REVIEW: Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Every Last Breath
Series: The Dark Elements #3
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: July 28th 2015
Format: Paperback | Pages: 378
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Source: Amazon

Jennifer L. Armentrout | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…

I have to make a confession. I feel like I have committed a huge, bookish cardinal sin. Maybe I should explain the reason before I just blurt it out. See this book has been weighing on me. The whole Roth versus Zayne thing has had me more freaked out than normal to finish a series. I love a good love triangle but this one is so different because I was not putting my trust in the author to make a decision on how this would turn out, I was putting it in my peers. That's a tough pill to swallow! And if I'm being honest...had I known that before I ever read the first book...I might have never started this series in the first place which sucks to even think about. This whole thing is the reason that, even though I pre-ordered Every Last Breath and received it on release day, I waited until now to finally stop procrastinating and just finish the series.

I was only about 15-20 pages in but I just couldn't put my heart into it. It wasn't holding my attention. My brain just kept going Zayne? Roth? Zayne? Roth? Zayne? Roth? It just wouldn't stop! I needed to know so I could quiet my head and embrace this book fully. I knew deep down that either way it went, no matter what would happen with my ship I would be able to finish the book in peace if only I knew.

Sigh.

I stopped where I was...and read the last page before I went on.

I know! I feel so wrong saying it! Unclean. But you know what? It worked.

Okay. Enough of being silly. I really won't be able to say a whole lot about this book since it's the final book in a series so it's hard to come up with a lot to say that wouldn't be spoiler-ish in any way. Even though on the inside my heart is screaming all of the things that it wants me to talk about.

Once I finally got into it this book was really hard to put down. It's been a while since I finished the previous books so I was worried going in that I'd feel a bit lost without going back and rereading. But it didn't take long before I fell back into this world easily and everything came rushing back.

What I love about JLA's books is that she knows how to write a really strong and ass kicking heroine. Layla is no exception. I feel like this final book is where I loved her character the most. She had so much weighing on her throughout the entire book and I loved how even though she was scared on the inside, outwardly she rarely let that show and she had her head on straight when I feel like the average person would crack under everything that was on her shoulders and in her mind.

The other thing I love about her books is her boys. She writes the boys that you instantly fall for, the ones who even when they're being cocky as all hell make you want to smile and sigh and make you fall even harder. Roth and Zayne are both perfect examples. They both have such good qualities to them that deep down I knew that however it went I could've been happy. Though I did have my hopes set a wee bit higher on one side before going in. But that's all I'm going to say about that.

It's difficult to really try to think of anything else to say. I mean there's a million things I'd love to go on and on and on about but this review would end up way too long and...you people who haven't read this one yet would end up hating me for saying to much. So I'll just leave it at this.

This book, heck this whole series, had everything I've come to expect from Jennifer L. Armentrout. An ass kicking, badass heroine. Swoon worthy guys you'll lose your heart over. Hilarious banter and laugh out loud moments. It filled me up with so many different emotions. One minute I'd be laughing so hard and the next my heart's being ripped out of my chest. You really feel everything when you step into one of her worlds and I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion.

SERIES REVIEW: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Series: The Mortal Instruments
Books in Series: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Amazon & BookOutlet

★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Cassandra Clare | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

City of Bones Summary:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know... 

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

I'm not even sure where to begin with reviewing this series. The Mortal Instruments quickly became my all time favorite series this January when I finally sat down and binged the entire thing. The world building, the characters (both those loved and hated), the storyline, the danger, the intensity, the keep you on the edge of your seat situations, just everything. It was all just so perfect. I feel like this is definitely one of those series where people are generally very firmly in one camp or the other. They're either completely in love with it, or can't stand it. As you can tell, I'm obviously in the former. I've given each book a 5 star rating and I can guarantee that it'll be a series I reread hopefully often.

