The Winter People ~ Rebekah L. Purdy

Source of Pic: GoodReads

The Winter People by Rebekah L. Purdy

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Average rating on GoodReads: 3.61 out of 5 stars

Pages: 320

Synopsis:

An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
 


Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

So, when I first got the opportunity to review this book, I was excited! The concept seemed so cool and I figured it would be an amazing first ARC to read for the blog.

Unfortunately though, I was extremely disappointed /: The author just didn't execute the concept as good as I had been hoping for. I'm sure if another author was writing this it would have been better, because with as good a concept as Rebekah L. Purdy had, it had the potential to be a fantastic book.

The main thing that bothered me was all of the love interests. It was basically a freaking love square and that bothered me to no end. Love triangles are bad enough, but a love square? Totally unnecessary. She "fell in love" with all three guys too easily. And I know y'all are gonna say "but Tia! The first two were using charms on her! She couldn't have fought it!" But she could have. You always see protagonists beat the odds and fight the compulsions that people try and put them under...but Salome didn't do that.

Which brings me to my other point. Salome was too dependent on those around her. She didn't do things for herself. She whined and let her fears control her. She expected everyone to just be there to save her and to answer her questions. Even when she started looking for answers herself, she still brought someone with her because she didn't want to do it alone. I just *growls* I absolutely hate protagonists like that! Grow a backbone! Be independent for gods sake! -.-

Although I liked the concept of this book, the execution just wasn't up to par. I'm sure there are people who would argue with me on this but this is my honest opinion and it's not going to change. The Winter People only gains 2 stars in my eyes, but if you want to see for yourself then go ahead and read it ^^ I won't stop you.

LittleMissTotem™ Ruffling Your Feathers ;)

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Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Blood Red Road
by
Moira Young

Page Count: 459
Series. (#1)

My Rating: ★★★★
Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.00

Synopsis:
Saba lives in Silverlake, a wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms where her family scavenge from landfills left by the long-gone Wrecker civilization. After four cloaked horsemen kidnap her beloved twin brother Lugh, she teams up with daredevil Jack and the Free Hawks, a girl gang of Revolutionaries. 

Saba learns that she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Saba and her new friends stage a showdown that change the course of her civilization.



Thank you Bee for recommending this to me! I was always doubtful about this one because most the people I know gave it negative reviews. That does kind of dampen the reading spirits when you have so many other books to read.

The reason everyone put this down after a few chapters or didn't like it, was because the writing.
Well this is a debut novel after all, so it was really a risk that Moira took to write like this.

The writing is similar to the style Patrick Ness used in Chaos Walking. Loads of people couldn't stand the deliberate spelling and grammar mistakes there either. BUT, If you're a person like me, who loved Chaos Walking and thought it was brilliant, go read Blood Red Road right now. Because this was also awesommee :D

So.

I loved how
-There was a tough heroine.
-It wasn't focused on romance.
-Action.
-It was a bit flawed.
-Character development.
-She had a companion crow. How cool is that?! GO NERO.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saba is really tough. Like seriousllyyy. She cage fights, and wins Every. Single. Match. thrown to her. Of course, that's because she needs to survive, since you'll die and all, but come on! That is amazing!! Reminds me a biiit of Celaena Sardothian :P Plus who can't resist a teen girl riding through a deadly desert to save her brother?
She was determined (a bit too much?) and looked straight at the destination, demolishing all road blocks along the way. Okay, maybe sometimes, she frustrated me a bit, but considering the circumstances, it was understandable. And it wasn't like I wanted to throw the book out the window at any point anyways ^.^
The character development here was beautiful to read! Little Saba, who always followed her "golden" brother Lugh, always his shadow, always the night.......: Becomes the day with this great journey. She learns independence, and how to think for herself. Her relationship with Emmi progressing with the story I think was also one of my favourite momentss.

Yep.

Now meet Jack the love interest!
Everyone: Hi Jack *waves*
Jackk... was an interesting character. *cough* Instalove *cough* XD Normally, the girl likes the guy. In this case,
Jack: I'VE ALWAYS LIKED YOU
Saba: GO AWAY JACK
*carry on for half the book*

I liked it though.

The heartstone, I must admit, is silly.      
Don't you think? A small stone which heats up whenever you're near your heart's desire. Can you guess who Saba's heart's desire was?
Crowd: Jack?
Ding ding diiinngg ;D

All the secondary characters actually were pretty great.
There's Emmi, the youngest and unloved (by Saba) sister, due to the fact that Saba's mother died giving birth to her. She was so cute. <3 AND had good judgement. *whispers to Saba* I told youu soooo!
The Freedom Hawks ermahgosh XD I wanna join! It reminded me of Artemis's group in Percy Jackson... what's it called... that group of "maidens"? I forgot o.O But I seriously want to join this group! Awesomeness.
NERO. A human like crow. Most useful character in the whole book. *snatches Nero* You're mine!! Mwahahah!

