Legend

 

 

This dystopic novel is set in California. The United States no longer exists. The western states are known as the Republic and they are in a constant state of war with the eastern states, the Colonies, and the Colony supporters, the Patriots. The people within the Republic government and military, especially those who live in the wealthier sectors, don't seem to question authority. The wealthier, government sectors are very militaristic. The students who pass their trial (test given at age ten to determine intelligence and social ranking) with high scores finish high school and then attend college. College seemed to be like a long term military training academy. The wealthier sectors gave off a very Sparta vibe; they valued the military, and had a "survival of the fittest" frame of mind.

 

June Iparis was born to an elite Republic family. She is one of the only people who have ever received a perfect score of 1500 on her trials and is viewed as a prodigy. At just fifteen years of age, she is well ahead of other students at Drake University, and tends to get herself in trouble due to boredom. Her parents died when she was young, but she's on the fast track being groomed to Republic greatness like her brother and guardian, Captain Metias Iparis.

 

Day is an infamous and most wanted criminal in the Republic. He was born into one a poor family. He failed his trials and was supposed to be sent to a labor camp, but he escaped and lived a life on the streets. He risks being caught to get medicine to cure his brother, but when Captain Iparis is killed in the process, Day becomes the prime suspect. June vows to hunt him down and avenge her brother's death.

 

Dystopian novels seem to be very popular lately, but I have the same problem with Legend as I do with others (Hunger Games, Divergent, etc)- Why?! I know it's not crucial to the story, but I'm just curious. Why did it happen? In Legend, the citizens seem to know less about their past and what's going on than the others. It was hard to pinpoint a time frame for this book, which also isn't too important. It definitely has to be after 1990 (that's the year on the U.S. quarter Day's father found). The Republic had a very "big brother" feel. They telecast warnings and reminders of the dangers the Colonies and Patriots pose, breaking news is shown on jumbotrons all over the Republic, and public executions.

 

Day was by far my favorite character of the novel. He puts so much thought into everything he did. Most of his crimes were committed to help someone else. He didn't hurt anyone unless his life depended on it. He was very intelligent and way beyond his fifteen years of life. He learns from an early age that the Republic is not to be trusted.

 

It took me awhile longer to like June. She was rigid and robotic at times. I really started to like her when she saw how Day lived and empathized with him after his mother was killed. I loved that she became a rebel and that she was a strong, intelligent female character. She may have been born into wealth, but she never questioned leaving it behind when she learned the truth.

 

If you are a fan of dystopic socities, than Legend, is a must read. It has strong characters, an interesting plot, and you get alternating points of view. I look forward to the next books and to see what Day and June accomplish, because I am sure it will be epic. 

Losing Hope

 

ALL. THE. FEELS!!!!!!!

The months leading up to the Losing Hope realease, I thought that it would be picking up where Hopeless left off. Well, I was wrong. This is Sky and Holder's story told from Dean Holder's point of view. Let me just say that after reading this, Holder is now my favorite "book boyfriend"ever!

I loved being able to see what was going on in Holder's head. Especially scenes like the initial grocery store sighting and the bracelet/cafteria incident. He was so throghtful, sweet, honest, and protective. I loved it!!!

The letters that he wrote to his sister, Les, were probably my favorite part of this book. You could tell how special she was to him and how much he missed her. I bawled m eyes out reading Les's good bye letter to him. It was so perfect for this story. It really gave Holder the closure that he needed. 

Colleen Hoover can do no wrong in my book. Bring on Maybe Someday (which released today) and Ugly Love (which will hopefully come out later this year). 

Providence

I am a huge Jame McGuire fan. I loved Beautiful Disaster, Walking Disaster, and Red Hill. So, I decided to pick up one of her earlier book. While reading this you can definitely tell it was one of her first books.

Nina has just lost her father. After the funeral she meets Jared Ryel, a nice and very attractive guy, at the bus stop. They have several encounters; running into one another unexpectedly. Through the course of the book, Nina learns that her father was not as great of a man as she had grown up thinking. Also, Jared is much more connected with her life and her past than she could have ever imagined. Nina and Jared fight fate and hell to be together.

The plot of this story has great. It was interesting and fairly original. However, there were so many errors throughout the book that it was hard to ignore. If you can look past the errors and mistakes then the story line is great. I loved Jared, and that he was the one with the stronger feelings (at first). You usually see girls falling all over themselves for guys, but it was nice to see it play out the opposite for Jared and Nina. This book is the first of a trilogy, it definitely caught my attention enough to see where Jared and Nina's story leads. 

Ten Tiny Breaths

Wow, just wow. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I do and I will inevitably be suffering from a book hangover after this. After this book I immediately reserved all of the K. A. Tucker books available at my local library. 

Kacey was in a horrible car accident. She lost her parents, best friend, and boyfriend. She and her sister, Livie, have to live with their aunt and uncle afterwards. After a horrific night, Kacey takes Livie to start their lives over in Florida. There they befriend Storm and her daughter, Mia. Kacey is even starting to resemble her old self, open up, and really live. She meets Trent and there is an instant attraction He is adament about her seeking help for the PTSD she suffers. Trent becomes Kacey's rock. He gets her to open up and he makes her feel whole again. 

"Give me your heart, Kacey. I'll take everything that comes with it."

Little does Kacey know just how involved Trent is with her past. Once she learns the truth She is shattered and she almost loses Trent for good... Almost. 

I don't have anything negative to say about this book. Iwas hooked from the first page. Kacey was such a strong character. I loved that she had such strength and was a bad ass. She didn't take crap from anyone and she was willing to do whatever she could to give her younger sister the best life and future possible. I did feel bad for her when she found out the truth about Trent, but she was able to get the help that she needed and still found it in herself to forgive, accept, and love Trent.

While what Trent did was screwed up, and borderline stalkerish, he had good intentions. I loved watching he and Kacey fall in love. He wanted her to enjoy life and to fully recover. He was super sweet, hot, and ultimately swoon-worthy.