Bite Club by Rachel Caine

Bite Club (Morganville #10) by Rachel Caine ☆☆☆☆

Oh my, this book has changed all my perceptions of the Morganville series. I don't believe I have ever given any of the books less than five stars, and yet, this book almost got three and a half--not even the full four stars.  And in nearly all of the reviews I have written, I've mentioned that I often don't even care about the story line because I love the characters so much. That changed here.

First thing, there was a major change in structure that entirely threw me off. The books have always been from one point-of-view and in third person. If you wanted to be in the characters themselves and in first person, you read the short stories she posts on her website. In this book, though, all that changed. The structure was mostly the same, but in almost every chapter there was an "interruption" of Shane's point-of-view in first person perspective. The change was unsettling. Yes, I did like seeing inside his head, but after nine previous books with a set structure, I didn't find myself enjoying the interruptions so much.

Second thing, I actually hated all the characters in this book. I hated each and every one of them and each for their own reason. That's why it would have gotten three and a half stars, because I still liked the world, story, and all, but the characters all pissed me off. That being said, they redeemed themselves in the end....somewhat. I still have some reservations. The end of the book is left at a point where a lot of talking needs to be done and forgiveness be made, and I couldn't yet find my forgiveness for all of them either. I couldn't believe how angry I got. (I do love Myrnin though, he's insane and had some quotable things I was gushing to my friend about as she read it before me.)

I'm definitely still hooked on the story and characters, but I'm going to consider each book more closely now. I expected to fall head over heels for this book like the others and it just didn't happen. And I even realized that suddenly the story behind the characters had become important to me because I thought things got tied up too easily in some situations. I'm looking forward to the next book, but not necessarily as anxiously as before.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare ☆☆☆☆

This book started out iffy for me, where it would have been lucky to get three stars, but it won four from me int he end.

The first issue I had was point-of-view switching. I prefer stories to stay in one POV throughout, or to stick with alternating POV chapters, but POV switching several times in one chapter sets me off. This is how the first chapter starts, with several POV changes that I got pissed off. But a friend urged me to keep reading. The POV switching did diminish a lot (and in one instance of storytelling by a character I actually liked the change), but it still lost a little something for me. 

And then, my first mistake with this book was reading a negative review that highlighted similarities with several fandoms, the most obvious being Harry Potter. I can entirely see how this story spawned from Harry Potter fanfiction. I'm sure I would have eventually noticed these similarities on my own through reading, but they were all laid out for me in one shiny place. Here's the thing, for me there is a line to be crossed when it comes to being influenced by another story and flat out using elements from those stories. For example, in working on a vampire story I suddenly realized I was setting in Texas, I quickly had to rethink my choice of states because I didn't want to be compared to Morganville.

On to the good stuff. This story had one thing that guarantees a good book for me specifically: the arrogant, snarky bad boy who is secretly broken and trying to be good. Oh, how I love those bad boys! And Jace was just the guy for me! I really liked the characters, and loved them even more from how they differed from their influenced counterparts. For example, it became obvious that Clary was based off Ginny from Harry Potter, but I really loved that Clary's red hair was curly. That detail set her apart for me. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions with each other. And there was one thing I totally called from the beginning that had my friend rolling because I guessed it so soon and she couldn't confirm or deny my suspicion. That's another thing that makes a good book for me, when I figure something out before the main character of the book, and not because it's blatantly obvious, but because the writer left good clues for me to decipher.

In the end, I'm glad I gave this series a shot and I do intend to keep reading it, even though the heavy influences of other stories was a little too much for me. And I can't wait to see what happens next. The surprise ending (though not a surprise thanks to reading that bad review too soon) did not bother me at all, even though I know it upset a lot of people, but I have faith in where everything goes from here. I want to see these characters grow even further! Glad there is a movie in the works :)

Almost by Anne Eliot

Almost by Anne Eliot ☆☆☆☆☆

 This book was recommended on my Kindle after I finished Easy by Tammara Webber because it deals with a similar subject matter: almost-rape. The summary immediately pulled me in, the kind of book I love, so I bought it without a second thought. And it was unexpectedly great. It was exactly the kind of book I love.

My love for the book didn't start out from the beginning though. I had a hard time understanding how Jess's almost-rape could have such a horrible PTSD impact. I know several people that have gone through such a situation and worse, without such a consequence. However, once I got towards the end of the book, everything started clicking and I realized it wasn't necessarily the almost-rape that was the culprit.

The cover is horrible, but the story far makes up for it. It also had an interesting structure. It was an alternating narrative, which I hadn't expected, but the set up wasn't always set either. While most of the book alternated between Jess and Gray every other chapter, there were a few instances in which Jess got chapters back to back.

Besides the fact that I loved this book and loved the characters, there were also a lot of other great aspects. Jess starts out with the mentality that "Boys in Books are Better" which is a mentality that my friend and I have. There were numerous places that I highlighted because I loved the way it was written or the way that one character thought. And I have to say the one thing that I am most proud of in the book was the section in the back listing statistics about rape and almost-rape, and resources for someone who is dealing with that situation themselves.

Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

Ghost Town (Morganville #9) by Rachel Caine ☆☆☆☆☆

So this totally isn't what I had planned to read. I usually only read two Morganville books at a time, and I was already set to read something else, but I decided to glance at the first chapter of this book and I was hooked.

The story line was an original take on what a ghost town can mean and it was beyond interesting. There were so many sides of all the characters exposed, and many couldn't even be expected.

And I cried. Cried!

I think this is the first Morganville book that made me cry and I cherish it for that reason. Each of these books has pulled a strong emotion out of me and it shows the strength and creativity of the writing (beyond the characters, as I've prided in earlier reviews). The last book made me feel frustration, and this one made me follow the sense of mystery and made me feel a deep loss and sadness with the echoes of "ghosts" of the town.

This series makes me ache, in sad ways and in good ways. I'm looking forward to the next book, but at the same time, I know I really do need to take a slight break from the series to regroup before the next ache, whether good or bad.

Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine

Kiss of Death (Morganville #8) by Rachel Caine ☆☆☆☆☆

Okay, so this story line was pretty cool. It went in so many unexpected directions. And I was left wondering why the characters themselves weren't as frustrated as I was while reading it.

Great road trip novel, and oh, was it ever the road trip from hell. As it got closer and closer to the end, I was wondering where the story line was going to go after all, getting more twisted and twisted in the process. And the epilogue at the end worried me. Usually a epilogue takes place years (or even decades) in the future, but it was not the case. It could have been a regular chapter and been just fine.

I'm still loving my characters, and falling in love with them even more in each book. And I'm glad the story line beyond surprised me in this case. Looking forward to the next book. Five more to go at this point :)

Fade Out by Rachel Caine

Fade Out (Morganville #7) by Rachel Caine ☆☆☆☆☆

Another sunrise finish for me. Don't know if I'll ever sleep normally again, but at least a sunrise finish fits perfectly with a vampire novel ;)

I've come to the conclusion after reading this book that I don't really care what the story line is anymore because I love the characters so much. Each of the characters is strong in their actions and their voices, and sometimes that's hard to pull off when writing. A lot of people fall on stock characters (stereotypes) or flat characters (nothing interesting), but each of these characters stands on their own. She has proven with her short stories that the story could be told from any point of view because she's in all of their heads. That's a good place to be.

And what I especially noticed during this book is that even her secondary characters are strong. Kim was an unexpected secondary character and yet I felt like I knew her just as much as those I have adored throughout the rest of the series. And what kind of world I live in without Shane, oh how I love that boy.

So truth be told, I loved the story, but of course I loved the characters more. The story line was secondary to me. My biggest complaint is that the books seem shorter and shorter with each one I pick up and I blow through them way too fast. Maybe that's why I only ever read two at a time, or it would all end too soon for me.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver ☆☆☆☆☆

This book ripped me to shreds. But of course, there is more to say than that.

First off, the structure was really odd and hard to get used to. The first book had set chapters, each with it's own epigraph letting you in on a closer view of the world and society. This book threw all of that out the window. There were no chapters. Only a back and for between "Now" and "Then" with every other section (rather than chapter). Some sections were incredibly long and some incredibly short. And what was hardest to get used to wasn't the switch of time at all. It was the fact that there were no chapters because there was no way in telling how far I was into the book without numbers. Maybe that's one reason I couldn't stop reading, I didn't want to lose my place so to speak.

I have to say this is the fastest I've ever read a book. Or at the very least the second fastest. I started it at 5am, went to sleep around 7am, woke around 3pm, and have been reading non-stop ever since. And here it is before midnight. I can just imagine what would have happened if I hadn't gone to sleep at all. Referencing the book ripping me to shreds... I wish I had had some warning because I practically cried myself to sleep. I was so upset that I physically couldn't handle the pressure built up in me. And that is another reason I couldn't put the book down once I picked it back up in the afternoon. It continued to rip me apart and there just wasn't a place I could stop. I didn't even take a break to eat.

I avoid books that have such an emotional impact on me. And after a recent book series sent me into a downward spiral of depression that I hadn't expected, I was honestly trying to avoid emotionally impacting books even more. But towards the end of the book, in one tiny little moment a calm settled over me. So startling that I cried out and gripped my Kindle so tight I was afraid I was going to crack it (yes, literally). And in this one instance, the cliff hanger ending, I could handle it. I'm still desperate for the next book and extremely looking forward to the story it'll contain, but I'm satisfied for the moment and can move on to my next book easily.

I still think I need the rest of the night to recover from it though. I think my soul broke more than my heart did. Oh, Lauren Oliver, this isn't the first time you hurt me so badly, and I doubt it'll be your last. Your writing is beautiful and melodic, and after every heart break I swore I wouldn't read you again, but now I can't help it. And yes, this is where Pandemonium picks up the fifth star that Delirium and Hana did not. Requiem is going to be the highlight of March for me!