Hi everyone! Emma and me have been getting into the Halloween spirit lately, reading loads of paranormal books and obsessing over paranormal shows and, of course, paranormal guys. And so we decided to launch our blog The Girls of YA in the biggest and most awesomely Halloween-y way. Everyone, get ready for All Hallows' Halloween!
We're going to kick the event off with:
The Girls' Paranormal Guys!
The Girls’ Favourite Spooky Legends
She Says She Says – Joint Review of The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black
She Says She Says Halloween Edition – Our Favourite Paranormal Movies, Shows and More!
From Girl to Girl Halloween Edition - Our Best Shows recommended to each other.
Well, we’re definitely getting into the mood of the spookiest holiday out there! We hope you’ll all stop by and celebrate All Hallows Halloween with us!! :D
Ok, here is my silly gif post of what Origin, the fourth Lux book, did to me - well, what that ending did to me. Cause yeah. There was yet another evil twist at the end. Jennifer is the master of cliffhangers. Seriously...
This series is still one of my favourites and I've read all the books at least four times each. But Origin... Well. Let me try and get my feels down...
Ok, so I was nearing the end of Origin. And at first I was happy, this this:
And then.... then The Twist came. Then I finished the book. And at first I was like:
and finally I was like:
Because it's just like..
I didn't know what to do. Jennifer had done it again. Totally shocked me. Possibly scarred me.
And now I'm just like:
Because it is so freaking long until Opposition comes out - too too TOO long, ok?!
Warning: This review will be an excited rambling of a
fangirl who is totally in love with a certain boy from this book. You could read it and laugh, or, the
recommended option, you could go and buy the book and then ramble yourself.
No one is like Daemon Black.
When
he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again,
and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going
on.
But even he can’t protect his family from
the danger of trying to free those they love.
After
everything, I’m not longer the same Katy.
I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the
truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing
and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable
of. The death of someone close still
lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends become the
deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back.
Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger… and they know
it.
Review:
'Now it was do or die time.
All these months had led up to this…'
What
do you do when someone you thought was dead suddenly reappears and comes home?
Only, they aren't the person you lost – not anymore. Not after all
they've gone through...
And
they want to go back. They were forced to leave behind the person they
love more than anything, and not even family will stop them from going to
rescue their love.
But
Katy needs to try – for Daemon. He's struggling to get by, and all the
Luxen are waiting for the Department of Defence to strike back, to take them
all down.
Meanwhile,
they all just need to get by and act normal.
Which
isn't easy when your boyfriend and his family are aliens and you aren't really
human anymore either. And when everyone is trying to deal with the
terrible loss they've been hit by, and all the devastating outcomes. And
when people you hoped were long gone reappear and start causing complete
chaos.
Still,
Katy's boyfriend is Daemon
Black, the hottest person ever to walk the earth.
Yeah.
The situation may be totally unstable and likely to blow up any minute
and they are trying to pull off the biggest prison break since Mission Impossible
was invented, but it has its perks...
But
seriously: "You really shouldn't trust a soul in this game. Not when
everyone has something to gain or lose…" Just a warning, guys…
My
God, just when I was thinking the Lux series could not possibly get better: BAM! It goes and increases the
awesomeness by infinity. And yes, just like all my reviews of this
series, my review of Opal will be the
pure rambling of an obsessed and infatuated fan girl. Sorry, but what
else can a girl do when she's head-over-heels in love? Because that's
what I am: totally in love with the Lux series – and, of course, the pure
hotness-incarnate that is Daemon Black. *swoon*
Alright,
I'm back. Back with my one and only criticism of Opal. And what is that, you may ask? Well, the fact
that Jennifer is now officially THE
QUEEN OF ALL EVIL, HORRIBLE, DREADFUL CLIFFHANGERS!!! I mean, REALLY? HOW CAN YOU LEAVE IT LIKE
THAT?!?! Do you WANT me to go COMPLETELY CRAZY?! Cause if you do:
YOU HAVE BEEN FREAKING SUCCESSFUL!!!! Plus, YOU MADE MY
HEART LITERALLY STOP!!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!?!!!!
