The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom

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Synopsis:
When Gwendolyn Bloom’s father vanishes, she sets off on a journey she never bargained for. Traveling under a new identity in a world of assassins, spies, and criminal masterminds, she uncovers a disturbing truth. To bring her father back alive, she must become every bit as cruel as the men holding him captive.

The main character was naive for someone who had been around violence and seen so much of the world. It annoyed me at times because I felt she should have known better. She kept this naivety throughout the book and did not grow much as a character with the exception of becoming tougher over the course of the book.

I thought that the pacing was well done and there was just enough action and mystery in the story. I thought that it was interesting how the book was divided into sections depending on where the main character found herself at the moment. I believe that this helped with the pacing as well because it wouldn't have been as good if she stayed in the same place the whole book. She encountered different trials in each place and had to adapt to them.

I also loved that the author made Gwendolyn vulnerable even after her training because it wouldn't be realistic if she was suddenly a master in fighting/ going undercover after three weeks. It made it easier to immerse myself in the story. She was a very strong character and I have a weakness for strong, kick-butt heroines!

This book reminds me a lot of the movie Taken 2 with the exception of the daughter going after the father and her not having a background in spy tactics. If you liked Taken 2, you will probably enjoy this book.

Insomnia by J. R. Johansson

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Synopsis:
Her eyes saved his life.
Her dreams released his darkness.

After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can't take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he's made eye contact with. If he doesn't sleep soon, Parker will die.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker's furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he'd go. And when someone begins to terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker's memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence. 

I thought that this book was interesting because Parker's ability to experience other peoples' dreams is the very thing that is killing him. Think about how much power you could have being able to do that. He is able to see memories, fears, etc. and he could use that to his advantage. I believe that is why I enjoyed the fact that Parker was so vulnerable. He is dying and doesn't know what is going on with his own mind throughout the book. He is missing periods of time and feels as if he is going crazy. I think that this gives the book a good balance of power so to speak. 

I appreciated the author's writing style because I think that it aided me as the reader to understand the motives behind Parker's actions. He was so desperate to save himself that he became someone that he didn't recognize. Parker's emotions leapt off the page as did the emotions of others. I'm not sure that I loved who ended up being the one that was stalking Mia. It made sense but something about it didn't feel right to me... Maybe it was too obvious or I didn't like the reasoning behind the stalking. I can't quite put my finger on the exact reason why. The book was still really good and I'm intrigued by it enough that I may read the next one in the series.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Lesley Walton

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Synopsis:
Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava — in all other ways a normal girl — is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the summer solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

I can honestly say that I have never read a book like this one before. It is extremely unique! While it was interesting, I was bored and found it hard to pay attention.

The author does not even begin to talk about the main character until about halfway through the book. The synopsis as well as the prologue of the book make it seem as if Ava has spent years trying to figure out why she is different. In reality, the book focuses on her family tree until we finally hear about her actual life later on.

This book was just okay for me. It wasn't exactly what I expected and was slow paced. If you are looking for a unique book that doesn't really have anything happen until the last 50 pages then this book is for you.

Monsters (Ashes Trilogy #3) by Ilsa J. Bick

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Synopsis:
The Changed are on the move. The Spared are out of time. The End...is now. When her parents died, Alex thought things couldn't get much worse—until the doctors found the monster in her head. She headed into the wilderness as a good-bye, to leave everything behind. But then the end of the world happened, and Alex took the first step down a treacherous road of betrayal and terror and death. Now, with no hope of rescue—on the brink of starvation in a winter that just won't quit—she discovers a new and horrifying truth. The Change isn't over. The Changed are still evolving. And...they've had help.

The action is this book is still as good as the other other books in this trilogy. I don't think that there was ever an issue with that part of the trilogy. The issues for me lie with the different points of view. They were not as bad in this book as they were in Shadows, the second book in the ashes trilogy. It was still a bit bothersome though. 

