REVIEW
Rebirth by C.G. Sins

Rating: 4/5 

Lilitu grew up in a world of darkness. All she knows is the damp, cold cell she has lived in all her life. Like all humans in Moriyah, she is only kept alive as livestock. Her purpose in life is to be drained of her blood in order to feed the now dominant race of Moriyah; the Vampires. After twenty years of imprisonment, and several attempts to escape; Lilitu has given up on her dreams of finding a new life. She now spends her days alongside her only friend, Victoria, imagining what kind of magical world lies beyond the human center.

 By a strange twist of fate, Lilitu crosses paths with Strigoi; the King of the Vampires. This chance meeting leads her on a dangerous journey into the world outside her cell. 

Rebirth is the first book in the Vampire Lilitu trilogy. It also happens to be the first book published by the author, C.G. Sins and I have to say, she's off to a great start!

The novel is fast paced from start to finish. There's hardly a dull moment. I finished the book in one sitting. The author did a great job of keeping the story on track and not getting caught up in the side stories.

The story takes place in Moriyah. Sins develops a new world throughout  the story filled with magical beings and mysterious lands. Vampires, werewolves, fairies, Rebirth has it all. She makes it sound like a beautifully dangerous place to be and I'm entranced. The creatures in her book are told/talked about in a way that seems as if they could be real, even if you know they don't exist.

The main character, Lilitu, is a bad ass head strong female who is willed by her desire to live and to over come the vampires that have taken over. She keeps her feelings on lock and thinks with her head, a trait I admire.

The reason I gave Rebirth only four stars is because even though I enjoyed the story that exists, I wanted more from it. I wish the story was longer. Maybe had more happen while Lilitu was locked in the human center or at the castle with Strigoi. However, since it's only the first book I'm hoping any unanswered questions will be covered in the next two books.

Rebirth leaves us with a bit of a cliff hanger. Leaving us to anticipate the stories to come.

Overall, the story is a fun, twist filled read that will keep you hooked even after you've set the book down. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys fantasy and action books.

Links to purchase:
Amazon
C.G. Sins website

REVIEW:

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Rating: 5/5

All the Bright Places follows two characters, Violet Markey and Theodore Finch. They both find themselves on top of the bell tower at their school contemplating death and kind of "save" each other. They then become partners on a school project that requires them to see different wonders of their state. The novel focuses on their adventures as they discover each other and battle their inner thoughts.

The novel deals with serious issues such as bipolar, loss of a love one, depression and suicide. It portrays these illnesses in an extremely realistic way, it doesn't glorify or romanticize them. It's blunt. It's powerful. It's heart breaking.

However, the story also had humor and romance. It had me laughing and smiling like a goon on one page and crying my eyes out on the next.

That's the best part. All the Bright Places makes you feel. It makes you think. It's raw and brilliant and I'm completely in love with it. I will recommend this novel to anyone and everyone because it quickly became one of my favorite books of all time.

I read this book in less than a day, I could not put it down. So bravo Jennifer Niven. You, my dear, are an excellent author.

Another reason I love this book is that it takes place in the state that I live in, Indiana. So I felt a connection to it. I know these places they visit. And while I've never been to any of them I've always wanted to. I grew up hating Indiana. The only thing I wanted was to get out of this state, this book changed that. While I still am desperate to leave and see the world, I now appreciate the beauty this state brings to the world. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this novel, do you agree or disagree? If you haven't read it yet, I recommend that you pick it up sometime.

REVIEW: Life and Death (Twilight Re-imagined) by Stephanie Myer

Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined is an additional, non-canon reimagining of Twilight. The book was written and published by Stephenie Meyer in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Twilight franchise. The story is set in an independent, parallel universe in which the most significant difference is that the genders, names and roles of the main characters have been reversed, with only a few exceptions.
The story follows essentially the same plotline as Twilight, but with necessary adjustments and slight changes to the story, dialogue, backgrounds, and personalities of the characters to accommodate the switched gender roles. Life and Death also features an alternate ending from the original plotline. 

I was really excited to read Life and Death since I was a hardcore Twihard. However, I was a little put off at the idea of another Twilight novel as I feel that the series should be left alone.

Towards the beginning I got caught up in who was who. Every time a character was discussed I was trying to figure out who they were in the original novel plus I was trying to notice every little detail that was changed. About a third of the way through the book I realized that doing so was making it extremely hard to enjoy the story so after that I tried to just enjoy the novel as an individual and not as a Twilight rewrite.

After that I actually enjoyed most of the novel. There are parts that I found to be awkward. It's probably just me stuck in society's gender roles but there were scenes that I found weird/unrealistic with the new genders.

I loved that Stephanie changed the ending! I won't spoil it for those that have not yet read it however, I will state that I enjoyed seeing how Twilight would have ended if it had been a standalone.

