When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

                                                         🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:

A win brought them together, but loss may tear them apart.
When the sound of sirens cuts through a cool fall night, the small town of Worthy, Georgia, hurtles from triumph to tragedy. Just hours before, they’d watched the Wildcats score a winning touchdown. Now, they’re faced with the deaths of three cheerleaders—their promising lives cut short in a fatal crash. And the boy in the other car—the only one to survive—is believed to be at fault. As rumors begin to fly and accusations spin, allegiances form and long-kept secrets emerge.
At the center of the whirlwind are four women, each grappling with loss, regret, shame, and lies: Marglyn, a grieving mother; Darcy, whose son had been behind the wheel; Ava, a substitute teacher with a scandalous secret; and Leah, a cheerleader who should have been in the car with her friends, but wasn’t. If the truth comes out, will it bring redemption—or will it be their downfall?

The author did a good job of establishing the small town ideals and the setting of the book in just a few pages. I felt like I had lived in Worthy and experienced what it was like to live in a town with only a few restaurants and nonstop gossip.  It seemed as if the town itself was a point of view because of how the small town mentality affected the main characters. They couldn't do or say anything without someone knowing and talking about it.

I thought that the different points of view were interesting in that they added various views of the crash and how it affected each of them in different ways. I was riveted  by what each of the women had to say. It was interesting that the author put every character's flaws on display so that no person was seen as perfect. As a reader, this helped me to not takes sides on any of the issues that each of the characters were dealing with in their personal lives or with the crash itself. She presented the book in such a way that as readers we understand that there are two sides to every single story.  It felt like the author was allowing me to decide for myself what was right and wrong rather than telling me what to think. 

The author presents many issues in the book that are dealt with on a daily basis in real life and asks to the reader to look at them in a different light. When there is a car crash and the other driver lives, is it murder? Was he aware of what would happen? I appreciated what the author did by posing these types of questions. I also appreciated how she showed the differences in how people approach grief whether they are young or middle aged. This book was written in such a way that it felt very realistic, almost like I was reading someone's biography. I admired the realism of it all and was able to immerse myself in the story.  

This book was solid and the only reason that I didn't give it a higher rating is that it didn't punch me in the gut with emotions. I wanted to feel what the characters were going through along with them but found that I couldn't connect with them as much as I wanted to. I think that if there was more depth to each character that would have helped. I feel that a lot of what I knew about the Marglyn, Darcy, Ava, and Leah dwelled on the surface. I was able to see who they reacted to things but it was at times difficult to understand the emotions that led them to it.

When I Cast Your Shadow by Sarah Porter

                                                                🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
 Synopsis:
A TEENAGE GIRL CALLS HER BELOVED OLDER BROTHER BACK FROM THE GRAVE, WITH DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES....
RUBY
Haunted by her dead brother, unable to let him go, Ruby must figure out whether his nightly appearances in her dreams are the answer to her prayers—or a nightmare come true…
EVERETT
He’s always been jealous of his dashing older brother. Now Everett must do everything he can to save his twin sister Ruby from his clutches.
DASHIELL
Charming, handsome, and manipulative, Dash has run afoul of some very powerful forces in the Land of the Dead. His only bargaining chips are Ruby and Everett. At stake is the very survival of the Bohnacker family, bodies and souls....



I think that the idea behind the story was an interesting one that I have not read before. This book puts a new spin on grieving the loss of a loved one and how it can affect someone. All of the members of the family in this book are grieving Dashiell differently. Ruby has the most difficulty moving on and is clinging to any pieces of him she has left while Everett and her father are moving on in different ways. I also found the author's take on the land of the dead and forces that are in charge there to be creepy and decriptive. The author transports you there with her words and paints a vivid picture. 

