Human Blend by Lori Pescatore

Paperback: 234 Pages

Publisher: CreateSpace

ISBN: 978-1453765135

My Rating: 4/5

Marion, Virginia seemed like a nice place to live a normal life, but she is not a normal girl. Laney has special abilities that keep her looking over her shoulder as she makes her escape from the men who had kidnapped her.
A young doctor's interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child's illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harboring secrets of his own.
Laney's budding relationship with a local boy puts both of them in danger when the men she was hiding from find her. All of their lives will change forever as ancient secrets become unearthed.

'Human Blend' was so much more than I anticipated it to be. I loved the Characters (for the most part) and the storyline was consistent, engaging, and it made sense. As with all books and characters, there will probably be something you like and something you don't like. The only problem I had with any character in this book was Laney. She can be a bit much sometimes haha. But she is still a GREAT character.

'Human Blend' is the story of Laney who runs away from these terrible people and attempts to live in secret in Marion, Virginia. The people she is running from are the worst sort of people. Anyways, I don't want to say much about them. So, Laney has these abilities that we learn about throughout the book. The first thing we learn is that she can see numbers and she can heal people. Which is really why these people want her in the first place.

Overall, 'Human Blend' is an awesome book. I was hooked on it and actually read it all within a couple days which is something I haven't done since the summer! I can't wait to start book #2, 'Earth Blend' and see where Laney's story goes. I'm actually planning on starting it today! So, if you haven't checked out 'Human Blend' by Lori Pescatore (which is book one in a trilogy) you definitely should, you won't be disappointed!

Kevin's Point of View by Del Shannon

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback: 400 Pages

Publisher: Flatiron View Books

ISBN: 978-0-615-40123-2

My Rating: 4/5

Kevin Tobin is a relatively ordinary twelve-year-old dealing with the ­aftermath of his father’s death in a mountain biking accident near their home in Boulder, Colorado. To escape from his emotional turmoil, Kevin has ­developed his imagination into a dangerous foil and a powerful ally. While he antagonizes his mother and sister through his superhero antics on an average Wednesday ­morning, his ability to escape inside a character’s head becomes critical to his ­survival after his life is once-again turned upside down a year after his father’s death.

A mysterious package arrives in the mail, Kevin and his best friend are hunted down by a ruthless villain set upon world domination who is determined to ­retrieve the package, and after enlisting Kevin’s teenage sister and her pizza-­delivery boyfriend in a battle for control over time itself, the secret of Kevin’s whole existence is revealed to him by a source we never expected.

I don't know exactly where to start with 'Kevin's Point of View.' There were so many great things about it! I loved the story! It was cute and light but it still had depth and was completely engaging. From the first few pages you are sucked into Kevin's world and you get stuck there. I just wanted to keep reading because it was such an amazing story.

My favorite character in the story, hands down, is Kevin. I loved that you actually get to see his immaturity and how unpredictable he is. I found myself laughing as he would transform into "Captain Disaster!" Another character that I particularly liked in 'Kevin's Point of View' was the bad guy, Devin. He is completely relentless. He knows what he wants and he does NOT hold back when he goes after it. We get to really see how deranged and psychotic Devin really is when one of his first interactions with Kevin is to try and kill him. All the characters in this book were developed very well and I really liked something about all of them.

Del did a fantastic job of writing Kevin. He is one of my favorite characters to date! Reading 'Kevin's Point of View' was like actually living through Kevin. He is so imaginative and Shannon does an amazing job of portraying it to us. I really loved that it made me feel like I was experiencing these events through this 12 year old boy. I hope to read more from Shannon in the future and I'm hoping there will be another 'Kevin's Point of View.' Oh, and I can't finish my review without saying, the ending to this book was incredible!! I was being presumptuous through it thinking I knew what was going to happen, turns out I was wrong! I won't spoil the book or the ending because I think everyone should read 'Kevin's Point of View' be Del Shannon!

The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna

Paperback: 254 Pages

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

ISBN: 978-1-61194-052-7

My Rating: 5/5

Leann wasn't good enough for her upper-crust in-laws, so they gave her the mansion none of them wanted. Years ago, something or someone in the house killed Leann's brother. Will its violent secrets kill her next?

I have to start off by saying WOW! I am totally blown away by Kathleen McKenna's writing in 'The Wedding Gift.' It's such an awesome feeling to find a book that you can relate to, that you love, that you are fully invested in and I've found that in this book. I was in the middle of midterms when I started reading this so it took me a little while to read but I will admit, it did pull me away from studying at times.

This book is about a girl named Leann who is completely conceited and thinks that nothing is ever good enough. She's materialistic in the worst way. Even through all her flaws, I loved Leann's character. She was deep but shallow at the same time. There is such character development and relationship development between characters that you find yourself fully involved in every aspect of it. Leann marries for money...basically. Which ends up being a terrible mistake. This book is all about murder, affairs, broken hearts and strong, strong emotions. Oh, and don't forget about the amazing paranormal aspect as well!

'The Wedding Gift' was simply stunning. I'm still reeling from it. I was so into the book that I stayed up until 3 in the morning reading it last night! It's absolutely amazing and I would recommend it to everyone! This is not a YA title explicitly but it plays out like one. It's like a YA for adults, if that makes sense. Definitely, definitely check out 'The Wedding Gift' by Kathleen McKenna, I promise you will not be disappointed!

In My Mailbox

IMM is a weekly event hosted by the Story Siren.

This week I received:

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

&

Divergent by Veronica Roth