Scott Reads It!

Another form of torture.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! There are slight spoilers for Once We Were... Once We Were is the sequel to the amazing, What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang and I have to say that I'm largely disappointed. Much of the formula that I loved in What's Left Of Me is discarded for a slow moving, typical dystopian plot. Once We Were is not what I expected from Kat Zhang and it's with a heavy heart that I have to say that Once We Were suffers from "middle-book syndrome". What's Left Of Me was a psychological thriller and it was very introspective; the reader really had to emotionally connect with Eva and Addie. So much of What's Left Of Me was thought-provoking and extremely poignant, Once We Were is a whole different book. Once We Were is all about the struggle for Addie and Eva to share a body and to participate in a rebellion. Most of Once We Were is dialogue and the plot is extremely slow-paced to the point where it became tedious. The action scenes are few, and far between in Once We Were and I can't help but wonder if this book really is essential to this series. There really isn't much going in Once We Were and the story progression is thin and transparent. If you have read any other dystopian books, you'll immediately be able to discern which the story is going. I completely understand that there is such a thin line between rebels and terrorists. I know how important of a theme this is, but it just didn't really work for me. It was such an obvious choice on Zhang's part and it seemed like the easy way out. It really rubbed me the wrong way because I know Zhang is such a talented storyteller and I expected her to do something more unexpected. In What's Left Of Me, I loved both Addie and Eva, but in Once We Were, my views of them took a change for the worst. I know Eva has always been recessive and has longed for control, but I really didn't like her attitude throughout Once We Were. She had a constant agenda and it seemed that she wasn't really thinking about Addie at all. Her actions would affect Addie so directly and I really can't believe Eva wouldn't think about collateral damage. I feel like the portrait that is painted of Addie and the other characters in Once We Were was like an unfinished piece of artwork. I liked what I was seeing and then Zhang completely lost me. We saw only a miniscule view of characters like Hallie, Lisa, and Addie; I really love these characters and wanted more of an opportunity to revisit them. Despite it's extremely slow beginning, I really enjoyed the rest of the novel. The few action scenes were well-written as was the ending and these scenes really reminded me why I fell in love with What's Left Of Me. Once We Were isn't the sequel I was expecting to read, but it did succeed in entertaining me. It's really a shame that Once We Were didn't have that emotional punch though. Though Zhang has let me down with Once, I really hope that book #3 of The Hybrid Chronicles ends with a bang.

That cover!

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! I wasn't the huge fan of Stormdancer--I really enjoyed, but there was just something missing from it. I really wanted to love Stormdancer, but it didn't really live up to my expectations. Kinslayer is a whole another story, I loved every single word and sentence. Kinslayer takes everything I loved about Stormdancer and reciprocates them tenfold in such an intriguing fashion. Few sequels surpass their predecessors and Kinslayer is DEFINITELY one of those sequels! Kinslayer is filled with non-stop, pulse-raising action scenes that are beyond epic. The plot is constantly moving at an incredibly fast pace and Kristoff never wastes a single second on frivolous details. Never did I get distracted or lose interest in Kinslayer and I was absolutely glued to the pages. Though Kinslayer looks like extremely long and voluminous, it's really a quick, entertaining read. I was completely and utterly addicted to Kinslayer and I'm really upset that I have to wait so long to read book #3. I love Yuikiko. I love how kick-ass and loyal she is to Burruu and her other friends. Personally I think the best relationship in The Lotus War is Burruu and Yukiko. No offense to Kin, but Burruu will always be my favorite character in this series. The strange, unique bond that Yukiko and Burruu share is unparalleled and they are truly one interesting duo. I really want my own Thunder Tiger and I really love how Kristoff brought these creatures to life. I assure you that I'm not alone in my desire to have a Thunder Tiger, I can assure you that readers everywhere are coveting these creatures after reading Kristoff's books. Burruu. I really think that Burruu deserves his own Lotus War spin-off because who wouldn't want to read about everyone's favorite arashitora? Every single piece of dialogue that Burruu is absolutely genius, I kid you not. Burruu made me laugh out loud so many times and his character is definitely one of the major highlights of the book. I was not kidding when I said Burruu deserves his own book; we got a taste of what Burruu is like with the other arashitora in this book, I really want to see more of his backstory. Basically I need more of a Burruu fix in book #2 because I can't get enough of him. Another extremely interesting and well-done tactic in Kinslayer is the alternating 3rd person point-of-views. I loved reading about the dynamics of the Kage and their rebellion again the Shima Imperium. There is one character that really sticks out in my mind when I talk about the Kage and it's Hana. I have no idea if Hana was in book #1 because my memory is failing me right now. Hana progresses so much as a character in Kinslayer and it was incredible seeing her transform into such a bad-ass character. Kinslayer is a perfect sequel filled with tons of actions and thrilling moments. Even if you were tepid about Stormdancer, I'd definitely recommend reading Kinslayer because it really improves on book #1's faults. I am 100% certain that I need to re-read Stormdancer and Kinslayer as soon as I can get my hands on book #3. I am in awe of Jay Kristoff's incredible writing abilities and I'm still recovering from that spectacular ending... Be prepared to read one of the best steampunk books ever written!

