A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray

Genre:  YA Sci-Fi Romance

Firebird Series, Book 3

Claudia Gray's website

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Note:  This is the third book in a series.  You have officially been warned.

Description (taken from Claudia Gray's website):

A million universes. A million dangers. One destiny.

The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite Caine’s hands. Marguerite has been at the center of a cross-dimensional feud since she first traveled to another universe using her parents’ invention, the Firebird. Only now has she learned the true plans of the evil Triad Corporation—and that those plans could spell doom for dozens or hundreds of universes, each facing total annihilation.

Paul Markov has always been at Marguerite’s side, but Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man—angry and shadowed by tragedy. He struggles to overcome the damage done to him, but despite Marguerite’s efforts to help, Paul may never be the same again.

So it’s up to Marguerite alone to stop the destruction of the multiverse. Billions of lives are at stake. The risks have never been higher. And Triad has unleashed its ultimate weapon: another dimension’s Marguerite—wicked, psychologically twisted, and always one step ahead.

In the epic conclusion to Claudia Gray’s Firebird trilogy, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed. It’s a battle of the Marguerites . . . and only one can win.

I love the whole concept of having alternate realities with the same people but different circumstances.  And it's how we react to these circumstances that ultimately shape who we are.  Just as the main Marguerite in this book is good, there's also an evil Marguerite that is willing to destroy the multiverse.  It kind of points out that there is good and bad in each of us.

Anyways, Marguerite is ready to stop the Triad's plan of destroying universes in order to save somone dear to their hearts.  But what she doesn't realize is that their biggest weapon also happens to be an alternate copy of herself.  So how does she fight herself or make her see reason?  And manage to keep Paul by her side?  The man that once made her believe in true love and destiny only to watch it all crumple up in her face in one of the different realities.  Can she stop herself and this other world from annihilating all of the other worlds?

The concept is cool.  And the whole premise of trying to determine true love across universes is awesome.  Or well complicated...  But this has turned out to be one of my favorite series.  Seeing all of the different worlds and experiencing old ones.  It's as if you could see your life from a different outcome.  A series well-loved and worth it in my opinion.

If you're into the whole multi-universe thing, give this one a try.  If it peaks your interest, then pick it up...

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Genre:  Adult Fantasy

The Nevernight Chronicles, Book 1

Jay Kristoff's website

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Description (taken from Jay Kristoff's website):

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

I can't do one of my normal reviews for this book.  I've sat on writing this review for a couple of weeks now because I don't know how to start it.  So maybe I start with this book took me quite a while to get into and finish however it was by far, my favorite book I've read this year.

It is set in a fantasy world with its own religion, its own gods, and its own mysticism.  And the narrator will give you fun-filled facts throughout the story whenever he references something in this world.  And Mia?  She's your standard heroine who had a brutal childhood but is seeking revenge.  Everything she does is to better position herself to kill the people who killed her father.  But she has a heart.  And in order to be an assassin, you must deaden the heart.

I loved this fantasy!  And even though the plot was right in front of me, my mind was too busy enjoying the little tidbits and details along the way that I totally missed it.  I need the next book in this series now.  Just now.

Fan of fantasy?  Read this one!

Menagerie by Rachel Vincent

Genre:  Adult Urban Fantasy

Menagerie Series, Book 1

Rachel Vincent's website

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Description (taken from Rachel Vincent's website):

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger's Menagerie, she discovers a fierce creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, she's forced to "perform" in town after town.

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Her handler is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other "attractions” are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she'll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.

Delilah lives in a world with paranormal beings.  And humans are still recovering from a brutal point in history between themselves and the paranormal.  In this world, the paranormal is put on display as creatures in a traveling carnival.  And as much as Delilah disagrees with the circumstances, she is still very captivated by it all.  That is until she finds out she's not human and the menagerie takes her as an exhibit.

When Delilah is forced into the traveling circus, she finds how lowly people think of the paranormal.  And how inhumane they are treated.  But as she and her handler try to determine just what she is, they find it's a race of wits and control to get what they want.  The menagerie is meant to scare the humans with the paranormal.  But what you find behind closed doors makes your heart break.

