by Lauren DeStefano

The Chemical Garden #3

Release Date: February 12^th, 2013

Number of Pages: 384

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Source: ARC form Publisher

GR - Amazon - BD - Chapters

Time is running out for Rhine in this conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden Trilogy.  

With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. 

While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them. Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.  

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

Sever really was a breathtaking ending to an amazing series, which gives us closure to the story we have been following for years. Fans of the series will be delighted with this book. Tragedy was a constant aspect of this series, and this final book is no exception. Sever brought me to tears a few times.

Sever let us see the characters we have loved for so long grow, and we see them start to understand a little more about the world they are in. We get to see a different side of many characters. In Sever, we follow once again Rhine, the strong main character that had charmed me in both Wither and Fever. Yet, I do have to say that my favorite character in this novel had to be Linden. He was somehow still so innocent, despite everything he had gone through. We see him changed this vision of the world a little in this novel, which was a really interesting change.

Of course, when we think of Linden, we can’t forget about Cecily. Their relationship freaked me out a little at first, mostly because of the age difference, but we get to see a different side of them. There is something so sweet going on between those two, which was highly influenced by the way Cecily seemed to have grown. We also get to meet Vaughn’s brother, a character so different from his brother. I liked seeing this difference, and getting to know more about his family through him. I can’t forget about Vaughn, our favorite villain, He grew on me. We get to know more about him, understanding to a certain point the reasons behind his action.

Sever was an amazing final to a series I have loved from the beginning. I cannot wait to read more from Lauren DeStefano, as her writing is amazing and her world building is extremely real done. If you still haven’t read The Chemical Garden and you love dystopian, you really should give this series a shot. Loved it!

About The Author:

From NetGalley

Lauren DeStefano (pronounced: de STEFF ano) graduated Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT in 2007. Her debut novel, WITHER, the first in The Chemical Garden Trilogy, published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, is out now.

Her website

Her twitter

Review: The Blessed by Tonya Hurley

The Blessed by Tonya Hurley

The Blessed #1

Release Date: September 25^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 416

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Source: ARC from Publisher

 From the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series, the start to a captivating and haunting teen trilogy about three girls who become entangled with an enigmatic boy—a boy who believes he is a saint.What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them?
      Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief.

If there is one thing that I absolutely loved about The Blessed, it’s how different the book was from what I have been reading lately. No, not even lately, for about the last year. More than different, there was that weird and almost crazy side to the book that really got me hooked (and when I say crazy, I mean it in a good way.) This book was really different from what I first expected, but I really enjoyed it. I was a little skeptical at first when I heard it was about Saints. I mean, I rarely enjoy books related in anyway to religion, but here it is so different. No preaching (which is what usually annoys me when it comes down to religion in books.)

The Blessed follows three extremely different girls: Lucy, the it-girl, Cecilia, the struggling artist, and Agnes, the sensible and suicidal girl. So different, yet they are brought together by fate in a way. I was fascinated and in a way heartbroken by all they have and are going through, since it seems so extreme by moment.

There is something really dark and twisted in the book, but it is in a way what made it so addicting. There was simple so much mystery around the girls, and of course the illusive Sebastian. I have to say that Sebastian was one of the characters I never was 100% sure of his intention.

The Blessed was really a book that will catch the attention of fans of dark and twisted stories. It isn’t the kind of book I would recommend to a younger audience, since there can be some pretty violent scenes. I’m really curious to see when Tonya Hurley will be taking Cecilia, Lucy and Agnes next. No need to be religious to enjoy this book (I actually think that the fact that I’m not really religious helped me enjoy this book since I know next to nothing about Saints and their history.) Of course, being the cover lover I am, I cannot stay silent about this gorgeous cover. Simon & Schuster, you really did an amazing job with this one. 

Review: Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

Nevermore #2

Release Date: August 28^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 429

Publisher: Atheneum

Source: ARC from publisher

True love takes a twisted turn in the second book of this modern gothic romance trilogy channeling the dark brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe.While Varen remains a prisoner in a perilous dream world where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life, Isobel travels to Baltimore to confront the dark figure known throughout the world as the Poe Toaster. This man, the same man who once appeared to Isobel in her dreams and abandoned her in Varen’s nightmare world, holds the key to saving Varen.
      But when Isobel discovers a way to return to this dream world, she finds herself swept up in a realm that not only holds remnants of Edgar Allan Poe’s presence, but has also now taken on the characteristics of Varen’s innermost self. It is a dark world of fear, terror, and anger.      When Isobel once more encounters Varen, she finds him changed. And now Isobel must face a new adversary—one who also happens to be her greatest love.