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! "Time heals all wounds. Not all of them, it turns out. Some wounds cut too deep, and some kinds of heartbreak aren't temporary."Often times, a book with a spectacular premise is announced and the blurb immediately grabs you. I read the blurb for The Brokenhearted and couldn't help but download an ARC of it. I really didn't believe this book would be anything like The Dark Knight or Cinder and it turns out I was right. I was skeptical about the comparisons, but I was blinded by the fact that this was a superhero novel. The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney really reminds me of another (painful) packaged book that I had read this year. A Dance Of Shadows by Yelena Black is another YA book with a killer premise, but extremely poor execution. Just like A Dance Of Shadows, The Brokenhearted suffers from a weak romance, bland characters, and a plot that leaves much to be desired. Both books extremely let me down and to be honest, are complete gimmicks.Anthem Fleet is an extremely petulant protagonist, she is incredibly naive and lacks common sense. Would you really go to the most dangerous part to town for a party? Considering how rampant crime is in that part of town and how dangerous everyone says it is, I would avoid it. Of course, Anthem meets a "hot, brooding guy" who rescues her and then immediately falls in love with him. Why does the guy always have to save the damsel in distress?In the media there needs to be less of this:And more of this:The Brokenhearted has one of the worst cases of insta-love I have ever seen to date. It only takes Anthem about one second to fall in love with Gavin and a couple of pages later, she confesses she's in love with him. Then Anthem decides she's going to let him drive her on his motorcycle, I wouldn't trust some random stranger who I just met to drive me on a motorcycle! After Gavin meets Anthem, a couple of chapters later she loses her virginity to him, even though she knows virtually nothing about me. To make things even worse, there's nothing appealing about Gavin AT ALL. The fact that Gavin smokes doesn't make him "artistic" nor does it makes him attractive in any shape or form. Considering Gavin isn't much of a catch, you would think that Anthem would think she deserves him. NOPE! Kahaney decides to make Anthem extremely self-conscious and she complains about her looks, claiming that's she too ordinary. It's okay to be self-conscious, but to wallow in sadness and continuously complain about your looks just doesn't cut it. Just when you thought Gavin couldn't stoop any lower, he tells her: "It's just hard to believe a girl like you would bother with someone like me." This is the most cheesy, cliche line, Kahaney could have possibly stuck in this scene and really angered me. It's not enough that we have an overly, annoying self-conscious heroine, but now we have a male love interest who is convinced that the MC is too good for him. This is NOT okay; The Brokenhearted uses cliche after cliche when it came to the romance. So Anthem gets into an accident and they give her a mechanical heart which gives her superhuman abilities. I'm fine with the whole mechanical heart spiel, but the heart is scarcely mentioned throughout the book. The mechanical heart is mentioned two or three times in passing and that's it. Considering both the title and the cover revolve around the heart, one would think it would be a major plot element instead of being a minor detail. Considering how self-conscious Anthem is, once she becomes a superhero she becomes instantly gorgeous. WHAT?!?! I am beyond the point of trying to understand this book, I just can't even. You would think that becoming a superhero would make The Brokenhearted alot more exciting, but it really didn't. Anthem continued to annoy me by acting harshly to her parents who are already in a bad place; I really thought Anthem was being unfair to them. The action scenes in The Brokenhearted aren't very thrilling and they have a tendency of recycling dialogue from B-List Superhero movies. Anthem begs in one of the key action scenes: "I have money. I'll give you whatever you want." Isn't Anthem supposed to be a superhero? Superheroes don't beg villains to release hostages, they get stuff done by fighting for what they believe in. By the time, Anthem said: "It's me you want, not him", I couldn't take it any longer. Of course The Brokenhearted is a part of a series and it supposedly ends on a cliffhanger, according to reviews that I've read. I'm not sure how that was a cliffhanger at all because I saw where the book was going so much earlier than it was revealed. Also the beginning of a love triangle starts to emerge near the end of the book and it is just so unnecessary. I really think that someone tried to make the most cliche, typical YA book possible because The Brokenhearted comes across as derivative and lame.