ARC Review: Time After Time by Wendy Godding

Title: Time After Time
Author: Wendy Godding
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Format: ARC
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: She has died countless times before, and she is not going to let it happen again.

Abbie Harper dies just before her eighteenth birthday. It has happened before, more times than she can remember — and always at the hands of the same man. Her dreams are plagued with past lives, cut short.

But this latest dream feels different. Her past life as Penelope Broadhurst — an English pastor’s daughter in 1806 — keeps bleeding into her present life in ways both sinister and familiar. As Penelope meets and falls in love with the dashing Heath Lockwood, so too does Abbie meet the brothers Marcus and Rem Knight. One wants to love her; the other to kill her.

Time is running out for Penelope, but as Abbie mourns her inability to change the past, she chases the slim chance to save her future. To survive, she must solve the puzzle of an ancient love story…and Penelope just might be able to help. (Goodreads)

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My Review

I received an ARC from Escape Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Time After Time follows Abbie Harper, a 17-year-old who has crazy dreams about girls from different times. They all share some things in common, like the fact that they all kinda look alike and that they're always murdered prior to their 18th birthdays by the same dude. As it turns out, these girls are her in her past lives and she's on a quest to stop the same thing from happening this lifetime around.

All in all, I'd say that this book is simply just ok. I thought I would be completely drawn in to the whole reincarnation plot, but I wasn't. Honestly, I was bored for most of the book and definitely would have rather read anything else.

As far as characters go, I couldn't get too attached to anyone, really. Abbie's devil-may-care attitude annoyed me from the get go. I mean, I get that she's totally into being this alternative kind of person, but pretty much everyone who doesn't agree with her or anyone who merely tries to suggest something better for her is met with disdain, eye-rolling, and a bad attitude. She wants everyone to fit into her idea of a person, and yet she frowns upon people who want to fit in another roll? Super annoying! I don't even know how she has friends…or boys chasing her, for that matter.

I was a bit so-so about the other characters. While they were fairly well written, I honestly just did not feel attached to anyone.

I did enjoy the way that the author switched between story lines, from Abbie in the present day to Penelope, one of Abbie's past life girls. I enjoyed Penelope's story and would have loved to learn more about the other girls. That certainly would have made the read more interesting.

Overall, this book was simply just ok. I don't think that I would read it again, but that's just me. I gave it 2 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads.

ARC Review: Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Title: Don't Even Think About It
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: March 11, 2014
Format: ARC -- ebook
Links: Goodreads - Barnes & Noble - Amazon
Synopsis: We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening. (via Goodreads)

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My Review

Imagine this: You're going about your daily business when all of a sudden everything gets louder. People are talking EVERYWHERE. Some are rambling nonsense, some are narrating their day as if they were in a movie, and others are singing loud and clear. Except…no one's mouths are actually moving. You're hearing their innermost thoughts and feelings. But how'd that even happen? The only unusual thing is that you just got a flu shot…but flu shots don't give you superpowers…or do they?

In a nutshell, that's the premise of Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski. A homeroom at a New York High School goes in to get their flu shots and over the next few days, they develop the ability to read other people's minds. The story follows the group as they cope with their newfound abilities.

When I first began reading, I was afraid that I wouldn't get in to it because I feel like it was intended for a much younger audience. However, I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit! It was a nice and quick read that held my attention. Plus, it was on the lighter side--perfect for reading between darker more emotionally binding books.

I enjoyed the different characters and being able to see things through many different perspectives. Although, at times, I was a bit miffed by their teenaged drama (I couldn't help but think "this isn't going to matter in a few years"), I thought the characters were well written and fairly realistic. Each of them went through different struggles and had different successes in the end.

Overall, I thought the book was well written and interesting. I liked the premise of the story. It's always fun to think about what it would be like to read other peoples minds or to have some kind of super power in general! My real rating for this book is 3.5 out 5 stars just because it was a bit young for me. I would definitely recommend this book to younger readers, I'm planning on snagging a copy for my boyfriend's little sister--I think she'd love it!

Now, here's the real question: Would you want the power of telepathy to be able to read people's minds? Personally, I don't think I could handle it at all! I've already got so much going on in my own mind, I don't think I could handle anyone else in there, too.

