Obsidian ~ Jennifer L. Armentrout

Sorce of pic: GoodReads

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

My rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Average GoodReads Rating: 4.29 our of 5 Stars

Pages: 335

Synopsis:

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

Okay so let me start off with how much I love this book! This is the second time I've read it and I have to say that it was as good as I remembered. Jennifer had me falling in love with the characters all over again and I thought my fangirling heart was going to combust from how much it swelled with love for every interaction Katy had with Daemon and all the tension that flowed between them.

Now, to the actual book xD Originally when I read this I was a bit skeptical because I never really did like alien books, but after reading it not one, but two times, I have to say that it's one of my favorites. Jennifer adds in a mix a seriousness and funniness that has you cracking up one minute and nearly sobbing or raging the next. It's an emotional roller coaster than I would gladly go on over and over again.

So when Katy first arrives, her mother tells her to go meet the neightbors. Of course the first glimpse of Daemon is him shirtless and all yumtastic xD but what we also see is him being a douchecanoe towards her. So not cool bro >:( But Katy's response is amazing and shows us avid readers that she isn't one to be messed with. It sets up their whole love-hate realtionship that they have goin' on through the whole book ;)

After we get a glimpse of Daemon *fans self* (Btw I ain't cheating on Adrian with Daemon, but it's not like I don't have eyes XD) Katy meets Dee in FOOLAND and their new friendship starts. I personally love Dee. She's sweet and just so amazing that you can't help but love her. Later on in the series tho *scowls* but that's not important right at the moment XD Their friendship gets off to a great start...And then Daemon happens.

So in order for Daemon to earn "Bonus Points" with his sister, he has to take Katy out to swim. Right off the bat, sexual tension sparks between them, and Katy just has to show him up by wearing a red bikini *rolls eyes* but that's not the thing that's most important. This is when Katy first starts to realize that something is just not right with the Black family.

Okay, so fast forward past some friend days and some arguments between Katy and Daemon and you get to where Katy finally learns about them being aliens.

Now I know what y'all are thinking. You're thinking "Eww but that means she's attracted to a GREEN MARTIAN DUDE!!" But that is so, so not the case XD The Luxen, which is what Daemon and Dee and all the others like them are called, are made up of light. They are beautiful beings and basically just like a human...if humans were made of light XD 

So Katy finds out, but doesn't freak like Daemon believed she would, earning her bonus points in his eyes ;) The only problem is that now Katy has a trace on her. A trace is like a beacon to Arum, evil aliens, that lets them know Luxen are around. Now Katy must spend all of her time with Daemon >:) So much sexual tension!! I thought I would combust from them spending time together!!!

Fast forwarding, Katy now knows most everything there is to know about Luxen and their world. But now an Arum is after her and Daemon for killing his brothers. Katy, bless her soul, won't let herself be a danger to Dee and the other Luxen. By this point, we all know that Daemon has feelings for her, but of course, Katy doesn't see that and charges off, leading the Arum away from the house.

Throughout the whole battle between Katy, Daemon (yes he shows up to save her :D), and the Arum, I was freaking out. Daemon is one kickass Luxen, man.  If he hadn't been distracted by Dee(who shows up -.-) and by Katy and wanting to make sure they were safe, he most likely would have defeated the Arum single-handedly. But Dee gets hurt and lays dying and then Katy isn't in any better shape due to all the hurt the Arum gave her before Daemon managed to find her. But one small distraction and Daemon lay there beside Katy, injured and near dying as well.

Now I'm sobbing because they can't die and I can't believe Jennifer would put us through this kind of pain, but then the unexpected happens.

Katy joins hands with Dee and Daemon and somehow manages to kill the Arum that's trying to kill all three of them. It doesn't make any sense, there is no plausible explanation for how she did it, but she some how managed to tap into the Luxen powers.

This does not, however, stop Katy from dying :( Dee and Daemon are okay and they start gaining strength, but Katy...she's still laying there dying from how much trauma she had been put through. Dee runs to get Adam, another Luxen that is amazing at healing, but Daemon stays. He does something that no Luxen, as far as they know, has done before. He sheds his human skin and heals Katy more thoroughly than he had before. This somehow creates a bond between the two and it brings Katy back from the brink of death.

NOT

Unfortunately, Katy is a stubborn person and doesn't believe that Daemon could ever have feelings for her with the way that he treated her when she first arrived to town.

