Raised By Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Raised By Wolves
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Released |September 30th 2010 by Quercus Publishing|
Edition |Paperback, 418 pages|

At the age of four, Bryn  watched a rogue werewolf brutally murder her parents. Alone in the  world, she was rescued and taken in by the mysterious Callum, the alpha  of his werewolf pack. Now fifteen, Bryn’s been raised as a human among  werewolves, adhering to pack rule (mostly). Little fazes her.
But the pack’s been keeping a secret, and when Bryn goes exploring  against Callum’s direct orders, she finds Chase, a newly turned teen  Were locked in a cage. Terrifying memories of the attack on her mom and  dad come flooding back. Bryn needs answers, and she needs Chase to get  them. Suddenly, all allegiances to the pack no longer matter. It’s Bryn  and Chase against the werewolf world, whatever the consequences.

This is one of my first  shifter YA series that I loved, because I didn't start off reading YA. I read adult shifter books, but hadn't been introduced to the YA category at the time. Writing this review I am finding difficult since I read this book almost 2 years ago, but I'll try without spoiling :D

Bryn was adopted as a child by alpha werewolf Callum when a rogue wolf killed her parents while she hid and watched the entire thing. Soon Bryn meets Chase a boy who was recently turned. Things get a little crazy after that!

The Characters
I loved Bryn's character! She was fun :) And she also had some attitude that I liked! No push over with her. But sometimes, I felt she could be a little bit defiant and hardheaded, but after all she's only 15. LOVED LOVED LOVED Callum! I loved his whole demeanor. He was kind of suave, level headed and he showed his true emotions to Bryn which I thought was... *Awwww* ;)  His whole Alphaness just draws me to him even though he's old lol! I also like Bryn's friend Devon :) He was an added plus to the book!

Chase
When Bryn finally comes in contact with Chase, it was interesting. I was right there along with Bryn with the why can't I see him thing. I liked Chase he was sweet and adorable! Their romance, I swear, was the cutest thing to me. Now I don't want to spoil things so I am going to stop right here. But when the thing happen when Bryn did the thing lol I was like whoa. Everyone had a freak out moment.

I kind of thought things were taken to the extreme with Devon's mother, but I guess that was unusual. But when Ali reacted, I didn't think she need to do what she did lol I am cracking up! But I did think she overreacted. Plus she had kids to think about.

But overall, amazing story! This one of the reasons why I love shifters :D I highly recommend this series!

Recommendations - Shifters/Gods/Dystopian

Here are a list of some recommendations of books I enjoyed from different categories :)
All are 4 to 5 star books!
If you've read some of these, tell me what you thought of them.
Or if you want to read a few, tell me which ones :D

Shifters

Gods/Goddesses

Dystopian

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither
(The Chemical Garden Trilogy, #1)
by Lauren DeStefano
Released |March 22nd 2011 by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers|
Edition |Audio book, 9 discs|

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Wow! I don't know why I procrastinated in reading this amazing story :) It was awesome! I'm so glad I already have book 2! 4.5 stars to Wither. But I must say, I think this book is for mature teens and up. 
I really really liked this story! At the beginning of the book, it took a chapter or two before I really got into the story. I don't know why but it just took a minute. But once I got REALLY into the story, it was amazing :)

I really loved the whole story line to it. Rhine was an amazing female lead :) She was smart, but also, she was patient. She was different from the other two girls. Cecily with her...I don't know how to describe her. She was like a kid in a candy store. And there was Jenna, quiet and stand offish. 

I don't know who I choose, Linden or Gabriel. I actually think I have come to like Linden a little bit more. He was so sweet to Rhine and so clueless at times it hurt to see. I just didn't like how he went back and forth between the girls. I thought that was gross. *shivers* I thought his relationship with the other two girls was creepy and weird lol But, I wonder will he find out all the secrets that have been kept from him.

This book had so much suspense. I was about to say it was a page turner, but considering I listened to the audio book, I went through all 9 disc and about 2 and a half days :) It was that good!

The issue with Jenna was so sad. I don't think I cared for Cecily. She was annoying to me throughout the whole book with her jealousy, selfish and whinny demeanor. And what she did, I wouldn't be able to forgive her either. But then again, she's young, but still. That's was her selfish way. *Just my opinion*

I definitely recommend this book! And can't wait to dig into Fever :) Awesome, awesome book!

Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London

Darkness Before Dawn
(Darkness Before Dawn, #1)
by J.A. London
Released |May 29th 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers|
Edition |ARC, 342 pages|

This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters....

Darkness Before Dawn is a fresh new story with captivating characters, unexpected plot twists, a fascinating setting, and a compelling voice. Written under the name J. A. London by a talented mother-son team, the trilogy is perfect for fans of True Blood and the House of Night and Morganville Vampires series.

I rate this book 4.5 stars :) I thought it was amazing! The cover, the characters, and the premise did not disappoint.


I've seen some reviews where the reviewer is judging the book based on the premise of the story. Comparing it to other books. I say, give a book a chance before you go into it. Go in to reading it with an open mind, because this book did not disappoint me whatsoever! I loved it :)

Vampires have won the war and are now ruling the world. How awesome is that! Something different. The whole thing with the thirty year war between the humans and vamps was intriguing. I loved when the book started talking about that point because, come on, vamps and humans fighting is a disaster waiting to happen.

I really like Dawn and Victor's character. Dawn was a strong female lead and I really like that. She didn't cower in a corner waiting to be protected. I would be scared out my mind to face Lord Valentine, the vampire ruler of her city. Dawn, only 17 and the delegate of the city is a big thing and I really liked that whose aspect of the book. And when Dawn meets Victor, Lord Valentine's son, it made the book all the more interesting.

Victor was amazing! I think I swooned over him! Who wouldn't want a guy like him. Even though he is a vamp. Living in Dawn's world, I think I would have had a more, OMG WTF you're Lord Valentine's son kind of reaction when she found out who he was. She was a little bit more calm than how I would've been. But I really enjoyed the chemistry between the too.

It was a little bit of a love triangle with Victor and Michael. Michael, her current boyfriend, and Victor. I actually didn't mind the love triangle because Dawn wasn't the Oh My Gosh what am I going to do I can't choose kind of girl. So it was A-OKay.

The only bad thing I can say is that when everything was revealed, I had already figured out who everyone was. But, me being me, I was still shocked? lol

The ending, I can't wait to find out what will happened! Will she die or will she be turned?! OR maybe she will survive and be human! I don't know, but I can't wait to find out!

This book was action packed, with some great romance and some awesome characters! I definitely recommend this book to all you dystopian and vampire lovers out there!

Thanks to J.A. London and Halli from HarperCollins Publishers for sending me an ARC of this book for my honest opinion :)!

Hourglass by Myra McEntire -- Review contains spoilers!

Hourglass
(Hourglass, #1)
by Myra McEntire
Released |June 14th 2011 by EgmontUSA|
|review written by Jalyn|

One hour to rewrite the past . . . 
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

 I really enjoyed this book. I felt a good connection to the characters and the story line was different from the usual YA paranormal. I really liked that I didn't see the time traveling story coming. I just thought I was going to be reading a book about a girl that sees the dead.

Emerson was an enjoyable character and I liked her relationship with Michael. I know it bothers a lot of readers when characters fall in love fast, but when the writing is good, I don't mind it at all. Em and Michael tried to stay apart romantically through most of the book. They weren't spewing "I Love You" all the time [that actually doesn't even happen until the end of the book and Em wasn't annoying with her inner thoughts about him. 

I had very few issues with this book. Really the only thing that bothered me was that Lily was introduced and talked about like she was going to have a bigger part in the book, but we don't see much of Em's "best friend." I'm hoping that Lily will have a bigger role in the next book.

I will definitely be reading book two, Timepiece, as soon as I can get a copy :)

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Hourglass
(Hourglass, #1)
by Myra McEntire
Released |June 14th 2011 by EgmontUSA|
|review written by Rachael|
Rachael's blog: http://www.moosubi.blogspot.com/

One hour to rewrite the past . . . 
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

If you want to see more of my reviews, check out my blog @ Moosubi Reviews!

After I heard so much hype about Hourglass, I finally decided to give it a try! I definitely enjoyed it, although my experience didn't reflect the jaw-dropping-amazingness that a lot of my friends showed. But I still definitely enjoyed the book!

