Review: Defy

Defy by Sara B. Larson
Publication Date: January 7th, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: YA Fantasy

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Defy was a mess. Before we go in, let me clear one thing up. Normally, I love High Fantasy novels. However, in my opinion, Defy was a terrible addition to my favorite genre. I really wish I could have enjoyed this story more.

The first thing I disliked about this novel was our main character, Alexa. This is a girl that is supposed to be tough. She is masquerading as a boy for heaven’s sake! And not even just a boy... a soldier who fights! Sadly, I found Alexa the opposite of tough. She seemed to need to be saved at every corner and she is constantly swooning over her two love interests instead of thinking of more important things. Like, you know, the COMING WAR! 

Speaking of the two love interests, I have to say that I really don’t understand what was so special about either of them. Prince Damian seemed to switch personalities every second, and all I remember about Ryland is that Alexa is obsessed with describing his eyes. Sadly, they were both boring and I honestly do not care which one Alexa ends up with at the end of this series. 

Finally, what annoyed me most was how the romance and small drama happening with Alexa took center stage. I wanted some good world-building! How about a memorable cast of UNIQUE secondary characters? Even the writing in Defy was subpar. 

Overall, Alexa was not the tough heroine I wanted her to be. She turned out to be crying, blushing mess who had two boring guys fighting over her, confessing their deep feelings, and all that jazz. There was a lack of world building, and the characters lacked originality and depth. I would not recommend picking up Defy. 

1/5 Stars

Top Ten Tuesday #31

Hosted by the Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon (I Promise)



1. Anna and the French Kiss.
Etienne St. Claire = British (yet somehow French and American too), cute, and funny. How can anyone not love Etienne St. Claire? Even his name is awesome for heavens sake!

2. Pivot Point. 
Trevor is amazing. I am now reminded that I need to get my hands on Split Second NOW! It releases tomorrow (I think). YAY!

3. Bloodlines (the whole series)
Adrian and Sydney are such a perfect match. However, for some reason, Richelle Mead wants them to be apart. Stop their suffering and trials! (I'm kidding. You all know I love it.)

4. Fangirl
Levi :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D All those smiley faces explain how my face looked every time he was on the page!

5. Vampire Academy (the whole series)
Once again, Richelle Mead has created two characters with the best chemistry. Then, she repeatedly tears them apart and puts terrible obstacles in their path. Let's all give a toast to Rose and Dimitri!

6. Catching Jordan
Sam Henry is so freaking adorable and charming!!!! *squeals*

7. My Life Next Door
This book is an awesome, swoony summer read!

8. White Hot Kiss
I just read this AMAZING book and I have just one word: Roth. *fans self* Really, you should pre-order this baby for a fun, swoony ride!

9. The Last Olympian
Okay, so all the swoons were basically on the last page. However, I waited FIVE BOOKS for that page. (Spoiler: Percabeth FOREVER)

10. The Boys of Summer, An Endless Summer, and That One Summer
After reading this series, I was a mess of giggles and smiles.

 What are some books that made you swoon?

Topics Taking Flight: I (finally) have a Twitter

Today's Topic: Twitter

Once upon a time there was this very popular thing called Twitter. All the book bloggers loved it. Sadly, Emily did not have an account. Then, around a week ago, she created an account. Emily is starting to get the hang of tweeting. The End.

Now, onto the exciting stuff! Here is my Twitter Username: @Reader_Rising
If you want to, say hello to me on Twitter! I'm so excited that I finally have an account!

Since this is a Topics Taking Flight post, I thought I would ask for some quick tips and info on Twitter in the comments. Normally, I am the one giving info on a topic for these posts... so this will be different!

So, do you have any tips and tricks for Twitter?

Review: Heartbeat

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
Publication Date: January 28th, 2014
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN
Genre: YA Contemporary
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.

Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

Wow. This book made me feel all the feels!!! Heartbeat contained beautiful writing, realistic and sympathetic characters, and a little sprinkling of tears and laughter. I listed Heartbeat on my Favorites Shelf on Goodreads. I only have 22 books on that list, and all the books more than deserve to be there. So, congratulations to Heartbeat!

I loved how Elizabeth Scott portrayed the main character, Emma. I know for a fact that some readers did not like Emma. However, to me, she behaved realistically and I connected to her at once. 

At the beginning of Heartbeat, Emma had just lost her mother. She was confused, grieving, and a teenager.  Emma blamed the death on her stepdad and the coming baby. To me, I think this illustrated a very important point. When something bad occurs, a lot of people want to find a reason for the tragedy, they need someone or something to blame. However, you have to learn that sometimes no one is to blame, and that you can’t change the past. 

Emma was very infuriated when she learned that her technically dead mother’s body is being kept “alive” to give birth to her baby. I can’t imagine going to the hospital and seeing a relative or friend be right there with a seemingly healthy body, but really be gone, completely brain dead. Emma often went to talk to her mom, which was quite emotional for me. Also, this book influenced me to research and think about the ethics of keeping a dead person “alive” in a hospital. 

The romance was really awesome too. Caleb had his own tragic story, like Emma. Only, in his story, he was the one being blamed. Also, he didn’t feel the cut-out, cliche “bad boy” we see relentlessly in YA nowadays. Caleb had a lot of substance, and he and Emma complimented each other well. They seemed to understand each other in a way that is essential to keep a relationship intact. 

Overall, I loved this book. It tells a story that is not a standard one. Yet a lot of people will relate to Emma’s feelings. We’ve all felt unbearably mad, sad, or confused at one point in our life. Also, the romance was awesome. Although it isn’t the main plot of the story as the cover suggests. Along with the sad parts, Heartbeat also has fun and hopeful parts. The book was the perfect contemporary read!

