Relic(ARC) by Renee Collins

"After a raging fire consumes her town and kills her parents, Maggie Davis is on her own to protect her younger sister and survive best she can in the Colorado town of Burning Mesa. In Maggie’s world, the bones of long-extinct magical creatures such as dragons and sirens are mined and traded for their residual magical elements, and harnessing these relics’ powers allows the user to wield fire, turn invisible, or heal even the worst of injuries.

Working in a local saloon, Maggie befriends the spirited showgirl Adelaide and falls for the roguish cowboy Landon. But when she proves to have a particular skill at harnessing the relics’ powers, Maggie is whisked away to the glamorous hacienda of Álvar Castilla, the wealthy young relic baron who runs Burning Mesa. Though his intentions aren’t always clear, Álvar trains Maggie in the world of relic magic. But when the mysterious fires reappear in their neighboring towns, Maggie must discover who is channeling relic magic for evil before it’s too late.
Relic is a thrilling adventure set in a wholly unique world, and a spell-binding story of love, trust, and the power of good."

Relic(ARC) by Renee Collins
400 pages

Renee Collins has created an amazing, interesting world based on our mundane history of the old west. The old west revamped into a magical world filled with extinct mythical creatures we could only dream of meeting in reality.

Relics are the remains of magical creatures that used to inhabit the earth(much similar to the long extinct dinosaurs of the real world) that still possess some of the powers of said magical creatures. Humans have been mining for them and using them for years. The powers are mainly the 5 main elements of the world(water, fire, earth, wind, and spirit).

Maggie Davis is actually one of the more regular characters in this novel. Her family is the most important thing in her life and she just wants to basically give her little sister the world after their parents and brother die because of a mysterious group of people. Moving into Burning Mesa, Maggie tries to get their lives back on track by working at the town's local saloon. Of course, her little sister can't exactly stay with her there. Her sister is forced to stay somewhere else while Maggie is busy making money by cleaning tables.

Álvar is the rich, young, charming hacienda that owns most of Burning Mesa. By fate(or coincidence), Maggie meets him and begins to work at his saloon. Is Álvar just being kind and generous or does he have his own hidden agenda?

Throughout this whole novel, Maggie is forced to make decisions that affect the well-being of her sister and herself. She gets entangled in things of her past and things that she's just discovering about herself. Between making new friends and trying to solidify her life, she can't possibly be crushing on some cowboy, right?

This is actually one of those books where I am pretty set on buying a copy of. I will admit, at first, I thought this would not be the kind of book for me. I shudder just at the thought of the old west. Renee Collins has transformed my opinion on this. She's sucked me into this world and I am very, very, much looking forward to a sequel to this. Definitely a 5 of 5 stars book!

Since You Asked(ARC) by Maurene Goo

"A humorous, debut novel about a Korean-American teenager who accidentally lands her own column in her high school newspaper, and proceeds to rant her way through the school year while struggling to reconcile the traditional Korean values of her parents with contemporary American culture."

Since You Asked(ARC) by Maurene Goo
262 pages

If the summary up there doesn't interest you, then I don't know what will.

Holly Kim is a realistic, albeit very dramatic at times, sophomore in high school. Like any other student with strict parents, Holly has been forced to maintain straight A's and to stay off the radar of the school's cliche pyramid of popularity. She's also part of The Weasel Times, her school's newspaper. One very boring day, Holly basically rewrites a whole entire article and chaos ensues.

Not without the help of her three best friends, of course.

From writing her column to hanging out with her friends, Holly has a lot to work with. What happens when she can't make everyone happy with her snarky articles?

Hey, let's not forget that Holly has to deal with secret admirers, Thanksgiving dinner, and big misunderstandings. Holly deals with all of these events and more while living out her everyday life of a student.

I could barely put this book down, let alone not give it 5 of 5 stars!

Maureen Goo has created a humorous, realistic story with quirky characters and moment-ruining guys that you'll absolutely love! I mean, there are mother to daughter arguments every so often that get a bit over-the-top, but there are also those moments where you just have to close the book and sort of making a dying whale sound. In a good way, of course.

I love how Holly eventually uses her column and changes the way everyone starts thinking about things in their everyday school life. Holly battles unjust systems within her school, is forced to do things she'd never do otherwise, and is basically experiences life. She slowly becomes more of herself and she starts taking a bit more risks, regardless of the problems ahead. A bit dauntless, but what's life without some risks?

