momwithareadingproblem's reviews
1177 reviews

As far as sequels go, this one was great. The plot picked up a few months after we last saw Perry and Aria and went from there. Great plot points for this novels that built on established plots from previous book and novella. This sequel sets us up for an epic conclusion......hurry up January!

All I can say is AMAZING!!!!!! Mrs. Rossi has pulled together an incredible cast of characters, a wonderful plot, and a satisfying, heartwarming conclusion to her Under the Never Sky series.
ITSB picks up just days after we last saw Aria and Perry leading the surviving Dwellers back to the Tides compound/cave. Aria has been drifting on pain medications after being shot in the arm at the end of book two, Perry is trying to settle his tribe into the caves and figure out what to do about the increasingly dangerous Aether storms, Roar has just returned without Cinder, and the Dwellers are trying to adjust to living on the Outside. All within the first two chapters of the book!
Without giving away any spoilers, the plot is simple. Find Cinder and find the Still Blue. I can't say much more than that! What I can say is there are plenty of ups and downs and twists and turns to keep the plot moving and you as the reader on pins and needles. The character development of our MCs and some ancillary characters such as Soren and Brooke were a nice surprise and I'm happy to say added greatly to the story. The world building is fantastic, I could easily picture America after the Unity and what are MCs are going through.
I read this book in less than 24 hours and just could not sit it down! I also went through about half a box of tissue from sad and happy tears. So do they find and reach the Still Blue? Does Liv reappear? Does Aria ever find out about her father? What about the hostility between Roar and Perry, is it resolved? Go pick up a copy and find out!

Ah man! I don't even know where to start.....Usually reviews are easy for me to write, but this one......Everything I want to write is on the tips of my fingers I just don't know how to get it out!!!!

Okay (((deep breaths)))......Let's start with just a summary.

Lacrimosa book one of the Requiem Series by [a:Christine Fonseca|4077598|Christine Fonseca|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1276190352p2/4077598.jpg] is a story about angels and demons, good vs. evil, and forbidden romance. The story starts in NYC. Nesy, who is a Sentinel from Celestium, has been sent to Earth in human disguise to vanquish an Unholy: enter Aydan. Aydan is an Unholy, but not only that, he is the apprentice to Azza (basically think Devil himself, the ultimate villain). However, after seeing Aydan for the first time, Nesy cannot bring herself to kill him. Why? Because he reminds her of a past she was made to forget, about a human she fell in love with while on assignment as a Guardian....confused yet? It gets worse! Once Aydan sees her, he feels an overwhelming urge to protect her. Why? Because she reminds him of a human he fell in love with who was killed and led to his fall from Celestium. Again, confused? So was I!!!

What I liked about this story:
1.The world building. I loved Fonseca's view of angels. Their jobs (Guardian, Sentinel, Mediator, the Anointed) and how the color of their skin and wings reflect those jobs. It just built a beautiful picture in my mind all the scarlet and indigo and gold and emerald. Not only imagery but sensory as well with the way the angels smelled to one another, like Nesy is described as smelling of "vanilla and sunshine". When I read that I felt like I connected somehow.
2. Azza. This was probably my favorite character throughout the book. There is just something about a good villain that drives the story. He's pure evil. And I loved it!
3. The Plot, once I was no longer confused (about 60% of the way into the book). This forbidden love angle between Aydan and Nesy drove the story. This will she kill him or won't she. Will Aydan drink her soul or won't he.