Ok.
I am so sorry about that. I just can't get over that ending - check out my gif post and you'll understand. I am
officially in total and utter shock – think of the worst cliffhanger ever (the
end of Shadow Kissed, The Golden Lily, all the Supernatural season finales, plus the Buffy Season Five finale all rolled into
one) and then multiply it. By like a squillion. Add in a major
heart attack, hyperventilating and an almost comatose state of shock.
Cause, you know, I'm pretty sure
that cliffhanger is meant to give you a heart attack and then break it into a
squillion pieces all at once. Cause that's where my heart's at: seizing
and broken beyond repair. Imagine all of this and then you'll be where I
am right now. Good luck getting over it. God knows I can't...
Like, ever. I'm pretty sure – no, I am certain – that I have now been scarred for life. Jeez,
my heart hurts...
Onto
better and brighter things though. Namely: Daemon Black. My newest,
bested, favouritest book boyfriend. Sure, he's prickly and obsessively
protective and a bit macho-patriarchal-boy like, but man do I love him.
He's so sweet and cheeky and charming and gorgeous and loving and caring.
And all he has on his shoulders – all I wanted to do was wrap him up and
take him home and never, ever let him leave. That sounded really creepy,
but that's not how I meant it. I wanted to protect him like he protects
everyone else, because everything he had to deal with... I just wanted to give
him a break, y'know? Keep him safe for a little while. Plus, he
really is perfect. And amazing. And I love him. Something Katy says
about him amuses me:
"Who
needed a flashlight when you had Daemon?"
My
reaction amuses me more: Who needed freaking anything if they have Daemon?!
As
for Kat, may I say I love the new her. She's strong and kickass and
brave. She had these moments where she was the strongest ever and willing
to do absolutely anything to keep the people she cared about safe – these
scared her, but I thought it just proved how much she loved Daemon. Plus,
again gotta mention her love of books: I love it when she goes squee-ey over
books!
Dee
– god, poor Dee! She wasn't in it much, which I don't blame her for, and
we saw this whole new, kinda scary side of her. But in the end, she's Dee
and I'll always love her, strange, hyper alien she is.
And,
'cause I don't wanna give anything away, we'll just say that someone we thought
was dead is really alive – and back. We will call said someone X, for no
real reason other than to be all mysterious. And X was so, so damaged – I
wanted to protect them too, bless X. Sure, X was kinda weird and damaged
and a little scary at times, but I loved X none the less. Plus the
conversation X had with Kat about zombies and surviving the zombie apocalypse
was freaking hilarious!
As
for Blake... I just can't make up my mind about that guy. One minute, I'm
feeling sorry for him. The next minute? Well, he's creepin' the
heck outta me. I seriously don't know what to do with the guy...
Have
I mentioned yet that I adore all of these characters? Like, seriously and
totally love them all to pieces? I have? Oops. Well, I'll
tell y'all again. I love them THIS MUCH!!! By the way, I
just held my arms out as wide as I can. It's not enough. I think I
need to multiply it by a zillion to show how much I love Daemon – I mean, them:
all of them... Maybe a million zillion squillion...
But
most of all, I love the relationship between Katy and Daemon. FINALLY
they are together – which leads to many yummy kissing sessions. HOT yummy
kissing sessions. And their love is so sweet and real and emotional and
hot. They are my new favourite book couple in the history of ever.
Opal was
shaping out to be my fave yet. I mean, we – I mean, Katy – was kissing
Daemon more, there was more of everything I love about this series. And
then... well, it ended. Horribly. As my afore-mentioned yelling revealed.
I had this feeling like halfway through that it wasn't going to end well.