I think that if it weren't for the odd family dynamic and characters that I felt I couldn't relate to that I would have really enjoyed the story. It seemed like there was an odd romantic undertone in the relationship between Dashiell and Ruby. I know that she idolized him but it comes off in a manner that reminds me of unrequited love. It made me uncomfortable which made it difficult to continue reading the book. I also thought that the family dynamic with Ruby, Everett, Dashiell, and their Dad was peculiar. It didn't seem like any family dynamic that I had seen before and I wasn't sure what to make of it. I had a hard time wrapping my head around it.

I found it very hard to connect with the characters which in turn made it difficult to connect to the story. Everett was the only character that I liked because he seemed to be the only person with any redeeming qualities. Ruby seemed to need therapy because she had some deep seated issues. I didn't like Dashiell so I didn't really care what happened to him although I did find him interesting. It seemed like everyone but the father and to a certain extent Everett thought that Dashiell walked on water but he was so manipulative. He gave Ruby so many backhanded compliments or even nasty ones but it's like she was basically saying "thank you sir may I have another". 

The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco

                                                     🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:

I am where dead children go.

Okiku is a lonely soul. She has wandered the world for centuries, freeing the spirits of the murdered-dead. Once a victim herself, she now takes the lives of killers with the vengeance they're due. But releasing innocent ghosts from their ethereal tethers does not bring Okiku peace. Still she drifts on.
Such is her existence, until she meets Tark. Evil writhes beneath the moody teen's skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. While his neighbors fear him, Okiku knows the boy is not a monster. Tark needs to be freed from the malevolence that clings to him. There's just one problem: if the demon dies, so does its host.

 I don't generally read a lot of horror but the plot of this book intrigued me. I've never seen the movie The Ring and I don't know much about Japanese ghost stories/folklore. This book was compared to both of these things which made me nervous that I would have to read this while the sun was out unless I wanted to have nightmares.  
There were a few moments when I was reading this when I flinched out of fear but for the most part it didn't scare me. I would say that the book is more creepy than scary and I'm a scardy cat so make of that what you will.
I found that I was pulled into the story from the first page. I wanted to know more about Okiku and the reasons behind her actions. She seemed like such an interesting character and I enjoyed being inside of her head for the entirety of the book. Okiku is a vigilante of sorts who murders people that have harmed and continue to harm children. I have to say that even though she kills people and seems a bit blood thirsty, I was rooting for her. I wished that she could have saved the victims rather than avenging them after they had already been murdered. I also liked Tark, the strong-willed, loner, although he took a backseat to Okiku. I found it interesting to learn about both of their backgrounds and what brought them to this place in their lives where they were drawn together.
I loved the story and thought that the pacing was well done. I was never bored nor did I feel a lull in the book. I couldn't predict what was going to happen. The author surprised me more than once with where she took the book but it still fit with the story. I've never read anything quite like this and I may end up reading more from this author.

 

Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir

                                                        🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis:
After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both.

Torch Against the Night picks up right where An Ember in the Ashes left off.  Elias and Laia are attempting to flee the city and journey to Kauf prison. I have to say that I didn't like this as much as the first book. The author added another point of view in the book which was Helena (Blood Shrike). I had no desire to be in Helena's head even though it helped me to understand what Marcus and the Commandant were planning and the actions that they were taking to accomplish them. I wasn't as invested in her or what was happening with her so I found her portions of the book to be boring. 
I didn't see the twist in the story coming. It seemed like there were hints leading me to believe that a certain character may not have been who I thought but I didn't expect what was actually going on.I feel as if Sabaa Tahir was torturing one character in the story in particular and it broke my heart. I'm guessing that what happened to that character will play a large part in the next book. 
I wanted to see more battles in this book but it did not happen. I attribute this to the author weakening a certain character to the point that he wasn't much help in a fight. I think that my issue may be that I liked the plot of An Ember in the Ashes better. I really enjoyed the trials that happened in the first book which obviously could not take place again in this one. I really enjoyed that aspect as well as the foretelling from Cain. He was in this book but to a far lesser extent and he seemed a bit bloodthirsty instead of rebellious and helpful. There wasn't a lot of character growth in this book either. I feel like the depth of change that the main characters achieved by the end of the first book just plateaued.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

                                                      🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌗out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. 