What I disliked about the story:
1. Alternating POVs. Usually I love this! I love stories like [a:Veronica Rossi|4637369|Veronica Rossi|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1322861869p2/4637369.jpg]'s [b:Under the Never Sky|11594257|Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1)|Veronica Rossi|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356591725s/11594257.jpg|15093785] Series where as the reader you get a chance to see inside the head of the two MCs or two love interests. However I feel it was poorly done in this novel. The writing style for both Nesy's and Aydan's POVs were so similar that I had to constantly keep checking the beginning of each chapter to be sure whose POV I was in.
2. Overuse of italics. Yes that can be a dislike!!!! For me it was so distracting. I wasn't sure if the character was bipolar or someone else was speaking to them telepathically (because yes, as a part of this angel-verse, the angels and demons can manipulate and go into your mind all Darth Vader style!)
3. The Main Characters. I was apathetic towards both Nesy and Aydan. I didn't feel any real connection with them (as stated above, I liked, no LOVED Azza! Who likes the villain of a story?) I felt like Nesy was too wishy-washy. One minute she's all like I'm going to kill Aydan, it's my duty. The next she's like But I love him, I can't live without him. Same goes for Aydan. One minute he's debating killing her and the next he's protecting her from whatever evil Azza thinks up.

Redeeming Quality: THE ENDING!!!!

Spoiler

The last ten chapters or so of the book, I was no longer confused. Aydan's and Nesy's full stories have been revealed along with more of Azza's plans for Aydan. An all out Angels vs. demons war ensues, and Nesy's hope is to save Aydan before Azza can complete the ritual to turn him into the Beast. Nesy saves him but it costs her life. Broken Aydan back in Celestium asks the Council to kill him, send him to the Abyss. However the Council has other plans. They grant him mortality, a human life spent hopefully in peace. However Aydan (again with the wishy-washy feelings) feels that it is worse to live as a human with his memories than to be in the Abyss. That is until a girl walks into his classroom, and he is attracted to her. He just knows that it is Nesy, alive and human. The book ends with this quote: "Maybe I will be okay in this life now. With her." Really dude? You don't even know if it is Nesy!!!! So frustrating....rant over :)

Because of my apathy towards the characters I just can't give this book more than 3 stars, maybe 3.5 because I just like Azza so darn much! But lucky me! This edition of Lacrimosa came with the short novella Dies Irae which I heartily give 5 stars! I loved it so much!!

Dies Irae is the backstory to Mikayel and Azza's friendship and Azza's fall from Celestium. Because this is supposed to be a review about Lacrimosa not Dies Irae I won't say too much, but will leave you with my favorite Azza quote:

I want to know what it is to love, to hate, to lust, to kill. I want it all. And I shouldn't.

Is that not great or what?!

Truthfully, I feel reading the novella before reading the book would help with some of the confusion. Would I recommend this book? Yes! If you like angel/demon stories, this is definitely one you'll enjoy!

I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

How do I tell her she is a trained assassin for Celestium, a Sentinal whose job it is to kill? How do I help her see that her memories are real? -Aydan

Libera Me book 2 of the Requiem Series by [a:Christine Fonseca|4077598|Christine Fonseca|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1276190352p2/4077598.jpg] picks up a few months after we last saw Aydan in a high school in Puget Sound, Washington. Aydan is now in a relationship with a girl named Vanessa, Nessa for short, who has no memories of her life for the last 15 years as she was kidnapped when she was three. Or at least that is the story she believes. Aydan believes that it is his Nesy, alive and human. He is determined to help her remember him and what they meant to each other.

But is Nessa really Nesy? The Council of Celestium doesn't think so when Zane, Nesy's best friend and a Mediator, reveals what he has learned from watching Aydan and Nessa. The Council, all save Mikayel, believe Nesy dead. What they do not know is the deal struck between Zane and the demonic smoke (that just sounds evil!!) to keep Nesy alive after she sustained a wound from Azza at the end of book one. What was a part of this deal? Zane gave all his memories of Nesy and his angelic senses to the smoke in exchange for Nesy to live, even if only as a human. However Zane becomes obsessed with finding her, making sure that what he lost still lived.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this addition to the Requiem series. I fell in love with Zane, who we get to see his POV in this book along with Aydan's. In book one, I saw Zane as the obnoxious, know-it-all best friend. No longer do I see him as this. He is heartbroken by Nesy's death and strikes a deal to keep her alive. Not just because they were friends, but because even though it is forbidden and she loves someone else, he loves her! And I love him for it! His passion and obsession with his friend melted my heart. I cried with him, felt his joy and his anger.

