Kaniesha Mini Reviews: Rush, Sacrifice, The Witch Hunter

I haven't done mini reviews in a while but here are three! The problem with my thoughts on these: I don't feel passionately enough about them to elaborate more. Trying to come up with 600+ words for them is nearly impossible for me. I really like the latter two but they're pretty solid minus a few discrepancies I have with them. Read on, my friends!

Title: Rush
Series: The Game #1
Author: Silver Eve
Release date: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: action, dystopia, aliens
Rating: dropped
Goodreads

As it tends to go with me, I’ve wanted to read Rush since I first saw the cover. I love it! My favorite color is blue, of course I was drawn to it. Unfortunately, a majority of reviews I saw for it were not nice. I’ve been avoiding it for that reason entirely. I kind of wish I had continued to avoid it, because it’s really disappointing.

At no point did I begin to like any of the characters in the story. I understand they’re under a lot of pressure but passive aggressive arguments and humor laced with anger don’t make a good story. One second she hates everything that’s going on and wants nothing to do with it, and then the second she’s glad to be there because it ~makes her feel something~. All the elements of the story just don’t add up for me and it’s annoying.

The main character’s mother died, so she’s suffering from depression. That makes sense. It’d be more odd if she wasn’t. But it’s such an odd detail/characteristic and I can never figure out what Silver wants to focus on. They’re in a weird game where they’re fighting for their lives. They’re in groups of teams but they’re supposed to only be looking out for themselves. They have some idea of what they’re doing, but not much. Apparently only the love interest knows what’s going on. He’s special, with his aviator glasses. The other two boys are there as comedic relief and potential love triangle add-on respectively. The main character is semi-okay with all the things because she doesn’t have a choice, plus she might be special like love interest.

I don’t know. It’s such an odd book and I really couldn’t get into it. Rating: dropped. I got about halfway through and I didn’t find out anything interesting. Last thing I read, they were crawling through tunnels for 37 hours or something.

Title: Sacrifice
Series: Elemental #5
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Release date: September 30, 2014
Publisher: Kensington Teen
Genres: action, urban fantasy, supernatural
Rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads

I received a copy of Sacrifice from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
As with Rush, I’ve been avoiding reading this one. But for a near exact opposite reason. I really didn’t want to finish the series. Just plain didn’t want to finish it. I didn’t want to let go of the Merrick brothers. But all good things must come to an end!

In the end, I was kind of underwhelmed by Sacrifice. I don’t know if it’s because I took too long waiting to read it or if the story just didn’t end with quiet enough bang, if you get what I mean.

The whole series is done so well in this high school drama sort of way, which is awesome because so much YA doesn’t have the intense emotional current underneath the way these do. It’s kind of emotionally exhausting to read these but not in a bad way, it’s just so weird. I might’ve already mentioned this in my Secret review.

Even though Sacrifice follows the format of the rest of the series - with it only following one Merrick brother - it just feels like the ending shouldn’t have been the same, or that another book should be following Sacrifice with all of the Merrick brothers having a POV in it. Hearing all of their voices for the ending would’ve made it amazing because there was a huge lack of all of them together in the story. Great ending but definitely not as stunning as it could’ve been.

Title: The Witch Hunter
Series: The Witch Hunter #1
Author: Virginia Boecker
Release date: September 30, 2014
Publisher: Kensington Teen
Genres: action, witches, magic, high fantasy
Rating: 4 stars
Goodreads

I also received a copy of The Witch Hunter from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!

I absolutely enjoyed The Witch Hunter. I just love books like this where there’s a combination of castles, fighting, kick-ass girls and romance. Not that this one only contains those things, there’s also magic and corrupt wizards! As you might’ve guessed by the title.

Based upon the description and the cover, I was honestly prepared for this one to be a lot darker and a bit more tragic. It’s got that whole dark persona thing going on. It’s actually not like that at all and it’s kind of refreshing. The tone of voice that the main character has is kind of light and fun, even if a bit whiny at times. The whole story is more amusing than it is serious and intense. Of course, It does have its somber moments - complex stories really can’t not have them - but they’re smooth and don’t stick out too bad.

I’m not sure if I have a problem with the main character, Elizabeth, but sometimes she comes across flat. I really don’t mind her voice/tone but a lot of the time it feels like she’s letting everyone else come up with the ideas of what to do. It’s really just up to whether or not she agrees. There’s nothing wrong with being passive, but I wouldn’t peg that characteristing onto the main character.

