Mini-Review: Cyber Sparks by Robert Appleton

Title: Cyber Sparks
Author: Robert Appleton
Series: Cosmic Sparks #3
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: 08/27/12
Reviewed by: Sara
Summary:

My name is Allegra Mondebay, and this is the story of my last days on Earth...

Unlike my sparsely populated home, on Earth everything and everyone is plugged in. As a blacklisted model who needs to reboot my career, I can no longer resist the ultimate in virtual-reality networking: the omnipod. At first, altering the sights, sounds and scents around me seems harmless. Then I hear the voice.

Do not adjust your headset. You are in danger...

He says I must help him warn the public about the perils of the omnipod. I think he's just a hacker -- until innocent people start dying, and the police want to hold me responsible. Now, I'm on the run in a stolen shuttle, trying to figure out why he needs me. And if I don't do as he says, he'll kill the woman I love.

Mini-Review: I was really excited to read this title becasue it was fell under the Gay & Lesbian label on Netgalley. So I was a bit let down when this turned out to be a science fiction novel with just a hint of a possible F/F relationship. Although I was very intrigued by the technology in the novel and how everyone was using virtual reality to escape, the ending wasn't quite the conclusion I had hoped for. There was a bit of a cliffhanger, and the relationship is still in a fledgling stage. Even the cover gives a F/F romance vibe. All in all, this story would definitely work for fans of Sci-Fi, but would probably leave those looking for a good F/F story a little let down.

Plot: 2.5 Stars
Pace: 3 Stars
Characters: 2.5 Stars
Cover: 2.5 Stars
Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I received an eARC of this title via Netgalley.

Review: Demonkeeper by Royce Buckingham

Title: Demonkeeper
Author: Royce Buckingham
Genre: Paranormal Middle Grade
Release Date: 10/02/08
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

Ever since his mentor -- the original Demonkeeper -- mysteriously disappeared, Nat has been in charge of the demons that live in his house. Most of them are just nuisances, but the Beast who lives in the basement is very dangerous. When Nat goes out one night, a clueless burglar breaks into the house and unwittingly sets the Beast free. Meanwhile, a vicious villain, the Thin Man, wants to use the Beast for his own evil purposes. Can Nat defeat the Thin Man and return the Beast to the basement without any major casualties?

Plot: 3 Stars
This novel was my second middle grade novel (the first being The Lightning Thief). I wanted to love it, but it was a bit lacking in details. We know that Nat's mentor has passed away, but we do not really know what happened. He is now in charge of this house full of demons, but we don't really learn much about the demons, except for Nat's three minions and the Beast. Nat's minions are interesting, but even their powers are barely mentioned. At one point, a comment is made that having three minions means the Demonkeeper is very strong, but it is never elaborated on. Outside of these lack of details, the story was quite enjoyable. There were some twists I wasn't expecting, but there were also a few I saw coming.

Pace: 2 Stars
For such a short novel, there were a lot of chapters. Some of these short chapters felt a bit choppy, especially when they kept jumping from one point of view to the next. I feel like this novel could've been a bit longer and included a little more information without really slowing down the pace. The point of view jumping wasn't a problem because it helped get to know each character, but it sometimes seemed like chopped the timeline up. There would be a chapter involving Nat then the next couple would jump to other character, and when it got back to Nat a couple chapters later, almost no time had passed.

Characters: 3 Stars
What we learned about each character was very interesting and unique, but I wanted more. It felt like we only skimmed the surface of each character, like it was more important that they fit the roles needed to further the plot than to actually become their own person. We didn't get to learn nearly enough about Nat's past for him to be the main character. And the Thin Man didn't really have any characteristics besides being the evil antagonist of the story. It's not that these characters were bad. I actually enjoyed them. I just wanted more from them.

Cover: 2.5 Stars
I really enjoyed that Nat's three minions were included on the cover, especially since they look exactly how they were described. Their details and colors really catch the eye. Other than the minion, the cover is a bit boring. The background is flat black. There's no detail in the background to give a better idea of the story and setting. And Nat is only included in profile. This would work if his minions had played a bigger part, but Nat was the focus of the novel so it would've been nice to see more than just his outline. The font and color choices for the title and author fit in with the minions, but take up a bit too much of the cover.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this novel (from the bargain section) for my own reading pleasure.

Review: Dark Embers by Tessa Adams

Title: Dark Embers
Author: Tessa Adams
Series: Dragon's Heat #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 07/06/10
Reviewed by: Christen
But the Book:

Summary:

A new erotic paranormal series, starring dragon shapeshifters, kicks off with a very sexy debut...