Now I just have to go to the nearest book store and buy this whenever I get the chance!

Promise Me Something(ARC) by Sara Kocek

"As if starting high school weren't bad enough, Reyna Fey has to do so at a new school without her best friends. Reyna's plan is to keep her head down, help her father recover from the car accident that almost took his life, and maybe even make some friends. And then Olive Barton notices her. Olive is not exactly the kind of new friend Reyna has in mind. The boys make fun of her, the girls want to fight her, and Olive seems to welcome the challenge. There's something about Olive that Reyna can't help but like. But when Reyna learns Olive's secret, she must decide whether it's better to be good friends with an outcast or fake friends with the popular kids. . . .before she loses Olive forever."

Promise Me Something by Sara Kocek
320 pages
To be released on September 1st, 2013

To be honest, I was pretty sure I was going to end up disliking this book. I'm happy to say that that isn't the case at all!

At first, I absolutely could not stand most of the characters. Take Reyna, for example. She is stuck in the past, for lack of a better way to put it. Her mother passed away when she was a kid and now her father was almost killed. By a car accident that his girlfriend, Lucy, caused by going past a stop sign. Needless to say, Reyna isn't a very big fan of her. Reyna's trying to make friends, but Olive isn't exactly what she's looking for... Sadly for Reyna, she'll just have to take what she can get.

Olive is the outcast of the school. She's a very big complainer and she's very bitter about everything. Even with Reyna's reluctance to be her friend, Olive is determined to stay.

Throughout the whole book, Reyna is wishing that she was with her best friends, at the high school that she was originally supposed to go to. What happens when Olive isn't as bad as she thought she was? And then there's that secret Olive's been keeping...

Reyna isn't really used to not having any friends. She has a group of best friends she's known since she was a kid. They've been together through good times and bad. What happens when Reyna's feeling left out, not a part of the group anymore?

The plot is probably my most favorite part of the whole book. I mean, some things were a bit obvious, but the main thing totally blew me away. Sara Kocek has written a very truthful and realistic story that you can't stop reading. The humor will have you grinning, you'll be feeling for the characters, and you'll read about something that's happening out in the real world. I love the topics discussed in this book and although I wanted more from the ending, I can't help but to give this 5/5 stars!

Feather AND Gates(ARC) by Laurie Lyons

"Lucy is a bright eyed, fiery redhead with a quick wit and a photographic memory. On the night of the spring equinox, Lucy meets Nathaniel, a dark and mysterious man who at first appears to have amnesia. Lucy feels inexplicably drawn to Nathaniel and is amazed to discover that he is invisible to everyone but herself. Fearing she is going insane--or worse, losing her photographic memory--Lucy goes on a hunt for answers. What she learns turns her world upside down.

FEATHER is a tale of love, the power of memories, and the struggle between right and wrong.

How far would you go to save your true love’s soul?"

Feather by Laurie Lyons
Book One of the Feather Trilogy

Feather is a heavenly read, literally.

Lucy has the gift of photographic memory and she can remember every conversation she's ever heard of. This obviously helps her academic grades, but it doesn't help her when she's faced with a problem that she doesn't know the solution to. Let's not forget that not knowing something is a huge thing for Lucy as she's usually known every answer to every question.

Nathaniel is every girl's dream.. Amazing eyes, a sweet and passionate personality, a complete angel. An actual Angel. Too bad Lucy's the only one that can see him.

Life is going great for Lucy. She has her wonderful friends, she has a wonderful future, but she's never had a guy that she's really loved. Sure, she's dated a couple of guys that she's liked, but none of them can really compare to the mysterious Nathaniel.

When the Demons realize that Nathaniel is changing a small place on Earth because of his heavenly connection, how far will Lucy go to keep him with her? Can a mortal come between the laws of Heaven and the wraith of Hell? Can she save his soul?

Feather is a book that you zoom right into. Every page is written so that you just have to continue reading until it's over! At first, it's slow. But once you read on and on, you'll be hooked.

Laurie's writing style is a bit different. It's good, but it is a bit to get used to.

Once you start with Feather, you'll have to continue on and read Gates.

Speaking of Gates, I had the opportunity to read the Advanced Reading Copy of it!

