Book Review: Star Wars: Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston!

Star Wars: Ahsoka
Author: E.K. Johnston
Publication Date: October 11,2016
Published: Disney/Lucasfilm Press

My Rating:

Fans have long wondered what happened to Ahsoka after she left the Jedi Order near the end of the Clone Wars and before she reappeared as the mysterious Rebel operative Fulcrum in Rebels. Finally her story will begin to be told.
Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa - and the Rebel Alliance.

Ahsoka is a well written YA novel that gives us some insight into the missing pieces of Ahsoka's life between the end of The Clone Wars series and her appearance on Rebels.

BlogTour: Lucky In Love by Kasie West!

Lucky In Love
Author: Kasie West
Publication Date: July 25th 2017
Published: Scholastic
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

My Rating:

In this new contemporary from YA star Kasie West, a girl who wins the lottery learns thatmoney can cause more problems than it solves, especially when love comes into the picture. Maddie doesn't believe in luck. She's all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment --She wins! In a flash, Maddie's life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she's talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun... until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now, Maddie isn't sure who she can trust. Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn't seem aware of Maddie's big news. And, for some reason, she doesn't want to tell him. But what will happen ifhe learns her secret? With tons of humor and heart, Kasie West delivers a million-dollar tale of winning, losing, and falling in love.

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Money doesn’t buy happiness, but unfortunately it makes the world go around. For Maddie, money isn’t something her family has much of. So, she works at the local zoo, which she loves, and works hard in school, to get scholarships for college. She’s constantly planning, and trying to make sure her life and the life of everyone around her is going in the right direction. On a whim, she buys a lottery ticket on her eighteenth birthday, and she ends up winning. Money isn’t a problem, and college doesn’t have to be defined by scholarships, and her family’s problems will all just go away. Or will it? Money is nice, but it doesn’t fix everything. Maddie, must learn that having it all, doesn’t mean people automatically change. Lucky for Maddie, besides money, she has a great friend and coworker, that is always a text message away to listen to all her problems, but she hasn’t told him about her lottery win. Will her rich status change his view of her?

I liked this story a lot, and I really liked Maddie as a main character. I thought she would become shallow once she won the lotto and everything she was passionate about, would just be past thoughts, but she really surprised me. She kept her job at the zoo, and stayed as humble as she could. I also liked Seth, he’s not the boy next door, but he’s the boy’s next-door brother you wouldn’t give a second glance too, because he’s a nerd. I would date him though, I have a thing for nerds.

There isn’t much I disliked, except Maddie’s friends. I feel as if they weren’t being fair to her and there was no real reason for them to be upset with her. No offense to Kasie West, but I feel as if she just threw in this little friend dispute, just for the sake of it. Also, the ending was predictable, and I dislike when I know the ending, but it’s YA so what more can I expect?

Overall, I love Kasie West, and I will always read her novels. This unfortunately wasn’t one of her best, but I enjoyed reading it. It’s a fun quick summer read, and I’m sure others will enjoy it as well. 3 stars!

I write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. Mynov-els are: PIVOT POINT and its sequel SPLIT SECOND. And my contemporary novels: THE DISTANCE  BETWEEN  US, ON  THE  FENCE,  THE  FILL-IN  BOYFRIEND, PS  I  LIKE YOU, and BYYOURSIDE. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.

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Book Review: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West! (@kasiewest)

P.S. I Like You
Author: Kasie West
Publication Date: July 26, 2016
Published: Point

My Rating: 

Signed, sealed, delivered…
While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!
Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

Who knew true love could be found on a desk in chemistry class? I never took chemistry in high school, but I read this book and it’s really cute.

Book Review: Alight by Scott Sigler! (@scottsigler)

Alight (The Generations Trilogy #2) 
Author: Scott Sigler
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Published: Del Rey

My Rating:

If it’s war they want, they messed with the wrong girl.”
M. Savage—or Em, as she is called—has made a bewildering and ominous discovery. She and the other young people she was chosen to lead awoke in strange coffins with no memory of their names or their pasts. They faced an empty, unknown place of twisting tunnels and human bones. With only one another to depend on, they searched for answers and found the truth about their terrifying fate. Confronted by a monstrous enemy, they vowed never to surrender—and, by any means, to survive.
The planet Omeyocan may be the sanctuary Em and her comrades seek. But the planet for which they were created turns out not to be a pristine, virgin world. Vestiges of a lost civilization testify to a horrifying past that may yet repeat itself. And when a new enemy creeps from the jungle shadows, Em and her young refugees learn there’s nowhere left to run. They face a simple choice: fight or die.
In the midst of this desperate struggle, their unity is compromised from within—and a dangerous zealot devoted to a bloodthirsty god moves to usurp Em’s command, threatening to lead them all down a path to violent doom.

