Category: Book Reviews

Book Review: The Goddess Test

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

It’s always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he’s crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess.

After just finishing the True Love trilogy, another Greek mythology based series, The Goddess Test just didn’t impress me.

First, the beginning of the novel moved way to quickly. I think Aimée Carter just really wanted to get to the part where Henry reveals who he is and what Kate is going to have to do. By the end of the novel I understood why the beginning was the way it was but at first I almost stopped reading this book because the plot seemed so wacky.

For example, everyone’s actions, including mean girl Ava and fast friend James just seemed either too mean or too easy. Again it later becomes clear why all the events of the first chapters occurred but I think Carter should’ve slowed down the beginning of the novel. It just seemed like the first few chapters moved very quickly and then once Kate got into the goddess test everything slowed down.

Besides that though, the book was pretty good. I fell in love with Henry (Hades) and Kate wasn’t so bad either. Their chemistry was great and I appreciated the novel’s twists. Although I can’t see myself rereading this book anytime soon (read: ever) I’m interested enough to read the sequel. Maybe the next book will be better. Here’s to hoping.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow. Not worth the money but a nice, quick read.

Favorite Line:

“I care,” he said in a trembling voice. “I care so much that I do not know how to tell you without it seeming inconsequential compared to how I feel. Even if I am distant at times and seem as if I do not want to be with you, it is only because this scares me, too.”

Stars:

3 stars

 

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Book Review: Allegiant

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

I went into this novel with very low expectations because almost everyone I know didn’t like this book. That being said I actually didn’t hate it. I understand why people were upset about the ending but I just didn’t hate it. That being said I still wasn’t a big fan.

As many scenes as there were that made me smile the book just seemed so thrown together. I tried to understand Veronica Roth’s plans and intent for the novel but honestly it seemed like she didn’t know how the series was going to end before hand so when the time came to end it she threw something together.

If you haven’t read the first two Divergent books beware because here comes some spoilers.

Insurgent ended with the ultra secret video finally being released, showing one of Tris’ ancestors explaining how it was the Divergent’s job to live Chicago and do their job or something like that. It was pretty vague to be honest. Either way this turns out not to even be the whole truth so it doesn’t really even matter what the video said.

What I really didn’t like about Allegiant was Roth’s explanation for everything. The way she explained why there were factions and the purpose of the Divergent just seemed so ridiculous. I was so mad. All of this violence and people dying just for this? Really? It was nonsense.

Besides that lackluster reveal there were parts of the book I truly did enjoy. Tobias and Tris’ relationship being one of them (and that’s all I’ll say about it – no spoilers!). Despite what a lot of people said I thought the ending was fitting and I appreciated the realness of it and the message Roth was putting forward. Do I think she could’ve gave the same message differently? Sure. Did I hate the ending? No.

All in all, not my favorite book but not too bad.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow. Not a book I’d reread.

Favorite Line: 

I fell in love with him. But I don’t just stay with him by default as if there’s no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.

Stars:
3 stars

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Book Review: Something True

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Will the love of her life distract True from reuniting with…the love of her life? Find out in the third book in Kieran Scott’s delightful series that blends ancient mythology with contemporary romance.

True Olympia is in the home stretch. After being banished to Earth without her powers as punishment for falling in love with a mortal, True was tasked with matching three couples before she could return home. Now, with two couples fully in love, she is ready for her time in New Jersey to come to an end.

But as easy as it should be to match one more couple, things are complicated by her immortal love Orion (who also appeared on Earth, just without the memory of their love). He’s dating another girl, but can’t seem to avoid spending time with True. Something about her finally seems familiar to him. But if True wants to get back with Orion for real, she needs to focus. Just one more couple, one more couple…

After not being very impressed with Complete Nothing I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed this book. As the last book in the True Love trilogy this book tied up every lose end in a really nice way. I’m not saying this was the next great American novel or anything but it was a nice fun read, especially after just finishing Gone Girl.

Following the same outline as the last two books, Something True follows True trying to match her last couple. One small difference, however, was rather than show True and the two people she’s trying to set up point of views this novel showed True, Orion, and Darla, Orion’s girlfriend’s, point of views. This set up makes sense for the story since these are really the three main characters of this book but it is worth pointing out that this book went a little off script.

The appearance of Orion in True’s mortal world is definitely both a positive and negative for True. Add in Artemis and Apollo as mortals and True finds herself in some very sticky situations. Having to juggle her love for Orion while watching him date another girl and try to make sure her last couple gets together before it’s too late is a lot for one goddess to handle.

