Betrayals

Betrayals (Strange Angels #2)

Lili St. Crow

Pages:  304

Publisher: Razorbill

Format: Paperback

Source: Library

Age Group: Young Adult

Date Published: November 17, 2009

She’s no angel...
Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf, and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England Schola for other teens like her, and there’s a big problem—she’s the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn’t be so bad, but Dru’s killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide...Can Dru survive long enough to find out who has betrayed her trust—and maybe even her heart?

This book was so much better than Strange Angels. It had a lot more intricacy and plot twists and more Christophe (whom I just adore). I found myself skipping less and getting really into what was going on. It was very good.

The action and the fighting and the way you felt Dru's panic was so much more intense than in the first book. I was scared for her and for what was going to happen to those around her. It made me feel more of what was going on in the book, and I really liked that. I also loved seeing the whole "pack" dynamic play out with the werwulfen (& the token loup-garou) and the was Graves treated it all. So, yeah, the plot was better.

I also liked the characters much better in this one. Dru was considerably less swear-y, and picked fights with the guys more often than she should have (much like I do) and I liked that about her. I still wish they would tell us her real name, though. I also liked Graves much better. He was super funny and protective and would make a really great friend. I do wish someone would pluck his unibrow, though. & Christophe... where do I begin? We find out his true age (more or less) in this one, and it's a little shocking, but that's ok, I still like him best. He's kinda James Bond at times and then he's still caring and cool and awesome and yeah. I like him, lots.

I don't love the cover, 'cause I think those guys in the back are supposed to be Graves and Christophe, and that's so not what I'd think they looked like. & Cover Dru doesn't have frizzy curls. or even curls at all. not cool.

Anyways, I'll give this book a 4.5, since it was better than Strange Angels but I didn't really like the cover and it just wasn't one of my favorites. It was still really good though, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has read the first book.

Vanish

It took me a while to start this, since my pile for the week is more than a little intimidating, and I have awful summer reading to do for AP English next year... Anyways I'm glad I started on my pile *finally*. So, ya know, review time!

Vanish (Firelight #2)
Sophie Jordan

An impossible romance. Bitter rivalries. Deadly choices.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

I just loved Firelight and was so excited when I saw that my library had Vanish. Like I said, it took me a while to get started on my pile of books for the week, but I am so glad that I did! This was an awesome sequel, and I am so happy I got to know what happened next!

So, the plot was pretty interesting. I loved seeing the pride dynamics play out and the way they all treated Jacinda when she came back. She was treated like much less of an individual and she was pretty much punished by everyone, except Cassian (more on him in a second). This whole love triangle thing that played out was so typical YA, but I totally loved it.

On to the characters: Jacinda reminded me of me in this one, because she had a really hard time making up her mind the whole book. She'd be like "I'm gonna forget about him." and then she'd change her mind and be all "I could never do that!" It made her seem very human, and I liked that. I had a major book crush on Will in the first book, and I still like him and all, but I don't think I'd be very upset if she did end up choosing Cassian. I kinda like the guy. I hated him in Firelight, but he's pretty cool.

The cover is gorgeous! It's just like Firelight, but it means something different. I love that you find out who the character is on the cover and what the title means as you read the book. I just love it when authors do that with their covers.

I think I'll give it 5 stars. It was great, and I never wanted to stop reading, and I was disappointed when it ended! The next book, Hidden, doesn't come out until September, though! This is such a great series, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

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Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where we book bloggers talk about upcoming releases we are excited for.

So, this week I am excited for:

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3)

By: Lauren DeStefano

Publication date: February 12, 2013

What if you knew exactly when you would die? In the not-too-distant future, genetic engineering has turned every newborn into a ticking time bomb — males only live to age 25 and females only live to age 20. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out. When 16-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by "the Gatherers" to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Rhine has only one purpose after she has been married to her new husband, Linden: to escape and find her twin brother.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant to whom she is dangerously attracted, Rhine is desperate to learn the truth and protect those closest to her. But, as her sister wife Cecily keeps insisting, her role may be much bigger than that.

In the first two books of the Chemical Garden trilogy, Wither and Fever, Rhine struggles to escape the mansion and then to navigate the brutal world outside. Now in Sever, the third and final book, Rhine uncovers some shattering truths about the past that her parents never had the chance to tell her and the alarming implications regarding her own genes. She may be the one who can save the human race.

*EEEEEP* I figured I kinda had to do this one, since the cover was just revealed (and I love it). I'm gonna die waiting for February 2013, though): This is one of my favorite series, and I need to know how it all ends!! I seriously hope Rhine ends up with Gabriel. I will have a fit if it's Linden :/

Anyways, I'm psyched for this one ('specially since it now has a cover!). So what are you guys waiting on this week? Links, comments, whatever, just please tell me. I enjoy feedback!

News Flash: I just found out Lauren DeStefano is giving away an ARC!! Check out the contest on her blog!

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