Whispered Visions by Tammy Blackwell

Whispered Visions by Tammy Blackwell
Series: Shifters & Seers #3
Source: Kindle version
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: September 8th 2015
Age Genre: Young Adult

Where do you go when there is nowhere left to run?

For years the Society for Human Preservation has been waging a quiet war against the Shifters & Seers of the world, and now they've taken two of the Alpha Pack's own.

With the ability to See inside a person's mind, Lizzie Anders is one of the most powerful Seers in the world, but all that power comes with the responsibility of protecting herself and others from what she can do. And now, after years of suppressing her Sight, the SHP is intent on tearing down the walls she's carefully constructed to further their cause.

Layne Hagan is the boy no one wanted. Abandoned by his mother when he was a baby and orphaned by his father in Scout's battle to become Alpha Female, he was handed off by his grandparents to live with Charlie and the rest of the Alpha Pack. He's never had a place or purpose... until now.

With no one left to rely on but each other, Lizzie and Layne must learn to put their past behind them and learn to trust each other - and their hearts - again.

   

Before I start this review, I have to tell you that it's impossible to express how sad I am that this series is over. I love this world. I love the characters. I love everything about it and NOW IT'S OVER *sob*

Whispered Visions starts off where Infinite Harmony ended, with Layne and Lizzie being kidnapped by the insane group called Society for Human Preservation. The two are imprisoned alongside a mother and her daughter and forced to work for SHP while they think of an escape plan.

I've been shipping Lizzie and Layne for a while now, and have been so excited for their story! I can't say I was disappointed, though I was definitely surprised. This book was very far from what I thought it will be.

First of all, it's hella dark. There are some really gory parts here--it's bloodier than I'm used to seeing in this world. The madness is... really scary. Specifically as it comes in the form of a young man who is willing to cut a finger off a two year old in order to drive his point home.

Oh, sorry, did I just send a chill down your spine? didn't mean to.

Aside for that, I was expecting some sweet, funny, hate-to-love type of romance.

It's not sweet and funny. Does Lizzie and Layne's sarcasm positively killed me sometimes? yep. But the romance itself is not sweet and funny at all. It's very complicated, it's very deep, and it's intense as heck. 

Which might be due to the fact this is not hate to love at all. This is pretend-hate to okay-I've-been-in-love-with-you-for-years-I'm-sorry-alright?! Layne and Lizze have been in love for ages, they've just being hiding it from one another for... reasons. 

And can we just take a moment to be mad at everyone for treating Layne the way they do??? The guy is so sweet and loyal and he is everything. Look underneath his really sarcastic cares-about-nothing facade, please!

If Lizzie can do it--so can his family! I mean, have you seen the way he is around Caro? Have you noticed the way he protects everyone around him??? STOP BULLYING LAYNE! 

Now let's talk Caroline. Has there ever been a cuter three year old? Everybody are wrapped around this little precious cinnamon roll's finger, but can you really blame them? Can you?? I'd be at her feet if I were in their shoes as well. 

I really hope we're going to see more of this world - preferably in the form of Angel's story, and maybe a couple of short stories about the futures of our favorite couples. I would LOVE to see Scout and Liam's children *wink wink*

Nitzan★

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Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Gravis-Graves

CLICK HERE TO READ AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS REVIEW! 

Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Gravis-Graves
Series: Kate and Ian #1
Source: Bought Kindle
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: August 25th 2015
Age Genre: Adult (explicit)

When Kate Watts abandoned her law career to open a food pantry in Northeast Minneapolis, she never dreamed it would be this difficult. Facing the heartbreaking prospect of turning hungry people away, she is grateful for the anonymous donations that begin appearing at the end of each month. Determined to identify and thank her secret benefactor, she launches a plan and catches Ian —a charismatic hacker with a Robin Hood complex—in the act.

Ian intrigues Kate in a way no man ever has. But after learning he’s snooped around on her personal computer, she demands retribution. Impressed with her tolerance and captivated by her spirit, he complies and begins to slowly charm his way past her defenses. Time spent with Ian is never boring, and Kate soon finds herself falling for the mysterious hacker.

