Feature and Follow Friday #28

A weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee's View 

 How it Works: 

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you visit the blogs of our illustrious hosts and leave your name on the post using using the linky tools, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

This Week's Question:

How important is good writing to you? In an ideal world, a book would be beautifully written AND have great character development plot, etc. But in the real world, which do you prefer: (1) Great characters and plot with lousy writing or (2) Middling character development and plot but gorgeous writing

This Week's Answer:

Wow! What a tough question! You really ask the hard-hitting questions ladies!

I would say for me I would rather have a great plot and character development over excellent writing. I was going to say the other way around but then I remembered an ARC I read awhile ago for Three Princes. The writing was amazing, poetic and detailed but there was almost no plot and no character development at all and I hated it. For me lackluster writing can be redeemed by a great story and characters.

How about you? Do you prefer a thrilling plot or gorgeous writing? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

And remember this is a blog hop so take a look around and if you like what you see give me a follow and leave me a comment so I can follow back. I am indifferent to the manner in which you follow so pick your poison: GFC, Bloglovin, or Twitter. Thanks for dropping by, Happy FF and HAPPY READING!

And if you are going to BEA this week this week and we have not yet had the pleasure to meet, I hope I will see you there! Say HI if you see me in line, wandering the Javits, or at the Blogger picnic! Check out my getting to know you post so that we can recognize each other.

Waiting on Wednesday: BEA Edition

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

I saw the ladies of Read. Sleep. Repeat do this last week and I thought what a brilliant idea! Today is my first day at BEA for the Blogger Con. If you see this and you are also at BEA come say hello. Here's how to recognize me. Tomorrow starts all the crazy festivities with autographing, galley drops, and panel discussions. It's all a little overwhelming but exciting at the same time. There are so many places to be and sadly I can't be in more than one place at one, so a girl's gotta prioritize. So here are my top 5 must haves from BEA 14

1.) Rooms by Lauren Oliver
Amazon Goodreads

Synopsis: Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance. 

But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb.

The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.

Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant

Why I'm Waiting: Creepy house, excellent writing, the perfect Halloween red!

2.) Talon by Julie Kagawa
Amazon Goodreads

Synopsis: Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons

Why I'm Waiting: Two words, DRA-GONS!

3.) Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini
Amazon Goodreads
Synopsis: Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

Why I'm Waiting: Young Adult fantasy involving the witches of Salem? It's all I've ever wanted!

4.) Blackbird by Anna Carey
Amazon Goodreads

Synopsis: This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists

Why I'm Waiting: A mystery told in the second person? Too creative to pass up!

5.) Jackaby by William Ritter
Amazon Goodreads

Synopsis: "Jackaby sighed and drew to a stop as we reached the corner of another cobbled street. He turned and looked at me with pursed lips. Let s see, he said at last. I observed you were recently from the Ukraine. A young domovyk has nestled in the brim of your hat. More recently, you seem to have picked up a Klabautermann, a kind of German kobold attracted to minerals. Most fairy creatures can t touch the stuff. That s probably why your poor domovyk nestled in so deep. "Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre."

Why I'm Waiting: It's a young adult Historical Mystery involving the paranormal. That's everything I love in one place!

What are your most anticipated books to pick up at BEA? Are you waiting on any of these books? BEA brings the term waiting to a whole new level. Now I will be waiting in line for these books. If you're in line too I look forward to meeting you! HAPPY READING!

Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I like the structure of this meme. I often lack the originality to come up with topics. This week being a freebie I was going to do my literary crushes but then I noticed a trend in them and had a lightbulb. So I've decided to list some of my favorite characters who happen to have redemptive or revealing arcs.

1.) Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

When we first met Snape we were convinced he was the villain. I personally thought that he was an opportunist playing both side. However he is merely a series long red herring and when his truth was revealed I melted!

2.) Circe in The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

Circe is the Snape of this series. When we first meet her she seems to be the villain of the story, and for good reason. But then as the series develops so does her character. I mean homegirl changes her good or evil status more than she changes her clothes! By the end she even managed to surprise me earning her a spot on this list. 

3.) Jamie Lannister in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

How could we not hate him after what he does in book 1! But under that cold and pompous exterior is a hopeless romantic who has to take a lot of shit. Yes, he's arogant and stupid at times but he's also helped many a character in need. The more we learn about Jamie and the more literal shit flung at him he changes for the better and so does my opinion of him. Jamie has one of the best character arcs in a series full of amazing characters.

