Liv's Reads

There's nothing better than a book hangover!

I love to read and get lost in an imaginary world.  I'm always either reading or listening to a book.

New to the blog world and being a lurker more than a participant

Binding the Shadows (Arcadia Bell, #3)

Binding the Shadows (Arcadia Bell, #3) - Jenn Bennett Awesome ride!! Not sure why reviewers had issues with the last chapter. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. It's just another layer to the complicated life of Cady. Can't wait for book 4!

Murder of Crows: A Novel of the Others

Murder of Crows  - Anne Bishop LOVED!! A simple storyline with such colorful characters set in a world so complex. A mixture of innocence, action and exploration. I know that's probably a weird word to use but every single character is exploring the possibility of growing and potentially being something more than what they are. I hate that I have to wait a year to see what will happen between The Meg and Simon.

Summoning the Night (Arcadia Bell, #2)

Summoning the Night (Arcadia Bell, #2) - Jenn Bennett Loving this series. Cady, Lon & Jupe are great together. I love the mature drama free romantic and working relationship between Cady and Lon. They actually talk and discuss their feelings *gasp*! Plus Jenn Bennett still manages to make their sex scenes sizzling hot.

Cady still has a lot of self acceptance and forgiveness to do. It's nice to see her slowly let down walls and become part of Jupe and Lon.

We once again meet Dare and I'm curious to see what his role will be in Cady's life. He is a conniving asshat! Hoping he doesn't hurt her.

Kinked (Elder Races, #6)

Kinked (Elder Races, #6) - Thea Harrison,  Sophie Eastlake I was a bit unsure coming into this one. The series as a whole has had its ups and downs for me - but I guess that's to be expected. Aryal proved to be a nasty bitch in Lord's Fall and I wasn't sure I wanted to read a book about her. There just wasn't much that I found appealing about her. Not sure what it was, but Thea Harrison managed to changed my mind. I had wondered about the motivation behind Quentin's desire to be a Sentinel. I had also wondered about the Elves and Quentin's connection to them.

Thea Harrison did a great job of combining plot and romance. The build up to Aryal and Quentin's union was hot. Really hot. Yes, there were some tender moments but this books definitely lived up to its title. I loved how these two rough souls remained rough with each other even after confessing their love. Aryal was still a bitch and Quentin remained arrogant. It was a match made in heaven!

Captive Prince: Volume Two (Captive Prince, #2)

Captive Prince: Volume Two (Captive Prince, #2) - S.U. Pacat,  C.S. Pacat Super sweet scenes! What will happen!! Need book 3.

Captive Prince: Volume One (Captive Prince, #1)

Captive Prince: Volume One (Captive Prince, #1) - S.U. Pacat,  C.S. Pacat Not at all what I expected! I thought for sure this would be a smutty M/M... boy was I wrong.

Fury of the Demon

Fury of the Demon - Diana Rowland 3.5 stars

I wanted to love this but there is always something about Kara that turns me off. She has such potential to be this kickass warrior but instead comes off, in my opinion, as whiny and self-absorbed. She's always so quick to question people's loyalty. I get why. Especially after that whole mess with Rhyzkahl. Still, it seemed that unless people were willing to jump when she said, their motives were questioned.

I still do not understand the love situation here. I LOVE Mzatal but there is the whole Ryan issue which I don't get...

Something is up with aunt Tessa and I thought for sure we would explore that further. Overall, I think this was needlessly long and it might have made me cranky.

Darkest Minds, The: Never Fade

Never Fade - Alexandra Bracken Disappointing. The pacing was slow and not much happened. I realized that one of the reasons I loved book one was because of Liam, Zu, Chubs... not because of Ruby who is the main characters. Oh well.

In Time (The Darkest Minds, #1.5)

In Time (The Darkest Minds, #1.5) - Alexandra Bracken GAAA what a bittersweet ending!! This is Zu's story after book 1. We also find out an interesting tidbit about Liam.

Touch of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Book 5)

Touch of the Demon - Diana Rowland This was my favorite in the series so far. While I'm enjoyed Kara, I've always felt like she needed to be more kickass and felt she was way too trusting. This segment of the series takes place mostly in the demon world. Kara finds herself at the mercy of Demon lord Mzatal. I liked Mzatal since the beginning. Even before his intentions were clear.

We learn many, many things in this book. Including that Kara knows nothing about being a summoner and about the demon world. Most importantly we learn the true intentions of Rhyzkahl. The scenes between Kara and Rhyzkahl were a mixture of hot and heart wrenching. I've always been torn between encouraging her and wanting to slap her for being so trusting. Not sure where her relationship with him will go, it is obvious that he has feelings for her, but his main objective to possess her and use her is more important. Kara also learns more about Ryan/Szerain and Zack/Zakaar.

