Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray

*An ARC of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.*

Publication Date: August 25, 2015

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 702

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O'Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. Now that the world knows of her ability to "read" objects, and therefore, read the past, she has become a media darling, earning the title, "America's Sweetheart Seer." But not everyone is so accepting of the Diviners' abilities...

Meanwhile, mysterious deaths have been turning up in the city, victims of an unknown sleeping sickness. Can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld and catch a killer? 

My Thoughts

Alright, it seems to me, they aren't really sure on the cover. Because in the ARC that I got, I got the picture below. The cover posted on Goodreads is the pictures listed above. Either way I posted both. Which do I like best? eh, the top. Just in case you were wondering my opinion on the matter. 

I read first book The Diviners about 2 years ago because I kept hearing amazing things about it, and I needed an audio book to listen to while I went on walks with my kids in the morning for my morning exercise...not that you really care... but I was immediately hooked which is surprising since it's set in the roaring 1920s and that is like my least favorite era. However, Libba Bray made me LIKE the 1920s! She brought to life the style, fashion, slangs, New York etc... that made the 1920 so "roaring" and she was just brilliant! 

With Lair of Dreams, she continues her brilliancy in the history of all that was going on back then, between the racism, the way people were afraid of other cultures and their dislike for them. I found it well researched and well done! It was a breathtakingly lovely escape to head back there and enjoy that time in this book! MAN!

If you like horror, you'll LOVE The Diviners and Lair of Dreams because they are terrifying, they are gruesome which made me want to sleep with the lights on. Yet the overall story was amazing. If you enjoyed The Diviners then you'll love the ghost story of this book as well as the continuation of characters that you fall in love with from the first book. You get to meet new characters and watch as the overall bigger plot thickens.

I really enjoyed the character development with each of the characters and felt that Bray did a wonderful job keeping each character and their voices so distinct and separate throughout the story. My favorite characters are Evie and Sam the chemistry between these two are so fun. I kinda hurried through everyone else's stories so I could get back to them. However I will admit Evie did bug me a little with her drinking problem. And Sam's character development was fabulous to watch progress.

Overall if you want a GOOD horror, with AMAZING writing and well done characters, PICK THIS UP!

Sexual Content: moderate (lots of kissing between 2 male lovers and talk of passion between the 2, more kissing scenes between other characters but nothing too hot and heavy)

Language: mild

Violence: heavy (it's a creepy horror ghost story that can get a little graphic)

Drugs/Alcohol: moderate (one character constantly getting drunk or seen drinking, talk of another character with opium)

*For those sensitive to horror or any such content listed above I would suggest obtaining the book first before purchase*

 To get you all excited for this next book we would like to give away a HARDBACK copy of The Diviners!

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The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Publication: May 5, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

My Thoughts:
Again, another fabulously adorable book by the crazy cute author Kasie West.

This was just an overall fun, cute contemporary romance. I so enjoyed this book.

Gia is a bit of a nut but I enjoyed her character development as the story progresses she realizes what she had become and what she really wants to be. I was quite shocked when at the end it wasn't a complete "happily ever after" which was a nice change from the norm and I appreciated that.

I really wanted to punch the main problem in this story because she was so annoying BUT without this girl, Gia wouldn't have been able to see how shallow she really was and it was able to see great things around her. In the end you just felt bad for this character because she will never be happy.

I loved Hayden the fake-date he was just perfect and I enjoyed everything about him. He is a sweet guy with a fun personality. I'm tired of toxic guys in books and love how this guy just tries to be good.

I really enjoyed Hayden's neurotic sister Bec. She's snarky and tells it how it is. However Bec has her own problems as she tries desperately to find her out who she is and where she belongs. I was a bit disappointed that it seemed for someone so smart she felt she had to be a certain way in order to catch the eye of some guy. I wonder if Kasie will do a story on her she would be a great one to tell. *hint, hint*

There are a lot of teen social issues in this book without all the extra content that other social YA books have which makes this one even more special. It shows the side of real issues that teens have and face during their high school years and it also shows wonderful things that happen and can shape a person.

