Siege Sarah Mussi

Siege
Sarah Mussi

 5 star read

Reviewer: Emily
Author: Sarah Mussi
 Format:Paperback

 Genre: Dystopian

About Book

                                 
Leah Jackson - in detention. Then armed Year 9s burst in, shooting. She escapes, just. But the new Lock Down system for keeping intruders out is now locking everyone in. She takes to the ceilings and air vents with another student, Anton, and manages to use her mobile to call out to the world. 

First: survive the gang - the so-called 'Eternal Knights'.
Second: rescue other kids taken hostage, and one urgently needing medical help. 

Outside, parents gather, the army want intelligence, television cameras roll, psychologists give opinions, sociologists rationalize, doctors advise - and they all want a piece of Leah. Soon her phone battery is running out; the SAS want her to reconnoiter the hostage area ... But she is guarding a terrifying conviction. Her brother, Connor, is at the center of this horror. Is he with the Eternal Knights or just a pawn?

She remembers. All those times Connor reached out for help ... If she'd listened, voiced her fears about him earlier, would things be different now? Should she give up her brother?

With only Anton for company, surviving by wits alone, Leah wrestles with the terrible choices ...

                                                               
                       My Thoughts
                               

I really did enjoy this book, i purchased it from my local big w without bothering to read what it was about since it had no blurb anywhere. I went of the name and gunshot marks on both sides of the book and thought it was about a shooting but nothing more. 
Here i go beginning to read and within the first few pages i begin to think somethings off. i continue reading anyway but before i know it i am hooked. 
I'm brought into a world set a few generations from now, the school systems different and the technology a little more advanced. Enough to be believable. 
Leah is the main character, it follows what she goes through from the the beginning of the day of the shooting until the end. Without giving to much away it begins with Leah, 16, her younger brother Conner who is 14 and younger sister who is 6 living with their single mother who suffers some severe depression. The mother not even getting off the lounge long enough to notice her children are even alive. So leah takes responsibility. She has a concert that evening and it seems to be a massive focus for her, something she can look forward to thats purely her own. Its the brothers day to take the sister to school but he skips out leaving Leah to take her making her late for school and having after school detention. There goes her concert hopes and dreams out the door but before Sarah lets you focus on that too much gun shots sound off. 
From there its a race against time to save whomever Leah can and try and find out who is behind this. Risking her life to save others  like any good heroin and it was believable.  I believed every moment of this book from the first page to the last. Set in a dystopian world that changed are slight, it captures you and draws you in. 

Whilst this is not a light read in the slightest its not a long book but brings forth every emotion we have. i cried, laughed and clapped all through this book. 







I highly recommend this book to those who do not mind a sad story and are not triggered by shootings and death. Sarah Mussi really delivered on this book. 

What happens next
Colleen Clayton

 5 star read

Reviewer: Emily
Publisher: Colleen Clayton
 Format:Paperback

 Genre: Contemporary

About Book

                                 
How can you talk about something you can't remember? Before the sky trip Cassidy "Sid" Murphy was a cheerleader (on the bottom of the pyramid, but still....) and a straight-A student, with two of the best friends a girl could ask for. When Sid finds herself on a sky lift with a hunky local college guy, Dax Windsor, she's thrilled. "Come to a party with me" he tells her, but Dax isn't what she seems. He takes everything from Sid-including a lock of her perfect red curls-she can't remember any of it. After the sky trip, Sid is an insomniac and an obsessive late-night runner, unable to relate to her old friends. Caught in a downward spiral, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey "The Living Stoner" Lavingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey--slacker, baker, total dreamboat-- Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if only she could shake the nightmares, everything would be perfect....Witty and poignant, Colleen Claytons debut is a stunning story of moving on after the unthinkable  happens. 

