Darkness Becomes Her - Kelly Keaton

Darkness Becomes Her - Kelly Keaton

5 Hearts

♥♥♥♥♥

Darkness Becomes her is Kelly Keaton's debut YA novel. I must say, Bravo. I truly appreciate the fact that Kelly isn't afraid to write like a normal person, swears and all. I love that about her! She has definitely become one of my top 10 authors of all time. I can't wait to read more from her, and her alter ego Kelly Gay!

     Darkness becomes her starts out by meeting Ari. Ari thinks she's a total freak with her odd silver hair and her teal colored eyes. Her whole life she has tried to change her hair, burn it, dye it, cut it and so on.. but it never does any good. Ari's hair always remains the same, making her feel alone in the world.

     Growing up in foster care she's been through a lot. Until she was put into Casey and Bruce's care... she really had a horrible life. Casey and Bruce decide to let her find more information about her mother, and possibly who her father is, by going down to New 2. New 2 is what was once called New Orleans. After the hurricanes devastated the lands, the government gave up on it, calling it a disaster area.

     While looking for answers, Ari is given a box from the Psychiatric hospital that her mother was in. She finds a letter to her, from her mother telling her to Run. After a battle at her hotel, Ari can sense that something is seriously wrong. However it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

     Upon arriving in New 2, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. She meets several people on her journey, one being Sebastian. Ari learns that being a "freak" in New 2 isn't exactly being a freak. Everyone has their secrets. Creatures seem to be afraid of her and Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are just too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

-beth [vixen #2]

Arise - Tara Hudson

Arise - Tara Hudson

5 hearts

♥♥♥♥♥

So I must let out a drastic shoulder slumping sigh. I highly anticipated this book after reading Hereafter, Tara Hudson's debut novel. After scouring about 5 stores, I finally found it and bought it immediately! I came home, started reading.. and fell asleep. Unfortunately that pesky thing called real life had beckoned me to come join it. A few days later I finally got to pick up Arise again, and low and behold.. I couldn't put it down(obviously). I absolutely love this series. Seriously... YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES!!

Amelia and Joshua are still fight for every moment of their relationship. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally vanishing into thin air (dematerializing). Joshua's family decides to take a trip to New Orleans, for Christmas like they do every year. So Amelia decides she's going to tag along with them. When she gets to New Orleans, she realizes that not only is Joshua able to see her... but the rest of the younger generations, are aware of her. Amelia sets out on a journey to rid herself of the demons in her afterlife. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up finding herself with more questions than answers. She becomes increasingly convinced that Joshua and her could never have a future together. Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, the only ones still left in New Orleans. They offer Amelia to join their clan.She begins to seriously consider joining until she meets Gabrielle. Being in New Orleans, Joshua's Seer cousin, tells them to go see a Voodoo goddess. Joshua arranges for Gabrielle to hold a ceremony for Amelia's Christmas present. However... Gaby never fully mentioned that she had an agenda of her own. Convinced that there is nothing Amelia can do about keeping Joshua and his family safe, she adventures on a new journey with Gaby.

This book was an excellent sequel to Hereafter. The stories flowed great from one book to the next. I can't wait to see what all pans out in the third installment of the Hereafter series. 

- beth ( Vixen #2)

Waiting on Wednesday #2

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

This week we're both featuring books that will be released next month. We're so excited we don't have to wait much longer to get these books in our hands!

Beth's Pick:

Rise of Nine - Pittacus Lore

Expected Publication - August 21st, 2012; HarperCollins



"Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.

Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more. Now we're looking for the others--including John.

But so are they."