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! I had been longing to read Sick ever since I saw that it was being marketed as "Breakfast Club meets The Walking Dead". Sick was even one of my "Waiting On Wednesday" picks in July and I was dying to read it. Sick just might be my most disappointing book of 2013 by a long shot. Don't believe Sick's description at all, the marketing for this book is built on false pretenses. When I read "Breakfast Club meets The Walking Dead", I should have known it was a gimmick because that comparison is too good to be true. Sick is nothing like The Breakfast Club at all and doesn't deserve to be compared to such a classic movie. The only element of Sick that remotely resembles The Breakfast Club is the fact that kids from different cliques and walks of life are stuck in the same room. That's where the similarities to The Breakfast Club start and end. Sick is NOT a coming-of-age story despite the comparison and the characters don't progress morally at all to justify the comparison.I can definitely understand the comparisons to The Walking Dead and it's a pretty accurate comparison. There is a lot of survival aspects of this story and there are a ton of gory zombie moments in this book. I love gore in books, but Sick felt excessively gore to the point where I didn't feel so well. The zombie aspects of Sick are executed well for the most part. Leveen has created a new type of zombie, these buggers are hunched and have crystalline features. At one point in the story, the zombies were described as sparkling and I couldn't help but be reminded of Twilight. I appreciate Leveen's efforts to create a new type of zombie, but we have enough sparkling paranormal creatures, thank you very much. Zombies don't need to sparkle, it's unnecessary and I'm not ready for zombies to be ruined for me. Vampires were taboo for me for a long period of time and I refuse to let that happen to zombies.Sick has some of the least intelligent characters I've read about ever and they frustrated me to no end. In addition to this, some of the characters also enjoy racist jokes. Here are some lovely quotes from this glorious book: Exhibition A: Let's be offensive and racist! I didn't know being a bigot was in season?"I didn't know a black kid could be pale, but Hollis is." "Maybe they're bustin' him for somethin'" "Like what?" "Bein' black" "Good point""Are you, like one of those high-functioning retards?" he asks."Because I'll kick your Mexican ass square into next week, ese.""This is the United States of America," Kat says, pretty calm under the circumstances. "We're not in Rwanda here, you guys. Someone'll show up, we've just got to sit tight."Exhibition B: Let the idiocy begin! "What the snap crackle fuck you talkin' about?""Let's go fuck this monkey""Say the world, and we're off like a prom dress.""It's Chad o'clock, motherfuckers.""Just out of curiousity, is there a Spanish word for zombie?" Jamie considers this a second before suggesting "Zombrero?" I wish I could say that these quotes made sense when in context, but that's not the case. This book gives teenagers a bad image and makes all teens look brain-dead. I kid you not, my e-ARC was filled with random quotes that made me want to weep for humanity. None of the characters are likeable at all and the MC never ceased to irritate me with his constant need to judge everyone. If you're questioning whether to read Sick or not, it really depends if you'll be offended by racism, prejudice, and mindlessness.I wish I could say the plot makes up for the horrendous dialogue and frighteningly unlikable characters. The plot is nothing special at all and is an average zombie story. There is a lot of running around, panicking, planning to escape, and people trying to figure out how the zombies were created. Sick stoops lower and lower as the book goes on and even manages to use a bunch of cliches. The characters even made a Lord Of The Flies joke, how clever! Not to mention that I've seen this story countless times and I just couldn't really immerse myself in this book. Luckily, I read Sick pretty quickly considering how much I hated it. The plot is extremely fast-paced and it always seems like there is something going on. I may not have enjoyed Sick, but I give credit to Leveen for making sure there is never a lull in the plot. Sick by Tom Leveen is definitely one of the worst books I've read all year. I honestly couldn't handle the excessive racism, offensive humor, and goriness. I'm not sure if I would recommend this one to anyone at all; I'm still not sure who the target audience for this one is because it manages to offend people from many different walks of life. Sick never ceases to be crude at all and I'm still questioning why this book is going to be published. Yikes!

