Review: Ashes to Ashes (Burn for Burn #3) by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Book Title: Ashes to Ashes

Authors: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Published Date: September 16th, 2014

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Genre: YA Contemporary

Series: Book three in Burn for Burn trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

New Year's Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come.

After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve... If Kat had only stayed with Rennie... Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same.

Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?

Disclaimer: Library book.

Review:

Prepare for endless rambling about this book. I have lots of things to say about it but it's gonna come out all jumbly and crap.

I had no idea what was going on with this book. I didn't know what was real and what was false. I didn't know what roles Mary, Lillia and Kat would play. I didn't know what roles Alex & Reeve would play with this book. 

This book had a whole lot more of Kat & Lillia than it had of Mary and there was a reason for that. I'm not going to go into those reasons because it's a spoiler and I really don't want to discuss spoilers. 

I never really loved Lillia and Reeve together. I was really hoping that Lillia would fall for Alex, because I know Alex was madly in love with Lillia and it hurt me that Lillia was too emmeshed in Reeve and how she felt about Reeve. I really didn't like them together and I think a lot of that was because Rennie had just recently died and Reeve and Rennie had been a thing right before the death of Rennie. It really didn't make me like Lillia all that much. If they wanted to be together, they should of waited several months before they got together.

Kat was going through her own issues. She wants desperately off of the Jar Island. She wants to go to college at Oberlin. She wants to do something for herself. She finds herself in a friendship with Alex Lind. She's helping him with his own dream, although he is so desperately in love with Lillia that Kat wonders if he'll ever be able to focus on what he wants independent of how he feels about Lillia.

Both Kat and Lillia have no idea what's happened to Mary. She's disappeared and they have no idea what's going on. Even on an island like Jar Island, there's still secrets. Secrets that Mary herself knows about and she still wants to make Reeve pay for the pain he put her through. Revenge is what she wants and she's not going to find peace until she makes him go through hell.

This entire trilogy was amazing. Han & Vivian are a dynamic duo and I really hope they do more collaborations together because this one, was utterly phenomenal. I am giving this book 5 stars. There is nothing I'd change about this book or this series. I cannot wait to get a complete set of this trilogy.

Review: Fire with Fire (Burn for Burn #2) by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Book Title: Fire with Fire

Authors: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Published Date: August 13th, 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Genre: YA Contemporary

Series: Book 2 in Burn for Burn trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When sweet revenge turns sour… Book two of a trilogy fromNew York Times bestselling author Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.

Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn...

Disclaimer: Library book.

Review:

Holy mother of God.

Usually in a series, the 2nd book is not as good as the first book. It's normally referred to as a "sophomore slump" and I was worried that Fire with Fire would find itself in that sophomore slump, especially given how awesome Burn for Burn was. Thankfully, I didn't need to worry too much about it. Fire with Fire was even better than Burn for Burn.

This time around, it was less about the sweet revenge and more about trying to figure out where each of these girls belonged in their own lives, on Jar Island. Mary is still living with her aunt, but things are getting weirder in the home. Her parents are seemingly refusing to come visit her. It doesn't make sense to me for Mary's parents to not visit her. Especially knowing that her family was pretty close to each other before she moved back to Jar Island to live with her aunt.

Kat's going through her own problems. She wants to get away and go to the college that her mom never got a chance to go to. Despite having a rough childhood, she's a smart young lady. She doesn't want to use her mother's death as the "pity me" statement for college applications. She doesn't want to be known as "the student whose mom died" She wants to reinvent herself. She doesn't want anything to do with her former best friend, Rennie.

Lillia still values her family, but she's realizing that maybe she needs to think for herself. Maybe she doesn't want to go to Wellesley like her parents seem to want her to do. She wants to show her parents that she has a plan for her life and she doesn't want her parents to interfere as much as they currently do.

This book had a lot of stuff with Mary in it. A lot of other reviewers have said that this book was mostly about Mary, but it wasn't. It also involved Lillia falling for Reeve, which I didn't get it at first. But things changed as the book continues on. Reeve slowly endears himself to me. I ended up actually liking him, despite him being a total douche at first. It also included Kat putting a lot of pressure on herself. She wants more than anything to get that early decision acceptance to college and to get the hell out of Jar Island.

The ending was absolutely freaking amazing. I never in a million years would have guessed the twist. It was so amazing and unexpected. The hints were there but I never guessed how it would turn it out. The last 25-50 pages were absolutely unexpected and I absolutely loved it. This book was so, so, SO much better than the first book and I never thought that would happen.

This book gets an easy 5 stars from me. I am so excited to see what happens in the final book. I'm excited to pick up the third book in the trilogy at the library this week. Siobhan Vivian & Jenny Han are a dynamic duo and I love their collaboration.

Stacking the Shelves #57

This feature comes from Tynga's Reviews.

