Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett

Title: Blood and Salt
Author: Kim Liggett
Format I Read: eARC from Penguin's First to Read Program
Pages: 352
Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Romance
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Stars: 4
Goodreads Link

Wow, that was a wild ride. To be completely honest, I really wasn’t expecting to love Blood and Salt; I was expecting something more along the lines of some thorough enjoyment. Yet I found myself undeniably invested in the story, the thrill, and the twists. I ended up loving Blood and Salt. Quite a bit. I read it in one fell swoop, and it was wild.

For those who are unfamiliar with Blood and Salt:

Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind romantic horror.

“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”

These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.

Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.

As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt.

The plot was so intensely unique. The mixture of mystery, cults, and magic: absolutely captivating. I loved the idea of vessels, conduits, and alchemy.

I especially loved the twists and turns. Blood and Salt was an alarmingly engaging novel. Though I saw a few of the “big reveals” from a mile away, I’m happy to report that I didn’t even come close to guessing 75% of the other twists. The last 50 pages of the book was honestly just a tangled web of twists and surprises. One after the other, the reveals left me a gasping mess with a permanently dropped jaw. It was truly the definition of a wild ride.

Though I didn’t really connect with too many of the characters, they were still well written. Ashlyn’s voice was fiercely strong and spectacularly developed. I really enjoyed her point of view (the only point of view). I also adored Beth, a zany and “broken” seer from Quivira. She was just the right balance of loyal yet quirky. She was perfect!

While I didn’t enjoy Ashlyn’s love-at-first-sight-swoon-I-don’t-even-know-Dane-but-I-loooove-him, it was slightly bearable. In a contemporary, I would’ve been miserable. However, with the blend of magic and the inclusion of the blood connections, I wasn’t as turned off by the insta-love! It actually added a lot to the story, especially toward the end (no spoilers).

I really enjoyed how Blood and Salt didn’t really fall in any single genre. It was horror but it was romance, it was thriller but it was humor. Liggett seamlessly combined these traits and created a masterpiece. One second I’d be biting my nails over one of Ash’s visions, the next second I’d be laughing as Beth sang the Backstreet Boys. It was perfectly constructed!

Liggett also wrote beautifully. I wanted to devour her words. Every sentence was like magic itself. I found myself completely sucked in by the writing. I really enjoyed the descriptions of scents. It added another layer to the story and was a really unique way of approaching the storytelling. It truly gave the book a little something extra. I don’t have any quotes to include about Liggett’s beautiful writing because if I quoted my favorite lines… I would have to quote the entire book. It was that good.

Overall, Blood and Salt was a fantastic surprise—an engaging horror layered with romance, humor, mystery, and suspense. Liggett’s fantastic writing talent was the cherry on top of a fantastically delicious and spine-tingling novel. I definitely recommend that you pick this book up. It’s got a little bit of everything and will surely keep you entranced until the very last page!

Abby Road by Ophelia London

Title: Abby Road
Author: Ophelia London
Format I Read: Kindle
Pages: 400
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Release Date: March 2013
Stars: 3
Goodreads Link

Let me start this off with a warning: Abby Road is not what you expect. It’s a whirlwind of topics, a hurricane of emotions, and a tornado of character development. It’s a wild rollercoaster, from start to finish. It offered a fantastic sense of catharsis that pulls you in.

For those who aren’t familiar with Abby Road:

Fame can't buy her love...

It’s been exactly one day since rock star Abigail Kelly fled her chaotic life in L.A. to her sister’s home in Florida. One day without her demanding manager, paparazzi, ridiculous tour schedules, and recording sessions. For the first time in five years, she has the summer off. To be anonymous. A summer to not think about losing her brother...or that her once-normal life has turned into a mess of panic and heartbreak.

But all it takes is one twist of fate—to enter a stranger's surf shop while trying to dodge some fans—for everything to change.

Because the shop owner happens to be a really cute guy with an amazing laugh. With Todd, an ex-Marine sniper turned surfer, she feels things she hasn’t felt for a long time. Possibly never. But when the real world comes crashing back in, Abby is caught between the superstar she’s become...and the painfully real human being she longs to be.

Honestly, I’m still a little confused about what I just read. Don’t get me wrong: Abby Road was a great read that sucked me in and trapped me in London’s world from start to finish. However, it was a mish-mash of just about a million different stories. When I first read the synopsis, I thought it would be a breezy summer romance. Abby would fall for Todd in this small beachside town and it’ll be a refreshing reprieve from her crazy celebrity life. Surprise! That was just the tip of the iceberg.