I am undoubtedly awaiting the conclusion of this series. I Am Number Four was amazing. Power of six, couldn't even deal with how good that was! Rise of Nine?! I need this book NOW!!! I just wish they'll continue with the movies, however I heard they are not. :( -beth



They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


 Kait's Pick -

Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
Expected publication: August 28th, 2012

From Goodreads:

 Varen Nethers is trapped in a perilous dream world -- a treacherous and desolate realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. Isobel Lanley, plagued by strange visions and haunted by the nightmares of Varen's creation, is the only one who can save him.
Isobel knows that her only hope lies within a Baltimore cemetery. There, in the early morning hours of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, a mysterious stranger known as the "Poe Toaster" will make his annual homage at the legendary poet's grave.
Only the Poe Toaster holds the key to the way between worlds. But even greater dangers lie ahead for Isobel. An ancient evil, draped in veils of white, is watching, challenging her for Varen's affections. When Isobel finally finds Varen, he is no longer the quiet and brooding boy who once captivated her, but a dark force, powerful and malevolent.

-------------------------------------------------

This is the follow-up to one of my favorite reads of 2010, Nevermore. I've been waiting for this for so damn long, I can't believe it's almost here! If you haven't read Nevermore, you need to.

-Kait



Share your WoW with us!

Ascend by Amanda Hocking

Ascend[Trylle Trilogy #3] by Amanda Hocking

Title: Ascend
Author: Amanda Hocking
Pages: 326
Rating: 3.5/4

From Goodreads:
The final book in the Trylle Trilogy..

With a war looming on the horizon, Wendy's fate seems sealed.But everything she sacrificed might be in vain if she can't save the ones she loves. Her whole life has been leading up to this, and it's all coming to an end.


----------------------------------------



I won't get too in depth on the storyline for this review, just in case there are some of you who haven't read the first two yet.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series, but this was definitely my least favorite. There were characters that were very present in the first two that pretty much disappeared, and it had me constantly wondering where the heck the were. I missed those characters. The main thing that made it hard for me to completely enjoy this book was the spoiler I read. Someone posted the most important part of the book right at the top of their review with no warning and it really did spoil the book. There were things that happened and I just couldn't get into the scene because I already knew what would happen. So here's a lesson: WARN PEOPLE OF SPOILERS!

Despite that, I loved the ending. Wendy's story ended how I hoped it would. I felt the story was tied up quite nicely, minus the few minor details. If this is a series you haven't read yet I would definitely recommend the series, just don't read any reviews[except this one of course] until you finish.

-Kait

"Waiting On" Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday #1


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

This is the our first time participating in the "Waiting On" Wednesday event and we couldn't be more excited to showcase the books we can't wait to read[unless we actually were reading these books].


Kait's Pick

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman
Expected Publication: August 28th, 2012

From Goodreads:
Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simultaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.

Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.

Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.

----------------------------------------------------------------
I have been waiting for this book for so long I can't believe it's coming out in a little over a month. This is one of those books I will be running out to buy then turning off all forms of communication until I am finished reading it.

Beth's Pick

Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck
Expected Publication: September 4th, 2012

From Goodreads:With three of the goddess Durga's quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger's curse. But the trio's greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. It's a race against time--and the evil sorcerer Lokesh--in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the bestselling "Tiger's Curse" series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tigers' true destinies once and for all.

----------------------------------------------------------
Anyone who's read the Tiger's Curse series knows that these books are addicting. Colleen Houck leaves us breathless time and time again. I'm sure she won't disappoint with the fourth volume in this epic series.





What book are you dying to get your hands on?

Hereafter - Tara Hudson

Hereafter - Tara Hudson 

5 hearts
 ♥♥♥♥♥

Hereafter starts by meeting Amelia. Everyday since she can remember... she wakes up in the dark greenish black waters of the river, under the High Bridge Road bridge. The only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life, or her actual death she's alone reliving a nightmarish existence over and over. All of this changes when she tries to rescue Joshua, who crashed his car on the bridge over her river. As a ghost, she can't do anything but hear his heart beat while he's inevitably drowning. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive... She can feel him.

