[Review: Dangerous Boys by Abigial Haas]

"Dangerous Boys"
Author: Abigial Haas
Series: Dangerous Girls #2
Pages: ?
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Thriller
Date Published: August 14th, 2014
Publisher: (UK) Simon & Schuster, (US) self published
Format Read: eARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

Buy It!

...Amazon...iBooks...

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Summary:

Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?
Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Dangerous Boys,

Wow, that pretty much sums up my feelings. Book, you are so delightfully f*cked up. Honestly, there really isn't any other way to put it. You twist and turn and delve into the darkness in the world. You're terrifying and exciting all at once. Part of me wanted to look away, but you held me entranced with all of your mind-f*ckery.

-The White Unicorn

When I finally got my hands on a copy of this book, it didn't take me long to put everything aside so that I could read it. I was a HUGE fan of Haas' Dangerous Girls and I couldn't wait to get back into a book that was going to take me on a demented journey. It amazes me that more people don't know about these books, because they really are something to dive into. If you haven't yet, start reading these puppies.

I think the thing that most impressed me about this book was Haas' ability to take her dark-hearted look at humanity into a small town setting. DG was set in the fantastical world of a far off beach vacation, but in DB she goes for small town Indiana. Let's just say that it works. It works so well. I think it also makes things feel a bit more menacing, because everyone knows what small town living is like to some extent. Hass utilizes that fact to her advantage and makes you squirm a little in your seat as you read. 

At it's core, Dangerous Boys is all about soul searching. Soul searching gone a little off the rails, but soul searching none the less. Chloe, Ethan and Oliver are just trying to figure out who they are. Essentially, this book is a coming of age story... with a twist. The kind of twist that will leave you breathless at the end of it all. 

I can't go into the characters too much, because, well, just because. I will say however that Haas has created some well fleshed out late teen/early twenty aged characters that are fascinating to watch. Chloe is stuck in rut and dealing with things that no one should ever have to deal with. Ethan is your typical Golden Boy, but with a twist. Oliver is, well, he's just Oliver. Honestly, if you want to know what I'm talking about, I suggest you pick the book up, because I don't even know to put into words how I feel about these three, but I can tell you that I enjoyed their story immensely.

If you're looking for a contemporary read full of mind-f*ckery and twist and turns that will leave you wondering what's what till the very end, this is the book for you. Be warned that some of the material gets pretty edgy, but in the end it only helps the story along!

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this now!

[Review: Mythology: The Wicked by Helen Boswell]

"Mythology: The Wicked"
Author: Helen Boswell
Series: Mythology #2
Pages: 412
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy
Date Published: October 11th, 2013
Publisher: Self Published
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

Book two of the Mythology series.

A demon with a pure heart, Micah Condie lives his life by a code of ethics, but breaking that code may be the only way for him to survive. A supernatural entity in her own right, Hope Gentry would do anything in her power to protect her loved ones, but she may be the one who puts them in peril.

When the Demon Impiorum challenges the laws that keep guardians and demons in balance, ancient enforcers of justice intervene. Micah, Hope, and their mentor Jonathan become entangled in a conspiracy that will test even the deepest love and trust.

Someone will commit an act of betrayal. Someone will forever abandon a loved one.

Someone will enter THE WICKED.

-Goodreads 

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Mythology: The Wicked,

Well now, I feel like I've really been inside your pages. Oh wait, I guess, technically, I was. Can I just say that it's weird seeing one's name in a book and reading it over and over? It is, but it's also wonderful when she gets to have "moments" with one of your main book boyfriends. So thank you for that. Also, thanks for being so great on all the other levels. You didn't let me down and that speaks volumes, cause just like character me, I'm kind of hard to please.

-The White Unicorn

Wow, this book is wonderful sequel that doesn't suffer from second book syndrome at all. Boswell throws a ton of new characters into the mix to keep things fresh and yet never detracts from the original characters that she gave us in Mythology. Yes, one of these said new characters is named Christianna, and no that's not a coincidence, she's actually named after me. The fact that I know Boswell is not the reason that I'm telling you that this series is awesome. It has recently come to light that the series is in Hollywood's hands and has been optioned for a possible TV show or movie. So you best read them now, so you can be hipsters of the book world who read the books before they were insanely popular.