I am usually, more so than the world or storyline, hugely drawn in by characters. Characters can really make or break a book for me. You can write the most beautiful story, the story to beat all other stories, but if I don't like your characters, there are no words in the world that will make up that difference or make me like your book. This series has that perfect blend of characters that I loved or that I loved how much Cassandra Clare made me hate them. Hating a character isn't always a negative thing. Especially in this case.

Does that mean I liked every single character from the very beginning? No. In fact the first time I read City of Bones way back in 2012 and once again this past month I found Simon, Isabelle and Alec all to be absolutely annoying. I know! I'm sorry! Don't hate on me! But I did and now I look at my past self and wonder what on earth I was thinking. That's the thing though, it just goes to show the incredible growth and changes, the evolution of all of these characters from the series start to the series end.

(If I had to pick a favorite character from the series? Easy. Magnus Bane. With Jace and Alec nipping closely at his heels.)

What I really loved was how on edge this series kept me. Every time I would stop and think that things couldn't possibly get any worse Cassandra Clare would show me just exactly how wrong I was. These books constantly kept me guessing or second guessing the story. Any time a new character would make an appearance I was filled with dread because sometimes the evilest of intentions would hide behind a charming smile. But I loved that. I loved that my feelings were in a constant state of chaos that had me doubting my first, second and even third impressions of people.

I loved how even though the romances, yes that is plural, were huge parts of the story they were done so that it didn't overshadow everything else that was going on. On that same note what I also loved was how there was this incredibly intensity to the way all these characters felt towards one another and how so often love was used as a weapon against them, whether it was a romantic love of more of a familial love. It made for some very messed up situations and times when I had to wonder how on earth can everything turn out okay in the end and still allow me to have everyone I love still alive. How is that even going to be possible?

I really feel like I should probably stop here and just leave this review as is. I mean there are like a bunch of little things that I'd love to gush and talk about but sometimes even the smallest of things would or could spoil something for someone so I'm not exactly sure where to go from here. I'm obsessed with the Shadowhunter world and I'm ready to read every spin-off/prequel/what have you both that's already out there in the world now or to come in the future.

Yep. I'm a total fangirl and I'm not ashamed to admit it. And now I'm off to keep myself immersed in Shadowhunter land and start on The Infernal Devices! Eeep!

REVIEW: End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

Title: End of Days
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #3
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: May 12th 2015
Format: Paperback | Pages: 331
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Susan Ee | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

I have no idea how I am going to write this review. It's so hard to find the words to say for a book at the end of a series, especially one that has just recently been released. There are so many things that I want to say but can't because I won't be that person. Now that I am finished, all I can think is that I feel like maybe I read them too fast. I should have slowed down and savored them. But that feeling, that drive to get to the end and see how everything would turn out wouldn't allow me to do it. Sigh. And now the only thing that's coming to my mind at the moment is...holy crap...that was amazing. I can be quite eloquent when I want to be no?

But the glorious elation ends too soon.

Through this entire series the one constant thing I could count on was the fact that for every minor good thing that happened, the terrible, heartbreaking and sometimes outright scary would always come back moments later in double doses. I'd feel brief moments of hope and joy only to be struck down with grief and despair in the blink of an eye. It kept me on the edge, never quite relaxing. Kept my mind spinning and captivated. Pushed me with the need to read faster, if only to see if there could be a way out of all the destruction and devastation and hopefully find a happily ever after.

"You won't always be fighting, Penryn. There will come a time when you'll be so bored that you'll wish you were fighting."

I'm really going to miss Penryn. I have no doubt that she is going to be one of those very memorable, ass kicking characters that I won't ever forget about. Her name will be one of the first ones I think of when talking about favorite characters. I mean, even when things were incredibly bleak and she would be thinking things like this is the moment I'm going to die, she didn't just roll over and let it happen. She fought and she fought hard. She is made of nothing but awesome!

Without his feathered wings, the angels won't accept him. And regardless of what kind of wings he has, humans won't accept him either.

