Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Synopsis:
There is need. And then there is Fate... Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn’t exactly awesome—especially when Alexandria’s "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth’s in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom—so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do—and sacrifice—for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies—lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn’t blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone 

I would put this book on the same level as the first book. It wasn't better than the first one because I don't feel like the tension or the war between daimons and other races ramps up at all. It wasn't worse either but once again I feel that the love triangle between Alex, Seth, and Aiden takes precedence over everything else in the story. I want the books to focus more on the prejudice between the halfs and the pures as well as the danger that the daimons presents. 
I did appreciate that Alex changed and grew more in this book but it felt at times like the author did not devote enough time to her trials. We get a glimpse of Alex's reaction to having lost someone close to her in this book but then she goes right back to obsessing over her feelings for Aiden. I like Aiden but I wish that Alex would just get over him already because I'm sick of her pining over him. The amount of action in this book was the same although the plot needed work. I understand that this is a sequel but I feel like nothing was added to the story and everything just carried on from the first book. The only thing that happens is more halfs being changed and meeting more people that hate Alex.

The Six by Mark Alpert

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Synopsis:
Exchanging their bodies for machines, these teens will defy expectations, brave danger, and defend civilization. They are The Six.
Adam's muscular dystrophy has stolen his mobility, his friends, and in less than a year it will take his life. Virtual reality games are Adam's only escape from his wheelchair. In his alternate world, he can defeat anyone. Running, jumping, scoring touchdowns: Adam is always the hero.
Then an artificial intelligence program hacks into Adam's game. Created by Adam's computer-genius father, Sigma has gone rogue, threatening to kill Adam—and the entire human race. Their one chance to stop Sigma is using the technology Adam's dad developed to digitally preserve the mind of his dying son.
Along with a select group of other terminally ill teens, Adam becomes one of the Six who have forfeited their failing bodies to inhabit weaponized robots. But with time running short, the Six must learn to manipulate their new mechanical forms and work together to train for epic combat...before Sigma destroys humanity.

I thought that Adam was an interesting main character. He has muscular dystrophy which limits him in many ways but he tries to put on a brave front for those around him. He uses humor as a way to cope with his situation and is extremely smart.  I wasn't able to connect with the other characters in this book like I could with Adam. The other characters didn't seem to have as much depth to them which made me want to ignore them for the most part. 
The story itself was fast-paced and tense. I found it to be both thrilling and intellectually stimulating. It was difficult to guess what Sigma would do next and how the Six would be able to counter the AI's attacks. I thought that it was interesting to see Adam's reaction to becoming one of the Six. He was unsure if he was still himself or just a copy of himself. I don't know very much about technology but thought that it was an intriguing thought. 
I thought that it was a nice touch for the author to include Sigma's communications as well as the general's communications with the higher ups regarding Sigma's movements. It added another element to the story providing it with another level of tension and background information. It also provided readers with the "big picture" not just the teens emotions and their training. 

Blackout by Robison Wells

🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Laura and Alec are highly trained teenage terrorists. Jack and Aubrey are small-town high school students. There was no reason for their paths ever to cross. But now a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible superpowers—and all teens are being rounded up, dragged to government testing facilities, and drafted into the army to fight terrorism. Suddenly, Jack, Laura, Aubrey, and Alec find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all.

I had a hard time with this book. The world building was not done as well as I would have liked. It's like the author wanted everything in the book to be taken at face value without anyone wanting any answers or for the author to delve deeper into the subject matter.  I didn't understand the exact goal of the terrorists or the purpose of infecting other people with superpowers.  I guess that could have been an accident that they did not account for.
The author never gives a definitive answer about any of anything. 
I liked the book but I wanted more depth. I wanted more from the characters other than saying that Laura wants to be in a position of power even though her comrades think that she is a pretty, dumb, and blond. That is literally all we find out about her over the course of the book.  I thought that the idea of terrorists that are super powered was an interesting one. It makes it more difficult to defeat an enemy that have an clear advantage over soldiers. It evens the odds to have other teenagers have powers as well but not know if there are terrorists among them. The whole concept was intriguing.