I think overall, the only thing I didn't like was that in some parts, mostly the end, the plot got confuusingg. I didn't really know what was happening. And then the ending was a little fast? Yeh..

Bottom Line:
A quirky memorable read, that has a tough heroine, cool love interest, brilliantly formed secondary characters, loads of character development, and bit of a confusing plot. The writing style won't be everyone's cuppa tea, but you (maybe) can easily get used to it. Just DON'T STOP AFTER 20 PAGES.

—MissOddball™ Over and Out. *salutes*

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The Innocent Assassins by Pema Donyo

The Innocent Assassins by Pema Donyo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Current Rating on Goodreads: 3.80 of 5 stars
Pages: 344
Synopsis (via Goodreads):

There are three rules to staying an assassin at the corporation of Covert Operatives: (1) your parents must be deceased, (2) your contracts must remain confidential, and (3) you must be under the age of eighteen.

After a murder mission goes awry a month before her eighteenth birthday, Covert Operatives assassin Jane Lu finds herself caught by the federal government and forced to spy for the CIA while remaining in Covert Operatives. Once her spying mission is over she will be allowed to live a civilian life without facing criminal consequences, a life she's only dreamed of having.

As Jane leaks information to the CIA, she uncovers secrets with enough power to both destroy Covert Operatives and her own boyfriend, Adrian King, who's next in line to be CEO of the company. When her identity as a double agent for the CIA is discovered within Covert Operatives, she must decide where her allegiance, and her heart, truly lies.

*****I recieved a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****

There are three rules to staying an assassin at Covert Operatives: one, your parents must be deceased, two, your murder contracts must remain confidential, and three, you must be under the age of eighteen.

Jane Lu and her best friend Adrian King were taken in by Covert Operatives aka CO from the foster care system when they were just 5 years old.
CO provided Jane, Adrian, and many other kids with food, clothes, shelter and education, and taught them how to 'defeat bad people'.
Now almost 18, Jane and Adrian have become more than just best friends.....if you get me *cough*boyfriend and girlfriend*cough*.....and they have been assassins at Covert Operatives for many years, but while most of her fellow class want to stay with CO after they cease their assassin contract, including Adrian, Jane just wants a normal life, where she can live in peace without all the killing.
Then on one of her last missions, she gets caught by the CIA, and instead of locking her up, they give her a proposition. Spy on CO for a year and report back to the CIA, and then she'll be free to have the life she always wanted (I kinda doubt the CIA would be so nice, but still.....no offence CIA peeps XD).
Only problem, the CIA want her to spy on Adrian King for rumours that he'll be the next CEO of Covert Operatives.
And so begins the harrowing last year of Jane's connection to CO, but with the lies twisting around her like a noose, and other deadly secrets starting to come out revolving around CO and Adrian, can she get out alive? And where does that leave her and Adrian? Her best friend, the boy she loves, and the boy who'd have to kill her if he found out that she's a spy. (Pretty crazy right?)

I found this story really intriguing! It was pretty complex and it kind of reminded me of the movie Wanted in some ways.

Adrian is such a unique and conflicted character, I just wanted to know what's going on in his head! So yeahh, I would've liked to read his POV, except that it probably would've ruined the plot and how the climax unfolded *pouts*
He also likes having power and control. And yet, the more power he gained, the more he seemed to lose himself. But Adrian's redeeming quality is that in the end he loves Jane Lu more than anything else, and she helps balance him and stop him from losing control. He literally needs her, as his best friend and as the girl/woman he loves. Overall, yesssss he has his many issues, but as long as Jane's there, everythang will be alright ;)

I love that Jane is asian :) Diverse books anyone? *beams* She's pretty and smart, and I'm happy that she stands up to Adrian when he tries to tell her what to do. She's a no nonsense character with a lot of heart who has to deal with situations none of us ever have to, and considering all that I think she handles it pretty well.

Adrian and Jane's love for each other is consuming, and borderline unhealthy at times in the book. Adrian was really possessive and quick to jump to conclusions. They broke up several times, and yet they couldn't help getting back together even tho they were both lying to the other, and in some cases, knew about each other's lies. And I don't mean petty little lies, I mean if-the-wrong-person-finds-out-I'm-gonna-get-murdered lies *cringes*
"ʺI need you to know now—whatever happens in the future, I love you.ʺ I murmured the words into his ear, my voice barely above a whisper. Visions of a future without him flashed before my eyes. The feel of him against me was hypnotizing, and I clung to his hair tighter in order to shoo away the daunting thoughts of what lay before us. ʺWhatever I do, whatever you think I've done – I love you.ʺ"
It was a pretty twisted and broken relationship for much of the book, with their constant betrayals and conflicts, and yet their love withstood it all in the end.....aaaandddd I waanaaa fangirl 'cause they got to be togetherr without all the lies and away from CO yaayyyayyyyayyyyy!!! *bounces up and down*

