Sunday, April 24, 2016

Prophecy Girl and Conspiracy Boy by Cecily White - Review

 I was born to slay Crossworld demons.

Big black flappy ones, little green squirmy ones. Unfortunately, the only thing getting slain these days is my social life. With my high school under attack, combat classes intensifying, and Academy instructors dropping right and left, I can barely get my homework done, let alone score a bondmate before prom.

Then he shows up.

Jackson Smith-Hailey. Unspeakably hot, hopelessly unattainable, and dangerous in all the right ways. Sure, he’s my trainer. And okay, maybe he hates me. Doesn’t mean I’ll ignore the wicked Guardian chemistry between us. It’s crazy! Every time I’m with him, my powers explode. Awesome, right?

Wrong.

Now my teachers think I’m the murderous Graymason destined to bring down our whole race of angelbloods. Everyone in New Orleans is hunting me. The people I trusted want me dead. Jack and I have five days to solve the murders, prevent a vampire uprising, and thwart the pesky prophecy foretelling his death by my hand. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

Getting it done without falling in love? That might take a miracle.

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I am fortunate enough to be a Marketing and Publicity Intern at Entangled for this season, where I was assigned to read Conspiracy Boy, the sequel to Prophecy Girl. While I was reading, I fell headfirst into this world and this character, and quickly bought Prophecy Girl. 

Excellent world building, developed and complex characters, and plenty of action, sass, and romance make for a fantastic story. Much like Vampire Academy but with it's own unique lore and world, the Angel Academy series immerses the reader into a fantastic story and has them rooting for our heroine from day one. 

While some say that this story resembles books like Vampire Academy too much, I say give this series a try. While the voice of the main character is similarly sarcastic and hilarious, the relationship she has with Jackson and other secondary characters, and the reactions she has to her environment and the conflicts around her, make this story original and interesting and entertaining. The pace is quick without feeling rushed and the mystery is looming without being overpowering or intrusive. 

I have to say I was surprised with how quickly the Angel Academy series drew me in, and even though I read Book 1 after Book 2, I still have a wonderful time reading it. It's not the most emotionally stirring or morally complex book, but it is well written and very entertaining. I highly suggest the series for fans of Richelle Mead, Jennifer L. Amrentrout, and Cassandra Clare. 
*I bought this book with my own money and all opinion in this review are my own. 


Nobody said senior year was going to be easy, but I wasn't expecting pure hell, either. That's right. HELL.

Demons attacking. Cheerleaders screaming. Vampires and werewolves asking where the bathroom is. Just another day here at St. Michael’s Guardian Training Academy. It wouldn’t be so bad if the administration would let me get back to my demon-slaying duties like every other angelblood on campus. But with my bondmate Jack promoted to head trainer, my annoying fiancé Luc trying to start a political uprising, and that pesky prophecy still floating around predicting I’m going to kill everyone I love...well, let’s just say “complicated” took on a whole new meaning.

But things are looking up.

If I can survive Luc’s deadly Sovereign Trials and keep my evil twin sister from starting a war, Jack and I might actually have a chance of saving the world. If not, at least I won't have to worry about what to wear to prom.

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Again, I got to read this book as part of an assignment for my internship, before I had read Prophecy Girl or knew much about the series. Basically, I was flying in blind. However, the book and this series, as I stated before, immediately drew me in and I fell in love with the characters and world. 

Conspiracy Boy is a wonderful sequel to Prophecy Girl. The pace is great, revealing clues and answers to questions posed in book 1 without revealing too much or ending with a cliffhanger. The romance between Amelie and Jackson is swoon-worthy (and not weird at all, a problem I have sometimes with "teacher" or trainer relationships) and continues nicely from the relationship - friendly or otherwise - introduced in the first book. Old friends (and enemies) make appearances and the threats, both internal and external, are more apparent than ever and the possible fallout heightened. 