What about you?

ARC Review: 18 Truths by Jamie Ayres

Title: 18 Truths
Author: Jamie Ayres
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Format: ARC
Links: Goodreads - Barnes & Noble - Amazon
Synopsis: Lying is unbearable, betrayal is inevitable, and choosing which path to take is impossible.

Olga Gay Worontzoff ended her senior year as an eighteen-year-old girl totally in love with Nate, enjoying their new romance and about to attend the university of her dreams. Now she’s spending her summer in the weird subculture of the Underworld, with charmingly witty and powerful angels, and problematic demons, trying to rescue Connor, the best friend and secret crush she was unable to save during a freak accident.

But Nate has other things on his mind, mainly Grace. She’s their first assignment as joint spirit guides, and Olga’s feeling hurt and jealous. His mysterious behavior has Olga questioning everything she believed about him and now she must decide whether to stick to their plan, or follow her heart. Unfortunately, a series of mistakes threatens everyone around her and plants Olga in the center of cosmic events much larger than she ever imagined.

Only one thing is certain: the chilling truths uncovered during her journey will leave no one untouched. (via Goodreads)

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My Review

I received an Advance Reader Copy of 18 Truths from Curiosity Quills Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

18 Truths by Jamie Ayres starts of where 18 Things ended. If you haven't read 18 things yet, I'd suggest that you stop reading here and go read that one first!

Olga and Nate are coping with the whole fact that the last year of their lives was simply an illusion. Oh, and the fact that they've been dead the whole time. Together, they decide to spend their post-death lives (haha) as spirit guides, helping other misguided folks like themselves find their way to heaven. Their first mission, Grace, proves harder than Olga thought, especially since Nate seems more invested in their little project than he is in her. And what happens when Olga finds out that Conner, the boy she spent the entire last year getting over, is just a few dimensions away? I guess you'll just have to read to find out!

Seriously, though. Read this book. Just do it. Jamie Ayres is a wonderful author and that is evident in how beautifully written this book is. Not only are the characters well rounded and relatable, but the world that Ayres created is hauntingly beautiful. No matter what your beliefs about the afterlife is, Jamie Ayres' version of the afterlife is comforting and imaginative. 

In my review of 18 Things, I touched on how I enjoyed the religious aspect of the book and that has not changed with 18 Truths. I am a religious person and the touch of religion is extremely comforting to me. Even with the hints of religion, I don't think that mentions of it are overwhelming or preachy. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, I'm sure that you could enjoy this book. Personally, though, I did like the various bouts of scripture placed throughout the book. I'll be honest, I kept my own set of scriptures next to me as I was reading the entire time so that I could look up and highlight the scriptures as they were presented.

Speaking of highlighting things, I think I did more highlighting and note taking in this book than I have in a really long time! Once again, this book was just beautifully written. I didn't want to miss a thing!

And now, let's talk characters. In general, Ayres does a great job with her characters. They're all fairly well rounded and relatable, but I felt myself relating 100% with Olga throughout the book. 

Olga is level-headed and smart. And, just like most teenaged girls, love makes her do crazy things. I felt just as conflicted as Olga did as she went through her whole love triangle business. Seriously, that totally hit home for me…I could feel what Olga felt as she pondered the idea of the two guys that she loved more than anything. Her decisions and realizations even gave me some realizations of my own, so thanks Olga! I don't know that I would have made some of the decisions that Olga makes throughout the book, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! Also, the book would have been super boring if Olga made the decisions I would have made :P!

As for her two guys, I couldn't help but compare them to the two guys I've been lucky enough to love in my life. What?! I couldn't help it! I promise! Anyway, I adored both Nate and Conner for different reasons (true to real life, of course). Conner is Olga's charming best friend and first love, that stuff does not die easily…let me tell you! And Nate is the one who held Olga up through everything that happened in the previous year, they've got an unbreakable bond. The relationships between Olga and her two leading men were realistic, beautiful, and, at times, absolutely heartbreaking. I loved it!

Of course, if there's anything that I learned from 18 Things, it's that Jamie Ayres loves a good plot twist (am I right?! ha). It was absolutely no different in 18 Truths. No worries, though, I love a good plot twist, too, and this one certainly didn't disappoint! But alas, you'll just have to read the book to find out what it is. I promise you won't be disappointed.

