REVIEW: Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

Review: 

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines,  

336 pages

Synopsis:

It’s a fight to the death—on live TV—when a gladiator’s daughter steps into the arena.

Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through.  Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family.  Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator.  Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine.

REVIEW: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3) by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess
(The Infernal Devices, #3)
by Cassandra Clare
Hardcover, 568 p.

Synopsis
Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.

My Review
A while back, I was arguing with a couple of my friends about the term "love triangle". Technically, we figured, each person of the love triangle would have to love the other two, which would probably never happen, since YA usually doesn't like to stray into homosexual relationships.  Usually.  But strangely enough, after that heated rant/conversation, I got ahold of a copy of Clockwork Princess via my good friend Dabin (ThankyouthankyouTHANKYOUDABIN! :D), who runs the So Many Books, So Little Time book blog.

I couldn't start it for awhile because SCHOOL and STRESS go very well together.  Also, I hadn't even read Clockwork Prince.  But I eventually got a bit of time to settle down and read it, and let me tell you, I was bawling my eyes out by the end.  I think my happiness has been stolen by this book, because frankly, all I want to do now (and am doing) is listening to angsty music and writing this review.

REVIEW: Hollow Earth (Hollow Earth, #1) by John and Carole E. Barrowman

Hollow Earth
(Hollow Earth, #1)
by John and Carole E. Barrowman
Hardcover, 382 p.

Synopsis
Imagination matters most in a world where art can keep monsters trapped—or set them free.  Lots of twins have a special connection, but twelve-year-old Matt and Emily Calder can do way more than finish each other’s sentences. Together, they are able to bring art to life and enter paintings at will. Their extraordinary abilities are highly sought after, particularly by a secret group who want to access the terrors called Hollow Earth. All the demons, devils, and evil creatures ever imagined are trapped for eternity in the world of Hollow Earth—trapped unless special powers release them.

The twins flee from London to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland in hopes of escaping their pursuers and gaining the protection of their grandfather, who has powers of his own. But the villains will stop at nothing to find Hollow Earth and harness the powers within. With so much at stake, nowhere is safe—and survival might be a fantasy.

My Review
Have you ever sen a really pretty necklace, or pair of shoes, or some odd piece or accessory that you were all like, "that looks cool!  I'm gunna buy it!" and then have it completely fall apart when you try to use it?

Yeah, Hollow Earth was like that.

I can't even BEGIN to describe how much I hated this book.  I mean, I was sucked in at first because, who can't love a cover like that? But I couldn't love this at all.

Hokay, so where do I begin?

REVIEW: Immortal City (Immortal City, #1) by Scott Speer

Immortal City
(Immortal City, #1)
by Scott Speer
Hardcover, 368 p.

Synopsis
Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them.

He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat & and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

My Review

Immortal City seemed a bit different from the usual YA romance section.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it's because it actually has a semi-goal other than fangirl-worthy characters.

Bloglovin!

I have no idea what's going on with Google Reader and whatnot, but you all should see that lovely "Follow on Bloglovin" button on the right hand side!  And I have to claim this blog as MINE so that nobody steals it...and this is an entirely pointless post by now.  So yeah.  I promise that reviews will soon follow! *bows head hastily*


Follow my blog with Bloglovin

There we go.  Now you can OFFICIALLY follow.  ^^'


Thank you for reading this entirely pointless post!

The New Blogger Introduces Herself!

Hello, everyone!
I am Ananya and, besides being one of Claire's besties, I am a hybrid YA/Superhero comic book/anime-manga fan.
For now, my reviews are going to consist of me evaluating 5 categories: Worldbuilding, Characters, Plot, Writing Style, and Action/Romance scenes; the name of the last category will depend on how much fighting, romance, or both are in the reviewed book.
This reviewing style might change in the future, but I just want to do something that gives me a little structure for my first reviews.
Thank you so much for following this blog!
Yours,

Ananya 

REVIEW: Dark Star (Dark Star, #1) by Bethany Frenette

Dark Star
(Dark Star, #1)
by Bethany Frenette
Hardcover, 368 p.

Synopsis
Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities, so it's hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she's lured into the sweet night air by something human and not human--something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile.

Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn't fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers--livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago. Yet some have managed to escape. And they want Audrey dead, just because of who she is: one of the Kin.

To survive, Audrey will need to sharpen the powers she has always had. When she gets close to someone, dark corners of the person's memories become her own, and she sometimes even glimpses the future. If Audrey could only get close to Patrick Tigue, a powerful Harrower masquerading as human, she could use her Knowing to discover the Harrowers' next move. But Leon, her mother's bossy, infuriatingly attractive sidekick, has other ideas. Lately, he won't let Audrey out of his sight.

When an unthinkable betrayal puts Minneapolis in terrible danger, Audrey discovers a wild, untamed power within herself. It may be the key to saving her herself, her family, and her city. Or it may be the force that destroys everything--and everyone--she loves.

My Review
First off for this book--IGNORE THE SUPERHERO MENTION IN THE BLURB.  This book is NOT, in ANY way, based off of superheroes.  Instead, think DEMONS.  DEEEEMONS.  This is a book about fighting DEMONS.