But Ian has enemies and they’re growing restless. In the hacking world, exploiting a target’s weakness is paramount, and no price is too high to stop an attack. And when Kate learns exactly how much Ian has paid, she’ll discover just how strong her love is for the man who has hacked his way into her heart.

Before I start this review, I need you to understand that I find this book absolutely perfect. I started it and just could not stop. It was captivating without ever needing to sprinkle DRAMA everywhere, sweet without it ever being so much your teeth ache with it, heartwarming while not being cheesy.

It far suppressed everything I hoped it will be.

If you're looking for a strong, fearless, real main female character, look no farther than Kate, who is all of these things and more. I never failed to be amazed at this woman and her outlook on life. I sometimes felt like she was sitting right next to me. 

If you love male characters who are confident and cocky but in the most effing charming manner, main character who, despite their sure attitude, treat their women like queens and will never, ever want to hurt them, then I've got just the guy for you in Ian Smith Merrick Bradshaw. I mean, seriously, the guy is total swoon. I would fall for him.

And the romance? Well, if you like romances you believe in, romances that suck you in, romances that make your heart beat like crazy and make you wish for a similar experience... than yes, this book is for you. Because the romance does all that. Repeatedly. 

This book doesn't have much in the action department, because it doesn't need it to spice things up and consume you. There isn't much drama for the exact same reason (which I am eternally grateful for). It's fast paced but still makes you feel like the characters have known each other for years instead of weeks. It's that good. 

Ultimately, what you're experiencing in this book is the forming of love. And it's not a hard love - it's an effortless, swift, right love. It comes easily but doesn't let go even in the toughest of storms. It's... perfect, while being imperfect. 

And really, what else are you looking for in a romance? 

“So you want a nice guy, but you don’t want him to be boring.”
“Yes. Nice and not boring and not into threesomes and no cocaine. I mean, is that too much to ask?”
“No, although I feel compelled to point out that the threesome thing is pretty universal.”
“Oh for God’s sake,” she muttered.
“That doesn’t mean we’re all going to try to convince you to participate in one. It’s just that very few guys would be like, ‘Go away, extra girl,’ should one happen to climb into our bed when you’re already in it. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Nitzan★

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What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor
Source: Free kindle copy
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: May 6th 2012
Age Genre: Young Adult

Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat. His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

I don't know about you, but I literally have a thousand books on my kindle. Not too long ago, I made a spreadsheet for all my kindle (and physical) books, to keep track of them--and use it to get to the ones I totally forgot about. While making this list, I stumbled upon What I Didn't Say. Saw it had to do with being mute, and just like that - it became my next read. 

And since that's what hooked me on, you can imagine my surprise to end up feeling like this book could deal with being mute more. It's like, Jake wasn't born mute - he became mute due to a stupid accident that could've been avoided. He had to learn to deal, and that is featured, but it takes backstage to Sam's family issues and difficulties. 

It's not that Sam's issues are not important and need to be discussed and such, but Sam's type of issues have lately been the crux of so many books (true, mostly NA books), while dealing with muteness mid-life (or at all, really) has not. Jake's side of the story was what I was more interested in, and I wanted that to be in the spotlight, not the other way around.

What I did love is how the Drunk Driving issue was handled. I recently read a couple of books that used drunk driving as a plot point, but grossly mishandled it. Here, though, drunk driving was discussed multiple times. It affected both those who did it and those around them. I applaud Keary Taylor for it. 

Another reason that this book did not get a higher score for me is that I didn't fully connect with the characters; therefore I had a hard time feeling their pain. And books like this... the pain needs to be felt, you know? (but this is really subjective).

Despite all this, Jake and Sam were cute together. Their romance was clean and sweet, and it really helped both of them find their inner strength. It is healthy and good, and I loved knowing it's something that's been developing for years (especially on Jake's side).

Speaking of which... the only complaints I have in regards to the writing is that I felt it could do without the flashbacks to past years. As there were too few of them to flow properly and feel like an instrumental part of the narrative, I feel like they should've been told in a different way - like Jake recalling them, or telling us those little anecdotes from the past in his head in relations to what was happening, instead of time jumps.