4.5/5 Stars

*I received this novel for free in exchange for a honest review*

Unite Blog Tour

Check out the rest of the tour schedule

Unite by Jamie Campbell
Published: December 3rd
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

United They Stand.

Seventeen years ago an entire generation of aliens were sent to Earth in order to save their home planet and integrate into the human population. Now, those aliens are being hunted.

Amery Jones is your typical teenager, except for the fact she is an alien and a member of the government’s secret Project Integrate.

When Amery’s best friend Lola is kidnapped in order to get to her, there is only one person that can help – the exceedingly annoying and charming Lochie Mercury.

Together, Amery and Lochie must put aside their differences and attraction in order to rescue Lola before it’s too late.

Playlist for UNITE from Jamie Campbell

I always listen to music when writing so the tone of a song can
completely change a scene I'm writing at the time. The songs for Unite
are:

Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson
Skyscraper - Demi Lovato
Innocence - Avril Lavigne
Keep Your Hands Off My Girl - Good Charlotte
I Got Trouble - Christina Aguilera
No Time For Tears - Ashlee Simpson
Anywhere Else But Here - Simple Plan
A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
You Will Only Break My Heart - Delta Goodrem
Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift

About Jamie Campbell
Amazon #1 Bestselling Author Jamie Campbell was born into a big, crazy family of 6 children. Being the youngest, she always got away with anything and would never shut up. Constantly letting her imagination run wild, her teachers were often frustrated when her 'What I did on
the weekend' stories contained bunyips and princesses.
Spending quality time with her laptop named Lily, Jamie has written several novels and screenplays. Spanning a number of genres and mediums, Jamie writes whatever inspires her from ghost stories to teenage love stories to tantalizing murder mysteries. Nothing is off limits.
A self-confessed television addict, dog lover, Taylor Swift fan, and ghost hunter, Jamie loves nothing more than the thrill of sharing her stories.

Giveaway!

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Favorites Giveaway Hop

Hosted by Stuck in Books

Here I have randomly selected some of my favorite books! The winner of the giveaway can choose one of the five books above!

Giveaway!

Rules: US only, all the entrants must be at least 13 year old, and no cheating please!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, check out the other participating blogs for more chances to win great books!

Review + Giveaway: Eversea and Forever Jack

Follow the Tour Schedule!

Eversea by Natasha Boyd
Publication Date: June 4th, 2013
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

An orphaned, small-town, southern girl, held hostage by responsibility and self-doubt.
A Hollywood A-list mega-star, on the run from his latest scandal and with everything to lose. 
A chance encounter that leads to an unlikely arrangement and epic love affair that will change them both forever. 

When his co-star and real-life girlfriend is caught cheating on him with her new director, A-list hottie, Jack Eversea, finds himself in sleepy Butler Cove, South Carolina. Jack hopes the sultry southern heat in this tiny coastal Lowcountry town will hide him not only from the tabloids and his cheating girlfriend, but his increasingly vapid life and the people who run it. He doesn’t count on meeting Keri Ann Butler. 

Keri Ann has relied on herself so long, dealing with her family’s death and the responsibilities of keeping up her family's historic mansion, that boys and certainly the meager offering of eligible boys in Butler Cove, have never figured into her equation. But fate has other plans. Suddenly face to face with the man who played the movie role of her favorite fictional character, Jack has Keri Ann yearning for everything she has previously avoided ... and Jack must decide whether this funny, sassy girl is worth changing his life for, before his mistakes catch up to him.

----Review----

Eversea was a fun read. And this is high praise for a New Adult book. I love some books in the genre, but, I am sorry to say that we mostly do not get along. Why do I still read an NA novel every few months? Well, the ones I love I really love and consistently reread. While Eversea didn't quite hit that mark, I still would not hesitate to recommend the book. I smiled my way through the story!

Keri Ann was an amazing main character. Her personality is a lot of fun and the author did a good job making her a mix of likable and realistic. Her backstory was developed which was a great relief, as some novels I have recently read have had characters with seemingly no past. (hehe) The other main character, Jack, was pretty cool. Unfortunately, I didn't like him as much as Keri Ann. Perhaps it was because I felt a little detached to him, the next book may be better in that aspect. However, he did have some lines that had me laughing.

Eversea is one of those whip-right-through-it stories. You find yourself at the end, and think "but...but I just started this! How can I already be at 350???". I'd say this is the perfect read when you want a story that is light and fun to cleanse your palette. One other notable character in this novel is Jazz, who was the best freind. She may have been a bit cliched, but she was still a great addition to the story.

Overall, Eversea was like one of those tiny, fancy desserts from restaurants. It was sweet, presented prettily, and over in a second. Natashe Boyd is an author to keep an eye on.



3/5 Stars

----Giveaway----
Four Kindles, Signed Copies, and a Sea Turtle Pendant (Multiple Winners)

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Thanks for reading the Eversea tour post on Reader Rising!

Top Ten Tuesday #30

Top Ten Worlds I Would Never Ever Ever Want To Live In
There are so many!!! Really, a book isn't any fun without a hero that isn't in a dangerous world, about to be killed around every corner!

Wow. Frankly, it's depressing how many books have setting that I would never, everevereverever want to live in... probably because I would be dead as a doornail in a second. 

All these settings are supposedly Earth in the future. Yikes. Apparently, authors are all plotting to destroy our world's society in the future. (Will it be aliens, war, zombies, or a shortage of water?)

And I still LOVE almost all of these books :D So, go read them!

What are your top ten worlds?