Prince Dylan MacLeod is one of the last pure-blood dragon shape-shifters -- and ruler of a dying race, the Dragonstar clan. It falls to him to protect his people and their ancient magic. But he has one important duty: to provide an heir...

Like all dragons, Dylan, who has a dark, rampant sexual appetite, can only procreate with his destined mate -- for whom he's searched for the last five hundred years. But his quest is delayed when a disease sweeps through the Dragonstars, and Dylan must venture to the human world to find a cure. He tracks down bio-chemist Phoebe Quillum, never imagining the beautiful scientist would be the mate he's been seeking. But even with the fate of the clan on their shoulders, Phoebe and Dylan are overcome by their sexual desire.

Their passion turns to something truer, but when Phoebe is kidnapped by Dylan's oldest enemy, he must risk everything for his love and his clan...

Plot: 2.5 Stars
This was my first dragon read, and it wasn't bad. But I think it definitely could have been better. Never, not once, could I picture in my mind what these dragons actually looked like. I kept waiting for the big information drop, where the reader and the human character gets the inside scoop on dragons and what it's like to be this dragon in particular, but I didn't get that. The human character did at some point off stage, but it would have been helpful to the reader as well. Also, I would have liked a little more explaination about both of the character's pasts, Dylan's in particular. A couple of things happen in order for Dylan to be king, but they are only mentioned in Dylan's mental monologues, which comes across a bit biased. Just an explaination from a secondary character would have been nice.

Pace: 2 Stars
In the summary, it tells you that Phoebe and Dylan are destined mates. Guess when they figured that out? The last page. When could they have figured it out? On page 85. All he had to do was look at his arm, he would have noticed that his tattoo had changed. I don't understand how anyone can go almost three months without looking at your arm. That was very frustrating. Besides that, all of the action was packed into the last fifty pages, which means my attention wandered a bit through the first 300 pages or so.

Characters: 3 Stars
Both Dylan and Phoebe were good characters. They had pasts, they had attitudes, and they had their hang-ups. They were believeable characters. The author spent a lot of time introducting them to the reader and added new layers to each character, just like you would if you were getting to know them. The secondary characters, however, weren't as well done. The few secondary characters that actually had lines were pretty much just that, lines. They were never explained and hardly introduced, just thrown in to help the story progress.

Cover: 3 Stars
The cover model is okay, but he kinda needed a shirt. The tattoo, although pertinent to the story, looked completely fake. The dragon belt buckle was an interesting way to tie in the dragon shifter aspect of the story. Without the belt buckle, the cover didn't really say paranormal. The city in the background helps you place that this is happening in or near the desert. But as far as I could tell, they were never in a city. I really liked the colors chosen for the color, especially the purple at the top.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this novel for my own reading pleasure.

Review: After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

Title: After the Golden Age
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 04/12/11
But the Book:

Summary:

Can an accountant defeat a supervillain? Celia West, only daughter of the heroic leaders of the superpowered Olympiad, has spent the past few years estranged from her parents and their high-powered lifestyle. She’s had enough of masks and heroics, and wants only to live her own quiet life out from under the shadow of West Plaza and her rich and famous parents.

Then she is called into her boss’ office and told that as the city’s top forensic accountant, Celia is the best chance the prosecution has to catch notorious supervillain the Destructor for tax fraud. In the course of the trial, Celia’s troubled past comes to light and family secrets are revealed as the rift between Celia and her parents grows deeper. Cut off from friends and family, Celia must come to terms with the fact that she might just be Commerce City’s only hope.

This all-new and moving story of love, family, and sacrifice is an homage to Golden Age comics that no fan will want to miss.

Plot: 3 Stars
I was never into comic books, but a couple years ago I read Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. I wasn't sure how a novel about superheroes was going to work out, but I absolutely loved it and could not believe there weren't more authors moving in this direction. So when I saw that Carrie Vaughn was releasing a superhero novel, I had to have it because I loved Voices of Dragons and her Kitty Norville series. Maybe my expectations were a little high after reading Black and White, but this novel just fell a little flat for me. Commerce City wasn't explained in much detail, so the setting portion of the world-building was a bit lacking. The Destructor was the only evil supervillian mentioned, which didn't seem plausible. But my favorite part of this novel was the mystery that unfolded. As Celia delved further and further into the mystery, she learned more and more about how the super humans came about.