NO. NO. JUST NO.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! A Trick Of The Light offers an unique peek into the life of Mike Welles, a male suffering from anorexia. Many people who don't know that males are just as susceptible to anorexia as females; it was genius for Metzger to show anorexia in a whole new light. A Trick Of The Light has one of the most interesting and disturbing narrators I've read to date. This book is actually narrated by anorexia who is a voice in Mike's head urging him to change his life. A Trick Of The Light is a haunting, realistic portrayal of anorexia and the way it slowly destroys lives . Anorexia isn't just a disease, it's this small part of victims that they can choose to listen to or ignore. When victims give in to this harasser, anorexia slowly takes control and begins to dominate their lives. Anorexia is all consuming, there's no one who seems to be unaffected when a family member or a friend has anorexia. Anorexia is all consuming both for the individual who has it and those who know somebody with it. A Trick Of The Light is a well-written, cautionary tale in the tradition of Go Ask Alice. Readers will learn the effects and symptoms of anorexia along side Mike Welles. This book really captures what anorexia truly is in a respectable, easily comprehensible manner. A Trick Of The Light is a great way for educators and parents to introduce their students and children to what anorexia is. I can picture this becoming required reading in a health class because it's short and straight to the point. Since A Trick Of The Light is such a quick read, the novel isn't too detailed or informative. I expected to learn a little about anorexia, but much of the information was basic knowledge that I was already familiar with. Since the novel is from the point of view of anorexia, you never really get into Mike's head. Sure, the reader gets small glimpses of what he was thinking, but the reader never emotionally connects with Mike. I really believe that Metzger should have alternated between Mike's POV and anorexia's POV to give this novel more of an emotional punch. I truly think what Metzger accomplished in A Trick Of Light is amazing, but I think it needed to a bit longer to add more sustenance. A Trick Of The Light isn't as powerful and poignant as I would've expected, but it does get it's point across. Lois Metzger showed anorexia in a refreshing, original way; this is definitely worth a read! Another interesting tactic was writing the dialogue in play or screenplay format which is something I haven't quite seen in YA prior to this. A Trick Of The Light is fast-paced, disturbingly accurate book that is a must for those unfamiliar with the effects of anorexia.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! Harlan Coben is an internationally bestselling author and he has written so many acclaimed mystery novels. Shelter is Coben's first book that is targeted towards the middle grade and young adult audiences. Shelter is a decent stab at providing younger readers with an intriguing mystery with twists and turns. Shelter is definitely not of the best mysteries out there for teens, there is too much reliance on high school and mystery cliches. Despite it's faults, I did enjoy Shelter, though not as much as I would have liked. Since it's Coben's first YA novel, I'll cut him a bit of slack. I don't know how familiar he was with YA before writing Shelter, but my guess is that he's kind of new to the genre. Shelter feels very condescending and I really felt like Coben was talking down to teens in this book. I really didn't understand why Coben felt the need to define random words to readers, the words he defined were simplistic enough that I think most teens would already be familiar with them. I felt insulted personally as both a teen and an avid reader. I really think Coben wasn't knowledgeable enough about YA audiences to write Shelter. There are just so many cliches in Shelter that the opening to this novel almost made me want to quit. There are the idiot jocks, the popular girls, and of course the stereotypical outsiders in Shelter. Since Mickey is a new kid at the school, he quickly gets on the bad side of the jocks and he fits in immediately with the odd outsiders. I can't tell you how many times I have seen this in pop culture and media, this trope is so overused and just really stale. Something that bothered me even more than the cliches was the badly written dialogue. I can't even describe how lame and cheap the way the dialogue in Shelter sounds. I'm sorry but this is NOT how teens talk at all, the characters sounded so immature for their ages. I think as the novel progressed the dialogue slightly improved and it didn't bother me as much later on. The mystery and plot twists saved