An Ember in the Ashes has fallen to the bottom of my to be read pile for a while now. I'm so happy that I finally got around to reading it! This book blew my mind!

Sabaa Tahir is an author that I am going to have to keep an eye on now because this book was so well written. I could tell that she mapped out this book because everything in it was well thought out. The pacing was perfect! The book starts off by throwing readers right into the action. It begins with the night that Laia's brother is arrested which is a tense, frightening, bloody scene that seems to set the tone for the entire book. We continue on the journey with Laia and find out how much she is willing to sacrifice in order to save him. 

The author also gives us Elias's point of view in the book who was a soldier and my favorite character by far. He reminds me of a darker, warrior version of Peta from The Hunger Games. Peta doesn't want be a pawn in the games or to change the essence of who he is by trying to survive the hunger games. Elias is similar in that he does not want to be a monster who kills without thought or remorse. He only wishes to be free. 

I felt that both of the main characters were naive to the nefarious plots that were taking place around them which is why I could not give the book five stars. I felt that Laia more so than Elias should have been able to see what was right in front of her. I realize that she was desperate and desperation can make us ignorant to things right in front of our faces but it still irked me.  

I did love the story with its tangled web of betrayal, war, and different factions with various goals. I loved how Sabaa Tahir made the book so incredibly dark because war is not without its bloodshed or darkness. She didn't glance over the lives that were lost or when comrade was turned against comrade. I think that the sequel will be even better! The characters changed so much over the course of this book which I believed to be for the better. There was plenty of fighting and I can only assume that there will be much more in the next book.

 
 

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

                                                            🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
I can't believe I fell for it.

It was still dark when I woke up this morning.

As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was.

A low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete.

There are six little rooms along the main corridor.

There are no windows. No doors. The elevator is the only way in or out.

What's he going to do to me?

What am I going to do?

People are really quite simple, and they have simple needs. Food, water, light, space, privacy. Maybe a small measure of dignity. A bit of freedom. What happens when someone simply takes all that away?


This book was just ok for me. The only character that we know enough about is Linus because we are in his head for the whole book. He was the only character that I was able to connect with because of this. I couldn't connect to the story. It felt like I was reading it instead of becoming a pat of it if that makes sense. It seemed like the author had plenty of good ideas going into writing this book but it didn't cohesively come together. I was left feeling unsatisfied with the book. No answers are ever given as to why these particular people were kidnapped or why. I ended up having more questions regarding the book than answers which made me frustrated. I also have to agree with the other reviews of this book when people are saying that the ending is not satisfying or that they hated it. I was left feeling very disturbed, with a bad taste in my mouth.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

                                                             🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟



Synopsis:

Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.
It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

I thought that the title of this book was eluding to a gathering of supernatural creatures but apparently that is not the case.  I don't see what the title has to do with the story. There was no gathering in the book. I thought that the synopsis of the book was interesting but some of the things that are mentioned in it are not exactly accurate. Daniel gets feelings about people but I wouldn't call it premonitions and Maya doesn't have bad reactions to the mountain lions around her home. In the book, it is explained that wildlife is seen around her home frequently enough that it is not a huge deal.

I feel like this book had a lot of build up that went nowhere. There were things that happened in the book that were never explained and I felt like the author included events just to include them. They didn't really matter to the story. Supernatural ideals were excepted way too easily...I don't understand how a person can just immediately begin believing that they are a part of a legend that was told to them.

We never meet these supposed scientists and are never told why they keep such a tight leash on the residents of the town. Also, we are never given a definitive answer as to what made Serena drown in the beginning of the book. There are a bunch of ideas or suggestions that are thrown out and people just accept whichever one they prefer.

I didn't like many of the characters. I found many of them annoying and with Sam I felt that the author was trying too hard to establish her as tough and then makes her vulnerable which doesn't make any sense.