But that’s what makes this book so fun. There was so much drama, so much love, and so many moments that made my heart swoon. It was a cheesy, fun, romantic novel that I will probably reread when I want to believe in love again. A great end to a trilogy.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! This may seem strange after I said to just borrow Complete Nothing because who buys one book in a trilogy? However, I stand by both of my choices and honestly I think you can read these books as stand alone’s so you don’t really need all three. And this one is definitely my favorite of the trilogy.

Favorite Line:

This was it. This was where I was supposed to be.

Stars: 

4 stars

Book Review: Gone Girl

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

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*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Gillian-Flynn.com:

Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn, takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. As The Washington Post proclaimed, her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit with deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Employing her trademark razor-sharp writing and assured psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

This book was crazier than I expected it to be, which is saying a lot because I thought it was going to be crazy. I heard from multiple people that I needed to read this book and that I “wasn’t ready.” They were all right. I was not prepared for this.

I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone because this is a book that just shouldn’t be spoiled. What I will say is both Nick and his wife Amy are very interesting characters. I liked the use of both of their point of views and how the book was split into three different parts.

Gillian Flynn did an excellent job of keeping the suspense throughout the whole book. I wasn’t sure who to believe or who to trust. I wasn’t sure if Amy was dead, if Nick had killed her, or if something entirely different was happening. I’ve read a few mysteries/suspense novels in the past and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that caught me as off guard as this book did. I wasn’t expecting any of the twists and certainly was not expecting the ending.

I haven’t watched the movie just because I felt like I needed some time to recover from the book before I tried to actually watch this book come to life. Even so, I’m excited to watch it and see how they take the book to film because the way the book is set up I think it is crucial to the plot development.

If you haven’t had a chance to read this bestseller yet please make the time. You won’t regret it.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Once you finish it you’ll want to go back and look for clues. The library already took my copy back and I’m upset. Don’t make my mistake.

Favorite Line: 

There’s a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.

Stars: 5 out of 5. The book was brilliant. The ending was perplexing but I still liked it.

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Book Review: End of Days

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

With World After I was disappointed with the lack of Raffe and Penryn scenes. End of Days completely makes up for that (thank you Susan Ee).

Similar to World After, End of Days picks back up right where the last book left off. I love all the books in this trilogy just about equally but this book may have been the best end of a dystopian trilogy I’ve ever read. I still have some lingering questions (we’ll get to those later) but overall Ee did an excellent job of wrapping things up perfectly.

In this novel Ee gave us a lot of action, the same amount of gruesome scenes, the perfect amount of romance (enough to appeal to my shipper heart but not so much that it felt like chick lit), and she gave us a kick butt heroine who still had the hormones of a teen but didn’t let that stop her from being, “Penryn Young. Daughter of Man. Killer of Angels.”

Seriously, Raffe is hot and all that but Penryn made this book for me. I’m so tired of seeing these dystopian heroines being portrayed as the hero but they actually do nothing. Katniss, although great, really didn’t change anything. She was just a symbol. Tris did actually change things but I’ll save my comments about that for my review of Allegiant.

My favorite part about End of Days was Penryn really coming into her hero role. She was making her way there throughout the novels with multiple heroic acts but this was the first time we really got to see Penryn be a leader and I loved it. No matter what her feelings are for Raffe she never lets that get in the way of protecting herself, her family, and mankind from the angels. To me that makes Penryn the ultimate boss. You go girl!

Now if you don’t want to be spoiled stop reading here because although I loved the book there’s one question that was not answered that needs to be brought up.

Again, stop reading if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Last warning, there are spoilers ahead.

Have you left yet? Okay, good.

Overall the book was great and yes it tied up the trilogy nicely and I’m so glad Raffe and his Watchers (who are my favorites, by the way) are staying on Earth and Raffe and Penryn get to live happily ever after. Except, do they? Because isn’t Raffe basically immortal? So won’t he not get older? How will that work?

They can get married and have kids but Penryn will age and Raffe won’t. How will they handle that? Or is Raffe somehow mortal now? I need to know! Ee please answer my questions. Give me a short story or something.

Moreover, do a second epilogue because honestly I could’ve done without the first one. It didn’t really add anything to the book other than letting us know Paige will be okay, which really could’ve been just another sentence in the last chapter to be honest. Why give us an epilogue and not explain Raffe’s immortality? Or go further into the future and so the world actually becoming better and the angels being gone. I rather the book just ended with the last chapter because the epilogue was truly disappointing.

