Review: Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

Synopsis: In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

Publisher: Dutton Adult

Page Count: 464

Edition: Kindle (Galley provided by publisher via NetGalley)

Rating: 3/5 stars

Review:

Mae Koskinen and Justin March live in futuristic North America called RUNA. Neither know each other until the fateful night which they meet-twice-and their lives change. Mae is a praetorian, which is an elite soldier with a chip to improve their abilities. At a friend's funeral, Mae starts a fight with another praetorian, which gets her punished. She gets sent to Panama to pick up a Dr. March. Justin March is living in exile in the province of Panama. He is in exile for unknown reasons until later in the book. Some events occur and the two meet. They have a one night stand thinking they'll never see each other again. They were wrong. (Obviously)

I am so sad I had to give this a three star rating. I love Richelle Mead's VAMPIRE ACADEMY series so much. I went into this thinking it was going to wow me. It did and it kind of didn't. I'll just start off with the good things first.

Richelle Mead always writes a tough, cool, and awesome female leads. Mae was no exception. She was tough, smart, and independent. Mae has really bad family issues and a past love that she can't forget(not for reasons you'd think). I enjoyed reading about her. Justin...let's not get into him now. I mean, I liked how interesting things happened to him. I just didn't like him. Tessa was an okay character. I don't know why we had to read from her POV but it was okay.

The whole concept of GAMEBOARD OF THE GODS was so interesting and awesome. The world building was done in such a subtle way that I barely realized I was getting a RUNA 'history lesson'. The RUNA(or Gemman society as some call it) was so freaking cool. It is almost like I imagine our future going. Well, except for the Cain thing. I liked how Richelle Mead went into more pagan religion other than the typical ones you hear about today. And the ending with this Nordic God(can't say without giving away spoilers) was so well done.

GAMEBOARD OF THE GODS had so much action. Every chapter had drama and action. There was no in between for it. It was just constant action. After reading so many romance-y dystopians, it's nice to read a pure action one. Oh yeah. There isn't a lot of romance in this book. Just a lot of meaningless sex(wasn't a huge fan of that).

Now for the things I didn't like and got this book three stars.

I hated how slow this book was. Yes, I did read it in four or five days. Yes, I read a lot of it every day. But it felt like a chore just to read a few chapters. They were all so long and something about the writing or pacing just made it hard to read. I felt like it took FOREVER just to finish one chapter. Don't get me wrong, it was very interesting. It was just so long.

I didn't like Justin. I know, I know. He was described as being arrogant and acknowledged it. But I thought he would change near the end of the book. Instead he got worse.

The last thing I want to mention was how this book just didn't wow me. I waited and waited for a moment where I could say "Wow, this is so good!" but it never came. It was really just okay. Nothing stood out to me. I could have cared less about what happened the characters. The climax didn't have me at the edge of my seat. The action scenes felt bland. The characters were just okay. I'm hoping this series gets better, but for now, I'm not going to set my expectations high.

Review: School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Page Count: 304

Edition: Kindle (NetGalley)

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Izzy Brannick is devastated over her sister going missing. While on a hunt, she accidentily slips. Her mother decided to go to a new town so Izzy can take on a smaller mission. But this mission may not be as small as everyone thinks...

I love the Hex Hall series. I was so happy when I heard this was going to come out. So when I saw it on NetGalley, I jumped on the offer. I was so surprised! Rachel Hawkins uses her humor but not in a way that makes you think that this is a repeat of Hex Hall. This story was so cute and fluffy. I couldn't put it down. The mystery during the whole book reminded me of that old show Danny Phantom. Izzy and her new friends had their ups and downs, all while Izzy was suffering from her sister going missing. I loved Izzy. She was so tough yet sweet. Dex and Izzy are so cute together!

But, this still fell flat for me. It seemed like a middle grade read. It seemed to be going somewhere and it didn't. I hope that this leads up to a better more substantial series.


Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!(

Review: Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper

Synopsis: Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories.

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her.

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be.

X-MEN meets MY NAME IS MEMORY in Karen Amanda Hooper’s latest young adult release.

Publisher: Starry Sky Publishing

Page Count: 328 pages

Edition: Kindle (copy kindly sent by the publisher via NetGalley)

Rating: 3.5-4 stars

Review: GRASPING AT ETERNITY is about a girl named Maryah Woodsen who endures a tragedy within pages of the story. She is sent of to live with Louise, her godmother, to stay there. There she meets a copious amount of people whom she comes to love or dislike. But something isn't entirely right with the Luna family. Maryah goes on a life changing journey that shakes her world and it comes crumbling down.

THAT is how the synopsis should have gone. It completely ruins the story. Now, with that said, I did find the new concept of reincarnation completely imaginative and unique. I've read the ETERNAL ONES series by Kirsten Miller and that is one of my favorite series ever. So this book had a lot to live up to. GRASPING AT ETERNITY certainly met those expectations, but maybe a little under the bar. The plot was fast paced and I was dying to know what happened to the characters. This wasn't really action packed at all. There was some action at the end, but it quickly disappeared. I like the books I read to leave on an anticipatory note, so I'm dying to read the next book. But this one just ended. It was way to happy and corny for my taste.

The characters in this book were cool. Louise was my favorite by far. I have quotes highlighted by her that were brilliant. She's so smart and wise. Every time she spoke it was like a lesson. The other characters were just bland. I hope to see more of them in the next book. Maryah as a main character fell on the annoying side. At times she was just downright mean, hypocritical, rude and sometimes closed minded. When someone did something she didn't necessarily think was the right way of doing it, she'd say stuff in her head that bugged me. But I hope she develops now that...Oops, almost gave away a spoiler! Nathaniel was so cool. I could really tell that he loved Maryah. It wasn't like with other stories where the love interest just wants her body. No, you could tell Nathaniel loved her for her.

Overall, this book was a good start to a hopefully wonderfull series. I would reccomend this to people who want a dark but light read.