Review: Wings by Elizabeth Richards

Wings by Elizabeth Richards

Publisher: 2014 Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 400

Series: Black City #3

Read my review of Black City here and visit the Goodreads page for the sequel, Phoenix, here.

"Following the cliffhanger ending of Phoenix, Natalie finds herself separated from Ash and unexpectedly reunited with her parents, including the father she thought was dead. But she can only think of Ash. She hasn't heard a word of him since she and Elijah were brought to the underground headquarters of the Sentry Rebellion. But she vows to find him.

Ash, meanwhile is back in Black City; it's the perfect place to hide from the Sentry government. But not for long. He won't give up on Natalie or bringing an end to the terrible reign of Purian Rose.

A pulse-racing end to an exciting series."

Wings, the final installment in the Black City trilogy, begins shortly after the last books ended. Ash and Natalie have been separated and other than knowing the other is alive, they don't know anything. Ash believes that Natalie was kidnapped and Natalie believes that Ash is in danger. What these two will go through to get back to each other's sides is limitless.

The rest of the novel is focusing on bringing down Purian Rose and ending the power the Sentry holds over the country at any cost. Including a possible heart transplant for Ash.

The other two books were structured in Ash and Natalie's dual point-of-view. That is still true in this novel, but one extra point of view was added, taking places 30ish years before the events happening now. I liked learning about the past this way instead of having it all laid out in a short monologue, you got to see the character's lives unfold instead of just hearing about it. And yes this extra point of view is extremely important so pay attention! Also, the guy in the extra POV, Edmund, reminded me of Ash in a few ways. It kind of shows what Ash could have turned out like as well as showcasing an important character.

One aspect of this book that I applaud Elizabeth Richards for was her ability to sacrifice her characters. Instead of having every character make it out of every situation practically unscathed, she kills several of them. This is one thing that I find missing with a lot of novels now a days. Authors often get too attached to their characters and don't want to kill them when killing them would make a better story. I also liked how at the end I was uncertain about one of the main character's fate. It was good.

In the end I think this was a great ending to the trilogy. The plot lines were wrapped up, there were no unanswered questions, and it was an exciting read! There were not many plot twists, other than the deaths cause you can't really predict those. But I definitely recommend reading the Black City trilogy by Elizabeth Richards!

-Shawnee Smith

Library Haul

I went to the library today in order to kill some time before my class, and what I came away with was three book...all of whose bindings are black.

It was purely coincidental and I didn't even notice until I got to my car. 

Anyways, this is my Library Haul. Note, click on the book's title to be brought to the Goodreads page.

The Last Academy by Anne Applegate

"What is this prep school preparing them for?

Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam—and readers—stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel."

Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson

"Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?"

Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell

"In this suspenseful teen thriller with a touch of the otherworldly, a boy goes over a waterfall and wakes up to find himself in a twisted version of the life he knew. Why did his best friend try to kill him? Why are his parents acting like he’s a sports star all of a sudden? Worst of all, what happened to his older brother? Filled with mind-bending suspense and unsettling thrills, Undercurrent is a grippingly paced teen debut that will pull you under and never let go."

-Shawnee Smith

Which Do You Prefer?

There are many different ways you can read a book in this day and age. You can read it as a... 

Hardcover

a Paperback

an E-Version (Kindle/iPad)

Or as an Audio CD.

There are good and bad elements to each form of book. Hardcovers can get heavy, yet look nice on a shelf and last a long time if you plan on keeping it. 

Paperbacks are lightweight, but they are easy to ruin. 

E-Books are easy to transport, but if your battery dies then you can't read (Also the glare on the screen! Yikes!). 

Audio CD's are great for listening to a book while you are driving, but the speaker can be extremely monotone.