"In the second book of The Feather Trilogy, Lucy and Nathaniel have started their sophomore year at Mulbridge University. Everything seems perfect but a series of strange accidents leave them both wondering if something sinister is lurking. Is it just fate or is something evil after Lucy’s soul? Does Roman, recently returned from the depths of Hell, have anything to do with it? Nathaniel and Lucy struggle to find answers until all is terrifyingly revealed on the Winter Solstice in an ending that will leave you breathless."

Gates(ARC) by Laurie Lyons

Book Two of the Feather Trilogy

In stores on May 24, 2013

Lucy's life is going great and things couldn't get better. She has a life to live with a now visible Nathaniel. Heaven and Hell can't possibly take him away from her now.

Roman is pretty much the only thorn on her side. Lucy, with her amazing memory, remembers every encounter they've ever had... Most of them not being very pleasant. Alas, Lucy's best friend is dating him and falling for him. Can they let bygones be bygones and at least act civil towards one another? Probably not.

Nathaniel's already met Lucy's friends when he was invisible in Feather and he quickly charms his way into her group of friends. They don't suspect a thing.. Except for Anastasia, Lucy's best friend. She's worried that Lucy is getting in over her head and falling for a guy that she thinks she's just met.

One after another, accidents are appearing near Lucy... Deadly accidents. Nothing like this has ever happened to Lucy and Nathaniel is getting extremely worried. Nathaniel proves, once again, that he'll do anything to save her life. But what if she's not the one in danger this time?

The Winter Solstice is coming up and no one is safe. Can Nathaniel and Roman, an Angel and a Demon, mortal enemies, save everyone before it's too late?

The ending of Gates will leave you breathless for more because Laurie Lyons just loves giving her readers a cliffhanger...

Anyways, speaking of Laurie, I've promised to serenade her!

Angel With A Shotgun by The Cab:

(I'm an angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun, An angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun..)
Get out your guns, 
battles begun, 
are you a saint, or a sinner?
If loves a fight, then I shall die,
with my heart on a trigger.
They say before you start a war,
you better know what you're fighting for.
Well baby, you are all that I adore,
if love is what you need, a soldier I will be.
I'm an angel with a shotgun,
fighting til' the wars won,
I don't care if heaven won't take me back.
I'll throw away my faith, babe, 
just to keep you safe.
Don't you know you're everything I have?
And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight.
Sometimes to win, 
you've got to sin,
don't mean I'm not a believer
And major Tom, will sing along.
Yeah, they still say I'm a dreamer.
They say before you start a war,
you better know what you're fighting for.
Well baby, you are all that I adore,
if love is what you need, a soldier I will be.
I'm an angel with a shotgun,
fighting til' the wars won,
I don't care if heaven won't take me back.
I'll throw away my faith, babe, 
just to keep you safe.
Don't you know you're everything I have?
And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight.
And I'm gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight.
They say before you start a war,
you better know what you're fighting for.
Well, baby, you are all the I adore,
if love is what you need...
A soldier I will be.

*coughs* Not so hard to figure out what character I think this song most refers to.

A slight change of lyrics from Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri:

No, I can't take one more step towards you
'Cause all that's waiting is pain
Don't you know I'm not your problem anymore
You wanted me to lose the love I loved the most

I didn't want to learn to live half alive
And now you want me to one more time
Without him

And who do you think you are?
Runnin' 'round leaving chaos
Collecting your jar of souls
And tearing our love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the darkness inside your soul
So don't come back for us
Who do you think you are?

I hear you're asking all around
If I am anywhere to be found
But I have grown too strong
To ever fall back in your charms

And I've learned to live my life
And now you want him to die

And who do you think you are?
Runnin' 'round leaving chaos
Collecting your jar of souls
And tearing our love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the darkness inside your soul
So don't come back for us
Who do you think you are?

And it took so long just to feel alright
Remember how to put back the life in my eyes
I wish I had missed the first time that we met
'Cause you broke all your promises
And now you're back
You don't get to get her back

And who do you think you are?
Runnin' 'round leaving chaos
Collecting your jar of couls
And tearing our love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the darkness inside your soul
So don't come back for us
Don't come back at all

And who do you think you are?
Runnin' 'round leaving chaos
Collecting your jar of souls
Tearing our love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the darkness inside your soul
Don't come back for us
Don't come back at all

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think you are?