Raffe's character was so bittersweet for me. I couldn't get enough of him but it was also heartbreaking the more I got to know him. He spends so much of this series outside of everything. Not fitting anywhere, well, except for maybe with Penryn but even that was a struggle more often than not. He was adrift and struggling with his sense of self and fighting his own battles to get all of that back. Raffe is fierce with a strong sense of loyalty, he's funny and sarcastic as hell. He was very complex in this very frustrating but good way that made it hard not to fall in love with him.

"A chick's a chick, man, regardless of her age. And an offer is an offer." Dum nods.

There is such a huge cast of characters that makes up this series, and you get to meet a whole bunch of new ones in End of Days on top of that. But it's such a vast variety as well. There are those that had me laughing more often than not like the twins, Dee and Dum. Yeah, you read that right. Think Fred and George Weasley in an apocalypse. They were favorites. Then there were the ones that were heart wrenching like Paige, who the thought of, days after finishing, still brings tears to my eyes. That girl is just as scrappy and tough as her sister. And a whole slew of the ones that had you feeling that burning hatred deep to your core. More of those than I want to try to count. It's quite a mix bag of love and hate.

"His brothers will keep him from falling."

What surprised me most as I made my way to the end of this series was the one death that I mourned and the one that I didn't. It was easy to think that by the time I made it to the third and final book that I would have a good grasp on each one of these characters and see how they tick. Feel secure in feeling one way or another about them. But then I sat here with tears streaming down my face over the death of someone I hated from the beginning, and it made me understand just how complex each one of these characters are. He was horrible and did terrible things and I guess I really wasn't necessarily mourning the loss of him as he was at the time of his death but who he could have been but wasn't able to become because of one tragedy after another. The other character I just felt indifferent to their death, equally surprising. It was just kind of an oh-that-sucks moment without even a twinge of feeling. A lot of unexpected in this series!

It's hard to believe that we used to live in a world where complete strangers would have given him medicine and hooked him up to machines to monitor his condition. They would have looked after him around the clock. Absolute strangers who knew nothing about him.

I should probably go ahead and wrap this up because this review is already way longer than I imagined I'd be able to get it. I guess I had more non-spoilery types of things to say than I first thought. I won't get into the did they or didn't they find a way to make things work on the relationship between Penryn and Raffe. That's something you're going to have to read about yourselves. Regardless of all of that I loved this series so much. It truly sucks that it's actually over. It makes it feel like something is missing from my life. Sigh. Susan Ee's writing has been beautiful and brilliant from beginning to end. I loved everywhere she took this series. All those incredible highs and dark and gut wrenching lows. This is a series not to miss and I cannot recommend it enough!

ARC REVIEW: World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee

Title: World After
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #2
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: November 19th 2013
Format: eARC | Pages: 320
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Susan Ee | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

I received a copy of this book, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

If I thought that Angelfall was dark and disturbing, it really has nothing on World After. I'm now torn between allowing my heart and my mind time to recover before picking up End of Days and desperately needing to just jump right in and see how this all comes to an end. It's almost a given that the latter will win out in the end.

It was such a roller coaster reading this book. Things would be absolutely grim one moment and all of a sudden something good would happen. I'd have moments of joy and allow a smile to break out on my face, and I do mean moments, only to have something else come crashing down, sometimes literally, and knock that happy moment into the dirt. Worry and dread slowly ate away at me and I was almost permanently perched on the edge of my seat through the entire book. But I loved it. I loved feeling all of those things.

I've talked before about how much I sometimes love reading all things cute and fluffy. But there's that other side of me that enjoys the darkness and being shocked nearly to my core. And that's exactly what I've been getting with this seres. I mean, the angels do some horrible, horrific things to the humans. There's torture and a lot of bloodshed. A lot. It's graphic and so brilliantly written. I fully admit to having some pretty freaky angel dreams after these first two books. The kind that make you sit up, heart pounding and praying it was all just a dream.

