A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king’s army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince’s guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can’t prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard, and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she’s sworn to protect?

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published January 7th 2014 by Scholastic Press

When her parents are murdered and the twins are to be taken to the castle, Alexa’s brother decides to chop off her hair and have the captors believe she is a boy. As a young female, she would otherwise be sent directly to the breeding house, a place where young girls are abused to produce more children for the kingdom.

Alex loves and hates her situation; she enjoys fighting and residing in one of the better positions at the castle. She is better off there with her brother than either outside among the people, or in the breeding house. Her brother is a fierce competitor and stands by her side until she must face her life alone.

She is placed in a precarious situation when she is appointed the direct guard for the Prince himself, but when they are kidnapped her whole world starts to crumble.

The initial story set-up is perfect. It got me interested in Alex, her dangerous position as part of the guard, and the fact that her secret could be found out at any moment. One misplaced wound during a fight or a simple slip of the tongue could do her in. There is an obvious hostility that she holds for the Prince, the King, and the King’s staff. She is always having to watch what she says. This world has different lands with different people and we don’t get to meet all of them. There are wizards and magic and a focus on good versus evil.

There is some travelling during the novel where the pace slows a little. The drama intensifies as the characters get a lot of one-on-one time and reveal their true personalities. The plot develops and plot twists takes hold. During these periods of travel we see a different side of Alexa, one that experiences emotional turmoil and is very different from the one we have known.

I was pleasantly surprised by the twists that this story took. It kept me intrigued and guessing how it would end. Despite this, there was a small section in the middle of the novel that kept me from absolutely loving the story. I would still recommend this book for the main character and her strength and abilities. Through most of the novel Alexa was very much a heroine that I could root for; I just loved her. She has to fight through her own insecurities and shows the true meaning of the word heroine.

Before getting started on Sever, I wasn’t sure how this trilogy could get any better, but once again Lauren DeStefano has done it. She blew me away, broke me, and absolutely amazed me!

Sever was an explosive ending!

After spending months drugged and passed out in the basement of Vaughn’s mansion, Rhine has been rescued and taken to the hospital. Thanks to her sister wife Cecily and partially thanks to Linden. It’s about time Cecily stepped up to the plate and took charge!

After going through checkups, Rhine, Linden, and Cecily learn that Vaughn put trackers in each of the sister wives thighs, to ensure that if one of them ran away, like Rhine, they could easily be tracked and brought back. Even with so much evidence, Linden still doesn’t believe that his father isn’t who he thinks he is. Linden doesn’t want to believe it, even when Rhine and Cecily are crying for his help.

Lying in the hospital in recovery, Rhine catches a glimpse of the news on TV and she can’t believe her eyes when she sees her brother. Her brother, is still living, breathing, and walking this earth, but also running a rebellion…

After being released from her stay in the hospital, Rhine doesn’t want to go back to the mansion with Linden and Cecily, and I don’t blame her! So instead, Linden suggests his Uncle Reed’s house. Unsure of how to respond or how to feel about the offer to stay with Vaughn’s brother, Rhine is a bit hesitant. But she decides that she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.

Reed turns out to be nothing like his brother; in fact, Reed hasn’t even talked to Vaughn in years, but has become a safe haven for Linden when he can’t deal with Vaughn. At first Reed does come off as a bit standoffish and rough, but Rhine quickly learns that all he expects her to do is do her chores and pull her own weight.

Things are good, but Rhine still wants to find her brother and Gabriel.

Time is running out. Rhine needs to hurry and find her brother, and Linden and Cecily offer to come with her, leaving their baby in Reed’s care. On their journey, things seem to run smoothly, but all that quickly changes, when the three run into the same carnival from the second book.

The first time Rhine sets her eyes on her brother in real life, Rowan is trying to bomb a building. Rhine can’t seem to get his attention at first because there are so many people shouting, chanting, and moving, but once she does, Rowan has to do a double-take to make sure his eyes aren’t fooling him.

Rowan wants to introduce Rhine to a very good friend of his, who has the ability to end this epidemic of dying at a young age. Rowan reassures her that his friend knows what he is doing. But Rhine can’t believe what she hears, when her brother tells her that his name is Vaughn…

I don’t know about Rhine, but my heart definitely stopped when I read this.

I made a bulletin list when I reviewed Sever for my blog, and even after a few weeks I still can’t review this book in any other way, so here it is.

• Gabriel, Where Are You? Where the heck was he? I ADORED him in Wither, and fell in love with him in Fever…but where was he in Sever?! I understand that he made a small appearance towards the end of the book, but come on! I was expecting so much more from him. AND so much more from Rhine. When she finally sees him at the end of the book, I felt like Rhine just brushed him off, like he wasn’t there for her throughout the entire struggle of the first two books. Ugh! I missed Gabriel and I was hoping to see a lot more of him in Sever.
• Linden, Why!? Why Him? Why Did It Have To Happen This Way? My feelings for Linden were back and forth throughout this entire trilogy. He was so oblivious to everything his dad was doing to his wives right in front of him, in the same house! But in Sever I was almost rooting for him. I was almost even wishing that Rhine would go back to him and ask if she could be with him again. I LIKED Linden in Sever, and that’s why my heart was completely crushed when he died. He died in the most useless way, completely randomly, and had no meaning at all. I was so heartbroken.”

