Book Review: The Devil's Prayer by Luke Gracias

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: February 18, 2016
Publisher: Australian eBook Publisher
294 Pages

A nun commits suicide in front of thousands in Spain. In Australia, Siobhan Russo recognises that nun as her mother, Denise Russo, who disappeared six years ago.

In search of answers, Siobhan travels to the isolated convent where her mother once lived. Here she discovers Denise’s final confession, a book that details a heinous betrayal that left her crippled and mute, and Denise’s subsequent deal with the Devil to take revenge. In the desperate bargain Denise made with the Prince of Darkness, she wagered Siobhan’s soul.

As Siobhan discovers the fate of her soul, she learns that hidden within the pages of her mother’s confession is part of The Devil’s Prayer, an ancient text with the power to unleash apocalyptic horrors.

And now her mother’s enemies know Siobhan has it.

Can Siobhan escape an order of extremist monks determined to get the Prayer back? Can she save the world from its own destruction?

Explicit Content Warning: "The Devil’s Prayer" is a historical horror thriller that contains brutality, rape, sex, drug abuse and murder. Readers may find its content offensive and confronting

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Ummm...this one was kind of a mess all over.

When Siobhan learns that her missing mother has committed suicide, she begins this journey to find out why her mother disappeared many years ago. And how did she end up a nun in Spain under a different name? What or who was she running from?

When Netgalley sent me an e-mail about this book, I was intrigued. When other reviewers likened it to The Da Vinci Code, I was sold. The fact that it dealt with the devil was just a bonus. What I found was a book full of meaningless violence and revenge weighted down with historical facts.

And when I say meaningless violence - it just didn't make sense. It felt like it was there for shock value. Almost a 'how gruesome can I make this' crime. And they seemed to come from nowhere. For example, and this is a slight spoiler, girl wins lottery in front of group of friends. Group of friends then decides in a split second that they want to steal said ticket and suddenly have this elaborate plan that involves car crashes and kidnapping and escalates to rape and murder. This all happened in like 10 minutes. No, I just don't buy it.

It was such an interesting plot that just got lost. I didn't care about any of the characters. The only one who seemed likeable was Siobhan but unfortunately the only scenes we got of her were of her just reading her mother's diary. It also didn't help that there was so much historical info dumping that either didn't move the plot forward or we just dropped in such a random place that you ended up forgetting the main plot. The editor should have really helped smooth this over.

This is in no way comparable to The Da Vinci Code. And if you're looking for closure when reading this, you get none. The book doesn't have an ending. I feel that for a standalone there should have been some semblance of an ending. Instead, I was left just staring at the page, confused. Am I a little hard on it? Maybe. But I really wanted to like it and when I read adult horror/thriller, I'm holding it up to guys like Stephen King, Dan Brown, Dean Koontz, and Michael Crichton, and this just didn't hold up for me. 

<i>I received an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

ARC Review: Pushing the Boundaries (Off Limits #1) by Stacey Trombley

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: January 16, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen
185 Pages


Myra goes to Haiti with one goal: take the photograph that will win a scholarship and prove to her uber-traditional family that she has what it takes to be a photographer instead of a doctor. Her camera has always been her shield against getting too close to anyone, but she didn’t expect the hot teen translator who has an ability to see past her walls.

Elias needs his job as a translator to provide for his siblings. He can’t afford to break the rule forbidding him from socializing with a client. Except this girl Myra insists on going outside the city to capture the perfect picture, and he steps in as her guide in order to keep her safe.
The deeper they travel into the country, the harder they fall for each other. Now they’re both taking risks that could cost each other their dreams.

If they get too close—it could ruin both their lives.

Disclaimer: Caution! Reading this book will open your heart and inspire you to take risks. Only those searching for true love should proceed. 

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I really wanted to enjoy this one more but something about it left me, I don't know, just feeling off.

Myra travels to Haiti with her mother as part of a Doctors without Borders type of deal. Her mother is a doctor who does work at a clinic set up in Haiti and Myra, along with other teens, join the doctors as interns. Myra's mother hopes this will set her on the path to becoming a doctor. Problem is, Myra doesn't want to be a doctor, she wants to be a photographer. And she's in Haiti hoping to capture that one picture to win a scholarship to an art school.  When she gets off the plane she immediately meets Elias. Elias has been hired to be a chauffeur/translator to the Americans while in the country. This is a huge opportunity for Elias. With this job he can afford to send his siblings to school and help feed his family. The job just comes with one warning - stay away from the Americans. I'm pretty sure you can all figure out what comes next.