There wasn't much humor in Innocent Assassins; rather it was quite a mature read.......especially for a YA book......the whole scarf setup was admittedly pretty hilarious tho XD And the shirt ordeal ;P *whispers* You'll know what I'm talking about when you read it *winks*

Also it was kinda weird to have 18 year olds walking around in boardrooms and sitting behind desks in suits and skirts and formal work wear, and drinking wine.......in other words, acting like middle aged adults XD But then again, these same 18 year olds were assassinating people at 12....soooo I guess they had to grow up faster than most kids ^^

The biggest problem for me is I feel that the side characters should've been more developed. I think Tristan's character was done well, but I couldn't really connect to Lucy other than the fact that she seemed like a pretty nice and loyal friend, and don't get me started on Emma. Urghh.
First she's all supportive and BFFs with Jane, even doing the whole eat-icecream-and-watch-sad-movies-together thang and telling her to sort things out with Adrian, and then she goes all jealous and snarky because she decides that she's going to try make a grab for Adrian.....and wait a sec......what kind of best friend does that?? *raises eyebrows and shoots glare* I mean come ooonnn, Emma was jealous enough of Jane and Adrian's relationship to be bitter when Jane got back to CO alive! As in, like, she'd prefer her dead and out of the picture? o.O And yet in the end she didn't betray Jane when she found out about Jane spying for the CIA!
Emma's character was just all over the place, and I couldn't understand her at all.

But overall I was really fascinated by The Innocent Assassins! Great debut Pema Donyo thanks so much for letting me review your book :)
4 stars

—MissBloodsucker™ All Sucked Out!

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By Any Other Name by Laura Jarratt

By Any Other Name
by
Laura Jarratt 

Page Count: 368
Stand Alone.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★
Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.81

Synopsis:
Nobody can know the truth—her life depends on it. A tale of family, identity, and trust, about a girl struggling with life in the witness protection program.

I picked up the book and thumbed through the pages. Names in alphabetical order, names with meanings, names I knew, names I'd never heard of. How to pick? Nothing that would stand out, nothing that would link me to the past—those were the instructions. The past. As if everything that had gone before this moment was buried already.

Holly is 15 years old, but she's only been "Holly" for a matter of months. Because of something that happened, she and her family have had to enter witness protection and have all assumed new identities. All, that is, except her sister Katie, who is autistic. Starting at a new school mid-year is hard enough at the best of times, and Holly has no clue who she is anymore. Lonely and angry, she reaches out to friends—new and old. But one wrong move will put all their lives in danger.

First Thought: This is gonna be good!! I loved Laura Jarratt in Louder than Words, so I have an awesome feeling for this.

Afterthought: MY FEELINGS HAVE LIED TO ME >:O Evil buggers.

The synopsis sounds awesome, doesn't it? Go read it. SO SUSPENSEFUL.

What they left out in the introduction:

Holly is a 15 year old snotty brat, who only thinks of herself. She liked (notice the past tense. I'm getting there) to make fun of people with her old best friend just to cheer herself up. She thinks that if a guy is hot, then it's obvious that she should feel something towards him. She is very stabbable, and nearly faced a horrible death by yours truly.

Ookay. Heh :P

It had a cool conceptt! I have to admit that. Not too out of the ordinary, but cool enough for you to keep turning pages. The problem was in the CHARACTERS. I didn't like them, and couldn't connect to them whatsoever.

Joe was alright, I suppose, but he didn't stand out too much if you put him next to other YA guys. No defining trait, you get me?

The fact that Holly saw him once, saw his clothes and his hair, and then called him "Emo Guy" for 55% of the book was not cool. Approximately 63 times during those I don't know... 180 pages? 

Very. Very. Very. Frustrating. *grits teeth*

Holly was just an idiot character. I get it, people aren't perfect blablabla, but do you KNOW how it is to be in that kind of person's head for ages? Surely you've read something like that. They have flaws, and they're imperfect, and they're kind of meaaann, and you just want to exterminate them and hide their body somewhere :)
   Plus it doesn't help she was a bit of a hypocrite. At her old school, she would make fun of people, like you know those stereotype popular girls in American highschool chickflick films? She was one of those! (except British) and then she comes to this middle of nowhere school, used to being bowed down at. Except... She's supposed to be a new person now. No one knows her. DUN DUN DUUN! And the tables turn. She's now one of the people who GET bullied. So she get's all upset and waah boohoohoo.
Me: Shuddup. *rolls eyes* At least you know how that is now when you did it to others! >:(
(I had a lack of sympathy issue with this girl XD)

After the first half, you could see some character development with Holly. It was refreshing to see, and it enabled me to finish the book. Because I can dure with that for some while, but I ain't going to spend any more time on a book with people I despise. End of story -.-
It was done well though, I must admit. The characterisation was slow and believable, instead of her suddenly having a nice nice personality like some kind of bipolar person. And Joe was that reason, of course. THANK YOU JOE. *crowd bows down at his feet* YOU HAVE SAVED US!!