4.) Sansa Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

Sansa haters be damned! Have I mentioned my love of Lady Sansa? Follow my twitter for frequent tirades on the subject. Sure when we first meet her she's a stuck-up brat but in all fairness you're harassing a teenage girl for acting like a teenage girl. Throughout the series she gets dealt a very poor hand and has to learn a lot of lessons the hard way. And while most people would throw in the towel Sansa only gets stronger and more determined. And unlike a lot of other strong female characters, Sansa's strength is internal. My love for her grows by each passing book. 

5.) Cress in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

In a series full of great characters for me the best character arc award goes to Cress. Despite being a badass hacker she is a self-proclaimed damsel in distress. Them when it comes to the rescuing she proves herself wrong and ends up showing a lot of amazing strength.

6.) Quentin Coldwater in The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman

A controversial choice for sure. At first I can empathize with nerdy Quentin and his fanboy behaviors but then he gets his hearts desire and becomes a petulant little jerk who whines about how nothing will make him happy. Then in book 2 he redeems himself and through a "hero's journey" learns what it means to be a hero. And just when he does redeem himself everything is ripped away from him. I'm so interested to see what he'll do in book 3!

7.) Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility is my favorite work by Austen and Marianne is one of the reasons why. She is the emotional and romantic sister who desperately wants to marry a man for being handsome and charming. By the end if the book she learns that maybe love is more than a physical attraction.

8.) Tibby in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

When we meet Tibby in book one she's a little bit of a brat. She's snarky, judgmental, and jealous of her friends for their adventures. Then Bailey comes along and teaches her not to judge a book by it's cover and that there is good in everybody. By the end of the series Tibby grows up even more and has pretty fantastic redemptive arc.

9.) Peter in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth

Like a lot of people on this list Peter starts as a villain. He was so easy to hate in Divergent. And then in Insurgent he completely redeems himself and I started doubting him and his good or evil status. By the end of Allegiant he had me sobbing out of empathy and adoration for him and everything he did and felt in the series.

10.) Alice in Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

This is not your average cancer book and Alice is not your average protagonist. She's tough to like, despite her difficult situation. She's kind of a bitch most of the book to be entirely honest. But then as you spend more time with her and learn more about where she is coming from you start to empathize. By the end of the book Alice has an "aha moment" and ends up redeeming herself quite a bit.

What are your favorite characters with redemptive or revealing character arcs? Leave me a comment with your thoughts and of course... HAPPY READING!

Book Review: The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Title: The Falconer Series: The Falconer #1 Author: Elizabeth May Published: May 6, 2014 by Sourcebooks Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she's spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of Sithichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. But when she learns she's a Falconer, the last in a line of female warriors and the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity, her quest for revenge gets a whole lot more complicated. The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller blends romance and action with steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

As much as I love Fantasy and especially Young Adult Fantasy, I very rarely read low fantasy. I tend to read alternate world or world within a world kind of Fantasy. I was excited to read The Falconer because first of all, that's a badass title, but the book sounded really interesting. This book did not disappoint with great characters including a strong female heroine, an interesting steampunk fantasy world, and a thrilling plot.

My favorite thing about this book was the characters. They were all interesting and different. I'm usually a fan of secondary characters and in this case my personal favorite was Derrick, the pixie that lives in Aileana's closet. He was funny, sweet, and dedicated to protecting Aileana. I was also very intrigued by Kiran the fairy who is teaching her how to fight his own kind. He was full of secrets and I wasn't sure if I trusted him. Then there was the villain of the story a dasterdly fairy who is trying to kill off all the Falconers, those trained to kill fairies (cough cough Ailena cough cough). She was so devious as were many of the other fairies that Ailenna had to fight.

But the best character had to be Aileana, our MC and protagonist. Right away I was able to connect and identify with Aileana and her struggle to fight the fairy population in Scotland that few people believe are real. As a wealthy socialite and heiress she is torn between what society expects of her and who she wants to be. But she is also an amazing fighter and brilliant inventor. She is tough, sassy, and dedicated to the fight that no one even knows she has embarked on. She has definite Buffyesque tendencies and a lot of the book reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the characters, to the humor, to the romance it had Whedon like overtones for sure.

Speaking of that romance, I'm sad to say that it didn't quite work for me. I knew exactly the character they were trying to make into the romantic lead but something inside of me fought it from the very beginning. It's been a very long time since I read a book and I wanted to scream at the character that they picked the wrong guy. I'm not sure what it was about him that I didn't like. Maybe I didn't trust him or maybe I just clung to the more logical person for Aileana to end up with. I followed my head instead of my heart, unlike Aileana.