Aydan however I still don't love. I'm so apathetic towards this character. I just cannot seem to get his suffering. He chose to avenge Nesy and take a deal with Azza. He chose to become the Beast. Now as he tries to redeem himself as a human, he still has those same urges, to kill and feed on the desperation and fear around him. He loves Nessa, a girl who may or may not be Nesy who is supposed to be his one true desire, his destiny. Just like in book one, there is a lot of wishy-washy feelings with Aydan. Will he succumb to the beast? Is it just nightmares or did it really happen? I was confused a majority of the time when I was reading Aydan's POV. But I think this was on purpose, because really Aydan is bipolar. He has both a soul and the Beast residing in him. The question is will he let it out?

When I read book one, my favorite character was Azza, but he is missing in this installment. But you know what? It was okay that he was. Because there's a new villain, and you don't know who or what it is until the end so I'm not spoiling that one!!! However, it just makes for a great book when you know there is evil but you don't know who to blame or fight. It just builds the fear.

Then the conflict in Celestium. There's a lot of secrets being kept between the Council members, a lot of distrust between Zane, Cass, and Caim (the angel who replaced Nesy in their team). All of this builds up to what I hope will be an epic conclusion in Book 3.

The edition I received also contained two short novellas. The first Mea Culpa is Zane's story. This is what happened to Nesy and what did Zane really bargain with when he made his deal with the demonic smoke. I loved this insight and really wish I would've read it before reading Libera Me because it would've added to the story. The second Enigma is Lorelei's story of the Seers. This gives a huge insight into how Lorelei survived after Elle/Nesy was killed in Germany. There's a surprise character in it that I was shrieking for joy when I read the name. And I feel that this short story will be influential in Book 3.

If you've not read book one [b:Lacrimosa|18145062|Lacrimosa (Requiem, #1)|Christine Fonseca|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372741623s/18145062.jpg|18451305], please do yourself a favor and read it first. Otherwise you will be lost in book two and you definitely want to read book two! I loved this story and cannot wait to start on book three and see what happens to Nesy, Aydan, Zane, Cass, Caim, and Azza.

I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

What a way to end this incredible series!!! I must admit I was hesitant starting out because I just did not care that much for book one. Then during book two I fell in love with the story line and characters. And now I'm sold!

So let's recap shall we? (If you have not read book one Lacrimosa or book two Libera Me, please do so now before reading the rest of this paragraph because spoilers abound!)

Spoiler

The Requiem Series started with Nesy, a Sentinel (aka soldier) from Celestium sent to do one job: Kill an Unholy. Unfortunately for Nesy, this specific Unholy was Aydan, her love from a time long, long ago. Basically to summarize, Aydan use to be an Angel-also a Sentinel-who fell in love with a human. Said human was killed by a demon. Seeking revenge Aydan made a deal with the devil, Azza (more on him later because I love this character!!) hence his fall from grace. What Aydan did not know about this human he loved was that she was also an angel, a Guardian at that time......have you guessed it yet? Yep, she was Nesy. Nesy did not know that Aydan was an angel and it did not matter because it is forbidden in Celestium for angels to love or basically have feelings at all. During the first installment we see Nesy's and Aydan's conflicting emotions about duty and love. In the end, Nesy is killed for her feelings and does not complete her duty. Aydan however showing he does still have goodness in him is granted a second chance by the Council to live as a human. Start book two. Book two we find Zane (((sigh))), Nesy best friend and a Mediator made a deal with the demonic smoke Lilith to save Nesy's life. Unfortunately for Zane, it came at a steep price. Lilith took his angelic senses and all his memories of Nesy to keep Nesy alive and made her a human as well. Aydan finds her as the girl Nessa. However Nessa has no memories of her previous life. Zane and Aydan both believe Nessa to be Nesy but is she really? As the book draws out we see that she is. But we also find out that Lilith is using her to draw the Beast out of Aydan and she succeeds. Zane with the help of Cass brings Nesy's memories back, and poor Zane so in love with a girl who doesn't love him back! Anyways the end of book two we see Aydan die (again) and reborn as the Beast. We also find out that Lilith is pregnant and Nesy is to live with her human family. That's right! Lorelei had other siblings. Twins! Both seers and both destined to protect Nesy.