Pace: 2 Stars
Three quarters of this novel left me wondering if I'd ever get to the action. It seemed like all of the time was taken up by Celia's inner monolgue, whether she was trying to figure out the current situation or rehashing past events. Whether she was on the phone, working out a new lead, or sitting in court, it seemed like Celia was telling the reader a lot of information instead of showing the reader. Even her flashbacks (which happened quite often) were a bit lackluster, considering they were flashbacks of evil geniuses and kidnappings. It wasn't until I almost gave up and brought the book back to the library without finishing, that I reached the last quarter of the book and hit a little action. Granted, I saw the scene that grabbed my attention back coming, it was enough to get me to finish the book.

Characters: 3 Stars
Celia is the only character we learn a lot about throughout this novel. While it's totally understandable that after being raised by superheroes she would rebel as a teenager and become an accountant as an adult, I never really connected to Celia. A part of the problem is that she talked about how she didn't get along with her parents throughout the entire novel, but did not give that many examples. Also, we never learn a lot about her parents outside of their jobs and the few flashbacks in which we see them all not getting along. Dr. Mentis is the only member of the Olympiad we get to learn a bit about, and that came across very rushed and last minute after certain scenes unfold. There were a number of other super humans that are mentioned once or twice with barely any detail. It was also a bit confusing at time when Celia bounced back and forth between the super human's real names and code names.

Cover: 2 Stars
This cover confused me. My first thought upon seeing it was, "Where is the cover model's face?" It isn't until you open the cover to read the inside of the jacket that you see her face, which leads me to wonder if the paperback version is going to be edited slightly or just leave her face-less. Once I started reading, the cover confused me even more because I couldn't figure out who the cover model was supposed to depict. My first thought was Celia, considering she has short red hair and she's the main character. But the red spandex suit makes me think the cover model is depicting Spark, a member of the Olympiad, which doesn't make a lot of sense because without including the other three members of the Olympiad. Although I do enjoy the juxtoposition of the title and other text in regards to the cover model's distinctly superhero pose. I just wish the cityscape across the bottom could have been more pronounced. I couldn't even tell it was there when looking at a thumbnail. Basically, from afar this cover does a good job of relaying the superhero vibe to a shopper that is browsing, but on closer inspection it is a bit generic and does not depict the novel that well.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I borrowed this novel from the local library.

Review: Swoon by Nina Malkin

Title: Swoon
Author: Nina Malkin
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 05/04/10 (paperback)
Summary:

SIN IS COMING...PREPARE TO SWOON.

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing even happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree and her spirit interwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge and while Pen is obvious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intesely drawn to him—but not at all crazy abolut the havoc he's wreaking.

Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent—and irresistible—adversary before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him.

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

Plot: 3 Stars
When I read the back cover copy, I was so excited for this book. It seemed like such an interesting take on demons and possession. But the book just didn't live up to my high expectations. The demons and possession (the parts of the book that had my attention) seemed to take a backseat for most of the novel. Instead, the majority of the book felt like there was nothing paranormal going on, just crazy teenagers (and sometimes adults) doing crazy things.

Pace: 2 Stars
This novel just dragged on for me. There were a number of scenes that could've been cut, in my opinion. They didn't seem to add much to the plot and kinda seemed like filler. I kept hoping some of these scenes would tie in as the loose ends were being tied together near the end, but it just didn't happen. The ending also felt a little rushed and quick. It was over before I knew it, and I was left looking for a bit more to wrap everything up.

Characters: 2.5 Stars
There weren't a lot of characters in this novel that were well rounded. Most of the teenagers seemed shallow and most of the parents seemed aloof. Dice wasn't as shallow as most of her fellow classmates, but she was a bit hung up on Sin throughout the novel. I would've liked her to be a bit more down to earth than she came across. The characters I really felt for was Marsh, Pen and Dice's friend who dealt with many obstacles that most teens in the town didn't have to deal with. Although the mayhem Sin caused was confusing, I didn't necessarily agree with his reasoning behind everything.

Cover: 3 Star
The colors of the cover were very striking. The different purple hues really stood out against the much brighter colored covers found around the novel (both in the store, and on my bookshelf). The pink text of the title was a nice contrast, although I thought the title was a bit small for the cover. The tree was a very spooky element to include. The only thing I'm not very fond of on the cover was the cover model, mostly because I didn't like the pose that was chosen. It seemed a bit awkward.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

Review: The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason

Title: The Rest Falls Away
Author: Colleen Gleason
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 01/02/07
Summary:

In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy of vampire slaying, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake. But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous, moonlit streets, Victoria's heart is torn between London's most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her enigmatic ally, Sebastian Vioget. And when she comes face to face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make the choice between duty and love.