Besides being scary and intense, it has also ripped my heart out on more than one occasion. For instance, Penryn's sister Paige's story is absolutely heartbreaking. Just about every moment she was in a scene she ended up bringing me to tears. Just thinking about Paige right now makes my eyes well up with tears. And then there's Raffe and all the things he's going through with his wings and his loss of self. Even though Raffe is part of team angel I have grown very attached to him. Oh who am I kidding? I love the guy. Err, angel.

It isn't all doom and gloom though I should probably point out since that's all I've gone on and on with to this point. Penryn is still a kickass heroine and I freaking adore her. She's actually more like the reluctant heroine. All she really wants is to get her family together and keep them safe and yet, even though she hesitates and argues with herself and says she won't do anything, she can't seem to not help others she stumbles upon that are in trouble. Even if it puts herself in the path of danger and risks that end goal she has for herself and her family in doing so. I love that about her. She tries so hard to be selfish and to her very core she ends up being selfless. Plus she's sarcastic and funny and tough as nails. Just very well rounded.

I must say some of my favorite scenes happen between Penryn and Raffe though. I feel like I need something to happen between these two like I need air to breathe. The possibilities of what could be are what keeps my heart beating. The problem is I'm not sure how in the heck that is even going to be possible. It's like the ultimate forbidden romance and Raffe is the ultimate rule follower. My heart can't help but want it wants though. But it isn't just the feels or possibility of romance because even if it doesn't happen I will live. It's their connection and understanding, the sense of teamwork and the way they push each other's buttons that make me crave their scenes together.

I feel like I've probably droned on enough and I'm itching to start End of Days! So, in a nutshell, I loved this book. It was intense, heart pounding, horrific, heartbreaking, funny...just so many different things. The writing and the characters are brilliant. And I can't wait to see how this series comes to an end. I'm sure things will get much worse before they get better and I'll be just as much on the edge of my seat as I've been up to this point and I can't wait!

ARC REVIEW: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #1
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: August 28th 2012
Format: eARC | Pages: 288
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Susan Ee | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain. 

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. 

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...

I received a copy of this book, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

Brilliant. Gripping. Intense. Dark, Amazing. Heart pounding. Twisted. Heartbreaking. You want words to describe how I feel about this book? I have them all right here, tons of them. Now, stringing those words and phrases together to form coherent sentences to describe all the feelings inside me right now...that's the real problem. You guys I have read some truly awesome books this year so far. But none of them have come quite close to what I just went through with Angelfall over the last 12 hours. Consider me fully and and deeply enchanted with this story.

I made the rookiest of mistakes when I picked this book up and started reading it. I decided it would be a great idea to start it when I really should have been in bed at 11pm. Even under normal circumstances, if I just plain like a book, I have difficulty putting it down and going to sleep if I'm really into it. The thing about Angelfall is that it's not just your normal circumstances type of book. There is no slow world/character building and introduction. None of the slow and burning build of intensity that suddenly bursts out with an explosion of adrenaline and chaos. No. With Angelfall you start smack dab in the middle of intensity. You're immediately sucked into something so intense and dark and it was absolutely brilliant. Once that intensity grabs hold of you though there is no way it will let you go. So, sleep be damned, I could not put it down. No regrets.

I love, love, love angel books/series. But...I am extremely picky and particular about the ones I will even attempt to read. Angelfall is not your normal paranormal angel book. The angels aren't fluffy or cuddly. They aren't here on some vital mission for the greater good of mankind. They aren't fallen celestial beings to be romanticized or swooned over (well not all of them at least.) They are darkness, destruction and devastation. This is truly a dark and twisted book and I think that's what really drew me to it. I love a book that will make me sit here as I read it and think to myself, "What in the actual eff?..." This one did that plenty and surprised me in good, frightening and heartbreaking ways.

Penryn is seriously my hero. That girl is a freaking rock star. Even when on the inside she was truly scared to death that girl had enough backbone and determination for ten men twice her size. Even when she was scared she was amazingly strong and tough. I have no trouble saying that Penryn has got to be one of my favorite heroines of all time.