But despite my dislike of the romance I wasn't taken out of the story at all. The interesting steampunk fantasy world kept drawing mew further in. Aileana as previously stated was a brilliant inventor. She was always coming up with some interesting thing to help her in her pursuit of hunting fairies. Whether it was a weapon, a helicopter, or some other crazy contraption she had it covered. I've never read anything steampunk before but I loved the inclusion of these inventions in the world of fairies. The fairies or fae in this story were also a pretty fantastic part of this world that kept me hooked on reading. Many of them were familiar creatures from other stories I had read like pixies and red caps, but others were interesting and different. They each had diffinitive strengths and weaknesses as well as these ways that Aileana could detect their presence. For each one she could taste their essence when she came near them. The best thing is that even though they were diverse and interesting, they weren't complicated. And just in case you did get confused there is a handy dandy cheat sheet in the back (but it does contain some spoilers).

And with a kickass heroine commited to fighting fairies and an interesting world, there was of course a fantastic action-packed plot. From beginning to end this book was full of thrilling  sword fights, battle scenes, explosions, and narrow escapes for your life. Often times moments of Aileana's life as a Falconer would come to a head with moments of her life as a Debutante forcing her to make the difficult decision to disappoint one person or another. It was the kind of book that kept me hooked from the beginning and built to an amazing conclusion.

But of that conclusion. Not only does this book end on a cliffhanger, it ends on the climax. I read an interview awhile ago (I can't remember where) with Elizabeth May where she talked about how this wasn't the original ending of the book but she was advised to take out the original ending and put it as the start of the next book. And oh boy did it feel incomplete. It was the kind of ending where you keep flipping through looking for the last twenty pages because that can't be all. It made me so frustrated that all I wanted to do is curl into a ball screaming "WHY ELIZABETH MAY WHY!!!" Instead I pulled a Tobias and sobbed in the shower. So be warned!

But despite that torturous ending the book left me with a feeling of deeply devoted adoration for Elizabeth May and this fantastic debut. I can't wait to continue with this series. I need book 2 in my life ASAP!

I give The Falconer by Elizabeth May a 9.5 out of 10

I would recommend this book to anyone who is fans of Young Adult Fantasy, Historical Fantasy or steampunk stories. Fans of Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series will probably enjoy it (I need to start that series!).

Have you read The Falconer? What were your thoughts? Leave me a comment. Especially leaveme a comment about the romance. Am I crazy for not liking this ship? Do you ship it? Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Feature and Follow Friday #27

 A weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee's View 

 How it Works: 
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you visit the blogs of our illustrious hosts and leave your name on the post using using the linky tools, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

This Week's Question:

Have you ever convinced someone to read a book, a series, or a whole genre? What book(s) and who was it? Did they like it?

This Week's Answer:

Oh yeah. A few years ago I convinced all my friends and coworkers to read all The Hunger Games books. My copies of those books went around my office so much that I lost track of who had them. I was afraid I wasn't going to get them back. I have also convinced a bunch of people to read The Historian including my boss who bought it for her daughter as a Christmas present. And most recently I recommend my best friend read Rainbow Rowell because she liked John Green so much. She hasn't read any yet but her birthday is coming up so she may find a copy of Eleanor & Park on her doorstep from me!

What books and authors have you convinced people to read? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

And remember this is a blog hop so take a look around and if you like what you see give me a follow and leave me a comment so I can follow back. I am indifferent to the manner in which you follow so pick your poison: GFC, Bloglovin, or Twitter. Thanks for dropping by, Happy FF and HAPPY READING!

And if you are going to BEA next week, I will see you there! Say HI if you see me in line, wandering the Javits, or at the Blogger picnic! Check out my getting to know you post so that we can recognize each other.

Obligatory BEA Getting to Know You Post!

I apologize in advance to all my followers unable to attend BEA. I know it can be frustrating that it's all BEA all the time these days. I get overwhelmed with it and I am going! But Book Expo America, better known as BEA is fast approaching and I know a lot people, like me are really excited to go and learn about the exciting books coming our this fall, meet some amazing authors and get signed books, and meet fellow bloggers and book enthusiasts! But this is the second largest book conference in the world, there will be thousands of people there. How will we recognize one another? How will you know it's me when I say hi and that I love your blog? Don't worry, I got you covered.

I've seen a few fellow bloggers (Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner, Brittany at The Book Addicts Guide, and the ladies at Read.Sleep.Repeat) doing this and I think it's an amazing idea so here's a little info about me so we can meet at BEA. 