So what do you prefer to read? I am a hardcover/paperback girl myself. I don't own an E-Reader and I can't usually stand the people who read the books on the audio CD's. Anyway that you read, its good that you pick up a book. :)

-Shawnee Smith

New This Week

Week of July 28, 2014

Hardcover:

   

The Bridge From Me to You by Lisa Schroeder

The Devil's Intern (The Devil's #1) by Donna Hosie

The Fourth Wish (The Art of Wishing #2) by Lindsay Ribar

Grace and the Guiltless by Erin Johnson

  

Kalona's Fall (House of Night Novella #4) by P.C. Cast

Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

The Young World (Young World #1) by Chris Weitz

Paperback:

   

As Red as Blood (Lumikki Andersson #1) by Salla Simukka

Before You (Before & After #1) by Amber Hart

Bubble World by Carol Snow

Doon (Doon #1) by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

 

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2) by Gena Showalter

-Shawnee Smith

Review: Rush by Eve Silver

Rush by Eve Silver

Publisher: 2013 Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 361

Series: The Game #1

"so what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn."

I have no idea how long this book has been on my To Be Read list, probably since it was first published or even slightly before, but I just never gave it a chance. Until now. And let me tell you, it was AWESOME. I wasn't sure how the whole 'Game' aspect of the book would work but it was perfect.

Oh, and I just lost The Game.

The books opens with Miki saving a young girl's life by pushing her out of the way of a moving vehicle. But she dies. Instead of going to Heaven or the after life, Miki wakes up in "The Lobby". The area of the game where everyone meets before starting their mission. Now the game is rather confusing while your reading the book, you just have to keep reading until everything is revealed. However, what the game does offer is mystery, and some awesome action sequences. 

The whole purpose of The Game is to eliminate an alien species attempting to take over Earth. The Drau are kind of creepy and have wickedly awesome powers that are extremely bad for the humans trying to defeat them. There is one question rolling around your mind through the whole novel: How does someone get chosen for the game? 

I really like the characters that are in this book, or three of them at least. I like Miki, Jackson, and Luka. These three are thrust together because of the game. Jackson is team leader and Luka has been playing for almost a year. The other characters in the book were almost not important. They each served their purpose but these three are who the book revolves around. And obviously, Miki and Jackson have a thing and Luka kinda wants to have a thing with Miki. Obviously. This is a teen book isn't it? 

There are three plot twists, two of which I saw coming, near the end of the book. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Jackson is part Drau, which I'm still confused about, and Jackson is the reason that Miki is in the game. I had hunches about the two of thouse, the first one was actually pretty obvious. The last plot twist is that Jackson. Is. Killed. On. The. Last. Page. Or it makes it seem that he is dead. I don't really think that he is. But you just don't do that to a person. You don't kill someone on THE LAST PAGE. I mean what is wrong with you Eve Silver other than your awesomely awesome writing skills! I bow to you! 

In the end, I really enjoyed reading this book! It was both exciting and mysterious. I can't wait until I can dive into the sequel, Push. I have it in my possession I just have to finish up another book first. It is definitely in your best interest to pick up and read Rush by Eve Silver. 

-Shawnee Smith

What I'm Reading Right Now

I am being a perfectionist right now with the reviews coming out in a few days, I want to make sure I get them right so give me a few more days on them. The two reviews I'm working on for City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare and Rush by Eve Silver are particularly hard because SO MUCH HAPPENS. I just want to make sure I get everything down that I want to get down and that it makes sense. Got it? Good.

In the mean time I have just started reading...

Push by Eve Silver

I can't wait to get into this novel since Rush, the first book in the series, was SO GOOD. Review of that to come.

-Shawnee Smith

Best Way To Organize A Bookshelf

I have been seeing quite a few pictures of AMAZING looking bookshelves. But here's the catch, they are always organized differently.

Some, like me, organize by author

Some by title

others by color (so pretty!)

and some, by size.

What do you think is the best way to organize your bookshelf? Or maybe yours are just stacks on the floor like how Alaska Young keeps hers. 

Personally, I've always wanted a bookshelf that was the entire wall. Or maybe in a funky pattern...

 

-Shawnee Smith

'Nerve' As A Movie?

I constantly talk about a little book called 

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

 

because well I love it. I think it's a great novel and had some plot twists that I didn't see coming.

As I was going on a following spree for my new twitter @YAFictionReview I found Jeanne Ryans twitter @Jeanne_Ryan

As I was about to hit the little follow button, I noticed that in her bio these words appear 

"NERVE (Penguin) is out in 7 languages and optioned by Lionsgate." 

