The Dark Divine - Bree Despain

So I read Bree Despain's The Dark Divine back in May and for some reason it totally escaped being blogged about. Shame on me because I LOVED this book.

Grace Divine is a pastor's daughter and lives her life following the rules and making sure she does things portray her and her family in a good light. When an old friend, Daniel, returns to town Grace is warned by her brother, Jude, to stay away from him. Grace struggles with the request because not only does Daniel seem to need help, but she wants to find out what happened that night Daniel left and Jude came home all bloody. Will Grace find the answers she's looking for? Will her brother forgive her for doing the right thing when she helps someone that is in desperate need of it?

I have had this book sitting on my bookshelf almost since it was released. I have no idea why it took my so long to read it, but I wish it hadn't because I loved this book. Grace was a very determined character and I liked being in her head. She wasn't whiney and she was always trying to do the right thing, but a lot of the time it did seem as if the right thing for her went against what everyone else was telling her.

Daniel was kind of a jerk at first but the more you got to know him, the more you realized it was more of a defense mechanism. As for Jude, I kind of disliked him from the get-go. I don't know what it was, but the whole prodigal son thing didn't work for me and I felt justified in my dislike of him by the end. I think it was just because he seemed too good at the beginning.

I also loved this cover. I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but that is the initial reason I bought this book. It jumped out to me in the bookstore and the shade of purple is just pretty. Kudos to the person who picked this as the cover.

If you haven't read The Dark Divine yet, I urge you to add this book to your TBR pile.

This was book #6 in the 2010 Debut Author's Challenge.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson was co-written by two fabulous authors, John Green and David Levithan. The book is about two boys named Will Grayson who randomly meet each other in Chicago. Honestly, any description I give beyond this just doesn't seem like it would do the book justice.

I had never read a book that was co-authored before so I was pretty excited to do so. After seeing a bunch of talk about this from some of my online book girls, I added it to my TBR list and months later I got my hands on it.

I feel as if something is wrong with me though. As much as I liked this book and yes, I would read it again, I didn't love it as much as everyone else seems to. Maybe it was a classic case of too much hype and anticipation that built it up far beyond what it should have been. I'm not sure. There were certainly things that I did love about this book though, I loved the one liners and the sentiment behind what drove each Will Grayson. I also really liked that this book was nothing like I thought it was going to be.

I did like how each Will Grayson was different than the other but that they were also pretty similar in that they thought they wanted to be alone or didn't feel like it would be wise for them to open up to anyone and then each one finding a person that challenges them and shows them that it's ok to be open.

My favorite character in this book had to have been Tiny Cooper. He was one of the most realistic best friends that I have read about. He's there to back you up, call you on stuff, but also gets so wrapped up in himself that it seems like you've been forgotten. I really do appreciate you Tiny Cooper.

Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris

Dead in the Family is the tenth book in Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse series and I really don't know where to start with this. 

Basically, this book is post Fae War and Sookie is hoping things kind of die down (no pun intended) but that goes out the window when 1. her Fairy cousin Claude requests to live with her, 2. Eric's maker and uncontrollable vampire brother come for a visit, 3. Bill is sick with silver poisoning, 4. the Weres are facing registration by the government to keep up with them, and 5. Sookie has been informed by some Weres that there is a strange Fairy smell in her woods that is not her cousin Claude.

Although the above summary kind of makes it seem like a lot happens, to me it seemed like nothing happened. This book was just OK and I was kind of disappointed in it since I've been waiting to read this since last May. 

Someone from my online book club said it best and I have to agree that either Charlaine is running out of steam with these books or this was just one of those books that is there solely to set up the next one. 

I've been a fan of Eric from the beginning and I hated how weak he was in this book and I also am not too fond of the Fae storyline. I really hope she shifts away from that in future books and goes back to focusing mostly on the Vampires and Weres.

Cracked Up To Be - Courtney Summers

Parker Fadley has a secret and her life is no longer perfect. After being put on suicide watch by her parents and school, the former perfect cheerleading captain, distinguished honor roll member, and girlfriend of the most popular boy in school has purposefully distanced herself from all of these things. All Parker wants is to be left alone and not feel anything, but when the new kid, Jake, takes an interest in her and starts asking questions, she finds herself feeling again. Does Parker really want to be left alone or is it just her bit?

After reading Some Girls Are a few weeks ago by Courtney Summers, I just had to read Cracked Up To Be. I liked this book but not to the degree that I liked Some Girls Are. I'm glad I read it though and I liked how Courtney shared Parker's secret. She didn't come outright and say what happened and you find out bits of the story all the way through the book. The more of the story I got I decided it had to be one of two things and one of my theory's ended up being right.

