Blog Tour Review: Fractured Light, by Rachel McClellan

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. But she never felt ready to face them---until now. Defying the Auran Council and everything she's been taught, Llona must learn to use her power over light as a weapon if she wants to survive.

For this review, I thought I would switch things up and start with the bad so I can end with the good. The bad: this story works with some cliches that we've seen from several stories in the past like the fact that the main character has a power but spends most of her time trying to hide it. Then of course, there's the boy who falls in love with the girl that's seemingly perfect for the girl.. yet they cannot be together for one reason or another. Really, that's about it for the bad though... and, to be honest, those things aren't such bad things. Especially since McClellan did such an amazing job putting her own spin on these things.

Aside from this, the story was amazing. I started reading it late one afternoon with the intention of only reading the hour before it was time to go to bed. Instead, I stayed up an extra two hours past my bedtime to finish the book because I could not make myself stop reading it. Nothing worked, of course... I was hooked from the very beginning.

If there was one particular reason I had to give someone to read this book, I would not hesitate in saying Llona herself. Here is a character who, in the true sense of the world, is a real heroine. She's not without her faults, but her strengths far exceed any of those. She's brave, strong and doesn't give up. If there's something she doesn't excel at, she works and works on it until she gets it. And she's a fighter. I'm not just talking about she starts out strong but turns all D-i-D (damsel-in-distress) once a boy enters the picture. She fights beginning, middle and end, even with a hunky Guardian in the picture.

And yes, there's the swoon-worthy male lead who is indeed everything a girl wants in a guy and then some. Unfortunately, there are things keeping the two apart. However, it does lead to some very crazy tension in the book that I definitely thought added another layer to the story.

You can't have a good story without a "bad guy," and Fractured Light definitely included one. I have to admit, I thought I knew but ended up second-guessing myself throughout the entire story. I changed my mind entirely too many times, but it led up to a surprise at the end - which is a nice change from knowing from the very beginning who the obvious villain is.

Fractured Light is definitely a story that keeps you turning pages until the very end. There was some events that unfolded at the very end that makes me probably a little too anxious for the next book, which I look forward to reading as soon as it comes out. If you like paranormal books with some great characters and a nice new mythology spun in, I definitely recommend you pick this one up.

Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Teen Book Scene

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Title: Fractured Light
Author: Rachel McClellan
Series: Fractured Light, Book One
Publisher: Sweetwater Books
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Release Date: February 8, 2012

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Falling In Between, by Devon Ashley

Finally! A private conversation. And all I had to do was throw myself off a cliff, drown in a pond in my undies and let him put his hands on my breasts to bring me back to life. Yay me! (yeah, that’s sarcasm)

Yep, that pretty much sums up the most craptastic night of Jenna Baker’s life. She drowns after jumping off a cliff, meets a hotty named Chance in the pearlescent in-between and is brought back to life by her soon-to-be boyfriend Robert.

Just when things start to move forward with Robert, the guy she'd been crushing on for a year now, in walks the man of her dreams – literally. Chance suddenly appears in her dream every time she closes her eyes. So it's Robert by day and Chance by night. One in the real world and one in the dream world. What could possibly go wrong?

Absolutely nothing – until she comes face to face with the guy she met in the in-between, and realizes her romantic rendezvous with Chance may be more than just her imagination.

*Mature YA. Recommended for older teenagers.

This was a surprisingly great read. Not surprising in that I was surprised the author wrote such a great book (I know better from experience), but surprising in how original and completely captivating the story was.

Jenna is a character that feels very real and one that you can connect to almost instantly. She's not some cookie-cutter damsel-in-distress YA female lead that makes you like a book a little less.. she's actually genuine and acts like a typical teenager - a real teenager. Her relationship with her roommate Sophie was beautiful and it's nice to see a friendship that doesn't sour almost instantly for any reason during a story. I also liked the relationships that Jenna had with Chance and Robert. Although similar in that they both seem to develop a little too quickly, they are almost polar opposites in their pace, though that doesn't seem to make Jenna like one more than the other.

I think the part of this story that had me on the edge through most of the book (besides Jenna's relationships) was the fact that I had no idea if Chance was real or just a dream. I kept thinking if I read faster, I'd know even quicker. It had me biting at my nails because of the suspense!

Falling in Between is an easy to read book that has all the aspects of a heart-warming romance that will make you want to devour it in one reading - including a paranormal aspect that added an unexpected layer of wonder to the story. I enjoy this story immensely and cannot wait for its sequel.

Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Author

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Title: Falling In Between
Author: Devon Ashley
Series: Falling, Book 1
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Kindle Edition
Release Date: February 14, 2012

If We Kiss, by Rachel Vail

Charlie Collins has never been kissed.

She's never been in love, either. Charlie's beautiful best friend, Tess, has kissed three boys and has loved each one of them. Then Charlie unexpectedly finds herself falling for Kevin, and she's in a mess of trouble right away. For one thing, Tess is in love with Kevin. Even worse, his father seems to be dating Charlie's mom, who suddenly can't stop smiling. With no one to confide in, Charlie has to figure this one out for herself. But even as she tries to pull away from Kevin, she can't stop wondering, What would happen if we kiss?

When I first started reading If We Kiss, I was a little caught off guard by the tone from the main character. She seemed a little... immature. Needless to say, the first couple of chapters were a little rough to get through. Then, miraculously, it's told in the story that Charlie is just fourteen years old - and I had a very big Aha! moment. Suddenly, the voice made a whole lot of sense. Then, I felt bad.. and had to go and start all over. I'm telling this so people can go in with the knowledge that yes, the tone is a little on the young and immature side - but, that's because she is young and immature. And I am not saying she is immature in a negative way - just immature in a way that goes away with age and life experience.

