Renegade (Review)

Renegade

 (The Elysium Chronicles, #1) 

By: J.A. Souders

Release Date: November 13th, 2012

Genre(s): YA Dystopia/Romance 

My Review: (4.5/5 stars*)

I received an ARC of Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles) through Goodreads and I'm so happy I did. This book was SO incredibly entertaining and enjoyable! The cover is absolutely stunning, the colors are extremely gorgeous and vibrant. It fits the imaginings of Elysium and Evelyn perfectly.

Renegade will hook you from the first two chapters and from there you won't want to stop reading! The dystopian world of Elysium is really fascinating with a cruel and strict hierarchy structure that's full of secrets and betrayal. Some elements of this book reminds me of Stephenie Meyers' The Host, and Scott Westerfield's The Pretties. It's such a unique story and a fun, easy read. The main characters are very likeable and interesting you find yourself compelled to find out more about their backgrounds. I really enjoyed the romantic aspect of the story; the two characters have to build up to their relationship and don't always see eye to eye. That's refreshing to see in an YA novel because typically so often its a big cliché with love at first sight which gets redundant and irritating but not this book; it's a nice change of pace.

It definitely earns a 4.5* rating. 

Renegade is gripping, highly intriguing, dark, and deliciously mysterious.

SYNOPSIS:

Evelyn Winters life is just about perfect; at only sixteen she has enviable genetics, intellect, and the perfect life -or so she thinks. Taught since age 3 to be Daughter of the People which is the equivalent of a princess soon-to-be queen of an underwater utopia establishment known as Elysium she knows of nothing better. That is until a surface dweller named Gavin Hunter stumbles into her life and upsets the balance of all she thought she knew. Elysium's ruled by "Mother" and her law is all surface dwellers be executed on site but Evelyn can't help to be drawn to him which makes being Daughter of the People that much harder. It also doesn't help that Evelyn keeps remembering things from her past that she seemingly has forgotten. As Evelyn delves into understanding what's happening to her she begins to unravel the dark secrets and mysteries surrounding the Utopian society she lives in - because she starts realizing nothings perfect; not even close.

LINKS: GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR | B&N | SHELFARI !

Reign of Blood (Mini-Review)

Reign of Blood

(Reign of Blood, #1)

 

By: Alexia Purdy

Release Date: April 27th, 2012

Genre(s):  YA Paranormal/Horror

My Review: (4/5 stars*)

Reign of Blood is an easy and entertaining read. I really enjoyed reading this book. The heroine April is fearless and tough and a far cry from the damsel in distress. It has a diverse world of different types of mutated vampire hybrids making the story original from your typical blood-suckers. There are plenty of gory action sequences to fill up your horror quota. The developing story was fun and darkly compelling and my only problem is that it was fairly predictable. Overall Reign of Blood was a thrilling ride of entertainment.

SYNOPSIS:

Seventeen-year-old April Tate and her family are the last of the humans left in Las Vegas, Nevada. The world's been overrun by a deadly virus. This virus turns you into the dead; feral mindless beings known as vampires - and not the sexy kind. April's only lasted this long with her mother, and younger brother because they seem to be immune to the vampiric effects of this epidemic. The world is a dark and scary place to navigate when you're what's left of humanity in an apocalyptic society. Every day is the same - survive to see another until one day everything changes and April's family is abducted by a group of higher functioning vampires leaving her utterly alone - with nothing to lose she will do anything to get her family back even if that means collaborating with the very things she hates the most. Vampires.

Ember (Mini-Review)

Ember

 (Death Collectors, #1)

By: Jessica Sorensen

Release Date: August 28th, 2012

Genre(s): YA Paranormal/Fantasy/Romance

My Review: (4.5/5 stars*)

Ember is dark, amusing, and mysteriously entertaining. Jessica Sorensen manages to deliver a compelling start to a promising new series. The story begins simple but builds into something deliciously complex that will intrigue you. Although sometimes predictable there are some twists you won't see coming and that makes this book worth reading. Upon reading the synopsis the story turns out to be completely unique and branches out into something wildly diverse from what it started as and that's extremely refreshing. The characters are just as fascinating each has great depth. Easily a 4.5 star rating, Ember is a fantastically fun read that will be devoured quickly. 

SYNOPSIS: 

Ember is a seventeen-year-old who can see how a person will die just by a single touch. Her best and only friend Raven is the only one who knows the truth but that doesn't make it any easier because she also knows how Raven will die and it's not painless. She carries the burden of death with her everyday which is why she shuts herself off from society until she meets the mysterious and alluring Asher Morgan. When she touches him she doesn't see his death like everyone else. But he's not the only one whose recently just moved to town, another boy named Cameron moves into her neighborhood and has taken an interest in Ember. Terrible things start to happen upon both their arrivals and now she doesn't know who she can trust.