Last Rite, by Lisa Desrochers

In this final installment of the thrilling, edgy Personal Demons series, the battle between Heaven and Hell has become critical, and Frannie Cavanaugh is right at the center of it.

With the help of the powerful angel Gabe and demon-turned-mortal Luc, Frannie has been able to stay one step ahead of the forces of Hell. But when the demons killed Frannie's best friend and destroyed her brother, they raised the stakes. If Frannie wants to keep her family and friends safe, she knows she has no choice but to go on the run.

Their best defense is the power Frannie has been struggling to master, but her attempts to hone her skill go horribly awry. If Frannie doesn't learn fast, the consequences could be devastating--even apocalyptic.

What happens when you can't outrun Hell...or trust the ones you love?

This is the third and final book in the Personal Demons trilogy by author Lisa Desrochers. To read my review of the first two installments, click a link for the appropriate book: Personal Demons (Book 1), Original Sin (Book 2).

The Personal Demons trilogy has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me. I have enjoyed this series immensely for many, many reasons but I find that I am still struggling with a few of the personal feelings that I had with the two previous books through this book as well.

I think the most obvious would be how I feel about Frannie as the main character. Like always, she keeps the same two guys tugging after her, though I will say not as bad as before. And, like the other two books, I have an issue with the decisions that she makes and the oh-so-obvious details that she seems to almost blatantly ignore for one reason or another. The worst part is that the story (or at least the part I'm referring to) is actually told from her point of view and she describes these things that we catch onto almost immediately, yet she seems to just say them as an afterthought and give it no other mention. That was probably the worst things for me that I couldn't seem to digest.

Now, having said this and getting it off of my chest, I can say that I really enjoyed this book. Although there was some issues for me with Frannie, I can honestly say that I do like her as a main character. She still carries that spunk that I have admired since the very first book and, even though I don't agree with her decisions, I do understand the reasons as to why she makes the choices that she does. As a whole, every action she takes is a selfless act, no matter how wrong that action may seem to someone on the outside - there's always a reason to her madness.

The other characters were still as enjoyable as before, even the smaller (minor) characters had a bigger role in this novel and I absolutely squealed with joy to see that some of the other characters had their own special abilities that weren't necessarily talked about in the previous books. The descriptions of anything and everything, like before, is uncanny and Desrochers has a way with her writing that makes you feel like you're right there experiencing everything with the other characters. There was a lot of good and a lot of evil in this book, though the evil didn't seem quite as strong and vile as in Original Sin. The ending of the series was very satisfying, though it left a little room for more story that made me a little antsy. Actually, that's probably just on me because I want to read more about Frannie's life. But, if this is the end, I couldn't fathom a better ending for the trilogy.

Last Rite is a delightfully wonderful ending for an equally wonderful trilogy. While I'm sad that this series is over, I'm quite satisfied with how the story ended and cannot wait to read more from Lisa Desrochers in the future.

Rating: ★★★★✩ Avg 4.38
Source: Publisher

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Title: Last Rite
Author: Lisa Desrochers
Series: Personal Demons, Book 3
Publisher: Tor Teen
Format: Paperback, 368 pages
Release Date: May 8, 2012

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The Fame Game, by Lauren Conrad

In Hollywood, fame can be found on every corner and behind any door. You just have to know where to look for it. Nineteen-year-old Madison Parker made a name for herself as best frenemy of nice-girl-next-door Jane Roberts on the hot reality show L.A. Candy. Now Madison's ready for her turn in the spotlight and she'll stop at nothing to get it. Sure, she's the star of a new show, but with backstabbing friends and suspicious family members trying to bring her down, Madison has her work cut out for her. Plus, there's a new nice girl in "reality" town—aspiring actress Carmen Price, the daughter of Hollywood royalty—and she's a lot more experienced at playing the fame game... When the camera's start rolling, whose star will shine brighter?

Filled with characters both familiar and new, Lauren Conrad's series about the highs and lows of being famous delivers Hollywood gossip and drama at every turn.

Reality TV isn't really familiar to me, though it isn't completely unfamiliar either. With this book, I felt as though it was pretty much like reading a book based on a reality television... and I'm not talking about the part of the book that is indeed about a reality show. If that was the intended outcome, then Conrad definitely succeeded in that. If it wasn't... well, it was.

