Ungodly by Kendare Blake

For the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn’t know could fill a book. That’s what her opponents said.

So she was wrong about some things. So her carefully planned assault on Olympus left her team beaten and scattered and possibly dead. So they have to fight the Fates themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods’ illness. And sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only hero she has ever loved.

But all is not lost. Hermes is still topside, trying to power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and submits to his death, or the Fates arrive to speed it along.

And Cassandra is up there somewhere, too, on a quest for death…with the god of death himself.

Just because things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, it doesn't mean they’ve lost. They’ve only mostly lost. And there’s a big difference. 

Goodreads Summary


Athena and her group of rag tag survivors barely made it out of the mountain. Cassandra and Calypso, likewise, were not in good shape. I both liked this book because I read the first two and the characters and concept are fascinating and hated it because the author places so much emphasis on Cassandra and her so-called powers. Athena and Odysseus are in love and their relationship, though not the focal point of the novel, is sweet. Cassandra meets Thanatos, death himself, and cannot kill him...though she wishes she could kill her attraction to him. There are so many characters in this series that is is hard to get too attached to them or to keep track of them. The plot moved along fairly quickly (though it's more or less the same plot through all three books). Cassandra is hell-bent on killing the gods and goddesses for some inane reason and there are two factions of gods/goddesses fighting each other for another inane reason.

All the characters are fighting some moral failing in some way. The only ones that seemed honest and not full of themselves were Ares, Demeter, and Aphrodite. I also liked Hades and Persephone for their no-nonsense approach to the war. I could not stand Cassandra; her self-righteousness and ridiculous belief that she is supposed to murder all the gods/goddesses while still maintaining her high school innocence really bothered me.  The ending was not satisfying because a fair amount of loose ends are left flapping in the breeze. I really enjoyed the imagery and scenes described throughout the novel and how the gods/goddesses were portrayed.

3 Stars


This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Return to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Ivy Jensen survived the Dark House once, but can she make it out a second time?

Two months have passed since Ivy narrowly escaped the Nightmare Elf’s grip, but the memories of Parker, Natalie, Shayla, Frankie, and Garth continue to haunt her. Their killer is still out there—somewhere. The police trail has gone cold, though, and it’s up to Ivy to piece together the clues to find him.

When a cryptic video arrives in her inbox, Ivy soon finds herself back in the spotlight, this time on a twisted scavenger hunt through the dark, ancient halls of a long-forgotten Gothic school building. Ivy’s not alone, either. Taylor Monroe has returned to the scene. But can Taylor be trusted? Or is she another pawn in the Nightmare Elf’s deadly game?

Laurie Faria Stolarz crafts a mesmerizing thriller that will leave readers looking over their shoulders. 

Goodreads Summary

Ivy was lucky enough to have escaped (presumably) her parents' killer as well as the psychotic initiator of the Dark House. However, she escaped without her friends and her love interest, Parker. Against all reason, Ivy desires a return to the horror and mayhem she escaped to have a fighting chance of rescuing her friends. Along the way, she reaches out to Taylor, the girl who ran before the Dark House even got started. Initially, Taylor exhibits more brains than Ivy and strongly resists, but when the clues pour in and Ivy is determined to go, Taylor does not want to abandon her newfound friend.

The book is told from Ivy and Taylor's perspectives. I really liked Taylor's character more than Ivy's this time around. Taylor was funny and tried to inject enthusiasm and humor during the more trying moments of the book; Ivy had this weird single-minded focus that was both admirable and slightly mentally ill. I liked that both girls were brave, but I would have preferred one or both to take different approaches to what ultimately happens in the book. Natalie's perspective is also injected at random times. Her resilience is truly amazing. Her ability to survive despite being captured by the Nightmare Elf is incredible. I liked that the author added a fourth and more mysterious perspective that gave the reader clues into the Nightmare Elf's head. Although I had a good idea of what was going to happen in the end, I still found this an intriguing and fast-paced read.

4 Stars

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Kiss Cam by Kiara London

In Kiss Cam, teen author Kiara London asks, what's a little harmless kissing between friends?

Juniper, Jasper, and Lenny have been friends forever and co-own a vlog channel called WereVloggingHere. Their fans are huge "shippers" who believe that Juniper and Jasper are perfect for each other, and, despite warnings from friends and family, a simple Truth-or-Dare inspired kiss soon spirals out of control into a whole new world of making out and surprise kisses.

Juniper and Jasper's relationship begins to shift. But as fan requests for different "Kiss Cam" segments keep pouring in, Juniper puts her worries aside and convinces herself that it doesn't mean anything. After all, it's just kissing… right? 

Goodreads Summary

Whenever you try to convince yourself that kissing doesn't mean anything...well, it might work for some people (not for me) and I already knew where this story was going. Juniper, Jasper, and Lenny are vloggers; having a life in front of the camera means that people start to think that they can have many opinions. One of the opinions centralized around Juniper and Jasper. According to fans, they are meant to be. Indulging their fans means kissing each other and pretending that it doesn't mean anything in person, but will feelings get in the way?

Jasper is not the easiest person to resist. He is handsome, charismatic, and built (for many teens, this sounds like the jackpot). Juniper is a little hesitant. She doesn't want to take the chance of wrecking a very good friendship. Their friends Lenny and Allison offer good advice to them and they all provide comedic relief. I liked Juniper's character the most. The ending did not surprise me. It was a sweet young adult/teen read.

3 1/2 Stars






This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Gemina by Aimee Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Timesbestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.” 

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless. 

Goodreads Summary


I found Illuminae so much fun to read and was so excited for Gemina! It's really hard to review the plot because I feel like there are just too many things that might turn into accidental spoilers. The plot itself was well-written and had a lot of depth to it. It was very well-developed and intriguing; my only complaint is that the book must have been missing (in the arc form) some crucial diagrams. There were some parts I didn't fully understand at first or I wasn't sure where the authors were going to take the story.

The characters were interesting and fun to read about. I felt like I was viewing them through a lens...like I was an observer more than someone who truly cared for their well-being. I would not have minded if the characters were a little more developed to the point where I cared about them. I think that can help make the story more enjoyable. I love the imagination behind the story itself. I feel like I could not have come up with this level of elaborate intrigue. The format the book is in was fascinating; similar to the first book, there are many different little additions that help further the plot. I found this book hard to put down and recommend the novel to young adult/teen readers.

4 Stars

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