18 Truths is a wonderful story! It's not just a continuation of Olga and Nate's story, but also of Olga and Conner's story and Dr. Judy's story. I was never bored, I wanted to keep reading forever. It was beautifully written and it's definitely a story that sticks with you even after you close the book. 18 Truths will be just the second book in 2014 that I'm giving a 5 out 5 Star rating too! AND I'm recommending it to all of my friends!

Now, if only I could make time speed up so that I could read the next book already!

ARC Review: Talented by Sophie Davis

Title: Talented
Author: Sophie Davis
Publication Date: January 11, 2012
Publisher: Smashwords
Format: ARC
Links: GoodReads - Barnes and Noble - Amazon
Synopsis: When Talia Lyons was just a child, her parents were murdered before her eyes. Offered a choice between accepting their fate and exacting revenge, Talia trains to become one of the country’s deadliest assassins in order to kill the man responsible for their deaths: Ian Crane. Luckily, Talia was born with a gift- the ability to read and influence the minds of others. At sixteen, Talia is poised to graduate from the McDonough School for the Talented, where she learned to control her abilities. Now there is only one obstacle standing between her and the retribution she craves... Talia herself.

Her greatest asset may also be her undoing; while a formidable weapon in the field, Talia’s talents prevent her from both shutting off the mental connection she shares with her questionable boyfriend and blocking out the thoughts of a beguiling fellow recruit. But Talia can’t afford to have the feelings and distractions of a normal teenage girl, when her life is far from normal.

She must regain the single-minded determination that has brought her this far, or it may cost Talia her life when she finally faces Crane. And even after being molded in to a weapon of war, she’ll still have to find the strength it takes to pull the trigger.

If James Bond and Sookie Stackhouse had a love child with a yearning for vengeance, her story would be TALENTED: an adventure about powerful teenagers who aren’t afraid to embrace their fears and fight for what they believe in. (via GoodReads)

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My Review 

Ok, so I seriously have a huge love/hate relationship with this book! At least, that much is evident on the notepad that I used to take notes to enable me to write a good and honest review. 

Talented is the first book of the Talented series which follows Talia Lyons, a girl born with unusual talents due to a toxic chemical spill about 100 years prior to her story. Talia, like all other "talented" children are taken in and trained by TOXIC, a government agency the teaches these talented children how to control and use their abilities in various areas. As a child, Talia witnessed the murder of her parents leading her to wanting to become a hunter for the agency, which is exactly what it sounds like. Throughout the course of the book, Talia faces the realities and hardships of being a hunter while also battling typical teenaged emotions.  

When I first started reading the book, I had a really hard time getting involved. I admit that I might have been a little harsh at first as far as the author's writing style went. I felt that there was too much written detail and not enough leeway as far as allowing reader's to imagine a world of their own. However, the setting of Talented has to be pretty specific to get the story across, so I could overlook that. I absolutely loved the world that Sophie Davis creates as far as Washington D.C. went. I want to go to that all blue restaurant featured in the story!

I was also incredibly annoyed with Talia at first. She seemed so standoffish to me and I thought that was completely unnecessary. I mean, the way that she treated her long time boyfriend Donovan sometimes made me want to slap her! As the story went on, though, I came to like Talia. I'm not in love with her, but I don't hate her either. She's an interesting and fairly complicated character. I think Sophie Davis does a good job writing her.

Talented also features some wonderful secondary characters. Henri and Erik, Talia's teammates, are adorable and I love them! They are super funny and bring an interesting dynamic to the story as a whole. Talia also makes a friend named Penny throughout the story. Penny is your typical girly girl. She's obsessed with shopping, boys, and all that good stuff. Between Talia and Penny, I found myself relating to Penny way more. I would love to know more about her story!

I'm giving this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. I liked the story enough, but I think that it could have been written a bit better. The characters were good, but not great. However, I do plan on reading the additional books in the series. I would recommend this book to my friends, especially those who are fans of the Hunger Games. In fact, I'm planning on gifting this series to my boyfriend's little sister! I think she'd love it.