London weaves a tale that includes a handful of major plotlines and ideas. First, there’s the summer romance mentioned about. Second, there’s Abby’s struggle to accept her brother’s death and free herself from the haunting guilt of that night. Third, there’s the difficulty of Abby and Todd’s relationship surviving her L.A. rock star life. Fourth, there’s the battle for Abby to finally stand up to her manager and take control of her own life, to be a happy and healthy person.

Surprisingly, I didn’t hate this wild mix of plotlines. At first, if I’m completely honest, I didn’t like it. By the end of the book, it grew on me. This book was a really refreshing story of redemption and personal development. It explored a young woman’s ability to be her own savior. I found that to be an astoundingly redeeming quality.

I really enjoyed the characters. Todd was definitely swoon-worthy and I liked his backstory. His romance with Abby was lovely. It felt very real and heart-warming. They had so much chemistry. I wish we could’ve seen more of the development of their relationship! Unfortunately, London skipped the three months that they got together and skipped right to the move back to L.A. I also loved the minor characters: Hal, Molly, Lindsey, etc. They were fantastic additions and I loved the scenes with them. In particular, I ended up really loving Lindsey. She was such a fantastic sister and she really grew on me! Abby herself was a little frustrating. She wasn’t the most likable main character, though I didn’t hate her either. Fortunately, her character development made up for any complaints I had about her throughout the novel!

One complaint I did have was the chapter transitions. London would skip entire weeks and months without any real indication. Within the first few pages of the chapter, she would clarify, of course. But it was definitely disorienting and threw me off. I would’ve liked to see some smoother transitions.

The writing was also a mix of good and bad. Though I liked the tone and style that London used, the dialogue and transitions could fall a little flat. Sometimes I had to reread paragraphs to find out what just happened or if I missed something. The characters were often very obscure in how they spoke; I sometimes felt like London cut scenes out but didn’t compensate in later scenes. It was a little disorienting. Fortunately, it didn’t detract too much from the story; it was just a little off-putting.

Overall, I’d give Abby Road 3.5 stars. It was a cathartic story that really had me invested. For those who like summer beach romances (the first third), glitzy celebrity romances (the second third), and/or personal discovery and redemption stories (the last third), definitely try out Abby Road!

Stacking the Shelves #6

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted every week (typically on Saturday) by Tynga's Reviews.

I'm doing a bit of a twist on this and talking about some books that I have added to my shelves in the past. I'm tentatively calling it "Signed Book" Saturday, because I'm going to focus on my collections of signed books!

Today's author that I'm featuring is Becca Fitzpatrick!

I've actually never met Becca, though I somehow have a pretty hefty collection of her books! The amazing Adele (@ Persnickety Snark) got me Black Ice from BEA 2014 last year, and my dad got me the Hush, Hush series as a gift (way back in 2010, wow). So my collection is completely because of the generosity of others--thanks, buds!

My favorite book by Becca Fitzpatrick would have to be Black Ice! I love the mystery, the romance, and the tension.

Without further ado:

Have you read Becca's books before? If so, what's your favorite book by her?

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Title: Ten
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Format I Read: Kindle
Pages: 296
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Stars: 4
Goodreads Link

For those of you who enjoy mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie, but like a little taste of YA, Ten is definitely a book you need to pick up. McNeil eloquently and expertly wove a tale that adapted And Then There Were None in our day and age, with a cast of teenagers who are somehow all connected.

I’m not one to normally read the mystery and thriller genre. My genre is typically romance with a side of paranormal, mystery, thriller, etc. However, above all, Ten was a mystery novel. It had a side of romance, but the main focus was the murder and the suspense. This was a really refreshing change of pace for me! I really adored this novel and couldn’t put it down.

In case you haven’t heard of Ten:

SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

McNeil created a fantastic puzzle that kept the reader guessing. I spent the whole novel trying to figure out who the murderer was; I even fell for McNeil’s trap and guessed the wrong person, just like some of the other characters. In the end, I wasn’t disappointed. The murderer had such an intricate plan and the puzzle fit together perfectly. Everyone’s role made sense and it all just worked.

I also really loved the homage to And Then There Were None. It was cool how McNeil even included a dead fakeout, like Christie does in the novel. In Christie’s mystery, the deaths follow a nursery rhyme about ten little Indians. In McNeil’s story, the deaths follow a different pattern, though every single murder has a meaning. I thought that was a really cool addition to the puzzle! And, of course, the base of the story was the same. A mysteriously absent host invites the characters to a party on an abandoned island with no exit routes.

McNeil also added some cool aspects to make the story realistic. The characters were invited through Facebook. The storm prevented them from getting off the island. It definitely felt more believable. It’s easy to say, “There’s no way they’d be stuck on an island in the 21st century. They have so much technology!” However, McNeil makes sure to cover all of her bases and make it completely plausible that the characters are stranded.