Now, with that out of the way...

Despite her age and the things mentioned above, I really warmed up to Charlie through the story. She's a spunky character with a lot of humor and wit. She also had a lot of conflicting feelings and moments of doubt, all things that come with being a teenage girl. She was a genuine character that was easy to read and empathize with. Her best friend, Tess, was a solid character as well.. and reminded me so much of some of my female friends in school that fell in love with every guy that they kissed, it was a bit nostalgic. Reading now, of course it made me want to roll my eyes about a thousand times.. but, that is definitely a very real portrayal of how insanely intense your feelings are for everyone when you're a teen. I have to admit that I had a big problem with Kevin. I mean, his portrayal through the eyes of Charlie and Tess was that he was a nice character - oh, and a bit of a kissing slut. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I didn't see this "nice" character that they both fell for. He was really playing both girls, which is a big turn-off in my eyes. I did like how he called Charlie Chuck. It was cute. And I wish, wish, wish that George would have had a bigger role because he seemed like a decent character.. but I can't say for sure with the little time I got to read about him. Maybe next book?

There was an equal amount of drama and humor in this book that worked well for the story. Once I was over my little hiccup in the beginning, I really enjoyed If We Kiss. I was actually surprised at how fast of a read it was, but it made it no less enjoyable. The story flowed smoothly and keeps you turning page after page until the end. If you enjoy sweet little romances, I definitely think you'll enjoy this book.

My copy also had fun extras in the back that included an interview with author Rachel Vail, a kissing quiz and, my favorite, a sneak peek at the sequel, Kiss Me Again - a book that I WILL be nabbing as soon as it's available!

Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Young Adult Books Central

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Title: If We Kiss
Author: Rachel Vail
Series: If We Kiss, Book 1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Paperback, 288 pages
Release Date: January 1, 2012

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Lie, by Caroline Bock

Everybody knows, nobody’s talking. . . .
Seventeen-year-old Skylar Thompson is being questioned by the police. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, stands accused of brutally assaulting two young El Salvadoran immigrants from a neighboring town, and she’s the prime witness. Skylar is keeping quiet about what she’s seen, but how long can she keep it up?

But Jimmy was her savior. . . .
When her mother died, he was the only person who made her feel safe, protected from the world. But when she begins to appreciate the enormity of what has happened, especially when Carlos Cortez, one of the victims, steps up to demand justice, she starts to have second thoughts about protecting Jimmy. Jimmy’s accomplice, Sean, is facing his own moral quandary. He’s out on bail and has been offered a plea in exchange for testifying against Jimmy.

The truth must be told. . . .
Sean must decide whether or not to turn on his friend in order to save himself. But most important, both he and Skylar need to figure out why they would follow someone like Jimmy in the first place.

I don't know what I was expecting when I first started reading LIE. Obviously, not stories of fluffy kitties and puppies frolicking together in flower-covered meadows... but, I don't think that I was expecting such an intense story, either. It was a shock to the system, to say the very least.

I think the most unique part of the story for me was the fact that it was told in so many different POV's, yet it didn't get confusing in the least. To be honest, I think because the story was about such a sensitive subject, we actually NEED a lot of these POV's to understand just how everyone reacted to this. And the most eye-opening part about this was, besides the family of the victim, a lot of people seemed to literally worship Jimmy and was able to turn a blind eye to the horrific crime that he had committed. I expected it from Skylar and Sean, but all of the grown-ups, too? I applaud the fact that the author decided to write so many POV's and she did an INCREDIBLE job at fleshing all of the characters out so well in so little time. However, to have all of the characters (especially the grown-ups) make up excuses for Jimmy is a little unbelievable.

Speaking of Skylar and Sean: Ehh. Alright, I get it... Skylar's mother died and Jimmy was all she had, blah blah blah. But the way she worshiped the ground that boy walked on and seemed to not be able to even manage to exist without him really made my nerves stand on edge. I honestly do not get the dependency on one boyfriend - especially when she clearly had a father at home that was competent and there for her. My emotions for her fell flat from the very beginning. I started to have a little respect for her closer to the end but her actions throughout the entire book seemed to trump the little bit of redemption at the end. And Sean.. well, I can't say much about him for fear of spoilers. My feelings toward him were very roller-coaster, up and down throughout the story.

One character that did not have his POV written into the book was Jimmy himself. Honestly, there was so much told about him through the other characters that his POV was not needed.. but it didn't mean that I didn't want to know exactly what was going through his mind to make him do what he did. We get enough of an idea, but it doesn't make me any less curious. Though, it might be best that he didn't have a say in this story because I don't know if I could have handled it. Lisa Marie made my skin crawl enough with her behavior, so I could only imagine how dirty I would feel after reading any thoughts from Jimmy's mind.

Even though my emotions were all over the place throughout reading the novel, it was a very good read with a powerful message. If there was one thing I would have liked to change would be the ending. It was very abrupt and left a lot to the imagination as to what could have happened. This could have been left open like this on purpose and I could understand why. After being so emotionally invested throughout the story, I would have liked to see some concrete conclusion to the story. Besides that, it was a read worthy of the time.

Overall, with the subject matter at hand, I think this will be one of those books that people either love or not like because this isn't some contemporary romance with rainbows and sunshine throughout. This is raw and very real, dealing with a sensitive subject that may be a little too much for those with a weak stomach when it comes to hate crimes. However, if you can digest it.. it's worth the read.

Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Young Adult Books Central

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Title: Lie
Author: Caroline Bock
Series: N/A
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: Paperback, 224 pages
Release Date: August 30, 2011

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