Dominus book three and I believe the final installment of the Requiem series by [a:Christine Fonseca|4077598|Christine Fonseca|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1276190352p2/4077598.jpg] begins not too long after Libera Me left off. Just like the first two installments, there are alternating POVs. However I did not expect that one of the POVs in this book would be Lilith (the other is Nesy). What a wonderful surprise! Anyways, Lilith is attempting to join her symbiont to the Beast (aka Aydan or well use to be Aydan) and secure his loyalty. Her goals: destroy Celestium and Infernum for killing off her race, the Jinn, a thousand years ago.

Nesy is not adjusting to being human well. She pushes her body to the limits, training with her angelic sword to fight demons she can no longer sense. Her goals: stop Lilith and save Aydan. But is there an Aydan left to save? Will she as a human be strong enough to defeat Lilith? Read this book and find out!!!

I loved this installment. There was real character growth in this book. I saw Nesy differently than I did the first two installments. Previously I was apathetic towards her. She was just back and forth with her feelings. Yet in this book, she's accepted her fate, her duty. And she will stop at nothing until she fulfills her destiny. Then there was Azza. I just knew there was more to him than evil!! This constant hatred towards Mikayel comes to a head in this book and we see a resolution, one that left me in tears for all these two characters suffered through. Aydan/The Beast, I still don't care for. He's a flawed character and I felt that he never really grows in these books.....that's just me though.

I think my favorite scene in this book came towards the end in the chapter called "Empty Darkness." We get a chance to see characters that have died and get a final closure with them. I definitely teared up reading it and it left me feeling content with the choice of characters that died (these included deaths from all installments!)

My only complaint about this book: it needed to be longer!! I felt that the storyline/plot was rushed slightly where it could've been drawn out and more questions answered. What is Dominus? What will happen to the Angels now? and the one weighing the most on my mind......What about ZANE?!?!

The Requiem series is a great read! The author does a wonderful job with imagery and the world building process leaving me thinking that this is really what angels/demons do all the time. This is how their world looks and how we look to them. If you like angel/demon novels, then do yourself a favor and read this series. I promise you won't be disappointed!

I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It is unique among YA books today (I mean for once there is no PNR, no vampires, or werewolves. I loved that!!!)

Deep Green by [a:Trisha Haddad|2781949|Trisha Haddad|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1386117232p2/2781949.jpg] centers around Leah Taylor, who on her Spring Break goes on a cruise with her parents and aunt. Unfortunately for her, the ship is taken over by terrorists. Musir, a young man who Leah met earlier in the day saves her life by throwing her overboard onto a life boat. Stranded with Musir, Blue McCree (a college student she met just minutes before the terrorists took over), Kent Carson (a middle aged "creepster"), and an injured unconscious woman, Leah must learn to survive and hope for rescue.

Then again, I never was a victim of a terrorist attack. I never was a shipwreck survivor either. Times had changed. In the matter of a few days, my life was completely different. The history of my existence changed. These last few days would live with me forever when we were rescued. -Leah

I believe that by the end of this book Leah became one of my all-time favorite female protagonist in a YA book. She's just sixteen (turns seventeen while stranded) and despite all that she encounters, all that she has to do to survive, she isn't whiny. She only had one true breakdown in the entire book and it is well deserved!

The other characters I loved as well. I felt that Haddad did a wonderful job creating them. With just a few sentences she is able to paint a picture of what these characters look like and how they act. For instance, Kent Carson, the "creepster" middle-aged survivor. He is constantly making off-hand sexual jokes towards Leah, he is lazy, and just in general creates dissent in the group. In my mind I pictured some greasy-looking white-trash version of Hugh Hefner. Then there's Blue McCree, the intellectual college student. He is a fanatic about the ecosystem and "going green" as Leah puts it.