I liked the idea of "rips", or time ripples. It's an idea that I sometimes think about when reading about time travel, or just when I'm daydreaming. It was also pretty unique, so I liked the instances when Emerson or Michael explored the idea or experimented with it. An intriguing concept, it also kept Emerson pretty busy trying to figure it out, and I liked seeing her trying to figure it out. Along the way, I was also guessing a bit, too! However, I found that this idea wasn't as flushed out as I would have liked it to be. A lot of this book was focused on Emerson and her relationships with Michael and Kaleb, and although I'm a fan of romance, I would have liked to see the idea more flushed out. Nonetheless, I still liked the author's time travel ideas, and it kept me reading!

The plot definitely moved quickly and didn't bore me for the most part. I especially liked the action at the end when Emerson & Michael finally time travel! During that part, there was a lot of suspense and some guessing on my part. However, as I said before, this idea of time traveling didn't occur as often as I would have liked, since there was mostly relationship building in this book. Don't get me wrong - the romance will appeal to a lot of PNR fans (Steamy kissing? Check. Hot and Mysterious Guy? Check. Classic Heroic and Kind Acts? Check. Arrogant, yet Kind & Smart Attitude? Check.), and I admit that I didindulge in some of the romance - it's just that it seemed like the romance took a lot of potential away from the idea of time travel.

As for the characters, I would say that they were this novel's strongest points :/ They weren't bad per se - however, they weren't extraordinary either. Emerson was a little bland to me, although she did have instances of brilliance that I applauded her for. Her family was definitely supportive, and that's great, although I found some of their actions predictable and again, bland. However, I did like Kaleb - he's definitely a complex character. I know Timepiece has some of his POV, so I'm probably going to read the sequel!

One thing that I should mention though is the ending. I don't want to give too much away, and I did suspect a little, but I was surprised by what happened. Kudos to the author for that!

Overall, I would say that Hourglass is worth your time if you're a romance or PNR fan. If you're looking for more of a time travel, sci-fi filled novel, this book definitely wouldn't be for you. However, if you're looking for a bit of both, I suggest that you borrow a copy of this book and see if you like it by reading a few chapters. I'm hoping there's a little more time travel in the sequel (and I have a slight feeling there is - hopefully there is!) as well as development of Kaleb's POV, so I'll probably be reading Timepiece (:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium
(Delirium, #1)
by Lauren Oliver
Released |February 1st 2011 by HarperTeen|
|review written by Janina|

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

I don't know how to feel about this book. I liked it, but I didn't. I liked the whole concept with the way the book twisted everything we believe in about love into something so evil and infectious and wrong. But then there was something about it that I don't like, and I just can't quite put my finger on it. 

I don't really know how I feel about the characters. But I did like Hana and Alex, but I didn't really just fall in love with the characters like I usually do. Lena got on my nerves throughout most the book, except towards the end when she started actually doing things and standing up for herself. Other than that she was pretty much a bore. To me she didn't really have a backbone to say how she really felt and do what she felt was right. I know she had her inner struggle going on and all, but it took her damn near the whole book to finally do something about it. I also didn't like how just, boom, I am now all of sudden in love with Alex?! But anyways, enough with the boring about her, she did have some positives.

Like I said before, I didn't start liking Lena unless I about 3/4 of the way through the book. She finally started standing up for herself and when she figured out the truth about her mom, I thought she reacted just the way she should of. It showed she had true emotions instead of the ones she thought she should feel. The government had the people's mind so screwed up, it was sad to see. I thought Hana was awesome and I hope to see her in Pandemonium.

This book did keep me entertained. It wasn't all that suspenseful but it did have its moments and I really enjoyed the romance between Alex and Lena! I did like the book and enjoyed it. But it took me a while to truly get into it and I felt it could of been better. But that last chapter of the book just pissed me off! lol I really hope that Alex isn't what my mind wants to believe because I thought he was awesome and he was such a sweet heart and always looked out for Lena's best interest.

I'm glad I already Pandemonium so I can continue the series :) and to see what happens next! Hopefully it doesn't have an ending like this one.