Overall I would recommend Life and Death to anyone that loved the original Twilight as it provides a new, fresh take on our beloved novel.

Tell me in the comments or on my book Instagram (@ncreads) what you thought of Life and Death if you've read it! I'd love to discuss and hear your opinions.

My rating will be based on Life and Death by itself as if it has nothing to do with Twilight.
Rating:  3.5/5

Link to purchase:
Amazon

REVIEW: Leaving Amarillo by Caisey Quinn
Publication date: March 17, 2015

Dixie Lark hasn’t had it easy. She lost her parents in an accident when she was young and grew up in a ramshackle house on a dirt road in Amarillo with her ailing grandparents and overprotective older brother. Thanks to her grandfather, Dixie learned to play a mean fiddle, inspired by the sounds of the greats—Johnny and June, Waylon, and Hank. Her grandfather’s fiddle changed Dixie’s life forever, giving her an outlet for the turmoil of her broken heart and inspiring a daring dream.

Ten years later, Dixie and her brother Dallas are creating the music they love and chasing fame with their hot band, Leaving Amarillo. But Dixie isn’t enjoying the ride. All she can think about is Gavin, the band’s tattooed, tortured drummer who she’s loved since they were kids. She knows he feels the connection between them, but he refuses see her as more than his best friend’s little sister.

Convinced that one night with Gavin will get him out of her system, Dixie devises a plan. She doesn’t know that her brother has forbidden Gavin from making a move on her-a promise he swore he’d always keep . . . a promise that once broken will unexpectedly change the future for Dixie, Gavin and the band.

Leaving Amarillo is such a quick and fun read. It holds your attention throughout the entire novel.

The chemistry between Dixie and Gavin is amazing. You can just feel the tension between the two of them and it drags you into their little world.

Without giving much away I will state that the back stories of all three main characters is just tragic. As I was reading their stories I wanted to reach out and hug them all. Caisey Quinn did an amazing job making you feel what the characters felt.

I can't wait to find out more about Gavin and his mother in the next novel. I wanted to punch her right in the kisser, she's was so frustrating.

THE ENDING, UGH. I can not wait to get my hands on the rest of Dixie and Gavin's story.

Rating: 4/5

Link(s) to purchase:
Amazon
Barnes&Noble

REVIEW: Tidal Wave, book two in the Tide series by K. Dicke
Publication date: September 30, 2015

Dark days. Long nights. Dead eyes.

Ever since Kris’s battle with Devon, a victory that should have brought her and the Chosen peace, she’s been on the run.

Kris has left the beach, and all the painful memories associated with it behind.  She’s traded in cut-offs for leather and given up her surfboard for lead guitar in a speed metal band.  She’s hell-bent on revenge against those who wronged her and left her powerless.  But she’s running out of time, her body and mind deteriorating with each passing day.

She may be the only one who can end dark tyranny.  Can she do it while she still has the strength to overcome her enemies, or will she only uncover secrets that wash her away in a tidal wave of misery?

I'm excited to say that I received a physical copy of an  ARC for Tidal Wave to review. My first physical ARC (I've had Ebook ARCS before)! I was so looking forward to reading it after reading Spring Tide a few months back. If you have not read Spring Tide, I recommend that you check it out.

The book started out kind of confusing. Spring Tide ended with such a cliff hanger and Tidal Wave just jumps right back into story mode. About a fourth of the way through the book though everything becomes clear. I'm pretty sure my confusion stemmed from the fact that Kris was a totally different person (which is explained and actually adds to the story a little bit in). Kris's alter ego was a bit to take in at first but after a bit you warm up to it and it makes  a lot of sense why the author chose to do it like that.

Something that I want to bring up that I usually don't talk about in a review is the description used in the book. Dicke did an amazing job bringing this vivid world to life. I caught myself at times just blown away by the amazing descriptions throughout the book that make the story come to life, as if you were standing on the beach with Kris.

Now, let's talk about Jericho. Ahh, I am so rooting for him and Kris to end up together forever! I really want things to workout for them. I love their relationship and the way the Chosen world just comes to life. Dicke has created such an amazing world and I love it!

My feelings seriously got played with in this novel. I swear, I felt every emotion in this book. From joy to utter heartbreak, it all hits you like a brick wall which is exactly what a good novel should do.

Now, I don't want to put any spoilers in this review so I'm going to stop there. However, there is so much that goes on in this novel that I just NEED to discuss it with a fellow reader. So please check out the Tide series then come discuss with me! I'd love to hear your thoughts either on this blog or on my book Instagram @ncreads

Rating: 4/5 stars. 

Link(s) to purchase:
Amazon
Barnes&Noble


You can keep up to date with the author at
 http://tideseries.com/