Teaser Tuesday[17]: Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading! All you have to do to participate is:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TeaserTuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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I have barely read anything in the past week. Which is not good of me, at all. First I was reading through the Mars series some more, and then I kind of started watching the Taiwan show of it, and then I just wasn’t reading anything. I did get some reviews done over the weekend, which was very good. Oh, and I was a zombie on Saturday for a charity run, which was very cool. Mostly, though, I’ve been doing homework. I always have homework, and I always have a lot of it. Which sucks, but that’s school for you.

Here’s what I have kind of started to read, what sounded good to me when it first came out, but what I have very low hope for at this point:

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Goodreads Synopsis:

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Excerpts:

“’I miss you, Kylie,’ he said, ignoring what she’d said to him. ‘Really miss you.’ He reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She swallowed. ‘I miss you, too, but---‘” (Paperback, pg. 220)

“Okay, that thought put an end to the warm emotions swirling inside her. Or was it the cold that suddenly invaded the room? Oh, gawd, Soldier Dude was back.” (Paperback, pg. 221)

So, what you reading right now?

Novel Review: Before I Wake (Soul Screamers, #6) by Rachel Vincent

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Spoilers?: Yes for previous books, vague for this one.

Goodreads Synopsis:

I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it.

The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school…

Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend.

But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life….

Something Specific:

• This book made me cry.

Review:

This was, by far, my favorite of the Soul Screamers books in a long while. The last few I read were, while very good in content, a little hard to get through. There were just a lot of slow spots that you had to read before getting to the exciting parts. This one, though, seemed to go by much faster, and I had no trouble getting through it. I even ended up reading it faster than I had planned.

And I was not prepared for the emotional trip that this book took me on. Not prepared at all.

In this book, Kaylee is dealing with the fact that she’s dead and has decided to continue going to school and why any of that matters when she sometimes forgets to breathe. She’s dealing with something that I hadn’t really thought about before, but makes total sense with the fact that she’s dead. And it’s very nice that she has Tod during all of this, since he’s gone through all of it before.

I love Kaylee and Tod together. Tod is so sweet to and good for her, and they need each other. I loved all of their little moments together, and the step they’ve taken. I don't think I was fully sold on them before, but I definitely am now. Plus Kaylee’s dad (who is a fantastic dad) has to deal with them being a couple, as well as Nash.

Nash is just a problem all his own, and I’m having a hard time with him. Because, first of all, yea, maybe she should have been there for him more when he was going through his addiction, but what he did to her is unforgivable. And then I understand why he’s mad about being framed, but Kaylee had her reasons, and she did all she could to get him off the hook. I want to feel more bad for him than I do, but he just needs to move on with his life. He’s stuck in a depressed, self-centered state of mind, and he just needs to get over it already. And he needs to wake up to the fact that he has Sabine.

I don’t mind Sabine so much anymore; although I didn’t much from the beginning, either. She’s very straightforward, which I like. And maybe she doesn’t always do the best things, but she has her reasons for them, and she’s very open about those reasons.

Sophie, Kaylee’s cousin: I’m not a big fan of her, for obvious reasons. But she kind of interested me in this book. Mainly because of Luca, a new character we met in this book. And the fact that she met him in the Netherworld in an e-book that I have not read but want to. This book especially made me want to know how, seeing as I want to know more about their relationship and how they met.

Quite a bit happened in this book, and it made it very obvious that something big with Avari, the demon they’ve been slowly fighting for a while now, is going to happen. I think it has taken way too long for Kaylee to get actually mad at him, but it has finally happened, and I am excited to see what goes down in the next, and final, book. Something big near the end of this book happened with Emma, and I’m intrigued to see what comes of that in the next book. And something happened with one of the characters that made me cry a little; a character that I liked but didn’t think I had such big feelings for. I’m not going to ruin it, but I wasn’t expecting it until it happened, and something seemed off, and then I was right and I really didn’t want to be.

