The Candidates* by Inara Scott

Genre: paranormal, science fiction
Series and Book #: The Talents #1
Pages: 293
Summary:

Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a calculated cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just…happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything she can to avoid getting close to anyone, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

 

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room offering her a full scholarship, Dancia’s days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for child geniuses and diplomats’ kids—not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

 

And then there’s her mysterious new friend, Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn’t convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her “gift” than they’re letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it…. But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

 

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*There might be some confusion with this book. For some reason, Inara Scott changed the title of this book to The Talents. Originally, this book was called The Candidates and that was the novel I read with this same book cover. However, when I was looking for the sequel, I realized that at some time the book's title was changed. The new cover is to your right. It is the same book, just a different title and cover.

Getting past the odd title change this book was okay. It was interesting but it wasn't captivating. Of course, I knew before Dancia that Delcroix wasn't just a ritzy boarding school. I liked how Jack made Dancia see things that she wouldn't have normally discovered for herself, or if she did, she would immediately discard the idea that it was anything but a normal school. Dancia's blind faith in the school itself was a bit unnerving. I wished she was more curious to the goings-on, and luckily Jack was there to push her natural curiosity until she became wary.

Dancia's character was excellently written. Though she's not book smart she knows what is going on around her and she's not terribly afraid to be herself. Inara didn't make her sound older than she was with her writing and I especially appreciated that. Of course, what good would this book be without a love triangle? Jack or Cam? Both seemed good for Dancia, but neither were really a good medium. It was kind of like Jack symbolizes Dancia's wariness of Delcroix whereas Cam is the faith she has in the school to make her a better person.

Overall, it wasn't terribly engaging, but it wasn't terrible either. I hope the sequel offers more insight into the school, that Dancia still investigates her powers and what Delcriox really is up to, and, for goodness sake, please don't let Jack fall off the face of the earth! I really hope there's more of him!

The Cover: Which one? The original I like because of the gates and the eye catching color scheme that draws your eye to the Delcroix plaque, but I like the second one because it really shows Dancia's immediate hesitation in attending Delcroix. If I had to pick one, though, I'd say I like the newest one.

What are your thoughts about the title change and the covers?

Releases for September 4: Tiger's Destiny, Envy, & Sweet Shadows

Tiger's Destiny (Tiger's Curse #4) by Colleen Houck

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.

Envy (The Fury Series #2) by Elizabeth Miles

Spring is coming, and the ice is slowly melting in Ascension…revealing the secrets buried beneath.

 

Emily Winters knows the Furies have roots in Ascension, Maine—but she’s about to discover that they’re deeper than she ever imagined. With the help of her new friend Drea, she vows to dig them out. But it’s hard to focus when she’s desperate to make up with JD, and to figure out why Crow, a mysterious Ascension High dropout, seems to be shadowing her.

Meanwhile, new girl Skylar McVoy is determined to leave her own dark past behind. So she’s thrilled when popular Gabby takes her under her wing, and the stunning and sophisticated Meg offers to give her a major makeover. But everyone knows what happens to the vainest girl of all…

It’s tempting to be naughty. But beware: the Furies are always watching, and their power grows stronger by the day.

Sweet Shadows (Sweet Venom #2) by Tera Lynn Childs

Gretchen may have known she was a descendant of Medusa long before her sisters—after all, she's spent her life fighting the monsters that escape the abyss—but that doesn't mean it will be easy to teach the other girls the ropes. Can she rely on Grace and Greer, or even trust herself to keep them safe? Greer has pressing social commitments on her plate and precious little time to train in her newfound powers. But that wretched second sight won't leave her alone, and her fabled heritage seems to be creeping into her fashionable life.

Grace has worries closer to home—like why her brother, Thane, has disappeared. He's hiding something. Could it possibly be related to the secret heritage the triplets share?