All of the side characters are nice but if you’re hoping for more than a few of them to have significant roles, slow down. A lot of them get pushed off by the end of the story, or they just help Elizabeth out with this or that. It really is the Elizabeth Show so get your tickets!

Riveting story though, and light enough to not feel like you’re getting yourself into something too deep. I really look forward to continuing the series!

Kaniesha Reviews: Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham

Title: Scarlett Undercover
Series: Stand-Alone
Author: Jennifer Latham
Release date: May 19, 2015
Publisher: Little Brown
Genres: contemporary, action, mystery
Goodreads

Meet Scarlett, a smart, sarcastic, kick-butt, Muslim American heroine, ready to take on crime in her hometown of Las Almas. When a new case finds the private eye caught up in a centuries-old battle of evil genies and ancient curses, Scarlett discovers that her own family secrets may have more to do with the situation than she thinks -- and that cracking the case could lead to solving her father's murder.

Jennifer Latham delivers a compelling story and a character to remember in this one-of-a-kind debut novel.

Kaniesha Reviews: Shadow, Shadow by V.B. Marlowe

Title: Shadow, Shadow
Series: The Shadow Pines Trilogy
Author: V.B. Marlowe
Release date: February 15, 2015
Publisher: Indie
Genres: paranormal
Goodreads

"The four of you have been blessed with a great gift. Well, it's a gift for you, but a curse for someone else." 

Harley receives a mysterious gift on her sixteenth birthday--a shadow box. The box gives her the power to trade someone to the shadows, meaning they will disappear and cease to exist. Harley can't imagine doing such a horrible thing and is warned that using the box comes at a price. Unfortunately, not using the box can be even more costly. Harley must make this life-altering decision as she discovers frightening revelations about the town she calls home.

Kaniesha Reviews: Fake ID by Lamar Giles

Title: Fake ID
Series: Stand-Alone
Author: Lamar Giles
Release date: January 21, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genres: contemporary, action, mystery
Goodreads

Nick Pearson is hiding in plain sight…

My name isn’t really Nick Pearson.

I shouldn’t tell you where I’m from or why my family moved to Stepton, Virginia.

I shouldn’t tell you who I really am, or my hair, eye, and skin color.

And I definitely shouldn’t tell you about my friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy he was about to uncover when he died—right after I moved to town. About how I had to choose between solving his murder with his hot sister, Reya, and “staying low-key” like the Program has taught me. About how moving to Stepon changed my life forever.

But I’m going to.

Kaniesha Reviews: Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Afterworlds
Series: Stand-Alone
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Release date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genres: contemporary, supernatural, ghosts
Goodreads

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… 

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

Kaniesha Reviews: The Rose Master by Valentina Cano

Title: The Rose Master
Series: Stand-Alone
Author: Valentina Cano
Release date: June 2014
Publisher: REUTS Publications, LLC
Genres: fantasy, magic, gothic
Goodreads

The day Anne Tinning turns seventeen, birds fall from the sky. But that's hardly the most upsetting news. She's being dismissed from the home she's served at since she was a child, and shipped off to become the newly hired parlor maid for a place she's never heard of. And when she sees the run-down, isolated house, she instantly knows why:

There's something wrong with Rosewood Manor.

Staffed with only three other servants, all gripped by icy silence and inexplicable bruises, and inhabited by a young master who is as cold as the place itself, the house is shrouded in neglect and thick with fear. Her questions are met with hushed whispers, and she soon finds herself alone in the empty halls, left to tidy and clean rooms no one visits.

As the feeling of being watched grows, she begins to realize there is something else in the house with them--some creature that stalks the frozen halls and claws at her door. A creature that seems intent on harming her.

When a fire leaves Anne trapped in the manor with its Master, she finally demands to know why. But as she forces the truth about what haunts the grounds from Lord Grey, she learns secrets she isn't prepared for. The creature is very real, and she's the only one who can help him stop it. 

Now, Anne must either risk her life for the young man she's grown to admire, or abandon her post while she still can. 

Kaniesha Reviews: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Title: The Young Elites
Series: The Young Elites #1
Author: Marie Lu
Release date: October 7th 2014
Publisher: Putnam Books for Young Readers
Genres: fantasy, high fantasy, magic, dystopia
Goodreads

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Kaniesha Reviews: Blood Orange Soda ARC by James Michael Larranaga

Title: Blood Orange Soda
Series: Stand-Alone
Author: James Michael Larranaga
Release date: February 26, 2014
Publisher: JML
Genres: vampires, urban fantasy
Goodreads, buy the book

Darius Hunter lives in a world where vampires live among normal humans. Young vampires like Darius are kept on a government-mandated medication that prevents them from becoming fully undead until they’re 18. He’s smart, sensitive and all-too human—a struggling outsider who’s just trying to fit in, find a girlfriend and escape the attention of football bully Bao Wang. 