Optioned. By. Lionsgate. 

OPTIONED BY LIONSGATE! 

For those of you who don't speak fluent movie like I do, that means that Lionsgate (the same company that brought you 'The Hunger Games') likes 'Nerve' and has bought the rights to transform it into a movie. 

Whether this will actually happen is still in question, though there is already directors on board, but I'm just happy that someone sees 'Nerve' as I do, an awesome book that will make an incredible movie. 

I will continue to look for more news on this subject and update when I know more. 

-Shawnee Smith

What I'm Reading Right Now

I am proud to announce that I just received

Wings by Elizabeth Richards

from the library. I will shortly stick my nose into the book and only come out for bathroom breaks, if I get hungry, and to watch Teen Wolf at 10. Cause lets face it, I'm not gonna give up my Teen Wolf even if I'm on vacation. (Fun Fact, I still watched Teen Wolf when I was in NYC last summer.)

Don't know what 'Wings' is? Check out the Goodreads page linked above or read the synopsis below.

 "Following the cliffhanger ending of Phoenix, Natalie finds herself separated from Ash and unexpectedly reunited with her parents, including the father she thought was dead. But she can only think of Ash. She hasn't heard a word of him since she and Elijah were brought to the underground headquarters of the Sentry Rebellion. But she vows to find him.

Ash, meanwhile is back in Black City; it's the perfect place to hide from the Sentry government. But not for long. He won't give up on Natalie or bringing an end to the terrible reign of Purian Rose.

A pulse-racing end to an exciting series."

If this book sounds good to you, make sure you read the first two installments 'Black City' and 'Phoenix' before you dive into this one! 

-Shawnee Smith

MCM: 5 Reasons To Love Jace Herondale/Lightwood/Morgenstern/Wayland

Jace is everyone's favorite Shadowhunter. If you have not read The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare, you may be slightly confused by all the last names. Well we are too, but it makes slightly more sense if you are familiar with the Shadowhunter World. Since I have just finished reading 

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

I thought I would list 5 reasons to love Jace, and honor him as this week Man Crush Monday.

1. His love for Clary

Jace has a fierce love for anyone that he allows inside the walls he has put up to protect himself. For that past several years the only people Jace could say that he loved was his new family, mainly his adoptive siblings Alec, Isabelle, and Max. Until Clary shows up in his life. Since he admitted to himself that he loves her, his love never wavered. He would do anything to keep her out of harms way. He is protective of his true love.

2. He will do anything for his Parabatai

Parabatai in the Shadowhunter world are fighting partners, someone you can trust with your life, someone you have a special bond with. Jace loves his parabatai, Alec, fiercely and he will do anything to protect him. Even if that means going to talk to his parabatai's ex-boyfriend to see if there is any chance they will get back together. 

3. His sarcasm

Sarcastic boys are the best, and Jace is no exception. He has a clever wit about him that allows him to ease the tension in almost any situation. Looking for a someone to make you smile by making a joke after almost getting killed? Jace is your guy. 

4. His fighting abilities

Jace was brought up in a way that it was expected of him to be the best, and in the Shadowhunter world, he is. Everyone knows who he is, partially because of his family and partially because of how skilled a fighter he is. Reading the books, you get dozens chances to see him in action.

5. He's a bad boy

Every girl falls for at least one bad boy, am I right? At the beginning of the series, Jace is nothing but a bad boy. While his actions do seem to clean up though the length of the series, you still see a trace of that wickedness every now and then.

Is Jace Herondale/Lightwood/Morgenstern/Wayland your MCM this week? He should be one of these Mondays ;)

-Shawnee Smith

Book Haul

Lisa and I went on a book store shopping spree the other day. And while we were out we went to possibly THE BEST book store I have ever seen in my entire life. 

It was floor to ceiling books. I was in heaven. Check out these pictures. 

 

BEST BOOK STORE EVER! Not only was the layout cool, a maze of books everywhere, but I was also able to buy some books there and at other locations. My book haul consisted of...

I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

And

0.4 by Mike Lancaster

(Also known as Human .4)

 

-Shawnee Smith