My main issue with this book was that the ending was so open ended. I have no idea what happens. The majority of the questions that I had while reading the first two books were answered but the author left the ending in such a way that I have no idea what the future holds for any of the characters. I don't feel like things with Alex were resolved and she is the character that matters the most because she is the first one introduced. 

Shadows (Ashes Trilogy #2) by Ilsa J. Bick

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Synopsis:
The Apocalypse does not end. The Changed will grow in numbers. The Spared may not survive. Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the world was gone, she believed Rule could be a sanctuary for her and those she'd come to love. But she was wrong.

Now Alex is in the fight of her life against the adults, who would use her, the survivors, who don't trust her, and the Changed, who would eat her alive. Welcome to Shadows, the second book in the haunting apocalyptic Ashes Trilogy: where no one is safe and humans may be the worst of the monsters.

I think that this book is even better than the first with one exception. There are way to many points of view!  I don't understand why the author felt the need to have so many people talk about their journeys when I was used to hearing only Alex's voice in the first book. Honestly, I don't give a crap about Lena. She annoys me and I don't feel any connection to her whatsoever. There were other characters that were interesting to hear from but I found myself confused about whose point of view I was reading about many times. I had to look back and remind myself who it was before I could continue reading the book. It would have been easier and more satisfying to only have Alex's point of view during the book. 

I thought that everything else was done well. The action and tension were taken up a notch and everyone is fighting for their lives in different ways due to their specific situations that they find themselves in. I have a feeling that the new characters we met along with others are going to clash and we are going to have an epic battle on our hands! 

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

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Synopsis: 
It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

Gripped me from beginning to end – dark, creepy and suspenseful.  James Dashner,
New York Times Best-Selling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials       
             
This book is what I have been looking for! I wanted to read something with action that I could really sink my teeth into much like the changed in this book do. Haha! 

I loved Alex! She is the kind of heroine that I want to read about. She was strong yet vulnerable. She didn't always know what to do or how to go about things but she never stopped trying. After reading the reviews, it seems like people didn't appreciate the change in her at about the halfway point because it changed the tone of the story. I think I can understand where the author is coming from though. Alex is terrified! He entire world has changed and she is attempting to adapt to it the best way that she can. After fighting through tragedy and now the new dangers that surround her, she had to have been exhausted. Everyone gets tired of fighting and I believe that is what happened to her. 

I'm not sure that I loved how long the book focused on this but I was able to understand because the next book seems to be the one where readers get a lot of questions answered. This book was laying the ground work for the next one and it couldn't do that unless readers were able to understand the different factions of people in the world now. 

Salt and Stone (Fire and Flood Series #2) by Victoria Scott

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Synopsis: 
How far would you go to survive?

In FIRE & FLOOD, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and a terrifying march across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't stop - and in SALT & STONE, Tella will have to face the unseen dangers of the ocean, the breathless cold of a mountain, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the beginning of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the fourth and final part of the race, just forty-one are left . . . and only one can win.

Wow! What a thrill ride! I loved this book as much as the first one! There are new obstacles that the contenders face and the action/thrills keeps coming. I didn't know that it was possible but there is even more action in this one than the last book. 

Tella was a lot stronger in this book which I loved but I couldn't understand why the author felt the need to keep telling us how different she was when the character's actions showed us throughout the entire book. I got so frustrated with the amount of times that Tella kept having inner dialogues about how she was tough now compared to when she was planning on wearing a sparkly dress for this or that or how new jeans used to be all she cared about. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! It made it seem as if the author didn't trust readers to be smart enough to pick up on the fact that Tella was stronger so it was thrown in our faces time and again. 

I know that it may sound as if I didn't like this book when it reality it was really good! I loved reading about the new challenges the contenders were forced to face as well as the new skills that we found out about the pandoras. The relationships between the characters grew and changed in interesting ways as well. Overall, this book is just as good if not slightly better than the first book.

Victoria Scott has said that she is unsure whether this will be the last book in the series and I will be so upset if it is. So may things are left unanswered at the end of the book. I have to know what happens to the characters after Brimstone Bleed concluded.