Hi everyone! This week was a rough week for personal reasons. It started off crappy, with me finding out that my fiance had been cheating on me. Needless to say the wedding is now off and I am going to allow myself to heal from this. It won't get me down and I'll absolutely still be around. 

Finding this out really showed me that people do care about me. As soon as I broke the news on Twitter, I had so many friends reaching out to me. Thank you, again for supporting me in this hard time. At the end of the week I got sick. I'm guessing it's stress related as I have barely left the house all week.

Back in book-land, I got 2 books from Edelweiss & two books from NetGalley. I also picked up 5 library books. I am very excited to read all 9 of these books. Actually I've already read & LOVED one of my library books.

Let's see what landed on my shelves & in my Kindle this week.

Received for Review

-Edelweiss-

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes

-NetGalley-

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Not in the Script (If Only #3) by Amy Finnegan

Library

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Ashes to Ashes (Burn for Burn #3) by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

The Vault of Dreamers (Untitled #1) by Caragh M. O'Brien

Made for You by Melissa Marr

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

As always, let me know if you've read any of these or if you are planning to at some point. Leave me the links to your Stacking the Shelves posts & vlogs. Happy reading, everyone!

Book Blitz & Fancast: Lailah by Nikki Kelly

Title: Lailah

Series: The Styclar Saga #1

Author: Nikki Kelly

Release Date: October 7th

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Summary from Goodreads:
The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.

On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely ally – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.

In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?

Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.

Pre-Order Today!
+Amazon / +Barnes & Noble / +Book Depository / +Macmillan.com

"An extraordinarily imaginative look into the realms of good, evil, and all that comes in between. Lailah will have you gripped until the very end." -Brittany, Please Feed the Bookworm

“Lailah: Original. Swoonworthy. Captivating. Lailah will make you have all the FEELS, and you’ll find yourself flailing for Book #2, Gabriel!” -Andrew, Endlessly Reading

“Lailah is a fast-paced read that will keep you hooked from cover to cover." -Jess, The Book Bratz

“Lailah is paranormal romance like you have never read before. With its hauntingly beautiful writing it will have you craving for more!” -Dana, Dana Square

“AHHHHHHHH! (in a good way)” - Ri, Hiver & Café

“Dark. Sexy. Intriguing. Filled with twists and turns and set on a beautiful backdrop, Lailah is sure to enchant and haunt you from the start.” -Rachel, A Perfection Called Books

Lailah Fancast

Gabriella Wilde as Lailah

Shiloh Fernandez as Jonah

Alex Pettyfer as Gabriel

Alicia Vikander as Hanora

Sophie Turner as Brooke

Liam Neeson as Ruadhan

Chris Hemsworth as Azrael

Styclar Street Team!

The Styclar Street Team is essentially bloggers and readers who are fans of the story, and wish to declare and spread their love for Styclar!

MEMBERS
Want to become a member of the Styclar Street Team? We'd love to have you!

If you've read Lailah, enjoyed the story, and want to get involved, simply take a selfie with your copy of the book, and tweet it with the following hashtag: #StyclarStreetTeam

Be sure to also email the photo direct to Nikki — nikki@thestyclarsaga.com and your awesome selfie will be uploaded to the Street Team page of The Styclar Saga website! (www.thestyclarsaga.com)

Check out the page to grab buttons for your site, find out about how you can participate in the latest spreading the Styclar word activities' and enter special giveaways!

Nikki's going on the Fierce Reads Tour in October! Want to meet her? Check out the stops here: http://fiercereads.com/

About the Author

NIKKI KELLY was born and raised only minutes away from the chocolately scent of Cadbury World in Birmingham, England. Lailah was first launched to wattpad, an online readers and writers community. Within six months, the novel had over one million reads. Lailah is Nikki’s debut novel, and the first book in The Styclar Saga. She lives in London with her husband and their dogs, Alfie (a pug) and Goose (a Chihuahua).

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TTT: Top Ten Books on my Fall 2014 TBR List

This feature is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish.

Since I had something else scheduled for last Tuesday, I decided to do this one today since I had an open spot on the blog. Unlike the last few TBR lists I've made, this one will be comprised of only review books. I have a lot of them to read and I really need to catch up on them.

There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake

This Side of Home by Renee Watson

Soulprint by Megan Miranda

Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy #2) by Laura Howard

Lailah (The Styclar Saga #1) by Nikki Kelly

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Dissonance (Dissonance #1) by Erica O'Rourke

Winterspell (Winterspell #1) by Claire Legrand

Loop (Loop #1) by Karen Akins

So let me know if you did a TTT this week and if we have any of the same books on our Fall TBRs. I am hoping I have better luck with the list this time around.

Review: The Fine Art of Pretending (The Fine Art of Pretending #1) by Rachel Harris

Book Title: The Fine Art of Pretending

Author: Rachel Harris

Published Date: September 30th, 2014

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Series: Book one in The Fine Art of Pretending series.