That coupled with the fact that the next in the series doesn't come out
til way too long meant I slowed right down in my reading, savouring every word
and rereading my favourite passages over and over. But this going slow
did not work for long. Oh no, Jennifer's writing is far too magic and
funny and her plotlines are way too exciting and addictive and freaking awesome
for that. So I raced for the end... And, well, you know how that went
down...
Still,
this is my favourite in the series which is now, I think, my favourite series ever.
It has more action, more romance, more suspense, more humour and more
Daemon than ever before and it has left me absolutely, deliriously,
desperately desperate for
more. Like, right now. I am going to literally go crazy waiting for
the fourth – Origin. *sniffles and goes to have a mental breakdown*
But
seriously guys: if you haven't read the Lux series, you just have to.
Right now. It is the most amazing series you'll ever read – there
is literally nothing I can complain about, cliffhanger aside. It's just
so much fun, but is also more than just fun at the same time. It's just
more than I ever thought it would be when I bought Obsidian and more than I ever could have hoped for. And I am
now so in love I don't think I'll ever get over it, not that I want to.
So
yes. Please. Read it. Love it. Ramble about it.
Scream at Opal's cliffhanger.
Just enjoy the ride – love every moment. Series like this don't
come along often and you should all be a part of this one. And even with all
this rambling, I still haven't done it justice.
P.S. Oh, and Obsidian, the first in this series, has been optioned for a film!! A freaking FILM, people!! FINALLY!!! I am sooooo excited!!
Hey, maybe I should do a new gif post about it... Ok, I'm off to look for excited Supernatural gifs now... ;)
Star Rating:
5 Out of 5
It loses a star for the cliffhanger, and yet it's still on
five whole stars - well, really it's about 5 billion. That shows the
amazingness, people.
Warning: This review will be an excited rambling of a
fangirl.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Every night in her dreams Gaby Winters
kills demons.
It’s
been almost a year since Gaby was in the car crash that killed her twin
brother, Jude. Her body has healed, but
her grief is still raw and constant.
Across
a crowded bar Gaby sees the man of her dreams, literally. Rafa not only looks exactly like the guy
who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams, he claims a history with her brother
that makes no sense.
Now
Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her
life is only a shadow of the truth – and that the truth is more likely to be
found in the shadows of her nightmares.
Combining the sexy supernatural appeal of
Lauren Kate’s Fallen series, the kick-ass action of Buffy
the Vampire Slayer and the edgy cool of True
Blood.
This
is angels and demons as you’ve never seen them before.
Review:
"You're supposed to be dead...”
Gaby's
life fell apart when her twin brother Jude died. That was a year ago.
She's moved away, to Pandanus Beach, started over. But she still
hasn't healed. Not really, not inside.
It
doesn't help that she keeps on dreaming the most disturbing things. Each
night in her dreams, Gaby kills demons in a bar. By her side, a guy with
green eyes who smells like sandalwood.
And
then one day, her dream guy walks into the bar. She's never met Rafa
before and yet he claims to have been best friends with her brother, even
though that makes no sense to her. In fact, nothing Rafa says makes any sense.
But
with more and more people like Rafa coming, claiming she should be dead – maybe
even should have stayed dead
– Gaby is forced to face the facts.
Her
life – everything she thought she knew and was – is a lie.
With
no idea what she is, what the entire world
is anymore, what's real and what's not, who can Gaby trust? And can she
stay alive in this world that makes no sense…?
I
picked Shadows up, just wanting to
have a quick flick through it to see what it was about. And I couldn't
stop reading. I don't know what it is about this book, but it’s freaking
addictive. Before I even realised what I was doing, I was a hundred pages
in and absolutely hooked. I'm not sure what it was that made Shadows really stand out. Maybe
it's the angel mythology. Maybe it's the action. Maybe it's Gaby's
voice – so real, so rich, so sad. Maybe it's that this is my first New Adult
experience. Maybe it's the gorgeous and utterly irresistible Rafa.
Who knows! Who cares! All that matters is that Shadows is a breath-taking book – an
amazing, amazing book, that I'm sure will be one of my favourites of 2013.