I mention major spoilers in my review.

Usually the second book of a trilogy is so-so, but I enjoyed Alight.

Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard! (@victoriaaveyard)

Red Queen (Red Queen #1)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Published: HarperTeen

My Rating:

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.
That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.
But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

As if living in a world where the color of your skin could get you killed, now there’s a world where the color of your blood, is everything.

Book Review: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern! (@Cecelia_Ahern )

Flawed (Flawed #1)
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Published: Feiwel and Friends

My Rating:

You will be punished…
Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.
But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found flawed.
In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

Being imperfect isn’t a crime, but in Celestine North’s world, one little imperfection can literally brand you for life. Celestine, believes in perfection, and she believes she is perfection, considering she’s a straight A student and is the longtime girlfriend of Art Crevan, son of the famous Judge Crevan. She had it all, until one night...

Blog Tour: Smash & Grab by Amy Christine Parker - Review & Favorite Quotes! (@amychristinepar @The_FFBC)

Smash & Grab
by Amy Christine Parker
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 19th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

My Rating:

Ocean’s Eleven meets the star-crossed lovers of West Side Story.Grab some popcorn and get ready for an adrenaline-filled heist!
LEXI is a rich girl who loves a good rush. Whether it’s motorcycle racing or BASE jumping off a building in downtown Los Angeles, the only times she feels alive are when she and her friends are executing one of their dares. After her father’s arrest, Lexi doesn’t think twice about going undercover at his bank to steal the evidence that might clear his name. She enlists her hacker brother and her daredevil friends to plan a clever heist.
CHRISTIAN is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. The local gang has blackmailed him and his friends into robbing banks, and he is desperate for a way out. When the boss promises that one really big job will be the last he ever has to do, Christian jumps at the chance for freedom. In fact, he’s just met a girl at the bank who might even prove useful. . . .
Two heists. One score. The only thing standing in their way is each other.
Told in alternating points of view, this caper is full of romance and fast-paced fun. Hand to fans of Perfect Chemistry, The Conspiracy of Us, and Heist Society.

This was my first heist book. Where I was promised Ocean’s Eleven meets West Side Story, I ended up with something of a shadow of those two concepts. I didn’t hate what was given to me, but I was just left with wanting more.  

Lexi along with her brother Quinn and group of friends are adrenaline junkies. When Lexi and Quinn’s dad gets locked up for fraud, what’s the best way to relieve that stress? Base jumping off a building of course. That is until Lexi ends up running into Christian. Teenage bank robber going on his last heist before getting out of the business. So what is the logical choice? Team up together and do the ultimate rush, rob a bank.

I will say it now, I didn’t like Lexi. She felt too much to deal with as a character for me. She felt ignorant at times and there was nothing I could grab hold on to even care about her. I felt sympathy for her

I did appreciate Christian. I liked how his character felt a little more developed than Lexi. Maybe that was the influence of the Mexican mafia or his want to get out of the bank robbing business. Something about him felt more genuine. I could see the West Side Story comparisons when it came to him and Lexi.

Where the story lacked in believability, it made up in writing. The writing wasn’t bad at all. I quite liked the pace it all went through. If it wasn’t for Lexi, I would have liked this 10 times more but I didn’t hate it. The dual perspective helped a lot. Maybe I’m being greedy and just wanted more. 

"I did my best to flirt, but truth is, I always feel like a giant tool putting on the charm." - Christian

"You want me to enroll in UCLA so I can apply for this?" I ask. "That seems sort of over complicated, don't you think?" - Lexi

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AMY CHRISTINE PARKER writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and one ridiculously fat cat. Visit her at amychristineparker.com and follow her on Twitter @amychristinepar.

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