                                                               
                       My Thoughts
                                 

I purchased this book having not very high expectations, thinking it wouldnt be a too heavy read. 
i was right yet so so wrong. I had no idea that could happen but Colleen managed it beautifully. 
Sid was a talented, happy, beautiful teenager who was assaulted and left to wake up on her own with a fuzzy memory and blaming herself. 
i dont want to spoil anything but this book had its ups and downs, i cried, laughed and was on the edge of my seat the entire time yearning to find out how it all ended. 
Leaving me with only 2 pages i wasn't sure if id be left questioning everything but everything was answered, wasn't rushed and i applaud any author who can pull this off. Some cannot do so with an entire book to wrap it up but in 2 pages i was left satisfied and though not wanting to leave Sid and Corey i wasn't disappointed. 

SPOILERS

Sid lied and said she just fell asleep to her friends and family, leaving her isolated and having to deal with a traumatic experience by herself. Coming to terms with what happened was very hard for her, if she had opened up things might have been easier but i understood she was afraid. Then she felt it was too late to come clean.
Colleen dealt with rape, drugging, eating disorders and taught readers a valuable lesson or two by the end. 

Corey was Sids rock, he has his own issues that were skimmed over but it gave enough to give us an insight but still kept the story Sids. 







this is a beautifully written book that i would recommend to anyone. Well done Colleen Clayton on this amazing book.

Forsaken (Daughters of the Sea #1) by Kristen Day

 

 Forsaken (Daughters of the Sea #1)

         by Kristen Day         

 5 star read

Publisher:Kristen Day
 Format:Kindle
Source:author copy

 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reposted From

About Book

Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…
Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.
Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendants of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.
But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.
She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesied to be a part of. The fate of all the descendants will forever depend upon it.

My Thoughts

What a truly amazing book – I have loved reading this book. Let’s just say that if I could make time stand still so I could just read and never have to put the book down until it was finished (though I hate that it comes to an end – as all books do). I really got into this book and while reading I really felt transported into the story, like I was right there watching every moment unfold before my eyes. To me an author is only as good as the story’s ability to draw you into it and making you the guest of honor that is there, but not there. Author Kristen Day has done that with Forsaken.
Let’s start with the main character her parents leave her as a baby at a police station in the middle of the night in the middle of a storm. Even though the storm is referring to the weather outside you can tell that it represent the storm within the hearts of the parents that are leaving their beautiful daughter for what one can only assume is a better life.
Flash forward and she is all grown up. Hannah Elizabeth Whitman or that is what the foster system named her. Her newest family comes from money and adopted her as a teenager. Though she has never truly felt like she fit in she does the best she can to make her adoptive mother happy. At a party something happens that for Hannah is normal but very embarrassing for her adoptive mother. So her adoptive mother sends her to a therapist. Not long after Hannah’s world is completely turned upside down.
Hannah’s therapists recommends sending her to a special school for people like her. Only she doesn’t know what that meant “people like her.” Coming to this school is a new start for her, a start where no one knows about her past, her life in foster care, the things she has seen and subject to and so with that fresh start Hannah decides to change her name and becomes Anastasia.
Anastasia is special as are all the rest of the students at this school. At this school she begins to learn where she really came from, she makes great friends and meets a very dark, very handsome guy. And even though they never met until this point she knows him, she has known him most of her life. Finn as she comes to learn has been in many of her dreams throughout her life. And not long after coming to the new school he saves her life. She soon learns what is special about everyone at this school, all of them are children of Gods or Goddesses. There are different types, each having something special about them based on who their parents were.
Anastasia’s friends in this book have such character. Her roommates Willow, Phoebe and Carmen each are so very different from each other but are also like “Stasia” as they end up calling her. Only Anastasia is a bit more special than the rest, and everyone but Anastasia knows this. A great bond grows between the girls from the moment Anastasia arrives and instantly they take to each other. I love Phoebe’s whit, she is funny, spunky and quirky and you can tell she loves to get under Carmen’s skin – but in a good way. Willow she is the motherly type of the group a healer and great in the kitchen. Carmen is the exotic one and has a bit of fire in her, attitude which you see throughout the book and I really loved. I really liked all three of these girls, so well written in the story and so easily like-able. And others are as easily dis likable such as Olivia one of the other girls from across the hall who had serious attitude and what seems like jealousy issues. But they always say never judge a book by its cover – Olivia is a good example of that.
There are moments throughout this book that your breath is completely taken away, you are laughing at Phoebe and her comments, holding your breath waiting to see if Carmen is just going to let her have one. There are moments that you are brought to tears, okay well I was brought to tears. You can feel the pain that ‘Stasia’ and her friends feel. The struggle, the laughter and joy. I could feel the struggle within Finn every time he was with Anastasia and she would ask a question. The author did such a great job writing the emotions into the book that they are right on the tip of the page and as you turn to it, it’s like it grabs hold of you and you feel what they are feeling within those pages.
The story flows from beginning to end, there is no down time, there is no okay let me skip a page or two so I can get to a good part, it’s all good from the very beginning when you are drawn into the parents pain of leaving their daughter to the very end when who and what Anastasia truly is and is truly meant for comes to light. You can close your eyes and hear the music play as Finn and Anastasia are dancing, you can imagine her wonder when she is battling the elements to save something very dear to her. You can feel the pain as she tries to save a friends life and you can feel the tender moments between her and Finn.
This is one book I thoroughly enjoyed reading and now I am going to close this review and head right into the next book of this series “Awaken”.