Hell, it's my favourite angel book of all time, ever. Period.
I
really loved Gaby – she was such a strong character, so broken and loveable and
strong. I could feel her pain – feel how
much it was destroying her, tearing her to pieces, making her empty. And
you not only felt for her,
you felt her. I loved watching
her grow and discover herself, watching her fight back and come into her own.
She was just a brilliant lead, damaged but tough as nails. My fave
kind of protagonist: strong but with a hidden vulnerability to make them
accessible and loveable.
Speaking
of love... I just instantly was drawn to Rafa. I don't know what it is
about him that makes him so darn irresistible. Perhaps it's that bad boy
thing – I have a real weakness for the bad boys. Or maybe 'cause underneath,
he's really, really sweet. He's warm, protective, and sweet, complex, mysterious
and so, so gorgeous. Oh, I just love him.
Daisy
was another favourite, as were Ez and Zak. Rephaim I wasn't so keen on? Daniel, Taya and Melchezedick – sorry, Malachi. I did not like them. Which was ironic,
'cause they were the so-called ‘good guys’...
I
also really loved Gaby's friend Maggie – she was the best friend in the history
of ever. Jason was cool too. Clever, brave, loyal. I liked
him.
And
even though we didn't actually meet him, I adored Jude. He was such an
amazing brother – I loved him to bits and mourned him right along with Gaby.
And I loved their bond. Felt their
bond…
As
for the connection between Rafa and Gaby... Whoa. It wasn't like your
usual teen romance. It was deep. Half the time, they were just
annoying each other. But it was just so hot – so full of chemistry.
I absolutely loved their banter and the way they had one another's back.
Weston's
writing was so amazing – and utterly compelling. The writing style was
insanely addictive and so strong. I felt them all – all the characters
and emotions. Especially Gaby. Her voice was so very real, so
genuine. I could feel every bit of her pain. But there are loads of
damaged narrators out there, aren't they? So what makes Gaby so different?
Well for one, there's the whole no-memories – or at least, no real memories – thing. But
more than that, there was the way she handled her pain. She hurt – so
much I hurt too – but she didn't let herself do that wallowing, selfish,
infuriating thing teen leads are so very good at. No, Gaby handled it all
like the adult she was: she dealt. And I loved that. It added a
whole brilliant layer to the voice: made it so real to me. So addictive
and beautiful.
As
for the plot, man was it awesome! So full of twists and mysteries and so much action! I loved how everything
was revealed so slowly, so teasingly, so addictively. It was just like:
here's one clue. Oh, and another. And another. Just one
little secret at a time. It was freaking addictive! And the action
– don't even get me started on
the action! It was so cool, so exciting. So awesome. Sigh... I will
admit that I saw this one bit coming – it felt kinda obvious to me. But
while I guessed the initial twist, I didn't see the twists that followed that
first twist... If that makes sense. But, God, I just adored this
plot!!
And
ohmigod, I loved all the
mythology! It's so new and cool – so unlike all the other angel books out
there. I just loved the spin Weston put on all the biblical angelic
myths. And what I loved even more than the kickass angel mythology of
this world? That it was set in Australia!
I loved the Aussie feel! It just added to the awesomeness that
already was the kickass angel stuff. So, yes, I adored this setting.
Yum yum, more please?
Ok,
so, angel stories. Loads of them are so samey, y'know? Shadows
was so totally different. For one, these angels weren't afraid to kick
butt. And when I say kick butt, I mean serious, hardcore, butt-kicking
awesomeness. These angels weren't your usual pacifists and they weren't really
religious. It was just so much fun to read an angel book that's so
hardcore and edgy and original. I just loved it. Shadows stands heads, shoulders, chests
and legs above all the other angel books out there.
As
you can all tell from this rambling review, I absolutely adored Shadows. It was one of those books
you're going to want to clear a whole day for, because you aren't going to be
able to put it down. Even if you don't like paranormals or angel books,
read Shadows, because it's special.
