Mini Reviews: TRUE, ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE and AUSTENLAND

Title: True
Author: Hilary Duff
Series: Elixir #3

Why I read it: To finish another series! And for #RYBSAT.

Thoughts: Meh. I had all the problems with this book as I did with the first two books in the series. This is written by "Hilary Duff with Elise Allen," so you would have thought the writing would be better. The writing is so juvenile and stuffed with adjectives that really don't need to be there. There was a single sentence in this book that struck me as nicely phrased: "There's no sign, and the entrance all but disappears among the succulents." Though if we're being totally honest, it's probably because I love the word "succulents." The characters here are completely one-dimensional; I don't think any of the four main characters made any real growth throughout the series. As if Clea's narration wasn't bad enough, we're also given chapters in Rayna's POV as well. Those were worse. I couldn't stand Rayna's voice.

And finally, my biggest pet peeve? The necklace on the cover was a big deal in the first two books and it was a symbol of Clea and Sage's love (or something like that). I don't even think it was MENTIONED in this entire book. Boo.

Rating: 1/5 stars

Title: Another Little Piece
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn

Summary: On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished. 

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon. 

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish...a bloody razor...and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent endless cycle that she will never escape--unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past. 

Why I read it: #RYBSAT!

Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this! I can't say much without going into spoilers, but our main character is fascinating. The way she interacts with everyone around her, without remembering them from before, is very interesting. All side characters are fleshed out and intriguing, especially Dex. How I loved Dex. Cute guys that talk too much are completely my jam. The plot keeps you guessing up until the very last few pages, and it's written very unconventionally, which I always love. There are poems and a couple of letters that almost mark chapter breaks, though they're not labelled thusly. And within each "chapter," the narration is further broken into sections. There were a few times those breaks were confusing because it might have taken a little time to figure out where/when we were, since there were flashbacks and such, but it never got to the point where it completely took me out of the story.

Often, this book reminded me a bit of the Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin, so if you were a fan of that trilogy, I would definitely recommend you pick this book up, as well!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Title: Austenland
Author: Shannon Hale

Summary: Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man--perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own? 

Why I read it: When participating in a read-a-thon like Bout of Books 13, short books for the win!

Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this, though I still may prefer the movie. (Don't shoot me!) Our heroine, Jane, is so much fun. There are times when she seems very lost and anxious, but the best times are when she finds her stride and embraces the snarky and bold side of herself. When she banters with Mr. Nobley, I just adored her. The other characters are fun as well, though not as well-drawn as Jane and Mr. Nobley. I must say, however, that since I've seen the movie before I read the book, I easily pictured the movie cast as the book characters. For the most part, it's a very cute, fun book!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read any of these books? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Series Review: MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin

  

Series Title: Mara Dyer

Book Titles: 

1. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

2. The Evolution of Mara Dyer

3. The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin 

Summary (Unbecoming): Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. 
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously. 
There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. 
She's wrong.

Why I read it: I had heard about the first book a while back when it first came out, and I was intrigued, but it was never a priority. This year, when I started this blog and started really following the booktube community, I started seeing the series again. Then, the third book was released this November and all pre-ordered copies were signed! So in July, I pre-ordered my copy and ordered the first two books. Then I marathoned the entire series when Retribution arrived at my house!

Thoughts: I seriously LOVED this trilogy. I have heard a lot of people had issues with the third book, and I can understand their reservations, but I had none of the same problems. I ran through the three books in about a week, and they're not small books. But that's how good they were.

The characters are fantastic. Mara is an unreliable narrator, as even she doesn't know what's going on around her, but she has a good heart, and I was constantly rooting for her throughout the series. Noah Shaw is the perfect bad boy with a heart of gold and I totally fell in love with him. Like seriously, Noah Shaw has jumped near the top of my book boyfriends list. But I also love Jamie Roth! Jamie is Mara's first friend at her new school, and he stole my heart. I was thrilled when he continued to be a main character in the trilogy.

Mara's family is also present throughout the series, which is a welcome surprise in a YA world where most of the families are unimportant to the story. Mara's parents want nothing but for Mara to be better, and her brothers are always on her side, which was a wonderful addition to the story.

As far as Mara and Noah are concerned, their romance is very realistic to me. There is an instant attraction, but a slow-build to anything real, and I loved every delicious second.

Michelle Hodkin's writing is perfectly suited to this kind of story. The way she describes Mara's hallucinations make you feel paranoid and crazy right along with Mara. It's a very visceral experience. I wanted to keep reading. I wanted to learn more.

The setting was great, too. Being a Florida native, I know firsthand what it feels like to be in Florida, and Hodkin paints that picture perfectly, as well.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect with this series. I'd heard it was a thrilling, mess-with-your-mind adventure, and it totally was. But it certainly has some elements that I wasn't expecting, which made the series even more un-put-down-able to me. It had everything I love in a series: mystery, thrills, great characters and a fantastic romance.

I seriously adored this series. If you love a palpable romance between two leads, a mystery that you're racing to solve, and unreliable narrators, I would highly recommend you check out this trilogy!

Individual ratings: 
Unbecoming: 5/5 stars
Evolution: 5/5 stars
Retribution: 5/5 stars

Rating overall: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read the Mara Dyer series yet? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments below!