I also really enjoyed the characters. McNeil adds a fantastic layer of casual diversity. There’s a girl with anxiety and other disorders who needs to take medication. There’s a black football star. There’s an Asian singer. It was really refreshing to see such a diverse cast of characters! I also loved all of their backstories, especially the friendship between Meg and Minnie. They had a really complex and interesting history.

Overall, I’d probably give Ten 4.5 stars. It was an interesting, pull-me-in, edge-of-your-seat novel that I ate right up. I’m going to round down to 4 stars, just because it wasn’t a wow book. However, I had no complaints. I’d definitely recommend to anyone looking for a taste of suspense in their TBR!

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Title: Vengeance Road
Author: Erin Bowman
Format I Read: ARC
Pages: 336
Genres: Historical Fiction, Action
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Stars: 4
Goodreads Link

You see, I’m not usually a one-genre kind of girl. I read just about anything and everything, as long as it’s YA and has at least a trace of romance. I read fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary, whatever. But there’s one genre that’s typically no-go territory for me: historical fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read and enjoyed a handful of historical fiction. But it’s not a genre that often graces my TBR. I’ve just never been a girl who likes historical fiction. Until now.

I absolutely loved Vengeance Road: the characters, the voice, the intrigue, the adventure, the action. Bowman created a story that kept me on my toes. My eyes scoured the pages and my fingers were furiously flipping through the book. I found myself completely entranced.

For those who haven’t heard of Vengeance Road:

When Kate Thompson’s father is killed by the notorious Rose Riders for a mysterious journal that reveals the secret location of a gold mine, the eighteen-year-old disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers and justice. What she finds are devious strangers, dust storms, and a pair of brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, she gets closer to the truth about herself and must decide if there's room for love in a heart so full of hate.

Kate was such a fantastic protagonist. From the first page, you’re rooting for her. She’s strong and independent, a true fighter, but she’s also just an eighteen-year-old girl. Yes, she’s her own hero, but she’s simultaneously an orphan whose father was brutally murdered and a teen who doesn’t know what to do with her growing attachment to a certain boy. It was so fantastic to see just how complex Kate was. All of her reactions and actions were justified and realistic; there was no point in the book where I got mad at her for being an idiot (which happens in a lot of books, to be completely honest). I also loved seeing how confused she was about her feelings for Jesse—it was so endearing. Bowman included the perfect sprinkle of romance. Enough to keep me interested, but not enough to overshadow Kate’s own story.

The other characters were just as great as Kate. From Will to Jesse, Pa to Abe, Rose to Lil, each person added so much to the book. I loved the Colton brothers. They balanced each other out so perfectly and were so real. I honestly felt like they could be real people. They didn’t seem like far-off, distant pictures of cowboys at all. They were real people. I really enjoyed Pa, though he’s already dead by the opening scene. It was so great to see Kate’s reactions as she discovers more about her father. He was one of my favorite characters, which is saying a lot, considering he’s dead the entire book! Lil was such a great addition, though she doesn’t enter the story until later. She’s an Apache who acts as Kate and the boys’ scout for part of their trek. I loved the historical insight into the Native Americans. It was so intriguing and interesting! Waylan Rose, the man who Kate is chasing throughout the book, was a great villain. I won’t say more about him, to avoid spoilers, but he was awesome. He was the epitome of the Wild West.

I just loved how accurately the book seemed to capture the setting. From the saloons to the standoffs and poker games, from the fantastic descriptions of the Arizona landscape to the crazy dust storms, I felt like I was really there. I could picture everything. Bowman perfectly captured the setting!

The voice was so well-done. Though the Western dialect is disorienting at first, it helps you enter the world—both place and time—of the novel. It really helped set the tone and made the story that much more realistic. So many props to Ms. Bowman for staying true to the dialect!

Honestly, I could go on about this book for hours. It was truly fantastic. It made my breath catch in my throat, my legs quiver with nervous energy, and my fingers itch to get to the next page. It opened my eyes to the magic of historical fiction. I couldn’t put it down. Even if you don’t like history or Westerns, it’s worth a read!

4.5 stars from me: definitely worthy of a pre-order!

Stacking the Shelves #5

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted every week (typically on Saturday) by Tynga's Reviews.

I'm doing a bit of a twist on this and talking about some books that I have added to my shelves in the past. I'm tentatively calling it "Signed Book" Saturday, because I'm going to focus on my collections of signed books!

Today's author that I'm featuring is Katie McGarry!