Overall this is a sweet, fun yet deep story which it completely enjoyable.

Sexual Content: mild
Language: mild
Drugs/Alcohol:  mild
Violence: mild

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon

Jonathan is perfectly ordinary. But then—as every good adventure begins—the king swoops into port, and Jonathan and his father are enlisted to find the cure to a deadly plague. Jonathan discovers that he's a prodigy at working with a new chemical called fantillium, which creates shared hallucinations—or illusions. And just like that, Jonathan is knocked off his path. Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that calls to mind The Night Circus and Pixar movies, but is wholly its own.

My Thoughts:
Oh my WOW! I loved this. I loved every line of it. I loved Jonathan's voice and the silly footnotes and humor and wit and imagination and scientific equations that went directly over my head and people talking in haughty British-English and did I mention the humor? I so seriously loved this. So hard. Allow me to stop rambling and give you a proper review:

First of all, the writing was impeccable. I was never pulled from the story for any reason, the voice was consistent and perfect and punctuation was utilized so perfectly that I'll bet an actor could cold-read this and get exactly the inflection Dixon was imagining when she wrote it.

And speaking of imagination, this book has it in spades. Everything from the world to the scientific explanations to the effects of the weird drugs was so new and different from anything I've ever read. It was so interesting! And the way the story evolved and things were revealed was so perfectly paced and perfectly handled. I could read Heather Dixon for the rest of my life and never get tired of her. This book was the fun of steampunk, the intelligence of Sherlock Holmes and the science fiction of I-don't-even-know-what. But it was good. The science portions were well-thought-out and made perfect fictional sense. Just so wonderfully woven together. Seriously. So good.

And the characters! Such lovely, well-rounded characters. I totally would have befriended Jonathan and the one-eyed-guard and Hannah and Anna and I just loved them all. So much. Even the bad guys had back-stories and moments where I understood them and wanted to reach in and give them a hug. Depth. They all had it.

And, the clincher (for me): It was clean! I mean, these kids are just kids, right? So they think about boys and girls and whatever but there is so much going on that not a whole lot of romance happens. There is a tiny element of romance but no fiery all-consuming passionate affair. Whatever happens is just sweet and childlike. Because they're children. And I love Heather Dixon a little bit for treating a teenage romance the way a teenager most likely would. Not the way adults imagine they would have liked to behave in those situations. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

You know what, just go read it already. It's so good. If you like clean, sci-fi, steampunk books set in 19th century England, you'll love this. Promise.

Sexual Content: Mild
Language: Mild (if any)
Drugs/Alcohol: Heavy (the entire plot hinges on a hallucinogenic drug...)
Violence: Moderate

Modern Monsters by Kelley York

Vic Howard never wanted to go to the party. He’s the Invisible Guy at school, a special kind of hell for quiet, nice guys. But because his best friend is as popular as Vic is ignored, he went…

And wished he hadn’t.

Because something happened to a girl that night. Something terrible, unimaginable, and Callie Wheeler’s life will never be the same. Plus, now Callie has told the police that Vic is responsible. Suddenly, Invisible Vic is painfully visible, on trial both literally, with the police, and figuratively, with the angry kids at school. As the whispers and violence escalate, he becomes determined to clear his name, even if it means an uneasy alliance with Callie's best friend, the beautiful but aloof Autumn Dixon.

But as Autumn and Vic slowly peel back the layers of what happened at the party, they realize that while the truth can set Vic free, it can also shatter everything he thought he knew about his life.

My Thoughts:
I was really wary about this book. It's about rape. The book starts out at a party and shortly after that we learn that a girl was raped. So I was expecting some graphic details and disturbing imagery and lots of drinking and drugs and cursing. But there wasn't. Kelley York handled this subject so incredibly well. We hear this story from the perspective of the boy who is accused of raping the girl, but he's innocent. So we see what happens to him as a result of being wrongly accused and how this storyline plays out with police and reporters and kids at school and friends. It's heartbreaking. And enlightening. And beautiful. And, mostly, it's hopeful. Yes, horrible things happen. Yes, there are terrible people in the world. And there are good people who make awful mistakes. But we can gather ourselves up again and keep moving, keep going, find happiness. Especially for being such a serious subject, this book was actually really uplifting that way.

