The Blood Of Olympus by Rick Riordan

This was a hard ending for me.  It wasn’t a bad ending, but like with any end to a journey or friendship such as this, it’s bittersweet.  I kind of had a book hangover and I may or may not have cried a bit for the ending.  Saying good bye to Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, and the rest of the gang was hard for me.  Of course with every ending comes the chance to reread it again.  This is the 5th and final book in the Heroes of Olympus series.  i gave it 4 stars.

 

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen-all of them-and they’re stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood-the blood of Olympus-in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it might be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea’s army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Sea Of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

This isn’t my favorite of Kelley’s writing.  It was kind of a slow book.  I had a hard time getting into it and it was kind of a chore to read.  I preferred the Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising books to this series.  This is book 1 in the Age of Legends series.  I gave it 4 stars.

 

They hear the spirits. They must obey.

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed by an ancient evil, Moria and Ashyn must race to warn the empire of a terrifying threat. Accompanied by a dashing thief and a warrior with a dark history, the sisters battle their way across a wasteland filled with reawakened monsters of legend. But there are more sinister enemies waiting for them at court – and a secret that will alter the balance of their world forever.

The first volume in the Age of Legends trilogy, Sea of Shadows is a thrilling dark fantasy where evil hides in every shadow and the deadliest monsters of all come in human form…

Ignite by Sara B Larson

This was a pretty good book, in fact, it was nearly perfect. I really enjoyed it. I finished it in less than 2 hours. This is book 2 in the Defy series. I gave it 5 stars. 

Alexa continues to harbor a secret love for the newly crowned King Damian, yet she remains by his side as his guard and ever committed to helping him rebuild Antion and reclaim the hope of Antion’s people. However, when a new threat to Damian and his kingdom emerges, and blame is cast on the once friendly nation of Blevon, Alexa knows things are not what they seem. Once again the fate of her country hangs in the balance. Will Alexa be able to protect her king and uncover the true enemy — before it’s too late?

Unbreakable by C C Hunter

Oh this book is absolute lovely. It’s so nice to continue to read the Shadow Falls series. This wasn’t the best book in the series, but it was pretty good. I gave it 3 stars. 

He isn’t everything he says he is. He’s even more…Who is Chase Tallman, the newest member of Shadow Falls? What made him into the sexy, mysterious vampire he is today? And what led him to Della Tsang?

Step back in time and unearth the secrets that haunt him. The secret of how he became a vampire-and how he knows so much about being reborn. Secrets about his first love, his family–and what steers him toward Della, the beautiful, complicated girl he just can’t seem to stay away from. The one who makes him want things he thought he’d given up on long ago. 

It all began with a research study, a palm reader, and a plane crash that sent him on a quest…for a love that’s unbreakable.

Eternal by C. C. Hunter

I am absolutely loving Della’s story. Can Miranda’s be next? Seriously though, I’m all for her and her attitude. This is book 2 in the Shadow Falls: After Dark. I gave it 4 stars. 

“Spectacular! I love Della’s sarcastic and yet deeply sensitive perspective and can’t wait to see how things unfold for her.”–Fresh Fiction
Just when Della feels like she’s starting to figure out her life, she finds herself reborn…and her new existence comes with a whole different rulebook.

Della’s secret powers always made her feel like an outsider in the human world. Now, just when she’s starting to feel like she belongs–at Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with paranormal powers–her life is turned upside down all over again. Attacked by a deadly virus, she must make the difficult choice to be reborn. It’s her only chance at survival, but it comes with a price: It irreparably bonds her to Chase, a tall, dark and mesmerizing vampire who makes her laugh one minute and infuriates her the next.

Chase already knows too many of Della’s secrets, and being eternally bonded to him is the last thing she wants. Even worse, she doesn’t fully understand what their bond means. Is the attraction she’s started feeling for Chase real–or does fate have something else in store? And what does that mean for Steve, the hot shapeshifter whose kisses make her weak in the knees? 

Now Della’s battered heart is about to take another hit. While investigating her latest case, she discovers shocking evidence about her father’s dark past, making her question everything she believes to be true…and her place in the world she loves.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

This wasn’t my favorite book by Maggie. Of course it’s pretty hard to beat the Scorpio Races. Anyways, over all I enjoyed the book, but it seemed to be a little drawn out. This is the 3rd book in the Raven Cyle series. I gave it 4 stars. 

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.
The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.
Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.
In a starred review, The Bulletin called The Dream Thieves, the previous book in The Raven Cycle, “a complex web of magical intrigue and heart-stopping action.” Now, with Blue Lily, Lily Blue, the web becomes even more complex, snaring readers at every turn.

The Guard by Kiera Cass

This another short story from the Selection series. It’s book 2.5 in the Selection series. I gave it 3 stars. 

Before America Singer met Prince Maxon . . .

Before she entered the Selection . . .

She was in love with a boy named Aspen Leger.

Don’t miss this digital original novella set in the captivating world of Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series. This brand new 64-page story begins just after the group of Selected girls is narrowed down to the Elite and is told from Aspen’s point of view. The Guard also features a teaser to The One, the thrilling third novel in the Selection series.

The Prince by Kiera Cass

This is a short story in the selection series. It’s book .5 in the Selection series. I gave it 4 stars. 

The first of two novellas set in the world of Kiera Cass’s No. 1 New York Times bestselling Selection series – Prince Maxon’s story!

Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon’s life.

‘The Prince’ opens the week before the Selection begins and follows Maxon through the first day of the competition.

A captivating view into the heart of Prince Maxon before he fights to win America Singer’s love.

Unmarked by Kami Garcia

The first book in this series was rather enjoyable, but I found this one to be severely lacking. It seemed cliched. I’m not trying to be mean, I just didn’t enjoy it. This is the 2nd book in the Legion series. I gave it 3 stars.

He is here . . . and he could be anyone.
Kennedy Waters lives in a world where vengeance spirits kill, ghosts keep secrets, and a demon walks among us-a demon she accidentally set free.
Now Kennedy and the other Legion members – Alara, Priest, Lukas, and Jared – have to hunt him down. As they learn more about the history of the Legion and the Illuminati, Kennedy realizes that the greatest mystery of all does not belong to any secret order, but to her own family. With the clock ticking and the life of someone she loves hanging in the balance, Kennedy has to ask the question she fears most: what is it about her past that has left her Unmarked?
The second novel in Kami Garcia’s (co-author of the bestselling Beautiful Creatures series) gripping urban fantasy series is full of suspense, romance and drama, that will have readers hooked until the last page.

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

This book didn’t have the ending I wanted. It was kind of rushed and the ending didn’t make much sense. I loved the rest of the series, but I found this book lacking. This is book 3 in the Sweet trilogy. I gave it 3 stars.

Beloved YA author Wendy Higgins delivers the explosive conclusion to the Sweet Evil trilogy. In this dramatic finale to the epic love story between Anna Whitt and Kaidan Rowe, the time has come for Anna, daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, to accept her fate as the chosen one. She is destined to rid the earth of demons once and for all. But as Anna and her Nephilim allies prepare for the evil brewing, the powerful Dukes use Anna’s love for bad boy Kaidan Rowe against her, and her strength is put to the ultimate test. How far will the two of them go to keep each other alive? Will love conquer all in the final battle between good and evil?