 

And that concludes book one! Daemon informs her that he won't stop trying to convince her of his feelings because he likes a challenge and the book ends. Book two now...that's a whole other ball game XD 

So bloggers....

That's all ;D

~LittleMissTotem Ruffling Your Feathers ;)

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7/30 Random Updates (Pre?)Wednesdays Issue #8

Hey lovelies ;) How've you all been? Goood? Glad to hear :P

• I have some crazyyyy newss!! Guess how many Liebster Award nominations we've received now? :D TEN!!!!!!! *THROWS CONFETTI AND RUNS IN CIRCLES* Thank you so much Rach my ToG ambassador twinner, and Car....you're awesome gurl! And of course the one and only Sandee! *one arm hug* And also thank you all our readers and fellow bloggers! So many of you talk, chat, share, and recommend books to us, and just make us feel so welcome in general! Love you all <3 *wipes eyes* Whoaaaa calm down there Belle *slaps forehead* XD But seriously, you guys rock! *group hug*

• Ookayyy XD Enough with the drama *chides self* Also, if some of you missed this, Tia aka LittleMissTotem has joined our blogging ranks here at FM! Here's her welcome and Q&A post: dun dunn duunn!

• Psst......also another second special peep might be joining ussss ^^.......*crosses fingers* Belle's alter ego: Woowww Belle, you rock at subtlety *facepalm*

• Just yesterday I went to what we call 'Orientation Day' at the college (as in year 11 and 12, not uni ^^ *rolls eyes at muuricannss*) that I'll be attending next year! Basically we try out 4 subject areas to help us decide what subjects to take next year. I ended up trying health studies, french, media production, and dance! It was soooo much fuunn ;) I met a bunch of cool peeps and everythang was great.....except at one point the other kids tried to get me to do a solo of the routine we'd just learnt in the dance class because apparently I was really good *shudders* The teacher saved me *sighs in relief* No solos for meee naahh uhh! *nods quickly*

• Ohh and for you crazy Lux fanatics.....like me *winks* yaaassssss I know you're out there!! :P, I'll be writing a post discussing (and ranting) about the teasers for Opposition that are being released as part of the official book tour! I can't believe the series is almost over :O *wails* DAEMON! KATY! DEE! ARCHER! DAWSON! THE LIST GOES ON! Soooooo....be on ze lookout for ze post ;)

SO MANY COOL MOVIE THANGS!! BE PREPARED!! ;D *WIDENS EYES*

The Maze Runner Trailer #2 Doesn't it loook epic? ^^

Dun dunn duunn!

The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies Teaser Trailer KDSHDKJFGDSSLJL LOTR LOVER *points to self*

Dun dunn duunn!

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Teaser Trailer! Ooooooooo! *leans forward* :D

Dun dunn duunn!

That's it from me! :D Whatchu think of the movie trailers??

—MissBloodsucker™ All Sucked Out!

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Teaser Tuesdays #5 – The Darkest Minds

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Hey guys! *waves* Tia here with the Teaser Tuesday :D It's my first one so bare with me since I'm still learnin' the ropes ^^
My teaser is going to be from Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds! I figured that since In the Afterlight is coming out soon, a reread is in order ;D This book is one of my favorites soo..hope ya'll enjoy the teasersss

"Sam," I said, hating the way my voice shook. She didn't stop or deign to look at me until we were by our bunks and she had one fist curled in the bedsheets, ready to pull herself up to the top bed. 

"Say something. Please," I begged.

Source of Pic: GoodReads

"You stood there," Sam's voice was low and rough, like she hadn't used it for days. "You shouldn't have," her chin came down to rest against her chest. 

Messes of hair fell over her shoulders and cheeks, hiding her expression. I felt it then, the way that the hold I had on her had suddenly sprang free. I had the strangest sensation of floating, of drifting farther and farther away, with nothing and no one to cling to. I was standing right beside her, but the distance between us had split into the kind of canyon I couldn't jump across. 

AND

My foot slipped against the rock as I stepped away, my back scraping against the wall, my head sending me spiraling into panic. It was thrilling in anticipation, relishing how close he was. Maybe his anger had evaporated, but whatever he was feeling now was stronger than before. Stronger than pain, frustration, or fury. 

Get away from me and don't were struck in my tight chest. Wedged between terror and want. Liam's lips formed my name. But there was nothing outside of the blood rushing in my ears.  