Even so, I still love this book and the trilogy as a whole. A job well done indeed.

Favorite Line: 

‘You accept me just the way I am, regardless of whether or not I even have wings. Even when I had my demon wings, you’ve never looked at me with pity. You’ve never wavered in your loyalty. That’s who you are—my brave, loyal, lovable Daughter of Man.’

Stars: 5 out of 5. Even with the unanswered question I still have to give this book five stars. I’ve reread scenes from this book so many times it’s kind of embarrassing.

Borrow or Buy: Buy. Is this a real question?

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Book Review: All Fall Down

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her — so there’s no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can’t control Grace — no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do. Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn’t stop it, Grace isn’t the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.

The title of this book should’ve been, “I’m not crazy.” The narrator, Grace, said this so many times I lost count. I understood why she was saying it. No one believes her when she says her mother’s death wasn’t an accident but instead murder. And she’s been saying this for three years; I can see how that could drive someone, well, crazy.

I don’t want to spoil the book so I will neither confirm nor deny if Grace is in fact crazy or not. What I will say is I’m not a fan of her family and how they handle her. I understand why they don’t believe Grace but to lock her up in a hospital and make her take meds just seems a bit much to me.

This book frustrated me mostly because I was frustrated for Grace. I believed her from the beginning and couldn’t understand how no one else could. Granted there were some moments when I wasn’t sure if Grace was in fact a reliable narrator, but I still trusted her. I wanted someone to listen to her like I was listening to her. Of course, that’s easier said than done.

The book is basically a huge mystery. Is Grace crazy? Did the guy with the scar really kill her mom? If so, why? Who is he working for? Is he trying to kill again? If so, who?

For me, this was too many questions. I just found myself frustrated the whole novel. I understand that Ally Carter was setting us up for a new series and I’m sure we’ll get more answers in the following books but I just became annoyed with this novel. Moreover, I wanted more romance. Or more friendship. Grace is constantly lonely, and I, in turn, felt that loneliness. I found this book both frustrating and a little depressing.

And we’re not exactly given a happy ending either. I won’t go into detail but the book definitely ends on a cliff hanger. A very unsatisfying one I might add.

Overall, the book wasn’t terrible. It was well written and there was definitely a twist I wasn’t expecting. Carter did well in catching me by surprise and I’ll probably read the next book to know what happens text, so it that regard she was successful. However, compared to her other series, the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society, I wasn’t impressed. I expected something better. Something more exciting. Hopefully the next book is better. For now, I’m not a fan.

Favorite Line:

I have to smile. He’s such a dork. But I’m starting to realize the one good thing that’s happened: he’s my dork.

Stars: 3 out 5. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow.

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Book Review: World After

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books

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Synopsis from Amazon:

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what’s left of the modern world. When a group of people capture Penryn’s sister Paige, thinking she’s a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels’ secret plans, where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can’t rejoin the angels, can’t take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

*Warning this review will contain spoilers for Angelfall. Read at your own risk*

I finished this book in a day. A legit day. I was hooked. I’m pretty sure I sped read just because I needed to see more of Raffe and Penryn. I was disappointed to find, however, that their first scene together didn’t come until I was at 72% in the book. Even so, I really liked this book.

Not as action packed as Angelfall, World After begins right where we left off with Penryn scaring everyone by “waking from the dead”. The lack of action was made up for with the increase of knowledge. In this novel we learn more about the politics of the angels, what exactly it is Uriel, the Politician, is up to, and why Raffe is so damn afraid to admit his feelings for Penryn.

This novel also delved into Raffe’s past a bit with the help of his handy, dandy sword, Pooky Bear. Although there wasn’t a lot there was still definitely enough action to keep me entertained and glued to this book. Moreover, Susan Ee, refuses to shy away from gruesome and violent scenes, and just goes for it, which I actually liked.

What I also liked about this book was seeing more of Penryn’s mom and Paige. It was nice to see their family dynamic instead of just hearing about how it used to be. Additionally, although Penryn’s mom is still definitely crazy, I came to respect her more in this novel.

Overall, I kept reading for the Raffe and Penryn scenes but I enjoyed the novel for it’s high stake drama and fight scenes. Definitely need to read the next book as soon as possible. I need to know what happens next!

Favorite Line:

I look up to say something but [Raffe] puts his finger to my lips and whispers, ‘Don’t talk. You’ll just spoil my fantasy of rescuing an innocent damsel in distress as soon as you open your mouth.’

