Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2)

Goodreads Summary 
Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. 

* I am not posting the rest of the summary because I feel it spoils the ending of The Darkest Minds  You can still find it here if you need to read the rest. *

My Thoughts?
The second and third books in series don't always live up to the first; they tend to fall flat compared to the original. Most series begin on a high, but the rest of the books go downhill from there. That was not the case with Never Fade.  Thank goodness this book was amazing!

There was one character from the first book that I desperately missed in this one, but I understand why he/she wasn't present. This book had to introduce new characters that would be really important in the series' development. We meet Ruby's Children's League colleagues Jude, Vida, Nico, and Cole. Jude is a sweet, young Yellow. Vida is a bad-ass Blue. Nico is a damaged Green. Cole is Stewart. He's a high ranking Children's League member who looks remarkably like his younger brother.  I loved how these characters added to the story's development and Ruby's as well. They worked so well with the characters that we already knew and loved.

This book was a fast-paced thrill from start to finish. Never Fade was filled with heartwarming moments, heartbreaking revelations, and a few surprises...even for me.  I loved it.

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1)

Goodreads Summary
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living. 

What Did I Think?
After quite a few so-so reads these past few months, this book deserves the 5 star rating I am giving it. It's been awhile since I've read something that really captured my attention (the last series to do that was the Lunar Chronicles) and I desperately needed this. I did not want to put this book down. 

The Darkest Minds starts out in a present day concentration camp. We meet Ruby who has been in a camp for many years and is struggling with who she is and camp life. Who is she you ask? She's special. The year Ruby turned ten the world changed. Children are dying. All of them. Well maybe not all of them, but the ones that survive are left with special abilities. The government fears them and sends them to concentration camps to "rehabilitate".  

I fell in love with Ruby. This girl has been dragged through the mud, but through it all she just wants what's best for those around her. She never thinks of herself first. Ever. Chubs is a sweetheart. He reminds me of a cross between River Phoenix's characters in Explorers and Running on Empty  (check those both out if you haven't seen them). He's ridiculously smart and fiercely protective. Then there's Liam. *sigh* Liam is my favourite book boyfriend at the moment. You can tell that he falls for Ruby hard, but he never pressures her to feel the same way. He's there when she needs her and patiently waits for her to move the relationship along. I can't wait to see what he gets up to in Never Fade. 

If you like Young Adult books than give this a shot! I think you'll love it.


  

Pound of Flesh

It is no secret that I am a fan fiction reader.  It came into my life in my early 20s and from the first chapter of the first fic I read, I was hooked. I read dozens and dozens of Twilight stories and Sophie Jackson's Pound of Flesh was by far my favourite.

Unlike other fics that were turned into books, this is a MUST READ. Sophie Jackson understands her characters better than most published authors. This story was unique and dynamic. These are complex characters dealing with complex issues and she wrote them beautifully. Back in 2010,
(when the story was being written) this kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait for updates to arrive. I would stop everything I was doing in order to get my PoF fix.

I think Lorella Belli from the Lorella Belli Literary Agency described this book perfectly,

Sophie has created characters and a romance that haunts you long after you put the book down. It is a story that simply connects with people and proves utterly addictive - a collision of touching coming-of-age story, moral dilemmas, great plot twists, hot sex scenes and revenge, it will appeal to readers of New Adult fiction as well as of those of contemporary women’s fiction.

I could not be happier for Sophie because it was recently announced that Pound of Flesh will be made into a trilogy. No one deserves this more than her. Not only is the story incredible, but she is too.

Is it the summer of 2015 yet?

Fangirl

Goodreads Summary
Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan... 
But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Thoughts 
I think I would have really enjoyed this 5 years ago, but I can't get through it.  I just don't think Miss. Rowell's books are for me.

The Winner's Curse (The Winter Trilogy #1)

Goodreads Summary 

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

What Did I Think?
This review will probably be short and not so sweet. I found this book to be average. The plot was intriguing and it turned out to be slightly better than the summary leads you to believe. The characters were one-sided. Arin was the mad slave and Kestrel was the spoiled, yet kind rich girl. We've all seen this dynamic before. It's tired. Her falling for him (not a spoiler since it's in the summary) made sense, but he hates her one minute and then loves her the next. It happened far too quickly for me. Plus they both turned on their own people to protect the other. That would never happen in reality! Lastly, I wasn't a fan of the ending. I wasn't surprised that it ended that was because Kestrel was too daft to realize that Arin actually loved her, but it was still really weak.

 1/2

Since You've Been Gone

Goodreads Summary

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um...

My Thoughts
My first thought when I finished this book was I need a Sloane in my life. I am a lot like Emily in that I tend to shy away from things. I am not the brave, independent type. I know that I should be, but I can be a bit of coward. I'm working on it. 

I previously read Morgan Matson's two other novels and really enjoyed them. I had heard great things about the book online and already knew that I loved Miss. Matson's writing style, so I could not wait to get my hands on this one. I'm so glad I did. 

Could you imagine waking up one day and your best friend is just gone? Yeah, me neither. Emily is then left with a list of...seemingly terrifying tasks to accomplish all on her own. I know I would not have survived this without a group of friends helping me out... and thankfully Emily had a great group to help her. Frank, Collins, and Dawn were a perfect team helping (sometimes pushing) Emily along the way.  

This book has everything a girl could need in a book.
      Friendship. Humour. An adorable little brother. Love? Road trip. 

Read this one soon!