If you see me in line or across the room come say hi or if this face comes up to you and awkwardly asks if you're you from your blog you'll recognize me! 

Important Things to Know About Me 

 - I'm six foot two but I rarely stand up straight. My height does come in handy at events like this because I can see over the crowd but I also have a tendency to walk into people because I'm looking at my eye level. Sorry if I bump into you!

- I have long brown hair which is way too long right now. You will probably never see it down. If you do it's because I'm annoyed with it. Most of the time it will be in a ponytail, bun, or sidebraid ala Katniss.

 - I read most often on the Kindle app on my iPhone so if you see me staring at my phone that's why. Or I'm on Twitter. Either way you should interrupt me and ask me what I'm reading. Then we can talk books and other fun stuff!

 - I'm not a morning person at all! I will probably be pretty groggy for the first few hours and then be highly caffeinated until after lunch. You may be able to find me at the coffee cart or drinking out of my slate gray Starbucks travel mug.

 - I will be on vacation all week. I'm spending Memorial Day weekend visiting friends in Rhode Island and the two days leading up to BEA I will be going to the beach! Therefore I may look a little bit like a lobster, it's cool I'm bringing aloe vera.

 - I'm staying with my brother in Woodlawn in the Bronx. It's over an hour commute which means lots of reading but I probably won't hang out a lot afterwards. I am planning to go to the Bloggers picnic though. 

- As previously stated on my Twitter I have been told I suffer from "Bitchy Resting Face." If you see this face I'm not mad or sad, that's just my face. You should still say hi and if you talk about cats I'm sure it'll get me to smile!

- I'm attending the Book Blogger Con on Wednesday. I'm going alone but I hear it's better with a buddy. I'm cool with being a lone wolf but I would love to meet people at the Blogger Con and maybe find someone to hang with for the week. If you're flying solo and want to become buddies let me know!

- I sneeze a lot if I'm in air conditioning too long. So if I stop mid conversation and turn away, I'm probably going to sneeze.

- I'm really excited to meet everyone and talk about books. If you are interested in gushing with me I suggest mentioning A Song of Ice and Fire (books and TV show), Harry Potter, Rainbow Rowell, or any of the books in my Goodreads shelf! I also just finished The Falconer which, holy cliffhanger, I would love to talk about! Or cats. I'll even show you pictures of my cat if you ask!

I can't wait to see you all and meet you in less than a week! I'm slightly nervous, but it's the good kind of nervous.

 Are you going to BEA? Leave me a comment so I know who to say hi to.

Book Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Don't Look Back Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout Published: April 15, 2014 by Disney-Hyperion Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night aren't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Jennifer L. Armentrout is one the hardest working writers in the game these days. She’s written Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult books. She’s written Contemporary, Supernatural, and a whole host of Romances. I mean eight books she wrote were published last year alone. Plus she is an author who I have heard nothing but good things about but have not yet gotten around to reading. So when I heard she had written a Young Adult mystery I was so excited to check it out, and believe me it did not disappoint.


As you may know, I love a good mystery. I love anything where I can spend my time reading searching for clues, speculating, and developing harebrained theories to explain it all. Don’t Look Back was that kind of book. Through most of the novel I couldn’t make heads or tails about the truth. I suspected everyone and had more than one theory with very little proof to back things up. Then as the book developed I was able to follow where the clues were leading me and had one particular theory that I kept coming back to, but it was just a theory. I wasn’t entirely sure that it was true until the very end of the book where the moment of “I WAS RIGHT” was particularly satisfying. For me that's the best kind of mystery. I like being able to solve the mystery but not immediately into the story.

 But the plot on the whole was incredibly satisfying. The mystery was only the tip of the iceberg. The book also had an incredible romance that was wonderfully swoonworthy. Jennifer L. Armentrout is a master of romance and that was entirely evident throughout this book. I definitely shipped this ship and the romantic lead was incredibly easy to love. But there was also an interesting coming of age story about finding out who you really are and your ability to change. Throughout the novel the main character Samantha struggles with her memory but also if she wants to be like who she was before or who she is now. She's rethinking friendships, reconsidering relationships, and becoming who she wants to be not what others expect her to be. This combination of different themes and genres is one thing that I love in books and I loved in Don't Look Back. It was a compelling story and I was glad to be along for the ride.