          


 

 

Between by Jessica Warman

 Between

          by Jessica Warman       

 4 star read

Reviewed by:Emily

Publisher:Walker and Company

 Format:Paperback

Source:Purchased copy

 Genre: Contemporary

About Book

Elizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, perfect- wakes up after spending her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht to investigate a thumping noise. What she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between. As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent.

My Thoughts

Elizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, and perfect-wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht, where she'd been celebrating with her six closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, what she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between. As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent. Critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman brings readers along on a roller-coaster ride of a mystery, one that is also a heartbreaking character study, a touching romance, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go.

After reading a few of  Jessica Warmans other books i decided to finally purchase Between. Now im glad i did, its taken me less then a few hours to finish the book and i enjoyed it a lot. Not as much as i have other contemporary books but if you are up for a slight spoiler (possibly wont even be one) read below to find out my one tiny little problem. All in all id give this book 4 stars.

amazingly executed and stunningly real in the sense that it actually gives you a realistic look into high school life. The popular kids arent all perfect as some might think, bully's are mean but not so mean as many books make them out to be. Finishing this i just want to sit down and cry. Im not exactly sure if its from happiness at the peace i felt at the end or the fact that it just didnt end the way i wanted. Guess we all cant have our happy fairytale ending.

ALERT!! Possibly spoiler

Dont get me wrong. i loved loved loved this book and would give it 5 stars if it wasnt for my dislike of books where at the end the character ive come to love doesnt get a second chance at life to go back and fix her mistakes where they started. That being my only problem with the book if it ended with what i would call a perfect ending id of given it 5 stars....i guess its just me being slightly crazy for wanting everything i read about to be a magical fantasy where anything is possible. I would recommend this book to anyone who can handle story's like this because it is amazingly written and does a fantastic job at making you love everyone in it.

Whilst loving this book though i have to admit it does resemble the lovely bones quite a bit in the fact that it has the same idea about being in limbo and those whom where closest to you being able to get signs from you. even if you cant exactly prove it rationally. Overall fantastic read and well, slightly predictable, i found it amazing and would say its hours worth of reading well spent.

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

 Shut Out

by Kody Keplinger

 4 star read

Reviewed by:Emily 
Publisher:Poppy
 Format:Kindle  
Source: purchased Copy

 Genre: Young Adult

About Book

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling..

My Thoughts

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it’s a civil war the football team versus he soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her Quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight or haze a freshman. And on three separate occasions Randy’s car has been egged a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend’s attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all. She and the other player’s girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys wont get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don’t count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against- boy’s showdown that hinges on who will save to their libidos first. And her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys? Lissa never it coming. In this hilarious and romantic re-imagining of Aristophanes’’ Lysistrata, the battle of boys against girls is on.

