City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Paperback: 496 Pages

Publisher: McElderberry Books

ISBN: 978-1-4169-7224-2

My Rating: 5/5

WARNING: Don't read the area in green if you haven't read City of Bones and you plan on reading it, it contains spoilers!!

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like her best friend, Simon. But the Shadowhunters won't let her go-especially her handsome, infuriating newfound brother, Jace. And Clay's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil-and also her father. When the second of the Mortal Instruments is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor suspects Jace. Could Jace really be willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

It's been a long time since I read 'City of Bones' by Cassandra Clare so I had to refresh my memory before getting into City of Ashes. I don't know why I waited so long between the two because when I read 'City of Bones' I was instantly obsessed and the same holds true for 'City of Ashes.' All the same characters are there but with some new developments. This book was a little shocking. There were lots of points where I was just like "WHAT?????" but not in a bad way haha. It's really engaging and I'm glad I finally decided to pick it back up.

This book is the story of the Shadowhunters but, as we all know, there are also demons, werewolves, vampires, warlocks, and pretty much anything else you can think of. 'City of Ashes' is basically Clary and Jace's story with a little bit of Simon thrown in. There are a few deaths and some significant changes in key characters which were totally unexpected! We learn more about the notorious Valentine but also get hints that something else is going on...something about Valentine, Jace and Clary but it never quites get out there so I'm super anxious to read the next book and find out what it is.

Overall, I loved 'City of Ashes' just as much as I loved 'City of Bones.' Clare did an amazing job with this book as she did with the first one! I'm hoping to have the rest of the series read so I can be caught up for the new book release in April of 2014 but my To Be Read pile is HUGE right now. Yes, I've been totally slacking in the reading department. I tried to describe this series to a friend and the only thing I could think to say was that it is True Blood for a younger crowd. In case you didn't know, I love True Blood immensely! If you haven't checked out this series yet, you need to. It's absolutely amazing!

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Paperback: 608 Pages

Publisher: RazorBill

ISBN: 978-1-59514-440-9

My Rating: 4/5

The Queen is dead and the Moroi world will never be the same. Now, with Rose awaiting wrongful execution and Lissa in a deadly struggle for the royal throne, the girls find themselves forced to rely upon enemies and to question those they thought they could trust...But what if true freedom means sacrificing the most important thing of all? Each other.

I'm a little sad to be writing this review. I've loved the Vampire Academy series for so long! So it's completely crushing for me to be writing my last review on the series. There are other series from Richelle Mead that will take place in the Moroi World (Bloodlines) but I'm fairly confident they won't have Rose Hathaway or Lissa Dragomir in them, which is heartbreaking. With that being said, I can honestly say that Vampire Academy has been one of my top three for favorite series! I love it and everything about it. Although I found the final book to be a little slow till about halfway, it was exponentially better than the ending to some other series....not naming any names (Twilight!).

The final book in the series, Last Sacrifice, picks up literally right where Spirit Bound left off. I don't want to reveal anything in case some of you aren't that far in the series. I will say that I found the first half of the book to be pretty slow going and boring...which is probably why it took me so long to read it. But the second half flew by in a second. There was a ton of stuff going on, unexpected deaths was a big one. There were a lot of things that I found to be predictable in the end. I mean, you just knew it was going to happen either way.

I initially was going to give Last Sacrifice a 3/5 but the last half of the book made up for the boring parts in the beginning. I didn't give it a solid 5 because of a few reasons, the slowness in the beginning, the ending was too perfect and there definitely should have been more....drama. I mean, I love all the characters but the ones that were most important that lived were too...happy? haha. That sounds mean. It was too fairy tale, happily ever after-ish. Despite all that, I love Richelle Mead as an author and I can't wait to start reading Bloodlines! If you haven't checked out the Vampire Academy series yet, I really don't know what you're waiting for....you definitely should....right now!

Plights by B. Pine

Paperback: 256 Pages

Publisher: Silver Leaf Books

ISBN: 

Release Date: February 11, 2013

My Rating: 5/5

The children grow, the dragons watch. And they can't help but wonder what lies in store for them all. The wonderful tale of the young Draca Wards continues. After surviving their initial confrontation with various dragons, it is now apparent that children are indeed a force to be reckoned with. Realizing this, the Academy Headmaster, the Debellos dragon Humo, changes tactics and directs his deadly attention on Galen and Princess Jania. Sanguis continues her schemes to make Rohen her own. And the sinister dragon Obitus has also formed a dangerous plot to recover the child druid Megan. But although their Tueri dragon protectors are either absent or powerless to guard the wards, the children are not defenseless. They have a helpful young ally. And their powers are emerging. Read more of the adventures of Rohen, Megan, Jania, Ben, and Galen as they continue their education at the renowned Academy in the second installment of the Draca Wards Saga. Find out if any more wards are discovered, and whether any other dragons make their presence known.

First off, let me start by saying that I almost always put the reading level for every book. Since this is a YA blog I assume everyone knows that; however, I sincerely feel that The Draca Wards Saga by B. Pine is an incredible series that literally everyone can enjoy. This won't be the first or the last time that I compare The Draca Wards Saga to the Harry Potter series but in the same fashion, they are both incredible and could easily be loved by one and all.

Plights picks up where Familiar Origins leaves off. I don't want to say too much about this book because it's the second in the saga and I really think they are incredible so no spoilers! I will say that all my favorite characters make an appearance including (but not limited to) Ghalen  and Rohen. I have really liked Rohen's character since I read Familiar Origins and that still holds true. There were some very descriptive events that took place in this book that seriously gave me chills. One being an infestation of ticks and lice!

When an author is capable of putting you right into the world they've created and make you feel what the characters feel, you're in for one amazing ride and that is exactly what Pine did with this Saga. It was a long time for me to wait between reading Familiar Origins and then reading Plights but I remembered everything easily and it was like it was yesterday when I read Familiar Origins. Again, Pine amazes me with her abilities as an author and continues my undying love for the Draca Wards Saga! If you haven't read this series yet, you need to!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Reading Level: Ages 14 and up

Hardcover: 544 Pages

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN: 978-0-06-202404-6

My Rating: 5/5

One choice can transform you-or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves-and herself-while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebrating and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge and choices will become even more irrevocable-and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

It's been a long time since I was able to read a full book or write a review as I'm sure most of you noticed. So I apologize for that and if this review is really not up to the standards of my others. With that being said, let's start!

First of all, I love love love this book. I also really loved Divergent and read it in a very short amount of time. Insurgent is a continuation of Divergent and an amazing one at that. Most books lose their sizzle from book 1 to book 3 but not Insurgent! If possible, it gets better.

Tris struggles through some amazingly difficult situations and substandard living conditions. She is very real for me in Insurgent. She acts how I would expect a normal person to act. Having to shoot her best friend in Divergent, she is unable to even hold a gun in Insurgent because it's too painful and she is overwhelmed with a flashbacks and emotions. Even when her life is in jeopardy, she still can't seem to sum up the courage to fire a gun. This story is full of twists and turns! Help comes to Tris from a lot of unexpected sources, she risks her own life over and over again, and she is still overwhelmed over the events that happened in Divergent.

Overall, this book was incredible. Roth has easily become one of my favorite authors with her superb writing style and sheer talent. I can't wait to read more from her! Which will be sort of soon with the third book in the Divergent series being released on 10/22/2013. I can't wait! If you haven't picked up Divergent yet I very strongly recommend that you do! It's one book you won't regret purchasing and you will easily fall in love with it over and over.