(Review} Storm (Elementals #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Page Count: 432

Published On: April 24, 2012

Published By: Kensington

Genre(s): Fantasy, Paranormal, YA

Source: ebook - personally purchased
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 3 stars

Trigger warnings for rape, attempted rape, and violence

Goodreads synopsis:

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys-- the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her.

Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water--just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming...

~~~~

Hey, guys!
Please enjoy this ramble-y review of this fun book by Brigid Kemmerer, a queen of fantasy and contemporary romance -- and now she's a queen of paranormal fiction in my heart. 


Trigger warnings for rape, attempted rape, and violence

This story has a lot of promise but was obviously from the early 2010s if not the late 2000s. This isn't a negative point, but I just felt it was pretty obvious. (And I was correct! It was originally published in 2012. Point to Olivia!)

Overall, this wasn't Brigid's best work, but it was her first published novel! It was a wonderful paranormal novel and I enjoyed it immensely, but it just could not compare to her recent YA contemporaries and A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

I really enjoyed the four brothers. They were super fun and I loved to get to know them. However, their classic white boy names(TM) really confused me sometimes. They were just too similar and they were all mainly names that came from the Bible -- angel's names too. I kept getting Gabriel and Michael mixed up. Their voices were also quite similar to each other so, sometimes I would forget who was talking. I know that Brigid's skill for name differentiating wholly improves, so I'm not particularly worried about the rest of the books.

Becca was a really fun character to get to know too. She was so strong-willed and independent and I love her for that. The horrific things that happen to her, I feel, were a bit glazed over, but I also think that that is because of the internal shame that she feels about it.

I guess the only nit-picky thing I have to say about it is that I wish that there were actual trigger warnings for it in the book. I'm not typically triggered by rape or rape-centered discussions, but I really felt Becca's panic and hurt surrounding the events and I wish that there was some sort of warning. I cannot imagine what it would feel like if I just read something like this if that was something that triggered me. I personally think that the book is feminist af and great, but I wasn't those who read my reviews to be aware that this is in the book.

Overall, this was a really fun paranormal novel and I will absolutely be continuing on with the series. I'm completely attached to these characters and the story that she introduced. I love elemental magic and this is the ATLA-high school drama-paranormal contemporary-goodness that I need in my life.

I was also blessed enough to snag the ebook on Amazon for $1.99 and it is still a discounted price, so hop on that, friends!



Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository Affiliate Code // Book of the Month affiliate link

{Guest Review: Alex} Two Great Fantasies || Children of Blood & Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I haven’t submitted anything to Liv’s blog since April but I have been reading a fair amount, actually. I’m going to review two books per submission and two submissions for a total of four reviews. I didn’t want to write long out thoughts on them, so I decided to compress and group them.

This group consists of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and Vicious by V.E. Schwab. Both stories focus on supernatural powers and abilities. The novels are clearly fantasy. Both books were really enjoyable and fun to read. I’d recommend both to anyone in the mood for superpowers and fantasy elements in storytelling.

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi 

  Rating: 4.7 Stars (4.5 for the audiobook)

  Page Count: 525

  Published on: June 27, 2017

  Published by: Henry Holt Books for Young    Readers

  Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Fiction

  Age Rating: YA

  Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

  Book Depository: {click here}

 Goodreads synopsis:

They killed my mother.

They took our magic.

They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

~~~ 

     Avatar The Last Airbender meets Africa. If Aang was a teenage girl with white hair. And could control dead spirits. And shadows. But seriously, Tomi Adeyemi has created a compelling story featuring strong male and female characters, each with their own trials and shining moments. The characters deal with prejudice, from both sides of the issue. There are some unavoidable tropes, with the evil ruler and romantic pairings, but they were written wonderfully. I liked this book so much that Liv got me an ARC after I read it and I bought the audiobook. The narrator, Bahni Turpin, did a wonderful job. I probably would have rated the audiobook higher, but I primarily listened to it while I was at work. I might listen to the audiobook and follow along with the ARC at some point in the future.

      I am impatiently waiting for my pre-ordered copy of the sequel and would love to be chosen to receive an ARC of it too.

