Beautiful Cover(s) of the Day!

The Fins series by Tera Lynn Childs has beautiful covers with gorgeous models and a mesmerizing colour scheme. When I saw these books, with their lovely contrasting and complementing colours and intriguing descriptions...I had to add them to my to-read shelf.

The blurb:

"Seventeen-year-old Lily, half-mermaid and half-human, has been living on land and attending high school, where she develops a crush on a boy but is afraid to tell him of her true destiny as the ruler of the undersea kingdom of Thalassinia."

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Beautiful Cover(s) of the Day!

Today I have chosen to feature the covers of the Soul Screamers omnibus volumes 1 to 4 by Rachel Vincent. I really like when the covers in a series are all similarly designed, with the biggest change the colours. This describes the covers of this series well. Gorgeous dresses, a gorgeous model, and just gorgeous overall, I couldn't resist buying volume 1 when I saw it in store.

The blurb:

" She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next."

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White Surrounding My Reviews and Ratings

You may have noticed that some of my reviews have all or some of the text surrounded by white. I am unsure why this happens to some of my reviews and ratings and not others....If anybody knows why this is happening, please let me know! Thanks.

Vampire Kisses Omnibus (#1-3) by Ellen Schreiber

 

Series: Vampire Kisses

Author: Ellen Schreiber
Page Count: 562
Published: April 21st, 2009

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

  4 Stars ★★★★

In this omnibus containing the first three books of the Vampire Kisses series, the reader is introduced to Raven, a vampire-obsessed Goth, and Alexander, who happens to be a real vampire. Raven has always dreamed of becoming a vampire, and she thinks Alexander might be able to make her dreams come true.

But they face obstacles, including the citizens of "Dullsville", and Jagger and Luna. Will they be able to keep their secrets safe? Will they be able to stay together? Will Raven finally become a vampire?

I really enjoyed the short length of these books. My edition is only five-hundred and sixty pages long for three books, which makes for short, refreshing reads. The writing style is light-hearted and this is often displayed through Raven, who happens to be super sweet and rather friendly. She's a great character, and I like that while the author kept some of the Goth stereotypes, such as liking the paranormal, vampires, etc, she also discarded some of the stereotypes by making Raven such a nice, open person.

Alexander is a wonderful love interest. He is perfect for Raven and the reader can see that from the start. There is a bit of a love triangle but it's not too intense or obvious. 

The first-person narration was a good choice for this book, as it helped me to care about Raven through her thoughts and hopes and dreams. I found that she and I had a lot in common, including our gothic style and love for all things paranormal and, of course, vampires. Therefore, I remained interested in her story. I also found her very admirable because she was able to keep such a positive demeanor although she is an outcast.

While some people might find the narration and word choice a little bit childish, I thought it was, as I said, refreshing. It's nice to find a cute little book like this one, simple and cheery, yet with elements of the paranormal and serious situations. 

I recommend this omnibus to fans of YA, vampire lovers, and romance lovers. If you're looking for a cute, light-hearted read, this series is for you.

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Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

Series: The Twixt
Author: Dawn Metcalf
Page Count: 384
Published: July 30th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
 5 Stars ★★★★★

Joy is out with her friend when she notices the mysterious black-eyed figures. Strangely, nobody else seems to notice them, and when they approach her, one of them cuts her eye. After visiting the hospital and repairing her injured eye, she experiences strange flashes and sees disturbing things....things that break windows, frighten her to her core, and leave messages for a mysterious "Ink".

Soon she meets Ink, along with his 'sister' Inq, and they are revealed to be the black-eyed strangers responsible for her injury. It turns out Joy has been marked by Ink, he has given her his 'signatura' and she is now his 'lehman'; his companion or lover. 

Now Joy must play the part of 'lehman' and pretend to feel fondness towards Ink, and he must do the same towards her. If they're not convincing enough, they could get into a lot of trouble. However this actually turns out to be the least of their troubles as Joy is attacked by grotesque creatures and used against Ink by vengeful and power-hungry members of The Twixt. 

This book was SO unique. No love triangle, which I know some people may appreciate. No insta-love. Even the paranormal creatures of The Twixt were unique, they reminded me of the fae and of fantasy creatures associated with fae stories. Yet, they weren't outright labelled as faeries, or trolls, or goblins. 

Joy's world and the world of The Twixt were absolutely mesmerizing and I often found myself envious of Joy, while simultaneously cheering her on for the whole book. She was a very likeable character, I could relate to her well and I cared about what happened to her. Even if the world-building and creatures hadn't been as amazing as they actually were, I know I would've kept reading to see what happened to Joy. 

Then we have Ink. Ink is many things; a Scribe, a mysterious and ageless paranormal being, the source of Joy's confusion and enlightenment.....but above all he is a fantastic character. He stands out amongst all the other YA male main characters and love interests. I found myself quite envious of Ink as well, with his awesome powers and unique name and whatnot. 

As I mentioned earlier, there is no insta-love, the romance is very believable in regards to Joy's situation and the pacing is perfect. The evolution of Ink and Joy's relationship was equal parts exciting, sweet, and emotional.

As for emotions, this book played with mine so much! At first I kind of hated Ink, after all he was the one who injured Joy. But then I started to like him. By the end of the book I loved him! I also felt Joy's emotions like they were my own, I understood her fear and I shared in her sadness. As for the ending, I felt like I was reliving the whole book within those last pages. So many emotions were jam-packed into the end, I found myself putting the book down to process what was happening.

I have to mention my appreciation when it comes to the inclusion of an LGBTQ character. While this character isn't really a main one, they're still a part of Joy's life and are therefore of some importance. 

I can't wait to get my hands on book two, I MUST know what happens next. This has earned it's way into my favourites collection, and I am sure the second book will do just the same.

Overall, a fantastic book that I don't have any criticism or complaints about! I recommend this book to YA readers who enjoy fantasy and paranormal books, and to those looking for a unique romance. If you're looking for a 'breath of fresh air' within the young adult genre, this book is a must-read. 

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