Stars: 4 out of 5. I really would’ve preferred more Raffe and Penryn. Otherwise, great book!

Borrow or Buy: Buy!! I’ve already reread some scenes because I’m still not over how good it is.

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Book Review: Angelfall

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with Raffe, an injured enemy angel. Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco, where Penryn will risk everything to rescue her sister and Raffe will put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

How I’ve neglected to discover this trilogy until now is besides me. This is the first book that has genuinely made me grateful I decided to do the POPSUGAR challenge. I’m hooked and can’t wait to read the next two books.

The novel follows Penryn, a girl who’s had to be strong for her family, which includes her schizophrenic mom and handicapped younger sister, Paige. Feeling like the protector of her strong family, Penryn is devastated when Paige is taken by the enemy angels and is willing to do anything to get her back. That includes making a deal with the devil angel, Raffe, who lost his wings in a battle with the same angel that took Penryn’s little sister.

Teaming up with the understanding that they’re on opposing sides, the two head off to find the Aerie, the angels home on Earth. Along the way they run into Penryn’s mom, a human gang, a human resistance group, creatures neither Penryn or Raffe have ever seen before, and of course, angels. Making friends and enemies the pair begin to realize there may be more in common between humans and angels than they thought.

However, Raffe knows the risks of an angel getting too comfortable with a human and wouldn’t dare let anything beyond a mutually beneficial partnership happen between himself and Penryn. Meanwhile, there’s a battle for power amongst the angels and secret dealings amongst them. While the humans struggle to recover in this post apocalyptic world the angels have their own issues.

Romance, drama, comedic relief, and more violence than I was expecting, this book was fantastic. Obviously, there’s a great similarity between this novel and The Hunger Games (teenage girl taking care of her mother and sister is not a new plot device). However, Susan Ee does an amazing job of creating a new dystopian world. She plays on this idea of what would the rapture really look like. We’re given warring angels who aren’t even particularly sure why they’re attacking the Earth and some who aren’t even sure God exists.

It’s a twist on an idea anyone that’s walked around New York City has heard from someone screaming on a street corner: “The End Is Near!” Ee gives us beautiful angels that are creatures of destruction and blurs the lines between who we believe are the good guys and the bad. Honestly, it made me want to reread the Bible and see if I could glean any knowledge about what the angels could be doing on Earth and if Ee is really drawing from the Bible or if it’s all fiction. Yeah, it’s that good.

Definitely a book you should pick up if you haven’t already. I listened to the audiobook for this one and it was fantastic, however, it doesn’t necessarily add anything to the story that you wouldn’t get from just reading the novel. Either way you read it, just make sure you do.

Favorite Line:

“Sometimes, as we’re stumbling along in the dark, we hit something good.”

Stars: 5 out of 5. I loved it!

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Honestly, I wish I had this on my Kindle instead of just on Audible. I might buy it. For reals.

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Book Review: Fall With Me

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice.
Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already.

But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.

Maybe I should’ve been clued in by the cover but I didn’t expect this book to be as erotic as it was. I guess I had low expectations for how hot and heavy this book would get because the only other books I’ve read by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the Lux series which are teen books. Regardless, once I realized the level of adult content I was reading (actually listening to) I changed my mindset of the book and I actually enjoyed it.

For this book I listened to the audiobook, courtesy of Audible credits. I didn’t expect to get sucked into the story as much as I did but the relationship between Roxy and Reece kept be enthralled. Roxy, who’s loved Reece since the age of 15, let’s her pride get in the way of telling Reece the truth about their “one night stand” and they both let foolish ideas stop them from speaking to each other for almost a year.

Watching them end their long stand off and come back together as friends and then something more was entertaining. Roxy’s a little on the quirky side, wearing shirts with funny sayings that usually have to do with books, and she’s an artist. However, Roxy’s also dealing with taking care of her best friend, Charlie, who’s staying in a long term care facility and facing the guilt she feels over what happened to him. At the same time, Reece, a cop who also served in the military, has his own ghosts that he struggles to deal with. Basically, they both come into the relationship with issues.

On top of all of that, Roxy also has a stalker and there’s a mystery of who her stalker could be (although, honestly, it was pretty obvious to me who it was early on). With all these factors in play Armentrout writes a pretty interesting book that kept me drawn in. However, I did have a few issues with it. Overall, I liked Reece but his use of “babe” in reference to Roxy was too much for me. Additionally, the whole premise for why Reece and Roxy stopped speaking seemed a bit ridiculous and then easily resolved for something that made them stop speaking for 11 months.

Lastly, as I previously mentioned, the whole stalker mystery wasn’t really that much of a mystery but that could just be me. Maybe others were shocked by the “twist” but I was not. Even so, I still really liked this story. I fell for Reece and Roxy’s relationship and the relationships of the other supporting characters. Plus, I really liked Roxy. She’s smart, funny, and although she makes a lot of mistakes she eventually gets it together.

Favorite Line:

‘I’m scared, too. And there are times I question what I deserve, but we’re in this together. So fall with me.’

Stars: 3 out of 5. In terms of keeping me entertained this was a good book. Like I said, I was hooked. However, if I’m being honest, writing and plot wise it wasn’t that great. The idea of Roxy taking so long to realize someone had been in her house was a bit far fetched. As was the whole premise of Roxy and Reece’s reasoning for not speaking.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow. It’s not a book I could see myself rereading.

Book Review: The Heir

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has enchanted readers from the very first page. In this fourth romantic novel, follow Illéa’s royal family into a whole new Selection—and find out what happens after happily ever after.

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story…but as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.

A new generation of swoonworthy characters and captivating romance awaits in the fourth book of the Selection series!

I got this book at 12:40 AM this morning, started reading at noon and finished at 8 PM. Yeah, it was that good. I won’t spoil anything in this review because I know sane people haven’t finished it yet (but I know A LOT of you have). Let’s begin.

This novel begins 20 years after The One ended, and it’s now time for Princess Eadlyn, the daughter of Maxon and America, to have her own Selection. Except she doesn’t want it. After Maxon worked so hard to disband the castes in Illéa, the people are rioting and rebelling and Maxon is struggling to understand why. Therefore as a distraction they’re bringing back the Selection but with a twist.

Because Eadlyn’s not really in support of the idea she has some conditions, mainly if she doesn’t find love in three months she doesn’t have to choose anyone to marry but instead can go on her own way and be the independent Queen she wants to be.

And so the Selection begins and Eadlyn is introduced to 35 guys from throughout Illéa, including one much closer to home than she’d prefer, and finds herself actually considering these men as potential suitors. Maybe.

However, the Selection has it’s ups and downs and Eadlyn’s not sure if she’s really helping or hurting her country. Even so, she’s determined to stick with the Selection for the three months she promised whether it works for her or not. She wants to help her father, King Maxon, in anyway she can and this is the only way she knows how.

Although I wasn’t a fan of Eadlyn (she’s pretty bratty, to be honest) I was a fan of a lot of the other characters. Maxon and America are still my OTP. Their love for each other knows no bounds and it means the world to me. Their son, and Eadlyn’s twin brother, Ahern is so cute and his love for the French princess, Camilla, also knows no bounds. I ship it!

Kile, the son of America’s friend Marlee, is fantastic and I love that he tells Eadlyn exactly what he’s thinking and doesn’t care that she’s going to be the next queen. He doesn’t have time for her nonsense and I appreciate that.

Lastly, and this may be a little bit of a spoiler so if you don’t want to know I’d say stop here.

I LOVE ERIK (Eikkio)!!! Erik is the translator for one of the selected and although technically he can’t win the Selection himself I want Eadlyn to pick him. He’s super sweet, nice, and supportive to Eadlyn. I think he would make a perfect match for her and I ship it like FedEx. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be mad if she ended up with Kile. But I think she should be with Erik. He’s seems like the better match for her and I think she would see that if she let herself fall for him.

Of course that’s easier said than done because it’s complicated but still, I want Erik to win (and if you agree you can vote for him here).

Overall, I love this book. The ending … it was a good cliffhanger. I can’t say I was happy about it because it left me in tears but such a good cliffhanger, writing wise. I need to know what happens next and ASAP. If I have to wait a year for this next book I think I’ll lose it. Honestly. How Kiera Cass could do this to all of us is mind blowing.

If you haven’t read the Selection series yet please do so ASAP. It’s definitely worth a read.

Favorite Line:

‘Sometimes the very thing you’ve been hoping for will walk through the door, determined to fend you off. And still, somehow, you will find that you are enough.’

Stars: 5 out of 5. Honestly, Eadlyn definitely annoyed me throughout the book but she did grow on me. Plus, I loved the other characters so much it made up for Eadlyn’s bad behavior.

Borrow or Buy: Are you kidding? Buy this. Buy it right now if you haven’t already. You need this on your bookshelf. Trust me.