Amelia and Joshua grow closer after she realizes he can see her. They begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. They struggle to keep their epic romance hidden from the living world, especially Joshua's grandma. In the mix of trying to make Joshua look sane while being with Amelia, a terrifying ghost named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their new found romance and drag Amelia back into his ghost realm to be his . . . forever. Starting to learn more about Amelia's past life, she has so many questions. Joshua has the bright idea of trying to get to know her current self, to try to get her to remember her pre-death self. Joshua and Amelia have so many obstacles to over come, without dealing with Eli. Eli, being the selfish ghost that he is, decides to give Amelia an ultimatum after she  gets creeped out by him appearing out of no where with his cold wind presence. As she keeps trying to figure out her past, Joshua is helping her figure out what to do next. I would love to keep going, but I don't want to give EVERYTHING away! I'm anxiously awaiting Arise. (Which I had to go out and buy right away after finishing Hereafter!) You will be completely intoxicated by Amelia's and Joshua's connection. Romance, Suspense, Ghosts, Undying devotion. Definitely a must read!
- beth (vixen #2)

Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

Dear Colleen Hoover,

I butterflying love you. Have I told you that yet? Yea, I'm pretty sure I have, a few times. It might even be considered Facebook stalking, but I just need you to know.

Forever a fan,

-Kait

And here's my review of Point of Retreat.

Title: Point of Retreat

Author: Colleen Hoover
Pages: 300

Format: ebook

From GoodreadsHardships and heartache brought them together…now it will tear them apart.

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Spoiler Free]

Colleen Hoover is amazing. No, butterflying amazing. She's a rare breed of writer. She's captivating, inspiring, she makes me feel. I read a lot of books where I feel something at that moment, but Colleen's words make me feel for hours, for days, for weeks.

I read Slammed, the first book with Lake and Will, about three weeks ago. As soon as I finished I wanted to buy PoR and read it immediately, but I refrained. I didn't want my time with these characters that I loved to end.

Point of Retreat was told from Will's point of view. I loved being in his head. I spent much of Slammed wondering what the hell he was thinking. I was only on the second chapter when I started crying[there's that feeling thing again]. I spent the rest of the book laughing, crying, and occasionally yelling at my Nook.

Will was as amazing as ever, using his words to lure Lake back into his heart when things got rough. Lake was even stronger than she was before, and quite a bit more stubborn. Kel and Caulder were hilarious as always, but they also grew up quite a bit. And the love between the two families made me all mushy, in a good way. Eddie and Gavin go through their own hiccups, but I  wish there would have been more of them. Then there was Kiersten. She was a perfect addition to the group, and perhaps the smartest eleven year old ever.

A little nugget of wisdom from Kiersten:

"Sometimes things happen in life that you didn't plan for. All you can do now is suck it up and start mapping out a new plan."

I was hoping for more poetry slams, but the ones that I did get were extraordinary. There was a poem 'Write Poorly'  by Edmund Davis-Quinn that I felt particularly inspired by.

I can't say I loved this book as much as I loved Slammed, but I did love it. I would recommend Slammed and Point of Retreat to anyone and everyone, especially those of us who want to feel.

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

                                          Under The Never Sky - Veronica Rossi

 5 hearts
 ♥♥♥♥♥

 First off let me start by saying, I LOVED this book. Veronica's writing transitioned so well from the two main characters of Aria, and Peregrine. As Aria learns how to live life under new circumstances she teams up with the unexpected. Her whole life she was told that the savages were her enemies, and vice versa. Moles and Savages just don't mix. Until now... The trials and tribulations that Aria and Perry find themselves in, and through are astonishing. The fight for survival is at its fullest in this book.I can not wait until the second book of this comes out. I think that this will probably be one of my favorite series. I've been completely captivated, since page 1.

All Aria wanted was to see that her mother was still Okay. All Perry wanted to do was find his nephew. When they came together, I was in complete awe. The love that Perry has had in him the entire time, while everyone said he was cursed... Aria brought out. The survival instincts that Aria had, Perry brought out of her. As long as they stick together, they just might make it through this ordeal. Meeting several people along the way, they face new obstacles every day. Such an amazing story. 
Riveting and compelling throughout. 
Definitely well worth 5 stars.
 