Story lines and mysteries are tied up quickly in this series, though it doesn't feel rushed. Rather, the story and characters have enough depth that you feel satisfied without going through 5-6 books. Highly recommended if you enjoyed Prophecy Girl, Vampire Academy, or the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Or even if you haven't read any of those. Like me, when I first read it. :)
*I received a copy of this book for free as part of an assignment as an intern for Entangled Publishing Teen. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to write a review. All thoughts are my own.
Find out more about Cecily and her work here: http://cecilywhite.com/

Cecily White, Psy.D. makes a habit of avoiding boredom whenever possible. She has enjoyed careers as a hand model, GAP salesgirl, movie projectionist, psychotherapist, yoga instructor, university professor, artist, dance choreographer, eating disorders specialist, psych diagnostician, book reviewer and copy editor. None of which are as much fun as writing novels.

She currently lives in Springfield, MO with two FABULOUS kids, two hamsters, and a pair of diabolical cats. She can swear in Klingon, take down an alien aggressor using only her mind (or a pair of chopsticks), and kill giant spiders without getting schmutz on her shirt.

When not singing to herself, she spends time creating new worlds and thinking up ways to make this one better…

Happy Reading!

Jasmine

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Undecided by Julianna Keyes - Review

Nora Kincaid has one goal for her second year of college: be invisible. Last year’s all-party-no-study strategy resulted in three failed classes and two criminal charges, and if she messes up again she’ll lose her scholarship. But there’s one problem with her plan for invisibility, and his name is Crosbie Lucas: infamous party king, general hellraiser…and her new roommate’s best friend.

Crosbie’s reckless reputation and well-known sexcapades aren’t part of Nora’s studious new strategy, but as she’s quickly learning, her new plan is also really boring. When Crosbie’s unexpected gestures of friendship pull her head out of her books long enough to see past his cocky veneer, she’s surprised to find a flawed and funny guy beneath it all. The muscles don’t hurt, either.

But as Nora starts to fall for Crosbie, the weight of one of last year’s bad decisions grows even heavier. Because three failing grades and two misdemeanors are nothing compared to the one big secret she’s hiding…

Publisher's note: This is not a sweet romance. There is plenty of sex and swearing. Enjoy!

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Wow, was I surprised with how much I enjoyed this book! While I usually have a great time reading New Adult contemporaries, I fell in love with banter, chemistry, and overall freshness in Undecided

Undecided is wonderful New Adult romp with a sassy main character, two sexy players, and whole bunch of humor and sexual tension. This book could have easily been a heroine meets sexy roommate story but it was so much more. The characters are well developed and the relationships - friendship and bromance and romance - build nicely and seem organic and authentic. Nora's voice is entertaining and believable and wonderful guide through the story and Kellan and Crosbie are wonderful secondary characters. While the two new boys in her life are a big concern, she still guides us through her own journey with wit and humor. The pace is great and the plot is the perfect amount of college drama without being unbelievable or annoyingly over the top. 

The thing I loved most about the book, though, was how I thought it was going to be a little insta-love/insta-lust, love triangle drama before the plot turned a direction that felt both completely natural and also unexpected. The relationships between Nora, Crosbie, and Kellan didn't develop exactly as I thought it would, which is why I think I enjoyed this book as much as I did. 

If a sexy New Adult book filled with humor, romance, and a little bit of drama is your cup of tea, definitely check Undecided out! And if you haven't read much New Adult contemporary before, I highly suggest you try Undecided!

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 
Check out more about Julianna Keyes and her work here: http://www.juliannakeyes.com/about-us.html

Julianna Keyes is a Canadian writer who has lived on both coasts and several places in between. She's been skydiving, bungee jumping and white water rafting, but nothing thrills - or terrifies - her as much as the blank page. She loves Chinese food, foreign languages, baseball and television, not necessarily in that order, and will go to her grave swearing that "ain't" is not a word. She has volunteered in Zambia, taught English in China, and dreams of seeing pink dolphins in the Amazon. It'll happen.

Happy Reading!

Jasmine