It’s his humanity that often keeps him from his hopes and dreams, so Darius’ “cool uncle” Jack, a vampire, introduces him to a substance called Blood Orange Soda. This strange analog of steroids can speed Darius’ maturation into his full vampire state, but it can’t guarantee that he’ll avoid disrupting the lives of his mother and sister, win the love of Angel Martin or successfully face up to Bao. It also doesn’t make him immune to heartbreak and loss. 

The author takes familiar themes of YA fiction—vampires and teen romance—and treats them with a surprising empathy and respect that gives them real weight. 

Kaniesha Reviews: Salt & Storm ARC by Kendall Kulper

Title: Salt & Storm
Series: Stand-Alone
Author: Kendall Kulper
Release date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: fantasy, witches, historical fiction
Goodreads, buy the book

You don't know what you must give up to become a witch.

Avery Roe wants only to claim her birthright as the witch of Prince Island and to make the charms that have kept the island's sailors safe at sea for generations, but instead she is held prisoner by her mother in a magic-free life of proper manners and respectability.

Avery thinks escape is just a matter of time, but when she has a harrowing nightmare, she can see what it means: She will be killed. She will be murdered. And she's never been wrong before.

Desperate to change her future, Avery finds a surprising ally in Tane—a tattooed harpoon boy with magic of his own, who moves her in ways she never expected. But as time runs out to unlock her magic and save herself, Avery discovers that becoming a witch requires unimaginable sacrifice.

Avery walks the knife's edge between choice and destiny in Kendall Kulper's sweeping debut: the story of one girl's fight to survive the rising storm of first love and family secrets.

Kaniesha Reviews: Altaica ARC by Tracy M. Joyce

Title: Altaica
Series: The Chronicles of Altaica, #1
Author: Tracy M. Joyce
Release date: June 6, 2014
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Genres: fantasy
Goodreads, buy the book

“Look at her – she’s Hill Clan. Even the Matyrani don’t like them …”

Isaura – little is known about her race, but much is whispered. Born to refugees, she grows up enduring racism and superstition within a community that fears her. She has few friends, and those she treasures. Trapped, she longs for escape to a different life.

Escape is only the beginning of her troubles. Having fled an invading army with her friends, Isaura is faced with heinous choices in order to survive. Secrets from her past emerge to torment her and threaten to destroy all she holds dear. Her struggles forge a bond with an ancient power – a power which may transform or consume her. Old hatreds and superstitions are renewed and at her most vulnerable she learns the true nature of those around her.

Her only hope lies in a foreign land – a land rich in tradition; ruled by three powerful clans. A land with a history marked by warfare; where magic as we know it does not exist. Instead what is here, in abundance, is a more primal power.

Survival carries a high price.

Welcome to Altaica.

Kaniesha Reviews: Of Metal and Wishes ARC by Sarah Fine

Title: Of Metal and Wishes
Series: Of Metal and Wishes #1
Author: Sarah Fine
Release date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genres: gothic, retelling, supernatural
Goodreads, preorder the book

There are whispers of a ghost in the slaughterhouse where sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic—a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. When one of the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor, humiliates Wen, she makes an impulsive wish of her own, and the Ghost grants it. Brutally.

Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including their outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the Ghost and learns he has been watching her … for a very long time.

As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen must confront her growing feelings for Melik, who is enraged at the sadistic factory bosses and the prejudice faced by his people at the hand of Wen’s, and her need to appease the Ghost, who is determined to protect her against any threat—real or imagined. She must decide whom she can trust, because as her heart is torn, the factory is exploding around her … and she might go down with it.

Kaniesha Reviews: The Young World ARC by Chris Weitz

Title: The Young World
Series: The Young World Trilogy #1
Author: Chris Weitz
Release date: July 29, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: action, dystopia, post-apocalyptic
Goodreads, preorder the book

After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population, the young survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. Jefferson, the reluctant leader of the Washington Square tribe, and Donna, the girl he's secretly in love with, have carved out a precarious existence among the chaos. But when another tribe member discovers a clue that may hold the cure to the Sickness, five teens set out on a life-altering road trip to save humankind.