I’m just looking forward to the last book, but definitely not the wait for it.

Novel Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5 (maybe even 5)

Publisher: Penguin (Dutton)

Spoilers?: Minor

Goodreads Synopsis:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket—a gifted inventor—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Something Specific:

That I Love:

• Cricket (which I explain, in length, in the review)
• Cameos! (Anna and St. Clair! Also talked about in review.)
• Girl character deciding to find herself, grow into herself more, before starting another relationship.

Review:

I love this book. It was amazing and Cricket and it was just so good and I want the next one and Cricket. Cricket, you guys. Cricket.

He is the best thing, ever. Just, ever. I love him. I want him. I want my very own Cricket. Please?

Um, so, anyway…

I read Anna and the French Kiss over the summer (and finally posted the review a couple weekends ago), and loved it. Immediately after reading that book and the excerpt for this one, I wanted it. It sounded amazing and Cricket seemed more my type, and I did not want to wait, at all. I even waited longer than I wanted to buy it. But once I got it, I simply could not wait any longer. I kind of wanted to, just to prolong the amazingness that it was sure to be, but that didn’t happen. I read the book in two days without even meaning to, and it was over much faster than I wanted it to be.

I wanted to meet Lola and Cricket and find out why Lola has a problem with the Bell twins and read more about Lola and her two dads. And, trust me, my excitement was for a reason.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is about Lola, a girl who likes to dress as a different person every day, including extravagant outfits and wigs, even making some of it herself. The Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, are part of the family that live next door to her. Calliope is an ice-skater, and Cricket is an inventor. They’ve moved in and out of that house, and Lola has dreaded their return ever since the last time they left. And now they’re back. And Lola has a boyfriend.

This book was just as good as the first. Just as well written, with just as good characters. I don’t think it was particularly better, but I do like the love interest more. St. Clair was awesome, but Cricket is just nothing less than amazing.

The romance in this book was amazing. Lola is with some other guy at the beginning, who at first I didn’t mind, but later turned into quite a jerk. I was happy with how things ended there, though. And where things went after it with Cricket. Even before that, Cricket was amazing. What he does while she’s with Max is really sweet, even though Lola should have backed off a bit, and their relationship before he moved was really nice, even if a bit bittersweet.

Cricket is charming and adorable; he talks fast when he’s nervous, and he’s completely devoted to and in love with Lola, and he feels a little left out, and he’s so smart. He is just… everything I want. Which, yea, creates a bias, but I am completely okay with that. Because I love him.

And Lola at one point, realizes something about Cricket that is so awesome, and then decides to work harder for him, which is awesome. And she also decides that she wants to be fully herself before she can be with him, which is fantastic.

This book took a bit different direction than I thought it would, but it probably just made the book better for me. I was expecting it to be about Lola falling for her friends older brother, and then to have a falling out with her friend, and maybe something to happen with the boy. That is not what happened. Instead, she fell for Cricket rather early, and wasn’t very close with Calliope at all. Her relationship with Cricket was strong, and started everything, and it’s just… You just have to read it to find out, because I don’t want to spoil any more.

Lola has two dads, and while maybe we could have gotten to see more of them, they were awesome. The best dads ever. And Lola has a best friend, Lindsey, who wants to be a detective, and is a great best friend to Lola. And even Calliope, Cricket’s twin sister, is a really interesting character. Some things she does aren’t that cool, but she turns out alright.

Oh, and there are some cameos! I was expecting to see Anna and St. Clair, but I wasn’t expecting them to show up so much. Which was a very nice surprise. They are adorable and sweet and I loved seeing them together, and Lola’s conversations with them. I’m excited to see what cameos there are in the next book.

I just love everything about this book, okay? And I want the next one right now. But, of course, the next one isn’t set to come out for, I think, another year or something. Which is much too long.

