When Marshall King and Elyse Alton suddenly wake up tangled in each other's arms with zero memory of how they got there or even who they are, it's the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future. Terrified by their amnesia, Marshall and Elyse make a pact to work together to find the answers that could restore their missing memories. As they piece together clues about their lives, they discover that they're in the idyllic mountain resort town of  Summer Falls. Everyone seems happy there, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town's perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything- not the death of Marshall's mom, not the hidden violence in Elye's family, not even the day-to-day anguish of being a high schooler. Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marshall and Elyse fall into an intense relationship founded on their mutual quest for truth. But the secrets they're trying to uncover could be the death of this budding love affair- and of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

Alright, here's the thing. This cover is beautiful and I love it. A lot. Buuuut this was no good. I didn't really know what to expect from this by the little blurb but what I got was not even in the realm of what I thought it could be about. With that said, the story line felt super rushed, like Kitanidis tried to cram as much stuff as she could into 347 pages and as much as I hate to say it, it didn't work. There was no real smoothness that you find in really great stories.

As for Elyse and Marshall and their intense and budding love affair, it felt far from real. Even during their really hot hook up scenes. It's clear there was some sort of physical connection but that's as far as it went. It sort of felt like they were banded together because they were both utterly clueless about everything. 

I guess it's true what they say, you can't  judge a book by it's cover.

2 bookmarks out of 5

Camden Pike has been grief stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. He'd give anything to have just one more glimpse of her. But when Cam visits the site of Viv's deadly accident, he sees an apparition. Her name is Nina and she's a girl from a parallel world. When Cam follows her there and makes an unbelievable discovery, it's as if all his wildest dreams have come true. But things are very different in this other world. Nina is hiding a secret and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with the truth, he's forced to make a choice that will change his life forever.

I'm drawn to a great cover and this might be one of my favorite ones this year. It was on my list before I even knew what it was about. Poor Cam. I really felt for the guy and it only made me like him more. Which is good since this whole book takes place with him front and center (YAY FOR BOYS!!). Still recovering from his father walking out on him after a career ending football injury, he seems unable to get over Viv's death. While visiting the accident site there's a weird green light then a girl coming through said weird green light. I'll admit, this bit was sort out there for me but I thought 'what the hell? i'll see where this goes.' I enjoyed the love story aspect of it but there was really no real depth apart from Cam's depression. And even that was almost forced down my throat. But again, a cute story with a slight twist so I didn't hate it.

2.75 bookmarks out of 5

After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising- and each other- Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within the Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

I was so, so, so excited for this! I looooved 'Matched' and 'Crossed' so much but if I'm being honest, this was a little bit of a let down. It was good and it did tie up all the loose ends from 'Crossed' but that's the most enjoyment I got out it. One of my favorite things was the way Xander stepped out from Ky's shadow and really become a man that Cassia or anyone else would want to be with. Now I'm not saying that's how the "love triangle" ended but I will tell you that I was satisfied with the trilogy's ending.

3 bookmarks out of 5

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna's life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility. As their relationship deepens,  the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear  in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

First off, I loved this cover! The colors are just so pretty and that was the thing that really drew me to this one. I'm not going to lie, I did enjoy this but when it ended (again, not a series as far as I know) it left me with me questions than answers and that frustrates me to no end. But I was happy with the ending, despite all the questions I have now. Maybe one day I can let it go but for now it's floating around in my brain. 

Anna was a lot of fun. She was smart and full of life. Unlike a lot of other YA novels out, she has a great relationship with both her parents (nice to read a book where mom and dad are still alive). Her best friend, Emma, was this super vibrant British girl that I wanted to know so much more about! I hate when we meet a supporting character and end up almost loving them more than the actual main character. But my favorite character was Bennett. He actually felt like a real person with real emotions. I probably shouldn't like the parts where he and Anna have fights but reading his reactions only made it feel more alive.

All in all, a good read. If you can stand to possibly have more questions when you're done.

3.5 bookmarks out of 5

Ink

I think putting people's names on your body is insane but still wanted to get something meaningful towards how I feel about my husband, this was it.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past. She can't. She used to think her problems were all in her head. They aren't. She couldn't imagine that after everything she's been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. She's wrong. In this gripping sequel to 'The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer', the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this series is one of my favorites this year. In the past few years even. I love Mara and Noah. I love her family and all the crazy characters we meet throughout the story. I'm so glad that Hodkin didn't lose any of the wit and sarcasm that book one had. A lot of the questions that book one left were answered in this. But in turn,  there are more questions and the cliffhanger left me yelling 'what the hell??' It's going to be a looooooong wait til next fall before this can wrap up all my questions.

I love all the mystery and spooky aspects but the best part is the relationship between Mara and Noah. This poor girl has the whole world questioning her sanity and he stands by her side and has her back through everything. Noah is the kind of guy that any girl would want- he's cocky and a smartass with the brains to back it up. Yet there's a soft side to him that he keeps to himself but it's clear that Mara has a special hold on him. If you have not read this, you need to. It's truly an amazing story and one like I have not read in a long, long time.

4.5 bookmarks out of 5

Waiting on Wednesday: Reached

Doing something new that I stole from http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/ and since I'm counting down the day til next Tuesday, I thought why the heck not?

The final thrilling part of the "New York Times" bestselling trilogy, "Reached" is the sequel to "Matched" and "Crossed" by Ally Condie. After leaving the Society and desperately searching for each other - and the Rising - Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again...In the gripping conclusion to the bestselling "Matched" trilogy Cassia, Ky, and Xander return to the Society to save the one thing they have been denied for so long: the power to choose.

Words cannot express how excited I am about this! Ally Condie's series about Cassia and Ky has been so loved by me. If you haven't read any of them, I suggest you start. Like, yesterday.

Mara Dyer believes life can't 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 strangely unharmed. There is.

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

First let me say, this cover is hands down one of the best of the year. It's beautiful and haunting and literally made me stop in my tracks while roaming Barnes & Noble.  So, anyways, I've read some other reviews on this and it was really mixed. Some peopled loved it and some people just thought it was a little weird or to far out there. Sure, the alligators was a little weird but, for me, it all made sense. The idea of the story was original and new and fresh.

Mara is my kind of girl. She's smart and sassy and if she were a real person, I'd want to be friends with her. I love that when she met Noah, she held her own against him. Their relationship from the very beginning was full of tension- the good kind. The obvious physical attraction was there from the start but the back and forth quick dialog they shared is the thing I love most about them. It made the relationship feel real and allowed it to build. None of that love at first sight, forever til death do us part from the first meeting crap here. The fact that she hated him so much from the start makes me want to high five her. 

But be aware, this was one of those stories that I read with the lights on. All night. The strange and completely scary things that happen to poor Mara were totally frightening and if they were to ever happen to me, I doubt I'd ever come out of hiding.  

All in all, I loved, loved, loved this. It was well written and perfectly paced with just enough questions left unanswered to keep me coming back. I finished the second in the trilogy, "The Evolution of Mara Dyer" last night so if I can find the time tonight, I'll get that review up.

4.5 bookmarks out of 5