What are your teasers? Share below!

~LittleMissTotem Ruffling Your Feathers ;)

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Couch Potato Time #2 – Vampire Academy

Source of Pic: Moviepilot

Source of Pic: Moviepilot

Live fast die young bad girls do it well, live fast die young bad girls do it well.....

*adopts Rose Hathaway voice*
Soooooo. *cracks up* VA. Vaaampiiiree Academy. That's right, folks. The time has come to delve into the wonderful world of Moroi, Dhampirs, and Strigoi by means of it's (currently?) one and only movie adaption. Yuuup :P

I watched it two days ago with my family, and because my brother has read VA as well, he and I kept bursting out laughing like hyenas, like, every 5 minutes (I think our parents thought we'd gone totally bonkers XP) because every time it came to a particular point in the story where we read the book and imagined it one way, the movie reality was just soooo drastically different it made it unbearably baaaad and funny to watch at the same time ^^ It's safe to say I spent half the time either fixated on the TV whilst cringing behind my chair, or laughing uncontrollably XD

I have a confession to make xD As much as I liked the the VA books, I didn't expect much from this movie.....I know, I know, how pessimistic of me *holds hands up in surrender* But you see, me being the movie fanatic that I am, I followed the production of VA quite closely. And.....weeelll........it didn't exactly impress :P I mean, yeaahh the trailer was hilarious ^^ But from the start a lot of factors seemed cringe worthy XD Like, anything from the acting, the cheesy lines, and casting choices, to the way they walked and talked *nods sadly*

But it actually surprised me! I mean, it was totally cheesy and all that, but for me it felt longer than it's 1 hour 40 minutes, and some of the original plot work by ze glorious Mead really shined through.
So I guess you could say it was cheesy, but somehow so cheesy it was bearably hilarious? ^^ *snickers*

I actually feel like I benefited by knowing the book because seeing the movie compared to what I had imagined some scenes would be like when reading the book made it that much more funny! Also I think that if you'd never read the books, this movie may not appeal to you as much, because peeps who've read the books understand what's happening more clearly......for example where fans see a giggle worthy introduction of Ms Karp, you'll probably see some eyebrow raising what-the-fudge-sticks-am-I-doing-watching-this-movie worthy introduction to a teacher who's psychotically weird ^^ ....if you catch my drift XD

Cons Time.......*sigh*
I'd love to say that there weren't any cons, buuut then I'd be lying. And I don't lie......ookaaay, that's a lie *flashes grin*.......but I don't lie often *nods* XP
Firstly, the character development sucked (no pun intended *winks*) because the actual individual scenes were too rushed! VA is a really glorious book, with nice plot work, and you just cannot fit it in a 1 and 2/3 hour feature film :/ So to compensate for the lack of time, it was like.......'goood we're done this scene (albeit to the minimum), let's get to the next one effective immediately aaaaaahhh!! ......and don't forget to talk extremely fast o.O' XDD I'm not joking, my mum kept complaining that it almost seemed like the movie was on fast forward with the speed of their convos...*raises brow*

Casting.....

Rose! She was alright ;) I enjoyed Zoey Deutch as Rose Hathaway, so for the most part *thumbs up* :D

 

Lucy Fry as Lissa.....hmmm. She wasn't exactly what I'd pictured Lissa to look like, and the contacts were pretty obvious at times *quirks eyebrow* But overall she did a pretty okay job I think.....

Dimitri's actor pick wasn't as horrifying as I'd thought it would be *taps chin*, but still o_0 I stick to the fact that my vision for a less pale, less bulked up, in some ways more youthful, 5 o'clock shadowed Dimitri seems more appealing *frowns* And I seriously cringed each time he used the Rose pet name aka Roza *scrunches up nose* Blehhhhh.