All in all, cute story, but it wasn't the perfect read for me.

Nitzan★

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Thursday Oldie: Existence by Abbi Glines

Before I start this (long) review, I would like to stress: this review does not come to invalidate your opinion of the book. You love it? that's wonderful. It's unfortunate, really, that I couldn't feel the same. And I explain in details exactly why I didn't feel so. So please, no hate. 

Existence by Abbi Glines 
Series: Existence #1
Source: Bought Kindle
Publisher: Indie
Original Post: Dec 4th, 2012
Age Genre: Young Adult

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.
Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.
Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.
Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.
He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

I was literally surprised I survived this. 

Existence was the first book I truly hated. I don't hand one-stars easily. Me giving someone a one-star is basically me saying: "I applaud you for going through the process of writing an entire novel and getting it published, but there is literally nothing I liked about this book."

And usually, I can find a nugget or two of things to love to veer off that harsh assessment. In Existence, however, try as I may I couldn't.

The crux of the matter was Pagan, the MC. She is not a good character in my book, for many reasons:

a. She uses Leif - dates, kisses and messes around with him when she knows she's in love with Dank (more on that later), because he's "real". First, it makes you a horrible human being. Second, kissing another guy when you have a boyfriend also makes you a stinking cheater.

b. The Bella Syndrome - I hate it when girls turn desperate for a guy to the point they'll break into tiny pieces if he's gone. It's pathetic, in my eyes. We're stronger than that, damnit!
I can't reconcile the fact so many people hate New Moon yet love Existence, when they have the exact same character.

In accordance to those, you'll have to forgive me for gagging when the characters of this book claimed her "soul" was beautiful. Or that she's brave and strong, when every act she's committed pointed to her being weak, scared and needy.

The next in a long list of major turn-offs is the romance, which I'm sure comes as no surprise to you.

The romance is, to put simply - insta love. And insta love is never a satisfying romance. Pagan falls in love with a guy she knows nothing about, and there is no why, or when to it. The best I can figure out is she finds him sexy. Blah.

It felt like she fell in love with him at the snap of a finger. And not a healthy kind of love, either. He becomes the reason for her existence (see what I did there), without him - she is nothing, which I just can't endorse no matter what. Even if there was good reason for her to be madly in love with him (which, again, there isn't!)

And let's not forget Dank returning her feelings--

What did she ever do to earn his love, especially as the crux of the thing is how impossible it is for him to fall for a human. Ergo, the person who manages to accomplish that should be special.

She's special alright... (e)special(ly) annoying and hateful.

And if that's not enough, the showdown is one of the most disappointing things I've ever read of. Nothing actually happened!

SPOILER She chose the sacrifice herself so Dank could live but, wait, that doesn't work like that. So instead she chose to live so his sacrifice won't be for nothing. But, turns out, that's the biggest sacrifice she could've made because she sentenced herself to a pitiful existence without the meaning of her life (whom she'd known maybe two weeks, and knows nothing about aside for his sexiness.) Yes, so awful. Insert eye roll here, please.

It's just bull! But even stupider is how everyone claps her on the back and tells her how brave and strong she is. And as a reward...  he's back! yay! nay... END SPOILER

Shot. Me. Now.

The maybe only bright spot in this whole debacle is the last line of this book. It was surprising enough to make me consider for a millisecond to read the next book to find out what happens with it (than I laughed at myself). It was also too surprising, as in - there weren't any hints of what was coming. And I did look for them, because the summary for book two spoils the big secret.

As for the writing... I was not impressed. At all. Half the time, it felt like Glines was dragging things way too long (as can be demonstrated by Dank's song to Pagan. The song started really well, but it continued where I felt it should've ended verses ago, taking from the impact and beauty). And the speech sometimes felt completely fake and unnatural for young people.