This is a spin-off series from Lauren's L.A. Candy series. I have to admit, I tried reading L.A. Candy and it really just didn't work out for me - which is why you will never see a review for that book on this blog - I don't review DNF's for many reasons, including being fair to the author and giving them more positive publicity through those that do enjoy the books. With that being said, I can say that it was a good thing that I did read at least some of L.A. Candy because it helped the scoring of this book.

One of my big things in reading a book is checking out the writing - and every single aspect of it. I can honestly say that the writing in this book compared to L.A. Candy is much MUCH better, and it really shows that the author has evolved with each of her stories. I also enjoyed Madison as a character, which was surprising to me considering that I spent a good portion of the book having a very love/hate relationship with her.

As a matter of fact, I had a love/hate relationship with most of this book and its characters - ultimately finding more "hate" with the other characters than "love" like I did with Madison. Unlike her role in the L.A. Candy series, Madison is definitely more fleshed out and developed in this book, which is its own saving grace considering this is her book/story. The other characters fell a little flat for me. There wasn't much growth nor maturation, rather the characters seemed to be shallow and not much more past that. However, they were pretty good for some laughs.

The plot of this book was pretty much non-existent... or just seemed to play hide-and-go-seek with me, and I failed miserably at seeking. I couldn't tell you a single commentary about what the actual storyline of this book was as it felt more like a story told the way stories are told in tabloids - which, again, could have been a nod to that whole "reality television" feel that seemed to have been missed on me.

I'm sure it seems that I am ripping this book a new one because I hated it, but it's not true. In fact, it wasn't an incredibly atrocious read - it was actually fun. I'm just being hard because I feel like this story could have been taken to the next level because it does have the potential to get there. Having said all of this, even though this wasn't my favorite read of the year... I could definitely see where a lot of teens and reality show fans would love this book. If you're one of these, I would recommend checking this book out and forming your own opinion.

Rating: ★★★✩✩ Avg 3.57
Source: Young Adult Books Central

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Title: The Fame Game
Author: Lauren Conrad
Series: The Fame Game, Book 1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover, 313 pages
Release Date: April 3, 2012

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Blog Tour: Character This or That List with Velvet {Giveaway!}

This post is part of THE FORGETTING CURVE Blog Tour. To view other posts, click here. Want the chance to win a hardcover copy of The Forgetting Curve and/or some really awesome swag? Read below to find out more!

Velvet's This or That

Cats or Dogs? Cats. Although she likes dogs—and her house is full of them—she’s more a cat person. Fiesty, independent, and particular.

Autumn or Spring? Autumn. It’s more suited to her wardrobe.

Movies or Music? Music. Velvet writes songs and promotes underground concerts.

Books or Computers? Books. She’s not that into technology.

Black & White or Colors? Black and white for her clothes, a touch of color for her hair.

Group or Solo? Group. She hangs with a group of friends, but she often feels alone.

Day or Night? Night. That’s when she promotes her secret concerts.

Reality or Virtual Reality? Reality. She has no interest in the virtual world.

Rain or Sunshine? Rain, but with an undercurrent of sunshine.

Half-Empty or Half-Full? She starts off half-empty, but grows toward half-full.

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Want to win a copy of The Forgetting Curve?

I have a hardcover copy of The Forgetting Copy, along with some (signed!) swag that I'd like to give one lucky follower. As much, five other followers will be chosen to also receive some TFC swag. Want to enter? Just make sure you follow this blog and leave a comment below with your e-mail address.

Winners will be chosen May 15, 2012 and notified via e-mail. There are NO restrictions - because I love you all, I am making this giveaway international!

Blog Notes

Hey, everyone! I'm sure you've noticed that I've been spending a considerable amount of time away from my blog lately. There's a few reasons for this that I'd like to tell you about, as well as some changes that's going to be going on around here in the near future.