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Spencer Hill Contemporary via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

Okay, so by now you guys should know that I generally don't do light and fluffy. Light and fluffy normally bores me and I usually need depth to really enjoy the story. However, I had seen this cover awhile back and I fell in love with the cover. So when I saw it up on NetGalley, I decided to give it a shot, hoping desperately that I wouldn't be disappointed.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. One of the biggest predictors of whether or not I'll like a book is how the character development is. If it's strong and I see a great character arc with tons of growth and I know what makes these characters tick, I'll like the book. Unfortunately, with this book, the lackuster character development, particularly for Aly, was what ruined the book for me.

I think Gabi had the right idea here. She was the only sensible girl who insisted on questioning Aly's reasons for doing it. Gabi knew that changing your whole look just so guys will see you in a different light was insane. Yet Aly had been so sick of watching the boys pass her over for some other hottie, that Gabi's words didn't sink in like they should have.

Look, I'm not hating on Aly. Really, I'm not. I remember how it felt in high school to have all the boys see you as just a friend. It was incredibly hard and it does do a number on your self esteem when you see all the hot girls having dates constantly and no guy will even look your way. It sucks. I think it was just hard for me to relate to her as I would have never changed myself for a guy. When I was in high school (10+ years ago) I was definitely a tomboy and boys generally didn't look my way. Was it hard? Yes, of course it was, but it never occurred to me to change myself just so boys would like me.

I never really felt "it" between Aly and Brandon. They didn't sizzle off my Kindle like I was hoping they would. In romance books, chemistry is key and I just never felt like Aly and Brandon really had chemistry. I did like the tension between them, but I definitely felt like the chemistry was lacking between the two of them. Now friendship chemistry was absolutely there and I felt like they would have made better friends than romantic partners.

All in all, this book wasn't bad, but it wasn't one I enjoyed either. I'm pretty indifferent to it actually, which really bums me out. The lackluster character development and the romantic chemistry were both major disappointments to me. For these reasons, I have to give the book 3 stars. I would recommend this book to a younger reader. I think the tone of this book is for a younger reader. I was never able to connect with it.

Review: Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn #1) by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Book Title: Burn for Burn

Authors: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Published Date: September 18th, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Genre: YA Contemporary

Series: Book 1 in Burn for Burn trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds. 

But bad things can happen, even to good girls . . . and sometimes, the only way to make things right is to do something wrong. 

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her little sister from the same fate. 

Kat is over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person--her ex-best friend. Someone needs to teach her a lesson, and, with Lillia and Mary behind her, Kat feels up to the task.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. Now that she’s got friends who have her back, he's going to be in big trouble.

Three very different girls who come together to make things right. Will they go too far?

Disclaimer: Library book.

Review:

I had been wanting to start this series ever since I saw the ARC's of the third book floating around.  I had never read anything by Siobhan Vivian, but I had read and loved To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. I was excited to get this series started. The library was my friend, this time around. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but I couldn't wait to find out.

What I got, were three drastically different girls. Shy, quiet Mary, outspoken and blunt Kat and Lillia, family-oriented, fierce protector of her sister. Each of these girls want nothing more than to get back at the people who had hurt them, and make them pay dearly for the heartbreak they've caused.

Mary wants desperately to go after Reeve, the kid who taunted and teased her when they were children. The boy who coined the term "Big Easy" This awful name is only one of the reasons Mary's family left the island. Now, she wants nothing more than to get back at him for all the years he spent helping to isolate her to the point where she had no friends.

Kat has been best friends with Rennie for a very long time. Now things have shifted and she's now the target of cruel remarks, insults and rumors, all at the hands of a girl who used to be her best friend. Kat is realizing now that Rennie isn't the kind of person she wants to be friends with. She wants Rennie to get a taste of her own medicine.

Lillia always trusted boys, but when things changed over the summer, she realized that boys are not to be trusted and that she needs to protect her little sister, Nadia. Especially from Alex Lind. Alex needs to pay for taking advantage of Nadia and Lillia is going to make sure that he suffers.

This book was a great surprise. Each of these girls were so different, and since the book was divided up into 3 points of view, I got a taste of what all three girls were thinking as the story unfolded. I got to see little connections between others in the book and they were able to tie into the story seamlessly.

Each of these girls had a different home life, and different motivations to work with. I loved how they banded together to help each other. Especially Kat and Mary, because they were complete opposites and didn't have history together. Not like Kat and Lillia did. Seeing all three of these girls come together to take down other teens that had made their lives hell was really awesome.

I wasn't sure what I was going to get with this book, but what I got was the beginning of a friendship that involved trust and helping others. I am infinitely pleased that there was no romance in this book (at least for the three main characters) as I feel like that would have weakened the book. I am giving this book 5 stars and I'm super excited to see what happens to Kat, Mary and Lillia next.