With the warring factions among the gods of Olympus coming for them, the creatures of the abyss pushing into their world, and the boys in their lives keeping secrets at every turn, the three girls must figure out where their fate will take them and how to embrace the shadows of their legacy.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Genre: dystopian
Series and Book #: Divergent Series #2
Pages: 525
Summary:

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—white grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

 

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

 

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Not as stunning as I thought it would be. Veronica blew me away with Divergent but Insurgent just didn't do much for me. For one, Tris was majorly depressed. I know why but, like Four said, she seemed unable to care about herself. She threw herself into dangerous situations without first thinking of the consequences. I missed the determined, fiery girl who proved everyone wrong with her strength.

There was one scene, and I don't want to give too much away, but it is when Tris is being held in Erudite headquarters. She remained strong, for Four, and for the people who were counting on her to make the ultimate sacrifice. That is when I saw the old Tris, the Tris who would even give herself to save her enemies. I really want her back!

I did like how Veronica put every faction into this book. From Amity to Candor, back to Dauntless, then Abnegation and Erudite, and even the factionless headquarters. It gave a broad view of the thoughts of every faction and the shaky ground each was balancing on. Though Erudite seemed to be the most calm of them all, each had its own way of dealing with the sudden slaughter of Abnegation, and I liked how Veronica incorporated that into her book.

Overall, this novel was somewhat lackluster for me. The Dauntless are all broken up, the factions are at war with one another, and there is a ton of betrayal! Plus, there weren't as many romantic scenes between Tris and Four. Cruel world! Too much of the book was waiting and planning, not enough action. The last couple of chapters were the only nail-biting moments. I feel like it's going to be hard to choose who to follow and who not to. I hope, in the next novel, there's more of the old Tris. And, to whatever literacy gods there may be, let there be more Four!

The Cover: The Amity symbol, is, well, symbolic. It's the symbol for peace in a book that is about anything but.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Genre: paranormal
Series and Book #: Everneath Trilogy #1
Pages: 384
Summary:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld…this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

 

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

 

As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

 

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I didn't even realize this was a story about the Persephone myth until I read the snippet of a review saying that it was. This isn't the a-typical modern spin on Greek myths: Brodi took this in a completely new direction. I love it!

Brodi's approach to the story really worked for me. She didn't start at the very beginning: she began in the middle, and from there she explained what had happened between Nikki and Jack that caused her to to choose Cole. I liked it better this way. It was sort of the same way Nikki was seeing things. After she separated from Cole, she went back to earth, but she began to remember what had dragged her into the Everneath in the first place. As she sort of accepted things we learned what would have made her leave her life to go with a boy she barely knew.

Nikki was different than I expected. Sorry to all the Nikki's out there, but Nikki is just a name that strikes me as a sort of cheerleader type of girl. I'm glad I was proved wrong. Because the Nikki in this novel was sweet, down to earth, and cared about everyone she knew she was hurting when she left. I was so happy Brodi didn't make Nikki and Jack get back together right away. After what they'd been through, it would have been unrealistic. I liked the way she eased into their relationship tentatively. But by the end they were completely together and were one of the cutest couples I have ever seen!

Overall, I wasn't going to read this, but I am ever so glad I did. The summary doesn't do this book justice. It makes it sound like Nikki is just going to up and leave or give in to Cole, but the end will blow your mind. If you have had any hesitations in reading this book I suggest you read it, anyway, because the summary really isn't that great. Nikki is a lovable character and her story is memorable. Brodi's clever uses of mythology just add to the story, making it even more enjoyable.

The Cover: I like how Nikki is stepping out of the cloud like she escaped the Everneath. The wispy edges and vivid colors make it eye-catching and whimsical.

Release: Entice (Embrace Series #2) by Jessica Shirvington

On her seventeenth birthday Violet Eden’s whole life changed. One minute she was a normal
teenager obsessed with her art…and Lincoln. The next she has to get her head around the
knowledge that angels do exist, both light and dark and she’s not altogether human either. Violet is Grigori – part angel and part human. Oh, and Lincoln knew it all along.

Coming to terms with her destiny is tough, but Violet thought she knew all the secrets. She was wrong. The ancient battle between exiled angels and humanity is far from over. And now Violet has to learn to live with her feelings for Lincoln while working with him to stay alive and stop the exiles discovering the key to destroy all Grigori. It isn’t easy. Especially when the electricity between her and Phoenix ignites and she discovers his hold over her has become more dangerous than ever.