The only thing I can say in defense of this book is that my major, AHHH I HATED YOU disappointment has to do with the summary. The summary is great on it's own--made me read the book, didn't it? But it also took from the whole story because it told us what Dank was. Maybe if I had to discover alongside Pagan who and what he was, it could've helped me identify with her, and than maybe I would've given the book closer to 2.5 stars. Not the best of ratings either, but not nearly as harsh as one-starring.

(also, notice the high usage of "maybe").

   Nitzan★

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The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker - a Gifed Up Review

The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker
Series: The Emperor's Edge #1
Source: Free Kindle Copy
(still free at the time of writing this review!)
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: Jan 1st, 2010
Age Genre: Adult (no sex)
Check out my reading process here!

Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.
Worse, Sicarius, the empire’s most notorious assassin is in town. He’s tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills… or someone wants her dead.

You guys, let me tell you of this little hidden gem. According to Amazon, I one clicked The Emperor's Edge on September 28th, 2012. That was before I had any form of e-reader. All I had was the free PC kindle app, and a trigger happy finger for freebies because I was so stoked by the idea of getting to read a book legally for free.

'Course, I am still trigger happy for that, but I am a little more reserved - only getting books I truly think I'm going to enjoy. Thing is, I didn't do this filtering process back at 2012. And so I ended up with a TON of books that I just... left hanging. This was one of those, until I saw some very strong recommendation for this book (and series) by my friends Ellen and Sierra (you should follow them, they're totally awesome).

So, I read it. And guess what? I LOVED it! 

The best thing about this book is hands down the characters, though hell if I know how to pronounce their names!

In a militaristic empire in an unknown world, lives Amaranthe, a young female enforcer where women warriors are highly unusual. But no matter how much people may look down at her, Amaranthe knows what she wants - and it's not to be a business woman or a housewife. She's a protector, through and through. And possibly an adrenaline junkie... *shrug*
She's a stickler for details (actually, kind of verges on OCD), she's serious and.... how did Sicarius coin it?... focused. In other words,

Seriously, the girl isn't even a great warrior or anything, but she's just so badass she's Queen! And she managed to remain  female despite that! 

Then there's Sicarius - aloof, poker faced Sicarius... a deadly assassin who moves like a shadow. You never see him strike, and he is cold and emotionless. For the most part. Naturally, there's more to the ruthless killer, and anyways, my strong opinion on Sicarius could be summed pretty neatly by the following gif: 

Yep. 

As for these two together... 

Oh yeah, you guys. I ship it... I ship it bad. If you're a fan of slow-burn romances, of these couples that drive you crazy and make you shake the book and chant "just kiss!" at it, those couples you know will be just so EPIC if they would just kindly decide to smooch, get married and have beautiful children please because IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR!?.

Then you'll love this series, for sure. 

Aside for these perfect two, we've got an occasionally functional gang with tendencies toward violence that consists of a hilarious ex-heir turned male escort, a drunk professor, and a magical punk. All lovable, all added to the story, all deserving of hugs and love.

Truly, this book is just so much fun. It's epic adventure, with dire mission and high stakes, and death (though, I admit, the reason this book is not a 5 star is that I felt death was handled a bit too offhandedly) but it's has such a light comedic tone to it that makes it so readable. It doesn't depress you, like a lot of epic adventure stories do. 

I truly recommend you go get and read this one, you guys. It will literally cost you nothing!

   Nitzan★

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Pieces by Janine Infante Bosco

Pieces by Janine Infante Bosco
Series: The Riverdale #1
Source: Kindle edition
Publisher: indie
Publication Date: April 6th, 2014
Age Group: Adult

Jake Lanza is one of Riverdale New York’s favorite sons. He owns a tattoo parlor in the small upstate town and prides himself on being a fun-loving, live by the seat of your pants type of guy. He has everything he wants in life, a thriving business, a great family and a best friend with whom he could never live without.
Cara Sloane weaved her way into Jake’s life when they were fifteen years old. After her life fell apart at such a young age, Jake helped her heal, and began to pick up the pieces of her fallen life. His unconventional ways slowly had him becoming the anchor in her life.
Now fourteen years later Jake begins to see Cara in a new light. The things he thought he never wanted, he suddenly began to yearn for. The only problem was they were both too frightened to lose the greatest love either of them has ever known. Can Jake convince Cara there is more for them than just a friendship? Is he willing to take that gamble himself?