Manga Review: Jiu Jiu, Volume 1, by Touya Tobina

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)

Volumes: 5
Spoilers?: A bit, yes.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Born into a family of “Hunters,” Takamichi's destiny is to pursue and slay demons. When her twin brother is killed, she is saved from despair by a pair of Jiu Jiu—shape-shifting familiars—in the form of two wolf pups named Snow and Night. Now Takamichi is in high school and an active Hunter. Snow and Night can't wait to attend school in their human form to "protect" her. But are they ready to go off leash...?

Takamichi's Jiu Jiu Obedience Training Goals

1. Stop them from following you to work

2. Avoid exposing them to the full moon

3. Save them from execution

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences rated teen plus.

Review:

This book was fantastic. I wasn’t even aware that Shojo Beat was releasing a new series, which is very unlike me, but I saw it on the shelf at the bookstore and immediately decided to get it. It looked pretty, and I only skimmed the back, as my faith in Shojo Beat is very big. I was excited to start it, and I’m glad that it was even better than I’d thought it would be.

It’s about a girl, Takamichi, the daughter and heir to a clan of hunters. Her twin brother died, which resulted in her shutting out her heart and deciding not to get close to anyone. Several years later, she was forced to take care of two half-demon, half-human puppies. They were to serve as her servants/fighting companions, called her Jiu Jiu. Now, three years after that, the pups are two adult-like men that hugely adore her, while she tries to keep them at a distance. Most of the time, she’s trying to push them away, and yelling at them, and unknowingly doing the whole tough-love thing, while they ignore it and run after her anyway.

I love the two pups. Their names are Snow and Night and I love them. I want them; both of them. I don’t know which one I favor right now, as they’re pretty equal in my mind. Snow is hyper and cuddly while Night is smart and quiet and wears glasses, and they’re both super cute and sweet and I love them. They look like new adults, older teens maybe, but are still very much puppies. They love going for walks and wrestling, but they’re very protective of Takamichi, and they love her endlessly. It’s super sweet, and I have no doubt that it’s making its way into a love triangle.

That’s all I can really say at the moment, I think: that I love them.

In this book, Takamichi pushes them away one too many times, and realizes that she actually does enjoy having them around and maybe should treat them better. They’re very loyal through all of it, never leaving her alone, persistent to stay by her side through everything. I understand why, as she is kind of their mother in a way (not in a creepy, incestual way, but in a she’s been with them since they were born and kind of takes care of them way), and they’ve grown up with her, but she’s a quite a bit too harsh on them. I mean, she’d never given them a bath before, or a birthday present. The bath thing isn’t creepy, though, since they’re in dog form for it. Although, a lot of the time when around the house in human form, they are naked. This is kind of weird, but I think she’s grown used to it, having been around them for three years, and with how much they dislike being in clothes. (They are dogs at heart, after all.) Oh, and they always sneak out of their cage at night and lay with her, a lot of the time naked, which is just adorable.

They end up going to school with her, which she protests, where they learn more about normal human life things, like Birthdays, and even end up fighting over her at one point. By the end of the volume, she’s grown to accept that they are going to be around her, they love her and want to share her hardships between them, and that she loves them just as much.

There’s another chapter where Takamichi finds Nights diaries. She starts going through them, finding out how he felt about certain things when he was really young, how much he loved her and wanted praise. We’re shown when he first gets glasses; and another time when him and Snow fought and then when Night got scolded, thinking that Takamichi didn’t love him, he ran away, only for both of them to come after him, and both pups found out how much she really cared about them.
The last chapter is where we're shown what happens to the two pups when they are out during the full moon: their fear and dissatisfaction is bumped up a few levels, and they end up biting her. They don't mean to, as they are fighting with each other, and it's a very sweet and emotional moment for the three, but jiu jiu are never supposed to harm their master/mistress. And so they are to be punished. This is kind of a cliche moment, where she has to go against the set hunter rules, but turns out just fine.

This book was just… really sweet, and adorable, and funny, and I am so impressed. I really enjoyed it, like a lot, and I’m really looking forward to the next one.