I found lots of plot similarities to Louder Than Words too? I don't know which book came out first, and i'm too lazy to check, but both books had a teenage hate website thing, and someone in a coma. Why! Whyyyy would you use that twice?! Mer. Teenage hate websites aren't that common, as far as I know.. Or maybe it's just my school? *scratches head* But It's not my favourite kind of thing.. Have some creativity, people :P

Anyyyhoo, Bottom line,
It was a mediocre book with a relatively interesting plot but stupid characters. It shows us what growing up is like, (Holly's development.) so it wasn't a total waste ;) It got so much better after the first half, when I was seriously considering throwing my ipad. (*winces* Sorry Luna) I'm kind of disappointed, I guess? Yeahhh..
I dunno if I want to recommend it or not. I would say no to the first half but have a go at the second half... Your pick *winks*

—MissOddball™ Over and Out. *salutes*

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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness :D

A Monster Calls
by
Patrick Ness (Author)
Jim Kay (Illustrator)
Siobhan Dowd (Original Idea (R.I.P))

Page Count: 205
Stand Alone.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.25

Synopsis:

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.






......






(*speechless*)






:P Mmkay enough with the dramatics, I know I know.

It was pure brilliance. It was seriously an amazing read I adored. I love books like these! Haunting and magical and will stay with you for ages. <3

Although the characters weren't the best, weren't the mooost relatable, the story as in it's whole package was Eeeeeeek!!!

Oh and dude it made me crryyy! The last time I really cried with a book was...I don't even know XD Maybe with Stephanie Meyer's The Host in April.

(You know I'm having trouble writing a review when I start to use gifs -.-)

Can you just do me a favour and read it please *puppy dog eyes* I can never write proper reviews for books I love gosh. *pulls hair* SO frustrating. Like I want to spill everything about how beautiful and huggable it is, but I don't want to say anything at the same time because then it'll ruin everything! >:O

You know what? I'm going to totally cheat and direct you somewhere. It's a lovely review and just maybe it'll convince you to read it. Because right now, I don't really care about my review? XD I just want you to read the darn book!!

COME TO MEEE

:D

And hopefully you really will get the physical copy because it's totally worth ittt. *winks*

—MissOddball™ Over and Out. Also apologising for the suckiest review evaahh.  Maybe i'll be able to do a proper awesome one someday.  But until then- *salutes*

***PLUS OMG OMG OMG OMG JIM KAY (ILLUSTRATOR FOR THIS BOOK ALSO) IS GOING TO ILLUSTRATE HARRY POTTER!!! HIS DRAWINGS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL ERMAHGOSH *hyperventilates* ***
Read me Read me Read me Read me

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Also Known As by Robin Benway

Also Known As
by
Robin Benway

Page Count: 318
Series.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.82

Synopsis:
Which is more dangerous: being an international spy... or surviving high school?

Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world's premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it's three digits, why bother locking it at all?)

But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she's attending a private school with hundreds of "mean girl" wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school's elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat... all while trying not to blow her cover.

From the hilarious and poignant author of Audrey, Wait! comes a fast-paced caper that proves that even the world's greatest spies don't have a mission plan for love.

This book was so FUNNY. I laughed a lot every few pages xD

I loved the protagonist, Maggie, who was full of sarcastic humour, loved Jesse, who was also full of sarcastic humour, which made the conversations between these two awesome to read. (I may or may have not sounded like a giggly schoolgirl everytime I picked it up *cough*)
But I especially loved Roux, Maggie's best friend who was funny in her own way, which kind of reminded me of myself, minus the drinking smoking (but she quit!), and cheating on boys part...o.O Yep. Let's just ignore that. Doesn't matter anyhoo because she changed after she met Maggie!! *defensive look*

Maggie is a spy. She's been cracking safes and picking locks since she was 3. Except, her job has always been in the background, used at the very end of her parents' jobs.

But now. Her OWN assignment has come at last dun dun duun!!

HIGH SCHOOL.

*cue dramatic music and screams*

Her mission?
I sat back in my chair and sighed. "I have to seduce someone," I announced to my parents. 
"High school is already destroying my moral code and I haven't even set foot on the campus yet."
My mom peeked at my dossier. "I think 'befriend' is the word you're looking for," she said after a minute.
   Sometimes she's no fun.

But mother dearest! Seduce is totally more like it. And Jesse ermahgosh<3

Is high school harder than lock picking? *gasp* Her first day in highschool! I want to go to an American highschool.. everything sounds so....dramatic. :P

It was time for the mirror pep talk. 
"Okay, Maggie," I said to myself after my shower, wiping the steam off the medicine cabinet. "You could eat these kids for breakfast. But you won't though, because that would be cannibalistic and wrong."

And then, of course her personality let's her make a friend within the day -.- No fair. and ROUX of all people!! *jealous look* I want a best frienddd!

