Review: Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Cursed

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Pages:312
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press 
Release Date: September 18th 2012
Author Website 
Available for Order: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

Source: Arc

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

My Take:

To think one touch can end a life, never able to touch one person for the rest your life must suck. For Ember just living was a blessing, but her being brought back came with a flaw. She has the touch of death, so prom is out of the question. Since the accident that killed her father, Ember has been taking care of Oliva by herself while her mother is in a comatose state. Even though money is running low and the bank won't allow her the money in her parents saving accounts, Ember knows that day by day is the key in order to keep Olivia in a routine. It's also to keep people from poking around, because Olivia can bring back the dead, and yes she brought back Ember which resulted in her touch of death, because she literally was close to death.

It's when a very hot looking guy that Ember can't to place that everything in her life changes. His name is Hayden and being taken wasn't ever on her wish list. Mr. Cromwell has the means to help Ember and allows her to stay at his house with one thought tell anyone and suffer the consequences. Rooming with a bunch of 'Gifted' isn't really easy because they all want her out. To make i worse you would think going to a new school wouldn't be so bad, for Ember its the opposite, finding things in her lockers usually would result in going to report it but Ember doesn't want to cause any more grief. The one thing she has going is her is Hayden who seems to be the only one that wants to help her. She of course doesn't realize that she has control all she has to do is learn. Can Ember get a hold of her gift as Hayden calls it, or is she really Cursed.

How can you not love a story that shows growth, I love Jennifer's writing and has since fallen under spell ever since I picked up her book last year. So when I hear a curse + girl can equal into anything add in a smexy guy and swoon is bound to happen. It grabbed me the moment that Ember was taken else where and had me literally gripping my Arc for dear life. I really loved the idea behind the curse, thinking about me not being able to touch my mom or even my dogs yeah that would stink. But I was able to see that Ember really needed guidance and that Hayden was there to help her understand the past she has tried to hide for the better part of two years. Ember showed me strength no one her age would show until they had their own family. Of course when their is a hot guy just lurking around its hard not to like the fact that yes he was their for her (kinda stalkerish!!) but she saw that as he was really their because he wanted to be. He was so sweet had me awing the whole time, and of course I couldn't but picture him smiling so that made me smile. So if you've never experienced a JLA book than Cursed can be your ticket to the biggest show of the year. Because every Jen book is an event of itself. I loved this!!!!!!!!  Hayden = Swoon worthy!!!!!


5/5 stars because with great writing comes me swooning all over it :)

Review: Being Friends With Boys by Elan McVoy Terra

Being Friends With Boys

Author: Elan McVoy Terra
Pages:368
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 1st 2012
Author Website 
Available for Order: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

Source: egalley 

Charlotte and Oliver have been friends forever. She knows that he, Abe, and Trip consider her to be one of the guys, and she likes it that way. She likes being the friend who keeps them all together. Likes offering a girl's perspective on their love lives. Likes being the behind-the-scenes wordsmith who writes all the lyrics for the boys' band. Char has a house full of stepsisters and a past full of backstabbing (female) ex-best friends, so for her, being friends with boys is refreshingly drama-free...until it isn't any more.

When a new boy enters the scene and makes Char feel like, well, a total girl...and two of her other friends have a falling out that may or may not be related to one of them deciding he possibly wants to be more than friends with Char...being friends with all these boys suddenly becomes a lot more complicated.

My Take:

The toughest time in anyones life is during the years spent in high school, anything can change and nothing is permanent. Even though its tough, Charlotte never really saw herself in the front of it all, she was always the one to stay in the back. Writing for the band was just something that the guys always relied on, even when Trip decided to leave the band, she knew that she had to continue being friends with them all. But being the only girl in the group isn't drama free even when the girlfriends of the members don't trust her enough. But when things change and the band takes on two new members, she has to come to grips that Trip isn't coming back. New members means new opportunities for the band to grow. When the band asks her to sing for them her life is never really the same after that.