But I also loved this book because of the characters. I think anyone who has ever had the opportunity to start over can relate to Samantha and her feelings of insecurity about who she wants to be. She was a great protagonist and MC and it was easy to empathize with her and root for her success. She was funny, smart, and determined to find the truth despite the fact that it got her into a lot of trouble. The book was also full of so many interesting and dubious characters. It was hard to decide who the killer was in this book because everyone was suspicious in their own way with hidden motives. Even the victim in this story was unique being a “love to hate” kind of character. She and Samantha had a tumultuous relationship being best friends and bitter rivals (which was extra weird for me because one of the reasons I read this book is my name is Cassi and my best friend's name is Samantha). They had an interesting dynamic and one that was fun to read about.

On the whole Don’t Look Back was an interesting and compelling Young Adult mystery with a great storyline, unique and interesting characters, and a mystery that was both complex and solvable. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Mystery, Contemporary, Romance, or is looking for something a little different.

I give Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout a 9 out of 10

I’m so glad this was my first book by an author that everyone raves about. I’m definitely interested in reading some more of her books. Have you read Don’t Look Back? What did you think? Are you a fan of JLA? What book from her should I read next? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books About Friendship

 

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1.) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
An obvious choice but I'm a big fan of this series and its four protagonists and their coming of age story. Through the good and the bad these friends are there for each other. Tibby, Bridget, Lena, and Carmen may fight and grow apart from time to time but they love and support one another as best friends forever.

 2.) Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
At the heart of this book is the friendship between Jennifer and Beth who we only meet through their emails. Their relationship is so genuine and realistic however it made me want to be their friend. This book reminded me so much of actual conversations I've had with friends it's not even funny! I mean it is funny, it's very funny actually.

3.) The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Three words: Liam and Chubs. I ship Liam and Chubs, that's for damn sure. No, not in the romantic sense (though it wouldn't surprise me), just as friends. These two have been through so much together and they have helped one another through it all. Plus the group on the whole is a great group of friends. This book is full of delightful friendships!

 4.) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Amid a phenomenal world and an action-packed plot there is a great story of friendship, but it's not your normal friendship. It's friendship that begins online. There's this huge theme in this book about your IRL self vs. your online self and at the heart of that issue is the friendship of the characters. As I prepare to meet some fellow bloggers at BEA I can relate.

5.) No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
If you've read this book it may surprise you being on this list, but for me I loved the underlying theme of friendship and finding that one person who gets you for you. This book was pretty realistic in it's view of friendship that it reminded me of my friends. Sometimes it's not all puppies and rainbows, it can be backhanded compliments and tough love but that's okay.

 6.) A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Sure it's a book about magic, but the core of this coming of age story is the relationship between four girls who are trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be in a world that's changing. Through it all they have one another for guidance and support. I love the friendships in this book, especially between Ann and Gemma, though Felicity and Pippa are a close second.

 7.) Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Okay, so confession time, I loved Winnie the Pooh as a child. I wished I could live in the 100 Acre Wood. I was totally jealous of Christopher Robin and his friends. These characters are all so delightful and friendly and they went on exciting adventures and.... OH HOW I WANTED TO JOIN THEM!

 8.) The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Charlie is a shy and awkward dude having a tough time in high school but he has Sam, Patrick, and some great friends to help him through it all. The way that they support one another and help Charlie break out of his shell and cope is so amazing it makes me feel feels!

9.) The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
I mean sure, this book is super depressing and made me ugly cry in public but it also is a hauntingly poetic narrative about the struggle to find human connection and someone to talk to. Isn't that what we're all searching for in a friend?

10.) The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Ron and Hermione were by Harry's side no matter what, no questions asked (well Hermione probably asked questions, but you know what I mean). They were such good friends that they even quit school and traveled all over the country to hunt down these objects they knew almost nothing about. They risked their lives countless times for Harry and never thought twice about it. They were incredible friends and definitely the two people I would want by my side in a battle against evil!


What are your favorite books about friendship? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Feature and Follow Friday #26

A weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee's View 

 How it Works: 
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you visit the blogs of our illustrious hosts and leave your name on the post using using the linky tools, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

This Week's Question:

Have you met a favorite author and have a picture? Share

This Week's Answer:

Well I actually haven't met many authors. I don't live in a very popular author destination spot. This fact is why I am so excited for BEA in a few weeks! I did however meet Lois Lowry when I lived in Rhode Island. She was at a children's book festival I went to. I don't have a picture with her but I did but a book for her to sign.

What authors have you met? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

And remember this is a blog hop so take a look around and if you like what you see give me a follow and leave me a comment so I can follow back. I am indifferent to the manner in which you follow so pick your poison: GFC, Bloglovin, or Twitter. Thanks for dropping by, Happy FF and HAPPY READING!