Vicious (The Villians #1) by V.E. Schwab

 

  Rating: 3.5 Stars

  Page Count: 366

  Published on: September 24, 2013

  Published by: Tor Books

  Genre(s): Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adult,      Paranormal, YA, Fiction

  Age Rating: 

  Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

  Book Depository: {click here}

Goodreads synopsis:

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. 

~~~

     It’s fun to see two supervillains fight each other. One thinks he is the hero. The other knows he isn’t.

     That is how I would describe Vicious. The book follows two college friends on their quest to make superpowers a reality. They figure out a method and then go separate ways. The ex-friends come head-to-head years later in an attempt to kill one another. Neither character is a good person and that’s okay. I think the biggest selling point is that there aren’t heroes. The series is called The Villains. Schwab isn’t trying to trick readers into thinking that there is a hero.

     The book was fun to read. It felt like a Marvel film. There was a supernatural backstory, interesting secondary characters, and a climactic final fight. And a sequel. And like Marvel movies, the main problem is that isn’t ambitious enough. The protagonist wins, there’s going to be another one, and the antagonist probably won’t come back. One of the antagonists at least. The comparison probably isn’t deserved since the book came out in 2013 and Marvel had just started Phase Two of the MCU. But with my first read through in 2018, I can’t help it.

~~~

Other Reviews by Alex: {click here}

Skate or be skated.
-Alex

{Review} Whisper by Lynette Noni

Page Count: 320

Published on: May 1, 2018

Published by: KCP Loft

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal
Source: Paperback ARC - provided by the publisher

Age Rating: YA

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Book Depository: {click here}

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

“Lengard is a secret government facility for extraordinary people,” they told me.

I believed them. That was my mistake.

There isn’t anyone else in the world like me.

I’m different. I’m an anomaly. I’m a monster. 

For two years, six months, fourteen days, eleven hours and sixteen minutes, Subject Six-Eight-Four — ‘Jane Doe’ — has been locked away and experimented on, without uttering a single word.