The only problem I had with this was the length. It felt needlessly long. I appreciated all the world building and extra info but it felt like it dragged. I also still don't understand the "love" to Ryan. Especially after meeting Mzatal. Though it has been explained, I just don't understand how you can love one man and jump into bed with another. Don't get it. But maybe I'm just old fashioned. So far, Mzatal seems to be the better fit for Kara.

Aeralis (The Frost Chronicles, #5)

Aeralis (The Frost Chronicles) (Volume 5) - Kate Avery Ellison First and foremost, I’ve been a huge fan of this series. Ever since I read book 1 as an ARC I fell in love with Kate Avery Ellison’s writing. The vivid world and its characters have been great to follow. I’ve stayed loyal to them, even thru those books that lacked the usual magic. So I eagerly picked this up and… not sure what happened.

Most of the story was a anticlimactic. As the title states, most of the story took place in Aeralis and not the Frost. Lia and crew are trying to decipher another mystery, uncover secrets and save those they love. I hate love triangles. I really, really hate them. In my opinion it’s a cheap way for an author to create unnecessary drama. It also seems to be a standard in YA literature. They never ever end well and this story proved it. Adam has been a favorite of mine but in this he was so aloof. But overall, what killed the story was that Epilogue. WHY?? My guess is that this was the author’s way of making everyone happy. It really cheapened the story and the series.

Very sad since this is the last book in the series. Overall, it tied some loose ends. I will miss Lia, Ivy, Ann, Jonn, Adam and Gabe.

Making Faces

Making Faces - Amy Harmon Once again I'm reminded to never judge a book by its cover. This was nothing like I thought it would be. This moved me in a way few books do. Once I picked it up I was unable to put it down. There are some books that just demand your full attention and loss of sleep is a small payment to pay.

This is one of those books that is hard to review without spoiling. Amy Harmon weaves words like a song and the stories of Fern, Ambrose and Bailey were wonderfully told. I laughed, cried and felt fully immersed in their story. Fern is a shy girl who has UGS (Ugly Girl Syndrome) she has been content to be invisible and live in the shadows until events change and she realizes that it's not what she wants. Ambrose is boy who feels the pressure living his life according to the wishes of others. Bailey made me laugh. Such a loveable and real character.

I must warn that there are religious undertones so if you're sensitive to talk of spirituality, prayer and God, this will not be the book for you. Overall this is about beauty. The fine balance between inner and outer and what makes us who we are.

Loved, loved this. Thankful to my GR gals for pointing this out to me. This story will stay with me for a long time.

The Elite

The Elite - Kiera Cass GAAAA!!! This has so much potential and yet it falls flat for me. America... oh America... I want to smack you. But, will I read book 3? Yup. I need to know how this train wreck will end.

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2) - Sarah J. Maas I'm really enjoying this series. Celaena isn't always easy to like. She's often impatient and acts like a petulant child. Yet, beneath all that is nothing more than a girl who dreams of being free and living a normal life. It bothered me how reactionary she was. Often I wanted her to just stop. Assess what was happening and then react. It just felt like she was easily falling into the schemes of others, even of her dear friend Nehemia.

Chaol... I love Chaol. But much like Celaena, I wish he too would just stop and think. I hate that he kept thinking the worst of her. I'm not a Dorian fan, but he at least stops and actually talks to Celaena and makes an effort to truly understand the reasoning behind her actions. Not surprised at all about what we learned of Dorian.

The ending wasn't too shocking for me either. I do wish it hadn't gone that route though. I was content with knowing that Celaena had some magical background but was now an assassin.
I Am Forever (What Kills Me, #2) - Wynne Channing “I love you,” he whispered.
“I know.”
A puff escaped from his lips. “Really? That’s all I get? That’s kind of conceited of you.”


Unavoidable spoiler for book 1 up ahead! Zee and Lucas find themselves in the heart of the Monarchy. She narrowly escaped with her life after it was revealed that she is the Divine. If you hurt her, you hurt all other vampires.

This took me a bit longer to read than I anticipated. The beginning was very slow and frustrating at parts. I did not understand Zee's mentality at first. She took being The Divine and being part of the Monarchy all in stride. How could she?? But I get it. She is a newbie vamp and trying to fit in somewhere and learn what she can.

I really enjoy Wynne Channing's writing. It's a nice mixture of quips and action. Lots of action! The world is interesting, I keep getting a dystopia-like feeling, except that it isn't. The vampire world created is a world within our world. The romance again is subtle but there.

Overall 4 stars with a dollop more!

Conspiracy in Death (In Death #8)

Conspiracy in Death (In Death #8) - J.D. Robb Loving this series more and more. We get to see more of Eve's emotional side. We've slowly been exposed to the vulnerable inside that is hidden behind the hard-shell. It was great to see how protective and loving the people around Eve can be.