Okay, let me start by saying that I really enjoyed Nevermore. I fell in love with Isobel and Varen, and I couldn’t wait to read more about them. I was happy to get the sequel, and couldn’t wait to start it once I was done with Nevermore. Yet, I felt like it fell flat. I was expecting a lot more from this book.

The thing is, I got bored reading this book. I hate myself for saying that, since I really really wanted to love it as much as Nevermore. Yet, I had trouble getting through the book. The book simply never seemed to end. Plus, there were so many things that made me either mad or confused. The things is there was some things I did enjoyed, yet I felt like they couldn’t’ shine because of all the things that annoyed me.

 I will leave it to that, since I feel like I shouldn’t have finished it. I was loving book one, but book two simply wasn’t for me. Hopefully, many of you will be happy with where the story is going. It simply wasn’t for me.

ARC Giveaway! The Blessed by Tonya Hurley

I have a nice little ARC of The Blessed by Tonya Hurley in need of a good home. Anyone interested?

Most of you know that I was at BEA last week, where I got myself an ARC of this book. When I came back, I was surprised to find a second ARC waiting for me in my Mailbox from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Thing is, I can’t really keep both. That would be a little selfish of me. This is why I’m giving my second copy away to one lucky reader (Sadly, this will be US-Canada only, as I’m slightly poor these days.)

Here is what this book is about:

Brooklyn teens Lucy, Cecelia and Agnes find themselves in the emergency room at Perpetual Help Hospital at the lowest point in their lives. Lucy, the superficial party girl; Cecelia, a drop out rock chick; and Agnes, a hopeless romantic. All rebels running from their lives and themselves, plagued by broken hearts and broken dreams. Enter Sebastian. Mysterious, compelling, seductive. He seems to bring each of them what they long for...

But in the battle for his heart, will they lose their souls?

Want to read it? Just fill the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck Everyone!

Review: Changeling by Philippa Gregory

Changeling by Philippa Gregory

The Order of Darkness #1

Release Date: May 29^th, 2012

Nuber of Pages: 266

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous—and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year—the end of days.     

Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft—and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape.    

Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.     

The first in a series, this epic and richly detailed drama is grounded in historical communities and their mythic beliefs.

I hadn’t read anything by Philippa Gregory before getting my hands on this book. I didn’t really know what to expect when it came down to the writing, to the story, but I was happy with what I was given. The Story was interesting. I love historical novel, even though I don’t read enough of them.

Luca, one of the main characters was really interesting. He is intelligent, and he seems able to think for himself, which is always important when you’re given that much power over people by the Church. Still, there were moments in the book that I really got the feeling he was a little full of himself, mostly because of the way he acted with Freize. Isolde, the second main character, was really interesting to me, even more than Luca. We got to see a little of her life before she is sent to the nunnery.  She seemed strong, intelligent and well spoken. Then came the arrival of Luca at the nunnery, where Isolde already is. We then meet a different Isolde, who seemed really isolated. It made me unsure of whom she really was. I like that in a character. I don’t need to be told flatly everything about her to know her.

There weren’t only those two characters, of course. Where I liked Isolde, it took me a while to really like Ishrap, mostly because we aren’t told much about her. Well, we’re not told that many good things about her. One of the characters that I really liked was Freize. He was funny and I liked that he was ready to do right thing even if it meant trouble for him.

Overall, I really enjoyed that book. It was well written; it interesting and it made me curious about what will happen next. The only thing I have to say I was disappointed in was how it was developed. The thing is, there are two stories in this book. There is what happens at the nunnery, and then there’s what we could call the werewolf story. Was I the only who felt that it should have been two books? I wish it had been that way, and that because of that, the story had been more developed. I wanted to know more. The book isn’t that long (under 300 pages).  It would have felt more complete that way. I don’t like getting the feeling in the middle of the book that the story is done.  I think that’s why I felt like there was something wrong that I couldn’t find at first, something missing. Other than that, I was really satisfied with my first book by Philippa Gregory. I’m still looking forward to read more.

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