Christian Ozera baybiii XP Now he was an awesome pick in my opinion! Tho unfortunately I had trouble connecting with his character portrayal for the simple fact that he 'fell in love' waaaayy too quickly in the movie. But that's not Dominic Sherwood's fault, that's just another movie length casualty -__-

Mia ^^ No. Sorry, but nooooo. Her pick just didn't work :/ Not only did she look nothing like I imagined, but her character arc was just a complete fail. Whether this was the actress, Sami Gayle's fault, or the fault of her script, I'm not sure, but nooo *shudders*


Will There Be A Second Movie?!
The million dollar question! Squueeeee! *pauses* The truth is, it's unconfirmed at the moment.....I guess it depends on how much they made....which probably wasn't that much XP And what the demand is....which depends on all you peeps out there in the big wide world *gestures widely*

Conclusion Dun Dunn Duuunnn!
If you wanted a serious badass adaption of VA, you'll be mighty dissapointed, but if you're happy to roll with a highly cheesy, lightly funded, mean girl style version, then go for it ^^ No one's gonna stop you :P

Well see y'all.......*pauses*......sweet sassy molassy! *cover mouth*......errr *turns bright red*......sorwieeee.......uhhh.....I couldn't help myself *waggles fingers* XDD

2.5 stars :P

—MissBloodsucker™ All Sucked Out!

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Stacking the Shelves #2

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where you share books you've recently added to your bookshelves, either electronically or physically.

I actually went to the bookstore last week in the first time in foreverrrr... I usually order online, you see :P

Heheh before you ask.. yes that's my teddy bear XD

I usually NEVER get this many books but a few I ordered before came in the mail too 0.o

1. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny - I bought this in the store, I had no idea what it was.... but the synopsis sounded interesting and it was on saleee...soooo... Apparently it's the 6th book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, which I have absolutely no idea what that is *coughs* Opps. Some kind of detective crime thing..yehh
2. Silverfin by Charlie Higson - First of the Young James Bond series! Bought in bookstore. Heard a few great things about it, and action/thriller teen spies are awesome :P
3. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - Okay I have to admit, I really just got it from my mum's bookshelf for a bookswap xD But she didn't read it yet and said I could have it so I guess it counts? *scratches head*  
4. Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness - (Those three books) I've already read the first and second, but I only had the second one in print. And since I loved it soo muchhh, I bought the whole series! :D It's totally worth itt. I bought them online so it was cheaper.. Plus it was on sale so yeyyy
5. Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone - Bought this in bookstore. I haven't heard of this eitherrr...but it's some kind of contemporary love story with time travel... I'm actually looking forward to this one xD 

Yeahhh I guess that's it I guess..? I would love to know your new additions too :P Drop a commentt *winks* 

—MissOddball™ Over and Out. *salutes*

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Taking Chances ~ Molly McAdams

Taking Chances by Molly McAdams
My Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars
Average Rating on GoodReads: 3.94 out of 5 Stars
Pages: 432

Synopsis:
Her first year away is turning out to be nearly perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.

Eighteen-year-old Harper has grown up under the thumb of her career marine father. Ready to live life her own way and to experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit, she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family, and emotions. She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with both her new boyfriend, Brandon, and her roommate's brother, Chase. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both men adore Harper and would do anything for her, including taking a step back if it would mean she'd be happy.

Okay so first off I want to say that this is going to be more of a rant than a review XD 

Okay so where to begin? How about I start with the fact that this author HAS NO SENSE OF VOCABULARY!!!! I mean come on! How many times do you have to use the words 'huff' and 'I love you'? It's like "OKAY WE GET IT! YOU LOVE EACH OTHER! MOVE ON ALREADY!!"

The writing was terribly flat and seemed like a fifth grader wrote it. I can even write better than that! How she got published I will never know *shakes head sadly*

Next we have the characters. First off it was a love triangle. That right there constitutes a bad book already. Then she makes it a freaking love square that was totally unnecessary.

This whole book was really unrealistic too! I mean I seriously doubt anyone would meet someone, fall in love, and get prego in the couple months that she lived there. WHO THE HELL WOULD THAT HAPPEN TO? LIKE SERIOUSLY?

If I was Brandon I would have flipped out if I learned my girlfriend cheated on me! But noooo he's "perfect" and steps aside so Harper and Chase can be together -_- stupid stupid stupid. Like anyone would ever be that selfless.

Oh! And even when she finds out that she's prego and breaks up with Brandon? She STILL waits to tell Chase that they're having a kid! Who would do that? Don't you think that the father would want to know right away that he's going to be a dad? Stupid biznotch. ((Yes I'm stealing Ryann's word. Get over it XD))

So she cheats on Brandon and then tells Chase that she loves him but can't be with him because she loves Brandon too and doesn't want to hurt him. COME ON HARPER!! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!!! She disgusted me so much!