I'm just going to say it, I did not like Myra. At all. I get that she feels trapped by her parents, by her religion, etc., but that doesn't excuse the fact that she ruins other people's lives with the attitude of 'oh it can't be that bad'. I get that she's young but being young and being naive are two different things.

Oh the other side, I did like Elias for the most part. I like what he represented and how the author chose to showcase his struggles with poverty and lack of jobs to grow. He wants to learn. He wants to be successful for his family. It definitely puts things in perspective when you watch how he just wants to feed his family.

I also appreciated the culture and description of Haiti. I read in the authors notes that Trombley has spent time in Haiti in her youth and I think that helped here. Writing another country is hard when you're just going off Google. Having been there and experienced the culture first hand added to the story.

But ultimately, I struggled with this book. The instalove was kind of ridiculous. I mean, you just met this person and you're only in Haiti, what, a week I think it was? It would have worked better if it was crush status more then love. I mean, they didn't really spend that much time together to make it believable. Another thing was the ending. Everything from when Elias receives the package to the end was a little sugary sweet and too perfect. It wasn't believable and took away from  what could have been a bittersweet growing experience.

I do think this book will relate with young adults. Maybe I was just a little too old for the story and writing, that it just didn't work for me.  

 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: November 22, 2016
Publisher: Blazer + Bray
400 Pages

Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.

Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), sister of her betrothed.

When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two work together, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. Soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.

But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.

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Ugh...this was just...

Boring.

And I really wanted to love it because that cover is beautiful and I love that same sex relationships are starting to break into young adult, but I just couldn't.

Dennaleia (Denna) travels to the country of Mynaria to wed the Prince with whom she's been promised to since pretty much birth. Their wedding will solidify an alliance between their countries. But Denna's hiding something. She has an affinity for fire - a kind of magic that's not tolerated in her new land. When people start dying from magical means, Denna starts to wonder when they will point the finger at her. And on top of all of her troubles, she seems to have fallen in love with the Prince's sister, Mare. 

Gah! It could have been so good!

But alas, it was mostly people just sitting around talking about what they should do. How has this country survived so long by just placing blame wherever they felt like it. It was pretty much, 'This county over here hates us. It's them. Let's plan an attack.' Great deduction skills there. Never mind all of this evidence to the contrary.

Then there was the love story - or rather, lack of. Mare despises Denna instantly. Then is forced to teach her how to ride a horse (yup, the caretaker of the horses is named Mare...okaayyy...). And somewhere they fall in love. If anyone can find out where this happened in the book, please let me know. I seemed to have missed it and just jumped from hate to love.

And there was no real character development. It's like the author wrote her character descriptions down as:
Mare - hates anything feminine, rebellious, bad
Denna - proper, perfect, good
And that's all. Such a small little box for the two main characters. The side characters weren;t much better. Whatever first line the author used to describe them was basically how they were for the rest of the book - which was mostly things like Prince, King, Lord... no one was interesting. Character growth is so important in books.

The world building was lacking. Important history glossed over to further the plot faster. Also, is this a series? Because it kind of ended like one.

Sigh...pretty cover, I need to stop falling to your whims!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Pieces of You (Shattered Hearts #3) by Cassia Leo

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: May 3, 2013
Publisher: Gloss Publishing
323 Pages

"Sometimes letting someone go is the ultimate act of love."

In Relentless, college student Claire Nixon and surfer Adam Parker each had a painful past too heavy to carry alone. Claire tried to push Adam away, but Adam's relentless pursuit of her heart and her secrets made her walls come crumbling down.

But now Claire's attending college a hundred miles away from Adam. With their new relationship already hanging by a thread, Adam is sent to Hawaii on business.

And Claire's first love, rock star Chris Knight, is back in her life.

Chris wants his ex-girlfriend back. Both he and Claire know that only Chris has the power to mend the final missing piece of Claire's shattered heart. But Claire's strength is tested as she is forced to confront the demons she's been running from for more than a year.

Now Claire must choose between a long-distance relationship with Adam and a second chance at true love, family, and home with Chris.

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I don't get it. To quote Patrick Verona:

 

Source

Ugh.

 

This series is really love triangle to the max. Every book it's back and forth between Chris, Adam, Chris, Adam, Chris, Adam...how about no one?
 