Favorite quotes:
"...She learned that it was the loveliest thing to be kissed for no reason. ... It brightened the woods, and the never sky, and everything." -Aria

"Scenting tempers changed everything... I realized how often people say one thing and mean another. How often they want what they can't have. I saw all these reasons for everything... I couldn't avoid knowing things people hid" -Perry

~beth

Passion by Lauren Kate

Passion - Lauren Kate

3.5 hearts

♥♥♥ ½

Lauren Kate - I love your writing style. 

           Passion was an excellent addition to the Luce/Daniel storyline. I loved that we got to know more about Daniels perspective in this, the 3rd installment of the Fallen series. However, I'm gonna have to give it 3.5 stars, because about 65% through the book, I felt that it started to drag a bit. Don't get me wrong, it was still as action packed and enticing as the beginning of the book, but I feel it left out the umpfh, that the first half did. I can't wait to see how Luce/Daniel end up in the 4th installment, Rapture. Happy Reading!!

~Beth

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

            I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of The Raven Boys from Scholastic last week.

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Expected Publication Date: Sept. 18th, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 408

From Goodreads:
“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I've gotten used to a certain formula in books: girl falls for boy[or boy falls for girl], drama, obstacles, and the ever obvious happy ending. The Raven Boys was surprising. This was not a book that followed the same old formula. This book was about the quest. Don't get me wrong, there is a tension that got my heart in a flutter, but it's not the center of the story. It was very refreshing.

I spent the first part of the book asking "why?" a lot. Then the pieces began to fit together, some in ways that left me shocked. I love a good twist, and I got more than one.

The characters were real, they all had their flaws and weaknesses. Blue is brave, yet sensible and very easy to like. Her odd psychic family is funny and a little bit scary[in a good way]. And I found myself falling in love with all of the raven boys. They were so different from one another, yet made complete sense as a group.

The Raven Boys was magical, mysterious, and suspenseful. It kept me wanting more until the very last page. I can't wait to see where the quest will take Blue and the raven boys next.

As a little bonus teaser Maggie Stiefvater created an awesome animated trailer for The Raven Boys.   I dare you to not fall in love.

-Kait

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to YA Vixens!

This blog will center around YA novels, but may occasionally feature other genres. I'm Kait, one half of YA Vixens. I'm in my mid-twenties[ew, I don't like the sound of that], but I've always been drawn to YA novels. Some may see it as odd that I prefer young adult over "adult" books, but I know that my fellow YA readers understand. I've been a reading addict my entire life. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years with my nose in a book. I was never afraid of being called a nerd, even to this day.

I never had a friend who liked to read until I met my best friend Beth, the other YA Vixen. We're always talking about the books we've read and the books we can't wait to read. That's what this blog is all about. Books we love, books we didn't love as much, and the books we can't wait to get our hands on.


Now, onto some fun. To get an idea of what I like I'm going to create a list of my favorite books I've read, so far, in 2012. [Some of these may have come out in 2011]



Favorite Books of 2012

10. Easy by Tammara Webber

Some people are calling this[and others I've read] a "new adult" book. It's takes place in college, during the transitional age between teen and true adult, but I'm just going to call it YA because I want to.

I love this book. The characters are awesome and the storyline is great. There was just enough steamy tension, but seeing as this is a mature YA book there was also some... uh, sexual release. I would recommend this to everyone.

9. The Providence Series by Jamie McGuire
 
Jamie McGuire is one of my favorite authors. She has a way of bringing you into a story and holding you there until the very last page. I was lucky enough to come across Providence and Requiem[the first and second in the series] just days before the release of Eden, so I didn't have to wait to finish the series.