The book did have similarities though to Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl series. And this is what I was afraid of when I first picked the book up.
Conclusion? This book was way better. and more fun. and the characters were more likable. AND THERE WERE JESSE AND ROUX.

Mmmhm. So if you were contemplating on reading the Gallagher Girls, I would suggest you read this instead xD

The thing that bothered me (and deducted one star) was that the PLOT itself wasn't very original.

Girl has mission to get something from boy.
Boy falls for girl.
Girl falls for boy.
Secret romance ensues.
...Stuff. (I ain't gonna give you spoilers!)

Ta daaaa. Kind of predictable? Immensely. But don't let you stop from reading because it was all for good fun :P

Roux's situation really was...sad. Social outcastt.. technically it was kinda her own fault but she also had loads of personal problems :/
(and Iza you probably won't be happy that she doesn't know LoTR xD)

"I'm serious, you know how people are. They forget about things."
   "Oh really?" Roux said, then turned and smiled at a brunette passing us. "Hey, Julia, what's up? How are things?"
   "Slut," Julia responded, and kept walking. Roux just looked back at me knowingly. 
"You were saying?"
   "Roux..."
"Here's how it works," Roux said, not even slowing her pace. "Once you fall, you fall. You're like that ring thing in the lava. You're not coming back."
   "The ring thing?"
   "With the short guys."
   "Oh, you mean The Lord of the Rings."

XD I should really stop with the quotes but yeah. (I was going to put a Jesse paragraph and quote but turns out I was too lazy to highlight anything >:( and I'm also too lazy to surf through mah memory for something that stood out the most so sowwyy. He's really sweet though.)

*checks notes*
Ah yes one more thing. The story had a teeeeeeensy amount of instalove... but it wasn't the too annoying kind! It was a well paced match for the storyy?

Yeahhhh

Bottom Line:
Light fluffy quick read you should go to when looking for a good laugh or when you're feeling down. Unoriginal storyline, but awesome relatable characters and hilarious dialogue. Recommended. Yayy :D

Nothing looked different outside the park, either, the city the same as it ever was. 
   The only thing that had changed, I realised, was me.

—MissOddball™ Over and Out. *salutes*

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Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson

Puddle Jumping
by
Amber L. Johnson

Page Count: 126
Stand Alone.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.48

Synopsis: When it comes to love there’s no such thing as conventional.

Everyone thinks Colton Neely is special.

Lilly Evans just thinks he’s fascinating.

Once friends when they were younger, their bond is cut short due to her accident prone nature and they go their separate ways. Years later, they meet again and Lilly learns that there is something special about the boy she once knew, but she has no idea what it all means. And she’s not sure if she’s ready to find out.

When he walks through the corridor of her school the first day of her senior year, she knows that it’s time to get to know the real Colton Neely. The more she learns, the deeper she falls.

Their friendship grows into love, even as Colton does not express it in words. But one decision threatens to break down the world that Lilly has tried so hard to integrate into and she must figure out if the relationship can survive if they are apart.

This book... has so much hype it's not funny. I mean seriously!  I had to scroll down 21 Perfect 5 star reviews before even getting to a 4 star one o.O And that's really weird, because there's always at least one disappointed review stuck in there between hyped reviews. And there are literally DOUBLE 5 star ratings than 4 stars. Anyways, I'm afraid this will also be one of those positive reviews ;)

Now the story is preeetty straightforward. Colton has Aspergers, which is a form of autism. Lilly is an adventurous accident prone girl. Them together? You'll see ;)

They started as childhood friends (Lilly had to babysit Colton, even though he was only a year younger), so it's not instalove at all, which I loved. :D After a nearly 10 year gap of not seeing each other, Colton suddenly appears at Lilly's school as a art prodigy. He was always good at art, and he was always colouring at the sittings. And Lilly, even young as she was then, was a funky spunky girly who couldn't sit still.

So of course poor down to earth baby Colton had to watch and run for help while she got struck by lightning after deciding to play on the metal slide in a thunderstorm in one babysit session, cut gum out of her hair for her, watch her get a concussion after sliding down the stairs on a mattress because well… “I decided to show him exactly how much fun it could be. I got onto the mattress backward, staring him in the face as I pushed off the top stair and started to head backward down the stairwell. Except… the mattress didn’t come with me. Not at first anyway.” At this point I was really just facepalming and trying not to laugh, even though it wasn’t a relatively funny scene XD But in my defence, I started at 2am and finished at 3! so ha. I was bound to be a bit delusional.

Lilly is still like that now, but a little less.
Colton's mum: "Lilly Evans." The way she said my name made my nose scrunch. I said hello and she laughed, her head thrown back and reddish hair bouncing. 
   "I didn't think you'd make it to sixteen... much less your senior year."
Touché, Mrs. Neely. One point for you.

Colton. Ughh he's so sweett!
"She's paint by number; you're a watercolour."
"You're my beautiful Lilly. The one who makes everything right in the world."