This book is shrouded in mystery.  The cover doesn't give any hints about the book, and the description is as vague as can be.  I will admit, I picked up this book because of the author and the title, and I was definitely blown away with what I got.  It was so different than what I expected.  The best description I can give is it's as if you told your favorite paranormal author to write The Night Circus.  Even though these two books are completely different and only have a common theme revolving around a traveling circus.  I have no other description for it.  But I loved it.

This is a book that didn't deliver on my expectations because my expectations were so off base.  I feel like paranormal fans just need to dive into this one and read it.  Hopefully, you won't regret it.

The Last Time we Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Genre:  YA Contemporary

Cynthia Hand's website
Expected publication date:  February 10, 2015

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Description (taken from Cynthia Hand's website):

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

Lex is a senior in high school trying to deal with her brother's death.  With Dave the psychiatrist's attempt to help her, he asks her to write about memories of her brother.  And as the story weaves through Lex: her home-life and her school-life, she travels back to her favorite memories of her brother.  But as she tries to cope with her life moving on, can she accept that her brother's is over?  Can she answer the whys and the what ifs?

With the fallout of her brother's suicide, Lex and her mother have distanced themselves.  Coming from an imperfect family and coping with visions of her brother's ghost, Lex just wants to move on without the hurt.  Then one of her childhood friends shows up and offers a way to help her mourn and move on.  But she's still holding onto a secret.  A secret that could have changed the outcome of her brother's death.

This book is a story you can get into easily and really enjoy.  I loved the story-telling in between what was happening in Lex' world.  It was really easy for me to connect with a smart/nerdy girl (because I definitely am one).  But what I absolutely loved was watching Lex try to reconcile her mistakes with her brother's mistakes.  And the fact that some romance creeps up on you in the story without seeming overwhelming.  This book is a story about a girl dealing with death.  And it's good.

Honestly, I loved this one.  And it's coming from someone who isn't a huge fan of contemporaries.  This book would be the reason why I have to pick up a contemporary every now and then.

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Genre:  New Adult Paranormal Romance

Bloodlines Series, Book 5

Richelle Mead's website

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Description (taken from Richelle Mead's website):

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

In regards to how this book turns out, my lips are sealed.  But I would totally unseal them and squeal with you once you've read this one.  I think this is one of my favorites in the series right after the first book.  And Richelle Mead is so good at putting real characters who mess up as well as shine in her books.

Sydney has been captured by her fellow alchemists and sent to re-education.  There, they will try to change her ways and close her mind.  But she has faith in Adrian and that they will find her.  Adrian on the other hand is beginning to lose hope.  And with the depression that Spirit brings, he finds himself digging a hole.  But when reality returns, he's determined to save Sydney even if it means risking himself.

I feel like this book can be divided into two sections. One has a very Program-esque feeling (go check out Suzanne Young's books if you have no idea what I'm talking about).  And then it has a really dreamy happy-gooey romance.  And oh my goodness, I feel like I saw the bad in Adrian and then the sweet.  I think this was the first time I ever felt slightly ashamed for calling him my book boyfriend.  But he redeems himself, and I'm still in love with him.

Oh goodness, if you've never read any of Richelle Mead's books, you are missing out...  Go check out her books, and then you can join the fandom.

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series, Book 2

Laini Taylor's website

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Note:  If you haven't read this series yet, go read it now.  Reading anything below can threaten plotlines from the first book.  And oh, it's worth it to start the series knowing absolutely nothing about it.

Description (taken from Laini Taylor's website):

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is--and what she is. But with this knowledge comes anoher truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope. But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Akiva cannot admit that Karou might be dead.  He barely found her only to have the truth open wide and watch her heart break all over again.  Even though he has done many wrongs, he will not give up Karou until he knows she's gone.  And what he finds in his quest begins with hope: karou.  But not everyone sees the same hope he sees.

Karou, a human girl who only dabbled in the mysteries of another world.  That is until an angel appeared one night and she broke a wishbone.  Suddenly, she's not that human anymore; she's a chimaera.  And the chimaera are losing an endless battle, but the war isn't over.  And with Akiva's betrayal, how far will Karou go to avenge her people?