Searching for the answers she needs will take Violet halfway across the world to the sacred
mountains of Jordan, where ancient stories come to life and her warrior spirit will be called upon to make things right … but even then her choices have consequences she never saw coming.

Taken at Dusk by C. C. Hunter

Genre: paranormal
Series and Book #: Shadow Falls #3
Pages: 380
Summary:

Step into Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with supernatural powers. Here friendship thrives, love takes you by surprise, and our hearts possess the greatest magic of all.

 

Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she’s meant to be with—and the truth about what her emerging powers mean. But she’s about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever…and not always for the better.

 

Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together. Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it’s not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering a frightful warning: someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the secret to her supernatural identity. And the truth is far different—and more astonishing—than she ever imagined.

 

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One thing I like about C. C. Hunter's books is that they are not coated in darkness and mystery. Yes, it's somewhat dark (it's paranormal, how can it not be dark?) and yes, it has mystery (Kylie's whole life tends to be a mystery), C. C. doesn't make it uber-dramatic. Kylie is a teenage girl with teenage problems that include, but are not limited to: boys, friends, family, and, of course, identity.

Lucas? Or Derek? It is so hard to decide, especially when both love Kylie, but one is away and the other can't have her and it's just a mess. Add that to Kylie's increasing ghost problem where even her ghost-seeing counselor can't help, her sometimes frustrating friends, her mother who doesn't know the truth, and the sudden discovery that her father was adopted, making it even harder to figure out what kind of paranormal she is. Mix it all together and you have the Shadow Falls series. Somehow C. C. doesn't make the problems overwhelming. While there are a lot of them (a lot, a lot of them) she balances the book so that there's never a dull moment. Plus the characters make for a flirty, fun, and funny book.

Overall, quite honestly, this wasn't any different than the other books. True, we finally discover Kylie's identity (Still not quite solved though. I mean, what the heck? You really won't believe it. I didn't.) and she's finally a step closer to finding her real grandparents, but she still hasn't settled on a boy, her mother remains oblivious to Shadow Falls's true identity, and Kylie's still piling on everyone else's problems. They are, for me, a nice break from serious, melodramatic tales, and they are a fast read-through that are great for between books, but it isn't a series I'm dying for more of.

The Cover: I've always liked these covers. The sky is beautiful and they reflect the main event of the story well.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Genre: dystopian
Series and Book #: Under the Never Sky Trilogy #1
Pages: 374
Summary:

Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered.

 

This was worse.

 

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets and Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.

 

A hunter for his tribe in the merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

 

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I am super happy Veronica didn't spend too much time detailing the way it was in Reverie or how it was in Perry's village. But from what Aria described the outside like, I was expecting something more dangerous, with more difficult perils, and kind of desert-like. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't as much action as I had hoped there would be, but that disappointment was quickly squashed when Perry and Aria found each other.

I love both Perry and Aria's commitment to their families. Perry was determined to save his nephew while Aria was dead-set on finding her mother, though they weren't close. Though it wasn't as action-packed as I'd hoped they still had plenty of adventures between Aria being dropped on the outside and Aria finding out the truth about her mother. The other characters were also excellently written and weren't shoved to the side to make room for Aria and Perry. Veronica did a nice job of making sure everyone was individual.

Overall, the pace and character development was good. Setting wise, I don't think it was really important enough to be too detailed. It was original for Veronica to have a dystopian novel that wasn't completely centered around a corrupt government. Mostly, this book was about discovering who you want to be even though it might conflict with other things. The ending was superb. There was a moment of heartbreak and I thought Veronica would have her readers reaching for the sequel like a horse reaches for a carrot, but the last paragraph just blew me away. I was so happy she didn't make the wait for the sequel unbearable. But that doesn't mean I'm not waiting!

The Cover: The Aether sky look brilliant and draws your attention to the model. It's a beautiful, dramatic cover