It's an angel book, but it has heart. Soul. And, God, it's
just so freaking good! As much as I wanted to read the book in one
sitting (which I did anyway – couldn't help myself!), I also wanted it to last
forever. I'm thanking Paula Weston for making it as long as it was – and
for the fact Haze is out in June,
which while being far enough away to make me crazy, isn't as bad as most sequel
waits. And I'm thanking her also for the ending, which wasn't
infuriatingly cliffhanger-y, but was also enough to leave me desperate for
more, more, more.
So
Shadows. Read it. It's so
much more than an angel book – so much more than a YA paranormal romance.
Just so much more than I could've ever expected and hoped for it to be.
And
I need Haze. I need more of
Rafa. And I take it back: June! Why is it so far away?! *breaks down crying*
Ok, I have a whole load of bookish stuff and news to ramble about now, that you all probably know anyway, but oh well!
Teardrop by Lauren Kate is being published in just one week, people!!! I don't know about, but I'm super excited for this! It's such an amazing book!! And to get the hype up, RandomHouse are having an awesome competion! You need to watch this video, and then tweet about the last thing that made you cry, using #Teardrop, for your chance to win a personalised signed copy of Teardrop and a gorgeous teardrop necklace!!! The comp ends 10th November 2013 and terms and conditions apply. See more: here. And watch this video!! :D
I don't know about you guys but I love Sarah Crossan's Breathe. Listen to her talk about the inspiration behind her books by watching this clip!! :D
Check out all these gorgeous Strange Chemistry covers! I don't know which one I love best - maybe The Almost Girl or Under Nameless Skies or Feather Bound or... ok, I just love them all!! Click on the cover to find out more about the book!! :D
Oh, and I'm FINALLY on Tumblr! Check it out: I've joined the 21st century, people!! :D My Tumblr! *bows*
Oh, and keep an eye on Fierce Fiction... something exciting will be going down soon... :D
All right, that's all for now! Happy Teardrop Tuesday! :D
Well, until next time, The Book Addicted Gossip Girl, out! ;)
Leaving the beach, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit
head on by a pickup truck.
And killed.
Then,
someone is leaning over her, healing her stopped heart. But if she was brought back to life, it must
be for a very good reason.
That reason?
Unless
Janelle can stop it happening, the world is going to end in twenty three days.
The countdown has begun.
23:57:06
05
04…
Review:
“I wonder how long I was dead. Because
I know with absolute certainty that I was. Dead.
And I also know with absolute
certainty that somehow - even though it defies any logical explanation - Ben
Michaels brought me back.”
Janelle's life is far from perfect.
Her mother is bipolar and barely manages to get out of bed. Her
father is a full-time FBI agent who is hardly ever there. Janelle is
responsible for her brother, trying to play the mother while also trying to be
a normal teen.
She doesn't realise how dead she feels
until she is actually, physically dead.
Hit by a car. Very definitely dead.
And then... brought back. Healed. Alive. Someone restarting her silent, broken heart,
leaning over her with worried brown-black eyes.
This person – the one who heals her – loves
her. Very, very much. But surely, surely, they have a better reason for bringing her back. There has to be something bigger going on.
Right?
Possibly something that is linked to the
series of mysterious and bizarre cases Janelle's dad is investigating.
Like her own. The car – the one that
killed her - is unregistered, created by a car company no one has ever heard
of. As if the car just... appeared. Out of nowhere. The
driver, a John Doe, who died after hitting her. He died in his car.
Only, he seems to have died from extensive radiation burns - injuries
that could never have happened to him inside the car.
But all of that's impossible, right?
Unfortunately, no. Something far
bigger than her is going on. Something the whole world is going to find
out about in, oh, about twenty three days.
Well. Not really going to find out about, per say. More...
not discover. Cause the world will be over.
Unless Janelle, her best friend and saviour
can stop it - unless they can keep everything from unravelling.