I found Jake somewhat annoying at parts because he just kept pushing Parker to answer questions and a lot of the time her character just seemed forced. Part of me can't help but think that maybe that was how she was supposed to be though because of the accidental suicide and just wanting someone to take the extra effort to get behind what changed her.

Overall, I didn't love this book as much as I hoped I would but I really did like it and am glad I read it. If you haven't read it, you should at least do so once because it's definitely worth that.

The Reckoning - Kelley Armstrong

I have officially finished the Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong. My library seemed to be taking forever with my hold on The Reckoning, so when I was out last week and saw it at Target, I immediately picked it up and put it in my cart.

After running from the Edison Group and finally making it to their destination, Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori are now at a safe house with Andrew, a friend of Derek and Simon's dad, with a group that has been watching the Edison Group's activities.

Now that there's proof that the Edison Group is messing with stuff they shouldn't, plans of taking them down are starting to be made. The only problem is, not everyone believes what the kids are telling them. While at the safe house, Chloe accompanies Derek outside one night to be with him in case he changes, and while they're outside there is an attack by two werewolves and that's when they realize that someone that they're supposed to be trusting is really working against them. Can they find out who it is before it's too late? Will they go along with the plan to go back to Edison House to rescue traitors Rae and Chloe's Aunt Lauren? Or will they try to escape for a third time and rescue them on their own?

I'm so glad I ended up buying this book because even though I'm sad it's over, I'm happy that I got to find out what happened. I am honestly very pleased with what went on in this book and how it ended and I loved that whether Kelley decides to do another series of books, it's an ending that will allow her to go either way.

The Awakening - Kelley Armstrong

As soon as I put down The Summoning, I picked up The Awakening because I couldn't sleep since I just had to know what happened to Chloe and friends. 

The Awakening is book two in Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Power series and it follow Chloe, Simon, Derek, and Tori as they're on the run from the Edison Group. The Edison Group wants them because they were a part of genetic experiment and they want to either rehabilitate or exterminate those whose powers cannot be controlled. While running from the group, they're also trying to seek out help from Simon and Derek's dad, Kit. Will they be able to find him before the Edison Group finds them? What will happen to them if they're captured? What will happen to Chloe if she can't stop raising the dead accidentally?

I think a big part of why I enjoyed this book so much is that as many obstacles that Chloe and crew are thrown, it's never an easy out. They have to fight to get away, help protect each other, help each other out even when they don't want to, and learn how to use their powers. 

I definitely saw a lot of growth in each character and I really liked that it didn't turn into a love story. Chloe's relationship with Simon was starting to blossom but she was realistic about the situation and saw that it wasn't exactly the prime time to carry on while on the run.

I've already finished reading The Reckoning, so look for that to come tomorrow.

The Summoning - Kelley Armstrong

When certain people tell me I should read a book because they know I'll love it, I usually do; especially when that person and I have such similar tastes in books. So when Leah told me I needed to check out Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy, I went home and added it to my library hold list. She was not kidding..I loved them so much I want to buy them now.

Chloe Saunders is finally settling into life. She's at a school she enjoys and her biggest worry is why she hasn't hit puberty. Once she finally does, something weird happens; she starts seeing ghosts. After a freak-out following her first encounter, she is sent to Lyle House for an evaluation. Chloe is determined to make her initial two week stay uneventful and vows to her doctor that all she wants to do is get better.

As her time in Lyle House passes, she notices that all the other kids there are a bit different and not in the crazy way. Her doctor tells her she shows signs of schizophrenia but she doesn't buy it and after a weird conversation with Derek, the big, quiet, creepy guy, she learns that she's really a necromancer. Chloe then stumbles upon the horrifying truth behind Lyle House and she and her friends must get out before it's too late. Can Chloe and the others harness their powers before they're seen as a major threat? What will happen if they're caught?

I really loved the characters in this book and they all seemed to come alive and it played out like a movie in my head; which worked out nicely because that's how Chloe looked at things as. I loved how strong Chloe was because although she was scared most of the time, she forced herself to deal with the issue at hand and just dealt with everything as it came to her. 

You have absolutely no idea how hard it is for me not to go to the bookstore and buy the third book in this trilogy. I was so into The Summoning that once I finished, I lay in bed thinking about what was to come next that I couldn't sleep. Yes, I had to get up super early the next morning and it was already after midnight, but that didn't stop me from reading the first three chapters of The Awakening before I felt satisfied enough to quit for the night.