Rebel Angels - Libba Bray - 4 stars

This is book #2 in the Gemma Doyle series. This was a buddy read with my niece. I found that this book started out much slower than the first one did. So it took some getting into it. When it did finally pick up though, I ended up liking it quite a lot. There were some pretty good, intense moments with this continuation that I really enjoyed. After it finally took off, I found that the story became pretty engaging for me.

I felt like with this one, they were entering the realms a lot more. Some of those parts were a bit intense, at one point I had to put the book down. I don't know if it was just me or what, but it made me feel a little bit stressed out. I do find that I like the times that they enter the realms more, because it seems a lot more exciting then when they are at home.

The characters are pretty much the same in this one, there may have been a couple new ones. One for sure that I misjudged, but still all great additions to the story. I am not sure about the love interests though. I am still on the fence about them. Gemma is still my favorite character out of all of them, I just wish she was not such a push over at times. I would love for her to be a bit stronger and stand her ground more.

I am looking for to the final installment of this trilogy. A Sweet Far Thing. I will hopefully pick that one up soon.

I Am the Messnger - Markus Zusak - 5 stars

Wow I loved this story. This book is a part of my great list challenge and I am so glad I decided to put it on the list, and then pick it up and read it. This story was so much more than I imagined it to be. Great plot, great story, great feels, and great characters. Be ready to totally engage in a story just about living life and how to accomplish that.

This is definitely a feel good story, and let me tell you I felt quite bit. I was so engaged to the story and the characters as well. I feel like there is a lesson to be taught with this one. It definitely teaches readers that a person can be so much more than they are if they just reach high enough. Or, let us, as human beings put other people before ourselves. Let's forget about feeling 'entitled' and just try to understand what other people may be going through. Take off the blinders and stop judging others.

The Characters are so realistic and relatable, which we all love in a good story. We like to be able to connect to those in whom we are reading about. The author definitely gives readers that with these characters. They are well developed, flawed, and stronger than they think they are. I loved everything about them. I especially enjoyed Ed. A character with the world on his shoulders, who perseveres through trials, through tests just to achieve a full life, to just live a life with happiness and meaning.

The Good Daughter - Karin Slaughter - 5 stars

WOW! I knew I would not be disappointed with this book since it is by one of my favorite authors. I knew this would be the perfect book for a buddy read, and it was. I loved everything about this book, the plot, the mystery, the characters, everything. I loved how engaging it was. I love the emotions that were brought out as well. There were so many times when I thought I simply can not put this down. LOL

Lots of twists and turns to keep the adrenalin pumping and the excitement levels high. Right from the start of the book, my heart was racing, blood pumping. I could envision every little detail and I felt everything the characters were feeling. The imagery in this book is amazing, like I was immersed straight into the story, living every detail of it with these characters. There were plenty of times where I would catch myself trying to figure everything out, in which I failed miserably most of the time. The author never reveals too much just little snippets here and there, helps to keep it from being too predictable.

I really liked the characters in this book, I found that they were pretty well developed. Some were stronger than others, but I like how each of them were flawed, had their own issues they needed to overcome and in the midst of a case that was about to be blown wide open. They used their weaknesses to make things right. And the characters were so much more than readers first discover, so multi layered and we get to see those layers pull back and reveal who these people are for real. I love that. I love how we think we know them at the start, but we learn even more and it makes readers love them, for who they are, that much more.

Between - Jessica Warman - 4 stars

This was a very good read. I did not know what to expect at first, I just knew it sounded interesting, and I had not really read anything like it. I loved the plot of the story. Ok so this girl died, but she is still talking, what is going on? It did not take long to figure it out though. The story flowed really well and I was completely engaged to the tale.

I did enjoy the mystery that surrounded this story. There were a few times where I thought I nailed it, and was wrong. I did guess one part of it, but some of it was surprising to me. The author leads her readers along nicely, dropping little hints (and secrets) here and there, and I liked that. She knows how to write an enticing story that is for sure.

I really did like Elizabeth a lot. She is a pretty strong character. I had some issues with her boyfriend, Richie. I did not know if he was as good as she led everyone to believe he was, so that was a roller coaster ride most of the time. A lot of the characters had some secrets that readers gradually learn about, some surprising and some not so much.

A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray - 5 stars

I waited a long time to read this book because of all the hype the series was getting, back when it was super popular. I guess I am just tired of being disappointed falling into all the hype of a supposed fantastic book or series. It has happened to the best of us. Well this one did not disappoint! It truly is fantastic and I am so glad that I have decided to jump on board and become fully immersed into this story.

The plot is amazing, engaging, exciting and super energetic. It is written in a great era as well, where so many things were unacceptable for women, but so very tempting. Tempting and forbidding enough for women to cling to and try to change them. I love that! I also love the writing style of this author so much, but I knew that already when I read The Diviners. I just found myself lost within the story so many times. It is that feeling of being lost that you never want to be rescued from.

The characters are absolutely stunning. Their development is amazing and I am sure they will grow even more over the course of this series. I can't say enough about Gemma. She is strong and brave. And can I say she doesn't take anything from anyone. She knows what she wants, she knows what is right and true, and she is not afraid to let people know. She is a warrior! I can't wait to see how far she goes in this story. I am sure it will be pretty far. Her sidekicks, Pippa, Ann and Felicity are also great characters that steadily grow on readers as they progress through the story.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good action packed fantasy, because this one has it all, a little something for everyone. I really don't think too many people would be disappointed with this one. I so look forward to the other books in this series, and will hopefully get to them all very soon.

There's No Place Like Here - Cecelia Ahern - 3 stars

Let me start off by saying that I really do enjoy this author's writing. Also, this book was nothing like I expected. The story's plot is very original, and very engaging. At first I was expecting more mystery, but what I got was more contemporary, than actual mystery and that is ok because it really was not like anything else I have read.

I did like most of the characters, and then there were those few that were really quite annoying to me. Our main character, Sandy, to me, was very likeable and I loved how she never gave up hope, like all the rest of them had. She knew what she wanted and that was not to be where she was. I liked Bobby too, but I was hoping that he would have been a bit more help to Sandy than he was.

The ending of the story I was quite disappointed in, which is why this is getting a 3 star instead of a 4 star review. It could have been so much more than what the author made it, and I expected so much more than what I got. as well, with the ending. I thought that as different and as magical the story iteself was, the ending would be as well. So yeah I hoped for so much more with that.