So Colton and Lilly, yeah? They’re just so..perfect ermahgosh! Lilly helps how to fit more comfortably into social society, and in turn, Colton shows Lilly what love really is.

"I dream of you. And I don't like it when I can't talk to you or see you or touch you."
His eyes found mine again. "That's love."

I don’t want to tell you anymore because then where’s the fun in that? But it really is sweet. They’re not bound to be (Opps. But you get the meaning) perfect, because well as mentioned, the Aspergers and everything, but Lilly is so caring, she doesn’t care what people think about anything, and she wasn’t really a boy crazed girl either, unlike her friend *cough*. I think she earns a place in my list of most likeable relatable heroines, don't you? :D

Boys were fun, but they were more fun to hang out with.
That's like...totally me. :P

Amber L. Johnson really is a very talented writer  to put all that emotion and love and character development into just 126 pages. Even 500 paged books don't always succeed at that. I really loved itt!

The plot in general was predictable though. For me, it was like rewatching a movie you watched a looooong time ago, because you know what will happen but don't remember the details. (*facepalm* Terrible simile, Caz XD)

In short, it was a veerry short but beautifully magical hilarious predictable read that I read in one sitting in the middle of the night. I would definitely recommend it, and if you didn't like it, no harm done because it's only 126 pages longg! *shoos* Go go.

He grabbed by hand and started to run, jumping over puddles as we raced back to his house. 
I love that memory.
Maybe the most.

—MissOddball™ Over and Out. *salutes*

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Louder Than Words by Lauren Jarratt

Louder Than Words
by
Lauren Jarratt

Page Count: 416.
Stand Alone.
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.86

Synopsis:
 Rafi hasn't spoken for eight years. It's up to her to tell her brother's story now that he can't speak either ...
Rafi idolises her seventeen-year-old brother, who is popular, generous and a borderline genius. Ever protective, Silas always includes her when he's with his friends, so Rafi gets to hear all sorts of things that younger sisters wouldn't normally be a part of. Like the time Silas hacks a gaming site to help out his friend Josie, who has been trashed by her ex.

With Josie, Rafi finds herself with a proper friend for the first time in her life. As they grow closer, she realises that she wants to find a way back into the world – she wants to learn to speak again. But Silas has found a new interest too – and it’s taking him away from everything that was once important to him. Can Rafi find the words to save her brother?

Mmmkaayy. So this is my first Laura Jarratt book, and i'll be looking into more of her works! :D
This book is about dear Rafaela, or Rafi, who has progressive mutism. Progressive mutism and selective mutism are two completely separate things, because in selective, you still speak to your family and realllllyy close friends. Progressive meant she couldn't even talk to her family. So I think she had this for 10 years now? She's 14 so.. yeah. My age! I could connect to her more because this too, as well as because I had something similar to selective for 9 years? it's mostly psychological thoughhh...I thinkk.. Anyways.

XD I'm having trouble writing a proper review for this so i'll keep it short with quotes :P

Although it's not well pooooiiiffeect, I really like Laura's writing ;) The way she wove the story and told them was ingenious too (-the whole email thing with Silas).  The characters were believable, although sometimes I wanted to strangle Silas for being so obviously stupid.

Shall I go into more details about our characters? Okayy!

You're a really good listener, do you know that? I mean, you don't nod all the time and obviously you don't answer, but it's in your eyes that you're listening. And there's something else there too... that you won't judge.

Meet Rafi.
She's a 14 year old British gal who aspires to be a writer.

I collect truths. I write them down in a book I keep hidden under my bed. 