I've met Katie at two different events: Apollycon 2015 and BEA 2015. I'm in love with her books and I've reviewed both Take Me On and Nowhere But Here on the blog! She writes fantastic characters with complex relationships. I never want to put her books down!

I think my favorite would definitely have to be either Crash Into You or Nowhere But Here. It's a close tie, but I love me some Isaiah and Rachel...

Without further ado:

From Apollycon 2015

From Apollycon 2015

From Apollycon 2015

From Apollycon 2015

From BEA 2015

Have you read any of Katie McGarry's books? Which is your favorite?

Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt

Title: Dream Things True
Author: Marie Marquardt
Format I Read: ARC
Pages: 352
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Stars: 4
Goodreads Link

I can honestly say that, after reading Dream Things True, I will never be the same. The way I look at the world has been completely altered. Marquardt expertly captures the struggle of undocumented immigrants in a way that tugs at your heartstrings until they snap.

For those who aren't familiar with Dream Things True:

A modern-day Romeo and Juliet story in which a wealthy Southern boy falls in love with an undocumented Mexican girl and together they face perils in their hostile Georgia town.

Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much -- except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There's too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission. What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

A quick note before I get more into the review: telling Evan the truth was never really the problem, though the synopsis makes it sound like as much. Alma told Evan about her legal status within the first fourth of the book. The book was about so much more than just a girl hiding the truth from a boy she has a crush on. It was about the way that she opened Evan's mind to the truth and fought the unfair hand that she was given. This book was truly on another level.

Dream Things True struck really close to home for me. The town I live in is eerily similar to Gilberton. Where Gilberton is known for its chicken industry, my town is known for mushroom farming. More than a third of our school district is Hispanic. Immigrants flock to our town for the business they can find in the mushroom houses. Reading about Gilberton felt like I was reading about the town I call home. And that was a bitter reality check for me.

With this book, Marquardt manages to clog your throat, twist your insides, and wet your eyes with the cold, hard truth of our country. Like Evan, I felt like my eyes were opened by Alma and the difficulties she had to face. Evan represented probably 90% of the American population, people living in their own little bubble, completely unaware of the struggles of those around them. Ignorance is bliss, huh?

The story that Marquardt wove struck me in so many ways. She intricately creates a tale of first love, a heart-pounding romance in which Alma finally learns the meaning of swooning. She exposes the reader to the countless obstacles that undocumented immigrants have to overcome: to become more than a teenage pregnancy statistic, to get a scholarship to college, to get a license. All without a Social Security number. To most of us, a Social Security number is nothing more than a number. It's an expectation, not a privilege. We don't see it for the value it holds. For undocumented immigrants, a Social Security number is a dream, a necessity, a blessing. Those digits mean a difference between a job in America and a windswept town in Mexico. I ached for the characters in this book who fought tooth and nail to keep their family together, just because of a silly string of numbers.

Marquardt built a world where every day can mean a loved one is carted away to a jobless town in Mexico. Every day can mean a child's parent is deported. Every day can mean a person is forced into another country, a place that the government says is their home, but that their heart says is a dead end. Except this world is reality for so many people. Dream Things True was more than just a novel--it was an education. It was an eye-opening experience that revealed the truth of the land we call home.

This novel was a perfect balance between bitter and sweet. The romance was heart-wrenching with the purity and passion of first love.  Yet the forces pulling them apart physically pained me: the dreams of a teenage couple tested by the harsh reality of the world. In addition to the romantic chemistry, the familial chemistry was absolutely moving. The large cast of Garcias had such a strong love for each other that I could feel it in my bones. Every character had depth. I particularly loved Evan's cousin (the son of a Senator), Whit. They were more than characters. They were someone that I could pass by on the street. They were real.

Honestly, I couldn't put this book down. I found myself spaztically sharing everything about it with my brothers. I told them about how I couldn't understand the Spanish used in the book, but there were enough context clues that I understood what was meant, making it a kind of adventure to read the Garcia family exchanges. I explained how astounded I was at the truths I was learning. I told them how it was all I could think about yesterday when I went out to lunch. I couldn't stop talking about this damn book. It was stuck in my head, my heart, and my body. And I'm not sure that it'll ever really leave me.

The story itself, the way it all fell together, the way the characters interacted, the way the society betrayed its people, absolutely entranced me. This book was filled with ups and downs, a roller coaster ride of emotions. The last few chapters, especially, were a total whammy. I can't wait to read more books by Marie Marquardt (and read more about immigration legislation, to be honest) because I've been thoroughly hooked.

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It was eye-opening and educational, while still being entertaining and captivating. This story of Evan, Alma, and their struggle will stick with me for years to come. Definitely preorder this book--you won't regret it.