Shelter and completely redeemed it for me. The mystery develops a bit slowly because the author spends a decent portion of this book on character development. Once the mystery fully kicks in, I was just amazed by the shocking developments and plot twists. The way Coben managed to connect small intricacies and details and weave them into a shocking mystery totally made up for the lackluster beginning. I can definitely understand why Coben has become such a popular mystery writer after reading Shelter's mystery. I'm convinced that Coben's YA books aren't for me, but I'm definitely going to check out his adult books. If I do read Seconds Away, it will be in the distant future when I have more of an open mind towards Mickey Bolitar. Shelter may not be the magnificent book I was hoping, but it has tempted me to read more mystery. I guess reading Shelter was a win-win situation for me, despite my ambivalent feelings toward the book.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! Steelheart was definitely one of my most anticipated books of 2013 by far. I mean c'mon, who doesn't love superheroes? Anyway Steelheart is as amazing as I imagined it would be, if not better. Steelheart is a book that is super in just every possible way. Steelheart will make your heart pound, it will make you squee with delight, and most importantly it will make yearn the sequel. This is definitely one of the best YA novels I've read recently to say the least.I wasn't feeling the major love towards Steelheart when I initially because for some reason it wasn't really clicking with me. I decided to restart it a few days later and it was the perfect book for the occasion. I desperately needed to know what would happen next and I tried to read Steelheart whenever I had the chance. I was completely and utterly addicted to Steelheart, this is the YA novel I've been waiting for so long. I remember saying in the past that I need a YA superhero novel and woah, Steelheart is that book.The superheroes aren't so super after all, these superheroes are called Epics, and they have enslaved the human population. These superheroes are terrifying and yet I couldn't stop geeking out and gloating over them. I love how Sanderson focuses so much on villains in Steelheart, because this is a perspective we usually do not see in the media. Super heroes are always the one saving damsels in distresses and it was awesome to see them causing havoc for a change.I can definitely see why Sanderson's books have become extremely popular with readers across the globe. Sanderson knows how to craft an addicting story with just enough humor, suspense, and action. There is truly never a dull moment in Steelheart and I was extremely invested in the story.David is just the sort of protagonist I can relate to because in many ways he's very similar to me personality wise. He's extremely awkward, nerdy, and he isn't the best at handling situations with the opposite sex. David is very passionate about known everything about the Epics and I really admired his determination to learn every little detail about them. David tries to make comparisons to describe situations, but most of the time they were off-kilter and made me laugh. YA really needs more unconventional characters like David!Steelheart has one of the best beginnings I've read to date because it catches readers' attention immediately. Once you start Steelheart, there's no letting it go. This is the kind of book that will make laundry and chores pile up in your house until you finish. Steelheart is just what I needed to read and it definitely delivered. If Sanderson's other books are as epic as Steelheart, I'll definitely have a new favorite author.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! I'm not a fangirl, I have never read or written fanfiction--yet I feel like Rainbow Rowell understands who I truly am. Rowell knows what being an introvert is like and she seaminglessly translate all of the awkwardness and beauty in Fangirl. Few authors can capture such raw and powerful feeling like Rowell can; Rainbow Rowell is definitely the Queen Of Contemporary Fic. Have you ever fallen in love with fiction? Have you ever felt more attached to fictional characters than acquaintances in real life? Have you ever read a book and had an unbearable urge to share your love with everyone you know? Would you rather live in fictional worlds than in reality? Do you like to escape from the world in fiction?If you answered yes to any of the above questions then Fangirl is the perfect book for you. You know who you are, be proud of your introverted nature! Some readers won't really understand Cath's decisions and actions, but most introverts will be able to relate to Cath. Cath would rather live in Simon Snow's fictional world rather than