Ruined (Ruined #1) by Amy Tintera
My Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Summary:
A revenge that will consume her. A love that will ruin her.

Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.

But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.

In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.

Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake.

My Thoughts:
3.75 stars. There was a lot I really loved about this book, namely Em and her two best friends and their relationship, the setting, though I would've loved to know a bit more about this world. I did really like Cas and Iria, as well. I did feel that Cas was quick to forgive Em for a certain thing that happened, or maybe not forgive, but look past maybe too easily. I felt that would be really hard to do, regardless of his growing feelings for her.

Overall, I really did enjoy this story and will continue with the series, but my biggest complaint, which I hope is addressed in the next book, is the magic system. It was not explained very well, or at all, really. Some people have magic. That's pretty much the extent of what I know from the first book. We got some examples of what certain people with magic could do, but I really need to know more!

 Format: Kindle eARC provided by Edelweiss

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
5 out of 5 stars

Summary:
Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My Thoughts:
Wow. Just wow. I'm not sure why it took me this long to finally pick up this book and give it a try. I kept stalling or deciding to read something else. But finally, FINALLY, I picked it up and I'm so thrilled that I did! This is one of the best books I've read in awhile. This isn't really a review. I just had to gush and spill all the feels I have for this book. Even though I've only just read the first book, I can say definitively that this series is shooting up near the top of my all time favorite series...it's THAT good! And the writing, don't even get me started on the brilliance of the writing! I'm in love with this book :)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:
Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

My Thoughts:
I'm loving this book so far, but utterly perplexed as to what's going on...and that's a good thing :)

Update: Well, now that I've finished I know a bit more about what was happening. Loved the story and all of the characters. Ended with a bit of a cliffhanger so I'm assuming there will be a sequel?? Hoping anyway because I'm still confused about a few things :)

A suspenseful, psychological mystery with a supernatural twist, I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves witty dialogue from realistically drawn characters you will fall in love with.

Update 2: Ok, I just saw that there will be a second book. Guess I should have looked first :)

Format: Kindle Edition

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