I got Pieces as a free kindle book. I was immediately interested by the theme of long time friends becoming more. It's one of my favorites. I started reading it almost the same day I got it, and immediately I noticed a glaring issue.

This book was poorly edited. It's not that it was badly written, but there were typos, sometimes the author wrote the wrong name, and most noticeable - the comma abuse. Every sentence had an insane amount of commas, even where they weren't need. It fractured the sentences, broke the fluidity of the reading, and kept taking me out of the plot as I was trying to translate how the sentence should be written.

It took a lot of effort and concentration to get over that and keep reading.

But I will admit - this book is good, aside for that. It has good characters - what with both Cara and Jake being strong, funny, good people - a good romance that made you feel the both of them belonged together, and the interactions between everyone made me smile and laugh.

It was also heartbreaking, but not in a way that made me (personally) cry. Probably because my issues with the commas stopped me from being completely swallowed by the book.

However, I won't be reading book 2. Not because this book wasn't good, but because SPOILER FOR BOOK TWO I know Jake dies. And I can't take that. I also can't take the direction of the third book. I never wanted those two together. No, Jake and Cara is it for me in this book. So, no thank you. END SPOIELR

   Nitzan★

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DNF: Adventures of a Graveyard Girl by Milda Harris

Adventures of a Graveyard Girl by Milda Harris
Series: Funeral Crushing #2
Source: Bought kindle copy
Publisher: indie
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2012
Age Group: Young Adult

Kait Lenox is back! It's Homecoming Dance time and Kait is excited. It's her first dance with a date and that date is none other than one of the hottest, most popular guys in her school, Ethan Ripley! For once Kait doesn't feel like a funeral crashing weird girl and it's the most perfect romantic evening ever...at least until a girl gets murdered in the high school bathroom. Rumors fly, panic ensues, and Kait can't help herself, she assigns herself to the case!

DNF

Wow, a third DNF review in so many weeks. I know this makes me look bad, I do, but I swear things are not as bad as they seem. I only have thirteen books marked a DNF on Goodreads. I probably have a few more I didn't mark, but no more than twenty, twenty five - in three years of over 470 books. That's a pretty good percentile, don't you think? I don't DNF that often, or that willingly. At least, I didn't use to.

But I think I've also reached the point where I treasure the enjoyment I get from every book, and if I don't really enjoy it... well, there isn't much point in reading it, is there?
Still, I don't always review DNF books... Only if I can explain exactly why I didn't finish it, and I'd like to share that.

I picked up this book because a while back (like, two years ago), I read the first book and enjoyed it. It wasn't A-mazing, but it was cute and fun and I decided I wanted to continue with the series. But then I couldn't. At 48% of the book, I called it quits. My heart just wasn't in it. I kept looking at reading the book as a chore, which is never encouraging.

I had three big issues with Adventures of a Graveyard Girl.

1. It was way too... dare I say it?... childish to me. I don't need characters to be my age to enjoy them, but here they just read like immature 12 year olds, and not teenagers. And I've read and enjoyed books with twelve year old more than this. It was just... too exaggeratedly childish. Teenagers are allowed to have their immature moments, for sure, but not 100% of the time.

2. Then there was the poorly edited text. There were a lot of missing punctuation marks, or places where I felt a dot should've been but weren't. There were a lot of duplicated words in a way that made no sense. A lot of describing sentences that lacked finesse. It felt like... well, like an amateur job. Like no one actually read over the book and corrected all of these. It was like reading a draft, and not a finished product. And I don't know about you, but that bothers me.

3. And finally, the repetition. How many times can you say the same thing on one page? apparently, a lot. Enough that I totally lost count. It was like Harris didn't trust we got the information the first time, so she mentioned it 50 times more just to be sure. In very similar wording. That's one of my major writing pet-peeves.

So in the end, despite enjoying the first book, I decided this is as far as I and this series go. It's just not for me, really.

  Nitzan★

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