The Providence Series has the perfect amount of paranormal and romance. Jared will forever be in my top ten swoon-worthy book boyfriends.

8. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra ClareThe Immortal Instruments has been one of my favorites for years, ever since I first read City of Bones. I've grown to love all the characters in different ways. I'll be the first to admit I was disappointed when I saw there was going to be six books, I felt that the third book, City of Glass, tied the series up quite nicely. I wasn't very impressed with City of Fallen Angels, the fourth book, so I went into this one a little apprehensive. I was definitely proven wrong. The fifth installment made up for the fourth book, plus some. My favorite characters were back and better than ever. There were even some shocking parts, which I love. It is definitely a must read[as is the whole series, just deal with the fourth book].












7. Reason To Breathe & Barely Breathing by Rebecca DonovanThese books should come with a warning, they will make you cry. If they don't then you are emotionally dead. Not really, but you get the point. I stayed up until three a.m. reading Reason To Breathe on my Nook and immediately bought Barely Breathing when I finished. I had my heart broken more than once while reading these.

I am, not so patiently, waiting for Out of Breathe to be released.

6. Pandemonium by Lauren OliverThis is the second book in a dystopian trilogy with a very original idea. In the first book, Delirium, you find yourself in a world where love is a disease. I was addicted from the moment I read the synopsis on Delirium. I hoped that the series wouldn't fall victim to the middle book slump, and it definitely did not. I loved the progression of the main character, Lena, from the first to the second book. I just wish that the final book in the trilogy, Requiem, was coming out sooner than 2013.

5. Flat-Out Love by Jessica ParkJessica Park is amazing. Let me just throw that out there. This book did something that most cannot, it made me laugh out loud. I usually just smile to myself or think "Oh, that's funny" , but I found myself laughing out loud so many times during while reading this book. This book has a great story with a serious twist that left me in tears. It also has one of the quirkiest characters ever. Seriously amazing read. I can't wait to see what's next for Jessica Park.











4. Insuregent by Veronica RothThis is another middle book in a dystopian trilogy that did not disappoint. Divergent, the first in the series had me hooked from page one, and I couldn't wait for the second to come out. There were parts of this book that made me want to scream out of frustration, but it all came together nicely. There was one hell of a cliffhanger though. I don't know how I'll be able to wait until 2013 for the third, still untitled book, in the series.

3. Obsidian by Jennifer L. ArmentroutOh, Obsidian...

I read so many good things about this book on Goodreads, so I had to try it out. I am so very glad I did. This book is awesome, amazing, fucking fantastic. I was weary of this book at first because it's about aliens, which I am completely terrified of, but the aliens were so different that it didn't bother me at all. Let me be honest though, I loved this book because of Daemon. He is a character you will love, even when you don't want to. He is definitely on my short list of book boyfriends. I can't wait to see where the story goes in the second book, Onyx, which is out in about a month.

2. Slammed by Colleen HooverI was moved in a way that I haven't been in a very long time when I read this book. Colleen Hoover inspired me. She created a story that was emotional and beautiful. The connections in Slammed were raw and real. Will is quite possibly the best good guy character ever. I was in love instantly.

Some surprising things happened when I read this book: I rediscovered my love for poetry, and found myself falling in love with slam poetry. I also found a new band to love. If you haven't read this, you must. Go buy it now. Seriously. Now.














1. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuireJamie McGuire is a rock star. Case in point: she's on my list twice. Beautiful Disaster is exactly what the title states. It is definitely a mature YA book, it's almost too mature to call young adult and I wouldn't recommend it for the younger YA audience. It was amazing. I sat down to start reading this and didn't move again until I had finished. It's hard not to fall in love with Travis, another one of my forever book boyfriends, from the first description.

This book is like crack. I didn't start another book for two days because I kept rereading certain parts to get my fix. Jamie is currently working on Beautiful Disaster from Tavis' point of view. I can't fucking wait.


So that's my list for today. Check back soon for my review of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater