Review: White Hot Kiss

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout Published by Harlequin Teen on August 27, 2015 Genres: Young Adult-Paranormal, Young Adult-Romance Source: Gifted Buy on Amazon Goodreads One kiss could be the last. Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal—fit in at school, and go out on a real date with the gorgeous Zayne, whom she's crushed on since forever. Trouble is, Zayne treats Layla like a sister—and Layla is anything but normal. She's half demon, half gargoyle, with abilities no one else possesses. And even though Zayne is a Warden, part of the race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe, Layla's kiss will kill anything with a soul—including him.Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know her secrets....

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Review: Blackout

Blackout by Robison Wells Published by HarperTeen on July 28, 2014 Genres: Young Adult-Science Fiction Source: Gifted Buy on Amazon Goodreads Laura and Alec are trained terrorists. Jack and Aubrey are high school students. There was no reason for them to ever meet. But now, a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible powers. And these four are about to find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all. After reading the prequel I had to get my hands on this series to know more and what would happen. I love the novellas because they give you some information that can help the world build and it usually leaves you...

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Review: The Diviners

The Diviners by Libba Bray Published by Little Brown on September 18, 2012 Genres: Young Adult- Historical/Fantasy Source: Gifted Buy on Amazon Goodreads Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer....

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Review: SYLO

SYLO by D.J. Machale Published by Razorbill on July 2, 2013 Genres: Young Adult-Science Fiction Source: FTC: Exchange for honest opinion, Gifted Buy on Amazon Goodreads Does Tucker Pierce have what it takes to be a hero when the U.S. military quarantines his island? Fourteen-year-old Tucker Pierce prefers to fly under the radar. He’s used to navigating around summer tourists in his hometown on idyllic Pemberwick Island, Maine. He’s content to sit on the sidelines as a backup player on the high school football team. And though his best friend Quinn tells him to “go for it,” he’s too chicken to ask Tori Sleeper on a date. There’s always tomorrow, he figures. Then Pemberwick Island is invaded by a mysterious branch of the U.S. military called SYLO. And sitting on...

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Review: Burned

Burned by Ellen Hopkins Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on March 28th 2006 Genres: Young Adult-Contemporary Source: Gifted Goodreads "Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, Pattyn Von Stratten starts asking questions -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love. She experiences the first stirrings of passion, but when her father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control. Pattyn is sent to live with an aunt in the wilds of Nevada to find salvation and redemption. What she finds instead is love and acceptance -- until she realizes that her old demons will not let her go." Again, another beautifully written book that left me speechless. I mean, I had no words. I wanted to talk about it, but wasn’t sure where even to...

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