Plot: 2.5 Stars
The premise of the series is very promising, but didn't quite deliver. There were a few major flaws in the plot, and a lot of necessary information is either not given or given too late. Each time Victoria runs into a new kind of vampire (there are three kinds), it's a complete surprise because there was no classification beforehand. Since Victoria is new to being a venator, we only learn what she has learned about the job. I would've liked a little more information and backstory to the job.

Pace: 1.5 Stars
The pace of this novel threw me completely. In the beginning, it is of utmost importance that the venators find an important book. We're led to believe that it will be a big part of the book, but it is found within a hundred pages or so. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but after the book is found, nothing happens for the majority of the book. Most of the action is jammed into the last couple chapters, which were very hard to get through. I almost put this novel down and gave up a number of times because the story just wasn't moving.

Characters: 3 Stars
I liked Victoria as a main character. She was strong and headstrong and stuck to her guns. But I feel like we barely learned anything about anyone else. I would've liked a little more information about Rockley and Max, her aunt Eustacia and her mother. I feel like we only got to see the surface of the other characters, and not what's underneath. Not much about the past was uncovered. And we also didn't learn all that much about the vampires.

Cover: 3 Stars
The cover is appealing, and definitely gets the vampire angle across with the stake. But it's a bit bland for me. I think it would've been better with the natural colors of the scene instead of the monochromatic reds. My biggest issue with the cover is the cross inlayed into the end of the stake. You can plainly see that it's computer generated, and the stake would've looked much more natural without it.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

Review: Lips Touch by Laini Taylor

Title: Lips Touch: Three Times
Edited by: Laini Taylor
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 10/01/09
Summary:

Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls.

Title: Goblin Fruit
Rating: 2.5 Stars
This story was a quick read, but the ending felt rushed, like it was cut short. It started off with a lot of details and seemed very promising. I think it would've been a great story if the ending could've had about twenty more pages to flesh it out instead of just ending mid-scene.

Title: Spicy Little Curses
Rating: 4 Stars
The idea of hell that was central to this story was a very interesting view of hell. The ideas of saving souls, reincarnation, and cursing individuals made for a very tale. I really liked the interaction between the two main characters, especially considering the obstacle they had to overcome.

Title: Hatchling
Rating: 3 Stars
Although the lore was very interesting, this story was really drawn out. It jumped between points of view, which was a bit confusing to follow. And when detailing some of the history and lore, it seemed a little slow and drawn out.

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library for my own enjoyment.

Review: Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

Title: Angels' Blood
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 03/03/09
Summary:

Nalini Singh introduces readers to a world of beauty and bloodlust, where angels hold sway over vampires.

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other -- and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.

Plot: 2.5 Stars
I enjoyed the idea that vampires were made by angels, instead of them being seem as evil. But not a lot of details about the relationship between angels and vampires were discussed. Whenever she had questions, Raphael would tell Elena that it was dangerous for her to know the information. That just felt like a cop out to me, almost like the author wasn't sure of the details yet so she would save the information for a future book once she'd figured it out.

Pace: 2 Stars
The pace of this book threw me for a loop. One second I couldn't put it down, and the next it was just dragging. There were times where it seemed like the main characters got sidetracked and the storyline took a tangent that seemed totally irrelevant to what was going on. Normally these random tangents tie in near the end, but this book had a couple that never seemed to come back around and fit in, therefore they ended up feeling like a waste of time.

Characters: 3 Stars
I wanted to like Elena, I really did. She seemed like such a strong woman. But as the book progressed, she became consumed by Raphael, even when he wasn't controlling her. There were also a bunch of smaller characters I wish we could've seen more of: Sara, Random, Deacon, Dmitri, Venom, and the other archangels. Although it was a paranormal romance focusing on Elena and Raphael's relationship, they seemed a little too cut off from the other characters.

Cover: 3 Stars
The cover model was an acurate depiction of Elena. But the rest of the cover fell flat for me. The color choices were too bright. The light yellows and whites made it really hard to see the buildings in the background, which ended up making the cover look a little flat. Had the colors been darker, the details would've shown through.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

Review: Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis

Title: Never Cry Werewolf
Author: Heather Davis
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 09/01/09
Summary:

Moonlight can totally change your life.
And it all starts so simply.
You. Him.
The moon.
You're toast.

Okay, so maybe Shelby has made a few mistakes with boys lately (how was she supposed to know Wes had "borrowed" that Porsche?). But her stepmother totally overreacts when she catches Shelby in a post-curfew kiss with a hot senior: Suddenly Shelby's summer plans are on the shelf, and she's being packed off to brat camp. It's good-bye, prom dress; hello, hiking boots.

Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star) Austin Bridges III. But soon she realizes there's more to Austin than crush materia l —his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby's help guarding it. Shelby knows that she really shouldn't be getting tangled up with another bad boy... but who is she to turn her back on a guy in need, especially such a good-looking one? One thing's for sure: That pesky full moon is about to get her into trouble all over again.

Plot: 2.5 Stars
There were just parts of the plot that rubbed me the wrong way. For example, the characters in this book were at "brat camp" but no one noticed when Shelby wandered off during an activity. Also, considering the book centered around Shelby's time at brat camp, the day to day activities and therapy were almost nonexistant. It really left a lot to be desired.

Pace: 3 Stars
For a book I read so quickly, it didn't really feel like anything was happening. And there also seemed to be scenes that just weren't needed to further the plot. There were also a few scenes that seemed to move too quickly. The major one is Shelby coming to terms with the paranormal aspect of the story. She didn't deny it or think he was crazy nearly long enough considering she wasn't given a lot of physical evidence.

Characters: 1 Stars
Outside of the two main characters, no one really had any depth. They were just names with one or two pieces of a personality that mostly just filled the scenes. Characters I thought I would enjoy, never really progressed past their initial interesting introduction, and characters I thought I would root against were just half way bad. No one was really awesome and no one was really evil.

Cover: 3 Stars
Although the play on Little Red Riding Hood was creative, the cover seems a little bland to me. Nothing about it (besides the title) reads paranormal at all. It doesn't need to give away the plot, but I wish I was at least sure that there would be supernatural creatures. There was also nothing to make it stand out against any other cover, since it was just a cover model and a title.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I received this book as a gift.

Review: Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Title: Hearts at Stake
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 12/22/09
Summary:

On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black — agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.

Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy — who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life — Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black — in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart.

Plot: 2 Stars
While the story kept me engaged, it seemed a little far-fetched. Every time something went wrong, the Drake's couldn't catch a break. Before they could make any sort of progress, something else went against them. This group defect, that group went rogue, this treaty was broken, that alliance just formed... It seemed like the author tried to throw in as much politics as possible, but it practically made my head spin.

Pace: 3 Stars
There was never a time when the story started to lag, but the alternating points of didn't always work for me. They worked when Solange and Lucy were in different locations or if one was unconscious. But there were times when the jump seemed too abrupt, like there were two separate story lines we were jumping between. I also didn't feel as engaged with each character since we only got about 110 pages with each.

Characters: 2 Stars
I felt like there were too many characters and not enough time to get to know them. Solange had seven older brothers and I only remember the names of four of them. Nicholas was the only one that spoke more than two or three times. I also thought that the relationships that blossomed throughout the book came right out of left field. One second they hate each other, and the next they're making out. There were too many races of vampires. They're all introduced in the beginning, but when a couple races come into play at the end, I had completely forgotten about them.

Cover: 3 Stars
I bought the paperback version (the hardcover was not available at the bookstore). From what I've seen from pictures on the internet, I like colors of the hardcover's cover better. The blues were dull and the model wasn't that pale on the paperback. For those that understand photoshop lingo, it looked like someone set a navy blue layer to exclusion (meaning the blacks turn navy blue and the whites turn light tan).

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

Review: Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Title: Blue Moon
Author: Alyson Noel
Genre: Young Adult
Release date: 07/07/09
Summary:

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever’s powers are increasing, Damen’s are fading — stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.

Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen’s past — the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day...

Plot: 3 Stars
I enjoyed finding out more information involving Damen's past, and I hope we continue to get more in future books. It was also fun to see more of the Immortal powers and Summerland. But other than that, the plot seemed a little basic. Girl and boy are in love, something happens and now boy is unavailable, girl must save the day. It's a common theme in YA, and I wish the author could've had a slightly more unique spin.

Pace: 2 Stars
There was a large chunk of the middle of this book where it seemed like nothing was happening to further the plot. And then the conflict and resolution at the end was a whirlwind that lasted only a few pages. I wanted to love this book after enjoying Evermore so much, but there were points where I had to force myself to keep reading.

Characters: 2 Stars
There wasn't much character growth in this novel. Every student in school except Ever is under mind-control, so they all act exactly the same. Damen is ill for the majority of the book, so he's basically absent. And I felt like Ever was still a little too stuck in the past. All the progress she had made seemed the fly out the window the moment Damen was ill, and I wanted her to be stronger than that.

Cover: 3 Stars
I know this is gonna sound kinda picky, but I wish the fingers holding the glass orb was blue like the rest of the cover. I also thought the way the top of the image was chopped off right through the cover model's nostrils was an odd choice.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.