As Jane’s resolve begins to crack under the influence of her new — and unexpectedly kind — evaluator, she uncovers the truth about Lengard’s mysterious ‘program’, discovering that her own secret is at the heart of a sinister plot … and one wrong move, one wrong word, could change the world.

~~~

Hey, guys!

Whisper follows Jane Doe. Jane has been locked in a secret facility for two years, six months, and fourteen plus days.  Jane's resolve to not crack under the pressures of the facility as she begins to uncover the history of the program that she was put into. The truth reveals a sinister plot and a sketchy group of people that will control Jane's fate and future.      This book has a really nice, solid start and a really intriguing premise, however, it seemed very very similar to Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series...almost too similar for me. The characters in this book were not my favorite kinds of characters, but they were still very intriguing and fun to read about. Lynette Noni's writing style is so fast-paced and fun, but it does not make up for the things that I think the book lack. Although this book isn't my favorite of the KCP Loft releases of the past two years, it is still one of my favorites that they've sent me. I cannot wait for the sequel. I loved the ending of this book.       The characters in this story were all so interesting, but so eerily similar to Tahereh Mafi's characters as well. The main characters, Jane, is just so similar to Juliette and Ward is so similar to Warner. I cannot get past that. It just seems too convenient. I just did not enjoy that, but that's just me. I also really did not like Jane all that much. Her character was just so melodramatic. Granted, her backstory is so tragic and upsetting, but her attitude and narration style really made me annoyed and uncaring about her plight. It just became so unbelievable or underwhelming. The choices that she made throughout the book constantly caused me to roll my eyes        Although Jane isn't my favorite, I still really enjoyed her story. The plot of this book really intrigued me and genuinely did not really see the twists and turns that occurred coming. I really enjoyed the supernatural/paranormal aspects of this book. It was very similar to Shatter Me, but there were still some differences that set it apart. Her true name wasn't very awe-inspiring or interesting. I was a bit underwhelmed, but whatever. It's a name.        Although I wasn't completely impressed with this book, I was still really entertained. I did genuinely enjoy this book, but it wasn't my favorite. I do want to read the sequel. I think that it will stray away from the similarities to Shatter Me, but I cannot completely disregard the possibility that it may just be another Shatter Me retelling in Australia. The similarities between the two were the main cause for my discontent, however, I am still intrigued to continue on with reading Noni's writing. I really enjoyed it as a whole.  Reviews for Books Mentioned: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi Unite Me by Tahereh Mafi Happy reading! Olivia ~LivTheBookNerd~ Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository Affiliate Code

{Cover Reveal) Star-Crossed by Pintip Dunn

Hey, guys!

Today I'm bringing you a late cover reveal for one of my favorite authors that I've worked with before. She is the amazing author of the Forget Tomorrow trilogy, The Darkest Lie, and Girl on the Verge. I really enjoyed her two stand-alones, Girl on the Verge and The Darkest Lie so I cannot wait to see what she's done with Star-Crossed! Stay tuned for the reveal of this gorgeous cover!

Thank you Entangled Teen for reaching out to me and asking me to help with this reveal!

Goodreads synopsis:

In a world where nutrition can be transferred via a pill, and society is split into Eaters and Non-Eaters, seventeen-year-old Princess Vela has a grave dilemma. Her father, the king, is dying, and only a transplant of organs from a healthy Non-Eater boy will save him.

Vela is tasked with choosing a boy fit to die for the king, which is impossible enough. But then Carr, the boy she's loved all her life, emerges as the best candidate in the Bittersweet Trials. And he's determined to win, because by doing so, he can save the life of his Non-Eater sister.

Refusing to accept losing the boy she loves, Vela bends the rules and cheats. But when someone begins to sabotage the Trials, Vela must reevaluate her own integrity—and learn the true sacrifice of becoming a ruler.

This book comes out: October 2, 2018!!!

You can Pre-order it here:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Book Depository

About Pintip Dunn:

Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. Pintip's debut novel, FORGET TOMORROW, won the RWA RITA® for Best First Book. In addition, it is a finalist for the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, the Japanese Sakura Medal, and the MASL Truman Award. THE DARKEST LIE was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. Her other books include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, the novella BEFORE TOMORROW, and GIRL ON THE VERGE. She lives with her husband and children in Maryland.

You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | 

Entangled Publishing

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository Affiliate Code

{Review} A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Page Count: 247

Published on: January 1, 1962

Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Genre(s): Fantasy, Science Fiction, Classic, Children's, Middle Grade, Fiction

Source: paperback 

Age Rating: all ages

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 2 stars

Goodreads synopsis: 

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

~~~

Hey, guys!

      I never grew up reading Madeleine L'Engle's books. I know. It's a shock. Once I saw the trailer for the 2018 movie for A Wrinkle in Time, I. had to see what the hype was about. Better late than never, right? I think I was wrong. I really didn't enjoy this book. It just wasn't for me. I didn't like the characters, I felt like the world was just crammed into the 247 pages, and that the story wasn't fleshed out enough. I understand that it's a children's story, but I've read plenty of children's books that were really well done! I felt like AWiT was just a bit of a disappointment. I'm not even sure if I would have loved it back in the day, but I guess we'll never actually know. 

      There were quite a few reasons why I didn't really enjoy this book. One of them being the characters. The main character, Meg, was just so annoying. She was always whining and she never really had any realistic progression. One second she was whining, the next she was trying to seem heroic. I just didn't like her character much at all. The little brother Charles wasn't any better. Now, I'm not a person who hates a fictional six-year-old. I'm really not. But by the time I got halfway through the book, Charles Wallace was just really aggravating and unrealistic. There are plenty of smart six-year-olds, but they still have 90% of their child-like qualities. Charles Wallace just seemed like a 50-year-old stuck in the body of a 5 to 6-year-old. It wasn't done well. I really could not get into his character. Let's talk about Calvin. He had no character depth at all. He was just there within a chapter, they trusted him right away, and then he was a part of the group. What? There was no real explanation! 

      I really liked the premise of Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which. They could have been really cool, but they weren't fully fleshed out or done well either. There were no real establishing factors for the world, the characters, or the magic/science thing they were doing. It was just there. I was fully ready to get into this classic quintet, but the whole book (and all aspects of it) fell flat. I just was really really disappointed.  