I just adored her! She was strong- which I like *winks*- and she wasn't like closed up to people.  Oh and I want to do that now.. write down amazing quotes and stick it under my very dusty bedd.
~~~~~~
Always try to do something awesome at least once a month, that's my motto!

Now here's Josie. I think she was my favourite character<3 After an incident with her terrible ex, she meets Silas and Rafi! She helps Rafi in ways no one can describe.

- She paused to gulp in a breath. 
"I should shut up. I talk too much."
And me not enough, I thought.

Besties alert? Heck yes. Rafi is Josie's only 'real' friend, and Josie is Rafi's only friend! (well apart from her brother, but that doesn't count.) I loved their interaction, and how Josie could tell that Rafi was really best friend material. and guess what! She collects quotes too! Getting one everyday via Pinterest.

Now if you're thinking 'Duude no, how can you have a mute person as your only friend?', then you should just shut up because you have no idea what you're talking about ^^

Silas is Rafi's brotherr! He always looked out for her, and never really fell in love before, until he met Lara. Now Lara is a bit of a more complicated character, and I did NOT like her. I don't get how Silas was just utterly OBSESSED with her after talking to her for less than a minute! Just because she's hot *scoffs* She was so ruuuudeeee too. I think both of them just frustrated me so muchh! Mer.

The book tells us how important words and actions are. You can take action! I also liked how it wasn't about Rafi just because she was mute? It was actually about Silas. (Well duhh, since Rafi is writing Silas' story *facepalm*) The topic of the book took an unexpected swerve towards protesters and anarchy! :0 Who would have suspected THAT when they picked this up.

War is when your government tells you who the enemy is. Revolution is when you figure it out for yourself.

Another message I liked: Don't change yourself for another person.

No. Just don't. Because that's stupid! Maybe coming from a person who's never fallen in this told "love" or whatever, but I think it's absurd you would do that to yourself. -_-

The ending was so unexpected... I all teared up and stuff XD

And I loooove this quote for some reason: There is pleasure sure in being mad in which none but madmen know.

:P

Anyhoooo, bottom line:
Although not the best, it was a well written book with great character development and a unique plot, and I recommend ittt. :D

—MissOddball™Over and Out. *salutes*

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Chocolate Book Tag

Tagged by Rachel at APerfectionCalledBooks

We tag:
Sandee @Book Ramblings of A Whimsical Reader
Fran @Bella's Shelf
Anna @Enchanted by YA
Bee @LetBooksBee
Laura @BlueEyeBooks

Heyy sorry for the delay.. there are loads of us and a few new members that wanted to join the choco partay XD Without further ado *blows trumpet*:

Dark Chocolate ~ A book that covers a dark topic (domestic violence, abuse, rape, loneliness, death, ect)

Tia's Pick:

THE COINCIDENCE OF CALLIE AND KAYDEN
Domestic violence, abuse, rape, and a close call with death...I don't think it can get any darker than that .-.

Belle's Pick:

13 REASONS WHY

Jay Asher paints a beautiful and sad, but most importantly, an insightful story of a girl who commits suicide, and the 13 reasons why.




Cass's Pick:
ONE MOMENT
About a death of a boy, and a girl who was connected to it. One moment can change everything. I can't really remember if it was "dark", but I do remember that although it wasn't my favourite book, the story was really raw and surprising.




Ryann's Pick:
 IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME
Death.. Loss.. Attempted suicide.. Pregnancy.. Loneliness, in a way.. This book sorta has it all, minus the sexual abuse that seems to be a recurring theme in these books. Quite the opposite actually, our MC seemed to be in control of her body at all times ^.^

White Chocolate ~ Your favourite lighthearted/humorous read

Tia's Pick:

BIGGEST FLIRTS
This book is light, flirty, and funny and is should be read when you're in the mood for a good laugh ^^ it doesn't hurt that the MC is named Tia either ;)

Belle's Pick:
HEIST SOCIETY
This is a really cool, light read about notorious teenage thieves who've grown up with.....ohh right, thieving parents and grandparents! They'd give good bedtime stories.....

 Cass's Pick:
REBEL BELLE

A hilarious urban fantasy read! Will brighten up your mood :D There were loads of laughing moments, and our heroine is just so funky. There's a bit of a stupid triangle though. Just sayin.




Ryann's Pick:
EMBRACE
I haven't read embrace in a while, but every time I do I laugh. I don't think i'm supposed to laugh, but I do XD Even though I love this book, I also love making fun of some of the events mentally. Hmm.. I never did read those sequels...

Milk Chocolate ~ A book that's gotten a lot of hype and that you're dying to read

Tia's Pick:

OPPOSITION
So many teasers! I seriously can't wait for this book to come out!! *fangirls*




Belle's Pick:
THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING
I love YA fantasy, and there's a LOT of hype surrounding this book, considering it was announced it was to be made into a movie with Emma Watson BEFORE it's release! Wowzers. A must read.

Cass's Pick:

A MONSTER CALLS
Even though it's sort of a short children's book, I love Patrick Ness's books and writing and this one has gotten SO many positive reviews; I need it now. Now.




Ryann's Pick:
SILVER SHADOWS
SILVER SHADOWS SILVER SHADOWS SILVER SHADOWS :D Even though it came out like..*counts* two days ago, I still can't wait to read it so it counts XD I have it on my phone as an ebook, but I can't find enough time to read it :( Sydrian <3

Chocolate with a Caramel Center ~ A book that made you feel all gooey inside while reading it

Tia's Pick:

JUST LISTEN