I loved Vic's voice. He was such a sweet, kind, just all-around good guy who gets put through so much crap for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just wanted to reach into that book, wrap my arms around him and protect him. He felt like he needed protecting. Especially with the whole mother storyline which, btw, I totally guessed from the beginning and she just made me hate the world. Her and the father. Seriously, every scene she was in, I was kind of annoyed by the way she treated everything. Made me mad. And sad.

Then there was Autumn. I liked Autumn as a character, as a loyal friend, as the fiesty girl that she was. Which was why I didn't fully understand the connection she made with Vic. I just didn't see that happening naturally. It made the story, for sure, but I just didn't think it would have actually happened in a real-life situation. That's all.

The end of this book broke my heart. I saw it coming and it was still tragically sad. I really did just want to jump in there and protect Vic. That poor guy. But this book was lovely. Tragic and realistic and hopeful. I loved it. Thank you, Kelley York for handling such a delicate subject so carefully and tastefully. I will definitely read more by this author.

Sexual Content: Mild (amazing, considering the entire premise of the book!)
Language: Moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
Violence: Moderate

Beyond the Standline by Linda L. Zern

**I was given ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Publication Date: August 5, 2015
Publisher: LinWood House Publishing
Pages: 324

Seventeen-year-old Tessla and her teenage sisters, Ally and ZeeZee, live by one rule: don’t venture beyond the perimeter of the family ranch. Years ago, solar flares burned the power grid to ashes, plunging the country into mayhem and instability, but as long as the girls stay behind the line of their grandfather’s property, they remain protected from savagery. 

But when the call of the unknown proves too alluring for rebellious Ally to resist, Tessla must enlist mysterious Richmond Parrish to help rescue Ally from the trouble she’s walked into. 

The Florida coast is overrun with warring tribes and pirates, and orphaned children-turned-soldiers roam the land. 

The quest to find Ally leads Tess and Richmond into the epicenter of this barbaric new world, but even if they find her, now that they’ve left the safety of life at the S-Line Ranch, will they really be able to go back?

Beyond the Strandline is a thrilling story about the struggle to stay human in an inhumane world, the importance of emergency preparedness, the illusion of safety, and the power of love to redeem even the most desperate.

My Thoughts:
When it comes to indie authors I am VERY selective in whom I choose to read from. Simply because in my experience they are generally poorly written and full of content I am uncomfortable with. HOWEVER, with that said, I read another book by this author called Mooncalf that was amazing. So when I was contacted to read this book I hopped to the chance.

This book is unlike her other work that I read, you could see the progression in her writing. It's a YA story with everything you could possibly want in a book. Swoon worthy romance, action that is non-stop and keeps you at the edge of your seat, as well built post apocalyptic world that is relatable, plus it gets a person to think and put one-self in these situations and you find yourself questioning ,"would I do that if I were in this situation?" seriously!

This books grabs you from the get-go, you're immediately hook and leaves you wanting more. DANG IT it's going to be a trilogy which mean I'm going to have to wait for book 2! grrrr.

Tess was a great character- relatable in every way, she is a typical
teenage girl with spunk that was at times annoying but hey she's had a hard life and lives in this time so, can you blame her?

I really like Parrish- I LOVE male characters that are kinda dark and brooding, I liked his audacity and his character that leaves a bit of mystery as to why he is the way he is.

I REALLY liked the romance, because for the love of all that is holy it is NOT insta-love! WHOOT! I like the chemistry between Tess and Parrish which totally kept me interested in the rest of the story. TEAM PARRISH!

I absolutely loved the whole idea of this story and the fact that it's completely believable. As in, the fact that this could actually happen. There were no sci-fi/dystopian aspects to this, no machines that could read people, no fantastic guns that shoot lasers. No, this was complete and utter survival that is realistic which is refreshing, yet the story itself was fascinating.

Overall: I would recommend this story to anyone of all ages who is in need of a good story which great romance that leaves you wanting more.