The tribe exchanges gunfire with enemy gangs, escapes cults and militias, braves the wilds of the subway and Central Park...and discovers truths they could never have imagined.

Kaniesha Reviews: Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Rebel Belle
Series: Rebel Belle #1
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Release date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Genres: supernatural, mythology, magic
Goodreads, buy the book

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.

Kaniesha Reviews: Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision

Title: Threats of Sky and Sea
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Jennifer Ellision
Release date: May 20, 2014
Publisher: Createspace
Genres: magic, high fantasy
Goodreads, buy the book

Sixteen year-old Breena Perdit has spent her life as a barmaid, innocent to her father’s past and happily free from the Elemental gifts that would condemn her to a life in the Egrian King’s army. Until the day that three Elemental soldiers recognize her father as a traitor to the throne and Bree’s father is thrown in jail—along with the secrets from his last mission as the King’s assassin. Secrets that could help the King win a war. Secrets he refuses to share.

Desperate to escape before the King’s capricious whims prove her and her father’s downfall, Bree bargains with him: information for their lives. It’s a good trade. And she has faith she’ll get them both out of the King’s grasp with time.

But that was before the discovery that she’s the weapon the King’s been waiting for in his war.

Now, time is running out. To save her father’s life and understand her own, Bree must unravel the knot of her father’s past before the King takes his life– and uses her to bring a nation to its knees.

Kaniesha Reviews: Coin Heist ARC by Elisa Ludwig

Title: Coin Heist
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Elisa Ludwig
Release date: June 10, 2014
Publisher: Adaptive Studios
Genres: contemporary, action
Goodreads, buy the book

The last place you’d expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint – which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes – an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore.

United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies – the slacker, the nerd, the athlete, and the "perfect" student – band together to attempt the impossible: rob the U.S. Mint. The diverse crew is forced to confront their true beliefs about each other and themselves as they do the wrong thing for the right reasons.

Elisa Ludwig's Coin Heist is a fun, suspenseful, and compelling thriller, told from the revolving perspectives of four teens, each with their own motive for committing a crime that could change all of their lives for the better—if they can pull it off.

Kaniesha Reviews: Breakshield by J.B. Rockwell

Title: Breakshield
Series: Breakshield #1
Author: J.B. Rockwell
Release date: March 27, 2014
Publisher: The Zharmae Publishing Press
Genres: fantasy, adventure
Goodreads, buy the book

Found at the intersection of life and the afterlife, the Between is a place where science and reason are replaced by magic and violence. It is a place where Typhon and his Huntsman of the Dark Waste spread like a plague and where Talents go to die.

The only thing standing in Typhon’s way is Morgan Quendalen and the people of the Shining Lands. They are sworn to protect the last remaining Talents, a precious few who teeter at the edge of extinction. Morgan valiantly fights, protecting these last remnants of magic in a war he's not sure he can actually win.

When Jamie Aster, a mortal Talent with undiscovered powers, is put under his charge, Morgan weighs his oath against a desire to save the Shining Lands. Could he kill a Talent if it meant saving his people?

Kaniesha Reviews: Divided ARC by Elsie Chapman (spoiler warning)

Title: Divided
Series: Dualed #2
Author: Elsie Chapman
Release date: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genres: dystopia, scifi
Goodreads, buy the book

The hunter becomes the hunted. . . .

West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.

The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.

How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? With nonstop action and surprising twists, Elsie Chapman’s intoxicating sequel to Dualed reveals everything.

Kaniesha DNF Reviews: Shattered Secrets ARC by Krystal Wade

Title: Shattered Secrets
Series: Book of Red #1
Author: Krystal Wade
Release date: March 3, 2014
Publisher: Curiosity Quills
Genres: fantasy, romance, magic
Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository, abebooks, Barnes & Noble

After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichols' boy problems seem unimportant.
She couldn't be more wrong.

The boy who saves her holds her heart.

But Derick Crawford also holds secrets.

Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail's one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach them about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.

Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own.

But has she put her trust in the wrong place?

And will the world survive if she has?

Heather Reviews: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I am really, really sorry about this.  I honestly believed I had scheduled it and then, by chance, I was looking at the blog a few days ago and noticed this review wasn't on it, then I realized what I had actually done and felt like a butt.  -__-  Ugh.

Kaniesha Reviews: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Title: Cruel Beauty
Series: Stand-Alone
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Release date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genres: paranormal, retelling, mythology, magic
Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository, abebooks, Barnes & Noble

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.