This book was just simply amazing and made me melt at every page. Such cute and gooey relationships!

Belle's Pick:
BITTER SWEET LOVE
Sooooo XD I haven't really read many 'gooey' books, so this is as close as you're gonna get from me...*sticks out tongue* Yeshh, it's a novella ^^ But it was a great intro into the Dark Elements series, and I think it was totally gooey worthy ;P

Cass's Pick:
THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE 
A girl and a guy, strangers to each other, connect over a mis-sent email, and their relationship goes even deeper. This book is just so SWEET ermahgosh. I stayed up laaate reading this, and was smiling like an idiot just from the prologue.

Ryann's Pick:

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER
The Truth About Forever was really cute. I love Sarah Dessen :D Like me, Macy lost a parent. Unlike me, Macy tried hard in school due to this. Anyways, there were some parts that made me all sad, like any normal human being would feel, but most of the book just made me smile and go "awwwww~".

Wafer-Free KitKat ~ A book that surprised you lately

Tia's Pick:
CRASH INTO YOU

This book surprised me a lot! I didn't expect that ending o.o





Belle's Pick:
GOING DOWN IN FLAMES
Well, it didn't surprise me exactly....but the tagline made no sense to the plot when I read the books....sooo o.O That counts enough right? ^^

Cass's Pick:
THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING 

I thought it was going to be this silly book about beginnings or whatnot, but it was really unexpected and good!

Ryann's Pick
REBORN

I picked up Reborn because I loved Shadow Falls, despite a hateful review of a former friend of mine. I wasn't expecting much, because the rest of the books I had read recently sucked, but I was up as late as I could before my dad woke up reading that book. I love Della, I love everything. I love Shadow Falls and the plot and the characters, and even though I guessed a little of what happened, there was sooooo much more to the story. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Snickers ~ A book you're going nuts about

Tia's Pick:
SILVER SHADOWS

Adrian Adrian Adrian!! My love I wait for you *dreamy look*

Belle's Pick:
HEIR OF FIRE

JDHFHDLHLSHDHLKT!!!!!!!! *screeches like a banshee* GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME. 'Nuff said.

Cass's Pick:

 THE BOOK THIEF 

Read itt!! Seriously one of my favourites and i'm going crazy forcing people all around me to give it a try ;) I know what your thinking... "It's historical fiction! Borrringgg." But no. I actually thought that too, but when I picked it up and got into it, it was utterly magical and I fell in love with all the characters who has now become part of my bookish family. <3

Ryann's Pick

RETRIBUTION OF MARA DYER

NOAH :D 'Nuff said. Nah, I won't do that to ya... After waitin for what, a year? The release of the Retribution of Mara Dyer draws near :D I HATE CLIFFHANGERS I HATE THEM PLEASE NOAH MY BABY PLEASE BE OKAY COME BACK TO MEEE~  

I've been obsessed since the seventh grade 0_o Almost two years?! Da heck is the author lady doing back there?! *peeks around curtain* Anyways, i'm sooo excited :D THE RETRIBUTION IS COMING, THE RETRIBUTION IS COMING!

Hot Chocolate with Cream and Marshmallows ~ A book you would turn to for comfort

Tia's Pick:

PRINCE OF WOLVES

I have read this book probably 4 times since I found the series! Such a light and funny read that makes me feel better every time! ^^

Belle's Pick:
THRONE OF GLASS

ToG, weirdly enough XD Even tho it doesn't exactly bring on the warm and fuzzies, it's comforting to me because it comes from my fav genre EVER, the genre where I feel at home :D

Cass's Pick:

HARRY POTTER 

Duh..  Harry Potter will always be my comfort food. *huggles* If you haven't read it........ I have nothing to say to you 0_o Seeing Harry grow up all over again, reminiscing in how I met the characters all those years ago, Hogwarts..I feel at home. I can also still remember my favourite teacher's voice reading this to us everyday in class like some sort of stereotype grandma..except she was really young..yea <3

Ryann's Pick:

 THE IRON QUEEN

The Iron Queen. My love <3 For whatever reason, whenever I read TIQ I feel really happy. I usually read it when I just need to feel better, and Ash and Meghan always make me feel better :D The vows though... You know what, I can't. I love this book too much.

Box of Chocolates ~ A series you've read that has a wide variety and a little something for everyone 

Tia's Pick:

THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

This series has everything! Vampires,werewolves, angels, demons, romance, action. They're books anyone could read!

Belle's Pick:

THE DARKEST MINDS 

There are feels, lack of instalove (I felt the need to add this ;P), aammaaazing writing detail especially in Never Fade, and a MC who, while she's not flawless and she struggles constantly, she's got a strong resolve, and I really connected to her personality <3

Cass's Pick:
CHAOS WALKING TRILOGY  

Although the YA's on a little more juvenile level because the character's ages and such, it has deeper meaning and can connect with all readers. The writing style is amazingly unique and realistic, and you won't be forgetting it anytime soon. A dystopian :D Really well written.

Ryann's Pick: 

STRANGE ANGELS 

Strange Angels is pretty close to the Mortal Instruments if you ask me. Only... the man character is a badass from the very beginning and there are (WHY?!) no warlocks :( You have your vampires, your weres, your ghost and ghouls and everything in between... Only thing that really makes me like Strange Angels more is the fact that it has zambies :D ZOMBIE FAN OVER HERE, WORSHIP ME AND BRING ME YOUR PRESERVATIVES.

—MissBloodsucker™ All Sucked Out!
—MissOddball™ Over and Out. *salutes*
—LittleMissTotem™Ruffling Your Feathers ;)
—LittleMissPessimist™ Open Your Wings.

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