Then! It gets even worse -.- So apparently the author couldn't choose between who she wanted Harper to be with because just when you start loving Chase and thinking that things will finally end in a decent way, he dies -.- seriously? You're seriously going to do that? Why have this whole cheating, pregnancy thing if you're just going to have her end up with Brandon in the first place? 

I guess I'm just angry with the fact that the author made the characters so ditzy and unrealistic that it made it painful to read. I could barely get through the last few chapters because I wanted to throw the book across the room every five seconds -.-

So yeah *dusts off hands* that's about all I'm gonna say regarding this horrible monstrosity ^^ see ya next time, bloggers!

~LittleMissTotem™ Ruffling Your Feathers ;)

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Teaser Tuesdays #4 – The Beginning of Everything

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Okkaayy peoples! Cassie here. My first Teaser Tuesday :D I always find these fun to read.
My teasers will be from The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schenider. The book was awesome, I juuuust finished it,  and I'll be posting a review soon! Be on the lookout *winks* Here we go:

Source of Pic: Goodreads

   "So Ezra," Phoebe said, sliding onto the bench next to Luke. "Hows life as a teenage vampire?" Toby snorted, and Cassidy snickered through a mouthful of cupcake. 
   "Oh come on," Phoebe continued. "You're asking for it. Pale skin, black clothes, no lunch, and that whole brooding thing? It's hilarious. You should get some body glitter and go after an unsuspecting freshman." 
   "You should!" Cassidy agreed. "Tell her you're a dangerous monster. And mention how good her blood smells." 
   "Wrong time of the month on that one, and I'm getting slapped," I muttered, 
and everyone laughed.

AND:

There was a little smear of sunscreen below her ear. 
   "Wait," I said, reaching to wipe it away. "You had sunscreen on your cheek."
   "Did you get it?" Cassidy asked.
   "No, I smeared it bigger."
   "Whatever," she said. "At least I don't have sunscreen in my hair"
   "It's not sunscreen. You're turning my hair white." 
  
What are your teasers? Share below!

—MissOddball™ Over and Out. *salutes*

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City of Heavenly Fire ~ Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Average Rating on GoodReads: 4.56 out of 5 Stars

Pages: 725

Synopsis:

In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

When I started this, I had been excited! I had been hearing wonderful reviews for it saying things just made so much more sense and that it was a great way to end a series. 

But while I agree with it wrapping up loose ends, I don't agree with is that it was amazing. I was actually disappointed with the book.

For one, it was too damn long xD it felt like it was drug out and that everything that happened could have happened without the extra 200 pages. 

On top of the length, I felt that some of the things that happened were completely unnecessary or just didn't make a lick o' sense. I mean...Jordan's death? And Maia's reaction? That could have been dealt with differently. She didn't even seem sad for goodness sake! All she said was "I was going to break up with him." Who in their right mind would say that when someone just died instead of being upset about it? Ugh just...no.

Also...Sebastian's death...WTF? "He smiled, closed his eyes, and died." By the Angel! How can you end him like that??

He was a major character and you barely gave him a proper death! This was a big disappointment Cassie Clare /: I actually wished he would have survived the heavenly fire...that would have been a fantastic ending, one no one was expecting. But I get why he died, it was expected. What wasn't expected was the complete lack of emotion behind his death.

MALEC!! My OTP <3 they got back together which I am so so happy about! I nearly died when Magnus was going to give up his immortality so they could get out of Edom. 

 I probably would have had a heart attack if he would have died DX but it all worked out with them and was one of the only things I was happy about in the book ^^

Simon :( what happened to him, losing his memories, was probably the most heartbreaking thing that happened in this book. 

He lost everything, or so they thought.

I was about to go on a ranting escapade if Simon didn't remember who he was to everyone in the shadowhunter world, but he DID remember. At least a few details *cheers* AND HE'S GONNA BE A SHADOWHUNTER!! Now him and Izzy can be together without people looking down on her for being with a downworlder!!

Emma Carstairs is one kickass kid man. I look forward to reading about her in TDA! Her and Julian's relationship was so cute and it pissed me off that they were going to become Parabatai /:

Now they can't be together for realsies! Which I want to happen D: *sighs* Cassie you've crushed my dreamsss!

The book overall wasn't great but the ending made it worth it. I gave it three stars but would still recommend that the people who want to have things cleared up and have all the loose ends tied up read it.

~LittleMissTotem™ Ruffling Your Feathers ;)

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