Shattered Hearts is definitely a series where you have to read each other otherwise they won't really makes sense. Pieces of You picks up right where the last book ended. However, once again nothing gets solved and Claire is a mess. I honestly think I would like this series better if Claire could just act like a person. Don't get me wrong, I understand that she's had a horrible past and I feel bad for what she went through, but just because she comes from a bad place doesn't mean I'm going to listen to her whine and feel bad for her present situation.
 

That being said, I honestly don't understand how two guys are sooooo in love with her. She's pretty much just stringing them both along, running to the other when one hurts her. It's unfair to the guys and just a shitty move all around. If you can't pick one, just be alone. Not that the boys are super amazing either. I mean, I like Chris to a point but just a little possessive. And then there's Adam who has extreme anger issues that Claire even commented on how he scared her! On top of that, I don't think the author understands how to separate the two relationships from each other. They both can't live without each other, both make her feel like no one else can, both she will love forever. Really? You expect me to believe that at the age of, what, 20, that both of your relationships are the 'end all, be all' of epic proportions? Everything is so overdramatic in this series, from the breakups to the hookups to everything in between. No one is living, it's just DRAMA!.
 

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So why do I keep reading these? Well, I'm invested now. I need to see this train wreck out. Also,  have this problem where I can't not finish books/series because there's a part of me that thinks it just may get better. I really just want Claire to grow up and face up to her mistakes instead of constantly running from them. And I want both guys to leave her alone, cause come on, she's obviously a mess who can't make a decision. Make it for her. Move on.

 

Book Review: That Baby (That Boy #3) by Jillian Dodd

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: August 10, 2015
Publisher: Self-published
405 Pages

First comes love, then comes marriage . . . and then comes That Baby.
That Baby is the final book in the That Boy trilogy by USA Today bestselling author, Jillian Dodd.

It’s amazing how a few little words can change your life.
It starts with a simple I love you.
It’s made official with I do.
And becomes incredible with I’m pregnant.
Jadyn is the girl I love. The girl I’ve always loved.
Our lives are like single threads meticulously woven together—the result an exquisite tapestry of past, present, and future.
Then there are the words that will unravel me.
A few little words that will change my life. 

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I just want to start off by saying that the authors dedication in the beginning of the book was one giant spoiler. Maybe next time wait until the end of the story to say things like that.

Now for the actual book...what did I just read? I have been looking forward to this book since the previous book ended. I fell in love with these characters in That Boy and while it diminished some in the sequel, the overall series made me happy. With the third book, it just died. I almost wish I hadn't read it and just ended it with That Wedding.
 

That Baby finds JJ and Phillip happily married and (obviously) expecting. They have their dream jobs, live in their dream house and are down the street from their best friends. Also, all of her friends get pregnant at the same time so it's just perfect *insert eye roll here*.

Throughout the series, the shining point has always been the guys: Phillip and Danny. Two complete opposites who have one of the best friendships I've ever read and they're just fun to read about. They make the scenes they're in more alive. Well, that was true in previous books but not in this one. I don't know how the author lost who these characters were but she really did. Phillip, who in the past was a best friend as well as a rock and a lover, just flat out turned into a prop here. He was only around for sex and compliments. Literally that was the extent of his character.

Danny, who believed in family and marriage and truth, became a liar and asked his friends to lie as well. Emotional cheating is still cheating and putting yourself in that position to where it happens multiple times makes you a douche. Also, shame on JJ and Phillip for allowing it to continue. And Danny, grow a freakin backbone.

Then there's the character of Lori. Oh god, what the author turned her into was horrendous. It's like she needed someone to be so horrible as to show how good and perfect that JJ was. As for Lori herself, after the things she said and did under the constant excuse of "I'm pregnant", I would never have remained friends with her. She was horrible and cruel for no reason.

Ugh, there were just so many things that didn't sit well with me in this one. The religious undertones, the "I'm so perfect" attitudes, the drama fueled by no reason. And the incident at the end - if that was supposed to give me feels...well, it kind of did, but more of the "are you effing serious?" than the ones Dodd probably wanted to create.

This finale was a major disappoint to me and has brought down my thoughts on the entire series. After reading some of Dodd's other work, I have often thought that maybe I was blinded by my love for Phillip in the first two books and that's why I rated them so high. After reading this one, I believe that is true.

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ARC Review: Last Hit (Hitman #1) by Jessica Clare & Jen Frederick

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Publisher: Berkeley Trade
368 Pages

From two bestselling authors—the first in a deliciously bold new series that takes readers to the most dangerous edge of desire . . .