Jackaby by William Ritter

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Synopsis:
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 the foul deeds are the work of the kind of creature whose very existence the local authorities--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--seem adamant to deny.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! Although the story was historical, it read as if it was happening in present day. The language, clothing, and setting were true to the time period but I didn't find these elements bothersome like I have with other books. 
I found the pacing to be well done with enough tension and breadcrumbs of information to keep the story going and me wanting more. The author's writing style was interesting and incredibly detailed. It felt as if I was watching a movie play out in front of me. 
I thought that the killer was easy to predict when a certain clue was given in the story but I still found the story itself to be enjoyable. I loved how the author introduced Jackaby as well as the character himself. He was quite a bit like Sherlock Holmes but more lovable and quirky and less of a sociopath. I think that one of my favorite elements of the book was the paranormal. It made the book different from other variations of Sherlock Holmes type of stories. I think that it also added excitement and a quirkiness that I loved!

Touch by Jus Accardo

                                                         🌟🌟🌗 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home. Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her.
It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy—and her father's "law firm"—than she realized.Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life.
And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe. A secret Kale will kill to protect.

I was mostly disappointed with this book. I have read other books by Jus Accardo and I loved them. I know that this book was written before those because it was her first but it seemed like a completely different author. This book needed more work because the idea behind it was a good one but it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. 
I had a hard time connecting to the main characters because I didn't feel like they were very likeable or relatable. Deznee is an immature teen who does everything in her power to anger and annoy her father. She doesn't really change much over the course of the book. She seems to only have her goals in mind no matter the cost to those around her. Kale was a bit of a blank slate who seemed to be in the book so that there was more man candy. I wanted to like him but he was so naive and ignorant that I found him annoying. It seemed as if he didn't know anything at all no matter how simple the concept.  
The majority of the book didn't seem very believable to me. People just automatically believe the things that they are told and girls go off with guys that threaten to kill them. There were a few tense chase scenes that were fair and an fight scene towards the end of the book that was well done. I really enjoyed the last 20% of the book so I may read the next one if that portion of the book is any indication of what the sequel will be like.
If you want to see this author at her best then you should read The Eternal Balance trilogy. It is awesome!

Oblivion (Broken City #3) by Jessica Sorenson

                                                       🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Every day my life becomes more in danger. The only way to survive might be to enter the Oblivion and relive my forgotten memories. But my mind may be even more dangerous than reality. 

This is the third book in the Broken City series and things are continuing to amp up in this book. There is no lack of action in this one though there is less hand to hand fighting than in the previous books. It still has the same flavor as the others although now another type of villain has been introduced to us (though I think of him as the main villain as far as Allura is concerned). There were glimpses of him in the previous books but the author didn't give away who exactly he was. I have my suspicions about the so called time traveler. We never see his face in this book so I wonder if he is someone that is known and loved by Allura. It always seems like when an author hides the face of a villain that the reveal is going to be devastating and/or shocking to readers. 

I'm ready to read the next book so hopefully it will be coming out soon. I know that Jessica Sorenson always has so many books up in the air at once so we'll see.  I feel like I need to read the next book in order to understand what was happening in this one. I guess that always happens when the time manipulation element is added into a book.

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry

🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.
And that she must run.

In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive, in The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die.

I was not a big fan of this book. It started off really well with the main character waking up to men speaking about finishing her off. She has no memory of who she is or what is happening. The only thing that she knows for sure is that these men want to kill her so she has to come up with a way to escape. The book continues to be tense and interesting until about 50 pages in. That's the point where events in the book are not realistic any longer. In the synopsis, Ty is mentioned as the main character's accidental savior but it makes no sense for her to meet him and then to have him continue helping her throughout the book. He doesn't know her. She could be crazy for all he knows. I thought that that the book felt like a bad action movie because  everything is so over the top. It would make more sense if it were realistic. I also thought that Cady made so many mistakes that any person would know were missteps due to common sense when you are running and/or hiding from people who are trying to kill you.