At home she has support from her family, and at school she has support from Benji, who is someone she goes to when things get tough. Of course she also relies on her band mates. But when another band wants her for themselves she considers it, than of course reality hits. Oliver the lead singer isn't happy and when he is in one of his moods which usually lasts a little bit, Charlotte knows to just wait him out. What Charlotte and her band didn't know was that being apart from each other isn't really good for the band. They support one another and the band isn't complete without its members. Being that since singing popularity and of course ex-best friends stopping by doesn't really hurt. Its just when they do come is it because they are their for you or is it because of you fame. One thing Charlotte realizes is that friendship is at its strongest when everyone is willing to be in it for the long hall.

This was a story that tested friendship and of course what one can do to change the course of any friendship. Charlotte is the type that was always willing to try it was just difficult sometimes cause guys can be tough when it comes to feelings and stuff. The one lesson to learn from this was that even though it may look tough friendships last forever as long as both parties are willing to work through any issues at the beginning. Cause waiting it out is never really a good idea, you could end up losing that person forever. Another quality gained is that friendships are special and should be treated as such, with care and patience and of course time any friendship can last a really long time.


5/5 stars

Wolfsong by Kodilynn Calhoun

Wolfsong

Author: Kodilynn Calhoun
Pages:215
Publisher: Kodilynn Calhoun 
Release Date: December 26th 2011
Author Website 
Available for Order: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

Source: Review Request 

When his wolf-dog goes from furry to beautiful girl in 2.7 seconds, 17-year-old Kia doesn’t believe it. Arii’s been recruited to bring Kia home, back to her realm, where werewolves are real, the supernatural exists, and tension between the two wolf packs is threatening to erupt into a full-scale war. With his father missing, Kia is the rightful heir and without an Alpha’s power behind them, their pack is defenseless in the face of an oncoming battle.

Kia has spent his entire life being a wallflower—he’s not leader material, but he’s not given a choice. Stolen away from all he knows, he’s thrust into a world where rank is dictated by the color of your eyes and where the light of the full moon transforms you into a powerful beast. All Kia wants is to go home, where his only worry is not flunking calculus.

With the help of his new-found friends, he soon realizes that the only way to return to the real world is to end the war—but not everyone wants Kia to succeed, and as he starts to enjoy his awakening confidence as a leader and he falls deeper in love with Arii, he starts to doubt if he wants to go back at all…

My Take:

Ever wonder if or when you had the nerve to go and talk to a girl, and when you do she likes you back and makes you tongue tied. For Kia having a crush on a girl is normal for any teenager, but when sad girl turns into a wolf normal doesn't even begin to cover it. Especially when she says he needs to return with her and become alpha of the pack yeah life just got a little weird for Kia, to think today he thought would be nice because he was going to talk to a girl. Boy was he wrong, never the idea of him being a wolf ever crossed his mind and to boot his father is or was an alpha. What Kia understands is that the stories his father told him when he was a boy, became reality when Arii came and turned into the thing he never thought was possible, turned out to be true and very real. Him a decedent of a wolf pack, yeah right and pigs fly through the night.


He knows he isn't that and doesn't want to go at all because that would mean he would be leaving his family so he made up his mind. Arii left and that was that or so he thought, turned out cell phones can lead to trouble and with one message Kia finds himself in the last place he ever thought he see. The tribe captured him and of course want him to become leader of the pack. If your captured and you didn't say goodbye, you wouldn't play nice right? So with time Kia begins to feel more like them and even though the he misses his family he knows the pack has become his second family and he feels the need to protect them. What he never thought was possible became his reality and he though Arii lured him in, he became attached to the pack and also to her. He cares deeply for her and repeatedly tells her how much he cares for her. For him she is his and she believes that as well, he didn't see any of this ever becoming his future but with Arii by his side he knows the pack is safe. 


Reading about these wolves was such a pleasure, I was so much enthralled with the story couldn't help but want a little more and of course I know Kia's adventure has just begun. Being a wolf comes naturally to them and when they change its like magic, simple change. I loved that even though Kia didn't want to be alpha but he got used to the idea and tried. Kia had an amazing presence and was able to gain the trust from all of the pack. I loved this because for Kia,  becoming the pack's alpha was the first step  to his journey the next step is finding a way to guide his pack into a the future he was destined to lead them in. This was a lovely story, with action, romance and also a journey to finding one's destiny.


5/5 Stars- romance can truly lead any pack to strive