Spoiler

And it's this fanaticism that set warning bells off in my head! Just some of the comments he makes throughout the story, led me to predict the ending of this book (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.)

And Musir! I loved him. He is a recent immigrant to America with his parents and speaks little English though he understands it well. And boy was Leah (and I) taken with him!

I could have sworn it was silent all over the ship in that moment. The ocean stood still, the wind slowed, and the other passengers walked silently. It must have been so. I certainly couldn't register a sound. It was as though the world awaited his voice and words.
-Leah

I think every teen girl has felt that way about a boy at some point in their life. I know I did!

The other thing I believe Haddad did very well is to create and center the plot around these characters and their survival. The things they endure are believable (at least to me!). And it truly is like a coming of age story for Leah as we see her character develop over the course of the book. One of the funniest scenes in the book that shows this is when Leah kills a snake. And not just any snake from the description. The snake is the size of a boa. It tries to attack her and she beats it with a spear, then just to be sure it is dead she hacks its head off!

For me, I loved this book! Have I said that too much already?! But no really, I loved this book! It was an easy read. I easily read it in one sitting, and I have every intention to read it again, it's that good! If you like suspense, coming-of-age stories, and a little romance, you'll enjoy this book. (Not to mention props to the author for keeping this a very clean read!) Can't wait for the sequel!

I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

He was my light, my heart, my beautiful scalawag. And I was his GG. -Axi

Oh my goodness! This book was heartbreaking to read! It had so many ups and downs that by the end I didn't know if I should be happy or sobbing!!!!

First Love by [a:James Patterson|3780|James Patterson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1284492096p2/3780.jpg] is a coming-of-age story about Alexandra (or Axi) Moore and her best friend Robinson running away on a cross country adventure, but it is also a story about falling in love for the first time. The story starts with Axi nervous because she is going to ask Robinson to run away with her. She just had this overwhelming urge to leave their small town of Klamuth Falls. After he agrees, they decide on a morning to leave, and here's what she says:

I was going to miss this apartment, this town, this life, like an ex-con misses his jail cell, which is to say: Not. At. All.

Leaving Klamuth in their dust, (figuratively and literally as they just stole a Harley Davidson!!!), their adventures begin.

At first, I thought this was going to be a wonderful story about first love and first heartbreak, but the dedication by James Patterson at the beginning of the book left me apprehensive. I mean, really?! It reminds him of their time together.....again, very apprehensive moving forward. Then at about 40% into the book, you find out why!!!

Spoiler

Axi is a cancer survivor too!!! Is she sick? I thought to myself. Is that why she wanted to run away? Then, came 60%.....she met Robinson on the cancer ward, now he's throwing up blood. This is [b:The Fault in Our Stars|11870085|The Fault in Our Stars|John Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360206420s/11870085.jpg|16827462] all over again!!!!!!

Sorry had a minor rant! Only read if you've read the book! So where was I? Oh yeah, make sure you have tissues handy when you reach that part of the book.

I felt Patterson did a good job describing the feelings of being in love for the first time: the fear, the newness, how everything is just magical. Axi and Robinson both are very relatable characters and for me I could've applied them to myself or any number of people I knew growing up. Axi is the good girl, she gets good grades, never steps a toe out of line. Robinson is described as the bad boy, dropped out of high school, gives a rough kind of vibe at first anyways. Isn't there always more to the bad boy?

I also loved their adventure across our country, starting in the Redwood forest and ending up in Asheville, NC. They saw it all! Though I have to admit, I wasn't happy with them stealing cars to get from place to place. Couldn't they have just rode the bus? Or better yet, one of them owned a car? But that was just me, I guess I'm a good girl too! If you like romance, coming-of-age stories then you will enjoy this book!