Some of the things that I enjoyed, gushed over, loved, and reread a million times.

• Vaughn, You! With all the evil things he’s said and done, you naturally hate him. But he was the perfect villain! He was smart, he did it for science, and even out of love for his son. He wanted to end this epidemic and wants his son and grandson to live normal lives, and not die at such a young age. Vaughn was complex and had real reasoning behind what he was doing, and I liked that about him.
• Cecily. She was still the young naive girl we meet in the first book but now has a child and one more on the way. But she grew up in this book, granted, not enough, but she did. She took initiative and even told Linden what to do sometimes. 
• Rhine and Rowan, For The Win! In Sever we finally get the opportunity to meet Rowan! After three books of stories and Rhine’s memories, we finally meet her twin brother. You have no idea how excited I was. Just like Rhine, Rowan is head-strong and he has a great love for his sister.
• The Ending…WHAT?! I thought the endings to Wither and Fever were completely crazy, but those two combined are nothing compared to Sever’s ending. I don’t want to give away what happened, but WOW is all I can say. I would never have expected it, and I never saw it coming.

Sever was intense, and I hope that each and every one of you gives this trilogy a read! Awesome story, awesome characters and crazy crazy endings!

A fast-paced, nerve-fraying contemporary thriller that questions loyalties and twists truths.

Appearances can be deceiving.

In the Community, life seems perfect. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Pioneer invited Lyla’s family to join his group and escape the evil in the world. They were happy to be chosen, happy to move away from New York and start over in such an idyllic gated community. Now seventeen, Lyla knows that Pioneer is more than just their charismatic leader, he is their prophet . . . but his visions have grown dark.

Lyla is a loyal member of the Community, but a chance encounter with an outsider boy has her questioning Pioneer, the Community—everything. And if there’s one thing not allowed in the Community, it’s doubt. Her family and friends are certain in their belief. Lyla wishes she could feel the same. As Pioneer begins to manipulate his flock toward disaster, the question remains: Will Lyla follow them over the edge?

From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand why anyone would join a cult. But Gated tells the story of the Community from the inside looking out, and from behind the gates things are not quite so simple. Amy Christine Parker’s beautiful writing creates a chilling, utterly unique YA story. Perfect for fans of creepy thrillers and contemporary fiction alike.

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published August 6th 2013 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Lyla and her parents have decided to move into a secluded neighbourhood (surrounded by a large thick wall) to feel safer from what they consider to be a very dangerous world. The people that live in the gated community farm their own food, keep to themselves, and make furniture to trade/sell to the local town for supplies.

All of the children have been matched up; one boy and one girl that will eventually marry and be a family of their own. They have to do their part in the community as well as attend classes. A major part of their learning is how to protect the community when trouble comes. Pioneer, the community leader, tells them that their world can come to an end one of two ways: the local towns will attack because they do not understand why the community has secluded themselves away from the larger population or the end of the world. They train to shoot guns, keep their food stocks full, and practice runs in the night to the bunker in case the end arrives.

Very early in the book, Lyla gives a tour to one of the local visitors around the community and his questions take root in her brain–questions that Pioneer does not want her asking. Her parents are happy. Her friends are content. Shouldn’t she feel the same?

What I loved about the book is how well the author draws us in. The whole story is told from Lyla’s perspective and through her actions and questions we get to know how outsiders feel about the community: also, how her parents have come to love the community and would do anything for it. But Lyla chooses to question things. Her determination is admirable, and her situation is not such an uncommon thing in today’s world. It’s very realistic.

Alexi Littrell can’t deal with what has happened to her, even though months have passed since the summer. She can’t sleep through a single night or go through a day without thinking about what has been done to her, or being reminded of it. She sees him everyday, and there’s nothing she can do and no one she can tell.

The story starts with Alexi and her family attending the funeral of her mum’s best friend. After being abused, she was murdered by her own husband and left behind her two sons. As Bodee walks onto the stage, getting ready to say his final words of parting, he can’t do it and runs out of the room.

Even though their moms were good friends, Alexi and Bodee were never close, but Alexi decides to sit without him outside the church on the curb. Her family then decides to let him move into the extra bedroom above their garage so that he can finish the school year.

But soon a connection begins to build when Alexi and her two best friends take a liking to Bodee and give him rides to and from school. Who knew Alexi would become so close with Kool-Aid Kid? Not Alexi, that’s for sure.

She also didn’t know that Bodee would be the only one she could tell what happened to her in the summer. She couldn’t say anything to her family, but for some reason Bodee seems safe. He becomes her rock, perhaps because he knows what pain and loss feels like.

During class Alexi gets her work done quickly so she can completely involve herself in Captain Lyrics and what he wrote on her desk each day. Alexi doesn’t actually know who he is, but she swoons and dreams of him every day. While Heather, Alexi’s best friend, wants her to finally meet him, Alexi is worried that he will be nothing like she imagines and is nervous.

So instead Heather gets Alexi to go out with Hayden, a football player.

When she finally agrees to date Hayden, Alexi learns that he isn’t anything like what Heather described him to be. He’s conceited, makes fun of Bodee, and drinks a lot! When he pulls her outside the dance and takes her to his truck, he starts kissing her and lies on top of her. Alexi doesn’t like it, and it brings back memories of the horrible experience she had in the summer. She doesn’t want this, but for some reason she can’t make herself say no, or say anything at all. She’s choked up and stuck.

Until someone pulls Hayden off her and starts punching him. Bodee.

At that moment she knows just how much Bodee means to her. At first she couldn’t believe the connection she felt, but now it’s real and truly happening. He doesn’t ask Alexi any questions, he doesn’t push her, and he doesn’t talk to her about it unless she wants to. Bodee helps Alexi find the confidence to leave Hayden in the dirt and to tell her family of what happened to her in the summer so she can finally become herself again.

Faking Normal is a story of true heartache, friendship, true love, and finding yourself all over again!

When I was asked to review this book, I was suckered in by the intriguing synopsis! I was dying to find out what happened to Alexi, who was involved, and how she was going to reveal her situation and overcome it.

I did my best to ignore the weird cover, and I’m glad I did because I ABSOLUTELY enjoyed the story inside! Faking Normal has my favorite cast of characters; there was no uber gorgeous girl, no super strong and good looking guy, and no extremely sensitive character that whined about everything little thing. Faking Normal had characters that were down to earth, real, and that I could connect with.

Alexi was brave and strong for trying to fight this battle on her own, but she was even stronger to let someone in after all. Bodee was her rock. He stood back and let Alexi have space to figure everything out. He was her hero without completely overshadowing her.

Alexi’s older sister was a bit snarky and mean, but she changed towards the end. Instead of fighting and arguing with her sister, she fought for her sister. I enjoyed seeing this change.

We do find out what happened to Alexi about halfway through the book, but we spend the rest of the time discovering and dissecting clues and hints about who did it to her, as well as who Captain Lyrics is.

Faking Normal is such a good read, with such a heartfelt ending. I loved it!

Wither was honestly one of my favourite reads last year, and one of the toughest books to put down, even when I was starving or when I had spent the entire night up reading it!

It’s been over a year since Rhine was snatched off the road and married off to Linden by his father. Fever starts off right where Wither ended; Rhine has witnessed two of her three sister wives pass away, started a relationship with the servant, and has finally escaped!

After their close escape, the two are on their journey to Rhine’s childhood home in Manhattan to find her twin brother, Rowan. But of course things never go perfectly as planned! Rhine and Gabriel run into this very strange carnival filled with tents. It houses young girls as prostitutes, selling their bodies to men. At this carnival, the couple picks up another traveler on their way out: a mute girl named Maddie, the daughter of one of the girls working at the carnival who wishes to give her child a better life. The three then spend the night in the house of a First Generation couple who are struggling with their own issues.

When they finally arrive at Rhine’s childhood home, they find it burnt down and without much remaining. Unsure of what to do next, Rhine, Gabriel, and Maddie head to the orphanage that has flyers posted all over the neighborhood.

For some reason, Rhine can’t get away from Vaughn. Everywhere the group goes, he seems to be right on their trail and she can’t escape when he shows up in a car and forces her to come back to the mansion. She knows she has no other options; if she doesn’t, Gabriel or Maddie could get hurt, so Rhine gives in and goes with him.

Her life doesn’t go back to the way it was when she arrives; instead she is locked up in the basement and drugged. Rhine has no idea how long she’s been there because she’s drugged so heavily and she only wakes up for a few delirious minutes at a time.

Rhine is scared. She’s worried that she’ll never see Gabriel again, that she’ll never see her brother again, and that she’ll never get out of there. She knows that she’s become another one of Vaughn’s science experiments, and that the chances of her getting out of this basement are low.

The Chemical Garden trilogy is so far out of this world! It’s like nothing I’ve ever read. I absolutely loved Wither, as well as Fever.

After reading the first book, I felt some disappointment and confusion about why the author skimmed over some very serious topics that were introduced, but in this second book I quickly learned that the world Rhine lives in is just that messed up. A lot of things we think of as wrong aren’t all that wrong in the type of world displayed in The Chemical Garden books, but instead are very common.

As before, I adored Rhine; she was smart and kind, even though she’s been through many horrible situations. Besides Rhine, in Fever we also get to her much more about Gabriel, which I was very happy about! He was so sweet, caring, and considerate of Rhine’s entire situation. My heart was broken when Vaughn showed up and snatched Rhine away, for the second time, from a boy who loves her.

If you’ve already read Fever then you know just how explosive the ending was! I still can’t believe everything that happened! Poor Rhine! Finally, it’s about time Cecily stands up and does something! And Linden is starting to open his mind to the idea that his dad isn’t who he thinks he is! That’s so long overdue!

Again, Fever was an AHH-MAZING read! And if I hadn’t already read the third and finally book, I would completely fan girl about it right here!