Nikolai: I have been a contract killer since I was a boy. For years I savored the fear caused by my name, the trembling at the sight of my tattoos. The stars on my knees, the marks on my fingers, the dagger in my neck, all spoke of danger. If you saw my eyes, it was the last vision you’d have. I have ever been the hunter, never the prey. With her, I am the mark and I am ready to lie down and let her capture me. Opening my small, scarred heart to her brings out my enemies. I will carry out one last hit, but if they hurt her, I will bring the world down around their ears.

Daisy : I’ve been sheltered from the outside world all my life. Home-schooled and farm-raised, I’m so naive that my best friend calls me Pollyanna. I like to believe the best about people. Nikolai is part of this new life, and he’s terrifying to me. Not because his eyes are cold or my friend warns me away from him, but because he’s the only man who has ever seen the real me beneath the awkwardness. With him, my heart is at risk . . . and also, my life.

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Umm…this book was kind of all over the place. Russian hitman falls for country bumpkin who knows nothing about the world. The premise didn’t grab me, but I figured, what the heck, I would give it a shot.

This was insta love. Plain and simple. Nick sees Daisy from his building across the street and instantly knows she must be his. And when I mean sees her from across the street, I mean, he spies on her from his apartment into hers. I’m sorry but that’s not romantic (come on, Daisy!). He also tends to stalk her and destroy her things so he can buy her new ones.

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Then there’s Daisy, the little innocent virginal flower. Her mother was killed in a random act of violence and because of that, her father shut the out the outside world and raised his daughter within the confines of his own house. Only letting her leave for a few hours each day to buy food. Somehow Daisy manages to run away and it’s in the big city where she meets Nikolai.  She literally knows nothing about life and easily trusts Nick almost from the moment they meet.

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The book then proceeded to go the way most insta love books go: everything super-fast and super unbelievable. He teaches her about her sexuality while also lying about his profession (oh he’s a hitman). He tries to get her to quit her job because it’s not safe and he can’t protect her there.  And then DRAMA.

Of course Nick’s profession was going to cause problems. And poor little Daisy gets caught up in the crossfire. Sigh…predictable. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t cut it for me. And when your side characters are more interesting than your main, there’s a problem. What this book did do for me was entice me to read the next one.  Regan and Daniel just seem so much more interesting than Nikolai and Daisy.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

Book Review: The Dark World (Dark World #1) by Cara Lynn Shultz

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
384 Pages

Paige Kelly is used to weird--in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn't fazed by Paige's propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she'll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that's overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.

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I seem to be in the minority when I say that I disliked this The Dark World. This is the first book I've read by Cara Lynn Shultz, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I haven't heard much about it, but it has a good average rating on Goodreads. I had hoped that I'd enjoy it, as it has an interesting premise and a sweet cover. Sadly, I struggled through this from the very beginning.

In The Dark World, Paige Kelly is a high school student, who is an outcast among her peers. They believe that she talks to herself, and refuse to associate with her, especially since she has a bitter rivalry with the most popular girl in school. Little does anyone (including Paige herself) know, there is a separate world that explains her "insanity." With the help of a trained savior, Logan, Paige begins to learn to protect herself from the demons, and warlocks of the alternate world. But danger is lurking close, and puts her on a path that she could have never imagined.

I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that made me find this book dreadfully dull, but I believe it was a combination of things. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, nor did I really feel sorry for them. Everything about this book was predictable, and I grew increasingly annoyed with knowing what was going to happen next. Paige's quick acceptance of (a few) astonishing discoveries didn't sit well with me. I know that if I had been in her situation, I probably would spent a lot of time in denial and stayed locked in my bedroom for a few days, or months. The dialogue felt forced and awkward--especially when the characters try too hard to be funny, which happens a lot. Some of the passages were actually painful for me to read. Some of them made absolutely no sense. The romance happened too quickly for my taste. One minute, she barely knows Logan exists, and the next she's completely in love with the guy. I couldn't get on board with the relationship. The pacing of the book was choppy, and the events within the story all happened in a short period of time, which didn't fit the situation, in my opinion.

The Dark World also seemed very much a melting pot of common YA trends of which I have tired. I don't know that I will pick up the sequel. I think I already have a good idea of the major "twist" in the series. I'm not all that interested in continuing this series, nor will I rush into reading Shultz's other works. This book was mediocre, in my opinion. It had some light entertainment, but more often than not, I was checking to see how much longer I had until I was done.

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review via Netgalley.