I don't even know what else to say except how much I loved it. I mean, if you like angel paranormals and you also like the darker more twisted side of things I highly, highly recommend starting this series. Seriously, like I said I started reading it at 11pm and I quite literally did not sleep until I was done. Yes, you heard that right! Did. Not. Sleep. I made an attempt around 3am and put the book down for about 30min but the story just kept tumbling around inside my brain and wouldn't allow me to sleep, plus it zapped all the sleep right out of me. Next thing I knew it was just turning to 11am and I was done sitting here wondering how on earth that happened. I am hooked. Thankfully I had the foresight to request World After as well because just sitting here attempting to write this review is complete torture. I must go now. I need to find out what happens next!! Go get this book! Now!! 

REVIEW: Sentinel (Covenant #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Sentinel
Series: Covenant #5
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: November 2nd 2013
Format: Paperback | Pages: 297
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Jennifer L. Armentrout | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

I honestly do not think that I will ever be able to think of this book and not have at least a few tears build up in my eyes. It was heart wrenching and really packed a punch in the feels. But it was also beautiful and amazing and I am just so full of emotions. I'm not ready to be back in the real world right now, where these characters and these places don't actually exist. I just want to crawl back into my mind and wrap myself up in everything Covenant and stay there for a while. I hate...hate saying goodbye to such an amazing series. But since I have to, all I can say is Sentinel was the most amazing and perfect sendoff there could have been. There isn't an ounce of disappointment in me. I have never truly been as happy with how a series ended. Ever.

The closest furie's smile was edged with unimaginable cruelty. "The gods have heard Apollo's pleas and have responded."

The thing that will always have me turning to a JLA book without question or hesitation is the fact that she excels at both world building and character creation. When you're in the moment and you're reading one of her books everything feels so real. Like how it was reading this series for me, I felt like at any second Apollo could just pop up beside me and scare the ever loving crap out of me. I know, wishful thinking. But you know what I mean right? She has that thing... that spark, that really pulls you into her stories and allows you to feel and see everything.

"Do you know what I think about when it's quiet, Alex? I think about all the bad things I've done."

I was all over the place through this series when it came to my feelings on Seth. I started out on the first two books being 100% Team Seth. Sure, he was cocky. Like cocky to the point that you'd find yourself thinking, "if he opens his mouth one more time...I'm gonna hit him!" But still there was just something about him that I gravitated towards from the moment he first came around. By the time I finished Deity my feelings were reversed and found myself instead wishing horrible things would happen to him. In a lot of ways he broke my heart and I wasn't sure if it would be possible to like his character again. So imagine my surprise to find myself reading Sentinel and finding some redeemable qualities in him and feeling like maybe there is hope for Seth after all. He still did a lot of horrible things and he's not perfect, but he's also not the monster I was ready to brand him as either. I'm sorry but I cannot help but love Seth.

A throat cleared behind us, and then Apollo said, "Seriously, you two? It's not like you're keeping a god waiting or anything."

Even though I got that loving feeling back for Seth, the guy has nothing on Aiden St. Delphi. It's like every time I moved on to the next book in this series I would be blown away by how amazing and sweet and just wonderful this guy is. If he didn't show kinks in his armor every now and again I would honestly think this guy was too good to be true. I love how Alex and Aiden balance each other out and can read each other so well. There were so many Aiden and Alex feels. So. Many. Forbidden romance is one of my favorite tropes to read about. I loved how when people would give them dirty looks and openly stare Aiden would just squeeze her hand or something in a reassuring way and Alex would do something crazy pants like she is and flip them off. Gods I love Alex!

"We are!" Deacon shouted from inside the Expedition. "I've already got the first road game picked out, so freaking hurry!"

There are so, so many amazing characters to this series though. So many. The one who comes closest to the way I feel for Aiden and Alex is Aiden's younger brother Deacon. His nonstop energy and enthusiasm along with his charm and how freaking hilarious he is are just so endearing. I swear there must be something in the St. Delphi gene pool because there's just something about those boys. They're totally opposite for the most part, Aiden is the serious and responsible type whereas Deacon is the goofy and life of the party type. Both perfect in their own ways. Like I said though, there were so many amazing characters. Too many to go on and on about each one and I both love and hate when that happens. Having that many lovable characters makes it hard to accept that, in books like these, not everyone is going to make it to the end.

"And now it's happening again. We are going to war for you―for the gods. People will die. My friends and the people I love could die! I could die!"

This book wasn't exactly an easy one to read either. There is so much going on. I mean we're dealing with gods and war. It is intense and I was so freaked out for most of this book. I would be reading and even when nothing was happening...yet, my stomach would be a huge bundle of knots. I was dreading the possible chaos and death and destruction that could be every time I turned a page. I couldn't have been more on the edge of my seat. And that's the thing about paranormal/urban fantasy type books by JLA. She will bring you to the brink where everything is going to hell and characters will have to go to the extreme to try to put everything back together again. Things that have the potential to make the already intense and scary things go from bad to incredibly worse. Call me crazy, but I love feeling like that. Like, how could there possibly be hope? Because it makes the end results just that much sweeter.

The lopsided smile on Apollo's face spread. "Well, I would never kiss and tell."

The thing is though, it's not all fear and sadness and chaos. I'm always amazed by how much her books can make me laugh out loud. I'm not just talking some quiet little chuckle to myself. We're talking the kind that just bursts out of you. I love that just about every possible human emotion I could feel, I'm sure I felt when reading this series. There's this huge part of me that is kicking my own behind for taking so freaking long to put forth any effort to read it. I mean, I could have been feeling this bookish high a year ago! Oh well, at least I'm finally feeling it now. These feelings are something that aren't going to be going away any time soon.

My Alex and Aiden Song:

REVIEW: Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Apollyon
Series: Covenant #4
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: April 4th 2013
Format: Paperback | Pages: 343
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Jennifer L. Armentrout | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

Intense doesn't even begin to cover what I experienced with what I just read. Between Apollyon and Elixir, that I read just before it, I came out of them both just a little bit broken. I'm almost scared to pick up Sentinel now and finish this series off! Everything has been building and building and just when I think it couldn't get anymore crazy I turn the page and I'm proven wrong. It was next to impossible to put this book down. That last day I read it I realized at midnight that it was inevitable that, sleep be damned, I was going to finish this book. Which is how I ended up sniffling into a tissue at 5am. I have no regrets.

We were nine. But somehow―in a way I couldn't explain but knew to be truth―I knew we weren't going to return as nine.

The thing I always seem to forget before picking up an urban fantasy/paranormal type of book by JLA is the fact that, yes, she gives us these brilliant characters, brilliant to the point that even when we hate them we are still just as in awe of how complex they are as we are for the ones that we love. She gives them to us and yet she also takes them away. I think that's the other thing that has me absolutely freaked out to read the last book. Some truly amazing characters have already been lost and I have about 5 or 6 that are among those still standing, that if anything happens to them...I'm not sure my heart will be able to take it. I look at all the death and destruction that came with the ending of Lux and I realize how very real the possibility is that the characters I love so much will not all be standing at the end.

He tapped the internal light once and it flicked on, then he turned it off. Shiny things must be distracting for gods, too.

Once again the mythology aspect is just perfection. I love the personalities and quirks she's given these well known gods and goddesses that we've met up to now. Some of them are down right scary and intense. Others are funny and do these quirky things that had me laughing so damn hard, which isn't exactly a good thing when it's the middle of the night and you're trying to read quietly. I mean, they're all still your typical Greek gods. They're full of ego and pretty self centered and have tendencies to be very cold and detached. But each one has had a certain something extra either fitting for who they are or just random attributes that pulls you in and makes you want more. They've been a lot of fun and entertainment.

We're in this together, Alex, to the end.

I started this series very firmly in the Team Seth camp. I didn't think it would be possible for me to be swayed from that stance. Aiden snuck up on me in Deity, though, and I've been enamored of him ever since and with each page I turn he works his way deeper and deeper into my heart. It's his passion and patience. The fact that when he believes in someone or something his absolute faith and optimism is incredible. He does not give up. He's fierce and he will fight for what or who he believes in through some of the worst and extremely intense situations. Reading Elixir really put me in awe of him. If I don't stop now I could quite easily sit here and sing his praises for hours. He's definitely made it to the top of the book boyfriends list.

Part of me died right then, maybe not a physical death, but on some mental, some emotional level I was good as dead. When all of this was over, I wouldn't be the same.

Oh. My. Gods. Alex has turned me upside down and inside out. This book was so hard to read through a lot of it because of her and the things that she goes through. She has always been so tough and confident, almost a bit too confident at times. I feel like she doesn't quite get that girl back since the events of the previous book. She's very broken and carrying around a lot of guilt over so many things. She really hurts my heart in this one. Occasionally you still see tiny sparks of that ass kicking, tough as nails girl that she starts out as but there's a lot of darkness in there too. I just want to hug her really tight and then smack her upside the head and tell her to shake it off! Honestly though, I think that seeing this side of her has just made her more real and more likable.

When the boys nodded my eyes rolled. "Seriously? Are Sam and Dean going to be there?"

I can't believe I'm already about to start the end of this series. I'm not even there yet but I miss it already. The vivid world building, the entire cast of deep and complex characters, the rollercoaster of emotions and all of the awesome references, most especially for Supernatural. Everything that you've come to love and expect from a JLA series is in here. Contemporary, aliens, gargoyles, gods... what can't this woman write? This book was yet another perfect example of why she is one of my all time favorite authors.

REVIEW: Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Deity
Series: Covenant #3
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: November 6th 2012
Format: Paperback | Pages: 330
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Jennifer L. Armentrout | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden. 

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome. 

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed. 

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate... 

Can I be honest with you guys? I haven't really been feeling this series. Don't get me wrong! I have really, really liked it, but it was never that deep, crazy, intense love that I normally feel when reading something by JLA. Look at my start and stop track record. Since 2013 until now I have read both Half-Blood and Pure three times now and never even put a dent in Deity. I've hated the fact that even though I was enjoying these books I didn't feel like I did when reading Lux or The Dark Elements or Wait for You or anything else I'd read by her. And then the other day I picked up Deity and...everything changed. And I mean everything! I was worried about feelings? Now I have so many I don't even know how to deal with them. And all I can do is just sit here and stare at the book and wonder...what the heck did I just read?!

A lump of horror and frustration formed in my throat.

Oh man this book was such an intense and frustrating ride! I swear only JLA can write something that would have me frustrated to the point where I wanted to physically hurt someone or something one moment, in the next nonstop tears, and then moments after that laughing hysterically. I don't know how she does it! Even my feelings for certain characters have been flipped upside down. I went into this feeling very strongly one way and came out the other side completely reversed. The woman is a magician.

It was official. The gods were overgrown children.

I am a huge lover of Greek mythology. So I think one of my most favorite things about this book was getting to meet a few of the gods. I always figured it would happen eventually, but I thought that maybe it would be more towards the end of the series. Getting to see three? I was over the moon! One of them was part of some of the funniest scenes and I couldn't get enough. I wanted more of him! Then the other two, well it was pretty intense. And as crazy and chaotic as everything is at the end of this one, I'm really hoping that means that there are more of them to come.

"Don't look at me like I've kicked a baby pegasus into the street."

Though I wasn't really a huge Alex fan in the beginning of the series, that's also something that's now changed. She was always just so reckless and never really used her brain and it drove me crazy. I absolutely adore her now. She's fierce and the reason she's always so reckless is because she lets her heart lead her. She's so full of passion and a sense of duty. Alex has so many things weighing down on her and I love the fact that through it all she's still filled with so much hope, though a lot of it was misguided hope, but nonetheless I respected her for that. And the fact that she could find things to laugh about and still have her sarcastic side after everything she's been through, I don't know how she hasn't cracked yet. She kicks some ass in a major way.

"I wanted a piece of you with me always. No matter what."

I don't really want to get into anything else just in case there are those out there, like me, who haven't gotten very far into this series yet. All I can say is this book shocked me, broke me, filled me with rage and made me, finally, fall in love, a deep, deep love, with this series. The holy crap factor was bumped up quite a few notches. I was on the edge of my seat and lost sleep and that ending? I think if I'd have read this back when it was first released I would've died having to wait and find out what was going to become of it. What a difference one book can make am I right?

REVIEW: The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6) by Richelle Mead

Title/Series: The Ruby Circle | Bloodlines #6
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: February 10th 2015
Format: Hardcover | Pages: 348
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Urban Romance, Fantasy
Source: Amazon
★★★★ (4/5) Stars!

Richelle Mead | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The epic conclusion to Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series is finally here...

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

After their secret romance is exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series. When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world.

This is so bittersweet. I'm so happy to have finally read, well binged really, this series and fall completely in love with it. Yet now I sit here so sad that I've reached the end. I'm not ready for it to be over. I'm so happy that both Adrian and Sydney's characters had made enough of an impression and impact on us fans of the Vampire Academy series, enough of one to bring forth this whole new spin-off series resulting in Bloodlines. I wasn't always happy with every action or the way things went, but regardless I have to admit I've been more of a Bloodlines fan than I have VA and that's saying something because I freaking love VA.

If Sydney were here, I knew she'd tell me this was foolish, that I was frivolously using spirit I didn't need to and possibly damaging myself.

Like I said though I wasn't happy about everything. There were a few times when, in facing something dangerous and chaotic, things were resolved almost too smoothly. Sometimes with barely a scratch on them. Now I'm not saying I wanted death and destruction or anything, it just didn't feel real. Well as real as a story involving vampires, witches and humans can be. I didn't want to feel the loss and sorrow that I'd associate with losing a beloved character but I couldn't help the fact that after a big confrontation or escape or rescue or any sort of thing of that nature happened and everything would turn out, well, okay, I'd tend to skim back a few pages thinking....that's it? That's all that happened? I know that it may seem like such a silly and trivial thing to be negative about but I feel like that is my one great big complaint on an otherwise amazing series.

Everyone else had gone very still and very silent, as though sensing the gravity of what was to come.

I've loved a good chunk of these characters for years now. It's been fun to watch them evolve from characters I already thought were awesome into something even better than they were at the start. I loved that throughout Bloodlines characters like Adrian and Sydney were still able to shock me with their actions. Most of the time it was in good ways but there were times they brought on a whole new level of frustration that I'm surprised my books are still in one piece!

Later, when dinner had wound down and we were all around the table, I found myself gazing around and unable to believe this was how my life had turned out.

The close of this series, while once again going almost too smoothly, was still in many ways perfect in my opinion. I still feel like maybe there was at least one thing that didn't really get resolved fully and I'm still left wondering what is to come of it. But as far as the characters and relationships built, both in a romantic and a friendly way, all left me feeling very happy and blissful. All of these characters really came together like a family. A family that stretches into both series and I think that's what I loved most. Not just the Sydrian feels, which let me tell you it's been a couple weeks since I've finished this and I'm still feeling them. But it's that sense of family that this group of characters has created.

Sydney trailed her fingers down the side of my face. "That's because we're living it, Adrian. This is the only escape plan we need."

For someone like me who has a history of being disappointed with series enders I'm excited to say that this one was anything but disappointing. I love Richelle Mead's writing and the worlds and characters that she creates. They're so vivid and imaginative and the entire Bloodlines series is no different. I can't get enough of these characters and, just like with Vampire Academy, I will be rereading the Bloodlines series as often as possible for years to come. My favorite book in the series? The Fiery Heart hands down.