So, who do you think my slight changes of lyrics is about for this? :)

Be sure to follow Laurie Lyons on Twitter!

Invisibility(ARC) by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

"Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned, especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth."

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
358 pages
To be released on May 7th, 2013.

Invisibility can be a curse or a blessing. To Stephen, it is nothing but a curse.

Stephan has never been seen by anyone, not even his own family. He's been invisible to everyone for all of his life.. Until he meets Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is like any other ordinary girl.. Or is she?

In a world where no one sees you, it's not that hard to disappear.. Is it?

Stephen has lived day by day with the same routine done over and over again. Never thinking that anyone would ever see him, never imagining meeting a girl like Elizabeth and falling in love.

Elizabeth's been through tough times in her past and moving to New York City was her family's way of avoiding it all. All she wants to do is blend in and someday publish her own comic book.

Invisibility is heartbreak, loneliness, love, and everything all at once.

You just can't describe how well Andrea and David have made this book.

This is probably my worst review ever(or my shortest review ever) because Invisibility can't be described with mundane words. Invisibility is a book that you have to actually read to understand. Invisibility is amazing.

Also, here's a very short conversation I had with Andrea Cremer on Twitter about a sequel to Invisibility:

Me: So... Any plans for a sequel of Invisibility? *hopeful*

Andrea: Nothing specific yet, but definitely a possibility :)

So there you have it! I don't know about you, but I'm definitely crossing my fingers in hope of a sequel!

Follow Andrea Cremer on Twitter and David Levithan on Twitter!

Icons(ARC) by Margaret Stohl

  "Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths. 

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future."

Icons by Margaret Stohl

Book 1 of the Icons series

448 pages

To be released on May 7th, 2013.

As you may have already known, Icons has already been through a couple of cover changes(this amazing cover I used is the cover for the ARCs) and is not officially released yet. Lucky for me, I happened to be able to get this copy!

Let me warn you now, Icons starts off slow and slugs its way throughout the whole book. Normally, I would have pitched it, but the whole concept of Margaret's world she's created was way too good to pass up. That's not to say that it isn't good--it's good.

The Day is the one thing that changed everything. The Day was when the House of Lords, and 13 of the Icons they brought with them, came to Earth. Everything changed from that point on. Life on Earth changed for the worst.

Going into the book, I wondered: What are these Icons? Trust me, it wasn't very clear until after everything happened. That was one of the things that killed the book.

Dol is a very straightforward character that you can't help but to like, but you can't help but to hate either. She's constantly unclear of herself and is sort of a depressing character. I mean, I would too if I had the power to know of everyone's emotions and what they're thinking.. Oh, I forgot to mention that she can't exactly NOT know everyone's emotions and thoughts. There, sadly, is no off switch for it. A blessing and a curse, most would say. Not Dol, she absolutely dreads all of it. Because the world is full of sadness and loss of hope because of the Lords. Hell yes that sucks.

Ro is Dol's best friend. They've been together at the Mission for years. Are they something more? Yes, absolutely. He would do anything to save her from anyone meaning her harm. And he certainly is capable of doing so. Ro has this power that is fueled by rage, rage, and more rage. When Ro's angry, someone's got to pay.

When Ro and Dol are captured, and I literally mean captured, by a team of Sympas, a group of trained human soldiers that basically do the dirty work for the Ambassador and the Lords, or traitors to the human race, let's just say that things are exploding.

As with many in the YA fiction, a charming enemy appears when they're on the road to freedom and escape from the Embassy. Who is this charming guy? It's no one other than the Ambassador's son, Lucas. Lucas is like the guy of every girl's dream.. Handsome with tons of charisma... Let's just say this mysterious boy is enough to keep a girl's heart beating...

The real enemy, the Lords, are pretty much a huge mystery to me even after finishing this book. Why? They are mentioned throughout the entire book, but we don't even know what they can really do. All we know is that they've got Icons stationed in every continent...

Do I love this book? No.

Would I read this book again? Maybe.

Would it be worth reading? Yes.

It isn't her best book(I loved Beautiful Creatures way more than this), but it is worth a shot. No matter how slow it was, it will be worth it in the end. I give it a 4 stars for her amazing ideas, the plot, and these wonderful characters she's created. And I will be waiting for the next book in the series...

Follow Margaret Stohl on Twitter!