deal with her life in college. I completely understood the feelings of wanting to escape from life and immerse myself in fiction. I read to escape; when I read a book, I want to escape from reality and forget all of my problems. Cath needs Simon Snow to put off confronting her sister and dad, and her miserable (lack of a) social life. I have felt like this multiple times in life, whether it was in High School or at a different point in life, it doesn't matter. I know Cath, there is a large part of me that is still Cath, escaping reality online and in fiction. Cath is a character that is so rich and developed, there is just so much more to her than people see. After reading E&P, I discovered that Rowell writes the most intricate, realistic characters I've ever read and Fangirl is no exception. Some people are just going to dismiss Fangirl as a "chick-lit romance" but it's really more than meets the eye. Fangirl is a coming of age tale about coping with reality and balancing life. This may be shelved on Goodreads as "Chick-Lit" but I believe it can be enjoyed by both male and female readers alike. Cath's journey throughout her Freshman year of college is not one to be missed. Rainbow Rowell has quickly become one of my favorite authors and she is quickly becoming a fan favorite on Goodreads. It's easy to see why Rowell is a popular author when you read Fangirl. Rowell's writing is simple, yet poignant and beautiful; every sentence seems to be crafted with power. There are no frivolous sentences in Rowell's books, every sentence, every word is essential in bringing about a larger panorama. The dialogue is filled with sweet and humorous moments that is not only realistic, but also well-written. I really love who Rowell includes unconventional characters; whether it be PoCs, introverts, or overweight characters. Rowell is bringing more diversity to the literary world and I think it's just what more books need.The romance in Fangirl is sweet, well written, and moves at a reasonable pace. Fangirls will definitely swoon over Levi and his relationship with Cath. The romance takes up a decent portion of the 2nd halfish of the book and was absolutely superb. I'm very picky when I read romance in novels but Rowell writes the exact kind of romance that I love. Fangirl has the kind of romance that gives you that warm, tingly butterfly feeling in your stomach, the kind that comes with first love. Reading Rowell's books will make readers fall in love all over again and rediscover who they are.Fangirl has captured my heart and I hope it continues to strike a chord with readers across the globe. This is definitely one of the best contemporary novels I have read and probably will ever read. Rainbow Rowell books hold a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf. Rowell understands her readers and it has never been more evident than in Fangirl, my love for this book is boundless.

So heartbreaking and so powerful. I'm speechless.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! I actually read Wither and Perfect Ruin in the same exact week, this was my first time reading one of DeStefano's books. It was really interesting to see how both of these openings to a series differed, but there were actually a lot more similarities than I would have thought. I felt pretty ambivalent towards both Perfect Ruin and Wither much to my disappointment. Perfect Ruin is a pretty average dystopian book with few surprises and plot twists. We have the totalitarian gov't who puts restrictions on the people and decides keep them in the dark. We have a heroine who is way too curious for her own good and is head over heels for the love interest. Add in a loyal best friend, a few sci-fi elements, a predictable ending and tadah, you have Perfect Ruin. Perfect Ruin isn't a bad novel at all; it's definitely entertaining and it is pretty compelling throughout, but I expected something more from DeStefano. I wanted to read something extraordinary, something incredibly original, but Perfect Ruin didn't really make the cut. There are hundreds upon thousands of dystopian books out there, but there's nothing that really makes PR stand out. I really feel like DeStefano could have done so much more with Internment in Perfect Ruin. I mean come on, it's a floating city? There were so many opportunities for DeStefano to include something absolutely incredible, but she never really seizes the opportunity. For most of the book, it doesn't really feel like the reader is reading about a floating city. There is little to none world building that helps the reader understand what Internment is really about. I loved the essay excerpts at the beginning of each chapter, but that was a flavor of what I wanted. How does the edge of Internment tempt people? Why does it cause