What I love about these books are the characters. Hope, Micah and Jonathan are some of my personal favorites and Boswell didn't let me down in book two. She's made things much messier for our leads this time around, if that's even possible, which she proves, it is. Hope is trying to discover how to use her new powers, which causes some new developments. She's both weaker and stronger, and it's an interesting mix to watch come to light. Micah isn't doing so well and so he's making some questionable choices. Jonathan isn't featured as much this time around, but when he shows up he's much more surly, which might make me like him even more. If that's even possible? Can you say book boyfriend?

Yes, those are the main characters, but Boswell also features a full cast of secondaries that add so much to the story. We get to know Micah's best friend Troy a little better, as well as the demon's siblings. Hope's brother Davie and best friend Sylvia have a main role. And then of course we have the new kids Christianna, J.T., Collin and Sam, who add a whole new dimension to things.

Boswell's world building also grows this time around. The origin story is out of the way and her world really shines as one of the main stars. It's a real landscape, but with demons and angels and drama and teen angst you get the world that she wants us to see. She also dives us into places that you've never seen, and never will, but she brings them alive with her words in a way that makes them real. 

The love story is there, but it doesn't suffocate the rest of the story. We still get really creepy moments, gory moments, tear inducing moments, sibling bonding moments and many more kinds of moments. The list would be too long for this review if I kept going.

Point blank: read these books. Like Nike says "just do it."

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this now! 

[Review: The Space Between by Victoria H. Smith]

"The Space Between"
Author: Victoria H. Smith
Pages: 324
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Date Published: March 2nd, 2013
Publisher: Self Published
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

When Drake started the night at his father’s campaign fundraiser, he never imagined he’d end it being conned into buying drugs on the West Side. Losing high-stakes poker has its consequences, but he’d repeatedly face them just to hear Lacey Douglas sing. Drake sees Lacey light up the stage, and he has to have her. But his intentions for being on her side of town turn out to be the reason he can’t.

Chicago native Lacey has dreams of the opera, but life has its obstacles. Lacey has come to know her hardships as part of living in the real world and accepts them fully. When Lacey meets the intense and invigorating Drake, a fire is lit inside her, unleashing those dreams again.

Two paths that should have never crossed prove to create the exact pairing the other needs. But when their worlds take time to catch up, everything they have is tested. Finding the space between the two sides that challenge them will be hard, but it’s the only place that will keep them together.

The Space Between is a new adult contemporary romance.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

The Space Between was one of those books that I just didn't connect with.  It's true.  The premise sounded like it had a lot of potential and I love books that have to do with music, even if it is loosely, so this NA title sounded perfect for me.  And the blurring of the two sides of the tracks, who doesn't love that?  See it had tons of potential and I'm sure that the right reader is going to love it!  Because even though that is not what the bulk of this book is about it still has touches on those things.

But in the end it was one of those crazy, intense and fairly graphic love stories.  There was some major insta-love happening.  Sure it caused some good plot lines and some hysterical moments but also took away from the story.  I wanted to know more about these main characters that I think I could have connected with better with if they weren't just out to "get some".

In fact I liked Drake a lot.  I feel like we got a really good look at his life and the things that were going on around him!  He was that arrogant guy who also had some semblance of a nice guy inside of him.  All in all he was a smart ass and it was fun to watch him try to dig himself out of the constant holes he dug himself into.  And his relationship with his little sister Adele was darling.  Guys who are nice to their siblings always get a plus from me.

I found that in switching views, because that is what Smith does, we didn't get to see Lacey in her natural environment enough.  I would have liked to see her on stage more and not have it be something that was talked about in passing.  I did like her character for the most part, but I felt like she was inconsistent.  Because, to be honest her *cough body piercings cough* and her personality didn't mesh for me at all.  She left me all confused and baffled.  Maybe if we would have seen more of her personal background that didn't have to do with her mom and Margot, I would have gotten it?

Now I loved Margot.  I felt like she was one of the most consistent female characters in the novel.  And I just dug her.  Even if her profession wasn't the smartest, it had it's point to the story and her fiery personality was fun to watch.

See I have so much that I liked about this book, but I still can't give it a high rating because once the sex started that is what the book became about.  I wish that the story could have shone through, or that the sex would have not played such a large role in the book.  I know that it had it's place in the story, that doesn't bother me, but I wish that the story would have not taken a back seat to it.  For me anyways.  I'm sure that other people will love it for the reasons that I disliked it. 

So, in the end this book just wasn't for me.  But I'm excited to see what people who liked it more than I did have to say!      

Rating:

 2 Unicorns = Something just didn't work for me!