      I can see why children all over the world grew up loving this book, but I don't think that it's something I would enjoy now. I wish it was, but I can't force it. I'll definitely go see the movie, but I don't think I'll finish the books. 

Other Middle Grade and Children's Books I Love:

• The School For Good & Evil (#1-4) by Soman Chainani
• Book 1 {click here}
• Book 2 {click here}
• Book 3 {click here}
• Handbook {click here}
• Anything by Rick Riordan
• Blood of Olympus
• Demigod Diaries
• The Hammer of Thor 
• Anything by Pseudonymous Bosch
• Bad Magic
• Bad Luck 
• Furthermore & Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi
• ALL HARRY POTTER!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository

The Chronicle of Three: Bloodline by Tabitha Caplinger

Page Count: 192

Published on: November 3, 2015

Published by: Blue Ink Press

Genre(s): Paranormal, Science Fiction, YA, Fantasy
Source: Paperback - sent from the author

Age Rating: YA

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Book Depository: {click here}

Twitter: @Tab_Caplinger

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Zoe thought the loss of her parents would be the most difficult thing she’d ever have to endure. When she began seeing things she couldn’t explain in her new home of Torchcreek, Virginia, she was sure the grief was driving her mad. Instead Zoe discovers she is part of an ancient bloodline, one destined to defeat the powers of darkness from condemning the world. But Zoe, the daughter of the three, isn’t just another descendant–she’s the key to humanity’s salvation. 

In this first installment of the Christian fantasy trilogy The Chronicle of the Three, Zoe Andrews learns that not all shadows are harmless interceptions of light. Some are a more sinister darkness that wants to torment the soul.

~~~

Hey, guys!

I was sent this book from the author for an honest review. 

     This book followed the main character Zoe who's parents have just tragically died. She moves in with her aunt, Claire, and they move to Torchcreek, Virginia to start again. Instead of finding a serene little town to live comfortably in, Zoe finds that she is beginning to see strange apparitions that plague her everyday life. She soon finds out that she is apart of a long bloodline of warriors who fight demons from Hell that are trying to disturb the peace of the Creator. Zoe finds out that she is the essential key to saving humanity from the dark and mysterious demons. This book is the first of three books that incorporate Christian elements throughout the story. 

     I really wanted to adore this book, but there were some aspects of the book that were sorely lacking. I found that the characters were very two dimensional. They had promise, but I genuinely want to know more about the story and about what happens to them in the second and third books. There were also so very cliche tropes that occurred throughout the book (i.e. the chosen one, forbidden love between supernatural and the non-supernatural). While these tropes were entertaining, I felt like they were underdeveloped and didn't add enough to the story. I felt like the plot points could have been expanded upon. The plot, unfortunately, was really lacking as well. I felt like it was also somewhat underdeveloped. I had so many world-building questions and I felt like should have been answered as the book continued on. I was really interested in the whole demon/dark forces aspect of the book and I really wish there was more of a complex explanation to Caplinger's rendition. 

      I also thought that events that occurred were too easy or they were too convenient. There were moments in the book that I saw coming from a mile away and some moments were there was something completely lacking. This sounds very vague, but if you have read the book, it would make much more sense. Apologies for the vague-ness. 

      I think that my favorite aspect of this book was how Caplinger incorporated the Christian faith and practices. I thought that it was done extremely well. I really enjoyed to see the characters grow and develop though the book was quite short, there was still a very prominent change in the characters. I can't wait to see how they develop in the next two books. I also was really intrigued by the relationship between Claire and Michael. I'm such a sucker for supernatural and non-supernatural relationships. I can't wait to see what happens in 

      Even though I had quite a few issues with this book, I look forward to continuing on with the series. Caplinger has begun a really intriguing and inspiring series that I can't help but be excited for. Her characters and plot have the potential to be something really fantastic. I look forward to understanding what will happen next. 

Book 2: Released February 7, 2017

Happy reading, everyone!
Olivia 

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository

@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino