ARC Review: Face of Death (Touch of Death #3) by, Kelly Hashway

Summary:

Having fallen at the hands of Hades, Jodi's enduring torture like she never imagined. Worse, she has to watch her Ophi friends suffer along with her--the punishment doled out by the very people she'd sentenced to life in Tartarus. Hell. This is one reunion Jodi hoped would never happen, but now she must find a way to free them all.

Except the underworld is nearly impossible to escape.

Jodi's one chance may rest in raising the human soul she killed when she drank Medusa's blood.

But splitting her human soul from her Ophi soul means living a double life: One as an Ophi experiencing unspeakable torture and the other as the human she could have been if she never came into her powers. With her two worlds colliding, Jodi will have to make the toughest decision she's faced yet.

(Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 249

Release Date: January 7th, 2014

Review:

     The whole reason I started this series was because the author, Kelly Hashway, gave me this ARC copy of Face of Death at this years YA Fest (my thoughts on YA Fest: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/ya-fest-2014.html). Kelly was so sweet and it was my pleasure to meet her. The first book Touch of Death (my review:  http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/touch-of-death-touch-of-death-1-by.html) was not my favorite book of the series. The second book Stalked by Death (my review: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/staked-by-death-touch-of-death-2-by.html) was better than Touch of Death. The third and final book Face of Death was my favorite from the series, I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

     Overall, the entire series was good. I had some problems with the characters, pacing, and physical descriptions. But, the plot was interesting and kept me turning the pages until the very end. I am a fan of Greek mythology, mostly retelling's of Persephone's story, so it was nice to have a change of scenery and read a different type of Greek mythology. I am not so sure that I would recommend this series unless you are patient and willing to give the series some time.

~Casey 

Staked by Death (Touch of Death #2) by, Kelly Hashway

Summary:

Jodi knows that any slip-ups made by the Ophi--a special group of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac--will fall on her shoulders... and that Hades is just waiting for them to screw up so he can wipe out the Ophi line.

Unfortunately, Jodi has only convinced one Ophi to join her school: A hot guy named Chase who jeopardizes her relationship with Alex. Jodi loves Alex, but Chase can enhance her powers with just a touch—making her stronger than any Ophi has ever been.

Her mixed emotions send her powers surging out of control, and the dead start rising without her conscious summoning—exactly what Hades doesn't want! If she chooses Alex over Chase, she may lose the battle to Hades, leading the Ophi race to extinction. If she chooses Chase, she might be able to stop Hades for good… but lose everything else.

Jodi needs to figure things out fast--because death is stalking her at every turn. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 235

Release Date: August 13, 2013

Review:

     If you read my review on the first book in this series, Touch of Death, (my review: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/touch-of-death-touch-of-death-1-by.html) then you know I did not really like Touch of Death. I did enjoy Stalked by Death more than Touch of Death, but this series will never be one of my favorites. I would rate Stalked by Death 3.5 stars out of 5 (a half a star better than Touch of Death). I have decided to continue reading the series and I am currently reading Face of Death (the third novel in the series). I am not making this a spoiler review because I do not think too many people have read this series but here is what I liked and disliked in Stalked by Death. 

What I liked about Stalked by Death:

• The plot twists were less predictable.
• It had a cliffhanger ending.
• It had a strong and interesting plot.

What I disliked about Stalked by Death:

• The pacing was too fast. It needed to be delivered slower and broken up.
• The romance/love triangle was unnecessary and confusing. I could not figure out who she was dating/liked because it flipped back and forth so fast. Also, I have a problem when characters/people in real life say "I love you" after only knowing each other for a matter of weeks or months.
• Lack of detail in both of the books. The characters physical appearance is not described therefore, I had to make up their appearances in my head.

     The one thing this series really has going for itself is that it has an interesting plot. I would not recommend it for any other purpose, I probably would not even recommend this series with its plot. The author, Kelly Hashway, is super sweet and she does have talent but with this being her first series, it is going to have its flaws. Even New York Times bestselling authors have written books with flaws. So, I am going to give the rest of this series a try and possibly her other works. I am not saying you have to look into her book, but I say at least give them a try. Or look into other reviews on her books, I am not everyone's thoughts, we all have very different opinions. You do not know what you like until you try it.

~Casey

Touch of Death (Touch of Death #1) by, Kelly Hashway

Summary:

Jodi Marshall isn't sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she's in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she's being stalked by some guy no one seems to know. After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he's not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she's part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendants of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins. Jodi's deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn't difficult enough, Jodi discovers she's the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can't figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 235

Release Date: January 15, 2013

Review: 

     The whole reason I have started this series is because the author, Kelly Hashway, gave me a copy of the third book, Face of Death, at YA Fest this year (my thoughts on YA Fest 2014: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/ya-fest-2014.html). Otherwise,

• I may have never started this series
• I may have started this series 
• I may have read the first book, but not have continued reading this series. 

After reading Touch of Death, I purchased the second book, Stalked by Death, and I have the third book, Face of Death, so I might as well continue reading the series (I have no idea how many books are going to be in this series). I really did not like Touch of Death. The series does have potential because it has an interesting plot (which is the reason why I will be continuing the series). I was not a huge fan of any character in this series and it was extremely predictable. So, if I do not like Stalked by Death, I will not be continuing the series. I would rate Touch of Death 3 out of 5 stars.
~Casey

Sweet Reckoning (Sweet Evil #3) by, Wendy Higgins

Summary: It’s time. 

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 385

Release Date: April 29th, 2014

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review:

Sweet Reckoning was one of my most anticipated books of 2014 after reading Sweet Evil and Sweet Peril last fall. To those of you who have not yet read the Sweet Evil trilogy, I would highly recommend reading it. The trilogy's basic genre is paranormal romance, so if you enjoy reading paranormal romance, I would definitely recommend checking it out. 

I do not even know where to begin with this review. Um, what about my predictions. In my review of both Sweet Evil and Sweet Peril I listed some predictions for Sweet Reckoning, and I also made some in the months leading up to the release of the book. Two of my main predictions were that Patti and Kope would both die, I was 75% right. Patti ended up dying, so sad, and Kope almost died, his Dad healed and saved Kope's life. Therefore, I am going to give myself half of those points because he almost died. My predictions for couples were spot on. The only thing that did not occur was Anna's Dad betraying them. I thought he would, but it turns out he was not as shady as I thought.

I absolutely loved the ending except when Marna died. I loved that Anna and Kai adopted two boys and a girl. The moment Alile, who was sexually abused, called Kai her Dad, I knew that Anna and Kai would adopt her. Alile and Kai were so adorable at the end and it was such a sweet ending to the story.  

My fangirl side was so happy when Anna and Kai got married. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was. Especially when they went on their honeymoon, it was so sweet they went to the Grand Canyon since they were not able to go their on their road trip in Sweet Evil, it was such a nice touch. 

Anna and Kai were not the only people in a relationship. There are other relationships in Sweet Reckoning. First up is Jay and Marna. I thought it was stupid for Marna to hang around Jay in the beginning because of the risk of Whispers, but they had bigger problems than that. When I found out Marna was pregnant, I was really sad because Marna was going to die. I loved that they tried to be together as much as possible and cherish the little time she had left. I hoped that, after defeating the Dukes, Marna would end up surviving but that was not the case. Jay was a fantastic single father to their daughter, Anise. I wish him the best of luck. 

Next up is Ginger and Blake. I felt horrible for Ginger the entire book. She had to cope with her sister dying, Blake was engaged to someone else, and Patti dying (I believe Patti's death affected Ginger more than Anna). I was glad that, at the end, Blake and Ginger ended up together; it was a well deserved ending. 

Finally, we have Kope and Z. Out of all the other couples in the story, this was the couple that needed more pages. Kope came in about a quarter of the way through the book and Z showed up in the last half of the book. Their relationship was not necessarily defined. I was glad that they ended up getting married and ran the orphanage in Malawi. Every single couple in this trilogy deserved to be happy, especially the Nephilim, they never really knew what love was until now.

Believe it or not there was actually other events going on besides romance (I just love the romance aspects though). On page 49, Anna states "...I sat in my hotel room, reading about a swoony alien guy." I started fangirling because I knew Anna was referring to the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout (a series that I absolutely love).

Its sad to say, but I actually loved when Anna was wasted, she was so funny and chill. I like Anna, but she needs to calm down a bit. But it was pretty stupid how drunk she got because she could have easily given them away. 

I was so happy when all the Dukes were gone and all the Nephilim were free from them. All the Nephs deserved their own chance at life and a new start with their white badges. All the Nephs also deserved to love, something they never could have or were given from the Dukes. The Neph's happy ending was the rightful ending for them, I just wish they were given it earlier. 

The ending scenes in all series and trilogies always tend to be rushed. The same goes for Sweet Reckoning, I wish the ending battle would have lasted a bit longer. The pacing of the book was great until the last battle scene, it went by too fast and I had to reread a couple parts for it to make sense. 

Sweet Reckoning was a great conclusion to the Sweet Evil trilogy and I am sad that I had to say goodbye to all the characters I have grown attached to. Wendy Higgins' writing is smooth, witty, and enjoyable. Plus, I meet Wendy Higgins at Celebrate the Book last October, she is such a sweetie. Overall, Sweet Reckoning was funny, action-packed, romantic, and a great conclusion to the trilogy. This will probably be one of my favorite trilogies for a long time.

Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3) by, Laini Taylor

Summary:

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. 

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter? (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 613

Release Date: April 8th, 2014

Review:

     Dreams of Gods & Monsters is the third and final book in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. It is one of my all time favorite trilogies and was also one of my most highly anticipated books of 2014. The Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy is high fantasy with some romance and is an action packed trilogy that I highly recommend reading. If you have started reading the trilogy you can check out my spoiler review on the second book in the trilogy, Days of Blood & Starlight, here: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/days-of-blood-starlight-daughter-of.html. Well, that is all of the non-spoiler section of my review for Dreams of Gods & Monsters so go check out the trilogy and then come back to see what I thought of it! 

Spoiler Section:

     Firstly, I have to talk about these covers. All the books in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy are absolutely stunning. I only own Days of Blood & Starlight and Dreams of Gods & Monsters but I wish I owned Daughter of Smoke & Bone so I could line them all up and showcase them all off in their amazing beauty. 
     If there was an award for the most character development for one character in any YA book, it would have to go to Liraz. She has changed so much over the course of the three novels. She is compassionate, kinder, more accepting, and she actually shows emotion now. Plus, for crying out loud, she likes Ziri, a chimaera. She went from hating chimaeras to loving them. Just like the misbegotten army. Both the chimaera and the misbegottens were so weary of having the alliance to liking and leaning on one another for support. That really showcases how much a war can change people. Also, I was glad that Liraz finally got over Hazael's death. Hazael would have wanted Liraz to enjoy her life and not live to seek vengeance.  
     Speaking of Liraz and Ziri, I want to get into the romances of Dreams of Gods & Monsters. Before Ziri even saved Liraz, which sparked their interest in one an other, I thought Liraz and Ziri would make an adorable couple! I was so glad when they ended up liking each other. We did not get to see exactly how their romance turned out, but I hope they ended up getting married or something after they finished rebuilding Loramendi, even though that will take a long time. I just hope they ended up being happy together,  which is what every character deserved, besides a few like Jael. I wanted to scream a lot of the time at Karou and Akiva's romance though, they just never had time and it was getting on my fangirl self nerves. I wanted something to happen. We had a couple quick flashes towards the end, but they weren't enough for me. Not until the last scene, I am glad they finally got together after all the struggles. I was ecstatic to hear when they said Karou would stay till spring in Stelian with Akiva in their 'house'. I thought it was so cute that it ended with Karou and Akiva snapping a wishbone, the event that started their entire story, it was a nice touch Laini Taylor. Our last couple (certainly not the least favorite) is Mik and Zuzanna. I was so glad that they are now engaged, I wonder if they had a fairy tale wedding since Mik had to complete three 'fairy tale' tasks in order to be able to propose to Zuzanna. Since Daughter of Smoke & Bone I have loved their romance, it is probably one of the cutest romances I have ever read about. I loved their occasional moments, to break the tension of the story and had some romance since there is not too much with the other two main romances.  
     One of my favorite parts from the book was when Mik and Zuzanna tamed the stormhunter with MIk's music. It was a funny scene and it looked amazing pictured in my mind. Plus, taming a stormhunter is something Zuzanna would have figured out how to do eventually (its Zuzana we are talking about here).  
     When we first met Eliza, I was weary of her. I was not a huge fan of her character (plus I just wanted to get back to Karou and Akiva, can you really blame me?). But as we found out more about her, I started to like her. I felt sorry for her about what she had gone through and started to like her because of all the challenges she has faced and conquered. 
     I was glad the war was resolved and Earth was not destroyed in the process. Earth was not harmed physically but it had to have impacted a lot of humans because with "angels" (seraphim) being seen on Earth and pictures of the "beasts" (chimaera). I wonder what people of Earth thought after the seraphim's left Earth, not much was said about it in the book. I am glad the war is all over and they will be able to rebuild and essentially create a new world where the chimaeras and seraphims can live in harmony together. I am also glad Jael is taken care of and has Akiva's handprint burned into his skin so he can no longer cause havoc with his life in danger.  I would love to visit Loramendi once it is rebuilt. Maybe I could come with Mik and Zuzanna on a stormhunter!   
     I felt bad for Dreams of Gods & Monsters because I had to neglect reading it for two weeks since I had to reread The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (see my first review on The Book Thief: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak.html) for my English class. But, once I was done with The Book Thief I dived right back in to Dreams of Gods & Monsters. I feel bad thought because I was not able to read the book as a whole so it was not as dynamic as it would have been if I read it all consecutively.
     When I started to read Dreams of Gods & Monsters again after I finished The Book Thief, I read quite a bit of it in class because we had state mandated testing going on so I had a lot of spare time to read after the tests. It was hard to read certain parts of the book during school. One such event is when Ziri is killed as Thiago. Ziri is one of my favorite characters in the trilogy so it was hard not to cry when he "died". It was especially hard when the book was describing that his soul was finally returning home, which was even harder to read without crying. But, thankfully I did not cry in class (I don't need more people to think I am weird by crying over fictionally characters. Even though they are the weird ones by not reading in the first place!). I was thrilled when we found out that Liraz stored Ziri's soul in her canteen. I was especially thrilled when Ziri was resurrected in another Kirin body without a hamsa and a body almost the same as his original body. 
     Dreams of Gods & Monsters was an amazing book. On Goodreads, I rated it  5 out of 5 stars, at some points in the book I had to put it down because of information overload and of disinterest, but that was a rarity. I still do not know which book was my favorite out of the three, it is so hard to chose! Overall, Dreams of Gods & Monsters was a fantastic book with amazing writing. It had a nice mix of romance, action, humor, and heart racing twists. I can easily say that the Daughter of Smoke & Bone is one of my all time favorite trilogies and I highly recommend to anyone. It is sad though to say goodbye to all these characters I fell in love with over the course of the trilogy. I am excited to see what Laini Taylor will write next. What did you guys think of Dreams of Gods & Monsters?
~Casey  

Quick Reviews of Recent Book to Movie Adaptations

     Recently, I have been on hiatus and I received a couple requests for a rating on recent book to movie adaptations. So, I figured I might as well do a post about them because lately I have not had time to get any reading done. As a result, I have not done any book reviews in this new year, 2014. Anyways, here are some of last years and the beginning of this years book to movie adaptations and a couple of my thoughts on them.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

     Catching Fire is based off of the book of the same name by Suzanne Collins. I actually have a movie review for this, but I never published it though. I am not really sure if I ever will publish it so here are my thoughts. This and The Book Thief (listed below) are two of my all time favorite book to movie adaptations. Catching Fire was super close in adaptation with the book, which was amazing because movie adaptations are rarely that close to the book. The acting was great and I am excited for Mockingjay Part 1 coming out this fall in theaters but the beginning of Mockingjay (the book) was somewhat slow so, I hope they will change that in the next movie. 

The Book Thief

     The Book Thief based on the novel of the same name by Markus Zusak (my review on the novel can be seen here: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak.html). If you have read my review before or happen to know me well, The Book Thief is my favorite novel of all time. I just reread the book for my English class because we are going over the Holocaust. So, before I reread the book I thought the adaptation was amazing, but when I reread it, I noticed it was not as close to the book as I first thought. But, that still does not change my mind about the movie. It may not be as spot on as I thought but, it was still a fantastic movie. The actors did an amazing job and the transformation of Liesel getting older throughout the movie was awesome. I loved that Death still had a part in the movie and narrated parts of it. Since the release of the film, I now own the DVD and have watched it 3 times and just like every time I reread the book, the ending makes me cry. Which shows even more that the actors captured their roles perfectly. The location for filming blows me away with how beautiful it is and I loved that all the characters had realistic German accents. The Book Thief's movie is probably the best movie I have ever watched, just like the book, and not in the sense of book to movie adaptation wise but of how inspiring and how amazing the story is. 

Vampire Academy

     Vampire Academy is based off the novel with the same name by Richelle Mead. Oh, Vampire Academy. The movie was really good, I was shocked how close it was to the book. The movie and book had its differences but they were decently close. I really was not sure how the movie would be after the commercials for it. The commercials for it made it seem like a teeny bopper movie, when it really was not. My parents, who really did not want to see it, thought it was great. Had they changed their commercials and marketing style I think they would have captured a larger audience and made enough money to make a Frostbite movie. When my parents and I went to see it opening weekend, we were the only ones in the theater to see Vampire Academy. Overall, the casting was almost spot on, it was a funny, action-packed movie that could have done better in the box office if it had a different marketing strategy. I do wish they would have added Eddie in the movie, I wonder why they excluded him from the movie?

Divergent

     Divergent is based off of the novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. If I had to chose my least anticipated book to movie adaptation of 2014, I would have chosen Divergent. The movie itself looked good but the actors did not appeal to me in the least. But, once I got into the theater and watched it, it was not so bad. Yeah, it had its flaws like all other book to movie adaptations, but I do not understand all the hate over it in the fandom. I understand if people still do not like the casting, I am not quite over it yet myself, but the movie was actually good. It had some comedy, action, etc. just like the book. Like I said, the disagreement with the casting choices and the exclusion of some of the beloved characters from the book like, Uriah, Lynn, etc. is understandable (why were their names on the Initiate Board if they were not in the movie, right?). But, I am curious of all the hate for the movie. We are actually getting Insurgent and Allegiant, we usually never get sequels to book to movie adaptations! If you guys are one of the Divergent haters what do you not like? It was not my favorite book to movie adaptation but it was still a good movie to me.

     Well, those were quick reviews of late 2013 and early 2014 book to movie adaptations. Were any of your thoughts close to mine or what did you think of those book to movie adaptations? Also, I can't wait for The Fault In Our Stars and If I Stay book to movie adaptations which will be out this summer! Are you excited, too?

~Casey 

YA Fest 2014

     On Saturday, the 19th of April I attended YA Fest 2014 in Easton, PA. I had an amazing time. There were 50 young adult and middle grade authors in attendance. I live about 4 hours from Easton but since it was Easter weekend I was at my Aunt's house, who only lived a little over an hour away from Easton. I was not quite sure if I wanted to go, I had had a busy week and the main reason I wanted to go to meet Jennifer L. Armentrout, who I had met once before. Nonetheless, I figured why not go. I am so glad I decided to go! I had so much fun meeting all 50 authors and chatting with them. I got several books signed as well as I won some books and also received a book from one of the authors there. Plus, they gave away so much swag, book marks, bags, etc. Once I go through all the swag I may have a giveaway, so keep your eyes out for that! Here are all the books I got:

Books I got Signed:

White Hot Kiss by, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Don't Look Back by, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Face of Death by, Kelly Hashway

Alpha Goddess by, Amalie Howard

Bloodspell by, Amalie Howard

Poison Study by, Maria V. Snyder

All Our Yesterdays by, Cristin Terrill

Books I Won/Recieved:

Dirty Little Secret by, Jennifer Echols

Face of Death by, Kelly Hashway

Piece of My Heart by, Lynn Maddalena Menna

This Song Will Save Your Life by, Leila Sales

Books I Bought At Their Book Sale:

Bite Club by, Rachel Caine

Twilight by, Stephenie Meyer (Regular cover)

Unbelievable by, Sara Shepard

Small Town Sinners by, Melissa Walker

     I highly recommend if you live around Easton, PA that you check out YA Fest if they do it again next year! I plan on going if they do! Have any of you guys attended this year? If you have, what did you guys think? Also, have any of you guys read any of the books above, if so, what did you guys think?

~Casey