I feel like I'm bursting at the seams to tell you a secret.  A really good secret that is totally worth it.  But I can't.  All I can do is hand you this book (or the first one) and tell you to read it.  Oh my goodness, I love this series!!  It's so unlike any romantic fantasy I've ever read.  And for once, I don't know who I'm rooting for.  You see people intertwined into varying plot lines until you're so tongue-tied you don't know what to say.  It's that good and beautiful!

You are truly missing out if you have not started this series.  It's a fantasy worth reading.  A romance that doesn't follow the normal trend.  Just go read it!

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L Armentrout

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

The Dark Elements Series, Book 2

Jennifer L Armentrout's website

Expected publication date:  October 28, 2014

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Note:  If you haven't read this series yet, the information below can slightly spoil the first book.  You've been warned.

Description (taken from Jennifer L Armentrout's website)

Every touch has it’s price.

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…

Zayne has been helping Layla get over the loss of Roth by trying to be there for her.  And she feels safe knowing nothing can happen with this relationship for two reasons.  One - she would take his soul if they tried to kiss.  And two - he's never seen her as more than a little sister.  But when Roth returns, suddenly, Zayne's become more than defensive when trying to protect Layla.  And Layla's begun to realize that she's not the only one with romantic feelings.

After putting the romance part aside, the plotline pretty much continues with where the first one left off.  A ritual was performed at the end of the first one which could have resulted in something even more dangerous than Layla.  Something that could take souls and create wraiths to control.  But did the ritual ever come to completion?  Or are Layla's powers just increasing?

I think I'm team Roth all the way.  As fun as it's been to learn about gargoyles, I think they're a lot of macho heads living in a masculine world.  And I really don't go for that.  I'm sure team Zayne people are wondering why I don't think the same thing about Roth.  Well, he's a demon; so he's cooler.  Anyways, I was entertained from the beginning to the end.  And I wasn't sure if this was five star material until I spent the next day thinking about the book and how epic it was.  Yep, I loved it.

I need book three now.  Those who haven't read this series and like paranormal romance are really missing out.  I recommend this series, definitely.

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Genre:  YA Dsytopian/Science Fiction/ummm...  kind of contemporary too

Uninvited Series, Book 1

Sophie Jordan's website

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Description (taken from Sophie Jordan's website):

You can’t change your DNA… even when it says you’re a murderer.

When Davy tests positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, aka “the kill gene,” she loses everything. Once the perfect high school senior, she is uninvited from her prep school and abandoned by her friends and boyfriend. Even her parents are now afraid of her—although she’s never hurt a fly. Davy doesn’t feel any differently, but genes don’t lie. One day she will kill someone.

Without any say in the matter, Davy is thrown into a special class for HTS carriers. She has no doubt the predictions are right about them, especially Sean, who already bears the “H” tattoo as proof of his violence. Yet when the world turns on the carriers, Sean is the only one she can trust. Maybe he’s not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

Davy lives in a world where we know why people do terrible things and this kill gene has been detected.  As people apply for prestigious positions in the world, testing for this gene has become mandatory.  And once people know you have the tendency to harm people, you become a pariah in society.  This world Davy lives in sounds eerily similar to our own (or what we might one day see)...

Davy is a musical prodigy who has the perfect life.  She's almost done with high school, she's been accepted to Julliard, and she's setting up her future with her boyfriend.  But when news of her HTS status surfaces, everyone refuses to see her as the individual she is.  Instead, she's suddenly the person genetics says she'll become.  And Davy's life goes down the toilet.

Oh my goodness, the injustice of this world maddens me.  Can you believe a scene in this book made me cry?  I stayed up late every night trying to finish this one.  Watching Davy struggle with the world's label of herself while trying to be her own person was nerve-wrecking to read about.  If I were in her shoes, there's plenty of people I would have murdered.  I mean if people want to label me as a murderer, why should I have to be the one to prove them wrong?  This book is so unfair.  Gah, that's what I'm left with.  And yet, I loved it.

I believe Sophie Jordan's writing is on the rise for me.  I enjoyed her Firelight series, and I believe this one is even better.  I want to say fans of The Program by Suzanne Young will enjoy this one.