irreparable damage to them? I had countless questions and I wasn't getting any answers at all. For a dystopian novel, there never seems to be any tension or desperation throughout the entire novel. Even when people are getting murdered, things aren't as tense as they should be. Morgan doesn't really appear to be all that worried and everyone is so convinced that the police will handle it. If there hasn't been a murder on Internment in so long, would the police really be equipped and ready to solve another one? Except for the last 30% or so, there doesn't feel like anything is at risk when truthfully everything is at risk. Perfect Ruin has Lauren DeStefano's signature writing style: very detailed, compelling, and immersive. It was hard to distance myself from Perfect Ruin because I had this nagging urge to read more and more. I really love the way DeStefano writes and Perfect Ruin is no exception. There's something so addicting and yet so subtle about DeStefano's writing. Morgan isn't the most interesting of characters, she's actually pretty ordinary in most aspects. She has the questioning spirit that dystopian government want to obliterate, but other than that, she's as plain and basic as characters go. The rest of the characters never really managed to stand out in my mind either and I had to check the description to remind myself their names. I have seen these characters plenty of times before and Lauren DeStefano did nothing to spice their characters up. Perfect Ruin just really underwhelmed in so many ways, but it was extremely entertaining. I was craving something mind blowing but Perfect Ruin didn't really seem to fit the bill. The ending of the book is by far, the best portion of the entire book and made reading the rest of the book feel completely worth it. It was a bit odd how as the book progressed towards the end, how the novel seemed to morph into a completely different book. The transformation didn't bother me at all, but it felt as if each 1/3 of the book was completely different in tone and feel. Perfect Ruin will definitely satisfy Lauren DeStefano and newcomers to the dystopian genre. I blame myself for having sky-high, extremely unrealistic expectations for my disappointment. I can definitely imagine myself reading book #2 to sate my curiosity and also because I have this lingering suspicion that the sequel will be completely amazing. I really think that this book was all about setting up the sequel and so the sequel will be so much better.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! I loved Throne Of Glass so much that I had to read Crown Of Midnight ASAP. Crown Of Midnight is an excellent followup to Throne Of Glass, but I wasn't 100% into the book. This is NOT Crown Of Midnight's fault nor is it Maas's fault, I was in a reading slump so that really marred my experience of reading CoM. I have a feeling that I'm going to need to re-read CoM before the 3rd book releases due to my self-inflicted, poor reading experience.Crown Of Midnight is an epic, high-stakes, action-packed sequeled and is filled with scenes that will fill readers with adrenaline. Each page thrums with heart pounding actions and terrific dialogue that really showcases Maas's talent. The dialogue is humorous, and undeniably clever; Maas writes some of the best dialogue I have read in YA for sure. The romance in Crown Of Midnight is top-notch and I can't believe how often I flip flopped between loving Chaol or Dorian. After book #1, I was 100% Team Chaol but CoM messed with my mind so much. One page I was annoyed by Dorian and rooting for Chaol and in the next moment my opinion shifted so radically. It takes skill to manipulate a reader so effectively and Maas proves herself completely with the romance. That has to be one of the strangest compliments I have ever given an author. I have only love for Celaena and I completely love what Maas did with her character arc. I loved watching Celaena interacting with both old and new characters. I just love everything about Cel, whether it be her humor, her kick-ass attitude, or her insecurities. It really doesn't matter because I'm completely invested in Celaena's character and she is definitely one of my book girlfriends. Don't judge me--guys can totally have book girlfriends, if female readers can have fictional beaus.Reading Crown Of Midnight is a must for fans of Kristin Cashore and R.L. LaFevers. This is one of the few sequels that is just as amazing as it's predecessor. The last quarter of this book was absolute perfection and the ending made me tear up. Honestly that ending is absolutely cruel and yet so well done--it's just too much for me. Crown Of Midnight ends on a cliffhanger that will make you lust for the sequel desperately. This is a book you won't want to miss out on!