'So far all attempts to
stop the countdown have been unsuccessful...'
So, let the countdown begin and pray that
Janelle can stop it...
Unravelling is the kind of book you pick up, start to read and then
just can't stop. It is totally addictive. I could barely do
anything else – even the so-called 'important' stuff, like eating and sleeping
and breathing... Who came up with these stupid bodily rules? They
totally get in the way of my reading. It is extremely annoying. But back on topic, Unravelling was completely hooking. I literally could not put
it down at all, no matter how hard I tried – not that I tried all that hard,
really, given that the book is freaking amazing.
I absolutely adored Janelle. She was
so normal and yet so not. She was clever, stubborn, strong and snarky.
She never let anyone walk over her or stop her from doing what she wanted
– namely investigating FBI cases. I do admit, the fact that the only
thing that seemed to work for her when she was grieving was just throwing
herself into snoop mode was a bit odd to me (personally, I'm the curl-up-and-cry-and-eat-chocolate-and-watch-trashy-TV
kind of girl) but, hey! People grieve in their own way and if that's what
works... And no. I'm not telling you why she's grieving.
You're just gonna have to read the book and find out.
As for Ben... Yum. Right from the word go, he made me fall in love.
Damn me and my weak spot for the tortured ones! But seriously, he
was so so amazing.
And Alex... Oh, I want an Alex. He
was so sweet and amazing and just always always
there for Janelle, no matter what. And I loved that they were just friends – no love triangle including
new mysterious boy and boy-next-door.
Yay!
The whole daughter-keeping-family-together,
absent-workaholic-father and/or emotionally-absent-disturbed-mother thing has
been done numerous times. But I think what made this family and the
family angle so special is that even though it seemed like it was almost on the
verge of falling apart, the family was still normal. Janelle, her dad and
her little brother fire off X-Files
quotes, eat Chinese and joke around. There's Strutz, the basically-uncle,
who's there and makes them laugh. Alex, to whom Janelle's dad is
basically a second father. The beautiful, perfect and touching
relationship between Janelle and her little brother Jared. Even the nickname
they gave Janelle: "J-baby"
just screamed normality. The
mother might be the only abnormal thing, always holed up in bed with the
occasional episode, but also the occasional normal, sunny period. And
then there came The Event, which
proved that even if you're normal and even though you love each other and are
hanging on firmly, a single act or event can still devastate...
Oh, I have to mention the plot!
Mainly 'cause I loved all the twists and turns. And, of course, because
I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery! But my God, Miss Norris!
Why do you seem to be set upon breaking my goddamn heart?! I mean, what's with that?! Because yes,
this book that I wasn't expecting to be emotional, this book that I expected to
be all sci-fi, was absolutely heartbreaking.
The way Norris wrote... she made the sci-fi, far-fetched as it was, seem
actually real and so emotional it was untrue. I fell in love, laughed,
hated and then cried my eyes out at three in the morning. Oh, why did you
do it, Miss Norris? Why why why...?
But back to the writing: it was brilliant.
I think Janelle and her voice had a big part to play in that: J felt real
and human and I felt everything she felt. Which, obviously, meant I
mourned as she mourned. And now I'm pretty sure half my heart has been
taken... But on top of the emotions there was the whole mystery. I
loved that part of it - mainly 'cause generally speaking it didn't destroy me.
I just had fun trying to figure everything out and loved racing through
the book to the end, gobbling it all up. But seriously: that blend of
emotions and pure sci-fi? Brilliant. Genius. Awesome.
Yay!
So, yes. Unravelling was... incredible. I adored it. I have been
left broken by it and yet absolutely deliriously desperate for Unbreakable.
My heart may be broken but the torn muscle still aches for more of this
story, of this world (or should I say worlds?)
and of these characters. This is a book that will suck you in, capture
your heart and mind and leave you breathless, broken and longing for more more more as soon as humanely possible. Just an absolutely stunning debut
I can’t recommend enough.
