Review: Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Synopsis:
Torn between two destinies; 

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf. 

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever.

Quick Review:

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson takes a unique direction with werewolves. There is a lot of girl power in this book, which is great! I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next installment

Rating: 4/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3)

Synopsis:
There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.  
Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again. 
But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

Review:
It took me a long time to pick this book up off of my shelf because I was not too excited to read it. I really enjoyed the first two books, but for some reason I was not looking forward to reading this one. Once I started to read this book, I could not put it down! I read it in only two sittings. I was excited to have old and new characters come together for this installment.

The Dark and Hollow Places is full of action, adventure, romance, and zombies. I love a good zombie book, and this one did not disappoint! I am so sad to see this series end.

Rating: 4.5/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Passion (Fallen #3) by Lauren Kate

Synopsis:
‘Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever.’

Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way . . . Luce is certain that something – or someone – in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.
Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history. Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.

Review:
In Passion by Lauren Kate, Luce travels back in time using the shadows she sees to try to find a way to break the curse that keeps her and Daniel apart. During her travels, she meets Bill, a gargoyle, who seems to be helping her control the shadows. As she travels farther and farther back in time, she sees what Daniel has had to go through for thousands of years, which I really liked. Now Luce has some sort of understanding of how much Daniel has had to endure in order to be with her for short spouts of time. She sees her some of her past selves die and watches Daniel grieve for her death. Seeing this, Luce discovers that her and Daniel's love for each other is the only thing that keeps him going. 

This book is crazy! Luce gets to see her past lives in person and not just in Daniel's mind. She learns that she can merge herself with her past selves in order to feel exactly how they felt.

The ending is a cliffhanger, of course. It also leaves so many questions unanswered. I really need to get my hands on the next book to find out what happens. Of course, I have to comment on the cover of this book. It is gorgeous! I love the dress the girl is wearing. 

Rating: 4/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: The Tree House by Shay Lynam

Synopsis:
Hailey is an average twenty-year-old college student, living an average life. Or so she thought. When a past she never knew existed is brought to light, the reality she thought she knew is shattered and Hailey is left alone to pick up the pieces. Who could know this world holds such evil? Who is this strange, obscure boy that seems to know more than he is saying? 

And what can one girl do when a fight to stay alive becomes a fight to avenge and protect the ones she loves?

Review:
*I received this book from the author for an honest review*

I really enjoyed this book! It was full of action, has some violence, and is unpredictable. The book starts off in an intense setting and there is never a slow moment.

The one issue I had with this book was the beginning where Hailey's house is broken into. I do not understand why she did not call the police! Any normal person would call the police, and it never even crossed her mind!

Besides that, I really loved this book. The plot was original and there was never a dull moment. The characters were all very interesting and enjoyable to read about, and the ending was unexpected, making room for a sequel. 

Rating: 4/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin

Synopsis:

5:30 a.m., Brianna Pelletier gets ready for her daily pounding. As she lies on the couch, her dad beats her chest, then her back, coaxing the mucus out of her lungs. The pounding doesn’t take care of everything. Brianna’s held out for a long time, but a body with cystic fibrosis doesn’t last forever. It doesn’t matter that Brianna has a brilliant mathematical mind or that she’s a shoo-in for MIT. Or even that her two best friends are beautiful, popular, and loyal. In the grand scheme of things, none of that stuff matters at all. The standard life, lasting maybe seventy-five years, is no more than a speck in the sum total of the universe. At eighteen, and doubting she’ll make nineteen, Brianna is practically a nonentity. Of course she’s done the math. But in her senior year of high school, Brianna learns of another kind of math, in which an infinitely small, near-zero quantity can have profound effects on an entire system. If these tiny quantities didn’t exist, things wouldn’t make the same sense. 


Funny, tear-jerking, and memorable, the author’s second novel for teens introduces readers to an extraordinary girl who learns that the meaning of forever can change, and that life – and death – is filled with infinite possibilities.

Review:

Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin is a book about a girl, named Brianna, who has to live with cystic fibrosis. It is funny and a tear jerker. Mathematics is a heavy part in the story, which made it more interesting. It is a fast read, and the ending did make me cry. 

Brianna is a courageous, strong character. I love how she didn't let the disease she had keep her down. She lived life even though the doctors said she did not have much time left. Her crush, Adam, is such a sweet guy who is a little dorky, and her best friends, Stephanie and Melissa, are great friends.

This is such a touching story. I would recommend it to everyone.

Rating: 4/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: The Clearing by Heather Davis

Synopsis:
In this bittersweet romance, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever.

     Amy is drawn to the misty, mysterious clearing behind her Aunt Mae’s place because it looks like the perfect place to hide from life. A place to block out the pain of her last relationship, to avoid the kids in her new town, to stop dwelling on what her future holds after high school.

     Then, she meets a boy lurking in the mist—Henry. Henry is different from any other guy Amy has ever known. And after several meetings in the clearing, she’s starting to fall for him.

     But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of the clearing, it’s still 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past, staving off the tragedy that will strike them in the future. Amy’s crossing over to Henry’s side brings him more happiness than he’s ever known—but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.

     In The Clearing, author Heather Davis crafts a tender and poignant tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny—a perfect book to slip into and hide away for awhile.

Review:
The Clearing by Heather Davis was such an interesting read. It started off a little slow for me, but once I pushed through the first couple chapters, I could not put it down. I am so glad I stuck it out because this book is amazing! It touches on some dark issues like domestic violence, but does not go into too much detail. 

The ending is bittersweet. After finishing it, I had to sit and think about what happened and decide if I liked it or not. At first, I felt disappointed in the ending, but then I determined that I was sad to see it end. The conclusion of my thought process was that I definitely enjoyed the book. The ending is not a happily ever after ending, but it was how it needed to end in my opinion. I wish there was a sequel!

Rating: 4/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Beauty by Robin McKinley

Synopsis:
A strange imprisonment...

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

Robin McKinley's beloved telling illuminates the unusual love story of a most unlikely couple, Beauty and the Beast.

Review:
Beauty by Robin Mckinley is an enchanting retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast. Anyone who has seen the Disney movie knows what this book is about.

Honestly, this book was a little too slow for my liking. I love a good fairy tale retelling, but this book felt like it was just like the original story. I did not notice much change. Nevertheless, once you sit down to read this book, it is a quick young adult read. If you love the story of Beauty and the Beast, then you will like this book. It is enjoyable, but I would not read it again.

Rating: 3/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Synopsis:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Review:

Well, it definitely took me a while to hop on this bandwagon, but I am glad I did! I read so many great reviews on this book before reading it. That is what made me hesitate to start because I felt like my expectations were too high. I am happy to report that my expectations were met and exceeded. This book is full of a little bit of everything: action, adventure, romance, and more! I just wanted to let you all know that I enjoyed it, but am keeping this review short because there are so many reviews out there already.

I could not put this book down! I lost some sleep reading it, but it was worth it. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.

Rating: 5/5

Swords are for fighting,