Phoenix Awakens Review

Rating: ★★★ (3.5)

Title: Phoenix Awakens
Author: Eliza Nolan
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
Publication: Oct 12, 2015
Format: Arc E-galley, 187 pages
Source: I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Julia has been having crazy dreams about weird cults, violent rituals and the charming new boy, Graham. Julia seems to think that these dreams are trying to tell her something and that somehow, she and Graham are connected. So when Graham admits that he's a Phoenix - a member of a secret society - and that he fled his old home to get away from them, they decide to try and find the truth behind the strange dreams and why Julia has begin to develop strange abilities. 
But the Phoenix Society want him back and they'll will do anything to get him. Now it's up to Julia to stop them and save Graham.
To what lengths will she go?

There must have been something about Phoenix Awakens that interested me - the secret societies or the fantasy/magic or the weird dreams - I don't know, but it was a decent book and I didn't completely hate it. After all, I did finish it. Due to my incapability to put my thoughts in proper sentences and construct an acceptable review for Phoenix Awakens, I'm just going to write a list of what I liked and disliked and let my opinions stem from there.

LIKE
- The second half of the plot was very well paced and there was a perfect amount of action for the story to progress
- The mysterious and intriguing first page
- Mythology and secret societies (I just wish there was more of it)
- Violent and 'bloody' dreams
- Julia's determination to save Graham and help her friends
- The fact that she couldn't control her powers and didn't know when they would work or not
- The connections created between Julia's dreams, why her mother left when she was younger, her newfound abilities, the necklace her mother left for her, Julia's dad over-protectiveness, etc., etc.
- The cliffhanger at the very end. I can definitely see Phoenix Awakens as part of a trilogy

DISLIKE
- Cliche, cliche, cliche. 
- The whole 'new hot guy + angsty teen girl = life is forever changed/romance' plot line
- I didn't really get any of the whole secret society concept and was kind of confused about it's origin and role in the story. Only a basic outline was given and if it was explained more, Phoenix Awakens would definitely have been a lot better
- NOTHNG WAS EXPLAINED. Everything just needed more development. Everything.
- The predictable plot; which is becoming more and more of a commonplace in YA.
- The dragging first half that just took too long to get to the whole point.
- Flat and plot driven characters. Graham was just the love interest and another member of the Phoenix Society. Why was he a member? What is his favourite food? Why does he even like Julia? Samantha was nothing but a passenger in the Plot Bus. She was there for a few chapters in the beginning and end but didn't really do much for the story. The second characters were okay and nothing exciting. Julia was pretty decent and likeable but 'immature' and didn't sound like a seventeen year old.
- Aydan. She was the 'guide' in Julia's dream. All I have is who, what, when, where, how and why. I need more explanation.

Overall, Phoenix Awakens was okay but there could have been a lot more plot and character development that would have made it a much better novel. Eliza Nolan had a likeable writing style and good premise and depending on your interest in paranormal fantasy, you may like this a whole lot better than me.

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The Raven Boys - Book Briefing

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family, money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

I started reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater last night and I'm super excited to get into this series. The whole premise seems really interesting to me and the ratings are pretty high which must mean that it has to be good, if not great. I'm not much for the paranormal genre but after reading this synopsis, I've decided to widen my horizons. I've also wanted to read this for a while due to the hype and a few years ago, I decided to pick up Maggie's other trilogy, The Wolves of Mercy Falls, (When I had an obsession with books about hunky werewolves) but I decided not to read it due to a couple of poor reviews. Hopefully, The Raven Boys will live up to my high expectations and if I enjoy this I will most likely read Maggie's other series too.

I'll update you when I finish this and include a brief review too. Comment if you've read this or want to.

52 Likes Book Review

Rating: ✭✭✭

Title: 52 Likes

Author: Medeia Sharif
Genre: YA, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

Publication: Jan 16 2015

Format: Arc E-Galley, 172 pages

Source: Thanks to Evernight Teen for sending me a copy of 52 Likes through Netgalley.

"I am alive. I had survived that night."

- page 177

Valerie only wanted to go to the party, she didn't want to be a victim of rape. Now she is plagued with the feelings of victimhood as well as the bullying from the kids at school after a few racy photos leaked. To make things worse, Valerie is beginning to see ghost-like figures in the shadows that she believes are the ghosts of the girls who are victims of her masked rapist. Not only that, but girls have started to send her creepy messages, all with 52 likes, asking her to help them.

Personally, I had a problem with Medeia Sharif's writing style. It felt clumsy, rushed and wasn't able to convey emotion and mood properly. With the kind of plot that 52 Likes had, a longer story was needed to portray the mystery and build up more tension. The lack of depth in the writing made me feel disconnected and I didn't care about what was going to happen in the story. On a more positive note, Medeia incorporated many messages in the writing such as staying strong, the power of determination and the ability to not give up through the difficult topic of rape; which I am extremely glad she addressed and addressed well.

The premise for 52 Likes sounded so promising, but once I read it I was disappointed. At first, I was immediately drawn into the plot with the opening scene, but from there I felt the book went downhill. The idea had so much potential and I applaud Medeia for this unique idea but I think that a little improvement could have been made in the conveying of it. It just seemed to lack the suspense it needed to give it that little boost and complement the 'mystery' element of the novel. I enjoyed the sense of drama that the supernatural element added. It was refreshing to read a good creepy book that made my spine tingle. The realness of the situation was also a very good aspect of the book. It didn't sugar coat the horribleness of rape and the effect it's repercussions have on its victims.

Valerie, the main character, had a vey strong personality and a vigorous determination to live her life not feeling like a victim. Apart from this, she was a bit flat. I wanted to relate to her, I really did, but I just couldn't. Whenever she felt upset or afraid, I didn't feel any empathy and it ruined the experience of reading this. I also disliked how Valerie insulted others constantly and picked on them because of the way it did; it was very annoying and I developed a love/hate relationship with her. 

All in all, 52 Likes was an okay book. It discussed harsh topics that people need to understand and a very unique idea that I enjoyed reading about. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick thriller.

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For You Fridays

I read this a couple of years ago and maybe I was slightly naive but I completely loved it. It was so much fun and a very light-hearted, romantic read.

Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis

Jacque Pierce was just an ordinary 17-year-old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in from across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realise the last two weeks of their summer are going to get a lot more interesting. 

From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. 

The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas.

Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?


I found myself laughing out loud at least twice in every chapter of the novel and I loved every single character and their exchanges. Reading this novel made me completely hooked with the series; there are multiple books following Prince of Wolves. If your a hopeless romantic, especially for paranormal romance, I definitely recommend this book. Prince of Wolves will no doubt also possibly be great for getting out of a reading slump. All in all there are eight books in the series and if you read this, there is no doubt you'll end up reading the reast of the series. Also, this book is only available online and can be purchased from iTunes or Amazon for a very low price.

Do enjoy, 

Georgia