First thing first. You see that little blob to the left of this? That's my baby! I'm currently 12 weeks pregnant and seriously over the moon. BUT, with this pregnancy comes with something I wasn't prepared for - crazy fatigue and nausea. I've literally been in my bed and on the couch more these past few weeks then all my life combined. It's to the point where simple things like household chores and just getting online is a challenge because it zaps what little energy I have in a matter of moments. Add to this the fact that Blogger hates me and has decided to start randomly deciding to not post a majority of my scheduled posts and... well, I think you see my dilemma. Up until now, there's really nothing I could do about it. But with the homestretch of the end of my first trimester in the midst and my health slowly (but surely) returning back to normal, I can happily say that this is about to change - very soon.

So, here are the changes I'm looking into....

More reviews. I have a ton of books that I have read and never reviewed on this blog. We're talking hundreds. Add to this my book-buying obsession has not waned much at all, and the result is a ton of books that could be reviewed for this blog. I'd like to post at least two or more reviews a day to try to catch up. Not only is this more exposure for the books (past, present and future), but this is a lot more substance for my blog - which is something I've wanted for a while.

Less requests. This one hurts my heart but, for right now, it's something that has to be done while I play a very extensive game of catch-up. I've decided the best way to deal with this is to cut out all requests except for published authors (this includes the publicists and publishers that work with said authors), authors I have already established a relationship with and, of course, Young Adult Books Central. I am too in love and believe in this site entirely too much to give it up. Everything else - the printed publications, the writing and self-published works - has been cut out. I don't like doing this, but my time is too limited to do as much as I was doing before.

To meme or not to meme? I still haven't decided on this, but I think the memes will more than likely be cut out on the blog. Right now, I'm playing around with the idea of highlighting the best part of the memes on my Facebook page instead - it's simpler and adds more content there.

Keeping the blog tours. I will still continue to set up a few blog tours and participate in tours as well, but it will be more selective and limited than before.

This list seriously gives me a headache and makes me want to scream, but it's something that has to be done. With these decisions, I'll be able to concentrate more on what I started this blog for - the book reviews - and less on outside distractions. This may change in the future but, for now, this is all I can figure out to keep me sane.

I've drafted many posts already that I'm going to manually post starting next week. By giving myself this week-long window, I am much more confident that I will be able to keep up with this ideal pace on the blog.

I thank you all for still following. As a matter of fact, I'm planning something special very soon to show you exactly how much I appreciate the loyalty.

XOXO

The Immortal Rules, by Julie Kagawa

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

THE IMMORTAL RULES, by Julie Kagawa, has to be the best book that I have read this year. At first a skeptic (Dystopian with a side of vampires? Yeah, I've seen that quite a few times!), the story quickly transformed me into a true believer. Though, to be honest, I don't think it surprised me any. Kagawa has a way with words that is like magic, turning simple descriptions into realistic settings that you can almost sense with all five of your senses.

For me, the characters were probably the selling point to the whole story. You have an incredible female lead that not only grows, but stays consistent in herself no matter what is happening in the book. This works incredibly well because Allison (lead) starts off as a strong character, yet somehow manages to grow and become an even stronger character by the end. The other characters stayed very true to their own stations as well. It's a very harsh world that THE IMMORTAL RULES takes place in and everyone seems to know their place in that world very well. Though, no matter how dark and dreary the world seems to be, there are always a handful of those who believe that it is better somewhere else and they will stop at nothing to get to that place. To be honest, their drive is endearing and I love the fact that it seems none of these characters seem to want to give up - no matter how hopeless they may feel at times.

This book is a little heavy... on descriptions, character emotion, story leads, etc. However, I couldn't see the book working any better with less story. Everything written in this story has a place and has a reason to be there. Every sentence has a purpose and to read it all is even more enthralling than reading a book with less... it has that much of an impact on the entire book. With Kagawa's twist of her own mythology on vampires, I know that all of my paranormal lovers will enjoy this tale. And even if you don't like vampires, if you like Dystopian stories then you will not want to miss this one. This story is about much more than vampires, but you'll have to read for yourself to understand what I'm talking about. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

My Rating: ★★★★★ 5.00
Avg Rating: ★★★★✩ 4.29

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Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden, Book 1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Hardcover, 504 pages
Release Date: April 24, 2012

Purchase Book
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