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! Unwind and Unwholly are two of my favorite books of all time and Neal Shusterman never ceases to amaze me with each book I read by him. Though Unwind was originally slated to be a trilogy, Unsouled wound up being too voluminous to be one book. S&S split Unwind's conclusion into Unsouled and Undivided and the Unwind Trilogy became a "Dystology". Unsouled is definitely a worthy sequel to Unwholly, it delivers a thrilling story that is disturbing and absolutely engrossing. The story is a bit slower paced than the previous novels and this is definitely the most character driven of all of the Unwind books. Throughout the novel, readers will enthralled by the perfectly written dialogue and action scenes. Shusterman manages to alternate from the 3rd person point-of-view of more characters than ever; this also means that there are more converging storylines than before. Despite the numerous point-of-views and storylines, everything is neatly done and it never feels overwhelming. A lot of books lose a sense of poignancy when they are written in 3rd person, but Shusterman fills his writing with so much emotion and power.In Unsouled, I lost so much respect for Lev and Connor, two characters who I used to love immensely. My perception of them dived during Unsouled and it's a bit disconcerting. Nevertheless Shusterman still manages to make his characters breathe and 3 dimensional, each in their own way. Though I'm no longer huge fans of Lev or Connor, it is extremely impressive how Shusterman juggles so many characters and manages to make each character completely distinct. The story ARC in Unsouled never seems to fully take off and it seems to be stuck in one spot. Though I loved Unsouled, it feels as if something is missing because Unsouled is really apart of a larger picture. In order to have fully appreciated Unsouled, I feel like I needed to have read Undivided so I fully understood the grand schematics of the finale to Unwind. I personally believe Unsouled and Undivided would probably have worked better as one large novel so readers don't feel as if they're missing out on the complete story. Unsouled didn't work too well on it's own and I feel bad judging it based on that aspect. Unsouled is a great novel, it's just a not-so great 1/2 of a conclusion to the Unwind Dystology. I loved where the story was going, it just ended way too soon and right when I was most engaged. I personally would recommend reading Unsouled and Undivided back-to-back instead of reading them separately. I wish I had waited to read Unsouled so I wouldn't have to wait so long to read a continuation of a story that I hold so dear to me. Unsouled is everything one would expect from Neal Shusterman and a sequel to Unwholly, it's just feels unfair to have an "unwound" book -- a book that is only bits and pieces of a larger body.

Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more! I had never even heard of Jonathan Tropper before requesting One Last Thing because I mostly read Young Adult books. I was intrigued by the book's description, but I didn't actually expect that I would enjoy it. I'm definitely not the "targeted audience" for this one, but I surprisingly enjoyed. I am confident when I say that I'll definitely be reading more of Tropper's books. Tropper succeeds on so many levels in One Last Thing Before I Go: this book is equally heartbreaking as it is humorous. Since the main character, Silver is terminally ill, most of the jokes are dark humor which is NOT for everyone. Keep that in mind if you plan on reading this book. Many of the jokes weren't laugh-out-loud, rolling-on-the-floor hilarious, the jokes are more subtle jokes that are meant to evoke a few chuckles. Don't expect to be laughing your head off! One moment in One Last Thing you could be crying your eyes out and the next you could be laughing. This book is a strange book, but extremely engrossing one; I was hooked right from the beginning. This is a book that will best be enjoyed by "middle-aged" people who will be able to identify with Silver better than most readers. Even I as a teenager could oddly identify with Silver and his hardships; Tropper definitely has created a character that is easy to identify with and easy to root for. The other characters in this zany cast of characters are all extremely developed and are realistic with their insane, overwhelming personalities. These characters felt like they were breathing, like they lived beyond the page which is always a good sign. In One Last Thing Before You Go, you have this premonition that you know what's going to happen; in the same way, you know what's going to happen in The Fault In Our Stars. You just know what's going to happen next, but you have this lingering doubt that it's not going to end that way. One Last Thing Before I Go does go down the route that I expected for the most part. It was a tad predictable until I arrived at the very end, the finale. The finale was so wonderfully crafted and yet so horrible at the same time; it was very open-ended and it kind of irked me. I felt that this was a good decision, yet I felt so annoyed by this decision and so pleased by it. I felt rather ambivalent towards the ending, but for the most part, it was excellent. One Last Thing Before I Go is an extraordinary contemporary novel that I would highly recommend. I will definitely be reading more of Tropper's novels and I have a feeling that I will quickly become a fan of his. This was definitely a lovely surprising read and I'm so happy that I took the time to read this one. One Last Thing Before I Go isn't your typical contemporary novel and succeeds in both emotional depth and humor.