I first heard about this book from a friend and just had to get it after looking into it a bit. That day I got it in E-Book format and was done with it in about 2 hours. I loved it, it was a teenager’s outlook on high school and boys and friendship.

So this book ill give 4/5 stars.

Lissa was a control freak who has major OCD issues. She was beautiful and strong and just set in her way.

Cash….well I would totally like to date him. The school flirt, totally hot but you cant get anywhere with  him. By the end i was inlove.

Randy, well words really cant describe how much I dislike him. He comes off as the nice caring boyfriend but really just is a complete a**.

Chloe, she’s Lissa’s best friend and is known as the school sl*t but really just because she’s honest about her s*x life doesn’t mean she is any of the things people call her. She isn’t ready to settle down with a guy and just knows what she likes, she isn’t mean about it and is a lovely person who would do anything for her friend. She would have to be my second favorite character.

Now down to my final character who happens to be my favorite. Nothing much is said about her but I feel like I must tell people the little bit about her because she is so worth hearing about, Mary. Her name says it all, she’s sweet and young and totally in love with her huge footballer boyfriend. She’s the only girl who is honest about herself. Throughout this book she’s a small role but I just love how caring and sweet and young she is and how she reminds me of that little sister I have to protect from everything bad.

So go ahead and give this book a read because its fun, light and really enjoyable. 

 

 

 

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

 4 star read

Reviewed by:Emily 
Publisher: Walker Children's
 Format:Kindle Source: purchased Copy

 Genre: Young Adult

About Book

Mallory's life is falling apart. Her boyfriend was stabbed. He bled to death in her kitchen. Mallory was the one who stabbed him. But she can't remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear . . .
When Mallory's parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. There's the hand that touches her shoulder when she's drifting off to sleep. A voice whispering her name. And everyone knows what happened. So when a pupil is found dead, Mallory's name is on their lips. Her past can be forgotten but it's never gone. Can Mallory live with that?

My Thoughts

Whilst I had read that this book was a let down i still decided to give it a go. Well.....im very glad i did. I absolutely adored it and couldn't put it down. With a baby its hard to find the time to read but i managed it and read this book in no time. All in all i book i did really enjoy. 9/10 for this book. I will be buying it as soon as i get the chance.

Spoilers ahead so unless you have read it then just take my word for it and read it. it is a fantastic read.

Mallory seemed numb from it all, like you would be after such a scaring and shocking thing happening. Though she might not have loves Brian he was still her boyfriend and she did kill him. Mallory's parents didn't seem to know how to deal, yet really who does. Her mum was cold and distant and unsure of what to make of it all where her dad was taking charge trying to work and keep everything together whilst worrying about both his wife and daughter. As an only child im sure her parents were even more upset because they would have put everything into Mallory and she had the possible chance of going to jail for a very long time. Thankfully that didn't happen because it was self deference. 

So after a few incidents her parents decide it would be best for her to go to boarding school, it was both a great decision and a bad one. It changed Mallory's life in so many way. She left behind her parents and her best friend (whom is fantastic and stuck by her through everything) to go to a school where she had no one. 

Being there she found Reid (OMG I totally love him) she isn't sure what to make of it since the incident at his fathers funeral but in the end its just wrong time wrong place and it ended what could have been a great friendship or possibly relationship for them both, thankfully by the end i think she was getting him.

So the murder.....dead guy found in room with wrist slit, using Mallory's knife she stole and lost and turns out to be the girls he has abused, one being his half sister. 

so with that all sorted out we move onto her finding her best friend....with both legs broken almost dead thanks to those girls. Thankfully she lives and im glad for it. She is the kind of best friend every girl wants, i just happen to be lucky enough to have :) (love you Nikki) so it ends with Mallory deciding to go back to the boarding school, not sure if its a good thing or not but it could be, she needed to be away from her town and she has Reid. Arh I swoon a little hearing his name.