Sexual Content: mild (talk of rape-not graphic, mild kissing)
Violence: moderate (disturbing scenes of death-not too graphic)
Language: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: mild/none

A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah Maas

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

My Thoughts:
I could not put this down. Like, I had to keep to reading to find out what happened even though it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I basically knew exactly what would happen in the end. But this version was so fresh. So different. It's all faeries and mythical creatures and politics and warfare and I was absolutely hooked.

I liked that nothing was over-explained. Hardly anything was explained at all in one big monologue moment; We learned things slowly, piece by piece until it all wrapped up in this nice little bow at the end to make perfect sense. I liked how Feyre's relationships evolved with those around her. It was a natural, progressional evolution where we met a character thinking one thing about them, then got to know them better and they became something else entirely.

This world was very imaginative and I loved how Maas built it. How real the people felt. How there were normal people and normal problems mixed in with the extraordinary and magical and crazy. It was a fun, inventive world even without being a completely original story.

The part with Feyre dressing all Princess Leia-like annoyed me mostly because it was pointless. It was just a way to get our main character scantily-clad and offer up some kind of sexual tension. But it was pointless.

Since this world was new and had different rules and that oh-so-familiar fantasy-medieval-feel, I was abruptly pulled from the story every time I came across a modern curse word. It really annoyed me. The faerie people had that one phrase where they'd curse "by the cauldron" but other than that, they'd all use regular-ol' modern day curse words. If you're going to build an entire freaking world and make up all these rules for it why not go ahead and create some kind of original language to go with it? Most fantasy authors do. Heck, many non-fantasy authors do this, too. That's all.

So basically: If you're into fairy tale retellings or medieval fantasy or magical creatures, you may very well like this book. It's well-written, it has a lot of interesting new elements that I wouldn't have thought to go with Beauty and the Beast and it sucks you in from the beginning. This is definitely New Adult and I do not recommend for teens just because there is some graphic sexual content and very adult themes. But, for realz. it's entertaining. 

Sexual Content: Heavy
Language: Moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate
Violence: Heavy

Kris's Mini Reviews

 The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 314

A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wifecaptures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. 

Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill-prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises. Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for. 

A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.

***

I can't punish a book for not ending the way I wanted it to when it's a historically accurate book. Otherwise I'd have given it one star. 

Because while this book starts out amazing, the last half is very depressing. It took me to a dark place, this book.  

But it was really, really, really good. I just have no desire to ever read it again because of the sadness.  

Amazing writing though, and really interesting story. I learned a lot that I hadn't known about Ernest Hemingway and his contemporaries. So... yeah. Great book, great story, unfortunately accurately written about actual douchebags. 

 A Little in Love by Susan Fletcher
Publication Date: October 2, 2014
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd
Pages: 288

As a young child Eponine never knew kindness, except once from her family's kitchen slave, Cosette. When at sixteen the girls' paths cross again and their circumstances are reversed, Eponine must decide what that friendship is worth, even though they've both fallen for the same boy. In the end, Eponine will sacrifice everything to keep true love alive.

***

Ouch. I was pretty disappointed by this book. I LOVE Les Mis, and I think the idea of this book is fantastic. Great potential. Potential that was squandered. 

It was so repetitive. Over and over and over, the same things happened. By the 15th time Eponine decides to be "cruel from now on," I was bored. Her personality could have been so much more interesting, but it was so flat. What a bummer. 

Bleh.

You by Caroline Kepnes
Publication Date: September 30, 2014
Publisher:Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Pages: 422

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder. 

***

3.5 stars. This book is like a train wreck. You just can't look away. It was a very compulsive read - I didn't want to put it down and every time I did I couldn't stop thinking about where the book would go next. 

Obviously it's not a super uplifting book, but I thought it was extremely well written. You can almost - ALMOST - empathize with Joe in certain parts, but mostly you're just struck with horror at this creepy, crazy guy. I mean wow. One thing is for sure - he was very dedicated.  

The ending wasn't too much of a surprise because really it couldn't have gone any other way. But it was well written and well done. I don't know that I would read this book again, but it was a fascinating one-time read.